The Case For: Roy Bookbinder

 

Roy Bookbinder: Delia [YouTube link]
Purchase: [Roy Bookbinder: Delia]

Almost nobody knows this musician and that is a pity: reason enough for a “case for”. I was introduced to Roy Bookbinder (b. ’43) back in the days when I was a middle-of-the-night radio DJ at WQFS. Blown away by the man's skills back in the 70s, I not too long ago googled the man and came up with a YouTube link or two showing that he still picks a tune or two.

Admittedly, I tend to gravitate to American folk/country: I have boundless respect for anyone who can pick a clean, fast, stringed instrument. Think Earl Scruggs or Bella Fleck . It's the picking skills combined with vocal harmonies that turn me on. I confess that a clean/fast "saz" is at least as good.

One of the issues on my mind for this post is musicians that keep traditions alive: picking the guitar and then recording it without digital assistance; choosing songs that are 100 years old, but that still resonate. That's why I love Ry Cooder.

The song "Delia" goes back a long ways - like many of Bookbinder's songs. The song was likely written by Blind Willie McTell back around 1929, and has since been covered by many others including Bob Dylan. It's kind of a sad song about a relationship gone bad, but the listener’s take-away emotion depends on how fast you pick the strings. He sings:

Delia's dear mother, took a trip out west.

When she returned, little Delia had gone to rest.

She's all I got, is gone

The Case For: Dexys Midnight Runners

NOTE: I have been required to remove the download link to "Come On Eileen".  I'm sure you can find it if you want to.

I’m kind of cheating here. I wrote a piece called “In Defense of Dexys Midnight Runners” a few months ago at Cover Me, which, not surprisingly, focused on the high quality of the band’s covers. But it also laid out the kind of stuff that I would have written here for this theme, so please go here and read that piece before continuing. It’s O.K., I’ll wait.

Dum de dum de dum de dum de dum de dum……..

Great—thanks for coming back. So now you know the background. I know that “Come On Eileen” has become one of those songs that it is easy to make fun of. There is singer Kevin Rowland’s unusual voice, there was the silly video that admittedly made the band members look like goofy denim overall-clad slumming posers, it was terribly overplayed at the time and there have been decades to allow the hatred of the song to apparently become gospel. But let me ask you to do a thought experiment. Turn off the lights. Listen to the song—just listen and try to divorce yourself from the years of negative comments or the video (if you even remember it). And I think that you might just agree with me that it is a good song.

And if I can’t convince you to like “Come on Eileen,” and if the covers that I wrote about over on the other site don’t do it for you, tell me this song is no good:
Or this one:

I’ve given it my best shot. If you aren’t convinced now, you never will be.

The Case For: Phil Collins

Phil Collins: In The Air Tonight
[purchase]

If Phil Collins had disappeared from the face of the earth at the end of 1981, this article would probably not be necessary. He would likely be remembered as a fine drummer who ably backed Peter Gabriel in Genesis, did a nice job succeeding Gabriel as a singer for a few solid albums, was an in-demand drummer for solo albums by other prog rockers, moonlighted in the fusion group Brand X and put out an excellent solo album, featuring one truly memorable track, featured above.

But Phil didn’t disappear, and after 1981, critical opinion of most of his work began to plummet in inverse proportion to his earnings, until he became sort of a punch line. And while it is hard to defend some of his more saccharine later efforts, on the whole, his entire body of work includes enough high points—including some after 1981—to support a claim for respect, not derision.

Collins joined Genesis in 1970, after the band had gone through a number of drummers. Unlike the other members of the band, who were from upper class families, Collins was a middle class kid, who had been a child actor and model (and an extra in A Hard Day’s Night.) After his first real band, Flaming Youth (in which he drummed, sang and played keyboards) broke up, Collins answered an ad, auditioned and joined Genesis, stabilizing the position as the band gained popularity. He quickly proved to be an excellent prog rock drummer, adept in both harder rocking styles and more atmospheric sounds, and able to handle unusual time signatures and patterns. I’ve previously written about “Supper’s Ready,” and you can go back and listen to it for Collins’ inventive drumming. Here’s a later song from the Gabriel era, “Cinema Show” that showcases his drumming (even if it is not quite as good as the Bill Bruford/Collins version from the Second’s Out album).


When Gabriel left, the band reportedly auditioned more than 400 wannabes before settling on Collins, and he proved to be a more than adequate replacement. Lacking Gabriel’s quirks and quirkiness, the Collins-fronted version of Genesis gradually simplified and poppified its sound until it reached massive popularity. Collins, however, was not the only one to “blame” for this change—his fellow band members, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks also wrote the songs, and were completely on board with the turn toward the mainstream. It would not have been possible, though, without Collins’ pleasant vocals, but he didn’t stop being a top drummer. Here’s a post-Gabriel Genesis song that again features Collins’ superb drumming.

At the same time, Collins played (and occasionally sang) with the jazz-rock group Brand X, in which he displayed a slightly different side to his drumming. Here’s a clip of a bearded and hairy Collins being interviewed on English television in 1979 before joining Brand X for a live performance.



Collins also provided drums (and vocals) on Steve Hackett’s first solo album, played on former Yes guitarist Peter Banks’ early solo works, contributed drum parts to tracks on Brian Eno’s albums, including “Sky Saw” from the classic Another Green World, and played on Robert Fripp’s Exposure.

Then came the 1980s. Asked by Gabriel to play on his third (and arguably best) solo album (often referred to as Melt), Collins, abetted by producer Steve Lillywhite and engineer Hugh Padgham, used a booming drum effect, called the “gated drum” sound, which they may or may not have invented, on the song “Intruder.” It proved to be one of the defining sounds of 1980s rock. When Collins decided to record his first solo album, Face Value, he brought in Padgham as co-producer, and the gated drum sound was used to great effect in, particularly, “In the Air Tonight,” which still holds up as a great song. The rest of Face Value is also pretty good and quirky, and Collins makes good use of a horn section and some old school R&B arrangements.

Face Value was a critical and commercial success. Later in 1981, Genesis released probably its last good album, Abacab, which used both the gated drum sound and horns. And while there were the occasional good songs on later Genesis albums, and Collins solo albums, at this point, the dross began to outweigh the quality. Collins’ involvement with Brand X also ended at about this time, and, for all intents and purposes, Collins became a smooth pop musician, with most of the rough and interesting edges gone.

In an article in the New Musical Express a few years ago, prompted by Collins’ (now-rescinded) announcement of his retirement from music, titled “Is it Time We All Stopped Hating Phil Collins?” Tim Chester noted that while Collins is “responsible for some of the cheesiest music ever committed to acetate,” this "obscures some of his most genius contributions to music.”

So, go listen to the pre-1981 Collins (and the occasional bit of latter-day quality), and enjoy some excellent, interesting drumming, fine singing, and pretty good songwriting. And let the haters hate.

THE CASE FOR : CHUMBAWAMBA

Buy! Anything. Other retailers are available

Accusations of April foolery around my last piece, within which I feinted off Chris de Burgh with damp praise. Heaven forfend! As if etc etc. By way of recompense let me now big up some true favourites of mine, the mighty Chumbawamba. Known best, clearly, for this , it is by no means the peak of their pedestal, although its classic quiet bit/shouty bit/chorus was always a recurrent theme in their repertoire, as this , from a decade before, demonstrates. This latter song had been  part of the first time, of many, that I saw them, at the first Guildford festival, and I was converted in an instant of the trumpet's first parp, as much by the lively performance art of the show, as for the beats, choral harmonies and general who gives a demonstrated by all 8 of them.

They actually started life as the disparate inhabitants of a squat in the northen british city of Leeds. Ironically, despite or because of their strong political stance, they were from the start labelled as anarcho-punks. By the 1990s they had gouged out sufficient instrumental proficiency, which together with the absorbtion of techno and rave culture, gave then an unusual status, with glorious pop melodies hand by jowl with unisonic chanting,  programming and some of the sweetest female singing outside a chamber choir. Add a who cares and liberal attitude to the use of sampling, and short snappy slogans, culled from and with diverse soundbites, used as quirky between song fodder, and you had their template. Their early recording history was scattered between various tiny indie labels, with cassette only product and records hastily withdrawn, for breach of copyright. 1994's Anarchy, with it's scarcely inviting cover of close up childbirth, was possibly the first breakthrough of sorts, and the first I bought, immediately after the show described earlier.

Time for another song, a 2nd one from Anarchy, being Homophobia, a strident condemnation of same. As well as the studio version, there was also a slightly different live version. See which you prefer.

Fast forward to 1997 and the Chumbas did the hitherto unthinkable and signed to a major label, EMI, taking no small amount of stick for this, perhaps having the last laugh as "Tubthumping became a massive world wide one hit wonder, with much of the profit being syphoned back to the agit-prop causes they had always supported. They had not finished, either, with controversy, with their infamous drenching of then british prime minister Tony Blairs deputy at a music awards jamboree, and suggesting their american fans could shoplift the LP if they couldn't afford it. 2 or 3 broadly similar LPs then appeared, with a gradual change becoming noticeable, and a conscious shift towards including traditional english folk motifs. Indeed, 2002s Readymades included songs built around the sampled voices of Dick Gaughan and Kate Rusby, amongst others, and archived material. See if you recognise where the guitar is lifted from.

In 2005 the band all but seemed to break up, or to, at least, stop, but within only a matter of months a small hardcore of the band was again heavily touring, this time as an all acoustic quartet, plus various others. For me this became my favourite incarnation, the old songs sitting perfectly in a now overtly folk setting, with folk clubs and folk festivals being their main stages. New songs aplenty poured forth also, taking full advantage of the consummate harmony vocals of their heavenly chorale, at odds, often with harsh lyrical barbs. My example here, maybe unwisely, is a cover  Nonetheless, I'm hoping you will go seek out more, from my whirlwind taster. My recommendations would probably be WYSIWIG, from 2000, and A Singsong and a Scrap, from 5 years later. I would also direct you to an excellent (auto) bigraphical book,  Footnote* by the everpresent Boff Whalley, guitar and choirboy vocals.

The acoustic band called it a day in 2102, closing down with this statement:
                             "We do, of course, reserve the right to re-emerge as Chumbawamba doing                                               something else entirely (certainly not touring and putting out albums every 2 or 3                                     years). But frankly, that’s not very likely. Thirty years of being snotty, eclectic, funny,                               contrary and just plain weird. What a privilege, and what a good time we’ve had."

I for one look forward to that day, in the interim having to make do with this , paid for years in advance, in a duly delivered promise to release on the death of it's subject matter, Margaret Thatcher. Probably fair to say they hadn't been big fans...........

The Case For: Zappa

 

 
Zappa Play Zappa: Peaches En Regalia
[purchase FZ version]

I must have been introduced to Frank Zappa in the early 70s. Although I don’t recall my initiation rites, I know for a fact that I was well-versed by the time <Overnight Sensation> came out: if hard pressed, I could probably sing along to the entire album – 40 years later.

Sadly for those of us who revered him and his music, Frank Zappa died a somewhat early death in 1993 (couldn’t be that long ago!)

Dweezil Zappa, you must know, is Frank Zappa’s older son. He is the man behind the band called “Zappa Plays Zappa”, a touring group that aims to bring his father’s music to a younger audience. In addition to organizing the band, Dweezil (not his original/legal/birth name, but now his legal name) plays the guitar. He has also had a hand in composing original music, though so far he has been nowhere near a prolific as his father.

As a long-time Zappa fan, I applaud efforts to keep Frank Zappa’s music alive & relevant.  I count him among the pre-eminent musicians of the Rock era: pushing the limits in terms of musical structure; certainly pushing the limits of lyrical contortion. He was among the first to break out of the standard “guitars and drums” format that was defining popular music by the mid-70s. Check it out:

She had that
Camarillo brillo
Flamin' out along her head,
I mean her Mendocino bean-o
By where some bugs had made it red

She ruled the Toads
of the Short Forest
And every newt in Idaho
And every cricket who had chorused
By the bush in Buffalo

Beyond his musical skills, Frank Zappa stood behind his beliefs: he was a frequent commentator about his political views – and, in retrospective, not far off the mark. A snippet from his testimony against parental controls to music content/lyrics in front of the US senate  (and Al Gore) back in 1985:

    He said: The major record labels need to have H.R. 2911 whiz through a few committees before anybody smells a rat. One of them is chaired by Senator Thurmond. Is it a coincidence that Mrs. Thurmond is affiliated with the PMRC?  

I hereby make the case that his legacy is worthy of preservation, and who better to do so than his son?

For your listening pleasure, one of my favorite FZ tunes, performed by his son:

Peaches En  Regalia

The Case for : The Guess Who of the 1970's

[Purchase]

From 1965 to 1970, from "Shakin' All Over" (#22, 1965) to "American Woman" (#1, 1970) , The Guess Who were Canada's top singles band, thanks to founding guitarist Randy Bachman and lead vocalist Burton Cummings. 1969 was an especially big year for the band with "These Eyes" ( US #6), "Laughing ( US #10) and "Undun"( US #22). Then, at the height of the band's success,  Bachman, a recently converted Mormon, bailed on the Guess Who.

  The Guess Who had two more big hits ,"Share the Land" (#10, 1970) and "Hand Me Down World" (#17, 1970). Then in 1971 they released The Best of the Guess Who ( containing a far out black light poster of the group!) and that's probably where most people stopped listening. It's definitely where most of the critics stopped paying attention.

     Huge mistake.

     Next to The Beach Boys output of the same period, no band deserves to have its albums re-appraised more than the Burton Cummings led Guess Who of the early 70's.

    Consider "Albert Flasher", the single from So Long, Bannatyne , an album full of infectious tunes that made one Rolling Stone critic cite The Beatles Rubber Soul in a search of comparisons.



Next came one of the greatest live albums of all time, Live at the Paramount. This is the one that had  Lester Bangs declare "The Guess Who is God!"

 In his review, Bangs continues :

I saw the Guess Who do this version of “American Woman” live a year ago, and I have never been more offended by a concert. Just as he does on the record, Burton Cummings indulged himself in a long, extremely cranky rumination on Yankee Yin, in a sort of fallen-out Beat poetic style:

 American bitch 
American cunt 
 American slut
 American lesbian 
American schoolgirl 
 American housewife
 American beaver etc., etc., etc.

 

 Wouldn’t you be offended by this Canuck creep coming down here taking all our money while running down our women? Sure you would! Until you realized, as I did, eventually, that that kind of stuff is exactly what makes the Guess Who great. They have absolutely no taste at all, they don’t even mind embarrassing everybody in the audience, they’re real punks without even working too hard at it.

At this point The Guess Who begin going through "revolving door syndrome" with Cummings the only constant. But he's on a roll.

    For the follow-up , #10, he delivers "Glamour Boy", a tribute to the cross dressing antics of Bowie and Bolan ( "For $37,000 you can look like your sister tonight...). The band could still fill an auditorium but the album stalled at #155 in the charts

   There would be one more hit before the assembly line of writing, recording and the road got to be too much for Cummings: the Top 10 1974 novelty tune "Clap for the Wolfman" from Road Food. There's a lot of good songs on this album including the catchy "Pleasin For a Reason" and the first single, a power pop number called "Star Baby".  It didn't matter. Guess Who fans were rushing out to buy the latest offerings from Bachman Turner Overdrive instead.

   In 1975 Burton Cummings went solo and the group disbanded. But not before releasing a batch of Guess Who albums that deserve to be heard. Especially by fans of classic, catchy pop music and lyricists strange enough to write lines like "Well, have you ever seen a Madras monkey?/Have you seen an Orlon eel?"

Well, have you?

By the way Burton Cumming has been especially busy on Facebook these days, sharing tons of memories and pictures  https://www.facebook.com/officialburtoncummings

THE CASE FOR : CHRIS DE BURGH

OK, bit of a high hurdle here. Who, many be be asking, necessitating in me biting down hard on my tongue, hissing out, you know, that Lady in Red song, between blood and teeth. I gather it got to number 3 in the US, as well as having a ghastly and lingering saccharine permanence in the UK. Anyhow, put that thought from your mind, if you can, and the tale of it being the song he sang to his daughters nanny. Before bedding her. Or something like that. I may have muddled some aspects of the detail, but he has developed a somewhat odious reputation on this side of the ocean. Apart from his legion of fans, to whom he is a straighter Barry Manilow. (I have to be very careful here, with Wiki telling me Mr DeB is a prodigious litigator against perceived slights.)

A Spaceman Came Travelling

Buy it!

This refers to a much more innocent time, when, newly married, I was compiling the first of many subsequent tapes, made to celebrate our first Christmas together. I was also a member of my local public library, which had the novelty of a record (that's vinyl!) section, the last centurys version of illegal downloading, and came across a Chris de Burgh compilation, from which I purloined my titular song*. And I won't hear a thing against it. I still think it stands up, both as a song and as part of the ""Was-God-an-Astronaut" school of divinity. The fact I was a hefty fan of Erich von Daniken in my teens may explain this lapse from likelihood.
So what of his later stuff? Largely unlistenable tosh, but I dare say other opinions are available.
*For the reassurances of this readership, not to say Mr DeB, for fear of seeming to promote such lawlessness, please be encouraged that I have now downloaded this song from the source quoted. Or have every good intention to.

Anniversary-Go Deeper: My First---Ship of Fools

World Party: Ship of Fools
[purchase]

The second Star Maker Machine theme was perversely, “My First,” and it was designed to have people post about the first 45, LP, cassette, CD and digital download they ever bought with their own money. After all these years, I can’t remember which was the first 45 or LP I used my own money for, and I have no recollection what my first download was, but for some reason, I do remember my first CD, World Party’s Private Revolution, which was released in 1987. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t even own a CD player at that point, but I knew that I was going to be getting one shortly. I saw it on sale, used, in a small record store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and figured, why not—I knew it was good.

It was a big step for me. I had many, many records—more than is probably healthy, but I also saw that the music world was moving toward the digital, and I knew that I would be following. I’ve never been an audiophile, so I won’t weigh in on the “vinyl through a good system sounds better than CDs” debate, but I did appreciate that CDs didn’t scratch (as easily) as records.

World Party was really just a solo project from Karl Wallinger, who played most of the instruments (although a pre-fame Sinead O’Connor and Waterboy Anthony Thistlewaite contributed a little), and this album, his debut, had a nice pop feel to it, with clear Beatles/ELO and Prince influences. There also was a message of world improvement, and what can be bad about that? “Ship of Fools” was a minor hit in the U.S. and U.K. and a slightly bigger one in Australia. It took Wallinger a few years to release the more successful Goodbye Jumbo, and he spaced out 3 more albums, the last of which was released in 2000. Since then he has recovered from a brain aneurysm (!), worked on films and other musical projects, and toured.

After buying Private Revolution, and an actual CD player, my CD buying ramped up and my LP buying decreased. At some point, I started to replace LPs with CD’s often used from eBay. At a certain point, I stopped replacing the needle on my turntable, and following a renovation of our house, which eliminated the shelves where I had stored my albums, they have remained in boxes in my basement waiting, for, I don’t know what. Getting rid of them seems complicated, because I suspect that most of the collection is worthless for various reasons, and I know that I have a certain sentimental hesitancy to part with a collection that I spent time, money and effort amassing through my youth.

I now find myself buying more digital downloads than CDs, so that collection, which supplanted the vinyl, and is currently bursting out of its shelf space is growing much more slowly. (And the digital collection is pushing the limits of my iPod Classic).

Although as I mentioned, I cannot recall the first song I ever downloaded digitally, because I admittedly partook of the early smorgasbord of Napster and similar questionable services, I do know that the first song I downloaded from eMusic was a song called “AYSO” by #Poundsign#, a tune about the soccer organization to which I have devoted an incredible amount of time over the past nearly two decades, and which I continue to serve, even though my kids have long since stopped playing.

Anniversary: David Lindley again

Click the pic above (or the link  at the bottom/below) for the music
[Purchase song @ amazon: El Rayo X]

Like JDavid, I am a relative new-comer. If I don’t dis-remember, I ran across boyhowdy’s personal site (coverlaydown) before I discovered StarMaker. My communication with him led me to my current role:  when Darius pulled back, I somehow ended up managing SMM – with major support from J David. (Obvious, ain’t it? Who else has posted most of the recent material?)

Several of the SMM bloggers are one-time radio DJs - often from their days in college. I am no different. Way back in the 70’s, I did a middle-of-the-night slot at WQFS out of Greensboro, NC. Some of the SMM bloggers are musicians themselves: 2-3 times a year I myself take the stage to a captive audience. In one form or another, all SMMers “live” for the music.

At about the time I took on the admin role, SMM was reeling from legal restrictions: many of us used to post links to MP3 files hosted in various personally controlled online resources and outside pressures had made hosting mp3s impossible. Despite the blog’s policy of “..[we] post only one song per album for a limited time  … and will take it down…” , many of the 30 plus bloggers from 2 years ago have moved on.  The number of bloggers had seriously dropped off by the time I took over from Darius and most of the links to songs had become YouTube videos.  Speaking of which, I work and write from Turkey, where the powers that be have recently blocked tweets and “the tube” – if you follow international news, you must know. (I hope my link below works, since I had to search and access it using devious/outlawed means.)

The mission of SMM, as I understood it, was that the bloggers posted links to music and associated commentary that would drive the audience to further engagement. It is for this reason that the top of each post includes a [purchase] link.

The right side of the blog notes that we are always looking for additions. Let me put it in the middle of the page: if you have an interest in joining the ranks of bloggers, follow the link, top right, and email smmmod2000@gmail.com. We’d be glad to have you on board.

As to “going deeper” - our current theme: I am an inveterate fan of Ryland P Cooder, and it was through his music that I learned about the Cuban music scene. It was through his music that I learned about David Lindley. Nigh on a year ago, I posted about one of his pieces.

Never much of a front-man himself, Lindley has played second fiddle for a number of other folk. Once, previously, in our “work” theme, I posted his rendition of “Do You Want My Job”, a wonderfully island-lilting piece with a message for our times. From his “El-Rayo-X” here is the title track with Jackson Browne:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkU78moGmcg

ANNIVERSARY GO DEEPER : CHRISTMAS

Blimey, fab historical bio below, enjoyed that. Me, too, I 'm a newbie of not even 12 months standing, tho' my anniversary must be coming up soon. I remember well what first attracted my attention, nearly three and a half  years ago, and why. I had been tasked with researching a Christmas playlist, and, rather than the usual Now That's What I call Xmas fare from all the usual usual, or even just good old Phil Spector, I took the job way too seriously, spending hours and days, scouring the interweb, scooting from blog to blog, hoovering up tracks. Of course, the fact that you could, in those innocent days, download directly, was a distinct bonus, even if you had to delete responsibly after a research and review single listen. (Yeah, right) Christmas 2010 was a riot, tho' my family and guests were exhausted after 6 full days of continuous listening.(Did you know quite how many versions of Daddy, Please Don't Get Drunk This Christmas there are?). This was my first foray to this site, although I then had to plough back through as far as I could muster my strength for, whether Xmas or not, being ecumenically scruple free. (Took bloody ages, to say nothing of the blogs of the associated and kin, listed alongside, some of which continue, many of which don't. Somehow I feel some advertorial coming on coming on for Boy Howdy, nominally still in our band of sixsongs merry pranksters, tho' increasingly quiet, a dude who has introduced me to more music than perhaps anyone I can think of. Thanks, BH. Will we be seeing you at this party?)

So, 22/12/2010, Vince Guaraldi Trio. What more can I tell you? Precious little in fact. I don't even believe I
DLed, but the other song is accessible here. (With baited breath I found the original page and tried to DL from there, but the wretched mediafire blurb about why, blah, blah, blah came up on trying.) Is it a good song? I suppose it depends on your mindset. Rock and roll, it ain't, in lyric or melody, but I have increasingly become a sucker for Mrs Costello and her ilk, exemplary female crooning, with a sympatico piano. Humbug, say you? Fie on you. Christmas ain't Christmas unless it got cheese, preferably a good stilton. Even at the end of March.

Buy it!

I'm supposed to be digging deeper into the artist or the song, and, to be fair, I'm struggling. Anyone can look up wiki and I have little to add to their versions of the truth. So I'm instead going to return to my earlier mention of the drunken daddy. This song was written by a Bill Danoff and a Taffy Nivert , no, me neither, and seems to have first appeared on a John Denver 1975 xmas album, Farewell, Andromeda, and was also the 3rd of 3 singles therefrom, reaching 69 in both the popular music and the country chart. Here's his version, which fails to cut any mustard for me, being an entirely straight (faced) rendition. Better by far, IMHO, is this one, performed by Colin Meloy and his estimable Decemberists. At face value it is every bit as straitlaced, yet somehow has me imagining tongues firmly in cheeks, albeit with reverence. This band, from Portland, have been slowly cranking up a fanbase over 14 or so years, pulling the wool between diverse folky-country powerpop and ballads, with Mr Meloys marmite voice holding it together, often ably abetted by female guest voices, including Laura Veirs, Petra Haden and Sara Watkins, amongst others, not forgetting Gillian Welch. The setting is often staunchly traditional, with string and bellows evident as much as electricity.
I'm uncertain if they have featured before, but, maybe in 8 years time, when someone retrospectivises this day.

Buy it (Denver)

Buy it (Decemberists)

Until then, SMM, many happy returns. And thanks for having me!

Anniversary:Go Deeper-Sunday Morning

The Velvet Underground: Sunday Morning
[purchase]

I’ve only been writing for Star Maker Machine for a little more than two years, but I was a reader for some time before that. I’ve long appreciated the breadth of the music discussed here and the knowledge and writing skill of many of the contributors, many who have unfortunately long stopped contributing to this blog. I’ve followed some of these writers to their personal blogs, and have enjoyed learning from them. I may not be the best person to write about the history of SMM, and I hope that some of the writers who have been involved here longer can fill in the gaps in my knowledge, but I’m going to kick things off, as we look back before we move forward.

From what I can tell, this blog was started by a guy named Paul under the name “Six Songs.” The first post was on February 6, 2008, and the concept was that Paul was going to post a song six days a week, hoping to engage readers to create a conversation in the comments. The first song he posted was Emmitt Rhodes’ “With My Face on the Floor.” But on March 23, 2008, Paul posted “We’re Taking a Break,” writing:

“Posting a new song everyday is surprisingly stressful, even with the Sunday rest. So we're off for some R&R. We may be back with a new format.”

Four days later, Paul teased the blogosphere with the announcement that he had come up with a new concept, and, on March 28, 2008, he announced the new name, “Star Maker Machine,” posting a picture of Joni Mitchell, and the song “Free Man in Paris,” from whence the blog name came. And then, on March 29, 2008, Paul announced the new concept—that he would open the blog up to writers who wanted to post about music, without necessarily starting their own blog. And, in essence, the SMM journey began.

On April 5, 2008, in a nod to the original “daily song” roots of the blog, Paul announced the first theme, “Days of the Week.” The first song that Paul posted was “Sunday Morning,” by Margo Guryan. I wanted to “go deeper” with that song, for historical reasons, but, frankly, it doesn’t speak to me, even though the album that it comes from, Take a Picture, was described by Allmusic as “one of the most exquisite and appealing, if little heard, one-shot "California" (although actually recorded on the East Coast) soft-pop gems of the kaleidoscopic late '60s.” So, instead, I decided to discuss the different Velvet Underground song, with the same title, which was also fleetingly mentioned on SMM back on April 3, 2010. (I also thought about writing about the SCTV soap opera parody, but decided against it.)

When you think of the Velvet Underground, you think of dark themes, drugs, and kinky sex. You think of Lou Reed’s twisted, literate brilliance, John Cale’s unusual arrangements and instrumentation and Andy Warhol’s peculiar Warholness. “Sunday Morning” is a little different. The last song recorded for the band’s debut, The Velvet Underground and Nico, it was the leadoff track, and an attempt to create a hit single. On an album that included songs like “Heroin,” “I’m Waiting for the Man,” “Black Angel Death Song” and “Venus in Furs,” “Sunday Morning” sounds almost benign and friendly, although there is still an unsettling question about what happened the Saturday night before. It was originally going to be sung by Nico, the German singer who was shoehorned into the band by Warhol, but instead Reed took the lead. The song also features a prominent celesta part, played by Cale on an instrument he happened to find in the studio, which makes the song sound strangely happy.

After the first post, Star Maker Machine slowly began to engage other writers and commenters. It appears that Paul stopped writing for the blog in October, 2008, after posting a Pete Townshend demo of “We Won’t Get Fooled Again,” in a piece entitled “Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss,” to focus on a personal music blog, “Setting the Woods on Fire,” but it appears that blog is also defunct.

As we move forward with Star Maker Machine, we hope to continue to engage, interest and amuse our readers, and maybe lead them to new musical discoveries.

Happy Birthday to Star Maker Machine

On this date in 2008, a blog formerly known as "Six Songs" was renamed "Star Maker Machine."  Here's the first SMM post.

As we start our seventh year, we will be celebrating our history while looking to improve and reinvigorate SMM for the future.  More details to follow soon.

Russia/Ukraine: Rocket to Russia

The Ramones: Sheena is a Punk Rocker
[purchase]

A bit of a cheat here, because the theme reference is to an album title, not a song, but honestly, when I first heard the theme, this is what came to mind. The third studio album by The Ramones, it was released in 1977, when the Cold War was still in full swing, so the picture on the back cover, of a “pinhead” riding a rocket from the U.S. to Russia, was pretty provocative. And the original artwork is currently in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The album showed a bit of growth for the band, with some slower and poppier songs, and includes a number of classics, including “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” and a couple of covers.

Actually, this is really an excuse to write about Trenton’s City Gardens, a somewhat legendary (mostly) punk club that closed in 1994, but is currently in the midst of a wave of nostalgic publicity. I’ve written about the club a couple of times, here and here, as has my fellow SMM’er, Central New Jerseyite Darius, here and here. But what is feeding the renewed interest is the recent publication of No Slam Dancing, No Stage Diving, No Spikes, an oral history of City Gardens, which you can buy here, and the soon-to-be released film, Riot on the Dance Floor. You can see a trailer for the movie here. Earlier this week, one of the authors of the book was on The Daily Show, being interviewed by former City Gardens bartender Jon Stewart, along with Gibby Haynes of Butthole Surfers, who appeared at the club, often with disastrous consequences.

No Slam Dancing is a fascinating read about a club that was, for the most part, the lone outpost of punk and new wave music between New York and Philadelphia. The anecdotes from club management, particularly the brains behind the operation, erstwhile mailman and DJ Randy “Now” Ellis, employees, regulars and musicians give an interesting insight into the 1980’s punk scene, in the era before you could hear anything and find out about anything on the Internet.

One of the key points that keeps getting made in the book, and in the interview with Jon Stewart, is that City Gardens, despite the fact that it was a dump, and dangerous, provided a haven for disaffected fans and musicians, a safe place (psychologically, if not always physically) for outcasts. And I’m glad that it served that function. I have to say, though, that my experience was a bit different. First, I was going to shows there in 1981 and 1982, before the more hardcore and skinhead bands began to play, so while I do remember it as being a shit hole, I never felt any danger in the club. Outside, maybe, but not inside. Second, I was a Princeton student and college radio DJ who was coming to hear music that I liked, not to find a tribe of fellow punks. I usually got in for free, sometimes got to interview the bands and even introduce them on stage, so I didn't qualify as a disaffected youth.  As a result, some of the nostalgia for City Gardens as a refuge is beyond me, but I certainly have very warm feelings for the place.

It was fun seeing references in the book to shows that I attended and to WPRB (although not as many as I would have expected). I’m particularly fond of Randy’s discussion of driving members of Romeo Void to do an interview at the station, drinking beer with them in the car before the interview, and having to pull over to allow singer Debra Iyall to “piss behind a tree.” It explains her truly obnoxious behavior during the interview that I tried to conduct, including her blurting out profanities and doodling penises on scrap paper. And makes me wonder why she didn’t just wait until she got to the interview to use the Holder Hall basement toilets, which, while not luxurious, were better than squatting behind a tree. But she was a piece of work.

To bring it back to the Ramones, one of my favorite City Gardens memories was getting the chance to interview Johnny Ramone backstage along with one of my fellow staffers, Chuck Steidel, before getting to introduce the band from the stage. Although not a life event as important as, say, my marriage or the birth of my kids, the chance to stand up in front of an audience and say, “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Ramones,” probably still makes my top ten.

RUSSIA/UKRAINE: Moskau

Rammstein: Moskau
[purchase]

Reveling in gritty imagery, fiery demonstrations of power, and constantly overt sexuality, Rammstein are no strangers to mixed messages. Vocalist Till Lindemann loves allusion. In the song "Dalai Lama," for instance, the old Danish folk tale "Erlkönigs Tochter"is commingled with the Dalai Lama's fear of flying. In the lyrics of "Moskau," the recontextualization happens between the city and the appearance of a prostitute.

Lindemann's gravelly, German vocals are contrasted by the sharp, crisp Russian chirps of Viktoria Fersh, who sings "Это песня о самом красивом городе в мире. Москва!"("This song is about the most beautiful city in the world. Moscow!") while Lindemann adds "Sie schläft mit mir doch nur für Geld / Ist doch die schönste Stadt der Welt" ("She sleeps with me but only for money / It's still the most beautiful city in the world"). (full translation from Herzeleid.com)

Russia's notorious political favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism suffered no diminishment during the recent Winter Olympics, an apt reminder of Lindemann's fitting commentary from the 2004 album Reise, Reise.

RUSSIA/UKRAINE: Yes, "Siberian Khatru"

Yes: "Siberian Khatru"
[Purchase]

During my junior high and high school years in the late '70s and early '80s, I became something of a Yes fan, probably primarily because a few of my close friends were into them. I'm pretty sure I liked "Roundabout" prior to that anyway, but this more extended exposure hearing my friends' albums gave me an appreciation of some of their less radio-friendly fare. I grew to know all of their album titles -- I'm pretty sure I could even list them in the correct order -- even if I didn't care for all of them to the same degree as my friends. To this day, hearing such album names as Tales from Topographic Oceans will always evoke an immediate visceral reaction flashing me back to that period of my youth. Not that I progressed much farther into the prog rock scene than Yes, a (very) little Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and, later, some Rush. Even prior to the punk explosion, I could tell that almost by definition, much of prog rock was pompous and bloated. I only cared about the bands among them who managed to blend something of an appreciation for pop hooks into their pretentiousness. I didn't need to hear bands trying to rewrite classical symphonies for rock instrumentation; if it didn't have some form of hook, I quickly lost interest.

Which is why a handful of Yes's albums appealed to me: The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge, the three albums I ended up growing to love, all have their share of great hooks. And my favorite songs were scattered across the albums, so they ended up drawing me into the more long-winded songs that might not have otherwise grabbed my attention. "Siberian Khatru" was most certainly one of those, a sprawling epic of a song, much like its namesake geographical region, dominating a massive portion of Russia. The song, despite its nearly 9-minute length, moves along at a brisk pace and keeps coming back to Steve Howe and Chris Squire's hooky riff and Jon Anderson’s melodious singering. (Just made that term up!) I certainly don’t know how I’d feel about it if I hadn’t had the appreciation for the full Close to the Edge album (from 1972), but for those not familiar with the album, this fact might be of interest: “Siberian Khatru” is the shortest song on the album! Side 1 contains a single, 18-minute track, and Side 2 kicks off with a 10-minute multi-part song, making the third and final album track, “Siberian Khatru,” seem like a radio-ready single by comparison.

RUSSIA/UKRAINE : THE CRIMEA - WHITE RUSSIAN GALAXY

Enlivened by the extension of this theme a further week, I decided to investigate a truism, at least on this side of the sea, that being that you can add "the" to literally anything, and come up with the name of a british indie band. (Add an incongruous adjective and you have an american garage band of the 60s). So into google I go and, lo and behold, not only is there a group called the Crimea, but they also produced a song called "White Russian Galaxy"! How cool is that? Here it is. It is even quite good, with a lively video, somehow a cross between, visually, Low and, bizarrely, the heads rocking part of Boho Rhapsody, which, seeing as I dislike Queen muchly, I will show only in parody. Sonically, of course, it is like neither, but has a certain minor charm. I would love them if I had bought this as a single in 1986. Unfortunately it came out in 2003. But ignore my faint damnations, it's OK. Really.

Buy it here

Reading about them, it seems they managed a good 10 years of, broadly, disinterest, outwith the support of maverick british DJ, John Peel, champion of the unwashed and unsustainable. They had a brief major label surge in 2005, following appearances at the SXSW. 3 well applauded singles, including the one showcased above, and a solitary album came out before Warner Bros dropped them, a year later. So much for nurturing promise and talent. However, undogged, the band put out a 2nd disc as a free download. And it is still available, here , at the same price. I know, 'cos I did it last week. It shows some progression from the more frantic earlier songs. And, to continue a russian theme, the original download version had Regina Spektor, spooky soviet goth chanteuse, on spoken interludes. (The current link is one re-recorded for better sound quality, it seems.)

A final release came out last year, the day before they announced they were calling it a day. Somehow I can see them as being rediscovered, 20 years hence, as there becomes an outpouring of all the other "the" bands of that day. Maybe if "Nuggets" celebrated the lost american 60s garagebands, this future retrospective could be called "The Nuggets."

RUSSIA/UKRAINE : RASPUTIN

Yes, that one! OK, OK, corny as heck, but dont'cha just love it? Luckily I am not referring to the wretched Boney M but to the rather excellent cover version by Minneapolis folk-punks Boiled in Lead, who for a short period in the 80s were a name to drop to shock in purist folk circles. Astonishingly, it seems they still survive, having just played their 31st consecutive St Patricks Day concert, still with the same central core of original members, ablaze with fiddle, dulcimer and mandolin. And drums. Loud drums, bass and electric guitars. It's true, I haven't heard any new material  since about 1990, but intermittent offerings have appeared as recently(!) as 2008. Whilst they often have been bundled into a celtic rock bag of convenience, this is in fact somewhat unfair, as their influences were a whole lot more diverse, incorporating eastern european, asian and even african themes on occasion. Indeed, I suspect it may have been their very eclecticism that failed to ignite them into a greater league. Be that as it may, Antler Dance, the record from which this comes, was their sharpest blade, scything away any sense of smug unitarianism.

I suppose I better let you hear the track. Annoyingly, in these post "DL" days, where the you tube is the universal portal of accessibility, this song is not currently available thereby. I'm sure it used to be, as I distinctly recall posting it in the blogboard I (shamelessly plug and) scribble into far often than I ought, a year or so ago. anyhow, gone now. But, it is available here via a server of what wiki calls controversial legality. Given the song seems lifted from a free coverdisc attached to FRoots magazine, my conscience feels relatively clear. Hell, I bought that very copy of this commended magazine, and also a copy of the aforementioned LP it came from.

Buy the LP (or you can download from i-tunes)

Now, what does it say about the current Russia/Ukraine Crimean punishment? Well, precisely nothing. I don't even know what Ukraine may have been, countrywise, prior to the russian revolution. I was, however, intrigued that the announcement made following the Crimea poll was announced by a statue of Lenin. I was surprised any were left in the ex-soviet sphere. I suppose we should be glad it wasn't Stalin.
Bit more BiL? This is my favourite song of theirs, and is probably balkan. It's called Cunovo Oro.

Russia/Ukraine: Koroleva Ne Pomerla (The Queen is Dead)

The Ukrainians: Koroleva Ne Pomerla (The Queen is Dead)
[purchase]

Punk and traditional folk music are far from strangers. Bands like the Pogues or Flogging Molly have married their brand of rock to Celtic music. And Uncle Tupelo and their disciples fused punk sensibilities with American folk. You can find other examples in probably every culture, from Mexican, to Indian to Japanese and African.

And why should Slavic music be any different? I’ve never been in a band, but I have read my share of stories about bands, and it often seems that something that happened at a sound check leads a band into a direction that it never expected. Whether it is a different version of a song, or a killer cover that later becomes part of the set list, or an unexpected cameo by a roadie, it seems that the looseness of the sound check opens up possibilities.

The Wedding Present were formed in Leeds, England in the mid-1980s, and were grouped with other, similar jangly guitar bands of the day as part of the “C86” scene. They achieved some popularity in England and a little fame in the US, mostly on college radio. One day, spurred by guitarist Pete Solowka, whose father was Ukrainian, they started playing the traditional Ukrainian song “Hopak,” during rehearsals and sound checks. After a well-received performance of the song on the influential BBC DJ John Peel’s show, the Wedding Present added a singer and violinist (“The Legendary” Len Liggins) who actually spoke Ukrainian, and a Ukrainian mandolin player (Roman Remeynes), to create a series of Ukrainian Peel Sessions. I’d note that is definitely the most times I have ever written the word “Ukrainian” in a single paragraph.

Flush with enthusiasm for his roots rock, Solowka decided to leave the Wedding Present and formed The Ukrainians with Liggins and Remeynes, and in 1991, they released their self-titled debut. The next year, they released an EP of Smiths covers, one of which, “Koroleva Ne Pomerla (The Queen is Dead)” also appeared on their second album, Vorony (“Ravens”, I think).

On a side note, my grandmother Frieda was born in a shtetl called Solutvina in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She and her family fled when she was a young girl to escape the violent anti-Semitic pogroms of the early part of the 20th Century, so she was long gone before the town was essentially wiped off the map during World War II. That part of the world bounced between Ukraine and Poland, and is currently in Ukraine, near the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, a couple of hours' drive, when traffic and civil unrest allow, from Lviv. So, I have roots in that country, even if I am not ethnically Ukrainian.

Remarkably, The Ukrainians turned out to be more than a joke, releasing five studio albums and a number of live albums and EPs over the years. They continue to gig, and their website currently has a message, and a couple of songs, in support of the Ukrainian people and their struggle. So, check them out, and Рок на! (which according to Google Translate, means “Rock on!”).

Russia/Ukraine: Samovar Russian Folk Music Ensemble

Samovar Russian Folk Music Ensemble: Hopak Ukrainian Dance

Samovar: Samovar
Samovar: Samovar
Samovar: Samovar
[purchase]

I like listening to ethnic dance music because it inspires me. I hear melodies built on scales not common in western music. I perk up when tempos change. I imagine dancers moving to unique rhythms. Often called the "National Dance of Ukraine," the Hopak isn’t constrained by tempo or melody. That’s probably because it’s supposed to evoke improvisation that allows dancers to express themselves. They also usually end fast and furious, some even with lively Ukrainian marches.

When I first heard the Samovar Russian Folk Music Ensemble, it brought back memories of my many visits to the Northwest Regional Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center. That’s where I first heard the emotional, danceable tunes from the Ukrainian tradition. Based in Washington, D.C., the Samovar Russian Folk Music Ensemble formed in 1996. They play at venues like the Smithsonian, Hillwood Museum and Gardens, Russian Embassy and Ambassador's residence. Whether serving up polkas, waltzes, hopaks or songs, the group has established a cohesive sound emphasizing vocals, balalaika and accordion.

The two women vocalists (Anya Titova, Olga Rines) are folklorists with a strong calling to preserve messages of their traditional musical heritage. On their 2007 album, Some More of Our Best, songs are driven by feelings of the heart, with many allusions to the trees, river, garden, moon, fields, flowers, sea and wind. In some cases, these natural elements calm one's heart. In other cases, they serve as parties in conversations and lyrical discourses that may question or provide advice. The CD jacket includes both Russian (and English translations) for all of the songs.

Instrumentally, Samovar features Michael Nazaretz (accordion), Yelena Rector (prima domra), Rick Netherton (contrabass balalaika), and Ilhan Izmirli (alto balalaika, guitar). Netherton's showcase piece is "Korobushka" (Little Peddler Box) with his walking bass line and a featured break. The spotlight shines on Nazaretz when he becomes the sole accompaniment to Anya Titova's singing of "Odinokaya Garmon" (Lonely Accordion) that poignantly asks "Why are you roaming the whole night alone? Why are you keeping the girls awake?" The CD's closing tracks refer to gypsy songs. Samovar probably enjoys going to the forest where they can sing, dance, drink wine and eat borscht and caviar by a river.

The Hopak has parts where solo dancers, usually male, perform amazing acrobatic feats such as jumps, kicks, squats and spins. Other parts have everyone moving in unison. As in many Ukrainian dances, the dancers, especially the women, don’t stop moving until the dance ends. Because of the energy required to perform a successful Hopak, the dance is usually performed at the end of a program. Accordionist Nazaretz tells me that their arrangement intersperses the basic folk tune with three interludes, all written a decade ago by their mandolin player at the time, Alex Gakner. (Alex celebrated his 90th birthday in March, 2012. Happy Birthday Alex!)

Russia/Ukraine: Iveroni

Iveroni: Iveroni

[purchase]

The Republic of Georgia was in the headlines in 2008, and it wasn't in regards to their music. I first heard Iveroni’s music at the very same time that Russia was aggressively invading the small, independent, pro-Western democracy to subordinate it and remove its freely elected President. After it arrived in my mailbox from their U.S. distributor, Beauty Saloon Music based in Belmont, MA., I immediately put on their album and said a prayer for the refugees who were being forced to flee from their homes in the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions. 

Regardless of the tense situation in their homeland, Iveroni is a group of five young talented musicians (Roman Lashkhia, Gieorgi Chikovani, Davit Batiashvili, Davit Gogitishivili, Beka Tcertcvadze). Their instruments are the panduri, bass panduri, salamuri, and changuri. Their traditional songs emphasize vocals, and they relate stories of love, heroism, and brotherhood. Producer Nathaniel Berndt traveled to the old city of Tblisi to record Iveroni on location. Additional liner notes would've been nice to explain more about this group, their music and songs. 

That war with Russia left Georgia's countryside scorched by bombs and tank fire, and I wonder if Iveroni has songs that portray hope and optimism in such dire circumstances. Music often soothes the soul, provides assurance, and it can also inspire people to action. Peace and freedom were eventually restored to the Caucasus Mountains and Russian forces withdrew. We can only hope that the present conflict in the Ukraine is quickly brought to similar resolution.