First things first; back to my reviews of the supposedly 100 essential albums.
Album 37/100 - Kamasi Washington - The Epic (2015)
This is the debut record from the American jazz saxophonist and it's a triple album. I spent many listening sessions trying to understand why this album is so highly regarded and I have failed. It sucks. What is supposedly "avant-garde" and/or a "barrage of sound" just turns out to my ears to be cacophony. It's like every band rehearsal you go to where, at the start, everyone is doing their own thing whilst adjusting levels and sounds. The difference here is that Kamasi Washington has recorded and released it.
Album 38/100 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced (1967)
For many guitarists, Jimi Hendrix is the greatest ever. There's no doubting his enduring influence on rock music. And whilst Jimi isn't my favourite axe grinder, he's firmly in my top 10. "Are You Experienced" was his first outing and in just eleven tracks he reinvented guitar playing and popular music. From the angst of "Manic Depression" to the incendiary blues work of "Red House" to the psychedelia of the title track, this is a truly great record. I think that "Are You Experienced" is the best Hendrix album by a country mile.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Foxy Lady (live) - https://youtu.be/_PVjcIO4MT4
Next Friday I'll be heading out to see two classic Australian rock bands. To be honest, I'm a little shocked that they're playing here in Canberra but I won't complain. It promises to be a hell of a night with these two. If you're reading this from overseas and you think AC/DC are great rock then you should enjoy either the Jets or the Tatts.
The Screaming Jets - C'mon - https://youtu.be/svuBQwCv4Qw
Rose Tattoo - Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw (live) - https://youtu.be/CK0wGCFiAlI
Last weekend I had the opportunity to sit down with DJ Bing for a listen to the 5.1 surround sound mix of The Beatles "White Album". I'll do a full review later on but just let me say that it was a lot of fun. Overall the surround experience might not have been as impressive as it was with Sgt Pepper's but it's a very different album. The next song was an absolute ripper!
The Beatles - Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey - https://youtu.be/4fv_gCn1CUU
Listening to a few more Beatles tracks online I very quickly got an appreciation for how much Japanese fans love the band. Check out these guys...wow!
I watched the latest incarnation of the film, "A Star Is Born" during the week. So many people I know had really liked it that I felt I should give it a whirl. I think my opinion might be unpopular though because I thought it was dreadful. The good bits were that Lady Gaga has a great voice and Andrew Dice Clay (aka Ford Fairlaine the Rock and Roll Detective) starred as her father. The rest was average at best. I'm just a hack guitarist but if Bradley Cooper spent a year learning the guitar for the film you'd think he might look like he was playing it. It just looked forced to me. Frankly I thought the acting was pretty wooden and the way the story was told struggled at the best of times. There is, however, a Jason Isbell penned tune that you hear a lot in the movie and it's a cracker.
Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires - Maybe It's Time - https://youtu.be/mnbrNfg2EY8
Killswitch Engage are a very heavy band and for some reason I've never been able to get into their music. This week their new track popped up in my feed and I almost moved straight onto something else. Wow, am I ever glad that I didn't make that mistake. This is a brutal, intense slab of metal complete with both guttural and beautifully sung vocals. I reckon the drummer must have leg muscles the size of a horse though with all that double kick work. Definitely one for lovers of the heavy stuff.
Killswitch Engage - The Signal Fire - https://youtu.be/2N0ShfOOEq4
In the late 80s I became a Lionel Richie fan after DJ DubyaDee gave me a copy of the "Can't Slow Down" LP. Lionel might seem a little bit easy listening at times but his voice is just so smooth. Anyway, this is a cover of one his biggest hits but I really liked it.
Dave Fenley - Stuck On You - https://youtu.be/iDD2Gpu9BdQ
A couple of my favourite musicians are fairly active on social media. I guess in some ways it brings them closer to their audience. For me, the main benefit is that I get to be pointed to music and artists that I may not have otherwise been aware of. The next singer-songwriter is one that Jason Isbell is always talking about. When I started to listen to his work I found a track about a town destroyed for coal mining. This resonated with me since I spent my high school years living next to Yallourn, a town which suffered a similar fate.
John Prine - Paradise - https://youtu.be/ediaZ5DhYjw
That's it folks. I hope this wasn't too disjointed, but if it was you can blame the fact that I'm trying to finish off an essay for my course!
Rock on,
Rob
"She lives in Mojave in a Winnebago...", San Ber'dino, Frank Zappa, 1975
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