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Steal This Song: Black Crowes, “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution”

March 5, 2008 / David Medsker

Those Black Crowes are a quirky bunch. They refuse to send review copies of the new album Warpaint to the press to prevent the album from leaking (though that didn’t stop Maxim from running an “educated guess preview” review of the album anyway), yet they have an open door policy when it comes to taping shows. Now, with the album safely in stores, the band has granted the use of their latest single, “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution,” for free download on blogs. They went from “No one can hear it” to “Everyone can have it for free” in 4.8 seconds flat. Huh.

I will be the first to admit that I am not the foremost spokesperson for the Black Crowes on staff, so I don’t really know how this fits in with the material from their previous album, Lions. I can tell you this, though: this is as good a Faces impression as you’re likely to find. Pretty damn good, if you ask me. So what if it “didn’t leave the band much room for growth,” as Maxim hilariously presumed. It’s only rock and roll, but I like it. Yes, I do.

Black Crowes – Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution.mp3

Artists, Downloads, External Music, Rock, Songs

Man-About-MySpace: Tres Bien

March 5, 2008 / Dr. Flucke

Want to get your head caved in with a serious dose of 1960s-style guitar fuzz and simple-yet-addictive pop cuts that evoke a pre-digital era when the Beatles were king, a group like The Monkees could actually land top-10 hits, and not only could every kid dream he/she could be president one day but also start a garage band and annoy the neighbors?

C’mon, we know you do.

Check out Clearwater, Fla.’s Tres Bien, whose MySpace is loaded with great sample cuts. Best listened to with crappy laptop speakers cranked to “11,” to recreate the effect of hearing this awesome guitar fire and brimstone (and dramatic harmonies/countermelodies) as if it were 1966 and you’re listening to the AM radio on Lover’s Lane in your dad’s ’58 Ford sedan…and bumped the tuning just off a bit while doing what Chuck Berry wanted to do in “No Particular Place To Go” if he hadn’t run into that blasted safety belt issue.

Check out Tres Bien on the Fox reality show “The Next Great American Band.”

Man about MySpace

American Idol: Curveballs Abound

March 5, 2008 / Mike Farley

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…..

THE GOOD

David Archuleta proved that he is mortal Continue reading »

Alternative, American Idol, Country, Pop, Rock

Less Talk, More Music: Paul Shaffer on “Late Night with David Letterman”

March 4, 2008 / Will Harris

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.

Artists, Hip Hop, Less Talk, More Music, Pop, Rock, Songs, Videos

WTF?! Rewind – David Bowie

March 4, 2008 / Captain Capm

Let’s Dance

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…

Artists, Rock