James - The Night Before: A Review

"When you're gone, your songs outlive your story." - Tim Booth in "Shine"

It's rare when a band calls it quits and then later returns with an album that stands up with the best of their original work. That's exactly what James did when they disbanded in 2001 and reunited seven years later, releasing the fantastic Hey Ma album. The first half of 2010 brings part one of the mini-album series- The Night Before, with The Morning After (now out, check out my review here) coming later in the year.

James have never shied away from unique recording techniques - in the early 90s under the guidance of Brian Eno, the band simultaneously recorded two separate albums - on The Night Before, the band set up an online FTP site where the members downloaded/uploaded song parts, collectively contributing via their home studios. Hey Ma producer, Lee Muddy Baker, then assembled the parts into completed songs.

The Night Before adds 7 songs to the James canon, kicking off with the catchy "It's Hot."  The obvious single, "Crazy" follows with singer Tim Booth proclaiming "I'm not crazy I'm just laughing at myself / Even when I look so strong I feel so small."  James have always been successful in taking simple chord progressions and layering them with violins, trumpets, drum loops, slide guitar and brilliant vocal harmonies into grandoise arrangements.  This album is no exception.   Tim Booth seems to grab from an unlimited supply of memorable melodies and great one-liners: "I used to have feelings but all I feel is a hole" - from Ten Below; "I can put on quite a show but inside I'm broken" - from Porcupine.

The star of The Night Before is Mark Hunter, whose creative keyboard textures propel all of the tracks, most notably on the brilliant "Porcupine."  With Larry Gott's sparse slide and shimmering guitars, "Porcupine" would not be out of place on the classic Laid album from 1993.  It's a beautiful track and one of the album's many highlights.  "Hero" closes the album and features Tim's best vocal performance, reciting the mantra "You've got to love your brother like you don't love yourself / You've got to change" over Dave Baynton-Power's killer drumbeat.

28 years into their career, James are presently creating some of their best work. This will definitely be a Top Ten of 2010.  If you cannot find it in your local store, please be sure to order online.  The CD version comes with an online bonus track, accessible by inserting the CD into your computer.

Key Tracks:  Porcupine, Ten Below, Hero

Release Date:  April 19, 2010 on Mercury Records

Buy The Morning After The Night Before on Amazon:  CD, MP3

Porno For Pyros / Love & Rockets: Memorable Concerts Part 1

I have a book that contains all of my concert ticket stubs from over the years - not every show is accounted for because a lot of them were a pay-at-the-door event.  Flipping through the pages, I thought it would be cool to start a series on Life On This Planet of memorable concerts.  Let's kick things off with:

Porno For Pyros / Love & Rockets
Saturday, August 31, 1996 at Club Rio in Tempe, AZ

In 2010, Club Rio is a dirt lot.  I drive by it every now and then, reflecting on all of the memories that took place on that piece of land.  In the 1980s it was called The Devil House and I remember going there in my early years, watching my older brother hit on girls while I danced to The Cult and The Beastie Boys on teen night.  1996 brought Love and Rockets to Club Rio twice, the first as headliners with The Dandy Warhols, and the second time as openers for Perry Farrell's post Jane's Addiction band, Porno For Pyros.  I was and still am a huge Jane's Addiction fan, and this was the second time seeing Porno For Pyros.

Love and Rockets played a bit more of a subdued set this time around, focusing on more of the obscure tracks from their catalog. I remember them not appearing as much into it as they were a few months before.  A cool moment was when PFP's Stephen Perkins joined them on stage with some added percussion to 'Sweet Lover Hangover'. When Porno For Pyros hit the stage, I remember looking to my right and L&R's Daniel Ash was standing right next to my brother and I.  He was friendly enough and said hello.

At this point, Martyn Lenoble already left the band, so the bass position was taken up by former Minuteman, Mike Watt.  Their second album- which turned out to be their final- Good Gods Urge had just been released.  I wish I remembered the setlist, though I do recall Love & Rockets coming out on stage for 'Porpoise Head.'  PFP also broke out a few Jane's classics, 'Mountain Song' being one of them.  The band was great and it was a magical night.  Shortly after, Porno For Pyros fizzled out and the 1997 version of Jane's Addiction hit the road.

If you were at this Club Rio show, please sure some memories in the comments below.

The Lemonheads - Varshons: A Review

In the movie High Fidelity, record store owner Rob Gordon states, "The making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art."  The Lemonheads leader, Evan Dando, has been receiving mix tapes from his pal Gibby Haynes, of the Butthole Surfers, for years.  Varshons - the ninth album by The Lemonheads - is a covers album featuring the 'Greatest Hits' of those mix tapes, with Haynes as producer.  

"You've got to kick off with a corker," says Rob Gordon. Varshons does just that with a rarity by the brilliant Gram Parsons.  "I Just Can't Take It Anymore" was discovered around 10 years ago after a friend of Parsons found a tape that had been recorded in his bedroom in 1965.  Dando takes the basic guitar/vocal structure of the original and adds an entire band, complete with female backing vocals to capture the essence of Gram's solo work with Emmylou Harris.  It's an excellent version.

The real star of the album is the cover of GG Allin's "Layin' Up With Linda" - the story of a rock 'n roller that gets bored with his exotic dancer girlfriend and kills her.  Dando pulls off the twisted lyrics with as much class as you can while singing, "One day I killed her, now I'm on the run.  But living with Linda used to be fun."  

Dando's version of "Waiting Around To Die" doesn't lose the sincerity of the original by country-folk legend Townes Van Zandt, whose short, troubled life is apparent:

          Now I'm out of prison, I got me a friend at last

          He don't steal or cheat or drink or lie

          His name's codeine, he's the nicest thing I've seen

          Together we're gonna wait around and die

A duo of duets fill out Varshons - Liv Tyler on Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye" and model Kate Moss on the album's most bizarre song choice, "Dirty Robot," by Dutch electronic group Arling & Cameron.   Complete with robotic vocals from Dando, "Dirty Robot" is a tale of unrequited love between the girl (Moss) and the obsessed robot (Dando).  It is ridiculous and at the same time, brilliant.

The album closes with "Beautiful" - the Linda Perry-penned ditty that was a huge hit for Christina Aguilera.  This song has been covered a bit, most notably by Damian (almost too gay to function) in the talent show scene in Mean Girls; and by the one and only Brett Anderson of Suede.  Dando sincerely pulls it off, complete with a cool harmonized guitar lead.

One of the things I love about this album is that there are no dramatic re-workings of any of the songs.  Dando sticks to the originals pretty closely and reinterprets them in his own way.

Despite a few weak tracks ("Dandelion Seeds" and "Green Fuz"), this is one of the better covers albums out there.  11 tracks in all and the digital iTunes version contains one bonus track.  For the vinyl collector, the record is bubblegum pink.

Key Tracks:  I Just Can't Take It Anymore, Layin' Up With Linda, Waiting Around To Die

Release Date:  June 23, 2009 on The End Records

Buy Varsons:  CD, Vinyl, MP3

Bowie In Berlin: A New Career In A New Town - A Review

David Bowie's lifestyle in mid-70s Los Angeles was killing him, physically and psychologically.  Negative media attention, drug addiction, paranoia and a body weight of around 80 pounds were reason enough for a change.  Bowie grabbed his pal, Iggy Pop - also suffering from a bad drug habit - and headed to Europe to find a sanctuary to recover and create new music far from the watchful eye of the press.  

Thomas Jerome Seabrook's Bowie In Berlin: A New Career In A New Town gives an in-depth account of Bowie's musical rebirth centered around his time in Berlin, France and Switzerland from 1976-1979.  This time period was Bowie's most prolific.  Not only did he release Low, "Heroes" and Lodger, toured twice (once as a sideman for Iggy), co-wrote and produced two albums for Iggy Pop - The Idiot and Lust For Life - but also managed to star in a film, "Just A Gigolo."

Seabrook meticulously guides us through each of the Bowie and Iggy albums, song by song.  This book is a rare gem for the diehard Bowie fan, because it focuses on just a 3-year period of his 40+ year career.  The pages are filled with an abundance of trivia, including the birth of the 'Lust For Life' riff, which Bowie wrote on  a ukulele after hearing a Morse code broadcast on the U.S. Armed Forces News Bulletin.  It's also revealed that Iggy Pop was once considered as a replacement for Jim Morrison in The Doors.

While there may be a few moments of questionable details - describing the 4 chord progression that makes up Iggy's 'The Passenger' as a 2 chord riff - overall, Seabrook's accounts are thoroughly researched.  Jawbone Press does a fantastic job on the layout, beginning with a collection of rare photos, including my favorite - a pic of Bowie and Iggy waiting to catch a train in Copenhagen.

I definitely had a hard time putting this one down.  Much praise goes to Seabrook for his thorough look into Bowie's late 70s creative renaissance.

Purchase Bowie In Berlin on Amazon

Jawbone Press - Published in April 2008 - 272 pages