Comeback Collapse

It happened today. Hooray! Hooray! It happened. Hip, hip, hooray!... (R.E.M. - It Happened Today)

It did happen. I bought a new R.E.M. cd in over a decade. After being a big R.E.M. fan in the 80's; slightly less of a fan in the 90's; not really at all in the 00's; I read a good review on R.E.M.'s Collapse Into Now and thought I would give it a try.

I first heard R.E.M. in about 1983 when a friend played me the Murmer album. It was like something totally new. Peter Buck's jangly guitars sounded to me like at least 2 if not 3 guitars. Michael Stipe's singing was mumbly with the lyrics being indecipherable. Mike Mill's bass and Bill Berry's drums were solid. The harmony vocals were soaring to the point of making the hairs on your arms stand up.
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Each album in the 80's after 1984's Reckoning saw a slight change in the sound; 1985's Fables of the Reconstruction was bit more murky; 1986's Life's Rich Pageant was more straight ahead rock; 1987's Document was a little harder; and then their major label debut 1988's Green was more popier. Each of these stand on their own. Around the end of the decade Rolling Stone magazine declared the band America's Best Rock and Roll Band.
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The 1990's saw R.E.M.' s popularity grow which peaked around 1992's more acoustic Automatic For the People. In 1994 the band did a 360 with the guitar heavy Monster, a very solid album. The subsequent tour was plagued with some health issues; Bill Berry collapsed on stage with a brain aneurysm and Mike Mills and Michael Stipe also had health issues. Bill Berry recovered after surgery, but decided to leave the band. R.E.M. has never been the same.
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The post Berry R.E.M. further removed the band from the sound that I fell in love with in the 80's. The 00's albums have been more atmospheric, less jangly; the drums burried.

Just released Collapse Into Now is a return of sorts to R.E.M.'s 90's sound. I like the cd quite a bit. Mine Smell Like Honey (I hate the title, but love the song) is classic R.E.M.; when the song kicks into the chorus the harmonies lift you off the ground. Same with the harmonies on It Happened Today which include guest vocals from Eddie Vedder. Uberlin recalls Drive from Automatic For the People; Blue could have come off of 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi. I'm still taking in this disc, but it's nice to hear from an old friend.

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Being Clarivoyant and The Future

Take a picture of this: The fields are empty, abandoned '59 Chevy, Laying in the back seat listening to Little Willie John; Yea, that's when time stood still...(Robbie Robertson - Somewhere Down the Crazy River)

It feels like that finally a long winter may be coming to an end. The days are getting warmer and longer. The sun has been peeking out and finally some new exciting music is being released. It seems that artists either get their music released for the Christmas season or they wait until March or April. Recent releases include Radiohead's download only King of Limbs, Lucinda William's Blessed, R.E.M.'s Collapse Into Now, The Baseball Project's High and Tight, etc...

On the Horizon:

• Broken Bells will release an EP Meyrin Fields on March 29
• My Morning Jacket is releasing live music from their web site each week until the April 12th release of their new CD Circuital.
• Steve Earle's new CD is I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive will be released on April 26th
• Old 97's will release The Grande Theater Volume 2 some time in May.
• Robbie Robertson's How To Become Clairvoyant which is to be released on April 5.

Robbie Robertson is familiar to alot of folks as the guitarist for the Americana roots pioneers The Band (although 4 of the 5 members were Canadian). The Band toured and recorded with Bob Dylan, played at the Woodstock Festival and made several great albums in the late 60'/early 70's before breaking up in 1978. Their final concert was filmed and released as the movie The Last Waltz. The concert film included many of their contemporaries and friends such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young, to name two.

Robertson has recorded several solo albums since the breakup, but they have been far and few between. In 1987 Robertson released his self-titled solo debut, co-produced by super producer Daniel Lanois and Robertson. Some "Band purists" panned the album, but I thought it was brilliant. The record had that Lanois sound and featured U2 and Peter Gabriel (whom Lanois had also produced). The album contained several great songs including Somewhere Down the Crazy River which featured additional vocals from The BoDeans singer Sam Llanas. Fallen Angel, a tribute to bandmate Richard Manuel who had died in 1986, is another winner. Other standouts include Showdown at Big Sky, Sweet Fire of Love, American Roulette, and Broken Arrow which became a hit later for Rod Stewart.

In 1991 Robertson released Storyville, recorded in New Orleans. I have not heard that one. In 1994 Robertson recorded music for a televsion documentary called The Native Americans. In 1998 he continued along this road with another Native American influenced record Contact From the Underworld of Redboy. These records are inspired combining authentic sounds, chants with modern sounding music.

I have already read a negative review about How To Become Clairvoyant but I want to listen for myself. Robbie Robertson has not followed a straight career path since leaving the Band but his limited outputs have been fun.

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The White Stripes: 1997-2011

But I can't help but wonder if after I'm gone will I still have these three hundred mile per hour, finger breaking, no answers makin', battered dirty hands, bee stung and busted up, empty cup torrential outpour blues... (The White Stipes - 300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues)

I was saddened to hear the news Wednesday of the breakup of The White Stripes. It's obvious that we haven't heard the last of Jack White, but the White Stripes were one of the most original rock bands to come along in some time. The duo from Detroit popped up at a time when it seemed that rap and hip hop had taken over and that rock was on it's last leg. Here are a few of my favorites over the years:


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From Texas to Tennessee

I'm going to take it to the United Nations or to a rock and roll radio station... (Old 97's - Please Hold While the Train in Moving)

I've been listening to Bruce Springsteen's The Promise quiet a bit lately, but I wanted to talk about a couple others that are also on my current playlist.

First to leave the station from Texas, the Old 97's and their latest release The Grand Theatre Volume I. The Old 97's play rock and roll with a twist of Texas country. They are lead by charismatic front man/lead singer Rhett Miller, with Murry Hammond on bass and vocals, lead guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer Philip Peeples.

The Grand Theatre was recorded in Austin Texas after the band had rented out the Son of Herman Hall in Dallas and played the new songs to see how they would sound in concert. A couple of dozen songs were recorded. A second volume is to be released this spring.

At any rate, The Grand Theatre is the Old 97's besting outing since probably 2001's Satelite Rides. The cd starts off with the title track, a rocker with interesting lyrics; Every Night is Friday Night is instant likable breakup song; Champaign, Illinois is a rewrite of Bob Dylan's Desolation Row (Dylan is given half the writing credit); The Dance Class and Please Hold On While the Train is Moving are highlights; on Let the Whiskey Take the Reins gutiarist Ken Bethea is the star as Rhett Miller sings in a low voice; Murry Hammond takes over the lead vocals on You Smoke Too Much and You Were Born To Be In Battle with winning results.

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Second up from Tennesee are Kings of Leon and their 5th album Come Around Sundown. After a change in direction on their last album Only By the Night from garage rock to stadium rock the Kings continue in that direction. Sundown is again produced by Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King and leans a little in the direction of U2 with it's atmospheric sounds.

The cd opens with the very atmospheric The End; Radioactive, the fine lead single follows; Mary has a 50ish feel to it; the highlight is the ode to southern hospitality Back Down South. Come Around Sundown may not pack the punch of the Kings early work or have the mega hits of Only By the Night, but it is a fine listen.

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Springsteen's Promise

I bought a shirt uptown in Bloomindales and babe I tried to make the latest scene; Hitting cool just like Jimmy Iovine... (Bruce Springsteen - Ain't Good Enough For You)

Bruce Springsteen's classic album Darkness on the Edge of Town was released in 1978 and to my ears the album is a cohesive, flawlsess gem that flows seamlessly from side 1 through side 2 The songs are dark and bold, but also filled with honesty and hope. With that said I believe the right songlist was chosen for Darkness on the Edge of Town.

The new Darkness 30th anniversary box set was released back on November 16 and includes 3 cd's; the remix of Darkness and 2 cd's worth of unreleased songs recorded for the Darkness record (also released seperately as The Promise); 3 dvd's; including 2 live concerts and the making of Darkness. Needless to say this treasure trove of Bruce materials has been a blast digging through.

The Promise includes 22 songs and has taken a little bit to get the feel for and I must admit that on first listen I was bit disappointed because the songs didn't necessarily sound like Darkness songs. I thought the Darkness outtake's released on 1998's 4 cd set Tracks, sounded more like Darkness songs; Bring on the Night, The Iceman, Don't Look Back all have Darkness qualities about them. However, upon futher listens I have found The Promise to be a rewarding experience and have discovered the songs for what they are... outtakes from Bruce's most productive era. The Promise in an intriguing glimpse into the evolution of not only Darkness on the Edge of Town, but also Bruce & the E Street Band.

Some of the songs on The Promise, Bruce gave to other artists; Because the Night - Patti Smith; Fire - The Pointer Sisters; Rendezvous - Gary US Bonds; Talk To Me - Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes. These songs are reborn here. Bruce's urgent singing matched with E Street' s muscle make these versions must listens.

Some of the songs are in different in forms; Racing in the Street ('78), Candy's Boy, Come On (Let's Go Tonight) - a cross between Factory and Johnny Bye-Bye. These versions are not up to the originals, but a fascinating listen nonetheless.

Some of the other songs should have been released on another album, maybe after Darkness and before The River; Save My Love is a great song; Ain't Good Enough, a 50's style rave up, is a highlight; Wrong Side of the Street is classic Bruce; Gotta Get That Feeling, Outside Lookin' In, It's a Shame, Breakaway, The Promise are all fine songs.

I don't know how many more of these unreleased discs we will ever get out of Bruce, so I am going to appreciate The Promise now.

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2010 Leftovers

So turn up your radio and darling dial me in close; We're riding on the airwaves and we're traveling coast to coast... (Bruce Springsteen - Save My Love)

2010 was a really good year in music; we finally got that box set of Darkness on the Edge of Town goodies from Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band; we got great new stuff from younger bands like The Black Keys & Gaslight Anthem; we got a fantastic cd from the side project band Broken Bells; and we got several fresh discs from the likes of Robert Plant, Alejandro Escovedo, Neil Young & Tom Petty.

Here are some videos in tribute to 2010.


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The Corners Best of 2010

I want you out on the streets making a noise for everybody; I want to hear your voice up above the crowd and the noise ... (Alejandro Escovedo - Down in the Bowery)

As I've said before, I love year end lists. I enjoy making them and reading others.

2010 was another good and suprising year in music. There were several suprises this year from Broken Bells to Black Keys. I saw several fine concerts this year: Alejandro Escovedo, Bob Dylan, Kings of Leon, Paramore, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, The Avett Brothers, The Whigs, The Incurables, etc...

Here we go:

1. Broken Bells - Broken Bells - James Mercer of The Shins and musician/producer Dangerous Mouse released their debut record together in 2010. The result is a great blend of The Shins quirky melodies and lyrics with the experimental/hip-hop of Dangerous Mouse previous works. The CD is loaded with great tunes.

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2. The Black Keys - Brothers - The duo from Akron, Ohio released a classic in 2010. Brothers is full of gritty blues, R&B and classic rock sounds. Highlights include Tighten Up, The Only One, Everlasting Light, Ten Cent Pistol and Sinister Kid.

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3. Alejandro Escovedo - Streets Songs of Love - Street Songs of Love comes off like a classic record with a terrific mix of both rockers and ballads. The highlights include Down in the Bowery, Anchor, After the Meteor Shower, The Bed is Getting Crowded and Fall Apart With You.

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4. Robert Plant - Band of Joy - Robert Plant, one of the great voices of rock and roll released another rootsy record in the vein of 2007's Raising Sand. Band of Joy features Buddy Miller & Patti Griffin and brilliant song choices: Angel Dance, Monkey, You Can't Buy Me Love, Silver Rider, Cindy I'll Marry You Someday, House of Cards, etc...

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5. Bruce Springsteen - The Promise -Bruce finally released those outtakes from The Darkness On the Edge of Town era that we have been waiting for several years. The Promise is look behind the curtain into the most productive era on E Street. The songs range from classic E Street sound to 50's style rave ups to Southside Johnny territory. My review will be coming soon.

6. Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown
7. Old 97's - The Grand Theatre
8. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
9. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
10. The Hold Steady - Heaven is Now

My favorite songs of the year are as follows:

1. Broken Bells - The Mall & Misery
2. The Black Keys - The Only One
3. Broken Bells - Mongrel Heart
4. Band of Horses - Factory
5. The Gaslight Anthem - The Queen of Lower Chelsea
6. Alejandro Escovedo - After the Meteor Showers
7. Broken Bells - Vaporize
8. The Black Keys - Tighten Up
9. Broken Bells - The High Road
10. Alejandro Escovedo - Down in the Bowery

It's really hard to pick one favorite show this year, but Alejandro Escovedo was so good when I saw him In Lexington, KY at The Kentucky Theater back on October 19. Close behind was the Kings of Leon/Black Keys/The Whigs at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, OH on September 2.

Merry Christmas From the Corner

I just wanna say ... merry Christmas baby and happy new year too... (Bruce Springsteen - Merry Christmas Baby)

From the Corner ...I just wanna say merry Christmas to everyone and happy new year!!!

Winter Song

And late December can drag a man down; You feel it deep in your gut; Short days and afternoons spent pottering around in a dark house with the windows painted shut... (Foutains of Wayne - Valley Winter Song)

It seem like over the past few Christmas seasons a new/really good version of a Christmas tune or a new seasonal song pops up. Last winter I discovered Fountain of Wayne's Valley Winter Song. The song really takes me back to those "snow days" of my youth for some reason.

Robert Plant's Band of Joy

It's like a radio turning way down low, telling me things I do not know I know; Tonight you will be mine; Tonight the monkey dies... (Robert Plant - Monkey)

I'm still taking in all the new Springsteen stuff and I will blog about it soon. In the meantime I wanted to talk about another CD that is great but maybe under the radar a bit. Robert Plant's new one is Band of Joy.

Robert Plant is one of the great voices of rock and roll. Led Zeppelin's music still sounds vital today. However, since the 70's Plant's music has been spotty. In the 80's & 90's he turned out an occasional solo record or a collaboration with some of his chronies like Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck (Honeydrippers) with mixed results.

Recently Robert Plant has reinvented himself; starting with his 2007's Raising Sand, the duet album with Alison Kraus and produced by super producer T Bone Burnett. That collaboration was a beautiful mix of 2 unique voices, a clever choice of covers, and an earthy production and playing that led to one of 2007's best releases.

Plant's latest release Band of Joy follows in that vein. Production credit for the CD goes to Buddy Miller along with Plant and once again the result is an earthy sounding collection of songs; almost all covers from the likes of Los Lobos, Richard Thompson, Townes Van Zandt and others. The band featuring Buddy Miller on guitar/vocals, Patty Griffin on vocals/guitar, Darrell Scott on vocals/mandolin/guitar/accordion/pedal/lap steel/banjo, Byron House on bass and Marco Giovino on percussion bring a rich sound perfectly suited for Plant's brilliant vocals.

The CD opens with Los Lobos's Angel Dance (from their great album Kiko); this version is unique enough to sound fresh without taking anything from the original; You Can't Buy My Love sounds like the long lost Elvis record from Viva Las Vegas or Little Less Conversation era; Cindy, I'll Marry You Someday and Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down, old tradional songs, Plant and Miller make them relevant for today; Silver Rider and Monkey, by Alan Sparhawk and others from the band Low, sung with Patty Griffith are hauntingly beautiful.