Monthly Archives: November 2014

Lunch Break: Frank Patterson, “Danny Boy”

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WTF?  Frank Patterson? Danny Boy?

Yeah, fucking Danny Boy.

I had the Coen’s great Miller’s Crossing film on in the background while working.

I do love the Coen’s, and while I think Fargo and Lebowski and A Serious Man might be my favorites, then I remember Miller’s Crossing and that it pretty much blows away anything else the boys have done as a whole piece of filmaking.

I am not really a big fan of the song Danny Boy, and my understanding is that Patterson recorded this version especially for the film, but, the sweet tenor, juxtaposed with the ballet of cause and effect and subsequent violence as one mob gang tries to exterminate rival boss Leo (Albert Finney) does so much to define his character within the movie.

So, the music might not be rock and roll, but the sequence surely is.

 

Lunch Break: Rick James, “Mr. Policeman”

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Listening to Stevie Wonder’s Master Blaster the other day, I was put in mind of this one from Rick James’ classic “Street Songs” album.

It’s pretty much a direct rip of Stevie’s style, but that just means it sounds great, too. And actually the rest of the record is really good, even the songs that are more like Rick James, like Super Freak.

Inspirational verse: I’d rather be a farmer than a police, police.

Ps. That’s Stevie Wonder himself playing the harmonica on Mr. Policeman.

Lunch Reading: The Rock Doc, hanging wiith Johnny Winter, Rick Derringer, Andy Warhol and others

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Screenshot 2014-11-13 12.06.22

The problem with memoir is that the facts or the memoirist aren’t always sure how to close the deal (or tell the story).

I’m not sure what Neil Ratner could have done with this, but it isn’t fully baked. What we know is that he wasn’t inclined to be a doctor, but he became one. And he wanted to be a drummer, but he became a doctor. At the same time, it’s a slice of the rock ‘n’ roll life, starring two of our faves, Johnny Winter and Rick Derringer.

And Doctor Ratner is an affable host. (Click the link at the end to visit his website, which covers other aspects of his career.)

And we might as well add a clip:

I’m A Musical Sucker For. . .

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1. Bluesy-riffy guitar.
2. Another bluesy-riffy guitar playing at the same time.
3. Repetitive, droning chord pattern.
4. Screamy/melodic high-pitched vocal.
5. Bashing, driving drums, such that make one want to march.
6. Wah-wah. (Does any popular music these days use wah-wah?)

All of which are featured on the debut track of Graveyard’s debut album, which I got with my Amazon birthday gift card. I got six CDs and this is the one I want to play most.

Things to look forward to:

Still one Graveyard album I don’t yet have. God I hope – even though they seem kind of tame live – they don’t break up before they tour the US again. (Discovered them shortly after they went home after playing Coachella.)

Screw Carlos Santana.

Night Music: AC-DC, “She’s Got Balls”

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This is a love song. An awkward and crude one, but a girlfriend of Bon Scott can’t possibly have been as pissed as this girl friend was (supposedly) after Bon wrote this love song, according to legend (and Wikipedia).

Or maybe values were different in 1975. Hmmm. I was alive then, hanging with girls who had balls, so I don’t buy that. You didn’t have to read Betty Friedan to know which way the wind was blowing. Bon Scott, certainly, got it.

AC-DC has had a rough week. Drummer Phil Rudd had some issues with the police in New Zealand this week, though he seems to have been absolved of the most troubling charges. The band has an album out next month. I think there’s a tour coming, though who knows what happens if Phil is jailed (he’s not out of the woods).

Whatever happens, She’s Got Balls is more about respect than pandering. Good for ya, Bon.

Worst Black Sabbath Song Ever

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I came to Black Sabbath late. Took me until my 20s to discover them. I think, as a churchgoing young lad, they scared me. Then, while I was in the throes of punk, I got away from stoner music for a while.

So it took me a long time – first Paranoid, then Masters of Reality. I didn’t even get the first album until a few years ago. But they are all excellent.

I was kind of aware that it never gets better than those first three, but, with a recent birthday Amazon gift card music haul I included Black Sabbath Vol 4.

Now I know why there’s no reason to venture from the first three. Granted, there’s some good stuff on 4, but geez, to get through this? Not worth it.

How do you go from “Into The Void” to this in the space of one album? And what makes rockers want to write dippy tunes like this? My ex-wife always wanted me to write a song for her and I was always like, “I can’t write crap like that.” I guess that’s why I’m divorced.

I guess I identify with Bon Scott who told the story of his wife asking him to write her a love song. He said, “So I wrote ‘She’s Got Balls’ and she divorced me.”

Good luck.

Night Music: Turbonegro, “Staten Och Kapitalet”

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I don’t follow the traffic here closely. Who cares?

But I do check in to make sure everything is working, and I noticed today that there was a spike in interest in a Swedish punk post I put up last spring.

That post led to a fantastic cascade of Swedish punk rock references, one of which was Turbonegro’s Staten Och Kapitalet. Read the thread for the whole story.

Afternoon Snack: Neil Diamond, “You Got to Me”

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Again, I am minding my own business, working and steaming KTKE. when this Neil Diamond nugget from 1967 came blasting out.

I do remember liking it at the time, but don’t remember the terrific blues harp at all.

Weird with Diamond. I liked some of his earlier songs, but for sure, once my mother announced how much she loved the guy, that was it for me.

I hate to lump him with Billy Joel (ugh), and even Elvis, though the glitter parallel is kind of scary.

But, just like early Elvis, this early Neil is really pretty good (and, Neil should thank his stars that Chuck Berry gave him the form).

 

Concert: Jake Bugg and Black Keys

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As Lawr mentioned in an earlier post, I saw The Black Keys with opener Jake Bugg last week in Sacramento. This was a rare occasion when I saw a show where I love both the opener and the headliner. Bugg is about my age, but his age is apparent only in his appearance, not in his ability. His stage presence, though not riveting, was impressive for such a young guy in a huge venue. Both acts put on a great show. Though the Keys were more of a spectacle than they needed to be, there’s no doubt they know how to please a crowd.

Here was my favorite that Bugg played, and a favorite off the Keys’ new album that they played in the encore.

Breakfast Blend: Love for Sale

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Ernestine Anderson is a terrific blues singer with a jazz edge. This rocking version of Cole Porter’s Love for Sale was apparently recorded on the Concorde, presumably flying between Paris and New York. Back in the days when that happened.

Talking Heads had a rocking song called Love for Sale on their True Stories album. It sounds good, and the video is fun.

I found this Bon Jovi song, called Love For Sale, while looking for the above. It’s casual.