10 Songs: Saturday, November 15th, 2014
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson, bruno Mars – It starts like Chic before mainlining james brown and it is so good you might wanna kiss yourself. A great piece of funky disco – A
Singles Going Steady: New Single Releases Week Of November 10th, 2014
This Is The Love – Spandau Ballet – Simultaneously dated and pandering, its redeeming quality is Tony Hadley… again. The sax solo is sophisticated stuff but the song doesn’t stick – B
Irving Azoff Threatening To Pull Artists Off Youtube
At the moment, ASCAP and BMI are fighting with Pandora. Every one is fighting with every one and the only thing I think we cann agree upon is that without a shadow of a doubt, whoever wins we will pay.
Bob Dylan's "The Complete Basement Tapes" Reviewed CD 5
First, liner notes helped but I tried not to steal too much. next, the heart of the matter are blues vamps after blues vamps. Writer Rob O’Connor claims it is his favorite, for me? A masterpiece no doubt, but I’m not a big blues guy…
rock nyc Top 10 Songs week of November 10th, 2014
Heavy on the indie hip hop this week, the top slot and two others, and while Southern might not be the definition of indie, or alt for that matter, Big K.R.I.T. sounds like no one. The other two are edge and smart respectively.
10 Songs: Friday, November 14th, 2014
Krill – Hail Mary Marron – Three years after their first album Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic join again with their first rate DJ Big Whiz who manufactures a bass beat to fuel this while the rappers divide and conquer the verses -B+
Bob Dylan's "The Complete Basement Tapes" Reviewed CD 4
So now the first two CDs feel like working off the rust, country and folk covers while they get in a groove, and the 3rd and 4th CDs are the heart of the original material. The problem is, it is a litle too archivival. I’m not trying to pass my exams.
Foo Fighter's "Sonic Highways" Reviewed
The guest stars don’t help, the studios make not a whit of difference, the playing is loud and boring, the middling rock is an affront to 1992. The only reason I didn’t give it a D- is because the album cover is great. It stinks. Grade: D
US Top 10 Singles 11-22-14
The one time I saw The Weeknd live, I was shocked at how lively he was, the poster boy for dark and moody new r&b once he hit the stage simply wasn’t any more. The one time I saw Ariana on stage, she was the pits. Put em together and you have a mediocre but popular song.
US Top 10 Albums 11-22-14
Here comes double platinum in Taylor’s rearview mirror, and we congratulate her, really but a special well done to Better Midler in at # 3 with a pretty good album, it’s the chart placing! Otherwise, jason pulled this albu off Spotify. The world yawns.
10 Songs: November 13th, 2014
A not untypically lachrymose Jackson sounding tearjerker ballad recorded during the Queen sessions for The Work in 1984. Freddie takes the first verse and it is a jolt when MJ takes the second, but there really isn’t enough of it.
Is Bob Lefsetz Being Paid By Spotify Or Rhino? And Why Trust HIm On Taylor Swift??
Whether Swift is weak or powerful, Lefsetz’s actions towards her have been horrible. It feels like bullying and nasty nasty bullying and now we know it is for someone who is, at the very least, indirectly making money off, which makes it very hard to stomach.
Bob Dylan's "The Complete Basement Tapes" Reviewed CD 3
Here we go, all basement tapes 75 all the time and I love it all but especially “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” take one and the stupendous mindbending “I’m Not There”. One of Dylan’s greatest.
Bob Lefsetz: "Taylor Swift Is A Greedy, Thoughtless Person Who's Only About The Bucks"
Lefsetz is biased, he feels biased, he seems to be a shill for Spotify and he certainly gets paid by them, why would he he doing his Rhino Playlist for free? So, he throws his considerable behind a party who is paying him
10 Songs: wednesday, November 12th, 2014
Flicker (Kanye West Rework) – Lorde – They seek him here, they seek him there, well here he is adding a heavy boom like a cannon behind Lorde’s chemically murmured “Yellow Flicker Beat”. – B+
Governors Ball June 5th to June 7th 2015, Presale Thursday November 13th At Noon
I can’t recommend the VIP Three day pass, $615 if you go presale and worth every penny. But I’m an old guy who needs the amenities, if you’re a youngster the $285 (presale including everything) is a great deal. GA sold out last year and I bet VIP will as well (it did for certain days).
Be Here Now: First Take On New Album Releases 11-10-14
Give My Love To London – Marianne Faithfull – Her best album in years begins with a song co-written with Steve Earle and ends with a Leonard Cohen cover about aging and a vibrantly and beautiful Ute Lemper-y cover of a Sinatra classic. In between, she uses her many friends to her own ends and somewhere in the middle covers the Everly Brothers – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A-
Bob Dylan Is Back on Tour, Here Is The Setlist Spotified
Show me a show that opens with “Things Have Changed”, includes another movie soundtrack song, the excellent “Waitin’ For You”, has four songs that open albums, five songs off Tempest, (including the two best) and ends with a very early song and a Sinatra song that will be off his next release, and I’ll show you a set worth catching twice.
Bob Dylan's "The Complete Basement Tapes" Reviewed CD 2
He starts off doing drunken covers, raids the cupboard from some gone and little remembered country and folk contemporaries, and ends up with a handful of originals which are basically blues workouts.
Grade: B+
Last Call: Final Songs On New Albums Week Of November 3rd, 2014
Figure It Out (feat Devonte Hynes And The Force MDs) – Theophilus London – What? Dev and Theo produced by Kanye West? Somebody over at Pitchfork is thumbing their thesaurus hard. It isn’t bad, nice funk rhythm – B+
Must See: Sleaford Mods Late November, 2015
Sleaford Mods give the term scatalogical whole new vistas of meeting, from the piss that smells like bacon introduction all the way and all sides it is livable shit indeed, but the thing is, this is hardcore, on edge, aggro political agitprop and it all works great.
No Dice Tape's "Broken Rainbow" Reviewed
No Dice Tapes is Callum Kirkpatrick of Leeds in England, a one man record label not unlike our old pals at Bridgetown Records in Cali, and he has put together his favorite musicians from all over bedsitland and college campuses to produce this consistently entertaining piece of work
Bob Dylan's "The Complete Basement Tapes" Reviewed CD 1
In roughly chronological order, the first thing you might notice is 16 of these songs are covers. The second is it is footed in country much more than folk. Third? It is awesome.
That Was The Week That Was: November 3rd, 2014
Nothing life changing, not even Stevie, but some pretty decent music. meanwhile, I passed on the country music festival at Randall’s Island The artist list just couldn’t justify the expense.
UK Top 10 Albums: 11-15-14
Nowadays there isn’t elevator music, Muzak, the way there was in my day, high brow low brow mushed up classical instrumentals that played calmly in the background while you were stuck in an elevator for two hours. Don’t know what I mean? Listen to Andre Rieu.
UK Top 10 Singles: 11-15-14
I never much liked Girls Aloud or Cheryl Cole as a solo act but “I Don’t Care” is a pop masterstroke. How Is this possible? It was co-written by Bonnie McKee. who is Bonnie? She had a hand in “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” “Part of Me,” “Wide Awake,” and “Roar” . Any questions? Class dismissed.
10 Songs: Monday, November 10th, 2014
1. Rush Hour – Jane Wiedlin – The former GoGo’s hit from 1988, is a synth piano very 80s pink pop hit and it stands up, well, not that great
FKA twigs At Terminal 5, Saturday, November 8th, 2014, Reviewed
It reminds me conceptually of the Joni Mitchell who wrote “California”. she is sexual but no nonsense, on stage she exudes a sensuality lithe and slithery and wet without being exploitative of herself. It’s a neat trick and will take her far.
Band Aid 30 years On Returns
Now comes word that Geldof is remaking it and so far One Direction have definitely signed on and Adele, Alt-J and Florence +The Machine are in the wings, but could they please just choose another song? Apparently it is to help Ebola which doesn’t seem to need any help in my honest opinion.
Medium Cool: The Week In Talk Show Guests 11-10-14
I’m going with Eric Idle on Craig Ferguson, I am not sure what he is plugging, he just did that Monty Python farewell at 02, and the Handel gig at Carnegie Hall, but what is new??? Maybe Eric is just saying goodbye. wait and see.
Sneak Peaks: Upcoming Album Releases Week Of November 10th, 2014
I expect Röyksopp and Ne Yo to be good, I expect …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Big K.R.I.T. to be good, and I know Marianne Faithful will be excellent because I’ve been listening to it on NPR First Listen. But I anticipate the new Pink Floyd. As for the Foo Fighters? This is a no loser situation, good or (much much more likely) lousy, I highly anticipate some big chuckles.
Let's Active: Week Of November 10th, 2014
I forgot to buy a ticket for Saturday’s gig at BB King’s, the last show ever by the terrific Irish American then Irish again political Irish jig hard rocking band named after a famine. My loss, guys. I am sure we will be hearing more from all the members of the band… the sooner the better
10 Songs: Sunday, November 9th, 2014
I’ll Think Of A Reason Later – Lee Ann Womack – The most human of songs, Lee Ann despises her exes fiancee based on a pic in the social pages, not really fair but that’s country for you: a story so precisely written it is Chekovian with a handful of words – A
Stevie Wonder's "Songs In The Key Of Life" In Performance At Madison Square Garden, Thursday, November 7th, 2014, Take Two
I have never seen him perform any better or any worse than he did Thursday night, he is just about perfection and think of this for a minute: Stevie forgot the words to “Village Ghetto Land” and the importance of that is, since Stevie is blind he has no prompter, no sheet music, nothing
Billy Joel Back To Madison Square Garden 2015
I would love it if Billy performs years of one night concerts, it is such a great idea, he is so good and as we speak I am thinking I’m gonna try and catch him on… THE SECOND SATURDAY IN 2015…
Must See: Taylor Swift 1989
I will be going to both Jingle Ball and Metlife, I mean of course, since her one chance, the chance I mentioned in 2010, to tour theatre size rooms performing acoustic sets are just about over now, is completed. Indeed, even the Tay I was friends with on Facebook has disappeared. In 2010 she is way too big, that’s all.
Don't Miss The Doors "Feast Of Friends" Documentary
“You can see how friendly it was, and there was, and no ego. It was four equal guys,” according to drummer John Densmore. “We tied it together as much as we could and are putting it out as pure as possible, but with really good visual and sound quality.”
Tom Odell Covers Lennon For John Lewis's Annual Christmas Commercial
This year we get “Calvin And Hobbes” as the story of a boy and his penguin! With Tom Odell, who I can take in very short doses, singing Lennon’s not quite completed “Real Love”.
10 Songs: Saturday, November 8th, 2014
JFK – Azealia Banks, Theophilus London – One is the worst tempered rapper named Azealia in the business, the other a close buddy of Kanye, together this is so hip it would make your teeth grind if the sample wasn’t so spritely and the raps so incisive. I am sick to death of the RZA school of ambient sample, this is just a terrific change – A-
"St. Vincent" Reviewed
No alcoholic is remotely like Vincent, nobody recovers from a stroke the way Vincent does, and when he has no way out of a situation guess what? His problem drops dead
Direct Current's Upcoming releases 11/11 – February 2015
A lot of interesting stuff here, Dylan doing standards, the return of Sleater Kinney, Belle And sebastian, TV On The Radio, Trey Anastacio tends to be pretty good solo, AC/DC should be pure murder. But I am really excited over the Thompson family’s Family.
Radio Capital: C U In Jingle Bell Ball 2014
Which leads me to Capital FM –it used to be the old Clash stomping ground and now is an indie Z-100, affiliated with ten other stations nationwide and they have stolen our Taylor and a pretty cool list of other stars for a two day Jingle Bell Ball
rock nyc Top 10 Songs w-o 11-3-14
This is a great list of songs, Pell, Young Fathers (I just got a tix for their April gig at MHOW), Ella, the best country song I’ve heard since “Platinum” and Gwen who, now I come to think of it, owes a lot to Chrissie Hynde in her singing.
10 Songs: Friday, September 7th, 2014
Let’s Love – Peggy Lee – The version on the deluxe Venus And Mars sounds like McCartney, this doesn’t, it sounds like a half remembered bluesy torch song – A-
Chrissie Hynde At Beacon Theatre, Wednesday, November 5th, 2014, Reviewed
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about her singing, the woman has terrific pipes, I’m complaining about the stodgy playing, about the slow pacing, about the bereft of Pretender friendly material. I’m complaining about the lack of razzamatazz and the lack of badass.
Wings' "Venus And Mars" Reviewed
The actual music sounds even better, the band are tight as hell, Allen Toussaint is all over it, and the arrangements are less fussy and more incisive than Band On The Run. Paul is in great voice, he caresses everything he sings, even the rockers.
Singles Going Steady: New Singles Released Week of November 3rd, 2014
The Never (Featuring LV Baby) – Pell – From new Orleans, 21 year old Pell has made a sound called Dream rap whhere he ads rap to singalong New Orleans sing songs and it is absolute terrific… this is the real deal and once the new album comes out this guy should chart. catchy as hell, terrific as can be – A
Must See??? Gaga And Bennett At Radio City Next June, 2015
two New York icons together at a New York landmark for a show that in 20 years (I’ll be… 77!!) will be a legend… hard to deny. I remember seeing Mel Torme and Peggy Lee at Carnegie Hall in the 90s and today it feels like it happened to someone else, it is so beyond the realm of possibilities… and I feel that way about Bennett all the time now
Top 10 US Albums, 11-15-14
Another way to look at it: of the top selling albums on the Billboard 200 chart for the week, 1989 sold more than Nos. 2-107 combined.”
US Top 10 Singles 11-15-14
Sorry, but it is indeed Taylor’s world and we indeed only live in it at her leisure. Meanwhile, this is still a pretty good chart listing. Nothing here I don’t like and I love the top three which is why I am putting up Tove Lo’s picture