It might be hard to find a used copy of this modern album which came out in 2016. So my 4 dollar sign price rating means it will likely be up to $20 for a copy. Could be more.
Mees is a Portland eccentric (not judging here, just accurately describing). He sets himself immediately as a contrarian as he sings on the first song of the album:
They say life is short but I say it’s long
That’s kind of like saying: They say the sky is clear but I say its gray
He sings in a sing song-y voice that sometimes sounds like a sardonic Cat Stevens and other times like Mr. Rogers.
He sings about the media and the ‘echo chamber’ effect and prays to Jesus to not allow him to become: an asshole.
The videos are pretty interesting and funny. I received this as a birthday gift from my Portland-based sister who picked it out by describing my musical tastes to the record store clerk.
Haven’t had a long time with it, but I think the clerk may have done well..
Meat Loaf motorcycle appears to be flying out of my computer keyboard.
Meat Loaf. That’s Mr. Loaf to you sonny.
Meat Loaf was who he was/is.
What he was was: A powerful singer, who produced a highly entertaining album as I was a senior in high school. Collaborator Jim Steinman wrote the songs and Todd Rundgren threw some of his magic potion in.
And man, did the Meat Loaf album capture a teen moment with humor and dumbed down imagery so that even the slowest among us could get it. A play-by-play featuring former baseball player and announcer Phil ‘Scooter’ Rizzuto.
Bombastic. Sure it was. World changing. Surely it wasn’t.
Unless you are the one being asked in a backseat moment:: ‘What’s it going to be boy, yes or no? … Do you love me, will you love me forever? Do you need me? Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life …”
And we know what rhymes with ‘life.”
Wiki says the album is one of the best selling of all time with 43 million copies sold. It was 343 on a top 500 greatest albums list by Rolling Stone.
Entertaining. Yes. It is like a teen movie, cinematic in scope. American Graffiti with a Springsteen reach for grandeur and a Rocky Horror Picture Show reach for vamp.
Cool fact: It was rejected several times and was really was a slow starter coming out of the garage. But it picked up big support in the UK and Canada before going nuts in the U.S.
Speaking of Ellen Foley –– she was back-up singer and sang the part of the young woman asking those hard questions: Yes, yes, yes, or no?
I really listened to the Mekons a lot not long after we had moved to Florida. I remember taping this on cassette and listening to it on my daily 50-minutes one-way from Eustis to Orlando.
But over the last decade or more, the band have been out of my awareness.
This came out 1989 so I was standing at the door of the 90s decade carrying my last new vinyl album before going to compact disc. If it was not this album that was my last, it would have been either Warren Zevon’s last record (before he died) or it might have been a David Lindley record that was selling right at the changeover (1988’s ‘Very Greasy’ maybe?) and I remember wondering if I should get it in CD or not. I went with not.
(I think I had Soul Asylum on the other side of the cassette.)
As I’ve said, I love their catchy Memphis, Egypt with the shouted chorus ‘Rock N’ Roll’. It’s a song that most people think it is named ‘Rock N’ Roll. This is a great song, but the album is strong throughout and the lyrics are too, I think. I still need to check that. This is one of those that after 30 years I don’t remember what the album was about. But I remember buying from a little music store in Orlando. Name escapes me now. Despite the guitar solos and distortion there seems to be a tad bit too much production sheen. But maybe not, some like the cleaner brighter sound of meticulously produced music, but this is one of those where you don’t want to produce the energy out of such a raucous opening cut.
The music is straight-head hard rock with a fun alternative touch. Think of Cheap Trick meets the Clash. And some pretty decent lyrics: This isn’t no fake band — it’s smart.
When the female group member, Tammy Sims, is the lead singer as on Club Mekon , it reminds me a bit of Ellen Foley who sang “The Shuttered Palace” produced by her once boyfriend, Mick Jones <corrected 7/17. Not Strummer.>
I’m one and out on the Mekons and I see they have more than 10 recordings — so looks good for opportunity to explore.
One of my favorite lines is from Simms in ‘Club Mekon.’
And when I danced and saw you dance I saw a world where the dead are worshiped This world belongs to them now and they can keep it!
“I live alone and I walk the dark edge of the shoplights shadow, In each display a private hell, name your price you’re up for sale.
You know it’s difficult to break into the entertainment business and make a career at it. Ask Don “American Pie’ McLean. He broke in big time by writing and singing one of the all time classic songs. But as good as that song was – and I loved everything about the song and would sing it at the top of my lungs in the car with my parents – it was like a lightning bolt a flash of mighty heat and light. And then gone.
It was a song that crossed intergenerational boundaries. Singalong chorus, clever allegories.
The words were an elegy to Rock and Roll. Some took issue with the apparent conclusion that rock died (or at least lost its innocence the day Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash. The song is smart has a good tune and McLean was the right voice for it.
So what happened after ‘American Pie’? I may have had the 45 at one time but mainly I listened to it on the radio and wasn’t buying many records around 1971. I know he had another minor hit with ‘Vincent,’ a good song but no American Pie. Last year, when I saw a couple of McLean albums in a bargain bin, I decided to see what this guy was like and why he didn’t do more songs that were that good.
So for $4, I have two McLean albums, a self-titled one and Believers. I came away underwhelmed. Not that these folk songs were bad. There were some very good songs, nice melodies, interesting words on here — but nothing took off to the next level. I think I would benefit from hearing from a big fan of McLean’s, someone who can steer me to what I’m apparently missing.
McLean may be talking about himself here in ‘Bronco Bill’s Lament” of his self-titled album.
“I’m an old man now with nothing left to say; but oh God how I worked my youth away; You may not recognize my face; I used to be a star; a cowboy hero known both near and far.”
Even if McLean has had some slow years, he looks back fondly at his career.
In a 2014 interview with the Advocate he said:
“From an artistic standpoint, I’m taken somewhat seriously, or appreciated, everywhere. I’m happy about that because this business can be cruel and demeaning. The years have been good to me because the stature of my songs has increased rather than diminished.”
Although this is totally different music then the Chet Atkins instrumental buddy guitar group I reviewed earlier in the countdown (See No. 666) there are similarities: Guitar, instrumental tracks all.
The difference is that Atkins put on a jazzy folksy feel feel with a little twang left in. Some of the guitarists on that venture were Larry Carton, Mark Knopfler and George Benson.
McLaughlin, leader of the super prog group, Mahavishnu Orchestra, snagged two of the best guitarists and guitar technicians and put on a concert that needs a quiet room.
Paco de Lucia making Spanish guitar fireworks with finger-picked explosions of sound (fury included).
Not necessarily easy music to listen to. It requires direct attention. But to be honest, I did listen and I still get the feel of ‘look what I can do now show me what you can do’ vibe. It might be me projecting.
The guitar playing is fantastic, that’s for sure. The blending of three highly skilled players coming at the guitar was an idea that, once again, I think looks better on paper.
But they sure can pick. Sitting here listening, it goes across my mind. What would it have been like if they put Glen Campbell into the mix? Just a thought.
MVC Rating: 3.5/$$$ (I don’t think you are going to be able to get this for under $10 and maybe not under $15.)
There’s no other way to describe this band. They are punk.
Loud shouted vocals, thrashing, loosely played, guitars and an ideology bordering on anarchy.
The only thing about MC-5. They formed their band Motor City 5 in 1964. Yes that’s right, they were screaming their heads off and playing relatively sloppy G and A chords while the Sex Pistols were getting out of Kindergarten.
It would be another decade before the Sex Pistols, often called the first punk band ,would start doing their thing. Don’t believe me check em out. I saw this used in great condition and snapped it up at WUXTRY in Athens as a teenager. So I was prepared when the Sex Pistols and the Clash, Black Flag and Dead Kennedy’s. et al. began their angry and cathartic outbursts — about 10 years later.
In 1969 MC5 put out their signature song: ‘Kick Out the Jams.’
Because they often started that song with an obscenity, the Hudson Department store chain refused to stock and sell their records. Another omen of things to come.
I feel like I’ve been remiss in not touting Curtis Mayfield enough. My early exposure to soul when I was around 9 or 10 was mainly from Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Aretha. Oh yes, Al Green a little later.
But I recollect I loved the song ‘People Get Ready,’ an overt religious gospel piece that Rolling Stone ranks as the 24th of the 500 best songs that shaped rock music.
And Superfly is one jammin’ soundtrack, with a message for the ‘man.’
And at about the same time Marvin Gaye (another favorite) started becoming socially conscious in songs such as ‘What Going On?.’
Superfly, the soundtrack from the movie was in that vein. Mayfield with his ever-present falsetto sang about the junkies, the pimps, the violence, injustice from the street level.
Song was punctuated with: Trying to get over — Superfly.
Besides being a great songwriter and singer, Curtis could play some guitar.
The album is funky fun from 1 to 9 cuts with standouts such as the title song, Pusherman, Freddie’s Dead and Little Child Runnin’ Wild.
I’m not sure why they called movies like Superfly blaxploitation films. Shaft was another favorite of mine by Isaac Hayes. Do they call ‘Rambo’ a whitesploitation film?
Wow, look at that cover on this album by a band named Malo.
When I first saw it, I thought of the cover art on Abraxas, Santana’s great second album. Obviously different covers in color and all — but similar in other striking ways, attention to detail, beautiful people from another time and place. Maybe it was the same painter?
I put it on the turntable and what did I hear. A jamming rhythmic Latin-tinged, multi-piece band with trumpets, electric guitar and lots of shake rattle and roll. Man it sounded like early Santana led by Carlos Santana.
So not surprisingly as I checked out the names of musicians, I noticed Jorge Santana. He is, I found out, Carlos’ brother. As an early Santana fan, I couldn’t believe I never heard that. As a decade long dweller in Marin County, California, where Carlos lives and is frequently spotted driving around in his convertible(s) I never knew he had a brother in a band or that I had never heard of the band. Of course I believe, the band no longer existed by the time I got there in 2001. They had a Top 20 hit with Suavecito but you don’t see this album around at least not on the east coast.
Maybe they should have re-thought the band’s name. Malo in Spanish means ‘Bad.’
The Malo album cover is from a painting by Mexican painter Jesus Helguera.
The Abraxis cover was from a painting called Annunciation by German-French painter Mati Klarwein.
Roger Manning is a New York-based artist who went around the world busking — singing for donations. He comes off sounding a bit like a higher pitched kid brother of Bob Dylan.
And he’s angry and sad, good traits for street level busking. Every one of the 12 songs on this self-named album have the ‘Blues’ in the title. In other words there’s the #14 Blues, the #16 Blues, Strange Little Blues, the Pearly Blues and the Lefty Rhetoric Blues and so on.
Funny lines in many backed by a hard strummed acoustic guitar that sounds pretty much the same on every song.
From ‘Lefty Rhetoric Blues:’ Lefty folksinger rhetoric has such a boring ring, they make me sick, they oversimplify everything ….but, then on the other hand they were right about Vietnam
WIkipedia says Manning was part of the ‘anti-folk movement’ and his legal challenge in 1985 overturned New York’s longstanding ban on music in the subway, and launched the Music Under New York program. He is currently a web designer in NYC, according to Wikipedia.
