TOP 40 for JUNE 2016
Listen to June 29, 2016 POP EXPLOSION
Anton Yelchin Special
Interviews with Felicity Jones, Drake Doremus and Jodie Foster (all interviews from 2011)
https://www.mixcloud.com/joe-viglione/june-29-2016-joe-vig-pop-explosion-antony-yelchin-tribute-with-jodie-foster-and-drake-doremus/
Listen to Bob Somma on Pop Explosion
https://www.mixcloud.com/joe-viglione/bob-somma-interview-fusion-magazine-joe-vig-pop-explosion-june-15-2016/
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Joe Vig Reviews SPACE AGE BACHELOR PADhttp://spaceagebachelorpad.blogspot.com/
1)Atmospheric Disturbances
ATMOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES
Casey
Fallen
Review by Joe Viglione
The 13
tracks on Atmospheric Disturbances begin with "Fragile," resplendent
in dreamy, nostalgic and mysterious, quite fashionable sound. A unique
blend of Pink Floyd at half-speed with a strong dash of house music… and vocals
out of the folk-rock Velvet Underground third album. There's a one minute
fifty-nine second video on YouTube of "Fox in a Box,(Alternative Version,)
which rocks harder than the non-lp video of the same tune ( "Fox in a
Box") found also on the web. The CD's track times out at 3:39.
"Lillian's Last Lyric" continues the journey which
flexes its cosmic guitar approach into worlds traversed on TV's the Twilight
Zone and Dark Shadows. Were those shows in production today, Fallen could
be the Fred Steiner, Jerry Goldsmith or Gerard Wilson of the modern era.
3:26 in to “Lillian” would work so nicely as an episode of Game of Thrones
concludes. As I advise in my review of Peter Gabriel's Back to
Front DVD, the "Sledgehammer"
(the song’s) approach should have been where rock segued into in today’s world
rather than the compressed ‘pop’ current "hit radio" passes off for
music. The "songs-for-ear-buds" approach doesn't appeal to the
entire population, the machinations of multinational corporations taking over
what was the once-dreaded "corporate rock" now making the old
corporate rock look appealing by comparison. Well, "Lillian's Last
Lyric" does traverse Peter Gabriel's "So" territory, and in
doing so, proves my point.
The video "CIty Lights," directed by Fallen, said to be "a
journey with the one you love," is a moody, well thought-out three minute
and forty-five sort-of intimate travelogue, but it
can be
open to interpretation if you hear the audio only.
Casey Fallen’s
music is finding a way into the car stereo, best compliment I can give to an
artist who sends sounds through the U.S.mail, special sounds that get the
attention of jaded old critics.
"City Lights"
Atmospheric Disturbances CD Baby
"Last Glance"
"Fox In A Box"
"City Lights"
Lillian's Last Lyric
___________________________________________
2)PETER GABRIEL
BACK TO FRONT
The marvelous thing about this live recording of Peter Gabriel's So album --- and other tracks, is that it lives up to the billing. It is a meticulously crafted re-working of arguably his most significant solo work, and perhaps his best work overall. When "Sledgehammer" hit the airwaves in 1986 it was an extraordinary breath of fresh air, Wikipedia citing that the single was the most played video in the history of MTV. It and Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" were both on an amazing path that the industry should have followed. Dance rock that wasn't disco, pure pop that had drive, passion and insight. What's missing in music thirty years later. Listen to James Vincent Mc Morrow cover "Higher Love," or Whitney Houston's Japanese b-side rendition, they add to the Winwood legend. Gabriel, on the other hand, owns his hit, and this DVD puts an exclamation point on that. There's a superb acoustic rendition of "Sledgehammer" by the undiscovered Morgan James that expresses the sentiments well, very well, but it is Gabriel who sheds the skin prior to the "new stuff."
Live the song moves from the dance hall to the singer/songwriter arena, though the music is exact. On this tour, Gabriel is having a love-fest reading it (in full singing voice,) to those who appreciate.
When separating the film from the performance what we now are into is the realm of art, and this video is an artistic masterpiece. Amazing audio and inspiring camera work, so essential in documenting important material for the ages.
Ten songs open the DVD before we get into the tracks of "So,) which concludes, of course, with Mrs Lou Reed Laurie Anderson's co-write with Gabriel, "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds.) The album is played in order except that "In Your Eyes" is switched around to conclude the 1986 discs 9 songs (whereas it opened up side 2 sandwiched between "That Voice Again" which ends side 1 and track 2 on side 2, "Mercy Street."
A few years back Marty Balin of the Jefferson Airplane had contracts signed for a tour where he would play the album Surrealistic Pillow in its entirety. Fans were excited, but Marty pulled the plug, as he has done so many times before. It's too bad, because those who appreciate immortal music were deprived of something that would have given an artist that was overshadowed by both of his major groups, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, a platform to show how vitally important he was to the success of both enterprises.
Gabriel, an artist who puts his audience first, delivers the goods. Not standing in the shadows of Genesis, but showing great respect for his catalog, and those who have enjoyed his career over the decades. Bravo...and, encore!
Four minutes of Peter Gabriel from the disc here:
THE SO ALBUM on Wikipedia
September 6, 2012 Sledgehammer Auburn Hills
____________________________________________
3)James Vincent MC Morrow
Higher Love
____________________________________
4)BURT BACHARACH
Burt Bacharach A Life in Song
When Burt Bacharach performed with Dionne Warwick on the Boston
Common in 1987 it was a thing of beauty. Though Whitney Houston had
three sold out nights that same summer, and brought the house down, even
though Houston was under the weather, it was the Bachrach/Warwick
pairing which hit it out of the park. 29 years is not too long to wait
(just ask Sly Stone fans!) for the master to have this exquisite release
on Eagle Vision.
To know the power of Bacharach, listen to the bonus tracks which are
not the familiar material which permeates this beautiful recording. Even
that unknown to you sounds magnificent…those three bonus tracks
include:“Be Aware” –
Josie James, “Waiting For Charlie” –
Donna Taylor and “God Give Me Strength” –
John Pagano.
On it Burt tells the host/interviewer, Michael Grade, that he met
Elvis Presley once; the closest I came to Burt Bacharach is that he
phoned my hotel room at the Cheateau Marmont sometime in 1989 looking
for Jimmy Miller, producer of the Rolling Stones, Blind Faith and so
many others. Darn we could have had drinks with him! A Life In Song
appears on PBS stations every once in a while, but it is one of those
keepers that you need to have on your shelf, even to keep on in the
background without viewing…the audio every bit as good as the video.
“The Look of Love” is in the “movie medley” – one of the all-time
greats recently a focus of our radio show where along with Dusty
Springfield’s multiple takes we aired renditions from other artists.
This medley features Bacharach himself singing the classic – it’s an
elegant and unique addition to the collection, the backing vocals
sublime in this all around first rate show. Hearing others taking on
the magic memories is very special, a compelling remake for the theme to
the original Arthur motion picture, case in point: just lovely.
“What’s New Pussycat” is more restrained than the explosive Tom Jones
hit version, “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” also subdued from B.J.
Thomas’ ability to make a middle-of-the-road song sound rock and roll.
Ditto (see first paragraph) for “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” which
Gene Pitney had so wonderfully over-the-top in its original form.
“Making Love” belongs to Roberta Flack, but it comes to life again here
in another dimension, and does so just fine. It is these new
perspectives which are the refreshing key here, and keep the Bacharach
legend rolling on.
The press sheet notes: featuring performances by
Joss Stone, Justin Hayward,
Alfie Boe,
Sophie Ellis-Bextor,
Shaun Escoffery,
Rebecca Ferguson,
Michael Kiwanuka, and
Laura Mvula. Filmed at London’s Royal Festival Hall in 2015,
A Life In Song presents on-stage conversations between
Burt Bacharach and
Michael Grade traversing
different aspects of his years in music, interspersed with performances
of many of his best loved songs by a diverse cast of artists. The
evening culminates in a medley of some of
Bacharach’s most
famous film songs performed by the man himself and his band, and a
performance of “That’s What Friends Are For” featuring the entire
evening’s cast.
______________________________________
5)Bette Midler, ISN'T SHE GREAT
Words and music by Burt Bacharah
AllMusic Review
by Joe Viglione
[-]
Where the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls had a terrific
Dionne Warwick classic in the title track (the biggest of her first 22 Top 40 hits), the reuniting of producer/arranger
Burt Bacharach with lyricist
Hal David and vocalist
Warwick
is about as memorable as this biographical film about Jacqueline
Susanne, the author of Valley of the Dolls. One problem is failing to
utilize the film's star,
Bette Midler,
on any of the songs here, proving how essential that diva is to both
sides of the movie-making experience. Even dialogue from the motion
picture would have given this endless middle-of-the-road loop something
to hold onto. It sounds like all involved showed up to get their
paychecks, manufactured the music off of an assembly line, and maybe had
some fun reminiscing about the really great work they all did once upon
a time. The album opens up with
Warwick
singing "On My Way," a nice enough performance with lyrics that -- if
not flavored by "Valley of the Dolls" -- sound like they are outtakes
from that epic title song over a melody with little staying power. At 13
tracks into the CD, the tune is reprised inside something called "The
Book Tour," an instrumental minute and ten seconds before
Warwick comes back in with the "Somewhere I will find me a new love" lyric and
READ MORE HERE:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/isnt-she-great-mw0000051774
________________________________________________
6) Morgan James "Come Together"
________________________________________
7)Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black
"Heart and Soul"
__________________________________________________
8)Jimi Hendrix Soundtrack
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDSUB040404192102200693&sql=Aq09us30ba3ng
Unlike the soundtrack to the movie Janis Joplin which - most unfortunately - contained studio versions of songs performed in the film but not the actual live takes from the motion picture, this 1973 double lp from Reprise/Warner Brothers has the actual music from the celluloid. Sound Track Recordings From The Film Jimi Hendrix "contains film of all
the performances included in this album" says the liner notes - and with the guitarist's catalog going through more mutations than perhaps any other rock artist's repertoire in history, this is a wonderful companion artifact to a pretty decent movie.
There's a plethora of interviews in
the actual film, {$Eddie Kramer}, {$Lou Reed}, {$Eric Clapton}, Pete Townshend} and many others, while this soundtrack album- interestingly enough - contains "some of the same individuals interviewed in the film but (not) necessarily taken directly from the film". Making it a definite
collectors item. As for the music, four tracks are from the Monterey festival in June of 1967, "Johnny B. Goode"} and "Purple Haze" come from Berkeley California, May 30, 1970, {&"Machine Gun II is from the Band Of Gypsys recorded December 31, 1969, with material also from
Woodstock and the Isle Of Wight festivals. There's also a "Hear MyTrain A-Comin' taped in London, 1967 by Jimi using a 12 string guitar.
Twenty four photographs inside the lp gatefold and a Nigel Waymouth illustration of the musician sitting on a stool gracing the front cover give the document added value for collectors. When released in 1973 it was
difficult to find some of this material, though most - if not all of it - has surfaced via the fine work of the Experience Hendrix corporation. The interviews do make it extra special, and right now it is the only lp to legitimately have the voices of both Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix - though Little Richard} is here in interview form. Not to be confused with the British film soundtracks Experience} and More Experience, released in 1971 and 1972 respectively.
joe viglione for AMG
Tracking:
1.Rock Me, Baby~3:01~King/Josea
2.Wild Thing~5:18~Taylor, Chip
3.Machine Gun 1~7:45~Hendrix, Jimi
4.Interviews~3:41~
5.Johnny B. Goode~3:37~Berry, Chuck
6.Hey Joe~3:50~Roberts, Billy
7.Purple Haze~3:40~Hendrix, Jimi
8.Like A Rolling Stone~6:11~Dylan, Bob
9.Interviews II ~3:21~
10.The Star Spangled Banner~3:42~Key, Francis
Scott/Traditional~Arrangement, Hendrix, Jimi
11.Machine Gun II~12:35~Hendrix, Jimi
12.Hear My Train A-Comin'~3:05~Hendrix, Jimi
13.Interviews III~2:36~
14.Red House~11:18~Hendrix, Jimi
15.In From The Storm~4:27~Hendrix, Jimi
16.Interviews IV~5:55
total time: 84:02
Credits
Hendrix, Jimi/guitar, vocals, interview, 12 string acoustic guitar
Miles, Buddy/drums
Cox, Billy/bass
Redding, Noel/bass
Mitchell, Mitch/drums
Waymouth, Nigel/front cover illustration
Hartley, Pat/interview
The Ghetto Fighters/interview
Douglas, Alan/interview
Pridgon, Fayne/interview
Caruso, Paul/interview
Little Richard/interview
Hendrix, Al/interview
Gautier, Freddie Mae/interview
Hall, Dolores/interview
Philips, John/producer
Adler, Lou/producer
Boyd, Joe/producer
Head, John/research
Weis, Gary/visuals
Colbert, Peter/film editor
Branton, Leo/associate producer
Roberts, Randy/associate editor
___________________________________________
9)WEIRD SCENES INSIDE the GOLDMINE
THE DOORS - REVIEW BY JOE VIGLIONE
Important Made in USA Origin Disclaimer: For certain items sold by Walmart on Walmart.com, the displayed country of origin
information may not be accurate or consistent with manufacturer information. For updated, accurate country of origin data, it is
recommended that you rely on product packaging or manufacturer information.
A
very interesting double LP retrospective two years after Jim Morrison's
version of the Doors had officially closed. Weird Scenes Inside the
Goldmine contained the first album release of two B-sides, Willie
Dixon's "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further," sung by Ray Manzarek,
originally on the flip side of the 1971 45 "Love Her Madly," and the
beautiful "Who Scared You," "Wishful Sinful"'s flip with Jim Morrison on
vocals from a session in 1969. Both are worthwhile additions not found
on their first "greatest hits" collection, 13. This compilation is a
strange amalgam of their music, the LP title taken from a line in the
song "The End," which concludes side two. Five of the 22 songs are from
the L.A. Woman sessions, including the title track of that album and the
full length "Riders on the Storm," both clocking in at seven-plus
minutes. With "The End" and "When the Music's Over" at 11:35 and 11:00
respectively, that's 38 minutes and 38 seconds between four titles, more
than a third of the 99-plus minutes of music on this collection.
Nothing from Absolutely Live is included, and surprisingly, the classic
"Waiting for the Sun" is not here, though that Morrison Hotel number
would fit the mood perfectly. "Love Street," the flip of "Hello I Love
You," is here, but pertinent singles like "Wishful Sinful" or "Do It"
and its flip, "Runnin' Blue," from The Soft Parade, are all missing in
action. The cover art pastiche by Bill Hoffman is worth the price of
admission if you already have all this material, while the inside
gatefold picture looks like an outtake from the first album. Bruce
Harris' liner notes are truly the '60s merging with the '70s; he calls
Jim Morrison "merely the index of our possibilities" and states that
Morrison didn't want to be an idol "because he believed all idols were
hollow." The essay is all the more silly when you realize it isn't
tongue-in-cheek in the way Lou Reed's incoherent ramblings inside Metal
Machine Music are more enjoyable than the disc. Harris seems to actually
believe what he pontificates. But the music is awesome, so put it on
and read the Metal Machine Music scribblings instead. Weird Scenes
Inside the Goldmine is a work of art in the first order, the way the
Beatles #1 album is wonderfully redundant, and it should see the light
of day again. This time they could add "Tree Trunk," the flip of the
"Get Up and Dance" 45 RPM from 1972's Full Circle album. ~ Joe Viglione,
Rovi
_________________________________________________________________________
10) Arturo Sandoval
________________________
11) Kid Gulliver
________________________________
12)
13)
14)
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15) INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE
Review: Independence Day 2 – The Queen of Outer Space
on June 26, 2016
by Joe Viglione
Independence Day: Resurgence is a beautifully crafted science fiction
movie which cleverly goes back to the first film twenty years ago
without retreading it the way Star Wars 7 copied Star Wars 4 which was
actually Star Wars 1. The bizarre idea to keep the film away from the
traditional critics' screenings.
Review: Independence Day 2 – The Queen of Outer Space
on June 26, 2016
by Joe Viglione
Independence Day: Resurgence is a beautifully crafted science fiction
movie which cleverly goes back to the first film twenty years ago
without retreading it the way Star Wars 7 copied Star Wars 4 which was
actually Star Wars 1. The bizarre idea to keep the film away from the
traditional critics' screenings sent a message that the film company – 20
th
Century Fox Film Corporation (production company and distributor for
most of the world) felt it would be hammered by critics. Maybe it will
be, but not this one.
Picture Zsa Zsa Gabor’s 1958 lady Talleah fighting the “vicious
queen” (of Venus) Laurie Mitchell’s Queen Yllana in the Queen of Outer
Space meets Sigourney Weaver fighting her own alien queen (from Alien,
of course) and you’ll get an idea where this film is going now that
we’ve seen the visitors face to face from the original Independence
Day. That Jeff Goldblum’s David Levinson had 20 years to prepare us (he
didn’t do a very good job in that regard, but Goldblum’s acting is much
better in the sequel, perhaps his excellent work on Law & Order:
Criminal Intent let him know that his serious side without over doing it
brings some harmony to his characters,) and with an eye towards giving
us some new clever twists (most welcome and the true appeal of this
fight with the Borg meets Signourney Weaver’s aforementioned Alien) the
bee/locust hybrid planet harvester, straight out of the Fantastic Four’s
Galactus character, returns for a second go at earth.
There are more things to like about Independence Day: Resurgence than
to dislike and killing off Will Smith’s character at the outset
probably not a bad thing. Why? Smith was omnipresent in sci-fi after
Independence Day – 2004’s I, Robot, 2007’s I Am Legend, and in each film
you get…Will Smith. His mannerisms, like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jack
Nicholson, are a stamp that immediately brands a film with the signature
of the megastar. A Nicholson – being such a brilliant artist – can
break the mold and take himself out of his own persona and into
something else. When Nicholson fails to do so – the Joker in the Tim
Burton Batman – you get the Joker playing Jack Nicholson. Which is why
Heath Ledger’s chameleon act garnered him the Academy Award for the same
character, while being nominated for the Academy Award in Brokeback
Mountain as Ennis Del Mar. Where Ledger becomes those characters and
not himself is the amazing thing and now that we’ve addressed the
elephant in the room, the absence of Will Smith, we can look at the rest
of the Independence Day 2 experience.
Utilizing gravity as a weapon and pulling at the earth, with humans
being dragged up and tossed down while giving us bigger spaceships and
more weaponry, director Roland Emmerich doubles down on his mastery of
this genre. Yes, there are still the cloying romantic interludes that
James Cameron forced on us in Titanic (which, actually, kept the young
girls coming back to the movie which helped deliver its unparalleled
popularity) but this film and its followers are not about romance. One
would have thought that Emmerich would have figured that out first time
around. The bromance between 26 year old Liam Hemsworth (look out
Thor/Chris Hemsworth, baby brother gets his own blockbuster) and 25 year
old Travis Tope has far more chemistry than their respective female
“dates” in the film, Hemsworth as Jake Morrison and his
tongue-down-your-throat moments with hottie Maika Monroe as President
Whitmore’s (Bill Pullman) daughter are that forced romance, and oh how
coincidental, a main character’s daughter, that take the wrecking ball
to the film for sci fi fans that want you to get down to business. So
while Tope’s Charlie Miller character is casting his eyes on a stunning
lady pilot, Rain Lao (played by Hong Kong actress Angelababy) there is
more real film chemistry between Hemsworth and Tope than with their lady
friends. Don’t think its unintentional, Emmerich is looking to conquer
China at the box office and gives major roles to many ethnicities. A la
Star Trek. And the films Emmerich draws from – Star Trek (let’s bring
Data back to life as Dr. Brakish Okum…let’s have lights and gizmos just
like Star Trek does,) the insufferable Joey King as Sam (she was
Channing Tatum’s daughter in Emmerich’s other recent destroy all cities
flick, White House Down,) bring back Judd Hirsch from the excellent TV
show Numbers (he’s less annoying 20 years later, but annoys enough in a
fun way,) and kill off a main character so that the axiom “one death is a
tragedy, thousands statistics” will resonate with the film goer.
Stepson of Will Smith – Dylan Hiller (Jessie T. Usher) – is as
intentionally arrogant as Smith’s own Hiller was, and should have been
killed off, at least for the staged histrionics if nothing else. Oceans
roar, ray guns blast, Robert Loggia makes a cameo and gets the “In
Memoriam” at the end as he died shortly after making the movie (too bad
they didn’t really give him a sendoff and blast him into oblivion for
his stiff performance in the first Independence Day,) and all in all,
it’s a grand spectacle. As stated above, when they copy scenes from the
first film, be it Bill Pullman’s President Whitmore re-creating scenes
that both Brent Spiner AND Randy Quaid enacted in the first film, it is
not as ho hum as the Star Wars reboot. This film actually does for
this Independence Day now-series what the recent Jurassic Park did,
without the thread of so many previous sequels behind it. Will it work
at the box office? That’s the question. Had Roland Emmerich just
played it straight without the obvious human interactions, had he also
played it not straight by having a secret romance between Jake Morrison
and Charlie Miller (Hemsworth and Tope; there’s enough joking and
innuendo to let you know Emmerich threw that in for the gay audience
anyway,) had the film just a touch more seriousness that Jurassic Park
had, it would have been amazing.
The first thing I though within 30 minutes of the film rolling was how 20
th
Century could have added the Fantastic Four to this and saved both
franchises, but as the story unfolded the FF would have been over the
top. What is clear is that Roland Emmerich needs to make the next
Fantastic Four movie and use these brilliant special effects. At the
end of the day, the rumble seats in iMax, the gorgeous space-age
spectacle, the clever aspects of the film, and the other alien presence
(which opens the door for a sequel that is aiming for the Star Wars
market, they make that very clear) is a very pleasant summer surprise we
did not expect due to 20
th Century fearing the critics and pulling this film from pre-release date screenings.
It could have been so much more, but as it stands, it is pretty darn good.
Joe Viglione is the Chief Film Critic at TMRZoo.com. He has
written thousands of reviews and biographies for AllMovie.com,
Allmusic.com, Gatehouse Media, Al Aronowitz’s The Blacklisted Journal,
and a variety of other media outlets. Joe also produces and hosts Visual
Radio, a seventeen year old variety show on cable TV which has
interviewed Jodie Foster, director/screenwriter David Koepp, Michael
Moore, John Cena, comics/actors Margaret Cho, Gilbert Gottfried,
Gallagher, musicians Mark Farner and Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad,
Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Felix
Cavaliere of The Rascals, political commentator Bill Press and hundreds
of other personalities.
_________________________________________________
16) The Transmitters I Fear no-one...
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hifuxzygldae
Jangle jangle tucked inside cacophony is just part of
the mantra of {$The Transmitters} on {^I Fear
No-one...}, a 22 track album that is a combination of
non-stop erratic mania mixed in with avant-garde
ambiance flavored musical experiments. The notes on
this CD scrapbook are frustratingly threadbare except
for the track listing of the fourteen or so musicians
who show up to perform on specific song/essays. A
cover of {$The Velvet Underground}'s {&"Ferryboat
Bill"}, once embraced on a mini-4 song bootleg EP
before being legitimized on {^Another V.U.}, is a nice
run-through but not as true to the spirit as other
Velvets-inspired pieces like {&"Ache"}. Total beat
poetry stream of consciousness in that song, is he
singing "Another mad crush another man abuses"? Who
knows? - it's another mad descent into a quagmire of
electronic sounds - one of the previously unreleased
tracks recorded around London, and one of the more
impressive ones. Moody music with a pessimistic point
of view announced over the musical wanderings and so
different from the harsh punk of {&"Paper Boy"}, a 35
second 1978 track from the album {^24 Hours}. It's all
a bit more cohesive than {$Half Japanese} but still
disorganized enough to keep this music firmly stuck in
the realm of college radio with little chance of
mainstream crossover. Title track, {&"I Fear No-One
But My Friends"}, is an odd mixture of perhaps {$Devo}
meets {$The Quick} of {^Mondo Deco} fame while {&"Kill
The Postman"} owes much to {$David Thomas} and latter
day {$Pere Ubu}, the four tracks from BBC Radio One's
The John Peel Show, recorded November 21, 1979,
proving to be exceptional. {&"Ugly Man"} seems like a
taut {$Ric Ocasek} nightmare he forgot to include on a
{$Suicide} lp., decidedly different from the catchy
{&"O.5 Alive"} which opens the disc. There's plenty on
{^I Fear no-one...} for both fans and newcomers to
absorb and enjoy and nice that music from a band with
limited output is cataloged so well on this
retrospective.
17)JONI MITCHELL: PAINTING WITH WORDS AND MUSIC
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:39fqxqukldae
{$Joni Mitchell}'s exquisite voice and guitar playing
are on display in this satisfying hour and a half plus
of the iconic performer directed by {$Joan Tosoni} and
filmed in an intimate setting. The dominant
instruments are, no surprise, the singer's voice and
her guitar, which is heavy with liquid effects. Much
effort went into the circular set and the six cameras
have unobstructed views with graceful pans and elegant
zoom-ins. Mitchell is the set-designer and editorial
director with her own paintings adding to the decor,
positioned on the walls that swing around the set.
There's a two and a half minute discussion of the
event before actress {$Rosanna Arquette} introduces
the star and the festivities begin. A semi-pensive and
solo {&"Big Yellow Taxi"} opens the show, {$Mitchell}
not worried about being under this stunningly
beautiful microscope that is the colorful set and the
all-revealing eye of all these cameras. {&"Just Like
This Train"} has the singer close to her artwork and
strumming the guitar as if with a paint brush, quite
possibly an intentional metaphor from the clever
singer always exposing her intuition with a bit of
flair. She announces the band early on, just prior to
{&"Night Ride Home"}, and the musicians ease into the
program like drawings that quietly and slowly come to
life. The pop style is maintained throughout the jazz
leanings of this group of performers, {&"Black Crow"},
{&"Amelia"} and {&"Heijira"} getting not only the
sustained sound of the perfectly fluid ensemble, but
complementary camera work which drives around the set
and the performers as well as capturing the faces of
audience members and Joni's moves, all to wonderful
effect.
The concert is top notch with material that stretches
across her career up to the 1998 release, {^Taming The
Tiger}, and it features Joni giving some stories in
between songs, a warm rapport with those in attendance
which translates well to the viewer. The final song,
which appears after the concert on track 19, is a
percussive {&"Dream Land"}, once covered by {$Roger
McGuinn}, with Joni and her musicians on couches
casually performing as the credits roll. Bonus tracks
include a discography and filmography, but it is the
main event that will keep your attention. Taped at
Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank California and
produced in association with the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation this is a very contained production, a
high quality presentation put together with the
refinement {$Mitchell} fans expect.
18) Joni Mitchell: Joni Mitchell Special Edition - 2 DVD
Collector's Edition
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dpfrxqqsldde
{^Joni Mitchell 2 DVD Set Collectors' Edition}
combines two previously released videos/dvd's, 1999's
{^Painting With Words And Music} along with 2003's {^A
Life Story: Woman of Heart And Mind}. These are both
excellent discs to have, the one problem being that
some of the "bonus" tracks on {^A Life Story: Woman of
Heart And Mind} turn out to be some of the
performances from {^Painting With Words And Music} and
so the consumer is getting a bit of Déjà vu and double
exposure. That's not as egregious as pulling the
live performances off of {$Marianne Faithful}'s
{^Dreaming My Dreams} and re-releasing the DVD with
only the biography narrative and interviews, but it
shows a disturbing trend among name artists having
their material released and re-released in the same
fashion, {$Greg Lake} another case in point with CDs
and DVDs that contain variations on the same title,
with some of the same recordings.
The {$Susan Lacy} written and directed biography has
so much information packed into the story that the
producers could easily have gone back into the vaults
and beefed up the bonus aspect of this package. Yet,
despite that one glitch in the perceived value, the
added punch of having both discs in one collection is
worthwhile, the documentary footage on {^A Life Story:
Woman of Heart And Mind} indexed and most compelling.
How can one resist hearing the creation of the song
{&"Woodstock"}, or the personal memories of {$David
Crosby}, {$David Geffen}, {$Larry Klein}, Mitchell
herself and many others. Plus, there are some
additional bonus features on both discs and a four
page paper insert with two pages for each respective
DVD inside this convenient package, so the verdict is,
the {$Joni Mitchell} special edition is something to
cherish and hold on to.
19)GREG LAKE
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This eponymous live audio cd culls its ten tracks from
{^Greg Lake Live}, a more extensive DVD which has even
more familiar material from the {$Greg Lake}
history/repertoire than this spin-off disc. In that
respect, this presentation in its truncated form is
rather redundant. When other artists from the time
period (though not necessarily from the same genre)
like {$Leslie West} have their own "Official Bootleg
Series" of CDs including fancy titles to keep the fans
on notice, one has to ask why {$Greg Lake} isn't
getting the same kind of treatment. He certainly
deserves it. Yes, there are credits galore in the 4
page booklet and the music is as precise and powerful
as one expects it to be, but the question remains - do
rabid fans of prog rock want a less than full-length
concert when the DVD offers so much more? Also keep
in mind that many of Lake's solo recordings are live,
including a 1981 cd which reflects the DVD title to
this concert, {^Greg Lake Live}. Confusion reigns,
even for the die hard fans.
Now on to the music...It's as good as you would
imagine, the singer/guitarist in fine form spinning a
magical {&"In The Court Of The Crimson King"} as well
as a dirge-like {&"21st Century Schizoid Man"}, both
from the brilliant 1969 {$King Crimson} debut. Sure,
the fans will appreciate those classics getting the
glossy progressive treatment, the eerie cutting edge
of the original versions now polished by time and not
as provocative, but the difference between them is
stark and the bombast present here doesn't add to the
legend, it merely gives another perspective. Which
means, as much as fans love having many different
versions of their favorite songs, a little reinvention
would make the faithful sit up and pay attention. Note
how a folk/jazz/rock artist like {$Joni Mitchell} will
let her style and her renditions of past glories
evolve. There's nothing bad about this yet another
{$Greg Lake} performing some of his greatest hits
live...just the fact that it's another edition of
{$Greg Lake} performing some of his greatest hits.
Bootlegs are fun for a very specific reason, they
offer something unavailable on mainstream releases.
Hopefully Lake's future projects will add some
oddities, guest appearances or mad solos that break
the mold. Current musicians emulating {$Greg Lake}'s
past, no matter how well, might make for a limited
engagement to the classic rock audience that seeks
something new.
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20)Quick Mondo Deco
THE QUICK MONDO DECO
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Review by Joe Viglione
Earle Mankey worked with Sparks and the Dickies, and
the type of understanding necessary to translate
sounds from those experimental groups is a plus on
Mondo Deco, from the original Quick. As with the other
major Kim Fowley and Mankey discovery, the Runaways,
this band was released on Mercury in 1976, and it is
one of the best examples of fun new wave to escape
unscathed from all the hype. Unfortunately, it failed
to sell in big numbers, but the album is terrific, a
real underground gem. Guitarist Steven Hufsteter
writes impressive and energetic pop; "Hillary" and "No
No Girl" are two excellent examples. The Runaways
should have cut "Anybody" — it could have been their
breakout hit. With its tight bassline and perfect
hollow underground rock drums, Mondo Deco has lots of
treats hidden among its ten tunes. Vocalist Danny
Wilde sounds like a hybrid of Nick Gilder and the
Sweet, and this music should have been all over the
radio. Where the New York Dolls and the Runaways had
limitations inherent in their concepts (notice how
quickly Joan Jett rose up the charts once she figured
that out), the Quick have all the elements that should
have opened doors denied to the comical blitz of the
Dickies and the quirky insanity of Sparks. What Mankey
did to the Pop on Arista was unforgivable — he mutated
them beyond recognition, homogenizing the best
elements of what didn't need modification. The Quick,
on the other hand, strike that balance missing from
other bands, something that would deny the Dickies,
for example, airplay on Top 40. The cover of the Four
Seasons' "Rag Doll" is fun, but it is their rendition
of the Beatles' "It Won't Be Long," which leads off
the album, that should have been a number one smash.
The cover photo of the five bandmembers eating ice
cream cones is a bit too contrived, but the back-cover
image of a youthful underground Raspberries works.
This is Eric Carmen if he played alternative rock —
and it is one of Fowley's best moments next to his
work with the Modern Lovers.
Photo of Cover
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_____________________________________
21)CACTUS
CACTUS LIVE
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For hardcore fans of Cactus, and/or Tim Bogert
and {$Carmine Appice}, the boogie onslaught of this
first live concert in over thirty years by the updated
version of this venerable group should do the trick.
It's a solid effort by a band that never offered any
surprises and the inclusion of harp player Randy
Pratt and nondescript vocalist Jimmy Kunes keeps
things in line with past efforts. Sure, guitarist Jim McCarty goes into overdrive on Mose
Allison's "Parchment Farm, but the current
line-up of {$Blue Cheer} in 2007 just happen to give
the style at play here a little more punch. The
encore of {&"Rock N Roll Children"} from this outfit's
1971 release, {^One Way...Or Another}, rambles along
with vocalist Kunes looking and sounding like any
member of the audience jumping onstage to have some
fun with a trio of rock & roll legends. Without any
frills there's little to differentiate the music here
from any other collection of yesterday's stars getting
together to reminisce. In fact it could be {$Starz}
or a reunion of {$Flint}, former members of {$Grand
Funk Railroad}, playing this hard-driving blues/rock
in any typical nightclub in suburban America. The
camera work is very public access TV, the lighting
inconsistent and the direction rather pedestrian.
Plus there's no {&"Take Me For A Little While"} or
{&"You Keep Me Hanging On"} for fans to key into,
perhaps the biggest let down. Even a slowed-down
cover of {&"Journey To The Center Of The Mind"} a la
{$Vanilla Fudge}, a nod to original singer, the late
{$Rusty Day} (though he didn't perform on the hit
version), would brighten up the proceedings. {$Leslie
Gold}, "the radio chick", does the introduction and
the audience is revved up, but what is missing is a
spark. Finding a {$Leslie West} to join the group or
{$Cactus} battling it out onstage with members of
{$Blue Cheer} would at least put a jolt into this new
chapter. The jolt isn't there, but this is an
adequate package with some backstage footage and a
decent photo gallery that will please those who care.
The Amboy Dukes (debut)
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Review by Joe Viglione
The debut album by the Amboy Dukes should be high on
collectors' lists. Fusing the psychedelia of the early
Blues Magoos with Hendrix riffs and British pop, the
band which launched the legend of Ted Nugent has
surprises galore in these lost grooves. More
experimental than Ambrose Slade's Ballzy -- could you
conceive of the Cat Scratch Fever guy performing on
Peter Townshend's "It's Not True" and Joe Williams'
classic "Baby Please Don't Go"? The latter tune was
the flip side of the group Them's single "Gloria," but
Ted Nugent and the boys totally twist it to their
point-of-view, even tossing a complete Jimi Hendrix
nick into the mix. The Amboy Dukes issued this as the
single backed with their sitar-laden and heady "Psalms
of Aftermath." "Baby Please Don't Go" is
extraordinary, but isn't the hit single that "Journey
to the Center of the Mind" would be from their
follow-up LP titled after that radio-friendly gem.
Producer Bob Shad's work with Vic Damone, Dinah
Washington, and Sarah Vaughan wasn't what prepared him
for the psychedelic hard rock of "Colors," a song with
some of the experimentation Nugent would take further
on the Survival of the Fittest, Live and Marriage on
the Rocks/Rock Bottom albums further down the road.
Those latter-day Dukes projects took themselves too
seriously and got a bit too out there. The fun that is
the Amboy Dukes take on the Ashford/Simpson/Armstead
standard "Let's Go Get Stoned"; it's the kind of thing
that could have stripped away the pretension of the
post-Mainstream discs. The dancing piano runs and Ted
Nugent confined to a pop-blues structure certainly got
the benefit of Shad's record making experience, and it
is a treat. Of the 11 tunes, seven are band originals.
Taking on a faithful version of Cream's "I Feel Free"
is interesting, and like Slade's first disc, they
inject enough cover material to make the product
interesting for those who had never heard of this
group. "Down on Philips Escalator" could be early Syd
Barrett Pink Floyd, and that's what makes this album
so very inviting. As essential to the Amboy Dukes'
catalog as the non-hit material on Psychedelic
Lollipop was to the Blues Magoos, the first album from
the Amboy Dukes is a real find and fun listening
experience. "The Lovely Lady" almost sounds like the
Velvet Underground meets the Small Faces by way of
Peanut Butter Conspiracy. This is a far cry from Cat
Scratch Fever, and that's why fans of psychedelia and
'60s music should cherish this early diamond.
Marriage On The Rocks/Rock Bottom
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Review by Joe Viglione
Amboy Dukes' Marriage on the Rocks/Rock Bottom is a
very musical record, more experimental than their
releases on Mainstream Records, not as soaked in the
Pat Travers blues-rock which the follow-up, Survival
of the Fittest embraced, and not as rocking as The
Call of the Wild, which would be released about four
years after this on Warner Brothers' Discreet label.
Interesting to note the mutation of the Nugent sound
with every label change. This work on Polydor is
certainly more in the Ten Years After bag (especially
on Survival of the Fittest, Live), with keyboards up
there in the mix almost equal to Ted Nugent's guitar.
The entire first side is composed by Nugent, and the
first song, "Marriage/Part 1: Man/Part 2: Woman/Part
3: Music" sounds more like Jethro Tull than anything
else. It's a nine-minute-and-three-second progressive
blues number and it is highly listenable. Just looking
at the image of the four bandmembers staring up from
the darkness on the back cover shows as much of an
identity crisis in the presentation as is revealed in
the music by the Amboy Dukes on this disc. Featuring
Ted Nugent is low-key on the cover; he eventually
would get co-billing with the band name and find fame
when he abandoned the Dukes moniker altogether.
"Breast Fed Gator (Bait)" is one of a couple of songs
that could be considered for a single, but that's just
the length of the tune. As good as the music is, it is
far from commercial Top 40. As Ted Nugent takes riffs
and ideas from here and there, contemporary bands as
well as his own previous work, Marriage on the
Rocks/Rock Bottom has more improvisation, a concept
carried over to Call of the Wild, but not to this
extreme. Call of the Wild was more contained
experimentation. This music, recorded by Edwin H.
Kramer -- "Eddy Kramer" -- at Mira Sound in December
of 1969 and mixed at The Hit Factory that same month,
is beyond bizarre. The seven Ted Nugent tunes may
shift conceptually, but H. Andrew Solomon's "The
Inexhaustible Quest for Cosmic Cabbage" is ten minutes
of unfocused cut-and-paste where the Amboy Dukes take
on the Beach Boys, Spirit, and labelmates Ten Wheel
Drive. It might've made for interesting three a.m.
overnight music for progressive FM radio stations of
the time. Where Spirit's "Fresh Garbage" had an
ecology slant, "Cosmic Cabbage" here hopes to be the
Mothers of Invention. The pop elements of this
ten-minute suite are intriguing and a far cry from
"Cat Scratch Fever." "Brain Games of Yesteryear" is
not a title Ted Nugent became famous for, but it is an
unusual document of one phase of the hunter's career,
and the eight-minute piano-heavy "Children of the
Wood," perhaps the album's highlight, is workable
British pop by this Michigan band. Strange stuff.
__________________________________________
30)Diane Krall THE LOOK OF LOVE
________________________________________________
31)James Reams and the Barnstormers
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32)Adele and Burt Bacharach Baby It's You
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33)You're My World Cilla Black
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34)Raphaelle
“Simple Things” from Raphaelle has all the elements, grand production
and a voice full of emotion wrapped in an appealing tonality. In the
same style as Elton John’s “Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” –
perhaps a sequel to Elton’s classic, the gorgeous video is a nice
backdrop to the sterling production and presentation And she even has
Elton’s drummer from the A Single Man album, Grammy-winner from
McCartney and Wings, Steve Holley
No More Pillow Talk
A four minute and twenty-nice second black and white video with a
dual storyline, Raphaelle narrating while a break-up with her lover is
playing out behind her – the invisible wall that goes up when talk is
cheap and the thought of communication is over. An update of Carole
King’s “It’s Too Late” from decades ago. Where King was matter-of-fact
about how she once “loved you” (probably written about her ex husband
and ex songwriting partner, the late Gerry Goffin,) Raphaelle is far
more determined for it all to end here.
www.raphaellemusic.com
IG – raphaellemusic
Twitter – IamRaphaelle
______________________________________________
35) Mokita
Check out Boston area band
Mokita –
Mokita features Andrew Harris on guitar and vocals, Chris Harris on
guitar/vocals, Daniel Jurgens on bass, vocals and Nick Wilder on drums.
The bright, sunshine pop of “Don’t Take Me For Dead” is simple but
exuberating in rock and roll joy. The second tune, “Roommates,” is a
cute, romantic invite to living together that jams out and then blends
nicely into David Bowie’s music and some words from “Heroes” – which
David took liberally from Lou Reed’s “Waiting for the Man.” Mokita’s
music & lyrics are written by Andrew and Chris Harris
Recorded at Goldie Studios in Salem, NH and in Daniel’s bedroom in
Boston, MA – recorded and mixed by Jacob Peters and Daniel Juergens.
Released February 25, 2016 Find more at
Every Wednesday you can hear all sorts of music, including the music
in this column, on the Joe Vig Pop Explosion 1-3 pm on Boston Free Radio
dot com.
Hear the show at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/jvpopmay25
_______________________________________________
36)Elvis Costello
Tracklisting:
1) Intro
2) Red Shoes
3) Watch Your Step
4) Accidents Will Happen
5) Church Underground
6) '45
7) Shipbuilding
8) I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
9) Walkin' My Baby Back Home
10) Ghost Train
11) When I Was Cruel No.2
12) Watching The Detectives
13) If I Had A Hammer
14) Pads, Paws, And Claws
15) That's Not The Part Of Him You're Leaving
16) Down On The Bottom
17) Blame It On Cain
18) Alison
19) A Good Year For The Roses
20) Side By Side
21) Jimmie Standing In The Rain
22) Peace Love And Understanding
23) Golden Tom - Silver Judas (Credits)
__________________________________________________
37 Cilla Black "Anyone Who Had A Heart"
Cilla Black and Burt Bacharach This Guy's In Love With You
______________________________________________
38)Burt Bacharach - A Tribute to Composer, Arranger
AllMusic Review
by Joe Viglione
[-]
Fifteen tracks on this single-vinyl disc was typical
for the Scepter label in the day, and with Columbia Records issuing a
similar set of recordings by various artists, entitled The Carole King
Songbook, for that great singer/songwriter around the same time, these
compilations were tribute albums before the concept came into vogue in
the '90s. How can anyone dispute the vast array of talent here? It's a
brilliant collection featuring Dusty Springfield, Gene Pitney, Timi
Yuro, Jerry Butler, and Bobby Vinton -- artists one doesn't necessarily
think of when a Bacharach/David hit comes to mind. Did you know that
"Blue on Blue" was written by this dynamic duo? How about Earl Wilson's
brilliant liner notes covering Burt Bacharach's stints with Marlene
Dietrich, the Ames Brothers, Polly Bergen, even mentioning his work with
Vic Damone at Bill Miller's Riviera, the club owned by the dad of
Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller. While reading about the rich
history of the composer/conductor/arranger, listening to this
magnificent album is an easy task. "Anyone Who Had a Heart" is certainly
one of Dionne Warwick's most dramatic numbers -- just ask Tim Curry,
who did a tremendous Bob Ezrin produced version years later on hisRead
My Lips LP. But that take didn't have Gene Pitney's "Only Love Can Break
a Heart" follow it as this album does, which in turn is followed by
Dusty Springfield doing "This Girl's in Love With You." Now that trio of
performances is tough for anyone to beat, and when this was compiled,
the powers that be at Scepter probably didn't realize what a compilation
masterpiece they were in the process of producing.
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39) Futures Burt Bacharach
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40) Burt Bacharach Living Together
AllMusic Review
by Joe Viglione
[-]
The ten songs on Living Together all feature Burt
Bacharach on piano, but that's where the similarity to his hit
recordings ends. This album plays with less commercial viability than
one would expect; it's a lush and elegant exercise and pleasant
listening experience, but not easy to grasp. "Long Ago Tomorrow" is
mostly instrumental, with voices coming in as additional instrumentation
-- it could very well be an outtake from a Broadway show. "Something
Big" starts off like Simon & Garfunkel but quickly moves to that "Do
You Know the Way to San Jose?" sound of a Dionne Warwick record, which
is what listeners expect from Bacharach. The Fifth Dimension did put out
"Living Together, Growing Together" as the title track of their 1973
Bell album, Bacharach truncating that for the title of this album,
Read more here:
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0879307447
Vladimir Bogdanov - 2003 - Music
But it all somehow works. a credit to Dionne Warwick. who is ahsolutely on no matter who ... -Joe Viglione On Stage and in the Movies / 1967 / Scepter *** A nice ...
theseconddisc.com/2010/05/18/back-tracks-the-solo-bacharach/
May 18, 2010 - May 12, 2012: Happy 84th birthday, Burt Bacharach! ..... Critic Joe Viglione called Futures “underground adult contemporary,” and the ...
www.mudah.my › Kuala Lumpur › Music/Movies/Books/Magazines
By 'Joe Viglione', Allmusic: … The 10 songs on “Living Together” all feature 'Burt Bacharach' on piano, but that's where the similarity to his hit recordings ends.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Where_There_Is_Love
Here Where There Is Love is Dionne Warwick's sixth studio album for Scepter Records, and ... Studio album by Dionne Warwick ... Jump up ^ Viglione, Joe.
