The 500 - #137 - Tim - The Replacements

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album: #137
Album Title: Tim
Artist: The Replacements
Genre: Alternative Rock, Punk Rock, Power Pop
Recorded: Nicolette Studios, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Released: September, 1985
My age at release: 20
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all
Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Bastards of Young (Ed Stasium Mix)

Long before I dropped the needle...or rather, queued up the stream... for my first listen to Tim, the fourth studio album by The Replacements, I recalled some advice that had been given to me a few years previously. This cautionary guidance had come during a discussion about a previous post concerning the debut record from The Replacements, Let It Be. Those sage words? Skip the original mix for Tim and dive straight into the 2023 remix by producer Ed Stasium. Reissued by Rhino records, the Stasium Remixes were part of a four CD package dubbed Tim: Let It Bleed Edition, containing alternate takes, demos and a 1986 live performance recorded at the Cabaret Metro Concert Hall in Chicago.

Tim: Let It Bleed Edition album cover (2023).

It was sound advice. Stasium isn’t just any studio hand, he’s a former punk guitarist turned sonic architect with an impressive résumé. From shaping the raw energy of the Ramones and the artful edge of Talking Heads to powering Living Colour’s Grammy-winning 1988 debut Vivid, Stasium has spent decades honing studio chaos into high fidelity clarity.

However, I had to wonder: What was wrong with the original record? And, if "I didn't listen to it first, how would I know the latter was better?" So, on Monday of last week, I intentionally arrived an hour early at my school classroom to give the 1985 version of Tim an uninterrupted listen while puttering about preparing for the week. I did the same on Tuesday, and by Wednesday the record was starting to grow on me. Sure, it was rough and unpolished, but that seemed to accentuate the themes on the record -- restlessness, youthful defiance, loneliness and fleeting love. Paul Westerberg, the band's guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, penned lyrics that are raw, plainspoken, self-deprecating and funny, capturing 20-something, working class disillusionment.

Westerberg's handwritten lyrics for
Here Comes A Regular, from Tim.

On Wednesday, I made the switch (from the 1985 original mix of Tim to Ed Stasium’s 2023 Let It Bleed Edition) and the difference hit like a jolt. Suddenly, the fog lifted. The original, produced by Tommy Erdelyi (aka Tommy Ramone of the Ramones), had long been criticized for its murky sound. The vocals felt buried under digital reverb, guitars smeared together, drums seemed to be pushed so far back they barely registered. Stasium’s remix flipped that script. Westerberg’s voice steps into the spotlight, guitars snarl with definition and the drums finally punch through with authority. For me, it wasn’t just an upgrade, it was a full-on sonic revelation.

Ed Stasium surrounded by some of the tools of his trade.

The change in sound immediately reminded me of another remix from my favourite band, Rush. In 2002, the Canadian trio released their 17th studio record, Vapour Trails. It was the first record released after a six-year hiatus for the band -- drummer Neil Peart suffered the loss of his daughter in an automobile accident and his wife to cancer ten months apart. For a time, it seemed the band might be done altogether. News of their return to a Toronto studio in 2001 brought eager anticipation from their loyal fan base, myself included.

When Vapor Trails dropped, it was hailed as Rush’s triumphant return to a guitar-driven, hard rock sound after two decades of synth-heavy experimentation. But sonically? It was a mess. The album fell victim to the so-called “loudness war,” a mastering trend of the 90's and early 00's that cranked everything to peak volume at the expense of clarity. The result was a dense, distorted wall of sound where instruments bled into each other and dynamics were crushed flat. Fans adored the songs, but many admitted the listening experience was exhausting, even unbearable in long doses.

In 2013, Canadian producer David Bottrill gave Vapor Trails the overhaul it desperately needed, and the result was transformative. Gone was the suffocating compression and in its place, space and clarity. Instruments finally had room to breathe. The guitars and bass regained their warmth and Peart’s drums sounded organic and thunderous instead of crushed into the background. The remix didn’t just fix technical flaws, it unlocked the emotional core of the record, turning what was once a sonic headache into a powerful, cathartic experience that matched the intensity of Rush’s songwriting. It added the emotional depth needed to the track Ghost Rider which was inspired by Peart's 14-month motorcycle journey across North America during his healing process after losing the two most important people in his world -- his wife and only child.

Ghost Rider: Travels On The Healing Road.
the 2002 memoir from Neil Peart.

I am glad I spent a couple days with the original recording of Tim. It gave me context for the vastly superior 2023 remix. However, much like the original recording of Vapour Trails, I won't be playing it again. Instead, I will always opt for their vastly improved remixed counterparts.

The 500 - #257 - Whitney Houston (Self-Titled Debut) - Whitney Houston

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #257
Album Title: Self-Titled Debut
Artist: Whitney Houston
Genre: Pop, Pop-Soul, R&B
Recorded: Arista Records Studio, New York City, U.S
Released: February, 1985
My age at release: I was 19, my guest blogger was 21
How familiar was I with it before this week: 

    Guest Blogger: Very

    Me: The Hits, 7 out of the 10 songs on the record
Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #412, dropping 139 spots since 2012
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: How Will I Know?

I am delighted to introduce a new guest blogger this week. Sue Bruyns was, until her retirement a week ago, the principal at our school, Sir Arthur Currie in London, Ontario. Sue has been an extraordinary leader with our school board (Thames Valley) for over three decades. Not only was she my principal for the past three years, she also hired me as an Instructional Coach in 2017 – an opportunity that turbo-charged my practice.

Sue Bruyns (front and centre) surrounded by the Sir Arthur Currie Coyote
staffon her last day (June 29, 2023) - I’m up top in sunglasses,
wisely putting the good-looking people in front of me.

Sue was a supportive administrator who brought intelligence, patience, passion and kindness to her role as principal. She was also a terrific conversationalist. Many of my office photo-copying sessions were pleasantly interrupted by a spontaneous chat with Sue about music, education, politics or life. At one such impromptu exchange, we realized that we had both attended Saunders Secondary School in London at the same time and were in band together. Furthermore, much to our surprise, we had gone on a band trip to Boston together in 1982. As is often typical of high school social dynamics, we occupied the same space but never interacted. Two years age difference is a lifetime when you are a teen and we played in different sections -- I played saxophone and Sue played clarinet That was rectified this year, Sue and I had the opportunity to join our school’s band – practising with the students two mornings a week and performing together at the Spring Concert.

Sue and me, following the school’s Spring Concert
on May 4th, 2023- Yes, we performed the
Star Wars’ Theme on "May The 4th Be With You".

Sue also maintains a blog, which can be found at http://www.susanbruyns.com/. Remarkably, she takes on the annual challenge of crafting a “Post-A-Day for the Month of May”. Give her a follow at @sbruyns on Twitter. But first, enjoy her guest post on Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut record.

 By Sue Bruyns

1985 was a monumental year for me. I had graduated Western with my Bachelor of Arts degree in April, started Teachers College at Althouse in September ~ and got married in August. Life was changing at an incredible speed (little did I know how much faster the sands through the hourglass were going to continue to fall). I found that my taste in music was also going through a change. The soundtracks to Grease and Saturday Night Fever were being played less on the stereo system with the large BOSE speakers, as my LP collection was expanding to include the more provocative sounding Purple Rain, Private Dancer and No Jacket Required. It was around that time that I also started my lifelong love of Country Music ~ most notably the band Alabama.

Mid-80s records from Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Prince & Alabama

In the spring of 1985, when it was time for us to select a first dance for our wedding, I recall hours upon hours of spinning records trying to find something perfect. When nothing captured our “promise” to each other, it was off to the nearest music store to look for something new.

I have no doubt it was the beautiful tangerine cover of Whitney Houston’s self-titled first album, Whitney Houston, that caught my eye and led to my purchase that day. I immediately fell in love with all the tracks.

One of the best parts of the 80s was MTV. Not only did Whitney have a powerful voice, but the camera also loved her which helped elevate her popularity, especially with the fun, light-hearted, How Will I Know? video, which is still on my Spotify playlist and a fan favourite at weddings, almost 40 years later.

Screen capture from Houston's How Will I Know? video

However, it was her rendition of  The Greatest Love of All which has been a beautiful tapestry of lyrics woven throughout various parts of my journey as an educator. As a student teacher, I was asked to create a poetry lesson for a Grade 7 class. I was determined not to repeat the poetry lessons of my own youth, which included The Cremation of Sam McGee, so I decided to use contemporary song lyrics, with the following verse from Houston's song,

“I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be.”

Throughout my career, whenever I have been asked to articulate my core belief about the importance of education, I have referred to those lyrics time and time again. Even as recently as one week ago, as I gave my final farewell after 35 years in education, I called upon those lyrics one last time as my parting words of advice to my wonderful school family. I will always believe that “our children are our future” and that it is our job to “teach them well and show them all the beauty they possess inside.”

In preparing this post, I rewatched The Greatest Love of All video and was overcome with a sense of sadness in knowing not only Whitney’s fate of an untimely death, but what the future held for her daughter. In the video, a young Whitney is supported by her real-life mom, Cissy Houston, as she makes her first stage appearance as a child, and it ends with an adult superstar Whitney embracing her mom ~ a gift that neither Whitney nor her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, were ever able to experience. Houston died in 2012 at the age of 48 when her daughter was 17.

Whitney with her daughter, Bobbi Kristina

I also found it interesting that this song was originally recorded by George Benson as the opening number for the 1977 film The Greatest, a biopic of Muhammad Ali. Until now, I assumed that Whitney was the first singer to cover the song.

Although this album certainly started Whitney’s career – and my love for her music – it was not until the release of the 1992 soundtrack of The Bodyguard, which she also starred in with Kevin Costner, that she reached superstardom. That album also included her all-time number one hit, I Will Always Love You, which was a remake of a song originally recorded by superstar country artist Dolly Parton. That song was also the number one wedding song of 1992.

Movie poster for The Bodyguard (interestingly, the woman
in this photo was Houston's body double, as it was taken 
after Houston had finished her filming and left for home.)

Which leads me back to the beginning. Although my purchase of Whitney Houston on that fateful day led to many wonderful memories and inspirational moments in my career as well as love and respect for Whitney as a singer, an actor and an artist, it did not quite make the cut as our wedding song.

We eventually agreed on You’re The Inspiration from the band Chicago and their 1984 album, Chicago 17.

The 500 - #269 - Psychocandy - The Jesus And Mary Chain

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #269

Album Title: Psychocandy

Artist: The Jesus And Mary Chain

Genre: Noise Pop, Shoegaze, Alt Rock, Post Punk

Recorded: Southern Studios, London, U.K.

Released: November, 1985

My age at release: 20

How familiar was I with it before this week: Not At All

Is it on the 2020 list? No

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Just Like Honey

The Psychocandy debut record from Scottish noise rock pioneers The Jesus And Mary Chain often caught my eye while I was flipping through the "J" section at my local independent record store, Dr. Disc. How could it not with those provocative names?

Despite my curiosity, though, I never bought the record. Chances are, in 1986, I was perusing the "J" section for a record from Jethro Tull or Journey, or perhaps something obscure from Jeff Beck or Jon & Vangelis.

The Jesus And Mary Chain were formed in 1983 by brothers Jim and William Reid. Their original line-up comprised the brothers on guitars and vocals, Douglas Hart on bass, and Bobby Gillespie on drums. Gillespie  departed shortly after the record's release to form his own band, Primal Scream.

(l-r) Hart, W. Reid, J. Reid & Gillespie (1985 line-up).

Psychocandy was cited by AllMusic magazine to be "the archetype for the noise pop genre" –  a style of music that blends catchy melodies in a pop song with a mixture of dissonant noise and amplifier feedback. American musicologist and television personality Matt Pinfield humourously compared the sound  to  "listening to the Beach Boys, with a kitchen blender whirring in the background".

A poster from the 2023 Noise Pop Festival.

The Jesus and the Mary Chain is not an easy listen for the uninitiated. During my first listen, I was doing some housework. At one point, during the song In A Hole, I paused my cleaning to check my Sonos speakers because I thought they were malfunctioning and needed a software update.

My speakers are a Sonos Beam and a pair of Sonos Ones.

Part of me wanted to dismiss the record as cacophonous nonsense and perhaps blog about why on earth it ever made The 500. Deciding not to rush to judgment, I persisted, listening to Psychocandy several times. Slowly, the musical output grew on me. Eventually,  the pop sensibilities emerged and the hazy feedback that initially turned me off took on a dreamy quality.

The overall effect became a rewarding experience despite the musical challenge, written, it seemed to me, to be intentionally unpleasant. It reminded me of several students with whom I have worked over the years -- hostile contrarians. Often having suffered traumas in their young lives, these types of students tend to struggle with social interaction. They have difficulty engaging with authority or respecting rules and expectations. They are often sullen and dour and it seems as if they are intentionally making choices that will make them unlikable.

Teachers' College does not always prepare up and coming educators for the challenges presented by trauma-ridden students. Interactions are fraught with seemingly unnecessary hostility and aggressive pessimism. Just as you think you are making some progress, they will self-sabotage the social dynamic and use the negativity of their own making to fuel additional despondency. A classic case of a self-fulfilling prophecy, sometimes called The Pygmalion Effect, it can be visually explained by the following graphic:

In this tragic cycle, the student believes they are not worthy of love, kindness or friendship. Consequently, they behave in ways that are annoying or repellent. When, understandably, peers move away from them or teachers react negatively to the choices they make, their established belief is reinforced -- and the cycle repeats. 

However, with kindness, patience and skin thicker than a crocodile's, a teacher can build a quality relationship with these students. The first time they crack a smile or feel pride in work they have submitted is among the most rewarding experiences in an educator's career.

Psychocandy, much like the debut record by Suicide, which I wrote about in March, 2020, is a fascinating record because it almost serves as a mid-point between the art rock and pop that influenced it and the sounds that it would inspire. The opening track, Just Like Honey, begins with the drum riff lifted directly from The Ronettes’ Be My Baby. In interviews, the Reid brothers have cited The Velvet Underground, The Beach Boys, The Stooges and Pink Floyd as influences, as well as Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" approach to recording.

The Ronnettes with producer Phil Spector.

On the other side of that mid-point are the records that were influenced by The Jesus And Mary Chain, including The Downward Spiral (#201) by Nine Inch Nails and Nevermind (#17) by Nirvana.

Nevermind by Nirvana #17 on The 500.

As I mentioned, I did not purchase Psychocandy when I stumbled on it in 1986. In retrospect, that is a good thing. I did not have the patience and understanding of music that I now possess. I am sure I would have dismissed it off-handedly as “cacophonous nonsense” and I would have missed out on something artistically interesting and musically important.

The 500 - #296 - Meat Is Murder - The Smiths

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #296

Album Title: Meat Is Murder

Artist: The Smiths

Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Punk

Recorded: Amazon and Ridge Farm Studios, Liverpool and Surrey, UK

Released: February, 1985

My age at release: 19

How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all

Is it on the 2020 list? No

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist:  The Headmaster Ritual

It was a cold and blustery day one February when I walked into a record shop in downtown London with a specific agenda: to purchase No Jacket Required by Phil Collins. The album, the third solo release by the British musician, would become his biggest, with four singles receiving massive airplay on radio and music television. At the time, back in 1985, I had no idea Phil's record was going to become a commercial juggernaut. He was a member of Genesis, one of my favourite bands, and I was excited to hear his newest material and continue building my collection of albums and solo projects by members of this talented group.

As I entered the shop, I paused by the rack displaying the newest releases. It was there that I first saw the album cover for Meat Is Murder, the second studio release by the Manchester quartet who have four records on The 500. In June, 2019 I wrote a critical account of the group’s debut release. Offsetting my caustic comments, my pal Steve Monaghan praised their compilation record, Louder Than Bombs, in a 2021 guest blog appearance.

Louder Than Bombs (left) and The Smiths' debut recor (right)

As I shook off the cold (and likely stomped slush from my boots), I was struck by the album cover, which featured four identical black and white pictures of a Vietnam-era soldier with the words "Meat Is Murder" (the album's title) crudely printed on his combat helmet.

I've since learned that the picture is of marine corporal Michael Wynn and the text on his helmet was digitally altered for The Smiths’ album cover. The original photograph was from Emile de Antoino's 1968 documentary In The Year Of The Pig. Previously, Wynn's helmet read "Make War Not Love".

The original picture and slogan, with
jacket text added for the film documentary.

In contemporary North America, becoming vegetarian for ethical reasons is a fairly common phenomenon. However, in 1985, those who eschewed animal-based protein in their diets were a quiet minority and people who espoused animal rights were a subset. Consequently, the title, Meat Is Murder, grabbed my attention. I can remember the thoughts that ran through my head when I first read that provocative statement:

"Meat is Murder?"

"Wow! That's quite a title!"

"Meat is Murder?"

"Well, I guess it is, if you think about it."

"But, we have to eat meat to survive?"
"I suppose we could be vegetarians?"

"But, we need protein...we have canine teeth after all."

"hmm...anyway"

"Where's that Phil Collins record I was looking for?"

Despite that moment of arrested attention upon seeing the album cover, I did not become a vegetarian or a Smiths fan that afternoon. I gathered  my Phil Collins record and went on with my day.

The Smiths in 1985(l-r) Andy Rourke, (Steven) Morrissey,
Johnny Marr & Mike Joyce

Now, 37 years later, I am starting to come around to the notion of going meatless. My wife and I have reduced our meat consumption for ethical and environmental reasons. We stopped buying pork a few years ago and we are fortunate to be able to afford to purchase much of our meat from ethical sources – farms with chickens or cows raised on quality food, with room to move and socialize. At least the animals have good lives before a sudden, very bad (and relatively pain free) moment.

At home on the range

I am also coming around to The Smiths’ music. Meat Is Murder is my favourite of the three records by the band that I have heard. I particularly liked the opening track, too. The Headmaster Ritual is a scathing critique of the Manchester school system in the 1970s and its reliance on corporal punishment as discipline.

Packaging for a single release of The Headmaster Ritual

The caustic lyrics are disquieting, depicting educators of the time as callous, violent and cruel. The lyrics further suggest some of the teachers were jealous of the youth under their charge, with a subtext suggesting sexual overtones.

I am an educator who has never raised his hand (and rarely his voice) to reprimand a student. However, I was a child of the 70s and attended both the Canadian (Ontario) and the Greater Manchester school systems. I can remember friends who returned from “the office” red-faced and tear-streaked after receiving the strap. There was also one particularly unpleasant principal who used to poke me hard in the chest when he wanted an explanations for some minor indiscretion in which I had been involved.

British schoolboy receiving "the strap"

Those incidents aside, it is the 45-second instrumental jam that opens The Headmaster Ritual that really seized my attention. It is a dynamic and engaging introduction to the record. Guitarist Johnny Marr revealed in interviews that the song was three years in the making. He had his guitar tuned to open E, which means the E chord will sound if the strings are strummed without any fingers on the fretboard.

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Marr also disclosed he was inspired by George Harrison's playing on The Beatles' song Daytripper, and that it is supposed to sound like something folk artist Joni Mitchell might have played "if she was a fan of (hard rock band) MC5".

Marr in a YouTube instructional video on how to play 
The Headmaster Ritual.

I'll now admit, much to my friend and guest blogger Steve's delight, that I'm becoming a fan of The Smiths. We even had a humourous exchange about it through text messages this week.

A chunk of our text exchange. I have also
rethought my "so so lyrics" comment.

Of all the members of the band, I think I am more a Johnny Marr fan. His live version of The Headmaster Ritual on YouTube is superb. Sample here. This summer he performed in Toronto in support of The Killers, a contemporary band who cite The Smiths as an influence. My pocketbook compelled me to reconsider attending. Post-pandemic hotel prices are outrageous and the 200 km drive, fighting traffic, to get back to London is a depressing prospect at the end of a good night of entertainment.