Albums/Music

Jeff Martin, formerly of The Tea Party, way back before the recent November 2008 election, says something very cool about that election. And, by the way, we listened apparently.

Dig this: (yeah, it's a weird show but...)

This one isn't funny at all. There have been a few of those lately and I'll go look for them after this. But, this referal made me think:

Search Engine - google.ca
Search Words - "3 performances" coldplay snl

Good question. What the hell was that? I know I've seen bands, very popular bands at the time come back at the very end of the show and play the show out, but, never, to my memory of Saturday Night Live do I recall a band playing three full songs, then on top of that play the outro. That's four. Count 'em. Does Coldplay really deserve that kind of clout? Or, were the writers on last weekends SNL just short on material? Questions questions, the pondering mind wants to know...

Regarding their performances, Chris Martin bugged the shit out of me. He was WAY to spastic. Now, don't get me wrong, I like Coldplay. Especially their first 2 albums. Their 4th was interesting. But, Mr. Martin strutted around the stage like he was Mick Jagger at 25 on crack. Dude, mellow out. Have a drink. Relax a bit.

Beyond that, their performance was pretty good. Setting aside the pumped in backing tracks for the first song. Sounded to be a sequencer, most likely on stage, putting all the mellotron and creepy backing vocals into the mix. I can forgive that. The other three songs were as live as you get.

I fully expect to see Barack Obama on this upcoming weekend's show somewhere. And in conclusion, is anyone else baffled by the guests on SNL in the past 3 or 4 years? Meaning, are any of you oblivious to who these people ARE? We're not proud of being out of touch with modern day society. We just are.

Ok, in the past 100 referrals, this is the best we get:


Search Engine - google.com
Search Words - can you remove sharpie from a record cover?

-Um, can you remove Sharpie from ANYTHING until the wash machine fades it into oblivion?

**

Search Engine - google.co.il
Search Words - system of crushing of cans of drink

- From Israel: I should've had this one pointed to a referal from the previous day. The keywords were, Boot Crush.

**

Search Engine - google.com
Search Words - illegal aliens to access our social security

- This one is at the #2 spot of frequency. Have you ever read what people stumble onto when they find my site using those keywords? Here's a refresher.

**

Search Engine - google.co.uk
Search Words - naked buzzcat

- No, they weren't looking for pics of me. But instead a raver in her early 20s from the UK. I've emailed with her once to comment on the fact that we use the same screen name. Although she was using English - more or less - I couldn't understand what the shit she was saying to me. Imagine though, if I DID post pictures of myself in such a state and they came searching for her. Hehheh. Yeah, I'm not that cruel.

**

Search Engine - google.com
Search Words - record cleaning solution homemade

- It's very apparent that vinyl is making a huge comeback, and that premade record cleaning solutions are WAY to expensive. This one is by far #1 on my referal list. It gets multiple hits every single day. And, although I ramble on a bit, it is very helpful. And I'm sure Gordon at Post Apple Scientific appreciates all the business I send his way. It also makes me wonder what kind of bonehead is in charge at Allsop? What were they thinking taking the Orbitrac II out of production? Here is the essay if you've never read it or are interested.

**

Search Engine - google.com
Search Words - shikered

- Oh yeah. Never a shortage of folks looking for synonyms of 'drunk'. Of course this one took them to Jay and my Drunk List. They indeed found Shikered along with such other classics as: shillelaghed shipped-second-class shipped-to-the-Canary-Islands shipwrecked shish-ka-bobbed shit-eyed shitfaced shitted shitted-out... (I'm glad we can be of service)

**

Search Engine - google.com
Search Words - vinyl record cleaner do it yourself

- See?

**

Search Engine - google.com
Search Words - dot vivalavinyl

- dot? wtf?


Well, that's that. Never a dull moment. And now it's time for a non-sequitor moment: I don't know where I just read it this morning, but, I really like the phrase, "He was throwing money around like a three armed man."

Dave has his new site and show up and running. Heavy Water. It's real groovy. We listened to HW #04 last night and the music he's playing knocks me out. You should find the time to check it out when you can. Tis goot methinks.

Nothin' much else to report. HP days.

We watched last Saturday's SNL last night. Overall, the writers were on their game on this one. Most of the sketches got a few laughs out of us. And I was relatively sober.
What I don't understand is this: This was the third time The Killers (the band) have been on the show. This must be a record. I cannot ever remember a band getting 3 visits. What's odd about The Killers is that they change their personna every visit. The first time they were on, they were in their slicked back, Reservoir Dogs suited get ups. The second time, they all looked like 'Hee Haw goes to Seattle'. And this time, well, I can't figure out what the shit they were going for. What the hell was on Brandon Flowers' shoulders? Dead hawks? Stolen Donald Trump hairpieces?



I'm not sure who at SNL thinks this band is worthy of 3 performances. Personally, I don't find the band to be anything special. They play pop/rock songs. And ones that don't really go anywhere. But, at least this time out, Brandon sang in tune mostly. The last time they were on was cringeworthy.

~~~

I can't remember if I've mentioned this yet. Sorry for the redundancy if I have. The poems that have been accumulating in the Poe Tree section are gone. I have built an online chapbook (fancy but nonsense name) with them. I kept the title Under The Poe Tree, and decided that I wanted to keep going with this experiment and have cleared the deck back in the Poe Tree section and started Poe Tree Volume II. I've yet to come up with a title for this collection, but, surely will as it grows.

Big thanks to Pichon64 for diggin' on it. Nice to know that at least one person enjoys what I'm doing there.

~~~

Before watching SNL and some of the prez debate last night, I played the new Al Stewart album Sparks Of Ancient Light for Jenny. Judging by her reaction to it, I believe she really enjoyed it. It is a great album. Of course, Al never has put out a bad album. Well, Last Days Of The Century is a bit rough to listen to with it's over the top 80s production, but, I digress... Al's last album, A Beach Full Of Shells was good, but, not great. On Sparks Of Ancient Light he really mixed it up rhythmically from song to song. His lyric content? He knocked it flat out of the park again. Many of the songs fall into the category that he's best at and actually, as far as I'm concerned, created; Historical Folk Rock.
I hate to make sports references, but, there are a few curve balls on this album. Football Hero for instance. And he has some real cool lines, like the opening lines from the song, The Ear Of The Night:

"You put your tongue in the ear of the night
Expecting rejection but finding instead
A sudden connection that left you surprised
And it gave you electrical thoughts in your head."

Cool stuff.
Overall, is it an album that exceeds my favorite of his, Past, Present & Future? No. But, at 63, I'm just glad Al Stewart is still making music that matters.

By the way, if you don't own Past, Present & Future, go to that link there and buy it. No music collection should be without it.

Yep. Richard Wright, co-founder of Pink Floyd has died. I didn't even know he was ill.
Here's a concise thing. Well, as concise as anyone's being about exactly what got him. He'll be missed. It's times like these that I occasionally wish there was such a thing as The Great Gig In The Sky.



Maybe more later today. It's HP days for me right now and hell, even my fingers hurt. Peace.

Oh, and John Cusack is back with some fine words. Gotta love John...

This morning on WJJO, I heard three more songs off of Death Magnetic, the new album by Metallica, to be relased September 12th. I wish you could actually hear me say this instead of reading it, but, JEEEEEEEEEZUS KREEEEEEEEERIST!! It's insanely good. Each new song I hear makes me realize more and more that this album is just astounding in comparison to their last 17 years of recording. It truly is the album that naturally follows ...And Justice For All. I think I've said it before, but it bares repeating: They've actually topped AJFA methinks. Sure James Hetfield's voice has seen better days, but, he's not belted it out like this since 1988. If this ends up being the last album Metallica ever records, they will have gone out with one huge BANG. Again, if you liked Metallica up through ...And Justice For All and was left cold since, it's time you go and order Death Magnetic right now. If you're let down by what this album has to offer then you're likely more jaded and bitter than I usually am.
The songs I heard this morning were the insanely fast 'My Apocalypse', 'Broken, Beat & Scarred' and 'All Nightmare Long'. All three were just stupidly good.
By the way, I believe this is the first studio album with the new bassist, Robert Trujillo, who I know from the band Suicidal Tendencies. He is quite a welcomed member. His bass playing gives the band another layer of bombast like they've not had at all since Cliff Burton died. Jason sure fit the part appearance-wise and did it up live, but his bass playing on the studio albums was almost non-existent.
Ok, enough Metallica.

I did get my vinyl copy of Parachutes by Coldplay on vinyl in the mail last night. It's big and beautiful and sounds just as great as I assumed it would. Finally. A big BRAVO to Capitol Records for putting this out on vinyl. It is a limited edition so if you want it, get it as soon as you can. One thing though Capitol. Could you tell your people who actually package the vinyl to learn how to hold the records by the edges. It kinda bugs me to pull a sealed new hunk of vinyl out of the cover only to find someones fat finger prints on it. Grrrrrr. Still, it sounds great. So good that I may very well get A Rush Of Blood To The Head on vinyl too. Hohohohohooh I'm sick.

What the hell does that mean? Boots Of Chinese Plastic?

That means, the new single from the new Pretenders album, Break Up The Concrete. The song rocks. Matter o' fact, I've not heard Chrissie have so much energy behind her in quite some time. Perhaps it's that Jim Keltner is on drums this time out. Who's Jim Keltner and what clout does he have? Go look.
Hell, I might just get the vinyl edition of this one.
Of course, it wouldn't surprise me in the least for The Pretenders to come out swingin' with the best album since their first. Seems to be the trend this year in 2008. It has been an amazing year for music. The best in 25 years I think. All these great new bands surfacing and all of these long term bands who've either not put out a decent album in 20 years or broke up that long ago making a comeback and making great comebacks. It's quite stunning methinks. Anyway, keep an ear open for music from Break Up The Concrete. If you dug their debut as much as I do, it'll hit ya.

Other new albums on the way?

Sparks Of Ancient Light by Al Stewart is out in a couple weeks. I've not heard anything from it yet, but, it's Al Stewart. It's bound to be amazing. I just wish Al would release his new albums on vinyl. Al? Neville?

I have the new Metallica pre-ordered on double vinyl. Coldplay has rereleased their first two albums on 180 gram vinyl. I've always wanted Parachutes on vinyl. It was released that way in the U.K. when it first came out but sold out quickly, only to be found on Ebay for more money than I was willing to spend.

Also, a new band out of NYC contacted us at BZT asking if we play independent bands. Well of course we do. If you're good that is. And the band, Predestined is good. Straight out rock with real unique crunchy guitar and a great lead singer. Super tight rhythm section, too. I had them send me a CD of their EP that you can get at the link from their name above. Naturally, you'll be hearing them right out of the gate on BZT #259, which is being produced tonight. I happen to think you'll dig 'em. Go listen to the clips, then buy it.

Dar Williams has a new one coming on Sept. 9th. Promised Land.

For those of you who were at The Tubes concert in Milwaukee recently, the opening band, Starfucker, has their debut album coming out this month. Hmmmm.

Jenny will be happy to hear, Ben Folds puts out his latest, Way To Normal on the 30th.

Come October, one of favorites, Todd Snider will have a new album, Peace Queer. Hahahahaha!! Only Todd could get away with that title.

So yeah, it's been a great year for music and more great stuff to come before it's over.

Ho

Lee

She

IT

This morning on the radio, I heard 'The Day That Never Comes', a song from the new Metallica album, Death Magnetic.

May I be the first to tell you that I think this album may very well top '...And Justice For All'. I know, I know, that's one bold fuckin' statement, but if that one song is any indication as to how good this new album is, it may very well be the best album they've ever made. Holy fuck I can't believe I'm saying that.

This one song alone, well over 8 minutes long, has the build of say, 'One', from And Justice For All, but, it has so many changes, fast, ballistic changes as it played out, that even I, Mr. Love That Progressive Rock could not mentally keep up with.

Wow. Just one huge Wow.

So, if you're like me and have been anxiously waiting for Metallica to make the proper followup album that they should've made 20 years ago after And Justice For All, it pleases me to tell you, it is here.

So, go, now, and pre-order Death Magnetic.

I myself will be buying the double vinyl of Death Magnetic.

I sitting here stunned over the fact that I'm excited about a new Metallica album. It is appropriate that they put this album out in 2008 though. Being their last great album was in 1988.

I'm trying to find some info about the recording process. I've heard rumors that they tracked it to analog tape first. But, I cannot confirm that. I sure hope it's the truth. Anyone?


~ By the way, new show up.

See! I'm not the only one who 28 years later is still wondering about that line from Brass In Pocket:

Search Engine = google.com
Search Words = gog new skank so reet AND meaning

I was #2 in the search.

~New show coming tonight. Just the two of us. And I don't mean Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers.

I was listening to an album last night on vinyl and again, the idea came to me to start a new feature on the site. I've been juggling this idea around for a couple years now. This Week's Vinyl with Jeff Archer Black. Basically, the premise is, I do an opener and discuss the album to be played completely. But only on vinyl. Info like the historical significance of the album if any. Years, dates, musicians. What makes it a special album. How it fits into my life and times. Stuffs like that. Sound like something you'd listen to? I have already decided which album to start with. One that I'd be willing to bet not a single one of you have ever heard before. Let alone even know it existed. But you sure know who the artist is. Perhaps I'll find time this weekend to put the pilot episode together. I have to do some research first. Lots of things I don't know about the album.

And, more Fleet Foxes stuff. Someone from the Steve Hoffman forum was kind enough to post a link to this site here. If you've ever wondered what Fleet Foxes sounded like prior to what's been reported as 'Robin scrapping the direction of the band and starting from scratch', you'll be quite pleased to visit that page. What's there is the tracks from their 2006 EP. (Available seemingly nowhere) And wow do they sound different. I can see exactly what Robin Pecknold was thinking when he did what he did with the band's sound and direction. I'm very glad he/they did, too. Not that the earlier music is bad in any way. It's just different. More solid 2/4 bass/snare drums. Overall, louder. I gotta say, if I was turned onto Fleet Foxes via this EP, instead of Sun Giant, I probably wouldn't have fallen so immediately in love with their music. So, again, Bravo Fleet Foxes! If there's that huge a leap forward creatively between 2006 & 2008, I can only imagine the next leap forward when they put their 2nd full length album together.

Yep, Fleet Foxes have broken the barrier and gotten themselves on Letterman. They now have millions of new fans. I'm quite proud of the guys.



One of the coolest things, if you notice, is that instead of Dave holding up a puny little shitty sounding CD, he has the big beautiful and great sounding LP in his hand. That just simply ROCKS!!

Bravo Fleet Foxes!

Had a laid back weekend. Luckily, I had a bit of a break from the sinus pain, et.al., to get out of the house Saturday night to catch the last set of The Stellanovas show. As always, I sat there the entire time smiling my ass off. I must say, I've never known a band who does that for me. In watching them play, I just sit there and smile. It's a combo of reasons. Firstly, they're ridiculously talented. Chris Wagoner, Mary Gaines & Jim Huwe (pronounced Hoo'-vee) are some of the best musicians in the world. Really. Secondly, they're funny as hell. The camaraderie between the 3 of them just makes ya feel good. And I need all the smilin' jammin' fun I can get.
If you're in Wisconsin or northern Illinois, it's very easy to go see them. This is their full time job, playing music. So they're out there constantly. You should go to their gigs page and find where they will be playing that's closest to you.
While you're there, you should contact them and get your hands/ears on copies of their two albums. They're both great. Mind you that the lively and hilarious patter between songs is not present on the CDs but that's ok. The music is out of this world good. Plus, if you're in the region, it'll make you want to get out and see them play live even more.

This weeks Blind Melon Forum Radio is a good one. The July 20th show is the one I'm refering to.
You should go dig on it.

Lazy Sunday morning here in Buzzland. Just the way they should be.

Have you ever actually read the lyrics to The Pretenders song, Brass In Pocket?
I finally did this morning and was a bit surprised by what I read. I'd always heard this one line in the song and said to myself, 'Wow, sounds like she's singing something about skank, but, that can't be. Chrissie sometimes isn't the best enunciator.'

But then I read this stanza:

GOT RHYTHM I CAN'T MISS A BEAT
GOT NEW SKANK IT'S SO REET
GOT SOMETHING I'M WINKING AT YOU
GONNA MAKE YOU, MAKE YOU, MAKE YOU NOTICE

What the shit? Got new skank? It's so reet? What the hell does that mean?
And then the next line. 'Got something I'm winking at you'? Why do I get the feeling she's not singing about her eye?

Chrissie Chrissie. You naughty girl. Gotta love 'er.

Oh, and by the way, if you haven't listened to The Pretenders first album in a while, or you do not own a copy of The Pretenders first album get it and give that thing a spin. It's one of the greatest rock albums ever made. Oh, and crank the piss out of it too. That album sounds better really loud.

Found someone who can comfort me, but there are always exceptions,
And she's good at appearing sane, but I just want you to know,

She's the one makes me feel so good when everything is against me,
Picks me up when I'm feeling down, so I've got something to show.

Staring at empty pages, centered 'round the same plot.
Staring at empty pages, flowing along in the ages.

Often lost and forgotten, the vagueness and the mud.
I've been thinking I'm working too hard, but I've got something to show.

Good words. Great song. Yeah, I've been on a Traffic/Winwood/Capaldi bender lately. Why? Don't know. Just am. I've even recently gotten Winwood's first two solo albums. Steve Winwood and Arc Of A Diver.
His debut is great. Picks up right where When The Eagle Flies left off with Traffic in '74. Arch Of A Diver, well, not so much. And here, now, you're going to witness me say something that you've probably never heard me say before, and, I probably won't ever again. On Arc Of A Diver, the radio hits are by FAR the best songs on the album. I find that strange. You know me. I usually hate the radio songs because with most bands, the radio songs are the lowest common denominator music, the simplist and most digestible by your simpleton radio listener. Unoffensive in every way. Not the case with Arc Of A Diver.

Also, I've found myself intrigued by Chris Wood of Traffic. Very interesting character he was. One thing that I noticed on the Traffic album covers was this little logo:

The first time I really noticed it was on their 2nd album, Traffic:

There between Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood. Chris is pointing at it. The look on his face is really cool. Probably a bit hard to see on such a small picture, but when you have the vinyl album cover, it's very apparent.
On a different cover, I think it's When The Eagle Flies, it's in Chris Wood's hand. So, I've always connected it with Chris in particular, not the band as a whole. You know, like the four members of Led Zeppelin had their own symbols. I was wrong.
Actually, there is quite an interesting story behind that symbol here. Or rather, a few interesting stories.


(Later) - Wow. Just, wow. 'Bout time one of these geezers figures it out. Sadly, 30 years too late. Of course, I realize that this story is complete bullshit. Everything on CAP News is bullshit. Kinda sad when ya think about it. It's still funny as hell from a ironic standpoint though.

I've ordered their full length debut on vinyl. And am looking quite forward to it's arrival.

Also, I really dig the lead singer, Robin Pecknold. Especially after reading this interview.

The key line he said is about half way down. About how hippies were cool. Hmmm, I remember this cool DJ guy that said the exact same thing on his show a couple weeks back. Coincidence? You bet.

Check this thread out from the Steve Hoffman Forum.

How cool is that?! I can see the day in the future where CDs have been put out to pasture. No love lost there with me. You will see the day come in the next 10 years where there are two main formats. Digital download files (mp3) and vinyl. I believe this.
What's good about the resurgence and amazing upward scream of vinyl production is that the more people want the format, the more they will make and eventually the less they will cost. Right now, most 180 gram albums are in the 30 to 40 dollar range. That's pretty high as far as I'm concerned. But it will come down. I paid 19.99 for the new Steve Winwood. And that was a double album on 180 gram. It's happening, slowly.
The things you're going to start seeing more and more are new turntables with a dock for your I-pod built right into the damn thing. I'll never have one, nor an I-pod but still, if that makes the younger generation buy more vinyl, great! The only problem with those things is that I fear they're not the best tables to begin with. Meaning, some of the inherent weaknesses of the vinyl format will be a more pronounced with them. Namely, inner groove velocity distortion. I can see that turning a number of young people off to vinyl. So, hopefully the makers of these digital ready turntables will put a bit more into their R&D and try their best to minimize these issues as best they can. Either way or, having an analog sourced album on your I-pod is still going to sound better than a 128k digital file downloaded off the internet any day.

Viva Le Vinyl!!

Have a groovy weekend mi amigos.

Yep. Not much to say lately. Been in a rut. Stuff not for public consumption.

As always, concerned about the insanity of the admin. More and more reports telling that an attack of Iran is coming in the next 2 months. Why is it that I'm more terrified of what my own gov't is about to do than what some foreign 'terrorist' group may do here? All I can say is that Congress better grow some balls as soon as possible. The shitstorm about to be unleashed will pale in comparison to the flying turds these psychotic fascists have flung already. Their actions are not done in my name. I've done most of what an individual citizen can do to change their course. Obviously to no avail.

Ok, lemme dig for some happy shit...

Got the new Steve Windwood album on vinyl. This is the best piece of new vinyl I've gotten yet. Not the least bit over mastered. Nice quiet surface. Great dynamic range. This is the way all vinyl should be made nowadays.
As for the music, Steve Winwood has knocked it out of the park on Nine Lives. I always loved the music he made with Traffic. I did like his solo stuff in the late 70's and very early 80s but lost track of him after that. If a song did happen to surface in the late 80s or 90s on the radio, it obviously didn't appeal to me. But this album really harkens back to the Traffic days. Nice and mellow. Sparce instrumentation. Solid songs all the way through. Real drums! Hell yeah! The songs vary between the laid back mellowness of hippie Traffic grooves, to Cuban rhythmetism to slippery blues jams. Overall considering this is 2008 and he's still alive and producing such an enjoyable album, it definetly deserves 5 out of 5 Screwdrivers. And I'll drink to that!

(By the way, did you know that if you order any of the albums I link to at Amazon, I get a percentage of the sale? Didja? Huh?)

Blind Melon were ridiculously great. I had 3 beers all night and just didn't need anything else. I was on such a natural high. One that I very rarely get, sadly. The show was everything I had expected and more.
Before it started, Jenny & I went out back to have a smoke and there by the bus was Brad. We just walked up to him and I said, "Hi Brad. How's it goin' eh?" He was very open and friendly. Real cool cat. As expected. He seemed just as stunned to be back on the road with the band as we were.
Then it started. They came boppin' out full of smiles and high energy. Ran through great song after song.
Due to the fact that I pre-ordered the tickets, we ended up with the best seats in the place. The side box seats stage left. I stayed up there for awhile but just had to get down on the floor and jam. And did. Right there in front of me, Christopher Thorn and Brad Smith. At one point, Brad saw my grinnin' stupid melon and acknowledged me with a smile. That was rather cool. Man those guys love just playing. And it's so cool that Travis Warren came along to see to it that they get a second go round with the band. I have a feeling they're going to be making music with him for a long, long time to come. So yeah, they rocked their nuts off.
After the show, we went back out by the bus and Brad was right there again. Rogers was too and we had a quick word with him. He split then. We begged the favor of one of the folks there to take a picture of us with Brad and she did. Thank you, whoever you were.
The other one I wanted to say hello to was Christopher. He came out but was immediately accosted by a young lady who immedately pulled the ultimate no no. She asked him, "Are you an original member of the band?" Wha?! Then, she proceeded to wrap herself around him and spew a long line of emotional whoknowswhat in Christopher's ear. As soon as he got loose of her, he got the fuck out of there as fast as his feet would carry him. Hehheh.
Well, Jenny, since I had agreed to drive us home knocked 'em back and was more than ready to get home. I weaved my way out of the city and smiled all the way back out to the boonies.

Hell.

Yeah.


(Later thought) Oh yeah, when we went and talked to Brad the 1st time, right away he pointed at my shirt and said, "Man, that's badass!" The shirt was the one that came with the package from the company we pre-ordered the new album from. Jenny and I had a tye-dye party on Monday night and I did up the white (I refuse to wear white) T-shirt from the order. Brad seemed rather impressed. It was a proud moment due to my excellent (toottoot) tye-dying skills. I'll be taking a picture or two of the shirt. Mostly because I want to capture the sig that Brad put on it before it fades away with washing.


(Even Later thought) Jenny just read this and said, "Hey, you forgot to tell them that I went out for a smoke during the show and ran into Travis." If I recall correctly, he went out for a smoke when the band was jammin' on the long slow ripped away intro to No Rain. Jenny says, "I got a big sweaty hug from Travis." Yeah Travis, she had no idea you were from Texas.


(Sidenote: Who are you who's googling Ratzass Indiana?)
You can find the music here:
http://jeff-archer-black.net/ratzass/ratzass.html

Got the new Got the new R.E.M. album on 45 rpm vinyl a few days ago. Saturday I think. Gave it a spin. I wasn't blown away but overall, it does sound a bit better than the CD. Now that I hear this, which should sound amazing, I realized that Jackknife Lee, the producer could very well be the albums problem. In mastering vinyl, the engineer simply cannot crush the living shit out of the music to make it as loud as possible as they can on CD. So, if the vinyl sounds crushed and distorted, that means the digital master was that way to begin with. May I remind you that he's the one who produced U2's "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" and Snow Patrol's "Final Straw," two albums that sounded like complete mushed out stomped to compression hell shit. I've come to the conclusion that I'll be looking out for albums produced by this guy. And make sure that I avoid them at all costs. I mean come on, the guy goes around calling himself Jacknife. That alone should say something about the size of his ego. Sorry Mr. Lee, the sounds you produce are sadly brickwall rotten.

Gladly, and in spite of the horrible production and minimal dynamic range, the music shines through. Now that I've listened carefully to the album, there's another batch of songs I would've played a couple shows back instead. Houston is a really stong song. So is the title track, along with Sing For The Submarine and Horse to Water. Basically I love every song except the current radio song Supernatural Superserious. It just reminds me too much of What's The Frequency Kenneth off of Monster, the album that put the final nail in R.E.M.'s coffin back in '94 for me even though I'd given up on them after '88.

Again, Bravo R.E.M.

And BOOOOOOOOOOOOO to Mr. Jacknife. Shame on you for destroying such good music with your 'In Your Face' producing. What's sad is, there probably isn't a decent sounding copy/master of this album in existence. It will go down in history, forever sounding like shit. The Loudness Wars will be a large stain on music history.

And you thought cocaine left a bad mark...


~~ We also bought a real CD of the new album by Portishead. A friend had zapped a copy for us off his pc to see if we liked it, but you know me and mp3 sound. Good news is that we like it a lot. It's Portishead. Dark, brooding, and well, sexy. This album is a bit different than their first two studio albums. The instruments are more acoustic. Or, acoustic sounding, i.e. the drums. That beatbox sound is gone here mostly. Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons and Adrian Utley lay it on heavy lyrically. Moreso that anything they've done before.
The true test of a good Portishead album is the horizontal groove factor. Yes, we tested it out and it shined. If you've not grooved horizontally/juxtapositionally with someone while Portishead is playing rather loudly, you should. Trust me.
So, if you dug them before, click on their name above and go get it.


~~Another subject. I wrote above about the bad skidmark cocaine left on recorded music. It reminded me of something I've talked about on the show before. If you aren't a listener, I'll reiterate it here now. You've surely heard someone along the way say something to the effect of the Hippie Dream dying, yes? That Peace, Love & Happiness ethic that was so prevelant in the mid to late 60s & early 70s. It had great potential. Many people still try to live life with that Ethic in mind. I try but sadly have been poisoned by the general nastiness of humanity. But I still try to live by that 'Do onto others...' thing. See, that was all good and well back then. But, something happened that put the Hippie Dream to bed. I personally think it was cocaine. The Hippies should've just stuck to their pot and acid. But no. The 70s hit and so did the cocaine. Cocaine has a way of making people change completely. And not in a good way. They become consumed with it and the high speed life. The delusions of grandeur. The toxic possessiveness. The greed. A fine example is David Crosby. If you've never read his autobiography "Long Time Gone", you should. Nowhere in writing has anyone ever detailed the individual demise brought on by a life of using cocaine. Also, think about the effect cocaine had on music in general. Holy shit folks, cocaine helped create disco! And most of the synthesizer pap called new wave. On top of that cocaine helped usher in big hair rock! Hell almighty.
I'll go as far as saying even heroin didn't have much of a negative effect on recorded music as cocaine did. Some of my favorite music was recorded while the musicians playing it were smacked out of their minds.
So, stay away from the coke folks. Lament with me the demise of the Hippie Dream. Look sadly upon the one time Hippies that now are the greediest, evilest, vilest corporate sellout shitbags living whose Ethics went to hell like the eight balls that went up their noses.


~~ A couple days ago, someone signed up for the BZT Forum. Naturally I have to check 'em out a bit before activating their membership being I don't care much for spambots. Well, it turned out to be a human named Kate from the UK. She's working on becoming an A&R/Promoter of music and bands from her part of the world and while doing research regarding radio stations and net stations that play independent music, she found us through the link on Perfect Sound Forever. I think that's mighty cool and she seems like a real cool individual too. So, hopefully soon you'll be hearing some of the bands she's behind. I know I'm looking forward to it. Bring 'em on.

~~ And lastly, if you're a Fazz Jan, there's a new Jazz show up. #25. I happen to think it's the finest one I've done yet. Dig.

I came to know of Doug Williams from the Blind Melon Forum. Found he lives about an hour or so away from me. And hope to have him up to the studio to guest host and play his music. Here on this nastyass cloudy rainy Sunday morning, after listening to Blind Melon Forum Radio, I finally remembered to go check out his music. And I am completely diggin' it. Both his solo stuff and the music with his band Weathered Reign.

I say you should take some time and go listen to both of 'em.

Oh, and then go listen to Blind Melon Forum Radio with Matt.

The morning after, and I actually feel moderately decent. Did the right thing last night and stopped drinking at 9 pm as I always should on weeknights. I do most. But, there's a few of 'em here and there where I just gotta have that 'one last weak one' at about 9:08 pm. Weak my ass. I never make a weak screwdriver. I am fundamentally incapable of it.

Got another sunny one today. Dig that. They're talking 79 degrees today. And I really realized how good a band Los Lobos is last night. Was? I don't know. Are they still together? Lemme go look...

... Matter o' fact, they are still together. Released the album, The Town & The City in 2006. And it got a great review on AllMusic.com. I think I'll be getting that.
La Pistola y El Corazon is the one we listened to last night and is an album I just can't get enough of. I hope to find more music like this one in the Los Lobos collection. Go listen to the samples on AllMusic.com. I love that kind of stuff. Something about it just makes me smile. Even though I can't understand a damn word they're singing.

And while I'm at it, for anyone who says there isn't a vinyl resurgence, explain this. Amazon has never sold vinyl until recently. How cool is that?
After looking, there are over 31,000 vinyl albums on Amazon.

I wrote on some forum somewhere, probably The Blind Melon Forum that so far 2008 is the year of the comeback. Think about it. How many bands and/or musicians who had their glory days in the 70s, 80s or 90s are back this year with excellent albums after either disappearing altogether or had their talent/creativity disappear. It's rather astounding. Speaking of such, I heard a new song by The Offspring. Now, they've apparently been making albums all this time but radio has completely ignored them. Until now.

From their website:

New Album Release Information
(05/05/08) The band recently completed work on the new album Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace with legendary producer Bob Rock (Metallica, The Cult) and are now preparing for its upcoming release and the accompanying world tour. You should be hearing “Hammerhead” on your local radio station now, if not, give them a call and let them know you want to hear it.

And of course...

A special gatefold vinyl edition of the album with access to a free download of the album will be released alongside the traditional CD and download in the United States.

Hell yeah! The new song Hammerhead is classic Offspring. It's one of their suite-like songs. I thought it really rocked. Plus, you would think that after all the years of screaming his head off, Dexter Holland would have no voice left. Not the case. He's never sounded better. 'Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace' will see a June 17th, 2008 release in the U.S.

Of course, other bands to make a grand comeback this year:
Blind Melon
R.E.M.
Steve Winwood - Who's new album Nine Lives will be in my possession on vinyl soon. It's the closest thing to Traffic that he's ever done solo. Sounds great!
I'll think of others after I've posted this I'm sure. I know there are others. So there ya go. Go buy some music.

I can't believe I'm going to actually type what I'm about to type. But, I think it's justified.

R.E.M. is BACK!

Yep, I got Jenny the new album (on cd) by R.E.M., Accelerate and it was playing when I came in the door last night from work. Immediately, I was taken aback. Said to myself, "Hmmm, she must've listened to the new one and now has one of the late 80's REM albums on. Nope. It was the new one.
Granted, the album is a bit short. Just over 34 minutes. Which is strange for modern times. And, also, the mastering to CD was atrocious. To be expected. But the music. The Music is back. Stipe is mumbling through most of the upbeat songs. The guitars harken back to a range of Fables through Document. The melodies just move. What a refreshing thing to hear from this band that I'd long ago gave up on.

Bravo R.E.M.!! Welcome back to the world of great music.

And oh yeah, you'll be hearing plenty of it on show #241, which we'll be recording tonight.

I was sitting in my car before work in the lot having a smoke when I switch radio stations and heard 'The Real Me' by The Who off of Quadrophenia. Have you ever really listened to that song. Most especially John Entwhistle's bass guitar playing. Just by this song alone, I'll say that he was one of the most underrated bassists ever. The shit he's doing on that song is profoundly strong playing. He's all over the fretboard. The Who was lucky to have him.

If you don't know much about The Ox, here is a really groovy site with lots about him and his basses.

Now, if you've not listened to Quadrophenia in a long time, or never, go do that. And when The Real Me starts, crank that fucker up. You'll be floored when you really hear what he did on the bass.

~~ New show up and Flame Shark were our guests in studio. Justin & Mike played a very cool and intense set. Thanks guys. We really enjoyed it.


~~For you lost & found folks, I believe I have unearthed the long thought to lost in the ether forever, very 1st BZT show. And 2nd too. I need to do some more research with dates and such but as soon as I confirm this, you bet yer ass I'm gonna be posting them in the Dustbin. I'm quite excited about this. By the way, do any of you who were around then have a recording of shows 1 through 13? Let me know.


~~Here's a really cool article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Forget MP3s, some teens turning to vinyl records

By RICHARD L. ELDREDGE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/07/08

On a recent afternoon 15-year-old Graham Saylor popped into Decatur CD to check out new releases. But he sprinted right past the CDs, stopping, instead, at the six bins of vinyl records.

Saylor prefers to listen to his favorite new acts, such as TV on the Radio and the Black Keys, on the black 12-inch platters. Some classmates at Decatur High School have become vinyl fans as well.

So what attracts the teens to a musical format that was proclaimed landfill fodder years before they were born?

"I just dig vinyls more. The tone is warmer. I'm not much of a digital guy," explains Saylor.

Building his collection since sixth grade, he bought a turntable on eBay for $60 and inherited audio equipment from his dad, Lance.

Saylor, according to last year's Nielsen SoundScan numbers, is hardly alone. The retail sales service reported that 990,000 vinyl albums were sold in the United States last year, up 15 percent from 858,000 in 2006. That accounts for about 2 percent of all music sold, compared to CDs and downloads. Still, it's impressive for a format that began a sales slide in 1983.

Decatur CD owner Warren Hudson is taking notice. In December he added one bin of vinyl. By February, he had six and was scouting out space to add more.

"I honestly never thought we'd see vinyl in stores again," he said. "But a lot of our customers are kids who never bought records the first time around. "

Music Direct, which specializes in remastered vinyl and record player sales, reports its vinyl sales are up 300 percent since 2005.

"This year, we will see more albums being released on vinyl since the year 1980," says Music Direct rep Josh Bizar. "If you're a band that skews to young people, a vinyl version is a necessity."

Indie acts such as Vampire Weekend, Cat Power and Atlanta's Black Lips routinely issue a vinyl version of their releases, along with MP3 and CD editions. Some artists even offer coupons for free downloads of albums when you buy the vinyl format.

And while Saylor downloads music, it can't compare to his vintage vinyl copy of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," which had been stored in his grandmother's attic in upstate New York.

Last year, Barbara Notaro, 60, a lifelong rock fan who attended Woodstock, let her grandson take "Dark Side" and 200 other old albums back to Atlanta.

"It's totally my prized possession," Saylor said.

He finds listening to records with friends more fun. "Nobody is ever going to look at your iTunes library and say 'Nice collection you got there.' "

Lance Saylor, 44, supports his son's vinyl fascination, but says he won't be returning to records.

"Why would you go back to listening to static?" he said. But after picking up a piece of shrink-wrapped vinyl, the dad's perspective softens. "The artwork is what I miss. There would be certain records where you would memorize every image, every letter."

Big record companies like Columbia and Atlantic are also getting back into the vinyl groove as demand increases. One glitch: Most major labels sold off or converted their vinyl pressing plants decades ago. So new pressings of their classic catalogs, including albums by Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan, are being licensed out to boutique vinyl companies like Sundazed, 4 Men With Beards and Classic Records.

Classic Records is offering detailed re-creations of masterpieces such as 1959's "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis, with original artwork. Price tag: $30.

At Wuxtry Records in Decatur, owner Mark Methe and employee Richard Kuykendall have taken note of vinyl's quiet comeback but point out the 30-year-old store and its loyal vinyl-loving customers have never gone away.

Most of Decatur High senior Breton Randall Jordan's collection came from Wuxtry, including classic albums from Richard Hell, Devo and Black Flag.

Jordan cites the shop's "vinyl coolness" and long ties to the Georgia music scene as reasons he buys there.

While audiophiles argue that vinyl's sound is superior to compressed MP3 files and the sanitized digital mastering on CDs, Methe won't be dragged into the debate. "I can tell you this: Vinyl sounds awfully good. And we wouldn't be here 30 years later if our customers didn't agree."

Customer Andy Forbes, 33, of Little Five Points, has dragged his record collection and turntable through various moves over the years.

"It's the sound a needle makes when it lands on an album," said Forbes. "There's nothing quite like it."

He also likes the artwork and the lyrics on albums. Notable Peachtree Road resident Sir Elton John agrees.

"As a fan, I've always wanted to learn more about the artist and where they recorded it and who played on it," John told the AJC last year. "I was always sitting there with the gatefold sleeve. I do the same thing now with CDs. I just need a magnifying glass now!"

B-52's frontman Fred Schneider lugs vinyl from his vast collection to his weekly Sirius Satellite Radio show, where he plays 12-inch remixes and collectibles from his rare "outsider music" stash.

"There are just so many things out on vinyl that were never issued in any other format," he said, adding that "Funplex," the Bs new album, will be issued on vinyl.

Other record enthusiasts are buying turntables with USB cables for their laptops. The unit enables users to burn old vinyl onto CDs.

Collector Andy Forbes concedes the result is a little, well, weird.

Says Forbes, laughing: "There's just something a little out of place about hearing the snaps and pops of a vinyl recording in your car."

On the Hoffman forum, I wrote this about the article:

"Couple things in that article are like fingernails on a chalkboard to me when I hear people say 'em:

1. Lance Saylor, 44, supports his son's vinyl fascination, but says he won't be returning to records. "Why would you go back to listening to static?" he said.

2. Collector Andy Forbes concedes the result is a little, well, weird. Says Forbes, laughing: "There's just something a little out of place about hearing the snaps and pops of a vinyl recording in your car."

The people who say things like this bug the piss out of me. If that's the thing you remember most about listening to vinyl 20-30 years ago, that only proves that you didn't take care of your records for shit. And because of that, you should be punished to only listen to your rotten sounding mp3s.
Only on the very rare occasion (i.e. album never pressed to cd that is near impossible to find that is not in the best shape) do I hear 'static' or 'snaps & pops' on my vinyl.

Those are the ones who speak negatively of vinyl.

Then, there's the ones who speak of clicks and pops in a positive way. Such as, "ah, there's NOTHIN' like droppin' the needle on an album and hearing the dust and scratches, clicking and popping," as if that's how they're supposed to sound.

HUH?!

And that is the criteria I base my decisions on as to who comes within 20 feet of my turntable and albums.

Setting that aside, still, a cool article. Any article that speaks kindly to vinyl is cool to me though."


~~Have yourself a groovy little weekend mi amigos.

Vince at BeeMelon.Com has put up an article about BZT #232. Holy smokes man! You've got a TON of readers. I can remember the last time I've seen so many hits for a show in such a short period of time.
I hope those of you throughout Europe, Scandinavia, South America, North America & other points around the planet have enjoyed the show. No, we're not always, that drunk, by the way.

Currently, Blind Melon is out on the second leg of their tour. Am I going to be able to see them in Milwaukee. Sadly, no. I'd rather not divulge the reason why. But, if any of you've seen them on the tour so far, drop a comment here and let us know what you thought of it.

I gotta mention this. One thing that's really stood out to me on the new Blind Melon songs, is Glen Graham's drumming. On the first 3 albums, there was no denying that he was a great drummer, but, something has happened since then. Probably simply the years of playing in between then and now, but the stuff he's coming up with is flat out excellent. The fills, in his usual unusual places within the songs are more creative than ever. The dexterity he displays on songs such as Wishing Well and many others throughout the new album For My Friends is above and beyond anything he's done before. And, well, I dig the hell out of it. I'm real happy that he decided to rejoin the reformed Blind Melon. The band just wouldn't be the same without his unique style of drumming, egging them all on.

But, Blind Melon, the band of musicians, wouldn't be the same without the collective creativity of Rogers, Christopher, Brad & Glen. Which is what makes it all the more astounding that there was a person in this world that could intertwine himself so perfectly into the sound of the band such as Travis Warren.

I see that the band has a day off, March 19th, in between the Milwaukee & Davenport Iowa shows. How cool would it be if I could talk 'em into dropping by the studio. I'm only a half mile off the highway they'll be taking to get from Milwaukee & Davenport. So it's not like it's out of their way.