Last night kicked off this week’s installment of “American Idol” with the guys going first, and the theme was ’80’s music. There have certainly been some surprise song choices the first few rounds, but last night almost every choice was out of left field. And some of the guys sounded awesome, while others did not….at least two of the Davids will sail through, but you already knew that.
And they did a bit about the contestants’ most embarrassing moments before they sang…but aside from David Hernandez’ giant booger story, they were all forgettable, so we’ll leave that alone. With that, let’s go to the videotape…..
Paul Shaffer might play the part of the oft-befuddled but always fawning bandleader to perfection on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” but the guy’s a musical legend. He spent 1975 to 1980 as the musical director of “Saturday Night Live” band, did the same duty for The Blues Brothers, is regularly called upon to provide backing for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, and, of course, played Artie Fufkin in “This is Spinal Tap.” He’s also a songwriter (he co-wrote “It’s Raining Men,” you know) and, on rare occasions, he’s even stepped out and been a recording artist in his own right. In 1990, Shaffer released an all-star collaborative effort entitled Coast to Coast, where he attempted to take listeners on a cross-country musical expedition which blended different musical genres, often within a single song. The album’s first single was a little ditty called “When the Radio Is On,” and when Shaffer premiered the track on “Late Night with David Letterman,” I was watching in awe as the breathtaking harmonies washed over me.
The first couple of minutes of this clip are strictly Shaffer introducing his crew for the song, so if you want to skip ahead to the 2:26 mark, I’ll save you the time by providing you with the roll call: Will Smith (then still known solely as The Fresh Prince), Daddy O (Stetsasonic), Jay Siegel (The Tokens), Johnny Maestro (The Crests, The Brooklyn Bridge), songwriter Ellie Greenwich, actress Carol Kane (filling in for Carole King, ho, ho), and the King of the New York Streets himself, Mr. Dion DiMucci.
As Shaffer describes it, “It’s doo-wop, it’s hip-hop, it’s a nutty thing.” Me, I’m not saying the song’s perfection, mostly because Shaffer shouts his vocal contributions, but the overall enthusiasm is downright contagious…which, I suspect, is why I still have Coast to Coast in my record collection.
By 1983, David Bowie had almost literally “done it all.” He started out as a pop crooner, then shifted gears to help create glam rock, then cranked out a Philly soul album before it was hip to do that, fucked around too much with drugs, and cleaned up, recording a trio of albums with Brian Eno that were heavily experimental, and critically and somewhat commercially satisfying. He then started out the decade with the tight and semi-abstract Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) which netted him hits with the singles “Ashes to Ashes” and “Fashion.” The album was even more of a New Wave statement than most of the one-hit wonders of the early ’80s that would fly under that banner. Things were going great.
And then there was Let’s Dance.
Perhaps Dave just didn’t know what else to do. Maybe he just thought selling out would be his next big experiment. Bleaching his hair a frightful blonde and combing it into a huge bouffant ushered in a new look. But it was the “new” sound, ushered in by producer Nile Rodgers and featuring all guitar work by the slightly then-unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan that took Bowie to the top of the charts – way higher than he had ever been – and kept him there for a nice ride. There’s no doubting the singles were incredibly catchy. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the title track. “Modern Love” was the best of the lot, with a cover of Iggy Pop’s “China Girl” coming in a close second. There was also “Cat People (Putting Out Fires)” to a lesser extent.
But the music and the lyrics were unchallenging. It fit right in with the rest of 1983. Pure plastic with lots of hooks but not much to hang your hat on. Indeed, the fact that Bowie had not played on the tracks said enough. It was as it he was shouting “I’M COASTING HERE” and didn’t give a damn. And really, after the ball got rolling, why should he? But Let’s Dance was the best of a trio of insipid albums. The followup Tonight had the great “Blue Jean” and “Loving the Alien” and not much else. The title track duet with Tina Turner was more than a misfire, and the cover of “God Only Knows” was as wretch-inducing as his version of “Across the Universe” back in ’75 on Young Americans. Then of course there was Never Let Me Down which sported a nice title track, and a whole bunch of bad electronic percussion and Peter Frampton on lead guitar.
And the less said about Tin Machine, the better…
Let’s Dance is proof positive that “best-selling” does not at all equal “best work.” It’s a lazy album for Bowie, and unfortunately the huge success of it allowed him to coast for the rest of the decade. At least in the ’90s he began to regian some of his experimental ideas and characters. But aside from that abysmal Glass Spider, there was nothing noteworthy.
And the less said about his duet with Jagger on “Dancing in the Streets,” the better…
Yes, we know that writing about music is like dancing about architecture (even if we’re not convinced that Elvis Costello said it first), but let’s be realistic: if you’re a music fan who likes to read, you can achieve a very special level of bliss when you get the opportunity to dive into a book about music. The Bullz-Eye staff knocked their heads together and came up with a list of 45 books that span several musical genres and include autobiographies and biographies, histories of record companies and music magazines, essay collections, and straight-up reference tomes. It’s not intended to be all-encompassing, nor would we presume to call it a definitive list of the best music books of all time. It’s simply a selection of some of our personal favorites, none of which would be out of place on a music fan’s bookshelf…and you can find it right here.
We also got some of the authors in on the fun, as well as some of our favorite musicians, which resulted in enough responses from folks from Kyle Vincent to Henry Rollins to warrant Rock of Pages: Celebrity Edition.
But we know: we’ve missed one (or more) of your favorites. We always miss one (or more) of your favorites. So call us out already and leave a comment. We can always use another addition to our Barnes & Noble shopping list…
The inaugural Outside Lands Festival will take place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, with Jack Johnson and Tom Petty already confirmed, and Radiohead rumored to be performing too.
The festival is August 22-24.
Hanson will hit the road again for their The Walk Tour ’08. The guys will also be playing SXSW on March 15, a performance that will be broadcast live on Direct TV. The spring tour will be supported by Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers and “One Tree Hill’s” Kate Voegele.
Coheed and Cambria are currently on tour supporting Linkin Park, and there are a few remaining dates that you can check them out Continue reading »
