Rock Around the World

Dodgy A&M Records Ltd. London. NA
Free Peace Sweet

If you like the Manic Street Preachers, The Hoodoo Gurus or Oasis, you should become rather fond of this band when they break Stateside.

Some of this Brit-Pop actually has a great R&B feel to it as evidenced by the groove on "Good Enough", which is my choice for a domestic spinner. Rotate it.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Good Enough, U.K.R.I.P., Homegrown.

The Egg China Records/Discovery. NA
Albumen

This is excellent cool out music! Upon first listen, some of this made me think of the Metropolis program that airs on KCRW.

Any way, if you work hard for a living, this groove syndicate will put your mind at ease after a day with the lemmings. It just does...Dig On This for a minute and you'll find you've listened to the whole album and are ready for sweet Morpheus.


Internet Listening Pleasure: The Fat Boy Goes To The Cinema, Get Some Money To Get Her, Bend, Jam Tomorrow, Roche, Shopping, Shoplifting.

Slush Discovery. NA
North Hollywood

This band represents, to some extent, the outer edge of the scene in North Hollywood, if you view Grant Lee Buffalo as the inner edge of that scene. Both integral parts of the fabulous doughnut North Hollywood is...

Lots of energy and crunchy harmonics. Dig "Mercury De Sade".


Internet Listening Pleasure: Mercury De Sade, So Volatile, Catastrphe Supreme, Milla.

Glenn Tipton Atlantic. NR
Baptism Of Fire

Glenn Tipton is the highly regarded guitarist of Heavy Metal Heavyweights, Judas Priest.

While others investigated the bombast of powerchords, Tipton developed a singular, rapid fire staccato-stroke that fell somewhere between an out and out powerchord and rhythm. Check out "Hard Core" for the signature riff I'm talking about.

Elsewhere, one also learns of Tipton's influence on impressionable talents like Yngwie Malmsteen, who listened to the Priest back in the day.
Check out "Baptism of Fire" and you'll see that Tipton can tip his hat Yngwie's way with a powerful display of fretboard aerobics.

One of the things that keeps you going in this business is having the respect of your peers...Tipton's got a bunch of friends that tossed their hats into the ring for this album.

People like Cozy Powell, John Entwistle, and Billy Sheehan logged studio time on this project as did newcomers like Ozzy's Robert Trujillo and Ugly Kid Joe's Drummer and Lead Singer.

Tipton's voice is right in line with anything heard in Mainstream Rock these days.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Hard Core, Extinct, Baptism Of Fire, Kill or Be Killed.

Collective Soul Atlantic. NR
Disciplined Breakdown

Collective Soul has suffered no loss of integrity in the time between albums leading up to this Sonic Deluxe. I swear to God, this band has got a finger on the pulse of Pop sensibility without coming across all gooey and gushing. There is an underlying intensity and earnestness between the lines that you'll have to read for yourself, if you're tuned-in.

Atlantic sent me the advance in cassette form, so I didn't have my finger on the fast forward of my remote for this one...Actually, Atlantic did me a favor by sending the tape, although I prefer CD's because I can get to the Hit faster and move on to the next album. So for Disciplined Breakdown I allowed myself the rare opportunity (these days) to actually enjoy an album for its Sonic Worth.

There are at least 9, count them, songs that can be Serviced To Radio. They will all fly on the charts! An outstanding feat, since most bands have trouble coming up with ONE.

I'd spin "Maybe" once "Precious Declaration" reaches cruising altitude.

Disciplined Breakdown is a Record Man's dream come true. Collective Soul seems poised to be a longevity player in this business and a Cash Cow for Atlantic Records.

Kudos to Ed Roland 4 production and to his outstanding engineer, Greg Archilla, for delivering one of the Best Albums of 1997!

DIG IT!


Internet Listening Pleasure: Precious Declaration, Maybe, Full Circle, Blame, Disciplined Breakdown, Forgiveness, Giving, In Between, Crowded Head, Everything.

Joe Cocker Sony 550 Music/Epic Records Group. NR
ORGANIC

I'm talking with Willie Ornelas and Steve Hunter between sets of B.J. Sharp's performance at Harvelle's on a recent Sunday. So the subject of the lost lyric to Cocker's Huge Hit 20 or so years ago comes up. It seems that Don Was took advantage of the opportunity to get the writer and the performer together and recut the hit with the lost lyric intact this time. Check out Billy Preston's You Are So Beautiful again, for the 1st time.

I don't know why only one song from this album is getting serviced to radio, since an entire generation has not heard Joe Cocker.

Promotion should reservice the album, this time spinning Delta Lady. That song from this album has got one hell of a duende on it. If you listen closely to the outro you can hear the musicians respond to the Presence of The Muse.

After that, Promo could spin Dignity and watch the album soar in the Top 200 with these two songs.

Don Was gets the gold star for recruiting the AIR FORCE. Joe Cocker flies with the Thunderbirds on this album. Every musician on the album is an Ace.

Here's the roll call: Kenny Aronoff & Jim Keltner double up on drums ala Jaimo & Butch. Tony Joe White, Johnny Lee Schell, Dean Parks, and Greg Leisz are featured guitarists. "Hutch" Hutchinson and Darryl Jones share bottom duty. Chris Stainton, Randy Newman, Billy Preston and Jamie Muhoberac are the ivory merchants. Backing vocals by Merry Clayton, Portia Griffin, Myrna Smith and Maxine Sharp are dead on accurate.

Sony owes it to these Musicians to reservice the album!


Internet Listening Pleasure: Into The Mystic, Delta Lady, Dignity, You Are So Beautiful.

Rebecca Blasband Mercury. NA
Rapt

This lady intones with the vibration and soul of two women distinctly: Patti Smith and Chrissie Hynde.

"Down In The Underground" reminds me of the Pretender's Up The Neck.



Internet Listening Pleasure: Down In The Underground, Six Feet Off The Ground, Chill, If I Know You, Titanic.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Mercury. NR
Let's Face It

This girl once dragged me out for Ska night at The Whiskey...I think her ulterior motive was for me to hear one of her friends in one of the bands.

They were all weak and did not come strong enough to the hoop, for my ears.

There ain't a band out there that can touch the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, as far as what it is that they do...


Internet Listening Pleasure: Noise Brigade, Royal Oil, Let's Face It, Numbered Days.

Dinosaur Jr Reprise. NR
Hand It Over

J Mascis is Alt-Rock's Neil Young.
Dinosaur Jr is Mascis' Crazy Horse for Strings and Horns.



Internet Listening Pleasure: I Don't Think, Nothin's Goin On, Alone, Sure Not Over You, Gettin Rough, Gotta Know.

Grace Reprise. NA
If I Could Fly

A dance hall star ready to take on America's Club Land with some across the pond sounds.

Dominique Atkins could well be the Donna Summer of the 90's. Dig on "One Day" and let me know what you think...


Internet Listening Pleasure: Not Over Yet, If I Could Fly, One Day, Hand In Hand, Mineral, I Want To Live.

Regurgitator Reprise. NA
Tu Plang

Regurgitator incorporates exotic tones indigenous to Thailand. To set the vibe for this type of Music, you may want to rent The Deer Hunter just to get a visual on the exotic backdrop that movie was shot in. With that establishing shot for your ears, you'll be able to tune in to this album, which was cut in Bangkok, Thailand.

It's nice to hear other sounds emanating from within the alternative abyss. I love the room sound on this album!


Internet Listening Pleasure: Kong Foo Sing, G7 Dick Electro Boogie, Social disaster, Music Is Sport, Blubber Boy.

Shine Philips. NR
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

I can relate to the story of David Helfgott on several levels. Since me and my dad are kool now, I'm not gonna tell the one about Demanding Fathers, although I did flip the Bird at Armin Mueller-Stahl on several occasions throughout the movie because that actor got awful close to where I've been as far as fathers go...

The story I'll share with you is of Anna Maria Trenchi De Botazzi. Mrs. Botazzi was a young piano phenom that used to blast around Buenos Aires in a little Fiat or Alfa Romeo. On one of her rides testing the limits of machine and woman, she encountered a truck backing up into her flight path. Knowing that if she extended her hands to the steering wheel to brace herself, she'd sustain damage that would prevent her from playing the piano, in the split moment of a decision, she chose to go through the windshield rather than let her hands suffer.

Anna Maria Trenchi Botazzi plays piano to this day, a platinum plate in her head. She once related to me how at moments during a concert, she will suffer blackouts beyond the scope of her control...just before she goes black, she says a prayer and then God and muscle memory take over.

Mrs. Botazzi was My piano teacher and imbued me with a love for music I can not explain to you. Mrs. Botazzi also plays Rachmaninoff 's Prelude in C# Minor for some of her encores.

On the Rock side, I think of Jason Becker and how he's suffering, but still pursuing music in defiance of limitations.

Shine stands as a monument to the Artist who suffers for the sake of their Craft.

There are some critics out there that call some performances during Helfgott's recent tour of America a "sad spectacle". I think those critics should have their hands cut off. David Helfgott is Bold As Love.



Internet Listening Pleasure: The Rach. 3, Gloria, Prelude in C # Minor, Flight Of The Bumble bee, Sospiro, Appassionata, La Campanella, Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera.

Fluf Way Cool Music/MCA. NA
Waikiki

Think of Everclear addicted to Pop and you're on your way to figuring out this band. Hard riffs that cling to the outside edge of hooky melodies.

Great buildups to the Punch Lines in the choruses of the songs.

I'd be surprised if "TV Anthem" didn't make it into rotation on KROQ.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Got Everything, Bump, The Chooser, TV Anthem, Chocolate, Pipe Bomb.

Richard Buckner MCA. NA
Devotion & Doubt

Little epics recalling dustbowl landscapes Steinbeck, Dylan and Springsteen have painted. Buckner's rightfully in this company, but I don't think he knows, yet.


Internet Listening Pleasure: A Goodbye Rye, 4AM, Roll, Figure.

Dangerous Ground JIVE/New Line Cinema/Zomba Recording Corporation. NR
Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Not a bad acting job for the Cube. Acting forces you to emote, and so I think I peeped a bit of Ice Cube's personality astride all that macho bluster. The soundtrack has a ton of Rap stuff and deservedly so, since Cube is the Executive Producer.

The big surprise is Ghetto Smile performed by B-Legit and featuring the Blue Eyed Philly Soul of Daryl Hall. Come on with it!

Not all the groovy music made it to this disc, since it is marketed at a Rap audience, but the movie features a Buddy Guy track called Rememberin' Stevie and the awesome presence of Bob Marley's Natural Mystic.

I'd put in a word for 'Cube if there ever was a remake of The Dirty Dozen.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Ghetto Smile, Perhaps She'll Die, The World Is Mine, Dangerous Ground.

Roger McGuinn Hollywood. NR
Live From Mars

One of the fathers of the Wilco sound.

Roger McGuinn's contribution to popular music is a matter of Record. The Byrds were one of the biggest Acts Columbia Records ever had and Roger McGuinn was there for the full flight.

I guess the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 dude must really dig McGuinn.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Chestnut Mare; Turn!Turn!Turn!, Mr. Tambourine Man electric, May The Road Rise studio.

Pumpjack Unsigned. NA
The World Ain't Perdy

Pumpjack would be a good fit for eastwest or Geffen Records. Everybit as hard as Pantera, but a bit more on the melodic side. Drown really got my attention.

This band is doing all the right things. They've got a small local brewery sponsoring them, the benevolence of Dimebag Darrel, a comic book libretto, and most important, a very good production by
Sterling Winfield.

No offense, but this band is tailor made for a full tilt Terry Date production.

This band could guarantee my safe passage through West Texas!


Internet Listening Pleasure: Drown, Trailer Park Trash, Sucker Punch, Red Neck Asshole.

Aerosmith Columbia. NR
9 Lives

Here's the skinny: Aerosmith ROCKS!

The first five songs are sort of a toe dipper to check the waters. Once Aerosmith gets to Something's Gotta Give you know these boys have come to throw down. If the big money were on the table and I had to pick a band as collateral for my life, my bet would be on Aerosmith.

Dig the Hendrix Tribute of the juicy string section of Ain't That A Bitch. It is Bold As Love.

This is a tremendous album, and a fantastic return to Columbia Records for Aero Force One. These guys are flying. All the Aerosmith fans who dug their material on Columbia will be very pleased with this album as Aerosmith puts the jets in full afterburn, pointed straight at the 21st Century with some serious music.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Something's Gotta Give, Ain't That A Bitch, Kiss Your Past Good-bye, Pink, Attitude Adjustment, Fallen Angels, Crash.

Bob Newhart Nick At Nite/Sony 550/Epic Records Group/Sony Wonder. NR
Button Down Concert

One of the things you'll notice backstage at some gigs is the abundance of humor, joke telling and overall mirth among musicians that dig each other and the music they're making.

I've been backstage many a time during B.J. Sharp's gigs at B.B. Kings or any other place that's got a dressing room. B.J. can tell some jokes and the funniest stories and so can the rest of her triple scale, crackshot band.

So when the call came in from ISLPR to review this album, I said of course, since Bob Newhart holds several Billboard records that were not broken until 1995 by Guns & Roses.

Bob is a funny, funny man and has got that Jack Benny sensibilty in his delivery. Family Entertainment.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Bus Driver's School, Driving Instructor, The Cruise of The U.S.S. Codfish, Nobody Will Ever Play Baseball, Introducing Tobacco.

Sling Blade Shooting Gallery/Island Records. NR
Music From The Miramax Motion Picture

A difficult and disturbing movie from Writer, Director, and Actor: Billy Bob Thornton.

Little Lucas Black plays a boy who can peer inside the heart. Sometimes youth is blessed for a moment with an innocence more powerful than fear. Like something out of Aesop, the little boy takes the thorn out of Thornton's hulking outcast's paw, earning the little boy & his mother the lost man's protective devotion as the outgrowth of their Southern Hospitality.

There is a scene in the movie where Thornton says to John Ritter's character..."That boy lives inside his heart...that's an aweful big place to be." That is big medicine...

A lot of Biblical themes entwine themselves with the film, set so deeply in the Bible Belt,... so the passage that comes to mind for me is:
"For without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission for sin."

The two times Thornton's Karl Childers picked up a tool for killing, it had something to do with that character's perception of sin.
The termination scene is the idiot savant's interdiction and only hope of salvation for the boy & his mother.

Daniel Lanois has a patented aural trademark: Distant, sonic intimacy.
So for this film, Lanois is right at home setting the mood as the frames roll by. I felt that Southern humidity come over me as the images and the sonics collided inside my head.

Dig Aaron Neville's voice on the end title track, The Maker. Daniel Lanois has moved me ever since U2's Unforgettable Fire, on which he so skillfully shaped sonics with Brian Eno.



Internet Listening Pleasure: Jimmy Was, Darlin', Orange Kay, Smothered In Hugs, Omni, The Maker.

Outhouse Mercury. NA
Welcome

If you like the Goo Goo Dolls, you'll definitely dig this band.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Genius Boy, Savior, Familiar, Welcome, Nowhere Man, Sincere, Sleepwalking, Rain Down.

T.D.F. Reprise. NR
Retail Therapy

A lot of people had their first taste of Eric Clapton's ability with an acoustic guitar from listening to his Unplugged album. Hereagain, you can hear Clapton's prowess with an acoustic on Donna. That song reminds of a beautiful woman who lives up in White Plains, NY.

If that's not enough, there is an extra dose of beautiful acoustic on What Else.

The music on this album sounds as if it were intended for a film yet to be made. Some beautiful stuff.

Oh, ...[Rockerfeller] surely must be a joke for liner notes freaks like me.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Blue Rock, Sno-god, Seven, Donna, What Else.

Elvis RCA. NR
An Afternoon In The Garden

Madison Square Garden, more specifically, New York City is the most difficult place for an entertainer to perform. New York City is where all the sophisticates are. New Yorkers are something beyond hip. Hipness is something people in L.A. developed to try to keep pace with the real motherfuckers in New York. The average kid, by the time they're in 5th grade knows the sports page backwards and forwards, all the box scores. So you can imagine what the Press is like in New York. Brutal.

So Madison Square Garden is the place where everyone who is Anyone plays, then they've truly made it. By all accounts, by 1972, Elvis had made it, a multi-millionaire several times over. Elvis had so much respect for NYC and its importance in Entertainment, that he waited 17 years to play NYC-- at Madison Square Garden.

Elvis came heavily armed to this Garden party. Ronnie Tutt was Elvis' super control drummer. Jerry Scheff, immortalized on The Doors' L.A. Woman was on Bottom. Cissy Houston sang background vocals with the Sweet Inspirations. The Bass singer from the Oak Ridge Boys was at that time a member of The Stamps. James Burton was Elvis' principal lead guitarist, you dig? Elvis had a band that could throw down with anybody.

This album is the second of two recorded performances at Madison Square Garden, the first performance was released in 1972 as Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden and now this performance is available 25 years later.

Elvis did not disappoint that afternoon. As Al Dvorin announced the trademark, "Elvis has left the building", Elvis exited with his reputation intact and bolstered by having conquered New York City.


Internet Listening Pleasure: You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', Polk Salad Annie, Love me, Reconsider Baby, I'll Remember You, Suspicious Minds, For The Good Times, Funny How Time Slips Away.

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