Sunday, July 30, 2006
CD Review: Tim O'Reagan
Tim O’Reagan
Tim O’Reagan
Lost Highway
By David Chiu
Sometimes when a drummer in an established rock band emerges from the background to the spotlight, he or she defies one’s musical expectations—think Phil Collins and Dave Grohl as examples. Add Tim O’Reagan of the Jayhawks to that distinguished company. There was always a singer/songwriter lurking even behind in his drum kit (he has contributed some songs to the band, i.e. “Bottomless Cup,” on the wonderful 1997 album Sound of Lies) but no one could have anticipated how outstanding this solo alt-country/pop outing is. Tim O’Reagan the album is full of melodically-driven romantic tunes sung in his very John Lennon-influenced vocals (which may account also for the sometimes Beatlesque sound). Certainly it doesn’t hurt to have a few members of the Jayhawks as guests, but O’Reagan is in full command of his baby through his singing, songwriting and his mult-instrumental talents. “These Things” has a romantic old-fashioned European sheen; “Ivy,” with its layered harmonies, is gorgeous; and “Girl/World,” is just one several strong folk rock tunes. The album strikes a balance between being painstakingly-crafted and homespun in its simplicity. Tim O’Regan is a strong contender as one of the best albums of 2006.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 8:34 PM
Saturday, July 29, 2006
CD Review: Journey
Journey
Infinity
Evolution
Departure
Escape
Greatest Hits
Columbia/Legacy
By David Chiu
Looking back at this Bay Area band’s career, one has to ask the question, 'When hasn’t Journey’s music been played on the radio?' Whether you love it or completely indifferent about it, Journey’s music has been nearly inescapable on classic rock (and even lite rock) stations. You were probably humming to a Journey song on the car radio last night. Steve Perry’s raspy, tougher-than-leather vocals and Neil Schon’s guitar pyrotechnics, not to mention the catchy hooks, has virtually ensured Journey’s reputation as the premiere American arena rock band who can pack a house and land a single on the charts with one finger.
But when it comes to albums, well…that’s another story. Ask anybody (with the exception of the hardcore fans, and you know they are out there) what is the definitive Journey album, and the glib, casual answer might be “Greatest Hits.” That was first released in 1988, although the band had put out albums since 1975. It is telling about how the band approached making records. The music from these newly reissued releases spanning the commercially successful Steve Perry years hardly contains any variation stylistically—Journey’s sound was built on hard boogie (and later sleek)rock, power ballads and flashy and bombastic musicianship from Schon and company. With a blueprint containing those elements that helped sell millions of albums, why mess with a winning formula? (Remember the fate of new Coke?).
Still if you love this meat-and-potatoes aspect of ‘70s rock, then dig in: Each of the albums offers at least one bonafide hit single with a few interesting cuts. Journey’s first albums were moderately successful. But it was Infinity (1978) that introduced singer Steve Perry who helped significantly augment the band’s fortunes. Vocally, he is an upgrade from the modestly-soulful keyboardist/singer Gregg Rolie. You know Perry made his mark on the opening track, the Bay Area valentine “Lights,” with his over-the-top belting on that and the other hit “Wheel in the Sky”; other noteworthy songs include “Something to Hide” and “Feeling that Way” that showed Journey unabashed sentimental side.
The title of Journey’s 1979 album, Evolution, doesn’t mean there was a change in the band’s sound; it has, however, one of rock’s most singable songs, “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’” with its ‘nah-nah-nah’s’ at the end. Departure (1980) continues to follow in the same vein with the in-your-face rocker “Anyway You Want It.”
Escape (1981) is the band’s strongest album out of the batch and it’s no fluke—it yielded three hit singles, the automatic crowd pleaser “Don’t Stop Believin’”; “Who’s Crying Now”; and the mother of all power ballads, “Open Arms.” Journey hit a career peak with the addition of keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who replaced Rolie; he impacted the group greatly through his playing and songwriting. ”Stone in Love” and “Still They Ride” are some of the few album cuts that can stand on their own along with those singles. (The reissue also contains the “La Raza del Sol” B-side and three live cuts from a 1981 Houston concert).
If you don’t feel that adventurous in getting the individual studio albums, there is the aforementioned Greatest Hits, which has also been reissued with a bonus track, “When You Love a Woman,” first released on the 1996 reunion album Trial By Fire (the hard-charging “Message of Love” would have been a nice addition). It’s an absolutely perfect, filler-free compilation—every song on this set continues to be played on radio.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 2:51 PM
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Tidbit: Steely Dan’s Letter to Luke Wilson
NewBeats was intrigued by this interesting, snarky letter written by the Dans to Luke Wilson about his brother Owen. Read it here. And also check out Owen's response here .
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# posted by NewBeats @ 5:56 PM
Saturday, July 22, 2006
CD Review: The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Psychocandy
Honey’s Dead
Stoned and Dethroned
Blanco Y Negro/Rhino
By David Chiu
When the Jesus and Mary Chain emerged in the mid-‘80s, they were a breath of fresh air in a stench of photogenic synth-pop bands.Fronted by brothers William and Jim Reid, their dark, distortion-heavy music was a resounding ‘fuck you’ to mainstream pop. And ironically, underneath the somber lyrics was a catchy and melodic sensibility, albeit in a very twisted and edgy form. In their wake, the band has proved influential--one can hear it in a band such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
The Jesus and Mary Chain’s debut album Psychocandy, is regarded as their best and a classic. A near-perfect recreation of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound with its “Be My Baby”-inspired drum beats, Psychocandy introduced the world to the group’s trademark sound of fuzz-toned, buzz-sawed guitars (which are aplenty here), Jim’s sly and sinister vocals, and bold, devil-may-care lyrics. To those hearing this album for the first time in 1985, this big Wall of Noise was a shock to the system for those accustomed to over–the-slick production that was characteristic that decade. As abrasive those songs are, they are also very tuneful such as the gorgeous Just Like Honey, Never Understand (which sounds like a classic Beach Boys song on speed), and the fetching “You Trip Me Up.” Clearly on the basis of this album, the Chain was one of the first band in the ‘80s to channel the spirit of the Velvet Underground at a time when the Velvets were still a cult band—the Reid brothers captured the Velvets’ sense of deadpan cool and attitude (not to mention an affinity for noise) letter-perfectly
Flash forward seven years later to Honey’s Dead (1992), in which the band has ‘matured,’ if that is the right word, away from the stark minimalism of the debut with a cleaner and more groovy, funky sound a la Soup Dragons, Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses. The album title itself can be interpreted as a reaction to “Just Like Honey” on the debut—a statement of ‘This is how far we’ve come.” There is a reckless joyous abandon and a beauty out of ugliness quality in some of the album’s most inspired tracks such as “Far Gone and Out” and the very controversial “Reverence” (with its lyrics “I wanna die just like Jesus Christ/I wanna die just like JFK"). Though the use of guitar as noise box still permeates, the brothers also channel their aggressive energies to create something tuneful and lovely as on “Almost Gold,” which it is.
That approach of the last song segues into the Reids’ next left-of-field record. Just when you think you figured out the group they turn around and record Stoned and Dethroned (1994). A predominantly acoustic album with the fuzz toned down significantly, Stoned and Dethroned is a lovelym countrified record—even the trippier moments reveal a sort of charm. For the first time, the Reid brothers collaborate with outsiders: Shane McGowan on the pleading hymn “God Help Me” and Hope Sandoval on “Sometimes Always,” (the latter's duet with Jim Reid recalls the classic sides of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood. Traces of irony can be found on “Come On,” which exudes a country-like feel; and “Girlfriend,” which is more about a relationship rut. Like the imagery on the album cover, the record is a perfect travel companion on that lone desolate highway.
Each of the aforementioned albums, as well as Darklands and Automatic, were reissued as Dualdiscs that also contains videos of singles (gotta love the big '80s hair on the video for "Just Like Honey").
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# posted by NewBeats @ 5:23 AM
CD Review: Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
The Worst of Jefferson Airplane
RCA/Legacy
By David Chiu
Re-reading Jeff Tamarkin’ excellent biography on Jefferson Airplane, Got a Revolution, made me revisit this compilation, which was released earlier this year.There are plenty of Jefferson Airplane compilations, including ones that mix in with the music of its later incarnations Jefferson Starship and Starship. For the simple and concise overview of probably the legendary’s band undoubtedly best period (1966-1970), this ironically-titled set first released in 1970, is the one spanning the revolutionary band’s many triumphs: the two big hit singles “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love,” anthems sung in the commanding delivery of Grace Slick; the soulful “It’s No Secret,” penned by the Airplane's other amazing vocalist Marty Balin; a piece of experimentation called "Chushingura"; the hard-charging live version of “Plastic Fantastic Lover,” a showcase of how great the Airplane was onstage; and closing out with two tracks emblematic of the band’s spirit “Volunteers” and “We Can Be Together.” This package (and if you can, get the Tamarkin book as well) is a great way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Jefferson Airplane's debut album, a band who defined not only the music of that era but also a generation.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 5:16 AM
Sunday, July 16, 2006
CD Review: Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
The Eraser
XL Recordings
By David Chiu
ThomYorke’s solo debut can be as interpreted both as an extension of Radiohead’s sound (which is not much of a stretch) and something quite distinct. Without his band mates rocking behind him, the music on The Eraser (helmed by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich) is quite spare and ambient (mainly washes of keyboards and electronic beats) and no less haunting and paranoiac. The music, however, is driving and tumultuous but consistent. His sensuous croon evokes the songs’ sense of despair. Even if it wasn’t a stop-gap measure before Radiohead’s next album, Yorke’s solo foray hold its own. With a mantra of “The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear” on the title song, it’s hard not to be enveloped into Yorke’s world.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 11:30 AM
Live Review: Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
Siren Music Festival
Coney Island
July 15, 2006
By David Chiu
One of the most popular bands in England happens to be from New York City. They’re Scissor Sisters, whose flamboyant hybrid of disco, glam, and New Wave had immediately caught on with the Brits to earn them popular acclaim and a Top Ten hit with their electropop version of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” (which earned a rave from Floyd drummer Nick Mason). If you are unfamiliar with them, think Elton/Bowie/Roxy Music for the hipster crowd. Scissors Sisters are iconoclasts compared to their (way too) serious-minded peers—they urge you to leave your inhibitions at the door and just let yourself go.
Building a reputation as a visually-attractive, energetic live act, Scisssor Sisters headlined the Siren Festival in Coney Island and provided the antidote to the crowd who baked in the hot sun on a sweltering Saturday. With the funky opening notes of “Take Your Mama” kicking in, singers Jake Shears and Ana Matronic (decked out in a silvery lame outfit) came out started and engaged the audience with their dramatic singing and shimmying onstage.
The band’s set list drew from the self-titled debut album from 2004, which included the beat-laden “Tits on the Radio,” “Laura,” and the ballad “Mary.” Scissor Sisters are also readying the release of a new album, Ta-Dah, in September and played tracks from it such as “Everybody Wants the Same Thing.” The musicians played their brand of dance music like a rock band as Shears sang the high notes with his Barry Gibb-influenced falsetto. It was the bohemian combination of the sleek dance rock of Chic and Duran Duran meeting Tin Pan Alley and cabaret.
Everything was going swimmingly until the band hit a technical glitch. Midway through a song, the power went out. A few minutes later, the band resumed the same song when the same thing happened again, and the crowd energy subsided a bit. Wisely, the Sisters decided to move onto the next number, which ironically was “Comfortably Numb”—they managed to play the song all the way through.
Although the setting wasn’t exactly Studio 54 (though a glittery disco ball hanging in front of the stage tried to serve as a reminder of that era), Coney Island was briefly transformed into one big sweaty disco party. Scissor Sisters’s technicolored pop music mocks convention with gleeful decadence, which adds to their charm. Dull is not in the band’s vocabulary.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 11:21 AM
Book Review: Heavy Metal Thunder
Heavy Metal Thunder: Kick-Ass Cover Art from Kick-Ass Albums
By James Sherry and Neil Aldis
Chronicle Books
Review by David Chiu
Remember this name: Manowar. No, this doesn’t refer to a ship but rather an obscure heavy metal band from the ‘80s best known for it’s campy, over-the-top Conan the Barbarian-inspired album covers: muscle bound men, lightning bolts in the background, and titles such as “Kings of Metal” and “Louder than Hell.” One can only imagine what the music actually sounds like.
Manowar isn’t the only heavy metal band to sport weird album covers. The genre has been to known to sport the most imaginative, sometimes garish and ghoulish, artwork than any other genre in music. That’s what’s part of the fun of the book Heavy Metal Thunder, which contains what the authors regards as the best- metal album covers around. It spans from Black Sabbath, the first heavy metal band, to modern day heroes such as Nine Inch Nails and Nirvana (although the latter two would hardly be regarded as metal). Skeletons, monsters, wagging tongue and big hair are the common visual symbols found on the covers.
Not surprisingly the author mentions the popular metal bands known for their art work like Iron Maiden, AC/DC and Judas Priest, as well as some long-forgotten (i.e. Accept’s “Balls to the Wall,” which makes the rare homoerotic statement in a macho-heavy genre). Even notorious glam metal act Motley Crue gets into the act with a couple of their albums getting mentions.
And yet, alongside the well-known bands are many unknown obscure acts with the weirdest covers, some mundane and laughable (i.e. Oral’s Sex) while others are truly gruesome and disturbing (Be warned: Some of the images are not for the faint at heart).
With any ranking of this sort, one is bound to find glaring omissions, and there are some: Def Leppard (“Pyromania,” “Hysteria”), Europe, (The Final Countdown”), Blue Oyster Cult (any, i.e. “Agents of Fortune”), Led Zeppelin (“Houses of the Holy”), and T. Rex (“Electric Warrior”).
Ironically what makes Heavy Metal Thunder an attractively guilty read is that for most of it, there is no text. The authors just let the covers speak for themselves, allowing us to either admire the ingenuity of the artists or to gasp with a barf bag. It also makes one realize that in the age of the compact disc why this is almost a lost art. The cover of Pantera’s “Vulgar Display of Power” (1992), showing a man getting punched in the face, is representative of what makes a heavy metal album cover stand out: hard-hitting and no-holds barred.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 11:17 AM
Friday, July 14, 2006
CD Review: Steve Miller Band
Steve Miller
Fly Like an Eagle—30th Anniversary
Capitol
By David Chiu
Only in rock and roll can a guy transform himself from a cult blues player to radio-friendly pop music hero. That is what Steve Miller had done starting with 1973’s The Joker album, which elevated him to the big time with bouncy and reliable pop rockers. Miller continued to reap the rewards of his then-new direction with Fly Like an Eagle, an album that probably pleased every radio programmer with tunes were accessible to be on AM pop radio and still hip and cool enough to be on the FM underground. The explanation of Fly Like an Eagle’s success: Miller keeps the tunes simple, clean and efficient with none of the overblown solos or cynicism that were in vogue at the time. Thus the hooks sink in deeply especially from the record’s best-known hits: the title track, "Rock ‘N Me," and "Take the Money and Run." There’s also a folksy and trippy charm on album tracks such as the Middle Eastern-tinged “Wild Mountain Honey” and the roly poly feel of “Dance Dance Dance”; a cover of Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me” might be a little bit over the top with the doo wop-like harmonies, but the sincerity is there. As if not to alienate his old fans, “Blue Odyssey” (featuring some great harp playing by James Cotton) is steeped in the blues. These days professionalism might seem like a dirty word in the context of rock and roll, but Fly Like an Eagle is an accomplishment of high craft. The 30th Anniversary editions also offers alternate versions of the hits “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Take the Money and Run,” and “Rock ‘N Me” and a DVD portion that contains a documentary and a greatest hits concert from 2005 showing Miller still in good form.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 6:16 AM
CD Review: Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield
Working Class Dog
RCA/Legacy
by David Chiu
When Rick Springfield became a well-known name in the early '80s thanks to his role as Dr. Noah Drake on the TV soap General Hospital and his #1 hit with “Jesse's Girl,” few knew that Springfield started out in rock and roll way before acting. Behind this good looks was a true rock and roller and a far more credible one. Years of hard knocks in the record biz finally paid off with Working Class Dog (1981), an energetic slice of stadium bombast and power pop. There are some divergent styles on tunes such as "Red Hot and Blue" and the reggae-ish “Everybody’s Girl,” which sounds awfully like the Police's "So Lonely"; the rest consists of spirited material such as the exuberant "Love Is Alright," the ethereal balladry of "Inside Sylvia," and the rocker "I've Done Everyhing for You," (a song penned by Sammy Hagar, which briefly validates him for all the sappy ballads he wrote for Van Halen). Of course the album's standout is “Jessie's Girl.” Like the rest of the songs on the album, it's about romantic, sometimes lustful, angst, and has gone on to become a classic pop/rock anthem of the '80s. Springfield proved on this album that he was just not a pretty face but a genuine rocker finally getting his second wind (This expanded edition also features some previously unreleased tracks, including a demo version of "Jessie's Girl" which sounds much rockier than the eventual polished studio release).
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# posted by NewBeats @ 6:11 AM
CD Review: Loverboy
Loverboy
Get Lucky
Columbia/Legacy
by David Chiu
"Working for the Weekend," the single off of Loverboy's 1981 album Get Lucky, will forever be synonymous with the funny Saturday Night Live skit in which the late Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze audition as Chippendale's dancers to the song. With its showy lyrics and zinging guitar lines (not to mention its cowbell intro), “Weekend” is so over top, but that's the charm of Loverboy. Get Lucky reveals the shamelessly naughty and unabashed side of the band—apparently modesty is not in the group's vocabulary (check out the album cover and title, duh). And even if it sounds closely like Foreigner, “When It's Over” is a strong power ballad—it’s the album’s second best song to “Weekend.” Other tracks like “Watch Out” and “Take Me To The Top” represents what Loverboy’s sound is all about: typical and formulaic AOR with a New Wave sensibility; only the Rolling Stones’ soundalike “Emotional” reveals a true back-to-basics approach sans synthesizers. Get Lucky overall is a guilty pleasure--a must listen for those who feel rock sometimes takes itself way too seriously. Trying to read too much into the group's music kind of takes away the fun that the band offers. Loverboy fans will be happy to know that this expanded edition also features some bonus tracks, including a demo version of “Working for the Weekend” that doesn’t depart radically from the master take.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 6:04 AM
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
CD Review: The Fever
The Fever
In the City of Sleep
Kemado
By David Chiu
The Fever is an eclectic band that combines a sense of Gothic cabaret, punk, and pop stylings that are baroque and bombastic. Guided by Geremy Jasper’s croon, Achilles Tzoulafis’s top-heavy drumming, and J. Ruggiero’s organ work tthe music on In the City of Sleep has a dream and carnival-like festive quality (i.e. “Little Lamb and the Shiny Silver Bullets,” the lush “Circus Girl”). Despite the music’s tangents, its energetic and rough and ready a la Jet with catchy hooks. Those who enjoy the music tradition of Brecht/Weil, the clattering Mule Variations-era Tom Waits, and the pop ambitions of ELO will dig the intricate and eccentric music of this New York-based collective.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 7:54 PM
Live Review short: The Fiery Furnaces
The Fiery Furnaces
Webster Hall, NYC
June 29, 2006
By David Chiu
If you think the Fiery Furnaces sound wildly eclectic on record, check them out live.The Brooklyn-based indie rock brother-sister duo of Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger recently played at New York’s Webster Hall with a more stripped down rock and roll approach to their music as opposed to the intricate, meticulously produced sound of their albums. Although I was only able to stay for an hour, it was quite a lot of music to take in. With Jason Lowenstein on bass and Bob D’Amico on drums, the Friedbergers performed songs that somewhat like the originals go off on tangents and dramatically shift in tempo with a punkish aggression. Even songs such as “I’m In No Mood” and “Teach Me Sweetheart” off of their latest album Bitter Tea were rearranged to sound more spontaneous (if their music isn’t already). Matthew Friedberger anchored the music through his electric guitar playing; his sister Eleanor ably keeps up with music’s frenetic pace through her subtle yet tense vocals—at times she sounds and even looks like Patti Smith; and the section of Lowenstein and (especially) D’Amico provided the music’s bombast. One thing that can be said about the show: The music may go on divergent paths but the Furnaces keep things exciting.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 7:48 PM
CD Review: Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
Timeless Love
New Door/UME
By David Chiu
These days pop stars who are covering the standards is about as common as the latest gossip on Brangelina. But in the hands of the great Smokey Robinson (once touted by Bob Dylan as America’s greatest living poet), it all becomes refreshingly new again. Robinson’s trademark sensuous croon breathes new life to “You Go to My Head,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Night and Day,” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (one of the few whose arrangement recalls a bit of the old Miracles/Motown sound)—it’s like hearing a young man discovering love for the first time. His interpretation of “Time After Time” is a fusion of the Sammy Cahn/Jules Styne composition and the Cyndi Lauper song, while the almost-doo wop feel of “”I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” swings. The musical arrangements are not overbearing and bathed in gloss, which allows Robinson’s voice to be front and center. He has always been known as a great balladeer but not quite like this, which seems so perfectly suited for him. Timeless Love deserves to be in the pantheon of the all-time great romance records.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 7:45 PM
Sunday, July 02, 2006
CD Review: T Bone Burnett
T Bone Burnett
The True False Identity
DMZ/Columbia
By David Chiu
Having produced Counting Crows, the Wallflowers, Cassandra Wilson, his wife Sam Phillips, and the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack in the last couple of years, it was about time that singer/songwriter T Bone Burnett returned to making his own music.The first new album by Burnett in 14 years, The True False Identity is well-crafted roots rock (not untypical of a Burnett-produced album) with atmospheric and moody textures with Burnett’s Dylan-inspired wit and lyricism and a flair for cinematic noir. It is very heavy with dark musings about the state of the world today whether it is politics, religion, the culture wars, or plain ignorance (the swirling tumult of “Blinded By the Darkness,” “Zombieland,” “Fear Country”). As depressing in hearing what Burnett is singing (or ranting) about, it rings true. If it is meant to jolt your senses, The True False Identity has done its job.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 9:43 AM
CD Review: Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint
The River in Reverse
Verve Forecast
By David Chiu
It’s hard not to listen to this fruitful collaboration between Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint without Hurricane Katrina in mind. (Shortly after the hurricane, the two legendary singer/songwriters performed together several times at benefit concerts). The River in Reverse is a spiritual and soulful album that pays tribute to the vitality of New Orleans music (and to its favorite son, pianist Toussaint). It does not make direct or explicit references to the Gulf Coast disaster although they are hinted in some of the song lyrics (“How high shall we build this wall?” from “Broken Promise Land”; “Here comes the flood if you get my drift/Where the things they promised are not a gift,” from the album’s title track). One can’t feel but moved hearing the pleading and tender words by Toussaint that are emotively sung by Costello like on “Tears, Tears and More Tears” and “Freedom for the Stallion” (“Oh, Lord, you got to help us find the way”). It’s not all heartbreak on the record—there are some lean and funky hybrid of New Orleans and funk especially on “Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further” (one of the record’s slices of social commentary),” the slow burn of “On Your Way Down,” (featuring some signature piano runs by Toussaint) and “Six Fingered Man.” “The Sharpest Thorn” is typical Costello at his songwriting best. In the context of Katrina, if there was any truth that music does bring people together and at their best in the worst of times, this is the proof.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 9:34 AM
Saturday, July 01, 2006
CD Review: The Rembrandts
The Rembrandts
Greatest Hits
Atco/Rhino
By David Chiu
No other act in pop music deserved wider recognition than the duo of Danny Wilde and Phil Solem. Granted the Rembrandts’ biggest hit was the overly-played “I’ll Be There For You,” the theme song for Friends, but the group has recorded better songs as this compilation makes the case for. Power pop was always in these men’s blood as on the surging “Hold On” (recorded as the early ‘80s band Great Buildings). Greatest Hits follows one catchy melodic song after another: “Just the Way It Is, Baby,” the brilliant and criminally underrated “Johnny Have You Seen Her,” “Someone,” “Rolling Down the Hill,” etc. Aside the fact these are very Beatlesque pop-meets-folk ditties, they are accompanied by a genuine earthiness and the soulful vocals by Wilde and Solem. They should not be a footnote in '90s pop culture history as the group who did the Friends song.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 6:12 PM
CD Review: Billy Joel
Billy Joel
12 Gardens Live
Columbia
By David Chiu
Unlike several of Billy Joel’s previous live albums, 12 Gardens has the distinction of featuring at least one track from each of the Piano Man’s studio works from Cold Spring Harbor to River of Dreams. Recorded earlier this year during Joel’s string of sold-out concert dates at Madison Square Garden, this 2-CD is essentially ‘Greatest Hits Live’: the usual standbys are here such as “Piano Man,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” New York State of Mind,” “Allentown,” “Goodnight Saigon,” “My Life,” We Didn’t Start the Fire,” and “Movin’ Out.” While that’s nothing new, Joel fortunately unearths songs that don’t get much airplay and strictly fans-only like “Everybody Loves You Now,” “Laura,” “She’s Right On Time,” and surprisingly, the soulful “The Night Is Still Young.” Even if his voice has sound a little deeper at his age, Joel can still kick and the performances are fine. 12 Gardens is more like a souvenir for those were at the shows but it prolongs the possibility, if any, of new material ever coming from Joel.
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# posted by NewBeats @ 6:08 PM
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