Allan Holdsworth - "Metal Fatigue" (LP Review)

Although it was nearly a year ago, I only just recently learned that Allan Holdsworth died.  You probably haven't heard of him, but he was a guitar players' guitar player, venerated by  Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, et al.

The only reason I know of him was because his LP "Metal Fatigue" was reviewed in metal fanzine Kick*Ass Monthly* shortly after it came out in 1985.  I recall Bob Muldowney saying in his review something to the effect of "I don't really understand this LP or why I was asked to review it."  For whatever reason, Holdsworth had switched to Enigma Records, which primarily had metal bands, and this LP was sent for review to KAM.  I was in search of the next "Rising Force", so despite the cautionary review I ordered this LP from Slipped Disc.  For the first 25 seconds I thought I had found the next "Rising Force", but then at 0:26 it became clear that this was jazz fusion, or perhaps what fusionists think a metal LP should sound like. 

But I didn't dislike it, and it stayed in low rotation; it even grew on me enough that in college (I think?) I picked up his 1982 LP "I.O.U.".  Then I got his 1986 LP "Atavachron", where he fully embraced the "SynthAxe", and my revulsion was so strong that my Holdsworth period was mostly done (think Eddie Van Halen switching to keyboards on "1984", but much, much worse). 

My musical horizons were expanding by the time I hit college and I became more knowledgeable and appreciative of jazz.  But this LP still occupies a weird place in between metal and jazz.  I won't go so far as to say it's a necessary LP, but it's certainly a good LP that nicely showcases Allan's challenging style, even if it sounds like it was written for fellow guitarists instead of regular listeners.  I should revisit his extensive discography and forgive him for his SynthAxe dalliance. 

Standout songs: "Metal Fatigue", "Home"  (full LP)
Skip 'em songs: "In the Mystery"
Final score: 6/10


* See my "Haunting The Chapel" review for a note about Bob Muldowney and Kick*Ass Monthly.  

Prince - "I Would Die 4 U" (spotlight)

Super Bowl LII has come and gone and it was quite a good game, especially since I did not care who won.  Justin Timberlake was the halftime show, and reviews appeared to be mixed (e.g., "This is how Justin Timberlake lost the Super Bowl" vs. "Halftime Review: Justin Timberlake Emerges Fumble-Free After Bad Pre-Game PR").  I'm ambivalent about Justin Timberlake: he's funny on SNL, and he brought sexy back and for that I'm grateful, but otherwise I don't care that much; his performance seemed fine to me but I had set the bar pretty low.

For me, the truly interesting part of the halftime show was JT's tribute to Prince (presumably because the Super Bowl was in Minneapolis?) and the controversy leading up to the event.  Apparently the plan was to "recreate" Prince via a hologram (similar to that used for Maria Callas and Roy Orbison), a technique that Prince had previously called "demonic".  The hologram idea was eventually scrapped courtesy of Sheila E.'s advice, and instead we were treated to Prince singing ""I Would Die 4 U" via old Purple Rain* footage projected on what looked like a giant bed sheet.  Apparently that still upset some Prince fans; I can only assume they destroyed their DVDs (VHSes?) of "Purple Rain" on April 21, 2016.

Prince - "I Would Die 4 U" 




* Ok, technically it was footage from both "Purple Rain" and "Prince and the Revolution Live!", but while you've likely seen "Purple Rain" a dozen or more times, have you actually seen the latter concert film?

Iron Maiden - "2 Minutes to Midnight" (forgotten song)

A State of the Union special...

Last week the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists advanced the Doomsday Clock by 30 seconds to 2 minutes to midnight.  The Doomsday Clock is a symbol, created in 1947 by the Science and the Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist at the beginning of the Cold War, of our proximity to human-made apocalyptic disaster, most notably nuclear war. 

In 1984 Iron Maiden released "2 Minutes to Midnight", a single from "Powerslave", about the Doomsday Clock.  Interestingly enough in 1984 when the song was released the clock was set "only" to 3 minutes; the Clock has only been at 2 minutes once before (1953) and never closer than 2 minutes.

Hearkening back to my discussion with Drew about how themes from 80s metal songs are sadly relevant again, choosing "2 Minutes to Midnight" is a little on the nose but it also seems unavoidable.

"As the madmen play on words and make us all dance to their song
To the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun"

Iron Maiden - "2 Minutes to Midnight" (lyrics)

Motorhead - "(We Are) The Road Crew" (forgotten song)

"Fast Eddie" Clarke, the last living member from the "classic lineup" of Motorhead, died this week.  Lemmy died just over two years ago, and although I missed it at the time, Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor died six weeks before Lemmy.

Motorhead went through many lineups, with Lemmy as the only constant member, but Clarke and Taylor were there for the first five studio LPs, and various live LPs, EPs, and singles.  Clarke would go on to leave Motorhead in 1982, forming the mildly successful but otherwise forgettable band Fastway with some other NWOBHM veterans.  Let's be honest: leaving Motorhead might extend your life expectancy, but musically things aren't going to improve. 

Of all the great songs from the classic lineup my favorite is probably "(We Are) The Road Crew", which I've already referenced in my "No Sleep till Brooklyn" post.  The studio version is great, of course, but the version I'm featuring here is from a 2005 BBC "Classic Albums" documentary where Clarke, Lemmy, and Taylor got back together and ran through songs from the "Ace of Spades" LP after not playing together in 20+ years.  This version is instrumental only, so the focus is on Clarke's solos instead of Lemmy singing.  The tempo is also slightly faster than the original, and it just plain kills.

"(We Are) The Road Crew": 2005 BBC version, 1980 studio version




Bonus link for "Fast Eddie": I have a vague memory of a Fastway video from the early days of MTV; I think it was "Say What You Will", but I can't find an actual video for it.  And I might be wrong about which song it was, but it doesn't really matter since they're all deservedly overlooked (admittedly "Say What You Will" has a nice, bluesy riff, but I just can't warm up to Dave King singing metal). 

Angel Olsen - Live KEXP 2017-02-18 (concert)

More KEXP goodness, this time with Angel Olsen, recorded nearly a year ago in support of her excellent 2016 LP "My Woman". 

This four song set doesn't feature "Shut Up Kiss Me" or "Sister", my two favorite songs from "My Woman", but does feature the next best three songs from the LP ("Intern", "Woman", and "Never Be Mine") as well as a great cover of "Total Control" by The Motels. 

I've since updated my LP review to reflect this, but this KEXP concert clip is where I realized that the backup singer in the Colbert video that I raved about to all of my friends is actually Heather McEntire, the lead singer for Mount Moriah (on the right-hand side of the image above).  I've already covered how great Heather is in my review of their eponymous LP, so on the one hand, I'm disappointed that I didn't recognize her, even in the whole The Crickets / rockabilly outfit, and on the other hand I'm glad I noticed her sound and thought "wow, she should have her own band!" Fortunately Mount Moriah is still active and this is just another example of their members being involved in different projects (cf. Jenks Miller and Horseback). 

This is at least the second time Olsen has been on KEXP, but the 2014 appearance was in support of the "Burn Your Fire for No Witness" LP, which although not bad is not the masterpiece that "My Woman" is. 




Bonus link: The Motels - "Total Control"

Silversun Pickups - "Lazy Eye" (spotlight)

Driving last night I heard "Lazy Eye" on the radio, and that reminded me that I've been meaning to do this: I hereby declare The Smashing Pumpkins redundant, and in the future we need only the Silversun Pickups.

When I first head "Lazy Eye" some 11 (!) years ago I (and everyone else) thought Brian Aubert's voice was similar to Billy Corgan's, and that their overall sound mines the same territory as The Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and MBV.  So why are TSPs now redundant?

First, although I was never a huge fan of TSPs, their early work (e.g., from 1993's "Siamese Dream") nicely captures the sound of the early 90s / post-college and all the associated nostalgia.  I enjoyed the singles from each successive LP less and less, but did not let their decreasing relevancy diminish my enjoyment of "Disarm", "Today", etc.

Then when Danette and I got together she made it clear in no uncertain terms that she did not like Billy Corgan.  On the other hand, Danette's a hater and dislikes a lot of good music, so I remained unconvinced and having never seen Corgan in an interview, I had a protective veil of ignorance.  Recently, in the autobiography "Girl in a Band",  I discovered that Kim Gordon's assessment of Billy Corgan matches Danette's.  This is when I started to think maybe Danette was right... 

The final straw is when I recently saw a screen grab of Billy Corgan on Info Wars, talking about chemtrails or something.  That convinced me that 1) he actually was batshit crazy, and 2) Danette was definitely right.

Can you reject creepy Corgan and still enjoy "Today"?  I'm not sure, but in the mean time we can enjoy the Silversun Pickups, who still "sound like college" to me.  They've had a steady stream of moderately successful singles, but "Lazy Eye" from their 2006 debut LP "Carnavas" is probably still their biggest hit.  And we can probably just retire Billy et al.

Silversun Pickups - "Lazy Eye", live from Sun Liquor (from which their name derives), live on Fearless Music (2010-06)

Bonus Sonic Youth reference:  From the official video, Nikki Monninger (top) looks like a brunette Kim Gordon (bottom).  

2018-02-15 edit: I came across this today...

Just a little reminder, in case you’re tempted to support Billy Corgan during this “Smashing Pumpkins reunion” tour. pic.twitter.com/NN7R0g9p9P

— AustinBloggy (₌ㅇᆽㅇ₌) (@AustinBloggy) February 15, 2018

AC/DC - "Jailbreak" (forgotten song)

Malcolm Young, a founding member of the seminal blues/hard-rock/heavy metal band AC/DC, died recently, just over three years after he retired from the band because of his dementia diagnosis.  Although he was "just" a rhythm guitarist, Malcolm co-wrote, with his brother Angus, the music for all AC/DC songs.  Considering all the memorable riffs AC/DC has produced over 40+ years, that's quite an impressive feat.

So which one should I choose to mark Malcom's passing?  It's actually pretty difficult.  I remember "Back in Black", with its many hit singles, when it was a new release in 1980, coinciding with my budding awareness of music.  After that, Bill Glidden got a lot of their early catalog (e.g., "Highway to Hell", "Powerage").  I also have some pretty enjoyable memories of "For Those About to Rock We Salute You" at Robert Gordick's house. 

Instead of the many great songs from those LPs, I will choose "Jailbreak", which first appeared on Australian version of their 1976 LP "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", but not on the US version of that LP which did not come out until 1981, a full year after the death of Bon Scott and Brian Johnson replacing him for the seminal "Back in Black".  The song "Jailbreak" wasn't released in the US until the 1984 EP "'74 Jailbreak". 

Confused yet?  Well the discography of AC/DC is filled with all kinds of anomalies, mostly arising from different versions of their LPs for Australia, Europe, and the US.  And a 1976 song, not released in the US until 1984, on an EP that suggests 1974, perfectly captures the disorder of their early catalog  -- which includes two essentially different LPs with the same title!   

So why does AC/DC continue to have such appeal?  Danette and I talk about this occasionally.  First, the songs are heavy and feature memorable riffs, but the blues origins are clearly maintained.  The lyrics, especially those of Bon Scott, are funny even when they're sophomoric.  We often wonder if we first heard songs like "Big Balls" today (instead of 35+ years ago) if we'd still find them funny, but I suspect we would.  We recently decided that a deciding factor in their appeal is they are, to the best that we could remember, one of the least misogynistic hard rock bands.  Sure, there are a lot of songs about women and sex, but we can't recall any that are especially mean-spirited or degrading.  Perhaps that's why we have all-female tribute bands, like Hell's Belles. 

Officially, AC/DC continues, but with death of founding member Malcolm, the voluntary retirement of long-time bassist Cliff Williams,  the involuntary retirement of Brian Johnson, and long-time drummer Phil Rudd landing in jail because of living out the story line of "Dirty Deeds...", well I'm not sure it's still really AC/DC.

There's a 1976 video for "Jailbreak", which features Malcolm in the opening sequence (in a guard's outfit).  A video is pretty rare for 1976, so I suppose we should forgive them for not figuring out how to get all five band members in frame at once.

AC/DC - "Jailbreak"