 |
| Advertisement for Screaming Trees' Uncle Anesthesia album from Option: Music Alternatives magazine no. 37, Mar/Apr 1991. |
Monday, May 13, 2013
Screaming Trees - Uncle Anesthesia Advertisement
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
A Tribute to George Jones
As I mentioned in my previous post, George Jones is one of my favorite artists regardless of genre, and I wanted to put together something in tribute to him. What follows is some choice video and audio clips from YouTube of some of my favorite songs by the man who is rightly being hailed as the greatest country music singer ever.
"Seasons Of My Heart" (1955) Town Hall Party
Some of my favorite material by Jones is the early hardcore honky-tonk sides he cut for the Starday and Mercury labels between 1955 and 1960. Some will tell you he had yet to find his own voice, and it is true that his earliest sides lean a little too heavily on the Hank Williams/Lefty Frizzell influence. But to my ears he became his own singer fairly quickly. "Seasons Of My Heart" was originally cut in 1955, but I think this Town Hall Party clip is a little later, possibly from 1959.
"Thumper" Jones - "Rock It" (1956) [No video]
Jones had a fairly fraught relationship to rock and roll music throughout his career, starting in 1956 when he recorded a few rock and roll numbers under the pseudonym "Thumper" Jones. While this is some fairly crazed sounding rockabilly, Jones never really cared much for rock music, and his discomfort with the genre is evident in these recordings. I don't think many would argue George made a mistake in deciding to exclusively devote himself to country music.
"You Gotta Be My Baby" (1957) Town Hall Party [Introduction by Tex Ritter]
This is one of the earliest video clips I was able to find of Jones. Here he is performing one of his great early honky-tonk scorchers on Town Hall Party hosted by Tex Ritter. On an odd note, Ritter introduces Jones as standing only five feet tall, but he was actually about 5'7", which is not really all that short (or at least I hope not as the Possum still had a couple inches on me).
"Eskimo Pie" (1957) [No video]
Novelty songs would play a huge role in Jones' career through to the end. Some would claim Jones was wasting his talents on such lightweight material, but I've always found (most of) his novelty numbers fun and refreshing. "Eskimo Pie," recorded in 1957 is one of the weirder ones, it's an answer song of sorts to the briefly popular sub-genre of country songs about inter-cultural romance (see also Bobby Helms' "Fraulein" and Hank Locklin's "Geisha Girl," both also from 1957). This attempt to cash in on a trend did not pay off in a hit, but it still gives me a giggle today. I actually had to buy a bootleg (or grey market import) CD to first obtain this track. I almost never buy bootleg recordings of my favorite rock artists, but for George Jones I was willing to make an exception.
"White Lightning" (1959) [Unknown Source]
"White Lightning" was one of Jones' biggest hits, and one of his better known songs in rock music circles. If you listen closely you might just hear a trace of the ghost of "Thumper" Jones here. This was about as close to rock and roll as Jones ever got successfully. Written by The Big Bopper, "White Lightning" was later covered by The Fall, among other rock acts.
"Cup Of Loneliness" (1959) [No video]
Jones recorded some great country gospel numbers and "Cup Of Loneliness" features what is, in my opinion, one of the greatest vocals of his career. There is a real soulfulness to his vocals on this number that cannot be denied.
"Out Of Control" (1960) [No video]
Drinking songs played as large a role in Jones' career as alcoholism would play in his personal life. The desperation in his voice on "Out Of Control" is absolutely spine chilling. Nobody could do this kind of song as well as Jones, not even Merle Haggard.
"She Thinks I Still Care" (1962) Country Music on Broadway
Jones switched labels to United Artists in 1962, around the same time he started to fully develop his "mature" ballad style. This is one of my favorite country ballads and still sounds great all these years later.
"Brown To Blue" (1964) [No video]
I first became aware of "Brown To Blue" thanks to a cover version by Elvis Costello from his "country" album Almost Blue in the 1980s. It took me years to hunt down Jones' original version. I first acquired it on a United Artists LP called Trouble In Mind, and later on the Bear Family complete United Artists box set. Today I am happy to report that the song is available without too much bother on Omnivore Recordings outstanding Complete United Artists Solo Recordings CD in pristine mono sound, just the way millions first heard it as they cried away their troubles into rivers of whiskey and beer. Penned by Jones himself, I can understand Costello's affection for the song. It's a terrific divorce song with clever lyrics that show the Possum could do more than just sing.
"Love Bug" (1965) Mathis Bros. Country Social
"Love Bug" was one of the bigger novelty hits Jones had during his stint with his third label, Musicor. It's goofy, but I love it. This amazing clip came from a local Oklahoma City television program that was sponsored by and filmed in an appliance store. How cool is that?
For many years, Jones' Musicor recordings (1965-1971) presented a real challenge to anyone wanting to assemble a reasonable George Jones collection. The rights holders for the Musicor catalog were apparently reluctant to license the material to labels that did not exclusively distribute through truck stops. I still have a few cut rate truckstop collections that I bought trying to track down key Musicor tracks. They have titles like "20 All-Time Country Classics," but the songs appear to have been chosen more or less at random from his Musicor catalog. Invariably, the artwork on these releases features a picture of Jones (his hair lacquered into a helmet) taken some ten to twenty years after the recordings featured on the albums, with his image pasted over some gold records or a drawing of barn.
Collecting Musicor tracks was made even more difficult by the fact that when the label originally released the material on LP they repeated many tracks from album to album. You could easily buy 10 Musicor LPs and find they had less than 60 unique tracks between them. Add to that the fact that there was a very good chance the previous owners of the albums were in no condition to operate a record player (let alone heavy machinery) when they listened to the albums. And then there was the sheer volume of material he recorded for the label--better than 250 songs recorded over period of just over five years--some of it great, some of it good, some of it unnecessary.
"Milwaukee Here I Come" with Tammy Wynette (1969) The Wilburn Bros. Show
Jones performed "Milwaukee Here I Come" on several TV programs with his then new wife Tammy Wynette, but for contractual reasons he could not record with her while still under contract to Musicor. On the I'll Share My World With You LP Jones performs this song with Brenda Carter, but it's Wynette pictured with her new husband on the album cover. Confused? That was probably the idea.
Happily, the Musicor years are now exhaustively documented on two massive Bear Family box sets (9 CDs in total). For those who just want to hear the highlights, Time/Life recently released a nice 2CD set called The Great Lost Hits. While this period is occasionally dismissed by critics, in part due to the admittedly shoddy way the catalog has been handled over the years, Jones recorded some great material for Musicor; "Walk Through This World With Me," "If My Heart Had Windows," "Love Bug," "I'm A People," "Sometimes You Just Can't Win," "Burn Another Honky Tonk Down," etc., etc. Hearing this material made the effort I went through to obtain the songs worthwhile.
"A Good Year For The Roses" (1970) [No video]
This is another Jones song that first came to my attention thanks to Elvis Costello's treatment of it on Almost Blue. Jerry Chesnut's lyrics are brilliant for the way in which they capture how often mundane things can loom large in our minds during an emotional crisis. This was one of Jones' final hits at Musicor, and finds him edging closer to the "countrypolitan" style that he would embrace fully at Epic with producer Billy Sherill. As always, his delivery is heartbreaking and superb.
"The Grand Tour" (1972) [Unknown Source, introduction by Tammy Wynette]
When Jones moved to Epic records in 1971 he hooked up with "countrypolitan" producer Billy Sherill. Sherill and Jones recorded many hits together over the next two decades. He recorded a lot of great material during his Epic years, and in general his albums from that period are much better thought out than those of the Musicor years. A Picture Of Me (Without You), George Jones (We Can Make It), Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad As Losing You)--Jones developed a thing for parenthetical titles during this period--The Grand Tour, Alone Again, The Battle, I Am What I Am, etc. are all very strong albums with a lot to recommend them beyond the hits.
"Golden Ring" with Tammy Wynette (1976) Hee-Haw
When his marriage to Tammy Wynette ended badly, Jones' personal life spiraled out of control like a bad honky-tonk song. Nevertheless he continued creating some fine music, some of it with Wynette. "Golden Ring" is another all-time country classic with a brilliant circular motif worthy of the great filmmaker Max Ophüls. I am also very fond of the duets Jones recorded earlier in his career with Melba Montgomery, but his recordings with Tammy Wynette are really something special.
"He Stopped Loving Her Today" (1980) The Ronnie Prophet Show
Recorded near the nadir of his personal life, Jones initially rejected what would become the biggest hit of career ("He Stopped Loving Her Today") for being too maudlin. On paper maybe it is too much, but Jones makes it work, and no doubt this is the song he will always be best remembered for. It is amazing to me that someone who had stumbled so badly in his personal life could still rise to such great heights in the recording studio. Many consider this the best country song of all-time, and I'm not sure I'd argue with them.
Whatever you do, avoid picking up Double Trouble, the album Jones recorded with his former sideman Johnny Paycheck in 1980. Comprised entirely of rock and roll covers, Double Trouble demonstrates once and for all the wise choice Jones made when he decided to stick exclusively to country music. The Possum just never had much of a feeling for rock and roll.
"I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" (1992) Country Music Hall of Fame Induction
After leaving Epic, Jones spent much of the 1990s on the MCA label trying to keep up with the "new country" sound with mixed results. Here he is seen with younger stars Alan Jackson, T. Graham Brown, Patty Loveless, Pam Tillis, Mark Chesnutt, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Joe Diffie, and Clint Black at his Country Music Hall of Fame induction.
His MCA period (1991-1998) coincided with the apex of my own Jones fandom, and I dutifully picked up most of these albums when they came out and gave them a fair chance. None of them are bad, but they are only rarely inspired. The lone exception is the his final duet album with ex-wife Tammy Wynette, One from 1995. Wynette and Jones harmonize together so naturally they could sing the phone book and it would be compelling. The phone book might actually be more compelling than a couple of the songs on One, but in general it is a strong effort.
"Choices" (1999) CBS TV
The later part of Jones' career was disappointing to some (okay, to me) in several respects. While he remained in good voice until near the end of his days, his choices were mostly conservative and he avoided taking some of the risks that revitalized the careers of contemporaries like Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. However, he seemed to put his all into making his 1999 album Cold Hard Truth something special. Unfortunately, this "comeback" was cut short by a relapse of alcoholism that resulted in an SUV crash and some serious injuries. Jones won a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Choices" the lead track from that album.
As big a fan of Jones as I am, even I could not bring myself to buy an album called The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001 in which he duets with Garth Brooks on a song called "Beer Run (B Double E Are You In?)," a number which was penned by no less then five Nashville song doctors. Or as Jones once sang, "uh-uh no, never."
I remember reading the liner notes that Elvis Costello penned to the reissue of his Kojak Variety album in which Elvis recounts his disappointment that Jones rejected a demo tape he had prepared specifically for him. The tape was full of some inspired choices like Bruce Springsteen's "Brilliant Disguise" and other songs Costello judged worthy of Jones' brilliant voice. You can hear Costello's versions on the Kojak Variety deluxe reissue and imagine what might have been. Who knows if Jones ever even listened to the tape, but I would love to have been a fly on the wall when and if he did.
While Jones may not have sung the kind of material Elvis Costello and I wished he had during the later years, there was a very real integrity to the way he conducted his career from start to finish. Jones never rebelled against the Nashville system, he embraced it fully, even past the point where he was reaping many rewards from the system, either artistic or financial. While he was respected by a new generation of performers, he was practically persona non grata on country radio for the last quarter century of his life. His last top-ten country hit came in 1988, and even teaming up with Garth Brooks only got him up to number 24. Many of his singles from 1990 onward did not chart at all. This is entirely country radio's shame, not Jones'.
George Jones remained a stubborn country traditionalist to the end, committed to Nashville and its way of doing things. Unlike Johnny Cash, he wasn't about to start singing songs written by folks like Trent Reznor, Beck, or artistes who go by names like "Bonnie Prince Billy." I respect Johnny Cash's open-mindedness and willingness to take artistic risks, but I also respect Jones' insistence on doing things his own way. As a result, his work is not as well appreciated outside of country music circles as it should be, and even there he is not justly esteemed because of country radio's fixation with youth.
And that's a shame because Jones was one the great artists and singers of the late twentieth century. Strictly as a singer and interpreter of song his name belongs in the rarified company of names like Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. Like Holiday, Jones had a knack for transforming even slight songwriting into great art. As a country artist, George Jones belongs in the discussion among the all-time greats: Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, The Carter Family, Bob Wills, Jimmie Rodgers and a very few others. We'll never see another like him.
"Seasons Of My Heart" (1955) Town Hall Party
Some of my favorite material by Jones is the early hardcore honky-tonk sides he cut for the Starday and Mercury labels between 1955 and 1960. Some will tell you he had yet to find his own voice, and it is true that his earliest sides lean a little too heavily on the Hank Williams/Lefty Frizzell influence. But to my ears he became his own singer fairly quickly. "Seasons Of My Heart" was originally cut in 1955, but I think this Town Hall Party clip is a little later, possibly from 1959.
"Thumper" Jones - "Rock It" (1956) [No video]
Jones had a fairly fraught relationship to rock and roll music throughout his career, starting in 1956 when he recorded a few rock and roll numbers under the pseudonym "Thumper" Jones. While this is some fairly crazed sounding rockabilly, Jones never really cared much for rock music, and his discomfort with the genre is evident in these recordings. I don't think many would argue George made a mistake in deciding to exclusively devote himself to country music.
"You Gotta Be My Baby" (1957) Town Hall Party [Introduction by Tex Ritter]
This is one of the earliest video clips I was able to find of Jones. Here he is performing one of his great early honky-tonk scorchers on Town Hall Party hosted by Tex Ritter. On an odd note, Ritter introduces Jones as standing only five feet tall, but he was actually about 5'7", which is not really all that short (or at least I hope not as the Possum still had a couple inches on me).
"Eskimo Pie" (1957) [No video]
Novelty songs would play a huge role in Jones' career through to the end. Some would claim Jones was wasting his talents on such lightweight material, but I've always found (most of) his novelty numbers fun and refreshing. "Eskimo Pie," recorded in 1957 is one of the weirder ones, it's an answer song of sorts to the briefly popular sub-genre of country songs about inter-cultural romance (see also Bobby Helms' "Fraulein" and Hank Locklin's "Geisha Girl," both also from 1957). This attempt to cash in on a trend did not pay off in a hit, but it still gives me a giggle today. I actually had to buy a bootleg (or grey market import) CD to first obtain this track. I almost never buy bootleg recordings of my favorite rock artists, but for George Jones I was willing to make an exception.
"White Lightning" (1959) [Unknown Source]
"White Lightning" was one of Jones' biggest hits, and one of his better known songs in rock music circles. If you listen closely you might just hear a trace of the ghost of "Thumper" Jones here. This was about as close to rock and roll as Jones ever got successfully. Written by The Big Bopper, "White Lightning" was later covered by The Fall, among other rock acts.
"Cup Of Loneliness" (1959) [No video]
Jones recorded some great country gospel numbers and "Cup Of Loneliness" features what is, in my opinion, one of the greatest vocals of his career. There is a real soulfulness to his vocals on this number that cannot be denied.
"Out Of Control" (1960) [No video]
Drinking songs played as large a role in Jones' career as alcoholism would play in his personal life. The desperation in his voice on "Out Of Control" is absolutely spine chilling. Nobody could do this kind of song as well as Jones, not even Merle Haggard.
"She Thinks I Still Care" (1962) Country Music on Broadway
Jones switched labels to United Artists in 1962, around the same time he started to fully develop his "mature" ballad style. This is one of my favorite country ballads and still sounds great all these years later.
"Brown To Blue" (1964) [No video]
I first became aware of "Brown To Blue" thanks to a cover version by Elvis Costello from his "country" album Almost Blue in the 1980s. It took me years to hunt down Jones' original version. I first acquired it on a United Artists LP called Trouble In Mind, and later on the Bear Family complete United Artists box set. Today I am happy to report that the song is available without too much bother on Omnivore Recordings outstanding Complete United Artists Solo Recordings CD in pristine mono sound, just the way millions first heard it as they cried away their troubles into rivers of whiskey and beer. Penned by Jones himself, I can understand Costello's affection for the song. It's a terrific divorce song with clever lyrics that show the Possum could do more than just sing.
"Love Bug" (1965) Mathis Bros. Country Social
"Love Bug" was one of the bigger novelty hits Jones had during his stint with his third label, Musicor. It's goofy, but I love it. This amazing clip came from a local Oklahoma City television program that was sponsored by and filmed in an appliance store. How cool is that?
For many years, Jones' Musicor recordings (1965-1971) presented a real challenge to anyone wanting to assemble a reasonable George Jones collection. The rights holders for the Musicor catalog were apparently reluctant to license the material to labels that did not exclusively distribute through truck stops. I still have a few cut rate truckstop collections that I bought trying to track down key Musicor tracks. They have titles like "20 All-Time Country Classics," but the songs appear to have been chosen more or less at random from his Musicor catalog. Invariably, the artwork on these releases features a picture of Jones (his hair lacquered into a helmet) taken some ten to twenty years after the recordings featured on the albums, with his image pasted over some gold records or a drawing of barn.
Collecting Musicor tracks was made even more difficult by the fact that when the label originally released the material on LP they repeated many tracks from album to album. You could easily buy 10 Musicor LPs and find they had less than 60 unique tracks between them. Add to that the fact that there was a very good chance the previous owners of the albums were in no condition to operate a record player (let alone heavy machinery) when they listened to the albums. And then there was the sheer volume of material he recorded for the label--better than 250 songs recorded over period of just over five years--some of it great, some of it good, some of it unnecessary.
"Milwaukee Here I Come" with Tammy Wynette (1969) The Wilburn Bros. Show
Jones performed "Milwaukee Here I Come" on several TV programs with his then new wife Tammy Wynette, but for contractual reasons he could not record with her while still under contract to Musicor. On the I'll Share My World With You LP Jones performs this song with Brenda Carter, but it's Wynette pictured with her new husband on the album cover. Confused? That was probably the idea.
Happily, the Musicor years are now exhaustively documented on two massive Bear Family box sets (9 CDs in total). For those who just want to hear the highlights, Time/Life recently released a nice 2CD set called The Great Lost Hits. While this period is occasionally dismissed by critics, in part due to the admittedly shoddy way the catalog has been handled over the years, Jones recorded some great material for Musicor; "Walk Through This World With Me," "If My Heart Had Windows," "Love Bug," "I'm A People," "Sometimes You Just Can't Win," "Burn Another Honky Tonk Down," etc., etc. Hearing this material made the effort I went through to obtain the songs worthwhile.
"A Good Year For The Roses" (1970) [No video]
This is another Jones song that first came to my attention thanks to Elvis Costello's treatment of it on Almost Blue. Jerry Chesnut's lyrics are brilliant for the way in which they capture how often mundane things can loom large in our minds during an emotional crisis. This was one of Jones' final hits at Musicor, and finds him edging closer to the "countrypolitan" style that he would embrace fully at Epic with producer Billy Sherill. As always, his delivery is heartbreaking and superb.
"The Grand Tour" (1972) [Unknown Source, introduction by Tammy Wynette]
When Jones moved to Epic records in 1971 he hooked up with "countrypolitan" producer Billy Sherill. Sherill and Jones recorded many hits together over the next two decades. He recorded a lot of great material during his Epic years, and in general his albums from that period are much better thought out than those of the Musicor years. A Picture Of Me (Without You), George Jones (We Can Make It), Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad As Losing You)--Jones developed a thing for parenthetical titles during this period--The Grand Tour, Alone Again, The Battle, I Am What I Am, etc. are all very strong albums with a lot to recommend them beyond the hits.
"Golden Ring" with Tammy Wynette (1976) Hee-Haw
When his marriage to Tammy Wynette ended badly, Jones' personal life spiraled out of control like a bad honky-tonk song. Nevertheless he continued creating some fine music, some of it with Wynette. "Golden Ring" is another all-time country classic with a brilliant circular motif worthy of the great filmmaker Max Ophüls. I am also very fond of the duets Jones recorded earlier in his career with Melba Montgomery, but his recordings with Tammy Wynette are really something special.
"He Stopped Loving Her Today" (1980) The Ronnie Prophet Show
Recorded near the nadir of his personal life, Jones initially rejected what would become the biggest hit of career ("He Stopped Loving Her Today") for being too maudlin. On paper maybe it is too much, but Jones makes it work, and no doubt this is the song he will always be best remembered for. It is amazing to me that someone who had stumbled so badly in his personal life could still rise to such great heights in the recording studio. Many consider this the best country song of all-time, and I'm not sure I'd argue with them.
Whatever you do, avoid picking up Double Trouble, the album Jones recorded with his former sideman Johnny Paycheck in 1980. Comprised entirely of rock and roll covers, Double Trouble demonstrates once and for all the wise choice Jones made when he decided to stick exclusively to country music. The Possum just never had much of a feeling for rock and roll.
"I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" (1992) Country Music Hall of Fame Induction
After leaving Epic, Jones spent much of the 1990s on the MCA label trying to keep up with the "new country" sound with mixed results. Here he is seen with younger stars Alan Jackson, T. Graham Brown, Patty Loveless, Pam Tillis, Mark Chesnutt, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Joe Diffie, and Clint Black at his Country Music Hall of Fame induction.
His MCA period (1991-1998) coincided with the apex of my own Jones fandom, and I dutifully picked up most of these albums when they came out and gave them a fair chance. None of them are bad, but they are only rarely inspired. The lone exception is the his final duet album with ex-wife Tammy Wynette, One from 1995. Wynette and Jones harmonize together so naturally they could sing the phone book and it would be compelling. The phone book might actually be more compelling than a couple of the songs on One, but in general it is a strong effort.
"Choices" (1999) CBS TV
The later part of Jones' career was disappointing to some (okay, to me) in several respects. While he remained in good voice until near the end of his days, his choices were mostly conservative and he avoided taking some of the risks that revitalized the careers of contemporaries like Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. However, he seemed to put his all into making his 1999 album Cold Hard Truth something special. Unfortunately, this "comeback" was cut short by a relapse of alcoholism that resulted in an SUV crash and some serious injuries. Jones won a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Choices" the lead track from that album.
As big a fan of Jones as I am, even I could not bring myself to buy an album called The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001 in which he duets with Garth Brooks on a song called "Beer Run (B Double E Are You In?)," a number which was penned by no less then five Nashville song doctors. Or as Jones once sang, "uh-uh no, never."
I remember reading the liner notes that Elvis Costello penned to the reissue of his Kojak Variety album in which Elvis recounts his disappointment that Jones rejected a demo tape he had prepared specifically for him. The tape was full of some inspired choices like Bruce Springsteen's "Brilliant Disguise" and other songs Costello judged worthy of Jones' brilliant voice. You can hear Costello's versions on the Kojak Variety deluxe reissue and imagine what might have been. Who knows if Jones ever even listened to the tape, but I would love to have been a fly on the wall when and if he did.
While Jones may not have sung the kind of material Elvis Costello and I wished he had during the later years, there was a very real integrity to the way he conducted his career from start to finish. Jones never rebelled against the Nashville system, he embraced it fully, even past the point where he was reaping many rewards from the system, either artistic or financial. While he was respected by a new generation of performers, he was practically persona non grata on country radio for the last quarter century of his life. His last top-ten country hit came in 1988, and even teaming up with Garth Brooks only got him up to number 24. Many of his singles from 1990 onward did not chart at all. This is entirely country radio's shame, not Jones'.
George Jones remained a stubborn country traditionalist to the end, committed to Nashville and its way of doing things. Unlike Johnny Cash, he wasn't about to start singing songs written by folks like Trent Reznor, Beck, or artistes who go by names like "Bonnie Prince Billy." I respect Johnny Cash's open-mindedness and willingness to take artistic risks, but I also respect Jones' insistence on doing things his own way. As a result, his work is not as well appreciated outside of country music circles as it should be, and even there he is not justly esteemed because of country radio's fixation with youth.
And that's a shame because Jones was one the great artists and singers of the late twentieth century. Strictly as a singer and interpreter of song his name belongs in the rarified company of names like Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. Like Holiday, Jones had a knack for transforming even slight songwriting into great art. As a country artist, George Jones belongs in the discussion among the all-time greats: Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, The Carter Family, Bob Wills, Jimmie Rodgers and a very few others. We'll never see another like him.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
R.I.P. - George Jones
American music lost one of its true giants with the passing of George Jones. I'll have some thoughts on Jones, one of my favorite artists regardless of genre, in a few days.
Scott Miller Family Memorial Fund
Jozef Becker, former Loud Family bandmate of Scott Miller, has set up a Memorial Fund for Scott's family. If you are a fan of Scott's music, please consider a donation:
We lost a dear friend and the world lost a brilliant and talented musician suddenly on April 15, 2013. Scott Miller left behind his beautiful wife Kristine and daughters Valerie (age 10) and Julianne (age 7). In addition to his musical gifts, Scott was also a valued, talented and dedicated engineer with Mark Logic in San Carlos, California. Scott was the sole provider and dedicated father and husband to his girls and Kristine.
Scott's family and friends are bereft and grieving, but many dear friends have expressed their concern, commitment and dedication to providing some financial support for the educational future of Valerie and Julianne, and in honor of Scott.
Whatever gift or donation you can make is sincerely appreciated. If you are unable to donate, just hold the love for this man and his family in your hearts; it means a lot to all of us.
In love and peace,
Jozef Becker and Kate Flynn Becker and Nan Becker
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Record Store Day 2013: In Your Ear Records, Warren, RI
I'll be spinning some tunes this Record Store Day, Saturday April 20th at 5:00PM, at In Your Ear Records, 462 Main Street, Warren, Rhode Island. If you've followed this blog for long, you know I will probably play a fairly eclectic mix of music. If you're local to the area, stop in and say hi.
Some band called the Feelies will play an acoustic set at 2:00 PM at What Cheer Antiques on Angell Street in Providence, RI in advance of their show at the Met in Pawtucket that evening. That might be worth checking out too...
R.I.P. - Scott Miller (Game Theory/Loud Family)
It's really hard for me to write at the moment, because my own father just passed and I'm taking some time to take stock of things, think about life, mourn, etc. My Dad was one of the most important people in my life, I love him and miss him terribly, and it feels weird for me to write about anything else, especially another person's passing. But I could not let the death of Scott Miller--of Game Theory and Loud Family fame--go without mention.
Bands like Game Theory were a big part of my original impetus for starting this blog; my primary focus has always been great acts that never got the attention they deserved during their lifetime but made music that should not be forgotten. I'd put the music of Scott Miller near the top of that list. His music was catchy, beautiful, thoughtful and smart--but somehow, inexplicably--never popular. He's often labelled a "power pop" artist, but the tag does not do him justice because his music always had an experimental/arty side that was far more sophisticated than generic power pop. Here is something I wrote about Game Theory way back in 2006 when I first started this blog.
This is really sad news, at 53, Scott was way too young to leave us. I was just thinking the other day that with all the 80s indie acts reuniting that Game Theory should really get back together. Apparently Scott was planning on recording a new Game Theory album this summer. What a shame that won't happen. I'm sure I would have eagerly covered it here.
One of the best shows I ever saw was Game Theory with Yo La Tengo and Peter Holsapple/Chris Stamey at Maxwell's in Hoboken in October of 1988. I talked to Scott after the show and he was really sweet and gracious. (Looking through the "Ask Scott" archives on the Loud Family website, apparently that was one of Scott's favorite shows ever as well).
The Loud Family website has made every Game Theory album (more or less) available for free download so you don't have to pay rip off prices for the long out-of-print CDs.
Scott was a brilliant musician and writer who left us far too soon, and whose genius never got the recognition it deserved during his lifetime. Sad.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Record Store Day 2013: Brubeck and Tjader 10" LPs
Concord music group will reissue replica, colored vinyl 10" records from Cal Tjader and Dave Brubeck for Record Store Day 2013. These look beautiful.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Record Store Day 2013: Nick Drake
Perhaps no release better encapsules my ambivalent feelings about Record Store Day than reissue of Nick Drakes' U.S. debut album for Record Store Day 2013. Originally released in 1971 when Island first started distributing records in the U.S. through Capitol Records, Nick Drake drew three songs from Five Leaves Left and five from Bryter Layter, which would not be released in the U.S. in their entirety until 1975.
Let me state the obvious: Nick Drake (the album) was always a poor substitute for the first two albums, and any fan of Drake's music needs all three of his studio albums in their collection. Nick Drake was a flawed addition to his catalog in 1971, but it at least introduced the man's music to the U.S. (although it's questionable how many of these actually made their way into record stores in 1971, as almost all copies seem to have cut-out or promo marks on them).
So why do I find myself wanting to purchase this album in 2013 when I already own every song on it and more? Well, for starters, there's the undeniably great artwork featuring Keith Morris' legendary photographs on the exterior and and a gorgeous photo of Nick in a field on the inner gatefold. This is a nice looking product, and it appears Universal has taken great care with the both the packaging and the sound quality (the music was remastered from the original analog tapes by original engineer John Wood at Abbey Road Studios). Further, as interest in Nick Drake's music has grown over the years this discographic curiosity has become something of a collector's item in its own right. You could probably expect to pay between $80 to $120 for an original copy in nice condition.
Do I need this album? No, absolutely not. Do I want it? I hate to admit it but, yeah, kinda I do. It's an ambivalent kind of desire, I'm cognizant on the one hand of how I'm being manipulated by economies of manufactured scarcity on the one hand, on the other hand...well, I just want it damn it!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Record Store Day 2013: Tommy Keene - Back To Zero Now
12XU Austin will re-issue one of the greatest slabs of 7" vinyl ever released in honor of Record Store Day 2013. Tommy Keene's "Back To Zero Now" b/w "Mr. Roland" originally appeared as a bonus 7" with later pressings of his first LP, Strange Alliance, on Avenue Records. This limited edition RSD release will feature a picture sleeve for the first time ever.
The label will also reissue Tommy's impossible to find Strange Alliance album in May with two songs not originally featured on the LP, "Nothing Is Gray" and "Stuck On A Ship," making it a necessary purchase even for those of us lucky enough to already own a copy of the original 1982 LP.
Serious kudos are due 12XU Austin for reissuing this crucial music.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Record Store Day 2013: Big Star - Nothing Can Hurt Me
One of my all-time favorite Record Store Day releases was Omnivore's 2011 reissue of the Test Pressing of Big Star's Third. This year Omnivore is back with a new Big Star RSD release, Nothing Can Hurt Me, a two LP compilation of alternate versions and remixes of Big Star classics that also serves as the soundtrack to the soon-to-be-released Big Star documentary film.
Nothing Can Hurt Me will be pressed on colored vinyl and will include a download card for those who think there is any other way to listen to Big Star than on LP. If you don't get your greedy mitts on these two slabs of colored vinyl on Record Store Day, resist the urge to pay big bucks on eBay and keep in mind that Omnivore eventually did a second pressing of Third.
This looks nice, but what I really want is a top-notch reissue of Alex Chilton's Like Flies On Sherbert. Perhaps for RSD 2014?
Here's the track list:
1. O My Soul (1973 Demo)
2. Give Me Another Chance (Control Room Monitor Mix 1972)
3. In The Street (2012 Movie Mix)
4. Studio Banter (1972)
5. Try Again - [Rock City] (2012 Movie Mix)
6. My Life Is Right (Alternate 1972 Mix)
7. The Ballad Of El Goodo (Alternate 1972 Mix)
8. Feel (Alternate 1972 Mix)
9. Don't Lie To Me (Alternate 1972 Mix)
10. Way Out West (Alternate 1973 Mix)
11. Thirteen (Alternate 1972 Mix)
12. You Get What You Deserve (Alternate 1973 Mix)
13. Holocaust (Rough 1974 Mix)
14. Kanga Roo (Rough 1974 Mix)
15. Stroke It Noel (Backwards Intro 1974)
16. Big Black Car (Rough 1974 Mix)
17. Better Save Yourself (2012 Movie Mix)
18. I Am The Cosmos [Chris Bell] (2012 Movie Mix)
19. All We Ever Got From Them Was Pain (2012 Movie Mix)
20. September Gurls (2012 Movie Mix)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)