Thursday, April 12, 2012

Vol. 3 Episode 14

I finally feel brave enough to do this. So here it goes...


This is the eleventh album released from the group. It was released in 1969. I have always been afraid to review the history of The Beatles. I chose this one because I identify the most with it. Like all Beatles albums there are high points and low points. There was officially only a double A-side single released from this album. The two songs on that 7” (45 RPM record) are Something and Come Together. Something was the first A-side single that Harrison was credited with. It is a great ballad about attraction to a girl. The guitar solo is top notch in my opinion and speaks just as well as the lyrics and Harrisons's voice does. It is a beautiful song and pulls at the heart to feel for the speaker of the song. The other A-side, Come Together, is perfect rock in my opinion. This song remind me of being very young, a toddler. This song is something that reminds me of our, my family’s, old green truck. The color was a metallic forest green with pinstripes done by my mother. The bed of the truck was hard wood. I can’t remember what year the truck was. If I had to guess it would be a 40s or 50s era truck. It was very cool. I don’t think that we had it that long because it was not conductive to a family environment (two kids and parents). The song itself is a beautiful piece of art that I could listen to for a long time. I have listened to it on repeat at times. The song was inspired by a political campaign against Ronald Regan by Timothy Leary. The musicality and creativity in this song is just mind blowing in my opinion. The boomy bass with the super clear guitar and the Rhodes keyboard make for absolute perfection. Other great songs include Star’s Octopuses Garden, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), Here Comes The Sun and more. Octopuses Garden was written when he took his family on a vacation on Peter Sellers yacht. It is a fun song that fits for the kids. It is a lot of fun but can also be found on Yellow Submarine. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) was the formation of two different styles of music. The first part being good ol’ blues rock with that super cool bass solo between verses. There is a cool guitar solo in the middle of the song that mimics the verse. This is a great progressive track that The Beatles put together. They seem to dabble in a little bit of everything. I think that this is a part of their big popularity. People say that they did everything. Well, I think that they made genres because there were none there in the first place. Where as now the genres have become so fragmented and people try to pigeon hole every new band. That is great but what happens when a group defies all of this fragmentation? I hope that some group actually does this and soon. Anyway, the white noise at the end of the track is created by a Moog and cuts the song off with dead silence. It is an awesome way to end a side of an album. The start of the second side has a bright and shiny track called Here Comes The Sun. It is a happy uplifting track that musically imitates the rising of the sun. This is Harrison’s second track on the album. It was written one sunny day in Eric Claptons’ back yard. It was not released as a single but did receive a lot of radio air play. The Medley track is basically a few short tracks linked together. They are good tracks and should be noted separately in my opinion. The first is called You Never Give Me Your Money. It is a good track and takes up most of the Medley. It is a great rock and roll on that part of the Medley. Sun King is the next part. It is a bit slowed down and is very relaxing to listen to. Mean Mr. Mustard is the third part and it is kind of interesting but not one of my favorite parts. Polythene Pam is the next part and has that classic rock sound. I can’t say anything other than that. It reminds me of the early 70s rock and roll I guess. The fifth part is called She Came In Through The Bathroom Window. This part follows the classic rock sound that the previous part did. The next part slows down. It is called Golden Slumbers. It is OK but there are better parts on this album and this medley for that matter. The next part is called Carry That Weight. The song is probably a fan favorite for the big sound that the part puts out at its climax. The last part is called The End. It extends the big sound from the previous part with a fun drum solo. The only part of this album that I really don’t like is the song Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. It just doesn’t sit right with me. Remember that, “The love you take is equal to the love you make.”

This is the eights album from The Doobie Brothers. It was released in 1978. The album fits that classic rock sound that I remember as a kid. This is really a nostalgic album for me. There are three singles that were released from this album. The first is Dependin’ On You. It did well in the charts but it is not a song that I recognize from my childhood. This doesn’t mean that it is a bad song but may mean that it was not popular where I grew up or the DJs at the radio station did not play it much. The song has a slight disco feel that I can grove to though so I don’t know why it would not have been played on the radio frequently. The next single from the album, the title track, is called Minute By Minute. This track uses a cool electro-mechanical keyboard. I love electro-mechanical keyboards, especially the Rhodes keyboard. This song makes use of one of these popular keyboards heavily. The vocals are so smooth that I could float away on them and find myself on a desert island and not know how I got there. The next single from the album is called What A Fool Believes. This track features a piano and a synth in the lead instrument parts. The vocals on this one are just as good as the previous track. This song was also recorded previously on band members’ solo albums but this version is the one that most will remember. There is something special about this track though and always brings me back to my childhood. I can remember hearing this on the radio that we had in the kitchen. It was my mothers’ old combination player. It played records, 8-track tapes and had a radio in it. We hardly ever played records on it and never played 8-trakcs on it. We had a lot of 8-tracks but never played them. It was mainly used as a radio and played when we were away from the house to keep the animals complacent. But more than that, when the TV was off the radio was on. It was an interesting way of life I guess.

This is the first release after their first album and the first EP that the group put out. It was released in 2010 on the Paper and Plastic record label. There are 6 tracks on this EP. I don’t think that there was a specific single released from the EP. They are a small New Jersey band that had a sound that was similar to The Gaslight Anthem. With this EP they still have some of that sound but it seems to fade a little. It is like they are starting to find their own sound. I like that they are still finding themselves. They have a great alternative rock sound that I have always been interested in. The sound is becoming a form of punk. I have always loved punk. I really liked the third track, Catch You When You Fall. It is good punk song craft. The song lyrics are about a guy that wants the best for a girl in a bad relationship. He is also in love with her and, of course, wants to be her new boyfriend thinking that he would somehow be better than the other guy. It is a good hopeful idea that doesn’t always work out. The fifth track on the EP is called Thank You My Dear. This is a slowed down track providing slight contrast to the previous three tracks. It still has a big distorted guitar sound but makes you think because it is slowed down. The last track on the album has a funny name, Brocomotive. It is just a regular punk track but with a funny name. The Ep is good for a group still finding themselves. I enjoy finding a new band and seeing their progression. This is a step in the right direction for the group and I hope that they keep evolving.

This is the groups second EP. It was released in 2011. I got both of these EPs at the same time. This second EP was actually self-released by the band. The CD I got was actually a CDr. They were kind enough to also send me two patches that matched the logo on this second EP. I actually talked to Trevor, from the band, via email and he cut me a deal. I got the two EPs for the price of one. I can’t thank him enough for such a great deal. I don’t think that there was a single released from this EP either. I will say that the band has evolved even more in their sound. It seems that the mimicking of the sound from The Gaslight Anthem has seemingly disappeared. I like this very much. They still have their punk roots though and I think that is where they should be. They have seemed to pick up a little of that emo sound though. It is not exactly piercing but they do seem to have a higher pitch to the vocals. I am not saying that I don’t like it. Actually, I welcome it. I just hope that other fans don’t turn away from them because of it. It actually reminds me of Sunny Day Real Estate but a little faster. I like it a lot. This is another six track EP. I really like the track called Broken Brother. It doesn’t really stand out as much as it is a good punk track. I also like the track Grabber. It has that sort of call and response sound that a crowd could really get into with the backing band yelling on the track. It really works well and would be great at live concerts. Side note: The band have finished recording their next full length album and are in the process of mixing it now. They are hoping for a summer release. I am very excited about this.

This is the fourth album from Pinback. It was released in 2007. This album is one of the most perfect new pop rock albums that I have ever heard. It is a proper album that needs to be listened to from start to finish. Not exactly a headphone album but one that desires to be listened to on a stereo in an open environment. The songs all seem to run together into perfection. I believe that the first single released from the album is called From Nothing To Nowhere. It is also the first track from the album. This track is very quick moving. The duo have made a great song to start off an album. This song hits you in the face and makes you see what they have done on this album so that you are prepared for the sound that flows across the album from start to finish. The second single that was released from the album is called Good To Sea. It is a play on words or a pun as some of us like to call it. It is a pun because the chorus sings, “It’s good to see you, it’s good to see you go.” It starts off with a cool synth with echo. This sound runs through the whole song really. The main part of the song is very staccato but still fun and pop sounding for an indie group. Amazon still has a couple of copies of this album on vinyl for a very reasonable price. I may just have to get me a copy as I like this album that much. The group will be touring over this summer as just the duo. They also have a new album coming out soon that I am very excited about. There is not a release date yet but soon, and that is enough for me. As a side note, the first release of this album came with a second CD with an additional three tracks. Two of which were recorded during the Autumn sessions. I think that if one were to get the vinyl there is a download coupon that comes with these extra tracks.

That is all for now...


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