The Wait is Over for the DC5

Have you seen the latest list of new inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? It was great to see the Dave Clark 5 on the list, finally!

I've written on this before, so I'm not going to rehash old arguments, but despite toiling in the shadows of the more respected members of the British Invasion, the DC5, like the other bands in the first wave of the British Invasion, left their mark on many of the artists we enjoy today.

With their election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the DC5 are finally getting their due. I hope the attention that comes from this announcement will make the group's music more available in 2008. "The History of the Dave Clark Five" is an excellent compilation, but it's time for the group's albums to be reissued and given a proper treatment.

The Who Sell Out

I've had The Who thrown in my face twice in my lifetime. The first time was back in 1970, when the know it all 13 year old I was in those days was talking music with one of my Dad's co-workers from the Air Force.

Rick was from Massachusetts if I remember correctly. He was probably in his mid-20s at the time I was telling him how cool Grand Funk Railroad was. Apparently he wasn't a big GFR fan, because he told me that if I really wanted to hear good rock and roll, I should listen to The Who. It was a couple more years before I believed him, but I came around.

Since those dreaded junior high days, I came to appreciate The Who, and although I didn't go nuts for them like I did for the Beatles and later on, for Springsteen, I felt like I qualified as a fan. Maybe not a rabid fan, but a fan nonetheless.

The most recent occurrence of having The Who thrown in my face was less direct. It happened yesterday during Dave Marsh's Kick Out the Jams radio show on Sirius.

Marsh declared that The Who had the album of 1967 with The Who Sell Out. In his opinion, The Who Sell Out was a more psychedelic album than Pepper. Now, I happen to like Dave Marsh as a critic and a writer of several great books on rock and roll. I can't agree with him on this one I'm afraid.

Don't get me wrong, The Who Sell Out is a fine album. I admit I had forgotten about it, but I've been listening to it quite a bit since yesterday morning. For me it's no Pepper, but it doesn't need to be.

Pete Townshend could do more with three minutes than most groups at the time. On The Who Sell Out, he created the concept album that Pepper never was.

The Who Sell Out was Townshend's tribute to the pirate radio stations of the day. The cleverly assembled album featured mock commercials in between some of Townshend's best work to date. In the middle of John Entwistle's ode to Heinz Baked Beans and Townshend's mini-opera Rael, was a little tune called I Can See For Miles.

This was the first Who song I can remember being aware of growing up. There was more going on here than what I was used to from The Beatles, that's for sure. The Who was rock and roll with attitude. Attitude was something that The Beatles traded in for suits when Brian Epstein came aboard.

The Who Sell Out belongs in the discussion about the music of 1967. Sgt. Pepper still holds up today, a testimonial to what the rock album could be. The Who Sell Out holds up today too, a testimonial to the work that Townshend and The Who had done and would continue to do until Keith Moon's death.

They Say It's Your Birthday, Reprise

The Beatles had come off the road in August, 1966, took some well-deserved time off, and entered the studio in November, 1966. This time there was no rush to assemble the tracks for the new record. There was no more touring. The studio was the group's new stage.

After being on a regimented schedule of touring and recording since 1962, being able to record at a more relaxed pace must have been incredible. With George Martin's help, the Beatles were about to embark on a period in their recording history just as important as those first years in the studio. Given the time to express the ideas in their heads, Lennon and McCartney were clicking on all cylinders. Harrison's time would come, but for now, his songs would still be secondary to what was taking place at EMI's studios on Abbey Road.

Once the Beatles began recording in November, 1966, they didn't stop until February, 1968. Sure there were days off, and of course, the group had to deal with the sudden death of Brian Epstein in August, 1967. While Sgt. Pepper gets all the attention, even more with today's 40th anniversary, the entire 15-month period is worthy of praise.

The leap from a very cool guitar-driven pop band to an experimental, risk taking sound-driven pop band (there was never a drop in melodic magic) was huge. Once the Beatles stopped recording in February, 1968, made the trips to India, and came back to resume recording what would become The White Album (May 30, 1968), the Pepper era was over.

In 15 months the Beatles created the singles Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love/Baby, You're A Rich Man, Hello Goodbye/I Am The Walrus, and Lady Madonna/The Inner Light.

At the same time, along with Sgt. Pepper, new songs were recorded for Magical Mystery Tour (an EP in the UK, but Capitol being Capitol in the US added the other previously issued singles to the MMT songs to make an LP) and Yellow Submarine. If the quantity of tunes wasn't impressive, the quality certainly was.

In addition to the singles already mentioned, the album tunes, Magical Mystery Tour, The Fool On the Hill, Your Mother Should Know, Flying, Blue Jay Way, Only A Northern Song, All Together Now, It's All Too Much, and Hey Bulldog all stand up well today as the mark of an excellent body of work. Two other songs recorded during this time, Across the Universe and You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) were also solid tracks.

I know, people probably don't consider All Together Now and You Know My Name as examples of great Beatles songs. For me, it's all about context. The group was working so far outside the box for Pepper, there was no way they were going to stay out there for the recordings that followed. The tracks recorded after Pepper was assembled are much simpler in structure, and only dabble in the kind of sounds that made it onto Sgt. Pepper. All Together Now and You Know My Name fit in very nicely with the post-Pepper recordings the Beatles made.

Clearly the Pepper-era was not as prolific a time for the group. Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison wrote and recorded up a storm during and following the trips to India. But, that's another story altogether.

For now, I'm going to continue to enjoy the Pepper period. A time when the Beatles were still working together, stretching the boundaries of pop music.

They Say it's Your Birthday!

It's been awhile since I felt compelled to write, but a birthday, an album's birthday, has inspired me to start writing again.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band turns 40 tomorrow. The album has aged well, because despite being very much of its time, it still sounds as exciting today as it did 40 years ago. There aren't many albums for which that can be said.

Why are we making such a big deal about an album that is 40 years old? Well, you can't deny it changed the way we viewed albums. The unique sounds that came from using the recording studio as an instrument also contributed to the importance of Pepper's place in rock music history.

In 1967, albums were still, as Keith Richards so gracefully described, "one or two singles and ten tracks of shit." Sgt. Pepper changed that. For one, there were no singles and there was no filler. The Beatles had the time to create an album that cried out to be listened to from beginning to end. Not because of any theme running through the songs. Not because of any secret message that would be interrupted if you skipped a song. No, it was simply because each song was great.

Sure, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," appeared again toward the end of the record, and "A Day in the Life," as an album closer, is as good as it gets. It's easy to draw from the distinct opening and closing pieces of the album, that everything between was somehow connected. It wasn't.

Pepper raised the bar for what an album could be and it inspired other artists to stretch beyond their limits. I don't think you can talk about Pepper without mentioning Brian Wilson. Wilson and the Beach Boys had released Pet Sounds in 1966, an album that had a big influence on Paul McCartney.

With Pepper, the Beatles did the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson one better. The Beatles filled Pepper with waves of sounds normally not found on a pop record. The standard foundation of guitar, bass, piano/organ, and drums were enhanced by the sounds of a calliope, courtesy of George Martin's ingenuity, orchestras, a harpsichord, a tamboura, crowd noise, and animal sounds (pet sounds?).

Overdubbing, which had always been a part of the group's recording process, was becoming more and more important to the creation of the layers of sound. There was so much overdubbing going on that Ringo, once the basic tracks were recorded, became very good at playing chess!

Pepper's importance to rock and roll can't be overstated, but for the Beatles, Pepper was also an important statement.

Although most of the Fab Four and lovable mop top nonsense had started to fade by 1966, Pepper confirmed that "the boys" had become men. With touring over, the Beatles were settling into a period of studio work that produced some of their best songs.

Pepper was also the first Beatles album to be released in the same fashion in both the UK and in the States. In the UK, Pepper was the group's eighth album of new material. In the US, Capitol Records was able to squeeze out eleven records before Pepper was released.

This nonsense ended with Pepper, and with the exception of Magical Mystery Tour, the remaining Beatles albums were released with the same covers and songs in both countries.

Sadly, Pepper was also the last album released while Brian Epstein was alive. It's easy to ponder all the what-ifs, but Brian Epstein's death was the beginning of the end for the group.

So, if timing is everything, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was born at the right time. Rock and roll would never be the same after Pepper's release, nor would the Beatles. Both would get along for a few more years, with rock and roll actually making it into the 70s before being pushed into the underground.

If you don't own this, find it and buy it. Listen to it from start to finish and revel in the magic that is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The Hold Steady

Back before Thanksgiving a friend of mine was telling me about this band that people were comparing to Bruce Springsteen. The group was called The Hold Steady. It took some time, but I eventually bought the group's latest cd, Boys and Girls in America. My first instinct was to throw the cd into the trash and dash off something clever here about the dangers of comparisons.

For whatever reason, I didn't post anything on The Hold Steady, made up my list of the best music I heard during 2006, and avoided any sort of overrated comments. In the meantime, I gave Boys and Girls in America a few more listens. Here's what I came up with.

I can absolutely see why this cd is selling. I don't know how well its doing, but it got several favorable reviews. It's the perfect cd for that coveted 18-34 demographic that I haven't been a part of for several years.

If you are a party hearty kind of person, know someone that is, and/or you are a part of that almighty 18-24 demo, this cd is for you. How can you go wrong with song after song about getting high, fooling around when you're high, going to concerts when you're high, etc. etc. Everyone should be able to relate, no?

There's lots of drama on display on this cd. I described it to someone as teen angst. The drama, or angst, if you prefer, is set to some decent music, although for the life of me, I don't hear the Springsteen connection!

That leaves me to think that the comparisons were coming from the drama in the lyrics. I guess you could call Boys and Girls In America a Nebraska for 18-25 year olds. The lyrics are conversational and loaded with the kind of detail that people seem to think that Springsteen invented as a lyrical convention. For reference, I'd recommend giving a listen to Chuck Berry and before him, any number of blues artists whose songs contain the same kind of attention to detail.

I feel like I've written too much about this cd. It's not my cup of tea, but that doesn't make it a bad piece of work. In fact, the folks over in the UK are anxiously awaiting the arrival of The Hold Steady to their shores, so someone feels a connection with this group.

It ain't me.

The Dave Clark Five

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2007 was announced yesterday, and missing from the list was the Dave Clark Five. What's the matter? They didn't meet the criteria? Let's see . . . .

Their first single, Glad All Over, was released in the US in 1964, 43 years and six days ago. The Hall says an artist is eligible 25 years after their first record. I'd say they pass that test!

As far as "the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll," fifteen consecutive Top 20 records between 1964 and 1966 sounds like a decent contribution. This is a record that none of the current inductees from that period, with the exception of the Beatles, can put on their resume.

Even though the DC5 hung together and made good music until 1970, the band's heyday was that two year period beginning in 1964. The Beatles get credit, and deservedly so, for opening the door to British bands in America. Once here, however, the bands had to prove themselves. The DC5 did that. Was all of this lost on the Hall of Fame voters?

Perhaps there is some bias against the bands that came over in the first wave of the British Invasion? Sure, the Beatles, Stones, Animals, Yardbirds, Kinks, and the Who are in. But what about the Dave Clark Five? They made mincemeat out of every one of these bands in terms of popularity, again, save for the Beatles.

It looks like the DC5 are getting lumped in with Gerry and the Pacemakers, BJ Kramer and the Dakotas, Freddy and the Dreamers, and Herman's Hermits. There's nothing wrong with these bands, by the way, but they can't hold a candle to the DC5.

Critics have sung the praises of the songwriting evolution of Lennon-McCartney, Jagger-Richards, Ray Davies, and Pete Townshend in the early years of their careers. Dave Clark's songwriting may not have evolved to the same degree as his peers, but he was no slouch.

Clark and the band, Mike Smith, vocals and keyboards, Denis Payton, sax, harmonica, guitar, and vocals, Rick Huxley, bass guitar and vocals, and Lenny Davidson, lead guitar and vocals, made a sound that rocked as hard as any of the British Invasion bands, thanks to Clark's pounding drums. Those drums took hold of songs like Bits and Pieces, Glad All Over, and Over and Over and created a two minute (or less) frenzy unmatched by the serious work of the Beatles et al.

I'm not trying to build the DC5's case at the expense of the other bands in the first wave of British Invasion acts. As far as I'm concerned, every one of them should be in the Hall. That's right, even Herman's Hermits and the other more pop oriented groups. Those bands all had something that the American teenager wanted, and they bought their records up faster than they could be produced.

If you've never given the Dave Clark Five a serious listen, I recommend The History of the Dave Clark Five, 50 tunes on two cds. You'll get the big hits, some of the lesser known hits, and some of the quality music they made right up to the end.

Shame on the voting members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for not giving the Dave Clark Five their due by electing them into this year's class. The world could've gone one more year without Van Halen in the Hall. Meanwhile, a group of British pioneers are shut out from their rightful place alongside the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Animals, and the Who. With Denis Payton's recent passing and Mike Smith in a wheelchair and still hospitalized from a 2003 accident, making this band wait is a tragedy.

Get this band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And then, let's re-evaluate these 1,000 voters. It would appear that many need their voting privileges revoked.

A Resolution For the New Year

It was great to see veteran rockers like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Tom Petty, The Who, Bob Dylan, and Lindsey Buckingham release great music in 2006. Throw in Cheap Trick, Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Simon, Elton John, New York Dolls, Joe Grushecky, Neil Young, Dion, and Ray Davies, and it's hard not to call 2006 a banner year for the old guard.

As we've gotten older, so have the musical heroes of our youth. As witnessed by the above list, many of those artists are still releasing music that is exciting and vital. While it was great to see this kind of activity among the veterans, rock and roll fans, fans of the artists previously mentioned, have got to get behind the great music of younger bands like The Anderson Council, The Hellacopters, Kaiser George and the Hi-Risers, and The Charms.

While it's possible we'll be calling Springsteen's name and Dion's name at the end of 2007, heaping praise on their new music, it seems to me that we've got to pin our hopes on the younger generation of rock and rollers to make this a great year. I think the younger groups are up to it. The question is, when new releases by The Woggles, The Charms, and The Mooney Suzuki hit the stores, will we buy?

If you care about rock and roll at all, this is the year we have to work our backsides off to hear this music when it comes out and then cast our votes at the cash register. For those of you still uneasy about making on-line purchases, do what you can to get comfortable with buying over the internet. This year, more than ever, most of the rock and roll you're going to purchase will come from the web.

Hearing the music won't be easy either. Traditional radio is out, as they seem to be more interested in touting their new high definition signals than exposing the rock and roll world to new music. If you don't already have a satellite radio, make this the year to make that purchase. Both Sirius and XM offer a wide range of musical selections. I chose Sirius two years ago, and I haven't regretted the decision. It's where you'll hear the Underground Garage channel, our best connection to the new rock and roll bands making music these days.

It's still too early to tell if the relationship between the Underground Garage and Best Buy is going to be good for rock and roll fans. It looks good on paper; there are Best Buys everywhere. Since Best Buys are a bit less threatening to buyers over 40, this arrangement should make it easier for this crowd to wander out for the latest rock and roll music. If enough of us do this, it might make the independent retailers take notice too. We need them too.

I'm excited about the possibilities for rock and roll in 2007. We're going to have to work a little bit harder to get to the music this year, but our persistence will be rewarded. It's up to us to keep rock and roll from dropping out of our culture. Never before has being a fan of rock and roll come with such responsibility.

One of my resolutions for 2007 is to hold up my end of the deal. I hope you'll join me.

It Was a Very Good Year

With all the fine music released in 2006, narrowing the year down to only ten is a tough assignment. There was something for everyone in the music released in '06. Many bands and labels reached back into their vaults and brought out previously unreleased tunes and re-mixed and re-mastered versions of their known tunes.

The Beach Boys gave us a 40th anniversary release of Pet Sounds, The Black Crowes released two collections; a live set, Freak 'n' Roll and The Lost Crowes, featuring two cds from mid-90's sessions, Santana III was reissued with a bonus disc from the band's 1971 4th of July concert at the famed Fillmore West, and Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen released concert discs from the archives. Young's 1970 show from the Fillmore East and Springsteen's famous '75 show from London's Hammersmith Odeon saw the light of day in 2006. Hopefully more concerts from the vaults of both of these artists will appear in 2007.

Before I run out my top ten, here are some releases that should be on your list to buy, if you've not already done so.

The Fall Parade, The Anderson Council; Rockford, Cheap Trick; Blessing & A Curse, Drive-By Truckers; Transatlantic Dynamite, Kaiser George and the Hi-Risers; 1000 Years of Popular Music, Richard Thompson; Last Man Standing, Jerry Lee Lewis; Other People's Lives, Ray Davies; Under the Covers, Vol. 1, Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs; Stay Happy, Outrageous Cherry; Broken Boy Soldiers, Raconteurs; One Day it Will Please Us to Remember Even This, The New York Dolls; Endless Wire, The Who.

All of which leads me to these ten, which at the end of 2006, I thought held up the best.

10 - Face the Promise, Bob Seger - Taking 11 years off from the business to raise his family, Seger returns to the fray as a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. He's still got his chops, writes great songs, and as his fans across the country have seen for the last couple of months, he's still a great live act. This cd features "No More," Seger's response to the war in Iraq.

9 - Highway Companion, Tom Petty - Another rock veteran delivers the goods in 2006. This was a solo release with TP getting an assist from fellow Heartbreaker Mike Campbell and former Traveling Wilbury Jeff Lynne. He took these songs out on the road with the Heartbreakers for what everyone assumed would be a farewell tour, but now sounds like could be a career re-birth.

8 - Overnight Sensational, Sam Moore - Comeback duets are popular, but before you lump this cd into that category remember that Sam Moore was half of the famous soul duo Sam and Dave. If anyone deserves an opportunity to team up with some of music's best, it's Moore. One of several highlights on this cd is the presence of Billy Preston, who sadly, played his last sessions for Moore. The song selection is first-rate and the performances from Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Sting, and Paul Rodgers (among the many) are equally as strong.

7 - The Captain and The Kid, Elton John - Releasing the follow up to Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 30 years on may have seemed odd, but allowing the time to pass before releasing the sequel makes the story that much better. Elton and Bernie wrote ten songs that took us from Elton's landing in LA ("Postcards From Richard Nixon") to the final reflection ("The Captain and The Kid") on a great career. A career, by the way, that has been resurrected by two strong releases, Songs From the West Coast (2001) and Peachtree Road (2004).

6 - Bronx in Blue, Dion - Like many artists of Dion's time, blues musicians were a major influence. Dion repays the debt with Bronx in Blue. It's just Dion and his acoustic guitar performing a blistering set of blues tunes. In addition to the 14 great performances on this cd, the liner notes provide some insight into the music and the artists. Some of the songs here you've heard from other artists; "Crossroads," "Travelin' Riverside Blues," "Terraplane Blues," and "Statesboro Blues" among them. This cd got next to no airplay in this part of the world, but it deserves to be heard. Do what you need to do to find this and turn it up!

5 - Modern Times, Bob Dylan - Another rock pioneer with a great release in 2006. Dylan's Modern Times is a great slice of Americana. The sounds on this cd are incredible. Dylan's songs make great use of what one might call traditonal folk instruments, cello, steel guitar, violin, viola, mandolin along with the basic rock setup, guitar, bass, drums, piano, and harmonica. The combination creates a musical portrait that is breathtaking. Dylan's voice is in great form too. If you don't already own a vinyl copy of Modern Times, seek it out. I know the cd's got a couple bonus tracks, but the vinyl version of Dylan's latest sounds great.

4 - Living With War, Neil Young - Neil Young is pissed. I'm sure this isn't the first time since the Kent State incident that inspired "Ohio" that Young has let his anger manifest itself musically. It is some of his best work since the aforementioned hit. This release sounds rushed with some ragged vocals that could've stood to be recorded again. Having said that, the ragged vocals and the rush release of Living With War display an urgency and give off an energy that more bands should tap into. I doubt that this one will be on a best of list coming from the White House.

3 - Rock and Roll is Dead, The Hellacopters - Rock and roll may be dead, but The Hellacopters do their part to bring it back to life. The 15 songs on this set absolutely burn. It doesn't matter what period of rock and roll you enjoy, The Hellacopters fit right in and will not disappoint. Check out "Everything's On TV," "Monkeyboy," "Murder On My Mind," and "Nothing Terribly New" as proof that this band is the real deal.

2 - Under the Skin, Lindsey Buckingham - The heart and soul of Fleetwood Mac released his best solo effort yet in 2006. He covers the Rolling Stones and Donovan here, with great versions of "I Am Waiting" and "To Try for the Sun." "Not Too Late," the opening track, should be the song of the year. Should be, but won't. I was happy to see that radio is getting behind this cd, but it's going to be Buckingham's tour that will really sell this. Five of the new songs are getting showcased on Buckingham's current tour and are getting a great reception from audiences. There's not a clunker in the bunch on this cd. If it's not a part of your collection, please add it to your list.

1 - We Shall Overcome: The American Land Edition, Bruce Springsteen - Inspired by Woody Gurthrie and Pete Seeger, Springsteen assembles a collection of musicians who bring songs dating back two centuries up to date and into our collective consciousness. Some of the tunes here were obscure (Dave Marsh's notes on each song add to the overall beauty of this set), but others have been a part of the mainstream for many years. Springsteen caught some grief for releasing this, an expanded version, so soon after the initial release. For my money, any cd with Springsteen's versions of "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live" and "Bring 'Em Home" is worth the price of admission. Throw in another new Springsteen number, "American Land," and that makes this set a must-have.

One final note: If you need more examples of the quality of this year's releases, see also, American V, Johnny Cash; Laugh Now, Cry Later, Ice Cube; Sacred Weapon, Nils Lofgren; Surprise, Paul Simon; Pearl Jam; A Good Life, Joe Grushecky; Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks.

More From Wicked Cool

Little Steven's quest to get rock and roll out to the people that need and want it the most continues. Now, in addition to his weekly syndicated Underground Garage show, the Sirius Satellite Radio channel of the same name, and the rock and roll shows that criss-crossed our country from September through November, Little Steven re-launches Wicked Cool records.

The first wave of releases is impressive. I wrote about Davie Allan's Fuzz For the Holidays in an earlier post. Today's post looks at The Coolest Songs in the World! Vol. 1.

For those of you that aren't aware, the Underground Garage selects one song to be "the coolest song in the world this week." You would be hard pressed to find a weak track in those selections. Occasionally there's a song or two that doesn't do much for me, but in general, the selections are top notch.

This cd collects the best of those tunes since the Underground Garage hit the airwaves back in 2002. Getting things started is "On the Airwaves" by a Nashville based band called The Shazam. The Shazam have had their music featured on a Coors beer commercial since this song was released. According to their website, the band is also working on new music. If you dig this tune, check out the group's cds.

The first five tunes come from bands with "The" in their name. In the garage-rock world, you can almost guarantee any band with "The" in their name will be good! The Greenhornes, The Forty-Fives, The Charms, and The Chesterfield Kings are excellent bands that had coolest songs in the world and are deserving of your support.

Cotton Mather is the first band featured in this collection that has no "The" in their name. No one's perfect! Cotton Mather is an Austin, Texas band that makes a noise as close to the 1966 version of The Beatles as any current band that I've heard. Unfortunately, the band has been quiet since their 2001 release, The Big Picture.

The Boss Martians and The Mooney Suzuki round out "The" bands. The Mooney Suzuki have had a major label release with 2004's Alive and Amplified. They were also a part of Little Steven's Rolling Rock and Roll Road Show that went out in September. I caught the show in Minneapolis and got to see The Mooney Suzuki. Great live band, great records. A new one is in the works.

The remainder of the bands with coolest songs in the world have names without "The." No harm in that, I guess!

Reigning Sound, Caesers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ko & The Knockouts, Mr. Brown, Creatures of the Golden Dawn, and Davie Allan & The Arrows round out this collection, and while it may be unfair to brush over them collectively, I do this with the utmost respect.

These bands, along with "The" bands deserve to be heard. Did I say that already? Too bad. I know rock and roll fans have had to endure a long space of time where rock music sucked. It wasn't for a lack of quality bands, mind you. Some of the bands on this collection have been making records for several years (and this is just the tip of the iceberg folks). I say blame it on the lame radio stations and the changes in FCC regs governing ownership of radio stations.

As rock and roll fans we share some of the responsibility too. We grew older, started families, settled in careers, and along the way, softened up a bit in our tastes. When the radio stations we used to enjoy began playing more Metallica, Ozzy, and Scorpions, we went running away with our tails between our legs.

Little Steven is working his backside off to get people to listen to these new bands, and to re-visit some bands that we missed 15-20 years ago. We owe it to the music we love to find this music and buy it. Wicked Cool releases are being sold at Best Buy stores, so they should not be hard to find. There's not a section devoted to Garage Rock at the store I visited in Omaha, but maybe it's happening at larger stores.

As for me, I can't wait to hear Volume 2 of The Coolest Songs in the World!

Book 'em Again

I mentioned in the previous post that there were three Springsteen books that would make great gifts for the fan on your Christmas list. Here's my take on the second book worth your investment.

Bruce Springsteen On Tour 1968-2005 by Dave Marsh is the author's fourth book on Springsteen. Having dealt with Springsteen's life and career in his previous three books (check out Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story, Glory Days, and Two Hearts, which takes the story up to 2003), Marsh dives head first into Springsteen's live shows. The result is an extensive look into every tour Bruce has undertaken from his beginnings with The Castilles, through to the Devils and Dust shows.

In beginning with The Castilles, Marsh admits he may be going over ground covered in his previous books on Springsteen. As was the case with most garage bands of the post-Beatles 60's, touring would be an overstatement. Teen dances and battle of the bands were the places you would find most of these groups in their infancy.

Instead of fast fowarding through these formative years, Marsh takes the time to introduce us to the cast of characters, some of whom would eventually join Bruce on E St., and some of the more memorable moments of Bruce's pre-E St. live shows. One of the shows that looms large in the Springsteen story was at the Clearwater Swim Club in 1970. It's at this show that Danny Federici earns the Phantom nickname that lives with him to this day.

One of the qualities I have always enjoyed in Marsh's writing is his ability to let the fan in him co-exist with the critic. In his best work, I've always felt the fan had the upper hand.

Marsh's introduction to Springsteen, the performer, came in February 1973. It's here that the story becomes Marsh's primarily and the fan in him begins to show itself in the writing. For the remainder of the book, Marsh's experiences overlap with the words of others who were there to tell a story that is every bit as exciting as seeing Bruce performing in person.

The chapter entitled "No Miracles Here," covers "The Other Band," the group that went out on the road with Bruce following the release of Human Touch/Lucky Town. Because so many Springsteen fans went south when Bruce split from the E St. Band, this is a time that many fans may not be as hip to. For those fans who fell off the Springsteen bandwagon during this time, I'd suggest reading this chapter a couple of times.

It's in this chapter that Marsh offers his observations on the fans and the expectations they have of their hero. Clearly, breaking up the ESB was not a part of those expectations. Marsh writes at length of The Other Band and the different noise Bruce made with their help, and offers his take on what may have drawn the ire of the die hard fans during this period.

Along with what I think is some of Marsh's best writing, the book also contains a timeline that joins the chapters with interesting dates in Bruce's musical career. The energy in Marsh's words are complemented by the concert photos included within. Bruce Springsteen On Tour 1968-2005 is as pleasing to look as it is enlightening to read.

With the Seeger Sessions Band tour completed and rumors of E St. activity in 2007, I sure would love to see this book updated in about three years. Let's hope the story has several chapters remaining.

Book 'Em

Fans of Bruce Springsteen have three books to put on their Christmas lists this season. This is my take on one of those books, Greetings From E St. by Robert Santelli.

Santelli contributes to the Springsteen fanzine, Backstreets, and has written several books over the years. With Greetings From E St., Santelli has assembled a boatload of artifacts from Springsteen's early bands up to the Reunion tour with the E St. Band.

Plenty has been written about Springsteen's career, and Santelli wisely avoids re-telling the story in great length. Instead, his text hits the high points with just enough detail for the fan who may be new to Springsteen and his music. Santelli takes the story through the Vote For Change tour from 2004, wrapping up the story in under 100 pages.

The brevity is not a criticism, by the way. The detail of Springsteen's story is only part of the reason this book needs to be a part of your collection.

Santelli augments his text with pictures from a variety of sources, including the collection of E Streeter Danny Federici. His pictures provide a nice lead-in to the years before hooking up with Springsteen. Frank Stefanko's photos are also well-represented in Santelli's book. Stefanko shot the covers for Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River, and has had his work featured in Dave Marsh's first book on Springsteen, Born to Run.

There are two pages of pictures showing the E St. Band in action . . . . playing softball! There are plenty of shots of the band before, during, and after the many shows they've played throughout the years too. Chapter 5, covering The River tour, includes a centerfold made up of all the various backstage passes printed for the tour.

Several pages include a packet with reproductions of news clippings (dating back to Steel Mill), business cards, and backstage passes. Chapter 4 holds a copy of the Spring 1979 issue of Thunder Road, a Springsteen fan magazine. Also found in this chapter are the famous (infamous?) Time and Newsweek covers. If all of this wasn't cool enough, reproductions of handwritten setlists from three Reunion shows at the Meadowlands can be found in the book's final chapter.

The book rests inside a hardcover box, appropriately adorned with pictures and a few of the above mentioned reproductions.

This book will make a great gift for the Springsteen fan on your list. Borders had this on special when I was out, so get one for yourself too!

Fuzz For the Holidays

Need some new Christmas tunes to play at your parties this season? May I recommend Fuzz For the Holidays by Davie Allan and the Arrows?

For those of you not familiar with Davie Allan, he is one fuzzed-up guitarist, whose music you've heard in movies like Skaterdater, Devil's Angels, and The Wild Angels, to name three.

Fuzz For the Holidays features those Christmas tunes you know by heart, drenched in fuzz guitar. Until you've heard "Winter Wonderland," "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," and "White Christmas" decked out in all their fuzz, you ain't heard nothin' yet!

If your taste leans more toward the pop side of Christmas music, feast your ears on "Feliz Navidad," "Little Saint Nick," and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." Injected with fuzz, these tunes come alive!

Fuzz For the Holidays closes with a version of "Sleigh Ride" that rivals Jimi Hendrix's version of the Star Spangled Banner for the most outrageous and glorious sound you've ever heard come from a guitar.

Released back in 2004, Fuzz For the Holidays is available again on Wicked Cool Records, the coolest label in the world, put together by Little Steven Van Zandt. This re-issue is one of six Wicked Cool releases available at Little Steven's website or at Best Buy.

There's more to come from Wicked Cool, so get out and support the label and get some great music at the same time. If there's not a Best Buy near you, check out www.littlestevensundergroundgarage.com for this and other titles.

Under the Skin

Lindsey Buckingham was the experimental pop voice of Fleetwood Mac, since he and Stevie Nicks joined the band back in the mid-seventies. Proof of this lies in Buckingham’s contributions to Tusk.

With Under the Skin, Buckingham cranks up the echo on his voice and presents some of the best songwriting and guitar playing of his solo career. The CD opens up with "Not Too Late," featuring a hauntingly beautiful vocal accompanied by some great guitar work. I don’t expect this will be released as a single, but for my money it’s the song of the year.

Two of the songs in this set are covers. "I Am Waiting," a Rolling Stones song from their Aftermath period, and a little-known Donovan tune called "To Try for the Sun." Interestingly enough, "To Try for the Sun" sounds like a nod to his former partner, Stevie Nicks, with its “gypsy girl” reference.

Mick Fleetwood and John McVie join Buckingham for "Down on Rodeo," a song that has its roots in the Fleetwood Mac sessions that produced their 2003 effort, Say You Will. As the most Mac-like song on this CD, it’s getting more than its share of attention from critics.

Often compared to Brian Wilson for his ability to stretch the boundaries of pop music, Under the Skin sounds more like an album Donovan would make if he had Wilson’s ear for pop music and production. These influences aside, Buckingham has put together one of the best releases of 2006. A heartfelt collection of songs best summed up by a verse from "Not Too Late:"

I’m not a young man but I’m a child in my soul
I feel there’s room for a man who is whole
And there’s a need for songs that are sung
For chances not taken for deeds not yet done

The Doll Test

Listening to Little Steven's Underground Garage channel on Sirius today, I heard the "Love" version of Drive My Car and learned it was the "coolest song in the world this week." Great choice!

Today's post will be shorter in honor of the 5-song CD called Gasoline and Banks by a group called The Doll Test, a 3-piece band featuring Scott Sutherland, a former member of the Seattle group, The Model Rockets.

If you love the sounds of guitar-driven rock with enough hooks to make you think it was 1966, this is a CD worth seeking out. While the core of the band is guitar, bass, and drums (masterfully played by Sutherland, Boyd Remillard, and Graham Black, respectively), the group gets an assist from Johnny Sangster on the Hammond and Farfisa organ. Sangster also produced this CD.

The title song opens the CD, and to these ears of mine it should be a boss hitbound single. Like the other tunes on this set, it's a perfect blend of rock and pop music.

"Sings Without Sounds" comes up next and the guitar work here is excellent. Again, the Hammond is in the background, adding depth to the sound and blending in to the proceedings. Sutherland's guitar solos are short and to the point with no wasted notes.

More great guitar work is featured on "Scared Out of Your Mind." The haunting melody makes this one another radio-ready tune.

The pace picks back up with "Rains All the Time" and the closing tune, "Whole Lotta Nothin'." With the exception of the title song, the songs here all clock in under four minutes. There's no wasted motion here; just great songs.

Gasoline And Banks was released in August and is available from the good folks at Not Lame, www.notlame.com.

Enjoy!

All You Need is "Love"

Over the years there have been several Beatle compilations unleashed on the public. Since the group split up the casual fan could get collections of rock and roll music, love songs, and even their number one hits. For the casual fan, I suppose those were good things.

But, what about the life long Beatle fanatic? We got the Anthology series back in the 90's, which provided a brief look into how some of the Beatles songs were constructed, thanks to the alternate takes and demos included in each set. Plus, we did get two "new" Beatle songs out of the deal.

Which brings us to "Love," a project assembled by Beatle producer George Martin and his son, Giles. Call me crazy, but I think this is a great collection.

If you haven't heard this collection of songs yet, "Love" is a 78-minute tour de force. As George Martin writes in the liner notes, the goal was to "create a soundscape . . . .using any sound I needed from the original Beatles multi-track recordings."

Martin's idea of a soundscape is pretty clear from the start. "Love" begins with the vocal track of "Because," which leads right into the opening chords of "A Hard Day's Night," Ringo's drum solo from "The End," and builds up to "Get Back."

From there, father and son take Beatle tracks and mix them together to create a sound that is both familiar and new. The blending of "Drive My Car," "The Word," and "What You're Doing" is perfect. The use of "Blackbird" as an intro to the oft-recorded "Yesterday" breathes life into this McCartney standard and makes it sound fresh.

A very early version of Lennon's "Strawberry Fields Forever" is used for the "Love" collection. As the song reaches the ending we've come to expect, more songs are introduced faster than you can say "I buried Paul." No less than the sounds of five other Beatle songs join with Ringo's fine drumming to bring "Strawberry Fields" to a rousing finish.

There are so many moments like the one described above. After listening to this a dozen times since its release, I still hear things I missed on previous listens.

Maybe listening to this set is tougher without seeing the Cirque du Soleil performers on stage. I haven't seen the show, but have heard it's quite the experience. It may put this soundscape into its proper context.

Just the same, if I never see the Cirque du Soleil production, I will always enjoy the magic that was constructed from some of the best music of our generation.

Reason to Believe

Back when I was seven years old, I was given a copy of "The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles Hits." From that moment on, I was hooked. Not on the Chipmunks (although they were a family favorite for many years), but on rock and roll.

The past 42 years have been a great journey of discovery for me. Listening to the great music that emerged out of the arrival of The Beatles and going back to listen to the music that inspired them, has been a source of great enjoyment and frustration.

To be able to share what I've listened to with others has always been a dream of mine. Rather than bore people with the day to day experiences of my life, I would like to share my musical opinions on yesterday's music and today's music. If you're over 40 and you felt like there wasn't any new music out there for the rock and roll fan in you, I've got a surprise for you. It's out there, and while not always easy to find, rock and roll has not died. It's just been resting.