DVD Review: Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out

Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out
Produced, written and directed by Stewart Copeland
Hip-O/A&M
Review by David Chiu

This is not so much a conventional documentary about the Police but a collection of super 8 movies of the band’s concert and road adventures captured by drummer Stewart Copeland.It’s a somewhat fascinating glimpse into the band’s history from punk wannabes to world conquerors through live shows all over the world, hotel rooms, recording studios and press conferences. Through Copeland’s lens, not only do we see the Police transform from a band that traveled in vans to performing at the major Us Festival, but we also see the lighthearted moments of a relatively serious band—the playful fist-fights between vocalist/bassist Sting and guitarist Andy Summers or the three of them acting goofy on the beach. You become so fascinated with how the footage was assembled that you can overlook the sometimes disorienting camera shots or the grainy quality of the scenes. The audio commentary by Copeland and Summers is quite enlightening as it is humorous, and the bonus features includes additional film footage and concert performances.

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CD Review: Poco

Poco
Gold
Hip-O/UME
By David Chiu

The Byrds pioneered the style and the Eagles mined it, but Poco epitomized “country rock.” Although the group neither had the legendary history of the former group nor the commercial success of the latter, Poco’s emphasis on shimmering jangling guitars, rustic sensibilities and harmony singing provided the musical template of the country-influenced groups that came after them. Gold is the most comprehensive chronicle of the band’s output drawing from their output on the Epic, ABC and RCA labels. With members past and present such as Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Randy Meisner, Timothy B. Schmit, Rusty Young, Paul Cotton and George Grantham, Poco had some good songs in its catalog such as "Pickin' Up the Pieces" and the Schmit composition “Keep On Tryin’”, and even a cover of Steely Dan’s Dallas. Romantic-sounding fare such as “Heart of the Night,” “Crazy Love” and the driving comeback “Call it Love” are pleasant, even if it borders on MOR/lite-pop. Remarkably this group is still around as evident on a couple of recent tracks featured on the second disc. Poco may not be a household name—for better or worse— these days, but its influence on country rock is undeniable.

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CD Review: Vietnam

Vietnam
Vietnam
Kemado
By David Chiu

Hailing mainly from Brooklyn—with some criss-crossing between Texas and Philly—the band’s music can be described as eclectic: combining symphonic grandeur, edgy Velvet Underground and punk-inspired rock, and subdued folk twang. Those are the styles and sounds on the band’s long-awaited full-length debut album, which for all its eclecticism yields some satisfying results. One could tell of the band’s appreciation for their influences beginning with “Step On Inside,” which draws inspiration from legendary producer Phil Spector and the deadpan singing of the Velvets’ Lou Reed; the hazy twang of “Summer in the City” sounds like it was born to be played in the car driving along the highway; and “Welcome to My Room” really rocks. Fronted by the charismatic vocals of Michael Gerner and guitar lines of Josh Grubb, Vietnam makes a distinct statement on this new record as does its moniker.

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CD Review: Def Leppard

Def Leppard
Hysteria (Deluxe Edition)
Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury/UME
By David Chiu

The music of Def Leppard was completely unavoidable for those who remember listening to the radio back in 1988. The band from Sheffield, England reached critical mass with the now best-selling Hysteria, which yielded seven singles—a feat unheard of from a metal band, albeit a pop one. The killer hooks, the sleek production by ‘Mutt’ Lange, the airy harmonies and the grooves are what sink in your skin from each of Hysteria’s twelve songs: the percussive barrage of Rocket, a tribute to ‘70s glam rock; the uncharacteristic ballad “Love Bites”; the fist-pounding and suggestive “Pour Some Sugar On Me”; and let’s not forget “Armageddon It” and “Animal,” that will get you to sing along with their choruses. Years in the making, which has been well documented before and in David Fricke’s liner notes in this reissue, Hysteria is both an artistic achievement and a guilty pleasure and vice versa—Def Leppard at its absolute prime; along with Bon Jovi, the band made metal safe and palatable for mainstream consumption. The second disc of this deluxe edition contains singles’ B-sides, including a “Rock of Ages” medley that cleverly incorporates “Radar Love,” “Not Fade Away,” “Come Together,” “My Generation” and “Whole Lotta Love”; and a cover of Engelbert Humperdinck’s (!) “Release Me,” billed as being recorded Stumpus Maximus and the Good Ol’ Boys. And who said metal bands don’t have a sense of humor?

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CD Review: The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues
Days of Future Passed (Deluxe Edition)
Deram/UME
By David Chiu

First released in 1967, the year of the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper, Days of Future Passed marked the transformation of the Moody Blues’ sound from R&B-influenced pop to classical-tinged conceptual rock. It was an important album in that debuted singer/guitarist Justin Heyward and singer/bassist John Lodge, who has been with the band ever since. Originally, this new line-up was supposed to have recorded Dvorak’s 9th symphony but that was scrapped in favor for original compositions based on the theme of a typical day beginning and ending with some lighthearted and serious overtones. Recorded with an orchestra, Days is a cohesive set of tunes, from the soulful balladry of Dawn is a Feeling through the rocking “Peak Hour” and the galloping “Twilight Time”; only the chirpy “Another Morning” sounds a bit dated. Days best-known songs are the sublime pop tune “Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)” and the majestic and grand finale “Nights in White Satin” with the still-spoken word intro by drummer Graeme Edge. Musically-speaking, Days of Future Passed is representative of its time and in some ways ahead (this was recorded before two magnificent British concept albums Tommy and Dark Side of the Moon). The album would set the template for the Moodies future albums bordering on the conceptual and classical themes. The deluxe edition features a second disc of alternative versions of the album’s songs; the real treats are the non-album 1967 singles “Fly Me High” and “Love and Beauty” featuring the then-new line up, as well as several BBC radio sessions that find the Moodies doing a reading of the perennial classic “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.”

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CD Review: Nellie McKay

Nellie McKay
Pretty Little Head
Hungry Mouse
By David Chiu

Nellie McKay’s latest Pretty Little Head was scheduled to be released months ago but disagreements with Columbia Records led her to be dropped from the label, which postponed its release. Now on a new label, McKay offers another 2-CD helping of quirky, satirical sophisticated pop that follows in the vein of her previous album Get Away From Me. McKay’s bouncy piano-dominated Tin Pan Alley/Burt Bacharach/Laura Nyro-influenced tunes verge between darting numbers such as “Real Life” and the melodic ditty “Pounce” yet she also conveys a subdued, jazzy side on the lovely “Glaad,” the lilting “Pink Chandelier” and the lovely French pop of “Lali Est Paresseux.” The songs are tuneful but the lyrics aren’t exactly facile (“Real Life,” “I Am Nothing There,” “You Are In Me”). McKay’s lyrics can also be as insightful as they scathing as is the case of “The Big One,” where she rails on the problems of today: “welfare mother/profit is the goal/the revolution is comin round/mass eviction.” This young wunderkind has plenty to sing about here on this ambitious set, and it’s only going to get better.

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CD Review: Paul Brill

Paul Brill
Harpooner
Scarlet Shame Records
By David Chiu

Paul Brill’s folktronica continues to shine on his latest Harpooner with ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ instrumentation, warm melodies and the singer’s airy vocals. Like he did on the brilliant New Pagan Love Songs, Brill on Harpooner draws on combining technology and sonic collages and conventional folk and pop music: the results yielded range from the almost experimental and avant garde (the title track, "All You Want") to engaging tunes ("Paris Is On," the gorgeous piano balladry of "And So to Sleep"). As a singer and lyricist Brill conveys that world-weary perspective on things that sounds intimate, haunting and hopeful. Harpooner takes the listener on a voyage on uncharted waters—this musical work is about the journey, not the destination.

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CD Review: The Byrds

The Byrds
There is a Season
Columbia/Legacy
By David Chiu

You might be wondering: Wasn’t there a previous Byrds boxed set before this entitled There Is a Season? Yes there was, but that came out in 1990. Since the Byrds’ stature and continues to grow and can be traced in the sound of some of today’s groups, the Byrds music deserves another comprehensive reevaluation of sorts in the form of There Is a Season. Los Angeles’ answer to the Beatles and the British Invasion in the mid-‘60s, the Byrds in their classic incarnation crafted some great pop and folk rock music augmented by Roger McGuinn’s distinctive Rickenbacker guitar sound and the harmonies of McGuinn, David Crosby and Gene Clark. The group’s two major chart successes came from interpretations of Pete Seeger (“Turn! Turn! Turn!”) and Bob Dylan (“Mr. Tambourine Man”), but let’s not forget original gems such as Gene Clark’s “I Feel A Whole Lot Better,” the experimental “Eight Miles High,” and “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star,” that showed the band evolving stylistically. With line-up changes, the Byrds entered the next phase of their career: country rock the culminated in the masterpiece Sweethearts of the Rodeo; the album featured the first and only contributions of the legendary Gram Parsons (“One Hundred Years From Now”). While all the members from the original classic lineup gone, McGuinn held fort on the remaining Byrds albums through the early ‘70s (and featuring the contributions of the guitarist Clarence White). Book ended by pre-Byrds songs and a 1990 “reunion” track, with previously unreleased tracks and live numbers in betweens, There is a Season soars as what a meticulously assembled boxed set should be. (There is also a DVD containing performances by the original band including “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “I Feel A Whole Lot Better”) When it comes to a legacy from an influential band such as the Byrds, one doesn’t expect any less.

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CD Review: Journey

Journey
Frontiers
Raised on Radio
Trial By Fire
Columbia/Legacy
By David Chiu

Steve Perry
Greatest Hits
Columbia/Legacy
By David Chiu

Following the first batch of Journey reissues are the remaining installments, now with bonus tracks. Arena rock fans dig in!

Frontiers was still a representation of Journey—by then singer Steve Perry, guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith—at its arena rock glory. The emotionally-charged Separate Ways, the single from that album, rocked that summer of ‘83—before pop metal, that might have been the hardest rocking song on the Top Ten charts. Other standout cuts from the record include “Send Her My Love”; the slightly maudlin, semi-autobiographical ballad “Faithfully.” Fortunately hard-charging rock like “Chain Reaction” and “Rubicon,” fronted by Schon’s metallish-guitar, offset some of the record’s pop/mellow side.

Raised on Radio (1986) was marked by personnel changes: gone were longtime bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith appeared only on a few tracks. Radio sounded like an extension of Perry’s solo work that he began two years earlier (he also produced the album), as a straightforward pop/rock album with some good, if conventional, catchy songs: “Be Good To Yourself,” “Suzanne,” “I’ll Be Alright Without You,” and “Girl Can’t Help It.” (Trivia fans take note: American Idol judge Randy Jackson played bass on the album). And then Journey went their separate ways.

Exactly a decade letter, the classic line-up of Perry, Schon, Cain, Valory and Smith reunited for Trial by Fire. In comparison to Raised on Radio, this was album was sort of a return to form: the progressive rock of yesterday (“Castles Burning,” “One More”), arena-styled numbers (“Message of Love,” which is essentially a rewrite of “Separate Ways”), and the symphonic-laced power ballads (“Don’t Be Down On My Baby,” “When You Love a Woman”). The hiatus didn’t affect the musical chemistry at all—each of the members was still in fighting trim. It was a promising sign of the direction this reunited band could have taken the music to. It proved to be a one-shot: both Perry and Smith left the band and Journey continues on with a new singer and drummer.

If you can’t get enough of the voice—Steve Perry’s that is—there’s always Greatest Hits, which draws on the leather-lunged singer’s two solo albums as well as tracks from an aborted project. Perry doesn’t stray too far away from the Journey sound (how could he with his voice) but his music seems tilted towards more ballads than the sometimes progressive hard rock of the parent group. The best songs here are the catchy “Oh Sherrie,” the lovely ballad “Foolish Heart,” and “You Better Wait”; the other songs, “Go Away” (which reminds one of an Isleys’ soul number), “If You Need Me, Call Me,” “I Stand Alone” provide a few of the compilation’s interesting moments

Other albums that are part of the reissues: Journey: Captured, Steve Perry: Street Talk and For the Love the Strange Medicine, also on Columbia/Legacy.

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CD Review: Weather Report

Weather Report
Forecast: Tomorrow
Columbia/Legacy
By David Chiu

Given the sheer breadth of Weather Report’s music spanning 15 years, it is surprising the group never had a indepth retrospective of its innovative and groundbreaking jazz rock. That oversight has been greatly remedied through this wonderful boxed set chronicling one of the superstar jazz outfits from the 1970s. Fronted by former Miles Davis sidemen keyboardist Josef Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Weather Report made music that was challenging, audacious and eclectic enough to incorporate elements of pop, funk and world: from the mysterious “Milky Way,” the pop-oriented “Birdland” (off the band’s most popular album Heavy Weather) to the sublime and serene “Dream Clock.” Though Zawinul and Shorter were the heart and soul (the former showcasing some trippy keyboard lines and the latter’s performing lyrical solos) of the band throughout the band’s various incarnations, they knew that collaboration was the key to their success—the talented players included drummers Chester Thompson, Alex Acuna, and Peter Erskine; and bassists Alphonse Johnson and the late great Jaco Pastorious. It is quite fitting that that box begins with Miles Davis’s “In a Silent Way” (which features Zawinul and Shorter) and ends with DJ Logic’s remix of “125th Congress,” showing how much the direction jazz music went as Weather Report evolved. The treat for fans is a DVD of a 1979 concert from Germany featuring Zawinul, Shorter, Erskine and Pastorious (For young jazz heads, seeing Pastorious in his prime and glory is a must).

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