The Giant Panther

Alright, I admit it...I'm on a Classic Rock jag lately. It doesn't make me a bad person. Last night The Who came to the Naming Rights For Sale Garden here in Boston. They must have played this parcel of land 20-25 times over the years, but I have no facts to support that claim. I do know that I'm well into double digits when it comes to attending Who concerts. My admiration for The Who, full disclosure here, knows little bounds. I no longer listen to Classic Rock radio or pull out Who's Next, but they are part of my DNA without question. Quadrophenia has got to be my favorite album of all time. Soak that in. I own about 4000 CDs and roughly 1200 albums. While I'm here I'm going to volunteer my top five; Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin, The White Album by The Beatles, Exile on Main Street by The Rolling Stones, Quadrophenia by The Who and, until further notice, Elton John's Goodbye Yellowbrick Road. Let the criticism commence. Yes they are all double albums, but that is what makes them so great. It's a list of older records no doubt, but they have yet to be dethroned and I worship an awful lot of music for better or for worse.

It's easy to make jokes about aging Rockers (or Mods for that matter), but aside from maybe U2 & The Rolling Stones, I have yet to see any band continually soldier on with such consistently great performances. You know they have to be sick of playing certain songs, but they still are fantastic in concert. I don't even care what The Who play anymore. If I never see Roger Daltrey swing a microphone or Pete Townshend crank out a windmill chord again it wouldn't bother me in the least. It's kind of comical actually seeing them do it to be honest. But don't be fooled into thinking I won't be wriggling all over town when Angus Young shows up next month in his school boy outfit. These days Who concerts are great excuses for 10-12 friends and I to get together and socialize. Boy did we socialize last night. We had a great turnout and a great night.

There was an article in Classic Rock magazine over the summer declaring 1973 the greatest year in the history of rock. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon was released. So was David Bowie's Alladin Sane. And Led Zeppelin's House of The Holy. The list reads like a Who's Who (to coin a phrase) of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...check it out and you will find other rock classics. Alice Coooper's Billion Dollar Babies. Aerosmith Aerosmith. Lynyrd Skynyrd's Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd. Genesis' Selling England By The Pound. Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. New York Dolls New York Dolls. Iggy & The Stooges' Raw Power. Bruce Springsteen's Greeting From Asbury Park. Roxy Music's For Your Pleasure. And that barely scratches the surface. The argument was pretty compelling. In November of 1973 The Who released Quadrophenia. Words cannot really express my love for this record. Pete Townshend's story telling is at a career peak here. Keith Moon's drumming is flat orgasmic to these ears. John Entwistle's thundering bass in songs like The Real Me is tremendous. The urgency in Roger Daltrey's voice really hits home for me on this record. You hear the phrase Rock Opera tossed around a lot and I'm not even sure I know what that means, but as much as I loved Tommy this CD still blows me away after all these years. I realize I am biased, but it astounds me how overlooked this record is to this day. Even casual Who fans barely know anything beyond Love Reign O'er Me (the first song I'd vote off the island if forced to make a choice). I remember as a kid coming up with $7.99 or whatever double albums used to cost was tough, but it baffles me how the radio keeps playing throwaway cuts like Squeeze Box or You Better You Bet when this CD is jam packed with brilliant music. I remember a couple of years back The Who played the whole record in concert. I sang until I was hoarse and probably embarrassed myself as the folks sitting near me were clearly learning the words for the first time as they stared at me. OK, I've made whatever point I came to make. I'm probably the only loser in the whole world that thinks as highly of this record, but I don't care. I'm going to have a copy right by my side when they lower me that last six feet. And I'm here to tell you that even half The Who still gets it done in concert folks.

www.classicrockmagazine.com

A couple of weeks ago I had occasion to see The Dandy Warhols perform at The Wilbur Theatre here in Boston. The Wilbur Theatre is a firetrap of a playhouse now vying for a piece of the rock concert business mere blocks from the venerable Orpheum Theatre. I've seen hundreds of concerts at The Orpheum over the years, but this was my first Wilbur Theatre concert. There was a small snag with their liquor license, as in they don't have one just yet, so this turned out to be a dry concert. Not my first choice as an Irishman, but I dutifully paid my $5 for bottled water and settled in to my first row dead center mezzanine seat that I bought on my way in. In fairness, it was a Tuesday night and bands literally pour into the Boston market when the kids come back for school. I love this time of year. Anyway, the Wilbur does something I'm not so pumped about on the first floor with the seating. They pull the chairs like some dance club so there is no assigned seating. Even as a young whipper snapper I wasn't much for rushing the stage and getting trapped in a sea of humanity. No alcohol and mezzanine seats are usually a tough combination, but I had a blast at this show. There wasn't a sole blocking my view and I could see everything. As any red blooded American male is wont to do, my eyes were trained on Suicide Girl model Zia McCabe working the keyboards and other fun stuff. She was having fun it seemed to me. Sometimes bands go through the motions, but I didn't get that impression on this night. The Dandies are trippy, no doubt, and their CDs can be hit or miss, but I'm a big fan and Welcome To The Monkey House is their best album in my opinion. Dandy Warhols Come Down and 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia might get some votes, but this CD is their most complete. I've successfully recommended this CD to one of my old high school buddies who lives in Jacksonville, FL and he took to it right away. That is not easy. I have had some trouble getting him to listen to many of the records I recommend because he's got no point of reference and listening to new music takes work. Amazingly, not everybody has the patience for that plus Jacksonville is not exactly a musical hotbed unless you count Molly Hatchet. Don't laugh. Ahhh, Gator Country...

Radio is flat useless for promoting anything off the beaten path these days and if you aren't combing the trade rags for Indie reviews or different music you'll just have to be content to buy the new U2 and make the dreaded conversion to talk radio. Honestly, is anything more mundane? ZZZZZZZZ. I'd rather have a book read to me than listen to Johnny Moron pontificate (note to self...YOU are Johnny Moron) about anything because he or she has too much time on his hands. Bands like the Dandy Warhols have MySpace, touring and college radio at best to make a name for themselves. It's a massive struggle. Well, I'm here to tell you this CD is a blast. The Dandies hail from Portland, Oregon and count The Beatles and My Bloody Valentine as a couple of their influences. I must have listened to this CD 200 times since I bought it in 2003 and every time I dust it off I get a big kick out of it. Consider adding it to your collection. I'm leaving you with I Am Over It. Go see these folks play. It's a lot of fun.

I decided today to try and tackle Ulysses again, for about the eighth time since I bought the book. Joyce was known for use of stream of consciousness writing, so I figure it might be fun to try a full post of whatever songs pop up in a mental chain (and with the help of Itunes handy search box). Shouldn't be hard to figure out how these songs connect, as I put little to no thought into it (I think that's the point).

I remember we tried this writing style a few times in class, we were supposed to keep the pen on the paper without picking up or stopping, and just write whatever popped into our heads. HTML code and uploading files to free hosting servers is very un-stream of consciousness, so I think I'll do all the typing now, and then handle the dirty work.
Here goes...



MP3: Simple Minds - Glittering Prize - YSI

I woke up this morning with this song stuck in my head, what better way to start my post. I've always loved how this song just starts right away, no intro, no fade in, gets right to the point. This album is a classic, if you only know Simple Minds from Breakfast Club, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. "Shine on, shine your light on me"..

From New Gold Dream - Buy Here

MP3: Pavement - Gold Soundz - YSI

Any song using a z instead of an s gets an automatic thumbs up in my book. If you don't know Pavement, this is the best tune to start out with, off their second album. I eased my way in to Sonic Youth and others via Pavement, one of the best of the early 90s.

From Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain - Buy Here

Mp3: Broken Social Scene - Ibi Dreams Of Pavement - YSI
Every BSS song is unique and somehow manages to cram in layer after layer without ever getting muddy. This song teeters on muddy, but never steps in it.

From Broken Social Scene - Buy Here

MP3: The Beta Band - Broken Up Adingdong - YSI
Beta Band is one of those bands that reassures you no matter how wacked out they may get, you can rest assured they will remain cool. This song and album are no exception.

From The Beta Band - Buy Here

MP3: Band Of Bees - No Trophy - YSI
Has a laid back dub feel from a bunch of white English guys. They went on to change their name to The Bees, probably for legal reasons, in my opinion Band Of Bees was way better. There aren't that many living creatures left to start a "Band Of" band name, so if you're starting a band, jump on "Band Of Armadillos" while it's still available. Forget wolf names too, they are all used up.

From Sunshine Hit Me - Buy Here

MP3: The Octopus Project - Bees Bein' Strugglin' - YSI
I don't typically get into instrumental bands on the whole, but The Octopus Project is an exception, they always craft songs that are dynamic enough to keep me interested, even if there aren't vocals. Hey Octopus, there's a good creature name to use, great job.

From Hello, Avalanche - Buy Here

Interpol - Say Hello To The Angels - YSI
I still remember the first time I grabbed this album, was thinking to myself "there is finally going to be good music again". That was also around the same time it was still considered cool to wear a "Turn On The Bright Lights" t-shirt. Sorry Newbury Comics guy, everybody knows about Interpol now, you may have to move on.

From Turn On The Bright Lights - Buy Here

MP3: Temple Of The Dog - Say Hello To Heaven - YSI
Talents from two of the best alternative rock, grunge rock, whatever you want to call it bands of all time.

From Temple Of The Dog - Buy Here

Mp3: The Slip - Jumby - YSI
If you don't know The Slip, start picking up albums as quickly as you can get them. These guys make some of the best unclassifiable music out there. If I had to take a stab, I guess mix Jazz with Jam Band to start.

From Angels Come On Time - Buy Here

MP3: Talking Heads - Slippery People - YSI
This song has always reminded me of sex for some reason. I think it may have been used in an 80s movie during a sex scene, but it always just had a dirty feeling to me. This by the way is one of the best albums of all time in my humble opinion, featuring my favorite song of all time, "This Must Be The Place". I own it on special edition clear vinyl, but too scared to play it.

From Speaking In Tongues - Buy Here

MP3: The Ponys - Small Talk - YSI
To be honest I don't know much about the Ponys, but their songs are dark and remind me of Sonic Youth, Pixies etc, and that is a good thing. I'm done with my first Stream Of Consciousness Shuffle, as I had hoped, I came across a few tunes I haven't listened to in a long time and I'm glad I did. I've talked about this at length with John (see his Insipid Record Collection posts), and sometimes we both feel like we have just too much music to cram it all in (wah). This was a great exercise in uncovering some of that music, hope you enjoyed.

From Turn The Lights Out - Buy Here

I know I've been writing about some older records lately, but you'll have to trust me when I tell you that I'm all over the road. I grew up in New Jersey, but that has nothing to do with my affinity for this band. I was doing my weekly scan of The Boston Phoenix Thursday looking for great shows in small venues when I came across a listing for a recently reunited 80's band called The Feelies at The Roxy that caught my eye. I did a double take because I didn't even know they had reformed. I checked the ticket stub in the back of one of their last CDs and found out I hadn't seen these guys since May of 1991 at Berklee Performance Center here in Boston. 17 years ago. Man that's a lot of time. I ran into a woman I used to see at all the great shows back in the day. She's married to a photographer of local fame now. It reminded me of the crowd I used to run with. As you get older time checks like these seem to seep into your consciousness without notice and this was one of those moments. I just can't help myself when a show like this presents itself. It's come to the point that I can't seem to find a single person my age to tag along to great shows like this one for the sheer beauty of live music so I attended alone. It's not the first time and it won't be the last. I can honestly say that this show might have been the tiniest turnout of a name band I have ever seen. My guess is 300 people tops. The Roxy probably holds 1500 give or take a Fire Marshall. It was kind of sad actually. I had plenty of bar space (too much it seems judging by my inactive Sunday). I'd seen Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Calexico there in the past and could barely get a drink. Not this time. It was just the type of concert I enjoy attending these days. Plenty of air and elbow room. I think I celebrated my find a little too lustily though. The Feelies put on a great show and sounded terrific. For $26 I scored big. I'm so glad I caught that listing in time.

The Feelies are descendents of The Velvet Underground. They even cover What Goes On at the end of the record. Nobody sounds like Lou Reed or anything, but they play a very easy on the ears style. I've long been a fan of theirs. They say that R.E.M. was influenced by their first release Crazy Rhythms. You can tell. They have four proper releases on the market to my knowledge and Only Life is their third. They are all good. They flew completely under the record buying radar though they consistently earned well deserved critical acclaim. You know a band is pretty good when nobody can really agree on which record is their best. Another end to end classic that was released in 1988, Only Life is a solid record. If they ever had any radio airplay, this was the CD that carried the flag for them. I just love sorting my database by year to see what bands were up against for competition at the time of their release in question. Only Life was up against some awesome music at the time. R.E.M. - Green. The Church - Starfish. The Godfathers - Birth, School, Work, Death. Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking. Robyn Hitchcock - Globe of Frogs. Midnight Oil - Diesel and Dust. Morrissey - Viva Hate. Peter Murphy - Love Hysteria. Lou Reed - New York. Patti Smith - Dream of Life. Shriekback - Go Bang! Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation. The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues. The Smithereens - Green Thoughts. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Peep Show. Iggy Pop - Instinct. The Proclaimers - Sunshine On Leith. Edie Brickell - Shooting Rubberbands at The Stars. U2 - Rattle and Hum. Public Enemy. NWA. Whoa. How does anyone make it this business! I don't want to go toe to toe with each of these records, but I can tell you that this record is very good and holds its own even in this company. Just because I couldn't find one single Feelies fan to attend the show with doesn't mean this CD doesn't stand the test of time. I'm leaving you with the single Higher Ground. Hope you like it and pick this one up.

Back there when I was in seminary school, there was a person there who put forth the proposition that you can petition the lord with prayer...sorry Jim. I just meant that many moons to the south I was a twenty something music junkie and I was listening to XTC early and often. The first time I heard Making Plans For Nigel I was hooked no questions asked. Then came Senses Working Overtime. Life Begins at The Hop. Generals and Majors. Sgt Rock (is Going To Help Me). Not in any particular order mind you; I was just soaking them in via my post college crappy restaurant job network of music lovers. XTC was sort of presented to us then as the UK Steely Dan. Say no more I said. You didn't often see their photos. They didn't tour (at least by time I was aware of them). They were different. Drums and Wires had a cool color sketch on the album cover. I wanted in. They were mysterious. They were cool. I was a big fan in what seemed like five notes. That just didn't seem to happen often to me.

Around 1984 the hits stopped coming for some reason. The Big Express was a commercial flop (though it is critically acclaimed in some circles) and the record company wanted more radio friendly singles. Enter Todd Rundgren. The Eclectic Wizard; A True Star. Andy Partridge wanted no part of him if the rumors are true, but off to Woodstock the lot of them went. I've never been to Woodstock, but I'd love to see the site of Max Yasgur's Farm or the land where Music From Big Pink was recorded. I know Bob Dylan and others found refuge there, but the mystic of the place is legend. During the sessions Colin Moulding allegedly quit and came back the next day. Suffice to say there was tension. The result, for me anyway, was stupendous. If memory serves XTC's alter ego, The Dukes of Stratosphere, were shortly pushing their own CD around the same time as Skylarking. I believe that took some of the edge off because some of the band members were able to express other ideas separately in another forum. By the way, if you like The Beatles, like 97% of everyone who ever lived, check out The Duke's Chips From The Chocolate Fireball. In fact go download The Mole From The Ministry right now. What a great track that is...anyway, to put a bow on Skylarking...this record is fantastic. I know many of you will only know the throwaway track "Dear God" that really catapulted this CD into the fore, but "Mermaid Smiled (the track removed and replaced with Dear God when Virgin/Geffen records figured out Dear God had sales potential)" or any other track on this CD is just as good. Skylarking is one of those CDs where you have to listen to it end to end. In theory you could swoop in and grab "Earn Enough For Us" or "That's Really Super, Super Girl" and feel like you've grabbed the best tracks on this CD, but that would be a mistake. People might complain about Todd Rundgren's heavy production on this recording, but I'm not one of them. It's just gorgeous. 21 years later it still finds it's way into my CD player. Hopefully you'll agree. Oranges and Lemons is terrific as well, but Skylarking is XTC's masterwork.

It's a beautiful crisp autumn day here in New England. I live for this! Let's post two! Thanks Ernie (Banks). First I should just mention that no matter how many times I hear the first chord of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart I get chills. Write it down. Chills. (S)He's Lost Control Again. I just saw, finally, the movie 24 Hour Party People. For the uninitiated, this film centers around the story of Factory Records, home to Joy Division, New Order, The Durutti Column, A Certain Ratio, and The Happy Mondays. The unfortunate story of Ian Curtis (played by actor Sean Harris) was featured briefly, but this is the tale of Tony Wilson and Shaun Ryder, of all people. Some of you may know Shaun as the allegedly drug addled lead singer of The Happy Mondays. Pills N' Thrills and Bellyaches might just be the ultimate ecstacy soundtrack for the alternative set, but more on that another time. This Independent film was never going to garner any Oscars, but I love stuff like this. Having lived the lite version over here in the states I was all over the Manchester Sound. Loved it. The Charlantan's UK's Some Friendly was a favorite among others. Anyway, the reason I tell the story is because I know many of New Order's fans checked out after the band imploded in flames after Republic. I remember seeing them mail it in one night at Great Woods here in Massachusetts. I think Public Enemy was on the undercard. It was sad to see them so not interested. The legendary New Order! This was no way for them to go out, but it sure seemed like the end. "Regret" was the only real listenable track on Republic for me. They were done. Stick a fork in them.

New Order has a great legacy for my money. Technique was brilliant. Low Life was brilliant. Perfect Kiss. Bizarre Love Triange (I can still see Michelle Pfeiffer in Married To The Mob). I hated to see them go out this way. Well, I'm here to tell you they haven't. I don't know what went on for what amounts to ten years, but if you failed to pick up a copy of Get Ready. For Shame! This is a fantastic record in my book. It's got everything New Order fans love and there isn't one weak song on it (alright I'll give you Rock The Shack). This proves decisively that New Order still lives. No one can tell me otherwise. If I can turn one person out there to this record I'll have done my job. For the rest of you that loved that era, but have long since pulled the plug on your love of New Order; get out there and buy this one. Turn on the Way Back Machine and Get Back to where you once belonged. I'm leaving you with 60 Miles an Hour, but it could have been any number of tracks. Enjoy.

New Order - 60 Miles An Hour.mp3

As someone who absolutely lived, musically speaking, the 70's, 80's, & 90's as well as the present decade, it amazes me how some records remain a mainstay in your mind. It doesn't matter that I personally bought 158 other CDs in 1990 (according to my cataloguing software) and that many of them history will show were superior to this release. It doesn't matter that this record is more known for a song called "There She Goes" which, if the rumors are to be believed, is a reference to heroin coursing through the veins of the protagonist. It also doesn't matter to me that it sold very poorly or that they can barely give away copies these days. I was surprised to find out when I went to do some research on the band for this post, that they are from Liverpool or that Steve Lillywhite, of Simple Minds and U2 fame, produced the record. I don't know how I missed that, but I did. It sure doesn't sound like a record that was shunned by the band and abandoned to be pieced together by Lillywhite after they failed to get along during the recording sessions. If you believe what has been printed, the band allegedly played poorly in the sessions in the hopes of getting the project scuttled and getting a divorce from their producer. I don't know about any of that, but I still love this record to this day. I can't put my finger on it, but it somehow consistently hits my aural pleasure center.

If you like your alternative rock jangly and poppy, sort of like R.E.M. before they went completely soft, you will like this record. I'm no musician or engineer, but it feels like it was recorded in a hollow edifice. It sounds like an acoustic guitar punched up and recorded in 3D somehow. I know that makes no sense. Suffice to say it's a rockin' acoustic guitar record. The harmonies are terrific. Whether you are paying close attention to the music or you just have it on in the background I'm betting your soul will hear it. I do know not enough people like me latched onto this as the treasure trove of, well, Timeless Melodies that it is. Normally I would give you a destination to go support this band, but I think they don't want to be found. Enjoy.

My name is John Jay and I was recently invited to blog on The Giant Panther and I'm genuinely excited about the opportunity. In the past The Panther has catered to the Indie scene and new music in general. It will continue to do so. If everything goes well my contribution will be a bit of wild card swooping in from time to time potentially turning on or reminding some folks of some recordings from the past. I'll be something like an unestablished columnist with a by-line I don't really deserve. I'm going to try and have fun with it until my ratings head south. I'll just write about whatever music I feel like and hopefully entertain a few folks in the process. I want to thank Chrissie Hynde in advance for inspiring my use of the word insipid. It makes me laugh just thinking about it. For my first post I'm pulling from the obscure file. It was a tough decision, but I didn't want to stray too far off the beaten path right off the bat. Hope you enjoy it.

About four years ago around Christmas time I was combing the year end critics lists for discs I might have missed and I stumbled across an artist from Fat Possum Records called the Heartless Bastards. I'm a big Blues fan so I was familiar with Fat Possum. It is home to tremendous Blues artists like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. I had a reasonable economy (with a nod to Johnny Rotten) at the time so I tossed a CD called Stairs and Elevators into my shopping cart and had it sent to me. Good move. This is a rock record as opposed to a Blues record just so we are clear. I guess you could call it a garage blues record. It does have some Smithereens like overtones to it, but it's got more of a heartland feel to it. I must have played this CD 50 times over the next year all the way through. My collection is fairly large so this doesn't happen that often. I can't explain it, but I loved it. It rocked. This three "man" band hails from Dayton, OH if I have my facts straight. I hope they are friends with their Ohio neighbors The Black Keys somehow. That would make sense. OK, my time is up for now, but I'll back. I hope you support these guys somehow. They deserve it more than your run of the mill band. I'm leaving you with a temporary sample in the hopes that you might buy this recording as I did.