Pandemonium Cheesecake

For years I've had countless records burned onto a hard drive that I've never listened to. Most of them come from the 13 years spent at a Borders Books and Music, burning in store promos and then returning them to the store for someone else to take (or burn). I kept 10-15% of all promos I took home because they were among my favorite bands, no one else wanted them, or from claiming managerial rights. [I'm the manager, therefore, I'm right.] I want to see what I haven't listened to ever, or at least since February 2016 when the 'last played' counter in my iTunes reset due to a computer crash. Currently the oldest 'last played' song is "If I Had A $1000000" by the Barenaked Ladies from Gordon . 2/19/2016 10:35PM. Most played is "The Enemy Within" by Rush from Grace Under Pressure  with 15 plays, all by itself, followed by more Rush and Inon Zur's soundtrack to Fallout 4. I wish I had my old counts, as I know both Lifes Rich Page...

So I've decided to rename this blog. It now shares a name with my old radio show on 90.1fm WUSB. Don't like it? Too bad. Inspired by a friend. I thought I'd take a crack at writing about music every day as well. Can't imagine I'm going to be able to do one a day, but I'll try for 100 or so by the end of the year.

In 1982 Rush released Signals , their ninth studio album and a complete reversal in sound from their previous record Moving Pictures . The synthesizers, which had been used for moods and accents on the previous records, came forward to dominate the sound. And I hated it when it came out. I was like 'this is worse than your mom eating a puke sandwich' (hey, I was 12 forgive me). Rush was my first favorite band and this was one of the first albums that I was looking forward to its release. I was hoping for Moving Pictures 2, or something closer to the sound of their previous five studio albums. Something with a thirteen minute song about space, or gods, or trees. What I got was the opposite. Instead of driving arena rock I got fuzzy humming synth/pop. Like their debut, Signals sticks out in their catalog like a cold sore on a prom queen. Have I mentioned that I hated it? My dislike for the record continued for a long time. I was in my mid 30s when I finally redisc...

The second ep in a series of three from one of the most influential bands of the 80s. It's hard to listen to this record and not to hold it up against their previous work. It's unfair to the Pixies because most bands would have trouble following up masterpieces like Doolittle or Surfer Rosa , especially after 20+ years. The four songs that make up EP2 aren't anything exciting, there's no "Gigantic" or "Monkey's Gone to Heaven" and its clear that Pixies 2.2 are still trying to find a sound. They shift back and forth from Trompe Le Monde era to early Frank Black solo work, but never stray too far from the guitar driven, quiet-loud-quiet blueprint that made them so important to the growth of countless alternative bands that followed in their wake. The opening track "Blue Eyed Hexe" is their attempt at an AC/DC song, and its a good one at that. The riff is pure Angus and the chorus is lifted from the Highway to Hell album ...

The Band - Cahoots (1971) The Band's fourth album has more in common with its previous release Stage Fright  (especially lyrically) then its first two albums, but still sounds like the Band. Having departed from the story telling of the first two albums, the themes on Cahoots  are more personal, echoing where the band was at the time. Robbie Robertson was taking over as the main songwriter, taking sole credit on 8 of the 11 songs and co writing two others. The shared lead vocals of Richard Manuel, Levon Helm and Rick Danko are still there, as are the rich textures that Garth Hudson cons from his Lowrey and, as always, Robbie Robertson trying to find a way in with his guitar parts. Cooler than the B-3? Maybe, the beard does help. The lead track "Life Is A Carvinal" is the bands attack on the phony nature of show business. Helm and Danko get their only co-writing credits of the album here along side the Dixieland horn chart from Allen Toussaint. The highlight of...

What do you get when you cross Wire-like guitars, Clash-style aggression, Kinks-esque pop sensibility, a pair of heroin addicts and a midwest girl who wants to rock (and fuck) just like the boys? You get the self-titled debut from The Pretenders. Released in 1980, The Pretenders is a mixture of punk, rock and new wave; bridging the past to the future. Distinctly divided into two halves (remnants of the pre-CD days), side one is where Chrissie Hynde and the boys (guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, bassist Pete Farndon and drummer Martin Chambers) rip through the first seven (of 12) tracks. Everyone from The PIxies to Bikini Kill took notes from this album, cribbing Hynde's disjointed/angry young woman lyrics and swiping Honeyman-Scott's sonic play on guitar. "Precious" is a big piss-off to her old hometown Akron, and a brilliant opening song. One that allows her to drop both the S & F-bombs, a rarity for a major label release from the early 80s. LeBron James...

I spent the extra hour last night watching 'Zombieland' instead of listening to records, but at 2am the neighbors usually frown upon a loud stereo, so I decided to make last Sunday 'Record Day'. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks (1968) - Hailed as a classic, this is one of the most unique albums in rock's history despite also being one of the least rock albums. Jazz, folk, blues & classical are all better descriptions for the 8 tracks that make up this song cycle. This is not one of those albums you'll get right away, it may stir emotions upon your first listen, but it needs to be listened to repeatedly as it unfolds. Famously recorded in just three sessions with Van singing and playing guitar in a booth and the rest of the musicians playing live in the studio along with him. Only the strings and horns were added later. Besides Van's stream-of-consciousness lyrics, its the upright bass of Richard Davis that stands out the most, especially on the epic ...

Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends (1968) First, I want to apologize to S&G. Side two is a remarkable collection of songs, up there with the best sides in rock history, and I have gone 43 years without hearing it. Don't worry, I've already kicked my own ass. "Fakin' It" is a great opener for side 2 and I instantly fell in love with its groove. "Punky's Dilemma" is a great follow up, although my copy has a scratch in it that covers the first half of the song. "Mrs. Robinson" is simply one of the top 50 greatest rock and roll songs of all time and "Hazy Shade of Winter" is a late 60s firework display. The album closer, "At The Zoo" is what you'd expect from S&G, pleasant harmonies and quirky Simon lyrics. Clocking in at a little over 29 minutes (29 minutes for two sides? what the?) their fourth album also contains the hit "America". Ask anyone over the age of 50 how long it took them to hit...

One of my favorite aspects of the GTA series is the music. The music budget for any GTA game must be in the tens of millions; more than entire budgets for 75% of all games made, would be my guess. 250 songs spread across 15 channels of music. I love a handful of stations in the current game (reggae, punk, funk and a pair of the hip hop ones), but was very disappointed in the rock station. Technically, Los Santos Rock Radio, is listed as 'classic rock and pop rock' and the DJ is Kenny Loggins, who's not as lame as you would initially think. So, none of dislike is aimed his way. The beard that rocks LS I come to GTA games hoping to hear music that I can't normally get on the radio, a hidden gem, a 'deep track'. Especially from a genre I'm very familiar with. GTA IV's rock station (DJ'd by Iggy Pop!) was littered with 'deep tracks' from major artists, great songs that are under (or never) played on radio. The Doors "Five to One...

The benefit of this vinyl project is that the records are (usually) short so I listen to them multiple times, especially if I hadn't heard it before. First out of the gate on the next round of vinyl listens is Elton John 's third album (and second of 1970), Tumbleweed Junction. That's right, artists used to release two albums in one calendar year. Now its a miracle to get two albums in a three year period from any major artist. A loose cowboy theme holds this album together, which I bought last May, but I never listened to. I bought it for three songs, 'Amoreena'; 'My Father's Gun' the first side closer; and, of course, the album closer 'Burn Down The Mission'. The first in the long line Elton's 'epics', it always makes me think of the Alamo. A decent album, but nothing that screams to be listened to over and over, especially considering the depth of his early 70s catalog. Between 1970-75 he released nine studio albums (includi...

When I moved into my new place I was able to finally set up my stereo. I didn't bring any cds, all in storage. All I brought was my vinyl. One, it wouldn't do as well in storage as the cds; two, there are far less of them (200 v 2000); three, they are cooler. The sad thing is that since I didn't have the stereo set up at the house, I had limited access to listen to them. Now that I've moved I've decided to listen to everything. I started with Rush Moving Pictures . It seemed appropriate. The first tape I played in the first car I owned? Moving Pictures. I love this record. Side 1 is perfect. 'Tom Sawyer', 'Red Barchetta', 'YYZ', 'Limelight'. Done. Side two, I've come to love. 'The Camera Eye', the last 10+ minute Rush song, has always been my favorite on side 2. 'Witch Hunt' is a swirling mass of dark fire and 'Vital Signs' is a jagged attack from a shiny shark. The two songs oppose each other pe...

When I was just starting my musical journey many years ago I was hampered by the lack of internet and limited access to information about bands I heard on the radio. There were just two well known rock bios that were accessible to teens which could have helped me. [Zeppelin's 'Hammer of the Gods' & The Doors 'No One Here Gets Out Alive'] Neither of which I read. Why? One, I didn't enter my Doors phase until I was 20, scrawling 'Jim Lives' on every desk I could find on the Selden campus of Suffolk Community College, along with the first eight minutes of lyrics of Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick." Two, I didn't start to love Zep until my late 20s. So that means what I learned came from the DJs, which means bands got lumped together by region or country, not by me, but by them. That means I originally thought The Allman Brothers Band was just another southern-rock band, like the Outlaws, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker B...

When you think about best bands of the British Invasion you start with the Beatles. After they opened the door, the next two mentioned are The Rolling Stones and The Who. When you get to the next level, things start getting fuzzy. Who's next? The Yardbirds? No. You can probably name more guitarists than songs from the Yardbirds. The Hollies? No. The Zombies? Nope. Hermans Hermits? Who? How about the Kinks? They always seem to be forgotten. Why? For one, they don't have any lasting A+ rock song. Where's their "Won't Get Fooled Again" or "Sympathy For the Devil" or "A Day in the Life"? They also don't have that classic album. In fact, can you name a Kinks album? While their roots are sunk in American blues (like the Stones & the Who), by the time 60s ended the Kinks were running the other way, towards traditional English folk. While the Stones & the Who were recording classic albums ( Beggars Banquet , Sticky Fingers , Who's N...

Frank Zappa is like an ogre. He has layers. Either you 'get' him, or you don't. There are no people who 'sort of like Frank Zappa.' Either you love an artist who can write a song in 13/16 with titles like "No Waiting for the Peanuts to Dissolve" or you dismiss the sophomoric humor, scatological lyrics and one octave voice. His single disc greatest hits, ironically titled Strictly Commercial , is a poor introduction to an artist as far-reaching as Zappa and it bypasses an entire slice of his career. His live music. Luckily for everyone, when he went to Ryko, he was contracted to deliver 12 discs worth of live material for the label, and he did so with the series You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore (Volumes 1-6) . Volume 2, the Helsinki Concert, is the only set to have both discs dedicated to one band, the 1973-74 band. Recorded near the end of the tour in Finland, it highlights one of Zappa's better bands, featuring Napoleon Murphy Brock (guitar/sax/...

U2 must love their album Achtung Baby because they've spent the last 20 years of their career trying to record another album like it. So far they have failed. Released late in 1991 while Nirvana was slowly conquering the world, Achtung Baby was the follow up to Rattle & Hum , a mostly disappointing album which found U2 trying too hard to be the 'worlds greatest band.' U2 recorded Achtung Baby in Berlin, so it's no surprise that the Americana blues/folk sound that they leaned heavily on for their previous albums was replaced by late 70s Bowie-esque sound, another rocker famous for reinventing himself in Germany. Combining Bowie's electronic sound with the music coming out of 'Madchester' (psychedelic dance rock), U2 created what has been their sound ever since, swirling guitars drenched in effects over a pop/dance heavy rhythm section. For Achtung Baby Bono trades in his politically fueled lyrics for more personal ones. Songs like "Who's Gon...

In honor of its release 39 years ago today (5.12.72) I am going to repost a review from more than a year ago. The Rolling Stones, Exile On Main Street . Exile On Main Street ends the greatest four studio album stretch in rock history. Between 1968 and 1972 the Stones released Beggars Banquet , Let It Bleed , Sticky Fingers and finally Exile . Are you fucking kidding me? Today bands take longer breaks between albums than this and the Stones release 4 of the best 100 albums ever during this time. Exile is among one of the tougher records in rock history to get into, the first two or three time I listened to it I hated it. Alot. So much so that I didn't listen to it for years after that. Where was the 'Brown Sugar' or 'Sympathy For The Devil', the only song my local classic rock radio station played from this album was 'Tumbling Dice', really? That's the best song on it? If you were lucky they played 'Happy', which was sung by Keith and really do...

One of the greatest 'what ifs' of the 90s is Blind Melon. Their first album, Blind Melon , was a wonder of down-home psychedelic southern rock in a time dominated by grunge. If you haven't heard their debut, you probably think they were nothing more than a one-hit wonder. If you had a TV in 1993 then you probably saw (repeatedly) "No Rain", or 'the bee girl song'. But it's their second album, Soup , that proves this band was much more than a one-hit wonder and could have been one of the better bands that came out of the 90s. Their career was cut tragically short by the death of lead singer, Shannon Hoon, childhood friend of Axl Rose. (Why oh why couldn't they have changed places.) Ignored by MTV and the press because there was no "No Rain" on this album, Soup , is definately a mixed bowl of great music. There is plenty of their take on classic rock, from the Zep-esque "2x4", "Vernie" sounds like Black Sabbath-via-the ...

If you were to rank the 10 Greatest Led Zeppelin songs, none of them would be on Houses Of The Holy . If you were to extend that list to 25 songs, there's a good chance that 6 or 7 would be on the fifth Led Zeppelin album. The first CD I ever bought and my favorite Zeppelin album for a long time (it's now Physical Graffiti ), Houses Of The Holy might be the most solid of all their work, no real dogs among the eight tracks. Just real good (not great) rock songs. Like most Zeppelin albums, this one opens with a punch in the face. "The Song Remains The Same" kick starts the glorious Zep machine. The driving riff, the stellar drum work, all trademarks of the first song on any Led Zeppelin album. Don't believe me, just check track 1 of every Zeppelin album you own. Then, with "The Rain Song", the album comes to a screeching halt. It's Zeppelin at their most tender, until the five minute mark when the storm breaks. John Paul Jones' string arrangement ...