Hearing new music by the Doobie Brothers is like getting a letter from an old friend. Through all the changes this band has endured over the past 40+ years, the new music sounds great to me. This time around the boys are reunited with producer Ted Templeman, who I've always thought never got enough credit for his production skills.
World Gone Crazy opens with a Tom Johnston number, "A Brighter Day," which I think gets the album off to a solid start. It's not a rocker, but it is a very good mid-tempo tune that the Doobies were always great at pulling off. "Chateau" follows next, and while it would've been a great opener, it sounds great in the two-hole. It's a Pat Simmons rocker, with Ted Templeman picking up a co-writer credit.
Curiously, an early Doobie track gets remade on this set. "Nobody" goes back to the first Doobie Brothers album. Maybe they figured that it was time to give this one some new life.I liked this tune back in the 70's, and it sounds great here on World Gone Crazy.
Next up is the title tune, another Johnston-penned tune. Johnston is in fine form on this album, with songs that are the bread and butter for this band. Pat Simmons writes fine songs, but Johnston's tunes seem to be more street-wise. Both are versatile songwriters, but their styles are unique enough that you rarely see a shared writing credit among them.
Another example of this is in the next track, a mellow Simmons tune called "Far From Home." It's as much a Doobie Brothers track as any, but it so different from the tunes that Johnston write for this record. "Young Man's Game" is next up, and is a great reply to critics who think the band is too old to be rockin.
Michael McDonald reunites with his former mates to lend his vocal support to "Don't Say Goodbye." It's a nice number with a groove that wouldn't have sounded out of place on the group's albums released following Johnston's departure in the late 70's.
Johnston wrote the next two tunes, "My Baby" and "Old Juarez." Both tunes highlight the great vocal sound that has always been a trademark of the Doobie Brothers.
The lone bum track on the album is the next to last tune, a Simmons collaboration with Willie Nelson called "I Know We Won." Maybe it's Willie Nelson's presence or maybe it's just a bad song. Either way, this one's a loser.
"Law Dogs" closes out World Gone Crazy. This one's a Johnston tune, and it's got a bluesy feel to it, with some great slide guitar from John McFee. It's a curious closer, but I'm not sure what other song I would've put into that slot.
It is so good hearing the Doobie Brothers making quality new music. It looks like two new tunes and "Nobody" are featured in the band's current live shows, so that's a good thing. With only one bum track, World Gone Crazy is a winner in my book.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Sunday, April 03, 2011
John Mellencamp - John Mellencamp
After watching Polygram do next to nothing to promote one of his best, Human Wheels, John Mellencamp decided he had had enough and went looking for another record company. He landed at Columbia and rewarded their confidence in him with another fine record, simply titled John Mellencamp.
This 1998 release is top notch Mellencamp. He wrote five of the songs with long-time writing partner George Green, and in keeping with the fresh start with a new label, Dane Clark handles the drumming duties and Moe Z. MD handles the sampling.
After all these years, I think it's easy to take Mellencamp for granted. He is a consistent performer and a fine song writer, and while some have called him a poor man's Springsteen, I've never viewed him like that.
On his Columbia debut, Mellencamp opens with a double-shot of upbeat sound with "Fruit Trader" and "Your Life is Now," a song that should have been a boss hitbound single. After slowing down for "Positively Crazy," Mellencamp picks up the pace again with "I'm Not Running Anymore," another one of those tunes that have hit single written all over it.
The CD chugs along with Mellencamp and his band giving some of their best performances. With his most recent releases being more stark, dark, and just a little bit dreary, go back and give another listen to John Mellencamp. It has held up well, and sounds great, 13 years later.
This 1998 release is top notch Mellencamp. He wrote five of the songs with long-time writing partner George Green, and in keeping with the fresh start with a new label, Dane Clark handles the drumming duties and Moe Z. MD handles the sampling.
After all these years, I think it's easy to take Mellencamp for granted. He is a consistent performer and a fine song writer, and while some have called him a poor man's Springsteen, I've never viewed him like that.
On his Columbia debut, Mellencamp opens with a double-shot of upbeat sound with "Fruit Trader" and "Your Life is Now," a song that should have been a boss hitbound single. After slowing down for "Positively Crazy," Mellencamp picks up the pace again with "I'm Not Running Anymore," another one of those tunes that have hit single written all over it.
The CD chugs along with Mellencamp and his band giving some of their best performances. With his most recent releases being more stark, dark, and just a little bit dreary, go back and give another listen to John Mellencamp. It has held up well, and sounds great, 13 years later.
Van Lear Rose - Loretta Lynn
I listened to a lot of country music growing up. My folks liked country music, so it was always on their radios, and even though they didn't buy a ton of records, when they did, they were usually country and western. Some of that music reached through to me, even though just as much of it was garbage! I didn't realize how much I would appreciate this music as I got older.
What passes for country music today would make people like Hank Williams, Hank Thompson, and Buck Owens roll over in their graves. I have a theory on that, but that's writing for another day.
Loretta Lynn is one of those voices I remember hearing on the radio as I was growing up. By the time I was making my own choices about what to listen to and what to buy, Lynn wasn't on my list. Cut to 2004, and her work with Jack White. I am a marginal White Stripes fan, but I love what Jack White has done with Loretta Lynn on this CD and Wanda Jackson on her latest. As a producer, he treats these ladies with the respect they've earned, and he brings them into the 21st century on their terms.
On Van Lear Rose, White lets Lynn be true to her country roots, but where Owen Bradley would've added strings and a lushness to Lynn's honky-tonk sound, White uses his guitar and the big beat to drive these songs. "Have Mercy," "Portland Oregon," and "Mrs. Leroy Brown" are great tunes that move Lynn forward without compromising her ability to tell a universal story.
The cool thing about White as a producer is that he doesn't try to make a White Stripes record with the artists he's working with. The title song and "Story of My Life" are traditional sounding country songs that act as bookends to this fine CD. This one's a keeper.
What passes for country music today would make people like Hank Williams, Hank Thompson, and Buck Owens roll over in their graves. I have a theory on that, but that's writing for another day.
Loretta Lynn is one of those voices I remember hearing on the radio as I was growing up. By the time I was making my own choices about what to listen to and what to buy, Lynn wasn't on my list. Cut to 2004, and her work with Jack White. I am a marginal White Stripes fan, but I love what Jack White has done with Loretta Lynn on this CD and Wanda Jackson on her latest. As a producer, he treats these ladies with the respect they've earned, and he brings them into the 21st century on their terms.
On Van Lear Rose, White lets Lynn be true to her country roots, but where Owen Bradley would've added strings and a lushness to Lynn's honky-tonk sound, White uses his guitar and the big beat to drive these songs. "Have Mercy," "Portland Oregon," and "Mrs. Leroy Brown" are great tunes that move Lynn forward without compromising her ability to tell a universal story.
The cool thing about White as a producer is that he doesn't try to make a White Stripes record with the artists he's working with. The title song and "Story of My Life" are traditional sounding country songs that act as bookends to this fine CD. This one's a keeper.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Up 'til Now - Art Garfunkel
Okay, this is an odd first choice, but I knew this was a CD that was headed to the garage sale bin. This 1993 release was a half-hearted attempt at a rarities/greatest hits type collection, with some newly recorded songs thrown in for good measure.
Garfunkel's voice is a thing of beauty, but since he's not a songwriter, he's at the mercy of his own tastes for song selection. It's not always pretty. The best example of that is Garfunkel's version of Mark Knopfler's "Why Worry."
For my money, there are really only two songs worth moving over to the old hard drive. The first is a beautiful duet with James Taylor on "Crying in the Rain," and the other is the theme song to the TV show Brooklyn Bridge. Remember that show? It was a great little show, and Garfunkel's voice singing the theme was perfect.
The original version of "The Sound of Silence" is included here. If you didn't know, the original version of this song was strictly acoustic. The guitars and drums were added for the hit single version most are familiar with. Staying on the Simon and Garfunkel theme, there's an odd thing called "The Breakup," where Garfunkel is talking about their split-up while Simon is in the background feeding him instructions. Good for a laugh once, but after that it's annoying.
There you have it. That's my take on Up 'til Now.
Garfunkel's voice is a thing of beauty, but since he's not a songwriter, he's at the mercy of his own tastes for song selection. It's not always pretty. The best example of that is Garfunkel's version of Mark Knopfler's "Why Worry."
For my money, there are really only two songs worth moving over to the old hard drive. The first is a beautiful duet with James Taylor on "Crying in the Rain," and the other is the theme song to the TV show Brooklyn Bridge. Remember that show? It was a great little show, and Garfunkel's voice singing the theme was perfect.
The original version of "The Sound of Silence" is included here. If you didn't know, the original version of this song was strictly acoustic. The guitars and drums were added for the hit single version most are familiar with. Staying on the Simon and Garfunkel theme, there's an odd thing called "The Breakup," where Garfunkel is talking about their split-up while Simon is in the background feeding him instructions. Good for a laugh once, but after that it's annoying.
There you have it. That's my take on Up 'til Now.
It's Time to Write Again
After getting my office organized, I'm looking at five boxes of CDs that need listening to, along with four shelves, five crates, and three boxes of albums. If that wasn't enough I've got 12 shelves and a 14-hole CD stand filled with CDs that I listen to somewhat regularly. I've got plenty of music, but it's time to reduce.
So, armed with a 1TB hard drive and a desire to get rid of some of this music, I'm ready to blog my way through the music that is sitting in this room.
It's taken a long time to get my head around storing my music on the computer. And, I know it's not going to be everything. I'm only burning the LPs and CDs that aren't 100% cool with no filler. As artists resort back to the "two hits and ten tracks of shit" creed that Keith Richards used to describe albums back in the day, it has become a necessity to get the best songs on the computer and let someone else find some enjoyment out of what I get rid of.
To be fair, some of this music probably didn't age well. I'm not the same person today that I was when I bought much of this music. Tastes change, priorities too. There was a time when I thought of myself as a completist; I've got to have everything a particular artist released, good or bad. Now, with all this music around me, I can see that might not have been the best plan of attack.
But enough rambling. Let's get to the first CD that gets copied to the computer.
So, armed with a 1TB hard drive and a desire to get rid of some of this music, I'm ready to blog my way through the music that is sitting in this room.
It's taken a long time to get my head around storing my music on the computer. And, I know it's not going to be everything. I'm only burning the LPs and CDs that aren't 100% cool with no filler. As artists resort back to the "two hits and ten tracks of shit" creed that Keith Richards used to describe albums back in the day, it has become a necessity to get the best songs on the computer and let someone else find some enjoyment out of what I get rid of.
To be fair, some of this music probably didn't age well. I'm not the same person today that I was when I bought much of this music. Tastes change, priorities too. There was a time when I thought of myself as a completist; I've got to have everything a particular artist released, good or bad. Now, with all this music around me, I can see that might not have been the best plan of attack.
But enough rambling. Let's get to the first CD that gets copied to the computer.
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