Classic Album Corner

Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique (1989)

If ever there was a candidate for the One Hit Wonder file, it should have been the Beastie Boys. The novelty of being three White Jewish rappers who took the music scene by storm in 1986-87 by combining hard rock riffs over alternating whiny raps seemed destined to play itself out quickly. The lack of a quick follow-up record ensured that the what-have-you-done-for-us-lately music public would soon remove the boys from consciousness and move on to the next Big Thing. “Fight For You Right (To Party)” was destined to become a drunken idiot anthem for the ages, and Licensed To Ill becoming a quirky historical footnote.

In the aftermath of supporting Ill, the Beastie Boys relocated to Los Angeles and hooked up with the Dust Brothers production team. The resulting sessions produced an album that was such a departure from Ill that it alienated many fans, who were expecting Licensed To Ill 2. The sales of Boutique paled in comparison, with no radio ready single nor any breakthrough wacky video to pump it. Despite that, the record was a perfect evolutionary step for the maturing Boys, and remains not only one of the best hip hop records ever made, but one of the best, period. It slowly became a sort of an unsing favorite of many Beastie Boys fans, and now takes it's place among the group's bets work.

The record simply could not be made today – the multitude of samples, taken before each had to be cleared, is staggering. (Click here for a listing of every sample used for details). The Boys love of funky soul 70’s era music is immediately apparent as the album opens (and closes) with “To All The Girls…”, a dedication to the females of the world, and a nod to the horny boy attitude they were known for (but eventually grew out of). The rat-a-tat drums sound pounds in as "Shake Your Rump" opens, kicking off the record in force, and sets the tone as the boys blend alternating raps with funky samples. "Johnny Ryall" tells the story of a now-homeless one time blues legend (fictional), while "Egg Man" blends the familiar shower scene music from Psycho with the theme from Jaws, while at the same time featuring one of the first solcially conscious rhymes the Beasties ever dropped - "You make a mistake/ you judge a man by his race/you go through life/with egg on your face".

One important side note: during the three years on inactivity, the Beasties became embroiled in a dispute with Def Jam, their original label. At one point, it was alleged that DJ head Russell Simmons was going to put out his own "Beastie Boys" record, comprised of studio demos and assorted items, until Public Enemy's Chuck D set him straiught by informing him that the stuff prepared for Paul's was some of the hottest hip hop he'd ever heard. Simmons backed off, as the group signed on with Capitol records, who ended up viewing this record as a disappointment, clearly expecting Ill level sales.

"Hey Ladies", "High Plains Drifter", "Car Thief" and "Looking Down The Barrell Of A Gun" all utilized the variety of samples to perfection, but the real masterpiece of the record is the 12 minute epic "B-Boy Bouillabaise". Less like one song than an amalgamation of several disconnected ideas, the song works, as the varied tempos and individual raps conmbine to make a tune the likes of which hip hop had never seen. A personal fave of mine is the "A Year And A Day" which features a knockout sample of The Isley Brothers' "Who's That Lady".

The record has stood the test of time, and is all the more unique when listened to today when you take inot account the sheer volume of samples, and the outstanding work done by the Dust Brithers and Mario Caldato in weaving all the elements together to produce such a memorable album.

The group took things to another level on later releases, playing all their own instruments and hitting it big with Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Their latest release, The Mix-up, eschews rap altogether in favor of instrumentals, and recently won a Grammy.

Beastie Boys official site
Paul's Boutique Samples and References List

Classic Album Corner

Frank Zappa- Shiek Yerbouti (1979)

I'm not sure if Frank Zappa has ever been truly appreciated since his death in 1993. The man was, first and foremost, an amazing technical musician. He was also funny as hell.
Never a commercial success throughout his long career, he did experience brief bouts of mainstream appeal, particularly in 1982 with the song "Valley Girl". A few years prior to that, in 1978, at the height of the abomination that was Disco, he released another single, "Dancin' Fool", which found a modicum of popular appeal, particularly among the Rock crowd which had become so fed up with the entire Disco trend.
The album on which "Dancin' Fool" appeared, Shiek Yerbouti (Get it - Shake Your Booty?), a double album, was one of the most amazing records Zappa released during a very fertile creative period. Instant classic Zappa tracks such as "Flakes", "Bobby Brown", "I Have Been In You", "Baby Snakes", and my personal favorite, "Broken Hearts Are For Assholes", all stand out. Obviously, these never had a chance of being played on the radio, even on the progressive album-oriented rock stations of the day. The album also contains several of Zappa's trademark instrumental jams, displaying some amazing work by both Zappa and the crack group of musicians he surrounded himself with.
Zappa would go on to release the critically acclaimed Rock opera of sorts, Joe's Garage, the following year. He continued to make music on his terms, on his own label, right up until his death. His joining of the anti-censorship movement in the mid eighties (see video below) was a high point, as surprised many by appearing so "normal" as he discussed first amendment issues before Congress, often sounding far more intelligent than the government representatives.
As Kevin Murphy (famous for his work on Mystery Science Theater 3000) said, most people would be shocked at how normal the guy was, and how he simply abhorred stupidity. He is undoubtedly missed today.

Here's Frank on CNN's Crossfire in 1986, holding his own against some anti-music idiots:


Shiek Yerbouti (Allmusic guide page)

Official Zappa website

Classic Album Corner

Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Welcome To The Pleasuredome
ZTT/Island Records
1984


The saga of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, seen through the prism of time, shows a remarkable example of the full convergence of marketing, hype and music colliding into one big ball at just the right time. Destined to have a short shelf life, Frankie nevertheless milked as much as possible from their moment in time, and produced some of the most memorable records of the 1980’s. Remembered almost as much for the T-Shirts ("Frankie Say...") which popped up all over that summer, the singles went a long way toward justifying the fuss.

The long awaited album, Welcome To The Pleasuredome, followed the enormous success (particularly in the UK) of their first two singles, “Relax” and “Two Tribes”. The themes of the songs, sex and politics, respectively, were common and universal. Match that up with a pulsating, danceable song and you had the recipe for widespread success. Trevor Horn’s impeccable production, along with the proliferation of countless remixes helped keep Frankie on everyone’s radar throughout the summer of ’84. The biggest boost of all came courtesy of the BBC, whose radio division saw the need to ban “Relax” from their airwaves, allegedly after one of the DJ’s looked at the cover of the 12” single and was taken aback. With the forbidden fruit thing now in play, “Relax” surged back to the top ten, and at one point Frankie had both the #1 and #2 songs on the UK Pop Charts. Pleasuredome was scheduled for a fall release, and the factories were allegedly working overtime to press enough vinyl to meet the overwhelming demand.

For the purposes of Classic Album Corner, I’m reviewing the CD version, released in 1988. This was, in my view, a superior release, cleaning up some of the ennui from the original album, and adding preferred remixes in place of single versions.

The record kicks off with what amount to an eighteen minute version of the title track. It’s an epic beginning, with the “Hoo Hah, Hoo HAH” backing vocals along with lead singer Holly Johnson singing about Xanadu and Kubla Khan. A subsequent attempt to make a single out of this just didn’t work, as it seemed to work much better as an extended outing. One couldn’t shake the feeling that the actual band had very little to do with the song, though, as Horn brought in a solid group of backup musicians (including Yes axeman Steve Howe) to augment the band. In that aspect, I tend to view “Frankie” as more than just the five listed members of the band, since without Horn none of this would have been possible.

Of course. “Relax” and “Two Tribes” are here. The album used shortened single versions of each, which were okay. The CD, however, wisely chose the best remix of “Two Tribes”, clocking in at over nine minutes. It remains in my view the most powerful of all the versions, using the disembodied voice which mentions what to do when you hear the air attack warning. It is chilling, theatrical, and danceable all at the same time, and it is nothing short of brilliant.

A cover of Edwin Starr’s “War”, done seemingly to hammer home the point made in “Two Tribes”, was passable, but not much of an improvement over the original. Adding the voice of a Reagan impersonator added some uniqueness, and made it topical at the time, but now dates the record. The band wasn’t done with cover versions, however, not by a long shot. Ranging from campy (“Do You Know The Way To San Jose”) to a tribute to their home city of Liverpool (“Ferry Cross The Mersey”) to downright ballsy (“Born To Run”!), the band handled each with typical aplomb. “San Jose” was left off the CD release, replaced by the gorgeous “Happy Hi”. “Happy Hi” showed a different side to the band, and proved they were capable of more than sexual/political songs. It’s lilting keyboard riff and subdued vocal evokes the feeling of a lazy day in the park.

The album wraps up with what amounts to the remainder of the Frankie original catalog. The tunes are best described as mid-temp mid-80’s white boy funk. “The Only Star In Heaven” and “Black Night White Light” fall into this category. "Wish (The Lads Were Here)" and "Krisco Kisses" maintained the upbeat nature of this section for the record nicely. The closing tune, “The Power of Love”, represents Frankie’s attempt at a lush, sweeping ballad. As expected, the production is excellent, but the lyrics leave something to be desired. Declaring your love for someone is one thing, but mentioning vampires and hooded claws ventures into some freaky territory. The fact that the video for the song was released around Christmas and depicted the Nativity just added to the confusion. Of course, just in case you didn’t get the point yet, the album ends with a audio T-Shirt of the Reagan voice intoning “Frankie Say…..no more”.

Frankie went on to release another record in 1986, the more subdued Liverpool. While a decent follow up effort, it was obviously never going to generate the buzz of Pleasuredome. The band toured in support of the record, then dissolved in 1987 amongst infighting between members. The VH1 show Bands Reuntied did a segment on them, and they all seemed to be pretty happy and well adjusted since the bands demise. Lead singer Holly Johnson, however, proved to be quite the diva, and scuttled the attempted reunion by refusing to perform. Too bad for us Frankie fans, but maybe we’re better off hanging on to the memories from back in the day.


Frankie's Allmusic entry

Classic Album Corner

X
Under The Big Black Sun
(1982)

X burst on to the LA punk scene in 1980 with their raucous debut album, Los Angeles. The follow-up, 1981’s Wild Gift was a critical smash, but alas never received the nationwide airplay it deserved. Calling X a punk band seemed to be a bit of pigeonholing to me – they were at the core a rock band who played at faster tempos. For one thing, the songs of X had actual melodies, unlike much of the hardcore punk from that era. The vocal interplay between then husband and wife John Doe and Exene Cervenka was unlike any other band of the time. The fact that each record was produced by former Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek lent the group a bit of credibility in the “rock” world. (though it was funny to read a letter in Rolling Stone in ’81 or so which decried the current state of music, specifically mentioning a photo of Ray on stage with X that appeared in an earlier issue, which the writer described as “Ray Manzarek playing with some New Wave band”). Give me a break, writer, this band could “rock” circles around the dinosaur acts of the era like The Who, were were retiring, and corporate bland crap like Styx and Journey. (This will have to be an entirely different post, but I do not understand the current wave of nostalgia for Journey. They sucked then, and they suck now, and the passage of time has not changed anything, at least in my eyes. Who enjoys this passionless garbage?)

In early 1982, X made the leap and was signed to a major label, Elektra. This kind of step was often seen as selling out by the hardcore members of the punk scene, but for X it seemed to be the next logical step – they had accomplished everything possible on indie label Slash, and were ready for the big time. If they could garner wider acceptance without compromising their sound (always the most difficult thing for a band to do), everyone would be satisfied.

My first exposure to the group came in early September of 1982. I knew of the band, but no radio station on the East Coast was playing them, so had never actually heard any of their songs. While watching the Jerry Lewis telethon (hey, I was working the late shift, and not much else was on in those pre-cable days), I saw them be introduced by Mr. Lewis. I was thrown for a loop – this was what major labels forced bands to do? I can only imagine the reactions from many of the older folks in the audience and watching at home when Exene took the mic and began to sing. She was really the only member of the band who could be classified as having an odd appearance – the other male members of the band, Doe, Billy Zoom and DJ Bonebrake, looked like very straight arrow types. They performed “Blue Spark”, from their new major label debut record Under The Big Black Sun, and they killed. I was immediately hooked, and wanted to hear more. I ran out the very next day and bought the record. Really, I ran. I was not disappointed, as you can probably tell.

The record kicks off with a bang, as “The Hungry Wolf” launches with Zoom’s powerful lead guitar riff, backed by the steady pounding drums of Bonebrake, and we’re off and running. Doe and Cervenka share the vocals on just about every song, at various times singing with each other, against each other, or one behind the other. This was one of the things that made X’s sound so unique.

While death is a theme which permeates the record, it would be a mistake to assume that X was a dark band obsessed with goth images, etc. As the liner notes indicate, Exene’s sister Mary was killed the previous year in a car accident, and the songs which allude to her are more mournful than anything else. “Riding With Mary” is the most direct, playing off the same name as the Saint while sporting the couplet “The next time you see a statue of Mary/ Remember my sister was in a car”. “Come Back to Me” is a poignant, slow song performed solely by Cervenka, as one imagines it should have been. The rest of the record rocks as hard as ever, even their cover of an old Leadbelly tune “Dancing With Tears In My Eyes”, and grows on the listener with each play.

X followed in 1983 with More Fun In The New World, which also failed to reach the critical mass Elektra had hoped for, though a cover of “Breathless” got a little attention. The band later explored a return to Roots based rock, hooking up with Dave Alvin of the Blasters (eventually making him a member after Zoom’s departure).

To most hard core X fans, Under The Big Black Sun is not even their favorite record (Wild Gift usually get that distinction). For me, there was just the magic of one’s first exposure to a band that makes that particular record the one listened to and cherished the most.


The album was reissued in 2001, and is available on iTunes.
X (AllMusic)

Classic Album Corner

Joe Jackson Band
Beat Crazy (1980)
5 stars

Joe Jackson, circa 1980, was a known musical quantity. Coming into prominence during the punk/new wave explosion of the late 70’s, Jackson enjoyed moderate success with his debut album, Look Sharp, which spawned the classic single “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”. The follow up record, 1979’s I’m The Man, was a slight departure from the debut, but still kept that sneering edge and received decent FM radio play. Someone coined his sound “Spiv Rock”, and though I personally had no idea what that meant, I knew I liked it.

Timing is everything, however, and by hitting the scene at that time, being an angry young Brit, the comparisons to Elvis Costello were undeniable. There were plenty of similarities. Each started with records that seemed angry on the surface, but also displayed a keen sense of songwriting ability, and the ability to turn a sharp phrase. Comparing the two was unfair to both, but since Jackson came later, he received the short end of the critical stick. Later, valid comparisions could be made, alluding to the fact that each seemed to resist being pigeonholed, and unafraid to expand into other musical genres.

Jackson decided to go to a reggae direction for his next project. This seemed strange, but natural in a way. In Jackson’s band, the bass was always prominent, sometimes moreso than the lead guitar, so it seemed like these guys could pull it off. Several other British acts of the era, most notably The Clash, were big fans of reggae, and wrote and covered songs heavily influenced by the genre (most notably the excellent “Police and Thieves”). A cover version of Jimmy Cliff’s classic “The Harder They Come” was released in the UK in advance of the new album, entitled Beat Crazy. Strangely, it was left off the record.

The album, released in 1980, caught many off guard, not the least of which was the radio programmers in the US, who didn’t seem to know what to do with it. “Pretty Boys” got some early play, but never really caught on, and the record died a quiet death on the charts. Even the liner notes seemed to recognize the futility of the project, stating “ultimately, this was doomed to fail. The question remains: why did we try?”

Why, then, am I featuring this on Classic Album Corner? I’ve always had a soft spot for it, and still play it to this day. It was, in my view, wrongly overlooked, and in hindsight stands as an important step in the career of a diverse, talented musician.

Beat Crazy, the album and the title track, opens with a scream. Jackson himself doesn’t sing lead on the title tune, as bassist Graham Maby handles those chores. He takes on the role of a disgruntled older man, lamenting about “kids today”, while Jackson chimes in after each statement from the young perspective. It’s a strong start to the record, but I suspect it took many fans off guard.

The record just has a general feel to it that was unlike anything else I’d heard up to that point. Keep in mind, I was 16, so it’s not like I had a huge body of musical knowledge to draw upon. For many people, including me, records like this, along with the aforementioned Clash songs, the first two Police records, and the amazing debut of The Specials were the gateway to Reggae and Ska.

Jackson is still angry on Beat Crazy, as evidenced is tracks like “Mad at You”, and “Pretty Boys”. He delves into dub territory with “Battleground”, which sets hard edged lyrics about racial tensions against a simple scratchy guitar. “One to One” boils down to the singer asking his girl why they never seem to communicate, and asking if telling her she’s beautiful when she gets mad is a sexist observation. “The Evil Eye” mentions Zombie rockabilly legends The Cramps, and tries unsuccessfully to emulate them. The song held a special place in my heart since the protagonist worked in a supermarket, just as I did in 1980. Whaddya know, I hated my old man boss too, just like Joe! “Biology” offers a neat twist on those who cheat on their girfirends/wives, and for perhaps the only time in recorded history, a singer talks in the voice of sperm cells. Sounds weird, I know, but the tune is cool. “Someone Up There” is a bit cliché lyrically, but the bass work of Maby is stellar as usual.

The album closes with “Fit”, a ballad about not fitting in. It’s an eloquent, well written tale railing against elitism and cliques, which any High School aged person could relate to. Funy thing, it still resonates now, 26 years later.

If you can find this out there, pick it up. You could probably find a nice used CD on Amazon for less than 10 bucks, and it’s a gamble worth taking. I would not steer you wrong, now would I?

Classic Album Corner

Welcome to a new feature, Classic Album Corner! Here, I’ll periodically review a classic album from my collection. You might be very familiar with it, or you might not. My sincere hope is that you’ll either check it out, or simply be inspired to revisit it’s brilliance.

This week: Violent Femmes (1983) [Slash Records]
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The self-titled debut from the unique Milwaukee trio is one of those records you just didn’t hear on the radio upon it’s release in 1983. The pop charts at the time were dominated by a combination of watered down techno-pop and cheesy soft rock ballads, and even the “progressive, new music” radio station in my area, the legendary WLIR, didn’t play it. From what I understand, it did get a little more play in the Midwest at the time, but the record was by no means anything more than an underground Indie cult thing. Eventually, after ten years, it finally went platinum, but there was that wonderful period when you were listening to this, and felt it was something nobody else really knew about.

Fortunately for me, I was a subscriber to the late, great alternative-before-there-was-such-a-thing-magazine, Trouser Press. TP highlighted the band, reviewed the record, and gave an impressionable young music freak like me enough juice to go out and buy the record without hearing it. That distinction has only been bestowed on a select few releases over the years, and more often than not the leap of faith was completely justified.

Upon first listen, you discover Violent Femmes is unlike anything you’ve heard before. The instrumentation is simple: your basic guitar, drums, bass (acoustic), with occasional oddities (xylophone) thrown in. Well, there is a trancephone, which is a snare drum covered with a wash basin too. Lead singer and songwriter Gordon Gano’s whiny adolescent vocals, which at times are barely above a whisper, coupled with his angst-ridden lyrics, provide an amazing listen. Let’s break it down track by track.

“Blister In The Sun” – Probably the most well known track on the album, featured in numerous movie soundtracks. A perfect way to kick things off, with a simple guitar, drum riff, and the first exposure to Gano’s pleading vocal. Probably could have been a huge hit, but for the “stain my sheets” line, which sent radio programmers screaming. An instant classic, and the perfect opener .

“Kiss Off” - Starts off much darker than the bouncy, upbeat first cut. Now we can hear Gano’s anger, but it is a nice rallying cry, and a big middle finger to all those who wronged him in the past.

“Please Do Not Go” - Reggae tinged song, describing a boy madly crazy about a lovely girl who doesn’t return his affections. A universal theme, done many times before, true, but the acoustic bass work of Ritchie, along with Gano’s attempt to affect a Jamaican accent, makes it a memorable track.

“Add It Up” – Now we’re into some heavy duty stuff. Listening to this song is like eavesdropping on a three minute therapy session, and upon my first listen I said, out loud, “Whoa, what the hell is this?” It starts with Gano singing a capella, then a pause, then the charging, angry instruments kick in and we’re off thru the rantings of what at first seems like another average horny teenager (“why can’t I get; just one kiss/screw/f*ck / guess it’s got something to do with luck”), but by the second verse it moves into an Oedipal rant about guns, and eventually, lust for his mother. Wow. At this point the radio programmers heads exploded. Best heard at higher volume.

“Confessions” – Slowing down after the fire we just heard, this ended up not being one of my favorites. Loneliness, apathy, and revenge are some of the emotions explored here. The music is sketchy, slightly off, and edgy, which matches the vocal and lyrics.

“Prove My Love” - Ah, back to the bouncy numbers! Awesome, optimistic(!) tune about the hopefulness surrounding a new relationship. Gano desperately wonders what he needs to do to prove his love, pleading to find out what will seal the deal. Yes, it was bad recently, he says, but there is hope! Thematically out of place on this album, but enjoyable nonetheless. (Unless he is stalking the girl, then I’m completely wrong and all bets are off.)

“Promise” – Starts off as an uptempo rocker, and is another therapy-like session set to music. First, Gano is talking to the girl (though one can imagine he is simply talking to a mirror while pretending to speak to her), and all but calls begs her for some kind of sign she even knows he exists. The middle section delves into self-inspection (“Do you know what it’s like to hate?”), self-loathing, and self-destruction. Dance!

“To The Kill” - Four minutes of almost weary, disconnected angst. Gano describes how he wasted his time, kicked it around, got taken for a ride by a girl who stole his money and went to Chicago, and begs for release. Is he asking the girl to finish him off already, having ruined his life enough already?

“Gone Daddy Gone” – This was the single! They made a video and everything, and if you were really lucky you could see it on MTV one of the eight times they showed it. In a perfect world, this would have been a huge hit, and I remain convinced that, had it received any shred of airplay on mainstream radio, it would’ve been. The xylophone kicks it off, and in an age where it almost seemed like the synthysizer was going to replace the guitar, this was a refreshing change. Upbeat despite the constant reminder that “the love is gone..”, if this doesn’t at least perk your ears up upon the first listen, you have no pulse. An instant classic.

“Good Feeling” – Not afraid to show a tender side after 30 plus minutes of unleashing angst, the Femmes close the record with a beautiful ballad. A piano and violin are added to the lineup, and Gano pours his heart out, asking that the elusive feeling of love he is experiencing stay with him, just a little longer. A poignant, serene way to send the listener away.

CD only – these next two songs were left off the original album release, and were available as an import single the following spring. They were subsequently added to the CD release, and from the sound of them it appears they were written and recorded around the same time as the rest of the album.

“Ugly” – A nice, trashy throwaway tune. Sounds like the band had fun with it, but you can understand why it was left off the record. Short, loud, and great.

“Gimme The Car” – A little darker than “Ugly”, but still sounds kind of unfinished. In a nutshell, Gano is asking Dad to borrow the wheels so he can screw his girlfriend. Typical teenage fare, right? But, as with the other songs, the longer the song goes on, the more layers of anger/longing/desperation unfold. The singer feels like his time is running out, and speaks of doing whatever it takes to accomplish his goal of getting laid. Eventually it turns into his only way of validating and erasing his own personal pain. Pretty heady stuff for a 19 year old, yet typically naïve enough to think that one thing (sex) will fix all of life’s problems.

The band underwent changes in subsequent years, expanding their musical horizons, thus never allowing themselves to be pigeonholed. Knowing that making Violent Femmes II would be a huge mistake, the follow up, Hallowed Ground, went off in a totally different direction, exploring Gano’s fascination with religious themes and gospel sounds. Later releases showed them fleshing out their sound and returning to their rock roots. This remains their most popular release, and with good reason. You should check it out, now.