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Thursday, July 9, 2009

GMVW # 79: "Of One's Own Volition"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 79:  Of One’s Own Volition
Song:  No One to Run With by the Allman Brothers
(Songwriter: Dickey Betts)
July 9, 2009

To those who ended up with their high-school sweethearts, I say all the power to you.  Same goes for those on the other end of the spectrum who have kept their independent bachelordom intact all these years.  Most of us, however, fall somewhere in-between, finding ourselves back on the chain gang for a spell before connecting with a soul mate and settling down.  And although I would not trade my lot-in-life for anything (if there is anything I was meant to be, it’s a Dad), there are times, I must confess, when those years of independence tug at the heart strings.  Hard to believe, when factoring in the loneliness and boredom, but there were also moments that were truly transcendent, and these tend to cancel those others ones out, occasionally trumping them when the memories kick into high gear:  Nostalgia can be powerful at times.

It’s difficult to explain to the folks who got it right the first time and hitched up early, but long stretches of independence can be addictive: Perhaps not a consistently healthy addiction, but an addiction nonetheless.  Three-day music festival….where is my ticket?  Ski Trip...where are my long johns?  Multi-night wilderness hike...where are my binoculars?  Road trip..... where are my maps?  Europe….where’s my backpack? Overnight bachelor party.... where is my bottle opener?  After doing this for years, with great friends, how could all that not be addictive? 

Many musicians have written songs about their free-wheeling days.  In fact, it seems to be a right-of-passage topic for country musicians.  One rock song, in particular, stands out for me as getting the mood right: This week’s Gem, ‘No One to Run With’ by the Allman Brothers.  The Allman Brothers are one of the greatest of jamming bands, and this song fits right into their repertoire.  Since their early days, this band has been labeled a ‘Southern Rock’ band, but the adjective has never been needed as far as I’m concerned.  Many ‘Southern Rock’ band’s strut that Dixie Confederate thing: They seem to want to make it a point that they are Southerners first, Rockers second. The Allman Brothers should never be labeled in that way.  They rank among the best Rock bands, period.

When I got married, I recall telling a few friends, “This won’t change anything; we will still hook up frequently”.  And, for the most part I believe I was telling the truth as both Nancy and I frequently got out both together and separately with our friends and families back in the Lake Street days.  However, I never promised a thing when children entered the picture.  The future was a bit more clouded.  It was harder to look into that crystal ball.  Lucky for me, I didn’t say anything reassuring to those same friends: I would have ultimately found I was lying (although I do better than most Dads!).  As stated in the song though, I did leave some friends with “nobody to run with” (or at least one less option), and yet you could say I put myself in the same boat, a bit more voluntarily, however. 

So, hears to the die-hard, rock-till-you drop days of going it solo, when the world’s problems were being solved over a few beers in the wee-hours at the edge of a river, campfire, or kitchen table. Visions are dancing in my head of Ottawa, Brussels, Allagash Maine, The Canadian Rockies, The Big Apple, Quebec, North Adams, Burlington Vermont, Boston, Portland, Jay Peak, Craftsbury, Montreal, Bancroft, Thousand Islands, The Adirondacks, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Chicago, New Orleans, and Franklin. 

It’s all coming back.  I gotta go before I do something crazy like drive across the country.

…. too late!  Nancy and the kids are on board. 

Nobody left to run with any more?  Maybe not….. maybe not.

See you in August.

- Pete

Below the Gem are the lyrics to ‘Nobody to Run With’.  Crank it up!

“No One to Run With” > Allman Brothers

Lyrics to ‘Nobody to Run With’

Everybody wants to know where Jimmy has gone
He left town, I doubt if he’s coming back home

Well Tony got a job, three kids and a lovely wife
Working at the commerce bank for the rest of his life

Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody left to do the crazy things we used to do before
Nobody left to run with anymore

I’m gonna hit the road, adios my friend
Go someplace and start all over again

Don’t know where I’m going, like a gypsy out on the road
Ill go someplace and join a traveling show

Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody wants to do the crazy things we used to do before
Nobody left to run with anymore

Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody left to run with anymore

I think jimmy must have had the right idea
Packed his stuff and he got right out of here

I don’t know where he’s at but I’m sure that he’s ok
Now I realize what jimmy was trying to say

Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody wants to do the crazy things we used to do before
Nobody left to run with anymore

Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody left to run with anymore


About the Video: Live on the Tonight Show, 1994

Video Rating: 1

Best Feedback: Fred

Great write up.  I feel like I am on the other side of this mountain...with very mixed feelings

Have a great trip.  Here's for you:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_3cI8GPW7o


And John:


Hey, Man.  Nice work, yet again.

Country music is best known for them drinking and cheating songs, but you are dead on about the connection between country music and wild times.  Check out "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down" by Hank Williams, Jr.

Regards,

Thursday, July 2, 2009

GMVW # 78: "Out of the Closet"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 78:  Out of the Closet
Song:  Beat It by Michael Jackson
(Songwriter: Michael Jackson)
July 2, 2009

We all have musical skeletons in our closets:  Songs that at one time had us purchasing the record and playing over and over, but with which we would not want to claim affiliation to now (brother Pat is a rare exception to this rule, as he has no problem recognizing songs that have inspired him over the years, no matter the genre).  I’m like most, preferring to leave those songs in deep, dark corners.  However, when I started these Gems, I decided I would hold nothing back: If a song was great, and it gnawed at me (sometimes for weeks on end), I would find something to say and present it.  Hopefully, the songs I’ve rolled out thus far are what would be expected from me in terms of depth and quality.  For those who have mostly nodded in agreement from Gem to Gem, this week’s entry may be an exception.

When Michael Jackson passed away last Thursday, I already had a Gem lined up, and since his death had nothing to do with the theme (concept albums), I did not even acknowledge him.  Steve Gilligan responded to the Gem with a comment about Michael Jackson’s untimely passing, and Jack’s brother, cousin Emmett, brought it up in a separate email posting.  I was aware of how big the story would soon become, but for me the news was nothing like the deaths of John Lennon, Jerry Garcia, George Harrison, or John Entwistle.  I deliberately decided to let it be, feeling I was far from an authority on the subject anyhow.

Yet, as the week rolled on, Charlotte began asking questions, particularly about Jackson’s music.  I sat with her at the computer and linked us to a few of his videos.  ‘Thriller’ was of most interest to her (although it never did anything for me), as were some of the ‘Jackson 5’ songs.  And then I showed her the ‘Beat It’ video. I had not watched it in many years, and to my surprise, I was very impressed.  In fact, as I watched and later reflected, I came to the conclusion that this may be the best video of them all.  Not the best song, mind you, but the best made-for-MTV type video.  And when you make a video that good, it can lift the song to Gem status. 

There were many reminders that flashed through my mind as I watched this video.  I was reminded of how the video cracked the MTV color barrier (very few videos before it were of black artists) by rocking hard.  I was reminded of this being the one song I’ve always admired of both Michael Jackson and his musical collaborator in ‘Beat It’, Eddie Van Halen (ok, although both musicians’ music falls off the cliff for me after ‘Beat It’, there are a few branches on the way down to ease the fall, including ‘Billy Jean’ and ‘The Cradle Will Rock’).  I was reminded that Van Halen played guitar on ‘Beat It’ for nothing, originally thinking the request from Jackson and Quincy Jones was a prank.  I was reminded of the real-life gangs that were brought together in the video to dance instead of fight.  I was reminded of Jackson’s confidence.  I was reminded of the song’s message. 

Michael Jackson was a victim of celebrity in America, maybe even the poster child (along with Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley).   One commentator mentioned this week that over the past 20 years he always looked like he was in pain. So true.  For a guy who never had a childhood, he had an unusual sort of innocence about him, despite all the bizarre things he’s been accused of.   The complexities and contradictions of his famed life finally caught up with him….may his soul rest in peace.

So, at the risk of tearing down all those Gems of Friday’s past in one fell swoop, I present this week’s Gem, ‘Beat It’.  Either this goes on a pedestal with the rest of them, or they all come-a tumblin’ down!  You make the call. 

Below the Gem is a comedic stab at pegging the closet music interest of everyone who receives these weekly postings.  Most are random, but a few are close to the vest perhaps?

- Pete

Michael Jackson - Beat It (Gem Video)

Closet Nancy: Whip It by Devo

Closet Bob: Tip Toe Thru the Tulips by Tiny Tim

Closet Fred: Don't Cry For Me Argentina by Madonna

Closet Madeline: Cars by Gary Numan

Closet Paul: Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran

Closet Jen: White Punks on Dope by The Tubes

Closet Jack: (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (to Party) by The Beastie Boys

Closet Kippy: Kashmir by Led Zeppelin

Closet Mac: Dude (Looks Like a Lady) by Aerosmith

Closet Dad: Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne

Closet Tom: Marian the Librarian from The Music Man

Closet Becca: Oh What a Night by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

Closet Pat (Steeves): Theme song to Mr Rogers Neighborhood

Closet Pat (Shea): 99 Red Balloons by Nena

Closet Tina: Yankee Doodle Dandy from James Cagney

Closet Trese: Rock and Roll Aint Noise Pollution by AC/DC

Closet Jeff: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

Closet Dale: Babe by Styx

Closet Mom: Slow Ride by Foghat

Closet Ruth: Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult

Closet John: Somewhere Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz

Closet Joe: Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes

Closet Steve (Gilligan): Bang Your Head (Metal Health) by Quiet Riot

Closet Steve (Vance): The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha

Closet Amy: Gypsy’s Tramps and Thieves by Cher

Closet Dave: Our Lips are Sealed by The Go Go's


About the Video: Made for MTV-type video
Video Rating: 1

Best Feedback: Tom

You're truly a Soothsayer Pete - indeed I love that whole brilliant Preston performance that makes that musical one of the top ten!  And that is one of those secret songs from my past that whirl about in my brain occasionally ... along with little Ricky Cunningham's missing-front-teeth-whistle-sounding Wells Fargo song.

Was Jackson truly the King of Pop?  Perhaps in money-making, for sure (didn't he outspend McCartney for some of the priceless Beatles collections?).  His need to marry the daughter of the King of Rock reveals his likely intent to be ultimately crowned such.  But was Elvis really the King himself?  What of Little Richard (who the Beatles attributed much influence) or Chubby Checker?  And there's even another guy whose name escapes me, who just preceded Elvis and died early on, who had an identical style of delivery as the King of Rock.

Hey, here's one I heard on the way home two days ago - that's still in my perpetually-singing head since, especially because of its geat guitar strumming:


Talk to you soon - Happy 4th!

And Fred:

Evita!  Now the secret's out.  Kippy's is dead-on
____________________________
And Jen:

I love Michael Jackson.
Funny stuff, at the end.
See you Sunday?

Jen  

Thursday, June 25, 2009

GWVW # 77: "What a Concept!"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 77:  What a Concept!
Song:  Hey You by Pink Floyd
Covered Here by: Paul Carrack
(Songwriter: Roger Waters)
June 25, 2009

Of the many great shows I’ve been fortunate to witness among the best were beginning-to-end performances of concept albums.  These included:

• ‘Tommy’ > Deaf, dumb and blind boy makes good, sharing his musical dreams with the world (as performed by The Who in Foxboro, 1989 and as directed by Des McAnuff in the Broadway stage adaptation, 1993)

• ‘New York’ > A sobering take on life on the back streets of the Big Apple (Lou Reed, Orpheum Theatre, Boston, 1989)

• ‘Quadrophenia’ > Four personalities in one angst-ridden scooter-cruising British ‘Mod’ (as performed by The Who at Madison Square Garden, NY, 1996 and Worcester MA, 1997)

• ‘Preservation Act II’ > Mr Flash and Mr Black; corruption at both ends of the political spectrum (originally written and performed by The Kinks, covered brilliantly by Mick Maldonado and other local musicians at the Middle East Club in Central Square, Cambridge, 1999)

• ‘Pyschoderelict’ > Fictional character Ray High’s mid-life creative crisis and recovery (as performed by Pete Townshend and company, Great Woods, 1995)

• ‘Greendale’ > Small town multi-generational saga in post-911 rural California (Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Great Woods, 2003)

• ‘X-Ray’ > Ray Davies’ performing his ‘unauthorized autobiography’ in song, Westbeth Theatre, Greenwich Village, 1997

• ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ > Musical adaptation of the last days of Jesus’ life, performed at the Hatch Shell in Boston, mid 70’s (as composed by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber)

For a concept album to work on stage, the storyline needs to connect with the audience at some level.  Often, the musicians performing it are known for hits from other albums, and some in the crowd may not be receptive to the fact that they will be hearing a singular set of songs from one release (which may include very obscure cuts).  The musicians know this (either intuitively or by hearing the scattered expressions of displeasure in front of them), but put on the spot, the best of them can rise to the occasion and perform a show for the ages. 

Concept albums are often a reflection of the times in which they were written.  They may also be visionary, which can make a revival performance of them years later an intense experience.  One performance of a concept album, in particular, stands out in my mind as among the penultimate events in the past 50 years in terms of spectacle, high drama, and timeliness:  The Roger Waters-lead performance of his former band’s (Pink Floyd) 1980 recording ‘The Wall’ in Berlin in 1990 (just after the Berlin Wall was neutralized).  This was truly a concert for the history books.  A bit of background is in order.

When I first traveled Europe with Bob Mainguy (who, by the way, just announced the birth of a daughter, Andrea, this past week) in 1986, the Berlin Wall remained an enduring reminder of the Cold War and the division of Europe into Eastern Bloc and Western NATO countries.  As we scoped out our plans for travel early that summer, we were in a position to take advantage of a fairly unique opportunity:  Since Bob had dual citizenship in Canada and Belgium he was allowed to purchase the for-Europeans-only Inter-rail train pass, which included the option to travel to countries on the East side of the Iron Curtain.  He was also allowed to take a guest.  

The other option was Eurail, which was standard fare for Americans and was restricted to Western Europe.  We were torn.  Eurail was cheaper and included Ireland (Inter-rail did not).  Inter-rail involved jumping through a few additional visa-related hoops.  But the thought of traveling to the verboten hinterlands of Eastern Bloc countries like Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany, Hungary, and Romania was enticing, and it took us a few days to make a decision.  We ultimately settled for Eurail, which nonetheless had us traveling far and wide on a whirlwind tour of 14 countries (a few years later, I would get to travel into a less restrictive Eastern Europe <Yugoslavia> by car with Nancy).

The very thought of crossing into such an isolated region at the time seemed a bit surreal.  Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union were indeed closed off from the Western world, perhaps not to the degree as North Korea is now, but close enough.  And the Berlin Wall symbolized this divide.  It was always clear who the wall was there to keep out (West) and who it was there to keep in (East).  Meeting someone from across the demarcation was a novelty:  It rarely happened. 

Roger Waters wrote the songs for ‘The Wall’ as a story line which centers on the life of fictional character ‘Pink’, a famous rock star who becomes increasingly isolated from his friends, family and audience.  The story also covers Pink’s past, and reveals the trauma of his youth (a badgering, mindless schoolmaster > “The Happiest Days of Our Lives”; an over-protective mother > “Mother”).  The ‘Wall’ slowly gets built between him and everyone else.  Eventually he tunes everything out and enters a world all unto himself.  It’s not a happy world by any means, and the closing songs on the album focus on his efforts to break down this emotional ‘Wall’ he has erected.

There is a duality in the meaning of this concept album, however, which comes out in the Berlin concert.  Pink’s isolation includes his imagining an alternative life as a dictator of a foreign land.  References to Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia are unmistakable.  Isolation remains a central theme at this level as well.

The concert in Berlin was released on video in the early 90’s.  I recall walking through a mall and catching the video on a TV screen, which was showing a particularly poignant part of the story. Roger Waters, playing the character of Pink, ignores a ringing phone and tosses furniture out the window of a stage prop apartment room high above the crowd, while singing ‘One of My Turns’, as The Wall gets built below him and around him.

It was not long before I had a purchased copy of the video in hand.  I’ve since watched it numerous times (if anyone wants to check it out, I can send it your way).

At the end of the show, this immense wall comes tumbling down, much like the Berlin Wall had only months earlier just a few blocks away.  The concert was performed as a celebration of that event. 

The Gem Video, ‘Hey You’ sung by Paul Carrack (of Squeeze), is the first song that is played after the entire Wall has been erected.  All songs before and after are performed in front of the crowd of 250,000, but Carrack, in what is one of the most unique moments in the annals of live performance, gets to sing to a wall, with a quarter-million people on the other side.  Roger Waters stands behind him in the shadows (can anyone make out the singular line from the song that Waters sings?).

Following ‘Hey You’ are a few other video cuts from the concert, including ‘One of My Turns’ and ‘The Trial’ (at the end of which, The Wall comes tumbling down > note Albert Finney as the judge, Thomas Dolby as the schoolmaster and Marianne Faithful as the mother).

- Pete

“But it was only fantasy
  The Wall was too high as you can see”

Gem Video: ‘Hey You’

‘One of My Turns’

‘The Trial’

A few bonus tracks for Squeeze fans (Paul Carrack) > yes, that’s you, Becca

‘Cool For Cats’

‘Coffee in Bed’


About the Video: The one and only Roger Waters Concert at the Berlin Wall (or, what was left of it)

Video Rating: 1
_________________________
Best Feedback: Tom

Hi Pete, at first I was in a rush and went down to the bottom gems you chose - and upon seeing "Hey You" right away thought of the most recent 311 hit song:


which is likely the pace of most younger folk today, no doubt

So just went back to read the entire write-up - and thanks yet once more for a most informative write-up!

Cuz Tom