Buckle up music fans....here we go.
Mötley Crüe's collective autobiography, "The Dirt", has been made into a film and will be released shortly on Netflix (trailer here). As one of my favourite metal bands as a teen I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it although I must make a point of reading the book as well. Mötley Crüe made a career our of being outrageous but they also recorded a swag of good tunes sometimes despite themselves. I remember asking my Mum if she thought Vince Neil was a man or a woman from the photo on the cover of "Tehater of Pain"...and it took her a while to decide!
Album 17/100 - Eagles - Hotel California (1976)
I think this is one of those albums that everyone thinks they know really well, I know I did, until they make a point of listening to it. Certainly the three singles from the album, "Hotel California", "New Kid In Town" and "Life In The Fast Lane" have been FM radio standards forever; I've played two of them in bands I've been in. So, I thought I knew this record and what I wanted to say about it. And then I listened to it again...right through. It's better than I remembered and I wonder if I ever actually made it past those three singles, which are the first three songs on the album. The Eagles are all great musicians and it shows in the intricate layering of instrumentation. No-one is over playing or competing for someone else's space in the song. The band sing harmonies that are lush and the fact that four of them have lead vocals throughout the record again demonstrates their talent. But, with all that talent, what have you got without great songs (Toto probably)? On this record there's the iconic title track, the rock of "Fast Lane" and the West Coast and Country mash up of "New Kid". "Victim Of Love" is hidden away on side 2 but it a ripper of a track. Almost at the end of the album is some ripping slide guitar on "Try And Love Again". All in all "Hotel California" is a great listen with a mix of styles that just works. My favourite track is, without a doubt, "Life In The Fast Lane". It's heaps of fun to play and if you listen carefully there are so many guitars doing different things that it's almost sublime.
Eagles - Life In The Fast Lane - https://youtu.be/4tcXblWojdM
Eagles - Hotel California (live 1977) - https://youtu.be/MGhMdT_C-vQ
Only one album from the 100 this week. The other one I chose is a double album and I want to do it justice. After two listens I am finding little to like about it but this one deserves a bit more attention.
Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul are playing two shows in Australia in April. Steven Van Zandt is also famous as a member of Springsteen's E-Street Band as well as appearing on the TV shows "The Sopranos" and "Lilyhammer". So, if you're in Melbourne or Sydney (or the Byron Bay Blues Festival) this show should be on your radar. Steven also runs workshops at almost every gig location for school teachers. The band's album, "Soulfire", is a great rock and roll / soul album. If you like Blues Brothers, Southside Johnny or Springsteen then this could be for you.
Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul - Soulfire (live 2017) - https://youtu.be/CanRnjvdYNU
Little Steven looks like one of the guys who works at the local supermarket here. I keep waiting for him to reveal that they are long lost brothers!
The Download Festival hits our shores shortly with a huge lineup including Slayer, Anthrax, Judas Priest, Ghost and Haelstorm. Ozzy has been very unwell so he's tucked up in bed for six weeks to recover. His replacement is one of Australia's hardest rocking (and working) bands; Airbourne. These guys get much more support overseas than they do here and that's a bit sad. If you're lucky enough to be going to the show I hope that you get to see them.
Airbourne - Back In The Game - https://youtu.be/FlPalDkWsuA
In what I think is very exciting news, Zoe and I will be returning to Vanuatu in mid June. We'll be spending time with our families at Level School and up north at Lini. Only 103 days to go but who's counting?! After that it's home for Zoe to graduate from university and then back on a plane for her as she heads to England.
Mötley Crüe - Wild Side - https://youtu.be/6nm1BJPe-pg
Mötley Crüe - Looks That Kill - https://youtu.be/kbJcUcELlBQ
Weezer have another new album. Do they never sleep? Anyway, it's called "Weezer" like lots of their albums. This one has a black cover so it will be known as, surprise, Black Album to distinguish it from the blue one, the green one, the red one and the teal one. I think that's all of them. Anyway, early reviews are far from favourable and I'll take my time listening to it before I decide about what to write. Meanwhile; here's what makes them a great band...
Weezer - Living In LA (live 2019) - https://youtu.be/cgtaJZCIeHQ
It's many, many years since Alison and I went to Mardigras in Sydney. Other than almost bing run over by the "Dykes on Bikes" all I remember is a lot of dancing and glitter. Last night one of my favourite artists made what probably wasn't a surprise appearance. I have nothing for admiration for Kylie Minogue. She took what was a basic singing voice and turned herself into a worldwide phenomenon.
Kylie Minogue - Better The Devil You Know (live 2002) - https://youtu.be/bfm__UKi11A
Finally, something new. G Flip is a drummer, singer and songwriter from Melbourne. I saw an article on the news today about her latest music video and was keen to find out more. The story goes that she wanted to appear so worn out for the clip that she drummed for six hours non-stop before taping it. You can see the sheer exhaustion in the clip. Talk about suffering for your art!
G Flip - Bring Me Home - https://youtu.be/0CD0DggtZVk
See you all next time on the World Wide Woozle,
Rob
"Dearly beloved,
We have gathered here today,
To get through this thing called life" - Let's Go Crazy, Prince, 1984
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