Stuck in a "Zappa Trap"

If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t been posting, it’s mainly because I got sucked into a vacuous black hole called “society” and I decided to play its bullshit rules. Now, things have changed for the better. I’m back behind the keyboard and typing at will. At first I’d look at this blog and feel hard pressed to write something since the universe had decided to crush me. Then I realized the large thumb that had me pinned was my own. Without further ado I return.

Years ago before going off to some St. Louis church trip I bought two albums to entertain myself with, Jeff Beck’s “Beckology” and Frank Zappa’s “The Weasels Ripped My Flesh”. A friend, Devin Kipple, had recommended Beck to me after describing him as part of a triumvirate in which the other two I was already aware of. Verbatim from Devin upon the following guitarists, “Eric Clapton is the best, Jimmy Page is the smoothest, and Jeff Beck is the fastest”. In 9^th grade I took these words wholesale and once I saw a 3-disc set of Beck I snapped it up.

As for the Zappa entry, there rests a longer story. “The Weasels Ripped My Flesh” kept crossing my path. I would see it in the “Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll”, at music stores, and in my guitar teacher’s vinyl collection. Usually I would think how silly the cover was, point it out to a friend, have a laugh, and then purchase something “safe” along the lines of Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix. Asking my guitar teacher he told me, “It’s really challenging music”. I felt like that sentence lit the fuse that threw the gauntlet down. Months later while walking around the music section of Barnes & Noble in Lancaster with a copy of “Beckology” in my hand, the bright yellow cover of “The Weasel’s Ripped My Flesh” caught my eye. Without hesitation I bought the album. My sister, who loved Hanson at the time, poked fun at me for my “silly CD” purchase on the drive home. I wouldn’t listen to the album till lifting off from Baltimore to St. Louis on my flight to some Lutheran Christian Festival that was being held in the Edward Jones Dome.

At first listen, I was shocked to the point that I promptly put the album away in favor of a Led Zeppelin compilation. The screaming dissonant sound of the drums and free form trumpet on “Didja Get Any Onya?” wasn’t anything that I was familiar with. I felt like I wasted money on an album that was sure to waste space in my collection. That was until I realized how painfully boring the time spent in St. Louis was going to be. There were fun times and neither of them had to do with the Lutheran Christian fest or staying in the hotel. The fun was when my friends and I would get to walk around St. Louis and look around. To kill time at the hotel I would sit down and listen to music while the other guys tried to scam pay-per-view porn from the front counter. I was never a fan of porn where the female was getting fucked by another guy. The females were fine, just seeing other naked men wasn’t apart of my interest. So I would lean back in my chair, close my eyes, and listen to my CD-player. Halfway through the week I would nearly exhaust the little black 12 capacity CD case that I had. Every CD except Mr. Zappa’s “The Weasel’s Ripped My Flesh”. I was about pass over it again and ask my friends for their collections when I remembered my guitar teacher’s words, “It’s really challenging…” and popped the album into my cheap Sanyo disc player braced for noise.

This time I was ready and the challenging sounds poured into my brain. Sitting there, I was already insanely tired from walking around, so I had my eyes closed and felt like I was sent to Wackyland home of the Looney Tunes’ Dodo. The second time around the album had unfolded in a way that I must have been too afraid to experience earlier. Song structures would pop up and fade into what sounded like a warped and sped up conversation. Then the reward, “My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama” where I had realized that Zappa had a razorblade-like skill in guitar-shredding and a comical lyrical style had paid off.

I would come back to this album over and over since that week in a shitty St. Louis hotel. I would also move into the other albums of Zappa, but I’ll always credit the persistent weirdness of “The Weasel’s Ripped My Flesh”.

And with that I’m back. I’ll be putting up review based material and not 1,000 word essays, I just had to break the ice.

Laziness is a dish permanently served cold...

Quick note: I'm pretty damn busy. This project can only take flight after graduation...or something like that.

Here's a couple things that are worth listening to:

- Dr. Dog - A Philly band that somehow encapsulates those pop sounds that oozed out of the radio in the late 1960s to late 1970s. I've only been listening to "Easy Beat" (2005), but I've been sampling the other albums they have up on iTunes...pretty good stuff.

- Ennio Morricone - This pick might be a little too deep or a little too novel to be enjoyed, however, I seriously recommend this man to anybody. I'm running out of time, have to get to Ganser Library. Ugh.

For Stiffler...

It's interesting what kinds of connection you can make through music. Sometimes there's certain people that might come to mind over specific music. For example, I had a friend who would do Jadakiss' trademark laugh when he was "all fired up", I'll also remember him playing the "Rocky IV" soundtrack when we played "Fight Night", "Mexico" by James Taylor will always remind me of cleaning the fraternity house basement and my pledge brother Matia, I have another friend in which we share "Tumbling Dice" as a song that we both like a great deal, etc, etc.
Recently, I had a friend pass away. He was a great guy and his actions were always earnest. His name is Nate Stiffler, and we called him (and he intro'ed himself as) Stiffler for short. He is my pledge brother and fraternal brother at the PA Nu chapter of Phi Kappa Phi at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the Spring of 2004.
Once when we became brothers there was a formal held to celebrate the end of that semester and the new members. So as many brothers (and their dates) that could attend went to Rayestown Lake for that formal. Among a million memories; jumping off the cliffs into the cold lake, breaking tree limbs/making firewood with Norris, drinking, and having fun, I'll never forget Stiffler. That whole time he sung, he must have been so thrilled that pledging was finally over that he just sang. He sang James Taylor, he sang some country songs, and most notably he sang "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver. I'll never forget, in a drunken haze asking him, "Was pledging worth it?" and he answered with, "Country roads, take me home..." as he drifted into song I turned away when I really should have listened. Somehow he kept that up and had at least 15+ people singing around that campfire by night's end. He is one of a kind.
It's only been a few hours since I learned of his passing, and it's still shocking. I wish I had gotten that chance to see him one more time and now this memory is the strongest thing I have. I'll hold on to it for as long as I can. Same thing goes for any other memory that surfaces about him.

An even quicker shot...

Recently I've obtained three great albums. I've been trying to slow down and listen to what I already have, but I've been bitten by the "A.D.D. music bug" and I'm already charting unfamiliar musical territory. It's not radically unfamiliar, rather music I haven't heard (till now).

- The Kinks, "Lola Vs. The Powerman & the Money-go-round, Pt.1", (1970), [Rock & Roll/Album Rock] This album (and the band performing) continue to impress me after each listen. In my mind I guess I've written this band off after only being familiar with their hits and quietly moving on. This is the next Kinks album I've decided on this year and just like the last one I listened to ("The Village Green Preservation Society"[1968]) it left a great first impression. It's like the Davies Bros decided on turning up the hard rock while still weaving thick strands of pop melody to soften the edgier sound. Some songs are brillantly saterical ("The Moneygoround", "Top of the Pops"), others are hard rock numbers ("The Contenders"), and some feel oddly influenced by The Band ("Strangers").

- Neil Young, "Tonight's the Night", (1975), [Folk Rock] I was wondering if there was more material as good as "On the Beach" and it turns out there is (Mr. Young probably has stockpiles of it in his private archive). This album finds Neil as personal as ever, and it's a working formula.

- Thelonious Monk, "Brillant Corners", (1956), [Jazz] I usually study (or do paperwork) in a silent environment, but this music makes somehow plays around me. Like coffee for my ears it sets a pace I can work to.

I "discovered" and listened to these yesterday. All great finds.

A quick shot...

Here's a few quick shots at what I'm listening (looking at, digging through, admiring, astonished by) to:

- Live concert bootlegs. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, and any of the other notoriously loud live shows. I've been picking these suckers up at vinyl stores (if you're not familiar with vinyl as a medium for music, leave this page). There's loads of 'em (found on CD, vinyl, tape cassette). The one I'm currently listening to is Led Zeppelin's "The Destroyer" live in Cleveland 1977.

- Pink Floyd's "Animals". This album is a traffic killer. I usually follow it up with "The Wall" if the traffic might last a lot longer. If it's a real blockbuster I cap it off with "Brain Damage" a soundboard recording of fairly decent quality featuring a prime Floyd playing "Dark Side of the Moon" live.

- Reading "Wax Poetics". Excellent music rag with a spotlight on the lesser (but not quite) heard corners of the music universe.

- Finished "Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd" by Mark Blake. Interesting account that gives a fair picture of the band. Syd's increasing madness, Roger's increasing ego, David's increasing insecurities, Rick's aloof attitude, and Nick's sou-chef position. All there.

- Three (or five) great albums I've recently heard:

Spirit, "Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus", (1970) - It's amazing what music gets forgotten through time. The lead guitarist, Randy California, was a friend of Jimi Hendrix (and was supposed to be his rhythm guitarist in Hendrix's band!) was quite a prodigy.

Pete Townshend, "Who Came First", (1972) - Pete channels his non-Who (Baba) material and leaves a spiritual mark in my eardrums. The country tinged guitar solo in 'Forever's No Time at All' is so slick, it makes me envious of Townshend's guitar skill.

Led Zeppelin, "How the West Was Won", Recorded: (1972), Released: (2003) - Live and loud. Very loud. Page's self-coined "urgent machine" blasts through L.A. in 1972. Each band member gets their chance to show off. Plant's was the most contrived, Page's was sloppy but impressive, Jones plays the bedrock, and Bonham booms away on the drums (even doing a 15min+ drum solo! Yes, he plays with his hands, very tribal...).

The Replacements, "Let It Be", (1984) - Yup, I did it. I made it back to the 1980s and I kicked it off with this little gem. I've only been listening to it for a week, but it feels like "without a care" style drinking music. Oh, and I hear the "80's sound" loud and clear.

Mos Def, "The Ecstatic", (2009) - Scary new territory (for this musical journeyman) after I pillaged 1966 to 1986. This is inspiring music. Backed by loads of talented producers (some are of the Stones Throw variety) while Def channels an optimistic (but skeptical) attitude.



Parting shot(s):

Lots and lots of music.

I'm about to test my meddle against a self proclaimed music guru (I plan to take her down a peg). I don't think I'm a guru either, but if I can catch her with "Man in the Mirror" I think she's sloppy (or acting sloppy). We'll see.

I've been listening to avant-garde orchestral arrangements, "Einstein on the Beach". Alarmingly comforting music.

I'm trying to formulate a 24 hour BBQ mixtape. So far I've gotta get beyond laying down a day's worth of music and "shuffling" it.

Also, it's time I take a break from digging through the past and working on current music. I just got Mos Def, Mars Volta, and various other current artists. Or maybe I should head back into the 1950's? Hmmm. Workin' on it.

Hope to be back soon. With loads of musical ammo.

Still busy, but still discovering...

Ugh...for every single goal I reach there's another challenge beyond that. Hopefully that explains my busyness. Other then that, I've still been on the prowl and here's what I've been listening to recently.

Big Star "#1 Record" (1972)
Once again, I had this album just sitting around in my library. It's been there since I received an external hard drive (500gb, good enough for now) as a Christmas gift and started to go deeper in my "music hunts". What sparked it all happened a couple weeks ago. While I was watching the movie, "Adventureland" (2009), I noticed Big Star's second album, "Radio City" (1974) was neatly placed in the background of the main female character's house (played by Kristen Stewart). Driving home from my girlfriend's house the following day I decided to throw on their debut album, and I was impressed. Each song sounds excellent, and you could hear the passion both Chilton and Bell (the songwriting brain trust for the band) had laid down in the studio. This led the duo to craft an incredibly tight 1970s pop rock album.
Strong Tracks: "In the Street" (a much better version than Ian Stewart's HANDS DOWN), "Don't Lie to Me" (a great hard rocker of a track), "My Life is Right" (another rocker, but on the mellow side), and a well written pair of "redemption songs" with "Give Me Another Chance" and "Try Again". Granted, all the songs on this album are great (barring the rather forgettable "The India Song", which was too much fluffy 1960s psychadelaic pop for this guy), and it makes me wonder what keeps me from getting around to great music like this.
Great for: Joyrides on the back roads of Amish country on days with awesome weather.

Eddie Hazel "Game, Dames, and Guitar Thangs" (1977)
Long ago I heard the jaw dropping, sprawling, 10 minute guitar solo called "Maggot Brain" laid down by the great Parliment/Funkadelic guitarist, Eddie Hazel. After that, he always held a spot in my mind for being one of my favorite guitarists. Surfing the iTunes store last week, I ran into this short gem. Only clocking in a little over 30 minutes, Eddie Hazel pulls out all the stops and puts his guitar skills on display. It's like a dissertation written by a professor of the funk element. Strong, heavy funk laden tracks, slowburning guitar solos (nearly every song), with trace elements of; pop rock {"I Want You (She's So Heavy)"}, reggae {"So Goes the Story"}, California based folk rock {"California Dreamin' "}, and jazz fusion {"What About It?"}. Not a single poor performer on this disk. It's just a shame that this was Eddie's only serious effort laid down on wax close to his prime. Granted, he's always on display on the more mainstream George Clinton fronted efforts, but it would have been interesting to hear him play his side of himself out. Maybe this album is all he felt like crafting, or it could be all he was able to come up with.
Strong Tracks: All six of them. A really tight six pack of incredibly performed songs.
Great for: Unwinding after a long, long work day.

Cactus "Cactus" (1970)
There's not much to explain about this one. Straight forward boogie rock with the emphasis on loud. Each member adds their own version of loud'n'fast to the band and you get this hard rocking juggernaut. From Rusty Day's passionate howling vocals, to Jim McCarty's rowdy guitar solo's, to Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogart (bass) pounding away with their trademark booming rhythm combo this is the total 1970's rock package. Released in 1970, these guys knew how to kick off the decade. Oh, and they were no slouchs either when it came to solo performance giving each member of the band at least a song to showcase their own chops.
Strong tracks: All of them, but here's the true highlights I picked up;"Parchmen Farm" comes out with all guns a blazin' throwing down the band's chops right away. Probably my favorite cover version of the song. "You Can't Judge a Book by Lookin' at it's Cover", yet another rocker in the boogie rock vein that really keeps the tempo moving. "Oleo", another pounding song showcasing Tim Bogart's bass skills with a minute and a half bass guitar solo. "Feel So Good", more boogie but this time Carmine Appice takes the solo spot with a thunderously sloppy drum solo.
Great for: Hanging out, grilling steaks, and drinking a few beers with your friends.



Parting shot:
I've found a whole lot more, but I've only got so much time in the day.

Not slacking, just busy. Some recent discoveries...

Recently I've been quietly building my music library. I'm not getting lazy towards this blog, rather I'm busy trying to get myself towards that next step in my life. I'm at the final stretch for my first college degree, so I need to invest my time in a more constructive manner (for now). However, I still want to reel off a handful of recent discoveries and then I'll be out. I'm planning on laying down at least one more post this month.

The Kinks "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society" (1968)
If Tom Moon, the author of "1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die", had enough interest to include this in his book I thought it would be worth a listen. So I took a chance on this album and it turned out to be great. It's possibly one of the perfect examples of British Pop. Some of the songs appear a little corny, but they still hold their value; i.e. "Phenomenal Cat" and "Sitting by the Riverside". It's the first six songs where the album shines the most with the satirical "The Village Green Preservation Society", followed by my personal favorite "Do You Remember Walter", the always catchy "Picture Book" (once used for those HP Photo Printer commercials in the mid 2000's), the proto punk-ish story of "Johnny Thunder", and the hard working "The Last of the Steam-Powered Trains".

Neil Young "On the Beach" (1974)
I found this one checking out a torrent labeled something like "Pitchfork Media's best albums of the 1970s". I looked through the list for anything interesting, taking notes, and this seemed to stick out the most. I thought I had a great cross section of Mr. Young's catalog and it turns out I was wrong. This album comes at you solid from start to finish with Neil's truthful and searingly sarcastic brand of folk rock. Great tracks in the album include, "Walk On" (an excellent song about the measure of a person in the toughest moments), the sad wilting sound of "See the Sky About to Rain", the 'blues trilogy' (Revolution Blues, Vampire Blues, and Ambulance Blues) each an excellent song. Truth be told, they're all good.

Peter Gabriel "Peter Gabriel [1]" (1977)
Somehow...somehow this album just hovered around me. I was aware of it and the other two self titled Gabriel albums. Almost everybody is aware of the hit, "Solsbury Hill" (about the departure as his role of lead singer in the progressive rock band Genesis). I've had the album sitting in my library for almost half a year, and yet I never took a chance on it. Well, a few days ago I decided to listen to the track "Down the Dolce Vita" on a whim and it turned out to be one of the most riveting songs I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, so I backed up and gave it a full treatment. It sounds like the evolution of the sound displayed in the Genesis album, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (1974). This time instead of creating an album with the democratic style that Genesis attempted during most recording sessions, Peter Gabriel had full creative control to display his flamboyant style.