AN OPEN LETTER TO TODD PHILLIPS ON HIS FAILURE AS A DIRECTOR....SEE #40
Somebody to Love Review by Joe Viglione
https://www.allmusic.com/song/somebody-to-love-mt0035014049
Originally titled "Someone To Love" when the former Grace Wing's brother-in-law and bandmate, Darby Slick of The Great Society, penned it for that band, it became the break-through hit for the Jefferson Airplane when re-titled "Somebody To Love" going Top 5 in May of 1967. The opening with Grace Slick's voice booming an acappella "When the truth is found" is such a great top of the hour lead-off call to arms that classic rock and oldies radio do just that with it decades after its initial sojurn at the upper reaches of the charts. Followed in less than two months by "White Rabbit" the members wouldn't have Top 40 success again until 8 years later when revitalized as Jefferson Starship Marty Balin's "Miracles" went Top 3 in September of 1975. "Somebody To Love" with its jangly guitars and cool San Franciscan sound moves with a pop intensity and urgent lyric so essential to the vibe of the time. Todd Rundgren wanted to find himself and Leroy a girlfriend in "We Gotta Get You A Woman" in 1971 and John Cougar needed "a lover that don't drive" him crazy in 1979, but the purest sentiment regarding finding a significant other was in this track, a direct admonition: "You'd better find somebody to love." The Lady Mondegreen or mis heard lyric here is a major one. In the second verse. The lyric sheet reads "When the garden flowers ...are dead", but it sounds like sly Grace might be slipping in "When God and his laws, are dead...". How counterculture. The song
is an essential element of The Jefferson Starship's repertoire, the band mutating it into a sludgy "Jumpin' Jack Flash" riff closer in the new millenium. Both latter-day group vocalists Darby Gould and Diana Mangano understand the majesty and sing the words Grace Slick is known for with reverence. Check out the 1990's version live from the House Of Blues with a rare guest appearance by Grace which shows up on the Deep Space/Virgin Sky CD. The hard rock is a far cry from the manic almost garage band original ...and Slick says "garden flowers" very clearly in the live rendition.
Happy Birthday Grace Slick https://www.allmusic.com/album/software-mw0000847857 Software Review by Joe Viglione
This fourth solo album from Grace Slick is a very real treat for fans. Far removed from the Great Society demos on Sundazed and her Jefferson Airplane work, "Call It Right Call It Wrong" is Slick and her co-songwriter, '80s producer Peter Wolf (not to be confused with the singer of the J. Geils Band), presenting very contemporary pop tunes that are enough to the left to keep this vision hip, but removed enough from Starship to be considered adventurous. The bottom line is that this is highly entertaining. "Me and Me" is Slick being schizophrenic, and asking her date to do the same -- unless she's splitting herself into quad. She has made a profession of introducing the concept of paradox to the mainstream. "All the Machines" is a wonderful techno mantra. It is amazing when one considers her star power at this point in time -- overshadowing all members of the Jefferson Starship from Paul Kantner to Mickey Thomas -- that a quirky song like "All The Machines" didn't become a novelty hit. Also noteworthy that college radio should have embraced this bold move -- but that dichotomy of a mainstream artist working with mainstream producers like Wolf and Ron Nevison doing truly alternative material, well, it may have been viewed as calculated. But it isn't as calculating as it is wonderfully arrogant. More palatable than Kantner's excesses, Slick's distinguished vocals add a depth to "Fox Face" that few could pull off, taking an overwordy composition with its dirge vibe and transforming it into some techno epic. Although Ron Nevison is a superstar producer with credentials all over the rock universe, he was not known for creating an identity as Jimmy Miller, David Foster, George Martin, and other legends did so well. This is one of the finest, if not the finest, recordings by Ron Nevison. Maybe it is the laid-back atmosphere allowing the cast and crew to take a song like Peter Beckett's "Through the Window," the only non-Slick/Wolf composition on this album, and hit a home run with it. This is real modern rock stuff, a glossier version of what Boston's November Group were doing, Slick's voice a not so delicate monotone. This is as much a Peter Wolf solo album with Slick doing vocals as it is another chapter in her illustrious career. The cover is fantastic, the artist's chest a computer world with mixmaster, a starship, speedboat, and other items, all next to an electrical outlet glowing pink. The back cover has her on a floppy disk being inserted into the wall. Very innovative for its time, "It Just Won't Stop" continuing the keyboard onslaught. Even Peter Maunu's guitar appears invisible, sounding like keyboards. The keyboard bass everywhere takes this so far away from the music we are used to hearing Slick sing to. The backing vocals by Paul Kantner, Mickey Thomas, wife of Peter Ina Wolf, and others all slip into the sheen of the music, five steps away from the Human League. Nevison gets a cleaner sound than Martin Rushent in this world; maybe it's a good break for him away from albums by Ozzie and Heart. "Habits" is a reading and emotive vocal wrapped into one, changing the mood before "Rearrange My Face," another schizo introspective number. A shrink could have a field day with the superstar on this album, wondering if the stream of consciousness lyrics might be revealing another side of Slick. "Whenever someone sees my face/they always have to call me Grace" -- bolstered by Peter Wolf's keyboard vibes and the Harry Belafonte style backing vocals. "Bikini Atoll" is a really lovely love song featuring Dale Strumpel's sound effects, very close to "Lather" by the Jefferson Airplane, maybe a subconscious sequel to her past life. For all the side projects members of the Airplane/Starship contingent have released, this is one of the most cohesive, and enjoyable.
https://www.allmusic.com/song/white-rabbit-mt0032097696
hAPPY birthday Grace!
From the Surrealistic Pillow album comes this song which, like the word surrealistic indicates, has "an oddly dreamlike or unreal quality". Few psychedelic moments can match Grace Slick's trance-like monotone perhaps inspired by having just read [roviLink="BW"] Lewis Carroll: The Complete Illustrated Works: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass and
What Alice Found There ]. With hypnotic guitar work in the slow-march intro sounding like it was induced by F.A. Mesmer himself, it's all the more ominous in the harder rocking version released decades later on the Deep Space/Virgin
Sky[/roviLink] live reunion CD. Originally performed with The Great Society, this
composition by Grace came right on the heels of "Somebody To Love" and instantly
insured Ms. Slick superstardom with more Top 40 airplay in 1967 than her
famous colleague Janis Joplin. With well over a hundred cover versions
by such diverse acts as punk/new wavers The Damned, the hard rock
Lizzie Borden (no relation to the new wave girl group produced by
Genya Ravan) and, believe it or not, jazz maestro George Benson,
it is Grace and her pharmaceutical prescription advice which is the definitive
rendition and inspired the Keanu Reeves film The Matrix as much as James Cameron's
The Terminator did. When in the movie Morpheus offers Neo the little red pill or the
little blue pill, it is pure Grace Slick opening the door to wonderland with
narcotics. Years later it is amazing the censors didn't put a stop to it,
Janis Ian's "Society's Child" finding more problems with an interracial
love affair than The Jefferson Airplane's window to another world. It's a
classic in the truest sense of the world and always a pause for fun when it comes on the radio.
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| Progressive rock band Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius spent six years making their sixth album, “Impostor!” due on 7d Media (City Hall Distribution), October 11, 2024. The songs share stories of emotional battles Joe has observed in his life and the outside world.
“Sometimes you write a bunch of songs and don’t see the thread that binds them together until they are all on one album.”
The title track addresses impostor syndrome and the epic “Chasing the Dragon” about “midlife crisis and unrealized dreams and expectations, ‘Are we ever satisfied?’ The dragon represents that elusive goal, always just out of reach.” The song features guest vocalist Chloe Lowery (Trans-Siberian Orchestra). “Outrage Olympics,” which is the band’s upcoming music video, is a rebuke of cancel culture. “Cognitive Dissonance” features guest vocals from Randy McStine (Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree) explores how religious intolerance destroys childhood friendships. “Storm Surge” explores anxiety and features some legends in the prog world, including pianist/flautist Rachel Flowers, guitarist Fernando Perdomo (“Echo in the Canyon,” Jacob Dylan, Carmine Appice), and Saga vocalist Michael Sadler, who co-wrote the song with Joe and the group’s drummer Jason Gianni. Inspired by Friedrich Burgmuller’s 19th century piano piece, “L’Orage (the Storm).”
The album also includes the Jean Luc Ponty/Jerry Goodman-inspired instrumentals “Voodoo Vortex Part I & II.” The song title, “Tripping the Merry-Go-Round” is taken from Bruce Springsteen’s lyric in “Blinded by the Light.” Joe performs most of the acoustic strings and describes the song; “If Gentle Giant wrote ‘Eleanor Rigby.’ It’s a snapshot of a long relationship where the ‘merry-go-round’ of life keeps people from making adequate time for each other.” Stratospheerius covers King Crimson’s “Frame by Frame” with backup vocals from Val Vigoda (Groovelilly).
“Impostor!” is being released on Trey Gunn’s 7d Media and features Joe (electric 7-string violin, acoustic violin, viola, chin cello, lead and background vocals, and producer), Michelangelo Quirinale-(Guitars), Paul Ranieri (bass), Jason Gianni (drums), and Bill Hubauer (keyboards). “Impostor!” is mixed and mastered by Rich Mouser (Tears for Fears, Dream Theater, Weezer).
Joe’s music’s been compared to Rush, Muse, Dream Theater, and Kansas, who welcomed Joe into the band in May 2023. “While Kansas became my main gig, it was my work with Stratospheerius that got their attention. Looks like all that “dragon chasing” paid off for Joe and his bandmates! |
Trust Me Review by Joe Viglione
Songwriter Bobby Womack released this superb tune on his 1975 Safety Zone album, but in its form as the sleeper track on Janis Joplin's 1971 Pearl album, "Trust Me" emerges with great power, a performance that is Janis at her absolute best. Her voice goes from sweet in the first couple of lines to raspy when she so knowingly issues lines like "the older the grape, the sweeter the wine." Ken Pearson's organ works wonderfully alongside Bobby Womack's acoustic guitar and John Till's electric. Paul Rothchild's production work is simply amazing, choreographing this thick array of sounds and piecing them together perfectly, Brad Campbell's bass and Richard Bell's piano lines both dancing inside the changes. Listen to Clark Pierson's definite drums as the song fades out, a solid team effort recorded on September 25, 1970, just a week and a half before Janis would leave us. In a small catalog of work, "Trust Me" shows what truly gifted art Janis Joplin brought to this world. Having Womack participating is a treat, the element of the songwriter working with the interpreter and their camaraderie as a major contribution to this definitive version cannot be overlooked. The creative energy is in these grooves and one doesn't have to imagine how magical the room must have been when this music was made. It translates very well. As "Me & Bobby McGee" has been overplayed, "Trust Me" has been underexposed. This key piece of the Pearl album concisely shows Janis Joplin as the equal of Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holiday, Otis Redding and her other heroes. At certain moments during this song Joplin eclipses even those gods.
This new compilation celebrates the iconic musician and songwriter who transformed folk and rock music in the '60s, becoming a global symbol of cultural revolution in youth movements: Bob Dylan.
French music producer Philippe Le Bras spent years developing the concept of a compilation on which Dylan's influence is obvious with every note. While there isn’t a single cover of his songs on this CD, the master’s influence is unmistakable on every track, leaving his mark on both the music and the performers. The remarkable line-up of artists includes Lou Reed, Leon Russell, David Crosby, Boz Scaggs, Bob Seger, Dion, Bobby Darin, Tom Rush, Len Chandler, Dion, Peter La Farge, Barry McGuire, Casey Anderson, Ferré Grignard, Dick Campbell, P.F. Sloan, Dean DeWolf, Johnny Winter, Billy Joe Royal, David Blue and many others.
The album's beautiful packaging includes a foreword by the late John Sinclair, essays by Iggy Pop and Elliott Murphy, extensive liner notes and numerous rare illustrations and memorabilia in a 48-page booklet.
TRACK LISTING:
- Dion - Two Ton Feather
- Eric Andersen - Honey
- Dick Campbell - You’ve Got to be Kidding
- Bobby Darin - Me & Mr Hohner
- P.F. Sloan - Halloween Mary
- Jackie Washington - Long Black Cadillac
- Len Chandler - Feet First Baby
- David Crosby - Willie Jean
- Lou Reed - Men of Good Fortune (May 1965 Demo)
- Casey Anderson - Little Girl
- Bubba Fowler - Next Year This Time
- Dean DeWolf - Pistol Slapper Blues
- David Blue - The Gasman Won't Buy Your Love
- Tom Rush - You Can't Tell A Book By The Cover
- Barry McGuire - Don't You Wonder Where It's At
- Bob Seger & The Last Heard - Persecution Smith
- Ferré Grignard - Drunken Sailor
- Peter LaFarge - Easy Rider
- Donovan - Universal Soldier
- Boz Scaggs - Baby Let Me Follow You Down
- Billy Joe Royal - These Are Not My People
- Leon Russell - Everybody’s Talking About the Young
- Johnny Winter - Birds Can’t Row Boats
- Dino Valenti - Black Betty
- Sammy Walker - Vigilante Man
Pre-order the album on Amazon.com: https://tinyurl.com/BFBDAMZ
GuitarForce.Com
https://youtu.be/-aW-C0ENlgU?list=PLjpdcRKp6WcreMS730tPItTUffyO_MlwQ
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Album release Nov. 29; first music video “Seeds” is now out
Days Between Stations are releasing their fourth album, “Perpetual Motion Machines (Music For A Film),” on November 29. Just released this weekend is the music video “Seeds” at https://youtu.be/5kmLDoapIkg.
The music video for “Seeds” features artist Jean-Paul Bourdier at work, altering landscapes, coloring bodies, marking up film frames, playing with manufactured items to see how they influence visuals.
“Perpetual Motion Machines (Music For Film)” is the result of DBS founding members keyboardist Oscar Fuentes Bills and guitarist Sepand Samzadeh working on the music for a documentary film about Jean-Paul Bourdier, himself, in the mid-2010s. As the music reached completion, the group was offered the opportunity to release their music as a “proper” album. Sepand says, “Jean Paul’s artwork was our muse, and we scored the music to pictures and to existing films.”
One song, "Being," felt unfinished at the time. Oscar had written a melody that lent itself to vocals, and “we based them around the general concept of existence and trying to inject Jean Paul’s poetic philosophy.” Ultimately, the lyrics came from a more personal place, “this is what Jean-Paul’s art inspired us to do, and we let the music speak for itself. Pink Floyd backup vocalist Durga McBroom sings on “Being,” which will be released as a video on November 29, the same day as the album.
Produced by Navon Weisberg (The Voice engineer, Puddle of Mudd), he helmed the project “as a fan. I removed the technical hurdles and allowed Sepand and Oscar to focus their energy on the music, allowing their emotions to be captured.”
The album is dedicated to the memory of "Big" Bill Kaylor who engineered early sessions of “Perpetual Motion Machines” and worked on the group’s second album, “In Extremis.”
Formed exactly 20 years ago in Los Angeles, Sepand and Oscar named the band after Steve Erickson’s novel “Days Between Stations.” The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord inspired the band to work on their music after he used some of Sepand and Oscar’s musical experiments as the basis for “Saturday” on The Pineapple Thief’s “12 Stories Down” album. The duo continued to work with a range of musicians on what became their first release, “Days Between Stations,” in 2007. Their 2012 recording “In Extremis” was produced by Yes’ Billy Sherwood. In 2020 they released “Giants,” which included vocals from Durga McBroom on “Witness the End of the World” and voted as Prog Magazine’s Track of the Week.
The band has a history of music in films-dating back to “Radio Song” (from the debut album) licensed in the independent film “Young, Single & Angry” in 2006 and then in 2023 in “Paul & Trisha: The Art of Fluidity,” now featured on Apple Movies. They created the score for a short Mexican movie, “Y Recibir Tu Aliento” in 2017.
Perpetual Motion Machines (Music For A Film)
1. Waltz for the Dead (1:53)
2. Proof of Life (2:49)
3. Seeds (2:39)
4. Unearth (4:21)
5. Intermission 3 (0:52)
6. Stone Faces (3:15)
7. Paradigm Lost (6:24)
8. Ascend (3:14)
9. Being (featuring Durga McBroom) (9:00)
Pre-Order CD or vinyl at www.daysbetweenstations.com/product-category/perpetual-motion-machines/
Welcome to the Wrecking Ball! Review by Joe Viglione
Welcome to the Wrecking Ball! Review by Joe Viglione
To coincide with the 1981 album Welcome to the Wrecking Ball, Grace Slick released an insightful interview disc which is actually more fun than the record. The album isn't bad, mind you, it's just that she's such a personality that listening to the star ramble on about the wrecking ball as a symbol of destruction along with her other opinions on life is thoroughly enjoyable. The three essential elements of her Dreams album from the year before reprise their roles here, producer Ron Frangipane, engineer Ed Sprigg, and guitarist Scott Zito writing all the music on Wrecking Ball. Slick creates only lyrics to four of the ten titles, so this is really a Scott Zito album with Grace Slick as the vocalist. Where on the previous disc, Dreams, the singer composed five of the ten totally without a collaborator, that album is closer to what the fans expect from "White Rabbit"'s author. Dreams, Manhole, and Software have more of her personality in the grooves. The first track, "Wrecking Ball," explodes off the disc, a complement to the photos on the cover and inside the gatefold. It is heavy stuff, crunching along and is one of the better tracks here. You won't find a member of Pablo Cruise crashing this party, as Steve Price did on the previous outing. Maybe the disc didn't sell enough for Sonny & Cher to file a lawsuit because "No More Heroes" is the exact melody to the verse of "Bang Bang," you can even sing along "I was five and he was six/we rode on horses made of sticks," though Grace Slick sounds like she's fronting Genesis vocally while the band dwells on hard rock. It's an intriguing progression going from solo album to solo album to see what mood Slick was in what year. Software in 1984, produced by Ron Nevison, featuring Slick's songwriting collaborations with producer Peter Wolf, is far more interesting. Track down the radio promo disc on this, though. The legendary singer gives a great image and superb PR; too bad she mailed her performance in.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/manhole-mw0000015080
Manhole was the last of the experimental Jefferson Airplane, and Grace Slick's first official solo album. While Bark and Long John Silver, the final stages of the original Airplane, displayed the excessive psychedelic nature of the musicians within the confines of their group format, Blows Against the Empire, Sunfighter, and Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun allowed for total artistic expression. Manhole concluded this phase with 1974's other release, the Jefferson Starship's Dragonfly. By taking the name from Paul Kantner's Blows Against the Empire solo project, Dragonfly began the renewed focus on commercial FM which would turn into Top 40 airplay. Manhole is the antithesis of that aim, but is itself a striking picture of Grace Slick as the debutante turned hippy being as musically radical as possible. To the kids who think she's the cool singer on the mechanical Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, Manhole is an alien concoction, but it works on many levels as great head music. The title track itself is almost 15-and-a-half minutes of orchestrated underground rock with Craig Chaquico on lead guitar; Jack Casady on bass, along with Ron Carter; voices from David Crosby, David Freiberg, Slick and Paul Kantner; mandolin by Peter Kaukonen; and a 42-piece orchestra (51, if you include the fragments of the Airplane/Starship onboard). It's fun stuff, but looking back one wonders how they maintained a distribution deal for Grunt records with R.C.A., the material being so far from commercial. The title track has a left-hand piano part which "was stolen from an improvisation by Ivan Wing," Slick's father, and the epic is rife with Spanish/English by the singer, translated in the booklet with Slick's "phonetic Spanish spelling." Again, this is total underground excess, but it is actually more than listenable than it looks on paper, and for fans, it has the serious/eccentric nature of this woman who emerged as a big, big star due to her quirky personality having the talent to back it up. Attacks on the government and Clive Davis in the elaborate booklet only prove all involved were not out to make friends, but songs like "Come Again? Toucan" are compelling and intriguing, more so than some of what would constitute 1981's Welcome to the Wrecking Ball, which contained more elements of guitarist Scott Zito than the star. On Manhole, the music is wonderfully dense, macabre, exhilarating, and totally out there. This is a great portion of music from the lead singer of one of America's great music groups. Maybe David Freiberg's "It's Only Music" deserved to be on an Airplane project or solo LP of his own, but it sounds great and works. "Better Lying Down" is Grace Slick and Pete Sears re-writing Janis Joplin's "Turtle Blues," a nice change of pace from the heavy instrumental backing of the other tracks. Slick is in great voice, and reflecting on the album years after it was recorded, the conclusion is that Manhole has much to offer fans. Compare this to Deep Space -- recorded live at the Hollywood House of Blues in the 1990s to see the difference between capturing the time and trying to recapture the magic. Despite the eye toward success and the more serious nature of that later project, it just doesn't have the charm of this artifact from the glory days. It's also a far cry from the 1980s, when Slick returned with three more solo outings: Dreams, Welcome to the Wrecking Ball, and Software, projects which differ vastly from Manhole. The hard rock of Wrecking Ball and the synths and post-Kantner Starship feel of producer Peter Wolf's collaborations on Software show a woman dabbling with other rock formats. Put those three discs in a boxed set with Manhole, and you have true culture shock from a major counterculture figure. Manhole is orchestrated psychedelia at its finest with the voice from "White Rabbit" stretching that concept across two sides.
This 1991 disc is interesting and important as a Jefferson Starship artifact. Vocalist Darby Gould would step into Grace Slick's shoes, all documented nicely on Jefferson Starship's own Deep Space/Virgin Sky disc from 1995, and her emergence here is a nice starting point for a singer who still works with the legendary '70s group well into the new millennium. In fact, it's not a stretch to say this material follows the Paul Kantner solo efforts of the '70s, though not with as much vision and charm. The key song, "Dark Ages," written by vocalist Rob Brezsny, became an important part of the JS 1990s set and is a keeper. A melody with strong commercial potential, the message also cuts through better than anything else on this self-titled disc. The 20-track CD actually has 14 songs with radical ramblings in between, those words not as coherent as Tommy James audio movie, A Night in Big City, but still annoying enough to interrupt the flow. The music has a bit of intrigue, track 14 "Kick In" containing moments of interest, but -- for the most part -- the sounds begin to lose their identity and at times the drama becomes tedious. One can certainly hear seeds of the latter day Jefferson Starship here, and the group is from San Francisco with a thanks to Paul Kantner in the credits. There's an elaborate six-page fold-out with bizarre artwork looking like Hieronymus Bosch paintings while the artist was on a downer. The lyric/text is very thick and after many, many repeated spins it is so very hard to get a grasp on what they were doing, outside of "Dark Ages," a song that truly resonates. "In a Crisis" has its moments as well, a definitive way to end the disc and not a bad combination of Quicksilver Messenger Service perhaps having a lost weekend on the Indian Reservation. The project gets an A for effort, a C or passing grade for execution, and for those looking for rock music with an interesting edge, you could do worse to go elsewhere. Hardcore Jefferson Starship fans should definitely seek it out.
Deep Space/Virgin Sky Review by Joe Viglione
Deep Space/Virgin Sky is a 74-minute live album which was recorded at The House of Blues in Hollywood in the mid-'90s. Grace Slick makes a rare guest appearance, participating on "Wooden Ships" and singing her songs "Lawman" and "White Rabbit," as well as ex-brother-in-law Darby Slick's "Somebody to Love." On this version, though, it is Slick Aguilar from the KBC band who has pretty much received the mantle that Jorma Kaukonen and Craig Chaquico handed down, his harder rock sound falling somewhere in between the arena rock of Chaquico's Starship work (before he went jazz) and the San Franciscan sound that is Kaukonen. Also interesting on Deep Space is the song "Dark Ages," originally released by MCA recording artist World Entertainment War in 1991. Darby Gould was in that group and brought this exquisite song along with her. It's an amazing composition, one of the high points of the new material. And have you kept tabs on how many bandmembers utilize portions of Darby Slick's name? He never graduated from the Great Society to the Jefferson Airplane, but with "Slick" Aguilar and Darby Gould, the tradition continues...somewhat. There is some great stuff on Deep Space, from the Nona Hendryx tune "Women Who Fly" to a brilliant Rowan Brothers composition, "Gold," from their ill-fated Columbia release. "The Light" is also one of Paul Kantner's best post-Mickey Thomas Starship copyrights, the kind of thing that could rejuvenate Jefferson Starship if the co-leader could come up with one of these more than once every decade. The studio versions of some of these previously unreleased songs did see the light of day in 1999 on the Windows of Heaven album released on CMC, but that puts a spotlight on the sad nature of the record business -- RCA should be issuing the new albums from this veteran group every year. That the material is being scattered across the universe on a variety of labels, Intersound and CMC and others, is a slap in the face to a band who was and still is such a part of the RCA/BMG legacy. It also gives reason to praise Intersound and CMC for giving the world this important music. There are great moments as well as weak on this live set, though Kantner's "Shadowlands" and "I'm on Fire" work, and Marty Balin's "Miracles," as well as his version of Jesse Barish's "Count On Me," are always a treat. Balin's "Papa John is a touching tribute (the whole album is dedicated to Papa John and Gretchen Creach), but squeezing all the lyrics and liner notes onto four pages (an elaborate collage of photos in outer space illuminate the other four pages) makes for tough reading. Jefferson Starship through the '90s is a band playing for the fans, allowing taping of live performances, and always ready to throw a few surprises your way. Deep Space is an important document of a band constantly in flux. When Gracey goes off-key, it's all documented for posterity, no overdubs, the way the true fans love it. Her intro to "Lawman" shows why she brings star power to the table. Darby Gould (and Diana Mangano, who is not on this particular disc) have the chops they need to develop their personalities to truly fill Slick's shoes, and to allow this important act to survive in the 2000s.
As Long as You Love Me Review by Joe Viglione
The man who replaced Marty Balin in the Jefferson Starship while Balin was practicing the song "Jane" (which became the first hit for Mickey Thomas when he joined that group) sings a Grace Slick staple, Somebody to Love, backed by Booker T. & the MG's with Toto's Jeff Porcaro on drums. With 20 or so musicians involved, Thomas pulls out all the musical stops on this disc, performing songs by Van Morrison, Barry Mann Cynthia Weil, George Clinton and more.
- Todd Phillips
- c/o Todd Feldman
- Att: Todd Feldman
- agent (Talent Agent)
- +1 424 288 2000 phone
- +1 424 288 2900 fax
- info@caa.com
- 2000 Avenue of the Stars
- Los Angeles, CA 90067
- USA
- Todd Phillips
- c/o Todd Feldman
- Att: Todd Feldman
- agent (Talent Agent)
- +1 424 288 2000 phone
- +1 424 288 2900 fax
- info@caa.com
- 2000 Avenue of the Stars
- Los Angeles, CA 90067
- USA
Hated: GG Allin & the Murder Junkies
Joker: Folie à Deux by Marco Cuda
https://thesomervillenewsweekly.blog/2024/10/08/joker-folie-a-deux-by-marco-cuda/
Joker 2 (Joker: Folie à Deux) is a musical revolving around courtroom drama, jail life and a romance between Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn and Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. There is so much music, in fact, by the end you’ll be bracing yourself for a song to start during almost any scene. Besides that, the movie turns into a courtroom drama where the focus is whether or not Arthur Fleck truly has a split personality as the Joker.
It’s compelling at times between a lot of recanting of the first film and a look into some intimate details about the Joker’s personal life, but at other times you might find yourself waiting for more action.
This is also a film that starts and ends in jail, so besides the courtroom scenes, there aren’t many interesting places for the eye to go. I would have liked a little more screen time dedicated to settings that either weren’t indoors or away from the court or jail since it gets tiring and dreary to stay in two settings the entire movie. The jail life scenes open up once Arthur Fleck finds himself with Lady Gaga in a recreation room and their romance begins. The movie might have been more interesting if we learned more about Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn character rather than spending so much time in jail with Joaquin Phoenix.
Although there are some unexpected twists and turns, I found the film a little too tame and at times sort of boring. The musical aspect is fun sometimes and feels like filler at others. Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix both put on great performances but with too much courtroom time and a flat plot the movie feels like it never takes off.
As an eternal movie optimist, I still have to say this wasn’t one of my favorites although I think Lady Gaga fans might be in for a pleasant surprise.
