To contact us Click HERE
The Beach Boys: Smiles All Around
Concert Review
Chicago Theatre – May 22, 2012
By Anthony Kuzminski
This was the concert tour that was never supposed to happen. More importantly, this should have been the final nail in the coffin of the Beach Boys. Four of the five members will be seventy by September of this year and a valid argument can be made that their best days are behind them and by getting together for a reunion tour could do nothing but tarnish their legacy. However, the person making said argument would be doing so without having seen their 50th Anniversary tour currently making its way through the US. In case you haven’t heard, there are a few things that differentiate this tour from their many in the previous decades. This is the first full fledged tour in more than thirty years to include Brian Wilson as a major contributor. Further, the set list consisted of forty-three songs. Let me repeat that; forty-three songs. I have never seen an artist perform this many songs over the course of one evening in all of the concerts I have witnessed. Knowing they cynics would be out in full force, the band set out to blow all expectations out of the water. As Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen have previously proven, even when you have an off night, it can be overshadowed by the sheer endurance of a performance. Go above and beyond and all can be forgiven. Fortunately for Chicago, the Beach Boys were compelling from the first note to the last note nearly three hours later. Their 50th Anniversary tour is not to be missed and truly a one-in-a-lifetime experience where one can see more than forty songs over nearly three hours.
The five remaining Beach Boys took to the stage complimented by ten additional musicians who dialed up the time machine for a trip to the past where the band breathtakingly delivered six songs in a mere thirteen minutes to open their second Chicago show. Opening with “Do it Again” the band performed “Little Honda”, “Catch A Wave”, “Hawaii”, “Don’t Back Down” and “Surfin’ Safari” before they took a pause. At center stage was vocalist Mike Love, who did the most interacting with the crowd, told the story about the first song Brian Wilson wrote on his own before the band performed a lush rendition of “Surfer Girl”, Wilson’s first solo vocal performance of the evening. While each of the members had their fair share of time in the spotlight, whenever Wilson sang, the crowd directed their eyes to him with unblinking concentration. Each of the Beach Boys added something invaluable to their career and their legacy, but as time has progressed, Brian Wilson’s genius has cemented itself into the history of music with not just Pet Sounds but with the recently released SMiLE which sat in the vaults for the better part of forty-plus years. His addition to the band for this tour gives the Beach Boys an added cache of respect. Further, the ten backing musicians revealed dimensions forgotten about. The meticulous song reproductions were more than magnificent, they were magical and yet the show never once felt perfunctory.
While Mike Love and Brian Wilson handled lead vocal duties for most of the songs, each of the members had their moment in the sun. Bruce Johnston had his solo spotlight with the wistful “Disney Girls”. Guitarist Jeff Foskett provided some fine guitar work but more notably, his backing harmonies connected memories to the present day. He captures the spirit of Carl Wilson’s vocals and melodies without coming off as a replacement. On “Don’t Worry Baby” the crowd gave him a well deserved standing ovation for his wonderful lead vocal that was good enough to crawl under the surface of our skin. A pleasant surprise is the divergent set lists at every show. The show was sprinkled with a strong selection of covers performed with adroitness one may not have expected. “Cotton Fields” and “The I Kissed Her” found Al Jardine hitting the audience’s sweet spots with his boyish vocal performance. “Rock and Roll Music”, “Do You Wanna Dance” and “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?” were more than audience pleasers. It’s hard to imagine it, but fifty years ago the five men on the stage were exuberant teenagers who lived out their dreams in front of a mirror and for the first time in a long time, especially Mike Love who once again put his fan boy hat on.
While the Beach Boys have been a concert juggernaut for decades, this tour stands apart for the band’s willingness to perform not just their biggest hits, but many deep album cuts that many have not heard in years. Rare songs such as “Marcella”, “It’s OK”, "All This Is That" and “This Whole World” were performed with the same magnificence of their classics. “World” felt like something out of a dream as Wilson poignantly sung his heart out. The band even sung a new song, “That’s Why God Made the Radio” from their forthcoming record of the same name (due to be released on June 5th). The song is culled from their 60’s DNA and feels irrefutable and with a few more listens has the potential to be a modern classic. The second set opened up with “Add Some Music To Your Day” sung by Brian Wilson. He was surrounded by his four band mates around his white baby grand piano. It was a moment most people didn’t feel would ever occur again and despite the fact that Carl and Dennis were not there, you couldn’t help but become emotional over seeing these five men who are grandparents sing and perform in the same fashion they did more than fifty years back. Then there were the hits-“When I Grow Up (to Be a Man)”, “Be True to Your School”, “Little Deuce Coupe”, “I Get Around”, “Sloop John B”, “Wouldn't It Be Nice”, “Sail on, Sailor”, “Heroes and Villains”, “California Girls”, “Help Me, Rhonda”, “Good Vibrations” and “Surfin' USA”. Do I need to even explain the wonder and splendor these performances induced? Even “Kokomo” was splendid. For the evening’s final two songs, “Barbara Ann” and “Fun, Fun, Fun”, Brian Wilson even came out to the front of the stage with a bass wrapped around him. The pacing and performances were so strong-willed and sentimental; you couldn’t help but have an out-of-body experience. You literally could feel the sun beams radiate your skin under a perfect blue sky next to the ocean. I don’t believe any set list by any artist could completely satisfy everyone, the Beach Boys came dangerously close. The music evoked sights and sound of malt shops, blue skies, surf shops and a time when gas guzzlers were dreamy. The music takes me to a place and time I never knew and that’s as powerful as music can be.
As my time on this Earth grows shorter, there will be two songs I will forever remember from this show. Carl and Dennis Wilson made an appearance no one could forget. They were represented by pre-recorded vocals which were complimented by a fifteen piece backing band. This top-tier band brought the moving ballad “Forever” (sung by Dennis) and the epic hymn “God Only Knows” (sung by Carl) to life in ways no one could have expected. Done by almost any other act it would come off as a cheap trick, but there was a deep moving resonance to the back-to-back songs from the departed Wilson brothers. If the music wasn’t enough to move you, then watching their older brother Brian was. We’re all confronted with death in our life but it doesn’t make it any easier. For Brian Wilson, his triumph over illness and adversity is one of rock n’ roll’s greatest rebirths, but as I watch him gave upon the screen at the back of the stage upon his younger brothers, I saw a gentle soul who misses his brothers in a way that can never be expressed. Whenever I hear “God Only Knows”, a flurry of emotions floats to the surface; I think of loved ones that have left this Earth. I also think about those I am closest to and how I want them to know how vital they have been to my existence. I think about a close high school friend whose young son is fighting cancer and how I want so badly for him to be cured. Hearing Carl Wilson’s voice on top of the lush arrangements of the surviving Beach Boys provides one with lenses to see life with greater clarity, allowing us to not just appreciate life’s simplicities but to love better. These songs are dotted lines to our past that connect all of us. Family, friends and lovers bonded over this music in the past and more importantly, they find a relation to it today. The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary tour isn’t about escapism, it’s about reconnecting with that inner child you once had. Their music is as powerful now than it ever has been because it continues to set our minds free and while nostalgia should never be denied, the Beach Boys are reminding us that rock n’ roll isn’t defined by age, instruments or even songs, it’s a mindset. As I looked around the crowd, I saw audience members from the age of three to eighty-three and they all had one very distinctive physical trait- irrefutable and infectious smiles.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
30 Eylül 2012 Pazar
Concert Review: Iron Maiden - Tinley Park, IL 7/5/2012
To contact us Click HERE
Iron Maiden: The Golden Years
Concert Review: Tinley Park, IL – July 5th, 2012
First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
By Anthony Kuzminski
No matter how monotonous our day-today reality may be, with every passing day we inch closer to understanding the convoluted mysteries of our existence. With time and experience our youthful innocence (or some would say ignorance) dissipates and we become more educated in dealing with our lives. School gives us the tools for the workplace and family provides us a foundation we attempt to build our own lives around but when it comes stepping outside of yourself there’s little given in the way support. Last week, when Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith began the spiraling guitar chords of “Wasted Years” twenty-thousand fans in the suburbs of Chicago grasped the missing piece of life’s puzzle which assists in offering internal calm serenity. We live in a society where if we are not frantic about the eight hours in front of us, then we’re anxious of the eight years that lie ahead. Back in 1986, Smith wrote “Wasted Years” for Iron Maiden’s Somewhere In Time record about life on the road but it transcended beyond a tale of being homesick. It’s become one of Iron Maiden’s most enduring songs further exemplified by an acoustic cover version Ryan Adams performed last year where Adams proved to many that there is more to Iron Maiden than meets the eye. “Wasted Years” is a song of longing that surpasses its original intention, especially in concert. You don’t need to have decades of living under your belt to understand the meditative magnitude of “Wasted Years” and its message. When Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith wrote it I can’t be sure he imagined that it would be an anthem for living in the here and now. We’ve come to realize that the “golden years” doesn’t refer to a specific set of years, but to each and every moment we’re breathing.
Iron Maiden is currently on their Maiden England World Tour which is closely recreating their 1988 tour in terms of set list and stage set. Walking a line between your past and your present is a delicate one. Most artists falter in concert as their shows lean too heavily towards one or the other, but Iron Maiden appears to have found the perfect balance. They’re currently in a rotation of classic tours followed by ones in support of new music. When there’s a new album, expect to see most of it performed live with only a handful of classics in tow, but the vintage concerts live wholly in the time period without intrusion from the current era of the band, something few acts touring today manage successfully. Iron Maiden’s popularity has expanded beyond those who grew up with them, but now include a new and younger generation. The classic tours are Maiden’s way of letting these younger fans experience these songs. While this may appear to be a drag for the artist looking back, you never would have noticed as Iron Maiden nailed every song with strapping precision, without a single bum note performed throughout the two hour show. Opening with the pyrotechnic theatrics of “Moonchild”, all six members sprinted to the forefront of the stage where Maiden grandly orchestrated a bravura blast from the past all the way through the finale of “Running Free” two hours later.
Between new backdrops, pyrotechnics, flames and a few appearances by the band’s infamous mascot, “Eddie”, the show left few stones unturned visually. Capturing elements of fantasy along with darker corners of society, Maiden’s music has proven to have deep truths embedded within. As documented in their brilliant Flight 666 from a few years back, Iron Maiden’s music reaches more countries than most artists could ever dream about. Despite never having a major radio presence here in the US, several of the songs performed in Tinley Park (a southern suburb of Chicago) induced sieges of screams. Chicago experienced record setting heat temperatures and despite this, the band took no shortcuts. Especially impressive was Bruce Dickinson, Maiden’s lead vocalist, who went through several sets of clothes (most of them involving coats and long sleeves) while leaping across the stage like someone decades younger. His vocals, while not at the same range as his youth, were still strapping, notably on “Can I Play With Madness”, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” and “The Evil That Men Do”. Dickinson prowled the stage like a man on a musical mission rather than a flirting front man. His body didn’t seduce the audience, the ardor with which he delivered the songs did. The show featured two songs from 1992’s Fear of the Dark album, the sole songs not from the 1980’s. “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” which for its first four minutes, was the most somber and slow song of the evening until the song took flight for its final three minutes as Nicko McBrain’s drums echoed a heart chamber en route to its death. Smoke filled the stage as Dickinson wielded his microphone stand like it was Excalibur. It was followed in quick succession by “The Trooper”, which has received a new life thanks to the Metal Evolution series on VH1 which uses it as their theme song. Under a red light, the band was front and center as the six flame chambers danced above their heads on “The Number of the Beast” and when the crowd waited in anticipation for the full throttle attack to see if Dickinson would hit the mammoth wail, no one needed to worry because the crowd delivered it engulfing everyone within an ear shot.
The triple guitar attack of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Jack Gers brought the melodies to the forefront of the songs which bassist Steve Harris unpinned them with his bump and grind svelte rhythm. Listening to Harris’ bass on “Run to the Hills” is as bracing as hearing Eddie Van Halen perform “Eruption”, he makes the bass guitar capable of things I could not have previously imagined and yet he’s simply one piece of the puzzle that makes up Iron Maiden. Despite the upper range of Dickinson’s vocals, the band had a brotherhood mentality providing each and every song a deeper level of supremacy, revving the crowd up to levels few could have anticipated, particularly in the near-100 degree heat. “Eddie” made appearances on “Run to the Hills” (dressed like General Custer) “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” and the main set finale “Iron Maiden” which featured Eddie circa 1988 with beating heart in hand and flames emitting from his head. On “Fear of the Dark”, Dickinson conducted the crowd like a man at the peak of his powers. He held his hands out to them almost as if he was offering a blessing as they hummed the shadowy melancholy melody back to him. This was what distinguishes Maiden from other bands; the clutch their music has on their audience is rare. Bands work their whole lives to have one or two songs that dig into their fans consciousness, but Maiden has dozens. Even as one can witness on their latest live release En Vivo! you can see first hand the hold they have on their audience. Fanaticism is taken to heights few could dream of.
The Maiden England World Tour finds Iron Maiden at the peak of their powers, it’s interactive and downright invigorating. The seventeen song set featured one classic after another, without a single song falling flat. Delivering a superb recreation of their 1988 tour with a few extra bonus songs and features, this is proving to be one of the defining must-see experiences of the summer, even for those who may only casually know the band or their catalog. By focusing on all classic material, the vibe among the crowd is inexpressible since there is no lull in the performance. They perform these songs with the same glowing earnestness of their past. They are a living and breathing example of what bands are capable of when they choose to deliver the goods to their fans. If you’re on the fence about seeing the show, it’s time to take action. These are Iron Maiden’s golden years because the current tour is an epic theatrical experience matched only by the band’s examination of life and its mysteries. As suggested by the reception of “Wasted Years”, Iron Maiden is still teaching us the sanctified influence and insight music is capable of.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at tonyk AT antiMUSIC DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
Concert Review: Tinley Park, IL – July 5th, 2012
First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
By Anthony Kuzminski
No matter how monotonous our day-today reality may be, with every passing day we inch closer to understanding the convoluted mysteries of our existence. With time and experience our youthful innocence (or some would say ignorance) dissipates and we become more educated in dealing with our lives. School gives us the tools for the workplace and family provides us a foundation we attempt to build our own lives around but when it comes stepping outside of yourself there’s little given in the way support. Last week, when Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith began the spiraling guitar chords of “Wasted Years” twenty-thousand fans in the suburbs of Chicago grasped the missing piece of life’s puzzle which assists in offering internal calm serenity. We live in a society where if we are not frantic about the eight hours in front of us, then we’re anxious of the eight years that lie ahead. Back in 1986, Smith wrote “Wasted Years” for Iron Maiden’s Somewhere In Time record about life on the road but it transcended beyond a tale of being homesick. It’s become one of Iron Maiden’s most enduring songs further exemplified by an acoustic cover version Ryan Adams performed last year where Adams proved to many that there is more to Iron Maiden than meets the eye. “Wasted Years” is a song of longing that surpasses its original intention, especially in concert. You don’t need to have decades of living under your belt to understand the meditative magnitude of “Wasted Years” and its message. When Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith wrote it I can’t be sure he imagined that it would be an anthem for living in the here and now. We’ve come to realize that the “golden years” doesn’t refer to a specific set of years, but to each and every moment we’re breathing.
Iron Maiden is currently on their Maiden England World Tour which is closely recreating their 1988 tour in terms of set list and stage set. Walking a line between your past and your present is a delicate one. Most artists falter in concert as their shows lean too heavily towards one or the other, but Iron Maiden appears to have found the perfect balance. They’re currently in a rotation of classic tours followed by ones in support of new music. When there’s a new album, expect to see most of it performed live with only a handful of classics in tow, but the vintage concerts live wholly in the time period without intrusion from the current era of the band, something few acts touring today manage successfully. Iron Maiden’s popularity has expanded beyond those who grew up with them, but now include a new and younger generation. The classic tours are Maiden’s way of letting these younger fans experience these songs. While this may appear to be a drag for the artist looking back, you never would have noticed as Iron Maiden nailed every song with strapping precision, without a single bum note performed throughout the two hour show. Opening with the pyrotechnic theatrics of “Moonchild”, all six members sprinted to the forefront of the stage where Maiden grandly orchestrated a bravura blast from the past all the way through the finale of “Running Free” two hours later.
Between new backdrops, pyrotechnics, flames and a few appearances by the band’s infamous mascot, “Eddie”, the show left few stones unturned visually. Capturing elements of fantasy along with darker corners of society, Maiden’s music has proven to have deep truths embedded within. As documented in their brilliant Flight 666 from a few years back, Iron Maiden’s music reaches more countries than most artists could ever dream about. Despite never having a major radio presence here in the US, several of the songs performed in Tinley Park (a southern suburb of Chicago) induced sieges of screams. Chicago experienced record setting heat temperatures and despite this, the band took no shortcuts. Especially impressive was Bruce Dickinson, Maiden’s lead vocalist, who went through several sets of clothes (most of them involving coats and long sleeves) while leaping across the stage like someone decades younger. His vocals, while not at the same range as his youth, were still strapping, notably on “Can I Play With Madness”, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” and “The Evil That Men Do”. Dickinson prowled the stage like a man on a musical mission rather than a flirting front man. His body didn’t seduce the audience, the ardor with which he delivered the songs did. The show featured two songs from 1992’s Fear of the Dark album, the sole songs not from the 1980’s. “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” which for its first four minutes, was the most somber and slow song of the evening until the song took flight for its final three minutes as Nicko McBrain’s drums echoed a heart chamber en route to its death. Smoke filled the stage as Dickinson wielded his microphone stand like it was Excalibur. It was followed in quick succession by “The Trooper”, which has received a new life thanks to the Metal Evolution series on VH1 which uses it as their theme song. Under a red light, the band was front and center as the six flame chambers danced above their heads on “The Number of the Beast” and when the crowd waited in anticipation for the full throttle attack to see if Dickinson would hit the mammoth wail, no one needed to worry because the crowd delivered it engulfing everyone within an ear shot.
The triple guitar attack of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Jack Gers brought the melodies to the forefront of the songs which bassist Steve Harris unpinned them with his bump and grind svelte rhythm. Listening to Harris’ bass on “Run to the Hills” is as bracing as hearing Eddie Van Halen perform “Eruption”, he makes the bass guitar capable of things I could not have previously imagined and yet he’s simply one piece of the puzzle that makes up Iron Maiden. Despite the upper range of Dickinson’s vocals, the band had a brotherhood mentality providing each and every song a deeper level of supremacy, revving the crowd up to levels few could have anticipated, particularly in the near-100 degree heat. “Eddie” made appearances on “Run to the Hills” (dressed like General Custer) “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” and the main set finale “Iron Maiden” which featured Eddie circa 1988 with beating heart in hand and flames emitting from his head. On “Fear of the Dark”, Dickinson conducted the crowd like a man at the peak of his powers. He held his hands out to them almost as if he was offering a blessing as they hummed the shadowy melancholy melody back to him. This was what distinguishes Maiden from other bands; the clutch their music has on their audience is rare. Bands work their whole lives to have one or two songs that dig into their fans consciousness, but Maiden has dozens. Even as one can witness on their latest live release En Vivo! you can see first hand the hold they have on their audience. Fanaticism is taken to heights few could dream of.
The Maiden England World Tour finds Iron Maiden at the peak of their powers, it’s interactive and downright invigorating. The seventeen song set featured one classic after another, without a single song falling flat. Delivering a superb recreation of their 1988 tour with a few extra bonus songs and features, this is proving to be one of the defining must-see experiences of the summer, even for those who may only casually know the band or their catalog. By focusing on all classic material, the vibe among the crowd is inexpressible since there is no lull in the performance. They perform these songs with the same glowing earnestness of their past. They are a living and breathing example of what bands are capable of when they choose to deliver the goods to their fans. If you’re on the fence about seeing the show, it’s time to take action. These are Iron Maiden’s golden years because the current tour is an epic theatrical experience matched only by the band’s examination of life and its mysteries. As suggested by the reception of “Wasted Years”, Iron Maiden is still teaching us the sanctified influence and insight music is capable of.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at tonyk AT antiMUSIC DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
Paul McCartney: 'McCartney' & 'McCartney II' Reissues
To contact us Click HERE
Paul McCartney Reissue Series
McCartney (1970) / McCartney II (1980)
Reissue Review
By Anthony Kuzminski
Recorded nearly a decade apart McCartney and McCartney II represent initial stages in each of the chapters in Paul McCartney’s solo career. Each feature McCartney performing all the instruments and going it alone after nearly a decade with two of the rock eras biggest bands; The Beatles and Wings. Both albums recently were reissued through Hear Music in wonderful two-disc editions and more elaborate box sets for the pious fans. McCartney was initially shadowed by the cloud of the Beatles break-up whereas McCartney II was a big success and helped urge McCartney to go it alone which is how it’s been ever since. Decades later, each album has taken on a new life. McCartney has proven itself to be charming entrance into the world of solo records whereas McCartney II while a success initially is an exploratory and entertaining but in the end a record with astounding highs and equally astounding lows.
McCartney, released in April 1970, is fundamentally an elaborate home demo with McCartney performing virtually all instruments and vocals. While parts can be self-indulgent in places it is mostly a brilliant journal of self discovery and the first step into an astonishingly successful post-Beatles career. “The Lovely Linda” is a tiny ditty of love lasting less than a minute but is the ideal starting point for solo McCartney. He would dive deep on themes of love throughout his career and what better place to start than with his wife? “That Would Be Something” features bare instrumentation and even verbal beats by McCartney. As spare as it may be, when you hear the academic drumming, it feels more like a heartbeat than a rhythm and as the curling bass in laid on top, you can’t help but be captured by the plainness of it all. “Valentine Day” is an instrumental throwback to the music of the fifties and wouldn’t have been out of place on a record by a Sun Records recording artist. “Every Night” one of the album’s most enduring songs, is also one of its more fleshed out. This wouldn’t have been out of place on the next Beatles record with dueling acoustic guitars are a flush in this lovable melody. “Junk” is an amazingly endearing track with McCartney hushing along to a solemn guitar sweep. “Momma Miss America” is an instrumental (featured in Jerry Maguire) with a heavy beat backing by hammering piano and drums and later in the song by a wailing vintage electric guitar sound. “Teddy Boy” was recorded during what eventually Let It Be became but didn’t make the final cut. A quarter century later it would see release on Anthology 3 but its first public airing occurred as a result of McCartney. It is more at home here than it would have been on any of the latter day Beatles records. “Singalong Junk” may be one of the most sensuous tracks he’s ever written. The stripped instrumental puts its focus on the piano, drums and an acoustic guitar creating a song that wrangles inside your stomach forcefully and to think it elicits such a strong reaction without any lyrics is a coup. Cameron Crowe used this to beautifully in Jerry Maguire during a moment off affection between Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger. Without ever uttering a word, the lullaby pulls at heart strings. It’s moments like these on McCartney that are underrated and amongst McCartney’s finest.
“Maybe I’m Amazed” is the album’s most accomplished track and perhaps one of the greatest love songs ever composed. It’s delivered with a hearty vocal where McCartney expunges his soul on this classic. His booming voice makes you want to love someone as much as he does and over the years despite what has been written about his love songs, this may stand as his best just for the utter passion of the performance and delivery. That is the utmost compliment I can give him, a man who is responsible for “Yesterday” and “Let It Be” no less. Despite having recorded more than a dozen records with the Beatles there is an air of innocence to these songs. McCartney takes you inside not so much his mind but where his heart was at the moment. His marriage to Linda McCartney settled him. Despite the often acrimonious relationship he had with his Beatle band mates, none of that tension is present on this album this is an exercise of survival and renewal. As his Beatle mates began to find their way through their own relationships and families, the themes on McCartney would seep their way into their own solo works. While they often ridiculed McCartney in the press over the soft nature of these songs they eventually followed suit once they became more settled in their lives.
The bonus disc houses a series of outtakes and live cuts previously unreleased or hard to find. An outtake entitled “Suicide” fades in and features McCartney alone on a piano. The live cuts include “Maybe, I’m Amazed” and “Every Night” taken from a Glasgow show in 1979. While these are nice to have, after listening to the newly remastered cuts of the originals, you can’t help but feel they are lacking urgency. Despite an extra charge of oomph on the live full band cuts, the intimacy and solemn nature of the studio records appears to be lost. “Don’t Cry Baby” is another instrumental rendering appearing here and closing out the bonus materials is a demo of the song “Women Kind” which like “Suicide” features McCartney solo on piano. While these bonus tracks are most welcomed, I can’t help but feel McCartney has better archived material in the vault. I may be wrong about this, but it may have been interesting to see what his latest touring band might have done with re-recording these songs or cutting them live. Regardless, McCartney is a delightfully dear album deserving of its deluxe packaging and hopefully it will be given a second life as a result of the top tier mastering, packaging and bonus materials. Both of these reissues were overseen by the same team at Abbey Road who did the Beatles remasters a few years back. They are warm without being distorted. The acoustic guitars welcome you and the drums snap, but never causing distortion even in MP3 form.
Ultimately McCartney is a quickly put together album with numerous songs that feel like unfinished demos and with only four songs that surpass the three-minute mark it’s partially true. However, there is splendor in the sparse production and performances. McCartney’s lyrics and candid vocals take center stage and four decades later, it sounds better than ever.
Taking a 180-degree turn in focus with McCartney II in 1979, the songs are more experimental, less organic and feature scores of keyboards and synthesizers. As a result, while it’s an altogether pleasant listen, it doesn’t warrant return visits. Like its predecessor, it was made during a time of change and once again, done almost entirely by McCartney alone. However, the eccentric and timbre sounds from McCartney give way to walls of noise and arcade sonics. “Coming Up” was a number-one hit and rightfully so, with its infectious grooves paired with a chorus that will install itself in your head whether you like it or not. It’s still a concert staple to this day and features McCartney delivering his easy-on-the-ear melodies while musically pushing the envelope. “Temporary Secretary” is where things get painful. While one has to admire McCartney for not churning out the same songs on every album, this should have been where a producer pulled him aside and forced him to cut the track from the record. It’s dated and at best, sounds like a Styx outtake. “On the Way” is refreshing with a bluesy lead guitar that isn’t that far removed from what one would hear on a recent Black Keys record. This is an illustration of the massive talent McCartney has, despite being known for monster radio hits, its gems like these that tend to be lost or forgotten. As I’ve previously mentioned, this is one of the great things about well done reissues; it sheds new light on a forgotten album and more importantly the individual songs. McCartney’s vocal comes through the left speaker amidst some bluesy guitar dipped in the Chicago River. “Waterfalls” features McCartney’s voice up front and center echoing under an ever so slight sound of a barely noticeable keyboard. While it may feel unfinished, you can’t help but believe the breaking vocal like of “I need love”. Many may dismiss it as saccharine but it once again showcases his charismatic voice which never appears to grow old. Multiple generations have grown up with it, so there is something madly romantic and nostalgic that emanates from it. “Waterfalls” may not be his most known or even his best song, but you can’t help but fall in love with McCartney all over again upon hearing it. “Nobody Knows” is a boogie stomping glee of a track with an energetic rhythm section. The album’s fourth track is insanely great and it makes me wonder why I’ve never paid attention to it before. It sounds like a lost blues number dusted off of someone’s 78 in an attic full of dust. It’s also a stark contrast to the heavy experimentation of the albums first two tracks. It’s almost as if his good side was creating this while his evil twin was fiddling with the synthesizer on the other half of the record.
Side two kicks off with “Front Parlour” and I’m not sure if McCartney was attempting to get in on the music publishing for Pac-Man, but that is what it feels like. As painful as I find the track to listen to, one must admire McCartney because for many artists they’re all too happy to remain complacent in their artistic endeavors and you can never criticize McCartney for not trying something new. “Summer’s Day Song” had the potential to be performed with a choir or orchestra. Regardless, it feels like a rough home demo and its elegiac with music based around what I believe is a flute and keyboard. Once again, its minimalism brings the lyrics to the forefront as it ventures more towards hymn status than schmaltz. “Frozen Jap” has a lining of elation in the performance even if it falls prey to the technology on the recording. This would be a song he should consider reworking one day with an actual drum kit. “Bogey Music” houses a thumping bass beat but it comes off as more of a castoff with McCartney hamming it up. It feels like a fragmentary thought and if he had attacked it the same way he had “Nobody Knows”, the results may have been significantly improved. “One of These Days” ends the album on a high point once again due to the rich vocals.
I’m not sure if McCartney has any other album in his catalog with such staggering highs and astounding lows as McCartney II. It ranges from in-your-face technology to basic arrangements that would make any classical composer proud. The album was recorded in July of 1979 at his farm in Scotland. It was his first proper solo record since 1971’s Ram, it wasn’t planned to be but after his drug bust in Japan in early 1980, Wings was put to the side and these recordings were rush issued. Whether this album would have come out so close after the bust remains a question. It’s possible these were mere demos which McCartney may have re-recorded at a later date, but still, as muddled and maddening portions of the record can be, it’s can’t easily be dismissed because it still houses a handful of classic cuts and even the other half can be credited to experimentation.
McCartney II is given a deluxe edition with a bonus disc (and an expanded set with a third disc). “Blue Sway” has lush orchestration but the saxophone fills don’t add anything and ultimately, the song goes nowhere. “Coming Up” live from Glasgow in 1979 is included as a bonus track and this is the version that ascended to number-one on the US charts. It would have been nice to possibly pair both albums together with their respective outtakes and b-sides at the end of each album and then the entire Glasgow show as a bonus feature. “Check My Machine” is unrecognizable and there’s nothing on a blind listen that would make you think this is McCartney. The first song recorded for the album, it was more or less a test to see what the possibilities were with his new toys. “Secret Friend” is released in its entire ten-plus minutes. While definitely not essential, it’s an added edition to this special edition even if it’s unlikely to be listened to more than a handful of times (and that is for the most devout McCartney followers). “Mr. H Atom / You Know I’ll Get You Baby” sounds like an outtake from an early 80’s videogame. Decades before auto tune, you can hear how artists used to disguise their voice. “Wonderful Christmastime” an often disregarded song is rather delightful here. Sure it’s dated but I dare you to not sing along with it. The 3:48 edit appears on disc two with the unedited version on the third disc of the deluxe edition. “All You Horse Riders / Blue Sway” completes the second disc with ten minutes of further experimentation. The third disc which is only available in the deluxe package houses “complete versions” of many tracks on the first two discs. While this may seem like a hoax to buy the more expensive set, it isn’t. While these versions warrant being released, it’s unlikely anyone, even the most fervent McCartney fans will revisit these more than a few times. If you’re on the fence I think the two disc edition will cover most people’s needs.
Listening to these two records back-to-back is an absorbing experience. You hear McCartney’s strengths which usually are when his arrangements are at their most spare which is why McCartney still sounds incredibly fresh four decades later. I can’t say McCartney II is in the same league as McCartney but they both are integral to his career and represent turning points in not just his career but life as well. While listening to these two records over the last few weeks it’s staggering to witness the talent of McCartney as not just a songwriter but a performer as well. Even when I have disliked many of the left field stylings on McCartney II there is something to be said for not settling. More importantly, when McCartney worked alone (as he did on these two records) he birthed some music that isn’t just fun or memorable but appears to be extensions of his life at that moment in time. He’s a man rich in musical talent and these two records represent how he is ready at any given point to deliver a song that will knock you out. While I prefer the less-is-more approach of McCartney, McCartney II in its new deluxe edition proves to be a fascinating listen and makes you appreciate it more than you most likely have before. Artists are defined by certain periods and albums and even though one record may be deemed more essential than the other, the top tier execution of both packages are hard to pass up, even if you consider yourself a casual fan. It’s hard to compete with yourself, especially when you were a member of the Beatles, but as McCartney and McCartney II prove, Paul McCartney always had and always will be an artist capable of writing great songs and these two albums serve as a reminder that even if a song wasn’t a radio hit, it may still be a treasure to be discovered.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
McCartney (1970) / McCartney II (1980)
Reissue Review
By Anthony Kuzminski
Recorded nearly a decade apart McCartney and McCartney II represent initial stages in each of the chapters in Paul McCartney’s solo career. Each feature McCartney performing all the instruments and going it alone after nearly a decade with two of the rock eras biggest bands; The Beatles and Wings. Both albums recently were reissued through Hear Music in wonderful two-disc editions and more elaborate box sets for the pious fans. McCartney was initially shadowed by the cloud of the Beatles break-up whereas McCartney II was a big success and helped urge McCartney to go it alone which is how it’s been ever since. Decades later, each album has taken on a new life. McCartney has proven itself to be charming entrance into the world of solo records whereas McCartney II while a success initially is an exploratory and entertaining but in the end a record with astounding highs and equally astounding lows.
McCartney, released in April 1970, is fundamentally an elaborate home demo with McCartney performing virtually all instruments and vocals. While parts can be self-indulgent in places it is mostly a brilliant journal of self discovery and the first step into an astonishingly successful post-Beatles career. “The Lovely Linda” is a tiny ditty of love lasting less than a minute but is the ideal starting point for solo McCartney. He would dive deep on themes of love throughout his career and what better place to start than with his wife? “That Would Be Something” features bare instrumentation and even verbal beats by McCartney. As spare as it may be, when you hear the academic drumming, it feels more like a heartbeat than a rhythm and as the curling bass in laid on top, you can’t help but be captured by the plainness of it all. “Valentine Day” is an instrumental throwback to the music of the fifties and wouldn’t have been out of place on a record by a Sun Records recording artist. “Every Night” one of the album’s most enduring songs, is also one of its more fleshed out. This wouldn’t have been out of place on the next Beatles record with dueling acoustic guitars are a flush in this lovable melody. “Junk” is an amazingly endearing track with McCartney hushing along to a solemn guitar sweep. “Momma Miss America” is an instrumental (featured in Jerry Maguire) with a heavy beat backing by hammering piano and drums and later in the song by a wailing vintage electric guitar sound. “Teddy Boy” was recorded during what eventually Let It Be became but didn’t make the final cut. A quarter century later it would see release on Anthology 3 but its first public airing occurred as a result of McCartney. It is more at home here than it would have been on any of the latter day Beatles records. “Singalong Junk” may be one of the most sensuous tracks he’s ever written. The stripped instrumental puts its focus on the piano, drums and an acoustic guitar creating a song that wrangles inside your stomach forcefully and to think it elicits such a strong reaction without any lyrics is a coup. Cameron Crowe used this to beautifully in Jerry Maguire during a moment off affection between Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger. Without ever uttering a word, the lullaby pulls at heart strings. It’s moments like these on McCartney that are underrated and amongst McCartney’s finest.
“Maybe I’m Amazed” is the album’s most accomplished track and perhaps one of the greatest love songs ever composed. It’s delivered with a hearty vocal where McCartney expunges his soul on this classic. His booming voice makes you want to love someone as much as he does and over the years despite what has been written about his love songs, this may stand as his best just for the utter passion of the performance and delivery. That is the utmost compliment I can give him, a man who is responsible for “Yesterday” and “Let It Be” no less. Despite having recorded more than a dozen records with the Beatles there is an air of innocence to these songs. McCartney takes you inside not so much his mind but where his heart was at the moment. His marriage to Linda McCartney settled him. Despite the often acrimonious relationship he had with his Beatle band mates, none of that tension is present on this album this is an exercise of survival and renewal. As his Beatle mates began to find their way through their own relationships and families, the themes on McCartney would seep their way into their own solo works. While they often ridiculed McCartney in the press over the soft nature of these songs they eventually followed suit once they became more settled in their lives.
The bonus disc houses a series of outtakes and live cuts previously unreleased or hard to find. An outtake entitled “Suicide” fades in and features McCartney alone on a piano. The live cuts include “Maybe, I’m Amazed” and “Every Night” taken from a Glasgow show in 1979. While these are nice to have, after listening to the newly remastered cuts of the originals, you can’t help but feel they are lacking urgency. Despite an extra charge of oomph on the live full band cuts, the intimacy and solemn nature of the studio records appears to be lost. “Don’t Cry Baby” is another instrumental rendering appearing here and closing out the bonus materials is a demo of the song “Women Kind” which like “Suicide” features McCartney solo on piano. While these bonus tracks are most welcomed, I can’t help but feel McCartney has better archived material in the vault. I may be wrong about this, but it may have been interesting to see what his latest touring band might have done with re-recording these songs or cutting them live. Regardless, McCartney is a delightfully dear album deserving of its deluxe packaging and hopefully it will be given a second life as a result of the top tier mastering, packaging and bonus materials. Both of these reissues were overseen by the same team at Abbey Road who did the Beatles remasters a few years back. They are warm without being distorted. The acoustic guitars welcome you and the drums snap, but never causing distortion even in MP3 form.
Ultimately McCartney is a quickly put together album with numerous songs that feel like unfinished demos and with only four songs that surpass the three-minute mark it’s partially true. However, there is splendor in the sparse production and performances. McCartney’s lyrics and candid vocals take center stage and four decades later, it sounds better than ever.
Taking a 180-degree turn in focus with McCartney II in 1979, the songs are more experimental, less organic and feature scores of keyboards and synthesizers. As a result, while it’s an altogether pleasant listen, it doesn’t warrant return visits. Like its predecessor, it was made during a time of change and once again, done almost entirely by McCartney alone. However, the eccentric and timbre sounds from McCartney give way to walls of noise and arcade sonics. “Coming Up” was a number-one hit and rightfully so, with its infectious grooves paired with a chorus that will install itself in your head whether you like it or not. It’s still a concert staple to this day and features McCartney delivering his easy-on-the-ear melodies while musically pushing the envelope. “Temporary Secretary” is where things get painful. While one has to admire McCartney for not churning out the same songs on every album, this should have been where a producer pulled him aside and forced him to cut the track from the record. It’s dated and at best, sounds like a Styx outtake. “On the Way” is refreshing with a bluesy lead guitar that isn’t that far removed from what one would hear on a recent Black Keys record. This is an illustration of the massive talent McCartney has, despite being known for monster radio hits, its gems like these that tend to be lost or forgotten. As I’ve previously mentioned, this is one of the great things about well done reissues; it sheds new light on a forgotten album and more importantly the individual songs. McCartney’s vocal comes through the left speaker amidst some bluesy guitar dipped in the Chicago River. “Waterfalls” features McCartney’s voice up front and center echoing under an ever so slight sound of a barely noticeable keyboard. While it may feel unfinished, you can’t help but believe the breaking vocal like of “I need love”. Many may dismiss it as saccharine but it once again showcases his charismatic voice which never appears to grow old. Multiple generations have grown up with it, so there is something madly romantic and nostalgic that emanates from it. “Waterfalls” may not be his most known or even his best song, but you can’t help but fall in love with McCartney all over again upon hearing it. “Nobody Knows” is a boogie stomping glee of a track with an energetic rhythm section. The album’s fourth track is insanely great and it makes me wonder why I’ve never paid attention to it before. It sounds like a lost blues number dusted off of someone’s 78 in an attic full of dust. It’s also a stark contrast to the heavy experimentation of the albums first two tracks. It’s almost as if his good side was creating this while his evil twin was fiddling with the synthesizer on the other half of the record.
Side two kicks off with “Front Parlour” and I’m not sure if McCartney was attempting to get in on the music publishing for Pac-Man, but that is what it feels like. As painful as I find the track to listen to, one must admire McCartney because for many artists they’re all too happy to remain complacent in their artistic endeavors and you can never criticize McCartney for not trying something new. “Summer’s Day Song” had the potential to be performed with a choir or orchestra. Regardless, it feels like a rough home demo and its elegiac with music based around what I believe is a flute and keyboard. Once again, its minimalism brings the lyrics to the forefront as it ventures more towards hymn status than schmaltz. “Frozen Jap” has a lining of elation in the performance even if it falls prey to the technology on the recording. This would be a song he should consider reworking one day with an actual drum kit. “Bogey Music” houses a thumping bass beat but it comes off as more of a castoff with McCartney hamming it up. It feels like a fragmentary thought and if he had attacked it the same way he had “Nobody Knows”, the results may have been significantly improved. “One of These Days” ends the album on a high point once again due to the rich vocals.
I’m not sure if McCartney has any other album in his catalog with such staggering highs and astounding lows as McCartney II. It ranges from in-your-face technology to basic arrangements that would make any classical composer proud. The album was recorded in July of 1979 at his farm in Scotland. It was his first proper solo record since 1971’s Ram, it wasn’t planned to be but after his drug bust in Japan in early 1980, Wings was put to the side and these recordings were rush issued. Whether this album would have come out so close after the bust remains a question. It’s possible these were mere demos which McCartney may have re-recorded at a later date, but still, as muddled and maddening portions of the record can be, it’s can’t easily be dismissed because it still houses a handful of classic cuts and even the other half can be credited to experimentation.
McCartney II is given a deluxe edition with a bonus disc (and an expanded set with a third disc). “Blue Sway” has lush orchestration but the saxophone fills don’t add anything and ultimately, the song goes nowhere. “Coming Up” live from Glasgow in 1979 is included as a bonus track and this is the version that ascended to number-one on the US charts. It would have been nice to possibly pair both albums together with their respective outtakes and b-sides at the end of each album and then the entire Glasgow show as a bonus feature. “Check My Machine” is unrecognizable and there’s nothing on a blind listen that would make you think this is McCartney. The first song recorded for the album, it was more or less a test to see what the possibilities were with his new toys. “Secret Friend” is released in its entire ten-plus minutes. While definitely not essential, it’s an added edition to this special edition even if it’s unlikely to be listened to more than a handful of times (and that is for the most devout McCartney followers). “Mr. H Atom / You Know I’ll Get You Baby” sounds like an outtake from an early 80’s videogame. Decades before auto tune, you can hear how artists used to disguise their voice. “Wonderful Christmastime” an often disregarded song is rather delightful here. Sure it’s dated but I dare you to not sing along with it. The 3:48 edit appears on disc two with the unedited version on the third disc of the deluxe edition. “All You Horse Riders / Blue Sway” completes the second disc with ten minutes of further experimentation. The third disc which is only available in the deluxe package houses “complete versions” of many tracks on the first two discs. While this may seem like a hoax to buy the more expensive set, it isn’t. While these versions warrant being released, it’s unlikely anyone, even the most fervent McCartney fans will revisit these more than a few times. If you’re on the fence I think the two disc edition will cover most people’s needs.
Listening to these two records back-to-back is an absorbing experience. You hear McCartney’s strengths which usually are when his arrangements are at their most spare which is why McCartney still sounds incredibly fresh four decades later. I can’t say McCartney II is in the same league as McCartney but they both are integral to his career and represent turning points in not just his career but life as well. While listening to these two records over the last few weeks it’s staggering to witness the talent of McCartney as not just a songwriter but a performer as well. Even when I have disliked many of the left field stylings on McCartney II there is something to be said for not settling. More importantly, when McCartney worked alone (as he did on these two records) he birthed some music that isn’t just fun or memorable but appears to be extensions of his life at that moment in time. He’s a man rich in musical talent and these two records represent how he is ready at any given point to deliver a song that will knock you out. While I prefer the less-is-more approach of McCartney, McCartney II in its new deluxe edition proves to be a fascinating listen and makes you appreciate it more than you most likely have before. Artists are defined by certain periods and albums and even though one record may be deemed more essential than the other, the top tier execution of both packages are hard to pass up, even if you consider yourself a casual fan. It’s hard to compete with yourself, especially when you were a member of the Beatles, but as McCartney and McCartney II prove, Paul McCartney always had and always will be an artist capable of writing great songs and these two albums serve as a reminder that even if a song wasn’t a radio hit, it may still be a treasure to be discovered.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
Concert Review: Butch Walker - Chicago / October 13, 2011
To contact us Click HERE
Butch Walker
Concert / Album Review
The Double Door-Chicago, IL
October 13, 2011
By Anthony Kuzminski
Most people will tell you life is a game of chance. I believe life is more or less about a series of questions you say “yes” to. Life changing situations from the discovery of art, friends and even meeting your mate come from more than just being in the right place at the right time but by allowing yourself to be open to new experiences. I agreed to see this singer-songwriter at the Abbey Pub back in 2004 after my friend Billie Jo pretty much threatened me if I didn’t. The evening was more than eye opening but transforming as I knew there and then I would follow Butch Walker for the rest of my days. Over the last seven years, he’s toured every year and released five studio albums. His live shows are like a euphoric drug as you don’t just see yourself in his songs but feel it tingle throughout every bone. On his recent Chicago tour stop at the Double Door, Walker once again decimated the sold-out crowd with a set high on octane but as intimate as a camp fire sing-a-long. Up until now his records took on another shape in concert. His latest The Spade (***1/2) is every bit as revitalizing on record as it is in concert. The sweaty jolt of the club can be felt throughout each of the ten songs and on the Double Door stage he served the record perfectly in a show that featured nine of its ten tracks. Last time around, I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart was represented by fewer than five songs. However, with nine songs in a twenty-one song set, it should have bogged the show down, but it didn’t. The Spade is a furious yet operatic look back at his life. In between stories on stage you are drawn closer to the record its textured guitars, dreamy melodies and pleasing rhythm section which perfectly suit the songs in a way that makes them feel like forgotten deep cuts instead of songs barely two months old.
Before he delved into The Spade Butch Walker stepped onto the Double Door stage alone and simply walked up to the microphone where he serenaded the crowd with “Cigarette Lighter Love Song” in an a cappella rendition where the crowd immediately picked up on it before Walker sat behind a piano and brought the song to its climax with ten fingers and a voice that created a windfall of emotion more potent than an orchestra of guitars. The performances of two Sycamore Meadows songs were every bit as affecting; “Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car, Thought of You” and “Here Comes The…” As he pounded the keys and strained his voice, there’s no denying his sincerity, as you believe every lyrics that escapes his mouth. Such an expression of enthusiasm is usually reserved for encores but Walker sets the bar at an astounding height right from the start. “Grant Park”, “Every Monday” and “Race Cars and Goth Rock” were delivered on an acoustic guitar with the crowd singing along to every last word. Their devotion is so severe you are floored Walker isn’t performing on a bigger stage. Conventional wisdom would tell you to hit your audience hard and fast from the get go, but Walker has the ability to find that perfect pacing. Because he was going to be performing nine new songs shortly, he established the intimacy right from the start with a thirty-five minute acoustic set. Even without a band backing him, Walker performs each song like a five piece band and the effect isn’t lost on the audience. Closing out the acoustic set was “Going Back/Going Home” which was once again delivered with the same naked intensity of the first time I heard it back in 2008 (and this time included an all too brief snippet of “Freak of the Week”). This song was a personal triumph for Walker and the first step in the next adventure that has now yielded three superb and first-rate records. When I was interviewing him before Sycamore Meadows had come out, he only gave me bits and pieces about the harrowing previous year he had lived through. He didn’t need to tell me any more than he did and I didn’t go deeper because his eyes and this song told me everything I needed to know.
In a blink of an eye, the stage was full and the solo spotlight gave way to a roadhouse rock fest with “Summer of 89” commencing the festivities. “Summer of 89” is a joyous romp of a song you can’t help but love wholly upon your first listen. The crowd screamed at the top of their lungs, raised their fists to the air and the band marched on in a swagger that at its core was pure ecstasy. “Pretty Melody” showcased the Walker’s capacity to meld Phil Spector and Jeff Lynne into one song. The tempo is distinctively Spector, but the chorus is all Lynne and yet the song feels entirely like any other Butch Walker song a testament to his strength as a songwriter. “She Likes Hair Bands” should be performed in a tongue-in-cheek approach but it’s not, instead of being ironic, it’s idyllic. The song was preceded by Walker talking about Chicago music where he did brief solo snippets of Enuff Z’ Nuff’s “New Thing” from 1989 and Cheap Trick’s “Voices”. “Synthesizers” had Walker leading the crowd with snapping fingers and hand claps that took a detour into “Come on Eileen” before coming back to “Synthesizers”. “Every Single Body Else” with its howling chorus and searing Keith Richards guitars is every bit as significant in concert. The Stones love continues on the Some Girls flavored “Sweethearts”; ditto “The Closest Thing To You I’m Gonna Find” which comes via the spirit of Gram Parsons. I mention these influences not to point out his homage’s but to sow the depth of his musical comprehension. While he may capture the essence of a sound, he infuses his own magic into it. His well of inspiration is boundless as he finds a way to blend, country, rock, pop, blues and r&b into his own intoxicating concoction. The upbeat “Drunk Day”, written for his father, is harrowingly endearing sonically but it cuts through you when you sit back and listen to the lyrics (“Push through the dark like that underground train”) and the slide guitar reminds me of “Sleepwalking” from the 1950’s even though it sounds nothing like it. It breaks hearts in two just by the echo the guitar can make, not even needing lyrics as the song came to a breathtaking finish. Like a master of cinema who grips different styles and genres of filmmaking with ease, Walker is an artist who is always evolving.
Butch Walker has never made the same record twice and this live performance of The Spade was shockingly unbelievable for only being a week into a tour. Recorded live in the studio the same musicians are out on tour and it may be one of the reasons the record comes off so well. The evening’s closer, “Sucker Punch” found Walker in the crowd, on top of the bar and wailing along on his guitar in a magnetizing thirteen-minute version of the song. The song was a full tilt roadhouse rocker with dirty guitars that stretched from Chicago blues halls to the delta to the stadiums the Stones have owned for the last four decades. Walker perfectly emulates the blues bar experience while performing as if he’s in a stadium. He plays every show with the strength and determination of a stadium act yet each show has intimacy rarely seen by anyone else. He’s not condescending, or even off putting in a rock star persona, he’s simply Butch Walker. The Double Door in Chicago was the same high octane celebration that virtually all of his Chicago visits have been over the last seven years, but with a new album in tow to promote and memoirs as well (Drinking with Strangers is released on October 25th), Walker offered a new and fresh perspective into not just the present but the past as well. His last two records were more reflective and embodied the influences he has recently discovered. The Spade is a wonderfully feverish collection of songs with big choruses, bigger guitars and explosive exuberance and the tour in support of it isn’t to be missed. He’s proving to be a triple threat with a book, album and tour, none of which should be missed.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
Concert / Album Review
The Double Door-Chicago, IL
October 13, 2011
By Anthony Kuzminski
Most people will tell you life is a game of chance. I believe life is more or less about a series of questions you say “yes” to. Life changing situations from the discovery of art, friends and even meeting your mate come from more than just being in the right place at the right time but by allowing yourself to be open to new experiences. I agreed to see this singer-songwriter at the Abbey Pub back in 2004 after my friend Billie Jo pretty much threatened me if I didn’t. The evening was more than eye opening but transforming as I knew there and then I would follow Butch Walker for the rest of my days. Over the last seven years, he’s toured every year and released five studio albums. His live shows are like a euphoric drug as you don’t just see yourself in his songs but feel it tingle throughout every bone. On his recent Chicago tour stop at the Double Door, Walker once again decimated the sold-out crowd with a set high on octane but as intimate as a camp fire sing-a-long. Up until now his records took on another shape in concert. His latest The Spade (***1/2) is every bit as revitalizing on record as it is in concert. The sweaty jolt of the club can be felt throughout each of the ten songs and on the Double Door stage he served the record perfectly in a show that featured nine of its ten tracks. Last time around, I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart was represented by fewer than five songs. However, with nine songs in a twenty-one song set, it should have bogged the show down, but it didn’t. The Spade is a furious yet operatic look back at his life. In between stories on stage you are drawn closer to the record its textured guitars, dreamy melodies and pleasing rhythm section which perfectly suit the songs in a way that makes them feel like forgotten deep cuts instead of songs barely two months old.
Before he delved into The Spade Butch Walker stepped onto the Double Door stage alone and simply walked up to the microphone where he serenaded the crowd with “Cigarette Lighter Love Song” in an a cappella rendition where the crowd immediately picked up on it before Walker sat behind a piano and brought the song to its climax with ten fingers and a voice that created a windfall of emotion more potent than an orchestra of guitars. The performances of two Sycamore Meadows songs were every bit as affecting; “Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car, Thought of You” and “Here Comes The…” As he pounded the keys and strained his voice, there’s no denying his sincerity, as you believe every lyrics that escapes his mouth. Such an expression of enthusiasm is usually reserved for encores but Walker sets the bar at an astounding height right from the start. “Grant Park”, “Every Monday” and “Race Cars and Goth Rock” were delivered on an acoustic guitar with the crowd singing along to every last word. Their devotion is so severe you are floored Walker isn’t performing on a bigger stage. Conventional wisdom would tell you to hit your audience hard and fast from the get go, but Walker has the ability to find that perfect pacing. Because he was going to be performing nine new songs shortly, he established the intimacy right from the start with a thirty-five minute acoustic set. Even without a band backing him, Walker performs each song like a five piece band and the effect isn’t lost on the audience. Closing out the acoustic set was “Going Back/Going Home” which was once again delivered with the same naked intensity of the first time I heard it back in 2008 (and this time included an all too brief snippet of “Freak of the Week”). This song was a personal triumph for Walker and the first step in the next adventure that has now yielded three superb and first-rate records. When I was interviewing him before Sycamore Meadows had come out, he only gave me bits and pieces about the harrowing previous year he had lived through. He didn’t need to tell me any more than he did and I didn’t go deeper because his eyes and this song told me everything I needed to know.
In a blink of an eye, the stage was full and the solo spotlight gave way to a roadhouse rock fest with “Summer of 89” commencing the festivities. “Summer of 89” is a joyous romp of a song you can’t help but love wholly upon your first listen. The crowd screamed at the top of their lungs, raised their fists to the air and the band marched on in a swagger that at its core was pure ecstasy. “Pretty Melody” showcased the Walker’s capacity to meld Phil Spector and Jeff Lynne into one song. The tempo is distinctively Spector, but the chorus is all Lynne and yet the song feels entirely like any other Butch Walker song a testament to his strength as a songwriter. “She Likes Hair Bands” should be performed in a tongue-in-cheek approach but it’s not, instead of being ironic, it’s idyllic. The song was preceded by Walker talking about Chicago music where he did brief solo snippets of Enuff Z’ Nuff’s “New Thing” from 1989 and Cheap Trick’s “Voices”. “Synthesizers” had Walker leading the crowd with snapping fingers and hand claps that took a detour into “Come on Eileen” before coming back to “Synthesizers”. “Every Single Body Else” with its howling chorus and searing Keith Richards guitars is every bit as significant in concert. The Stones love continues on the Some Girls flavored “Sweethearts”; ditto “The Closest Thing To You I’m Gonna Find” which comes via the spirit of Gram Parsons. I mention these influences not to point out his homage’s but to sow the depth of his musical comprehension. While he may capture the essence of a sound, he infuses his own magic into it. His well of inspiration is boundless as he finds a way to blend, country, rock, pop, blues and r&b into his own intoxicating concoction. The upbeat “Drunk Day”, written for his father, is harrowingly endearing sonically but it cuts through you when you sit back and listen to the lyrics (“Push through the dark like that underground train”) and the slide guitar reminds me of “Sleepwalking” from the 1950’s even though it sounds nothing like it. It breaks hearts in two just by the echo the guitar can make, not even needing lyrics as the song came to a breathtaking finish. Like a master of cinema who grips different styles and genres of filmmaking with ease, Walker is an artist who is always evolving.
Butch Walker has never made the same record twice and this live performance of The Spade was shockingly unbelievable for only being a week into a tour. Recorded live in the studio the same musicians are out on tour and it may be one of the reasons the record comes off so well. The evening’s closer, “Sucker Punch” found Walker in the crowd, on top of the bar and wailing along on his guitar in a magnetizing thirteen-minute version of the song. The song was a full tilt roadhouse rocker with dirty guitars that stretched from Chicago blues halls to the delta to the stadiums the Stones have owned for the last four decades. Walker perfectly emulates the blues bar experience while performing as if he’s in a stadium. He plays every show with the strength and determination of a stadium act yet each show has intimacy rarely seen by anyone else. He’s not condescending, or even off putting in a rock star persona, he’s simply Butch Walker. The Double Door in Chicago was the same high octane celebration that virtually all of his Chicago visits have been over the last seven years, but with a new album in tow to promote and memoirs as well (Drinking with Strangers is released on October 25th), Walker offered a new and fresh perspective into not just the present but the past as well. His last two records were more reflective and embodied the influences he has recently discovered. The Spade is a wonderfully feverish collection of songs with big choruses, bigger guitars and explosive exuberance and the tour in support of it isn’t to be missed. He’s proving to be a triple threat with a book, album and tour, none of which should be missed.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
Box Set Review: Paul Simon's 'Graceland' [25th Anniversary]
To contact us Click HERE
Paul Simon-‘Graceland’ 25th Anniversary Box Set
Album and Reissue Review
****1/2 [4.5 Stars]
By Anthony Kuzminski
[BUY THE BOX SET HERE]
[Published in conjunction with the antiMUSIC Network]
During 1986 and 1987 the pop music landscape was breathtaking and far more varied than anyone gives it credit for. Many dismiss it for being an era that relished big melodies and crystalline production aesthetics, but what made the latter part of the 1980’s so enlivening was how much divergent and diverse music there was to get lost in. Music was undergoing a colossal change as new genres like thrash metal and rap began to emerge while other established artists infused their sounds lassoing several genres in ways no one had envisioned before, notably U2, Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon, who won the Album of the Year Grammy for Graceland in early 1987. Graceland has largely endured as something more than just one of the first mainstream albums to wholly embrace world music. Simon wasn’t the first to do this, but how he went about doing it is what makes the album and its history so captivating. Up until now, Graceland has always been one of those records that I admired more than loved. It houses a true amalgamation of eclectic music which feels familiar and fresh simultaneously, a rare feat in any art form, but for some reason the album never connected to me as deeply as it possibly should. So why do I find myself suddenly enthralled with the record and its history? The recently released 25th Anniversary 4-disc box set of Graceland has not just re-introduced the record to me, but its accompanying discs present the album in a light never before imagined. This anniversary package is the definitive document on the album with the four discs encompassing its conception, birth and history in one perfect package.
The box set is housed in an oversized package which includes a recreated notepad full of partial lyrics and ideas Simon had for the album. Taking a cue from Bruce Springsteen (who housed his brilliant Darkness on the Edge of Town box set within a spiral recreated notebook), Simon has given us a glimpse into the ideas running rampant in his head as he tried to bring Graceland to life. The notebook is more than a mere souvenir with glorified liner notes, but an actual piece of history. There is also an extensive booklet of pictures with quotes from interviews, bonus interviews and videos on the DVD and a folded oversize poster of the album cover. But the real heft of this set lies in the music and DVD’s. For the purposes of this review, I will break down and review each of the four discs below.
The Remastered Album
Listening to records decades after they were initially released is a tricky proposition. Often, nostalgia directs the experience not allowing us to look past the warm fuzzy feeling it gives us in our heart to see its flaws. That being said, I was floored by the emotions that overtook me when I listened to this new remaster. As I began to listen to the joyful “The Boy in the Bubble”, I was hooked. For a record I haven’t listened to this album front to back in decades and yet I was pulled in. The title track finds middle ground between African rhythms and a Sun Records shuffle. Up to this point, no one had ever been able to intertwine world music with pop music from the Western world. It could be argued no one ever topped what Simon did on Graceland.The bass and chorus of “I Know What I Know” sounds wholly unique but the lyrics come from someone who spent a lifetime around New York while the drums pop through the speakers highlighting the new remastered touches. “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” would have worked with Simon and an acoustic, but the Ladysmith Black Mambazo group take the song into unchartered waters (as seen by the Saturday Night Live performance included on one of the DVD’s). Much credit must be given to the core backing band of Ray Phiri on guitar, Bakithi Kumalo on bass and Isaac Mtshali on drums who form the key band members on half of the album’s tracks. The performances are so freeing and lack any type of ego, that they bring the songs an unadulterated joyfulness to them, something no studio musician probably could have delivered, no matter how talented.
Paul Simon, who received an enormous amount of flack for recording with South African musicians due to the cultural boycott due to South Africa embracing apartheid. This is the focus of the documentary Under African Skies discussed later in this review. It’s a tricky thing to look at Simon as an innocent, because he did intentionally defy the African National Congress. He went to South Africa did more than just record with these musicians- he brought them to London and New York to complete work on that album. If that wasn’t enough he went one step further and launched a tour with all of these musicians in tow. It would be too easy to dismiss Simon because you could make the argument that he brought more attention to these musicians and the music of South Africa than anyone else ever could have. Despite cutting through red tape, more than a quarter of a century later it’s hard to imagine Graceland being the same record without these musicians. Graceland has never sounded better than it does on this new remaster. It appears to have been touched up for the 21st Century without blemishing it and sacrificing the bottom end for increased volume on the MP3. This is a rare album worth the upgrade based on the album alone, but as you’re about to see, there is much more worth seeking out.
The Bonus CD
The two audio CD’s are not full of an immense amount of bounty like some reissues of late, however, while alternate mixes and even a live album or acoustic versions would have been nice (Amazon.com has an exclusive five-track live CD from Spain included with the box), what is included I so spot on and perfect, you can’t help but think anything else would have been superfluous. The bonus disc has demos for “Homeless”, “Crazy Love” and “You Can Call Me Al”, an alternate take of “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” and an early version of “All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints”. While the second disc may appear to be slim, it’s startling to hear. “Homeless” is a bare demo with his vocals and an acoustic guitar and is a stark contrast to the final product that wound up on Graceland. An extensive sequence in the documentary featuring the demo can be seen as they show the evolution of the song. While appearing as a bonus cut on an earlier reissue, it has added weight here due to the documentary. The early version of “All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints” has an accordion, heavy rhythm guitar and what sounds like what may be a drum machine. There is an instrumental demo of “You Can Call Me Al” and “Crazy Love” which are both missing the breezy punch that group gave the back of the track. This is an important lesson to take from this collection and this review. Sometimes, it is worth you time and energy to craft a song and push it along as far as you can. There is something to be said about not simply releasing your first draft. The final track is “The Story of ‘Graceland” which finds Simon narrating anecdote and stories about the making of the album, which stands alone from the documentary.
Graceland: The African Concert
This concert film was a main stay on the VHS Music Video Charts in the late 1980’s when music home video releases were reserved only for acts whose record sales were in the millions. Amazingly, the concert is receiving its first release on DVD. It’s a wonderful representation of this album in a live environment and is notable for taking place in Zimbabwe which was a homecoming of sorts for musicians Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba who left South Africa and had not returned until this tour. The concert doesn’t contain the encores of Simon and Garfunkel songs but is otherwise a complete record of what the tour was like back then. I’m not sure as to what level of mastering was done in bringing the film to DVD. While it looks good, much of the footage looks dated, however, it’s watchable and while there are no bonus features, it’s integral to the overall story of Graceland as Simon showed the world he could do more than create a record merging the music of clashing cultures, but he took it on the road and invigorated the world further in an audience that appears to have no cultural barriers.
Under African Skies Film Review
The most integral part of this reissue and box set is the new documentary, Under African Skies which was directed by Oscar nominee Joe Berlinger whose credits include the Paradise Lost trilogy and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. The film completes the circle of the box set and the album. It’s a revealing and riveting look at more than just the Paul Simon and his music but the trouble he encountered by breaking a cultural boycott by going to record with musicians in South Africa. More than twenty-five years later, this may seem to be a minute detail, but the apartheid regime of South Africa was a very big deal in 1986. The repercussions as a result of going there, recording with the musicians and then touring with them led to bomb threats and repeated controversies throughout the tour. To the credit of the film, it does not shy away from any of this. It faces it head on and it’s why this is more than your standard documentary. The film shows vintage footage of Simon recording the album and it’s paired with new interviews and rehearsal footage of where he reunited with the Graceland band last year. The current day rehearsals and performances while nice to see, don’t service the film as strongly as the archive footage paired with new interviews, which trace his creation of the songs that appear on Graceland. One element of the documentary I found fascinating was how Simon recorded the basic tracks with the musicians in South Africa without having any lyrics. I’ve always been in awe of anyone who writes music first and saves the lyrics for later because this increases the workload and makes the job ten times harder. He spoke about how “Graceland” was just a word he put in place until he could change it, until he realized it wasn’t going away and how the music took him on a journey he could not have foreseen. One never imagines how much time, energy and hard work goes into creating music. More importantly, it shows how determined Simon was to create something truly lasting.
One of the aspects of this box set that is so downright staggering is how it encompasses the entire journey of Graceland. The demo disc captures the songs at their birth, the album is in many ways a toddler, on the live concert DVD we are able to watch these songs find their footing and expand to limits and boundaries beyond the record and finally on the gripping documentary Under African Skies it covers the thirty year history of not just the songs, but Paul Simon’s journey, struggle and redemption. Watching to the documentary and the bonus cut of “The Story of ‘Graceland’ (Told by Paul Simon) makes you appreciate the album in ways not imaginable. This is a tall order for a top-five record who won the Grammy for Album of the Year. To me, Graceland isn’t so much an album where Paul Simon took a detour, but a collection of songs representing the possibilities of pop music. There are new and inventive ways to tell a story and sometimes a voice and acoustic guitar will suffice, but sometimes you have to spice up the recipe to capture not just acclaim, but a wider audience as well. With Graceland Paul Simon reminded himself (and us) that great art is created from stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking a chance.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at tonyk AT antiMUSIC DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
Paul Simon-‘Graceland’ 25th Anniversary Box Set Album and Reissue Review
****1/2 [4.5 Stars]
By Anthony Kuzminski
[BUY THE BOX SET HERE]
[Published in conjunction with the antiMUSIC Network]
During 1986 and 1987 the pop music landscape was breathtaking and far more varied than anyone gives it credit for. Many dismiss it for being an era that relished big melodies and crystalline production aesthetics, but what made the latter part of the 1980’s so enlivening was how much divergent and diverse music there was to get lost in. Music was undergoing a colossal change as new genres like thrash metal and rap began to emerge while other established artists infused their sounds lassoing several genres in ways no one had envisioned before, notably U2, Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon, who won the Album of the Year Grammy for Graceland in early 1987. Graceland has largely endured as something more than just one of the first mainstream albums to wholly embrace world music. Simon wasn’t the first to do this, but how he went about doing it is what makes the album and its history so captivating. Up until now, Graceland has always been one of those records that I admired more than loved. It houses a true amalgamation of eclectic music which feels familiar and fresh simultaneously, a rare feat in any art form, but for some reason the album never connected to me as deeply as it possibly should. So why do I find myself suddenly enthralled with the record and its history? The recently released 25th Anniversary 4-disc box set of Graceland has not just re-introduced the record to me, but its accompanying discs present the album in a light never before imagined. This anniversary package is the definitive document on the album with the four discs encompassing its conception, birth and history in one perfect package.
The box set is housed in an oversized package which includes a recreated notepad full of partial lyrics and ideas Simon had for the album. Taking a cue from Bruce Springsteen (who housed his brilliant Darkness on the Edge of Town box set within a spiral recreated notebook), Simon has given us a glimpse into the ideas running rampant in his head as he tried to bring Graceland to life. The notebook is more than a mere souvenir with glorified liner notes, but an actual piece of history. There is also an extensive booklet of pictures with quotes from interviews, bonus interviews and videos on the DVD and a folded oversize poster of the album cover. But the real heft of this set lies in the music and DVD’s. For the purposes of this review, I will break down and review each of the four discs below.
The Remastered Album
Listening to records decades after they were initially released is a tricky proposition. Often, nostalgia directs the experience not allowing us to look past the warm fuzzy feeling it gives us in our heart to see its flaws. That being said, I was floored by the emotions that overtook me when I listened to this new remaster. As I began to listen to the joyful “The Boy in the Bubble”, I was hooked. For a record I haven’t listened to this album front to back in decades and yet I was pulled in. The title track finds middle ground between African rhythms and a Sun Records shuffle. Up to this point, no one had ever been able to intertwine world music with pop music from the Western world. It could be argued no one ever topped what Simon did on Graceland.The bass and chorus of “I Know What I Know” sounds wholly unique but the lyrics come from someone who spent a lifetime around New York while the drums pop through the speakers highlighting the new remastered touches. “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” would have worked with Simon and an acoustic, but the Ladysmith Black Mambazo group take the song into unchartered waters (as seen by the Saturday Night Live performance included on one of the DVD’s). Much credit must be given to the core backing band of Ray Phiri on guitar, Bakithi Kumalo on bass and Isaac Mtshali on drums who form the key band members on half of the album’s tracks. The performances are so freeing and lack any type of ego, that they bring the songs an unadulterated joyfulness to them, something no studio musician probably could have delivered, no matter how talented.
Paul Simon, who received an enormous amount of flack for recording with South African musicians due to the cultural boycott due to South Africa embracing apartheid. This is the focus of the documentary Under African Skies discussed later in this review. It’s a tricky thing to look at Simon as an innocent, because he did intentionally defy the African National Congress. He went to South Africa did more than just record with these musicians- he brought them to London and New York to complete work on that album. If that wasn’t enough he went one step further and launched a tour with all of these musicians in tow. It would be too easy to dismiss Simon because you could make the argument that he brought more attention to these musicians and the music of South Africa than anyone else ever could have. Despite cutting through red tape, more than a quarter of a century later it’s hard to imagine Graceland being the same record without these musicians. Graceland has never sounded better than it does on this new remaster. It appears to have been touched up for the 21st Century without blemishing it and sacrificing the bottom end for increased volume on the MP3. This is a rare album worth the upgrade based on the album alone, but as you’re about to see, there is much more worth seeking out.
The Bonus CD
The two audio CD’s are not full of an immense amount of bounty like some reissues of late, however, while alternate mixes and even a live album or acoustic versions would have been nice (Amazon.com has an exclusive five-track live CD from Spain included with the box), what is included I so spot on and perfect, you can’t help but think anything else would have been superfluous. The bonus disc has demos for “Homeless”, “Crazy Love” and “You Can Call Me Al”, an alternate take of “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” and an early version of “All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints”. While the second disc may appear to be slim, it’s startling to hear. “Homeless” is a bare demo with his vocals and an acoustic guitar and is a stark contrast to the final product that wound up on Graceland. An extensive sequence in the documentary featuring the demo can be seen as they show the evolution of the song. While appearing as a bonus cut on an earlier reissue, it has added weight here due to the documentary. The early version of “All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints” has an accordion, heavy rhythm guitar and what sounds like what may be a drum machine. There is an instrumental demo of “You Can Call Me Al” and “Crazy Love” which are both missing the breezy punch that group gave the back of the track. This is an important lesson to take from this collection and this review. Sometimes, it is worth you time and energy to craft a song and push it along as far as you can. There is something to be said about not simply releasing your first draft. The final track is “The Story of ‘Graceland” which finds Simon narrating anecdote and stories about the making of the album, which stands alone from the documentary.
Graceland: The African Concert
This concert film was a main stay on the VHS Music Video Charts in the late 1980’s when music home video releases were reserved only for acts whose record sales were in the millions. Amazingly, the concert is receiving its first release on DVD. It’s a wonderful representation of this album in a live environment and is notable for taking place in Zimbabwe which was a homecoming of sorts for musicians Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba who left South Africa and had not returned until this tour. The concert doesn’t contain the encores of Simon and Garfunkel songs but is otherwise a complete record of what the tour was like back then. I’m not sure as to what level of mastering was done in bringing the film to DVD. While it looks good, much of the footage looks dated, however, it’s watchable and while there are no bonus features, it’s integral to the overall story of Graceland as Simon showed the world he could do more than create a record merging the music of clashing cultures, but he took it on the road and invigorated the world further in an audience that appears to have no cultural barriers.
Under African Skies Film Review
The most integral part of this reissue and box set is the new documentary, Under African Skies which was directed by Oscar nominee Joe Berlinger whose credits include the Paradise Lost trilogy and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. The film completes the circle of the box set and the album. It’s a revealing and riveting look at more than just the Paul Simon and his music but the trouble he encountered by breaking a cultural boycott by going to record with musicians in South Africa. More than twenty-five years later, this may seem to be a minute detail, but the apartheid regime of South Africa was a very big deal in 1986. The repercussions as a result of going there, recording with the musicians and then touring with them led to bomb threats and repeated controversies throughout the tour. To the credit of the film, it does not shy away from any of this. It faces it head on and it’s why this is more than your standard documentary. The film shows vintage footage of Simon recording the album and it’s paired with new interviews and rehearsal footage of where he reunited with the Graceland band last year. The current day rehearsals and performances while nice to see, don’t service the film as strongly as the archive footage paired with new interviews, which trace his creation of the songs that appear on Graceland. One element of the documentary I found fascinating was how Simon recorded the basic tracks with the musicians in South Africa without having any lyrics. I’ve always been in awe of anyone who writes music first and saves the lyrics for later because this increases the workload and makes the job ten times harder. He spoke about how “Graceland” was just a word he put in place until he could change it, until he realized it wasn’t going away and how the music took him on a journey he could not have foreseen. One never imagines how much time, energy and hard work goes into creating music. More importantly, it shows how determined Simon was to create something truly lasting.
One of the aspects of this box set that is so downright staggering is how it encompasses the entire journey of Graceland. The demo disc captures the songs at their birth, the album is in many ways a toddler, on the live concert DVD we are able to watch these songs find their footing and expand to limits and boundaries beyond the record and finally on the gripping documentary Under African Skies it covers the thirty year history of not just the songs, but Paul Simon’s journey, struggle and redemption. Watching to the documentary and the bonus cut of “The Story of ‘Graceland’ (Told by Paul Simon) makes you appreciate the album in ways not imaginable. This is a tall order for a top-five record who won the Grammy for Album of the Year. To me, Graceland isn’t so much an album where Paul Simon took a detour, but a collection of songs representing the possibilities of pop music. There are new and inventive ways to tell a story and sometimes a voice and acoustic guitar will suffice, but sometimes you have to spice up the recipe to capture not just acclaim, but a wider audience as well. With Graceland Paul Simon reminded himself (and us) that great art is created from stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking a chance.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at tonyk AT antiMUSIC DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
29 Eylül 2012 Cumartesi
Bingley Music Live (Day Three)
To contact us Click HERE
And thus we come to the final day of the music festival. The trains were different times, as expected, but this did mean I missed several of the opening acts, but the weather was beautiful (at least in Bingley, Bradford not so much), the grounds re-strawed and the drinks flowing freely.
It was a much quieter atmosphere for the most of Sunday morning with the earlier acts not getting as big a crowd as on Saturday, which was a shame for some of them who were corking. I imagine there were many hangovers being nursed that lunchtime.
Before I move onto my words about each of the acts I want to elaborate on what I said in my previous post. After being highly critical of the previous day’s performance artists for interrupting one of the acts inappropriately, today’s were much better, a pair of grannies, or should I say people dressed as grannies, riding motorised shopping trollies playing out modern dance music and pretending to grind on spectators, whilst also doing some synchronised dancing. It sounds weird written down and, trust me, it was weird watching it but it worked and they were the best artists of the three days, from both set-up to concept and though it is weird the idea of people getting paid for doing this, the crowd loved them. They’re called ‘Granny Turismo’ and can be found at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Granny-Turismo/293834726359. Very funny and even worth missing most of one act to watch.
Main Stage
Marsicans + L Marshall
Sorry, I missed you both!
Citizens!
Citizens! delivered some catchy, indie tracks with some nice strong bass and synth effects. Their tracks sounded great even if the keyboard riffs were a little repetitive at times but kept the crowd up to and including their final hit ‘Trademarked Long Song’. (5.5/10)
Clement Marfo and the Frontline
This was the first act of the day that I really wanted to see having enjoyed their previous singles. They gave a very energetic performance and it was a shame not that many people were up at the front to see them. They had the songs that got everyone going, from their three singles to other tracks and the lead singer certainly got the crowd going with his enthusiasm and love for the music. He got down into the crowd on final song ‘Mayhem’ which was really cool even if it gave security a few nerves, and their sound was clear and the mix on top form for this act. Even with the smaller numbers involved there was still a mosh pit. It was certainly one of the most well-rounded performances of the night and the only time they really slipped up in their set packed with singable, bounce-able hits was when he referred to the festival as Bangley. (8/10)
Katzenjammer
I didn’t see them on the main stage, but caught them on the other later – see below.
Hard-Fi
Another act that I really wanted to see, Hard-Fi perhaps didn’t quite match up to the energy of similar band ‘The Pigeon Detectives’ and their mix was much more muffled compared to the clear one that Clement Marfo had, but the lead singer with his look of Hugo Weaving from the Matrix delivered a cracking set including hit ‘Cash Machine’, cleverly mixed in with some Aloe Blacc “I Need A Dollar” and Simply Red “Money’s Too Tight (Too Mention)” instead of the ‘hole in my pocket’ bit, and the energetic ‘Suburban Knights’, which was preceded by a spot-on acoustic cover of Pet Shop Boy’s ‘Suburbia’. Though the set was peppered with tracks I wasn’t familiar with – including first album title track ‘Stars of CCTV’ – they were all delivered with great gusto so it didn’t matter, but big hits like ‘Hard To Beat’ and set closer ‘Living For The Weekend’ delivered the goods. The crowd weren’t perhaps as into this act as others, but it was a good set from the London lads and the only group to whip out a mouth-powered keyboard. No ‘I Shall Overcome’ though. (7/10)
Maverick Sabre
Another artist I’ve enjoyed the singles of, ‘Maverick Sabre’ perhaps wasn’t the live act I was expecting. Very soulful and talented with his backing singer Chantelle, he didn’t really grab me until he kicked up the pace with his singles ‘No One’ and ‘I Used To Have It All’. The crowd, though, loved it, but I felt the first half of his set was a little bit samey for my liking. But after about half way through he seemed to gain his footing and got the crowd involved and some speedier versions of his songs came across well. (6/10)
White Lies
Another band I wanted to see, ‘White Lies’ started off on a potentially bad foot by starting with two of their most famous songs, ‘Farewell to the Fairground’ and ‘To Lose My Life’ which were delivered brilliantly, the latter weirdly, but effectively, slowed down in the chorus. Like ‘James’ before them, starting off with the only songs you know is a dangerous move but they pulled it off to a degree and, though the band with their songs about death could never be called uptempo, they kept the crowd and though they weren’t as good as I’d hoped, other big single ‘Death’ was excellent though, it was still an enjoyable set and well brought to the festival crowd and the band was tight, and sounded great. (6.5/10)
Nero
Onto the final headliner and, though I dabble in this sort of music, this was a little bit too clubby for my liking. With a set almost rivalling that of last year’s ‘Chase and Status’, with a huge DJ booth and projected images on the screen as before, and some live singing from a singer, it didn’t grab me as much as C&S and quickly got quite repetitive. A lot of the crowd began dissipating at this stage just leaving the younger end in the mosh pit. For fans of the genre it was great but as an end to the festival it was a bit of a let-down to my tastes, but it was another box ticked for a festival that has to please a lot of musical tastes. (5/10)
Raise the Roof Stage
Nico Cara
Didn’t see – sorry!
Me and My Friends
Sounding like the soundtrack to Nandos, this was some well put together music with some neat strong clarinet, drums and base. Definitely the soundtrack to the sun and a great set to hear arriving at the festival. (6/10)
Coco and the Butterfields
Didn’t play.
Juan Zelada
The first act on the stage that I wanted to see and he didn’t disappoint with some great summery tunes including the electrifying ‘Breakfast In Spitalfields’. Very Paul Simon in his delivery, the summery tunes were well delivered by the live band, including ‘What Do I Know’ and ‘The Blues Remain’ which sounded as good as the live version but with much more energy from the trumpet, guitar, drums and two keyboards. Zelada also threw in a nifty cover of Muse’s ‘Hysteria’ as the penultimate track which was a cracking interpretation. (7.5/10)
Ellen and the Escapades
Sorry, missed them!
Yes Sir Boss
Sorry, missed them!
Katzenjammer
A very catchy East European group with an eccentric stage presence and some catchy on-stage tunes. An acquired taste though and not sure why they got two bites of the cherry, but fun enough summer tunes. (6/10)
The Idiot Bastard Band
A band including Ade Edmondson, Roland Rivron and Phill Jupitus was always going to be special and though they didn’t match the energy of Saturday night’s headliners their mix of comical songs – including an Ian Jury and a John Hegley number – were well received but they never really went beyond calm, casual delivery so didn’t really set the crowd alight. Some great material, delivered with a smile, with some genuinely funny lyrics but not the energetic headliner it could have been. (6.5/10)
Musicians Centre Stage
Den Miller + Lunar Coup
Sorry, missed you both!
Joseph Tilston
Tilston brought some enjoyable, laid-back music to the stage with some neat added violin. I only got to hear a smattering of his set but enjoyed what I heard. (6/10)
Tom Savage and the Hash Mafia
The Hash Mafia delivered some smooth guitar-based indie tracks with some attitude. Clear, well put together tracks, they also threw in a great cover of ‘I Wanna Be Like You’ from Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book’ which really captured the sunshine. (6.5/10)
It was also at this point I noticed that someone had painted a pentagram on the kid’s den building thing, to which someone had added a peace sign on top. I don’t know whether that was more amusing of the singing of ‘Killing In The Name Of’ next to it the previous day. Or the man with two ciders who got chased by a clearly thirsty wasp all the way from the stage down the hill and back again. I’m not sure.
Foxes Faux
‘Foxes Faux’ were a great, uptempo band specialising in barn-dance type music. There were a few people up to dance but more should have been to their fast-paced, catchy, great sounds. (6.5/10)
The Simon Pollard Band
Delivering some fiddle-based tunes, I only caught the end of the set but what I heard was great from a clearly party-based band. (6/10)
Eskimo Fandango
Again I didn’t get to hear a lot of them but their rock tunes were good to hear but I didn’t get a big enough taste for them to stand out. (5/10)
The Coopers
Sorry, missed you!
In Summary
Overall Sunday night was a great range of artists. I didn’t get to see as many acts on this day as I would have liked, mainly down to tiredness and wanting to be in one place for a bit, but also as there were several artists I wanted to hear all the sets of. The headliners weren’t as good as the previous nights but the acts lower down the rank were great.
Overall
Well that brings my mammoth three-part review to an end for another year. Though I don’t think the headliners were as strong as in previous years – it is all down to taste though, of course – and I feel some of the lower down artists could have been higher up.
The expansion to three stages was, overall, a great idea and though it did mean I missed a few bands that I would have liked to have heard more of, it did allow me to see a wider range of artists and the ‘Raise The Roof’ stage in particular was a joy.
Any qualms, though, can be set aside the bargain £45 price for 61 bands which, including a chance for smaller bands to get a crowd, was great. Throwing in a fantastic kids area, a wider selection of non-burger-based-food and some great weather, and it’s difficult not to have enjoyed the three day festival. Did making Friday paid-for and expanding to three stages pay off for the festival? Yes, it did. Another great year and line-up and roll on 2013!
(I saw at least some of 47 acts, missing 13, 1 didn’t play)
Highlights
Main Stage: Driving Lolita, Stooshe, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Space, The Pigeon Detectives, Clement Marfo and the Frontline, Hard-Fi, White Lies
Raise The Roof Stage: Sadie and the Hotheads, Skinny Lister, Miles and Erica, The Milk, Lilygreen and Maguire, The Lancashire Hotpots, Juan Zelada
Musicians Centre Stage: Ballyhoo Eventide, Control Is Dead, Dan Audio, Tom Savage and the Hash Mafia, Foxes Faux
Upcoming Single Releases (Updated 8th September 2012)
To contact us Click HERE
What's being released over the next few weeks?
16th September
Delilah – Shades of Grey
Emilia Mitiku - So Wonderful
Example – Say Nothing
Katie Melua- The Walls Of The World
Kimbra - 2 Way Street
The Maccabees – Ayla
No Doubt - Settle Down
Otto Knows – Million Voices
Pitbull ft Shakira - Get It Started
The View - The Clock
Unconfirmed
Josh Osho ft Childish Gambino - Giants
Tinchy Stryder - Help Me
23rd September
Alyssa Reid ft Snoop Dogg- The Game
Deacon Blue - The Hipsters
DJ Fresh – The Feeling
Michael Kiwanuka- Bones
Nik Kershaw- You're The Best
Professor Green- Avalon
Unconfirmed
Joss Stone- Pillow Talk
King Charles - Bam Bam
Lisa Marie Presley - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Madeon – City
1st October
Alt-J – Something Good
Anna Sun – Walk The Moon
Mika – Celebrate
One Direction- Live While We're Young
The Other Tribe – Skirts
Unconfirmed
Drake ft Rick Ross - Lord Knows
Ellie Goulding - Explosions
Keane - Disconnected
Muse – Madness
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Never Is A Long Time / Love Of Your Life
8th October
Jeff Lynne - At Last
Unconfirmed
Gossip- Get A Job
Havana Brown ft Pitbull- We Run The Night
Leona Lewis ft Childish Gambino- Trouble
Linkin' Park- Lost In The Echo
15th October
Unconfirmed
Conor Maynard- Turn Around
Marina & The Diamonds- How To Be A Heartbreaker
22nd October
Unconfirmed
Devlin ft Diane Birch- Rewind
Tyga ft Chris Brown- For The Fame
29th October
Unconfirmed
Justin Bieber ft Nicki Minaj- Beauty And A Beat
Red Hot Chili Peppers- The Sunset Sleeps Tonight
Upcoming Singles With Unknown Release Dates
Amy Macdonald – Pride
The Beach Boys - Isn't It Time
Beth Hart - Baddest Blues
D Banji- Scape Goat
David Guetta – She Wolf
Dear Prudence – Coming Apart Again
DJ Shadow ft Terry Reid- Listen
Drake – Crew Love
Ellie Goulding – Anything Could Happen
Elton John ft Pnau - Foreign Fields
Eric Prydz- We Can Mirage
Flo Rida – I Cry
Frank Ocean – Pyramids
FUN. - Some Nights
The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten
Gavin DeGraw – Soldier
Gotye - I Feel Better
Gym Class Heroes – The Fighter
Jack Savoretti - Breaking The Rules
Jack White – I’m Shakin’
JD McPherson - Your Love
Jessie Ware - Night Light
Justin Bieber ft Big Sean- As Long As You Love Me
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – Butterfly
King Charles ft Mumford & Sons- The Brightest Light
Koan Sound - 80s Fitness
Lil' Wayne ft Rick Ross- Take It To The Head
Lostprophets - Jesus Walks
Maverick Sabre - Your Smile
Michel Telo- Ai Si Eu Te Pego
Newton Faulkner - Brick By Brick
Nicki Minaj – Pound the Alarm
Ren Harvieu - Do Right By Me
Swedish House Mafia- Don't You Worry Child
Tom Jones- Home
Train - 50 Ways To Say Goodbye
Wiz Khalifa - Work Hard, Play Hard
Young Guns – Towers
Upcoming Singles (Updated 16th September 2012)
To contact us Click HERE
What's confirmed for release over the next few weeks?
23rd September
Alyssa Reid ft Snoop Dogg- The Game
Deacon Blue - The Hipsters
DJ Fresh – The Feeling
Michael Kiwanuka- Bones
Nik Kershaw- You're The Best
No Doubt - Settle Down
Professor Green- Avalon
Tinchy Stryder - Help Me
Unconfirmed
Joss Stone- Pillow Talk
King Charles - Bam Bam
Lisa Marie Presley - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Madeon – City
30th September
Alt-J – Something Good
Anna Sun – Walk The Moon
Ellie Goulding – Anything Could Happen
Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
Mika – Celebrate
One Direction- Live While We're Young
The Other Tribe – Skirts
Richard Hawley – Seek It
Unconfirmed
Drake ft Rick Ross - Lord Knows
Ellie Goulding - Explosions
Keane – Disconnected
Muse – Madness
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Never Is A Long Time / Love Of Your Life
7th October
Jeff Lynne - At Last
Unconfirmed
Conor Maynard feat. Ne-Yo – Turn Around
Gossip- Get A Job
Havana Brown ft Pitbull- We Run The Night
Leona Lewis ft Childish Gambino- Trouble
Linkin Park- Lost In The Echo
14th OctoberUnconfirmed
Conor Maynard- Turn Around
Marina & The Diamonds- How To Be A Heartbreaker
21st OctoberUnconfirmed
Devlin ft Diane Birch- Rewind
Tyga ft Chris Brown- For The Fame
28th OctoberUnconfirmed
Justin Bieber ft Nicki Minaj- Beauty And A Beat
Red Hot Chili Peppers- The Sunset Sleeps Tonight
Upcoming Singles With Unknown Release Dates
Amy Macdonald – Pride
Andy Burrows - Because I Know That I Can
The Beach Boys - Isn't It Time
Beth Hart - Baddest Blues
Calvin Harris – Sweet Nothing
D Banji- Scape Goat
David Guetta – She Wolf
Dear Prudence – Coming Apart Again
DJ Shadow ft Terry Reid- Listen
Drake – Crew Love
Elton John ft Pnau - Foreign Fields
Eric Prydz- We Can Mirage
Flo Rida – I Cry
Frank Ocean – Pyramids
FUN. - Some Nights
The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten
Gavin DeGraw – Soldier
Gotye - I Feel Better
Gym Class Heroes – The Fighter
Jack Savoretti - Breaking The Rules
Jack White – I’m Shakin’
JD McPherson - Your Love
Jessie Ware - Night Light
Justin Bieber ft Big Sean- As Long As You Love Me
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – Butterfly
King Charles ft Mumford & Sons- The Brightest Light
Koan Sound - 80s Fitness
Lil' Wayne ft Rick Ross- Take It To The Head
Lostprophets - Jesus Walks
Maverick Sabre - Your Smile
Michel Telo- Ai Si Eu Te Pego
Newton Faulkner - Brick By Brick
Nickelback - Trying Not To Love You
Nicki Minaj – Pound the Alarm
Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom
The Overtones – Loving The Sound
Ren Harvieu - Do Right By Me
Swedish House Mafia- Don't You Worry Child
Tom Jones- Home
Train - 50 Ways To Say Goodbye
Wiz Khalifa - Work Hard, Play Hard
Young Guns – Towers
Upcoming Single Releases (Updated 23rd September)
To contact us Click HERE
See below for the most uptodate release dates for UK singles!
30th September
Alt-J – Something Good
Anna Sun – Walk The Moon
Beth Hart - Baddest Blues
Ellie Goulding – Anything Could Happen
Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
Mika – Celebrate
One Direction- Live While We're Young
The Other Tribe – Skirts
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Never Is A Long Time / Love Of Your Life
Richard Hawley – Seek It
Taylor Swift- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Unconfirmed
David Guetta ft Sia- She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)
Drake ft Rick Ross - Lord Knows
Ellie Goulding – Explosions
Flo Rida- I Cry
Keane – Disconnected
Madeon- EP
Muse – Madness
Tinchy Stryder- Help Me
7th October
Jeff Lynne - At Last
Swedish House Mafia ft John Martin- Don't You Worry Child
Unconfirmed
Aerosmith- Tbc
Conor Maynard feat. Ne-Yo – Turn Around
Gossip- Get A Job
Havana Brown ft Pitbull- We Run The Night
Josh Osho ft Childish Gambino- Giants
King Charles- Bam Bam
Leona Lewis ft Childish Gambino- Trouble
Linkin Park- Lost In The Echo
Lisa Marie Presley- You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Nas/Amy Winehouse- Cherry Wine
Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom
14th October
AlunaGeorge – Your Drums, Your Love
Everything Everything – Cough Cough
Unconfirmed
Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch – Sweet Nothing
Charlotte Church- One EP
Conor Maynard- Turn Around
Lawson – Standing In The Dark
Marina & The Diamonds- How To Be A Heartbreaker
Michel Telo- Ai Si Eu Te Pego
Pet Shop Boys- Leaving
21st October
Naughty Boy feat. Emile Sande – Wonder
Unconfirmed
Amy Macdonald- 4th Of July
Devlin ft Diane Birch- Rewind
Jessie Ware- Night Light
JLS – Hottest Girl In The World
Tyga ft Chris Brown- For The Fame
You & Me At Six- Reckless
28th October
Unconfirmed
Justin Bieber ft Nicki Minaj- Beauty And A Beat
Red Hot Chili Peppers- The Sunset Sleeps Tonight
Robbie Williams - Candy
4th November
Unconfirmed
Christina Aguilera – Your Body
Elton John V Pnau- Phoenix
Sub Focus ft Alpines- Tidal Wave
Usher- TBC
The Wanted – I Found You
11th November
Unconfirmed
Green Day - Dos!
Upcoming Singles With Unknown Release Dates
Amy Macdonald – Pride
Angel Haze – New York
Azealia Banks – Esta Noche
The Beach Boys - Isn't It Time
D Banji- Scape Goat
Dear Prudence – Coming Apart Again
Dionne Warwick – Is There Anybody Out There
DJ Shadow ft Terry Reid- Listen
Dog Is Dead – Talk Through The Night
Drake – Crew Love
Elton John ft Pnau - Foreign Fields
Eric Prydz- We Can Mirage
Flo Rida – I CryF
rank Ocean – Pyramids
FUN. - Some Nights
Gavin DeGraw – Soldier
Gotye - I Feel Better
Gym Class Heroes – The Fighter
Jack Savoretti - Breaking The Rules
Jack White – I’m Shakin’
JD McPherson - Your Love
Justin Bieber ft Big Sean- As Long As You Love Me
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – Butterfly
King Charles ft Mumford & Sons- The Brightest Light
Koan Sound - 80s Fitness
Kylie Minogue- Flower (Abbey Road Session)
Lemar – The First Time
Lil' Wayne ft Rick Ross- Take It To The Head
Lostprophets - Jesus Walks
Maverick Sabre - Your Smile
Michel Telo- Ai Si Eu Te Pego
The Neighbourhood – Female Robbery
Newton Faulkner - Brick By Brick
Nickelback - Trying Not To Love You
The Overtones – Loving The Sound
Rebecca Ferguson - Backtrack
Ren Harvieu - Do Right By Me
Tom Jones- Home
Train - 50 Ways To Say Goodbye
Wiz Khalifa - Work Hard, Play Hard
Young Guns – Towers
Upcoming Single Releases (Updated 29th September 2012)
To contact us Click HERE
This week's single releases are:
Alt-J – Something Good
Anna Sun – Walk The Moon
Beth Hart - Baddest Blues
Ellie Goulding – Anything Could Happen
Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
Kylie Minogue- Flower (Abbey Road Session)
Mika – Celebrate
One Direction- Live While We're Young
The Other Tribe – Skirts
The Overtones – Loving The Sound
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Never Is A Long Time / Love Of Your Life
Richard Hawley – Seek It
Rihanna - Diamonds
See below for the most comprehensive list of upcoming singles I can put together!
7th October
Conor Maynard feat. Ne-Yo – Turn Around
Dog Is Dead – Talk Through The Night
Keane- DisconnectedLeona Lewis ft Childish Gambino – Trouble
Linkin Park - Lost In The Echo
Swedish House Mafia ft John Martin - Don't You Worry Child
Unconfirmed
Aerosmith - TBC
Gossip - Get A Job
Havana Brown ft Pitbull- We Run The Night
Jeff Lynne - At Last
Josh Osho ft Childish Gambino – Giants
King Charles - Bam Bam
Lisa Marie Presley- You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Nas/Amy Winehouse- Cherry Wine
Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom
14th October
AlunaGeorge – Your Drums, Your Love
Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch – Sweet Nothing
Everything Everything – Cough Cough
Pet Shop Boys- Leaving
Rebecca Ferguson - Backtrack
Unconfirmed
Charlotte Church - One EP
Lawson – Standing In The Dark
Marina & The Diamonds- How To Be A Heartbreaker
Michel Telo- Ai Si Eu Te Pego
21st October
Bastille - Flaws
Naughty Boy feat. Emile Sande – Wonder
Unconfirmed
Amy Macdonald- 4th Of July
Devlin ft Diane Birch- Rewind
Jessie Ware- Night Light
JLS – Hottest Girl In The World
Tyga ft Chris Brown- For The Fame
You & Me At Six- Reckless
28th OctoberUnconfirmed
Justin Bieber ft Nicki Minaj- Beauty And A Beat
Red Hot Chili Peppers- The Sunset Sleeps Tonight
Robbie Williams - Candy
4th November
Unconfirmed
Christina Aguilera – Your Body
Elton John V Pnau- Phoenix
Sub Focus ft Alpines- Tidal Wave
Usher - Numb
The Wanted – I Found You
11th November
Unconfirmed
Green Day - Dos!
18th November
Unconfirmed
Alicia Keys feat. Nicki Minaj – Girl On Fire
Example – Close Enemies
Rita Ora – Shine Ya Light
25th November
Unconfirmed
Ke$ha – Die Young
Upcoming Singles With Unknown Release Dates
Angel Haze – New York
Azealia Banks – Esta Noche
David Guetta feat. Sia - She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)
Dionne Warwick – Is There Anybody Out There?
Drake feat. Rick Ross - Lord Knows
Ellie Goulding – Explosions
Elton John ft Pnau - Foreign Fields
Eric Prydz- We Can Mirage
Flo Rida – I Cry
Koan Sound - 80s Fitness
Lemar – The First Time
Lostprophets - Jesus Walks
The Neighbourhood – Female Robbery
Nickelback - Trying Not To Love You
Pnau - Solid Ground
Ren Harvieu - Do Right By Me
The Skints - Up Against The Wall Riddim
Train – Bruises
Tyler James - Single Tear
Wiz Khalifa - Work Hard, Play Hard
28 Eylül 2012 Cuma
Grow the Middle?
To contact us Click HERE
I was trying to have a relaxing time watching the Olympics with my family when an Obama ad appeared on TV. In it, the President expressed the desire to “grow the middle.” At this point, I saw how this message could go completely awry. (Parody? Who, me?) Now I don’t want to appear disrespectful to anyone who is overweight (hey, I could stand to lose a few pounds myself), but the concept of “grow the middle” sounds like Obama wants us to get lazy with big bellies and rear ends. I mean, what does Michelle “fight obesity” Obama think of that? Even worse, the whole thing starts to remind me of other Democrats like Al Gore or Barney Frank or Ben Tribbett or people like them. Ewwwww!
This presents a great opportunity for the Romney campaign. While Obama may want to grow the middle (and the bureaucracy), America grows when the government is lean and fit.
(Thanks to Riley for the artistic contribution.)
Cross-posted at Virginia Virtucon.
This presents a great opportunity for the Romney campaign. While Obama may want to grow the middle (and the bureaucracy), America grows when the government is lean and fit.
(Thanks to Riley for the artistic contribution.)
Cross-posted at Virginia Virtucon.
Biden Explains Chains Remark
To contact us Click HERE
“Trying to Regain Porn Star Vote”
Vice President Joe Biden today accused Republicans wantingto “puty’all back in chains.” Aspokesperson for the Obama campaign later admitted that the Vice President hadbecome deeply concerned ever since pornstar Jenna Jameson declared her support for Republican candidate Mitt Romneythat more of the Democrats’ natural constituency might abandon them. “It’s bad enough that people in industrialunions, suburban moms, and other previous supporters are not likely to supportthe President,” said the spokesperson. “Butwhen we lose even the aging porn stars we know that we have a big challengeahead. Who knows how many are attractedby Paul Ryan’s buff figure?”
The Administration has gone into overtime mode trying tomeet this new challenge. Secretary ofState Hillary Clinton along with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano proposedthe most aggressive strategy, code named “Whips and Spurs.” Clinton said that this kind of imagery willhelp woo back adult film actors to be alongside of their more “legitimate”Hollywood colleagues. “There’s verylittle difference among all these actors,” said Clinton. “I think that we can help them see how muchthey have in common. I might add that ‘whipsand spurs’ help keep Bill in line, and Huma tells me that they have helped tocontrol Tony, also.” It is believed thatthe Obama campaign will solicit the service of left-wing bloggers to test thestrategy, starting in Northern Virginia.
Reaction from the Romney camp was terse. “Mr. President, get your campaign out of thedungeon,” said the former Massachusetts Governor. “Your failures are clearly ‘torturing’ you!”
“Trying to Regain Porn Star Vote”
Vice President Joe Biden today accused Republicans wantingto “puty’all back in chains.” Aspokesperson for the Obama campaign later admitted that the Vice President hadbecome deeply concerned ever since pornstar Jenna Jameson declared her support for Republican candidate Mitt Romneythat more of the Democrats’ natural constituency might abandon them. “It’s bad enough that people in industrialunions, suburban moms, and other previous supporters are not likely to supportthe President,” said the spokesperson. “Butwhen we lose even the aging porn stars we know that we have a big challengeahead. Who knows how many are attractedby Paul Ryan’s buff figure?”
The Administration has gone into overtime mode trying tomeet this new challenge. Secretary ofState Hillary Clinton along with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano proposedthe most aggressive strategy, code named “Whips and Spurs.” Clinton said that this kind of imagery willhelp woo back adult film actors to be alongside of their more “legitimate”Hollywood colleagues. “There’s verylittle difference among all these actors,” said Clinton. “I think that we can help them see how muchthey have in common. I might add that ‘whipsand spurs’ help keep Bill in line, and Huma tells me that they have helped tocontrol Tony, also.” It is believed thatthe Obama campaign will solicit the service of left-wing bloggers to test thestrategy, starting in Northern Virginia.
Reaction from the Romney camp was terse. “Mr. President, get your campaign out of thedungeon,” said the former Massachusetts Governor. “Your failures are clearly ‘torturing’ you!”
Democrats Claim McDonnell “Poisoned” Biden
To contact us Click HERE
“Simplest Explanation” for String of Gaffes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3rMfztUWy7c
The Obama campaign, in a desperate attempt to defend Vice President Joe Biden, lashed out at Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and accused the Governor of “poisoning the Vice President.” Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter added that “no one can make that many stupid remarks unless they were under the influence of drugs or someone slipped in a toxic substance. Given that this statement was made in Blacksburg, Virginia, and the comments on chains and about “winning in North Carolina” also occurred in Virginia, our campaign is starting to suspect foul play.”
Governor McDonnell’s office shot back at the Obama campaign. “Joe Biden’s string of embarrassing remarks are the result of drinking his own Kool-Aid for too many years. He should have stuck to donuts.”
Cross posted at Virginia Virtucon.
“Simplest Explanation” for String of Gaffes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3rMfztUWy7c
The Obama campaign, in a desperate attempt to defend Vice President Joe Biden, lashed out at Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and accused the Governor of “poisoning the Vice President.” Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter added that “no one can make that many stupid remarks unless they were under the influence of drugs or someone slipped in a toxic substance. Given that this statement was made in Blacksburg, Virginia, and the comments on chains and about “winning in North Carolina” also occurred in Virginia, our campaign is starting to suspect foul play.”
Governor McDonnell’s office shot back at the Obama campaign. “Joe Biden’s string of embarrassing remarks are the result of drinking his own Kool-Aid for too many years. He should have stuck to donuts.”
Cross posted at Virginia Virtucon.
Obama Releases Advertisements Condemning 2016 Film
To contact us Click HERE
The Obama Administration today released a seriesof advertisements in Egypt, Pakistan, Libya, Tunisia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia,and Harvard Law School condemning the Dinesh D’Souza film 2016: Obama’s America andapologizing for a “radical Tea Party culture that promotes the First Amendment.” The President remarked in the ad that “justlike Christians who made fun of the Prophet Mohammed to anger you, my Muslimbrothers, so did the Christian right commit further atrocities in the making ofthe 2016 movie.” According to reports
State Department Spokeswoman Valerie Nuland indicated thatthe film was responsible for the spontaneous terrorist attack that took placeat the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya as well as demonstrations at U.S.embassies around the world. Given D’Souza’sIndian background, she indicated that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clintonwould have harsh words for the Indian Prime Minister, demanding that he stopits release in India “or we will treat India just like Britain, Poland, andIsrael.”
United Nations Secretary Ban-Ki Moon reiterated the point bysaying“When some people use this freedom of expression to provoke or humiliate someothers' values and beliefs, then this cannot be protected in such a way.”
It is believed that President Obama hopes that by launchingthese ads, he can appease the Muslim world in light of the recentviolence. In addition, the White Housesaid that this would be part of a new effort “becauseyou can’t change Washington from the inside.”
Cross posted at Virginia Virtucon.
Indicates Movie is Cause of Violence
The Obama Administration today released a seriesof advertisements in Egypt, Pakistan, Libya, Tunisia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia,and Harvard Law School condemning the Dinesh D’Souza film 2016: Obama’s America andapologizing for a “radical Tea Party culture that promotes the First Amendment.” The President remarked in the ad that “justlike Christians who made fun of the Prophet Mohammed to anger you, my Muslimbrothers, so did the Christian right commit further atrocities in the making ofthe 2016 movie.” According to reports
The ads show clips of President Obama and Secretary ofState Hillary Clinton condemning the film in English (but dubbed in Arabic, Urdu,and Legalese) in remarks they made last week, emphasizing that it was notproduced or authorized by the United States government.
State Department Spokeswoman Valerie Nuland indicated thatthe film was responsible for the spontaneous terrorist attack that took placeat the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya as well as demonstrations at U.S.embassies around the world. Given D’Souza’sIndian background, she indicated that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clintonwould have harsh words for the Indian Prime Minister, demanding that he stopits release in India “or we will treat India just like Britain, Poland, andIsrael.”
United Nations Secretary Ban-Ki Moon reiterated the point bysaying“When some people use this freedom of expression to provoke or humiliate someothers' values and beliefs, then this cannot be protected in such a way.”
It is believed that President Obama hopes that by launchingthese ads, he can appease the Muslim world in light of the recentviolence. In addition, the White Housesaid that this would be part of a new effort “becauseyou can’t change Washington from the inside.”
Cross posted at Virginia Virtucon.
Kaydol:
Kayıtlar (Atom)