Belfast Blues – Part 2

I first started exploring Van Morrison’s music in the mid ‘00s and my first stop was Moondance which I think is the ideal starting point for newcomers to Van’s music. Some have called Moondance a perfect album and it’s definitely much more accessible than Van’s previous album- Astral Weeks. Moondance is a jazzy, life affirming record that provides soulful fun and good vibes without insulting your intelligence.

Some years ago my housemate and I were hosting a summer backyard party. It was the end of the night and guests had started taking control of the music but nobody could agree on what album to play. Arguments were breaking out and the party seemed about to end when my housemate started playing my copy of Moondance and the crowd suddenly settled down and the party resumed. Such is the power of Moondance. For me the 1970 album remains Van Morrison’s finest hour (well, 38 minutes). Grade: A

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Belfast Blues – Part 1

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner so now feels like a good time to celebrate with some of my favorite Van Morrison songs. Born George Ivan Morrison in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Van is said to have learned his love of blues and jazz music from his father’s huge American record collection and then the kid from Belfast turned it into something all his own.

Starting out as lead singer for the British Invasion band, Them, Van the Man then went onto a successful solo career with “Brown Eyed Girl” being his best known song- but there are so many other great ones to discover in his vast catalogue. And he is still making music! Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

01. Van Morrison – “Tupelo Honey” (1971)

02. Van Morrison – “Saint Dominic’s Preview” (1972)

03. Van Morrison – “Man Has to Struggle” (2001)

04. Van Morrison & The Band – “Caravan (Live)” (1976)

05. Van Morrison – “Comfort You” (1974)

06. Van Morrison – “Domino” (1970)

07. Van Morrison – “Dweller on the Threshold (Live)” (1983)

08. Van Morrison – “Sweet Thing” (1968)

09. Van Morrison – “Crazy Face” (1970)

10. Van Morrison – “In the Garden” (1986)

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Minneapolis Blues II – Part 3

It must have been 1988 or 1989- I was a teenager on Long Island- and my friend Toast and I used to join our other friends in riding the bus to Babylon (about 30 minutes west of our hometown) in order to shop at a record store there that carried punk and hardcore records (there was also a pretty good donut shop next door). It was on one such Saturday trip that- with my limited funds- I purchased a Replacements cassette tape compilation- Boink!!- and while this import collection had only eight songs each one was totally different and I couldn’t stop listening to it. I had found my band. Over the next couple of years, Toast and I managed to acquire every album by the Replacements who were without a doubt one of our band Twinkie Force’s biggest musical influences.

I’m not big on nostalgia but a few years ago Toast and some of my other Long Island friends went to see the Replacements live on the band’s “reunion" tour (Paul and Tommy were the only original members- Chris declined to participate). While I would have loved to see the Replacements live back in the ‘80s, I had no interest in seeing them a quarter of a century later in what was obviously just a shameless cash grab. But that doesn’t change what the Replacements’ music meant to me- and still means to me- which is try to get some fun out of life. Here are some more of my favorites. Enjoy!

01. The Replacements – “Portland” (1989)

02. The Replacements – “Shiftless When Idle” (1981)

03. The Replacements – “Go” (1982)

04. The Replacements – “Customer” (1981)

05. The Replacements – “Takin’ a Ride” (1981)

06. The Replacements – “Careless” (1981)

07. The Replacements – “Another Girl, Another Planet (Live)” (1989)

08. The Replacements – “Here Comes a Regular (Alternate Version)” (1985)

09. The Replacements – “Johnny’s Gonna Die” (1981)

10. The Replacements – “Kiss Me on the Bus” (1985)

The Jean circa 1989 (Photo courtesy of Toast)

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Paul Westerberg on Alex Chilton

Paul Westerberg Remembers Prince

Minneapolis Blues II – Part 2

As demonstrated on their first few albums, the Replacements were capable of playing as hard and fast as their ’80s hardcore contemporaries and yet stylistically they preferred to try a little bit of everything including country, folk, and power pop. That’s Peter Buck from R.E.M. playing guitar on “I Will Dare” and the band even covered “Black Diamond” by KISS without a trace of irony. Nobody else at the time sounded like- or were as good as- the Replacements and yet mainstream popularity eluded them.

The band had a reputation for hard living and bad decision making. The same themes that inspired the Replacements’ music- boredom, disappointment, alienation- also exacerbated their own personal demons and eventually led to Bob Stinson’s expulsion in 1986. Without Bob’s oddball playing style and insanely great guitar solos, they weren’t really the Replacements anymore but sort of like the Rolling Stones without Keith Richards. The band broke up in 1991. Bob Stinson died in 1995.

“A rock 'n' roll band needs to be able to get under people's skin,” said Paul Westerberg. “You should be able to clear the room at the drop of a hat.” While there was always an air of self-deprecation and self-destruction in the Replacements’ songs, those things have been a part of rock music from the beginning and I think stories of the band self-sabotaging their own success- especially during their live shows- are mostly exaggerations. Anyway, I don’t listen to the Replacements because some of the members were raging, insecure alcoholics- I listen because I like the music. Here are some more of my favorites. Enjoy!

01. The Replacements – “Here Comes a Regular” (1985)

02. The Replacements – “If Only You Were Lonely” (1981)

03. The Replacements – “I Will Dare” (1984)

04. The Replacements – “Within Your Reach” (1983)

05. The Replacements – “Nowhere Is My Home” (1985)

06. The Replacements – “Red Red Wine” (1987)

07. The Replacements – “Black Diamond” (1984)

08. The Replacements – “Color Me Impressed” (1983)

09. The Replacements – “Shutup (Live - Demo)” (1980)

10. The Replacements – “Hayday” (1983)

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Our Band Could Be Your Life

Minneapolis Blues II – Part 1

The Replacements are proof that not all ‘80s music was slick garbage and if anyone was carrying on the rebellious spirit of rock during the Reagan years then it was Paul Westerberg, Chris Mars, and the Stinson brothers, Bobby and Tommy. Their music not only helped me get through my awkward teenage and college years but taught me that if you stay true to your own sound and vision then people will eventually catch on and respect it. In a world awash with fake music, the Replacements always stood out for me as the real deal and listening to them didn’t insult my dignity or make me feel guilty in the morning. If I had to pick my top ten favorite musical artists/influences then they would be on the list.

The Replacements’ sound- from their punk/garage rock debut Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash right up until their almost commercial breakthrough album Don’t Tell a Soul- still holds up remarkably well three decades later which leads me to believe they were not just four crazy kids from Minnesota but actually knew what they were doing- and exactly what sound and message they wanted to convey from the underground to rest of the world. “Left of the Dial” may be their best song as it captures everything great about the Replacements in one tune and was written at a time when the band was touring through the thriving American underground music scene, meeting all the other bands, and college radio was at its peak- and there was no Internet. Here are some more of my favorite Replacements songs. Enjoy!

01. The Replacements – “Left of the Dial” (1985)

02. The Replacements – “Something to Dü” (1981)

03. The Replacements – “Answering Machine” (1984)

04. The Replacements – “Shutup” (1981)

05. The Replacements – “Androgynous” (1984)

06. The Replacements – “I’ll Be You” (1989)

07. The Replacements – “Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghost” (1989)

08. The Replacements – “Waitress in the Sky” (1985)

09. The Replacements – “Hold My Life”  (1985)

10. The Replacements – “Can’t Hardly Wait (Outtake -Electric)” (1985)

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Any Way You Want It II

My early ‘80s American childhood was dominated by album-oriented rock (AOR) which at that time dominated radio and MTV. Steeped in traditional rock music but stripped of its humanity, AOR was all about drama and seemed strangely obsessed with celebrating dehumanization and mimicking what it thought was humanity. And people loved it! This was perhaps a tribute to the carefully produced formula AOR used to either beat or lull its listeners senseless and into submission.

Pat Benatar

For me the best of AOR takes control of your mind and body- against your will- and while it may not be what rock’s rebellious founders originally had in mind, AOR paid the bills in the late ‘70s- and most of the ‘80s- and it got people through the day (and kept them company at night). And some of it still sounds good- especially coming out of a boom box. Here are some more of my favorite AOR songs. Enjoy!

Tina Turner and Bryan Adams

01. Pat Benatar – “Invincible” (1985)

02. Pat Benatar –“Hit Me with Your Best Shot” (1980)

03. Pat Benatar – “Heartbreaker” (1979)

04. The Hooters – “Where Do the Children Go” (1985)

05. Toto – “Africa” (1982)

06. Bryan Adams feat. Tina Turner – “It’s Only Love” (1985)

07. Heart – “Alone” (1987)

08. Boston – “More Than a Feeling” (1976)

09. Pat Benatar – “We Belong” (1984)

10. John Waite – “Missing You” (1984)

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Pat Benatar - Invincible (Theme from "The Legend of Billie Jean")

Pat Benatar – “Love Is a Battlefield”

Classic Rock: Choice Cuts V

While many classic rock bands tried to emulate the sound and success of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, none ever reached the fame, influence, and popularity of those two bands- though a few came close. In writing this blog I have come to discover that classic rock’s time has sadly come and gone but there is still enough there for one to spend a lifetime discovering and rediscovering its pleasures.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Some were British, some were American, and some were Canadian, but classic rock artists all shared a common musical language that lasted into the ‘80s- but never quite made it into the ‘90s. For me classic rock will always stir up Long Island radio memories from my youth: summer days, backyard barbecues, and driving around in the car with my dad. Here are some more of my favorites. Enjoy!

Bad Company

01. The Band – “Long Black Veil” (1968)

02. Neil Young – “Tell Me Why” (1970)

03. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” (1970)

04. The Rolling Stones – “Loving Cup” (1972)

05. The Rolling Stones – “Moonlight Mile (2009 Mix)” (1971)

06. The Rolling Stones – “Brown Sugar (2009 Mix)” (1971)

07. Neil Young – “Love and War” (2010)

08. The Rolling Stones – “Angie” (1973)

09. Bachman-Turner Overdrive – “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” (1974)

10. Crosby, Stills & Nash – “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” (1969)

11. Neil Young – “Unknown Legend” (1992)

12. Bruce Springsteen – “American Skin (41 Shots) (Live)” (2000)

13. Bad Company – “Feel Like Makin’ Love” (1975)

14. Eagles –“Take It to the Limit” (1975)

15. Jackson Browne – “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” (2012)

16. Van Morrison – “Comfort You” (1974)

17. Traveling Wilburys – “Tweeter and the Monkey Man” (1988)

18. B.W. Stevenson – “My Maria” (1973)

19. Fleetwood Mac – “Landslide” (1975)

20. Van Morrison – “Domino” (1970)

Eagles

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