#101 – Fresh Cream (Cream)

Okay, it’s been way too long since I’ve posted anything. Truthfully, I’ve listened to this album, Fresh Cream, a few times, but didn’t know what to write about it. And it’s definitely grown on me, as much of the music I’ve listened to does after a while.

So yes, Cream. This album was released in January 1967, although the UK version was released one month prior. It included one track that the US version does not. The US version includes the single, “I Feel Free”, where the UK version includes “Spoonful” instead. Just prior to the release of the UK album, “I Feel Free” was released as a single. For Cream, this album came as their debut record so it makes sense that it did well – it was released by a new supergroup of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.

To me, the album is good, but not phenomenal. Yet, it’s rated higher than Disraeli Gears on the list of the greatest albums. “I Feel Free”, “Four Until Late” and “Toad” are my favorites tracks on the album. The other tracks seem a bit lack luster to me. I feel like the second side of the LP release is where the real magic starts to happen. It’s almost like the first half of the LP was a warm up until you flip the record over and get to hear the real juicy stuff on side two. And on the second side of the LP you really get a sense of diversity on the album. Ranging from the airy amp up anthem, “I Feel Free”, which starts off the entire album, to the country feeling in “Four Until Late”, to the more classic rock sound in “Toad”…this album definitely delivers a sense of diversity by the end.

Many of the tracks I really enjoy, but for some reason as an album, it doesn’t excite me. That said, it is an iconic album in history, and it’s driven by Eric Clapton’s incredible guitar and vocals. And something else cool about the release is that it was officially released in both stereo and mono recordings for LP. I would love to get my hands on one of those LPS and give it a good listen. Classic rock was made with analog sound and personally, I think it would sound even better with the warm and depth of that mode of sound, as opposed to mp3 or CD.

Anyway, I’m happy to listen to Cream, and I really dig Clapton, but this album isn’t one of my favorites and I’m okay with that.

Track Listing (US Release)
Side One
1. I Feel Free
2. N.S.U.
3. Sleepy Time Time
4. Dreaming
5. Sweet Wine

Side Two
1. Cat’s Squirrel
2. Four Until Late
3. Rollin’ and Tumblin’
4. I’m So Glad
5. Toad

#103 – Sweet Baby James (James Taylor)

Released in February1970

In my home town, James Taylor was played (a lot, I should add) on the Easy Rock station. As a result, the music of James Taylor has always seemed a bit stiff to me. After listening to Sweet Baby James a few more times, and just sitting with it a bit and trying to understand it a bit more, it still felt a bit stagnant to me. What was I missing about this album?

I listened to it a few more times and started doing some reading, trying to gain a better understanding of the context within which this album was released. And that’s when I started to understand this album and its success. In a time dominated by music from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, the stripped down sound of James Taylor probably felt like a breath of fresh air. It is totally breezy! Its simple and has space in every track that really lets you hear Taylor’s beautifully simplistic guitar and lyrical imagery.

In “Oh, Susannah” you can practically hear the wind rustling between notes.  ”Sunny Skies” almost feels like it could be the opening of a 70s-version of the TV show ‘Friends”. Its got such an easy, upbeat feel to it. Most of the tracks on this album have a similar musical structure to them – and I don’t mean that in terms of the lyrical structure, I mean that in terms of the overall sound. The instrumentation and lyrics work together in a similar fashion for most of the tracks on this song. That said, “Steamroller” was a total shock to me when I heard it on the album. Its a bluesy-jazz tune with more vocal variations in one track than you can hear on the entire rest of the album. And I loved it! I was impressed that James Taylor, who I thought was just a nice, quiet man singing honestly about his troubles and his experiences, could put so much intensity into his vocals (a great example is when he sings “I’m a napalm bomb for ya baby”).

“Fire and Rain” is a song that I feel like everybody knows, and again, when I really started to listen to this song, I started to understand it on a much deeper level. Its immensely personal, referring to the loss of a friend (Suzanne) who committed suicide, as well as referencing his own personal struggles with depression and drug addiction. He also sings “sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground”, which is a mention of his work with The Flying Machine, which was a band that Taylor pursued a career with prior to his solo success with Peter Asher, Paul McCartney and Apple Records. Once I began to see the depth of this song, and recognize the personal stories that Taylor worked into his songs, his music became so much more meaningful to me.

To think that Sweet Baby James was released in 1970 in the midst of the pyschedelic rock era is amazing to me.  I still won’t say that its one of my favourites, but I do feel like I understand its musical significance in a very different way than I did before I decided to write about it. So that’s great news! Sweet Baby James has a totally different sound and honesty than any other music I’ve heard from the late 60s and early 70s.

#108 – Aftermath (The Rolling Stones)

The British version of Aftermath was release in 1966 by Decca records, followed by the U.S. version. I listened to the U.S. version of the album, since that is what is listed on the Rolling Stone list of Top 500 Albums of All Time.

It was a bit of a strange experience for me listening to this album, because I listened to it with all the general knowledge of the Stones being a great rock band. So I approached it from a different, and I must admit, biased mindset. It was interesting for me though because at first, I didn’t love it. My first thoughts, admittedly, were a bit of disappointment. These songs seemed so simple to me, but not in an exciting and powerful way. I had more of a feeling of “That’s it?”, and thinking the songs sounded more amateur than I expected (I feel like I’m saying musical blasphemy here…).

The more I played the album start to finish, and really listened to it (as opposed to putting it on in the background), the more I began to like it. Even as I’m writing this, its playing and I’m realizing how some of the songs I am starting to love more and more. Right now, “Under My Thumb” is playing, and I just love the marimba riff in the background that has this mellowed out tonal quality that also lightly softens the sound of the song.

From my understanding, this album was notable at the time of release because of the musical diversity and experimentation. The marimbas on “Under My Thumb” are a great example, however you can still hear the rock-blues base that the Rolling Stones built on. It was also the first album completely written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which is pretty huge.

As a side note, I’m listening to this album right now wishing I had a vinyl copy and a record player here, because I feel like this album would be seriously phenomenal on vinyl.

The by the fourth or fifth song on this album, I began to recognize that the songs have this loose pattern of one catchy lines that’s followed by the songs main riff (as in “Doncha Bother Me”). I guess that kind of corresponds with the bluesy inspirations.

I also felt like I recognized tracks on this album, even though I can confidently say that I’ve never played it before (at least, not knowingly). I instantly recognized “Paint It Black” and the opening riff to the song, and the album, which immediately, I thought “Oh yeah, I know this…” The first side of the album was more familiar to me, although songs like “High And Dry” and “I Am Waiting” sounded familiar too. Actually, I really love the ho-hum, drifting, calm, repetitiveness of “I Am Waiting”, and how it really brings up those feelings of calm anticipation you experience when you wait for…anything!

I’m happy to finally have listened to this album – my first second full Rolling Stones album. So now, tell me…what memories do you have of this album? What does it remind you of?

Track Listing

Side One

1. Paint It Black
2. Stupid Girl
3. Lady Jane
4. Under My Thumb
5. Doncha Bother Me
6. Think

Side Two

1. Flight 505
2. High And Dry
3. It’s Not Easy
4. I Am Waiting
5. Going Home

I Ain’t The Same (Alabama Shakes)

Geez, I heard the band Alabama Shakes last week and they have this Southern, sassy-ass rock-soul groove to them that I can’t get out of my head. I love this sort of simple, laid-back kind of rootsy, rock sound, combined with a bit of refinement, and of course, the soulful vocals of lead-singer, Brittany Howard.

The first tune I heard off Boys & Girls, their soon-to-be-released debut album, was “I Ain’t The Same”, and I love the contrasting intensity of the opening riffs with the delicate grunge of Howard’s voice. I love how her voice plays with the lead guitar in the background, and I love the vintage rock sound. It’s authentic, and clearly inspired by a wide range of musical talents, ranging from some good, classic hard-rock like AC/DC, to the soul music of Otis Redding. And its woven into their own fusion sound that totally suits them.

If you like this track, you will love the entire album, because it all has the same amazing sound that gets into  your bones in the best way possible. And Boys & Girls is streaming live on their website! Give it a listen!

I can’t wait for you to hear this track and love them as much as I do.

Related articles

• Interview: The Alabama Shakes (kexp.org)
• Review: Boys & Girls (Alabama Shakes) (headphonetransmissions.wordpress.com)
• Alabama Shakes On World Cafe (npr.org)

Feral (Boxed Wine)

“Feral” is an energetic a track from the debut EP of New Jersey band Boxed Wine.  This morning my friend send me a tune and said something along the lines of “Brady, listen to this, I think you’ll like it.” So I excitedly hit play, and then (sadly) didn’t love the music. As I said to her, it had too many electronic and computer noises, and to me, it distracted from the rest of the song. I’m guessing that’s the reason that I was really drawn to “Feral” when I listened to it.

This track has a really great, unprocessed sound. The electric guitars are powerful but not overbearing. The entire sound of the track is not too refined and not over-complicated. At the same time, its still crisp enough to sound cohesive and complex enough to be interesting to listen to. I also really love that opening guitar riff.

So, as an anti-thesis to computer blips and beeps (which admittedly, sometimes really do it for me), check out this tune by Boxed Wine and let me know what you think!

Happy Friday, music fans…

PS. I added “Shiraz” to the tags on this post because I really love a good bottle of Australian Shiraz…that’s all.

#109- Loaded (The Velvet Underground)

In November 1970, The Velvet Underground released their fourth album, Loaded, under pressure to create an album “loaded” full of radio hits, hence the name.

This is the first album I’ve listened to by The Velvet Underground, and honestly, I’m not really into it. I think there is significance in the fact that the band was established in New York, which is pretty huge in a time when so many of the major rock bands were from the U.K.. Since I haven’t heard their first three albums, I don’t really know whether Loaded is a good representation of their work or not. I’ve read that Andy Warhol was the band’s manager in the early days, which is pretty cool. But Loaded was released after their management by Warhol ended, and as a result, it was supposed to be created with a more mainstream sound.

To me, the first side of the album is much better than the second. In particular, I love “Sweet Jane”. In fact its one of the only songs on the album that I really love.  The others are okay, but overall, not great. And to me, the only track on Side Two that is really worth mentioning is “Head Held High”, which has a sound that reminds me of the Stones and The Beatles combined.

I feel like I don’t understand this album or something. What do you think of The Velvet Underground? I know they have a pretty big following now, so what do you love about their tunes? Do you think I don’t like them just because this isn’t their best album? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so give Loaded a listen and let me know!

By Surprise (Gemini Club)

Let’s keep this simple today. It’s a beautiful, sunny day here on Jeju Island and this track makes me feel like dancing on the beach (although its not quite that warm yet)…

Download a free copy of “By Surprise” from Gemini Club’s website.

Enjoy.

Related articles

• tracks to listen to – Peter Pan (Jinja Safari) (earphoneadventures.wordpress.com)
• tracks to listen to – Youth (Daughter) (earphoneadventures.wordpress.com)

Why Am I The One (Fun.)

This NY-NY three-man-band is cool and fun, just like their name. I dig these guys and their mixed up retro indie sound.

“Why Am I The One” has a crisp and clean sound and these guys have a great contemporary rock sound that also has some retro influences that sound a lot like Queen and The Beach Boys. I think I’ll just let you experience this song and let you make up your own mind on this one.

And if you need another track to get a good impression, check our their initial single, “We Are Young”, featuring Janelle Monae. Its another great track, which is also from their newest album, Some Nights. I’ve just started listening to the entire album, and it sounds cool.

They’ve got lots of North American tour dates scheduled, including Toronto (for all my Canadian friends back home)! You can also coordinate rideshare through their website, so check it out!

#111 – Court And Spark (Joni Mitchell)

Until I listened to Court And Spark, Joni Mitchell’s sixth studio album, I think the only two songs of hers that I consciously knew were “Big Yellow Taxi” and the 2002 version of “Both Sides Now” – I didn’t even know the original! Still, this Canadian singer-songwriter is infamous for her contributions to the music industry.

Court And Spark was released in January 1974 and Mitchell worked on the album for about a year in-studio before it was released. In fact, 1973 was the only year since her debut album in 1968 that Mitchell did not release an album. She took time in 1973 to focus on expanding into different sounds, including the jazz influences you can hear on Court And Spark.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect of Joni Mitchell. As I mentioned, most recent track I’ve heard of Joni Mitchell’s was her 2002 release of “Both Sides Now”.  It was released over 40 years after her first album, and as a result, her voice also aged and is more full and mature. I thought her voice would be similar on her 1974 album, but I was wrong. Its much more ethereal and smoother than I expected.

Court And Spark was Mitchell’s most popular album, especially after the release of “Help Me” as a single, which made it into the Billboard Top 10. There are two characteristics of this album, and in particular, her music in general (from what I’ve heard and researched)  that I find particularly interesting.

The first is the clarity with which she writes. Reading her lyrics, they are emotional and honest, discussing her personal struggles and unease, such as in “People’s Parties”, where she sings about “living on nerves and feelings / with a weak and lazy mind / and coming to people’s parties / fumbling deaf dumb and blind”.  All of her songs are beautifully expressed stories with a simplicity and poetic ease that is unmatched by any of the albums I’ve listened to so far.

And of course, Joni Mitchell has a very distinct vocal style, balancing the deep fullness and power of her voice with higher range, falsetto lines. Her use of varied rhythms and changing time signatures gives her songs such a free-flowing feeling which also highlights poignant moments in her stories. A great example of this would be in “Same Situation”.

I’d like to listen to more of Joni’s music now, although I don’t think Court And Spark is my favourite. Its very accessible and was commercially successful, but its got really easy rock vibe to it, which isn’t really in my tastes. That said, my understanding is that when this album was released, it was the most jazz influenced album for her, with the previous five albums being rock-folk albums. It will be interesting to listen to some of her older music (and newer music, too) to compare differences.

Although “Both Sides Now” is not part of Court And Speak, if you want to see a really interesting comparison of her music, check out this live video of Joni singing the song in 1970, and this live video of her in 2000. Very different sound, very different feeling.

What do you think? What has Joni’s influence been on the music industry? If you’re a fan, what do you think makes her fantastic? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Stay cool, music fans.

Track Listing

Side One

1. Court And Spark
2. Help Me
3. Free Man In Paris
4. People’s Parties
5. Same Situation

 Side Two

1. Car On A Hill
2. Down To You
3. Just Like This Train
4. Raised On Robbery
5. Trouble Child
6. Twisted

Born This Way (Lady Gaga)

Born This Way (Lady Gaga, May 23, 2011)

Lady Gaga promised her fans (aka Little Monsters) the best album of the decade when she was amping people up for the release of her second studio album, Born This Way. Is it the best album of the decade? I’m not sure that it is. That’s the way I’m leaning. But, I will say that this album is a powerful dance-pop-hard rock album with its ups and downs.

Track Listing

1. Marry The Night
2. Born This Way
3. Government Hooker
4. Judas
5. Americano
6. Hair
7. Scheibe
8. Bloody Mary
9. Black Jesus – Amen Fashion
10. Bad Kids
11. Fashion Of His Love
12. Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)
13. Heavy Metal Lover
14. Electric Chapel
15. The Queen
16. You and I
17. The Edge Of Glory
18. Born This Way (Country Road Version)
19. Judas (DJ White Shadow Remix)
20. Marry The Night (Zedd Remix)
21. Scheibe (DJ White Shadow Remix)
22. Fashion Of His Love (Fernando Garibay Remix)
23. Born This Way (Jost & Naaf Remix)

Gaga repeatedly said that this album would be full of sledgehammer beats, and that is definitely true. Start to finish, Born This Way has intense dance tracks mated with a broad range of other genres – opera (‘Government Hooker’, ‘Bloody Mary’), hard rock (on multiple tracks, including ‘Born This Way’ and ‘Electric Chapel’), 80s pop (again, on lots of the tracks), maybe even some latin influences (‘Americano’).

I was really interested in listening to this album to see what kind of music Lady Gaga would create for her second album, especially with higher and higher expectations of her, which come naturally as she tries new things creatively. I have a feeling she would probably say that it doesn’t matter what people think about her new album, because its an album of self-expression and embracing your true nature and who you are. Its a powerful message to put into sledgehammer dance tracks, but really, there’s nothing wrong with that, although I wouldn’t say its something I’ve heard a lot of in the past. On first listen, I didn’t like this album – there are cheesy parts (including the saxophone on ‘The Edge Of Glory’ – I’m sorry, I just don’t like it) and some of the themes (self-love, self-expression, sexuality, religious references) feel a bit much – a little repetitive. But when you listen to a few tracks at a time, they are engaging, unique and for the most part, memorable.

The so-called “Special Edition” is a full album of 23 songs, and that sledgehammer beat drives right until the end. It starts off powerful with ‘Marry The Night’ and captures you with a few ballad-like lines before the driving dance tracks  starts and continues for the rest of the album. Its a great amp-up at the beginning of the album. Throughout the entire disc, there’s this synth guitar sound that is featured on a lot of the tracks, and I guess it kind of creates a throughline that connects tracks together, even though so many are distinctly different.

The title track, ‘Born This Way’ is a huge dance tune with a lot going on, and at first it sounded really chaotic to me, and I thought there was too much noise happening. Now, I think its a really well-orchestrated track with an impressive mix of sounds, including 80s dance style beats and melodies with rock elements, all underscoring powerful lyrics about self-love and self-expression.

I dig this album because its very different from the pop or dance music out there right now. Gaga has completed an album that cross-breeds genres and tops it all of with interesting and very intentional themes. I don’t think the lyrics on this album are incredible, in fact there are some parts that are just cheesy, like the beginning of ‘Americano’ – it just doesn’t sit right with me. There is something that is unnatural about it. But the rest of the track is really catchy, and was even based on an Arizona immigration law, if I’m not mistaken.

This is the thing: there are some parts of the album that have cheesy moments, and there are other parts that are kick ass, catchy, unique dance tunes that stick in your head and make you want to move.

I don’t think all the tracks on this album should be on the album. ‘Black Jesus – Amen Fashion’, ‘Fashion Of His Love’ and ‘Electric Chapel’ are okay tracks, but the other tracks are all so high-intensity, and unique that these three just don’t seem to cut it for me. They are missing the diverse sound that the other tracks on the album have. But Lady Gaga doesn’t do things by accident. She has a very specific mission and is clear about what she wants to achieve through her music. So if she included tracks on this album, I think its safe to say she feels they are necessary.

Born This Way is different from The Fame or The Fame Monster, and its a good thing. If it was the same, it would just be catchy pop-dance tunes. Her new album pushes the boundaries of music a little bit further and challenges the mainstream music industry as a result. I think its great. Not to mention, she worked with a team of incredible collaborators, including RedOne and DJ White Shadow, who has a few remixes on this album as well.

If you are looking for some unique new dance tunes, check this album out. It’ll probably grow on you. You might have to skip over some songs (I sure did). But there are still quite a few that I really like.

Lady Gaga sings her heart out on all these tracks, and they all have a clarity that is different from the last album. Gaga is singing more honestly and comfortably about the subjects she wants to and her love for her music shines through the music.

So is it the album of the decade?  I don’t think so. But I do think that Born This Way is a landmark album in pop culture just like Lady Gaga herself. The album is a reflection of Gaga – its unique, its honest, its committed to something powerful, and it does not ask for your acceptance, it just wants you to enjoy it by letting lose and being yourself.

Check it out, and let me know what you think!