The 500 - #456 - Marvin Gaye - Here, my Dear

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. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 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 # 456

Album Title: Here, my Dear
Artist: Marvin Gaye
Released: December, 1978
My age at release: 13
How familiar am I with it: I knew one song
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Is that Enough? 
Great Lyric:
"Suddenly it occured to me it did not matter,
Whether I was mad at her
Or she was mad at me."
(You can Leave, but it's Gonna Cost You)

Once again, I have encountered an artist who has multiple titles on Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  Marvin Gaye's 1973 offering, Let's Get It On, appears at #175 and, at #6 is the iconic What's Going On? from 1976. 

The legendary artist who left us far too soon. He was murdered by his father, in April of 1984. Shortly before his tragic death I discovered Marvin's music. In the early 80s I attended Saunders Secondary School in London, Ontario. School band practices were held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30 am. This necessitated a ride on the dreaded "early bus" which traveled from my subdivision in Byron to the school...about 8 km away.

With frequent stops the trip took about 25 minutes and, unlike typical high-school bus excursions, it was an almost entirely silent journey. Teenage sleep patterns have been well documented by physicians and scientists who specialize in adolescent physiology. Teens run on a different bio-clock than adults or children. They experience a melatonin release late in the evening, a wolf-phase which keeps them awake and energized. A subsequent drop in this hormone overnight results in the mumbly, grumpy disposition that parents dread, particularly when they need to rouse the household zombies. Consequently, it is a bit of cruel joke that they are expected to attend school as early as 8:00 in the morning - doubly cruel when they have to catch the earlier bus to band practice. 

Our driver probably loved this low-octane sojourn. He was young, likely mid-20s, and would play the local FM radio station to replace the silent gloom. It was during one of these trips that I first heard Marvin Gaye. I suspect it would be about 1982 when his last record, Midnight Love, was released and the single, Sexual Healing, was a hit on the charts. There was no way a song that provocative was going to escape my hyper-sexed teenage radar. Everything about it caught my attention. The low throb of the bass guitar, the relentless tinny precision of the drum-machine, the whispery voices of the back-up singers and, of course, those suggestive lyrics.

I just spent a relaxing Saturday afternoon listening to Here my Dear as I prepared lessons for the upcoming week of school. This album is incredible. Just the saxophone groove on Is that Enough? was worth my monthly Spotify charge . Give it a listen - it is perfect background music for writing, cooking, entertaining or relaxing.

The 500 - #457 - My Morning Jacket - Z

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. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 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 # 457

Album Title: Z
Artist: My Morning Jacket
Released: October, 2005
My age at release: 40
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Lay Low 
Great Lyric:
"You had me worried, so worried
That this would last
But now I'm learning
Learning this will pass."
(Dondate)
One of my great pleasures on this journey through Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums is the discovery of an unknown gem. This album marks the 16th record on this list with which I had little to no familiarity. Much like Manu Chau's Proxima Esatacion: Esperanza, Aquemini by Outkast and I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight by Richard and Linda Thompson, this record by My Morning Jacket is an unexpected treasure and a great addition to my playlists.

I didn't think I knew anything by the band. This was one of many artists whose name I knew but whose work I had not explored. As I listened, a few songs sounded familiar and I realized that they were a staple on Radio Paradise.

For those not familiar, Radio Paradise is a commercial-free, listener supported internet radio service. It has been operating since 2000, originally out of Paradise California (hence its name) and now out of the Borrega Valley near San Diego. It describes itself as "eclectic rock radio". I first learned of it from my friend James who played it regularly. It always seemed like the perfect mix and fit every occasion. My wife and I have been supporters for over ten years and it can be heard playing throughout our apartment during most of our waking hours. I encourage you to try a free listen and, if possible, subscribe for a few dollars a month.

I listened to Z by My Morning Jacket about eight times this weekend as I was writing progress reports for my students. This was an ideal choice for background music. Music writers have been unable to accurately identify a single genre for this band's sound, calling it art-rock, jam-rock, psychedelia, space-rock and indie. The record flows together seamlessly so selecting a single track was tough. In the end, I reached out to a friend who is a fan - I offered my two suggestions, Lay Low and Dondante and this is what he sent back.

Guest Blog Contribution from Nick B.

Lay Low is my favourite track. I just love the guitars that harmonize during the solo. It's like I’m listening to a bootleg Allman Brothers record and I want to grab my fishing rods, hop in the car, hit the back roads and drive until I find a river.

That’s what my dad and I listened to when we went on fishing trips - The Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore. When I heard this album I immediately sent it to him. I started with this song. Naturally, it’s now one of his favourites. 

I love when bands can take their influences and combine them with their own sound. It’s a nice blend of old-meets-new and it gives me hope for music in the future. Create your own music but don’t lose the sounds that influenced you. 

The 500 - #458 - Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection

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. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 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 # 458

Album Title: Tumbleweed Connection
Artist: Elton John
Released: October, 1970
My age at release: 5
How familiar am I with it: I own it on vinyl, purchased 1985
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Amoreena
Great Lyric:
Bring your family down to the riverside,
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide.
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps.
It's time we put a flame torch to their keep.
(Burn Down the Mission)

I went through a heavy Elton John phase from 1985 to 1987. During that time, I regularly stalked the aisles of our local used record shop (Dr. Disc) and purchased nearly every studio release the store had on vinyl. Tumbleweed Connection was one of the first I found.

Initially, it didn't win me over. It's a concept album based on American Country and Western themes and, at that time in my life, I wasn't a fan of that genre. I absolutely loved the albums Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy, which we will get to eventually at #91 and #158, respectively. However, over time, this album grew on me and I would often regularly play Side Two in order to hear Burn Down the Mission, which remains one of my Top Ten Elton John songs.

 This version of Burn Down the Mission is from a BBC television appearance in 1970, the same year Tumbleweed Connection was released. It includes an introduction of Elton's band mates Dee Murray and Nigel Olson, both of whom would play with him for decades - Murray until his untimely death in 1992 and Olson, who still performs with John today.

Although I settled on the song Amoreena, my initial plan was to put Burn Down the Mission on my Spotify The 500 Playlist. The version on this record is great but I adore the Phil Collins' Cover from the tribute album Two Rooms - Celebrating The Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. If you haven't checked out this collection, it is absolutely worth the investment. The name, Two Rooms, is apt. After all, lyricist Taupin writes the lyrics and delivers them to John who puts them to music. An incredible catalogue this was literally constructed in two locations. 

I have a few Elton John related stories but I'll save them. He has four more records on this list. 

Things I learned...

• Rod Stewart covered the song Country Comfort on his record Gasoline Alley the same year as Tumbleweed Connection (1970). Which is strange, usually artists cover material from farther back in time.
• Dusty Springfield of Son of a Preacher Man fame sings back-up on this record.
• Elton John and Bernie Taupin shared a mutual fascination with the American West. They loved cowboy movies and their common interest was at the core of this record's creation.
• The wrap-around artwork for the record was taken at a railway station outside London. It features John and Taupin on either side. It is intended to represent rural America but they intentionall decided to use an English location to highlight their nationality.

The 500 - #459 - The Drifters - Golden Hits

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. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 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 # 459

Album Title: Golden Hits
Artist: The Drifters
Released: 1968
My age at release: 2-3
How familiar am I with it: Fairly-to-Well
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Save the Last Dance
Great Lyric: 
Oh I know that the music's fine,
Like sparkling wine, go have your fun.
Laugh and sing but while we're apart,
Don't give your heart to anyone.
But don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms your going to be.
So Darlin', save the last dance for me.

Arriving on the heels of my two-week immersion into the improvisational anarchy of Metal Box by P.I.L. and the grungy discontent of Live Through This by Hole, The Drifter's Golden Hits was like a calming breeze. 

I enjoyed my first listen through this record on a pleasant Sunday evening drive through the Ontario countryside with my wife. At one point, between songs, she turned to me and remarked, "It's just such gentle, lovely music - it makes you feel like everything is going to be fine." 

Although this compilation record is made up of hits from the late 50s and early 60s, I am most familiar with this sound from the 80s revival. It seemed that, during the late 80s, multiple big budget movies were heavily influenced by doo wop, R&B and early Rock and Roll music. It was a weird phenomenon. I suspect it is because film makers and writers, who were likely 40-50 years old, were feeling nostalgic. 

Dozens of movie released during this time were...

• Set in the 50s or 60s - Good Morning Vietnam, Dirty Dancing
• Named after a 50s or 60 song - My Girl, Lean on Me
• Featured a revival of a song from that period - Top Gun, Ghost
• Was a combination of all three - Stand by Me

Consequently, when I hear this music it transports me to my late teens and early 20s, even though I wasn't alive when most of it was released. I like that. It's as if I get to share in an emotional memory that truly belongs to people twenty years my senior. 

Things I learned.

• The Drifters were really just a product of the studio system. There were over 60 vocalists who were part of the band and many of them were grossly underpaid for their work.
• Billboard's R&B Charts were called The Top Black Albums until 1978.
• Carole King wrote "Some Kinda Wonderful"

The 500 - #460 - Hole - Live Through This

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. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 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 # 460

Album Title: Live Through This
Artist: Hole
Released: April, 1994
My age at release: 28
How familiar am I with it: Less than I thought
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Doll Parts
Great Lyric: 
"I want to be the girl with the most cake

He only loves those things because he loves to see them break

I fake it so real I am beyond fake

And someday you will ache like I ache. (Doll Parts)

This journey through Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time has been incredible so far. Discoveries have been made and opinions have been changed and this record is no exception. If you had asked me about it two weeks ago, I would have dismissed it, likely with a quip disparaging the lead singer, Courtney Love - perhaps unfairly pigeonholing her as a vulgar addict who rode to minor success on the coattails of her late husband, rock legend Kurt Cobain. 

After an honest listen on the elliptical last week, I was forced to reconsider everything. This is a great album featuring top-level musicianship, including Courtney Love, whose powerful voice runs the gambit from palpable anger to authentic vulnerability. 

During the past two weeks, I've listened to this album multiple times while doing research into the it, the band and Courtney Love. I've confronted myself with the question: "Why did I dislike her so much that I refused to give this record its due?" 

There are many on line articles and discussion threads listing her unlikeable behaviours. Until recently, I believed the following...

• Her fame seemed to be a by-product of her marriage to Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain.
• Conspiracy theories aside, it was easy to blame her for Cobain's suicide in 1994.
• She feuded for years with Dave Grohl, a former band mate of Cobain, who is heralded by many as the nicest guy in Rock and Roll.
• She was a sloppy, drunken mess even when claiming to be sober - best evidenced by this appearance on the Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson. 

These past two weeks have compelled me to re-evaluate my views and have made me wonder if I would have held a male musician with the same contempt. Slowly, my arguments have been dissolved.

• The album name, Live Through This, is apt. She has lived an incredible, often brutal, life.
• She was performing as a musician and actor long before she met Cobain. She even fronted the funk-metal band Faith No More in 1982 at 18 years of age.
• Cobain was a heroin addict who was struggling with recovery. His mental health challenges are well documented. To blame Love for his suicide is categorically unfair. It's akin to blaming a loss in a 7 game playoff series to a single mistake by a player.
• Grohl and Love made amends in 2014 when Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They both say they regretted the acrimony and dismiss it as an unfortunate byproduct of youth.

My research also led me to gain a better understanding of the Riot Grrrl Movement of the early 90s. Originating in the Pacific Northwest (not far from Love's hometown of Portland, Oregon) this underground, feminist punk movement encouraged women to express themselves in the same way that men had for years. Bands such as Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and Heavens to Betsy addressed issues that included rape, domestic abuse and sexuality. They wore short skirts, ripped fishnet stockings and combat boots. They were vegans who abstained from alcohol and drugs. They were part-punk and part-political, employing a grassroots movement aimed at empowering women. More importantly, they offered young girls an alternative, not only to commercially produced boy bands, but also the unrealistic images of beauty which bombarded them in media daily.

Although only tangentially connected to the Riot Grrrl movement, Love was in the vanguard for female empowerment long before The Spice Girls commercialized feminism and diluted it with the catchy, but manufactured notion of Girl Power.

I've realized that, at 27, I wasn't ready for Courtney Love's brash, vulgar and maniacal punk rock persona. Refusing, subconsciously, to give her the same latitude (or even respect) I'd extend to male counterparts exhibiting similar behaviours.

• Why is Cobain remembered as a tragic genius who fell victim to drug addiction while Love has been seen as a pathetic addict and unfit mother?
• Why do we celebrate the madness of The Who's late drummer Keith Moon as wild and eccentric while Love is seen as unhinged and vulgar?
• Why are the legendary sexual conquests of musicians like Vince Neil, Gene Simmons & David Lee Roth lauded while confident sexuality expressed by a woman is viewed as obscene and shameful?

The other day, a man passed me wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a photograph of Johnny Cash angrily flashing his middle finger toward an unidentified cameraman. It is widely regarded as an iconic moment in which Cash's unbridled, fiery passion has been unleashed. We identify with him as a regular guy who has finally lost his patience with an unjust system.

There are many pictures of Love flashing her middle finger. I used to view them through a lens of judgment and disdain. I don't anymore and I realize that Live Through This is clear evidence of Love's unbridled, fiery passion...lashing out at injustices I failed to recognize in my youth.

The 500 - #461 - P.I.L. - Metal Box

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. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 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 # 461

Album Title: Metal Box  aka: Second Edition
Artist: Public Image Ltd. (PiL)
Released: November, 1979
My age at release: 14
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Poptones selected by Claudio

This post will be my 40th on my journey through the Rolling Stone list. This bears mention because there has been a typographical error on the first sentence of the last 39 posts I have failed to notice a hundred times. Clearly, this is not a big deal but, simple, avoidable errors always generate a feeling of anxiety and embarrassment for me. Consequently, every one was fixed within minutes of this discovery; so you will find no evidence of my transgression. A clear advantage for blogging over print media.

"What was it?" you ask.

I called the host of the podcast I listen to Josh Adams Meyers rather than his actual name...Josh Adam Meyers. I know his name is Josh Adam Meyers (he says it on every podcast). Clearly, I just mistyped - likley channelling a John Quincy or Samuel Adams vibe.

There is a good lesson to be had here. A writing tip statement frequently shared with the young writers in my classroom: 

"When re-reading our own work we tend to see what we "think we wrote" not what we "actually wrote". Consequently, it is important to read your work aloud or, better still, have a good, peer editor."

I have a great editor: my father. He is a retired journalist who wrote (and edited) for decades. Unfortunately, he had no idea that Josh's middle name wasn't pluralized or if it was, perhaps, a non-hyphenated dual surname. Additionally, I always tell him to skip over the introduction because it is just a preamble to set up the narrative. I guess I'll find out when he edits this post (although he'll probably suggest I remove this sentence). He did...I didn't.

This is the second album by Public Image Limited (abbreviated as PiL) and it has two names, "Metal Box" and "Second Edition". When first released, the band made the audacious decision to put three 12" 45 RPM records in a 16 mm film canister. 

The rationale fit with the band's anti-rock, post-punk rebellious nature. The absence of album art actually made the production less expensive, so much so that the record company demanded the band return 1/3 of its advance. In addition, because of the playing speed, each side contained only one or two of the album's 11 tracks. As a result the listener had to make frequent trips to the turntable to hear the album in its entirety. Furthermore, the tight packaging and thin sheets of paper placed between the records made them difficult to remove and easy to scratch. It was as if they were actively discouraging their audience from hearing the record. There was even a debate about putting a coating of sandpaper on the outside of the can so that it would scratch the cover art of any other record shelved beside it.

There is something devilishly cheeky I admire about this attitude toward their art because it was done in 1979 when glitzy discotheques and over-the-top arena rock spectacles were the norm. I spent a lot of time thumbing through records in my teens and album cover art was at its zenith, full of... 

• fantasy or science fiction landscapes
• mythical creatures
• bleak, totalitarian dystopias
• provocative imagery
• scantily clad women (often at the feet of machismo musicians)
• or abstract, avant-garde art

Just a quick sampling of a few that came to mind.

I wanted to like this record listening to it under a variety situations. Usually a fan of the unusual, I adore the works of Frank Zappa, King Crimson and even the early stuff by Pink Floyd. However, there wasn't much to embrace in Metal Box. Singer Johnny Lydon's cryptic lyrics sung muddily over a bed of repetitive, improvised guitar arpeggios with a bass track so thick even my best speakers struggled to avoid distortions. 

That said, I don't mind a couple of tracks and happily put Claudio's choice Poptones on my Spotify mix. It's just not a record I am likely to listen to again...even though modern technology has removed the inconvenience of a metal case and six sides.

The 500 - #462 - R.E.M. - Document

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. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 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 # 463

Album Title: Document
Artist: R.E.M
Released: August, 1987
My age at release: 22
How familiar am I with it: Very Familiar
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Oddfellows Local 151
Great Lyric:
Vested interest, united ties
Landed gentry, rationalize
Look who bought the myth
By Jingo, buy America
It's a sign of the times
You're sharpening stones
Walking on coals
To improve your business acumen
(Exhuming McCarthy)

Another 1987 release has appeared on Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. A few weeks ago, I wrote about Album #472, Def Leppard's Hysteria and a month ago I penned a post about #475, Tunnel of Love by Bruce Springsteen. I'll check the statistics but can confidently say that 1987 was a great year for albums.

This album is terrific. There are three versions of this record available on Spotify:

• The Original 1987 release
• The 1993 I.R.S. vintage release with bonus tracks
• The Remastered release with live tracks from1999 

I played every one of them multiple times.

I was a casual R.E.M. fan in the early 80s. Songs such as Radio Free Europe, Don't go Back to Rockville, Can't get There from Here and Fall on Me from their first four records were played regularly on our local university radio station CHRW - Radio Western (where I would later DJ) and Much Music (Canada's MTV).

However, I went through a heavy R.E.M. phase in 1992 when the commercially successful juggernaut Automatic for the People was released. 

Soon, the entire R.E.M. catalogue was in my collection - even more obscure releases, such as the live acoustic record Blue. I only managed to see the band perform live once...but I almost didn't

It was June 13, 1995 and I drove from London to Toronto with my future brother-in-law Danny and a couple fellow bartenders (Tim & Marcelo) to attend the show at the Molson Ampitheatre. 

We had booked hotel rooms in The Big Smoke and were going to make "a weekend" of it. The show was on a Tuesday night and, in the restaurant world, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are the weekends.

We left the hotel and piled into a taxi to take us to the outdoor venue. Driving in Toronto is always unpleasant - doing it near the waterfront area on the day of a concert and a Blue Jays game is downright masochistic. 

As we approached the entry gate, I reached into my back-pocket to find ... you guessed it...nothing. My ticket was gone. I checked my wallet and my pockets ... multiple times (I've never understood why I always repeat fruitless searches). Did I leave it in the room? Did I drop it in the cab? Was I pickpocketed? 

Regardless, I was sans ticket. The choices were few:

• Flag down a cab back to the hotel, then get another cab...(even as this scenario raced through my head, I knew it was ridiculous)
• Try to find the box office and see if there was another ticket available for a show already billed as "Sold Out".
• Find a scalper.

I chose the last option with a few advantages in mind.

• It was close to showtime - so any scalper would a motivated seller.
• We were in the General Admission section on the lawn - so I would remain with my friends and those were the least expensive tickets.
• I had a great pitch... I said "Hey, I left my ticket up the street at the hotel...can you sell me one for a good price so I don't have to walk back?"

It worked, I got a ticket for a little above face value.

The show was superb, promoting their latest release Monster. The set list can be found here. 

It was good to have seen them before the announcement of their break-up in 2011. Hopefully, they will reunite and tour again - when I will keep a tight grip on my ticket.