The 500 - #280 - All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2

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: #280

Album Title: All That You Can't Leave Behind

Artist: U2

Genre: Rock, Pop

Recorded: Four Dublin Studios, 1 in France

Released: October, 2000

My age at release: 35

How familiar was I with it before this week: Fairly

Is it on the 2020 list? No

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Beautiful Day

I've always been a fan of professional wrestling. I was just quiet about it for most of my life. Understandably so. The idea of watching barely covered, gigantic men grapple, pummel, hurl and bloody each other in a fight, with a predetermined outcome, is leaving you open to derision from your chums.

In my defence, at the age of 10 I had no idea it was scripted. When I perused the racks of variety and department stores, the combatants shown in the glossy wrestling magazines seemed authentically bloodied.

Pro-wrestling exploded into the mainstream in the early 80s with the arrival of "Rock 'n Wrestling" and a cast of larger-than-life stars, including Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Macho Man Randy Savage, and Andre The Giant. However, these manufactured heroes were paired with established musicians, athletes and actors, such as Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T., Muhammed Ali, Liberace, and Alice Cooper. By this time, I was a teenager and I'd "closeted" any interest in the "squared-circle" by cracking  jokes and pretending to be above the absurdity of this, so-called, "sport". Quietly, I was still watching, especially the annual Wrestlemania events.

Rock 'n Wrestling Era (l-r) Lauper, Ali, Liberace, Hogan
& Wendi Richter

As it did in the 1960s, following pro-wrestling's first golden age, the fighting spectacle’s popularity waned in the late 1980s. It continued to make money from a loyal fanbase, but the digitally-savvy and cynical audiences of the next decade were not amenable to steroid-fueled, cartoonish characters wearing ridiculous make-up and claiming implausible backstories.

The mid-90s grunge-crowd was unwilling to accept the premise that green-tongued, turnbuckle-biting George "The Animal" Steele was an unhinged wild-man. Internet technology provided legitimate information about these gladiators.  They knew that "George" (William James Myers) was a devout Christian, a former educator and amateur wrestler with a Master’s degree, who had found success in Vince McMahon's make-believe world. And the green tongue? A full pack of Clorets breath mints before the match.

George "The Animal" Steele

Forever adaptable, pro-wrestling changed once more just before the millennium and hit mainstream popularity again. This time, the gimmicks were gone -- or embraced, ironically. The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) had begun its "Attitude Era" and stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Triple H and The Rock emerged as anti-heroes. In this new, bawdy incarnation, the wrestlers played amplified versions of their own personalities. Stone Cold Steve Austin (born Steven Anderson) played a brash, plain-spoken, beer-drinking Texan roughneck who suffered fools poorly. The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) was a fast-talking, charismatic egotist who referred to himself in the third person. These two personas were so engaging and loved by fans they could effortlessly move from hero (babyface) to villain (heel) without losing popularity or massive merchandise sales.

The Rock (l) and Stone Cold Steve Austin battle in one of
their many high profile matches.

It was around this time that I opened up about my life-long interest in wrestling. Raw is War, the weekly television program from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), (soon to be renamed World Wrestling Entertainment - WWE) was wildly popular with my students. Furthermore, several of my friends, including Steve "Lumpy" Sullivan, Oscar "Porchee" Macedo and Claudio Sossi who have all guest blogged here, were openly celebrating their love too. In March, 2002, Lumpy secured front row tickets to the 18th incarnation of Wrestlemania, which was held at Toronto's Skydome and he generously invited me to attend. As a bonus, we even got to keep the folding chairs we sat in.

Pro-wrestling was now billed as "sports entertainment". Any illusion that the outcomes of matchups or that combatants were legitimately competing was gone. Many of the verbal exchanges were scripted, often being clever, funny and provocative. The scripts were penned  for mature audiences and the two-hour program was an envelope-pushing bawdy circus of  over-the-top pageantry, strongmen, comedy, beautiful girls, clowns and acrobats. Though the outcomes were still pre-determined, risks taken by the muscled fighters were genuine and, often, extraordinarily dangerous.

A Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at a WWF event

So, if you've made it this far, you are likely wondering what U2's tenth release, All That You Can't Leave Behind, has to do with the world of sweaty ring titans. Once again, the WWE partnered with contemporary musicians who gave permission for their songs to be paired with promotional segments. Popular bands, including Motorhead, Drowning Pool, Creed, and even my favourite group, Rush, had songs featured in segments on WWE programming.

Lemmy, of Motorhead, performing at a WWE event with
Triple H

In January, 2002, wrestler Triple H (Paul Levesque) was recovering from a devastating injury. Eight months earlier during a match, he had torn a quadricep muscle. It was the kind of physical trauma that could have easily been career-ending for the 32-year-old six foot, four -inch, 260-pound athlete.

Triple H being helped from the ring following his quadricep tear.

Instead, the headlining superstar went through an intense physical therapy program and, as Wrestlemania 18 approached, his return to the ring was heavily promoted. The real-world reality of a comeback triumph was blended into the scripted version. Hence, Triple H's honest battle to return to the ring gave a semblance of truth to the hero storyline that followed. The ensuing uplifting, promotional video available here, included the song, Beautiful Day, from this week's U2 record. Since that time, the expression “the Beautiful Day treatment” has become shorthand between Lumpy and me for any situation when a returning injured wrestler gets (or doesn’t get) a promotional push.

And so it happened, the eventual title match between Triple H and Canadian Chris Jericho took place in Toronto with Lumpy and I in the first row. From our seats we witnessed Jericho being thrown out of the ring and landing at our feet. If you pause the DVD at just the right moment, you can see us enjoying the bout.

This week’s feature song, Beautiful Day, didn't really need the promotional push from pro-wrestling. It had been released as a single 18 months before the championship bout and topped the charts in many countries. It marked a return for U2 to their original sounds which made them one of the most popular bands in the world during the late 80s and early 90s. 

Prior to the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2 had released several records which experimented with different genres, including electronic dance, alternative rock and industrial music. For ATYCLB, the group returned to its roots, reuniting with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, to make a record far more akin to their biggest releases, Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree, which we will get to at #63 and #27...and I won't talk about wrestling.

The 500 - #396 - For Your Pleasure - Roxy Music

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's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 396

Album Title: For Your Pleasure
Artist: Roxy Music
Genre: Art Rock, Glam Rock, Art Pop
Recorded: AIR Studios, London, UK
Released: March, 1973
My age at release: 7
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Do The Strand

For Your Pleasure is the sophomore record for English experimental, art-rock band Roxy Music. The group's founder and lead singer, charismatic crooner Bryan Ferry, is the most recognizable member. However, it is another Brian, synthesizer and sound specialist Brian Eno, who may be the most interesting, if not for his songwriting then certainly for his flamboyant early 70's attire.

Roxy Music (1973) Brian Eno - far left Bryan Ferry - center

Those who have followed my blogs may recognize Eno's name from two records on The 500 list: the 1973 Album Here Come The Warm Jets at position #432 or Another Green World at #429. I wrote about both a few weeks apart last spring.

Throughout the production of For Your Pleasure, artistic temperaments were tested. Eno was increasingly interested in more experimental sounds, while Ferry was drawn toward the New Wave and Punk sounds emerging from London's underground music scene. Additionally, guitarist Phil Manzenara was somewhat shut-out of the writing process dominated by Ferry and Eno. Indeed, Eno left the band shortly after the record's release to work on the aforementioned Here Come The Warm Jets, released the same year. In Eno's absence, Ferry and Manzenara collaborated on six additional studio releases over the next nine years.

This was my first exposure to the record and I'll admit that, during the first two plays, I found it odd and cacophonous. I was not deterred. There are many records I have learned to love that I found jarring or inharmonious on first listen. For my third spin, I put on my headphones and found a quiet spot. As I suspected, For Your Pleasure began to grow on me. I immediately thought of my good friend Bill. Bill worked as an FM disc jockey and managed bands throughout the late 70s and early 80s. This seemed like a record he would love, so I reached out with a text to ask him if he was familiar and he shared the following:

"One of the most influential discs in my life. Good eye. I played it heavily on FM96 (a London, Ontario, radio station) and the band I managed covered two tunes from this album."

"Would you care to share some thoughts as a guest blogger?", I asked. He agreed, despite a busy schedule, and the following appeared in my message box shortly after:

"For Your Pleasure was Roxy Music's second album, coming out in 1973. The album cover had Bryan Ferry's then-girlfriend, Amanda Lear on the cover, and he was on the back. Not only was she a singer and model, she later became surrealistic painter Salvador Dali's confidant and muse."

Bryan Ferry on the back Cover to For Your Pleasure

"There is such a commotion of sounds on that record. It is glam, punk, pop, jazz and sometimes just noise. In the early 80s I managed a band called Second Thoughts. They did a cover of the opening track, Do the Strand, that never failed to pump-up the audience. This was a great experimental album which launched an extraordinary and eclectic band. It will always be one of my very faves."

The 500 - #429 - Brian Eno - Another Green World

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's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 429

Album Title: Another Green World
Artist: Brian Eno
Genre: Art Rock, Ambient Electro-Pop, Avant Pop
Recorded: July - August 1975
Released: September, 1975
My age at release: 10
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Sky Saw

There is little doubt about Brian Eno's impact on modern music. He produced a dozen records on The 500 List. He also has two of his own recordings appearing, Another Green World being the second. Indeed, this is the third album involving Eno that I have written about in the past two months.  

• In late April, I wrote about Eno's first record, Here Come The Warm Jets. 
• In mid-March, I penned a post about an album Eno produced, Are We Not Men? We Are Devo.
• This time, we explore his 1975 innovative and experimental work, Another Green World.

Here is what I learned:

Green is a departure from the glam-pop sound of his first album as Eno embraces a minimalist sound that would become his trademark through the rest of the 70s.

Another Green World by Eno

Eno plays most of the instruments on the record but, he recruited a small group of talented musicians to contribute to the songs. These included innovative guitar virtuoso Robert Fripp of King Crimson, Genesis drummer Phil Collins, Jazz fusion bassist Percy Jones and John Cale of The Velvet Underground on viola.

Eno wanted the record to be a sound experiment. He brought these musicians to the studio with little prepared material. Instead, he spent three expensive, and sometimes frustrating, weeks allowing the songs to ferment while he and the musicians kicked around ideas.

To generate new ideas, Eno began using his now legendary Oblique Strategies (O.S.) Cards. These were 7 x 9 centimeter white cards kept in a black box. 

According to Eno:

"Each card offers a challenging constraint intended to help artists (particularly musicians) break creative blocks by encouraging lateral thinking."

Each card contained a suggestion or remark intended to either resolve a deadlock or inspire creativity. Some are specific to music composition but many are general. Examples include:

• You are making a brick, not a wall.
• Try faking it.
• Honour thy error as hidden intention.
• Ask your body.
• Gardening, not architecture.
• Look closely at the most embarassing details and amplify.

Unlike Mozart who could compose in his head, Eno used this technique to inspire collaboration.These statements might seem strange but Eno is an unusual individual. His goal was to help artists work outside the box when trying to solve a dilemma or inspire creativity. Since their creation, Eno has employed the cards during recording sessions with Coldplay, REM and David Bowie. 

During the interview about Green on The 500 Podcast, Host Meyers discussed the O.S. cards with his guest Gerard Casale. Casale, a founding member of Devo, worked with Eno on his band's first record. Casale said: 

"I think he wanted to soften our sound. He made us try to use them (the cards) to change things on the songs. But, you have to understand...we walked into that studio with some songs that were four years old and we'd played them hundreds of times. We couldn't imagine playing them "pretty". That was an abomination to us. We were all about being transgressive aesthetically. But, we weren't punks that were angry and nihlistic. I mean, we were angry, but with an informed epistemology. We genuinely thought that the de-evolution of society was real back then"

After listening to Green four times and reflecting on the podcast, I still couldn't connect with it. Then, I put on headphones to remove distractions. As the music washed over me, my appreciation grew. It isn't a record I will listen to often, but I welcomed the insight into the rich, unapologetic creativity of Eno. He is a quirky individual but his fingerprints are all over The 500 list. Obviously, he is doing something right.

  

The 500 - #432 - Here Come The Warm Jets - Brian Eno

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's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 432

Album Title: Here Come The Warm Jets
Artist: Brian Eno
Genre: Glam Rock, Art Rock, Avant Pop
Recorded: September, 1973
Released: January, 1974
My age at release: 8
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Baby's On Fire
Selected by my friend Bill Gudgeon who managed the band Second Thoughts in the 80s. The band used to include this song in their repertoire.

I have been familiar with the name Brian Eno for many years. He is well known in music circles as the producer of dozens of critically acclaimed and commercially successful records, including many on The 500 list. Among them, Devo, David Bowie, Talking Heads and U2.

David Bowie, Bono of U2 and Brian Eno in 2002

Additionally, as a fan of the band King Crimson, I heard some of his collaborations with guitarist Robert Fripp. In fact, during the late 80s, I went through an "ambient music" phase and purchased records by artists such as Jean Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream. I also owned a copy of Evening Star by Eno and Fripp. 

Ambient music is best described as an art form that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over the conventions of melody and beat. It is composed of "sound layers" that promote an atmsopheric quality. The listener can escape within the sounds, drawn into a world of calm contemplation.

I'll admit, my motivations were juvenile. I thought that understanding ambient music, or at least being able to drop names like Fripp and Jarre at social gatherings, would make me seem more cultured and eruidite. It didn't. People unfamiliar with the music were nonplussed and, when I encountered a true fan, I found myself out of my depth.

When I played Here Come The Jets for the first time, I was surprised. Brian Eno's debut record is far from the ambient music he would develop later in his career. Released using only his last name, this record is a hybrid of Bowie-esque glam-rock sounds fused with quirky art-pop sensibilities. It can be a bit cacophanous at times but there is a silliness about it that makes it endearing -- particularly after multiple listens. Songs that I dismissed as ludicrous, eventually burrowed their way into my conscience and I found myself humming them while completing mundane tasks.

We'll revisit Brian Eno in three records, when his 1975 offering Another Green World appears at #429 on The 500 list. Consequently, I'll save my additional thoughts for that post.