Please notice that I have added a link above to Daytrotter. The stuff they are doing is way too cool and many bands I follow are on there. Check them out and explore some new bands - it's worth the time. Plus the illustrations they have are super cool.
(vinyl)
Ready, FIRE, aim (6/14-7/4):
R.E.M. - Document
Jim Croce - I Got A Name (vinyl)
Janis Joplin - I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! (vinyl)
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock N' Roll (vinyl)
Nirvana - In Utero
Nirvana - Incesticide
Ry Cooder - Into The Purple Valley
Rolling Stones - It's Only Rock N' Roll
Lenny Kravitz - It Is Time For A Love Revolution
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long
| Chatham County Line - IV |
Marc Ford - It's About Time (The Black Crowes)
Ron Wood - I've Got My Own Album To Do (Rolling Stones)
The Joe Perry Project - I've Got The Rock N' Rolls Again (Aerosmith)
Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds - Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds (Guns N' Roses)
R.E.M. is just not one of my favorite bands, but Document contains my two favorite songs by them - It's The End Of The World and The One I Love. At a Jr. HS talent show some friends of mine performed the latter tune and I instantly loved the song, but this was WAY before I had any idea who R.E.M. was or any band really to that point. For a band that isn't really a hard core rock band - this song has some cojones.
Perusing through the extensive vinyls available at Nice Price Books (Carrboro branch) I came across this Janis Joplin album and passed on buying it several times. Eventually the temptation was too great and I broke down on popping on it. The record - I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! which is Janis' debut solo album. It has no "classic" tunes, but this album is solid. It isn't her normal blues rock, but rather a soul/R&B style sound not unlike James Brown or classic soul music of that era. I was pleasantly surprised with my purchase. The CD re-release includes some bonus tracks, but the version I have is as it was originally released.
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts!! What a cool name for a rocker and band!? Of course the title track is well known by everyone - I Love Rock N' Roll. What may not be known by many - self included - was that it is actually a cover. The album also includes a cover of Crimson And Clover by the Tommy James and the Shondells. I'm not sure if there is a true queen of female rockers, but I'll be casting my ballot for Joan in if there is ever an election.
Nirvana isn't tops on my list of classic bands and neither of these albums did much in the way of changing my opinion. In Utero contains the hit Heart Shaped Box, but I preferred Incesticide despite it's lack of radio hits. Despite being an Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin fan Cobain captured how commercial rock was becoming in the era with Aero Zeppelin . Perhaps he was just angry at not having the same success, but regardless of his reasoning he hit the nail on the head.
Since I've gone into grand detail on how much I like Lenny Kravitz - I defer to the review from allmusic above for It Is Time For A Love Revolution. It captures my thoughts more precisely than I could re-create myself. I will also punt my review to allmusic again for Maroon 5 with It Won't Be Soon Before Long. When I was listening my ears were convinced I was hearing a Justin Timberlake album. Turns out they agree.
Q: What do Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and Izzy Stradlin have in common?
A: Both worked with Slash most recently on his latest solo album featuring a plethora of lead singers and other famous musicians. Izzy also played rhythm guitar with Slash in this rock n' roll band called Guns N' Roses. And that is where our theme for this week comes from - guitarists and their solo albums - which completes the circle that started at Slash's solo album. This posting the solo efforts of Izzy Stradlin, Joe Perry, Ron Wood, and Marc Ford made it into rotation. As noted above, the bands from which they hail are rock royalty.
Marc Ford's Two Mules And A Rainbow and Cry, Moan & Wail are two marvelous tunes. Marc's voice and guitar style are a perfect fit. His first departure from The Black Crowes led to It's About Time which showed he was overdue to make his own album. Ford enlisted Berry Oakley Jr. for this album, the son of The Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley. As stated in a much earlier post, Berry Jr. also played in Bloodline with Joe Bonamassa in which he used his father's "Tractor" bass. Fender copied all the specs of that bass to market as the Berry Oakley model.
Long time member of the Rolling Stones also member of The Faces & Jeff Beck Group - Ron Wood. Doing research I came across the Ronnie Wood Gallery and was amazed at just how talented he really is. In addition to being perhaps one of the best slide guitarists of all time, he has created some great art. Are you ready for a crazy 360 degree connection this week? Ronnie released his solo debut the same year as It's Only Rock N' Roll. You could almost consider it a dual Stones release as Jagger and Richards both contributed to Ronnie's I've Got My Album To Do while Ronnie first appeared on a Stones record. The plot thickens though as the aforementioned I Love Rock N' Roll was quoted by author Merrill as "a knee-jerk response to The Rolling Stones' 'It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)'." To further complete the loop, Ronnie has an upcoming new solo release that will feature none other than - Slash and Flea. Whew!! What a tangled musical tapestry!?
Joe Perry and Izzy round out the solo albums with even more connections. G'NR covered the Aerosmith tune Mama Kin and the bands toured together early in the Gunner's career. These two albums have one very large thing in common - ripping guitar work with less than perfect songwriting. Both I've Got The Rock 'N Rolls Again and Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds are great albums that showed off the talents of guitarists ready to do there own thing just like the ones above. So here's to guitarists with egos to do their own album!!! Notice all albums start with that one letter word "I".......yeah that's a stretch, but not too big of one.
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