Not Going Back:
I'm not goin' back to Woodstock for a while,
Though I long to hear that lonesome hippie smile.
I'm a million miles away from that helicopter day
No, I don't believe I'll be goin' back that way.
The quote above is from Neil Young's “Roll Another Number”, from Tonight’s the Night, and it pretty much sums up the mood of the entire album. It was 1973 and it was already clear to Neil that the sixties were never coming back. Always ahead of the times, he was already facing down the dark side of the seventies.
And that was over forty-five years ago.
Does anyone listen to Woodstock anymore? Aside from the odd cut played on Classic Rock Radio, probably not. I doubt that anyone pulls out the vinyl to play a side or two. Did anyone buy it on CD? Has anyone played it more than once since 1971?
It’s not an album that one is “in the mood for”. What would that mood be? I feel like hearing a live album - one with lots of crowd sounds - and a lot of different bands because I happen to like them all, so a sustained mood is not what I want. There is no such mood. Not anymore, anyway.
You might put it on if you’re feeling nostalgic. Now there’s a feeling I’m not comfortable with. Neither was Neil, at least until he made Harvest Moon.
Woodstock came out in the Spring of 1970. I remember seeing it in the window of the local record store, right next to Let it Be. If the latter was telling us the sixties were officially over, we’d use the former to squeeze out whatever we still could from the decade.
As was usual, I didn’t own Woodstock, and so had to rely on friends to play it. And we’d never play it all the way through. We barely played one side all the way through. But we all loved it and listened to it incessantly that summer. But not after that.
For those reasons, it looked like it would turn into yet another of those records - my memory of which was incomplete to begin with - that would fade over the years. And, really, who wants to buy a triple album you’ve already heard before? But amazon $5 mp3s saved the day. So I downloaded it and for the first time listened to it all the way through.
After all these years it’s more or less what I expected it to be. A long-ago favorite replayed to ever so slight disappointment now. That's okay. It still brought a tear to my eye at certain points.
But even the most nostalgic among us don’t want to spend too much time dwelling on the event, which we remember with a mixture of embarrassment and wonder. We’re too jaded to embrace it wholeheartedly. Plus it was a goddamn mess and who - except those who were actually there - can imagine themselves in that environment? (My hat’s off to you if you can.)
But it was an ideal momentarily realized. For all their faults, those hippies were a lot less destructive than the supposedly better-behaved yuppies.
I’m not sure how the baby boomers who experienced it - even second hand - square it with their current politics. By revising history, I guess. It must be slightly embarrassing to those who want to remember the fun part then and say, deny climate change now. We were so much younger then, we’re older than that now.
Maybe it’s best for all concerned to limit our attention to the actual music. So let’s take a look at this big sloppy mess of an album, documenting something that couldn’t possibly have happened.
Choosing Sides:
Side One doesn’t really quite kick off until Richie Havens provides a Defining Woodstock Moment with "Freedom", which pretty much overshadows everything else here. But song for song, it’s pretty good. Just all over the place. Which, I guess, is kind of the point.
I think the theme is the Pursuit of Freedom via Drugs. What a bad idea, right? We’ve since wised up and now escape reality via prescription meds.
Side Two starts off with another DWM: "The FISH Song", of course. In 1970, I was shocked that a record would actually have that word on it.
We listened to it a lot on a friend’s stoop over the summer. One night, we had it on when someone noticed my dad approaching. He was on his way home from the corner bar and stopped to say hello - something he never did. We frantically tried to turn it off before he got to us and Country Joe got to f*ck. But in the confusion, we only succeeded in turning up the volume. He got there just as Country Joe was asking WHAT'S THAT SPELL?!?! and the crowd answered F*CK!!!. It was probably the last thing he expected to hear, and so, he didn’t.
I’m trying to imagine/remember what we were thinking at the time. We were all pretty conservative, and if pressed on our opinion of the war we would have been strongly in favor of it. And yet we could still enjoy the song without getting offended, either because of the sheer gusto of the performance or the novelty of the cuss word. Then we’d go on our conservative way. I listen to this now and get chills.
And in walks Joan Baez, who is usually a major buzzkill. But I have to hand it to her. She brought the first tear to my eye with “Joe Hill” but that may just have been because it made me think of Phil Ochs.
Neil Young contributes the weird (for CSNY, and for Neil) “Sea of Madness”. It's generally regarded as a terrible song but I've always loved it. It's probably as funky and poppy as Neil ever got, and it gives CSN a little kick in the ass. (Y was haunting CSN even then, their second gig.) It's really the only CSN song that is "new" and not a waste of space.
The theme? The War. Oh and pushing that new supergroup. Things are so different now.
Side Three starts off with “Wooden Ships” which while offering nothing new musically that the studio version didn’t already, reinforces a theme of post-apocalyptic brotherhood. And Joe Cocker re-inforces the theme.
Theme: Fellowship? What the hell is that, anyway?
Side Four consists of Santana and Ten Years After who keep the energy level high. I did have to put up with hearing how great a guitar player Alvin Lee was. Aside from Hendrix, the best one at Woodstock, people said. I wasn’t even sure he was the best guitar player on this side.
The Theme: Guitars, of course. Which are great, but politics-free, and thus the most likely to be played now.
Although Side Five kicks off with Jefferson Airplane, everyone knows it really belongs to Sly. And listening to it now, I could almost succumb to that dreaded nostalgia, it’s that powerful, Sly was able to rock a bunch of conservative white teenagers on that Brooklyn stoop. It’s truly the high point of the record. This is the side that almost gets played all the way through. What the hell is John Sebastien doing after it?
Theme: Transcendence. How silly!
Half of Side Six is given over to a badly dated and mostly forgotten “Love March” by Paul Butterfield. And even though Hendrix saves it, we were really just listening to the “Star-Spangled Banner”. A shame, since he’s on fire throughout. But Hendrix is facing up to the war, which, despite every attendee’s wish, continued after the show.
Is the theme Resignation? Or acceptance of Reality, such as it was?
For the Record:
Playing a three-record set all the way through is kind of exhausting to begin with, especially since I’ve heard it all before. If I owned it then, I could see myself doing it then, while everyone else got bored and started playing stickball, leaving me alone on that stoop. I’d be bored too, but that’s how I roll.
Once you wipe away the nostalgic haze of the sixties and the aura of the event, this holds up okay as an album, albeit one with many different artists and thus one without a consistent musical identity. There’s some music that doesn’t age well, and the crowd noise and announcements, while not helping to make a tight record, certainly help make an expansive document of an event.
And Woodstock was always about more than music. Which is why we don’t listen to it now.
B+
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Friday, August 30, 2019
Summer?
Fathers Day:
For me, it's the beginning of the musical summer. It's when I force Mrs. Jaybee and the kids to get me music that is freakishly odd and completely inappropriate to the season. This is not a bad thing, but it is, well, bad timing.
For me, it's the beginning of the musical summer. It's when I force Mrs. Jaybee and the kids to get me music that is freakishly odd and completely inappropriate to the season. This is not a bad thing, but it is, well, bad timing.
Is there a better way to kick off the summer than to listen to a sick old man embrace death? Of course not!
And Lenny faces death quite courageously.
This is right up there with his best latter-day stuff. In fact, the second half of Essential comes off rather bloated (am I ungrateful for that embarrassment of riches, or what???) compared to this. The pairing of the words (as good as any he’s ever put down) and music is perfect. Not. Beach. Music.
A-
And of course when you're packing your beach bag and putting on your bathing suit, what country immediately comes to mind? That’s right, Sweden.
And it you can find a strange young woman singing lonely songs, all the better.
Mrs. Jaybee hates this one, though. “It’s the girly voice,” she says.
I kind of like it, though. I kept telling myself I was going to hear dance music but instead it’s got a pretty bare-bones sound, with nary a synthesizer. Sort of the Anti-Robyn.
Luckily, the songwriting holds up almost all the way through.
B+
This one explores rougher territory, sometimes going back as far as the 50s for style and execution. It’s startlingly different from Youth Novels but the songwriting is better and it has more variety.
It earns its drama and pain and doesn’t overplay its hand. When she sings “my love is unrequited” It’s just thrilling.
And with, after only three short years, the girly voice gone, Mrs. Jaybee hums along to almost every one of them.
A-
Academy Records:
I also try to fit in a trip to the used record store. Now I should already have learned my lesson about matching the music to the time of year (The "No Christmas Music in June" rule.), but Academy Records, like Other Music before that doesn't work that way. They have what they have. Or to put it another way, they have what someone else hated.)
So you take what you can get. And, this time, let's just say they hadn't exactly stocked up for the Fourth of July rush.
Ah, what great summer memories of the Watts riots!
It’s always risky going back to those legendary records from the 60s and 70s. The 60s because the albums are just not as consistent as they should be, and the 70s because of an odd stench I pick up, either originating from a paucity of production or songwriting that prevents the record from withstanding the test of time.
This is Frank’s first record. Although I’m familiar with a few others they’re all very different from one another, so it’s hard to know what to expect.
Not Surprising:
The contempt. Frank is right, of course, but it prevents him from displaying any warmth. So you end up with music to admire instead of enjoy. And Frank’s also as sexist as any of the “daddy”s he complains about.
His parodies of 50s rock n roll make me wonder if we’re meant to enjoy it or not. That’s okay, I do.
Surprising
It’s more song-oriented than I expected. Frank can sure write a pop tune when he wants to! Which is almost never unless he’s smirking.
Frank’s guitar playing is bitchin’ from the git-go.
So for a Zappa skeptic like me, somewhat of a pleasant surprise.
B+
I guess we should all be grateful that we haven't seen old Tom in a bathing suit.
Crazy as ever but rocking harder. Every song has either great instrumentation, vocals or lyrics. This may be my favorite by him.
A-
Summer!:
But I eventually (in this case, late July) learn.
Best Coast: Crazy for You (2010)
Finally! An actual summer record.
I can easily imagine hearing this at a barbecue in the 1960s or on a passing transistor radio as I play on the sidewalk. This is as much due to the lo-fi sound as to the perfect pairing of female vocals and loud guitars.
For that alone, it’s the record of the summer, such as it is.
I could see getting tired of it due to the similarity of attack throughout - all the songs sounding the same and all - but Bethany Consentino keeps coming up with the tunes, so I’m okay with it. And Mrs. Burns hums to it, even the songs on the second half. Now THAT’s a recommendation!
A-
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Sponges
Ah, the 62-year old brain!
It just doesn’t process music the way a 15-year old one does. The latter hears a tune and it instantly experiences ecstasy. And maybe that 15-year old’s life is transformed. And then it happens again the next day.
This is because - as we say - their brains are like sponges. Brand new, right out of the package ones, mind you. But they’re always ready to soak it all up.
The 62-year old brain, however, is that sponge over there by your kitchen sink which you've been meaning to replace because it's been there for months and has those stains and hard brown edges. It’ll work, but you’ve got to run it under the tap for a minute or two to loosen it up.
Which is my way of saying I don’t know what I think of some records until I’ve listened to them for weeks, or even months. I guess it’s my version of running the tap.
Take this record:
Soccer Mommy: Clean (2018)
I was struggling with it because here is yet another example of the female indie rock singer-guitarist with less than upbeat songs.
At first, I didn’t care for it. It resembled Snail Mail, which I liked a lot because it was sad but sweet. This one is simultaneously more commercial and yet stranger and darker (people eating each other, or treating them like dogs, etc.)
But now, after these few months, I can say it’s also more subtle and varied than SN. And my official verdict is Almost Just Not Quite But Really Almost Just As Good.
And Snail Mail - for all her heart - doesn’t come up with a winner like “Last Girl”.
A-
“Last Girl”
Or this one:
Father John Misty: I Love You Honeybear (2010)
I held off a long time before getting anything by FJM. I felt I’d given the guys enough opportunities over the years. And the chances of another young man having enough talent and wisdom without ruining it with some bullshit seemed kind of low.
But I saw it for a good price at Barnes and Noble and said what the hell.
First impressions:
Well, there’s that lovely tenor, which could easily be misused, but isn’t here. So putting the record on was a not-unpleasant experience. (At this point, one could reasonably ask, Jaybee, do you even like music? Do you hate men? The answers are yes, but not as much as when I was 15, and all too many.
Now, after a couple of months of putting it on regularly, I put it on again. And every single song has something to offer. And sometimes more than one thing.
I think it may have moved into the Active Pleasure phase. How rare!
A-
Christ, when did music get to be so much work?
It just doesn’t process music the way a 15-year old one does. The latter hears a tune and it instantly experiences ecstasy. And maybe that 15-year old’s life is transformed. And then it happens again the next day.
This is because - as we say - their brains are like sponges. Brand new, right out of the package ones, mind you. But they’re always ready to soak it all up.
The 62-year old brain, however, is that sponge over there by your kitchen sink which you've been meaning to replace because it's been there for months and has those stains and hard brown edges. It’ll work, but you’ve got to run it under the tap for a minute or two to loosen it up.
Which is my way of saying I don’t know what I think of some records until I’ve listened to them for weeks, or even months. I guess it’s my version of running the tap.
Take this record:
Soccer Mommy: Clean (2018)
I was struggling with it because here is yet another example of the female indie rock singer-guitarist with less than upbeat songs.
At first, I didn’t care for it. It resembled Snail Mail, which I liked a lot because it was sad but sweet. This one is simultaneously more commercial and yet stranger and darker (people eating each other, or treating them like dogs, etc.)
But now, after these few months, I can say it’s also more subtle and varied than SN. And my official verdict is Almost Just Not Quite But Really Almost Just As Good.
And Snail Mail - for all her heart - doesn’t come up with a winner like “Last Girl”.
A-
“Last Girl”
Or this one:
Father John Misty: I Love You Honeybear (2010)
I held off a long time before getting anything by FJM. I felt I’d given the guys enough opportunities over the years. And the chances of another young man having enough talent and wisdom without ruining it with some bullshit seemed kind of low.
But I saw it for a good price at Barnes and Noble and said what the hell.
First impressions:
- Not-lame tunes
- Not overwrought
- Not (too) nasty.
Well, there’s that lovely tenor, which could easily be misused, but isn’t here. So putting the record on was a not-unpleasant experience. (At this point, one could reasonably ask, Jaybee, do you even like music? Do you hate men? The answers are yes, but not as much as when I was 15, and all too many.
Now, after a couple of months of putting it on regularly, I put it on again. And every single song has something to offer. And sometimes more than one thing.
I think it may have moved into the Active Pleasure phase. How rare!
A-
Christ, when did music get to be so much work?
Sunday, June 30, 2019
James ATGBOCDs, Part Two, or, Academy Records
I noticed that a lot of the CDs in James’s bag came from Academy Records - a used record store I’d never visited before. Other Music, which closed a couple of years ago, had been my go-to place.
The prices looked really good, and not being content to simply listen to the CDs James brought me, so I decided to go.
So on top of all my other projects, I’ve now got the "Great Academy Records Scouring" to do.
THANKS, James!!
One of the things that happens at a store like this is you see a lot of records you’d been meaning to get to (or get back to) but didn’t want to spend the bucks on, so you’re dealing with nostalgia and risk-taking but not breaking the bank.
Nostalgia:
Joni Mitchell: Hejira (1976)
For a while, this sounded different every time I put it on. I eventually caught up and noticed I’ve got nothing unique to say about it. It’s your basic second tier JM record. Some cuts are too long and the sameness of tone takes away from it a bit.
So not GREAT Joni - no “Free Man in Paris” here, she’s already past that - but very very good.
And in its quiet way, some great moments
A-
“Song for Sharon”
Rolling Stones: Her Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
Another “not their best”. I have it in the basement on 8-track and got to listen to it one or two times before the player broke. But it’s the Stones so I had to find out how it was. (The sixties Stones, mind you. I could give a rat’s ass about the 80s, 90s, 00s and teens versions.)
So the verdict is: actually pretty good. And it would have been considered an excellent album if done by another band, but it is the Stones, after all.
B+
“The Lantern”
Jefferson Airplane: The Worst of... (1970)
Speaking of “not the best”! I’d gotten this blast from the past for Brother Pat for Christmas 1970. He told me the hardcore JA fans said it was aptly named. But as one who was a bit disappointed by After Bathing at Baxter’s and Volunteers, (let's not even talk about Bark or Long John Silver) I think I’ll take this one.
A-
"Good Shepherd"
Risk Taking:
Terry Riley: A Rainbow in Curved Air (1969)
Spacey, when spacey was brand new. Not as pretty as In a Silent Way. Not as cool as the Dead. It’s on the classical/Sci-fi side. Which is much weirder than either.
B+
“A Rainbow in Curved Air”
Nellie McKay: Get Away From Me (2004)
How did someone so young create a record in a style that I usually hate and make it so enjoyable? Is it the oh so sharp lyrics? The instrumental backing? Her confident delivery?
All of the above and more.
A-
“It’s a Pose”
And Sonic Youth's Washing Machine (1995) which I'm just gonna have to get back to you on later because that's what it's like for me and Sonic Youth. I need time...
I've since gone back to Academy (maybe I should say I went back to the Academy. I'd get more respect that way.) but that is for another time.
Someday I even hope to tell you what I found in Jame's bag!
The prices looked really good, and not being content to simply listen to the CDs James brought me, so I decided to go.
So on top of all my other projects, I’ve now got the "Great Academy Records Scouring" to do.
THANKS, James!!
One of the things that happens at a store like this is you see a lot of records you’d been meaning to get to (or get back to) but didn’t want to spend the bucks on, so you’re dealing with nostalgia and risk-taking but not breaking the bank.
Nostalgia:
Joni Mitchell: Hejira (1976)
For a while, this sounded different every time I put it on. I eventually caught up and noticed I’ve got nothing unique to say about it. It’s your basic second tier JM record. Some cuts are too long and the sameness of tone takes away from it a bit.
So not GREAT Joni - no “Free Man in Paris” here, she’s already past that - but very very good.
And in its quiet way, some great moments
A-
“Song for Sharon”
Rolling Stones: Her Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
Another “not their best”. I have it in the basement on 8-track and got to listen to it one or two times before the player broke. But it’s the Stones so I had to find out how it was. (The sixties Stones, mind you. I could give a rat’s ass about the 80s, 90s, 00s and teens versions.)
So the verdict is: actually pretty good. And it would have been considered an excellent album if done by another band, but it is the Stones, after all.
B+
“The Lantern”
Jefferson Airplane: The Worst of... (1970)
Speaking of “not the best”! I’d gotten this blast from the past for Brother Pat for Christmas 1970. He told me the hardcore JA fans said it was aptly named. But as one who was a bit disappointed by After Bathing at Baxter’s and Volunteers, (let's not even talk about Bark or Long John Silver) I think I’ll take this one.
A-
"Good Shepherd"
Risk Taking:
Terry Riley: A Rainbow in Curved Air (1969)
Spacey, when spacey was brand new. Not as pretty as In a Silent Way. Not as cool as the Dead. It’s on the classical/Sci-fi side. Which is much weirder than either.
B+
“A Rainbow in Curved Air”
Nellie McKay: Get Away From Me (2004)
How did someone so young create a record in a style that I usually hate and make it so enjoyable? Is it the oh so sharp lyrics? The instrumental backing? Her confident delivery?
All of the above and more.
A-
“It’s a Pose”
And Sonic Youth's Washing Machine (1995) which I'm just gonna have to get back to you on later because that's what it's like for me and Sonic Youth. I need time...
I've since gone back to Academy (maybe I should say I went back to the Academy. I'd get more respect that way.) but that is for another time.
Someday I even hope to tell you what I found in Jame's bag!
Saturday, May 25, 2019
James and the Giant Bag of CDs
I’m Gonna Say About...1973?:
“You have to get Rock and Roll by Foghat,” said childhood friend Tony. “You’ll love it!”
For some reason, I wasn’t convinced. Tony was sixteen at the time, which would make me about fifteen. A music snob (snot?) even then, I passed. I didn’t say that to him, of course. I nodded, smiled and said something along the lines of Oh yes, I’ll have to do that.
And I don’t have the slightest inclination to check it out. Sorry, Tony! It’s not you, it’s me. Well, actually it is you because you recommended a record I believed then - and believe still - will be awful. (So I guess it is me, after all.)
1983:
“Human Sexual Response is pretty good. You should check it out.”
Friend Mike was in town for a visit, and since my idea of a good time is going to the record store, we ended up at J&R Music World.
I was looking for Human Switchboard’s first record and were in the H section when he showed me the HSR album.
Mike was speaking in his usual laid back - almost indifferent - tone, which undercut any enthusiasm he seemed to have for the record (mine, too). I somehow wormed my way out of it.
1990:
“You have to check out Be Bop Deluxe,” the moving guy said. (I only remember the year because we were moving into our house.)
No, I don’t. When I see phrases like “art rock” and “progressive rock” I fear I’m going to get a lot of technique and not enough joy. That worked when I was fifteen, but I doubt it still will.
I did come close, though. And I still might, but it’s been nearly thirty years.
Your Music Sucks:
These are just a few of the many incidents over the years of my not taking the musical advice of others. I'm afraid I have profoundly different tastes than the suggester.
Tony was convinced Foghat was undeniably great. This is a variant of the "We've got both types of music here, Country AND Western" syndrome.
Moving man was a BBD enthusiast, and definitely older than Tony, but older folks do form their own “enthusiasms”, don't they? Like Ted Kaczinsky. And if you partake in someone else's enthusiasm, you’re almost obligated to sign up for the cult.
Mike was just being laid back Mike. When Mike gets enthusiastic I sit up in listen, but it wasn’t that day.
So in these and most other cases, I managed what the young people call a “soft pass”.
However, a hard pass may not have been a bad idea. One opportunity for growth that not enough people experience is to have someone tell them that the music they like is terrible. It’s happened to me many times and has taken many forms.
My parents hating the Beatles.
My Led Zeppelin fans telling me how much the Grateful Dead sucked.
Robert Christgau sh*tting on Jackson Browne and the Allman Brothers.
Before Born to Run came out, more than one person told me they hated “that Jew” Bruce Springsteen. (Clearly, the critique quality varied greatly.)
I’m not saying they were wrong and I was right. I’m saying we were both right. (Well, not the anti-Semites. They were wrong on every possible level.)
So I’m not big on people’s suggestions.
And it’s only gotten worse as I get older because I’m painfully aware that I DONT HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD - on a given day (no hanging around with friends in the middle of the day like a normal fifteen-year-old) or in my lifespan (I'm sixty-two for god sake.)
James:
So along comes Son Michael’s friend James, who I’ve connected with on a couple of levels, music being just one. He burned a CD for Mike once, and because of the time frame it covered (1969-1980) I liked it at least as much as Michael, who was, to his credit, pretty enthusiastic about it.
It gets better.
For Christmas, James gets me and Mrs. Jaybe four vinyl albums! I haven’t bought vinyl in nearly thirty years.
And now he’s lent me a big bag o’ CDs. Good ones, too. There’s got to be thirty or forty in there.
So somehow I’ve got to give these CDs their due. But how am I gonna do that with my World History Project, Decade Project and 2019 piling up in front of me?
But Let Me Digress:
So before I dive into the bag, I should report on a few records I have gotten a chance to listen to.
The year got off in two unexpected directions, one being hip hop, a genre I suspect I’ll never love, but I at least I got reassurance that I can really like it
Pusha T: Daytona (2018)
There’s no getting around it. This is a rap record. And a real good one. The key, for me, is that there has to be music to go with the rapping. Or the music has to be in the rapping. This one is the former.
But the rapping is good, too. The subject matter isn’t family friendly - he’s not going to win any humanitarian awards - but he seems genuine.
A-
“Hard Piano”
Noname: Room 25 (2018)
Here’s another one, this time with a female point of view. The music is more (warning, annoying musical description word ahead) sinuous and subtle.
Jazzy, smooth and easy on the ear, which brings you back to it again and again. But once you start to really hear the words you have to confront the pain
A-
“Self”
And it's suddenly possible to love hip hop!
Then there are a couple of more female artists - one disappointing (slightly) and one definitely not.
Mitski: Be the Cowboy (2018)
Mrs. Jaybee liked this one right off the bat. And I thought it was an improvement, too, over her last record, which I liked but didn’t love.
But that stentorian voice that, at first, pulls you in also keeps you from really loving it.
B+
But, I've got to admit this video really pulls me in!
“Geyser”
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer (2018)
I’ve had my eye on this young woman for a while (okay, that sounded really bad, but you know what I mean, right? In case the police come?)
The first spin is all surface and enjoyable enough, but now after at least a dozen listens I hear an artist with some vision, and talent to burn.
Good songwriting. Kind of Prince-y. But I like her voice more. And a little sci-fi for good measure.
And while I still prefer Kacey Musgraves, this one gives her a run for the money.
A-
“Crazy Classic Life”
So at some point, I'll report on the actual contents of James' Bag of CDs.
Just one last question. What do normal people do with their time?
“You have to get Rock and Roll by Foghat,” said childhood friend Tony. “You’ll love it!”
For some reason, I wasn’t convinced. Tony was sixteen at the time, which would make me about fifteen. A music snob (snot?) even then, I passed. I didn’t say that to him, of course. I nodded, smiled and said something along the lines of Oh yes, I’ll have to do that.
And I don’t have the slightest inclination to check it out. Sorry, Tony! It’s not you, it’s me. Well, actually it is you because you recommended a record I believed then - and believe still - will be awful. (So I guess it is me, after all.)
1983:
“Human Sexual Response is pretty good. You should check it out.”
Friend Mike was in town for a visit, and since my idea of a good time is going to the record store, we ended up at J&R Music World.
I was looking for Human Switchboard’s first record and were in the H section when he showed me the HSR album.
Mike was speaking in his usual laid back - almost indifferent - tone, which undercut any enthusiasm he seemed to have for the record (mine, too). I somehow wormed my way out of it.
1990:
“You have to check out Be Bop Deluxe,” the moving guy said. (I only remember the year because we were moving into our house.)
No, I don’t. When I see phrases like “art rock” and “progressive rock” I fear I’m going to get a lot of technique and not enough joy. That worked when I was fifteen, but I doubt it still will.
I did come close, though. And I still might, but it’s been nearly thirty years.
Your Music Sucks:
These are just a few of the many incidents over the years of my not taking the musical advice of others. I'm afraid I have profoundly different tastes than the suggester.
Tony was convinced Foghat was undeniably great. This is a variant of the "We've got both types of music here, Country AND Western" syndrome.
Moving man was a BBD enthusiast, and definitely older than Tony, but older folks do form their own “enthusiasms”, don't they? Like Ted Kaczinsky. And if you partake in someone else's enthusiasm, you’re almost obligated to sign up for the cult.
Mike was just being laid back Mike. When Mike gets enthusiastic I sit up in listen, but it wasn’t that day.
So in these and most other cases, I managed what the young people call a “soft pass”.
However, a hard pass may not have been a bad idea. One opportunity for growth that not enough people experience is to have someone tell them that the music they like is terrible. It’s happened to me many times and has taken many forms.
My parents hating the Beatles.
My Led Zeppelin fans telling me how much the Grateful Dead sucked.
Robert Christgau sh*tting on Jackson Browne and the Allman Brothers.
Before Born to Run came out, more than one person told me they hated “that Jew” Bruce Springsteen. (Clearly, the critique quality varied greatly.)
I’m not saying they were wrong and I was right. I’m saying we were both right. (Well, not the anti-Semites. They were wrong on every possible level.)
So I’m not big on people’s suggestions.
And it’s only gotten worse as I get older because I’m painfully aware that I DONT HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD - on a given day (no hanging around with friends in the middle of the day like a normal fifteen-year-old) or in my lifespan (I'm sixty-two for god sake.)
James:
So along comes Son Michael’s friend James, who I’ve connected with on a couple of levels, music being just one. He burned a CD for Mike once, and because of the time frame it covered (1969-1980) I liked it at least as much as Michael, who was, to his credit, pretty enthusiastic about it.
It gets better.
For Christmas, James gets me and Mrs. Jaybe four vinyl albums! I haven’t bought vinyl in nearly thirty years.
And now he’s lent me a big bag o’ CDs. Good ones, too. There’s got to be thirty or forty in there.
So somehow I’ve got to give these CDs their due. But how am I gonna do that with my World History Project, Decade Project and 2019 piling up in front of me?
But Let Me Digress:
So before I dive into the bag, I should report on a few records I have gotten a chance to listen to.
The year got off in two unexpected directions, one being hip hop, a genre I suspect I’ll never love, but I at least I got reassurance that I can really like it
Pusha T: Daytona (2018)
There’s no getting around it. This is a rap record. And a real good one. The key, for me, is that there has to be music to go with the rapping. Or the music has to be in the rapping. This one is the former.
But the rapping is good, too. The subject matter isn’t family friendly - he’s not going to win any humanitarian awards - but he seems genuine.
A-
“Hard Piano”
Noname: Room 25 (2018)
Here’s another one, this time with a female point of view. The music is more (warning, annoying musical description word ahead) sinuous and subtle.
Jazzy, smooth and easy on the ear, which brings you back to it again and again. But once you start to really hear the words you have to confront the pain
A-
“Self”
And it's suddenly possible to love hip hop!
Then there are a couple of more female artists - one disappointing (slightly) and one definitely not.
Mitski: Be the Cowboy (2018)
Mrs. Jaybee liked this one right off the bat. And I thought it was an improvement, too, over her last record, which I liked but didn’t love.
But that stentorian voice that, at first, pulls you in also keeps you from really loving it.
B+
But, I've got to admit this video really pulls me in!
“Geyser”
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer (2018)
I’ve had my eye on this young woman for a while (okay, that sounded really bad, but you know what I mean, right? In case the police come?)
The first spin is all surface and enjoyable enough, but now after at least a dozen listens I hear an artist with some vision, and talent to burn.
Good songwriting. Kind of Prince-y. But I like her voice more. And a little sci-fi for good measure.
And while I still prefer Kacey Musgraves, this one gives her a run for the money.
A-
“Crazy Classic Life”
So at some point, I'll report on the actual contents of James' Bag of CDs.
Just one last question. What do normal people do with their time?
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Slow Burns, or How Not to Listen to Music
I always have a hard time getting started on the new year, since I’m still processing my records from last year.
Once I’ve done that, I’ll also try to catch up on records from the prior year that I missed.
The new year also tempts me to reset in some way - maybe re-assess some older records. And, since this is the last year of the decade, why not give another listen to all the music I heard since 2010?
Then there’s the whole World History Project, which will probably go on until I’m dead.
There’s rarely a time when I don’t have some kind of program going on. And right now I’ve got at least three.
So unlike normal people whose decision tree for listening to music may go something like this:
As embarrassing at this all sounds when written down, I still strangely proud - to the point I find it odd other people don’t do something like it.
So, dear reader, I ask you, do you simply slap on a disc (or play your mp3) a la example one above, or do you have a method?
No?
No all-night “night music” festival?
No stacking of all your live Grateful Dead (or Allman Brothers) albums to simulate an actual show?
No featuring one artist, playing one album after another - no matter how bad the later ones were - until you were done?
So I'll then assume you never have a hip hop weekend?
No blues summer?
No classical winter?
No jazz winter?
Don’t you realize there is layer upon layer of theme, duty, timing, segue, time of day, and time of year to consider??
Don’t you impose any rules on yourself, like: No drastic segues, or don’t play post-Beatle John Lennon on the same day as Post-Beatle George or Paul? (Ringo is fine. He doesn’t count.)
Or only Post Beatles?
All of this is to explain what's taking me so long to keep up. I’m awash in music while simultaneously navigating numerous musical agendas.
But at some point, I must come up for air and report back on what I’ve heard. And I’ve always found the ass-backward approach useful, so let’s deal with some of the new music I’ve just gotten, in descending order of how much Mrs. Jaybee hates it. (What, you don’t think that matters?!)
These records all come from 2018, and all happen to be female artists, none of whom are disappointing:
Snail Mail: Lush (2018)
Mrs. Jaybee hates this record. I barely got to the second song when she said to please stop. When I protested, she put it on to make sure she hated it. And she did.
It’s the voice she said.
But I like it a lot - voice included - so I’m not sure what the problem is. There is a low key whiny-ness to it, and a sameness of tone, but I’ve always been a sucker for that. And the weird-chord droning is cool, too.
Sounds enticing, doesn’t it?
We caught her a few weeks ago when she opened for Interpol and Car Seat Headrest, and she didn’t disappoint. Not me, ‘cause I liked her and not Mrs. Jaybee, because she didn’t.
So I gave it another spin, and I was impressed that the overall sadness didn’t get me down, the guitar playing was agile and the voice committed to each and every song.
Sounds like she’s pretty good-hearted, too. That can help during the cold weather.
A-
“Pristine”
Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy (2018)
Being more involved in the actual world that I am, Mrs. Jaybee already heard - and liked - some of this.
Weirdly fun. Over the top, brassy, obscene as hell, but pretty honest in a real housewives kind of way.
This woman has personality to spare, but I can only take so much.
B+
"Went Through Your Phone Last Night"
Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour (2018)
Grammy and Pazz and Jop winning and who am I to argue? (Hey, the Grammy’s haven’t been horrible lately. What, with The Suburbs, Morning Phase and Golden Hour winning during this decade. I’m used to them sucking ALL the time.)
This is a real pretty record, sometimes beautiful and snob that I am, it's really only that Grammy imprimatur that's keeping me from loving it.
And Mrs. Jaybee admits to liking it. So it looks like I've bought myself more time.
A-
Once I’ve done that, I’ll also try to catch up on records from the prior year that I missed.
The new year also tempts me to reset in some way - maybe re-assess some older records. And, since this is the last year of the decade, why not give another listen to all the music I heard since 2010?
Then there’s the whole World History Project, which will probably go on until I’m dead.
There’s rarely a time when I don’t have some kind of program going on. And right now I’ve got at least three.
So unlike normal people whose decision tree for listening to music may go something like this:
- Do I want to hear this record?
- Yes, then put on it on.
- No, then find another one.
- Is this record part of WHP and are we up to that year yet?
- Yes, then
- Do I feel like hearing it?
- Yes, then put it on.
- No, then
- Is it part of my Decade review?
- Yes, then
- Do I feel like hearing it?
- Yes, then put it on.
- No, then
- Did I buy it recently?
- Am I really enjoying it, or do I need to get to know it better?
- Yes, then
- Do I feel like hearing it?
- Yes, then put it on.
- No, then
- Do I JUST FEEL LIKE HEARING IT?
- Yes, then put it on.
- No, then go back to the shelf and find another.
As embarrassing at this all sounds when written down, I still strangely proud - to the point I find it odd other people don’t do something like it.
So, dear reader, I ask you, do you simply slap on a disc (or play your mp3) a la example one above, or do you have a method?
No?
No all-night “night music” festival?
No stacking of all your live Grateful Dead (or Allman Brothers) albums to simulate an actual show?
No featuring one artist, playing one album after another - no matter how bad the later ones were - until you were done?
So I'll then assume you never have a hip hop weekend?
No blues summer?
No classical winter?
No jazz winter?
Don’t you realize there is layer upon layer of theme, duty, timing, segue, time of day, and time of year to consider??
Don’t you impose any rules on yourself, like: No drastic segues, or don’t play post-Beatle John Lennon on the same day as Post-Beatle George or Paul? (Ringo is fine. He doesn’t count.)
Or only Post Beatles?
All of this is to explain what's taking me so long to keep up. I’m awash in music while simultaneously navigating numerous musical agendas.
But at some point, I must come up for air and report back on what I’ve heard. And I’ve always found the ass-backward approach useful, so let’s deal with some of the new music I’ve just gotten, in descending order of how much Mrs. Jaybee hates it. (What, you don’t think that matters?!)
These records all come from 2018, and all happen to be female artists, none of whom are disappointing:
Snail Mail: Lush (2018)
Mrs. Jaybee hates this record. I barely got to the second song when she said to please stop. When I protested, she put it on to make sure she hated it. And she did.
It’s the voice she said.
But I like it a lot - voice included - so I’m not sure what the problem is. There is a low key whiny-ness to it, and a sameness of tone, but I’ve always been a sucker for that. And the weird-chord droning is cool, too.
Sounds enticing, doesn’t it?
We caught her a few weeks ago when she opened for Interpol and Car Seat Headrest, and she didn’t disappoint. Not me, ‘cause I liked her and not Mrs. Jaybee, because she didn’t.
So I gave it another spin, and I was impressed that the overall sadness didn’t get me down, the guitar playing was agile and the voice committed to each and every song.
Sounds like she’s pretty good-hearted, too. That can help during the cold weather.
A-
“Pristine”
Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy (2018)
Being more involved in the actual world that I am, Mrs. Jaybee already heard - and liked - some of this.
Weirdly fun. Over the top, brassy, obscene as hell, but pretty honest in a real housewives kind of way.
This woman has personality to spare, but I can only take so much.
B+
"Went Through Your Phone Last Night"
Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour (2018)
Grammy and Pazz and Jop winning and who am I to argue? (Hey, the Grammy’s haven’t been horrible lately. What, with The Suburbs, Morning Phase and Golden Hour winning during this decade. I’m used to them sucking ALL the time.)
This is a real pretty record, sometimes beautiful and snob that I am, it's really only that Grammy imprimatur that's keeping me from loving it.
And Mrs. Jaybee admits to liking it. So it looks like I've bought myself more time.
A-
Saturday, January 12, 2019
Eighth Annual Jaybee-bies: The Best of 2018
Well, the old bell curve was bit flatter this year.
During 2017, I heard a lot of very good records but just a few that were great. 2018 had more great stuff but also more disappointments. (How can I be such a pessimist and still manage to get disappointed by things?)
But before getting into the music, let’s see how I did with my 2018 resolutions, broken down by category:
General Classiness:
- Cutting down on saying “Awesome”: A-, but
- I still say “Let's get on the same page” way too much. B-
Health:
- 10,000 steps in a day: C+ (It’s more like 7500.)
- 1,000 words per day. D (It’s more like 75, unless you count talking.)
- More Exercise: B- (Hey, I like to walk but anything else requires too much...exercise.)
- More Vegetables: B- (Do eggplant parmigiana heroes count?)
- Fewer Sweets: B+
- Less Drinking: B+ (Yeah, I'm just a barrel of laughs now.)
Music:
- Fewer CDs, and more mp3s: A- (It’s going great, but I miss CDs! Vinyl, too.)
- Getting current year music: C (Not so good, but then current year music wasn’t so good, either.)
- Guitar: A I got a guitar! And I practice, too! (C- for that, though.)
2019 Resolutions:
- All of the above.
- Oh, and impeachment.
Top Ten Albums:
- Beach House: Bloom (2012) A lotta beauty here. Irridescent
- Superchunk: Majesty Shredding (2010) A lotta joy here. Irresistible
- Beach House: Teen Dream: (2012) Super dreamy, and healing.
- Max Richter: Infra (2010) A modern requiem. Heart wrenchingly sad, but never sappy
- Waxahatchee: Out From the Storm (2017) Tight and tuneful.
- Lori Mckenna: The Bird and the Rifle (2016) Simple, direct. A female, country Neil Young.
- Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: The Nashville Sound (2017) Jason Isbell bares his soul, with a great band to watch his back. Keep going Jason! We’re all rooting for you.
- Drive-By Truckers: Brighter Than Creation’s Dark (2008): So modest you could ignore it, so generous it just chips away at your resistance. They combine the sound of the Stones with genuine country, and excellent songwriting.
- Amadou and Mariam: Welcome to Mali (2008) African music but with rock n' roll guitar.
- Mount Eerie: A Crow Looked at Me (2017) Even more devestating than Intra.
Honorable Mentions:
Favorite Songs: can be found here.
Most Work (But Worth it): Drive By Truckers
Most Work (And Possibly Not Worth It): Speedy Ortiz
Most Surprising: Beach House
Most Disappointing: Superchunk
Best Artist: Beach House
Best Books:
So if you think I missed out on 2018 music-wise, wait until you get a load of this, thanks mostly to the World History Project:
- Hamilton by Ron Chernow: An amazing book. An amazing guy. He makes the biggest workaholic you know sound like a slacker. He should have written a book on productivity.
- Burr by Gore Vidal: A delight, as always, and in the context of the WHP, Vidal clearly worked his ass off.
- Freedom by Jonathan Franzen: It’s been a long time since I read a “good old novel” that kept me involved all the way through to the end. Brainy, but more importantly, lots of heart.
- The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon: Dark, and yet funny as hell.
- Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar: Eloquent, beautifully written
- Washington: Ron Chernow: Great history.
- The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendahl:Funny, cynical, kind of nuts. Very refreshing.
- Thomas Jefferson by Christopher Hitchens: Okay, Tom, Vidal and Chernow - not to mention Hamilton and Washington - think you’re an asshole. So who but Christopher Hitchens could rise to your defense?
- The Thousand Autumns of Jacob Zoet by David Mitchell: History and love.
- The Life of Johnson by Boswell: Even the smartest guys have their blind spots.
Observations:
Like I said, 2018 itself - at least what I heard of it, was less than great. But I’ll be working on the stuff I missed, because I suspect it was a much better year than my ears heard.
Up Next:
Ludvig Van and the 2010s.
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