Category Archives: live

Afternoon Snack: Simple Minds, “Waterfront”

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Simple Minds are a band I discovered via word of mouth. I had never heard anything of theirs for some reason (this was some time before Don’t You Forget About Me was a hit) so I bought the album, Sparkles in the Rain which is competent enough, however, this song, Waterfront, just cranks.

I remember when I was first learning to play guitar, and my friend Alan Freedman (a tremendous musician and bass player) asked me to pick out some stuff I wanted to play in a small band setting, and Waterfront was one of my requests.

Alan listened to it once, said it was a great song, and then said I would never be able to play it.

I now understand he did not mean ever, but surely vamping on a D sus4 as an A barre chord for five minutes was much too abstract for my simple band of beginners to even try to approach.

In fact, now I actually can play the guitar and bass parts (well, that is not saying much, though the time of the bass player is dead on throughout and since he plays the same riff for five minutes, that is no simple task from Simple Minds) and could probably hold my own, but I completely understand how Alan meant that it takes some musical sophistication to play something so simple effectively.

This is the Minds a year ago, and they blast it out pretty well 25-years after the release of the album.

Speaking of which, lead singer, Jim Kerr, was married to Pretenders head Chrissie Hynde, and her song, 2000 Miles features the line “sparkles, in the rain” so I always wondered who lifted the line from whom, or it was just fortuitous?

Irrespective, we need to give Ms. Hynde some virtual ink here, but for now, here are the Minds. Tell me if this song does not rock the shit out of your speakers?

Lunch Break: Liz Phair, “Mesmerizing”

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When Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville was released in 1993 I could not get enough of it. Much like the recently favorited Hans Condor’s  Sweat, Jizz, Piss & Blood, which was so evocative of the early Stones, so was Phair’s disc whose title simply screams response to Exile on Mainstreet.

Phair’s label, Matador, pushed a second disc (Whip Smart) out quickly to cash in on the success of Guyville, but it wasn’t till album three, WhiteChocolateSpaceEgg that Phair cemented herself in my brain as a serious artist, rocker, songwriter, and performer.

Unfortunately, for me Phair peaked with that third,  album, and has never come close to equaling the power or beauty of that pair of records.

But, the other day, while trolling through my discs, looking for something to listen to as I drove to meet my pal Eric for Sunday golf, Phair and Exile jumped out, and on it went, and it still sounded pretty good.

This tune, Mesmerizing, clearly shows just how much Liz garnered from Jagger and Keef et al.

The Runaways, “Cherry Bomb”

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I had a work study job at the NYU film school, and I spent hours in the audio transfer room, turning vinyl and tape songs into 16mm film magnetic versions that could be used when cutting film.

NYU was famous for this sort of audio/visual presentation, which was the heart of the freshman and sophomore curriculum, because Martin Scorcese, Amy Heckerling, Martin Brest, and Oliver Stone, among others, built films off this music/film integration after attending NYU.

My favorite song I heard in audio transfer was the Runaways’ Cherry Bomb. This live version is the best I’ve seen.

Deep Purple, “Smoke On The Water”

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I clicked through to some bait on the web promising to tell me the Eight greatest rock albums of all time. No. 1 was Born To Run, Abbey Road was No. something or other. The most interesting choice until the last one was the album by the Clash: Combat Rock, which the inept compiler called the band’s third album. But No. 8, as you might have guessed was Machine Head by Deep Purple, which is not an obvious choice. Except for a mention of riffage, it doesn’t look like we’ve dipped our toes into this at all, here at rock remnants, so it’s about time.

In any case, here is the low-hanging one. It’s one of the rare classic rock songs that still bleeds, at least just a little. Thanks to the riff, sure, but it all hangs together very nicely.

Night Music: David Bowie, “Panic in Detroit”

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Among the litany of puns fostered by auctioneer Brian Feldman during Sunday’s NL Tout Wars auction, came the inevitable  “Panik Attack” that follows Giants second sacker Joe Panik.

Never satisfied with just one pun, my brain went after a trade possibility to the Tigers, meaning the results would be “Panik in Detroit.”

So, now that I am safely back home in Berkeley, we can honor Bowie, Panik, and a great Tout weekend.

A splendid time was indeed guaranteed for all. Swear.

 

Afternoon Snack: Pearl Jam, “Breath”

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Photos, Tout Songs, Obituaries, Name That Tune? OK, enough.

Let’s get back to what we really do best: uncover/present killer songs, past, present, and even some future.

I know there are those who dismiss Pearl Jam, but I think such critics are elitists.

Pearl Jam cranks, and probably wear the tough mantle–especially with the death of Kurt Cobain and demise of Nirvana–as the band from the grunge/Seattle environ.

There are a bunch of other great bands that did evolve from that scene (I am at least thinking Soundgarden) but when push comes to shove, Pearl Jam kick it, song-wise, songwriting-wise, and musicianship-wise.

I present, then, the following, among my favorite from the band’s catalog.

It does seem Eddie Vedder’s voice is not quite so powerful as it was 20 years ago, but the rest of the band certainly smokes. And, Mike McCready again shows that when push comes to shove, a great guitar player cranking through a Marshall stack via a Telecaster is probably the best sounding “axe” confluence there is.