World Wide Woozle episode #496

A warning...this is not a Christmas episode. It may, however, contain a Christmas tune. Apologies to those who may have seen some of them already via by Facebook feed! And yes, you're not dreaming, this episode is a day early. That's what happens when you have to clear your time in lieu at work ASAP!

Back to my review of the 100 supposedly essential albums....

Album 45/100 - Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise (2005)

I became aware of this album when asked to play one of its songs in the band with Bing and The Chief. I learned the song never having heard the original. Not long after that I got the CD and away I went. For the uninitiated, this is a rather eclectic recording. There's some folk, some dreamy pop, piano songs, horns and woodwind and Sufjan's light vocal touch. Long song titles are de rigeur here; longer than most Iron Maiden songs and that's saying something! My thoughts are that if you are open minded about music then you'll probably take some time with this album and end up really enjoying it. "Illinoise" is a broad soundscape, a bit of a carnival, and a long burn. Here's the song we played a while ago now...always haunting...

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy Jr. - https://youtu.be/otx49Ko3fxw

I had occasion this week to introduce my brother to the music of The Whitlams. This came about as he sent me this cool link to a video about the drummer Louis Burdett, who The Whitlams have a song about. Anyway, here's that song and also my favourite from the band. 

The Whitlams - You Sound Like Louis Burdett (live) - https://youtu.be/V-C1rHsUGU4

The Whitlams - I Make Hamburgers (live) - https://youtu.be/aIi3RYd-TOs

I played some music from Soul Asylum a few episodes back. Well, they've just released a new single and it's great. I can't tell if it reminds me of "Scarborough Fair" or "Working Class Hero" so maybe there's elements of both in there. There's a tour on the cards but nothing about a new album...yet. Fingers crossed.

Soul Asylum - Dead Letter - https://youtu.be/wyKLbUIyw0E

I've just finished reading "Tommyland", the autobiography of Motley Crue drummer, Tommy Lee. It wasn't a bad read but it wasn't earth shattering either. I imagine if you want actual information about the ins and outs of Motley Crue then you need to read "The Dirt" as well as watching the film. This book was very much about Tommy's colourful life - warts and all. I did really enjoy the fact that he wrote about the many different types of music he enjoys and their influence on his solo records. Other than that the book is a bit of a response to every celebrity magazine and TV story about him. For fans only.

The Dropkick Murphys are an American punk/folk band who make an awesome anthemic racket combining influences like The Pogues and The Clash. They're not afraid to make fun of themselves either. Merry Christmas indeed!

The Dropkick Murphys - The Season's Upon Us - https://youtu.be/qTx-sdR6Yzk

RockWiz's demise left a gaping hole in TV entertainment here in Australia. Thankfully, a lot of the best moments are still available online. Here's a great version of a Simon and Garfunkel classic for you all to enjoy. One of the things I wish that I could do is to sing in harmony. I can't though, I have enough trouble sticking with the melody!

Emma Louise and Husky Gawenda - The Sound of Silence - https://youtu.be/relfz3ZFsZA

And then there's this little gem. of a tune....what a voice!

Connie Mitchell - What A Feeling - https://youtu.be/iJUNznsc4JI

It's not long now until DJ ZedBoots packs up those boots and moves to London. We're making the most of her time here by making her cook dinner and empty the dishwasher ha ha! This afternoon the three of us are off to see the new Star Wars film woo hoo! But here's a beautiful rendition of a song that's been in my mind for a while... Not all the lyrics fir this situation but you get the idea I hope. More harmonies too....

John Denver and Cass Elliot - Leaving On A Jet Plane - https://youtu.be/NKdknYaSHgE?t=108

Have a great Christmas everyone. 

Rob

"Why don't you get a haircut and get a real job?". Get A Hair Cut, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, 1993.

World Wide Woozle episode #495

Still reeling from the untimely death of Greedy Smith last week, I've been hit hard in the last few days as well. Marie Fredriksson who was one half of Swedish rock duo, Roxette, died recently following a long battle with a brain tumour. Roxette might not be a band that you might think that I'd be a fan of but I am. In 1994 or 95 friends of ours won tickets to see Roxette here in Canberra. They couldn't go and so Alison and I went along. I can assure you that I wasn't all that keen at the time. After two sets from the warm up act (a covers band who liked Phil Collins way too much) we saw Roxette and they were amazing. It was full on guitars and rock and roll from start to finish. After that experience I listened to their music quite differently now casting aside my prejudice born of hearing "The Look" Way too many times at Canberra's "Private Bin" nightclub. Roxette are a guitar band. Per Gessle, the other half of the duo, loves vintage guitars and amps and it shows on stage and in their albums. Marie was just 61 when she died this week.

Roxette - Lies (live 1994) - https://youtu.be/GyHVeK7hEx4?t=220

Roxette - She Doesn't Live Here Anymore - https://youtu.be/LNcEQOVumYA

After a worldwide farewell tour and signing legal documents to say that they'd never play live again Motley Crue are back. Maybe they're broke (I doubt it) or perhaps they just miss playing music (more likely). So if you want to see a band play really well and the singer slur every lyric to every song then get along to one of their shows. I've listened to Motley Crue since I was in high school and they're a bit of a sad parody of their former selves. But I guess it's obvious they're not miming!

Motley Crue - Wild Side - https://youtu.be/IlRDZUaJ8fs

I'm taking a short break from reviewing the essential 100 albums this week. Be assured that I'm still listening and preparing but I need some more time with the couple I have in progress. Alongside these reviews I'm going to start including what I consider essential albums that aren't on the list. These are albums that I came late to or that caught me by surprise...or both!

Skyhooks - Straight In a Gay, Gay World (1976)

I was given this album a while ago, on vinyl, by DJ BingVanDerGraaf. I've been a casual Skyhooks listener on and off for a while. For the unenlightened, Skyhooks were an Australian band in the 70s and 80s. What I particularly enjoy about this LP is that every song is great and the album flows well. Skyhooks pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable to be released commercially back in the day and although some of it might seem a bit tame these days, it still sounds edgy. This album has rock, pop and country as well as a touch of glam. "Straight in a Gay Gay World" is the sound of suburban Melbourne from start to finish. It's the sound of a band challenging conservatism. Most importantly, it's a record that still rocks.

Skyhooks - Million Dollar Riff - https://youtu.be/ThhZBjSUBjY

Skyhooks - This Is My City - https://youtu.be/cgZSOzW9I7Y

Angus is back in Vancouver living the snow life. During the week he went to see two Australian bands, Hockey Dad and DZ Deathrays. There's not much unusual about that, he digs good music. However, after the show both bands came back to his house for a party! Rock on Angus!

Hockey Dad - I Wanna Be Everybody - https://youtu.be/vCjXvpj4jpI

DZ Deathrays - IN-TO-IT - https://youtu.be/zxzfPbBgknk

Finally, and I mean FINALLY, my copy of Jethro Tull's 40th Anniversary edition of "Stormwatch" has arrived. There's four CDs and two DVDs for me to get through so a review will be a while coming. I still reckon it's a great album for one I listened to on the strength of the cover art!

Jethro Tull - North Sea Oil - https://youtu.be/P1PKYImTFXc

Pink Floyd post-1987 is almost as polarising as the Van Halen Hagar vs Roth debate. There is a new collection out of remixes of material from '87 onwards. Personally I think that some of the earliest Floyd is just a few guys making as many strange noises as they can and recording them. You may disagree and that's OK. I really quite like a lot of the more recent stuff. "Delicate Sound of Thunder", the live album, was the first Pink Floyd album I bought. Anyway, it all sounds pretty good and I'll enjoy reading all the comments and debate from serious Floyd fans about the rights and wrongs of these remixes.

Pink Floyd - On The Turning Away (2019 remix) - https://youtu.be/A7ZnvwCm8TI

Caroll Spinney died on 8 December. He was most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street from 1969 until late 2018. Generations of kids, and their parents owe a lot to Caroll.

Johnny Cash with Oscar the Grouch - Nasty Dan - https://youtu.be/H75eQX006jA

NPR in the USA puts out a lot, and I mean a lot, of quality content. Their "Tiny Desk" series is excellent and I can't recommend it highly enough. Seeing a very wide variety of artists play stripped back and intimate version of their songs works really well. The latest one I've watched is from Sheryl Crow. The show is the equivalent of your favourite group playing in your lounge room. If only Sheryl had played, "Steve McQueen" this show would've been perfect!

Sheryl Crow - Tiny Desk Concert - https://youtu.be/kCcmk4-FZwY

Rock on Brothers and Sisters,

Rob

"All I want for Christmas is.....", Mariah Manson, All I Want for Christmas is the Beautiful People, 2019 (Bill McClintock mashup)

World Wide Woozle episode #494

Like a lot of people, Spotify recently sent me a snapshot of my listening habits. None of them were particularly shocking but I did get a smile that the next track was my favourite for 2019 because it certainly is. The happy thing for me was that The Preatures were a band I became interested in as a result of going to a live show when I knew almost nothing of their music. So a big thanks to DJ CherryP for dragging me along to one of the best shows I've been to in years. This song reaches me on many levels; it has a great groove, the guitars are cool and the lyrics....well...they are sublime. For anyone who didn't read about it when I featured the track a while ago, the band wrote it with the help of speakers of one of Sydney's Indigenous languages. It shows a genuine deep respect to the first inhabitants of Australia.

The Preatures - Yanada - https://youtu.be/wO4tW5GqzGA

The Dollyrots release a lot of one off cool stuff for their fans as well as regular albums. Their Christmas track this year is a cover of a very famous song by The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl. Luis and Kelly's diction is a bit (well, a LOT) better than Shane MacGowan's but I'm a bit undecided about the fact that they sanitised a few of the lyrics. Regardless, The Dollyrots carry on their joyous pop-punk approach and it's a good one to dance around the room to if no-one else is at home.

The Dollyrots - Fairytale of New York - https://youtu.be/RAhSPc24d7E

Album 44/100 - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

Another episode and another album out of the supposedly essential 100 that you should have. Pet Sounds may win the award for worst cover but we're here to talk about the music. Here's the thing, I grew up wearing out a copy of The Beach Boys Greatest Hits on vinyl but as we all know, a compilation is a bit different. If you believe the music press, Brian Wilson liked The Beatles' album, "Rubber Soul" so much that he wanted to expand the type of music he write. Fair enough except that what he created, while sounding good, is really quite boring for the main part. The album starts with an absolute ripper of a track in "Wouldn't It Be Nice". It's an anthem dedicated to growing up that always takes me way, way back. When the massive drum beat hits just after the introduction you know you're in for something special...and you are. This track has everything. What then happened to the next few? It's like we left the fun-fair and went to a funeral. They sound lovely but it's a bit of a downer. After six tracks the classic Sloop John B rolls along. Gone is the maudlin dirge and The Beach Boys are back for a couple of tracks before it all slows down and gets dreamy but not in a good way. I loved the variety of sounds and instruments across the entire album; aurally it's a treat but in terms of the songs themselves the whole album has a lot of filler.

The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice - https://youtu.be/3y44BJgkdZs

Fair warning, the next album I'm listening to for this series of reviews is from Kanye West. It's lucky I already have a shrink.

Kylie Minogue has a new medley of her hits out. Nothing new but it would be a great party tune. Get down and boogie folks, I did!

Kylie - Step Back In Time F9 Minimix - https://youtu.be/FiWvVqdgsa8

There was very sad news last week with the untimely death of Mental As Anything singer/keyboardist Greedy Smith. Greedy was still playing regular gigs with the band and died from a heart attack whilst driving his car. Mental As Anything are one of Australia's iconic bands. They are more than a little crazy and a bit hard to put into one genre other than that of "good music". I was lucky enough to see them not that long ago. RIP Greedy.

Mental As Anything - He's Just No Good For You - https://youtu.be/mQVz9nuel7I

Ozzy Osbourne has some new tracks out. You may or may not like them. I'm undecided and we'll talk about them in another episode. However, a couple of of live tracks from days gone by have also been released and the version of "Suicide Solution" with guitarist Jake E. Lee is great. Yep, the song isn't a happy one, it's about Ozzy almost drinking himself to death. A cautionary tale I guess.

Ozzy Osbourne - Suicide Solution (live) - https://youtu.be/-5IO66MIq_U

I'll finish off this episode with The Pretenders. As a result of last episode's tattoo question (to be answered in a subsequent post) I listened to their first album...for the first time ever. I'll admit that I was put off by Brass In Pocket being chronically overplayed on TV music video shows! What a huge mistake, this album is great. There's so much going on and the whole thing works so well as an album. It's also got my favourite type of electric guitar sound (after the Young brothers) and that's a classic 80s lightly overdriven sound with phasing/flanging/chorus added. 

The Pretenders - Up The Neck (live) - https://youtu.be/PBtsiupIzmA

And just like that...I'll disappear into the haze of bushfire smoke that's enveloping us at the moment. Of course, it has NOTHING to do with climate change according to our glorious leaders.

Get to the chopper!

Rob

"...went into his room and smashed his Billy Bragg record,

didn't want him to hear that communist lecture...", The War's End, Rancid, 1995