Pop Music – Page 9 – Zachary Mule

TOMMY JAMES: A TALK WITH THE ’60S ICON ABOUT HIS SURPRISING CAREER

(SOON TO BE A SCORSESE-PRODUCED MOVIE)

Story and interview by KEVIN RENICK, writing for The Mule

“Children, behave!/That’s what they say when we’re together.” “Look over yonder, what do you see?/The sun is a-risin’/Most definitely.” “C’mon everyone, we got to get together now./ Oh yeah, love’s the only thing that matters anyhow.” If you’re of a certain age, you know those lyrics as the opening verses of some of the most beloved and successful pop songs of all time, and chances are you can sing the rest of the words with no trouble. For those compositions are just part of the amazing pop catalogue of Mister Tommy James, one of the most successful recording artists of all time. James had an unprecedented series of major hits in the 1960s: “Hanky Panky,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Mony Mony,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” “Sweet Cherry Wine,” “Ball of Fire,” “Draggin’ the Line.” And those are just the HUGE hits, there were many, many others that charted. But among the countless surprises in James’ career is how so many of his songs had a second life due to all the cover versions: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts scored a Top 10 hit with “Crimson and Clover” in 1981, teen star Tiffany scored her biggest hit with a cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now” and new waver Billy Idol had a dance floor smash with his incendiary take on “Mony Mony.” Both of the latter were in the late ’80s, and kept James’ name out there despite all the changes in the music industry. This is not to even mention the many James compositions that ended up in movies and TV shows. His songs have truly been omnipresent in the history of American rock and roll.

Nothing, however, is as startling all these years later as the too-weird-to-be-believed saga of James’ years at Roulette Records, which it turns out, was a front for organized crime. In his suspense-filled 2010 autobiography ME, THE MOB, AND THE MUSIC: ONE HELLUVA RIDE WITH TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS, James not only gives plenty of interesting details about his hits themselves, he tells a tale of being under the thumb of mobsters like Morris Levy that is so gripping, it sounds like something Martin Scorsese would dream up. In fact, the DENVER POST called the book “the music industry version of GOODFELLAS.” Not only that, one of Scorsese’s producers, Barbara DeFina (who worked on GOODFELLAS, CASINO and CAPE FEAR) is set to produce the James film. It’s all pretty heady, enthralling stuff for an amiable kid from Niles, Michigan who just wanted to play music.

Tommy James was born Thomas Gregory Jackson in 1947, and though born in Dayton, Ohio, his family moved to Niles early on. He was a child model at the age of four, and formed his first band, the Tornadoes, when he was only 12. Soon after, the band changed their named to the Shondells. In 1964, a local DJ, at WNIL in Niles, named Jack Douglas launched a small label, Snap Records, which recorded some early Shondells tunes. One of these was “Hanky Panky,” a catchy little ditty penned by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Some locals dug it, but there was no budget for promotion at the time, and the song was largely forgotten about. But in the first of countless legendary incidents in James’ stellar career, something unpredictable happened. In 1965, Bob Mack, who was a local dance promoter in Pittsburgh, found a copy of “Hanky Panky” in a used record bin, and began playing it at his dance clubs. An enterprising bootlegger then started pressing copies of the disc, and it sold an estimated 80,000 copies in Pittsburgh in ten days. By early 1966, the tune was Number One on Pittsburgh radio. And, after James got word of what was happening and flew to Pennsylvania to meet with Mack and Chuck Rubin (the talent booker for Mack’s clubs), the resulting promotional efforts led “Hanky Panky” all the way to the top of the singles charts by July of 1966. Much had already changed for James by then; he no longer even had the services of the original Shondells. But Tommy met a five-man group called the Raconteurs at the Thunderbird Club in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and found great chemistry with them. So the rechristened Tommy James and the Shondells started doing shows and shopping for record labels. Rubin, an experienced industry type, suggested they go to New York, where the majority of the key labels were located. And one of their last stops was Roulette Records. The head of the label, Morris Levy, was initially out of town and James and company heard nothing back at first. Oh, but the story was to get so much more interesting than the young Tommy could ever imagine, and we should hear it right from him.

Manager Leonard Stogel, Tommy James and Morris Levy, management agreement signing, 1966 (publicity photo)

Suffice to say that James was soon recording all those classic hits that every baby boomer has memorized, and achieving his wildest, most improbable dreams… although not quite the way he imagined. I was lucky enough to speak with James by phone last fall, and I began our talk by telling him how much his music meant to me in the late ’60s. I had a particular obsession with the song “Sweet Cherry Wine,” which I thought was beautiful and produced just brilliantly. That song was my favorite of the year in 1969, and the first album I can ever remember buying with my own money was THE BEST OF TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS, released that year. James is an amiable, charming person in conversation, and he is well aware of how incredible his story is. He’s involved in the ongoing development of the movie based on his life and book, and he still tours and releases new music. I first met James in the late ’70s, when I attended a New Year’s Eve show he was performing while I suffered from a horrible cold. James said he played in Saint Louis the first time in 1966, but couldn’t remember the venue. What follows is an edited version of our lengthy interview.

THE MULE: Tommy, it is so amazing to talk with you. I wanted to start out by telling you how much I loved “Sweet Cherry Wine” back in the ’60s. It was really one of the first songs that gave me chills, every time. I couldn’t wait to hear it on the radio when I listened.

TJ: Well thank you. It’s as close as we ever got to a protest song. It’s a semi-religious song. There was no such thing as being politically correct back in the ’60s. The singles that you did, and we were basically doing singles then, were like snapshots of where you were as a human being. That was one of the songs in the mix between the CRIMSON AND CLOVER album and CELLOPHANE SYMPHONY, the magic year of 1969. All the records we did were so different from one another. “Crystal Blue Persuasion” was so different from “Sweet Cherry Wine,” which was in 3/4 time and, “Sweet Cherry Wine” was so different from “Crimson and Clover.” We outsold the Beatles with singles.

THE MULE: Wow, that’s amazing. And things were so crazy back then, the way rock and roll was progressing.

TJ: In late 1968, we were out on the road with Hubert Humphrey, we did the presidential campaign. And the whole industry changed from singles to albums in the 90-day period we were out with him. In August of ’68, when we left, all the major acts were singles acts… Gary Puckett, the Buckinghams, the Rascals and us and the Association. And we came back 90 days later and it was Blood Sweat and Tears, Led Zeppelin, Crosby Stills and Nash. The world had turned upside down in the music business. So we were very lucky to be working on “Crimson and Clover” at that very moment. Because that single allowed us to make the jump from singles to albums, from “Top 40” to FM progressive album rock. I don’t think there’s any other single we ever did that would have allowed us to do that in one shot like that.

Tommy James with Hubert Humphrey (uncredited photo)

THE MULE: “Crimson and Clover” and then, “Sweet Cherry Wine.” I wanted to say that those songs were among the first I remember hearing where background vocals were a key texture and added to the haunting nature of the song. You were doing something unique, I couldn’t even explain it at the time, but those background harmonies were amazing. Can you explain a little about what you were trying to do?

TJ: As music got more and more complicated, the background parts became actually almost part of the lead. With “Crimson and Clover,” it happened almost by accident. Basically, we had done the record with tremolo and we put it together really quickly. With tremolo on the guitar, that was sort of the signature sound. When we got to the end, we had the fade, we knew what was going to be there. We just decided to throw tremolo on it. So, we actually recorded the backgrounds straight, and then piped ’em out through the guitar amp, and then mic’d the guitar amp, turned on the tremolo like we’d done with the guitars, and brought it back thru the board. The point was, it became sort of the signature sound of the record and it became our biggest selling single.

Tommy James and the Shondells Crimson and Clover picture sleeve, 1968

THE MULE: Do you have a personal favorite story about a song from back then? About where something came from, for example?

TJ: Well, we’re doing a movie. We’re gonna try to put as much of this stuff in the movie as we can.

THE MULE: I read that. It sounds amazing. Wasn’t Scorsese interested in the film?

TJ: His producer, Barbara DeFina, is going to produce our movie. She produced HUGO, GOODFELLAS, CASINO, CAPE FEAR. She’s an incredible talent. She’s doing the movie of the book.

THE MULE: And you’re a consultant on it?

TJ: Sure, sure. And we’re going to be working very closely with the screenplay writer, Matthew Stone. Over the next few months or so, the screenplay will be put together. And also, we have several more stories that will be in the movie, than we had time for in the book.

THE MULE: I read your book with amazement, I gotta say. I just couldn’t believe it. I never knew any of that stuff about the mob, I just liked your music so much. And my jaw dropped as I read about all those shenanigans you went through with Morris Levy. How did you even keep your cool?

TJ: Well, what it boiled down to is that we constantly had to ask ourselves if it would be smarter to get out of this thing. When we were first approaching record labels in New York, “Hanky Panky,” our first record, sort of exploded out of Pittsburgh. Really unexpectedly so. I grabbed the first bar band I could find because I couldn’t put the original group back together. We were in NY two weeks later and we made the rounds of all the record companies to try to get a national or international deal. So, this is spring of 1966. I’m 19 years old and we get to New York, and we’re taken around by a couple of people who had been in the business a long time. We got a yes from CBS, RCA, Atlantic. And Kama Sutra who were hot at the time. And the last place we took the record to was Roulette. And you know, at the end of the day we didn’t pay much attention. I thought it would be great to be with Columbia Records, one of the big corporate labels at the time. So, I went to bed that night feeling real good. And we woke up the next morning, and all of a sudden all the record companies that had said YES the day before, suddenly said, “Tom, I’m afraid we’re gonna have to pass.” And I said, “What d’ya mean you’re gonna have to pass? I thought we had a deal!” And finally, Jerry Wexler at Atlantic told us the truth, that Morris Levy at Roulette Records had called all the other companies, and basically backed them down. (James speaks in a low-pitched mobster voice) “’This is my fuckin’ record company, back off!” And they did. Red flags went up right there… what was so special about Roulette? We’d heard rumors, but didn’t believe it. But apparently, we were gonna be on Roulette, because the first offer, we couldn’t refuse! (he laughs) All of a sudden, we started recognizing people we were doing business with. We’d meet somebody up in Morris’ office, and a week later we’d see them on the TV news being taken out of a warehouse in New Jersey in handcuffs. Y’know… “Didn’t we just see them in Morris’ office?”

Tommy James and the Shondells receive their first gold record from Morris Levy, 1966 (publicity photo)

THE MULE: That is NOT exactly what a musician hopes for from their first label.

TJ: No! Roulette was basically a front for the Genovese crime family in New York. In addition to being a functioning record label. But if we had gone with one of the corporate labels, I’ll tell you what would’ve happened. We would have been turned over to an in-house A&R guy and that’s probably the last that anyone would have heard of us. Especially with a record like “Hanky Panky.”

THE MULE: Oh, that’s hard to believe. You think so? So, was that sort of the trade off you had to make, that you were sacrificing money for the artistic freedom you were given?

TJ: Sure. But we didn’t know that at first. It took us a while to realize that we weren’t going to get mechanical royalties. We weren’t gonna get paid for all this. Of course, we made money from all kinds of other directions, like touring, commercials. All that. But mechanical royalties, no. We had to constantly ask ourselves if we wanted to take our life in our hands and try to get outta this thing. Or, because we were having such great success there, if we could just keep our mouth shut and go along, and have the hits. Because we were making so much money in other areas, like touring. I think we made the right decision to stay. ‘Cause it worked out for us. Plus, I get to tell the story now. But we ended up doing about $110 million in record sales with Roulette.

THE MULE: There was a point in the book that was really cathartic, when you finally told Levy off after years of being kinda screwed, and not getting the money you earned. It felt like a big moment.

TJ: (He laughs) I have such mixed feelings about the whole thing. Because the truth is, every time I go to say something really nasty about Morris Levy and Roulette, I have to stop myself. The truth is, if it hadn’t been for Morris Levy, there wouldn’t have been a Tommy James. That is true. However, having said that, there were a lot of bitter feelings. And there was a lot of danger up there. It was a dangerous place to be.

Tommy James and the Shondells on the Ed Sullivan Show (uncredited photo)

THE MULE: You mean like, were there times you feared for your life?

TJ: Yes! One of the times, y’know, they were having this big gang war in New York. The Gambino family was taking over, and Morris was on the wrong side. And Morris left for Spain and wasn’t heard from for almost a year. And the rest of us were just left holding the bag at Roulette. So, my attorney told me flat out, “I think it would be a real good idea if you left town ’til this damn thing blows over.” There was almost 300 people killed. Bodies were flying around all over the place. He said, “If they can’t get Morris, they’re likely to go after what’s making Morris money, and that’s YOU.” So I said, “Oh, that’s freakin’ great!” So I had to go to Nashville. I went to Nashville and did an album with Elvis’ guys. That was in 1971. And then I get back, thinking everything was over, and Tommy Eboli, Morris’ partner, who was the head of the family by that time, all of a sudden he gets killed. That’s when I exploded. I said, “I gotta get out of here. I’m done.” But Morris wasn’t gonna let me go. He said (low voice again) “You’re not goin’ anywhere.” So, I basically went about destroying my own career. Essentially, I stopped making any more records for Morris. I’d write stuff and ,sometimes I’d record it, but I wouldn’t turn it in.

THE MULE: That was purposeful on your part?

TJ: Oh yeah. God, yes. It was a horrible thing to have to do. But I finally got out by 1974. I went with Fantasy Records, on the west coast. But, we were just real lucky to make it out of there in one piece. So the gist of the book and the movie is, that here we are, trying to have this career in rock and roll, with this dark and sinister and frightening story going on behind the scenes, and we can’t talk about it.

THE MULE: There can’t be too many rock stars whose career went like this. It’s quite unique!

TJ: Probably true. When we started writing the book, Martin Fitzpatrick, my co-author and I, we were originally gonna call the book CRIMSON AND CLOVER, we were gonna write about the hits, and making records and writing songs, and that would’ve been great. But we got about a third of the way into it and,, we realized that if we don’t tell the whole Roulette story, we’ll be cheating ourselves and everybody else. I was very nervous about finishing the thing. Cause some of these guys were still walking around. And it’s not like we were talking about a huge amount of criminal activity. I mean, there was some. But the fact you were talking about this stuff could’ve gotten you killed. So I was nervous. And we put it on the shelf for about three years. And finally, in 2006, the last of the Roulette regulars as I called them, passed on. And we finally felt like we could finish the book, which took us two or three years to do. When we did, we immediately got a deal with Simon and Schuster. They just gobbled it right up.

Tommy James with ME, THE MOB, AND ME (uncredited photo)

THE MULE: And you started getting all those royalties that you were cheated out of before.

TJ: Of course. But then, at the end of all that, we started getting calls for the movie rights and for the Broadway rights. It’s gonna be a Broadway show after that. So, this is gonna be a real interesting time.

THE MULE: What kind of a shift, aesthetically, happened for you with your music after the Roulette era ended?

TJ: Well, in the ’70s, by that time music itself had changed. We kind of went with that flow. The band and I had broken up in 1970, so I was by myself doing this. The first place I went was Fantasy, and we had two albums out there. They did pretty well for us. Fantasy was a great place to be, an interesting place. Couldn’t be any further geographically from Roulette than it was. And then. after those two records, I came back to New York and signed with Millennium Records, which was RCA. And had three more chart records, one went number one, “Three Times in Love,” in 1980. We were very lucky because I took three years off in 1981 and sort of collected my publishing and got a lot of my masters back. And it was really a good time creatively. Finally, in 1988, I began recording again. We were getting all kinds of cover records in the 1980s. A lot of movies and stuff. And I released a record in 1990, the HI-FI album. That did very well for us. And that’s kind of where the book ends, in 1990. ‘Cause that’s when Morris died. He was indicted in 1986, and was put on trial in 1988. And he lost. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. But, he died before he could serve any time. He died of colon cancer in 1990.

THE MULE: Did you ever have any final conversation with him during those days?

TJ: The end of the book and of the movie are gonna be quite touching. Because, basically, what happened is that he asked for me. As I’m rushing out the door to do a gig in Chicago – this actually happened – the first gig on this promotional tour that I was doing for the HI-FI album. It was the first album I’d put out in 10 years, so it was a big deal. And Morris was asking for me. I didn’t realize how sick he was. And Howard (an accountant at Roulette Records) said, “If you wanna see him, you better get up to the farm right away.” So I said, well okay, I’ll be back the next day. And he died that night. So I never officially got a chance to say goodbye to him. The last scene in the movie is going to be, where I am telling this story. In the book, I’m actually telling the story after he died, to a reporter there in Chicago. I go down from the theatre, about two in the morning. It’s a beautiful, crisp night in Chicago. And I’m by myself. And we’re gonna go back to the hotel. The limo driver is snoozing. And I get in the back of the limo, and I sort of have this imaginary conversation with Morris. This is at the end of the movie, and I get a chance to say goodbye to him that way. The funny part is, in the film, at the very end, the closing credits happen right then. And the limo takes off, you can see the Chicago skyline. And the credits start rolling. And this new version of “I Think We’re Alone Now” that I did with the original Shondells. I brought them up from Pittsburgh. Took ’em in the studio, and we did this slow, beautiful version of the song at the end.

THE MULE: Oh man, that gives me chills.

TJ: The funny part is, the words work so well. Because Morris was gone, and we’re alone now! It worked so well in this somber moment, just as well as they did in the original teeny bop love song from the ’60s.

Tommy James (photo credit: TOM WHITE/THE NEW YORK TIMES)

THE MULE: There are three of the Shondells still alive, right?

TJ: Yes. Mike, Ronnie and Eddie. Course, I’m out on the road now every year with a new group of Shondells.

THE MULE: I wanted to ask you about one of the many covers of your songs… there’s been a zillion. But, the Billy Idol version of “Mony Mony,” which became a huge dance hit. You surely knew about this obscene four-line chant, that people started doing in the song. How did that come about?

TJ: That happened on a spring break by a bunch of kids from Chicago, who went down to Fort Lauderdale during the ’70s. And they started doing that to the song. I don’t know… it was amazing, they would sometimes do that when I was onstage. And I thought I was getting booed offstage. That just kinda happened, one of those spontaneous things the college kids just made up.

THE MULE: Two other funny things I read. You actually said NO to George Harrison about something in 1968? What was that all about?

TJ: Well it wasn’t that I said no. George Harrison wrote with a group he was producing, called Grapefruit. What happened was, when the Beatles started Apple, it started out as a publishing company before it was a record company. And their idea was to write songs for all their friends. For other artists. That was the original reason for Apple. George wrote me a bunch of songs. “Mony Mony” had been the biggest record of the decade in England. It was actually bigger over there than it was here. So, they wrote me oh, eight or ten songs. But they all sounded like “Mony Mony”. They brought ’em over here and delivered ’em to my manager. At that time, we had moved on to “Crimson and Clover,” to sort of another sound. And so I never really got a chance to do those songs. And I felt terrible, I never got a chance to thank George for what he had done. I just always felt bad about that.

THE MULE: Another thing I did not know. You almost died in 1970, right?

TJ: Well, that’s true. I collapsed onstage in Alabama. That was real scary. I was popping a lot of uppers at the time. And they all caught up with me onstage. I was lucky I didn’t have a heart attack. It was close.

THE MULE: I wanted to ask you about a couple of the more recent songs. I was struck by “Megamation Man.” It’s an interesting song, with that little boy’s voice on it. Was he one of your kids, or just a kid you found?

TJ: No, it was one of the kids of my engineer, with whom I was making the record at the time. I wrote that song back in 1994, actually. It got recorded about ten years later. And it’s about what’s called the new world order. I guess you could call it the police state that’s being set up right now around the world.

THE MULE: Is megamation a real word?

TJ: I made it up, as far as I know. It’s about the character that scripture calls “the anti-Christ.” It’s a strange topic to be writing about in rock and roll, but I just felt the urge to do it.

THE MULE: How much do you allow politics or topical concerns to affect your music? Early on, “Sweet Cherry Wine” was an exception, but do you have a line there that you don’t want to cross when you are writing something?

TJ: Sometimes…. my view is that, when you write a song, it can come from several different places. It can be something that you imagine. But, when you write a song, you are writing a little story. No matter how trivial the lyrics, you are writing a story. It’s sort of a snapshot. It doesn’t have to be about real life. But sometimes it is. “Megamation Man” was about a topic that I felt strongly about, and wanted to make it musical. It’s not easy to do that sometimes. But every now and then, I have the urge to do that.

Tommy James (photo credit: MICHAEL BUSH/UPI)

THE MULE: And you re-recorded a new version of “Sweet Cherry Wine.” What made you do that?

TJ: My engineer came to me and was playing the piano. He’s a great musician. And he played me this sort of gospel version of “Sweet Cherry Wine.” And I said, “We gotta do that.” ‘Cause, really, that’s a gospel song. And so we created a little choir, and I was just really happy with that record. In 2006, we released the HOLD THE FIRE album. And we had three top five adult contemporary records from that album. One of them went Number One, “Love Words.” And so, that was our first time back on the charts for quite some time. We were gonna release “SCW” as a single but we decided not to.

THE MULE: I also wanted to mention the song “Give It All,” which I thought was really strong. It seemed like you had reached some new kind of powerful place as a vocalist with songs like that. Did you feel that yourself?

TJ: Thank you. To me, my favorite album that I have done in the last 40 years is our Christmas album. (I LOVE CHRISTMAS, released in 2008 on Aura Records) I have never sounded better vocally. It all just came together. I recorded it with Jimmy Wisner, who I had first started making records with in 1967. Just this last Christmas, we released it on vinyl, as well. But I have been really blessed with being able to keep my voice. In my view, I’ve gotten a little better. I’ve gained almost an octave that I didn’t have as a kid. Usually, it’s the other way around.

THE MULE: Are you still enjoying making music just as much as in the old days?

TJ: Oh. yeah, I am. When we play on the road, I see three generations of fans at the concerts and it’s amazing.

THE MULE: Well, a lot of us grew up with your songs and just have vivid memories associated with them. There must be people that come up and tell you stories all the time, right? Poignant stories about what songs meant to them? Does anything stand out?

TJ: The funny thing is that radio was a much more intimate media than movies or TV or anything else and, your record on the radio was more intimate than anything. So, when people come up to me, they have memories attached to that song. And so do I! I feel that way about other acts during that period of time, like the Beach Boys or the Beatles. I have a lot of memories attached to the music. People feel like they know you. And your audience becomes like an extended family. It’s as close to a religious experience as you can have in rock and roll.

THE MULE: Who were some of the artists who affected or influenced you when you were coming up in music?

TJ: Oh, man… all of them. I listened to the Beach Boys’ records and I’m there. The Four Seasons. I used to PLAY a lot of that stuff, it wasn’t just listening to it. I was in cover bands in high school and so forth. So I played all this stuff. “1-2-3” by Len Barry. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard that record. It’s amazing what music does for me. I can tell you what year it was, where I was in my life, I can almost tell you what I had for dinner that night.

THE MULE: Well Tommy, there are so many other things I’d love to ask you, but I know we have to wind down now. Do you have certain hopes for your musical future, things that you want to accomplish that you haven’t quite done yet?

TJ: Well, you know we just started our YouTube channel. YouTube people came to me over the previous Christmas holiday and asked me if I would like to have a YouTube channel, because our catalog was so deep. And I said, “Yeah. What’s THAT?” (laughs) And they told me. And it’s all your past stuff, plus new stuff. So every two to three weeks, we put up a new video on the YouTube channel. It’s usually me talking about the song or where it came from. And we’re gonna keep putting up new music.

THE MULE: Finally, and this is silly, but I gotta ask. Does your baby still do the hanky panky?

TJ: Oh yeah. It never stopped. When we still play that record, the place kind of explodes.

Tommy James with his gold records (uncredited photo)

By the time Tommy James was truly free of the Morris Levy craziness, he had sold millions upon millions of records, had become a household name, and found himself with a tale to tell that would give him a wildly improbable entry into the movie business. The ME, THE MOB, AND THE MUSIC book talked about earlier is essential reading for anyone wanting to know the depth of James’ journey. James only released a few records in the ‘70s (the Shondells era was long over by then); these included CHRISTIAN OF THE WORLD, IN TOUCH and MIDNIGHT RIDER, but few of these yielded hits as huge as what had come before, although “Three Times in Love” was a 1980 single that made it to number 19 on the Billboard chart. But, after that, there was no new James material until 1990’s HI-FI. James’ last new album was 2006’s HOLD THE FIRE. There have been many compilations, of course; with a catalogue as deep as James’, record companies will always want to keep the reissues coming. And James has a YouTube channel well worth investigating, because he talks about various songs himself in a witty and lively manner. The link for the channel is here: www.youtube.com/user/TJShondells. James also continues to tour, both solo and with a new version of the Shondells. Although he could easily coast on his past glories, James still loves songwriting and performing, and continues to write new stuff. He’s a very lucky guy and he knows it. Despite the royalties he was once screwed out of by Morris Levy, not only was the wrong eventually righted in a way that gave James unprecedented financial security, Levy unintentionally did James a peculiar favor by making his particular tale so interesting that new life was given to the music years later, and James would get the opportunity to work with top people in film and theatre. Whatever “hanky panky” happened in the past, Tommy James is enjoying some “sweet cherry wine,” indeed, these days, and the audiences still turn out in droves for his shows. His is an amazing rock and roll tale, and we can look forward to much, much more from James in the near future. For tour dates and more, visit Tommy’s official site: www.tommyjames.com and, of course, ME, THE MOB, AND THE MUSIC is available at all of the finest book repositories and the usual on-line places.

ORENDA FINK: BLUE DREAM

(SADDLE CREEK RECORDS; 2014)

BLUE DREAM, the third solo album from Azure Ray’s Orenda Fink, is a catharsis for loss and a balm for the grieving soul. In this instance, Orenda is writing as a means of coming to terms with the death of her beloved Wilson, her pet and friend for sixteen years. I’m not going to tell you that I understand that concept but, what I do understand is loss; there’s a process that we all go through when we lose someone or somebeing that we love deeply… I’ve been through that process more times than I like. Dealing and accepting the loss is part of that process; writing music is Orenda’s way of dealing. This is a deeply personal collection of songs and, I must say, it surely took a lot of guts to release them to the world.

The record’s first single (and lead-off track) is “Ace of Cups,” with a slow, grinding groove that I find reminiscent of those ’80s and ’90s MTV and radio hard rock/electronica hybrid ballads. The song features a memorable bass line and a powerful, swinging guitar solo but, it’s the brilliantly ethereal vocal delivery that makes the song work for me. “You Can Be Loved” is a mid-tempo piece of heavy atmospherics with a slightly detuned guitar figure running through it; there’s still a driving, forceful vibe to the tune, thanks in large part to the authoritative drumming of Bill Rieflin. With “This Is a Part of Something Greater,” I’m kinda reminded of the noises made by Berlin on the COUNT THREE AND PRAY album (the one that featured “Take My Breath Away” from the TOP GUN movie). The instrumentation hums and buzzes, with throbbing bass and understated percussion, highlighted by a killer, feedback-drenched guitar solo. With heartfelt (if a little creepy) lyrics like, “You know that my Love will never die,” I can almost hear Peter Gabriel or Kate Bush wrapping their vocal chords around this one. “You Are a Mystery” is a short blast of distorted girl group pop, utilizing Greg Elsasser’s saw as the prime instrumental impetus. A lullaby for the lost and grieving, “Holy Holy” is a song that comes from a very dark, lonely place but finds a voice as it moves into the light of acceptance.

The album’s title track is a funeral dirge for happiness and is one of the most upbeat songs on the record. The shiny guitar and keyboards that lurk just beyond the periphery add to the subterranean depths of despair. “Sweet Disorder” picks up the tempo but not the somber tone, as these lyrics show: “Crazy sweet disorder love/I believed in nothing/And in the end, that’s what I got.” “Poor Little Bear,” a number specifically referencing her loss, features Orenda’s gauzy voice over a lone acoustic guitar. “Darkling” is a chilling and enduring reminder that the monsters in the room aren’t under your bed, they’re in your head. Finally, with “All Hearts Will Beat Again,” that sense that things will never get better is replaced by a sense that things will go on and that, mostly, love is the only thing we have to hold on to. Working her way through the grief of loss in a cathartic exercise such as the ten cuts offered on her new record should go a long way in spiritually healing those still-open wounds. Has BLUE DREAM purged and cleansed Orenda Fink’s pain? We really won’t know the answer to that question until her next record.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Darren Tracy | November 7, 2014 | Azure Ray Bill Rieflin Electronic Music Greg Elsasser Music Orenda Fink Pop Music Rock and Roll Streaming Video

PAUL MCCARTNEY ARCHIVE COLLECTION

(HEAR MUSIC/CONCORD MUSIC GROUP; 2014)

The PAUL MCCARTNEY ARCHIVE COLLECTION continues with the release of two mid-’70s offerings from Wings, which by this time had gelled into more than a group of sidemen for Paul and Linda: VENUS AND MARS, a record that I dismissed out of hand upon its release for whatever sophomoric reason that was rattling around in my then 16 year old cranial cavity, and WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND, which is probably my favorite post-Beatles album from the McCartney camp. The WINGS OVER THE WORLD tour and the WINGS OVER AMERICA record were in support of the VENUS AND MARS release and, upon further examination of that spectacular live set, I’ve been forced to reevaluate VENUS AND MARS. Luckily, the Hear Music label (by way of the Concord Music Group) has given me that opportunity. As with every release in the series, these albums are released in a few different configurations (CD, vinyl, two CD/DVD and a special CD/DVD version housed in a book with a ton of extras). Everything being equal, we’ll examine the double CD and DVD versions of both albums here.

I listen to a lot of music. A lot of music. That includes quite a few digital CD remasters of analog vinyl originals. For the most part, I can’t really tell the difference or, if I do notice a difference, I find that I prefer the original, warmer analog sound. However, the two latest additions to the PAUL MCCARTNEY ARCHIVE COLLECTION are nothing less than an aural revelation. I understand that speaking in terms of dimensions, it’s a spatial thing but, the only thing that came to mind as I listened was, “Great googley-moogley! Sir Paul has somehow discovered a process to make his music three-dimensional!” No kidding… the vocals, the instruments, everything is so vibrant and crisp and nuanced. The horns and guitars literally jump out at you, as do the backing vocals… you can practically count the layers and name each voice in the mix. This is the sound that all other remasters should aspire to (uh… you know what I mean). Individually, this is what you can expect:

WINGS: VENUS AND MARS

(original release: CAPITOL RECORDS; 1975)

On VENUS AMD MARS, Paul McCartney was determined to show that Wings really was a band: Multi-instrumentalist Jimmy McCulloch was added to front-line performers McCartney and long-time collaborator, Denny Laine; drummer Joe English was brought in to give the rhythm section – Paul and Linda – a more cohesive sound. This is still very much Paul McCartney’s show, but the contributions from the others add dimensions to the sound that had been missing. The record kicks off with the title track, which works as a nice acoustic intro to “Rock Show,” one of McCartney’s rockingest tracks ever. The slide work of Jimmy McCulloch and piano of special guest Allen Toussaint add just the right touch. “Love In Song” has a kinda spooky vibe and some great orchestration; it’s one of three tracks with Geoff Britton on drums (nasty drunk McCulloch basically said, “It’s me or him,” and the die was cast). With Paul doing a pretty good Rudy Vallee imitation, “You Gave Me the Answer” is a fun approximation of 1920s speak-easy music. “Magneto and Titanium Man” has the band showing their geek side with a couple of lesser known Marvel Comics villains (in the form of Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo); the tune is a lilting kind of pop thing with a very nice guitar part from Denny Laine. “Letting Go” is an atmospheric, horn-driven rocker with a funky groove. The track features Britton on drums and a killer guitar solo through to the fade. “Venus and Mars” is back in a fuller version that has added some cool sound effects (either keyboards or guitar – or both). “Spirits of Ancient Egypt” is a pumping rocker with a great bass line (go figure, huh?), some creepy backing vocals and a sweet backward guitar. Maintaining the same groove and feel of the previous track, McCulloch’s “Medicine Jar” has Jimmy rocking out on a tune that was probably Geoff Britton’s last gasp as a member of Wings. Denny Laine’s sweet, bluesy guitar informs “Call Me Back Again,” which has a slow, funky Stax thing happening. “Listen To What the Man Said” was the big hit single from VENUS AND MARS, with guest spots from guitarist Dave Mason and Tom Scott on sax. It’s one of McCartney’s sappiest tunes, but exceptional playing all the way around (including the woefully underrated Linda McCartney) saves it from the dregs. The couplet of “Treat Her Gently” and “Lonely Old People” is a one-two punch of sap but, again, there’s just something about the playing that saves it (Paul’s piano, in particular). It’s kind of a “When I’m Sixty-Four” song about the McCartneys’ everlasting love. Even today, though Linda’s been gone for more than 16 years, it’s obvious that Paul’s love for her was – and is – everlasting. A short instrumental track, a cover of the CROSSROADS soap opera theme by Tony Hatch, fills out the groove of side two.

VENUS AND MARS (Paul McCartney) (photo credit: LINDA MCCARTNEY/photo copyrighted: PAUL MCCARTNEY)

The second disc is where things get really fun and interesting. With everything working to perfection, “Junior’s Farm” is one of McCartney’s best non-album singles. The track has great pumping bass, a cool fuzzed-out rhythm guitar and a spectacular McCulloch solo. “Sally G,” the B-side of the single, is a nifty, lilting tune with pedal steel guitar and a fiddle… kinda like a barn dance hoedown. Sounding like the instrumental sister of “Sally G,” “Walking In the Park With Eloise” adds horns, banjo and washboard to the mix (and… is that an old soft shoe in there, as well?); the tune was another non-album single. Its B-side, “Bridge On the River Suite” is another grooving instrumental that coulda been the theme song from one of those rock and roll exploitation films of the early-to-mid-sixties. The B-side to 1985’s “Spies Like Us” single, “My Carnival” is an old time rock ‘n’ roll stroll (think Fats Domino’s “Blueberry Hill”) with a buoyant acoustic bass (played by Denny Laine, at least if the accompanying video isn’t lying), some purposely sloppy backing vocals and a lot of hand claps, whoops, hollers and whistles throughout. The previously unreleased “Going To New Orleans (My Carnival)” is a continuation (or a re-imagining) of the last tune with the added highlight of a “walking piano,” heightening the similarities to Fats Domino and other New Orleans music greats. “Hey Diddle” is a fun, pumping, previously unreleased reel, complete with penny whistles, saws and fiddles. “Let’s Love” is a minor key piano piece. I totally understand why it has remained unreleased up to this point. The next two tracks come from the 1974 documentary, ONE HAND CLAPPING, which didn’t see an official release until 2010. There’s a harder edged version of “Soily,” an unreleased track that the band used as an encore during the WINGS OVER THE WORLD tour; the other tune is the old chestnut “Baby Face,” which retains the playfulness of the 1926 intent. “Lunch Box/Odd Sox” was the B-side to 1980’s “Coming Up” single. It’s an instrumental with a very urgent sound that takes on a weird vibe with the eventual domination of the synthesizer. As the name implies, “Fourth of July” evokes a warm summer night, watching fireworks on a blanket with your baby. Yeah, the previously unreleased song is sappy and a little goofy and probably goes on a bit too long but, it’s still a nice acoustic departure. Parenthetically noted as an “old version,” a different (demo?) take of “Rock Show” has a ballsier sound with the bass standing out more than the final album cut. McCartney’s solo vocal actually works better than the album version, too. The single edit of “Letting Go” closes out the bonus audio. It’s about a minute shorter than the album take and features a different mix.

VENUS AND MARS (Wings: Jimmy McCulloch, Joe English, Denny Laine, Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney) (photo credit: LINDA MCCARTNEY/Photo cpoyrighted: PAUL MCCARTNEY)

There’s some fun video stuff on the bonus DVD. First, there’s a behind the scenes look at the recording of the gang vocals for “My Carnival.” The piece shows Denny Laine slapping away at an acoustic bass. “Bon Voyageur” shows the band dancing and mugging in New Orleans, being interviewed on a riverboat, partaking in the fun and games at Mardi Gras and on the riverboat, where they perform with the “house band,” the Meters. A black and white documentary of the rehearsals for the WINGS OVER THE WORLD tour, “Wings At Elstree” features rather spotty sound but, the thing is nearly 40 years old. Also on display are the improbably large bell-bottomed pants sported by Denny Laine. The final, loopy kinda nostalgia is a TV commercial for the VENUS AND MARS album, which shows the band goofing around in a backroom of a bar somewhere… at least that’s what it looks like to me. None of this stuff is really necessary; however, it is fairly entertaining as little windows of the 1975 version of Wings.

WINGS: WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND

(original release: CAPITOL RECORDS; 1976)

WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND Deluxe Edition

On WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND, the McCartneys, Laine, McCulloch and English were more determined than ever to recast Wings as a democratic group, not just Paul McCartney’s backing band. Each non-Beatle member had one lead vocal (Denny had two), with McCulloch and Laine both contributing one song. It may not seem like all that big of a deal, but even that slight bit of variety managed to move the record to the top of my post-Beatles Paul McCartney list (it has since been supplanted, but that’s a story for another review). Oddly enough, regardless of the lyrics and vocal delivery (both kinda syrupy sweet), “Let ’em In” probably has more in common with something from THE BEATLES (the record with the white cover) than any other tune from McCartney’s solo career to that point. The arrangement is exceptionally tight, right down to the ramshackle sound of the drum fills. “The Note You Never Wrote,” which features a Laine vocal, has a very progressive, post-Denny Laine Moody Blues sound that turns into a slow, languid bluesy kind of a torch song; the tune definitely suffers from an identity crisis… it just doesn’t know what sort of a number it wants to be. “She’s My Baby” sounds like Paul’s homage to the Bee Gees; an instance where everything just comes together, producing the perfect pop tune. A lot of people thought that the passion and urgency of McCartney’s vocals left at around the same time he left his old band but, with “Beware My Love,” it appears that he has found that old fire once again. The guitars are great and Linda’s backing vocals add just the right touch. This is one of Paul’s best solo tracks. Jimmy McCulloch was always seen as the hot-shot young rocker but, guitar solo aside, “Wino Junko” is a fairly ponderous, gauzy thing that belies the song title. “Silly Love Songs” is one of McCartney’s most derided tunes, with its sappy sentimentality and disco production qualities ans prchestration; honestly, though, it’s not a horrible track. It’s one of those songs that gets stuck in your brain-pan and won’t go away for days. Simply stated, “Silly Love Songs” is a declaration of devotion to Linda, as well as a snide aside to John Lennon and the press. “Cook of the House” is a chugging boogie tune with Linda on lead vocals. Too many people spent too much time on Linda’s supposed lack of talent; this song shoulda shut ’em all up. It’s a fun little number and she sounds great on it; it’s actually one of my favorite numbers on the record. Denny is back on lead vocals with “Time To Hide,” which he also wrote. The song is more of a throbbing rocker than “The Note You Never Wrote” and Laine sounds far more comfortable with this type of tune. The number features a nice, somewhat adventurous horn chart and McCartney’s bass work shows why he is one of the top four or five players ever. “Must Do Something About It” is a gently rocking track featuring Joe English’s vocals. Joe displays that smooth delivery that served him so well when he left Wings for a solo career in Christian Rock. Paul returns with “San Ferry Anne,” which is permeated with a weird, rather hypnotic vibe. The song also features a jazzy horn section that seems almost counter-intuitive to the overall feel of the track, which makes it all the more appealing. “Warm and Beautiful” closes out the original record, a piano ballad that eventually adds some very nice accompaniment in the forms of a string quartet and McCulloch’s Hawaiian-influenced slide.

WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND (Paul McCartney) (photo credit: LINDA MCCARNEY/photo copyrighted: PAUL MCCARTNEY)

The bonus audio tracks aren’t as numerous or essential as those offered on VENUS AND MARS. They’re mostly throw away demos with a couple of really awesome jewels tossed in. The first demo is Paul sitting at a piano, working on the lyrics to “Silly Love Songs.” It also features Linda on backing vocals. The demo of “She’s My Baby” is very much more of the same, with very tentative (almost mumbled) scratch vocals. “Message To Joe” is a 20 second memo to Joe English, run through a vocoder and is totally useless. “Beware My Love” is another demo, this time a little more fleshed out. The former drummer for Band of Joy stops by to rev up an already great number. By the way, in case you were wondering, Band of Joy’s drum stool was filled by a guy named John Bonham, who went on to have some success with the New Yardbirds… oh, what could have been! “Must Do Something About It” is Paul’s demo version of the song. This take features a nicer groove and a better mix than the album version. Had they used the backing tracks from this version with Joe’s vocals, the result would have been impressive. A piano demo of “Let ’em In” features Paul’s kinda scatting sratch vocals… very much a work in progress. The final demo is a short, instrumental snippet of “Warm and Beautiful.”

WINGS AT THE SPEED OF SOUND (Denny Laine, Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Jimmy McCulloch, Joe English) (photo credit: CLIVE ARROWSMITH/MPL COMMUNICATIONS)

The video material is a little weak, as well. Actually, it isn’t much different than the stuff from the VENUS AND MARS bonus DVD, there’s just… less. First up is the official promotional video for “Silly Love Songs.” It’s your standard issue video from those early days of the medium: The band doing goofy stuff and mugging for the camera, the band backstage and, of course, the obligatory performance shots. “Wings Over Wimbley” is raw footage, shot documentary style of the band’s final WINGS OVER THE WORLD shows, a three-night run at Wembley in London. There’s a lot of backstage stuff, parts of a press conference and a meet and greet (and, is that John Peel in line there?) interspersed with bits of film and music from the band’s soundchecks. For what amounts to a music video for “Warm and Beautiful,” “Wings In Venice” features the band, the crew and the city preparing for a huge outdoor show. One thing that I noticed in watching all of these little vignettes of Wings from both DVDs is that Linda McCartney was always shaking a mock fist at the camera and getting all motherly with stuff like, “I have a bone to pick with you, mister” or “This is the second time I’ve had to warn you, little mister.” I mention this only because from everything I’ve ever read or heard about Linda is that she was the most loving, forgiving person you’d ever want to meet; just look at the footage… she can’t keep a stern look on her face to save her life. I think I understand how Paul could have loved her so completely.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI DVD/Blu-Ray Music Reviews | Darren Tracy | November 2, 2014 | Allen Toussaint Bonus Material Classic Rock Dave Mason Denny Laine DVD/Blu-Ray Geoff Britton Jimmy McCulloch Joe English John Bonham Linda McCartney Music New Orleans Paul McCartney PAUL MCCARTNEY ARCHIVE COLLECTION Pop Music Reissue Rock and Roll The Meters Tom Scott Wings

PAUL MCCARTNEY

(October 15, 2014; THE PHILIPS ARENA, Atlanta GA)

Simply put, Paul McCartney’s OUT THERE TOUR is one of the great nights of musical entertainment. Here’s a guy who’s 72 years old, with all the money and fame in the world and he still puts on a close to three hour show, with hits from five decades of music, with his very capable band of Paul Wickens, who plays keyboards, guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray and drummer Abe Laboriel, Junior giving him all the support and room he needs to do his own thing.

Paul McCartney and the boys in the band (Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray, Abe Laboriel, Junior and Paul Wickens (photo credit: MJ KIM)

McCartney, buoyant and full of life and energy, has the crowd in the palm of his hand as soon as he takes the stage. He starts off with the Beatles classic, “Eight Days a Week,” and never looks back. The newer songs, “Save Us,” “New” and “Queenie Eye,” off his recent studio album, NEW, fit comfortably among the classics everyone wants to hear. Paul’s tributes to John Lennon, with “Here Today,” and George Harrison, with a wonderful version of “Something” are stirring.

Paul McCartney's tribute to George Harrison, OUT THERE TOUR 2013 (photo credit/copyrighted by MJ KIM) — Paul McCartney’s tribute to George Harrison, OUT THERE TOUR 2013 (photo credit/copyrighted by MJ KIM)

Likewise, McCartney’s tribute to his late wife, Linda, with one of his very best solo songs, “Maybe I’m Amazed,” is one of the highlights of the show. Actually, there were too many great moments to talk about; he covered early, mid and late Beatles – “All My Loving,” “And I Love Her,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” songs from “SERGEANT PEPPER’S… ” and on and on. Tears were falling from audience faces when he played “Eleanor Rigby,” “Yesterday” and “Blackbird.”

Paul McCartney with Abe Laboriel, Junior, PHILIPS ARENA, October 15, 2014 (photo credit: PERRY JULIEN)

Paul told stories of knowing Jimi Hendrix and being the first rock star to play Red Square in Moscow a few years back. The massive audience singalongs of “Let It Be” and “Hey, Jude,” the explosions during “Live and Let Die,” or how about an encore of a crunching “Day Tripper,” the Wings hit, “Hi, Hi, Hi” and “Get Back,” finishing the night off with “Yesterday,” “Helter Skelter” and the ABBEY ROAD medley (“Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” “The End”). It was all almost too much at times but, to me, as a long time fan, just seeing McCartney up on stage and playing, entertaining the crowd… just being there for an evening was enough. For most fans, that was plenty.

Paul McCartney at the piano, OUT THERE TOUR 2013 (photo credit/copyrighted by MJ KIM)

After 50 years of making music that has become a part of so many people’s lives, you would think Macca would have had enough of it and would just want to take it easy. That’s just not the case. It was a magical night in Atlanta with Sir Paul; as the guy behind me kept saying, just one right after the other, “It’s just wonderful!” I think that pretty much summed up the evening.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Live Music Reviews | Bill Winer | October 19, 2014 | Abe Laboriel Junior Altlanta GA Brian Ray Classic Rock George Harrison John Lennon Linda McCartney Live Music Music OUT THERE TOUR Paul McCartney Paul Wickens Pop Music Rock and Roll Rusty Anderson The Beatles The Philips Arena Wings

GARDEN MUSIC PROECT: INSPIRED BY SYD BARRETT’S ARTWORK

(AR GARDEN RECORDS/CHERRY RED RECORDS; 2014)

Writer/artist/songwriter Adriana Rubio is gifted with (or, suffers from, depending on your personal impressions) a cognitive anomaly called synesthesia; basically, it means that a sound or a smell or a texture may evoke a strong visualization of a specific color. She wrote the material for this new project by using the artwork (visual stimulation) to “color” the music (aural realization) as a tribute to the life and works of Pink Floyd’s original voice. The results are, in my opinion, stunning. Whether it comes from having Syd’s music ingrained in her mind from an early age or from synesthesia, this album could, in fact, be the missing link between the Floyd’s Barrett and Gilmour eras and even Syd’s solo excursions before he drifted further into madness and seclusion. Rubio’s concepts were fleshed out by a quartet of extremely talented musicians, the five adopting the name Garden Music Project, even though Adriana doesn’t actually perform on the record.

Unnamed painting (SYD BARRETT) — Untitled painting (SYD BARRETT)

The album starts with “Garden,” a song that, having that transcendent mid-’60s shimmery English pop feel, could have been a B-side for one of Pink Floyd’s first few (Barrett written) singles. Alexander Ditzend’s voice and guitar are both extremely evocative of Syd and the playful music and lyrics are very much in the vein of those early singles. “Squares, Lines and Polygons” has a heavier, more staccato sound. It’s almost like late ’70s English punk fused with the arena rock that still dominated in the States during that same period; here, Ditzend’s voice reminds me of Gary Numan, but without that famous detached snarl. Track number three, “Isolation,” is a bit more in line with the psychedelic meanderings of SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS, Floyd’s second album (and first to feature Syd’s eventual replacement, David Gilmour). “Transformation” is a nightmare soundscape, with throbbing bass and lunatic sax bleats (from Stefan Ditzend), atmospheric keyboards (courtesy of Fabrizio Gamba) and stinging guitar. The musical chaos may very well have been what Syd was experiencing, as the spoken word lyrics are indicative of a crumbling, fragile mind.

Garden Music Project (Adriana Rubio) (publicity photo)

“Bullying” is a flat-out rocker, with great, layered guitar drenched in echo and reverb. As the sound shifts ever-so-slightly, the song melds into “My Ladies,” an acoustic number with a spacey slide guitar used for accent. The number could be an outtake from Barrett’s first solo record, THE MADCAP LAUGHS, without the lyrical lunatic ravings. “Leaving Home” is an amalgam of Syd’s acoustic psychedelia, MEDDLE, DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, WISH YOU WERE HERE and, inexplicably, David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” Alexander offers up another Gilmour-esque slide performance. The darker tonal qualities and spiraling guitar and melody of “Crime Scene” features a sing-song Barrett-like vocal. Overall, the tune is quite disturbing, rather like a mind spiraling down into an abyss of total madness.

Garden Music Project (Fabrizio Gamba, Stefan Ditzend, Nicolas Saganias, Alexander Ditzend) (publicity photo)

“Coliseum” sounds exactly like the name implies. It’s an epic, hypnotic Middle-Eastern “throw ’em to the lions” SPARTACUS warrior movie soundtrack kinda thing that meanders toward a very Floydian progressive rock before winding its way back to Ancient Rome. The entire song’s success lies primarily with percussionist Nicolas Saganias, who’s work is flawless thorughout the whole of the album. The ebb and surge of the electric piano-led “Tour Bus” is in the vein of DARK SIDE… era Floyd, but with Syd-style vocal whimsey. “Bridge” comes on like a cross between “Sheep” (from the Floyd record, ANIMALS) and “Welcome To the Machine” (from WISH YOU WERE HERE). That combination gives the tune a dismally cool feel that I thoroughly enjoy. The final cut, “Self Portrait,” is a little bit of everything Syd. There’s psychedelic pop, space psych, British Invasion pop, a taste of “Jugband Blues” (the only Barrett credit on SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS) and schizoid solo acoustic stuff. It’s a fitting end to fine tribute to one of the true musical geniuses of the psychedelic and progressive eras.

As odd as the genesis of this group and INSPIRED BY SYD BARRETT’S ARTWORK sounds, I will definitely be interested in hearing future activity from the Garden Music Project. Maybe Rubio should check out the artwork of Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) or Miles Davis or John Lennon. I’m thinking that those three would certainly elicit some very colorful musical pictures.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Darren Tracy | September 26, 2014 | Adriana Rubio Alexander Ditzend British Invasion Music Classic Rock David Gilmour Fabrizio Gamba Garden Music Project Music Nicolas Saganias Pink Floyd Pop Music Progressive Rock Psychedelic Music Psychedelic Space Rock Stefan Ditzend Streaming Video Syd Barrett Synesthesia

GEORGE HARRISON: THE APPLE YEARS, 1968-1975

(CAPITOL RECORDS/UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP, 7 CD/1 DVD Box Set; 2014)

For whatever reason, the quiet Beatle’s solo records always seemed to get the short-shrift in the good ol’ US of… with, not only fans of the Fab Four, but with the critics, as well. I guess a lot of people found the albums a little… patchy. That’s a fallacy that persists still, maybe because George wasn’t as outrageous or outspoken as John Lennon (comparatively, his solo material and career was wildly more uneven); wasn’t as “Aw, shucks” self-effacing as Ringo Starr; wasn’t as readily accessible as the Pop Meister General (some would say, the Schlock Meister General), Paul McCartney. He was just… well… George. Honestly, some of the criticism can probably be traced back to George’s first two solo records and, maybe, his embracing Hinduism at a time when such spiritual enlightenment was not readily accepted by America’s Christian majority. This beautifully produced set (including a hard-bound book) should go a long way in dispelling the belief, by some, that George Harrison’s music was somehow… less. Here, we’re going to examine each of the records singularly and on their own merits, beginning with…

George Harrison, 1967 (photo courtesy of and copyrighted by THE HARRISON FAMILY)

WONDERWALL MUSIC (1968)

Somewhere out there, there exists a movie called WONDERWALL, starring the beautiful Jane Birkin as, somewhat fittingly, Penny Lane. Birkin was probably best known for being a scenester and, generally, for being a scantily clad (if clad at all) scenester; she famously appeared nude with an equally nude Brigitte Bardot in a bedroom scene for a 1973 movie called DON JUAN (OR IF DON JUAN WERE A WOMAN) (I know that most of you men are currently away, Googling the movie title for pictures of that scene… I’ll be here when you get back). But… I digress! As there was a movie called WONDERWALL, it seems only fitting that there should be a WONDERWALL soundtrack. And, there is.

George Harrison WONDERWALL MUSIC (photo credit: ASTRID KIRCHHERR/photo courtesy of and copyrighted by GEORGE HARRISON ESTATE)

WONDERWALL MUSIC, aside from being that soundtrack, is an historic piece of musical history: Not only is it the first solo album by George Harrison, it is the first solo album by ANY Beatle, as well as the first release on the lads’ own Apple Records imprint. Even more history-making is the fact that George doesn’t play on the album; he’s credited with writing, arranging and producing only (kinda like John Williams on his numerous soundtrack albums). However, several experts on the Beatles and their music (including Bruce Spizer in his book, THE BEATLES SOLO ON APPLE RECORDS) cite Harrison as providing guitar and mellotron, as well as mentioning appearances by Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Peter Tork (yes… THAT Peter Tork!). The album was recorded at the end of 1967 (and released a full year later, about a month before the movie opened), so George’s work here is heavily influenced by Indian music, into which he had immersed himself after a trip there earlier in the year. There are more than a few of the traditional, droning Indian ragas on display here and, even within the more Western-oriented rock music (credited to the Remo Four), it’s an integral part of the mix (the lone exceptions being the aptly titled “Cowboy Music” and the langorous, piano-driven gypsy love theme, “Wonderwall To Be Here”). Most of the tunes don’t really stick around to be too annoying and too interesting (12 of the original 19 tracks are less than two minutes each), but a couple of those shorter numbers, I wouldn’t have minded to see fleshed out a bit (“Red Lady Too,” “Guru Vandana” and, a track purported to feature either Clapton and Harrison or Clapton alone, “Ski-ing,” which couples with a much more traditional Indian piece called “Gat Kirwani”). Of the longer tracks, “Drilling a Home,” with its jaunty, playful tin-pan alley sound and “Dream Scene,” which is studio deviltry from Harrison – taking three distinct pieces (recorded in London and Bombay), splicing, dicing and looping them together, with various instruments dubbed over the top. You’ll get a very definite “Revolution 9” vibe from the track, which was apparently recorded some months before the Beatles recorded their trippy sound collage. WONDERWALL MUSIC may not be as readily accessible as some of George’s later albums, but it is still quite listenable. Which isn’t bad, considering that, by all accounts, the movie it provided the soundtrack to was virtually unwatchable.

The Remo Four WONDERWALL MUSIC (publicity photo)

Of course, then, there are the bonus tracks, because… well, there are always bonus tracks, right? The Remo Four provide “In the First Place,” a wholly Western, mildly psychedelic George-as-Beatle track (which features an odd, very wobbly piano sound, compliments of Tony Ashton). It’s the only true vocal number recorded for the soundtrack and could very well have been a hit single if it had been released in 1968. “Almost Shankara” is a spry, bouncing Indian tune. I could imagine this one popping up in some period movie, as a sheik brings in dancers to entertain his dinner guests. What I’m guesing must be the original, instrumental version of “The Inner Light” completes the trio of bonus tracks. Without Harrison’s vocals, it almost sounds like a completely different song than the version first heard as the B-side to the Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” single.

ELECTRONIC SOUND (1969)

Barely six months after breaking ground with WONDERWALL MUSIC, the quite Beatle is back with another, even more experimental album of solo music. The music on ELECTRONIC SOUND was so experimental, in fact, that it barely even touched the outer fringes of what was then considered music (even by drug-addles hippies), forcing Apple Records to create a subsidiary label – Zapple – just to release it (as well as John and Yoko’s UNFINISHED MUSIC NUMBER 2: LIFE WITH THE LIONS). I guess when you’re a Beatle, though, people give you a bit more latitude than if you were one of Freddy’s Dreamers.

George Harrison ELECTRONIC SOUND (uncredited photo)

Thirty-five years later, though, and music’s kinda caught up with George. Listening to the two long tracks (“Under the Mersey Wall” is almost 19 minutes long; “No Time Or Space” comes in a tad over 25 minutes) in a world that has since brought us such obnoxious oddities as Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber and music by such outre artists as Throbbing Gristle, the Residents and Tangerine Dream, the album sounds pretty darn good. So, what, exactly was going on in the mustachioed dome of Beatle George that prompted the recording of these noisy soundscapes? Well, as we are all wont to do when we get a new toy, we wanna play with it; George was no different. Having acquired a Moog III synthesizer, he fully intended to put it to use. The first piece, “Under the Mersey Wall,” is the better of the two tracks. It’s more cohesive and, as befits George, is a little more pastoral. When the piece was over, I wasn’t even aware that I’d been listening for over 18 minutes. The second piece is another animal all together. While I generally like the skrees and electronic farts of such music, I found it hard to listen to; at one point, I actually thought that the track must be close to being over, only to discover that there was barely seven minutes gone.It ain’t awful, it just seems to stay a bit too long. Interestingly enough, an electronic innovator and musician named Bernie Krause claims that “No Time Or Space” is actually him teaching George the ins and outs of the Moog III synthesizer. Krause further claims that he didn’t know that he was being recorded until the album was released. The album credits do read, “Recorded in California; with the assistance of Bernie Krause,” so there is some validity to the fact that he did at least work with George in some capacity on the track. I’m guessing that these two numbers were the only ones created/recorded for the album, as there are no bonus tracks on the new reissue. That really doesn’t matter, though, if you’re into this very early, psuedo-Krautrock stuff.

ALL THINGS MUST PASS (1970)

Harrison’s third album is, for all intents and purposes, his first proper solo album, filled with the sort of tunes that one would expect from a now-former Beatle. The album was a sprawling three-record set, comprised of (mostly) unused songs written for latter-day Beatles releases. George has been quoted as saying of the set, “I didn’t have many tunes on Beatles records, so doing an album like ALL THINGS MUST PASS was like going to the bathroom and letting it out.” While the record may not be perfect, it’s hardly filled with disposable (or flushable) material… though there are those that would question that remark as regards the third record’s “Apple Jam.”

George Harrison ALL THINGS MUST PASS (photo credit: BARRY FEINSTEIN)

By the second song, “My Sweet Lord,” it’s obvious that this is going to be a special album. Released as the lead single from the record, the tune marked another milestone: It was the first solo Beatles single to reach number one in both the US and the UK (it topped the charts worldwide). The production, a joint effort between George and Phil Spector, is everything that John Lennon had hoped for when he and Spector began work three years later on what would eventually become the ROCK ‘N’ ROLL album. The sound of ALL THINGS… is as sparkling and vibrant as one would expect from a Spector production, highlighted by Harrison’s airy vocals and brilliant slide guitar work. And, of course, as mentioned elsewhere, being a Beatle (or, by this time, ex-Beatle) does have its advantages; George had the cream of the crop to pick from, as far as musicians to help bring the record to fruition: Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker, Dave Mason and Alan White (the former Plastic Ono Band and future Yes drummer) all make appearances alongside, seemingly, a cast of thousands. The album has plenty of now-familiar highlights, including “What Is Life,” the loping Bob Dylan tune, “If Not For You,” the light country lilt of “Behind That Locked Door,” the Dylan-esque paean to adoring fans, “Apple Scruffs,” the strident, almost giddy pop of “Awaiting On You All,” and the rocking “Art of Dying,” which seems to be the inspiration for the BAND ON THE RUN tune “Missus Vanderbilt.” As far as the “Apple Jam” segment, it is exactly what it sounds like: Harrison jamming with Clapton, drummer Jim Gordon, bassist Carl Radle and keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, the players that would go on to become Derek and the Dominos. As a piece of rock history, I suppose it has a place here but, as I was never a big jam band kinda guy, these tracks don’t get much playing time around here.

There are bonus tracks – the same five (demos, alternate takes and a totally disposable 2000 remake of “My Sweet Lord”) that have been on most CD reissues since the remastered version from 2001, which brings me to my primary problem (the only problem, really) with this version of ALL THINGS MUST PASS: I don’t like the sequencing. I don’t really care for bonus material showing up in the middle of things; I would much rather see such things nailed to the end of the original album. I have a couple of fixes that would have worked better for me: First, the first two albums fit nicely onto one CD (trust me, I’ve done the math), which leaves the looser “Apple Jam” material of the third record and the bonus tracks for a second, shorter CD; second, you put the first three sides of the original on disc 1 and the final three (with bonus material) on disc 2, allowing for a more even distribution (time wise) of the material. I would probably opt for the first solution, for exactly the reasons stated; it just makes more sense to me.

LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD (1973)

After two albums of experimental music and the three record set ALL THINGS MUST PASS, which was comprised mostly of songs left over from his time in that other band, as well as the enormous undertaking that was the Concert For Bangladesh relief effort and a world tour, our George was ready to get back to the business of making (new) music. It took nearly three years to follow up ALL THINGS… with the spiritually upbeat LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD. Although the album is highly enjoyable and features a few exceptional tunes, the strain of filling an entire album alone shows. The one consistent running throughout the record’s eleven tracks is the exceptional guitar playing; George has always flown under the radar, talent-wise, because he was surrounded by players like Eric Clapton and Dave Mason or the overpowering personalities of McCartney and Lennon in the Beatles but, the fact was: George Harrison was one of the best guitarists on the face of the planet, mastering and artfully playing in any style the song and the arrangement dictated.

George Harrison LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD (uncredited photo)

The opening track, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),” a great song with a hopeful message – and reminiscent of “My Sweet Lord,” both melodically and lyrically – was another number one single for George. Possibly the best tune on the album, “Sue Me, Sue You Blues,” is a murky, stomping rocker with a swampy slide slithering through out and a great boogie piano over it all. The lyrics are a reaction to the various legal actions taken by the four Beatles, their various management teams and shared holding companies (Apple Records and Apple Corps among others). It stands as one of the meanest (in the nicest kind of way) lyrics ever written by George Harrison. Other stand-out numbers include the pumping title track, the beautifully lilting acoustic love song, “Be Here Now” and the majestic “Try Some, Buy Some,” highlighted John Barham’s soaring orchestration. Overall, the set does tend to an awkward sameness, but is saved by George’s imaginative guitar work and vocal sincerity.

George Harrison LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD (photo credit: MAL EVANS)

The bonus tracks are the two B-sides from the 2006 reissue, “Miss O’Dell,” from the “Give Me Love… ” single and “Deep Blue” from the “Bangladesh” single. As an added bonus, the A-side of that single is presented for the first time anywhere since the 1992 reissue of Apple’s THE BEST OF GEORGE HARRISON package. I must admit that though there are fewer bonus cuts here than on ALL THINGS MUST PASS, this is definitely the better selection, particularly “Bangladesh.”

DARK HORSE (1974)

With DARK HORSE, George is back in the saddle (so to speak), after a busy year touring, writing and recording, all the while producing several outside projects. The wear and tear was showing, as George fought a worsening bout of laryngitis that drastically affected his vocals. The record may actually give some an indication why George never had more than a couple of songs on the Beatles’ albums; DARK HORSE ain’t all great, but…it ain’t all bad, either. It definitely has problems. This is an instant where Harrison may have been better off staying away from the studio, giving himself time to heal and to write a few more songs to choose from; a writing partner may have helped at this juncture in George’s career, as well. But, having said all of that, let me add that the stuff that works tends to work very well.

George Harrison DARK HORSE (uncredited photo)

The record starts strong with “Hari’s On Tour (Express),” a complex instrumental that coalesces funky rock and boogie woogie with a little country honk with some “smooth Jazz” horns over the top. There’s a very odd, virtually deconstructed cover of the Everly Brother’s “Bye Bye, Love, apparently a shot at Eric Clapton and George’s ex-wife, Patti, who both inexplicably appear on the album. I gotta be honest: That one is hard to listen to. These, on the other hand aren’t: “So Sad,” a jangly Wilbury-esque mid-tempo rocker; “Ding Dong, Ding Dong,” a moderately rocking, rather nonsensical song that mysteriously gained an additional “Ding Dong” in the three days since the song was released as a single; the title track, also released as a single, is a solid rocker, with George’s voice sounding very ragged, which actually helps here. There are moments on the other four tracks where you’ll think, “Okay, that sounds pretty cool.” The problem is, those “Oh, wow!” moments aren’t sustained for the entire song.

George Harrison DARK HORSE (photo credit: TERRY DORAN)

Things are a bit short on the bonus material, but one, a strong acoustic demo of “Dark Horse,” has never been released and, the other, “I Don’t Care Anymore,” the B-side to the “Dark Horse” single in the States and the flip of “Ding Dong” just about everywhere else, is seeing its first CD release. Both are worth a listen.

EXTRA TEXTURE (READ ALL ABOUT IT) (1975)

So, maybe, in retrospect, a layoff to recover from laryngitis wouldn’t have been a good thing. EXTRA TEXTURE (READ ALL ABOUT IT) sees George morphing into a Vaudevillian version of James Taylor. There is probably a really good album between DARK HORSE and EXTRA TEXTURE… because, again, there is gold amongst the dross.

George Harrison Extra Texture (photo credit: HENRY GROSSMAN)

The first UK single from the album, “You,” is a strong opener, with a ’60s American pop music vibe featuring horns and that charging Motown percussion sound. “This Guitar (Can’t Keep From Crying),” the first US single is a “sequel” to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and, despite the goofy name, features some nice piano and an awesome slide solo from George. It’s probably most evident here than any other track on the record that Harrison is suffering some lingering effects of his illness. For whatever reason, George invisioned himself a soul crooner on “Ooh Baby (You Know That I Love You),” aiming for a smooth Teddy Pendergrass or Smokey mid-’70s soul vibe. Needless to say, it doesn’t work. At all! The sound of “Tired of Midnight Blue” moves between an archetypical soft rock piano thing and a bluesy, hand-clapping guitar groover with the bass laying down a funky underpinning that is hard to ignore. There are some good ideas floating around in there which would probably make a couple of pretty decent songs. As they are, “Tired of Midnight Blue” is just a jumbled mess of missed opportunities. “Grey Cloudy Lies” comes on sounding like a slowed down, more somber mix of “Hey, Jude” and “Let It Be,” the doleful tone creating one of the most memorable songs on the entire record. One of the better tracks, album closer “His Name Is Legs (Ladies and Gentlemen)” is a heartfelt ode to George’s long time pal, Larry Smith of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. It’s a goofy, jiving number that brings back memories of the fun-loving atmosphere of the Beatles’ A HARD DAY’S NIGHT and HELP! Movies and features Legs himself, doing his Doo-Dah thing.

George Harrison EXTRA TEXTURE (uncredited photo)

The sole bonus track is a “reconstructed” demo, originally offered to Dave Stewart in 1992, a reiteration of “This Guitar (Can’t Keep From Crying).” It features George’s acoustic accompaniment and vocal tracks, Stewart’s overdubbed guitar from ’92 and, from a session in 2002, drums from Ringo, guitar from George’s son, Dhani (of which, more later) and vocals from Kara DioGuardi were added. On the whole, this version is superior to the original, as it features a stronger vocal performance from George and heavier, more substantive backing. Harrison’s solo on the original and Stewart’s here… well… it’s a toss up; both are of the finest kind. Had the majority of EXTRA TEXTURE had this sound (or, at least, a close 1975 technological approximation), it may have fared better over the years.

The exclusive DVD features plenty of archival material, most of which seen (and heard) before as bonus material on various reissues of the individual album. It’s kinda cool to have them all in one place, though. The highlight is, of course, a new seven-and-a-half minute feature called (what else?) “George Harrison – The Apple Years,” lovingly directed by George’s wife, Olivia. While all of the albums are housed in extravagant replicas of the original sleeves, the DVD is cradled in a beautiful book with new essays and rare images.I can’t honestly say that this DVD is worth the price of admission alone but, as you can’t get it anywhere except THE APPLE YEARS, 1968-1975 box set…

The entire project, meant to complete and compliment THE DARK HORSE YEARS, 1976-1992 set released in 2004, was overseen by George’s son, Dhani, and ably assisted by Olivia. Dhani comments: “I am so happy that what we started a decade ago by releasing THE DARK HORSE YEARS… is now complete with the release of his first six albums as THE APPLE YEARS… .” Dhani spearheaded a premier group of engineers as the music was digitally remastered from the original analogues. Each album is released individually, as well, with the upgrade in sound, for those fans who already have one or more on CD already or for the casual listener who may not want to jump in with both feet on such a huge package.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI DVD/Blu-Ray Music Reviews Streaming Video | Darren Tracy | September 22, 2014 | Alan White ALL THINGS MUST PASS Apple Records Bernie Krause Billy Preston Bobby Whitlock Bonus Material Box Set Carl Radle Classic Rock DARK HORSE Dave Mason Dave Stewart Dhani Harrison DVD/Blu-Ray Electronic Music ELECTRONIC SOUND Eric Clapton Experimental Music EXTRA TEXTURE Gary Brooker George Harrison Indian Music Jane Birkin Jim Gordon John Lennon Kara DioGuardi LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD Music Paul McCartney Peter Tork Phil Spector Pop Music Reissue Ringo Starr Rock and Roll Soundtrack Music Streaming Video The Beatles The Remo Four WONDERWALL WONDERWALL MUSIC

KIMBRA: THE GOLDEN ECHO

(WARNER BROTHERS RECORDS; 2014)

Considering the pop landscape over the past few years, Kimbra and her second album, THE GOLDEN ECHO, comes as a breath of fresh air. One of the tunes is called “90’s Music” and it has all of the earmarks and musical cues that highlighted what may turn out to be the last truly musically innovative decade… ever. But, the thought that first crossed my mind as I listened to these 12 (15 on the Deluxe Edition) tracks was how much it reminded me of early 1970s AM radio. At any given point in the day back then, you could hear a pop tune followed by a country tune followed by a rock tune followed by a rhythm and blues tune. My dad, a wise man raised in poverty in 1920s Arkansas, once told me, “If we all liked the same kind of car (or food or movies or music or… well, you get the idea), we would all be driving the same kind of car.” In other words, “Variety is, indeed, the spice of life.” That’s the kind of thinking that has given most humans my age and older more tolerance for different viewpoints and, especially, different musical styles. Kimbra Johnson is a few decades younger than me but, she must have had someone in her life like my father because THE GOLDEN ECHO is like an updated version of that ’60s and ’70s AM radio mentality, with every song dipping into aspects of several different musical genres. I’ll do my best to cover ’em all in the next few paragraphs.

“Teen Heat” starts as a slow cooking track, with a churchy kinda organ and drum machine, before erupting into a cool R and B groove with soulful, funky vocals. The tune drifts back to the slow burn of the first section, where Kimbra’s high falsetto tends to grate a bit (I have the same problem with Prince when he goes up there sometimes, too). Bonus points are awarded for her use of the word “sacrosanct” (and properly, at that). The aforementioned “90’s Music” is next, a goofy, joyous number that definitely evokes the “anything goes” mentality and atmosphere of that decade’s pop music. On the big-production soul stomper, “Carolina,” Kimbra loses the falsetto and… she has a great natural voice. Though the two are totally unrelated lyrically, the goove of “Goldmine” reminds me a lot of Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang,” kinda sparse with an, ultimately, dark musical tone. “Miracle” is a funky, bouncy declaration of purpose. It reminds me of the first Teena Marie record. “Rescue Him” is the polar opposite of “Miracle.” It’s a bleak, slow-churning funk with a close, claustrophobia-inducing mix.

A standard Cameo-like groove informs “Madhouse,” which features a funkier-than-thou breakdown; it’s a perfect dance floor track to shake… uh… something to (or at). “Everlovin’ Ya” is pretty much what Prince would sound like fronting George’s P-Funk All Stars, though it does need some heavy guitar, a la Eddie Hazel, Garry Shider or His Purpleness himself. A single note piano and minimal orchestration are just about the only interesting things on the ballad, “As You Are.” The lyrics aren’t too bad, either, but Kimbra’s vocal talents do not lie in balladry. A funky click track (or is it rhythm sticks?) and a way-deep-in-the-groove bass highlight “Love In High Places,” which also features a Stanley Clarke-like solo bass run. Now, this is more like it! “Nobody But You” is a slow groove that fares better than “As You Are,” primarily due to a solid vocal delivery, which, again, draws comparisons with not only Prince, but Teena, also. There’s a drop beat right before the tempo picks up for the last minute of the song that is most effective. With an intro that sounds like a scratchy old found recording of a piano waltz, “Waltz Me To the Grave” tries too hard to straddle a creative fence with slow funk, balladic jazz and Dinah Shore-chanteuse pop. The bass is quite adventurous, but at over eight minutes, the song is just too long for its own good.

The Deluxe Edition of THE GOLDEN ECHO features three bonus tracks, the first of which is “Slum Love.” The tune’s various percussion instruments – including vocals – make for an exciting listen. Kimbra’s vocals waver between a sing-song spoken word thing and a cool (and totally unexpected) Zappa-like synchopation. Unfortunately, it loses a bit of the cool factor in the final couple of minutes by adding other instrumentation during the breakdown. “Sugar Lies” is a churchy, soul groove with a snotty kinda chorus. The track has a throbbing, sorta swirling vibe where, for once, the ebb and flow theme works. Kimbra uses a combination of what I call her “big girl” and “little girl” voices for “The Magic Hour,” which works really well as a counter-balance to another heavy, throbbing bass line. Though there are a couple of missteps here, this is still one of – if not the – best pure pop records to be releasd this year. The bonus tracks are only available on the CD and download versions, but for the full, rich texture of THE GOLDEN ECHO (especially the bottom end), you should get the vinyl version.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Darren Tracy | September 16, 2014 | Dance Music Funk Music Kimbra Kimbra Johnson Music Pop Music Rhythm and Blues Streaming Video

MATTEAH BAIM: FALLING THEATER

(DREAM DRIVE RECORDS/KOBALT MUSIC EP; 2014)

Pop music that has been influenced by film music, I’m a sucker for. Pop music created by an artist who sounds lost in their private musings, I’m a sucker for. Pop music that drifts and floats and nearly evaporates while you’re listening to it because it is less concerned with structure and what an audience might think than in the personal components of the sound, even if that sound could be sleep-inducing, I’m a sucker for. All this describes something that shouldn’t even be called “pop music,” you say? Well, probably. But, Matteah Baim was in a New York band called Metallic Falcons and played a Bridge School benefit for Neil Young once, and knows people like Devandra Barnhart, Sharon van Etten, Vashti Bunyan and Jim Jarmusch. So she isn’t that obscure, and her music has been reviewed by sites that cover pop music. Maybe we should call her new EP, FALLING THEATER, something like “chamber pop,” or art folk instead. I don’t know. Genre identity is a real pisser these days. But this is gorgeous music and you should check it out if, like me, you spend a lot of time staring out your window, waiting for something interesting to pop up on your laptop, and wishing the world was somehow different.

Somehow Baim’s melancholic arrangements and soft lyrical utterances here DO evoke a sense of waiting, a sense of yearning for something that maybe can’t be fully articulated. Not all the lyrics are in the foreground, but it doesn’t matter, there are violins that come up to prickle your skin, chord progressions that are the kind that only real musicians use, and a real economic sense of getting the evocative job done quickly. I ended up listening to this disc several times in a row, finding memorable sonic details in lovely compositions like “All Night,” “Old Song” and the cinematically stirring “Peach Tree,” with its haunting strings. Baim sounds like some other female singers I’ve heard, but no one specific that comes to mind. The vague introspection of this music reminded me of Neil Halstead’s Mojave 3 project, but it’s not really an easy sound to find references for. It’s delicate, misty and a bit withdrawn. But Baim CARES, or this music wouldn’t be so thoroughly successful at evoking a mood.

Matteah Baim (photo credit: YONI ZONSZEIN)

By the time the short, pretty songs “Dude” and “Familiar Way” give way to the five-minute neo-ambient “Blindman’s Hand,” whose reverberating vocals and shimmering soundscape didn’t HAVE to be so surprisingly entrancing ’cause I was already hooked, well, I just realized once again that there’s an awful lot of good music out there that is just too obscure to be found by most listeners. But Matteah Baim is something special, something just right for off-center days when you don’t really know quite who you are and what you’re doing, just that you FEEL something. “Evasive reality” oughta be a touchstone kinda mood, and Baim’s FALLING THEATER does a fine job of soundtracking that. I didn’t rise from my chair once through multiple listens to this little gem, and I’m actually eager to hear it again. I can promise you, that is NOT the norm for me.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews | Kevin Renick | August 22, 2014 | EP Folk Music Matteah Baim Metallic Falcons Music Pop Music

HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR 2014

(August 9, 2014; THE FAMILY ARENA, Saint Charles, MO)

When I first saw that the 2014 version of the HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR was coming to our neck of the woods, I was unsure of what to expect but… I did know that I wanted to be there. After all, I grew up with the music of Mark Farner and Grand Funk Railroad and Chuck Negron and Three Dog Night; I always liked Mitch Ryder (with or without his Detroit Wheels); and, of course, I liked the Turtles but, I loved Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan’s post-Turtles work as members of the Mothers of Invention and as the Phlorescent Leech and Eddie. For the record, I was never a huge fan of Gary Lewis and the Playboys, but, hey… four outta five ain’t bad, huh?

Bassist John Montagna; Drummer Steve Murphy and guitarist Godfrey Townsend (photo credit: DARREN TRACY)

One thing I was expecting was full band participation, as the ads listed the acts as “Gary Lewis and the Playboys,” “Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels,” and the “Turtles with Flo and Eddie.” Plus, Mark Farner has been playing with the same band for quite a few years. However, there were no Playboys, no Detroit Wheels, no Turtles and no Mark Farner Band; I ran into John Montagna out front of the venue and he told me that he was playing bass in the “house band,” a group that I later learned have been playing together for several years, as backing band for everyone from Alan Parsons‘ Live Project to Joey Molland and, yes, the Turtles. Upon entering the venue, two things were evident (if you were paying attention): First, this was a decidedly AARP-heavy crowd (now, don’t get yer granny-panties in a bunch… though I have no affiliation with the organization, I do qualify for membership) and, second, not only would there be no Playboys, their leader, Gary Lewis, would also be a no-show (apparently, he’d already missed several dates due to illness). Though I’m sure that there were a lot of people disappointed that Lewis wasn’t playing, I was more than okay with that.

Mitch Ryder (photo credit: DARREN TRACY)

A recording of Shadoe Stevens kept us informed, like a NASA countdown, of the number of minutes left before the HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR 2014 would kick off: Ten minutes… three minutes later, the five minute mark was reached… two minutes later, we were told that we had two minutes left… five seconds later, we hit the one minute mark and the start of the show, in quick succession, as Stevens introduced Mitch Ryder. The band played a brief intro for Mitch, who ripped through a set that included “Little Latin Lupe Lu,” “Jenny Take a Ride” and, what is probably his biggest hit, “Devil With a Blue Dress On” coupled with Richard Penniman’s “Good Golly, Miss Molly” like he was a kid. Which was cool, ’cause he looked more like Mick Mars on a bender. Ryder’s voice sounded strong and it was evident that he was having a blast on stage, recounting tales of youthful conquest and commenting that when the single “Sock It To Me, Baby” was released in 1967, he wasn’t allowed to sing the lyrics as written; with a sly smile, he delivered the unedited, “dirty” version which, he opined, “after three-and-a-half decades of rap, I figure you can handle the original version tonight.” Even though Mitch was on stage for less than 30 minutes, we were certainly off to a rip-roaring start!

Mark Farner (photo credit: DARREN TRACY)

As Mitch walked off stage, the recorded voice of Shadoe Stevens (I coulda sworn that guy was dead!) introduced one of my all-time favorites, Mark Farner, the driving force behind Grand Funk Railroad for more than 30 years. The band, already a well-oiled rock and roll machine, seemed to tighten things up even more during Mark’s set. Kicking off with “The Loco-Motion,” it was obvious that the guitar-playing part of Grand Funk was ready to have some fun. After a joke about age and keeping hydrated, Farner introduced the band’s biggest chart success: Don Brewer’s “We’re an American Band.” He took the high road and, sensibly, also introduced “the world’s best singing drummer,” Steve Murphy, who – if you closed your eyes – sounded enough like Brewer to cause flashbacks. Murphy also handled the second vocal parts on “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “I’m Your Captain,” which Farner dedicated to all of the military personnel currently defending (as well as those who served and died to preserve) the freedoms we, as Americans, enjoy each day. If you didn’t know, Mark is a huge supporter of our military and does great work for various veterans organizations. For an old Grand Funk fan, this was the highlight of the night.

Chuck Negron (photo credit: DARREN TRACY)

After Mark’s set, there was a short (about ten minutes) break, as many in attendance had to head to the water receptacles to take their evening meds. Before getting back to the actual show, I’d like to tell you about a guy I met before the doors opened. His name is Ralph. He served our country as a Marine in the early 1970s and he is a huge Three Dog Night fan. He knew the other bands’ music, but he was here to see THE voice of Three Dog Night, Chuck Negron. I kinda kept an eye on Ralph during the show, to see if he was having a good time. Boys and girls, the smile on that man’s face when Negron walked on stage made my day! Chuck was having a good time, too. When he finished set opener “Mama Told Me (Not To Come),” he joked about messing up the words: “I forgot the last verse. I did the second verse twice.” After “Celebrate,” he noted that he had no problem remembering the title of the tune; after repeating it about sixty times, it all came back to him. Other pitch perfect hits included “Shambala,” “One,” and “Joy To the World.” I don’t think Ralph missed a single word as he sang along.

The Turtles' Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (photo credit: DARREN TRACY) — The Turtles’ Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (photo credit: DARREN TRACY)

As Flo and Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan) took the stage, it was obvious that their set was going to be something completely different. As the pair spent a few minutes berating each other, I think a lot of people were starting to wonder just what was happening. Eventually, the guys kicked into “She’d Rather Be With Me,” and there was dancing in the aisles (so to speak). One of the Turtles’ big hits, Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” elicited a great response before one of the guys told the crowd that the next song was the one that made him a billionaire. That song, “You Showed Me,” snaked its way through a series of tunes by the Doors, including “Riders On the Storm” and “Light My Fire.” The band introductions (before “You Showed Me”) turned into another comedy bit, as Howard introduced guitarist Godfrey Townsend as the group’s musical director. Mark asked Townsend to step forward… but not too far out… back a half-step… now a bit to the left… okay, that’s good… now, get back to your spot. Okay… so that’s why the guy leading the band looked so familiar: I met Godfrey about 13 years ago, when he was a member of the John Entwistle Band. At least I can finally stop racking my brain about that!

The Turtles: Mark Volman; Howard Kaylan (photo credit: DARREN TRACY)

By this time, I was back in my seat with my friend, Bill, who – like me – is a huge Frank Zappa fan. I kept bugging him with, “So, do you think they’ll do ‘Bwana Dik?’ How ’bout ‘Call Any Vegetable?’ Or, maybe, they’ll do ‘What Kind of Girl Do You Think We Are.’” After a fantastic version of “Elenore,” someone on stage yelled “Zappa” and the band broke into a cool take of “Peaches en Regalia.” I was grinnin’ like a buffoon! The set ended – as it should – with the Turtles’ signature tune (and the song that supplied the name of this tour), “Happy Together.” Kaylan thanked the crowd and said that it had been a great night… so great, in fact, that we should start the whole thing over. With that, Mitch Ryder came back for a short reprise of “Devil With the Blue Dress On.” Mark Farner reprised “The Loco-Motion,” Chuck Negron did “Joy To the World” and the ensemble finished with a sing-along version of “Happy Together.” A great night of classic rock and roll and pop. Plus, we were out the door and on our way home at ten sharp… some of us need our sleep, ya know.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Live Music Reviews | Darren Tracy | August 15, 2014 | Chuck Negron Classic Rock Flo and Eddie Frank Zappa Godfrey Townsend Grand Funk Railroad HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR Howard Kaylan John Montagna Live Music Mark Farner Mark Volman Mitch Ryder Music Pop Music Rock and Roll Saint Charles MO Shadoe Stevens Steve Murphy The Detroit Wheels The Family Arena The Mothers of Invention The Turtles Three Dog Night

BLOUSE: IMPERIUM

(CAPTURED TRACKS; 2014)

Three-piece band from Portland, Oregon, a town that produces great bands consistently. Vaguely lumped into a category called “dream pop” cause it’s, well, dreamy and sometimes evocative and features an alluring female voice (in this case, that of Charlie Hilton). Catchy hooks, lyrical phrases that jump out of the mix and sometimes stick with you (like the repeated refrain “Are you one of us?” on the title track and “I’ll give you something for the pain” from “1000 Years”).

That’s a lazy, short review of Blouse’s second release so far, and probably as much as most people would want to know about this trio. But actually, it’s worth elaborating just a little. It’s worth saying that Blouse are sounding good to me on a sunny afternoon when I’m loaded down with worries, with my attention divided, and decisions that I don’t feel like making. Cue the sonic narcotic! IMPERIUM hits me as a kind of pleasant, melodic, vaguely nostalgic jangle pop that doesn’t make me work too hard. Sometimes I don’t MIND when a record challenges the shit out of me, and I have to think about what its intentions are. And other times, damn it, I just want the thing to sound good right away – to quickly justify its existence, in other words. Hilton, producer/multi-instrumentalist Jacob Portrait and bassist Patrick Adams have obliged with a rather lush (reminiscent, actually, of the BAND Lush), shiny sound on these 12 tracks that is unpretentious and sometimes downright stirring. I pretty much instantly took to the off-kilter ’80s-retro psych-out of “Eyesite” and especially the Scandinavian-style emotional immediacy of Hilton’s voice on “1000 Years,” the melancholy “Capote” and the straightforward love plea, “Trust Me.” See the Swedish bands Club 8 and the Concretes for reasonable corollaries.

“A Feeling Like This” gives you, or at least it gave ME, a feeling like that… a memory of some past new band I liked and got excited about when I heard them for the first time. Hilton half sings, half speaks some of her lyrics in a most beguiling way on this track, and you can only hope to be the inspiration for this sort of feeling in a significant companion sometime in your life. The rockingest song is “Arrested,” which is all REM-style forward motion, with a layer of shoegaze woven in organically. Hilton sometimes sounds a little detached on tracks like this (not that it doesn’t feel right for the music), and maybe even somewhat samey if you’re seeking cafeteria catharsis. But in their own way, Blouse manage to diversify the sound from track to track – an unexpected bit of echo here, some discordant mixing flourishes there. And “Happy Days,” one of the most atmospheric, compelling tracks, hints at the eccentrically majestic heights this band might be capable of. “I have stars in my eyes,” sings Hilton, and this kinda thing might land her on the soundtrack to an arty European film. But vulnerability and worry are underneath this swirl of sound somewhere. “There is no shelter from this storm/Nothing in nature can keep my body warm,” our chanteuse complains on “No Shelter,” and although she offers a temporary solution in the next verse, she’s definitely all up in her mind here. But that’s okay, the music is still kinda soothing, and it got me out of MY mind. Blouse ON, angst OFF. A little IMPERIUM can’t cure what ails ya, perhaps, but it can push it into the distance. That’s more than most records do, so thanks, kids!

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Kevin Renick | July 20, 2014 | Blouse Charlie Hilton Dream Pop Jacob Portrait Music Patrick Adams Pop Music Rock Music Shoegaze Streaming Video

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