Ozzy Osbourne - "Mama, I'm Coming Home"

Ozzy Osbourne died last month, less than three weeks after his farewell concert in Birmingham.  Watching the performance on July 5, it seemed likely that this really was his last performance: although he sounded great, he performed seated and he was similarly always seated in the backstage scenes. 

It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of Ozzy in the metal community in my HS years. Randy Roads had only been dead about a year (1982), and the Black Sabbath cannon and the first two Ozzy solo LPs were in high rotation on everyone's personal playlist. Even as the metal community divided over glam/hair metal vs. thrash/black metal, everyone loved Ozzy. 

Last month, as I listened to Ozzy do four songs from "Blizzard of Ozz", I was surprised at the wave of nostalgia I felt listening to "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley". and "Suicide Solution".  You still hear "Crazy Train" on the radio regularly, and I've continued to listen to Black Sabbath to this day, but it's been maybe 30-40 years since I've heard the others? Why don't I listen to these LPs more often?

To mark Ozzy's passing, I thought about reviewing either "Blizzard of Ozz" (better singles?) or "Diary of a Madman" (start-to-finish, a more solid LP?), but I'm not quite ready to revisit them. Instead, I'm going to highlight the fifth song last month's solo set, 1991's "Mama, I'm Coming Home".  To be honest, it's not even a favorite song of mine.  Ozzy arguably invented the metal ballad genre with 1972's "Changes", but I just never cared for this this one compared to, say, "Goodbye to Romance" or "So Tired".  But thematically, it's an obvious choice in retrospect, in part because Ozzy was clearly emotionally moved while singing it last month.  

It's safe to say, there will never be another Ozzy. 

"Mama, I'm Coming Home" -- studio, live (Back to the Beginning, July 2025; watch this version instead)

Bonus link: Drew made me aware of this great roots/Americana cover by Larkin Poe, from their 2020 LP "Kindred Spirits".  This version made me think that what I really don't like about Ozzy's version is the modish over-the-top production. 

Bonus fact: This is one of a handful of songs that Ozzy co-wrote with Lemmy. 

Bonnie Raitt - "I Can't Make You Love Me"

 

Danette, Bonnie, and I saw Bonnie Raitt at Chrysler Hall on November 16 (for some reason, there's no entry at setlist.fm).  Just days after her 75th birthday, she still had a big, strong voice, played guitar with authority, and in general gave a great show.  Her first encore was her top-20 single, "I Can't Make You Love Me", from her 1991 LP "Luck of the Draw".  A surprise treat for us was that Williamsburg's own Bruce Hornsby came out and joined her for that song; I did not realize he played on the studio version of that song back in the day.  Listening to it now, it's very clear that it's him playing piano, but if I ever knew this, I had forgotten.  

Each of her shows is apparently a little bit different: for example, Roanoke was treated to her covering "Need You Tonight" and "Burning Down the House".  I would have loved to have seen those, but we'll be happy with Bruce Hornsby as a guest.

Bonnie Raitt - "I Can't Make You Love Me"

Bonnie Raitt & Band plus Bruce Hornsby, 2024-11-16

Tranquility Bass - "They Came In Peace" (LP review)

In celebration of Apollo 11, today I'll feature one of my favorite songs that's relatively hard to find.  "They Came In Peace" by Tranquility Bass first appeared in 1991 on the "They Came In Peace" EP.  I don't actually have that EP, but I have the title track on both on the Mo' Wax "Headz" compilation (1994) and the 1993 Exist Dance sampler "Transmitting From Heaven".  The former is excellent (I have Herbert to thank for first introducing me to "Headz"), the latter less so, but here I'll feature the original four song EP.

I've always said that we can forget velcro and Tang, the real benefit of the US space program was its providing endless samples for electronic music.  I'll eventually get around to The Orb's "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" (see also: "Rival Dealer"), but for now the most literal recognition is Tranquility Bass (get it?) and their looping of Buzz Aldrin saying "they came in peace for all mankind" over a languid beat and crickets.  I realize that sounds weird, but this is an excellent track and you should give it a listen.  The other three tracks on the EP are representative of electronic / trance music ca. 1991, and they're neither bad nor good. 

1. "They Came In Peace"
2. "They Came In Peace (Lunar Dub)"
3. "Lucifaze"
4. "Lucid Beats"

I'm giving the EP a score of 6/10 -- I'm not sure the EP is essential, even though the title track is.


Bonus link: "Cantamilla" from 1994's "Broadcast Standard Issue No. 1" is Tranquility Bass's other essential track. 

Soundgarden - "Rusty Cage" (the song remains the same)

Soundgarden front man Chris Cornell passed last month, which I have to think will mark the end of Soundgarden, and possibly leaving only Pearl Jam as the lone survivor of the grunge movement of the early 90s.   I first learned of Soundgarden from my friend Drew, who in 90 or 91 lent me a copy of "Louder Than Love".  I don't think I have any Soundgarden CDs in my collection now, but I used to have the "Singles" soundtrack and I guess that counts.

Although Nirvana is probably the first among equals for the Seattle sound, it's hard to convey the impact of Soundgarden in the 90s.  Let's put it like this: when it came time for Johnny Cash's comeback LP, 1996's "Unchained", Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage" was one of the songs Cash covered.  Surely Rick Rubin had a big hand in the song selection, but it's hard to think of a higher honor than having Johnny Cash cover your song.

"Rusty Cage" was the third single from Soundgarden's 1991 LP "Badmotorfinger" and while it's hardly their most popular song, it's the one Johnny Cash chose and so it's the one I choose to mark the death of Chris Cornell.

Soundgarden: "Rusty Cage"
Johnny Cash: "Rusty Cage"

Motorhead - "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." (spotlight)

Tommy Ramone, the last of the original Ramones, died yesterday.  Tommy was originally their manager & producer but drummed on the first three LPs because they couldn't find anyone else. That is the very essence of punk.   I've only reviewed the Ramones once so far, but that has been more of an oversight rather than a conscious decision because their impact and influence cannot be easily overstated.  I remember when Danette and I first learned that Joey Ramone died in 2001 (we were still in Chapel Hill), followed quickly by Dee Dee (2002) and Johnny (2004).

How influential were the Ramones?  So influential that Motorhead wrote a tribute song for them, "R.A.M.O.N.E.S.", which appears on their 1991 LP "1916":

New York City, N.Y.C.,
Pretty mean when it wants to be,
Black leather, knee-hole pants,
Can't play no high school dance,
Fuzz tone, hear 'em go,
Hear 'em on the radio,

Misfits, twilight zone,
R-A-M-O-N-E-S
R-A-M-O-N-E-S
RAMONES

Bad boy rock, bad boy roll,
Gabba gabba, see them go,
C.J. now hit the gas,
Hear Marky kick some ass,
Go Johnny, go, go, go
Go Tommy o-way-o,

Bad boys then, bad boys now,
Good buddies, mau-mau-mau
Keep it up, rock'n'roll,
Good music save your soul,
Dee Dee, he left home,
Joey call me on the phone.

If Motorhead namechecks you... well, I'm hard pressed to think of a higher honor. 

Motorhead: "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." (live), studio
Ramones + Lemmy: "R.A.M.O.N.E.S" (live)
Ramones: "R.A.M.O.N.E.S" (studio)

Discharge - "Protest and Survive" (the song remains the same)

Twenty four years ago today (June 4, 1989), the Tiananmen Square Protests ended in a brutal crackdown.  Less than a year after that, President George H. W. Bush decided idealism is bad for business and extended China's "Most Favored Nation" trade status.  And less than a week ago, and very close to home, Shuanghui International Holdings proposed to buy local giant Smithfield Foods.  Perhaps economic ties will eventually prove more subversive to China's regime than supporting the protesters in 1989, but I will never forget my bitter disappointment that when called upon, we turned a deaf ear.

From Discharge's punk classic 1982 LP "Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing", "Protest and Survive":

It's up to us, to change the course
Protest and survive, protest and survive
Protest and survive,
Protest and survive  

Anthrax would later cover this song on their 1991 LP "Attack of the Killer B's".

Discharge - "Protest and Survive"
Anthrax - "Protest and Survive (live 1996)"

My Bloody Valentine - "Loveless" (LP Review)

I had been resisting reviewing "Loveless" because it is just too obvious: there are innumerable reviews proclaiming the excellence of this LP (e.g., Allmusic, Wired, Pitchfork, Drowned In Sound).   But with My Bloody Valentine's out-of-print EPs collected on "EPs 1988-1991" and *finally* a new LP,  "m b v", I've decided to include it.

I first heard this LP in 1999, ordering it at the same time as DJ Shadow's seminal "Endtroducing.....".  They don't sound anything alike, but they are similar in that once you listen to them, you'll never hear music the same way again. 

Rather than throw hundreds of words at this LP, the eccentricities and innovations of Kevin Shields, or how the cover art matches the sound, instead I'll offer my initial, visceral reaction from 1999:

Dying Swan Music*.

Yes, that's the best I can do, courtesy of Tennyson:

But anon her awful jubilant voice,
With a music strange and manifold,
Flow'd forth on a carol free and bold;
As when a mighty people rejoice

Standout songs:  All, and it really should be consumed as a whole, start to finish (Youtube playlist).  If forced to pick three, I'd go with: "To Here Knows When", "Sometimes", "Blown A Wish"

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final Score: In addition to "10/10", this LP earns my very rare "beyond music" label; "music" is just too limiting a concept to describe it.

Bonus links: official videos for "To Here Knows When" and "Soon" (radio edit).  I'm pretty sure most of the "official" videos for MBV are the same footage used over and over again, but how else would you do it?



* = Listen to "Touched", a sort of intro to "To Here Knows When", and then get back to me when you come up with a better description.

Negativland - "U2" (LP Review)

Where would Negativland's career be without "U2", the 1991 two song EP that took aim at Casey Kasem and the band U2? On one hand, the resulting legal firestorm from Island Records (U2's label) and SST (Negativland's label) nearly ruined the band financially. On the other hand, the accompanying attention greatly increased the profile of the band, as well as giving them a nearly limitless source of future material. Perhaps the wreckage was the inevitable conclusion for the band that invented the term "culture jamming".

Island Records claimed that the cover art was intended to confuse buyers, who would think it is a release from U2 entitled "Negativland". Negativland countered that the band U2 doesn't have exclusive rights to the letter U and the numeral 2. Island was also unhappy with the extensive sampling of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". Negativland countered that this was covered under fair use. The fight is documented in an LP and magazine from Negativland, but here's the short version: Island has a lot of $, and Negativland and SST don't. Island wins.

The EP was withdrawn from SST's catalog (surviving copies can bring big $) and hastily replaced with the EP "Guns", whose cover art continues the commentary on the situation. The two songs themselves are freely available on the band's web site, and in 2001 the band re-released the songs (along with live versions and other situational commentary) on the LP "These Guys Are From England and Who Gives a Shit" (the quote is from Casey Kasem's abusive and profane rant about the "death dedications", the band U2, and Kasem's confusion about Ireland vs. England; the shock value is much higher for those familiar with Kasem, American Top 40, and their squeaky clean image). As far as I know this LP (released on Seeland Records, Negativland's own label) generated no controversy; I guess Island and SST no longer thought it worth their while. You owe it to yourself to get TGAFEAWGAS, but in the mean time you can find the two original mp3s directly from the band. Lost in the story about these songs is the fact that the songs themselves are quite entertaining.

Standout songs: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (1991 A Capella Mix)" (negativland.com, YouTube); "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Special Edit Radio Mix)" (negativland.com, YouTube).

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final score: 9/10. Snuggles.

Bonus Link: A YouTube playlist of Mark Hosler at the 47th Ann Arbor Film Festival, talking about Negativland. I'm going to eventually review some of their full-length LPs...

Slowdive - "Holding Our Breath" (LP Review)

I'm a big fan of Slowdive and had thought I had the entire discography, but I recently discovered they had quite a number of singles and EPs prior to their breakthrough 1991 LP "Just for a Day". Eager to complete my collection, I recently acquired their 1991 4-song EP "Holding Our Breath". It is out of print, so I ended up purchasing the EP on iTunes since the going price for a CD is pretty steep. The EP appears to be the "Catch the Breeze" 7" single extended with two more songs.

The four songs showcase the band's sound firmly in the shoegazing genre: swirling guitar effects, dreamy vocals, slow rhythms; this EP is arguably more in the shadow of MBV than their later LPs. "Golden Hair" is a cover of a Syd Barrett song (actually a James Joyce poem Barrett set to music), "Catch the Breeze" (which appears on "Just for a Day") and "Albatross" are solid songs, but the standout is "Shine".

I love the vocal duo of Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead, but "Shine" just reinforces what I think of every time I listen to an LP from Slowdive or Mojave 3 (a post-Slowdive band featuring Goswell & Halstead): Rachel should have sang more frequently/prominently. Her voice fits the genre perfectly. Nothing against Neil, but while he seemed to be featured of the duo, it was Rachel that really defined their sound. She is the primary (only?) vocalist on "Shine" and the result is an achingly beautiful song, maybe even Slowdive's best.

Standout songs: "Shine", "Catch the Breeze" (live version 1991), "Albatross"

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final score: 7/10. "Golden Hair" is nothing special, and "Catch the Breeze" appears elsewhere. I thought about giving it a 6/10, but "Shine" elevates it to the point that a serious collection should have this EP. I hope to eventually acquire a hard copy version in the future.

(Various) - "Until the End of the World" (LP Review)

Julee Cruise covering an Elvis Presley song. Elvis Costello covering a Kinks song. Duets with Kate Pierson & Michael Stipe, and Jane Siberry & k. d. lang. Artists like Neneh Cherry, U2, Depeche Mode, Can, Patti Smith and the Talking Heads recording with the same "sound." If these things sound intriguing to you, then you should love the "Until the End of the World" soundtrack. I saw the film once at the Naro Cinema (probably in 1992) after I already had fallen in love with the LP. I can't honestly say I understood the film (I suppose I should give it another try), but fortunately the soundtrack does not depend on the film. This is the LP that really turned me on to soundtracks as a genre; this is the LP that I measure all other soundtracks against. The most amazing part of this LP is that all of the songs (except for U2's eponymous song) were unreleased and new for this LP, yet it sounds like they were recorded specifically for this LP (many of the songs were subsequently released on later LPs). Despite the range of artists, the songs are united by a hazy, desolate other-worldly feel. Taking the track listing from wikipedia:

1. Graeme Revell: "Opening Theme" (Revell) (Solo cello performed by David Darling) – 1:59
2. Talking Heads: "Sax and Violins" (David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth) – 5:18
3. Julee Cruise: "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears" (Jack Lloyd, Ben Weisman, Fred Wise) – 2:37
4. Neneh Cherry: "Move With Me (Dub)" (Cherry, Cameron McVey) – 2:58
5. Crime and the City Solution, "The Adversary" (Bronwyn Adams, Simon Bonney, Chris Haas, Alexander Hacke, Mick Harvey, Thomas Stern) – 5:32
6. Lou Reed: "What's Good" (Reed) – 5:07
7. Can: "Last Night Sleep" (Malcolm Mooney, Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli, Irmin Schmidt) – 3:35
8. R.E.M.: "Fretless" (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe and featuring Kate Pierson) – 4:49
9. Elvis Costello: "Days" (Ray Davies) – 4:49
10. Graeme Revell: "Claire's Theme" (Revell) (Solo cello performed by David Darling) – 0:51
11. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: "(I'll Love You) Till the End of the World" (Nick Cave) – 4:38
12. Patti Smith and Fred "Sonic" Smith: "It Takes Time" (Smith, Smith) – 5:00
13. Depeche Mode: "Death's Door" (Martin Gore) – 3:53
14. Graeme Revell: "Love Theme" (Revell) (Solo cello performed by David Darling) – 0:45
15. Jane Siberry and k.d. lang: "Calling All Angels" (Siberry) – 5:11
16. T-Bone Burnett: "Humans from Earth" (Burnett) – 3:07
17. Daniel Lanois: "Sleeping in the Devil's Bed" (Lanois) – 3:50
18. U2: "Until the End of the World" (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.) – 4:33
19. Graeme Revell: "Finale" (Revell) (Solo cello performed by David Darling) – 0:58

Only Lou Reed's song, "What's Good", sounds out of place. I'm a Lou Reed fan, and its not necessarily a bad song, but the start to finish enjoyment of the LP is enhanced if you skip this song. The strength of "The Adversary", probably my favorite song on the entire LP, caused me to spend a good bit of time hunting up copies of two other Crime and the City solution LPs: "Shine" and "The Bride Ship". I remember being disappointed that they were not as good as the song "The Adversary", but I should probably give them another try (I can't seem to find them right now). This LP also turned me on to artists like Jane Siberry, whose 1993 LP "When I was a Boy" I'll review in the future. After I had this LP, I purchased a copy of another Wim Wenders soundtrack: 1988's "Wings of Desire". Despite some of the same artists (like Crime and the City Solution), it is not nearly as good. Standout Tracks: "Sax and Violins", "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears", "Move With Me (Dub)", "The Adversary", "Fretless", "Days", "(I'll Love You) Till the End of the World", "Death's Door", "Calling All Angels", "Humans from Earth" (a slightly different version), "Sleeping in the Devil's Bed", "Until the End of the World" (also a slightly different version). I'm not kidding, they're all that good. Skip 'em Tracks: "What's Good". Final Score: 10/10

Big Audio Dynamite II - "Rush" (forgotten song)

Shortly after Mick Jones was fired from The Clash, he formed
Big Audio Dynamite (BAD). BAD, which also featured Don Letts, explored the genre-bending, hip-hop/rock crossovers that The Clash had explored in earlier releases like "This is Radio Clash" and "Sandinista!". BAD made music that was ahead of its time, but it never really had a stable line up. Starting in 1990, due to line up changes the band was billed as "Big Audio Dynamite II" and by the time of 1991's "The Globe" LP, only Mick Jones remained as the original member.

The first single from "The Globe" was "Rush" and it fared pretty well on radio. I'm always of two minds when I hear this song: 1) Why did this amazing song not receive more airplay than it did, and 2) How did this song receive any airplay? The minute long "break" (approximately 1:51 - 2:58) breaks every rule imaginable for a successful single.

Link: studio version, studio version (grooveshark.com), live version.

P.S. SonyBMG gets it. WMG still doesn't.

P.P.S. With the advent of Vevo, SonyBMG gets it a lot less than they used to.

P.P.P.S. SonyBMG / Vevo no longer get it.