Post by codystarbuck on Apr 16, 2022 18:29:07 GMT -5
If I had to pick a top favorite, of all time, it would be Concrete Blonde....
Johnette Napolitano, Jim Mankey and Harry Rushakoff, as originally constituted, as well as Alan Bloch, Paul Thompson and Gabriel Ramirez. I first saw and heard them, on MTV, when "Joey" debuted and started climbing the charts. I loved the sound of the band and the passion in Napolitano's voice. Mankey's guitar work sounded like nothing else out there, at the time. I went out and bought the album, Bloodletting, which is their bigegst-selling album and one of their best (I could argue the point). I loved every track on the album, which could be a rare thing, for me, and started buying up their whole catalog, which was just two other albums, at that point (Concrete Blonde and Free). I bought the follow ups, Walking in London and Mexican Moon, and then Group Therapy, when they reformed, and the follow up, Mojave. Rushakoff's drug problems forced him to leave the band, after Free, which is why Paul Thompson played on the album. Rushakoff came back for Walking in London (and is featured in the video for "Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man"), when Paul Thompson had visa problems. Thompson came back for Mexican Moon. Rushakoff rejoined the band for Group Therapy and Ramirez became his permanent replacement and is on Mojave.
"Joey" is about the only song most people have heard, if you were listening to popular music in the early 90s. otherwise, they got little or no radio play, except for the earlier song, "God is a Bullet," from Free, on college radio, and their version of Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows," on the soundtrack for the Christian Slater movie, Pump Up the Volume (which wasn't a big box office hit). It's not their best song, in my opinion. It's hard to pick a best, as they all appeal, for different reasons. Johnette is the songwriter and the voice and her songs tell stories, even if they are just moments When you combine them with that voice and the emotion in the songs, they are more than just rock songs.
If I had to pick a song to showcase, it would have to be one that Johnette did not write. It's a song by Andy Prieboy, the lead singer of Wall of Voodoo, of "Mexican Radio" fame, on MTV. The song is called "Tomorrow, Wendy," and it is about a woman, who has AIDS and decides to end her life.
You can hear every note of sorrow, anguish, anger, love and loss in that song.
I never got to see them play live; but that gives you an idea and so will this...
I never got to see them play live; but, that gives you an idea of how they sounded.
Alan Bloch is on bass, though Johnette was the bass player. He joined them for Free, so that she could focus on singing. Johnette returned to the bass for the rest of their albums.
I also loved the side project Johnette did with Holly Vincent of Holly and the Italians, called Vowel Movement.
There are other bands though, right up there with them. I am a huge fan of Queen, Blondie, Dire Straits, David Bowie, The Clash, The Ramones, INXS, The Scorpions, Iron Maiden, The Cars, Los Straitjackets, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds (and their combined might , as Rockpile), Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, REM, the B-52s, Blue Oyster Cult, ZZ Top, John Mellencamp, The Cranberries, 4 Non Blonds, Sweet, Slade, Adam Ant, Tears For Fears, Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, The Stray Cats, Link Wray, Dick Dale, Laika and the Cosmonauts, Man or Astroman, Cheap Trick, Elvis, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Reverend Horton Heat, The Damned, Rob Zombie/White Zombie, Def Leppard, Petula Clark, Julie Andrews, Earth, Wind and Fire, The Commodores, Kool and the Gang, George Clinton, ABBA, Berlin, The Fixx, Simple Minds, The Police, U2, Roxette, The Cranberries, Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smithereens, Echo and the Bunnymen, Madness, The English Beat, Fine Youn Cannibals, New Order.......
I could continue, for a long time.
As for live performances, I have only been to two concerts, due to various circumstances (distance from where I lived, time, money and hating being surrounded by large crowds). The first was ZZ Top, at the Illinois State Fair, which was awesome, though the opening act, Sun Volt, was hard to tolerate, while we waited for the Little Old Band From Texas. I was right up front, on the race track, for that, close enough to see the sweat drip off Billy Gibbons' beard!
The other concert, also at the State Fairgounds, was Blue Oyster Cult, with what remained of Foghat, as the opener (one original member). Foghat was good, BOC was awesome (3 of 5 originals, constituting a rock quorum). With ZZ top, I listened to the music; with BOC, I sang along (and I don't sing, in public, without alcohol and I was stone cold sober). I was belting it out for "Joan Crawford Has Risen From the Grave!"
BOC is such an under-rated band. Truly awesome to hear live, whatever the combination, terrific albums (mostly, Club Ninja is pretty uneven) and just a unique sound. They also share a special moment for me. I had a cat, named Mr Man (I didn't name him), who was my little buddy, following me everywhere, hanging out with me, and always visiting me when I went to bed and when I woke up in the morning, for some scratches. He turned out to have interstitial nephritis, a degenerative kidney disorder. He was put on a special diet, to help regulate it; but, it was too far advanced by the time we realized it was an issue. He lost weight and grew weaker and after an emergency trip to a veterinary hospital, it became obvious he wasn't going to improve. So, we made the decision to end his suffering and made an appointment with the vet. Before taking him to the vet, I placed him on the bed, with my wife, to say goodbye. He climbed on top of her laptop, which he often did, for warmth. He somehow triggered a music file, which was BOC's "Don't Fear the Reaper." If there is such a thing as serendipity, it was in that moment. Forever more, when I hear that song, I see that moment in my mind.
Regardless of how much cow bell there is.
Johnette Napolitano, Jim Mankey and Harry Rushakoff, as originally constituted, as well as Alan Bloch, Paul Thompson and Gabriel Ramirez. I first saw and heard them, on MTV, when "Joey" debuted and started climbing the charts. I loved the sound of the band and the passion in Napolitano's voice. Mankey's guitar work sounded like nothing else out there, at the time. I went out and bought the album, Bloodletting, which is their bigegst-selling album and one of their best (I could argue the point). I loved every track on the album, which could be a rare thing, for me, and started buying up their whole catalog, which was just two other albums, at that point (Concrete Blonde and Free). I bought the follow ups, Walking in London and Mexican Moon, and then Group Therapy, when they reformed, and the follow up, Mojave. Rushakoff's drug problems forced him to leave the band, after Free, which is why Paul Thompson played on the album. Rushakoff came back for Walking in London (and is featured in the video for "Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man"), when Paul Thompson had visa problems. Thompson came back for Mexican Moon. Rushakoff rejoined the band for Group Therapy and Ramirez became his permanent replacement and is on Mojave.
"Joey" is about the only song most people have heard, if you were listening to popular music in the early 90s. otherwise, they got little or no radio play, except for the earlier song, "God is a Bullet," from Free, on college radio, and their version of Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows," on the soundtrack for the Christian Slater movie, Pump Up the Volume (which wasn't a big box office hit). It's not their best song, in my opinion. It's hard to pick a best, as they all appeal, for different reasons. Johnette is the songwriter and the voice and her songs tell stories, even if they are just moments When you combine them with that voice and the emotion in the songs, they are more than just rock songs.
If I had to pick a song to showcase, it would have to be one that Johnette did not write. It's a song by Andy Prieboy, the lead singer of Wall of Voodoo, of "Mexican Radio" fame, on MTV. The song is called "Tomorrow, Wendy," and it is about a woman, who has AIDS and decides to end her life.
You can hear every note of sorrow, anguish, anger, love and loss in that song.
I never got to see them play live; but that gives you an idea and so will this...
I never got to see them play live; but, that gives you an idea of how they sounded.
Alan Bloch is on bass, though Johnette was the bass player. He joined them for Free, so that she could focus on singing. Johnette returned to the bass for the rest of their albums.
I also loved the side project Johnette did with Holly Vincent of Holly and the Italians, called Vowel Movement.
There are other bands though, right up there with them. I am a huge fan of Queen, Blondie, Dire Straits, David Bowie, The Clash, The Ramones, INXS, The Scorpions, Iron Maiden, The Cars, Los Straitjackets, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds (and their combined might , as Rockpile), Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, REM, the B-52s, Blue Oyster Cult, ZZ Top, John Mellencamp, The Cranberries, 4 Non Blonds, Sweet, Slade, Adam Ant, Tears For Fears, Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, The Stray Cats, Link Wray, Dick Dale, Laika and the Cosmonauts, Man or Astroman, Cheap Trick, Elvis, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Reverend Horton Heat, The Damned, Rob Zombie/White Zombie, Def Leppard, Petula Clark, Julie Andrews, Earth, Wind and Fire, The Commodores, Kool and the Gang, George Clinton, ABBA, Berlin, The Fixx, Simple Minds, The Police, U2, Roxette, The Cranberries, Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smithereens, Echo and the Bunnymen, Madness, The English Beat, Fine Youn Cannibals, New Order.......
I could continue, for a long time.
As for live performances, I have only been to two concerts, due to various circumstances (distance from where I lived, time, money and hating being surrounded by large crowds). The first was ZZ Top, at the Illinois State Fair, which was awesome, though the opening act, Sun Volt, was hard to tolerate, while we waited for the Little Old Band From Texas. I was right up front, on the race track, for that, close enough to see the sweat drip off Billy Gibbons' beard!
The other concert, also at the State Fairgounds, was Blue Oyster Cult, with what remained of Foghat, as the opener (one original member). Foghat was good, BOC was awesome (3 of 5 originals, constituting a rock quorum). With ZZ top, I listened to the music; with BOC, I sang along (and I don't sing, in public, without alcohol and I was stone cold sober). I was belting it out for "Joan Crawford Has Risen From the Grave!"
BOC is such an under-rated band. Truly awesome to hear live, whatever the combination, terrific albums (mostly, Club Ninja is pretty uneven) and just a unique sound. They also share a special moment for me. I had a cat, named Mr Man (I didn't name him), who was my little buddy, following me everywhere, hanging out with me, and always visiting me when I went to bed and when I woke up in the morning, for some scratches. He turned out to have interstitial nephritis, a degenerative kidney disorder. He was put on a special diet, to help regulate it; but, it was too far advanced by the time we realized it was an issue. He lost weight and grew weaker and after an emergency trip to a veterinary hospital, it became obvious he wasn't going to improve. So, we made the decision to end his suffering and made an appointment with the vet. Before taking him to the vet, I placed him on the bed, with my wife, to say goodbye. He climbed on top of her laptop, which he often did, for warmth. He somehow triggered a music file, which was BOC's "Don't Fear the Reaper." If there is such a thing as serendipity, it was in that moment. Forever more, when I hear that song, I see that moment in my mind.
Regardless of how much cow bell there is.
:-)