Frank Zappa, Mongolian throat-singing, Sleep Dirt and Peefeeyatko

The music my parents listened to when I was a kid was an odd mix (to me) of good and bad stuff. Popular music in the 70s wasn’t entirely distasteful to them so I wound up hearing a fair amount of whatever was popular on car rides and around the house. I was also exposed to the great originators of rock and roll through a pretty impressive collection of 45s collected by my father and his siblings when they were growing up in the 50s and early 60s. At times, they really showed excellent taste. So long as they weren’t on an “Easy Listening” kick. Remember the radio station that would play instrumental MUZAK’d versions of standards from the 1930s and 1940s - songs only your parents seemed to know the words to and they would SING ALONG with the radio driving you crazy? Yes, you remember that radio station. Well, these torture sessions would unfortunately help to fuel my ideas of what instrumental music was all about at an early age. Outside of movie or TV theme music (most of which was actually really cool – “Rockford Files” anyone?) – my view of “instrumental music” was this evil, insipid, brain-numbing “easy listening” hoo-ha. No words = BORING.

My ears gradually opened up to instrumental music as I became exposed to more exciting and challenging stuff. But one experience really threw me for a loop which I (thankfully) never got over. Some credit must go to Frank Zappa. In the late 70s I hated disco music. Anything making fun of disco was awesome. So when I first heard “Dancin’ Fool” on the radio I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Not just because of the lyric content, but also because I really liked that marimba part (percussion being my “thing”). I eventually wound up with the “Sheik Yerbouti” album and that was my introduction to Zappa. Now, of course there are some instrumental tracks on that record, but I was more interested in the crazy humor (of which there’s a LOT on that record). I thought Zappa was the funniest guy on the planet. So I decided to branch out a little to check out some of his other records.

In those days, the Zappa bin was full of the weirdest looking LPs I ever laid eyes on. The covers were outrageous along with many song titles. Not much Zappa beyond “Dancin’ Fool” was played on the radio so there was no telling what the records sounded like (especially since nobody I knew was into Zappa at the time). Once in a while I might quiz some guy behind the record counter if he had a favorite Zappa album. The dude I talked to at Lloyd’s was helpful. Recommended a few more popular titles like Apostrophe, Roxy and Elsewhere and Zappa in New York. Though I would eventually get those, my next Zappa purchase involved something I didn’t do much at the time – a blind purchase! I chose SLEEP DIRT based entirely on the cover art which led me to believe this would have to be the most outrageous, disgusting, vile, vulgar record I could possibly bring home because, well………look for yourself:

Remember – I was about 12 years old and into shocking, immature, crazed humor. If I could learn a few new swear words it could improve my status with my pals. I got a huge boost in coolness for being the guy who turned all my catholic-school friends onto Cheech and Chong. Now THIS record was going to really do it for me since Zappa was the funniest, coolest dude ever, right? I was about to get my first lesson in applied Zappa-ology!

When I bought SLEEP DIRT I was totally ignorant of the history behind it. Seems that in the late 70s, Zappa was desperate to end his contract with Warner Brothers Records (who distributed his imprint DISCREET) and delivered a bunch of master tapes in somewhat unfinished form to close out his end of the bargain to get a quick exit from the company. SLEEP DIRT was cobbled together from some of those tapes and was, with the exception of a few seconds of studio chatter an entirely INSTRUMENTAL album! Now, this blew my circuits at the time and helped to elicit the burning question:

“If Frank Zappa had such a great sense of humor, how could he possibly put out a whole album without a single “funny” moment on it?”

I felt cheated, but more than that I was just floored over what I saw as a total WASTE of good comedic talent! I was looking for some great new swear words or crazy stories and Zappa just didn’t deliver. Then…..the second idea started to form which went something like this………

“There’s just NO WAY Frank Zappa couldn’t at least try to be funny somehow. If I could get laughs like that guy I’d never be able to resist the urge to go for it as often as possible! Wait a minute……maybe……MAYBE the humor is there after all. Maybe the humor is somehow…………… IN THE MUSIC!”

Desperate logic maybe, but that moment was the beginning of a new outlook. I started playing SLEEP DIRT again and lo and behold! I heard the humor indeed – it was there all along. It just wasn’t conveyed through lyrics and singing. Totally abstract thought process, but it’s the truth and it happened for me just that way. Over the years I would find out the truth about SLEEP DIRT. It wasn’t originally designed as an all-instrumental album (it’s actually one of the very few of these in Zappa’s catalog!).  Zappa also had nothing to do with the cover art! Actually, the music on SLEEP DIRT was originally intended for a different project known as “Lather”, but that’s a whole other story I won’t go into here! When he got around to reissuing the SLEEP DIRT album on CD many years later, he actually added new vocals to some of the tracks (which he claimed was his original intention). I heard samples of this new version and steered clear. I didn’t want my memories tampered with. Not this time. SLEEP DIRT remains a watershed experience for me and it shall forever be in its vinyl form in my heart and mind. Plus, there’s some BURNING playing going on that I don’t want buried underneath some half-baked lyrics. Sorry Frank!

Over the many years I’ve remained a Zappa fan and my enthusiasm for the many facets of his career continues unabated. While most rock fans associate Zappa with rock and roll, his interest in modern composing and music is something that sets him apart from the typical rock crowd. Although he would die at a young age (only 52), he packed so much living and WORK into those years – there were always several side-projects going on at the same time - many of which remain unreleased even though he saw them to completion. In the 1980s he pioneered the use of a sampling / composing device known as the Synclavier. Compositions for this machine made their way onto a Grammy-winning record called "Jazz from Hell”. When he toured in 1988, he brought the darned thing on the road with the band. Amazing.

One of his last projects was a sequel of sorts – an album called “Civilization Phase Three” which was released to great fanfare after this death, yet has managed to sink into near-oblivion. True confession time – I still don’t own a copy of this release. Much of the music was made for the Synclavier. But there were some other segments worked into the proceedings……..the record has since become known as the semi-sequel to the very well-regarded “Lumpy Gravy” album which has the distinction of being the very first Frank Zappa solo record released in 1968 (while the Mothers of Invention were his main concern). “Lumpy Gravy” is a nifty combination of music and Audio-Vérité. “Civilization Phase Three” carries on this tradition.


One of the sessions for that record was captured on video tape and reveals a facet of Zappa’s life few know about – the periodic “salon experiments” which consisted of informal concerts organized by Zappa at his house which were devoted to exploring uncharted musical territory. This territory could include new compositions from Zappa himself or historic “jam sessions” with some very disparate participants involved. For one of these events, the cameras were rolling and some blessed soul decided to leak it onto youtube. Here’s a great intro clip to give you a feel for what the longer clip shows: a jam session between the Celtic group “The Chieftains”, the Tuvula throat-singers from Mongolia, Johnny Guitar Watson (!) and Zappa himself.

Now, here’s a longer clip that shows a lot of what was essentially a recording session for “Civilization Phase Three”. In the longer clip you can see all sorts of characters including original Mother Motorhead Sherwood (who recently passed away as it happens……)! The recording session is more like a party at the Zappa house. The music is cultural-diffusion gone wild! It’s a bit tough to watch the whole clip in one shot, but toward the end there’s a fascinating discussion happening between the Mongolian throat singers and a Russian woman at a piano. They’re talking to each other in Russian and the Chieftains are standing around watching with looks on their faces like they’re DYING to know what the heck the others are talking about and SO AM I! The addition of Johnny “Guitar” Watson to the proceedings is just so cool, man. Look, this is the kind of party I want to go to in the Great Beyond so I’m going to have to try to be a good boy while I’m here on God’s grey golfball because I don’t want to miss this kind of action.

Now if all this wasn’t enough, I also stumbled upon another offbeat, yet totally amazing Zappa-related film created in 1991 that is a pro-shot and finished piece of work by a European film-maker. It’s part documentary and part art-film. And it has an unusual twist related to the rather obscure title of the documentary (which serves as the “secret word” in this case): PEEFEEYATKO. Now, if anyone reading this already knows the significance of this unusual term you won’t be surprised by the appearances of Ray Wallace in the film. For everybody else I won’t spoil the fun – the title / word reveals itself in a dramatic, guffaw-inducing segment about 3/4ths of the way through. Even after all these years, Zappa gets one over on me. Too funny!

Anyway, the real value of this film cannot be overstated: it is a rare peek into the inner sanctum of Zappa’s home studio environment during his love-affair with the Synclavier. Zappa gets to talk about his philosophy as a composer AT LENGTH and the monologues are nothing short of stupefying. Adding flavor to the mix, we also get to see and hear from none other than Pierre Boulez, Stockhausen and John Cage. One of my other favorite moments happens towards the end of the film when Zappa is riding in a limo on the way to a TV studio to do an appearance of some sort. He is asked by the film-maker if he likes to “walk around downtown Hollywood for fun”. Zappa’s response is caustic, funny and frighteningly prescient and relevant to……how shall I put this…..PREMONITIONS CONTINUING TO COME TRUE!

It is also worth noting that the film-maker’s suggestion that Zappa re-record his favorite Anton Webern pieces takes an interesting turn a few years later. The suggestion of such a project elicits a complicated reaction from Zappa that is clearly evident in the film – it’s a weird combination of both excitement and cynicism. You can tell Zappa is really tickled by the idea, but he doesn’t want to get too excited since he knows how unlikely it would be. Although he doesn’t undertake such a project with Webern as the subject, he DOES complete a recording project AND film doing this exact thing with the music of Edgard Varese! It’s not well-known (mainly because it’s still sitting in the Zappa vault), but Frank Zappa’s last project completed before his untimely passing in 1993 was titled “The Rage and The Fury” – a Zappa-directed performance by the Ensemble Modern of the music of Varese. It sure would be great to see and hear this and I hope the Zappa family sees fit to bless us with a release of this important and historic project.

Speaking of Varese, I decided to profile his music in my own way over at the classical-annex of this blog. Check it out here:
http://hyperprism-sounds.blogspot.com/2012/03/edgard-varese.html

As Varese would say: “The present-day composer refuses to die!”

My favorite Chicago album - CHICAGO VIII

Now, I can appreciate Chicago on some levels, but I am by no means a rabid fan. I can dig some of the jazz stylings even though sometimes the horn section tends to play in the “safety zone” a little too often. But this is supposed to be commercial music anyway – and that’s where Chicago really shines. Its those tracks that have what I call the “Chicago Magic”. These guys had an uncanny way of coming up with some truly awesome pop/rock material. Even if you’re not a true fan – could anyone really deny all the great tracks on Chicago’s Greatest Hits? You just don’t have soul if that stuff doesn’t hit you. But even beyond the hits, the early albums had some experimental and rockin’ moments. Actually, most Chicago albums featured extended 10-minute plus pieces with a few commercial pop songs sprinkled throughout. Part of the experience was finding out what well-known, radio hit was lurking amidst whichever progressive jazz-rock opus pocus was dominating the groove space on the platter. It remains a puzzling combination: were the hits there to lure the listener into the extended pieces or were those extended pieces just “filler” to pad out a double-LP with a few hit songs thrown in? I guess it depends on your point of view towards the more experimental tracks. If the results weren’t always compelling, at least they were trying to do something out of the ordinary. And for that I have to cut them a few points.

    But by the 80s, Chicago lost a lot of edge in their music. Mainly due to the tragic death of guitarist Terry Kath – possibly THE most under-rated guitarist of the 70s (somewhere near Eddie Hazel from Funkadelic, but that’s for another entry!). The 80s Chicago was long on the Peter Cetera ballad and short on, how shall I say……BALLS? This was not a rock band anymore. I think we can appreciate the “what happened” concept, but this once-rockin’ group got tagged with a stigma of uncoolness by the 80s that hasn’t let go. Even the distinctive logo became a calling card for ……….. unrelenting MILDNESS.

    Anyway, I’ve been grabbing some Chicago records on the cheap over the years. Got a nice original copy of the second album – have I played it very often? Nah…..but hey, like I said I really like those hits. And Terry Kath too so I’ll give ‘em a shot once in awhile. But these guys had a LOT of records – many of them double albums and that’s a lot of information to sift through for the admittedly casual fan. So I’ve kinda worked my way up through the numbers – skipping a few here and there…..it’s like this funny “Chicago Game” I like to play……..find the records used and see how they fit into the puzzle of their career. I’ll probably even end up buying the cheesy albums eventually ‘cause that’s what I like to do. Its no fun if all you ever hear is the best stuff from an artist. It’s refreshing to hear artists struggle with their art once in awhile – humanizes them because, hey – they’re only HUMAN after all.

    So lesseee….I got Chicago I through III. I don’t have the live album. Then there’s V, VI and VII – all these albums had big hits on them and I don’t have those yet. In 1975, the group put out two records -  VIII (a new album) and IX (the Greatest Hits album).  VIII was the first new Chicago LP with no major hit singles on it. The Greatest Hits had, well, all the great songs on it. Which one do you think sold? No contest, right?

    So I rescued a copy of VIII from the dollar bins last summer. It even had the cool iron-on decal and obligatory-by-now goofy poster stuck inside the cover. Since it was only a single-album release I figured it would be a quick listen and, never having heard it before, I gave it a spin. SURPRISE! This may be my favorite Chicago record ever! Chicago VIII is the sound of a hit-making group struggling to figure out their identity after establishing themselves on the charts for years, almost effortlessly. They’re really trying on this record, but ultimately the plot is lost. And they’re throwing in the kitchen sink here – every possible attempt to do something that captures “the magic” and ………it just doesn’t happen. In the meantime though Chicago covers some unlikely territory. The styles run the gamut. There’s even a song that sounds like a cross between Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Neil Young’s Crazy Horse. And, of all things, it’s a Peter Cetera song! It all revolves around a really basic bass-guitar riff that’s downright GRUNGY! I LOVE IT!! It almost sounds like a Kiss song – just not as (can’t believe I’m writing this…..) sophisticated? Unthinkable, but true!

    Chicago VIII could be considered more of a Terry Kath record. He’s got some tunes on here that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Moby Grape album. In fact, if they’d hired the Moby Grape guys to sing backup on some cuts that would’ve cemented the coolness factor for sure. "Oh, Thank You Great Spirit” is a Terry Kath tribute to Jimi Hendrix – cooler still since Terry’s lead vocal sounds a lot like Richard Manuel of The Band! My God, if Terry Kath had lived he could have replaced both Robbie Robertson AND Richard Manuel in The Band if he’d wanted to! The mind boggles!

As it stands, this LP is a totally schizoid affair. It’s really saying something when the “hit single” was an unlikely ode to Harry Truman. Well, that must’ve gone over real well with their Japanese fans don’t you think? Though they might be stuck in identity-crisis mode they’re still rockin’. In some ways, it’s like the last hurrah. The next all-original LP would be X – the one that looks like a chocolate bar. The X album would feature the smash hit Peter Cetera ballad “If You Leave Me Now” – the song that would set the standard for that kind of material folks would expect from Chicago henceforth which would ultimately force Cetera out of the group and into a short-lived solo career.

     So there’s a lot of reason to love Chicago VIII. There were no rules then. The album opens up with a BLUES SHUFFLE for God’s sake. Sadly, it would be the last time Chicago let their guard down and just let the music take them wherever it might lead. Within a few short years, Terry Kath would be gone and so too would Chicago’s right to call themselves a rock band. So if you see that lonely Chicago LP with the cardinal bird on the cover sitting in the dollar bin somewhere – grab it, take it home and marvel at a time when a major group could load up the 24 track analog tape machines, let them roll and play whatever came to mind. If it wasn’t immediately commercial – ah, no big deal. Just keep playin’ the music. At least it was an honest record – not contrived, but not forced-sounding either. Kinda like a garage band just getting together and tryin’ out some tunes. Only in the 70s could a group get away with a record like Chicago VIII. I can dig it!

Fleetwood Mac - THEN PLAY ON

By 1969, a group called Fleetwood Mac had been pounding stages across Europe for about two years. Started by guitarist Peter Green after serving an apprenticeship in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, the original Fleetwood Mac’s mission was to serve a diet of straight-up blues to British audiences eager to hear something authentic. In that regard, Fleetwood Mac delivered the goods – big time! Yet, just as Eric Clapton had done with Cream, Peter Green would navigate his own ship through more progressive waters beyond the blues lagoon. In September of 1969, the above record appeared as the group’s third official LP. THEN PLAY ON came in the wake of several chart-topping single releases that placed the group at the forefront of Europe’s rock scene at that time. Aside from these popular record releases, Fleetwood Mac earned a reputation as one of the most blistering live acts of the era. Witness the “Live at the Boston Tea Party” discs recorded in the USA in February of 1970 – the material from those shows offer a glimpse of what the band was capable of at their peak. Downright mindbending, in fact.
   
    Yet, as 1970 wore on – Peter Green would lead the charge in a different way – he would abandon the group he founded due to personal problems with the other two guitarists following suit over the next few years. Green, in particular, would have to deal with the onset of legitimate mental health issues that undermined the momentum of a career once bent on superstardom. Though he remained active, Green would never quite recapture the spark and fire of his days leading the Fleetwood Mac. That September 1969 LP release would serve both as his undisputed progressive blues masterpiece and his swan-song to a former life. Even the front cover image reflects a sense of “leaving” and “loss” – the white horse is in full gallop with the naked man looking behind him with a slightly forlorn expression on his face. The orange leaves falling in the air around him reflect the changing of the seasons from summer to autumn.  It’s a spooky visual – a near-premonition of Green’s own gallop into the winter of his tortured spirit that would soon follow the release of this record.

    Now, you might say I could be reading a bit too much into the symbolism of the record cover here, but even one casual earful of the music itself quickly betrays an artist in turmoil. And considering what came AFTER this record, personally and artistically for Peter Green, it’s a story that ranks right up there with Brian Wilson’s SMILE / SMILEY SMILE drama. The last fully-realized track released from this edition of Fleetwood Mac with Green at the helm was the 45 “The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)” – unleashed in May of 1970. On the Boston Tea Party tapes Green introduces this song with the casual statement “This is a song about the Devil”, although he has since maintained the song was equally a commentary about the evils of money. What it sounds like is an audio equivalent of a man struggling with personal demons – and not exactly winning, either!

    THEN PLAY ON was the first album delivered to Warner / Reprise under a new contract the band had signed with a hopeful eye to the future. Although that future would look pretty shaky six months down the road, the move to Reprise was an obvious attempt to have a better presence in the American market – something that had eluded Fleetwood Mac up to that point. They were huge in Europe, but relatively unknown in America. The desire to make a splash in the United States would lead to some futzing around with the running order of tracks on the album. There are basically three vinyl versions of the album and one digital (CD) version – each with a slightly different order / inclusion of tracks. Somehow, despite the confusion, the record manages to retain its power and sense of artistic integrity. Whichever version you may prefer is up to you. Here’s the short version of the differences:

1. UK LP -  14 track LP

2. US LP #1 – 12 track LP (same as above minus 2 Danny Kirwan tunes that had already been released on the Epic Records compilation “English Rose”)

3. US LP #2 – 11 track LP – a few songs deleted from the above order, shuffled around slightly with the whole 2-sided single “Oh, Well” stuck in as one big track.

4. Universal CD – 13 track edition (includes everything but the two Kirwan tracks featured on the original UK LP and cut from all Warner/Reprise releases).

        As it happens, my first encounter with this record was the US #2 LP version – the one with “Oh, Well”. I imagine this was the most well-known edition since the change to the running order happened pretty early on and remained the longest in-print. In a weird way, it happens to be my favorite version of the album. “Oh, Well” is such a strong track and does indeed fit in perfectly with the rest of the material on the album. As a 45 release it was split up into parts 1 and 2 – each quite distinct from the other: Part 1 being a pretty rocking, near-heavy metal rave up. Part 2 being – I kid not – classical chamber music. Trust me – it works and isn’t contrived or cheesy at all! Quite powerful stuff, in fact! In some ways the whole vibe of THEN PLAY ON is encapsulated by this one song – near-maniac heavy jamming on the one hand and heart-wrenching melancholy on the other. I really hesitate to even put this link up here since the sound is so awful, but here’s a u-toob version:

      No matter where the thread of the music leads, the beginning and ending of all versions of the record are the same – with “Coming Your Way” as the leadoff track on Side One and “Before the Beginning” as the last track on Side Two.  Where the listener is taken in between those two points depends on which version of the album you wound up with. There were two “Madge” jams – one “Fighting for Madge”, one “Searching for Madge”. These are instrumental detours away from some of the more serious and searching songs that seem to dominate the sonic landscape here. Songs about self-loathing / doubting show-biz performers, alienated men and women………..melancholy daydreams and inner-torment allsorts alike. Even in the jam segments, the dual lead-guitar pyrotechnics of Peter Green and Danny Kirwan are like shouting, screaming and pleading matches between the instruments to prove which is the more tortured……it’s brilliantly raw and scorching stuff with the thunderous pummeling from Mick Fleetwood’s drums and John McVie’s bass. California smooth-rock this AIN’T! (The un-cut studio jams have since been released on a 2-disc import set called “The Vaudeville Years” – for those who are familiar with the studio albums, hearing the raw takes is a revelation and a half!)

    When Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Mick Fleetwood quoted a line from Shakespeare that provided the inspiration for the title of this record. At the podium that night stood the well-known version of the band – Mick, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and some little gnarly looking old dude – who just happened to be THE Peter Green. In the world of rock music – Mick Fleetwood’s little gesture of including Green and reading that Shakespeare quote had to be one of the more touching moments I’ve witnessed connected to that much-maligned institution that is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Equally inspiring is Peter Green’s return to regular guitar-duty over the last 20 years or so. The fact that he continues to make music in defiance of his illness is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. The fact that he turned his struggles into timeless art with THEN PLAY ON is nothing short of a miracle. The fact that there are three different versions of this classic make for a record-collector’s dream. The fact that all three versions still maintain the integrity of the artists’ vision is absurdly unlikely.

    Yet this album is merely ONE of the great things about that original Fleetwood Mac – scout out some stuff on the net – sample a few things, read some reviews – they’re usually laudatory for a REASON – the accolades are deserved. Fleetwood Mac Mark I still remains one of rock music’s best kept secrets – THEN PLAY ON, one of rock music’s least-recognized moments of pure genius! Grab a copy today!

US open-reel features the US #1 running order of tracks

Rare tri-color Spanish pressing. Features the US #2 running order, oddly enough!

Back cover of the UK reissue edition

WONDERWALL MUSIC by George Harrison!

Myth….myth…..there’s a bug in my soup – and it looks like a BEATLE! It took me a long time to understand / appreciate the concept of myth. I’m not the biggest fan of Yoko Ono, but I have to give her credit for helping me understand this idea. Many years ago I read a quote attributed to Yoko in which she described the Beatles as a myth – quite an astute observation, in fact. As a young person that idea baffled me because I thought myths had to be imaginary and the Beatles were a real group of people, of course. What I understand better now, and what I think Yoko was getting at, is how popular figures – be they politicians, musicians, sports figures - can capture the imaginations of masses of people. Imaginations with the ability to conjure up stories sometimes based in truth, sometimes not, which can inspire others to action. Sometimes positive action, sometimes not. In terms of popular culture, the Beatles managed to enter into that MYTH territory. To illustrate the Beatles-effect from an unusual perspective, consider checking out this documentary “How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin”:

The book I read that Yoko quote in is this one: Beatles Forever by Nicholas Schaffner.

A real classic tome for Beatles freaks. This could be found pretty easily into the mid-1980s. One of the best things about it was the extensive discography. I knew about the differences between American and English pressings, but I had no idea how many different countries released their own versions of albums. One of my favorites was the infamous “Beatles in Italy” – what looked like a “live” album, but ended up being merely a collection of studio cuts designed specifically for the Italian market! Well into the 1980s, one could find plenty of these import LPs in record stores. It was good to have a resource that could clue you in on what these things were – and I’m glad I nabbed a few back in those days.

What especially held my fascination with that discography was the inclusion of the letters “OOP” next to certain entries. The letters standing for “Out Of Print”, in other words NOT AVAILABLE. Beatles records? Not available? Sure enough – there were indeed some titles that you just couldn’t find easily – at least not in MY neck of the woods. Some of those were understandable – like the naked John and Yoko album “Two Virgins”. But those OOP records became a challenge for me to find. When I started getting my hands on them over time I could see why they’d gone out of print. Experimental stuff like the John and Yoko records……….but one of those OOP deals became a favorite: George Harrison’s Wonderwall Music.

This was George Harrison’s first solo album, but he barely plays any instruments on it himself and there’s not a lot of vocalizing on it because it was movie soundtrack music. I have never seen the film, but I hear it’s bad (I just wonder if it’s one of those “so bad it’s good” kinda deals…..). Just as well for me since I’ve found the music on this record to be so fun and interesting I’ve had years to imagine what kind of movie theses little compositions could possibly go with. Considering the diversity of motifs, styles and vibes to be experienced on this album – it must be a pretty wacky film indeed! There’s a good amount of Indian music here. Some really beautifully recorded stuff. Some western sounding business……generic cowboy music………some psychedelic sound-collage stuff……..and one genuine rockin’ track featuring Eric Clapton (kinda short and sweet though……) called SKI-ING. The whole record is just one crazy grab-bag of tracks.

I found an imported copy of this LP many years ago and I must have played it a lot since it’s got some extra pops and clicks here and there (and I usually take really good care of my stuff!). It was issued on CD around the early 90s with a lot of the Apple catalog (Wonderwall Music has the distinction of being the first long-playing Apple Records release – well prior to the White Album in fact!). I wish I’d grabbed a copy then, because would you believe – OOP! Buggers!! So, I’m sorry to say – the only way to get to hear this record is to either seek out an expensive used copy, borrow one from a friend or wait until the Harrison Estate gets in gear and re-releases it. Personally, I’d love a Deluxe Edition – with the original MONO mix (I haven’t seen or heard this yet!) and maybe a nice 5.1 surround edition for kicks!

So here’s my plea to Olivia and Dhani Harrison:  RE-RELEASE WONDERWALL PLEASE!!!! Cut and paste this message and send lots of emails to the George Harrison website. It’s a CRIME that this cool album is MIA. With any luck, we could see a new version of this – and when you get your copy, here’s my recommendation: go to the local convenience store and pick up a roll of these to munch on while you listen:

PSYCHEDELIC!!!!!

Ronnie Lane's Passing Show

It's been awhile since I've watched this great documentary about one of my all-time favorite musical personalities : Ronnie Lane! I was very fortunate to have older musical cousins who took me to my first real rock concert when I was 13 years old. It just so happened to be the Ronnie Lane ARMS benefit concert at Madison Square Garden on December 8, 1983. The show featured a who's who of rock royalty (Clapton, Beck, Page, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Joe Cocker, Paul Rogers.........) all pitching in to do benefit shows for their pal Ronnie Lane who'd come down with MS - Multiple Sclerosis. Ronnie never really became famous in his own right in the United States - most folks knew him as the bass player in the Small Faces (and later just THE Faces). Lots of folks knew his one major hit song of the 60s though - "Itchycoo Park" (by the Small Faces). I honestly had very little idea of who he was when I went to the show, but it was heartening to watch rock's greatest stars rally behind their stricken friend for whom there was a tangible love that was obvious even from my seat far behind the stage.

Since that time, I have become a stone Ronnie Lane fan. One of my favorite LPs of all time is the one Ronnie did with Pete Townshend, "Rough Mix". In my opinion, it's one of the best things Townshend ever did - and I think Ronnie's material one-ups Pete's! That would be a brilliant pub-argument someday! This great documentary is on youtube in six parts - I don't know if it really captures the total awesomeness of Ronnie Lane (I think hearing the music helps complete the picture), but there are some pretty hilarious moments here (as well as a few tugs on the ol' heart-strings). Ronnie Lane strikes me as the kind of guy you'd see sitting in the local bar or the local supermarket, yet had the ability to cast a magical musical spell that could just leave you slack-jawed and scratching your head about the meaning of life............well worth the time spent - have a look..........

Happy New Year and Anniversary!

Well, there's always ONE straggler isn't there? How could I forget this great grey splatter-wax LP? Hard to tell just from the picture, but here is an original issue of Kate Bush's excellent 1985 release "Hounds of Love". What a fantastic record - highly recommended. This title has recently been re-released on splatter wax vinyl by Audio Fidelity records - a specialty label responsible for quite a few excellent reissues of classic albums. If I didn't already have an original I would have jumped on that reissue, not that I haven't thought about it. Heh heh! But I'm pretty sure this was the only color vinyl LP I had left to uncover from the stacks. Any new additions will be featured in future posts. 

January also marks a one year anniversary for this blog. I hope folks who have stopped by to read my silly rants have been entertained at least and, if you've been inspired to check out some music that has been enjoyable for you as a result of an entry here - well, that's pretty cool. I am honored that anyone would take the time to stop in - and particularly those who contributed to segments and/or comments! I will do what I can in the upcoming year to make this place worth the bother of clicking into!

I'll also make another plug for my classical blog found here:
http://hyperprism-sounds.blogspot.com/

My first post of the new year at the classical spot will reveal my "new" revelation about music listening habits - some of which will also be included on this site! To be truthful,  its probably not THAT exciting, but it kinda is for me. Let's put it this way - I'm making a New Year's Resolution to test the boundaries of my own curmudgeonly (is that a real word?) attitudes towards new music technology and the results have been positive so far.

But enough about me - I sincerely hope everybody out there had an excellent Holiday Season. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to take care of your ears - they need food too. Keep 'em fed and watered and they'll take care of you.

Bright Moments Always!
Kaiser

Producers and their shelf-life: Brian Wilson, Jimmy Miller, Producers in General and more thoughts about SMILE vs. Smiley Smile…………

Years ago, when I was in high school, I used to love hanging out at the library in my school since they had a super cool book in the stacks. It was called “Making Music” and it was edited by Beatles producer George Martin. Here’s a picture:

Nowadays it would be a great description of how things used to work. For me at the time it was a window into better understanding how the music I loved came into being. Fact was, since the book was in the reference section of the library they wouldn’t lend it out so I HAD to read it in the library. Anyone who really knows me won’t be too surprised by this admission of supergeek behavior. It would be a few years before I got anywhere near a real recording studio, but the credits on the albums I listened to had me wondering what the roles of the various people were – engineer, producer…..what did it all mean? More fascinating information came in the form of The Beatles Recording Sessions book which appeared in my freshman year of college (and, yeah, I spent plenty of time sitting in my dorm reading that thing too!).

Both of those books helped me to understand a little better what a Producer does, so I started paying more attention to how records sounded and who was listed as the producer in the credits. It was especially interesting to me when a particular group changed producers – more often than not, the same group of musicians could sound really different when working with a new producer at the helm. Ever hear any of Aretha Franklin’s sides when she was recording for Columbia in the early 60s? Pretty flat-sounding stuff. She wouldn’t really become ARETHA FRANKLIN until she jumped ship to Atlantic Records with Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd at the helm. The Atlantic team really knew what to do with her – how to present her best artistically and commercially.

 I had originally wanted to write an entry extolling the virtues of the great record producer of the 60s and 70s, Jimmy Miller. I was listening to a record he produced that was knocking me out yet again, but I realized his name probably just didn’t mean much anymore to the general public today – certainly not helped by the fact that he passed away awhile ago. Also not helped by the fact that his last significant productions happened back in the 1970s. But what glorious productions they were! When The Rolling Stones reissued “Exile on Main Street” last year to general fanfare, hoopla and media bombardment I kept thinking about the contributions Jimmy Miller made even beyond the control booth. How many people know that it was Miller, not Charlie Watts, who played the drums on “Tumbling Dice”? Yeah? Yeah! Actually – Exile was near the end of the golden era for Mr. Jimmy (immortalized in the Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – yeah? YEAH!). The main thing I wanted to mention in a public place was how, in my view, Jimmy Miller damn near SINGLEHANDEDLY saved the Rolling Stones from passing into 60s Pop has-beens when he produced the 45 single of “Jumping Jack Flash” for them in 1968. No way in hell the Glimmer Twins had that up their sleeves – it was a pure Jimmy Miller deal from soup to nuts. Anyway – if you want to know more about this Jimmy Miller guy, check out this link:
http://www.furious.com/perfect/jimmymiller.html

Really – a hell of a producer in his heyday. One of those rare guys who – if you see the name listed on the back of a record jacket, it is probably worth checking out the music even if you’d never heard of the group before. But the idea of “heyday” – this word seemed to naturally spring to mind when reflecting on the role and/or shelf-life of the average music/record producer figure. Maybe a quick refresher course on what a Record Producer is/does would be a good idea…………….

In the golden age of recorded music, studios were places where the machines lived. Tape machines, consoles, microphones, various compressors and other outboard equipment. These tools were usually only manipulated by a person known as “The Engineer”. The engineer’s job was to capture the sounds made by the musicians on magnetic tape. The Producer, on the other hand, would determine the quality of the sounds, the music being recorded and how all of that would be presented to the record company for whom they worked. However involved in the finished product the singer/artist was depended upon all sorts of variables – relationship to the producer, technical ability – but it was rare for the artist to be calling the shots in the studio. Sometimes producers could be obnoxious autocrats. But, in the end, they were the ones responsible for the finished musical product.

 Also – the best producers could coax more exciting performances out of the artists they worked with. The word “catalyst” could be used here. And, of course, each producer had the potential to have a unique sound – one that made their productions stand out (and hopefully in a good way). The penultimate example of this might be Phil Spector. For him, the recording studio itself was an instrument of expression. And his records don’t sound like anyone else’s.

However, Phil Spector had his “heyday”. From the early 60s to the early 70s. Times change, technology changes. Where Phil was cutting edge in the early 60s – his sound became yesterday’s news by the mid-70s. Some producers can ride the waves of technological change better than others. Some leave a greater personal imprint in the music they oversee than others. In the case of Jimmy Miller – the sound of his productions was less distinctive. His influence was more on performance and overall presentation of the material. Some folks call this the “transparent” approach.

One thing’s for sure though – producing records can be a lot of work and a lot of pressure. I don’t know if there are any bootleg recordings that highlight Jimmy Miller at work in the studio – I certainly never heard any myself. But there ARE plenty of legitimate (and otherwise) recordings of Brian Wilson at work in the studio in the 1960s. Pet Sounds sessions. Good Vibrations sessions. And now – The Smile Sessions. The story goes that Brian Wilson became so overburdened by the pressures of this ambitious project that it caused him to abandon the whole approach to his craft that he spent years building up. And quite an abrupt and jarring change in style it was, too. The material that was to make up Smile – after many months of recording – ended up in a remade rush-job of two weeks spent recording at his home studio. The public was expecting the sophistication of Good Vibrations on a whole LP record. What they got was a cartoon-like version that sounded like an amateur home recording (which is EXACTLY what it was).

Since my last posting on Smile vs. Smiley Smile I have since taken delivery of the new Smile Sessions boxset. While I haven’t plowed through everything there, I have come away with a new understanding of the music and the complex story of its creation. I have to agree with Beach Boy Bruce Johnson who, in the liner notes, relates that Smile – had it been finished – would have been more suited to release as a Brian Wilson solo outing perhaps on the classical branch of Capitol Records. But the problem with that was Brian’s instrument at the time was the very commercial Beach Boys. I think maybe Smile, had it seen release in 1967, would have been tamed of some of its wilder moments, but still would have had plenty of advance-guard sensibility to up the ante on what a pop group could do in a recording studio. The story of why Smile was abandoned as a project is understandable. Lawsuits with Capitol, ambitiousness of the project outstripping the available technology – it all makes sense.

What didn’t make sense was Brian Wilson’s choice to walk away from a signature production style for his group. A few other factors to consider…….

A. In 1967 – pop groups who didn’t play the instruments on their own records were under heavy criticism. It wasn't acceptable to merely sing on your records (as the Beach Boys had done for many years by that point). That was the domain of The Monkees – who, no matter how enjoyable they were, were essentially a pre-packaged entity. The Monkees did not have the same street-cred as the Jefferson Airplane, dig?

B. The Beatles – who had also become ambitious in the recording studio – had stopped performing live. The Beach Boys couldn’t walk away from touring even if they wanted to and needed to have new material that they could perform live if need be. Those Smile arrangements would have been hell on them in a concert hall.

C. The above realization necessitated the move to a more band-friendly production style. Unfortunately, it bore only a casual resemblance to what Beach Boys records of the past sounded like.

D. The possible inspiration of an unlikely source: Jan and Dean’s predicament courtesy of Jan Berry’s accident in April 1966 which left Dean in control of keeping their “group” name alive……how he tried to do this was…..
……….to record an album’s worth of material in his primitive home studio which he eventually released as a “Jan and Dean” record on his own private label – a charming, lo-fi masterpiece called “Save for a Rainy Day”.

It still sounds a lot like a Jan and Dean record of the era even though it had no input from Jan Berry who was in a coma the whole time. No lie – it sounds a lot like a poor man’s “Pet Sounds”, but despite the cheapnis factor it’s a really enjoyable little record! It really had no right to be as good as it is, but any fan of the Beach Boys needs to hear this. Sundazed put a reissue out in the 1990s. Highly recommended. Alright, here's a sample:

Could it be that Brian Wilson, who upon hearing this “Jan and Dean” record, figured “if Dean Torrence can do this in his garage – why can’t I?” Hey – it’s conjecture, but go ahead and track down “Save for a Rainy Day” and compare to what Brian Wilson was doing with Pet Sounds – Smile and (ultimately) Smiley Smile. The “heyday” of the old Beach Boys sound was ready to pass on. Consider this though…………..

If 1967 represented a total confusion for the Beach Boys – we could argue that the official release of the July ’67 Heroes and Villains 45 was the point at which Smile became a lost cause – by the summer of 1968 the new Beach Boys single was “Do it Again”. And, in fact – that record had a pretty new and updated sound for the group. But, of course it was a new era for rock music. One that had moved on from the surf and car image the Beach Boys rode to success. These days “Do it Again” has a reputation as a classic Beach Boys song, but upon its release there must have been an anticipation for a return to better times that, at least in the USA, just didn’t happen until the release of the classic material on the now-famous Endless Summer compilation in 1974. The Beach Boys never stopped trying to record new material after that, but their bread and butter remained as a celebration of those golden days under the tight direction of Brian Wilson.

I really wonder if any of this will matter worth a toss as technology continues to change the creation and consumption of music in modern times. Well, kids – there once was such a person as a Record Producer……………