The 500 - #394 - Good Old Boys - Randy Newman

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 # 394

Album Title: Good Old Boys
Artist: Randy Newman
Genre:  Roots Rock, Country Rock, Satire
Recorded: Warner Brothers' Studio, Hollywood, CA (72-74)
Released: September, 1974
My age at release: 9
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Marie

Recently, the Canadian subscription channel Crave re-released Chappelle's Show, an early 2000s American sketch comedy program created by and starring comedian Dave Chappelle. The groundbreaking and critically acclaimed series challenged racial stereotypes through provocative and controversial satire. 

In one sketch, a spoof of the PBS news program Frontline, we meet Clayton Bigsby a blind, white supremacist who is unaware that he is black. In another, a parody of modern day professional sports drafts, various multiracial celebrities are "claimed" by a single race. Tiger Woods, who is African-American-Thai-Chinese, is drafted by The Blacks, while Jewish-African-American Lenny Kravitz is selected by a Hasidic Rabbi representing the Jewish Team.

Clayton Bigsby - Black White Supremacist (top)
and Racial Draft from Chappelle's Show

The show is not for everyone. It doesn't only push the envelope, it bursts right through it. This week's record, Good Old Boys, by Randy Newman does the same. Released in 1974, the record pulls no punches as it addresses issues including institutional racism, poverty and homelessness. It was originally intended to be a concept record, perhaps even a musical, about a character named Johnny Cutler, a regular guy from the deep south. However, only the "kernel of this concept" survived and the record featured a number of unrelated tracks.

Much like Chappelle's Show, no one is spared from Newman's satirical assault. On the opening track, Rednecks, his narrator, Cutler, lists the negative stereotypes regularly associated with men from the deep south. However, as the song continues, Cutler turns his attention to the hypocrisy of northern liberals who claimed to be racially enlightened -- a polite fallacy obscuring a reality of racial segregation, which occurred through practices such as redlining or the phenomenon of white flight. In either situation, caustic or polite, African-American communities are marginalized.

I have always loved satire. Blazing Saddles, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Dr. Strangelove were among my favourite films before I was old enough to fully appreciate the full force of their satirical messages. They are that rare breed of film that could appeal to all ages, for entirely different reasons. They brilliantly blend simple, slapstick comedy with powerful social commentary. The uncomfortable but titillating thrill I got from those films was captured in a delightfully provocative 34 minutes of music from Newman on this, his first of three records on The 500.

  

The 500 - #445 - Steve Miller Band - Fly like an Eagle

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. 

My plan (amended). 

• One record per week (ish) and at least two complete listens.
• A blog post for each, highlighting the important details and, when possible, a background story that relates to the record.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation of diverse forms of music.
• Listen to Josh and his guest on The 500 podcast to gather additional information and insights.

Album # 445

Album Title: Fly Like An Eagle
Artist: Steve Miller Band
Released: May, 1976
My age at release: 10
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix:  Wild Mountain Honey  (selected by my chum, musician Cam Grant)
Great Lyric:
"This here's a story 'bout Billy Joe and Bobbie Sue
Two young lovers with nothing better to do
Than sit around the house, get high, and watch the tube
And here's what happened when they decided to cut loose"
(Take the Money and Run)

My first high school was in the small Ontario town of Kingsville located along the shores of Lake Erie, not far from the Windsor/Detroit border. The high school library was remarkable because it boasted an impressive collection of albums that students could borrow for two nights at a time.

Suddenly, some of the most important or commercially successful records of the past decade were readily available to me. This, along with my friendship with schoolmate Andrew Harris (who had access to his older brothers' collection), was my introduction to great music. Indeed, many of the records on Rolling Stone's list were in one or both of these collections.

Album #445 Fly Like An Eagle by Steve Miller Band and Greatest Hits (1974 - 1978) were two records I borrowed and listened to many times on my parents' stereo system in the back room of our home. To this day, any song from these two discs transports me immediately to lazy evenings, stretched out on the carpeted floor absorbing the sounds and while devouring the album cover content and liner notes, likely while avoiding homework.

Steve Miller has been pigeonholed as Dad Rock during the past few decades and his music has become a staple of soft and classic rock radio stations. However, he is an exemplary guitar player and a first-rate songwriter. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. The induction was, however, marred by controversy. Miller was introduced by musicians Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney of the band The Black Keys who are 35 years his junior. The pair grew up as fans of Miller but the experience that evening was horrendous for them. As Auerback put it in this interview in Rolling Stone Magazine.

We got a really uncomfortable feeling when we first met Steve. He had no idea who we were. No idea. The first thing he told us was, "I can't wait to get out of here." He knew that we signed up to do this speech for him. And he made no effort to even [laughs uncomfortably] — he didn't even figure out who we were. I don't live in New York City. This is like three days out of my life flying from Nashville and leaving my kids at home.

It seems that Miller has become a curmudgeon in his senior years and the speech he made following the induction was a profane tirade leveled at the music industry and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He may have had legitimate points but, this was the wrong place and time to vent.

This saddens me. I am always a little disheartened when an artist I've admired turns out to be unkind, mean-spirited or unable to show simple decency. Unfortunately, that moment on the stage in 2016 may be a lasting part of Miller's legacy rather than the fantastic music he created during my youth.

The 500 - #495 - Bonnie Raitt - Give it Up

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

So, here's my plan. 

• 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 495

Album Title: Give it Up
Artist: Bonnie Raitt
Released: June, 1972
My age at release: 6
How familiar am I with it: Never heard it 
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Love me Like a Man
Great Lyric:
"I've never seen such losers
Don't think I haven't tried
Find a man to take me home
Instead of always for a ride."

What a terrific album. So glad that this journey helped me discover it. I'll admit, Bonnie Raitt didn't show up on my radar until about 1989. I was in university and delivering pizzas for Fluffy's Pizzeria - Home of the Pizza Monster (I can tell you from experience, that costume stunk.) Other than great friendships and plenty of funny memories - I have very few pictures from this time. Here's what I've got.

Fluffy's Matches, Me making after hours pizza with Dave, sporting the height of 80's fashion.

The album Nick of Time was her commercial breakthrough and, without the benefit of the internet, I assumed her debut. The song Thing called Love was on my radio during many deliveries.

Here's the weird thing -and I am not sure if you have experienced this. I can distinctly remember a specific moment when this song was playing. I mean, location, weather, mood, everything.

I was delivering a pizza to a house on Beachwood Avenue, just south of Commissioners Road (which probably means nothing to you, except that it is not a particularly memorable location for any reason). It's strange how random, innocuous moments take up permanent real-estate in our memories.

While researching this, I discovered that the album Nick of Time would make an appearance at #230 on this list - so enough about that.

I would have pigeon holed Bonnie Raitt as a country artist, but Give it Up is more blues and R&B ... it even has a soft rock Eagles' feel to it at time. I picked Love Me Like a Man because of its raw, honest intensity.

I have a new respect for this sound and I am going to explore more. Obviously, later - I've already got my work cut out for me. We'll see if I got around to it when we get to pick #230.

Things I learned

• Bonnie was nearly 40 before she had real commercial success - LESSON: Keep plugging away!
• Her father was a Broadway Musical Star from California.
• 'This is a important quote for young performers: "I thought I had to live that partying lifestyle in order to be authentic, but in fact you keep it up too long, all you're going to be is sloppy or dead."

The 500 - #497 - The White Stripes - White Blood Cells

This is the fourth in an ongoing series, the first can be found here and the second here and the third here.

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

So, here's my plan. 

• 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 497

Album Title: White Blood Cells
Artist: The White Stripes
Released: July, 2001
My age at release: 35
How familiar am I with it: Somewhat 
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Hotel Yorba
Great Lyric:
"It might sound silly
For me to think childish thoughts like these.
But I'm so tired of acting tough
And I'm gonna do what I please
Let's get married
In a big cathedral by a priest
Cause if I'm the man you love the most
You could say "I do" at least."

In the late 90 & early 2000's, I hosted a late show at CHRW - Radio Western - our local University station. It ran from 2 am until 6 am on Saturday mornings (Friday nights). With the exception of a group of grocery store workers on the midnight shift, I didn't receive a lot of phone calls or requests. Consequently, I was pretty much free to play what I wanted...as long as I respected the station mantra - No Hits - that is "nothing that has been on the Top-100 in the past year". Those grocery store workers loved a death metal band called Six Feet Under - so I always kept copies of those CDs close at hand.

A number of my friends were working musicians, so I could always count on them as listeners after their bar gigs ended. It also gave me a chance to feature their music. Consequently, I named my show Stomping Grounds and 30% of the material I played was by talent from London and the surrounding Southwestern Ontario region.

On one show, two former students, joined me for a shift. They brought some of the music they were listening to and one disc was The White Stripes. They played a few tracks and I remember feeling sort of neutral about it. I certainly wasn't wowed.  

I was wrong. I suspect I was being a curmudgeon and a tad pretentious - dismissing these teens with their sloppy, fuzz-rock.  I mean, I've heard Garage Rock before and thought affordable technology had moved us forward. Was this supposed to be an homage? I do know I was troubled by the drumming. It seemed sloppy & incredibly simple - like someone who had just learned to keep time, but had not developed subtlety or feel.

Much has changed. I have a new respect for the band and I love so much of Jack White's style. His live version of Dolly Parton's Jolene is exceptional and the DVD Under Blackpool Lights has a grainy, mystical power that is absolutely riveting. I truly think it will, eventually, be regarded as one of the great concert videos.   

I chose the song Hotel Yorba because it was one of the first songs I could play on the guitar while singing. It's fun lyrics and chunky rhythm is catchy and an absolute blast to play. 

As a side note: 

Kitchener area musician, the late Matt Osborne was playing a gig at The 'Wick and agreed to come on my radio show that same night. Despite arriving at 3:00 am and having to drive 100 km home, he happily agreed to an interview and played a couple songs for us.  He was an incredibly sweet guy and an exceptional talent. This is a version of one the songs he played . Sadly, he passed in 2004. I would absolutely recommend checking out his album Man vs. Concrete - it is on Spotify. Whining Teenager's Dramatic Exit is a personal favourite and, tragically, way ahead of the curve in its commentary on the phenomenon of school shootings - which, at the time, seemed like bizarre & temporary anomalies.

Things I learned

Jack White was born Jack Gillis and took his wife's last name in marriage.

Jack loves creating mythology by weaving believable lies around him & his life. Like suggesting that he and Meg were the two youngest of ten siblings who formed the band on Bastille Day or that the Hotel Yorba in Detroit once housed The Beatles. 

Next: Boz Scaggs: Boz Scaggs

The 500 - #498 - The Stone Roses - Stone Roses

This is the third in an ongoing series, the first can be found here and the second here.

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

So, here's my plan. 

• 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 498

Album Title: Stone Roses (Debut)
Artist: The Stone Roses
Released: May, 1989
My age at release: 23
How familiar am I with it: Somewhat
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Fools Gold
Great Lyric:

"Stands on shifting sands,
The scales held in her hands,
The wind it just whips her away
And fills up her brigantine sails."

The Stone Roses landed on my radar in the mid-90's. A high school friend had moved to England and he and I stayed in touch through letters (pre-email). At one point, we exchanged cassette tapes. I filled mine with the songs that were popular here and his highlighted the music he was hearing in London. I'll admit, I didn't recognize a single name - Oasis, Blur, Travis, Suede, Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses. It would be another 6-12 months before some of them gained a North American beachhead. 

Of all these bands, it was Portishead that really struck a chord with me. My girlfriend, now wife, had also discovered Dummy and the track Glory Box got plenty of airtime in my apartment and car.

A few years later, I was teaching, but continued to bartend to make ends meet. Several of the serving staff had spent a year abroad and they raved about The Manchester Movement - and The Stone Roses in particular. Most of my family lives in the Manchester area (Rochdale, Littleborough) so, I felt an odd kinship. A local pub had a weekly Brit-Pop night, so I began to hear them more often - mainly Love Spreads.

I enjoyed listening through this album in its entirety. My favourite track, and the one I added to my Spotify list, is Fools Gold - I'm a sucker for a groovy bass-line and funky percussion.

Things I learned:

The album cover is Jackson Pollack inspired and is intended to reference the 1968 Paris Riots - hence the flag in the top left. Lemons are depicted because they were used as an antidote to tear gas.

The Manchester Scene was dubbed "Madchester" - how did I not know that until today?

Next: #497: The White Stripes: White Blood Cells

Ten Influential Albums - Day 2

This is an update from a post from June 20, 2018 

The Influential Album Challenge is circulating on Social Media platforms again. I have been asked to participate and am revisiting my picks from 2018. 

My first post, found here, was the Soundtrack to Oliver. I am moving chronologically and this post lands us in 1977 when I was 11 and 12.

I was in grade eight in the farming and fishing town of Kingsville, Ontario. At the time, Acceleration (skipping grades) and Retention (failing grades) were the norm. Consequently, one might be in a classroom with students who differed in age by four years.

A student named Jari arrived from Finland that autumn. He did not speak English, so they put him in grade four. I was fortunate to have my early education in England and was moved a grade forward. Consequently, Jari (13) was in grade four and Marc (12) was in grade eight. The figurative playing field was, however, levelled on the literal playing field. At recess, we struck up a friendship competing in sports -- mainly road hockey.

Jack Miner Public School in Kingsville, Ontario

Part way through the year, with graduation on the horizon, Jari was moved to my class because his English language skills had rapidly developed and he was also starting to look like a young adult. 

That summer, I was invited to Jari's 14th birthday party. I'd heard he'd made high school friends in his neighbourhood. When I arrived, I was the youngest person there. I can't remember what I bought him (or, rather, what my parents had bought me to give him), but every other gift was an album.

Someone bought him Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell. The cover seemed maniacal and sinister. Little did I realize it was essentially ballads and Broadway-style show-tunes.  

Another gift was the debut album from The Cars. I had never heard anything remotely "electronic". It seemed avant-garde and ultra modern. I purchased my copy a few months later from the Devonshire Mall in Windsor -- spending money I'd  earned through babysitting and newspaper delivery. 

In 1982, the song Moving in Stereo was be stamped on my impressionable teenage brain during a scene featuring the stunning Phoebe Cates in the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. If you are familiar with the film, you know the scene.

I still enjoy The Cars record immensely. It introduced me to new-wave and synth-pop. The lyrics are quirky and, although it would take me years to appreciate it, ironic. Jari and I drifted apart after I moved to London. I'm glad to have known him for many reasons and this album is certainly one of them.