Sunday, January 28, 2024

Pink Floyd - "Animals"

I listened to Pink Floyd's 1977 LP "Animals" this weekend, something that I'm not sure I've done in 25+ years.  I certainly listened to it enough during and immediately after college, but it was an LP I never acquired on vinyl or CD.  Despite not having listened to it in so long, it's an LP that I think of frequently.  More on that later.

To begin, it's arguably Pink Floyd's most "forgotten" LP, if normalized for the status of the band at the time.  Sandwiched between landmarks of 1973's "Dark Side of the Moon" and 1979's "The Wall", and even 1975's slightly lesser masterpiece "Wish You Were Here", with no singles released and song running times of "1:24", "17:04", "11:28", "10:20", and "1:24", "Animals" is a singularity in their canon.  You could make an argument for "Obscured by Clouds" or "More", but those were movie soundtracks and probably should not count.  Even "Atom Heart Mother" had radio-friendly"Fat Old Sun", and "Meddle" had concert favorite "One of These Days".  Maybe "Ummagumma"?  But it doesn't feel right to compare Pink Floyd ca. 1969 to Pink Floyd ca. 1977 -- they were two very different bands in the space of about 8 years. 

This not to say the LP was not consequential -- in addition to providing an iconic cover (for example, see The Orb's 1993 tribute), did well on the charts, and generally had a cultural impact, if for no other reason than its associated tour providing the inspiration for "The Wall".*   It's just this: when's the last time you listened to this LP?  Even though you probably also quite like it?  

Why do I think of "Animals" more than I listen to it?  The reason is a theory that I hope to pursue further in future posts: "Animals" is the kind of LP that rounds out and strengthens a band's discography.  While every band wants to have a run of "Dark Side of the Moon", "Wish You Were Here", and "The Wall", most bands need more "Animals".  And you know who has released several "Animals"-level LPs?  Radiohead.  Not to belabor the Pink Floyd -- Radiohead analogy too much, but I would argue that their last three LPs, "In Rainbows", "The King of Limbs", and "A Moon-Shaped Pool", are all "Animals"-quality: important LPs that round out and strengthen the Radiohead discography, while still being obscured by LPs like "The Bends", "OK Computer", and "Kid A".  Think about it. 


Standout songs: All, but with special mention to "Dogs". (Full LP)

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final Score: 9/10


* Also, the lyrics give us a preview of "The Wall": It's the same "stone" in both "Dogs" ("Who was dragged down by the stone") and "Hey You" ("Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone?").

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Live KEXP 2023-03-25

 


This is for Terry, who recently turned us all on to Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (aka Pigs x7) a UK metal band that he's seen in concert (just once, I believe).  They straddle the stoner, doom, psychedelic genres, and like all such bands, they have a significant sonic debt to Black Sabbath (though on their second track, "Big Rig", there's also a definite Rage Against the Machine influence). I've yet to explore their full discography, but I've certainly liked what I've heard so far.  KEXP concerts are always excellent, and this one does not disappoint.  I don't see any nearby shows on the schedule now, but hopefully this will change in the future. 

Monday, January 1, 2024

The Moody Blues - "Go Now"

 

Denny Laine, co-founder of both The Moody Blues and Wingsdied last month.  Most people consider Wings as just a Paul McCartney solo project, and that's mostly true, but few realize that Laine was a constant member of the band (along with Linda), pretty much from start to finish. In addition to other various projects, Laine was also a member of Ginger Baker's Air Force.  

Although he left before what we now consider the "classic lineup" of The Moody Blues, he did sing lead on the "Go Now", which wasn't their first single, but probably their earliest single that still gets airplay today.  It was only today that I learned that "Go Now" is actually a cover of a song originally recorded by Bessie Banks, with her version predating the The Moody Blues version by a few months.  Normally I credit the original artist, but The Moody Blues version is a great way to remember Denny.  

The Moody Blues - "Go Now"

Wings - "Go Now" (live, 1976)

Bessie Banks - "Go Now

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Angels of Light - "I Pity the Poor Immigrant"

 

Almost three years ago, Miles Seaton, a founding member of Akron/Family, died in a car accident.  I learned of Akron/Family, one of the coolest bands you've never heard of, from Butch Lazorchak during one of our many musical exchanges.  I struggle to define Akron/Family, but imagine Tortoise and other post-rock bands, channeling 1967-era Brian Wilson.  

My favorite LP of theirs is the "Akron/Family & Angels of Light".  The story behind this LP is a little complicated: it's a split LP, ostensibly between two bands: Akron/Family and Angels of Light, but Akron/Family plays on all the Angels of Light tracks.  

Angels of Light is the neofolk persona of Michael Gira, founder of the noise rock band The Swans.  I'm a big fan of The Swans and have several of their LPs, but did not know about Angels of Light until Butch turned me onto them.  Michael Gira runs his own record label, Young God Records, and was the first to sign and promote Akron/Family, with Akron/Family serving as the backing band for many Angels of Lights releases.  

The full LP deserves its own review (see the Pitchfork review: "...Gira's fatherly measuredness is a nice foil to Akron's hyperkinetic mini-opera..."), but for the moment I'll just spotlight their cover of Bob Dylan's "I Pity the Poor Immigrant", from his 1967 LP "John Wesley Harding".  I'm a sucker for obscure Dylan covers, as well as Gira's drawling baritone.  

For the moment, Akron/Family is defunct, and Seaton's death might keep it that way.  Fortunately, they left a significant discography to explore.  

Angels of Light (with Akron/Family) - "I Pity the Poor Immigrant"

Bob Dylan - "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" (live 1976, with Joan Baez)


I pity the poor immigrantWhose strength is spent in vainWhose heaven is like ironsidesWhose tears are like rainAnd who eats but is not satisfiedWho hears but does not seeWho falls in love with wealth itselfAnd turns his back on me


 

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

The Boomtown Rats - "Rat Trap"

 

Garry Roberts, the lead guitarist and co-founder of The Boomtown Rats, died just over a year ago.  The Boomtown Rats were never really big in the US, but I recall a couple of their videos from the early days of MTV.  Their biggest hit, in the US anyway, was "I Don't Like Mondays", which is a fine song.  

But I'd rather remember Roberts & company for their 1978 single "Rat Trap", from their second LP "A Tonic for the Troops".  "Rat Trap" is credited as the first "punk / new wave" single to hit #1 on the UK singles chart.  Which is of note, but is it really punk / new wave?  To my ear, this sounds like it would be at home on Bruce Springsteen's 1975 LP "Born to Run".  I don't even mean that as a criticism, just an observation that saxophone, the storytelling, the song length -- this doesn't sound remotely "new wave" to me, much less "punk".  

Regardless, it's a great song, and Garry Roberts was an instrumental part of the band construction and sound.  The US audience is more familiar with frontman Bob Geldof, from his role in Live Aid, and playing the role of "Pink" the movie "Pink Floyd -- The Wall".  


The Boomtown Rats - "Rat Trap" (Live Aid, 1985-07-13)

Bonus link - "I Don't Like Mondays

Monday, December 18, 2023

The Pogues - Live at the Town and Country Club (1988-03-17)

 

Shane MacGowan, best known as the frontman for The Pogues, died a few weeks ago.  If you know anything about Shane MacGowan, you're probably surprised he made it to 65.  

I first learned of The Pogues in my final year of college, courtesy of my roommates (I can't recall if it was Jason, Frey, or Terry -- perhaps all of them).  With their (then) unique blend of Irish folk and punk, their LPs were in heavy rotation at our house on Wharton Street.  Only later in life was I able to understand what they were doing as an Irish/UK equivalent of what, for example, the Violent Femmes were doing in the US.  

To mark Shane's passing, I turn to their 1988 video release, "Live at The Town & Country Club London 1988", of a St. Patrick's Day concert, featuring collaborations with Joe Strummer, Steve Earle, Kirsty MacColl, Lynval Golding, and others.  The video was edited down to about an hour, but the setlist for the full concert makes me hopeful that and extended release could happen in the future.   

Aside from an occasional reunion, The Pogues haven't been active since 2014.  But in 1988, just a year or two before my discovery of them, The Pogues were at their height.  

MacColl (2000), Stummer (2002), guitarist Philip Chevron (2013), bassist Daryl Hunt (2022), and now MacGowan (2023) -- all featured in the 1988 video -- have sadly all passed.  This single concert may be the greatest collection of artists you've never (or barely) heard of. 

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Brandi Carlile - "The Story"

Happy birthday Danette!

Last year I broke with tradition and picked out a birthday song for her that she actually liked, instead of my usual manner of picking a song that makes me think of her (which she may or may not like).  This year, I'm returning to form, since I think Danette is mostly ambivalent about Brandi Carlile. 

Despite it being a breakthrough hit in 2007, somehow I was unaware of "The Story", the title track from Brandi Carlile's second LP, until she perfomed it on SNL, December 10, 2022.  I guess I was generally aware of her and her work, enough to know that she was well respected in the folk / alt-country genres, and had worked with legends like Tanya Tucker.   But the SNL version of "The Story" was a revelation for me.  

It begins simply enough as a conventional ballad:

   All of these lines across my face
   Tell you the story of who I am
   So many stories of where I've been
   And how I got to where I am
   But these stories don't mean anything
   When you've got no one to tell them to
   It's true, I was made for you

   I climbed across the mountain tops

Hello, this is where song really interesting.  Carlile breaks from the ballad format, and with a sense of urgency, cranks the "alt-country" knob from "country" to "alt":

   Swam all across the ocean blue
   I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
   But baby, I broke them all for you
   Oh, because even when I was flat broke
   You made me feel like a million bucks
   You do, and I was made for you

At the instrumental break, we see her switch from an acoustic to an electric guitar, and the band then proceeds to build tension (1:46 -- 2:10), making me lean forward in my seat, then they knock out a frantic 25 seconds (2:10 -- 2:35) that pays homage to Sonic Youth, before returning to a mostly a cappella stanza:

   You see the smile that's on my mouth
   It's hiding the words that don't come out
   And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed
   They don't know my head is a mess
   No, they don't know who I really am
   And they don't know what I've been through like you do
   And I was made for you

Turning back up the volume and with male back-up vocals providing white noise, they've now set up a loud-quiet-loud progression that would make the Pixies proud:

   All of these lines across my face
   Tell you the story of who I am
   So many stories of where I've been
   And how I got to where I am
   Oh, but these stories don't mean anything
   When you've got no one to tell them to
   It's true, I was made for you

   Oh, yeah, well it's true that I was made for you

I'm a sucker for story telling songs, so how could I not love this poignant meta-story?  Carlile was only 26 when she released this song, which is nearly the amount of time that Danette and I have been together.  Borrowing from what she and I often say about Pink Floyd and "Time" -- at such a young age, how do you write a song with so much insight to lived experience?  

Like Danette, this song has aged well.  Like Danette, my attraction to this song was immediate and visceral. Like Danette, this song reflects the story of who I am. 


Bonus link: the backstory on the "The Story"






Previous birthday songs:
2022: Plastic Bertrand - "Ça plane pour moi
2021: Adam and the Ants - "Christian D'or
2020: Walk Off The Earth - "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"
2019: Nicki Minaj - "Monster"
2018: Bear Hands - "Giants
2017: Alvvays - "Archie, Marry Me
2016: Molly Hatchet - "Flirtin' With Disaster
2015: Avett Brothers - "Kick Drum Heart"
2014: Ani DiFranco - "32 Flavors
2013: The Green Pajamas - "Kim the Waitress"
2012: The Cure - "High"
2011: Blink 182 - "Josie"
2010:  Dead Milkmen - "Punk Rock Girl"