danasgoodstuff

On the Dead, I can't stand Deadhead (qua heads, many are perfectly nice people otherwise) but I kinda like some of the band's work - Live Dead, Working Mans, American Beauty - when it's not for the traditiona pop verities of song slinging but rather for the jam, it's works for me precisely 'cause Garcia isn't a very strong Lead Guitarist in the usual sense, he doesn't dominate the band the was Cipollina did QMS, which allows the Dead to get as close to Red Norvo Trio level interplay as any 'rock' band...never saw them live, and the more I heard about the experience the less I wanted to.

This would seem to confirm my pet theory that the more books on a given subject, the worse most of 'em are.

I should be glad that this thread generated so much response, and i sorta am, BUT I'm surprised so much of it is narrowly 'rockist', for lack of a better term. On the other hand, I'm equally surprised to hear that tired old canard that rock 'n roll is just degenerate R&B...an attitude imported from other contexts where it didn't make much sense either (see the book Hole In Our Soul). While you, I or the next guy may not care for what white boy/suburban/ mainstream/corporate R-O-C-K made of its R&B roots (which are only part of its roots, naive reductionist warning), it long ago became its own animal with its own conventions, virtues and vices. By any purist definition of rock 'n roll, not much post-British Invasion woud get in and not even some pre-... But any such definition that omits doo wop and/or Chuck Berry is laughably inane. I think a balance between being admirably 'big tent', reflecting the reality of what rock means to its core audience, and still having some standard of greatness could be struck. I don't think the hall has done a very good job there, but Yawn Weiner is free to put in whatever he wants. In my hall o' fame, there would be very few who weren't at least working, if not recording, before Rolling Stone's pernicious influence, and lots of faceless sidemen/women and writers of songs and Lester Bangs...and probably no one would agree with me either.

The Spooky/Stormy/Sunny trio was recorded by almost evryone (slight hyperbole) back in the day but that's pretty close to our cutoff and the're not done so much since.

The Spooky/Stormy/Sunny trio was recorded by almost evryone (slight hyperbole) back in the day but that's pretty close to our cutoff and the're not done so much since.

In principle, I'm a descriptivist (more or less) regarding language, but in practise...my objection to the broader ahistorical use of "cover" is that, intentionally or not, it carries with it negative connotations that I feel are inappropriate outside of the narrower historic use9s) of the term. As far as I'm concerned the most interesting local bands are often cover bands, although not usually of current hits but of blues and/or jazz 'standards'. As far as what other term(s0 to use, I was perhaps too subtle in using and mentioning "version" at the same time in my post above. "rendition" is good, as is "reinterpretation" if that's what it is, or "reinteration" if it's not...I find most "origianls" to be not very original or interesting and have felt that way since the mid '70s, at least. As far as I'm concerned, if a rock band can't do a convincing Chuch Berry, etc. "cover" (in the broad sense), I don't care what else they do.

Haven't heard this one yet, and I'm not in any hurry to do so having lost interest back around the last ice age, but as far as I'm concerned, with bruce the poppier the better since it tends to undercut his tendency to take himself too seriously and drone on and on tunelessly...

Haven't heard this one yet, and I'm not in any hurry to do so having lost interest back around the last ice age, but as far as I'm concerned, with bruce the poppier the better since it tends to undercut his tendency to take himself too seriously and drone on and on tunelessly...

We already have a perfectly good word for doing new "versions" of a tune, regardless of motive or worthiness of result, "cover" should be reserved for the much narrower practise of purposefully diverting sales from a current hit with a (purposefully?) lame/watered down version...to do otherwise is lazzy/sloppy/lame. If so restricted, then few if any of Elvis P's versions of blues/R&B tunes were "covers" since the originals had long since run their course and Elvis usually transformed them into something new/different/and often better...Pat Boone on the other hand is a different matter.

Ode to Billy Joe has no more to do with Emmet Til than it does with the native american's from whom the name Talahatchie presumably came...

That's interesting, up to a point (the point where I quit reading), but I'm not sure it tells much worth knowing 'but B on B or anything else...

I like it for what it is..doesn't bother me that it's not Moanin' or The Sidewinder...

and the nominees are: Madonna, chic, Afrika Bambata, Beasties, Melloncamp, Leonard Cohen, Donna Summer, Ventures, DC5 which has lead to the usual handwringing re what is R'nR...now it's your turn.

Lots of doo wop and other oldies at my second wedding, don't remember what we listened to at the first one...

Saw Sonny here in Ptld, Or last night. No ticket snafus, good sound, nice if not brilliant band (particularly liked the hand drummer's groove). Sonny wasn't operating at genius level, but he at least got within sight of it fairly often. Typical good/frustrating late period Sonny. Probably better than the second set at carneigie, if not the first, now on to Monteray....And I paid a quarter to park on the street a block away, can't do that in New York I'm sure.

that's the one with Moncur, right?

methinks they doth protest jsut a little too much, 'cause whether they intended it or not, there is something ironic about a jazz piano trio playing "Iron Man" in 2007...and I think they know that. Sure the press has seized on a small corner of what they do, but that's entirely predictable. And, on the whole I find their music far too much like Black Sabbith or Rush, bombastic and lacking in nuance, and none of it, self-composed or reinterpreted, anywhere near as profound or funny as Sonny R's "Surrey" or T. Monk's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", or for that matter the Platters' "Smoke". Given that they couldn't even draw a decent crowd to a freebie some time ago in Ptld, I's surprised the're still a hot topic... Maybe "she's so fine my 409" was covertly stating a preference for big girls? Think I'll go write some Studebaker songs...

We were both working in a now defunct redcord store; just another reason to lament the demise of bricks & mortor...

Kinda makes sense if you think of the rest of the Move, w/out Wood or, later, Lynne. But still only kinda...

I, for one, 'drew the line' somewhere between benedetti & JJ, not sure I can articulate exactly why...

Yesterday I took some magazines to donate to the Tidal Wave (where the library gets rid of old stuff). Almost didn't go in to shop, but I did...and found: Andrew Hill - Mosaic Select, no book Milton Brown - 4 cd box on Prper, long booklet Sister Rosetta Tharpe - 1 cd on Verve Lee Wiley - Mosaic Single Bill Frisell - Good Dog Lenny Bro' - with Levon Helm & Rick Danko All that and a bag of chip, well cookies actually, for a grand total of $9!!!!!!

Well...this is well into speculative territory so all the usual caveats apply in full, but I think Wood was one of those inately musical people for whom the usual standards don't really apply and he was so far into his own little space that he didn't know/care how the lyrics would seem to others, notwithstanding that he may have been trying to some degree to be trippy, more Brian Wilson than Syd Barret - off, but functional, but definately off. Not surprising that he had a fascination with mental health issue - "Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited", etc. The rest of band seem to be in a very different place, so down to earth that most of Wood's shit is just flying over their heads. And the Move's bouncing from one style to another has a definate Spinal Tap edge to it...in other words, the less tongue in cheek, the more strange...not that I have a romantic (in the kiterary sense) fascination with strange, but if the shoe fits...

Um, actually...no, I don't think so.

I've got no particular probs with the JJ box, it is what it is, and am eagerly anticipating this one. In fact the only miles box I think could've used some editing is the Gil Evans one, and I'm still glad I got it...

What is/are Walmart Pond scum, Alex?