A Record a Week: Paul McCartney & Wings - Band on the Run

SIDE 1.
BAND ON THE RUN
JET
BLUEBIRD
MRS VANDERBILT
LET ME ROLL IT

SIDE 2.
MAMUNIA
NO WORDS
HELEN WHEELS
PICASSO'S LAST WORDS (Drink To Me)
NINETEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE




I am almost entirely unfamiliar with McCartney's post-Beatles work, except for the title track on this album. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The album kicks off with that wonderfully memorable synth-filled intro to Band on the Run, before it kicks into the main part of the song. Then it follows up with Jet, which is more rocky than I had expected the album to keep pace at. It's not until some songs later on the A-Side that you begin to notice the slower parts of McCartney's writing that Lennon apparently loathed so much. However, it doesn't stay like that. The second side picks back up and has a fabulous ending in the final two songs, including some wonderful reprised lines from earlier songs thrown in.

I took so long getting to this record because it represented a piece of post-Beatles music that I wasn't familiar with and I was afraid a lackluster showing might sour me somehow. I purposely steered far clear of anything between Abbey Road and McCartney's recent fronting of the surprisingly hard-rocking Nirvana/Beatles mash. Though it had some of the cheesy McCartney bits, there was definitely some good rock in there. Pleasant surprise!

A Record a Week: Johnny Mathis - Give Me Your Love For Christmas

SIDE 1.
JINGLE BELL ROCK
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
MY FAVORITE THINGS
GIVE ME YOUR LOVE FOR CHRISTMAS
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S EVE?

SIDE 2.
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?
CALYPSO NOEL
THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
CHRISTMAS DAY
THE LORD'S PRAYER

Well, Christmas in March, who knew? More accurately, I didn't think I could possibly have owned any Christmas albums that weren't Bing Crosby (except for possibly Jim Reeves, but R is a long way away and I wasn't concerned about that yet). Lo and Behold, here's Johnny Mathis, who Bette Midler (via Wikipedia) has dubbed 'the king of Christmas'. My lack of knowledge of Christmas music besides Bing, and the general association with Tin Pan Alley, is clear to me after reading about this man. This was his third out of now six Christmas-themed albums. Who knew?

The style itself is a bit more up-tempo than most Christmas stuff I've heard, while not being super schmooze-y.  In fact, Mathis presents a mostly palatable version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, a song my wife has accurately described as a 'funeral dirge'. When next Christmas comes around, I am going to keep an ear out for him and if I don't hear him, I'm going to call and request him from stations that insist on Michael Bublé or any soft pop garbage.

A Record a Week: Dean Martin - Greatest Hits Vol. 1

SIDE 1.
EVERYBODY LOVES SOMEBODY
YOU'RE NOBODY 'TIL SOMEBODY LOVES YOU
IN THE CHAPEL IN THE MOONLIGHT
HOUSTON
(REMEMBER ME) I'M THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU
I CAN'T HELP REMEMBERING YOU

SIDE 2.
NOBODY'S BABY AGAIN
EVERY MINUTE, EVERY HOUR
BUMMING AROUND
YOU'LL ALWAYS BE THE ONE I LOVE
COME RUNNING BACK
THE BIRDS AND THE BEES


When you think of crooners, Dean Martin's name is one of the first that come to mind. He was in the heart of the crooning era and a part of the famous 'Rat Pack'. I am not sure if crooning was as cheesy in its day as I find it now, or if it fit more in with the times. I find artists like Bublé endlessly talented, but extremely over the top and I'm not sure if it's a result of artists from that time being remembered as idols and the ones at the origin of many of these crooning/big band standards that they aren't viewed in the same light. Then again, Bublé tours massive venues, so I guess I'm not the majority in that sense.

As mentioned, this album holds up as an album full of Martin's crooning standards and as such, has that smooth sound that makes that music what it is. It does, however, get a little old and stuffy by the end of the record. I imagine that is a result of me not knowing the later songs, but talent alone doesn't do it for me over the length of an album.

This album also came out in a time when you could seemingly make ENDLESS amounts of 'best of' records by the same artists. I find it hard to believe anyone made any money off of any of these compilations, when they all contained a selection of similar songs. Once copyright came into play that dried up pretty quick.

A Record a Week: The Mar-Keys - The Great Memphis Sound

SIDE 1.
HONEY POT
PLANTATION INN
LOVING YOU TOO LONG
CLEO'S BLACK
GRAB THIS THING

SIDE 2.
PHILLY DOG
WALKING WITH THE DUKE
THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA
IN THE MOOD
"DEAR JAMES" MEDLEY (Night Train, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, I Got You, Good Loving, I'll Go Crazy)

The Mar-Keys were a studio session backing band in the 60's (and have recently reformed), who also had some single hits of their own. As such, most of the music is instrumental and many are familiar/cover songs. It's an excellent background album to have on, as I find most big band is.

The album swims seamlessly between swing, soul and some funk/r&b as it showcases songs from the Stax catalog (the label for which they were a backing band). The result is the best possible version of Muzak, which I wish they would pump everywhere instead of the inane version that they usually do.

This record felt like a throwback to my household when I grew up. TV was a thing we liked to watch then, but it was more of an event than a thing that always happened. The main room was reserved for reading, conversation and 100% of the time - music. As a result, the music was often softer music or instrumental. This record would fit perfect into that situation; unless you were reading a book, in which case getting up every 10 minutes would probably be irritating.

A Record a Week: Herbie Mann - The Evolution of Mann

SIDE 1.
NEW ORLEANS
MOTHERLESS CHILD
GEORGIA ON MY MIND
NOT NOW - LATER ON

SIDE 2.
GYMNOPEDIE
YESTERDAY'S KISSES
NIRVANA
FEELING GOOD

SIDE 3.
PATATO
WHY DON'T YOU DO RIGHT
SCRATCH
DROWN IN MY OWN TEARS

SIDE 4.
CONSOLATION
TURKISH COFFEE
INCENSE
PLEASE SEND ME SOMEONE TO LOVE

This isn't the first Jazz Flute album I've reviewed, which I wouldn't have wagered when I began this project. Nor would I have guessed how boppin' it can be. Some of the songs fit into the 'smooth jazz' category, but some have a real funky beat happening underneath and it is delightful.

He's a very talented flautist and was able to keep active for 50 years, despite a pocket of time where Jazz was not as popular as disco and rock music. He saw this and worked with some artists in that genre to be able to keep it up until the interest in Jazz began to regain some steam. Another record by a name I recognized, but knew nothing about and another surprise. If I ever held an upbeat party with a retro theme, this would definitely be a record to throw on.

A Record a Week: Makara - Discography

*I aimed to get back into the recipes this week, but was missing some key ingredients for what I wanted to make. They will return next weekend, along with another record review.












SIDE 1.
BROKEN ARROW TO EVERYTHING
BANE
ASCENSION
UNCHOSEN STRINGS
TO THE UNDENIED HOPES

SIDE 2.
MISSING GREEN
ANEMIC
SHINING VENUS
AMICAL SEPTEMBER
PAPER CUTS
FOREVER HANDS
MY FRIEND, MY UM
FOUR HEARTS IN A CAN HOME

The turn of the millennium seemingly was the perfect time for screamo music, specifically out of California. There was seemingly 1000 bands that consisted of a total of 20 people or so. Whenever you see posters from that era, they all have long brackets underneath ie. (ex-the locust, ex-orchid, ex-etc.)

The music was fun, emotionally-driven, screamy and often dancey. The lyrics were often political in nature, but if you weren't into that, no matter, because you couldn't hear what they were saying most of the time anyhow. This album meet ALL of the criteria. Members went on to/came from/were simultaneously in other screamo bands of note, they were political (heavily gender-politics) and they were emotionally-driven screaming music.

I don't remember ever being particularly attached to this album, though I did recognize some of the songs. I think another distro carried it and the guy who ran it (and played in several bands that several bands I played in played with [see above criteria haha]) recommended it strongly to me. He got way deeper into that scene while I pulled back from it and went in the Arab on Radar/Chinese Stars/Lightning Bolt direction. If you're a fan of Orchid, 1905, Yaphet Kotto, anything like that, definitely check out this record that may have flown under your radar.
 

A Record a Week: Majority Rule - Emergency Numbers

SIDE 1.
A PRESCRIPTION
IT'S TOO LATE
AMERICAN FEATURE

SIDE 2.
ARE FOREVER (Instrumental)
49 WORDS
BOEING









Another Majority Rule record, another great entry into this series. This second (and final) record from this three-piece is an emotionally-charged piece. As the first record was the beginning of a sound, this one has a bit crisper production and a very heavy low end. The record is filled with vast, spacious sounds mixed in with punk-influenced hardcore. If you have had the benefit of listening to their earlier 7-inch records, this record shows just how far they had drifted from their ska/punk/hardcore days. In retrospect, it was clear that the individual members other musical pursuits were influencing this (Trial by Fire, Ghastly City Sleep, City of Caterpillar, Haram). However, on this record, those sounds blend perfectly together in a dark, heavy and spacious record. The song It's Too Late is the best of the bunch, showcasing all of the different sounds. It starts slow and heavy and then is bridged by reverberant guitar and an awesome drum part that builds up and the song kicks back in, but with more drive. It was awesome to revisit this one and brought back memories from a decade ago.

A Record a Week: Majority Rule - Interviews With David Frost

SIDE 1.

THE SIN IN GREY

AT 3 AM

BURIAL SUIT

SIDE 2.

XOXO 

PROGRESS OF ELIMINATION (Written by Andy Overton)

ENDINGS

KILL THE CHEAT

This record was part of the beginning of the hardcore/screamo era for me and it also indirectly made me a great friend. I got into a bunch of bands from the VA/Baltimore/D.C. area all at the same time. Pg. 99, Darkest Hour, The Exploder and these guys. I noticed that they were touring up near the border and sent them an email to see if they wanted to play the bar I was booking at the time. As luck would have it, they were into the idea and came on through. Attending that show was a guy who was a friend of the band from Baltimore just happened to be visiting his friend up in London, ON and they came out to the show. We became online friends and I could never expect how hospitable he has been when I have gone to visit him in Baltimore. He even has appeared on here in this story. 

But I digress. This albums starts and ends hard and fast (it has one of my favourite endings of any style album). There is only a brief blast of feedback before the aural assault begins. It was the beginning of an era of a certain sound on recordings out of that area and with good reason. Recorded at Salad Days studio, the mix of everything was perfect for the sound and easily replicated in a live setting.The record blends punk, emo and hardcore together in an abrasive way that is less 'punk hardcore' and less Poison the Well-style hardcore/emo and more like the wonderful blend that a band like Converge creates. I can't really explain what it is that works for me about this band. While I never much got into the 'tough guy' type of hardcore and had long left behind the 'emotional' kind as well. Whatever it is that fueled the scene that these guys were in, I was into it. This record was a great nostalgic listen and a throwback to a whirlwind few years for me.

A Record a Week: Madonna - Like a Virgin

SIDE 1.
MATERIAL GIRL
ANGEL
LIKE A VIRGIN
OVER AND OVER
LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE

SIDE 2.
DRESS YOU UP
SHOO-BEE-DOO
PRETENDER
STAY






Like a Virgin is the second studio album from Madonna and the one that propelled her to icon status. In fact, this record not only propelled her career, but paved the way for many shock artists after her. The likes of Lady Gaga, Ke$ha and even Britney Spears would never have existed if it weren't for Madonna pushing the envelope (take that however you'd like). Kicking off the golden age of music videos, this album was among the early provocative ones that had people talking about it as much for that as they did about the music. Her own career became a succession of shocking things and that opened the door for other shock artists to have a mainstream platform.

Now this is no knock on the music at all, it's fun 80's pop music that makes you swing your hips. An upbeat, single-filled Side 1 is backed by a slightly slower B-side, all set to the all-familiar 80's drum machine (probably an 808 or one of it's siblings).

Her register is higher on this than in her later music. In fact, I think the average frequency of her voice slowly slid downward with each album. I'm fairly certain she can't reach those notes anymore. In fact, when I was 20, I bought ridiculously over-priced tickets to impress a girl I was interested in (as well as her friends, who paid for their tickets, though I did lie about how much paid to make sure they'd be interested in coming). As with all ideas that are this horribly misguided, it didn't end so well. However, the concert was quite a spectacle. She puts on a great performance, which has kept her career going for probably longer than it might have otherwise. Of note, though, is that I'm fairly certain she lip-synced to the earlier hits like the ones from this album, even then. She started with 3-4 old ones that clearly didn't sound live, then moved on to some others she was fine with singing. I think that's a pretty clear indication that that range is in the same field as Steven Tyler and Aerosmith's Dream On.

A Record a Week: Lonnie Mack - Whatever's Right

SIDE 1.
UNTOUCHED BY HUMAN LOVE
I FOUND A LOVE
SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH ME
TEARDROPS ON YOUR LETTER
BABY WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO

SIDE 2.
MT. HEALTHY BLUES
WHAT KIND OF WORLD IS THIS
MY BABE
THINGS HAVE GONE TO PIECES
GOTTA BE AN ANSWER





This is one of those artists that I feel I should've at least heard of, seeing his extensive discography. Apparently, his use of the tremolo bar in his song Wham! even led to the term 'whammy bar'. There's no denying that his playing is excellent and with the knowledge that he influenced others, I can see that in fact he doesn't sound like others like I originally thought, but they sound like him. He never gained the popularity of Stevie Ray Vaughan or Jeff Beck, but perhaps that's alright. There will always be artists that make a change to the sound of music without being massively famous.

This album was several years into his career, so his mark had already been made. This album is mostly cover songs, so his true solo ability isn't on here. Even without the virtuoso-type solos, though, this album still sounds excellent. However, I would definitely have to recommend his earlier stuff if you want to really hear the songs that changed the shape of blues rock and guitar 'virtuosos'.

A Record a Week: Lovin' Spoonful - The Best of Lovin' Spoonful Vol. 2

SIDE 1.
SIX O'CLOCK
DARLING BE HOME SOON
LOVIN' YOU
BOREDOM
FULL MEASURE
NASHVILLE CATS

SIDE 2.
SHE IS STILL A MYSTERY
RAIN ON THE ROOF
OLD FOLKS
DARLIN' COMPANION
MONEY
YOUNGER GENERATION




I think a lot of times the term 'Best Of' can be a misnomer. Did Lovin' Spoonful really warrant a second best of album? Only two of these songs cracked the top Ten (Rain on the Roof/Nashville Cats), neither of which cracked the top 5. The album has no Summer in the City or Do you Believe in Magic? I suppose there is some stuff I don't know about this band, not being alive in the late '60s, but it's my general opinion that artists that aren't The Beatles, The Stones or Michael Jackson probably don't need 2 best ofs.

With all that out of the way, this album is pretty decent. It sounds pretty much like everything you'd imagine if you've only heard those two songs I previously mentioned, which leaves you wanting for those two songs. To me, it was like listening to a new album by a band whose last album you knew very well. You want to feel the same way about it, but it just hasn't had the time to ingrain itself like the previous one.

Summer in the City is one of those songs that I always loved and tried to no avail to learn all the lyrics to. Well....tried in the sense that I try to memorize them as I hear them, not actually look them up and practice or anything. However, I always get tripped up after the first few lines, because I tend to focus on singing the ones I know, forgetting to ready my brain to try and intake new ones immediately after. By that point, I'm so far behind that there's no hope. Repeat Ad infinitum.

A Record a Week: Loverboy - s/t

SIDE 1.
THE KID IS HOT TONITE
TURN ME LOOSE
ALWAYS ON MY MIND
LADY OF THE 80'S

SIDE 2.
LITTLE GIRL
PRISSY PRISSY
TEENAGE OVERDOSE
DOA
IT DON'T MATTER

Two things popped into my mind when I first listened to this: 1. Is this a greatest hits album? and 2. The spelling 'tonite' dates back as far as 1980?

Well, 1. no and 2. apparently.  I also did not know they were Canadian and that they were able to predict what a 'Lady of the 80's' was right off the bat in 1980. I suppose that's possible though, since they seemed to have most of what the musical style of the 1980's was all trapped into this record. A little bit of new wave and a little bit of rock, the rest of the record (after the first two songs) sounds like songs that Elvis Costello made work for him or like anything else that power rock bands did around that time. These days, you can find them playing casinos and fairs and festivals that hold on to the past (with bands like Whitesnake, Poison, etc.)

Only somewhat related, but one time I was working sound at a festival with Alan Frew and it was really sad. His drum skin said both 'AF' and 'Glass Tiger' as he played songs from the distant past mixed in with newere, less successful works. I imagine a Loverboy to feel a lot like that as you see them up there in middle-aged clothing playing the same songs they have for 30 years (or worse, if they dressed the same as the back of this album).

All that aside, The Kid is Hot Tonite & Turn Me Loose are pretty great right? I mean for what they are? They remind me of Footloose and Top Gun, even though my research says that neither appeared in either of those films (though apparently a later song Heaven in Your Eyes did appear in Top Gun, so bonus points for that?) A pretty good career start for a band that managed to squeeze out a few more hits and still live off them a few decades later.

A Record a Week: Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain

SIDE 1.
2 MORRO MORRO LAND
CAPTAIN CAVEMAN
BIRDY
RIFFWRAITH
MEGA GHOST

SIDE 2.
MAGIC MOUNTAIN
DEAD COWBOY
BIZARRO ZARRO LAND

SIDE 3.
MOHAWK WINDMILL
BIZARROBIKE
INFINITY FARM
NO REST FOR THE OBSESSED

SIDE 4.
*ETCHING BY BRIAN CHIPPENDALE*

OH, THE TROUBLES! I swore I would never let a record in my collection be reviewed without listening to it, even if I've heard it a thousand times before. Well, this one came up and I had a bit of a dilemma. I also have a rule (in place previous to this blog) to not play records that I own that have high value. Well, lo and behold, this one came up and I had already placed it VERY firmly in that category. It's the blue copy instead of the black one and that's a record hoarder collector's dream. It's not that I think I will leave it on the player or accidentally scratch the needle across it or drop and shatter it, or any other thing to damage it, it's just that 'never played' seems to be the thing for 'rare' records. I only have 3 really rare ones and only 2 of them are 12". I don't know what I'm holding back for, since I'll likely never sell them. Perhaps I've created this dream world where some day, some Lightning Bolt fan will pony up the big cash for this quasi-rare record and I will finally be able to retire rich up north.

Anyhow, I decided to listen to this album digitally (as it does come with a digital download, so it seemed fair), even though I have heard it so many times.

The album starts off as their earlier albums always did - with a spark that ignites a long, pounding record. The file image for every LB song/ record is probably something like this:

This album is no exception. Their typical noisy rock is in full force after a short riff by Brian Gibson, after the marathon drumming of Brian Chippendale joins in. The first few songs play out in the usual pushing energy, before Riffwraith hints at the interactions that go on between the Brians. The anxiety-inducing Magic Mountain is a constant buildup that doesn't plateau until right near the end, always leaving my nerves frayed. A few more driving songs occur before the album tapers off into filler territory. This seems to be their pattern - front load the best songs and put what feels like 'jam sessions' at the end.

The one thing I can say with assurance about Lightning Bolt is that it's their live performance that really makes them. The albums best serve as a reminder of the show, a way to say 'remember how crazy this song was live?' I've had numerous friends hear the records and say 'I don't get it', which makes sense to me. The longer I go since seeing them, the less of an emotional pull the records have on me. 

In their live show, every amp is all the way up and the drumming looks like a blur as he has a constant drum-roll going intermingled with straight fast-rock beats. Due to fans pushing over/running into their equipment, they've broken from their old style of live show. They would set up their equipment in unconventional locations, shunning the venues PA system in favour of their own pieced together amps (in front of the stage, the middle of a gymnasium away from the stage & the alley behind the venue are a few places I've experienced their show.) However, they now use the stage and house PA, allowing the crowd to push and shove without possibly damaging their gear. I understand why they do that, but to me it takes away a bit of what made you feel like a part of the whole thing. Crowds would be watching the previous band and right when they finished BANG, this mysterious band that was setting up their gear in the corner would start playing seconds after.

Anyone who remembers my band, Two Bears, can probably determine that we took a good deal of inspiration from this band. However, as things tend to happen, we ended up sounding quite a bit different once we wrote songs and toned down the 'play as loud as possible' angle. As usually happens, this album made me want to play again and/or see these guys play again.

A Record a Week: Liars - We no Longer Knew Who We Were

SIDE 1:
WE GOT COLD, COUGHED AND FORGOT THINGS
YOU KNOW I HATE STUPID PHONES
EVERY TWO HOURS WITH A DUCKS FAN

SIDE 2.
-BLANK-










Before their style experimentation took flight over the last few albums, Liars had a steady (although experimental in its own right) sound. Back in the days of front-man Angus Andrew's relationship with Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), this record was amongst the beginning of the cult-famous career of Liars. In those days, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Liars both had a similar underground popularity, but as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs progressively got more radio-friendly, Liars were influenced by witch documentaries and experimented with different sounds, only occasionally dipping their feet back into music that swims closer to radio-play.

This record, though, was before all of that. With one LP under their belt, the indie/dance-punk band created a short burst of energy that walks the line right up to hardcore music, but showing the calm collected restrained of indie music. The end result is a indie record that sounds like it was written by angry punks, but can still make you dance. It was not long after this that I first saw them perform and they don't hold back anything in their live performances. You never know exactly what to expect, with the possibility of Andrew in a dress or other interesting attire, the percussion being rigged up through any number of electronics/triggers, or an entirely stripped down performance. It was a nice quick listen and a throwback to a time when I was constantly playing and going to concerts of this nature.

A Record a Week: Le Tigre - Feminist Sweepstakes

SIDE 1.
LT TOUR THEME
SHRED A
FAKE FRENCH
FYR
ON GUARD
MUCH FINER
DYKE MARCH 2001

SIDE 2.
TRES BIEN
WELL WELL WELL
TGIF
MY ART
CRY FOR EVERYTHING BAD THAT'S EVER HAPPENED
KEEP ON LIVIN'


Another week of Le Tigre, but a slightly different sound. In between release of last weeks record and the release of this weeks, they underwent a slight lineup change, when JD Samson replaced Sadie Benning. This change seemed to bring on a more electronic-influenced sound. This sparked a change that made the lo-fi sound slightly fuller and quite enjoyable. I found the record was more listenable in whole as a result. No one song was better than any of the songs on the first record, but the style varied enough to keep me interested. Side A is excellent and side B has a few gems as well, including TGIF and Cry for everything bad that's ever happened.

A Record a Week: Hannah Georgas - s/t

This record is out of order, I know, but I went to see her on Saturday and picked it up, so why not throw it in to the mix.














SIDE 1.
ELEPHANT
SOMEBODY
ROBOTIC
ENEMIES
SHORTIE

SIDE 2.
FANTASIZE
MILLIONS
WHAT YOU DO TO ME
ODE TO MOM
WAITING GAME

The self-titled album from Hannah Georgas marks her third album, but her second full length. It is a rebirth of sorts, as she has left behind a simpler pop sound and branching out in a new direction. Her older albums are great in their own respect, but I feel like this is a more mature sound and one that reflects her shifting into her mid-20s. That's not to say that there can't be deep pop music or that there's anything wrong with her earlier records. In fact, they are great records and digest easily.

This record, on the other hand, has a couple of songs that pop right away, but the more you listen, the better the record gets as a whole. The echo-y vocals and drum machine sounds have replaced the catchy innocent beats and tunes.

The record is a blend of Florence and the Machine and Metric. Spacious sounds layered masterfully and well produced by Holy F*ck producer/member Graham Walsh. The record starts with the beautifully slow building Elephant and that sets the tone for the whole record. The record is, like the show was, a mix of steady beats and ambient beauty.

Other favourites include Robotic, Enemies, Millions and What You Do To Me.

A Record a Week: Le Tigre - s/t

SIDE 1.
DECEPTACON
HOT TOPIC
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON CASSAVETTES
THE THE EMPTY
PHANTA
EAU D'BEDROOM DANCING

SIDE 2.
LET'S RUN
MY MY METROCARD
FRIENDSHIP STATION
SLIDESHOW AT FREE UNIVERSITY
DUDE, YR SO CRAZY!
LES AND RAY

I had forgotten both sides of Le Tigre and sort of lumped them into a different category altogether.What I didn't remember is how fun their lo-fi funky music is. It had me grooving and my daughter was loving it too (she will dance to commercial jingles, though). Then, as the second side of the record went on, I remembered the other half of Le Tigre I had forgotten; the half where I get bored of the same drum beat and basic chord structure layered with vocals that are a part of the mix. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it, but it's more of a fun thing to have a few songs as part of a mix than as a straight through listen.

Deceptacon (recognizable from a Nivea commercial), Hot Topic and Let's Run are my favourite tracks.

One time when I was maybe 19, perhaps 20, I attended a Le Tigre concert at the Opera House in Toronto. I went by myself and stood near the bar for the first 10 or 20 minutes waiting to see one of my friends. After scouring the crowd and failing to see any of them, I saw a girl that i was instantly drawn to. I spent the following minutes (who knows how many) trying to build up the confidence to go speak to her. Just when I hit the moment when I thought I could do it, a friend that I had met a few weeks earlier came up to say hi. As it turned out, this girl was a friend of this friend of mine and came to hang out. This caught me completely off guard and I got completely flabbergasted. I'd like to think it was the change of situation that made be a blabbering fool and ruined my chances, and that if I had been in the situation I had planned on things would've gone differently. Instead I was left wondering.

Got a little off topic there. Anyhow, the show was good and the record was a good rewind to that era.

A Record a Week: Les Miserables

SIDE 1.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
I DREAMED A DREAM
LOVELY LADIES
WHO AM I?
COME TO ME (FANTINE'S DEATH)
CONFRONTATION

SIDE 2.
CASTLE ON A CLOUD
MASTER OF THE HOUSE
THE THÉNARDIER WALTZ OF TREACHERY
LOOK DOWN
STARS
RED AND BLACK
DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?

SIDE 3.
IN MY LIFE
A HEART FULL OF LOVE
PLUMET ATTACK
ONE DAY MORE
ON MY OWN
JAVERT AT THE BARRACADE/LITTLE PEOPLE
THE FIRST ATTACK
A LITTLE FALL OF RAIN

SIDE 4.
DRINK WITH ME
BRING HIM HOME
DOG EATS DOG
JAVERT'S SUICIDE
TURNING
EMPTY CHAIRS AT EMPTY TABLES
WEDDING CHORALE/BEGGARS AT THE FEAST
FINALE

I've been waiting for this record to come up, the soundtrack to my favourite musical. Ever since I was a little kid, when my mother listened to the soundtrack all the time, I was roped in by the powerful songs and performances. That was followed up by seeing it 3rd row orchestra centre while Michael Burgess was performing in it. I know, I know, Colm Wilkinson is the one to be seen, but he was doing it before I was born, so I have to settle for seeing him in anniversary performances online. Also, he was the Phantom the time I saw Phantom of the Opera.

But I digress. This album, as does any musical, contains a number of misses. When you have to tell a story through song, the boring parts of the story can show through in the musical retelling. However, the power in the songs Look Down, At The End of the Day and One Day More as well as the emotion in I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own and Bring Him Home paint a beautiful story of redemption and love in the time of the French Revolution. Those songs are broken up by the playful Lovely Ladies and Master of the House. Each song is important to the telling of the story in a musical and this one does an excellent job.

When the movie came out last year, there was so much public hype behind it, in addition to my own longstanding love of it, that there was almost no chance of it working out for me. Despite my hatred for Anne Hathaway, I actually thought she did a good job in the movie. However, her character dies SO EARLY in the movie, I can't see how it is Oscar-worthy. It is all for one song, a song that had way more sadness and less anger than any version I had heard before it. Alright, I get that things change and it's nice to get a fresh perspective on things, but this character was so entrenched in my (and many others, I'd imagine) memory a certain way that it just bothers me. The live singing thing just didn't work out for many of the characters and poor Russel Crowe just came out flat. The movie itself has enough character to not need big names to make it a must-see.

Anyhow, in my opinion, the play IS a must-see. See it on Broadway, see it off Broadway, see it in a good theatre town or your local high school. It's just a moving piece of theatre and it gets two thumbs up from this guy.

A Record a Week: John Lennon - Rock 'n' Roll

SIDE 1.
BE-BOP-A-LULA
STAND BY ME
MEDLEY:
-READY TEDDY
-RIP IT UP
YOU CAN'T CATCH ME
AIN'T THAT A SHAME
DO YOU WANT TO DANCE
 SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN

SIDE 2.
SLIPPIN' AND SLIDIN'
PEGGY SUE
MEDLEY:
-BRING IT ON HOME TO ME
-SEND ME SOME LOVIN'
BONY MORONIE
YA YA
JUST BECAUSE

The more I find out about John Lennon, the less interested I am in reading about him. He wasn't a good person and I don't want him to ruin the Beatles for me. I can't take away the fact that he was a large part of the Beatles, but I'm not a super fan of his solo career (to be fair, not really of any of the Beatles' save for a few McCartney songs). His singing is not terrific and I get the feeling he took himself far too seriously. As for Yoko Ono, I'm not even getting into that. She's like the Andy Warhol of music. They had briefly split at the time this record came out, so I guess she wasn't making decisions for him or whatever it was she did.

But I digress. On this album, Lennon plays the Rock standards of the 50s and 60s, including three songs from a catalogue he had agreed to release songs from as part of a lawsuit with a producer.  He also does a few medleys, including the B-Side medley where he plays Bring it on Home to me, a song my family plays, and he does it no justice (nor do we, probably...although my Uncle Jim can really nail it on the piano). I guess I should say I am most familiar with the Animals version of the song and he could be more similar to the original Sam Cooke version. Either way, it didn't really interest me and that was a common theme throughout my listening. Maybe I don't 'get it' with the John Lennon obsession, but I'm pretty alright with that at this point.

A Record a Week: Peggy Lee - Is That All There Is?

   

SIDE 1.

IS THAT ALL THERE IS?
LOVE STORY
ME AND MY SHADOW
MY OLD FLAME
I'M A WOMAN

SIDE 2.
BROTHER'S LOVE SALVATION SHOW
SOMETHING
WHISTLE FOR HAPPINESS
JOHNNY (LINDA)
DON'T SMOKE IN BED

You know something? This project has stirred up something of a taste in this style of music in me. It's a kind of music that stirs the hips even if you're not in the mood for dancing. It brings to mind girls with wonderful dresses and 60's hair, their hands sticking out at their hips and swaying side to side.

It's just good music. In the past, I think I've made the mistake of lumping it in with smooth Jazz or other type of easy listening. I mean it is easy listening, in that it's easy on the ears, but not in that K-Lite FM type of sound. Is that all there is was Lee's biggest success, song-wise and it features that wonderful chorus that pretty much everyone is familiar with. Her cover of The Beatles' Something is a wonderful gem on the B Side.

All in all, another wonderful diamond in my collection.