Notice

Sadly,I shall be away from my blog for about three weeks, so until no content will be posted, sad, I know.

Thursday's Song of the Week: 18/10/2012

Bang a Gong (Get it On) by T. Rex

Known in T. Rex's homeland simply as Get it On, but in the rest of the world by the longer title, this song is part of T. Rex' lasting legacy & stands as one of their best songs. Sandwiched right in the middle of one of Glam Rock's most important albums, Bang a Gong (Get it On) has so many great little nuances that make it one of Glam Rock's defining anthems: the piano glissando, the overdubbed humming, the ballsey sax riff, the sassy lead riff, short guitar & sax solos & an epic chorus with singer Marc Bolan being backed by some powerful female voices. MIND BLOWING.

The Wednesday Photo Show: Pete Townshend, Guitar Smasher

The Greatest Guitar Smasher in Rock 'n' Roll: Pete Townshend

Practiced a hand-full of time before him, & many times after; no one has ever taken hold of the sacred art as fervently as Townshend. Not content to simply "break" his guitar; Pete destroyed everything on stage, all whilst plugged in, creating cacophonous noise to complement the spectacle.

A rare smashing in the '80s, only nine guitars were smashed in the entire decade. The majority were smashed between '67 & '71

After a night of raucous & physical Rock 'n' Roll, it was almost expected that Townshend would smash his guitar. His instrument of choice was usually a Les Paul or one of Fender's flagship models.

The Who's particularly riotous appearance on the Smothers Borthers' show even included drummer Keith Moon detonating his bass drum & kicking the rest of his kit, a rare occasion of Townshed being upstaged.

Sending guitars skyward was also part of the repertoire.

The most iconic moment in the history of one of Rock's most time honored traditions.

 As anybody knows, The Who have a tremendous body of work & most readers should be familiar with it. For those who wish to witness some guitar smashing, check out this nice bootleg of an older Pete smashing a classic red Strat' & the iconic Smothers Brothers appearance comprising of a flawless rendition of I Can See for Miles, some light-hearted band interaction & an appropriately stuttering performance of My Generation which ends in beautiful mayhem.

Thursday's Song of The Week: 11/10/2012

Baba O'Riley by The Who

The epic opener to one of the most celebrated LP's of all time; it is only fitting that Baba O'Riley be this week's most listened to track. Begining with arpegiated electronic chiming Baba O'Riley is a track that crosses many moods & genres; much like the album as a whole. Like the album, the song is also highly celebrated & is thought of as one of The Who's best tracks. Complete with synth exerimentalism, iconic riff & the anthemic refrain of "...teenage wasteland.." Baba O'Riley is a satisfying listen in any situation, whether on it's own or as the opener of the album.

Thursday's Song of The Week: 04/10/12

Flower by Liz Phair

A little more than halfway through Liz' masterful '93 debut Exile in Guyville is the explicit & hypnotic 2 minute snippet of sugary audio porn entitled Flower. A simple song comprised of a looped backing vocal & a monotone lead sung over a slowly strummed fuzzy guitar line, Flower is more sexually explicit in 2 short minutes than some "cock rock" bands can do over a full album.Dirty, dirty, dirty but so pretty, why??? because Liz is a lady, she gets away with it & the best part about it is that you don't feel guilty, because these filthy lyrics are written & sung by a girl.

The Wednesday Photo Show: Wes Borland

The Painted Man: Wes Borland

Known for his creative guitar playing & his eccentric appearance, Wes' outfits & body paint are always unnerving but enthralling to look at; especially when he has his trademark black contacts in.

To compliment his over-the-top appearance Wes has always chosen sleek & elegant guitars usually in white, black or charcoal; rarely selecting gaudy & outlandish guitars that would otherwise be associated with his sort of style.

Aside from Limp Bizkit; Wes has a 2nd band, Black Light Burns, when in this context Wes look is darker but just as strange.

...and there's also BIGdumbFACE

Google Wes to see the many other weird looks he has employed over his career. Over the past 2 years Wes has released with LB & BLB, both are worth checking out.

Wednesday

This week has been swamped, so their is no photo show this Wednesday. it will return next week.

Thursday's Song of the Week: 20/09/2012

End of the World Party by Medeski, Martin & Wood

A song I originally discovered through Vol. 1 of the Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack, End of the World Party stands out amongst the show's trademark Indie Pop & Folk songs with a Spacey Funk Jazz sound unlike anything else on that album as well as the other tracks on MMW's like-named album. A trippy drum beat; sporadic & laid-back but strong bass & layered, textural & psychedelic keyboards create a unique atmosphere for MMW to show off there crazy Jazzy goodness. One of the most compelling instrumentals I've ever heard.

Thursday's Song of the Week: 13/09/2012

Beware by Deftones

After spending last week listening to Far, this week saw me drift over to fellow Sacremento band the Deftones. Amid all of my old favorite's, I threw in some songs of Saturday Night Wrist, their '06 album that I'd never listened to before. This song, one of their most atmospheric, immediately stood out. Maybe a middle ground between Deftones & Chino's Team Sleep, Beware is a spacious & cinematic gem. Lots of synth, the sample of crickets at night time & a chorus that soars higher than anything on radio; Beware is beautifully dark & menacing but still sensual & inviting. A pure gem of an album track, although it could've been a single.

The Wednesday Photo Show: Moondog

A true music enigma; The Viking of 6th Avenue, Moondog

A genuine individual, Moondog dedicated his life to creating bizzare & unique music, played in homemade time signatures on home made intruments. He also spent a major part of his life dressed as his "vision" of Odin, complete with spear.

This particular picture encapsulates quite perfectly the childlike whimsy a identity like Moondog holds within pop culture.

In spite of the disgusted look from the "square", Moondog lived on the streets by choice & was a moderately successful recording artist.

Moondog invented & played his own instruments, pictured here ore the hüs (above), & his most famous, the trimba (below)

By '74 Moondog had emigrated to "The Rhineland". By then he traded in the Viking clothes for all black. He remained in Germany until his death.

And, quite possibly the most amazing thing about Moondog is that he did all this blind, as he lost his sight at age 16.

I would definitely suggest checking out some of Moondog's tunes, he has more than 20 releases to his name, On the Streets of New York is my favorite.

Thursday's Song of the Week: 06/09/2012

Job's Eyes by Far

A track I discovered watching an old episode of Buffy, Job's Eyes took place as this week's firm favorite with the first listen. Off of their '96 album Tin Cans with Strings to You, Job's Eyes is one of the longest songs in Far's catalog. Clocking in at about 7-&-a-half minutes, the song is an unforgiving dirge of epic Post-Modern Hardcore; with is 2 minute droning outro, cryptic verses, anthemic refrain & it's high-contrast loud/quiet dynamic, Job's Eyes is one of Far's most destinctive pieces & a jewel in their crowns.

The Wednesday Photo Show: Lee Ving

Lee Ving, frontman of one of California's most legendary Hardcore bands, Fear.

In his heyday, Ving earned a formidable rep. as one of as one of Punk Rocks most controversial & incendiary figures. His appearance both then & now captures a time full of drunken disorderly behavior, confrontational political gestures & timeless Rock 'n Roll.

Aside from his day job in front of a mic, Ving has been know to dabble in acting. Some notable appearances include a role as the murder victim in board-game-come-movie Clue (above) & Johnny C. in the '83 classic Flashdance (below).

Now in his 60's & starting to look a lot like Harvey Keitel, Lee Ving has seemingly remained the same. He still wares a denim cutoff, still rocks-out like a mad man & still has all that throaty soul that has made him a hidden Rock 'n Roll gem.

 

Check out their debut, the seminal The Record or look up one of the many videos of their infamous live performances, including their historic '81 appearance on SNL