Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
30 Years Ago Today ...
Prince has his first chart appearance, with the single "Soft and Wet". Even his recent attempts to replace Lars Ullrich as the definitive example of how NOT to treat fans don't dent my enthusiasm for some of his work. Notice I said FANS. Not thinking of folks looking to rip the guy off. Problem is, Prince (and Lars, etc) does not differentiate between the two. But oh well, the 4-album stretch from Dirty Mind to Purple Rain still stands as an incredible achievement.
In other chart news, the Grease soundtrack hit #1 this day in 1978. This was the first LP I ever purchased ...
In other chart news, the Grease soundtrack hit #1 this day in 1978. This was the first LP I ever purchased ...
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Beatles' Influence on Medical Technology
The Wikipedia entry for Madonna includes a section labeled 'Madonna's Influence On Taxonomy'. Although I would hardly call it 'influence', Madonna is one of the music personalitys to have their name immortalized in the scientific literature by makingup part of a species latin designation. A more legitimate 'influence' in a surprising technological area is seen in the effect the Beatles had on medical technology. Well, EMI's windfall from signing the Beatles anyway ...
See http://epidemix.org/blog/?p=265 for details.
See http://epidemix.org/blog/?p=265 for details.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
"Hard & Heavy" - no, not really
I have kind of a love/hate relationship with those multi-disc sets Time-Life sells on TV. I actually enjoy the infomercials. Fun seeing some of the live footage, even if it is just in snippets. And anything that keeps the music in memory is a good thing - unfortunately much of the collection is generally made up of available, well known material. Probably a good fit with their customer base. Those of us interested in a bit more depth probably aren't buying our music from TV infomercials any way.
So when I came upon an infomercial for a set I had never before seen I settled down for some (slight) entertainment. The 11 CD + 2 DVD set was called Hard & Heavy. Somebody someplace should be embarrassed. Much of the collection is neither hard nor heavy.
Each CD seems to have 1 to 3 or so songs that can be legitamately called heavy. For example, Megadeth is included with a track and Dio (who is the absolute KING of pseudomystical gobbledygook, and a favorite) is represented twice. Most of the rest is a mixture of questionable 80's hair 'metal' (Poison, Ratt, and so on), good groups who fail the 'heavy' test spectacularly (Scandal? The Tubes?), and groups that are best forgotten altogether (White Lion, Nelson ...).
I try to stay positive around here. For the most part I'd rather talk about the things I have or want than ramble on about things that are best kept far away from me. Time-Life's Hard & Heavy collection is painful enough to inspire me to make an exception.
So when I came upon an infomercial for a set I had never before seen I settled down for some (slight) entertainment. The 11 CD + 2 DVD set was called Hard & Heavy. Somebody someplace should be embarrassed. Much of the collection is neither hard nor heavy.
Each CD seems to have 1 to 3 or so songs that can be legitamately called heavy. For example, Megadeth is included with a track and Dio (who is the absolute KING of pseudomystical gobbledygook, and a favorite) is represented twice. Most of the rest is a mixture of questionable 80's hair 'metal' (Poison, Ratt, and so on), good groups who fail the 'heavy' test spectacularly (Scandal? The Tubes?), and groups that are best forgotten altogether (White Lion, Nelson ...).
I try to stay positive around here. For the most part I'd rather talk about the things I have or want than ramble on about things that are best kept far away from me. Time-Life's Hard & Heavy collection is painful enough to inspire me to make an exception.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Starpulse's top 10 songs sung by eomen
www.starpulse.com has posted a list of the top 10 songs sung by women in the rock era. My list would be almost completely different. That doesn't prevent me from commenting on their list.
10 - Sinead O'Conner - "Nothing Compares to You" [sic]
Solid choice. O'Conner has an incredible voice. I prefer "Mandinka", but this song will be familiar to more casual listeners. This is a problem throughout the list - popular, well known choices are given more attention than arguably better or more important songs.
9 - Sheryl Crow - "Strong Enough"
I can't really comment. Not familiar with this one.
8 - Janis Joplin - "Bobby McGee" [sic]
"Me and Bobby McGee" is a fine song. Very nice. But "Piece of my Heart" pretty much defines a particular vocal style. I would have given that song the nod.
7 - Mazzy Starr - "Fade Into You"
Again, not one I know. Mazzy Starr is on my "listen to some time" list, but I haven't tried them out yet.
6 - Blondie - "Heart of Glass"
This is a difficult one. "Call Me" is more favored, but "Heart of Glass" probably more important. "Rapture" gets the nod for historical import.
5 - Heart - "Crazy on You"
Hello, "Barracuda"? At least they didn't pick "What About Love".
4 - Hole - "Doll Parts"
Full disclosure: I really dislike this song. Why not something by Babes in Toyland? Sleater-Kinney? Heavens to Betsy? Anything but "Doll Parts" ...
3 - Tracy Chapman - "Fast Car"
Nice song. One of the best, I'm not so sure, but nice nevertheless.
2 - Fleetwood Mac - "Gold Dust Woman"
Bucks the trend. This time *I* pick the more well known song - "Rhiannon".
1 - Carole King - "Feel Like a Natural Woman"
If I was making a list of top female songwriters of the rock era, King wins first place. Heck, she could make a solid claim at #1 songwriter of either gender. But the actual recording? Well, King is a better writer than vocalist. She's not a bad vocalist, but #1?
I've tried to stick to comments about the list as it appeared. But no Ronnie Spector? The barbarians.
10 - Sinead O'Conner - "Nothing Compares to You" [sic]
Solid choice. O'Conner has an incredible voice. I prefer "Mandinka", but this song will be familiar to more casual listeners. This is a problem throughout the list - popular, well known choices are given more attention than arguably better or more important songs.
9 - Sheryl Crow - "Strong Enough"
I can't really comment. Not familiar with this one.
8 - Janis Joplin - "Bobby McGee" [sic]
"Me and Bobby McGee" is a fine song. Very nice. But "Piece of my Heart" pretty much defines a particular vocal style. I would have given that song the nod.
7 - Mazzy Starr - "Fade Into You"
Again, not one I know. Mazzy Starr is on my "listen to some time" list, but I haven't tried them out yet.
6 - Blondie - "Heart of Glass"
This is a difficult one. "Call Me" is more favored, but "Heart of Glass" probably more important. "Rapture" gets the nod for historical import.
5 - Heart - "Crazy on You"
Hello, "Barracuda"? At least they didn't pick "What About Love".
4 - Hole - "Doll Parts"
Full disclosure: I really dislike this song. Why not something by Babes in Toyland? Sleater-Kinney? Heavens to Betsy? Anything but "Doll Parts" ...
3 - Tracy Chapman - "Fast Car"
Nice song. One of the best, I'm not so sure, but nice nevertheless.
2 - Fleetwood Mac - "Gold Dust Woman"
Bucks the trend. This time *I* pick the more well known song - "Rhiannon".
1 - Carole King - "Feel Like a Natural Woman"
If I was making a list of top female songwriters of the rock era, King wins first place. Heck, she could make a solid claim at #1 songwriter of either gender. But the actual recording? Well, King is a better writer than vocalist. She's not a bad vocalist, but #1?
I've tried to stick to comments about the list as it appeared. But no Ronnie Spector? The barbarians.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
June eMusic
Used up my 100 dls a little early ...
Girl in a Coma Both Before I'm Gone
Released on Joan Jett's Blackheart label. All-latina, fairly straightforward rock.
Go Betty Go Worst Enemy EP
All-latina pop punk.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Sinner
Joan'a first domestic release of the 2000s.
Period Pains BBC Session EP
Punk. Punkish, at least.
Shitbirds Famous Recording Artists
Elinore Blake is the vocalist. AKA multilingual girl-pop icon April March. Pretty far from the French pop she is known for under that name, though.
Skinned Teen/Raooul Bazooka Smooth!/Jail-bait Core
Released on the west coast's Lookout! Records. Pretty much the pop-punk you'd expect from Lookout!.
The Be Good Tanyas Chinatown
The Be Good Tanyas Scattered Leaves EP
The Be Good Tanyas "Opal's Blues"
Trad. The album is their 2nd full-length, the EP the band's debut, the track from a movie soundtrack.
The Carter Family "No Depression in Heaven"
The sole male vocal I downloaded in June.
The Coathangers "Dreamboat"
60s flavored 'clean' garage.
The Detroit Cobras Mink Rat or Rabbit
Garage. Mostly covers of mostly obscure R&B.
Couple of interesting download patterns in June. I bookended the month with trad stuff, starting with TBGT and ending the month with the Carter Family. Almost accidentally I picked up releases from two different all-latina groups. 99% of what I picked up features female vocalists, with several of the groups being in fact entirely made up of that gender.
Girl in a Coma Both Before I'm Gone
Released on Joan Jett's Blackheart label. All-latina, fairly straightforward rock.
Go Betty Go Worst Enemy EP
All-latina pop punk.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Sinner
Joan'a first domestic release of the 2000s.
Period Pains BBC Session EP
Punk. Punkish, at least.
Shitbirds Famous Recording Artists
Elinore Blake is the vocalist. AKA multilingual girl-pop icon April March. Pretty far from the French pop she is known for under that name, though.
Skinned Teen/Raooul Bazooka Smooth!/Jail-bait Core
Released on the west coast's Lookout! Records. Pretty much the pop-punk you'd expect from Lookout!.
The Be Good Tanyas Chinatown
The Be Good Tanyas Scattered Leaves EP
The Be Good Tanyas "Opal's Blues"
Trad. The album is their 2nd full-length, the EP the band's debut, the track from a movie soundtrack.
The Carter Family "No Depression in Heaven"
The sole male vocal I downloaded in June.
The Coathangers "Dreamboat"
60s flavored 'clean' garage.
The Detroit Cobras Mink Rat or Rabbit
Garage. Mostly covers of mostly obscure R&B.
Couple of interesting download patterns in June. I bookended the month with trad stuff, starting with TBGT and ending the month with the Carter Family. Almost accidentally I picked up releases from two different all-latina groups. 99% of what I picked up features female vocalists, with several of the groups being in fact entirely made up of that gender.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
5 most intriguing vocalists of the moment
If you've been reading this blog it should be fairly obvious that I pay alot of attention to vocals in songs. By 'vocals' I mean the actual performance of the lyrics, not just the content. I'm also a pretty big enthusiast of lists. So why not a list of vocalists? In reverse order here are the five most intriguing vocalists I've been listening to lately:
5 - Kate Jackson, The Long Blondes
On the Long Blondes latest release, Couples, Kate makes very able use of falsetto in some places. What really impresses me though is her ability to use the lower end of her vocal range. One example is "Giddy Stratospheres" from their previous album. She pulls off singing one portion of the bridge in a very low register while maintaining a fairly straightforward delivery. Very impressive. Her delivery in and of itself is interesting, being almost like a speaking voice, but not quite.
4 - Angela Gossow, Arch Enemy
Angela also has ... interesting ... delivery. She uses what are often called 'cookie monster' style vocals. Normally I don't go in for this easily parodied extreme metal style. When those sounds come out of a female throat, though, I find it a lot more interesting. When I first heard Arch Enemy I had never heard a woman pull this off. I've since heard others, but you always remember the first :).
3 - Frazey Ford, The Be Good Tanyas
Imagine a vocalist who ate an entire jar of peanut butter before singing. That is not Frazey. Frazey sounds like she is actually eating the peanut butter WHILE SINGING. A unique and very enjoyable style. Takes a little getting used to a delivery that has as much in common with mumbled rambling as more common vocal styles. But worth getting used to.
2 - Melora Creager, Rasputina
With Melora we go in a completely different direction. Her voice is crystal clear, with only the faintest vibratto on sustained notes. That warble is used to great effect. The Rasputina cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" is definitive, nearly dripping melancholy. The cellos of course account for some of this, but much of the credit for outdoing the original must go to the vocal performance.
1 - Ali Howard, Lucky Soul
Lucky Soul are one of my favorite bands at the moment. Ali Howard's vocals get much of the credit for this. They are velvety like honey, except this honey has begun to crystallize a bit so is a little gritty. Ali is far from Kim Carnes/Bonnie Tyler throaty vocals territory but you get a definate feeling she could play on that field. At the same time she hints at the stylings of a vocally talented 12 year old. In some respects reminisciant of an early 60s Ronnie Spector. The combination of sandpaper breathiness and little girl exubriance makes for a very intriguing result.
5 - Kate Jackson, The Long Blondes
On the Long Blondes latest release, Couples, Kate makes very able use of falsetto in some places. What really impresses me though is her ability to use the lower end of her vocal range. One example is "Giddy Stratospheres" from their previous album. She pulls off singing one portion of the bridge in a very low register while maintaining a fairly straightforward delivery. Very impressive. Her delivery in and of itself is interesting, being almost like a speaking voice, but not quite.
4 - Angela Gossow, Arch Enemy
Angela also has ... interesting ... delivery. She uses what are often called 'cookie monster' style vocals. Normally I don't go in for this easily parodied extreme metal style. When those sounds come out of a female throat, though, I find it a lot more interesting. When I first heard Arch Enemy I had never heard a woman pull this off. I've since heard others, but you always remember the first :).
3 - Frazey Ford, The Be Good Tanyas
Imagine a vocalist who ate an entire jar of peanut butter before singing. That is not Frazey. Frazey sounds like she is actually eating the peanut butter WHILE SINGING. A unique and very enjoyable style. Takes a little getting used to a delivery that has as much in common with mumbled rambling as more common vocal styles. But worth getting used to.
2 - Melora Creager, Rasputina
With Melora we go in a completely different direction. Her voice is crystal clear, with only the faintest vibratto on sustained notes. That warble is used to great effect. The Rasputina cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" is definitive, nearly dripping melancholy. The cellos of course account for some of this, but much of the credit for outdoing the original must go to the vocal performance.
1 - Ali Howard, Lucky Soul
Lucky Soul are one of my favorite bands at the moment. Ali Howard's vocals get much of the credit for this. They are velvety like honey, except this honey has begun to crystallize a bit so is a little gritty. Ali is far from Kim Carnes/Bonnie Tyler throaty vocals territory but you get a definate feeling she could play on that field. At the same time she hints at the stylings of a vocally talented 12 year old. In some respects reminisciant of an early 60s Ronnie Spector. The combination of sandpaper breathiness and little girl exubriance makes for a very intriguing result.
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