Curtain Call: Sounds of '79

Was 1979 the best year for music? Sometimes I think so. Exhibit A. Buzzcocks from Hammersmith Odeon in March. That's about six months before 'A Different Kind of Tension,' the last of a trio of albums that really should be on every shelf. Only one song from that upcoming album was on the setlist that night. Here's the show opener:

I Don't Know What to Do With My Life

Buzzcocks are known for their stellar non-album singles, and here is one from '79 the crowd appreciates. It's one of my favorites too.

Everybody's Happy Nowadays

XTC's trip Down Under in the summer of '79 must have been a tough one for Dave Gregory. He was tasked with filling the shoes of the recently departed Barry Andrews. Can you imagine managing jet lag while playing guitar and occasionally replicating those manic keyboard parts of from the 'White Music' and 'Go2' albums? These early songs recorded at the Marconi Club in Sydney, including an encore medley from the 'White Music' era, document Gregory holding his own.

Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!)
Atom Medley: Into the Atom Age/Hang on to the Night/Neon Shuffle

There is nothing wrong with 'Stop Making Sense,' but 'The Name of This Band is Talking Heads' will always be my go-to live album. In 2004, the double LP was reissued with the same theme as the 1982 original: The quartet's live recordings from '77 and '79 are on disc one, and the expanded 10-piece band from the '80 and '81 tours are on disc two. The difference is the reissue increased the number of songs from 17 to a whopping 33.

In 1979, Talking Heads were on the road to support 'Fear of Music,' which hit the shelves in August. Brian Eno's influence is much more evident than on 'More Songs About Buildings and Food,' and the dystopian setting make the album darker and less playful than previous efforts. Still, many consider it the band's best. Here is a song about not trusting the air and a song about heaven... where nothing ever happens. Smiles, everyone, smiles. These come from a Nov. 17 show at the Passaic Theatre in New Jersey.

Air
Heaven

Let's do one more of these shows from '79 next time.

Curtain Call: Soul Men

I got some Sam & Dave for Christmas and have been on a kick ever since. This take of Sam Cooke's "Soothe Me" was released on 'The Stax/Volt Revue, Volume 2: Live In Paris.' The album also featured Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd and Otis Redding and comes highly recommended. The whole shebang was recorded in March 1967 and released on Oct. 7 of that year. A slightly edited version of "Soothe Me" from the show was released as a walk-up single on May 31, 1967. That's the one we will listen to today. It peaked at No. 56 on the pop and No. 16 on the R&B charts.

Soothe Me

While we're here, let's move on to Otis Redding from the same tour. 'Live in London and Paris' captures two nearly identical shows except the Paris show goes longer because they didn't have an 11PM curfew like in the UK. That's Booker T and the MGs backing Redding, and they never sounded better. I was tempted to go the Cooke route again with "Shake," but there is just no denying "Try a Little Tenderness" is the showstopper at both locales. This one is from the London performance... all 7:02 of it. Good luck sitting still during this one.

Try a Little Tenderness

James Brown recorded two must-have 'Live at the Apollo' performances in the 1960s, and they are a contrast in styles. Brown in 1962 is a rising star but not quite the Mr. Dynamite that he would become. Everything at that midnight performance on Oct. 24 feels smaller, but I find him more endearing and it a better all-around show. The 1967 performance is fabulous but an awful lot of pomp. Brown's backing band the Flames are there again but joined by strings, dancers and a female singer. They go through the hits like their pants are on fire. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" is not even 30 seconds long. My favorite moment from the '67 show is Brown's humble speech when he thanks the crowd for coming and says awkwardly, "and when you leave I hope you're glad you did." Let's listen to the opening of the '62 show. The Flames are nothing if not tight.

Opening Fanfare
I'll Go Crazy

This is another one of my stabs at convincing our pal in Portugal that the albums of Ray Charles belong in his music room. "Tell the Truth" appears on the live album 'In Person,' recorded May 28, 1959, on a rainy night in Atlanta at Morris Brown College's Herndon Stadium. This was right at the end of Charles' excellent run at Atlantic Records, and the R&B sound heard here is about to take a back seat as he signs a huge contract with ABC-Paramount and becomes a hit-maker in a number of different styles. That's Marjorie Hendricks from backing vocal group the Raelets sharing the microphone.

Tell the Truth

Curtain Call: Nick Lowe

So many live performances by the Abominable Showman on the shelf. A few random selections are presented for your enjoyment:

Here's one from Rockpile at Montreux in 1980. What a show! Highly recommended. Nick, Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams sure knew how to bring it. This was a few months before the only album ('Seconds of Pleasure') to use the Rockpile name was released. Of course, they had been playing together for a number of years on the "solo" efforts of Nick and Dave. This song goes back to a stand-alone single released during the 'Jesus of Cool' era. Here in America, it would appear on 'Pure Pop for Now People.'

They Called It Rock

This next one is from when Nick was backed by His Cowboy Outfit in 1984. In case you're not familiar, that band was Martin Belmont, Paul Carrack and Bobby Irwin. Not bad at all. This show was recorded at the Paris Theatre in London for the BBC, and this song was the latest single. One of my favorites.

Half a Boy and Half a Man

On Nov. 21, 1987, Nick sat in with Elvis Costello and the Confederates for a show at Kosei Nenkin Hall in Tokyo that was recorded for broadcast on Japanese television. I'm getting this one from a bootleg called 'Do the Rumba' I picked up during my days in Japan, and it's one of only two shows I own from the Confederates era. The band rotated in and out quite a bit in those days, but on this night Elvis and Nick were joined by Jerry Scheff, Jim Keltner, Austin De Lone and James Burton. Wow! Costello's banter with the crowd is epic. When he introduces the band, he quips, "I don't know if you understand a word I'm sayin', but I hope you enjoyed it anyway." Before the last song he says, "We're supposed to be off the stage now, otherwise they chop our heads off, but so what? You only live once." Here's a song that has paid Nick's bills for lo these many years. I think you're really going to enjoy the harmonies from Elvis and Nick and as they trade verses.

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

You'll find this cover of the Jim Ford song from 1970 on the 'Live! On the Battlefield' EP as performed by his band the Impossible Birds at Sun Plaza in Tokyo circa 1994. It's a roster he played with for five albums and throughout the crooning years until he adopted Los Straightjackets a few years ago. The pace of this song is quite a bit different than the version you probably know from 'Jesus of Cool'/'Pure Pop for Now People,' and it has grown on me considerably.

36 Inches High

Curtain Call: The Modern Lovers

In 1993, I picked up 'Live at the Longbranch Saloon' by the Modern Lovers at a home store in rural Japan. Yep, this CD was just a few feet from the latest washing machine and bottles of mold killer. It was strange and exciting to see a live album by them in any setting, and the obi strip shows I spent ¥2,500 for it. I didn't balk at the price because I thought it was one of those exotic Japanese releases I had not known about. This was before the 'Net. If I had been able to check my phone I would have seen it had come out a year earlier and was readily available back home and for a lot less money. Actually, I would not have cared. With most of my music collection in storage back in America, I was always desperate for something new to play.

Six of the nine songs from the self-titled album are here, along with 10 more from a couple of shows recorded at the famed Berkeley club on San Pablo Avenue in 1972 and 1973. The timeline reads that many of these songs had just had proper studio takes. That studio album, as you know, didn't end up seeing a proper release until 1976. Listening to this album today reminds me that this band was way way ahead of its time. I can't even imagine what the crowd standing at the Longbranch must have been thinking in 1972. Richman's between-song banter illustrates his eccentric personality hasn't changed a bit in 47 years.

I dedicate these songs to our pal Drew at Across the Kitchen Table. I play the first one in honor of his auspicious birthday celebrated this week. As Richman, sings, "Someday we'll be dignified and old together." OK, maybe we already are... old anyway. Next comes "Foggy Notion" because Drew is the biggest Velvet Underground fan I know. Finally, Drew just watched 'Repo Man,' and there is a great cover of "Pablo Picasso" in that film. There you have it. Cheers.

Dignified and Old
Foggy Notion
Pablo Picasso

Curtain Call: 10,000 Maniacs

Let's listen to some live performances this week. This show from 10,000 Maniacs at the Greek in Los Angeles on June 3, 1993, would be one of the last shows Natalie Merchant would front for the band before going solo. Her peers had known that little nugget since before the recording of 'Our Time in Eden,' but the rest of us wouldn't receive the news of her departure until she announced it on MTV in August, saying she "didn't want art by committee anymore."

This unofficial release called 'In the City of Angels' is taken from a radio broadcast, and the sound is quite good. I have a few tiny quibbles with this tour. They didn't play anything from before 'In My Tribe,' not even "Can't Ignore the Train." Also, there are horns on the album they are supporting for this tour, and the section is used liberally on stage, including some of their earlier songs. Hearing saxophone on "Hey Jack Kerouac" hurts my heart. Having said that, the positives far outweigh the negatives, and this is a boot I spin almost as often as their 'MTV Unplugged' album. Here are a few live renditions from the 'In My Tribe' era.

Like the Weather
What's the Matter Here
City of Angels

Caff Call

Bob Stanley is one of the great champions of indie pop (along with many other genres), and he rounded out his status as Renaissance man with the founding of the short-lived but legendary Caff Corporation in 1989. Here is his explanation of the label that appeared as an insert in CAFF 1:

Throughout the 17 singles, these inserts would often become as entertaining as the music. My favorite might be for CAFF 4 when Stanley says of Close Lobsters, "As I write, the lads are attempting to 'crack' the American 'market', hence no witty Burnett sleevenotes that nobody understands except his cat..." This is a smile because I interviewed Andrew once, and it left my head spinning.

Since Stanley was releasing demos and other songs from the cutting-room floor, these limited singles were probably for die-hard fans. There were some monumental moments, however. The insert for the twangy single from Phil Wilson of the June Brides, for instance, was where he announced he was done with all of this music nonsense. It would be nearly 20 years before we would hear from him again. Stanley says this lesser known take of the Lobs' "Just Too Bloody Stupid" bests the one you know, and he even goes so far as calling the more famous version the "bastardised" one. Not sure I agree with this one being better, but I do enjoy this very different rendition. I'm a huge fan of Razorcuts, and this demo from 1984 heard below is actually my favorite moment of many greats from the band. Harvey Williams is a name that pops up in my collection nearly as often as Beth Arzy and Amelia Fletcher. Here as Another Sunny Day, he takes on OMD from a portastudio, and what a racket it is!

Thanks to Mr. Stanley and all he has done as writer, musician, historian and entrepreneur. Here are a few of my favorite A-sides from the Caff Corporation. You'll no doubt notice most of the bands that appeared on Caff were from the rosters of Creation, Sarah and Subway. Stanley is nothing if not a chap of impeccable taste.

Phil Wilson - Better Days (CAFF 3, 1989)
Close Lobsters - Just Too Bloody Stupid (CAFF 4, 1989)
Another Sunny Day - Genetic Engineering (CAFF 7, 1989)
The Claim - Birth of a Teenager (CAFF 8, 1990)
Razorcuts - Sometimes I Worry About You (CAFF 10, 1990)
The Orchids - An Ill Wind That Blows (CAFF 11, 1990)

Rule No. 1: Don't Admit to Liking Dad's Music

Last Sunday afternoon I watched my 12-year-old son's weekend band play a jazz club in the Columbia City neighborhood of Seattle. I love when they play there. It's a vibe that can't be matched by the gymnasium or occasional theater where his school band resides. Reserved tables, dark lighting, great food... the whole bit. Before the show, I was surprised to hear the familiar sounds of Minutemen on the sound system. Then, during the break, it was fIREHOSE. Obviously, I had to ask about it at the bar. Turned out bassist Mike Watt was playing there that very night with a trio headed by Mike Baggetta. When my son's band came back on, now all I'm thinking is that my son is performing on the same stage as Watt. I know. Pathetic.

After the program, I explain all of this to my son. Of course, he didn't care one bit. Now I have but one goal... to get him as excited about this development as I am. On the way home, I pull out my iPod and plug it into the car stereo. I choose a few of the most accessible songs across the legend's discography and hope they stick.

Minutemen - This Ain't No Picnic (1984)
fIREHOSE - Honey, Please (1987)
Mike Watt - Arrow-Pierced-Egg-Man (2011)

As you can guess, it didn't work, and why would it? I certainly wasn't into the music of my father at that age. Even if I had liked Johnny Cash and George Jones, I doubt I would have let him know that. The good news is I did eventually come around to the music of my father without the least bit of pushing. In other words, there's still hope my son will someday come to the realization that his old man has the best musical taste in the world. Otherwise, who is going to get all of these records one day? Don't answer that. Vultures. Ha!

In case you're interested in what Watt has been up to, this album has been described as "post-genre-improv-jazz-rock." In other words, it's indescribable. Speaking of legends, that's Jim Keltner on the drums. He was not part of the tour, however. My son dodged a bullet there. Pulling up Keltner would have been a long drive home.

Premiere:Red Sleeping Beauty - "The Swedish Winter"

It was like manna from heaven... or maybe crispbread would be more apropos. After vanishing for 15 years, legendary Swedish trio Red Sleeping Beauty reappeared in 2016 with a veritable smörgåsbord of odes to 'Architecture & Morality'-era OMD, Kraftwerk and other favorites from the golden age of synth pop. 'Kristina' was lauded by all who heard it, including yours truly, and even though Niklas, Kristina and Mikael promised more, could our delicate indie-pop hearts really endure another decade-plus drought after the euphoria of 2016? Besides, topping 'Kristina' would be an exercise in futility, right?

A mere three years later, Matinée Recordings has joined the impressive list of fabled indie labels to release music by Red Sleeping Beauty, and new album 'Stockholm' is the band's best album. Full stop. Start saving your kronas because this one should be out on or about April 12, and you can preorder right now.

And now, for your listening pleasure, Linear Tracking Lives has been granted the distinct privilege of premiering the lead single from the aforementioned 'Stockholm.' Red Sleeping Beauty channels dance-era Saint Etienne for "The Swedish Winter," a celebration of emerging from the prolonged darkness at the first ray of light. The best day of the year, indeed. Could the repeated line "here comes the summer" been in honor of the Undertones? I don't know, but here's hoping. This one is destined to be a club classic. Skål!

R.I.P. Ranking Roger

This place is starting to feel like the obituary pages, but Ranking Roger deserves to be remembered and celebrated. Pull out something from the Beat or General Public tonight. You won't be disappointed. In fact, chances are, you'll smile and wonder what happened to that pork pie hat that made you look so sharp all those years ago.

Ranking Roger had a solo single in 1988, not long after General Public dissolved, that got a few plays on MTV's '120 Minutes' before disappearing into the abyss. For whatever reason, this song has always stuck with me. The last time I played it here was back in 2013 when I posted four remixed and extended versions from the 12" single. Let's listen to the album version from 'Radical Departure' today. "So Excited" was co-written by Dave Wakeling during the General Public days and would have fit in quite nicely on 'All the Rage.' In fact, a couple of members of that band played on this song.

I'm not sure if the rift between Ranking Roger and Wakeling was resolved, but they did share the stage in 2017. That's a good sign. As we have been reminded several times in recent days, life's too short. Don't wait to mend fences.

So Excited

A Ray of Sunshine

bye-bye bitter winter
here's the sun
welcome back at last
that day has come
another year of joy
just begun...

These are the opening lines to the perfect song to listen to today. Give the 1990 song "The First Day of Spring" from Friends a spin. You may not know the band, but their tale will sound familiar. Mid-'80s UK indie-pop band gets a tiny following at home but finds a larger and more passionate audience in Japan. Far-East labels worship them and reissue their catalog to this day. Like I said, old story. I hope the sun is shining where you are. If not, sit tight. It's coming. Really. In the meantime, this song will warm the cockles. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's like summer (until tomorrow, anyway), but I won't rub it in. Happy spring!

The First Day of Spring

At the Movies

We lost one of the greats the other day with the passing of Wrecking Crew alumnus Hal Blaine. In the early '90s, I really got into the drummer's work with Phil Spector's 'Back to Mono' and the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations' box sets. Imagine the tales Blaine must have been able to tell. During that same period I was discovering the Wrecking Crew, I read Brian Wilson's book 'Wouldn't It Be Nice,' and 29 years later I still remember when Wilson told of showing up at Blaine's house unannounced soon after Wilson's father Murray sold all of Brian's songs... for a song. Click on the image below to read about that one. Man, the things Blaine saw...

Do yourself a favor. This weekend, fire up Denny Todesco's documentary 'The Wrecking Crew' or Gil Baker's 'Session Men: Los Angeles' and get educated. Here are a few clips:







And now for something completely different. With spring comes hope, and I'm sure hoping the following concert movie comes to my town. When Aretha Franklin passed away last year, you may remember me mentioning my affection for her jaw-dropping live album 'Amazing Grace.' The inspired performance was from the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in the Watts section of Los Angeles. The original album was a Grammy winner, but it was an abbreviated version of the Jan. 13-14 shows. In 1999, Rhino expanded the Atlantic release and included both nights, along with the wonderful introductions by the Rev. James Cleveland. I didn't get 'Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings' until my mother gave it to me for Christmas, but I have been making up for lost time by keeping it in the car and playing it over and over again. I digress.

The late director Sydney Pollack filmed the making of the album, but he didn't synchronize the picture and sound correctly, and his footage sat for decades. The film has been fixed and will be released in New York and Los Angeles on April 5. Like I said, with spring comes hope. Hopefully, the film will get a wider release soon after. Seattle, please. Here's the trailer. It looks even better than I imagined it while listening to the album years ago...

Bowing at the Feet of B-I-D Spells Bid

The Monochrome Set
Barboza, Seattle
March 5, 2019

What with dinner, dishes, homework, kids' lunches and a 6AM alarm call, it takes something pretty special to get me out on a Tuesday night. A rare sighting of the Monochrome Set on this side of the Atlantic, celebrating 40 years, no less, meant the plates would have to pile up just this once.

The show was to begin at 8, and that's when I arrived. I knew there was an opening act, and an unfamiliar record store down the block called to me like a siren. When I had broken out of my trance, it was 8:30, and I dashed to the quaint little basement venue. There was only one person in front of me trying to get in, and he told the gatekeeper he was with the band. She eyed the distinguished gentleman up and down suspiciously and asked with doubt, "You're with the band?" Even from the back I could tell it was Bid. I sidled beside him, put my hand on his shoulder and told her, "Believe me, he's with the band. He's been with the band since before you were born." He looked at me, smiled at her and asked, "So, I'm with the band then?" She waved him through, and I had a brief but memorable encounter with my musical hero.

Turns out the opening band still hadn't gone on yet, and I was able to walk right up to the stage. I held my ground on this 1 sq. ft. piece of property as if my life depended on it and never moved again for the rest of the evening. The opener eventually introduced themselves. "We're the Purrs and we're from down the street." For the next 30 minutes or so this quartet made me feel like the guy being blown away on those iconic Maxell ads. Two songs in I noticed the guy standing beside me stuffing Kleenex in his ears. I envied him. Don't get me wrong. There was nothing wrong with this band, and the crowd seemed to appreciate their efforts. Their sound was just made for much bigger rooms, and my delicate indie-pop sensibilities and auditory nerves were shaken by the assault.

As the Monochrome Set were setting up (yes, they took care of their own gear), I couldn't help but wonder how they were feeling. As the tour poster above attests, the lads played New York the night before. That's nearly 3,000 miles, folks. In case you're a fan who has lost track and are wondering about the personnel these days, the most recognizable name to you outside of Bid would be Andy Warren on bass. He's been with the Monochrome Set off and on since 1980. Keyboard wizard John Paul Moran has been around off and one since the reformation in 2010. No, Lester Square was not there. He was part of the reformation as well but left after recording the 'Spaces Everywhere' album in 2014. Mike Urban behind the kit is the newest member, but even he was in the band briefly in 1990.

Shockingly, the show was not a sellout, but the room was fairly full and definitely full of enthusiasm. Just the right age group too. Some of you know what I mean. Feeling like the old man in the room has become tiresome. I went to this show solo, which can be a drag, but these were my people. I wanted to become friends with all of them. I wanted to scream, "I can't believe you're all from Seattle! Where have you been?" I read that tickets had not sold briskly on the East Coast, and one fan on social media claimed the Bowery Ballroom had been 75-80 percent empty. I hope that was an exaggeration, but at one point Urban told us with a big smile that they had just come from the East Coast and that this was better. Since we were the first show on the West Coast, we could take that as a huge compliment.

On to the set list. As you can see, they dove right into the classic era with the first three songs and, as you would expect, latest album 'Maisieworld' received a fair representation. That was fine by me. Like all of their albums this decade, it's a beautiful piece of work. I would have been fine if every note of 'Eligible Bachelors' would have been played, but I'll take the trio they ripped through.

After 17 songs and an impending car ride to Portland ahead of them, you would have thought they would have said goodbye after the crowd-pleasing 40-year-old "Eine Symphonie des Grauens," but there was encore after encore. "Goodbye Joe" was my personal highlight until they came out for what was to be the last time. Bid and the gang seemed perplexed as they scanned a tablet trying to figure out if they could come up with even one more song they knew. Someone nearby shouted, "Jacob's Ladder!" To say the room was encouraging is an understatement. Bid rolled his eyes, sighed, and said with a chuckle, "I wrote it, but I'm not sure I played it." They gave it the ol' college try, with Moran hitting the difficult bass vocal parts with perfection. Bid got a case of the giggles here and there as he attempted to conjure up the lyrics, but it was a damn fine rendition and the topper of the night for me. Their last song was the first song I ever heard by them (34 years ago!) and the one I wanted to hear the most.

I ran into Bid outside a few minutes later and was able to tell him, "Best Tuesday ever."

'Fin' is a 1986 release of live performances spanning the Monochrome Set's career through 'The Lost Weekend' era. Seems like a few from that one is the most appropriate to listen to today.

Jacob's Ladder ('Eastern Eye,' March 19, 1985)
Alphaville (Electric Ballroom, May 23, 1985)
Eine Symphonie Des Grauens (Bristol Trinity Hall, May 21, 1980)