Monthly Archives: March 2008

Random Friday Finery:
Simple Minds – White Hot Day (12″ Mix) (Mp3)
Kent – Kevlar Soul (Mp3)
Hall & Oates – I’m Just A Kid (Don’t Make Me Feel Like A Man) (Mp3)
Blondie – Slow Motion (Mp3)
Tegan and Sara – The Con (Mp3)

Despite having grown up on the New Jersey shore and having lived in DC close to 23 years now, I’ve always been an Anglophile. I’d much sooner grab a NME or Melody Maker off of the newsstand before a Rolling Stone or Spin. And in about 1992 or so, the ‘Maker was reveling in a Tim Buckley live set called “Dream Letter” capturing Tim in all his hippyfolkyglory in London in ’68. The review was so compelling that I went out and purchased the thing (double cassette, no less) and quickly fell under it’s spell. Tim had, as has been widely observed, a magnificent voice. So, it was with some interest when I noted that his son was not only making music himself, but was performing at DC’s then somewhat new Black Cat at its first location steps away from my home. So, this February evening, needing a pint and some live music, I slipped around the corner to the Cat and opened the concert door where Jeff Buckley was playing on the tiny back stage, solo. As in many of the pictures from that time, Jeff had the close-cropped hair, the v-neck white t-shirt on (odd for a snowy, blustery, February night) and well, the voice of an angel. I was a little bit late to the proceedings and all of the chairs close to the small stage had been filled – yet there really wasn’t a CROWD per se, maybe 35 – 4o people? I was made to sit at the only available space, a big round table toward the back which was decidedly empty then. A few minutes into the set, jaw firmly on the ground, a girl walked in and gestured as if to say, “are any of these seats taken?” I waved “no” and she joined the table with an empty chair between us. Jeff’s spiraling through octaves and odd tunings to an enrapt audience and then between songs he sees the lass who has joined my table and invites her up onto the stage. Seems that they had met sometime during the day, discovered some musical kinship, and they were off on a duet which, even if rehearsed, couldn’t have sounded any more in sync and lovely. The duet comes to an end and she retakes her seat at the table and I whisper to her how great that was–amazing, etc. Three or four tunes later, Jeff finishes the set to hay-uge applause and only knowing one friendly face in the room, his duet partner, he adjourns to my table and takes the seat between me and her. Now, he wasn’t JEFF BUCKLEY at this point, just a quiet, almost shy guy who didn’t seem all that thrilled or accustomed to the attention he was suddenly receiving–seemingly in general and for sure right then in that room. I recall some older, hippie-type in his Hawaiian shirt and straw hat saying to Jeff how much he worshipped his father to which Jeff simply replied, “I never knew my father.” (Geezer goes silent.) I ended up just shooting the shit there with Jeff for just shy of an hour. I bought him a pint and he returned the favor. I was playing drums at the time and asked if he was looking for a band and he said that he had one–“Grace” was in the can already and at this point Jeff was just picking up gigs here and there. Now, with so much having been said about the guy, what I’m left with from that very brief encounter can only underscore what many others have offered–that he was indeed that sweet, unassuming, yet wildly talented artist we all had the pleasure to watch come into his own, albeit for a shockingly brief time. And Jeff played that room a few more times over the next few years and I was there for every one of them and the scene was quite different…almost a hysteria as he DID ultimately become JEFF BUCKLEY. Yet, I’d prefer to recall the guy who threw on an old overcoat over a sweaty t-shirt, packed up his own guitar, and walked out into that cold, blustery, wintry night alone.

Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah (Mp3)
Jeff Buckley – I Shall Be Released (Mp3)
Jeff Buckley – If You See Her, Say Hello (Mp3)
Jeff Buckley – Sweet Thing (Mp3)
Jeff Buckley – The Way Young Lovers Do (Mp3)
(Tracks 2-4 from the “Live at Sin-é” expanded Legacy Edition)

Is it two men? Two women kissing? Male and female? Who knows? Who cares? Each year I eagerly await another debut LP like this and each year I’m sorely let down. (Looking RIGHT at you Vampire Weekend, Tapes ‘n Tapes, CYHSY, et al…) Bold, sweeping, brash, steeped in darkness and its own brand of Englishness that draws from classic Bowie and T-Rex, all the while creating it’s own distinct and perverse universe. Suede’s 1993 debut had all the makings of a classic even before the plastic was off the record. Don’t believe me? Take a look at that song list down there and name ONE band coming remotely close to approximating the thrill of these five tracks on their debut…

Suede – So Young (Mp3)
Suede – Animal Nitrate (Mp3)
Suede – The Drowners (Mp3)
Suede – Sleeping Pills (Mp3)
Suede – Metal Mickey (Mp3)

…Nine dollars!

_______________

(A note about yesterday’s “debut”…well, it wasn’t. “My Aim Is True” was indeed Elvis’ 1977 debut. It was however, TVD’s debut of being wildly inaccurate. We apologize. The tracks still kill though.)

My friend Mike was working at the Guitar Shop on Connecticut Avenue, NW back in the late 80’s when, on one normal afternoon, Elvis himself walked through the door, broken guitar in hand and in need of a quick fix for his show that night at George Washington University. Things must have gone swimmingly, because for Mike’s labor, Elvis bequeathed to him some tickets for that evening’s show and I was one of the lucky ones to accompany Mike to my first Elvis Costello gig. I was just 10 when Elvis’ debut was released (’77) and despite being sort of a hip kid at the time (“Radio, Radio” was being played on the New York City stations with some frequency) seeing Elvis rattle off these tunes one after the other was easily a revelation (for me) that night.

Elvis Costello – (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea (Mp3)
Elvis Costello – Little Triggers (Mp3)
Elvis Costello – Pump It Up (Mp3)
Elvis Costello – Radio, Radio (Mp3)
Elvis Costello – This Year’s Girl (Mp3)

Update: Coincidently, DCist has a feature on this very release today with some fine details…

First track from the forthcoming last LP…I don’t think I need to describe this, do I?

Bauhaus – Adrenalin (Mp3)

This week, TVD takes a look at some debut releases that have not only stood the test of time, but signaled some truly great things to come.

Regarding Supergrass’ smashing debut “I Should Coco”, Trouser Press noted that “…punky glam guitars, Keith Moon-ish drum rolls and helium harmonies abound, notably through the Carnaby Street swing of “She’s So Loose” and “Alright,” an utterly delightful, mostly monosyllabic, teen anthem. “We are young/We run green/Keep our teeth/Nice and clean,” sings the nineteen-year-old Gaz over a barrelhouse music-hall piano. (It should be noted that his glee in young adulthood doesn’t only inform his music. This is, after all, a man who is so pleased with his newfound ability to grow facial hair that he sports pop’s most ridiculous muttonchops since Noddy Holder.) Being young, the ‘Grass do enjoy a wank, though the spirits are so high that the sped-up silliness of “We’re Not Supposed To” and the Beatlesque blues spaceout, “Sofa (of My Lethargy)” go down as easy larfs. The good-natured and curiously eccentric I Should Coco finds these kids to be alright indeed.”

Supergrass – Alright (Mp3)
Supergrass – Caught By The Fuzz (Mp3)
Supergrass – Lose It (Mp3)
Supergrass – Mansize Rooster (Mp3)
Supergrass – Strange Ones (Mp3)

“Hey, why don’t y’all come over and bring your computers and let’s have a party”? Hell no! I say bring pot, wine and vinyl. That’s sexy.”

A Studer 2-inch tape machine is a huge cumbersome beast that takes up a lot of space and might need pampering and attention when you make records. It requires that you use big, heavy rolls of 2-inch tape that need changing when you record two or three songs on them. And hardly anyone produces or manufactures vinyl records anymore. And nobody has a turntable. But it’s making a trendy comeback.

Just because something is easier doesn’t make it better. It certainly doesn’t make it sound better. I had a digital recording rig in my home studio for a month or two and got so depressed. I quit writing songs, my guitar collected dust and I thought my creative life had ended. So I jerked it all out of the wall and threw it in the garage and that’s where it will stay.

My new album, “Just A Little Lovin'” was made on a 2-inch tape machine. I demanded it. I like working with engineers and producers who love and appreciate tape. I love the sound, smell, and feel of tape. That’s why I enlisted legendary record producer, Phil Ramone, and the brilliant recording engineer, Al Schmitt. They didn’t mind my insistence. They put up with my hardheadedness. Hardly anyone uses tape anymore because they claim it’s so expensive and it’s just easier to use a computer. Most engineers can operate any computer rig in studios these days. But if you ask them to run a Studer and put on a reel of tape, they run down the hallway screaming for Mommy. I’m sorry, but I can’t get turned on looking at a computer screen. First of all, it’s not more expensive. By the time digital users spend the time and money to buy the software needed to put that “tape sound” on their digital record, they have spent more time and money than I have. While their downloading “tape sound” software, I’m kicking back on the houseboat drinking beer with a fishing pole in my hand listening to Django.

It’s not for everybody. Tapes are not perfect like digital. If you want to sing the word “love” 40 different times and 40 different ways, then digital’s for you. Tape requires attention. You can’t just push the space bar and go to lunch. For example: When I put on my vinyl (yes vinyl) of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” my favorite part is towards the end when you hear the “print through” of Robert’s vocals. You know the part when he sings “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”? For years, before I made records I thought that what I was hearing was on there on purpose, for effect. But while making my new record the same thing happened. There is no reason, it’s just a tape thing. Sometimes that happens. It’s not as noticeable or as cool as Zeppelin but if you listen to my first track, “Just A Little Lovin’,” towards the end you will hear my voice. I made a record with print through. Wow. Everybody wanted to fix it but I insisted on keeping it. This is a true testament to using tape. The “real” comes through. It makes me proud to be such a hard head.

I was born in ’68. Mama and Daddy had albums. I grew up listening to their vinyl. I have discovered that having a vinyl collection is so much cooler than having an iPod. Now, I have an iPod and I admit they are genius especially for travel and convenience. But they aren’t really any fun. I don’t call up my friends and say “Hey why don’t y’all come over and bring your computers and let’s have a party”? Hell no! I say bring pot, wine and vinyl. That’s sexy. It’s really a great excuse to get together and listen to music. Everybody takes a turn looking through the collection and it’s interesting to see what each person plays. The vinyl way is just me. I think if if we all listen to more music together, it really doesn’t matter how we do it. Music will save us all just like it always has. We feed our souls with it. Vinyl just creates a little more discussion for us. You get to look at the covers, the liner notes, sometimes the lyrics are included. Plus you can roll a doobie on it. That’s hard on an Ipod.

Times are tough. Concert tickets are high and records are, too. Hell, everything is high and nobody has any dough. With our economy and the way it’s headed, my guess is that we’ll all be staying home drinking bottles of Two Buck Chuck listening to music, however we choose to do it. Cheers, music lovin’ fools!