MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$ (an extra bump here for the two very strong songs. The rest of the album is 3.0 and 3.5 quality).
The Plimsouls first came to my attention through the movie ‘Valley Girls.’ I know that sounds like a bit of a sex romp but it wasn’t — really. I paid close attention.
Actually it was an early Nicolas Cage vehicle, who even at his young age was developing that amazing ability to act to be the same character in every movie.
That character, of course is Cage playing, of course, Cage.
Anyway the Plimsouls’ song Million Miles Away was featured in the movie, even a ‘live’ version of the song with the Plimsouls playing it in the club. It would fade in volume and camera attention to the band if the characters walked closer to the band. You know that effect: star talks to friend and band’s sound fades to background, then the friends turn their heads toward the band and and the volume increases dramatically.
Million Miles Away and That’s the Oldest Story are the two stellar songs — in fact two of my favorite rock songs of that era, especially the latter. The rest of the album couldn’t keep up though.
After the Plimsouls disbanded, Peter Case has put out quite a few albums as a solo act. See my post on him. And also, post Plimsouls, Paul Collins led a power pop band The Beat. Before all that, both played in an edgy new wave band called the Nerves. The third Nerve, Jack Lee, wrote Hanging on the Telephone, a hit for Blondie. The Nerves released it prior to Blondie.
This is I think a snippet of the movie only quick glance I didn’t see Cage.
When it was suggested that the band was a folk-rock band, one of the band’s members said that is wrong. One of the worst things you can do is put a rock beat on a folk song, said John Renbourn. The band preferred a folk-jazz categorization.
I think that’s fair. I’ve often said that a portion of what is called progressive rock isn’t really rock. Emerson Lake and Palmer, for example have gone off on deep forays into what is closer to classical music — unless that term is reserved for time-tested centuries old compositions by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.
This music is pretty and subtle. It has a sound that is both timeless and dated at the same time. Let me explain. I feel like I’m way back in time when I hear Pentangle but can’t pinpoint a date or era. That’s unlike, for example, the Stray Cats, whose style can be tied directly to 1950s music– at least in that bands original incarnation.
Pentangle could be turn of the century music or 14th century music. I don’t know — just go with me here. They look and sound like a band that would sound great Live at the Stonehenge.
WIkipedia says this Canadian group named themselves the Payolas after the big radio payola scandal in the 1960s. Alan Freed and all that. OK.
But then Wikipedia reports the band blamed their lack of success on the international level was due to US deejays not playing their records because of the name. Um, really. I find that a stretch. The scandal was two decades or more in the past before the Payolas were even a band. Their target audience wasn’t even born when that scandal popped.
They did sell quite a bit in Canada. Very 80s everpresent synth sound that doesn’t age well in my opinion. Lyrics are not happening. “Where is this love; that comes from above.”
Pretty good chops on their instruments. The great Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson joins them, although it was like a game tryin to find him in wash of synth-etic riffing. Hey maybe that was Ronson joining in a little guitar-synth. Some decent songs here but I can’t heartily recommend this one.
If you didn’t see my AL.com post of this on Friday, I’m am posting the blog version below.
Summary: Charlemagne Record Exchange a beloved record store in a walk-up at 5-Points South announced it was going out of business after 42 years. I knew Charlemagne a little bit, starting 1982 to 1987. Five Points was a different then. It did not have a Chick-fil-A centerpiece. It was the after-work party and dining destination. There was no Lakeview district; downtown Birmingham turned off the lights about 5 p.m. and Avondale was yet to begin flourishing.
Here’s blog version of my story published on AL.com on Friday:
My Vinyl Countdown: I almost bought a record store.
Oh, did I forget to tell you? I almost bought a record store a few weeks ago. The venerable Charlemagne Record Exchange on BIrmingham’s Southside announced it was shutting down after 42 years of operation.
I probably would have kept the name — lot of history there. Although, I’ve always dreamed of having a record shop called Wax, Shellac and 8-Tracks. In reality, ‘almost’ buying it may be a stretch.
But I was serious when I called Marian, the co-founder and co-owner. I was still serious when I took a tour: Is this my long-time dream, baby? Or is it more of a welcome to my nightmare situation.
Ultimately I had to be restrained from pursuing this by a family intervention. I’m still locked in the basement as I write this.
Seriously, I have spent a lot of my life in record stores and I have a lot of records. I know popular music — classic rock, soul, some country and jazz — pretty well.
But I’m not a business person. I don’t think I’d enjoy keeping up with the bottom line, health insurance, taxes, and such. I have family members to think about and, as some of you may know I have a progressive illness to take care of.
Ultimately, it came down to this: I can’t figure out if Charlamagne’s example is one of strictly local explanations –more competition with Renaissance Records down the street and Seasick in Avondale – or is it tied to a larger trend of vinyl sales leveling off. In other words is it that a canary portending misfortune or another yellow bird about finding joy?Will vinyl stay hot?
Its resurgence took many by surprise. But it is still a smaller slice of the music industry than it once was. While vinyl is set to overtake CD’s in sales, it is still just a niche’ market up against live streaming service — iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, etc.There are those like me who love to buy used, older records for $5 bucks each.
But new vinyl records for $26.99. Eh. Not so much.I told Marian, I don’t think the timing is right.But I’ll likely be selling the 678 (reality: 800) records of My Vinyl Countdown, bricks and mortar store or not.My wife, Catherine, has made me promise I’d take care of the albums before I go to my Graceland.
And my daughter’s getting married. And that costs money. Let’s just say after looking at potential wedding costs, I was heard quoting James Brown: Owww! Good God, Y’all.
I knew who Charlie Pride was from way back as a child. I knew he was the first African American country singer. My dad told me — I can’t even remember the context. Probably sitting around the television when Pride came on and I asked who he was.
Encouraged by Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball, Pride dodged his share of slings and arrows., but persevered. He played ball himself in the Negro Leagues before he began a singing career.
Although he wound up with four Grammys and numerous other awards, he only had one cross over Top 40 hit — ‘Kiss an Angel Good Morning’ — but it was a big one. Born in Mississippi, Pride played a little professional baseball before clearing several hurdles on the way to a significant country music career. He won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1971.
My father was a big country fan in his younger days so I grew up hearing country music around the house. My current favorites include Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard and George Jones. Guess you would call it Classic Country, the flipside of Classic Rock.
Charley Pride would be in that group. I turned up the car radio when they played ‘Kiss an Angel Good Morning.’ Great catchy song.
This is a good album if you want to get a feel for his plain country style. early in his career.
ALBUMS: Primitons ‘Happy All the Time;’ (1987) Pylon, GYRATE (1980)
RVC Rating: Primitons 4.0/$$$; Gyrate, 4.0/$$$$
You know it occurred to me listening to these again that Pylon’s Vanessa Briscoe sounded/sounds a lot like Chrissie Hynde fronting a punk band — or Janis Joplin where Briscoe could have stood face-to-face in a cathartic screech contest.
I put these two together, not because any similarity in music, but because they both are wonderful artifacts of the Southern alternative rock blast that started about 1978 and continued through the 1980s.
So the Primitons were from Birmingham and I’ve been told I attended their send-off at a 1985 Chuck’s WUXTRY (on 4th Ave. North.) I was here then. And I know Chuck from whom I used to purchase used records at the downtown Athens, Ga. WUXTRY and the Birmingham WUXTRY. Chuck moved his downtown store to Cahaba Heights where he sold records for years.
I remember a keg party one night at WUXTRY but don’t remember the music. I do remember slinging LPs like Frisbee’s — every vinyl junky’s dream — and we laughed as they splattered against the brick wall. When one spun too close to Mr. Businessman’s head, I think we scattered like the other rats in that alley.
As Steve Martin says, Mmm, having some fun now.
The Primitons was as melodic as many of Michael Stipe’s sentimental song impressions. In fact these bands are nearly polar opposites yet share a time and a place and an energy from a alt-Southern rock scene that surprisingly wasn’t Atlanta but Athens, Ga. and the Primitons likely made many I-20 trips to play in Athens. Ga. ,
Pylon is perhaps better known (than Primitons that is, not REM). A group much respected in the after hours crowd of the late 70s and early 80s where people stayed downtown and danced until 4 a.m. Pylon was 3-chords and get-up-on-the dance floor. And to think I heard Vanessa say in an interview that she enjoyed the experience but really was glad when it ended. Yep, there’s a certain age and athletic category you need to take five hours of body slams, the very loud chords and pancakes and eggs at The Grill.
Sun’s coming up!
If you like punk, hard rock you owe it to your self to listen to Pylon’s ‘Stop It’. See below:
It certainly looks like the covers share a similar artistic vision. But I have no evidence looking at liner notes that they are somehow linked.
ALBUMS: Damn the Torpedoes (1979); Let me Up I’ve Had Enough (1987);
MVC Ratings: Torpedoes, 4.5/$$$$; Let me up 4.0/$$$.
Of course like nearly every Florida southern boy (at least partly) I was a big fan of the Gainesville, FL, native. He became big when I was in late high school, early college age. ‘Let Me Up’ came out about the time CD’s were taking over and I’m kind of surprised i don’t have this in CD format.
The Let Me Up album was a surprise — I don’t think I listened to it much and it has some great playing and singing on it. Jammin’ Me is a good one although it exposed what may be the reason this album was on the verge of busting out but never had the song to push that on through. Jammin’ Me has a lot of cultural references that I think are cool and most people got. But when you are raising up issues in song about the news, sometimes the stories get old in a 24-hour news cycle.
I would also like to point out here that one of Petty’s best records, unbeknownst to much of the public, was the soundtrack to the movie “She’s the One.” His masterpiece, I believe was ‘Full Moon Fever,’ but that movie soundtrack had some of Petty’s best work such as Walls Pt. 1 and 2; Change the Lock; Asshole and California.
If memory serves me correctly.
I remember we had a road trip to see Petty the main act with the DelFuegos and the Georgia Satellites. Fun time had by all. If memory again serves me correctly. There was me, Bob Carlton, Rick Bragg and Dennis Love. But that may be wrong. I know I was there.
My longtime position has been don’t do a cover song unless you can bring something to it. Another arrangement, strikingly different vocals, speeded or slowed down.
An example of a bad cover is Michael Bolton’s cover of Otis
Redding’s “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.’
Redding’s was already one of rock and soul’s top songs ever.
Bolton, he of big American Idol-like voice, did nothing but drain the soul out
of the song. He sold millions naturally.
Brian Ferry’s cover of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ is a way
of correctly doing a cover. His lilting beautiful voice was a artful cocktail
whereas Lennon’s was a shot of whiskey. Ferry’s version was the second stage of
a relationship hurting as defined by Lennon’s version.
Perhaps my bar for a good cover is too high but there are
some songs that do covers well. Or, make for more cover possibilities. Bob
Dylan’s ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ is one of those songs. Beautiful simple
melody, simple sparse words about the universal experience of aging and dying.
Dylan songs make good covers because they are good songs in search of a good
singer. My Back Pages covered by the Byrds and Blowing in the Wind by Peter
Paul and Mary are examples.
I made two Top 10 lists because I found myself listening to
these in different ways.
My first list is my sentimental list – probably the list I
would choose first. These covers can move me to tears or sadness or joy.
My second list is my cerebral list. These are how I would
rank them if I were a rational human listening to the musicianship and
songwriting craft and trying grade it with my head not my heart. Obviously
there are overlaps.
Cerebral Top 10
Pete Carr – Carr is a session musician who has ties to the Muscle Shoals studios. I had never heard of the guy or his cover until someone at the record convention I attended earlier this year said I had to hear it. I had just finished talking about Danny and Dusty’s version. Carr is a sentimental choice (At No. 4) due to his Alabama connection but is my top cerebral pick (I’m sure surprising lot of folks). Just listen to that guitar! It made me shout Freebird by the end – but that was a psychotic break from reality. No, the extended guitar jam is as good as it gets. Carr has recorded extensively at FAME Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, according to Wikipedia.
Guns and Roses.For sure power, this is the rock hardest or hardest rock cover. You have to be open to lead singer’s Axl Rose’s oddly unsettling multi-octave voice. I am a fan. When he sings: Hey hey hey hey uh hey, I’m there. (Or is it Aye Aye Aye Aye Ayeeeeei-i-i-i-i.)
Eric Clapton– Puts a little impeccable reggae into his version. This is what I mean about mixing it up to make your own.
Bob Dylan — Well the source is Dylan and he does a good job. You have to be open to his voice which is not ordinary sounding to say the least. However this is one of his best vocal performances.
Tracy Chapman Underrated artist does an understated version that touches the soul.
Roger Waters Pink Floyd singer surprises us with a very un-derstated version.
Bryan Ferry The Roxy Music frontman has a knack for great cover songs, the aforementioned ‘Jealous Guy,’ “Like a Hurricane,’ and ‘You Won’t See Me’ to name just a few.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – She belts it out, giving it
a punch rivaling GN’R.
Warren Zevon – This is poignant in that it was
recorded right before he died.
Danny and Dusty – Just loose, good fun, barroom singalong.
Who does the best version of ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,’ the Bob Dylan song from the 1970s?
Watch for a post on that later this week but you can help by sending me suggestions. There’s of course Dylan’s version and Guns and Roses version which I would start at as reference points. There’s other good competition though.
Regular readers of this blog may miss stories that appeared in AL.com only. And vice versa.
Here’s two stories that didn’t get published here. I received good feedback from the one about Lennon and mixed response from ‘bloody fable.’
I’m coming up on some time off but keep looking a i will continue to post when needed or inspired.
NP (Now playing Pretenders and Tom Petty as I wade deeply into the P’s. I also have found a couple of stragglers from the N’s and O’s that i need to get up.
Post-punk they call it. Pere Ubu-like. I hear Lou Reed-like vocal word play. There’s a darkness about it that almost dips its toe into Goth, like the Cure did or maybe even as far as Sisters of Mercy.
This is a record I received a year ago for my birthday and since I’ve been listening to my 678 albums in alphabetical order, I haven’t had a chance to listen this more than a few times.
Despite all the references I give above, my first reaction was a relatively obscure Midwestern group called Eleventh Dream Day. Not so much lyrically but the driving jangly guitar which sits very close to the front, along with killer bass, constantly driving the angsty words which sometimes feature the same line over and over and sometimes veer into the Captain Beefheart experimental realm.
The persistent chord-a-matic guitar strums remind me a little of my high school buddy, Paul Hammond RIP, and his work in Time Toy and Little Tigers in the heydey of the Athens, Ga., music scene.
Good stuff. Go for it if you are interested in a punky Lou Reed — hey wait a minute that would be Velvet Underground. No? Yes.
The band reminds at times of Athens, Ga. band Time Toy
