SPARKS

[sjadey]

[sjadey]

Apparently, the UK singles chart is now skewed towards everything Sheeran because it now includes streaming as well as downloads and sales of physical formats. Radio airplay is not included, which I think is probably just as well, as that would make it even more Sheeran-centric!
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Gonna hang myself from my family tree.

[Buckeye Randy]

[ETJOHNS]

There's a little-known band from Rockford, Illinois that has the nerve to unashamedly hit the stage at every live show with the sexy babe announcement "Ladies and Genrleman, please welcome the best f*** rock band you've ever seen, Cheap Trick!"

They are in the same most highly respected and honored class of bands that Sparks are in, with core of original lineup intact (3 out of 4), not showing any sign of slowing down with age, still doing the 'work' to tap into their creative juices and put out great new material, and hitting the road and putting on shows to rival ANY young band.

Interesting, I have seen both Cheap Trick's and Sparks' music put in category of Power Pop, which I think is a great genre and one to be proud of being seminal example of (for both groups)! Although they take different approaches to instrumentation and songwriting, they both have a natural bravado and humble cheekiness, at the same time. They both present loud and proud 'as expected' in their duty as rock band, while in same breath flaunt a persona that winks and laughs with crowd at the inherent ridiculousness of being a rock band to begin with... Both of them are known for provocative, even strange song titles and lyrics (ok Sparks has everyone else beat on this hands down), plus creative use of keys, tempos, and sound effects.

Both unique, both rockers, both I'm proud to say are some of America's best.

[allydodd]

[Buckeye Randy]

Artist: Todd Rundgren
Title: White Knight
Release: May 12, 2017

This is Todd’s 36th release if you count the nine by Utopia but don’t count live albums and retro releases. I count myself as a fan that is objective and not blindly fanatical. There are plenty of Todd releases that I don’t listen to and there are many that are part of my musical DNA. It’s always a roll of the dice with Todd.

Todd’s last two releases (State, Global) found him embracing EDM. This new one is not nearly as rooted in EDM which is a win for me. The result is that these songs actually feel like songs and not soundscapes.

The big novelty (attraction) with “White Knight” is that there are lots of guest appearances. Some of the guests are legends by any standard and some of the others…I had to google. Guests include Trent Reznor, Donald Fagen, Joe Walsh, Daryl Hall, Dam Funk, Joe Satriani, Robyn, Bettye LaVette, Moe Berg, John Boutte, Michael Holmon plus old friends Kasim Sultan, Bobby Strickland and Prairie Prince.

Why do established artists have albums with musical guest appearances? Is it to broaden the fan base or satisfy a personal bucket list? I have no idea but I generally don’t like gimmick albums which can include this sort of ‘guest-o-rama’ or can be ‘unplugged’ or ‘with an orchestra’ or ‘cover versions’ or any number of things. These releases are always easily accessible upon early listenings but are equally disposable after the novelty wears off.

I’ve always felt like these sort of projects are more of a cash grab than anything else. I can’t really think of any gimmicky type release that I would call essential. Todd is no stranger to gimmick releases; "Rundgren's Johnson", “With A Twist” and “(re)productions” fall into this category. (BTW, any release by Me First And The Gimme Gimmes is excluded from that logic because the whole band is a gimmick. If algebra has taught us anything it has taught us two negatives are a positive)

Anyways, the big flaw with my ‘cash grab’ theory is that fewer and fewer people actually run out and buy new releases. Case in point; I was at the CD store and bought copies of “State” and “Global” as the CDs arrived…I’m listening to “White Knight” on Spotify. Todd actually has a song addressing this and it is titled, “Buy My Tee”. It is a song lamenting all the free downloads but correctly reminds us that we have to buy a tee shirt at the concert. Very clever, the entire release is actually pretty clever.

While listening to this release the first few times there is a real familiarity. Part of that is the undeniable stamp of several of the guests but the main reason is that several of the songs have been ‘previewed’ at various websites over the last month. I’m listening to a new release and already have heard nearly half the album through links found at the Rundgren website. Maybe I’m old fashioned but I don’t like that. I never minded an album’s lead single being released in advance but this seems a bit much.

The complaining continues. Todd has also missed the boat (again!) in starting a themed tour that heavily features a new album weeks before the actual release of the album. Maybe that’s why so many songs were leaked out in advance, not sure. Complaining is complete.

My highlights; early favorite is the aforementioned “Buy My Tee” which BTW does not have a guest. “Let’s Do This Thing” with Moe Berg sounds like a second cousin of Todd’s classic “Love Of The Common Man”. I love the repeating line, “You’re playing checkers and I’m playing chess”. Lots of the lyrics on this release fall into the fun and cute category.

Overall “White Knight” has a curiosity factor due to the star appeal and it works for the most part. It is a fun listen in a temporary novelty way.
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

[Buckeye Randy]

Best Voices In Rock
http://wncx.cbslocal.com/tag/greatest-voices-in-rock/

In case the link doesn't work: Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Paul Rodgers, Roger Daltry, Anne Wilson, Bob Seger, Stevie Nicks, Jim Morrisson, Steve Perry, Steven Tyler

We all have our favorites and this top 10 list is sure to irritate everybody just a little.

One of my favorite voices in rock that isn't popular enough to make a list like this is Harry Nilsson.
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

[DJ LX]

[Buckeye Randy]

The two vocalist on that top ten which I think are way off base are Bob Seger and Stevie Nicks.

I suppose Bob Seger being included could be looked at as a compliment to every bar room singer that has ever belted out a tune. However, I doubt he makes this list in many cities other than Cleveland or Detroit.

I guess that I never understood the mystique of Stevie Nicks. My favorite songs by Fleetwood Mac are with Peter Green, Bob Welch and Lindsay Buckingham as vocalists.

A couple rock vocalists not on list that are pretty darn good; Sammy Hagar and Axl Rose.
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

[miss sparks]

Depeche Mode are my second favorite band, playing tonight 3rd June in London. Wish i could of been there, but could only afford to see one band this year which is Sparks.

[Buckeye Randy]

[Sparky Rickmaniac]

Paid £340 for a 3 day general admission ticket plus £395 air fare Manchester to LAX for Desert Trip last October.
Given the artistes on stage, I thought that was reasonable value.
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www.britbitsandclips.com
www.x1-9ownersclub.org.uk
http://sitran.dept.shef.ac.uk/

[Buckeye Randy]

Unreleased Queen/Bowie tracks.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/13/david-bowie-recorded-songs-with-queen-that-never-got-released

Any thoughts on this?
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

[Buckeye Randy]

Artists: Dropkick Murphys, Rancid
Where: Jacobs Pavilliopn at Nautica, Cleveland
When: July 30, 2017
Tickets: Pit Pass $60

Some concerts are more memorable for the people you go with than the concert itself. On this day I was lucky enough to go to a show with my son, daughter and son-in-law. That’s a nice family day and could only hope the concert would be nearly as memorable.

We all did the math both frontward and backward and with careful calculation we estimated that we needed to arrive three hours before the doors opened to be just where we needed to be. Where we needed to be was clutching the barrier in front of stage for dear life and not five feet back in the orbiting mosh pit of death. The four of us might be punks on this day but in real life we are a grandfather with a tweaked back, a father of five plus a Mom and Dad who recently celebrated their 1st anniversary.

We parked the car and briskly walked to a venue I hadn’t been to in 21 years, it seemed a little different than last time. After (very) briefly standing in the line for the Cleveland Aquarium and asking directions we found the way to our new friends standing in the Pit Pass line. Our arrival calculations proved to be spot on and we were rewarded by being 7th in line for the concert tour titled, ‘From Boston To Berkeley’.

First, I think the name of this tour (From Boston To Berkeley) is the coolest tour name since the 1980 ‘Black and Blue Tour’ by Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult. Second, the logo for the ‘From Boston To Berkeley’ tour is the coolest tour logo I’ve ever seen. The twin skulls sporting a Mohawk and an Irish flat cap is perfect and this perfection is evidenced by nearly every size of t-shirt being sold out just three days into the tour.

The designers of the tour logo are not the only marketing geniuses at work. Whoever thought up the idea of putting a refreshment stand selling alcohol right next to people standing in line on an 85 degree day deserves a cash bonus or at least a free cruise on the Goodtime III. My one and only trip for alcohol while waiting in the direct sunlight resulted in the cashier asking for $30. She was great, she gave me my change as a fiver and some ones so I could drop a bill or two in the tip jar.

All our pre-concert efforts were rewarded as we planted ourselves on the stage barrier and made our bodies as wide as possible to discourage intruders. Sixty minutes until show time, I love when a plan comes together.

First up was Jake Burns from Stiff Little Fingers who played a 30 minute acoustic set. Stiff Little Fingers were an Irish punk band from the late ‘70’s that had some U.K. chart success. The best known songs (Gotta Get Away, Nobody’s Hero) were there along with a couple fun stories. The perfect quiet before the storm.

Following that was The Bouncing Souls which was the beginning of the storm in the pit. Right or wrong I like putting labels on bands and I associate skate punk with The Bouncing Souls. I consider their album ‘Hopeless Romantic’ a borderline desert island disc. The band played that title track plus a career spanning set list of sing a longs. I wish I had a picture of when vocalist Greg Attonito left the stage and walked up to the safety barrier in front of me. I don’t have a picture because as he stood in front of me with a hand on my shoulder sharing a smile there were 5000 fans crushing forward to slap hands with Greg. I turtled into self-preservation mode and not into, “Hey, can you hold that pose while I take a few pics”. My daughter put an arm around me for protection (mine not hers). This was the first time I saw these guys in a proper setting and not a Warped Tour. Great time.

This was my first Rancid show but I’m not a stranger to the music. Heck, seeing a solo Lars Fredericksen over ten years ago stills ranks as a favorite concert memory. The last few Rancid albums are really solid but this tour is all about giving people what they want. That means a healthy dose of 1995’s ‘…And Out Came The Wolves’ and it seems like they played half the album. Tim Armstrong spun around with his low slung guitar like an evil leprechaun and Lars stalked the stage feeding off the pit mayhem. Both took turns thanking and encouraging the crowd during a high energy performance. Their show closed with anthems ‘Time Bomb’ and Ruby Soho’. I’m fairly certain that the only reason I can walk today is because of a deal made between my son-in-law and a pit angel that protected me from being totally crushed against the barrier or sucked back into the circle moshing. I don’t know your name but, thanks!

We retreated to the back of the pit area for the Dropkick Murphys. All of us had seen DKM before (my 4th) but that isn’t the real reason why we sought refuge from the front of the pit. I get the feeling my family suggested we move back because they were fearing long term damage to my already ailing back. I thank them for caring about me and for not making me feel like a wussy in moving back.

OK…the first thing I noticed from the rear of the pit area was that I was still a relatively close 60 feet from the stage and I wasn’t getting crushed into a barrier by moshers or kicked in the head by crowd surfers. I’m not sure how that translates into time spent in line versus distance from stage and next day bruises but it might be something to consider for future shows at Nautica.

Dropkick Murphys played a near flawless performance that mixed recent material with long time crowd favorites. The set opened with ‘The Lonesome Boatman’ from their 2017 release (11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory) and I need to say that other new songs (‘Blood’, ‘First Class Loser’ and ‘Until Next Time’) fit perfectly with older standards. Early songs like ‘Do Or Die’ and ‘Boys On The Docks’ satisfied old hard core fans. More recent classics like ‘The Boys Are Back’, ‘Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya’ and ‘I’m Shipping Up To Boston’ kept everybody pretty stoked. The set closed in traditional DKM fashion with fans being invited on stage for a sing-a-long.

The encore saw Rancid members join DKM for four cover songs. My personal favorite was the Sham 69 song ‘If The Kids Are United’. Lars gave a nice intro about music bringing people together. It really is true.

As I said earlier, some concerts are more memorable for the people you go than the concert itself. Well, it turns out this day was not only memorable because of spending it with family but I got to see one serious kick ass concert. I can’t wait for the next ‘family day’.
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

[Buckeye Randy]

Artist: Alice Cooper
Title: Paranormal
Released: July 27, 2017

Alice Cooper’s latest studio album, ‘Paranormal', is the 26th of his 48 year career. Doing some quick math tells me that I own exactly half of those releases plus a few live albums. Am I a fan? I’m not a fanatic but Alice does have a warm place in my heart, that’s for sure.

Alice’s output the last 15 years has been fairly consistent. I think ‘Eyes Of Alice Cooper’ (2003) and ‘Dirty Diamonds’ (2005) are VERY solid. I didn’t like ‘Along Came A Spider’ (2008) but ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ (2011) was a very listenable rebound effort. The six years between 2011 and 2017 matches the longest studio drought of Alice’s career. That’s a bogus number though because Alice did front the excellent Hollywood Vampires album and tour in 2015.

Guests on ‘Paranormal’ include Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Roger Glover (Deep Purple) and I don’t think Steve Hunter counts as a guest anymore. Steve first guested on ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ (1973) and has been a live guitarist during a couple periods of Alice’s career including the 1976 film ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ plus the last several years. Also appearing are members of the original Alice Cooper Band; Neil Smith, Dennis Dunaway and Michael Bruce.

The packaging of ‘Paranormal’ is great and I like how it is split into two discs instead of having a bunch of bonus tracks tacked on. Disc one has the ten tracks that are ‘Paranormal’. Disc two is the bonus portion.

I’ll start by talking about disc two that starts with two songs by THE Alice Cooper Band. If you have to ask what the difference is between Alice Cooper and The Alice Cooper Band then these songs won’t have the historic significance as they do with people that do know. Regardless of understanding the back-story, these two tracks are as good as they are historic. The final six songs are time tested classics recorded live from Alice’s 2016 tour stop in Columbus Ohio. This disc isn’t in the 'must have' category but it is definitely a nice to have item and is better than most bonus material included now a days. The track ‘Genuine American Girl’ will find its way onto my next Alice comp disc.

Ok, time for ‘Paranormal’. Sometimes it feels like Alice is not 100% in character and he is poking fun at the performer Alice Cooper. I don’t have a problem with this because the guy is a Dad, golfer and radio host and not some guy that really loves the dead. I think this is why I didn’t like ‘Along Came A Spider’, it lacked some of the vaudeville element.

‘Paranormal’ has some of the aforementioned vaudeville with songs like ‘Dynamite Road’ and ‘Holy Water’ and it has a future concert stomper, “Paranoiac Personality’. Not everything works, some of the songs seem a little forced or maybe the production doesn’t fit the song. I’m not going to be overly critical after a few listens but I can say it is definitely good enough to get a few more listens.

Overall, it isn’t as nonsensical as ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ or cryptic as ‘Along Came A Spider’. That’s a good thing. However, the songs are not as good as the ones on ‘‘Eyes Of Alice Cooper’ and ‘Dirty Diamonds’. That places it squarely in the middle of Alice’s last five releases. Non-essential but it’s a nice to have type of release or a good gift for a classic rocker.

Alice is a true American treasure and he won’t be around forever, enjoy him while you can.
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

[Sparky Rickmaniac]

Just watched the BBC Proms Stax concert on BBC4. A lot of the original artists, Booker T, Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Sam Moore plus Tom Jones and Beverley Knight. Jools Holland orchestra backing up. James Morrison's version of "Try a little tenderness" fair hit the spot.
UK readers should be able to catch it on iPlayer for the next week. Highly recommended.
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www.britbitsandclips.com
www.x1-9ownersclub.org.uk
http://sitran.dept.shef.ac.uk/

[Buckeye Randy]

It’s that time of year again, the nominees for the RnR HOF have been announced. I know it is popular to bash the manner in which artists are selected but...'it is what it is'. Regardless, I have had several very enjoyable visits to the HOF and I look forward to new artists and exhibits.

Nominees for the class of 2018 include: Rage Against the Machine, Eurythmics, Bon Jovi, Radiohead and Judas Priest, as well as Dire Straits, Kate Bush, The Moody Blues, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Others on the list: The Cars, Depeche Mode, J. Geils Band, LL Cool J, MC5, The Meters, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Link Wray and The Zombies.

On a personal level, I've seen three of the nominees (The Zombies, J Geils Band and The Cars).

If I was predicting who will be inducted I would start with Bon Jovi. Honestly though, I have never owned any Bon Jovi and never will

My favorite artists from the list of nominees are Dire Straits, J Geils Band and The Moody Blues. They aren't the only worthy artists, t think that Depeche Mode and Judas Priest should be included because they certainly are genre defining bands. They just don't get allot of airtime in Randyland.

I never understood Radiohead!

Soooo....I was listening to a news talk radio station yesterday morning as they discussed the nominees. The guys shared their limited knowledge of each artist and nobody could say anything about the MC5, they had no idea of who they were.

On one level I think that is sad because 'Kick Out The Jams' is about as iconic as it gets. However...I've always been a little miffed how a band could make so many 'best of' lists based on one song.

Anyways, any thoughts on the HOF?
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

[DJ LX]

Wow, I didn't realize Link Wray and the Meters weren't already in the HoF. Both belong.
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I like clubs
I like girls
I like music
And that's it

[Eric Murray]

Dundee tonight

Altered Images
The Christians
Midge Ure

Well worth the £32 - will post a review in the coming days

[Buckeye Randy]

Artist: Cheap Trick
Title: Christmas Christmas
Released: October 19, 2017

There’s a crispness in the evening air as the changing leaves announce that summer is slipping into autumn. The witching hour of Halloween is nearly upon us and our thoughts turn to carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating and of course the yearly deluge of Christmas music being released.

Do you like Christmas albums by rock artists? I’m not talking about smiling when hearing Bruce and Clearance exchange laughs on “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” or fondly remembering when you watched the Bing Crosby Christmas show and Bowie appeared to sing “Little Drummer Boy” (along with Heroes!). I’m talking about forking over $12 for a Christmas release by one of your favorite artists and playing it like a normal release.

Well, some people must like Christmas releases a whole bunch because Brian Setzer, Manheim Steamroller and Trans Siberian Orchestra have defined their careers by putting individual stamps on holiday chestnuts. However…I suspect many of these Christmas albums are purchased as gifts and not by the eventual owner which makes these seasonal releases sort of like musical fruitcakes.

Anyways, holiday festivities in Randyland are not complete without some rockin’ Christmas music by some of my favorite artists and one of my favorite artists over the last 40 years has been Cheap Trick. (BTW, I just celebrated my 40th anniversary of my first Cheap Trick concert when I saw them open for Be Bop Deluxe. Great memory because my buddy was a big Be Bop Deluxe fan and I was in love with Cheap Trick’s first two albums)

First, traditional standards are not the main course here, “Silent Night” is the only one. There are three new Cheap Trick songs which are probably just enough to entice non-Christmas loving Cheap Trick fans to make a purchase. Artists really are getting smarter.

The meat of this holiday collection are lesser known Christmas songs originally performed by The Ramones, Wizzard, Slade, Charles Brown and Harry Nilsson plus some morel familiar ones by Chuck Berry and The Kinks.

My first impression is, WOW. I don’t want to embarrass myself by gushing too much but this is a really strong release. It stacks up well against the run of good CT albums the last 20 years and it stacks up even better against Christmas albums.

I’ll get the negative out of the way now, I have never liked the song, “Silent Night”. However, I do like the angry growl of guitars in the background on this version and it is not often you hear Robin Zander in croon mode. The only other slow song on the album is an original titled “Our Father Of Life” and it might be the worst song I’ve heard this year. It has a mock chamber type choir droning over oatmeal and I hope I never hear it or think about it ever again.

The rest of the album kicks ass and that’s putting it mildly. I could go track by track but it would go something like; good, great, awesome, ditto, ditto, ditto.

I do want to talk about “Remember Christmas” which was done originally by Harry Nilsson. Robin Zander does an admirable job trying to do a straight cover of Harry (he of the 3 ½ octave range). I’m a fan of Harry and it has been a nice couple years for him (aside from being dead for over 20 years). Besides CT covering “Remember Christmas”, there was a 2016 Superbowl commercial for Heinz Ketchup featuring “Without You”. Additionally, Hollywood Vampires (Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry) released an album of covers that included a medley of “One”, “Jump Into The Fire” and “Coconut”. I always like when my favorite artists all play nice together.

I have some favorite Christmas albums by Brian Setzer, Reverend Horton Heat and Jethro Tull but I think Cheap Trick just went to the front of the line. Well done!

Track listing
1. Merry Christmas Darlings (Cheap Trick)
2. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day (Wizzard)
3. I Wish It Was Christmas Today (Julian Casablancas from The Strokes)
4. Merry Xmas Everybody (Slade)
5. Please Come Home For Christmas (Charles Brown but better known version by Eagles)
6. Remember Christmas (Harry Nilsson)
7. Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry)
8. Father Christmas (The Kinks)
9. Silent Night (Traditional)
10. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) (The Ramones)
11. Our Father Of Life (Cheap Trick)
12. Christmas Christmas (Cheap Trick)
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter