Elvis Costello: Get Happy!!

Elvis Costello: Get Happy!!


1980

Riviera Global/Columbia/Rhino Records

Format I Own in on: Vinyl and Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Love for Tender  2. Opportunity  3. The Imposter  4. Secondary Modern  5. King Horse  6. Possession  7. Men Called Uncle  8. Clowntime Is Over  9. New Amsterdam  10. High Fidelity  11. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down  12. Black & White World  13. 5ive Gears in Reverse  14. B Movie  15. Motel Matches  16. Human Touch  17. Beaten to the Punch  18. Temptation  19. I Stand Accused  20. Riot Act

Disc 2 (CD): 1. I Stand Accused (Alternate version)  2. So Young  3. Girls Talk  4. Human Touch (Alternate version)  5. Temptation  6. Motel Matches (Alternate version)  7. Clowntime Is Over No. 2  8. B Movie (Alternate version)  9. Girls Talk  10. Getting Mighty Crowded  11. From a Whisper to a Scream (Alternate version)  12. Watch Your Step (Alternate version) 13. Dr Luther's Assistant



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Note: I didn't get a chance to edit this post, or even read it a second time, so it may or may not make any sense...There's certainly going to be some typos, so make a drinking game out of it, I guess...

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If you ask me on the right day, I'll often declare "Get Happy!!" the second best Elvis Costello album, beating out "This Year's Model" or "Blood & Chocolate" by an inch...The draw here is Elvis and the Attractions trying their hand at an R&B/soul sound...Usually when white artists tackle soul they tend to go the smooth route or mellow out, but instead the group plays it as exciting, angry and nervy as ever! Surprisingly, soul music fits right into Elvis' pre-established sound so effortlessly that it's easy to forget this was a pretty drastic change in sound...

I first bought this album around 2002, from a Bookmans in Tucson Az, which is kind of an Arizona institution...It's primarily a used bookstore but they actually have all kinds of stuff...Here, I'll just let Indiana Bob explain it...

Anyway, I found an Italian version of "Get Happy!!" there...For the longest time I only had the vinyl (the CD was out of print then) and imagine my surprise when  I found out what I thought was side one was actually side two and vice versa...Turns out early copies of the album had the sides mixed up...

So yea, eventually the album was issued on CD and I had to get re-used to the running order, but since the two sides mirror each other so closely it wasn't a huge obstacle or anything...Oh yea, check out the number of songs he crams on here, by the way. 10 songs on each side...It's not a particularly long album or anything (about 48 minutes), most of the songs are around the two minute mark...The long, winding epic here ("Riot Act")  is only three and a half minutes. Usually when this album gets criticized, it's because of the high number of tracks and  the fact that there's a few that are undoubtedly not as strong as the others...

But nothing's really bad, per se...Sure, you could cut five of them and have an absolutely perfect album, but even the weakest material on here is worthwhile...This time when I listened to it, I was specifically targeting the songs that I usually consider the "lesser" material ("Clowntime is Over," "5ive Gears in Reverse," "Motel Matches") and I honestly enjoyed the shit out of each one of them...I think what's skewing things a bit is that Elvis is just peaking out all over the place here. This album probably features more "must have" Attractions songs than any other album...I'm going to lay them all out, and tell me if you agree with me or not...

"Opportunity": Easily one of my favorite tracks by the band. Cool, laid back new-wave/soul with lots of groovy organ playing by Steve Nieve. It sounds so happy and relaxed but Elvis is saying some pretty mean shit and you every lyric hits where it hurts. My personal favorite line:

"The chairman of this boredom is a compliment collector,
I'd like to be his funeral director..."

You can't top that...

Here's "Opportunity"...

"New Amsterdam":  This song was originally a demo with Elvis himself playing all the instruments, and when they tried recording a proper version they couldn't recapture the magic of the original, and no wonder!  Just a flawless little acoustic pop song that's greater than it initially appears to be...Believe me,  after a listen or two you're going to around singing, "'Til I speak double dutch to a real double duchess..."

Here's the video for "New Amsterdam"...

"Possession": Sweet sing-songy soul that weaponizes the opening lines of "From Me to You" by the Beatles and uses them against a hapless Dutch waitress...Again, a song that sneaks up on you when you're not paying attention...

Here's "Possession"...

"The Imposter": I kind of consider this the unofficial Elvis Costello theme song...Allusions to this song pop up often in his career, and he seems to be giving us a brief glimpse of the man behind the glasses in the one place we'd never think to find it...In a deceptively uptempo R&B number...You can't shake the feeling that when he asks, "I Just don't know why you can't see that he is really the imposter?" he's probably talking about himself...After all, "When I said that I was lying, I might have been lying..." A big fat classic....

Listen for yourself...

"High Fidelity": You didn't think I was gonna leave off this one, did ya? This seems to be the one song that everyone agrees on...This has always reminded me of the evil flipside of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding?"  Instead of bursting out of the speakers with optimism, this seems to implode until the chorus eventually provides some catharsis...An ill-at-ease anthem...

...and then there's another five or so songs that I consider to be just a hair less monumental (the grand finale "Riot Act," the straight-up ska of "Human Touch," the Sam & Dave cover, "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down," the Motown tribute "I Stand Accused") that would be the highpoint on any other Attractions album...

 Oh yea, I should mention the extra bonus disc that comes with the Rykodisc reissue...To be honest, I don't find myself spinning these bonus discs too often (Although there's always at least a half dozen killer track on each one, they're sometimes too generous for me...) but this is one of the better ones...For starters you get two different versions of "Girls Talk," which was a song he donated to Dave Edmunds. Although, neither version (one a darker, bass-heavy version, the other done in a more familiar Attractions style) can touch Dave's incredible power-pop version (which isn't surprising, since I consider Edmunds to be one of the greatest interpreter of songs in the history of music...Ridiculously underrated).

There's also a few live tracks on here that knock my funny-looking socks off! "Opportunity" and "The Imposter" are played at a reckless, breakneck speed...Manoman, can we get a live album from this particular tour please?  Oh, and "Hoover Factory," often considered one of Elvis' best outtakes, appears here!  So make sure you snag the Rykodisc double-disc version!

 Alright, I've gotta go do the dishes or something, but before I go, let me say this...You often run across Elvis Costello fans who claim he peaked with the first two or three albums, but I'm saying those folks are dead-ass wrong! That's right! I'm calling  them out! I'm declaring  "Get Happy!!" every bit the equal of the proceeding albums...Hell, this beats "My Aim is True" hands down, IMHO...


HRAE  (Here's "Riot Act." Enjoy...)

Elvis Costello: Armed Forces/Live at Hollywood High

Wow, I completed Make-Up Month, and we now resume the Elvis Costello section already in progress...(Look through the December 2013 archives for previous Elvis entries)...



Elvis Costello: Armed Forces

1979

Columbia/Rykodisc Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl (US Version) & Compact Disc

Track Listing:  US Vinyl Version: 1. Accidents Will Happen  2. Senior Service  3. Oliver's Army  4. Big Boys  5. Green Shirt  6. Party Girl  7. Goon Squad  8. Busy Bodies  9. Moods for Moderns  10. Chemistry Class  11. Two Little Hitlers  12. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?

1993 Rykodisc Reissue CD Version:  1. Accidents Will Happen  2. Senior Service  3. Oliver's Army  4. Big Boys  5. Green Shirt  6. Party Girl  7. Goon Squad  8. Busy Bodies  9. Sunday Best  10. Moods for Moderns  11. Chemistry Class  12. Two Little Hitlers  13. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?  14. My Funny Valentine  15. Tiny Steps  16. Clean Money  17. Talking in the Dark  18. Wednesday Week  19. Accidents Will Happen (Live at Hollywood High)  20. Alison (Live at Hollywood High)   21. Watching the Detectives (Live at Hollywood High)

Hey, are you guys enjoying the Sochi Winter Olympics as much as I am?  I can't seem to tear myself away from the sheer spectacle of it all (I'm tying this into the Elvis Costello post because he wears spectacles too,so it all fits if you think about it)...

Despite my enjoyment, I can't help but feel a little let down for some reason..It's not all that I imagined it would be, so I jotted down a few ideas on how they could have improved it a little...

A performance by none other than Sir Paul McCartney and Archduke Ringo Star to kick off the opening ceremony! Come on! That would have been great! Every ceremony is improved by these guys! Besides, what would be a more appropriate way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles coming to America than a totally unrelated performance in Russia?  Can't you hear them playing "Back in the U.S.S.R?"

I can picture it perfectly: Paul steps up to the mic and sings:

 "Back in the U.S.S.R! Although, I guess that's what you no longer are....so..."

Then Paul stops playing guitar, shrugs his shoulders and exits the stage. Ringo, not realizing anything has happened continues playing unaccompanied for an additional 15 seconds...Then he looks around, realizing he's alone, grabs his suitcase from behind the drum stand and tells the audience, "Sorry. Gotta roon!" and runs away...4 or 5 people in the audience clap once or twice until they realize that no one else is clapping...Everyone looks at each other confused, making a telepathic oath never to mention the incident again...

Ahd why didn't they have that Russian twerking girl perform at the opening ceremony?! Her approval rating is much higher here in the States than Vladimir Putin's!!

Speaking of ol' Vlad Pooty, why didn't they create a new Olympic event that he could win a medal in? Like Olympic "Shirtless Horse-Backing," or something...Sure it might not be pleasant riding a horse shirtless in the middle of a Russian winter, but this is Iron Putin we're talking about...If anyone can do it, it's him!

Boy, I have no idea how to segue this back into Elvis Costello...Oh wait....Yes, I do...

Spectacles...

I originally bought my vinyl copy of "Armed Forces" in Alpena, Michigan back in the 90's...My version didn't have that neat Elephant painting on the front cover (it's the back cover on my version), instead it had some sort of arty Jackson-Pollacky paint spatter...



Anyway, I bought the record, played it a couple times, and put it away...

Then somewhere around 1999,  I put it on again and for some reason it turned my entire world upside down this time..I could finally hear it! Elvis discovers ABBA and when combined with his explosive new-wave/punk style he comes out with a flippin' pop masterpiece! Track after track of the smartest, meanest pop music around...See, folks, pop music doesn't have to be characterized by brainlessness...It's possible to make music that's intelligent and hooky!

Nick Lowe's immaculate production is very rich and ornate, especially when compared to the spare, wiry anger of the previous albums and the lush surroundings make Elvis' lyrical poison all the more potent...He takes on fascism, militarism, wage slavery, and a whole host of other subjects that aren't normally part of the fluffy pop idiom and these juxtapositions makes for some of his all-time best songs... (That's right, I used the word "juxtapositions." That's words worth a whopping 30 points in Scrabble by the way...)

Every single song on Side One is a highlight, but in particular, "Oliver's Army" is an astounding piece of work. Grand washes of tinkling piano, soaring hooks and fascist lyrics paint a dreamy picture of a bleak world. I honestly can't always tell if it's happiness or worry that's swirling around in my stomach while I'm listening to this...

 Or maybe it was the sawdust & horsemeat chili I got from Wendy's this morning...Either way, something's stirring...

I also have to give a shout-out to "Senior Service," which features one of my all-time favorite lyrics:

"They took me in the office and they told me very carefully
The way that I could benefit from death and disability..."

Genius!! I'll be damned if that doesn't sum up the soulless parade of drudgery and humiliation that often goes hand in hand with a 9 to 5 (that is unless you lose your hand...Then you've just fallen into the "benefit" category)...

I should probably mention the US vinyl version I have has a different track listing than the original British version (and subsequent CD reissue)... The American version drops "Sunday Best" and adds his career-highlight cover of Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?"  Which is fine by me..."Sunday's Best" (and maybe "Moods for Moderns") is definitely the low-point of the album...Maybe I'm just not into bitter, vitriolic waltzes...I dunno...But I do know that "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?" is a pure gut-punch of unbridled idealism (or is it devastating realism?) that must have seemed so unfashionable (and awesome) in the midst of the punk rebellion...I remember  hearing this for the first time when I was just a teenager who bought that forest green Elvis Costello greatest hits album that was a big thing back in the early 90's...



...and I knew it was the best song I'd ever heard even before Elvis bellowed a word...As soon as Bruce Thomas lets loose with that introductory snare roll and those three crashing piano chords tore through my bedroom...I can tell you I instantly worshiped the ground the man walked on...A perfect album closer...Interestingly enough, though it wasn't the original closer..."Two Little Hitlers" was. And honestly I love this song almost as much...The album was originally going to be titled "Emotional Fascism" and no other song on the album quite lives up to that title like "Two Little Hitlers" does.   A brutally hilarious look at the spiteful power-struggles that inevitably appear in a relationship:

"Dial me a Valentine
She's a smooth operator
It's all so calculated
She's got a calculator.
She's my soft touch typewriter
And I'm the great dictator.
Two little Hitlers will fight it out until
One little Hitler does the other one's will..."

So fun, and so truthful. And what exactly is this song's connection with producer Nick Lowe's "Little Hitler"?

I'm not sure...Did Elvis knock him off the guestlist? Is Nick Lowe an unnatural man? I doubt these two songs are aimed at each other, since Elvis and Nick enjoyed a long working relationship well after these songs came out...It's probably all just sly self-referencing, but it's still a lot of fun to speculate.

God, I could go on and on about this album all night...Even the outtakes (included in the CD version) are top-notch. I've laid my ears on a lot of albums in my time, and this is without a doubt in my top five...Don't miss out on it!!!!!

(I don't know if that's quite enough exclamation points...Maybe I need one more....)

!

 (there).

Here's "Oliver's Army" by Elvis Costello...Enjoy...

Elvis Costello:Live at Hollywood High

2010

Hip-O Select Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Accidents Will Happen  2. Mystery Dance 3. Lip Service  4. Living in Paradise  5. Goon Squad  6. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes  7. Party Girl  8. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea  9. This Year's Girl  10. No Action  11. Stranger in the House  12. The Beat  13. Alison  14. Lipstick Vogue  15. Watching The Detectives  16. You Belong To Me  17. Radio, Radio  18. Pump It Up  19. Waiting for the End of the World  20. Miracle Man



This wasn't released until 2010, but I decided to include it here, since this concert is so closely tied with "Armed Forces." This is an expanded version of the three song live EP that originally came with initial pressings of  that album...

From the three songs that were included on the ep, I had the impression that this was a partially acoustic, or very low-key show..."Accidents Will Happen" is just Elvis on the piano and the hushed version of "Alison" was almost as quiet...Only "Watching the Detectives" gives any indication of what a corker this show truly was...

It's hard to believe this wasn't released earlier...The sound quality is so pristine (almost studio-quality) and Elvis and the Attractions are captured at their undeniable peak...Boy, they've got a hell of a setlist..."You Belong To Me," "Radio, Radio," "No Action"...Each one played as if the band's very lives depended on it...

I also find the gulf between the angry persona Elvis captures on his records and the jovial, polite figure on display here totally fascinating...When I think of Elvis Costello, I usually picture the scowling man defiantly yanking the cord out of his guitar on Saturday Night Live, but here he sounds like a regular fun-lovin' guy. I particularly love the section where he's flirting with the ladies in the audience and then you realize he's performing in a High School! Who does this guy think he is? Me?!?!?!

Wait...These kids were lucky enough to get Elvis Costello and the Attractions to play at their High School auditorium?!?! How did they pull that one off?!?! We were lucky to get the Flying Aces Frisbee show at ours!

Oh well...Anyway, "Live at Hollywood High" is a musty must MUST for 70's Elvis fans...You're not going to find a better commercially released live performance from the group...Git it!

Here's the live piano version of "Accidents Will Happen."  Tickle those ivories, Elvis! (Actually, this could very well be Steve Nieve playing piano...I don't know if you guys have figured it out or not, but I don't actually know what I'm talking about most of the time...I just make stuff up...Here's an example..."Hey, did you know that Elvis Costello is actually the half-step-brother to distinguished actor Michael Caine?" See, I don't know if that's true or not...I'd be very surprised if it were true, since I just pulled it out of my hat)...Enjoy...

 

Jimmy Cliff: The Best of Jimmy Cliff/ Follow My Mind/The Power and the Glory

Here's a few other albums I've picked up since I wrote the previous Jimmy Cliff posts last year....

Jimmy Cliff: The Best of Jimmy Cliff

1975

Island Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: Disc 1: 1. Hard Road To Travel 2. Sooner Or Later  3. Sufferin' In The Land  4. Keep Your Eyes On The Sparrow  5.Struggling Man 6. Wild World  7. Vietnam  8. Another Cycle  9. Wonderful World, Beautiful People 

Disc 2:  1. The Harder They Come  2. Let Your Yeah Be Yeah  3. Synthetic World  4. I'm No Immigrant  5. Give And Take  6. Many Rivers To Cross  7. Going Back West  8. Sitting In Limbo  9. Come Into My Life  10. You Can Get It If You Really Want  11. Goodbye Yesterday

 "Hi, you're just in time...We were about to knock off early...You see, the ladies behind me have agreed to participate in a wet powersuit contest (if they value their jobs)...Anyway, let's welcome the latest addition to the 2014  Friday Night Record Party Wallpaper Catalog..."

 Catalog No. 00000000000420

Mango Tango (formely Last Mango in Paris)

Now everyday can be Hawaiian Shirt Day! So put on your starchiest, stiffest khaki shorts, have your secretary mix you a Mai Tai and put on some Bob Marley* music while you stare at our relaxing, new wallpaper design for hours and hours this weekend. 

*This wallpaper is not endorsed by the Bob Marley Estate, LLC. This evocation is legally protected under North American Fair Use Laws ( Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107, Article 56, Section 2, Paragraph 8, Sub-Article 254, Page Number 73, Lot 49)

 "Pssst...Don't fuck with me, Old Man...You may have been hot shit in Blue Chip Futures, but you're running with the big boys now....If you can't fuck with the sharks then get your dick out of the water..."

 

  - Slick Snailman, CEO and Head Waitress for Cashco Wallpaper Chemical Corp. LLC, Inc 

(Note: Mr. Snailman's signature is not legally binding)

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"The Best of Jimmy Cliff" is a mighty fine greatest hits double-record set that covers the years he spent with Island Records, where he did a lot of his best work. A quick glance at the track listing reveals all 4 of the legendary "The Harder They Come Tracks"...

Oh yea, speaking of "glancing at the track listing," my copy has little dots next to certain tracks. This is a very common theme when I buy used records...Can someone who was around in the 70's shed some light on this practice?  Did people routinely mark off their favorite tracks, or did it have something to do with radio? I don't know...(for previous record cover scrawls, check out my AC/DC "Highway to Hell" section and my Jimmy Cliff" The Harder They Come' section).

If you're one of those people who think all reggae sounds the same, then Jimmy Cliff might be a good choice for you. I almost hesitate to label him a "reggae" star, and tend to think of him more as a Jamican pop artist, since he's just as likely to do uptempo R&B ("Goodbye Yesterday," "Give And Take"), soul ballads ("Another Cycle," "Sitting in Limbo," "Many Rivers to Cross"), epic rock ("Keep Your Eyes on the Sparrow") as ska or reggae. His angelic voice seems to suit any genre just fine, I bet he could bust out a Post-Harcore/Pre-Math/Spuzz-Fusion track and it'd sound pure and lovely.

Oh, and if these dots represent choice cuts on the album, Mr. Marks-His-Records really missed out on "Goodbye Yesterday." I'm struggling to think of how the song could sound any happier, it's the kind of bright sunshine soul that makes you happy to be alive...If this song would just automatically start as soon as I opened my eyes every morning, I think it might actually curb the 10-15 minutes of early morning scowling and bitterness that comes with each new day...

I picked this up at Eastside Records and while it cost me a little bit ($10), it was totally worth it to get my hands on some of the tracks I've missed out on (many of the Island era records are ridiculously out of print)...Oh, and I loved the insert sleeve showing the other Island records available...Here, I scanned the insert so you can see it too...Nice stuff, a lot of classic reggae and...Swamp Dogg?!...

I should also mention the liner notes located in the inside cover...I don't think I've ever read liner notes so critical of their subject! They really paint an unflattering image of Jimmy as a sort of despairing has-been who could be popular again someday if he'd stop screwing around...And this was written during what is now considered his golden era! No pleasing some people, I guess...

Anyway, here's "Goodbye Yesterday" by Jiminy Cliffit...Enjoy...

 Jimmy Cliff: Follow My Mind

1976

Reprise Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Look At The Mountains 2. The News  3. I'm Gonna Live Im Gonna Love  4. Going Mad  5. Dear Mother  6. Who Feels It Knows It  7. Remake The World  8. No Woman No Cry  9. Wahjahka Man 10. Hypocrites  11. If I Follow My Mind  12. You're The Only One


Yea, this record! I spent years searching for this one...My obsession with it started in 2006 when I purchased the Saturday Night Live season 1 dvd...

On the January 31, 1976 episode Jimmy Cliff was the musical guest, and he performed the familiar "The Harder They Come" selections, but wait...What was this third song? I had never heard it, and my God it's AMAZING!  I was able to ferret out an answer online (what did I do before the internet? I used to just walk around, plagued by questions and had no way of finding out, until I accidentally came across the answers years later....) and immediately hit the record stores in search of the album that housed "Wahjahka Man," but to no avail. I couldn't find it, and online copies were too damn expensive.

A few months back I walked into the new Zia Records location and came across a vinyl copy for four bucks...SOLD! I took it home and spent the day spinning the record...

This record sees Jimmy trying to reconnect with his roots...This is almost all squarely roots-reggae, however, I kind of miss the adventurous spirit of the surrounding albums. Remember this was shortly after "The Harder They Come" film, and I think it seemed like Jimmy could be the next Bob Marley for a moment, so he really goes for it here...Going as far as covering Bob's "No Woman, No Cry." I think this gambit might have worked if Jimmy had gone for a more unvarnished  sound, but the slick pop production blunts its impact somewhat (and the claustrophobic paranoia of "The News" shows that Jimmy might not be cut out for super-stardom anyways)...So I don't think this album made him the #1 reggae star as intended, but it really is a nice, slick collection of 70's pop reggae...

"Wahjahka Man" is absolutely the album highlight...That exultant, globe-spanning chorus hits me every time, if he had manged a few more songs of this caliber "Follow My Mind" would have easily stood as one his best albums, but it ends up being characterized by more humble pop anthems like "Look At The Mountains," where you certainly feel good while listening to them, but you don't quite feel the heavens opening up...I know that's asking a lot of a song, but Jimmy at full power is often capable of delivering these transcendent moments, so it's hard not to make these demands of him...

Other notable are tracks are "Dear Mother," which is a lovely tribute to  his Mom...Man, what a nice song...I think other artists should follow his lead and sing songs about their Mothers...As far as I know, the only other musician of note who wrote as loving tribute was Mr. T, in his hip-hop masterpiece "Treat Your Mother Right."

 "You're The Only One" also distinguishes itself by being the only non-reggae track on the album...This song is the type of serene, reflective soul that had become a large part of Jimmy's sound by this point. This really is a good album, full of beautiful singing (although beautiful singing is pretty much a given on a Jimmy Cliff album) and I think it might actually work okay as an introduction to his work, since it's probably the most generically "Jimmy Cliff" album, seeing that it's all straight-ahead reggae, tailor-made for an easy-going Sunday afternoon...

Here's "Wahjahka Man," the song that hit me between the eyes, lo, those many years ago...

Jimmy Cliff: The Power and the Glory

1983

Columbia Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. We All Are One 2. Sunshine In The Music 3. Reggae Night  4. Piece Of The Pie  5. American Dream  6. Roots Woman 7. Love Solution  8. Power And The Glory  9.  Journey


Whenever I showed this record to anyone, they would always look at it and say some variation of the line, "Ooo. Weird/Scary...Look at his eyes..." I would be somewhat confused and say, "Uhhh...yea..." not really understanding what was wrong with his eyes...

 But then a few weeks ago I was looking at it and I suddenly saw what they were seeing!

See, I was looking at it correctly, and saw Jimmy's pupil's looking to the far right and blending into the shadows along with his eyebrows.... 

But everyone else I'd showed it to saw the black specks in the middle of his eyeball as tiny, evil pupils, giving the impression of this being a zombie Jimmy Cliff...

So if you look at again now, in this light, it is a bit spooky and hilarious...

Okay, enough with the cover, let's get down to the music...We're definitely in 1980's territory here, with all the usual signifiers (synths, pristine plasticky sound, drum machines) but as far as 80's albums go this is pretty tasteful, and waaay better done than the other 80's Jimmy Cliff album I previously covered (1986's "Cliffhanger")  Although it doesn't have a song as great as "Arrival," some of these come pretty damn close...

Opening track "We All Are One" is wonderful, and it's the exact type of thing he should have been doing in the 80's (since gritty roots-reggae was apparently out of the question during this era)...A slick, light-funk sound with a seemingly low-key chorus that manages to stay burrowed in your head all day...

"Piece Of The Pie" is a surprisingly powerful reggae track full of righteous indignation, and along with "American Dream," gives the album a much needed touch of grit and social consciousness that reminds us that reggae was once more than relaxing vacation music (although, to be honest, even the most furious of reggae songs seem to function as relaxing vacation music...)

I should probably also mention the album's big hit, "Reggae Night," which is a soft-pop tune that manages to cheese itself into your head...Sort of a close relative of the uptempo stuff that Lionel Richie did around the same time, but with an island twist...I know I shouldn't like it, but goddammit I do...This is another La Toya Jackson co-write, and just like her contributions to "Cliffhanger" it manages to steal the show. So wait, if I picked up a La Toya Jackson album is there a chance I might actually...gulp...Enjoy it? Boy, there's a lot of hard questions I have to ask myself...Go ahead and contemplate this while I post another picture of La Toya's big boobs...That seemed to get my blog a lot of hits last time...

What?! You say the Friday Night Record Party objectifies women? Alright...For all our female readers here's a cowboy with rock hard abs or something...

See, we don't just objectify women, we objectify men too!  The Friday Night Record Party views all humans as objects, period. Yep, objects for our debased amusement...

Anyway, toss in the sprightly soul-pop of "Love Solution" and you've got a supremely enjoyable album that should appeal to pop reggae fans and 80's pop fans alike...Doesn't have the gravity of the 70's albums, but it's easy to forget about gravity for a moment when the pop is this sweet...Here's the video for "Reggae Night" by Jimmy Cliff...Listen to this! JAM IT!!!

 

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)/Doc at the Radar Station

Here are a couple of Captain Beefheart albums I acquired since writing the previous posts...I'm putting them both in one post for your convenience...Well, actually it's for my convenience...Here we go...




Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)

1978

Warner Bros. Records

 Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. The Floppy Boot Stomp  2. Tropical Hot Dog Night  3. Ice Rose  4. Harry Irene  5. You Know You're a Man  6. Bat Chain Puller  7. When I See Mommy I Feel Like a Mummy  8. Owed t'Alex  9. Candle Mambo  10. Love Lies  11. Suction Prints  12. Apes-Ma


As someone who didn't know better, when I read that Captain Beefheart had made a pair of standard issue soft rock albums in the 70's I was kind of excited to hear them...The very thought of the Captain spewing his surrealist poetry over an AM radio backing sounded very promising, but the reality was quite different...There's no way about it, 1974's "Unconditionally Guaranteed"  and "Bluejeans & Moonbeams" both truly sucked when compared to what Van Vliet had released before. Luckily, he came to his senses and quickly rebounded with the fan-freakin'-tastic "Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)."

This album's origins lie in the "lost" album simply titled "Bat Chain Puller." But the album's release was blocked by his childhood friend(?) Frank Zappa, so the band re-worked and re-recorded the album as "Shiny Beast."  Now, I've listened to the original "Bat Chain Puller" and I don't think "Shiny Beast" quite lives up to that album's more hard-edged sound, but it's hard to be too disappointed when everything here is so great.

The song "Bat Chain Puller" is definitely in the running for best Beefheart track ever..."BAAAAAA-AAAAAA-AAAAT chain puller. puller." Fluidly mangled instrumentation that sounds like a jerky locomotive chopping down the tracks, or possibly a set of malfunctioning windshield wipers. Listen to the Captain howl and rasp:

"A chain with yellow lights
That glistens like oil beads
On its slick smooth trunk
That trails behind on tracks, and thumps
A wing hangs limp and retreats...

Ripples felt fades and grey sparks clacks,
Lunging the cushioned thickets.
Pumpkins span the hills
With orange crayola patches.
Green inflated trees
Balloon up into marshmallow soot..."

So vivid you can practically smell the rich, damp countryside as the train rolls on... The instrumentation grows screwier and more intense with every tumble...Another notable stop on this fantastic voyage is "Tropical Hot Dog Night." It's  really unlike anything I've ever heard before, sort of like listening to Jimmy Buffett being turned inside out, revealing a complex network of neon innards...Or as Beefheart so succinctly puts it in the song, "Like two flamingoes in a fruit fight..." Yea, listening to this leaves the faint taste of splattered passion fruit on your taste buds...

"Ice Rose" sounds exactly like Frank Zappa for some reason.... Even though their lives and band members overlapped, I don't usually hear much in common, music-wise, between the two artists, except here...It has the same clipped and climbing xylophone that's synonymous with 70's Zappa...Is it a parody designed to piss off Frank in retaliation to the whole "Bat Chain Puller" debacle, or just coincidence? I don't really know...

The album kind of hits a bit of a lull at this point,  "Harry Irene " is basically standard English music hall, that's only worthwhile for getting to hear the band attempt standard English music hall.  "You Know You're a Man" is straightforward blues-rock that's only worth a listen for Captain Beefheart's brilliant vocal take ...

Side two, on the other hand, is pretty much all top-notch...You can practically hear Beefheart wheezing ancient dust on "When I See Mommy I Feel Like a Mummy," and "Candle Mambo" is stunning, mainly because as I listened, it suddenly clicked that a candle's flame really does mambo! And they wrote the perfect soundtrack for the dancing flame...This really ratchets up the emotion as it builds for some reason and by the song's conclusion, your stomach is somewhere in the stars..Inexplicable. 

Whenever I listen to "Love Lies" I can't help but think of a barnacle-encrusted funeral band marching zombie-like through an eternally flooded New Orleans...Captain Beefheart leading them and howling at a watery moon...Man, I really hate describing these Beefheart albums...You've really just got to experience them for yourself...You'll either be amazed at all the new, twisted shapes he's managed to wrangle from the same old rock n' roll formulas or it's going to sound like a lot of noise and you're going to want to shut it off immediately...

Either way, here's "Bat Chain Puller" by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band...Love it or shut it off...

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Doc at the Radar Station

1980

Virgin Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Hot Head  2. Ashtray Heart  3. A Carrot is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond  4. Run Paint Run Run  5. Sue Egypt  6. Brickbats  7. Dirty Blue Gene  8. Best Batch Yet  9. Telephone  10. Flavor Bud Living  11. Sheriff of Hong Kong  12. Making Love to a Vampire with a Monkey on My Knee


You probably don't remember, but when I was doing the other Captain Beefheart posts, I declared "Lick My Decals Off, Baby" his best album. Well, that was only because I'd never heard this one. This has become my hands-down favorite Beefheart album.

Van Vliet has often claimed to dislike the punk and new wave acts he inspired, but it's hard to believe he didn't pick up on some of that energy on this record. It seems more stripped-down, jagged and plasticky than before. As soon as you lay the needle down on side one, the angular rhythm of "Hot Head"  sends polyethylene shards shooting in all directions...Not to mention, the lyrics to "Ashtray Heart:"

"You used me like an ashtray heart,
Case of the punks,
Right from the start..."

His delivery has also picked up on an existential terror that wasn't so prominent before...Just listening to his hoarse, panicked delivery on "Telephone" is enough to inspire heart palpitations and profuse sweating. Although, to be honest, I'm usually always profusely sweating so I might not be able to pin that one on Captain Beefheart.

I have to hand it to "Making Love to a Vampire With a Monkey on my Knee." It's batshit crazy even by his normal standards. He sounds legitimate terrified and relieved as he screams,

"God, please fuck my mind for good!
Making love to a vampire with a monkey on my knee. 
Oh fuck that thing.. .fuck that poem...eyes crawl out with maggots,
White cloth bones pile up light thrown blades
Rags 'n skull.. scoops soil cracks.. .drain screams..
please take my hand 'n join me..."

But it's not all deliberate ugliness, there's a few moments of beauty, like the  serene instrumental "A Carrot is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond," and despite the ragged distorted guitar playing, "Sue Egypt" manages a sort of natural luminescence. Huh.

So yea, this is the best Captain Beefheart album I've heard. If you're new to his music this would undoubtedly be the place I'd point you. Looking back, I'm very surprised any of us ever got to hear this. This guy was so out there that I doubt even the indiest of indie labels would sign him these days, let alone a major! Hell, he was even a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, shortly after the release of this album. I don't know how this happened.

 I can only attribute it to the fact that he emerged during the psychedelic era, where the goal (for awhile anyway) seemed to be pushing the envelope more and more each time, so I think it probably seemed logical at that point that the Captain could have conceivably found an audience. Turns out his commercial failure helped outline the boundaries of what was "acceptable" within the music business...Nowadays everything is so pre-fabricated and test-marketed, there's no way an album like "Doc at the Radar Station" could be released and especially no way they'd let such an iconoclastic figure anywhere near a television studio.  Could also be that no other artist has simply even considered pushing things as far as Van Vliet did. The pain-staking recreation of random moments is a pretty daunting task once you think about it...So there might be no modern analogue to Captain Beefheart beacuse there is no longer a Captain Beefheart.I can see that, I guess...

Anyhoo, here's "Telephone." Enjoy...

Buzzcocks: Spiral Scratch

Buzzcocks: Spiral Scratch

1979

New Hormones Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Breakdown  2. Time's Up  3. Boredom  4. Friends of Mine



I bought this 7 inch at Eastside Records on my birthday, last October. I kind of splurged on it ($14.99 bucks for a single!!) but I've been looking for a copy and they stated it was a second pressing, so I went for it...

...In the end I think I was swayed by the price tag that had the happy little tooth on it! So cute! Nothing like my angry teeth!

This is of course, the Buzzcocks legendary debut...Notable at the time for being self-released, which helped established the DIY ethos in the punk scene...It's also their only release with Howard Devoto (later of post-punk group Magazine) on vocals...

Growing up, I kept reading that the Devoto-lead Buzzcocks were a different animal than the Pete Shelley incarnation, but I was surprised to hear they pretty much sound exactly the same...Ridiculously energetic, pop songs with helium-voiced hooks and snappy drumming...John Maher is easily one of my favorite punk drummers of all time...I'm certain I've already raved about his fast and clean style in a previous post, but I honestly don't think I can rave on enough...This guy is fantastic!

My favorite track has to be the opener "Breakdown," which I originally encountered in a Shelley-sung version on the "French" live album...

Am I sure this is Howard Devoto? This sounds like Pete singing, but the cover only credits him as guitar and backing vocals....Huh...Anyway. it sounds like British Invasion pop on speed: Mouth foaming and anxious to get off the stage so they can read some book on existential french philosophy or something, and "Breakdown" exemplifies this style more effectively than any other track in the band's repertoire.

"Boredom" is another drop-dead classic that's remained an enduring entry into the Buzzcocks canon . Listen to them sing about boredom like it's the most exciting thing on Earth! Their boredom must be a lot more fun than mine...

My boredom usually involves some sort of Power-Point packed meeting or maybe a particularly long DMV line....That's why I usually try to have some Buzzcocks music on hand to help their boredom alleviate my boredom...

Hmm, I was about to end this post, but it feels too short...It's kind of hard to do a lengthy post on a single..I guess I could mention the other two songs..."Time's Up" has some pretty amusing response vocals...and "Friends of Mine" is all right...

Man! Still too short. How can I make this seem longer?

Ahhh, I know...Here's a 40 minute powerpoint video about Marketing...This should feel like an eternity...

Okay, here's "Breakdown" by the Buzzcocks...You've earned it...