poet, interviewer, musician, traveler
The Final Cut was my favorite Pink Floyd album in high school. This, though, was THE Pink Floyd album of my high school years. Released my freshman year, and followed by a massive tour that led to a live album and concert video, the songs on A Momentary Lapse Of Reason were omnipresent when I was a teenager. This album came into the store over the weekend and I’m hearing it for the first time in more than 20 years this morning. It kicks ass.
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“From Jen-ghis Can to the Fuller Brush man, they’re just a bunch of losers like me.” That’s the last line of the first song on this world-weary and wonderful record, as least as well as I can render it phonetically. And today, I’m really feeling the title of the album.
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The Band is one of my favorite bands. Even so, I’d never heard this album all the way through until tonight. I’d heard live versions of some of its songs — “Ophelia” and “It Makes No Difference” are on the The Last Waltz — but never the original record. On first listen, the production is a little keyboard-heavy in some spots, but overall it’s a solid record with lots of great singing.
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I never used to like Bruce Springsteen. When I was a kid, he represented the kind of mindless jock rock that my friends and I hated. This was, of course, wrong, but it took me years to figure that out. I married a Springsteen superfan, but even then I didn’t come around. It wasn’t till 9/11 and his album The Rising that I reconsidered. I thought that album was perfect and necessary, and so I started to give some time to his other albums. This collection is huge — 10 LPs of live music. The guy who owns the record store here says he always finds them in great condition because most people bought this collection and didn’t play it. My advice? If you own one, play it. And if you don’t…
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I first learned about Fishbone when I saw them in concert in 1991, opening for Primus. Nothing can really prepare you for your first Fishbone experience. I didn’t know what to make of them. Years later I started to spend time with the music, and this album quickly rose to the top. My favorite of its songs (and my favorite Fishbone song) is “Ma And Pa,” but the whole album is fantastic.
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This was the first Elvis Costello record I ever heard, and I came to it in a weird way. During my ten minutes in college, my second roommate had a CD of a Cornell glee club singing an a cappella version of “Veronica.” From that I checked out this record, which remains one of my favorites in EC’s discography. From “Veronica” (with Sir Paul McC on bass) to the perfect anger of “Tramp The Dirt Down” and the beauty of “Satellite” (with Chrissie Hynde on the chorus), this album is a solid winner. Plus, it features the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and guitarist Marc Ribot, among many others.
One CommentPete Fountain is how I first learned of the existence of New Orleans. When I was a little kid, my grandpa took me to hear Pete Fountain and Al Hirt in concert. Then I got a double-cassette collection of Pete’s music and fell in love. I’ve heard a lot of great music from the Crescent City since then, but Pete will always have a special place in my heart for being first. Here’s my favorite Pete Fountain performance:
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I’m going to say it: This is a perfect record. It’s like stepping into the world of Schoolhouse Rock and getting to live there, with all that sunshiny 70s soul. Why Phoebe Snow isn’t a household name can only be because she so strenuously resisted categorization.
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I don’t know how this happened, but somehow I made it 41 years without ever listening to Graham Parker. I had a friend in Tucson who was into Parker, but I didn’t know this friend very long and moved before I listened to any of his records. Today I was flipping through the “P” bin at the store and came across this live solo album. I’m a sucker for records like this: electric guitar + voice + nothing else — think Billy Bragg and Warren Zevon. So this looked right up my alley. I’m writing as side one is finishing, and I really dig it.
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Sure, I’ve heard the hits, and I was married for years to a big Hall & Oates fan. I also like Hall’s work on Robert Fripp’s album Exposure. But this album was a revelation. Cleverly crafted pop songs with gorgeous production values. You’ll know at least one song — the hit “She’s Gone.” This record is the perfect music for a summer afternoon in 1973, the year both it and I were released. And it sounds pretty darned good now, too.
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Tonight I interviewed saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa about his forthcoming album Bird Calls. The album comes out on Feb. 10. It features Matt Mitchell on piano, Francois Moutin on bass, Rudy Royston on drums and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet. You’ll hear the interview soon on The Jazz Session. On Wednesday I’m going to interview Peter Apfelbaum. And then Akua Dixon next week. And then…lots more people.
“Flamencamericana” guitarist Daryl Shawn played to a very appreciative and attentive crowd at Webster’s Bookstore Cafe in State College, PA, last night. Singer/songwriter Laura Boswell opened for him. It was a wonderful night of music and friendship.
