Part 3 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about concerts we'd like to go back in time to see. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
Jay: Bowie on the Ziggy Stardust tour in 1973
Never saw Bowie
Phil: Grateful Dead's famous Cornell show 5/8/77
The Holy Grail for Deadheads
Jay: Canadian art rock weirdos Max Webster in southern Ontario 8/9/79
Band split up in 1981 as singer-guitarist Kim Mitchell went solo
Opened for Rush in the U.S. in the mid- to late '70s
Phil: The Stones at the Boston Garden, 1972
Jagger and Richards were arrested in Providence and Boston mayor bailed them out in time for the Garden show
Mick Taylor era was notable
Jay: Van Halen at Oakland Arena in June 1981
A few songs were captured on video; VH fans have hoped for more
Phil: Zeppelin at Berkeley, Calif., September 1971
Touring before their fourth album was released
Playing some of their acoustic songs
Jay: SST legends Husker Du at the Channel in Boston 9/30/84
In the middle of a killer stretch of albums; this one was for Zen Arcade
Two classic albums were released the next year
Phil: Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East in 1971
Original lineup including Duane Allman
Jay and Phil: The Who live at University of Leeds on Valentine's Day 1970
Played a show at Hull the following night
We're going to see the Who at Fenway later this month
Band was at the literal peak of their powers
First release of Live at Leeds was only six songs
Longer versions have come out; full set was 33 songs
No video of this show unfortunately
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Celebrating 19 years of podcasting with part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about concerts we'd like to go back in time to see. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
On to our top 10 shows
Phil's are in chronological order, Jay's in no particular order
Phil: Neil Young and Pearl Jam on their short Euro tour, 8/26/95 in Dublin
PJ standing in for Crazy Horse
The Velvet Sundown, lame AI band
Jay: The Clash from June 1980 at Hammersmith Palais
31 songs from throughout their career
The Clash opened for the Who on the Schlitz Rocks America tour
Apparently Schlitz was once a big name in beer
Phil: Stevie Ray Vaughan on 9/21/85 at the Capitol Theatre
Jay: PJ Harvey on the Rid of Me tour in '93
Saw her on the next tour in '95
Phil: Talking Heads on the Speaking in Tongues tour in Oct. 1983 in Billerica, Mass.
Jay: I would've picked the 1980 tour with Adrian Belew on guitar
Jay: Living Colour at TT the Bears in Cambridge, Mass. in the summer of '88
Taped the show off the radio simulcast on WBCN
Killer show before the band blew up the next year
Phil: U2 on the War tour in March 1983
Jay: Prince's Purple Rain tour at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse
Prince was the biggest musician in the world at the time
Phil: The Pretenders at the Paradise in Boston in 1980
The band's original lineup was so good
Jay: Went with a December 1981 Pretenders show in France
To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about concerts we'd like to go back in time to see. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
We're taking advantage of time machine technology
That time Zebra opened for their own Zep cover band
We're listing specific shows
So many great artists to choose from
YouTube makes it easier to see a lot of shows you missed
Honorable mentions
Jay: Surprise show by the Stones at a small Toronto club in '77
Two shows were turned into a live album decades later
Phil: Bob Marley and the Wailers in London, Monterey Pop, Bowie on Diamond Dogs tour, Sleater-Kinney in Berkeley, James Brown at the Boston Garden in '68, Beatles in Hamburg or the rooftop set, Prince on Purple Rain tour, Phish in '98, Steely Dan in '74
Jay: JB at the Soul Train studios in '73, the Police in '79, Iggy and the Stooges in '73, Zeppelin in '70, Mission of Burma's first farewell in '83, Drive Like Jehu in '94, Black Sabbath in '70, Iron Maiden in '81 with their original singer
The Police jumped on the new wave bandwagon and brought energy and skill to it
Sabbath's had interesting line items in their recording budget
Shout out to CompCon intern Lily
To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite concerts. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
Our top 10 concerts in no particular order
Phil: Banged up and seeing his first Dead show in Foxborough in 1989
The show is popular with Dead fans
Jay: Caught Mike Watt backed by the Foo Fighters in their first Boston appearance in '95
Phil: 12 days after that Dead show, saw the Who at the same venue
A 3-hour show for the 20th anniversary of Tommy
Jay: The one area appearance by Them Crooked Vultures in '09
Supergroup with Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones
Phil: McCartney at Sullivan Stadium in 1990
The tour book phenomenon
Jay: Two shows in one night--The Amps followed by Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Phil: U2 show on St. Patrick's Day '92 in Boston, Achtung Baby tour
"Put it in H"
Jay: Also a U2 show; September 1987 at the Boston Garden
Phil: Dylan at Endicott College in October 1992
Tickets purchased at a local jewelry store
Dylan almost didn't play because a heater wasn't working on stage
Jay: Electric performance from Nick Cave's band Grinderman at House of Blues
Phil: Pearl Jam at the Orpheum in April 1994
A few days after Cobain's death
Jay: Front row at the Orpheum for Sugar, November 1994
Bob Mould's last tour with Sugar
Phil: Neil Young at the Wang Center in 2018 with Jay
Neil was solo, telling stories between songs
Gotta see some of these older artists while they're around
Jay: Pearl Jam in April '92 at tiny club Axis
Just before PJ blew up
Phil: Dead & Co. at Fenway in summer '23
$60 cheese pizza
Jay: Last month seeing Sloan in Toronto with my daughter
Played their first album front to back
Only concert I've ever seen in Toronto
Phil: Phish playing third show in three nights at Mansfield
Jay: Ty Segall at the late lamented Great Scott in 2014
So loud the floor was shaking
Jay: No issues with seeing shows by myself
Phil: Goose at MGM Fenway last year
Played lots of covers, including the odd 36-minute jam
Jay: First time seeing the Tragically Hip at the Paradise in April '91
About 25 people there, but the band killed it
Saw the band many times after that
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite concerts. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
Cold weather running tips
What makes a great concert?
Small shows vs. stadiums
Hard to pare down the list
Limited to one show per artist
Good idea for a sequel involving a time machine
Phil leaned toward larger shows
Didn't include: R.E.M., the Cure, Sleater-Kinney, Drive-By Truckers, Tedeschi Trucks Band
Jay: Prefer the intimacy of club shows
We were at the same shows before we knew each other
Phil: First concert was Van Halen in 1986
Setlist.fm is a great resource
MTV's Saturday Night concerts
Jay's first show was a festival show in Kingston, NH with Cheap Trick, Ratt, Twisted Sister and Lita Ford in 1984
Jay: Not a fan of festival shows anymore
Adventures in seeing Rush
Jay: Didn't see R.E.M. when they played my college
Other favorites: PJ Harvey, Hot Snakes, Lollapalooza '92, Afghan Whigs, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Drive-By Truckers, Alice in Chains/Screaming Trees, Peter Gabriel, White Stripes, Hold Steady, Mission of Burma, Gord Downie
To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey
about our favorite music of 1989. Listen to the episode below or
download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
- Recorded via Zoom during a blizzard
- In '89, Jay turned 22 and graduated from college, Phil turned 20
- Early seeds of Seattle and Manchester sound
- GNR became huge
- Milli Vanilli was enjoying some short-lived success
-Big year for pop
- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Bob Mould, The Cure,
B-52s, Stone Roses, The Ocean Blue, XTC, De La Soul, Replacements, Joe
Jackson, Galaxie 500, Fugazi, RHCP, Lenny Kravitz, Tragically Hip,
Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Tin Machine, Lou Reed, Dylan, McCartney,
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stones, Grateful Dead
- George Jefferson, prog fan
- Phil saw Stones, Who, McCartney, the Dead, the Cure, B-52s; Jay saw R.E.M., Elvis Costello
- Jay: Faith No More, Soundgarden, Elvis Costello, Cult, Mudhoney, Buffalo Tom, Nine Inch Nails
- To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!
The opening and closing theme of
Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling.
Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
It's part 1 of my Zoomified conversation with
guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2020. Listen to
the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
- Recorded via Zoom
- This podcast is not affiliated in any with MovieFone.
- The first time in nine years that we're not talking the year in rock in the same room
- No live shows after early March
- Breitling last saw Hallelujah the Hills at
Great Scott last November, Kumar saw Drive-By Truckers at Somerville
Theater in March
- Devastating economic impact on all the non-musicians who work to put concerts together
- If approved, Save Our Stages act would aid live venues
- Many independent Boston-area venues have already closed
- Great Scott may reopen in a new location
- No touring means no income for many smaller artists
- Streaming royalties need to be updated and increased
- The Breitlings enjoyed Strange Brew recently
- Plenty of livestreams, free, for charity and for profit
- Bandcamp Friday has been a good way to help out artists
- Online radio has been fun
- Breitling is doing a show with a couple of fellow Wesleyan DJs called Parcheesi Redux
- Parcheesi Redux Thursday (along with the other shows) is on Mixcloud
- Breitling's picks from the midyear that didn't
make his top 10: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Soft Pink Truth, Gigi
Masin, Peel Dream Magazine, Mandarina Duck, Destroyer
- Kumar's midyear picks that didn't make final
top 10: Flat Worms, Dogleg, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Drakulas,
Car Seat Headrest
- More Breitling on-the-bubble picks: Susie
Derkins, Hum, Coriky, Mountain Goats, Milky Wimpshake, Somerset Thrower,
Nothing, METZ, Bob Mould, The Brother Kite, Paper Birch
- More Kumar honorable mention picks:
Psychedelic Furs, Kestrels, Fontaines D.C., Pearl Jam, Lo Tom,
Disheveled Cuss, Emerald Comets/Ex-Hyena
- Next week: We count down our top 10 albums
Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The opening and closing theme of Completely
Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover
work is courtesy of James Gralian.
It's part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay
Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the year so far. Listen to
the episode below or download directly.
Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Breitling's #10 and Kumar's #8 - Jangly indie pop sounds from Australia - The lack of touring is really hurting bands and fans - Breitling's #9 - A Matmos side project, "a niche of a niche" - Kumar's #10 - All-star post-punk act out of LA - Kumar's #9 - The loud/loud dynamic - Breitling's #8 - Solo album from singer of Hop Along - Breitling's #7 - Ambient electronic from an Italian musician in his 60s - Bandcamp Friday has been a big hit this year - Kumar's #7 - New band from Ian MacKaye, Amy Farina and Joe Lally - Harking back to Fugazi's sound - Kumar's #6 - Texas-based act with members from the Riverboat Gamblers and Rise Against - Breitling's #6 - Another great Slumberland release - Breitling's #5 - Dream pop from the Ukraine - Kumar's #5 - Indie rock stalwart continues evolving his sound - Kumar's and Breitling's #4 - Another cinematic effort from Canuck genius - Breitling's #3 - Powerful release overshadowed by the pandemic - Breitling's #2 and Kumar's #1 - Political hip hop as an art form - Never more timely - Kumar's #3 - Atmospheric new release from an alt-rock OG - Kumar's #2 - Striking record from Boston-based indie rock act - Breitling's #1 - UK indie act "like Elliot Smith making a Teenage Fanclub record" - Looking forward to new releases from Sam Prekop, Katie Day, Bob Mould, IDLES, Fontaines DC, Psychedelic Furs - When will concerts happen again? - Probably dependent on a vaccine - Liability is a big factor in whether shows come back
Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The
opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big
F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James
Gralian.
Editor's note: Ye Olde Hit Parade takes a look back at my favorite songs year by year (starting in 1978, when I really started paying attention to music).
2015: Courtney Barnett - Elevator Operator
When looking back at a year in the not-too-distant past, it's funny to see what your thoughts were at the time about it. Here's what I wrote about 2015 in my year-end music wrap-up: "From a general news standpoint, 2015 was flat-out fucked. Crazy-ass mass
shootings on the regular, idiotic acts of aggression from pretty much
every global power and some up-and-comers, a dogshit political system
dredging up the lowest of the low in the latest U.S. presidential
election folly."
I'm sure at the time I thought there was no way things could get any worse. HA.
The 2016 presidential campaigns were in full swing, with Bernie Sanders gaining in popularity, while the top Republicans at the end of 2015 were Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Notable deaths included Leonard Nimoy, B.B. King, Moses Malone and Lemmy of Motorhead.
Things were stable on the work front. No traveling, but plenty to do in the office. On the home front, I was busy with my various activities but also with coaching and attending my kids' soccer games. We went to Disney World again for a big extended family vacation in August.
As I continued doing my radio show, I was able to get on indie label promo lists and increase my access to new music from artists like Mike Krol, Nai Harvest, Flagland, White Reaper, Pile, Nadine Shah and Stove. I discovered Jeff Rosenstock, Beach Slang and Colleen Green. And I enjoyed music from established acts like METZ, Speedy Ortiz, Ty Segall and Destroyer. There were also new releases from bands that had recently reunited including Faith No More, Sleater-Kinney and Swervedriver.
I had a busy concert schedule, including The Tragically Hip, Sleater-Kinney, Swervedriver/Gateway Drugs, Ex Hex/Kuroma, Rough Francis/Varsity Drag, Soccer Mom/Infinity Girl/Chandos, David Bazan, The Upper Crust/Watts/Humpmuscle, an Exploding In Sound show with Krill/Big Ups/LVL Up/Stove/Palehound, Bob Mould, Ride and Elizabeth Colour Wheel/Coaches/Gold Muse.
Another discovery in '15 was Courtney Barnett, an Australian singer-guitarist who released her debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. I actually had heard a few songs from an EP she released the year before, but this was my first extended listen to her. There was some buzz about her sounding like Nirvana, but I didn't get that. She reminded me much more of Stephen Malkmus,
both vocally and musically. She has a wordy, almost talk-singing style, while the band rocks furiously at times and laconically at
others. Barnett's lyrics are wordy ruminations on the mundane aspects of
everyday life but her laid-back delivery is compelling, especially on
slow-burners like "Small Poppies" and "Depreston." But she flat-out rocks on upbeat numbers
like "Pedestrian at Best," "Dead Fox" and my favorite song of the year, "Elevator Operator." She rocks hard but doesn't take herself seriously, like an honorary Gen Xer (at least the ones that didn't take themselves seriously, anyway). She's justified the hype in the last few years, with a couple of excellent releases and a tremendous live act. Honorable mentions: METZ - "Acetate"; Courtney Barnett - "Pedestrian at Best"; Palehound - "Molly"; Speedy Ortiz - "Raising the Skate"; Colleen Green - "TV"; Jeff Rosenstock - "Novelty Sweater"; Jeff Rosenstock - "Get Old Forever"; Mike Krol - "This is the News"; Wimps - "Take It as It Comes"; Mikal Cronin - "Say"; Ty Segall - Drug Mugger"; Protomartyr - "The Devil in His Youth"; Pile - "#2 Hit Single"; The 20/20 Project - "Got It Made"; Krill - "Foot"; Flagland - "Awesome Song, Kerry Jan"; Nai Harvest - "Spin"; Bully - "Sharktooth"; Eagles of Death Metal - "The Reverend"; Kuroma - "Love is on the Way"; Nadine Shah - "Fool"; Hard Left - "Imagination"; Titus Andronicus - "Dimed Out"; White Reaper - "Pills"; Jesse Malin - "Turn Up the Mains"; Mac McCaughan - "Lost Again"; Barrence Whitfield and the Savages - "Incarceration Casserole"; Infinity Girl - "Dirty Sun"; Chandos - "Cobra Points"; Beach Slang - "Young & Alive"; Destroyer - "Dream Lover"; Wilco - "Random Name Generator"; Woolen Men - "Hard Revision"; Viet Cong - "Continental Shelf"; Faith No More - "Sunny Side Up"; Sleater-Kinney - "Bury Our Friends"; Stove - "Aged Hype"; Swervedriver - "Autodidact"; The Weeknd - "Can't Feel My Face"; Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - "Uptown Funk"
Editor's note: Ye Olde Hit Parade takes a look back at my favorite songs year by year (starting in 1978, when I really started paying attention to music).
2010: Grinderman - Evil
The new decade began as the previous one ended: In the throes of an economic recession. Fortunately, I still had a job, but it was bad. The stock market continued to plunge, there were more layoffs at my company, and Ronnie James Dio died.
I ran the Providence Marathon in May, but unfortunately for me, it was 80 degrees and super humid that day. I was fine until about mile 20, when I got dehydrated and started struggling with muscle spasms. The last five miles of the race or so were mostly walked. It was not good. In the fall, I was going to run a full in Hampton, NH, but an injury forced me to drop down to the half. Which was a good thing, because it started pouring at mile 9. I was soaked to the bone, but I was glad I didn't have to run another 13 miles.
We went on a different vacation this year, flying in July to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was pretty fun, although the one time I went on a computer in a nearby internet cafe, I found out there were layoffs at work. Crazy.
It was a strong year from a musical perspective. Plenty of good stuff to dig into, from Ted Leo & the Pharmacists to Superchunk to the Henry Clay People to LCD Soundsystem. Concerts included We Were Promised Jetpacks, the Feelies (who had six encores on a late Friday night show that had me begging for it to end, even though it was great), Mission of Burma, Spoon, Drive-By Truckers, Los Campesinos!, the Kominas, Superchunk (on my 43rd birthday), The Hold Steady, Greg Dulli, Black Mountain/Black Angels, Guided By Voices and Grinderman.
My song of the year was by the last band mentioned, Nick Cave's hard rocking side project Grinderman. I will admit to being extremely late to the Cave bandwagon, only really getting into his stuff in the previous few years (something I've worked to remedy over the last decade). They've only done the two albums, but both are glorious works, with Cave presiding over the unholy clatter like a deranged televangelist. "Evil" is but one of several killer tracks on this album. And live, holy crap, what an amazing show. Cave is one of the most magnetic frontmen ever, and this song presents him at the peak of his powers.
Honorable mentions: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - "Bottled in Cork"; Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "Mourning in America"; Titus Andronicus - "A More Perfect Union"; Grinderman - "Heathen Child"; Superchunk - "Digging for Something"; The Black Keys - "Tighten Up"; Black Mountain - "The Hair Song"; The Henry Clay People - "Your Famous Friends"; Spoon - "Written in Reverse"; Los Campesinos! - "Romance is Boring"; Les Savy Fav - "Sleepless in Silverlake"; Drive-By Truckers - "This Fucking Job"; LCD Soundsystem - "Drunk Girls"; Girl Talk - "Oh No"; The Besnard Lakes - "Albatross"; Frightened Rabbit - "Swim Until You Can't See Land"; Das Racist - "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell"; The Hold Steady - "Hurricane J"; The New Pornographers - "Your Hands (Together)"; Wintersleep - "Blood Collection"; Wolf Parade - "Ghost Pressure"; Arcade Fire - "Ready to Start"; Iron Maiden - "El Dorado"; The 20/20 Project - "Back to Work"; Neil Young - "Angry World"; Cee-Lo - "Fuck You"
Editor's note: Ye Olde Hit Parade takes a look back at my favorite songs year by year (starting in 1978, when I really started paying attention to music).
2006: TV On the Radio - Wolf Like Me
You remember 2006, don't you? Well, I guess it's all kind of a blur now. But it was the year that Dick Cheney shot a dude in the face and was so powerful that the victim apologized to him. James Brown, Gerald Ford and Saddam Hussein all died within a few days of each other at the end of the year. And the movie Borat introduced the fun-loving side of the country of Kazakhstan to the rest of the world.
Satellite radio had been around for a few years, but Sirius made a big push in '06 when Howard Stern made the jump from terrestrial radio. Back when I was at Webnoize in '01, my buddy Ric and I got a sneak preview of then still-to-be-launched XM (pretty sure it was XM and not Sirius, but I could be wrong); they had just set up the satellite repeaters around Boston and gave us a ride around the city listening to it. Anyhoo, Sirius and XM merged in '08 and are still at it, but I've never seen the need to pony up the dough for it. At the same time Stern was starting his satellite era, David Lee Roth began as his replacement but only lasted a few months before getting canceled.
No big changes in the work situation and the family was good. Both Deb and I were doing a lot of running early in the year as she ran the Boston Marathon and I did the Vermont City Marathon in May; I also ran the Chicago Marathon in the fall. For concerts, I saw Pearl Jam, Arctic Monkeys, Mission of Burma, Bloc Party, X/Rollins Band, Yo La Tengo, Iron Maiden (a work buddy got me back into them and we saw them at Agganis Arena...but were a bit bummed when they played their new album front to back), the Hold Steady, Frank Black, the Twilight Singers and the Hold Steady again while I was on a work trip in New Orleans.
There were some terrific albums out in '06, including the Arctic Monkeys' debut, the Hold Steady continuing their hot streak with their third straight great release, another excellent comeback record from Mission of Burma, a killer double album from Sloan and a terrific Twilight Singers album. But it was TV On the Radio's Return to Cookie Mountain and specifically the song "Wolf Like Me" that was the big one for me. Just a whirling dervish of a song that was simultaneously catchy and creepy. It was the sound of a band hitting its stride, combining killer instrumental chops with amazing vocals.
Honorable mentions: Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor"; Arctic Monkeys - "Fake Tales of San Francisco"; Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - "Rise Up With Fists!!"; Robert Pollard - "Love is Stronger Than Witchcraft"; The Minus 5 - "Rifle Called Goodbye"; Ray Davies - "Things Are Gonna Change (The Morning After)"; Danko Jones - "Invisible"; Destroyer - "Your Blood"; Neko Case - "Star Witness"; Band of Horses - "The Funeral"; Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Gold Lion"; The Black Angels - "Sniper at the Gates of Heaven"; The Black Angels - "Bloodhounds on My Trail"; Built to Spill - "Goin' Against Your Mind"; Eagles of Death Metal - "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; Drive-By Truckers - "Gravity's Gone"; Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"; Pearl Jam - "World Wide Suicide"; The Raconteurs - "Steady As She Goes"; The Twilight Singers - "Bonnie Brae"; The Twilight Singers - "Forty Dollars"; Mission of Burma - "Spider's Web"; Mission of Burma - "2wice"; Frightened Rabbit - "Be Less Rude"; Sonic Youth - "Incinerate"; TV On the Radio - "Province"; Peter Bjorn & John - "Young Folks"; The Black Keys - "Your Touch"; Mastodon - "The Wolf Is Loose"; Yo La Tengo - "Mr. Tough"; Sloan - "Who Taught You to Live Like That?"; Sloan - "Ill-Placed Trust"; Beck - "Cellphone's Dead"; The Hold Steady - "Stuck Between Stations"; The Hold Steady - "Massive Nights"; The Blood Brothers - "Spit Shine Your Black Clouds"; The Tragically Hip - "The Lonely End of the Rink"; Jarvis Cocker - "Running the World"
Editor's note: Ye Olde Hit Parade takes a look back at my favorite songs year by year (starting in 1978, when I really started paying attention to music).
1991: Soundgarden - Outshined
It didn't take long for things to get real in 1991. The Gulf War that started in 1990 escalated in early '91 with the beginning of the ground war in Saudi Arabia. It was a big deal at the time, since we hadn't seen anything like that out in the open (as opposed to the secret wars that had been going on for decades) since the 1970s. There were some high-profile legal events, including the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, who was accused of sexually harassing Anita Hill, and the rape trial of William Kennedy Smith.
I was 23, working as a reporter for the Peabody Times, primarily covering schools. I shared an apartment in Beverly with a co-worker. Concerts included seeing Iron Maiden at the Worcester Centrum, Living Colour at UNH, INXS at the Centrum, An Emotional Fish at the Paradise, George Thorogood and Barrence Whitfield at the Orpheum, the Tragically Hip at the Paradise, Iggy Pop at the Orpheum, and Lenny Kravitz at the Orpheum.
Later in the year, I moved in with my girlfriend. I had originally planned on working a short time in Peabody and then moving on to a bigger paper anywhere else in the country, but the economy had stalled and I grew to enjoy living in this area. Not only did I have gainful employment, we were near the ocean and it was a culturally stimulating area.
In retrospect, the year has been pegged as the breakthrough of alternative rock and/or grunge, but that stuff didn't really kick in until the latter part of '91. The popular retelling has it that Nirvana's Nevermind turned the year on its ear, but it didn't come out until September 24. There was a lot going on, including great albums from U2, Screaming Trees, Dinosaur Jr., the Tragically Hip, the Feelies, R.E.M., Temple of the Dog, Hoodoo Gurus, Fishbone, the Nation of Ulysses, Fugazi, Cypress Hill, Sebadoh, Tribe, Pearl Jam, A Tribe Called Quest, Swervedriver, Teenage Fanclub, Matthew Sweet, and My Bloody Valentine.
But the one that jumped out at me initially was Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger. Earlier in the year, I had picked up the Temple of the Dog album, which Soundgarden's Chris Cornell had put together, so I was familiar with his voice. Still, Badmotorfinger was much heavier and out there than Temple of the Dog, which was made in memory of Cornell's friend Andrew Wood (singer of Mother Love Bone who had died of a heroin overdose just before his band's debut was released). The band melded the heaviness of Black Sabbath with the new aggressiveness of the Seattle scene that was about to explode. The band straddled the line between metal and alternative, and ultimately, helped to push the poppier metal sounds of bands like Warrant and Ratt out of the mainstream.
Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is credited with revolutionizing the rock world, but it didn't hit immediately with me. It took a few months before I realized how good it was. But "Outshined" bowled me over with its heaviness. Even though I had only been listening to it for a few months, it bridged the music I used to love with the music I currently loved. And it set up a whole new world for me to jump into.
Honorable mentions: Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"; Pearl Jam - "Alive"; The Tragically Hip - "Little Bones"; The Tragically Hip - "Twist My Arm"; U2 - "Mysterious Ways"; U2 - "Even Better Than the Real Thing"; R.E.M. - "Losing My Religion"; R.E.M. - "Texarkana"; School of Fish - "Three Strange Days"; Temple of the Dog - "Hunger Strike"; Temple of the Dog - "Say Hello 2 Heaven"; Pearl Jam - "Black"; Pearl Jam - "Once"; Matthew Sweet - "Divine Intervention"; Matthew Sweet - "Girlfriend"; Teenage Fanclub - "What You Do to Me"; Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"; Metallica - "Sad But True"; Prince - "Cream"; Prince - "Gett Off"'; Blur - "There's No Other Way"; Big Audio Dynamite - "Rush"; Elvis Costello - "Just Like Candy"; Living Colour - "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing"; Lenny Kravitz - "Fields of Joy"; Lenny Kravitz - "Always On the Run"; Fishbone - "Sunless Saturday"; Fishbone - "Everyday Sunshine"
Editor's note: Ye Olde Hit Parade takes a look back at my favorite songs year by year (starting in 1978, when I really started paying attention to music).
1990: Jane's Addiction - Stop!
On to another decade. The world was definitely changing. The Cold War ended, the Soviet Union began dissolving, Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison, the Persian Gulf War started, Margaret Thatcher resigned as British Prime Minister.
As the calendar switched over to 1990, I was 22, living in Wenham,
Mass., and working as a reporter for the Peabody Times. I don't remember
if there was some crazy New Year's Eve party or anything, but there was
a good crew of young reporters in our 20s among the four dailies in our
chain and we would definitely rip it up regularly. We were all single
and even though the economy was in a slump and we weren't making much
money, we enjoyed ourselves.
The house-sitting situation ended during the summer, so I got an apartment in neighboring Beverly (where the newspaper chain was headquartered) with another reporter. Vinyl was being phased out, so by this time, I was exclusively buying CDs. My dad gave me my first CD player as a graduation present the year before, so I was building up my collection of them.
I started going to a lot of concerts this year: The Smithereens at the Orpheum in Boston, Aerosmith and the Black Crowes in Old Orchard Beach, Robert Plant at Great Woods in Mansfield, James Taylor at Great Woods (wasn't my idea), Little Feat at Old Orchard Beach, Living Colour at the Orpheum, Death Angel at the Channel and the Black Crowes at the same venue.
Musically, I was all over the place as usual. Classic rock was making a big push on local radio, helped by strong new albums from the likes of Robert Plant, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Aerosmith (carrying over from '89), and a greatest hits tour by David Bowie. For new music, I was into releases by Soul Asylum, Mother Love Bone, World Party, Alice in Chains, Digital Underground, the Black Crowes, Midnight Oil, Iggy Pop, Gary Moore, Sinead O'Connor, Adrian Belew, INXS, Hindu Love Gods and the Vaughan Brothers (released not long after the tragic death of Stevie Ray Vaughan).
The pop charts were pretty varied, with hip hop and its approximations by MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Bell Biv DeVoe, Technotronic and Snap!, dance music from Deee-Lite, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson and Madonna, and poppy schmaltz from the likes of Mariah Carey, Wilson Phillips and Michael Bolton.
I was consuming a lot of stuff, but the hottest band to me was Jane's Addiction, who had released their second album, Ritual de lo Habitual, in August. There was a sense of danger about them, I think mainly because you never knew if frontman Perry Farrell was going to OD at any moment. "Been Caught Stealing" was the big hit, primarily because the video was getting played on MTV constantly, but I liked the rest of the album better. Especially the opening track "Stop!", which just lurched into action after a brief intro. Guitarist Dave Navarro, long before he became a reality show regular, just drenches this album with ridiculous solos. Hot stuff, to be sure.
The album went double-platinum and Farrell followed it up in a big way by developing the Lollapalooza tour, which made its debut in '91 with Jane's and a bunch of other great acts crossing the country. Sadly, the band split up after that tour and didn't reunite until 2003; they still tour and release albums, but they haven't been able to recapture the magic of their first two records.
Still, Jane's Addiction was a good palate cleanser for the sweeping change that hit the rock world in '91.
Honorable mentions: Jane's Addiction - "Ain't No Right"; Jane's Addiction - "Classic Girl"; Living Colour - "Type"; Living Colour - "Elvis Is Dead"; Living Colour - "Love Rears Its Ugly Head"; Neil Young and Crazy Horse - "Fuckin' Up"; Neil Young and Crazy Horse - "Mansion on the Hill"; Robert Plant - "Hurting Kind (I've Got My Eyes On You)"; The Black Crowes - "Twice as Hard"; Mother Love Bone - "Stardog Champion"; Mother Love Bone - "Crown of Thorns"; Alice In Chains - "Man in the Box"; Soul Asylum - "Spinnin'"; World Party - "Way Down Now"; World Party - "Is It Too Late?"; Peter Murphy - "Cuts You Up"; Digital Underground - "The Humpty Dance"; Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison"; Midnight Oil - "Blue Sky Mine"; Iggy Pop - "Candy"; Sinead O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U"; Gary Moore - "Oh Pretty Woman"; Adrian Belew - "Phone Call From the Moon"; INXS - "Suicide Blonde"; Hindu Love Gods - "Raspberry Beret"; The Vaughan Brothers - "Telephone Song"; Janet Jackson - "Black Cat"; George Michael - "Freedom '90"; The Soup Dragons & Junior Reed - "I'm Free"; EMF - "Unbelievable"; Prince - "Thieves in the Temple"; Billy Idol - "Cradle of Love"'; Biz Markie - "Just a Friend"
Even before the coronavirus hit, the Boston rock scene was taking a beating, at least in terms of independently-owned clubs, anyway. TT the Bears closed a few years back, the Middle East was for sale and other venues went away or were bought by corporate entities. I mean, it's the way of the world, I guess, but it still sucks.
And we all know how small businesses are suffering since everything basically shut down in mid-March. But when Tim Philbin, general manager of legendary Allston club Great Scott, announced yesterday that the club would not reopen, that stung.
It's been around for 44 years, but I only really started going to shows there in the last 10 years or so. I guess it was more of a regular bar for most of that time until the 2000s and it was never really on my radar until I started seeing bands there with my good buddy Jay Breitling. I think the first show I saw there was a record release party for The Hush Now.
It was a tiny hole in the wall, located off Comm Ave halfway between the Paradise and Brighton Music Hall. You walked in and there was a bar on the left and the stage was straight ahead in the back of the room. I saw a ton of great shows there over the years: Ty Segall (seen above on 9/19/14), Sloan, Johnny Foreigner, Ex Hex, Bash and Pop, The Swirlies, Rough Francis, Speedy Ortiz, La Luz, Kuroma, Ringo Deathstarr, Soccer Mom and on and on. You could get right up close and absorb the decibels. It was goddamn glorious.
Apparently the landlords decided not to renew Great Scott's lease because the club's post-COVID fortunes don't look good. I'm sure those fuckers will put something more essential in there like a CVS or a Dunkin' Donuts. I get it, they're looking at the bottom line. But I'd argue that the arts are essential and Great Scott was one of the last pure great rock rooms in the city environs. It'll be missed, and those landlords get the finger from me. Maybe even two.
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian
Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and aging. Listen to the episode
below or download directly.
Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - '90s butt rock is alive and well in New Hampshire - Marlins will soar, according to Scott Stapp - Commercial rock radio is dying - In the mid-80s, rock radio was thriving in the Boston area - Brian has satellite radio - GNR/Smashing Pumpkins touring this summer - The evolution of Sugar Ray's sound - Mark McGrath is always working - The Cameo economy - Talking to musicians - The ubiquity of Henry Rollins - The musician deaths have always been plentiful - 10 years ago, we lost Jay Reatard, Teddy Pendergrass, Doug Fieger, Mark Linkous, Alex Chilton, Malcolm McLaren, Dio - So many big names in rock are getting older - Eagles have continued to tour without Glenn Frey - Surviving members of Nirvana have reunited for charity shows - Rush will never play another show - R.E.M. has never performed together since their breakup - More fun with Cameo - Don't wait to see a band you like - Jay: Trying to see bands I haven't seen before - Making up for lost time with some bands - Some bands sound better than ever: Dino Jr., Ween - Ozzy's looking pretty rough these days - Some artists you don't want to see anymore
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!
The
opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big
F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James
Gralian.
Part 2 of my conversation with guest Gary Barth
as we discuss the concertgoing experience. Listen to the episode below
or download directly.
Show notes: - Recorded in Gary's car on the way to the show - Driving before and briefly after an Iron Maiden concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA - Jay: Big fan of club shows - Like to get up close to the stage - The downside of theater shows - Some shows are made for big venues - Getting your face melted by Ty Segall - Demographics: We're the target market for Maiden, but often among the oldest when seeing newer acts - If you were 30 when you saw Maiden during their early days, you're pushing 70 now - Still weird to be "the old guy" - No institutional knowledge of what came before - Gary: Raised our kids on the Beatles - Jay: My kids love Taylor Swift; at least she writes her own songs - I listen to a lot of pop these days when I drive the girls around - Making the kids listen to your music - Gary: We played Beatles Rock Band a lot as a family - Will we still go to rock shows as senior citizens? - No such thing as guilty pleasures - We both love the Bee Gees - Jay: Traded the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack for a Zeppelin album - Reconciled with my disco-loving childhood - People who watch a show through their smart phones - Making Gary self-conscious about phone use at concerts - Artists who ban cellphone use at shows - After the concert - We paid extra to park in a lot to get out earlier - High energy, over-the-top stage show - Saw some people with toddlers - Fun to go to a big show with friends - Gary's next show: Raconteurs in September - Jay's next show: Sleater-Kinney in October - Gary plays about 20 shows a year
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The
opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big
F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James
Gralian.
Celebrating 13 years of podcasting with part 1
of my conversation with guest Gary Barth as we discuss the concertgoing
experience...while we drive to a concert. Listen to the episode below or
download directly.
Show notes: - Recorded in Gary's car on the way to the show - Driving to an Iron Maiden concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA - Gary's first concert: Huey Lewis and the News in 1985 - Huey's got rock cred - All the big shows back in the '80s were at hockey rinks - Many bands now play smaller theaters and clubs - Jay: Used to go see only arena shows back then - Arenas in Worcester, Portland, Providence - Shows were cheaper back then, but we had less money - People would get really wasted before concerts - The guy who sat behind us and still missed the entire Maiden show - Getting rides to concerts from parents - Gary plays in a Grateful Dead cover band, Deadbeat - Listening to some "nice hahd rawk" - Jay's (very) short-lived high school band - Jay: Liked a lot of metal and hard rock in high school, turned away from it in the '90s - We both started listening to Maiden again in 2006 - Bands don't make money from selling albums anymore - Saw Drive-By Truckers at the local theater in Beverly - Go see Deadbeat at the Bull Run in Shirley, MA on 8/9 - Cover bands are doing pretty well these days - Heavy Metal Cul de Sac - Bands keep touring into their old age - The Iron Maiden guys are all in their 60s but put on a high-energy show - To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The
opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big
F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James
Gralian.
As has been well documented here and elsewhere over the last several months, it's been a tough year for rock n' roll and mortality. Seems like every time we turn around, there's horrible news about beloved rock luminaries. If Bowie and Prince and Lemmy weren't enough to crush my goddamn spirit, the news in May of Gord Downie's terminal brain cancer really did a number on me. Not so much because I haven't experienced death before--that's certainly not the case--but because Downie and the Tragically Hip have meant a lot to me over the years. But his decision to do one last tour, which wrapped up last night in the Hip's hometown of Kingston, Ontario, was heartening for all of us, not the least of which the folks who are dealing with the trials and tribulations that come with a cancer diagnosis.
Earlier this week, I saw the great LA punk act X play at Brighton Music Hall with all four original members--quite the feat considering guitarist Billy Zoom had been diagnosed with bladder cancer last year. But the 68-year-old Zoom was declared cancer-free by the end of 2015, although he still has been undergoing chemotherapy and possibly surgery to prevent a recurrence. The band played a rollicking set to a sold-out room, and Zoom sounded as good as ever, despite remaining seated on a stool for most of the set. He still had his trademark grin going as he played, and even got up to play sax on a few songs. Given that nobody expected him to be back on the road again not so long ago, it was a triumphant night.
Last night, I watched the Hip's final show, which was livestreamed by the CBC and looked pretty damn great. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance, and there were live viewings held at bars and restaurants and homes all across the country. The band played for nearly three hours, with 30 songs and three encores. Downie was in fine form--his vocals were a bit ragged at times and he occasionally stumbled over lyrics despite having teleprompters on stage, but it didn't matter. Given that the guy's had a craniotomy and chemotherapy in the last several months, not to mention has had to absorb the enormity of having a short amount of time left on this earth, it's fucking amazing he was able to function at all, let alone do what he does. There were 15 shows on this Canada-only tour and they were snapped up in seconds. If they had been able to venture down here, I would have been there. But I was happy to be one of the thousands watching from home.
It was a stirring and emotional performance. The Hip played old favorites from their early bluesier records, underrated deep tracks from 2000's Music @ Work, a few from their excellent new album Man Machine Poem and a few gut-wrenchers. "Fiddler's Green" from 1991's Road Apples was written for Downie's nephew, who died at the age of 5; the band didn't play it for a decade or so because it was too tough for him to take. Playing it last night was especially poignant.
And then there was "Grace, Too," which has always been a rallying cry for the band since its release on 1994's Day for Night. Last night, Downie appeared to really be struggling with his emotions during the final section, tearing up before dropping the mic and then quickly getting it together again. "Scared" from the same album was another stunner, especially with its closing line: "I've got to go, it's been a pleasure doing business with you."
Downie wasn't as talkative as he was in the past, but he peppered the breaks with the occasional shout-out to Trudeau, comments about the band's history in Kingston and thanks to the fans for their support over the years. He made no mention of his condition or the future, he just kept singing and jumping around in his classic sweaty, herky-jerky, Gordo style. The final song of the night was the acoustic "Ahead by a Century," the 1996 song that has been a staple of their live shows and the gateway for many younger fans into the band. "No dress rehearsal, this is our lives." As the band left the stage for the final time, the CBC cameras panned around to catch many weeping fans in the building; no doubt this was the case with the folks watching the stream around the world as well.
Much as Bowie left his fans with the final gift of the magnificent Blackstar album, Downie gave this gift to the Hip's fandom, dragging his cancer-ravaged body through one last tour, one final farewell. There's no telling how long he actually has, but we do know that there's no coming back from glioblastoma, the tumor Downie has in his temporal lobe. I've read reports that he has a solo album already recorded that could see the light of day. The Hip and Downie have made no statements about whether last night was their last official act as a band. If it was, then what a way to go. And if it's not--if somehow Downie is able to continue to work or is able to survive--who can complain about more from the Tragically Hip? (Well, someone probably would, but fuck them.) Downie and the Hip don't owe anybody anything. All I can say is thanks.
Too often of late I've been blindsided by horrendously shitty news. Just a month ago, it was the sudden death of Prince and before him, it was Bowie and Lemmy. This morning, I saw a Facebook post from The Tragically Hip, which I presumed was to announce more information on their upcoming album and tour. Instead, it was just about the worst possible news imaginable: Frontman and Canadian icon Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer. Holy fuck.
The guy's only 52 and has been very active in the last few years. The last Hip album, Now for Plan A, came out in 2012, followed by Downie's excellent collaboration with the Sadies in 2014 and then a Hip tour playing the band's 1992 classic Fully Completely front to back. The new record, Man Machine Poem, is due out next month and as part of today's sad announcement, the Hip said they would do one last tour with Downie this summer. A press conference was held a few hours later at which Downie's physician said the singer's brain tumor has been reduced in size after radiation and chemotherapy, which means while he'll be able to tour, at some point the cancer will return. It could be a few years, but the diagnosis is still terminal.
It sounds as though the tour will be in Canada only (dates will be announced tomorrow), which is disappointing, but jeez, it's hard to complain given the circumstances. I've been lucky enough to have seen the Hip nearly every time they came through town since 1991, everywhere from the Orpheum and House of Blues to the tiny confines of the Paradise and Bill's Bar on Lansdowne. And I've seen Downie play solo at the Sinclair and TT's. His yelping vocals, herky-jerky dance moves and abstract lyrics are ingrained in my brain like signposts as I moved through my adult life. Downie and the Hip are so Canadian that they appeal to that part of me that will always remain a Canuck, even though at this point I've spent more than two-thirds of my life in the U.S.
This isn't a eulogy. The man's not dead yet. For now, we celebrate his accomplishments and gifts and enjoy his forthcoming album and tour. And like anyone we know who's been dealt such a unfortunate hand, we try not to think about that inevitable time when he's gone.
Part
1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the
music of 1992. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right
click and "save as"). Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - In '92, Brian turned 10 and Jay turned 25 - Hot 100 chart had a lot of pop, R&B, some hip hop - But alternative rock was booming - "Baby Got Back" was #2 song of the year - Clapton's Unplugged album was huge - The greatness of early Dire Straits - Pat Smear in the Chili Peppers? - The evolution of Guns 'N Roses - Axl's vampire voice - Labels got rid of the CD longbox - Once it was about hifi, now nobody cares about audio quality - Big year for rock weddings - Concert for Life paid tribute to the late Freddie Mercury - Wayne's World appealed to both of us for different reasons - Hair metal died in the U.S. but remained huge in Europe - Montreal fans rioted because of Axl's antics - Arena shows were de rigeur in the '70s and '80s - Bands play much smaller venues now - To be continued
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The
opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big
F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his
fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
