Negativland - "Live at Lewis's, Norfolk VA, November 21, 1992" (concert)

Terry finally uploaded to Youtube one of my favorite videos of his from back in the day.  Almost exactly 21 years ago Negativland played at Lewis's in Norfolk, right outside of the Colonial Place neighborhood where I live.  Lewis's was a nondescript seafood restaurant that often featured bands in the evening.  Eventually it became Enrico's, a pretty good Greek restaurant, which eventually closed in a dispute with the landlord and in it's place came Phoenix Bar and Grill, which lasted less than a year (we never even tried it).  The building (4012 Colley Ave.) is currently inactive.   Of course, at the time neither Terry nor I were living in Norfolk, and I think Danette had just moved here. 

The point is that both Negativland and Lewis's are amenable to someone like Terry recording the entire event.  We were both big fans of Negativland, and this was right in the middle of their struggle with U2, Island, and SST (see my reviews of "Guns" and "U2" for background info).  I must have watched this video 20 or more times; but since he recorded it on S-VHS, I never got a VHS copy.  And although I've watched it enough that it seems like I was there, I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I missed this concert and attended a VT-UVa football game instead (although Terry has it marked as "October 21", I'm pretty sure this was actually November 21, 1992).  Fortunately, Terry took my copy of "Guns" and got Mark Hosler to autograph the inside fold (see above pic).  Apparently Mark did not approve of my choice of weekend entertainment either (also, it rained and VT lost -- a bad choice all around).

So I wasn't there, and most likely you weren't there either (it's not a big place), but thanks to Terry it can seem like we were there:



I don't normally embed videos, but this one deserves it.  You really should watch the whole thing, but some highlights include:

• 26:20 -- "Time Zones"
• 31:05 -- "Black Lady of Espionage", segueing into "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
• 1:04:10 -- "Christianity is Stupid"
• 1:11:20 -- Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA"
• 1:24:40 -- Terry interviews Mark Hosler (while Mark has a post-show fish sandwich)

Craig Baldwin used part of this concert footage in his film "Sonic Outlaws", earning Terry a credit in the liner notes.

Also, instead of reviewing it as a LP, I'm starting a new series simply called "concert". 

Red Rider - "Lunatic Fringe" (forgotten song)

In recognition of an entire week of government furlough, I'm reaching back to 1981 with Red Rider's "Lunatic Fringe", their single from the LP "From Here to Siam".  I loved this song when it came out in 1981 and still enjoy it. 

Why "Lunatic Fringe"?  Because about 30 people are holding hostage the function of our government, cowing those who should know better.  

Lunatic Fringe
I know you're out there
You're in hiding
And you hold your meetings
...
Cause you gotta blame someone
For your own confusion

Yes, I know the song is a rebuke of neo-Nazis, and yes I know about Godwin's Law but Ted Cruz went there first.  I'm not saying the Tea Party should be compared to Nazis, I'm just saying their minority ideology is a cancerous fifth column that threatens the Republic.  How?  Let's review:

1.  The legislative branch passed the ACA.
2.  The executive branch signed it into law.
3.  The judicial branch upheld it as constitutional.

That's a constitutional hat trick, and it's the law of the land*. 

Red Rider - "Lunatic Fringe"
 


* For those who are unclear about this, I invite you to recall the Schoolhouse Rock videos "I'm just a Bill" and "Three Ring Circus".

The Green Pajamas - "Kim The Waitress" (forgotten song)

"Kim The Waitress" was originally released as a non-LP single in 1986 by the prolific, Seattle-based cult band The Green Pajamas.  Never heard of them?  Me neither, but you might remember "Kim The Waitress" from the more popular 1994 version from Material Issue, off their 1994 LP "Freak City Soundtrack".  Their version received a fair amount of airplay at the time, but that was really their only hit and Material Issue split up shortly after that.  Bonus points if you knew that there was also a 1994 version released by Seattle-based Sister Psychic, off their LP "Surrender You Freak".

What does this have to do with Danette's birthday?  I remember ca. 1997 (before we were together) discussing this song with her.  Although the Material Issue version was released in 1994, but I think it was still a current song on the radio.  I had liked the song immediately, but Danette was somewhat puzzled by the theme.  Exactly what is it about the waitress and men's fascination with them?  Well, it's not really about her as a waitress, although the job description does require that they be nice to you.  Combine that with alluring and possibly mysterious feminine presence, and you get the kind of male obsession that the song aptly captures:

Pressed lips and slender hips
Turning, in my head
Writing poems in a corner booth
That I'd die, if she read
Seeing her in but a silver cross
Lying on her bed 
...
Sometimes she comes with coffee
Reaching over, pouring
I'd like to gently pull her to me
Kiss her, with no warning
Seeing her on some sunny summer Sunday morning
...
She doesn't come around anymore
And that bothers me (I'm unhappy)
It bothers me (I'm unhappy)
It bothers me (I'm unhappy)

Though I don't stand a ghost of a chance with her
She's pretty (and it bothers me)
So pretty (and it bothers me)
So pretty (and it bothers me)
And it bothers me (I'm unhappy)

Sure, that's not yet quite stalking but you can probably see it from there.  Although Danette has never been a waitress, she's been the object of this sort of attention many times before (and often discovering this well after the fact).  And there I was explaining this point of view to her, all the while already my feelings for Danette becoming not entirely unlike the song's protagonist.  It wasn't entirely clear how to say "...and guess what? I feel this way about you."  So while not a typical love song, that's how I've come to link this song to Danette.

Material Issue made one slight change in the lyrics that made the song darker than was written by The Green Pajamas.  The chorus was originally:

No one can save us
But Kim The Waitress

Material Issue changed it to:

No one can save us
From Kim The Waitress

Thereby transforming Kim from the unintentional hero to the unintentional villain.  Turns out there was a real waitress named Kim, and when she learned of this song much later in life she apparently took it in good humor.  However, unlike the song writer I ended up together with the object of my fascination.

The Green Pajamas: "Kim The Waitress", 2009 live version

Material Issue: "Kim The Waitress"

Sister Psychic: "Kim The Waitress"

The trailer for a short film based on the song, by Scott Eriksson.  The full film is also available, but it explores the darker avenue of this song (e.g., "and it bothers me").

Prior Danette Birthday postings, the beginnings of a loving but irreverent mix tape: 

2012: The Cure - "High"
2011: Blink 182 - "Josie"
2010:  Dead Milkmen - "Punk Rock Girl"

The Naked and Famous - "Passive Me, Aggressive You" (LP Review)

Quick -- how many bands do you know that hail from New Zealand?  I count three; I'll treat Split Enz & Crowded House as one band, but I'll also include the Flight of Conchords as a band (which I admit is debatable).  The third, and surely deserving of your attention, is Auckland's The Naked and Famous (TNAF).  The local alt-rock station (96.1) started playing "Young Blood" in high rotation over a year ago and after poking around on Youtube, I decided to buy their 2010 debut LP "Passive Me, Aggressive You".

My iTunes play counts don't lie: I really like this LP.  I recall on the first listen, on every track I recounted the various moody, 70s & 80s synth pop influences (e.g., Roxy Music, Joy Division/New Order, Depeche Mode) but there were so many that I eventually decided if you incorporate dozens of different influences and update them by 20+ years then you've really created something new.  Another thing they offer is they rock a lot harder than any of their influences -- they must have every distortion pedal that exists in New Zealand.  The other distinguishing characteristic of the band is that Aaron Philip Short & Alisa Xayalith work the shared, male/female lead vocals to perfection.

I recently I bought their first two EPs and while not bad, they don't give any hint of how well this LP would come together.  Their next LP, "In Rolling Waves", is due in less than a month and the advance single ("Hearts Like Ours") is already out.  We'll see if they can catch lightning in a bottle twice.

Standout songs: "All Of This" (live version), "Punching In A Dream", "Young Blood" (live version), "Girls Like You" (live version), "The Sun"* (live version), "Jilted Lovers", "No Way"

Skip 'em songs: "Eyes" (they carry the John Hughes soundtrack influence too far here...)

Final score: 9/10

Bonus link: lots of good stuff on their Youtube channel



*="The Sun" makes it clear that their LP collection contains "Kid A" too.

Rachel Goswell - "Waves Are Universal" (LP Review)

I love the shoegazing of Slowdive, and I also love the dream-pop, alt-country of Mojave 3 (formed from the remains of Slowdive).  Rachel Goswell is one of the two vocalists of both bands, and she achieves angelic perfection on songs like Slowdive's dreamy "Shine" and Mojave 3's smoky "Love Songs on the Radio".  Nothing against Neil Halstead, the other (and primary) vocalist for both bands, but listening to "Shine" makes you think "why doesn't Rachel sing on more songs?"

Well, 2004's "Waves Are Universal" is Goswell's first (and only) solo LP.  Just what I wanted: twelve songs with just Rachel -- alright!

Turns out, it's kind of boring.  I don't know if it is the song writing (Halstead was the primary song writer for Slowdive and Mojave 3), the production, or what.  None of the songs are bad, but none really stand out either.  I think some of the reviews (e.g., Pitchfork, AllMusic) give her a pass out of respect for her prior work, but if you read between the lines they see many of the same faults that I see.  Her vocals are guarded, and she's backed up by what sounds like a second-rate Crazy Horse. 

Stand out songs: none.

Skip 'em songs: none.

Songs that appear: "Coastline", "Save Yourself", "Warm Summer Sun", "Hope", "No Substitute"

Final score: 5/10.  Again, not bad, but far below what I hoped a Rachel Goswell solo LP would be.

The Brains - "Money Changes Everything" (the song remains the same)

Last night Danette and I went to see Cyndi Lauper at the excellent Portsmouth Pavilion.  Neither of us were huge fans of hers but being children of the 80s, when our neighbor Steve offered us free tickets we couldn't say no.  Cyndi Lauper put on a good show and with "Kinky Boots" she's enjoying a second wind.  But last night's show was about revisiting track-by-track "She's So Unusual", her 1983 breakthrough LP.

The LP (and thus the concert) opened with "Money Changes Everything", which if I had a favorite Cyndi Lauper song, it would probably be this.  But last night I discovered this was actually a cover, and the song was originally done by a little-known Atlanta-based new wave group called The Brains.  "Money Changes Everything" was their initial 7" single released in 1978, and then appearing again on their 1980 debut eponymous LP.   Releasing two LPs and an EP, The Brains never enjoyed much success as a band, and aside from Cyndi Lauper covering their song, their next biggest footnote was upon breaking up one of their members joined The Georgia Satellites. 

Random thoughts:

1. While I love the late 70s garage sound on original version, Cyndi's version might actually be better.
2. I'm certain that I'll have immediate recall of the fact that "The Brains are the original artist for `Money Changes Everything'".  This piece of trivia has surely overwritten something important in my memory, like my work phone number, the names of long-term colleagues, places I've lived, etc.  But surely I'll hold on to this fact like my life depended on it...
3. Does that opening keyboard riff sound familiar?  It reminds me of the guitar riff in "Pretty in Pink" by The Psychedelic Furs; the original 1981 version, not the more polished 1986 soundtrack version.  Our friend Joy asked for more "Pretty in Pink" references, so there you go.

The Brains: "Money Changes Everything"

Cyndi Lauper: "Money Changes Everything"

Psychedelic Furs: "Pretty in Pink" (1981), "Pretty in Pink" (1986)

The Beastie Boys - "The Mix-Up" (LP Review)

Remember listening to "Ill Communication" and "Check Your Head" and thinking "wow, those instrumental fuzzy/funk/fusion/faux-soundtrack jams sure are cool; they should do a whole LP of them"?  The Beastie Boys sort of delivered that with 1996's "The In Sound From Way Out" but that was a just a collection of instrumentals from IC and CYH with a couple of b-sides thrown in.  It wasn't until 2007 when The Beastie Boys finally gave us "The Mix-Up", an LP consisting of entirely of new instrumentals. 

To be honest, the wait was kind of a disappointment.  "The Mix-Up" is not bad, but somehow it is missing the magic hinted at in the earlier LPs.  Is it because the songs themselves aren't as inspired?  Did they wait too long to do this project -- would this have sounded more fresh in 1997 rather than 2007?  Or do the instrumentals simply sound better when juxtaposed with the Beastie's hip-hop (and occasionally punk) tracks?  I will say "The Mix-Up" is better than the similarly-themed 1995 "solo" LP "Mark's Keyboard Repair" from Money Mark, the unofficial fourth Beastie who also appears here.

I think the LP got a pass in many reviews when it came out because the Beasties were elder statesmen by then and we were happy to have anything new from them.  Here's a 2007 track-by-track review from someone who loved the LP, but I'm more inclined to agree with the Pitchfork review.  This isn't a bad LP, but it isn't essential either: just 12 mostly interchangeable background listening tracks that would not have generated much buzz if the name "Beastie Boys" wasn't on the LP cover.  On the other hand, I'm not sure they were trying to make a grand statement either: there is kind of a "just another funky weekend in the Beastie garage" feel to the LP.  With the death of MCA in 2012, presumably The Beastie Boys discography is complete (modulo some unreleased material that might eventually be released) so you have to enjoy what you have.

Standout tracks: none.

Skip 'em tracks: none.

Full LP: YouTube, Grooveshark

Final score: 6/10