World Wide Woozle episode #470

This week's episode is a bit late. This is for two reasons. One is that I was away Fri/Sat/Sun participating in a cycling event. And the other involved me, a pinched nerve, an ambulance and a lot of pain. Currently I'm full of a range of drugs to dull the pain between my glutes and my knee so please excuse me if I go off on a tangent! The other complicating factor is that I set my MacBook Air off on an update and thanks to the disaster that we call the NBN, it might take a while. Typing on the iPad is less than amusing.

Judas Priest - Painkiller - https://youtu.be/nM__lPTWThU

Album 7/100 - The Velvet Underground & Nico (self titled, 1967). 

Hate is a strong word. I hate racism and cruelty to animals. And whilst I don't hate this album, I do intensely dislike it. One review I read described it as an "intense collage of noise". For me a lot of it is simply noise with no redeeming factors. The guitar work often sounds like the equivalent of random atonal chicken scratching and the violin seems just there to offend. The drums evoke the sound of a three year old thumping wet cardboard boxes. Lou Reed has a good voice but here it's like he's trying to be the beat poet version of Dylan. And Nico...well her voice is passable but it's the lite version of so many others from that time. Put simply I don't understand the appeal of this album. 

The Velvet Underground & Nico - Sunday Morning - https://youtu.be/3qK82JvRY5s

Album 8/100 - Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf (2002)

One of the best band names ever. You can interpret it in any number of ways. 

This is the third album from the band and it's the one that garnered them mainstream popularity. You get hard rock, stoner rock, grunge and doom all mixed up with quite a light touch vocally. I think what sets QOTSA apart from many of their contemporaries is the vocals. They're often almost playful and in sharp contrast to the pounding rhythms. The album is also rather groovy as it includes commentary from a made up radio station. If you like Alice In Chains or Soundgarden then you'll like this. 

In 2017, singer, guitarist and band leader Josh Homme kicked a photographer's camera into her face at a gig. There's no excuse for that and other than for this review I refuse to listen to his music. 

QOTSA - God Is In The Radio - https://youtu.be/zzIfpkeHamw

On Saturday I rode in the Cadel Evans Road Ride which took place in Geelong. The course was 115km long and with kind weather and great company from my Northside Velo mates it was a great day out. It was also fantastic to catch up with current Australian Crit racing champion, Beck Wiasak and to watch the women's pro race in the afternoon. My Dad was also out on the course cheering us on (on the biggest hill imaginable!). If you're a cyclist then you should put this ride on your "must do" list. It's superbly organised and the course is a ripper. 

Kane Gang - Respect Yourself (live 1985) - https://youtu.be/9QGXa13kmos

Right then...New Year's resolutions. Usually I don't bother but this year is different. With the words of my former triathlon coach ringing in my ears I set out to train properly for something that I struggle with; chin ups. I've always been bad at them and in the Army I could do the bare minimum. So I set out to get some upper body strength. But, I went a bit hard too soon and twinged my back. It was just annoying for a few days and got much worse yesterday. This morning something happened and I was suddenly  immobilised and in agony. I rang the ambulance and Alison and they came quickly to help me out. The upshot is that I've probably pinched a nerve somewhere and I need to wait for it to relax. That's all fine but I can stand up but not lie or sit! It'll be a while before I go back to the chin up bar. 

Rollins Band - Your Number Is One - https://youtu.be/TKj7Wuy5QHU

Rival Sons are an American rock band from Long Beach CA. I spotted this rather magnificent cover version this morning. Great song and a really top effort. I hope Olivia Newton John sees it,

Rival Sons - Hopelessly Devoted To You (live acoustic) - https://youtu.be/uCLrmZ0eQW8

Weezer have just released a whole raft of cover versions. Perhaps inspired by the success of "Africa". They're good but not that far from the originals. I'm all for bands having fun and throwing in the odd cover but this seems a bit much. Especially when they write excellent songs of their own....such as this one:

Weezer - Perfect Situation - https://youtu.be/jwv-iRvyDZg

Years ago, after the death of my mate Glenn, I tried to get into Miles Davis as he'd been a big fan. But no, I can't do it and I've made a decent effort. There's only one album of his that I like and actually I really, really like it. The first time I heard it was on vinyl at a holiday house with my brother a few years ago. It's an album that I can put on anytime and I always enjoy it. Must get a vinyl copy one day!

Miles Davis - Concierto de Aranjuez pt 1 - https://youtu.be/CsWidlDldVk

I was searching Spotify for some new, or interesting, folk type music but all I got was the processed cheese version of country music...yawn! Even some alt-country could've been ok but it wasn't happening so I searched further afield. What's folk music? Well it's generally acoustic music where the story and lyrics are at the forefront. Think Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Woody Guthrie. Originally one of the main purposes of folk music was to pass stories through to subsequent generations. Billy Bragg and Steve Earle straddle the boundaries between folk, punk and country. Here are a couple of folk style tracks that might interest you.

Phil Ochs - When I'm Gone - https://youtu.be/PNp1kqnRw-U

Gillian Welch - Look At Miss Ohio (live 2004) - https://youtu.be/9NPEj63d0jY

Iron and Wine - Claim Your Ghost (live 2017) - https://youtu.be/EGlkhgK49hY

The Chief has reported in that he's been to see the Rolling Stones exhibition in Sydney. The pictures he sent looked very cool. If you want to get a good look at some rock and roll history then get along to to the show in Sydney before 3 Feb. It's your chance to see over 500 exhibits and a lot of Keith's Telecasters strung without the low E string!

The Rolling Stones - Happy (live 1978) - https://youtu.be/5MJlTFbxjY8

Have a great week folks. Hopefully I'll be able to sit down soon!

Rob

"Come down off the cross, we need the wood...", Come On Up To The House, Tom Waits, 1999.

World Wide Woozle episode #469

Regular readers and listeners may appreciate the fact that I have NOT been cold this week. Canberra, like most of Australia, has been subjected to heatwave conditions. Not only that but there was an earthquake this morning! DJ HighPantsToddo and I were out cycling and we thought a truck had dropped its load or something similar. Nope; it was an earthquake!

Carole King - I Feel The Earth Move (live) - https://youtu.be/5BAImmeHEIA

Onwards dear friends...here are the two long players from the "100 albums you must own on vinyl" that I listened to this week.

Album 5/100 - Oasis - Definitely Maybe

This one landed in record stores in August 1994 and was a #1 hit in the UK album charts. It's not hard to understand why this happened either as it's a great rock and roll record. Despite the fact that the recording sessions involved a number of failed attempts to capture the sound they were looking for, the final result is an upbeat, in your face album that sounds like a band playing for all they are worth. Kudos to Owen Morris (producer) for being able to take recordings that the band were unhappy with and turn them into a bonafide hit record. On first listen I was taken by the full sound but not convinced by the songs themselves. Perhaps this is as a result of being more familiar with Oasis' second album, "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?". On subsequent listens, and remembering that this is a debut album, there's no doubt that it probably should count as a seminal work. Certainly it launched a whole generation of Brit-indie-rock music and bands. And you have to admire the confidence of a band who, on track one of their debut outing, sing, "tonight...I'm a rock and roll star".

Oasis - Rock And Roll Star - https://youtu.be/wjx8wSc2cTQ

Album 6/100 - Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

This one is the second album from the Canadian band and was released in 2007. It was a more difficult listen than Oasis as I had no familiarity with the band at all. When you know that the band bought an old church and renovated it as a recording studio some of the sounds make sense. Or at least they do to me. There's a lot of what sounds like a church organ in there. Arcade Fire put out quite a varied release here and f I had to describe their sound to someone I'd probably say that they sound like a mixture of U2, Queens of the Stone Age, The Cure and Roxy Music. Sometimes vocalist Win Butler sounds like a young Bono. Arcade Fire seem equally at home with slower, quiet tunes as they do with almost anthemic numbers and this turned out to be an album that was much more accessible than I thought it would be.

Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage - https://youtu.be/Jdve08cG3pE

Dream Theater have released a new single from their upcoming album, "Distance Over Time". For a band that sometimes seem to stray into the "I'll play all the scales I can in a random order" this is a really focussed track. Even though it's over seven minutes long it never seems overblown. If this is representative of the new album, which lands on February 22nd, then prog-rock heads everywhere will be happily banging to all sorts of time signatures.

Dream Theater - Fall Into The Light - https://youtu.be/JFxH4kky6z4

I was expecting at least one comment about the Gary Clark Jr. track that ended last week's episode. Interesting. Maybe you all missed it. A ripper of a tune with an unmistakable message.

Tomorrow (Saturday 19th) DJ ZedBoots is hopping on a plane for her trip to Nepal. Yep, another disaster prone area! She's there with a group called the Wild Medic Project providing health support in a village about 45km out of Kathmandu. It sounds like a great trip and another amazing experience to have under her belt. If she can just make it home without needing to be rescued that'd be great. Before she left, Zoe had to submit a university assignment. She likes giving them interesting titles with references to a song or album (wonder where she got that from?) Anyway, I'm sure her lecturer will enjoy, "Reign In Blood: A Review of Tranexamic Acid Use During Postpartum Haemorrhage" as much as we enjoyed choosing the title!

Slayer - Raining Blood - https://youtu.be/Kyw-GQHWoTI 

Yep, we know that the track is called "Raining Blood" and the album is "Reign In Blood". Relax all you Heavy Metal pedants!

Steve Earle released an album of Townes Van Zandt songs a few years ago. In March he'll bless us all with a new long player of Guy Clark tunes. Steve played bass in Guy's band in 1974 and regularly names him as one of his most significant influences. Here's the first single. It's great to hear Steve's diction has improved from some recent releases. This is an album I'll definitely be looking forward to as Steve is one of my biggest influences.

Steve Earle & The Dukes - Dublin Blues - https://youtu.be/wrNWrG385hg

I watched the movie, "Dumplin'" recently. If you like "coming of age" films then this is for you. I quite enjoyed some of it, especially the Dolly Parton soundtrack. "Joelene" is one of my favourite songs but I'll never forget playing this next one - the rhythm at the start always made me feel as if I was playing in "Dr Teeth & The Electric Mayhem" (the band from The Muppet Show)!

Dolly Parton - 9 to 5 - https://youtu.be/UbxUSsFXYo4

SBS TV have been good enough to keep airing replays of their most excellent show "RockWiz". Sometimes I even get the answers to some of the questions correct! Lately I saw an episode where they had Dr G. Yunupingu playing one of his songs. Although I know how amazing his voice is, it's always a treat to watch him play and sing live. For those that aren't aware of him, G is an Indigenous Australian who was blind from birth. He plays the guitar left handed but strung for a right hander. And he has a voice that, if there is a God, came straight from him/her. Sadly G passed away in 2017 at age 46.

G. Yunupingu - Djilawurr (live) - https://youtu.be/AyppTLuJm14

I'm off to Geelong next weekend to ride, with some friends, in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Ride. The ride, not the race. It's an excellent 115km course that loops out through Barwon Heads and uses some of the course that the World Cycling Championships were on a few years back. So, if next week's episode is a little late you know why. I'm out cycling as well as being a fanboy at the race itself!

Joey Scarbury - Believe It Or Not - https://youtu.be/WqF5M7IK7I0

Have a great week everybody,

Rob

"I like the way you copped your stuff from Sticky Fingers..." - I Love Living In The City, Danko Jones, 2003

World Wide Woozle episode #468

Here we all are again for another exciting instalment of the World Wide Woozle. Music to engage, motivate and perhaps irritate; who knows. Whether it's the soundtrack to your life or a tune that leads you elsewhere I hope that you enjoy this episode.

Let's start with the two albums from the "100 albums you must own on vinyl". Mathematics was never my strongest subject, in fact my Year 12 teacher was amazed that I passed. So was I. With 52 weeks in a year and 100 albums to get through it seems as though one a week won't be enough. Accordingly, this week I spent time with two long players. Here we go…

Album 3/100 - Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life

Not having ever been a huge fan of Stevie's work I wasn't totally sure what to expect. Would it be super cool and funky a la "Superstition" and "Higher Ground" or would I be doomed to an hour or so of schmaltzy, easy listening love songs like "I Just Called To Say I Love You". Both would be a fair answer. I must admit that after the first two tracks I was ready to call off the 100 albums challenge in favour of having needles stuck in my groin but I persevered. And a good thing I did as track 3 is an absolute gem. There's a lot going on musically for the not so casual listener. Stevie's wonderfully busy keyboard skills are on show as is his harmonica playing. For me though the album isn't particularly cohesive. There are definitely lyrical themes that make their way into many tracks and they certainly add a lot of impact. But overall I didn't enjoy it as an album. Plenty of good songs and a few easy listening fillers.

Stevie Wonder - Village Ghetto Land - https://youtu.be/sGOQTRvVaYo

Album 4/100 - The Jam - Sound Affects

My method for choosing albums out of the book is to flick through the pages with my eyes closed and wherever it opens I'm stuck with. Sound Affects was the fifth out of six albums for The Jam. I've always thought of the band as an arty version of punk and this album reinforces that. You get the energy of contemporaries like Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and the like with a wider range of sounds and lyrical content. I thought that many of the tracks on Sound Affects would be at home on a record by The Clash. The production is excellent and the bass in particular was a highlight for me providing an excellent counterpoint to the guitar and vocals. The well known track, "That's Entertainment" is on this LP but it almost doesn't fit in. I certainly enjoyed this record (I'd never heard it before) and wouldn't hesitate to go back to it.

The Jam - Set The House Ablaze - https://youtu.be/dv7_p7c19VM

For the rest of the episode I'd like to play you a few tracks that I will refer to as "guilty pleasures". They're probably never going to be the critics' choices but they're the ones I like to sing along to in the car. What I'm saying is that these are songs that make me feel good.

Firstly, Diana Ross' "Chain Reaction". This is a killer track with all the hallmarks of an 80s Motown hit. You get the flawless vocals, epic key changes and a huge chorus. This one was playing at the coffee shop I was at with DJ ZedBoots today and I was nodding my head and humming the tune for the rest of the day.

Diana Ross - Chain Reaction - https://youtu.be/X_9N1u19Gus

Van Halen's classic album, "1984", was released this week in (you guessed it) 1984. 35 years on it still stands the test of time as one of their finest. I think the self titled release is their best followed by "5150". I'll let others fight out who the best singer is. I like them both. "1984" is definitely an album to play in the car. It's the sound of a great party on a warm evening bottled up and released on vinyl. This is my favourite track…

Van Halen - Panama - https://youtu.be/fuKDBPw8wQA

Fans of the TV comedy, "The Young Ones" and "Bottom" will understand my love for the band Bad News. They're so bad that they're good. They released an album and a single in the 80s as well as appearing at Donington's Monsters of Rock festival. If low brow humour including loads of toilet jokes, swearing and general hilarity are your thing then get a copy of Bad News. Truth be told, if you've ever been in a band there's no doubt you'll identify with a lot of what goes on! It's on Spotify too. Extra points if you can guess the guest guitarist on this track without phoning a friend or Googling…no-one else sounds like him.

Bad News - Drink 'Til I Die - https://youtu.be/5Angg8rJlDI

I don't often dream of being the frontman in a band but this is one song that makes me wish I had the pipes to do so. One we never played in Junk Sculpture's run of Oil's shows but that I'd love to do if we ever did a reunion show. Check out the hard tremolo effect on the guitar at the start - such an iconic Oils sound.

Midnight Oil - Armistice Day (live) - https://youtu.be/nNVCR39dX0o

Lastly; Steve Earle. "Guitar Town" was, and is, an album that inspires me. For a major label debut it is almost flawless. Great songs, well recorded and delivered with hunger and conviction. Whilst I have a soft spot for almost all of Steve's work, this album is particularly special. It's one that has helped dig me out of some deep holes in the past. "But when my boots hit the boards I'm a brand new man, with my back to the riser I make my stand"

Steve Earle - Guitar Town - https://youtu.be/AINUPFbFpqg

And just in case you were looking for something new this week…a song of genuine beauty and gentleness. These guys went to the same school as me, just a bit more recently!

Wolf and Willow - Into The Night - https://youtu.be/yEGXHMz01kc

Rock on Brothers and Sisters,

Rob

"....this is where I come from...this land is mine...", This Land Is Mine, Gary Clark Jr., 2019

World Wide Woozle episode #467

No doubt you're all madly working away at New Year's resolutions, breaking them or simply avoiding them altogether. The obsessive part of my personality says, "woo hoo; what madness can we get up to?", whilst the realist (much less of that I must admit) is telling me to chill and be kind to myself and those around me. I'll do my best.

I've made one decision though and hopefully it benefits all in some small way. You see, H gave me a book entitled, "100 Greatest Albums you should own on vinyl". I've had a bit of a read and there are some worthy additions and some that I find highly questionable. More often than not, however, the article is simply about the album and not why it's supposedly essential on vinyl. I find it hard to reconcile that an album recorded totally on a digital platform would be any better on vinyl than it is on CD. Music recorded on analogue equipment is another story. But, it's a decent list and a lot of the information is interesting. So, for 2019 I'm going to try and listen to all 100 albums at least once and give you a few words on each here at the World Wide Woozle. The book is in chronological order but I'm going to take a more random approach to selecting what to listen to. Well, except for the first one...I thought I'd start at the beginning for that.

Album 1 - Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours

This one is from 1955 and you get value for money with sixteen tracks. I'm unfamiliar with Sinatra other than hearing a few classics on radio and TV. Recorded in mono, this album is mellow and warm yet dark with most of the songs having lyrics about depression, loneliness and lost opportunities. The instrumentation is sometimes sparse but always tasteful. Frank's voice is smooth, splendid and makes me feel like I'm listening much earlier than the 1950s. There are some tracks that I found quite hard to follow as there is almost a complete lack of a beat but that's the style I guess. If Leonard Cohen could sing like Sinatra he might have made this album.

Frank Sinatra - Mood Indigo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aWMFBbSpMY

In March 1991 I saw Billy Joel play in Sydney on his "Stormfront" tour. I remember becoming a fan of his when the double live cassette "Kohuept" album (live in the USSR) was released. As a result I knew most of the songs played and it was a great show. I'm playing this song because the lyrics reference (I assume) the previous song in this episode.

Billy Joel - Stormfront (live) - https://youtu.be/j1KWxRRSLOg

My Mum gave me a book by Billy Connolly to read. She'd had the joy of receiving three copies for Christmas! It's a light and easy read about the highlights of his life. Sadly, Billy has Parkinson's Disease and it is starting to take its toll. The book is called "Made In Scotland" and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Connolly or in fact, in Scotland in general. I knew he wrote this song but didn't realise that it was one of his earlier compositions.

Billy Connolly - I Wish I Was In Glasgow - https://youtu.be/JgPFEYH9y-Q

Spotify, like Google and Facebook, collects all manner of data about your online activity. Some of it is even put to good use. I enjoyed checking out the list of songs that I'd listened the most to in 2018 as there were some surprises in there. Discounting the million or so times I played a couple of tunes I was trying to learn to play I'm happy to say that my selection remains reasonably eclectic. The Preatures are up there with Judas Priest, Drive-By-Truckers, Deborah Conway and Thunder. Throw in some Rainbow, Extreme, ELO, Isbell, Stryper, Beatles and Giuda and that's a pretty good playlist. I've chosen two from the list to play. First up is Thunder and I've chosen it for the simple reason that it has one of the best recorded electric guitar tones ever (oh, and it's a great song too)...

Thunder - Amy's On The Run - https://youtu.be/zH_yIcEzFOI

Second is The Preatures. For me, they are my favourite band that I got into during 2018. I'm looking forward to them releasing something new and touring again. Mega-thanks to Sarah for talking me into going along to the show.

The Preatures - Mess It Up - https://youtu.be/6GUT1IfUMic

Among those artists we lost in 2018, Dolores O'Riordan from The Cranberries was one of the biggest. I saw a video of Keith Urban paying tribute to her by playing some of this song and was reminded just how powerful music can be.

The Cranberries - Zombie - https://youtu.be/6Ejga4kJUts

I was at a cafe today with Alison and the staff kept pressing "NEXT" on whatever device they were playing their music through. That's just bloody annoying. We'd get the first few bars of a song and then, ping, onto the next track. It's OK at your house, in your car or on your headphones but not when others are listening. Grrrrrr! At least they didn't click past this one...

AC/DC - Back In Black - https://youtu.be/pAgnJDJN4VA

If you believe what you read then "Back In Black" is Angus Young's favourite tune to play. Fingers crossed that the new album, whenever it appears, is a cracker!

That's enough for one week. I'll leave you with a great tune from Otis Clay. You might have heard the Bob Seger or John Farnham version but this one is just fantastic.

Otis Clay - Tryin' To Live My Life Without You - https://youtu.be/wcPe4ale96U

Bye,

Rob

"...don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years" - Wasted Years, Iron Maiden, 1986