Song of the Week #346

Spotify link for some of the songs in this episode (not all available on that service) as well as a few related extras: https://play.spotify.com/user/1233409237/playlist/3iv5rY131SksaodwG1fBqE

It's ANZAC Day tomorrow (25th April). I choose to capitalise ANZAC as it is an acronym. A little research has revealed that no-one can really make up their minds about this and either ANZAC and Anzac are permissible. To me, not capitalising NZ just seems disrespectful.

The commercialisation of ANZAC Day is annoying and inconsistent. It seems OK for a range of organisations to make a profit using the term ANZAC but not for others. The recent supermarket advertising debacle might not have been the most tasteful but is it any worse than the marketing of sports events or beverages using the same gist? I have no doubt that there is a certain amount of reverence involved in each campaign but I am sure that a profit is being made.

Whilst our politicians and media are telling us all about the 100th Anniversary of the Gallipoli landings and campaign let's take a moment to remember those who have served in areas of conflict that don't get as much coverage as well as those who did their time, served their country and were fortunate enough not to see active service.

DJ SAB has been working hard with Australian music legends John Schumann, Shane Howard, Rob Hirst and Hugh McDonald on an ANZAC Day tune. Commissioned by LTGEN Morrison, the Chief of Army, it's about the experience of indigenous service personnel. I highly recommend you give it a look. The song is touching and Scot has done a great job on the clip. Please note the the official clip won't be released until May. This is a placeholder version. I've seen the rough cuts of what's coming and it's fantastic. You'll see it here when it gets the green light.

John Schumann - Every ANZAC Day - https://youtu.be/r3dArkmfy_Q

Twisted Sister drummer AJ Pero passed away recently and the band is now on a farewell tour. The interesting part is their choice to hit the skins; Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater). I wonder how he'll cope with the 4/4 beat and the tinny (and iconic) snare drum sound!

Dream Theater - Hollow Years (live) - https://youtu.be/jMaCzEbZ2-s

Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock (live) - https://youtu.be/3nYeN5rBGgs

English band Lux Lisbon contacted me via Twitter this week. It's a good marketing ploy and after checking that I wasn't being spammed I replied and Stu sent me a link to their latest EP which streams online. Rarely does a band make me want to stop and listen on the first run through but Lux Lisbon managed it. They describe their music as being influenced by such artists as Fleetwood Mac, The Killers, Springsteen and Bloc Party. I can definitely hear all of those and more rolling around in their songs. After only a couple of listens I was positive that I needed to include them here for all of you to check out. I like the fact that the instrumentation and vocals are recorded and produced so that you can hear all of them. The vocals cut through rather well and are easy to understand; no need for a lyric sheet. I'd love to see them live!

You can preview (and order) the Lux Lisbon EP, "Get Some Scars" at this link: http://shop.luxlisbon.com/album/get-some-scars-ep-special-edition

silverchair have released the 20th Anniversary version of their debut album, "Frogstomp". I was lucky enough to get a copy for my birthday. I'm really not sure if I ever owned the original, surely I had a cassette somewhere, but this is a great repackaging. The album sounds powerful and the live tracks and DVD included have been well selected. I'm happy to say that I saw silverchair live before they were absolutely massive; just before Frogstomp came out. Although The Mark of Cain blew everyone away that night there was no doubting that silverchair were going to be masters of riff rock; and for a while they were. This is a decent anniversary edition well worth your money.

silverchair - Israel's Son - https://youtu.be/k2d6iwOSAfQ

Alabama Shakes have a new release called "Sound and Color". Buy it now. If you're a lover of vinyl then spend the money on that. I bought their previous LP after hearing one tune and I still think it's fabulous. It's Southern rootsy, bluesy soul rock but without the hard edge. If you like Janis Joplin try it out...

Alabama Shakes - Don't Wanna Fight (live)  - https://youtu.be/t3Lu1WbImPE

Canberra sludge, doom, metal and volume dealers Witchskull have been in the studio. Their debut album should be out soon. As a teaser they've released a 3 song demo CD (and online tracks) to get your head nodding. Having seen them play live twice now I can attest that the live energy and aural assault is well captured on tape. I've ponied up a few dollars to support them and should have the physical copy of the CD soon. For now, life is online. Witchskull is a three piece band from Canberra and with any luck the Australian and worldwide metal community will get behind them. Horns up folks! Get their stuff here: http://witchskull.bandcamp.com/

Witchskull - Vast Electric Dark - https://youtu.be/B5i0mgZ35GI

We've known for ages now that there will be a new Star Wars film at the end of the year. It's set 30 years after Return of the Jedi. I guess that means that they won't need to try and make any of the original actors appearing in it look younger! I've been totally underwhelmed by the whole thing for a while now...from the announcement to the actual film is a very, very long time. However, the second trailer was released recently and I begrudgingly devoted 1 minute and 49 seconds to watching it. Then I watched it again, and again. Suddenly I felt like a kid again instead of the grumbling yet windswept and interesting blogger that you all know and love. It's good...I'm more than excited now...you should watch it.

Star Wars - The Force Awakens trailer #2 - https://youtu.be/wCc2v7izk8w

Big news this week was Angus' birthday. 17! I must say I'm impressed as well; he got his driving license right on time without any major hiccups. DJ Al-ee-sun now has three chauffeurs!

The Radiators - 17 - https://youtu.be/8S9KPoICDdg

As many of you know, I put my Fender Stratocaster guitar up for sale to help out with aid in Vanuatu. Sadly (or not) it didn't sell. A few people have emailed me asking about it. I guess if someone offered me the amount I was looking then of course I would hand it over. Thankfully, due to the generosity of quite a few people out there we ended up raising enough money for Zoë's aid helicopter and some left over to help out on the ground. The band has a few gigs coming up this year, so what I'll do is put any money that I get from those towards Vanuatu. That way if I keep the guitar I can play it without feeling guilty!

Frank Zappa - Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar - https://youtu.be/jvB5dQHvRSc

Lest We Forget,

Rob

"...so they gave me a tin hat,

and they gave me a gun,

and they sent me away to the war...", And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Eric Bogle, 1971.

Song of the Week #345

Spotify link for this week's tunes: https://play.spotify.com/user/1233409237/playlist/4VFlR9yqHYztRL5iSskyWp

As of tomorrow I will have travelled around the sun 44 times. Good grief, how did the number get so high? Lately I've been feeling my age (which is unusual). I put it down to far too much stress in the last year. Hopefully I can go back to feeling what passes for normal before too long!

Last week I wrote a little bit about Spotify. This week I think I've spent far too much time on it exploring artists that I enjoy whose albums aren't always that easy to find. Some of them will get played this week. I think the only thing that I haven't liked is that the comedy "radio" channel that they have is almost exclusively American comedians that I've a) never heard of and. b) aren't funny. Shouting and swearing a lot gets boring really, really quickly.

It's rare for any record stores around here to have much by American bluesman, Taj Mahal. This is a real shame because it's not your regular twelve bar stuff. I was first exposed to Taj singing LeadBelly's "Bourgeois Blues" on the Folkways tribute album. That's an album any music fan should have in their collection. It might be "old" music but it remains "good" music. Kurt Cobain was a LeadBelly fan.

Taj Mahal - Divin' Duck Blues - https://youtu.be/AZZwELray8k

Lead Belly - The Gallows Pole - https://youtu.be/ye2N_2ce3QE

Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night - https://youtu.be/gOZKz_sPM6U?t=1m8s

Canberra music fans can either rejoice or stay away...we've got a gig coming up! Join the band at Vivaldi's on the evening of May 30th as we run through a range of songs by Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Neil Young and Jason Isbell. It's a slightly more laid back setlist musically but there will still be plenty to get your feet tapping. This will be the four piece version of the band with George singing and playing keys, Brownie on bass and vocals, Hayden on the drums and singing as well and of course me making up the numbers on guitar and un-mic'd vocals! There are other different shows coming so watch this space and the Facebook page for details in the not too distant future. You won't hear this song but I'm going to play it because I think it's a great version...

Jason Isbell - Heart On A String (Candi Staton cover) - http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/jason-isbell-and-the-400-unit-perform-heart-on-a-string-at-sxsw-2011-20110318

The "survivor of cyclones" is heading back to Vanuatu in a couple of weeks. Zoë is off to a different village but she's still going to be on Pentecost. Atavtabanga is about 5hrs walk further North than she was. It's also significantly closer to the airstrip they use to get there. I'm hoping to be able to visit her there at the end of her placement. There's a lot of ducks to line up to make that happen but I'll do my best. I better keep working on my Bislama as I'd like to be able to speak to the people there at least some of the time in their language. Speaking of languages, how backwards do I feel? Most Australians speak English only. In Zoë's village many of the people speak English, Bislama, their local language and French!

I'm wary of many remastered albums as you may be aware. All they do is pump up the bass and kick drum and make everything louder. But sometimes hearing a different mix of a song or the demo versions makes the purchase worthwhile. Here's a couple that you might enjoy. Firstly Led Zep and the alternate Stairway to Heaven mix. You can decide for yourself if you can hear the difference. And after that is one of the demos from Pink Floyd's The Wall...interesting!

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven (Sunset Sound Mix) - https://youtu.be/dFnDww7_mNM

Pink Floyd - Have A Cigar (alternate version) - https://youtu.be/GMTkgepgvNY

Tony Joe White has been around for a very long time. Legend is that he would play so hard that his amplifiers would give up! If you like swampy blues then he's the king. Even without the awesome guitar he certainly has the right kind of voice!

Tony Joe White - Holed Up - https://youtu.be/r6igQ-nacfU

I'll close off this week with a few of my all time favourite songs. 

DJ ZedBoots was watching a movie the other day and I noticed that one of the characters was wearing a Stryper t-shirt. I've always admired them for their melodic approach to metal and the fact that they sing what they like regardless of what people think.

Stryper - Co'mon Rock - https://youtu.be/yrkrDjtfO2Y

Beach Boys - I Can Hear Music - https://youtu.be/Qqyx4TW4Ptw This is a cover version of a Ronnettes tune for those that didn't know.

Sammy Hagar - There's Only One Way To Rock - https://youtu.be/RcsFpztaJIc

That'll do for now. Rock on Brothers and Sisters! Hello Tingha!

Rob

"Time, time, time, see what's become of me...." not the version you'd expect...click here

Song of the Week #344

Finally....AC/DC have announced Australian tour dates for the end of 2015. Personally, I can't wait. I haven't seen them live since the "Stiff Upper Lip" tour. If you think you'd like to come to the Sydney show then talk to me before tickets go on sale on April 20th. Angus and I will hopefully be heading there on a rock and roll pilgrimage!

AC/DC - Are You Ready? - https://youtu.be/CIhylLW4Fcs

Discovering a "new" band that I actually want to listen to is a treat. Bishop Allen is such a band. They're not really new as they have releases dating back over 10 years but they are new to me. I've heard a couple of tracks from their 2014 LP "Lights Out" and I'll organise a physical copy of the album soon. If you like The Cars or Crowded House then this band might be something worth a listen

Bishop Allen - Why I Had To Go - https://youtu.be/rizk4RaJTdY

I find myself drawn more and more to what genre classifiers might call alt-country. That's pretty much country music without the yee-haw element. Looking back through our music collection the indicators of this progression have been there for a while. 15 years ago this next band was recommended to me. Blue Rodeo are Canadian and, "The Days In Between", the album I have, has remained a firm favourite. 

Blue Rodeo - Begging You To Let Me In - https://youtu.be/B5Pfzpkhq6I

King Creosote is the stage name of singer/songwriter Kenny Anderson. He's from Fife in Scotland which is where my Mum comes from too. I was attracted to his music as a result of his album cover which is an old beach postcard with the title, "From Scotland With Love". Anderson is another vocalist who isn't afraid to sing in his own accent and that's something I always like. People from Scotland don't have Nashville accents.

King Creosote - For One Night Only - https://youtu.be/FG-PBM7BmMQ

Did you read about Don McLean selling the original lyrics for American Pie? I'm sure he didn't really need the US$1.2m but good luck to him anyway. This is very much a song of my childhood. The vinyl LP which my parents had was played a lot and I'm sure we could all sing most of the lyrics for every song. Just quietly I've got that LP here and playing it is something that always makes me feel good. I always wondered if KISS had been influenced by the album cover...

Don McLean - Everybody Loves Me - https://youtu.be/XG6SCDUiFZs

After last week's episode, DJ UncleSam asked me if I'd consider sharing the week's songs via a Spotify playlist. The reason was that the YouTube app on an iDevice doesn't play in the background so he couldn't read my nonsense and listen at the same time. That sounded like a fair request. Spotify is an interesting beast and you can have as much free music as you could ever want. If you're using a computer to listen then you can choose individual songs and playlists. If you're using the iDevice app however you get random "suggested" songs popping up and you can only listen to a playlist in a random order. But for $12 a month (and less if you know a current subscriber) there's a lot of mileage in it. The link for most of this week's tunes as a playlist is at the end. Not all bands allow their music on various streaming services for a variety of reasons. 

One band that I did use Spotify to catch up on were another Scottish fave of mine, Del Amitri. I was unaware that they had released a live album recently and it sounds really good. You'll need to use the Spotify link for a listen as I can't find any of the new release on YouTube. In case you're ideologically opposed to Spotify or can't be bothered clicking the link at the bottom then here's a cracker of a Del Amitri song...

Del Amitri - Be My Downfall - https://youtu.be/GwASZpIHKLY

Last night I saw a band play an interesting cover of Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the soles of her shoes". It's a good song and the version played was a lot of fun. The Graceland album always brings me back to this song and I hope you'll take the time to have a good listen to it. I started learning the lyrics recently (it's not hard). This version is from the "Invictus" movie soundtrack and I'm using it as it has the words for you but for a real treat look for the one from the Ipi Ntombi soundtrack.

Shosholoza - https://youtu.be/2aFlQS4k3wo

Have a great week folks. Rock on.

Rob

"...maybe Vader someday later no he's just a small fry..." - Weird Al Yankovic, The Saga Begins, 1999.

Spotify Playlist for this week: https://play.spotify.com/user/1233409237/playlist/3lrYZxvpbe8Wpqc47lfo0V

Song of the Week #343 - bumper edition!

Since today is a public holiday there's plenty below to get your teeth into.

I've heard some tracks from the new Van Halen live album. I fully recognise that David Lee Roth was never the greatest singer in a live situation but this is beyond a joke. It's sad as the rest of the band are playing their hearts out. Take my advice and hunt down a copy of their concert DVD "Live Without A Net" instead.

Van Halen - Best of Both Worlds (live with Sammy Hagar) - https://youtu.be/X6x0NWRh7WQ

Last weekend H, Angus and I wandered up the road to the Hunter Valley with Fiona to attend "A Day on the Green" at Bimbadgen Winery. This is an event that was booked and paid for sometime last year. John and Julie made the trek from Tingha to join us. The four bands playing were Choirboys, The Angels, Cheap Trick and Billy Idol. Here's a very quick rundown...

Choirboys: had a lot of fun, mix wasn't too bad although at times the second guitar couldn't be heard at all, did a great AC/DC cover (Live Wire). If they'd blabbed less between songs I think we would have had time for at least three more! And whilst they played their biggest hit, naturally, I reckon that dropping it at least a tone so that Mark could actually sing it would be a good idea. All in all, good rock and roll with loads of smiles and fist pumping.

Choirboys - Empire - https://youtu.be/4xhhQfqvn_4

The Angels: yep, Dave Gleeson isn't Doc Neeson, get over it folks. He sang well (easily the best vocalist all day) and his energy was almost boundless. Only two original Angels (the Brewster brothers) are in the band but they still rock. I'm not sure we needed a cover of ZZ Top's "La Grange" but it was still well done. The highlight for me was their encore song, "Marseilles" but you couldn't fault the whole set. They were the best band at the show by miles and miles.

The Angels - Waiting for the Sun - https://youtu.be/7h9g3eiZ_9k

Cheap Trick: there are two parts to this review. The part where I recognise that Cheap Trick are a great band who made good LPs, write cool songs and play their hearts out. Then there's the part where I tell you that they had an absolutely awful mix. They sounded harsh, distorted and noisy. It was hard to listen to. I'm sure that the band wondered why the crowd was almost muted in its response but when you are having your ears assaulted in the worst possible way that's bound to happen. This was a real shame.

Cheap Trick - California Man (live at Budokan) - https://youtu.be/5K15PnIkDEg

Billy Idol: yes indeed he has about three hit songs but managed to pull together an energetic, well produced and enjoyable set. Steve Stevens on guitar was great; a true rock star. We just wish that Billy had kept his shirt on.

Billy Idol - Can't Break Me Down - https://youtu.be/4rUrYN4cnGs

Without wanting to appear to be a prude, there were some very feral people at this show. A few drinks brought out the worst in some patrons. It was just lovely hearing the woman behind us describing her sexual exploits enjoyed with her friend's husband at the same time that she was pouring her drink over everyone. Happily she fell asleep sometime during Billy Idol's set.

One of the high points of the day was getting the opportunity to meet Australian Metal guitar hero Stu "Hammer" Marshall (no relation). Stu is a guy who has been appearing in guitar magazines for years as well as playing in a number of highly regarded bands such as Dungeon and Pain Division. He's just returned from a tour of Japan and is endorsed by ESP Guitars and Blackstar Amplifiers.

Meeting Stu leads me to this next track from his band "Empires of Eden". I only took delivery of their latest album a week or so ago and it's been on high rotation. I'd say that if you're a fan of melodic metal then this is for you. Every track has a guest vocalist and there is quite a range but they're all first class. The majority of the album was recorded here in Australia by Stu with the vocals being done all over the globe. If you like bands like Manowar, Dio, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate or Helloween then this is definitely worth a listen.

Empires of Eden - Architect of Hope - https://youtu.be/Oo58mGlrCfM

I've also been listening to an album by the group "Drive By Truckers". This is the band that Jason Isbell used to play in. As I have all of Jason's albums I decided to check out his earlier work. Not bad so far; probably more rock than the country he plays now. I like both. This next song is like the cousin of Springsteen's "The River".

Drive By Truckers - Outfit - https://youtu.be/u9TQ9AZ2xv8

The National Folk Festival is on in Canberra this weekend. I went once in about 1993 and it was an interesting experience. There was a lot of the cliche that Billy Connolly refers to as, "three woolen sweaters singing the Skye Boat Song" and then there were Morris Dancers too. I've considered going back in recent years but it's an expensive outing. I must admit though that the chance of seeing Kutcha Edwards, Shane Howard, The Bon Scotts and Chris O'Connor might drag me along. I better check the programme!

Kutcha Edwards - Friends - https://youtu.be/JAn2a7l81hc

One of the joys of the internet is that I can write in this blog. People can choose to read it or not to. I'm not generally interested in how many actually read but the fact that the blog address was listed in some newspapers and online news sites made me take a quick look at the statistics. Usually I get about 50 people reading the blog in a week. Add to that all of you that are subjected to it via email. Well, over 350 people read my initial post about Zoë in the cyclone and then almost 200 read both of the subsequent posts about helping the people there and Zoë's aid mission. That's a lot of people, well it is for me anyway. If you missed any of that journey then it's all online at http://www.robwoozle.blogspot.com 

As an aside, we're now living with a tri-lingual daughter. Zoë, who is back briefly from Vanuatu, now speaks Bislama as well as English and French. She was interviewed in this language on Radio Australia and we're hoping that some of her village might've heard it. Bislama is a version of Pidgin English. It's relatively easy to understand and we've been trading text messages, emails and short conversations in it. Seeing it written down is pretty cool but I find that if you say the words out loud it makes sense. The most amusing phrase we've come across so far is, "sit sit wota". That means diarrhoea! We've also enjoyed the updates from Vanuatu's mobile phone carrier asking if people have "wan olfala mobael in lo droa, bag o shelf we yu no moa sta usum?" That means do you have an old mobile in the drawer, bag or shelf that you use no more. It's an education folks.

Alison, Zoë, Angus and I also have an idea about a way we can continue to help the people in the village Zoë was in on a long term basis. We'll do some investigation to make sure we get it right so watch this space.

Finally, the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli is coming up in a couple of weeks. It's a good time to reflect on the bravery of Australian and New Zealand men and women who went to war thinking it was just a big adventure. It's also a perfect opportunity to remember that war is about people and there are never any real winners.

John Williamson - Diggers of the ANZAC - https://youtu.be/9pvrlaGJxuU

Have a great weekend everyone,

Rob

"That's money talking...gets louder every day  " - The Black Sorrows, Money Talking - 2013