THE BEATLES ON iTUNES

The Beatles VS iTUNES

It’s official (well since 3pm today) that one of the most hallowed back catalogues in pop music history and also the one that was conspicuous by its absence in the iTunes gallery was that of The Beatles. Lawyers were going back and forward for years about a meeting of minds between the two parties involved. This has been going head to head before iTunes as both The Beatles own label APPLE CORP. and APPLE COMPUTERS (obviously share the same name and similar logo). A decision was made that as long as there wasn't a conflict of interests i.e. FAB FOUR COMPUTERS then it would be ok.

Now after the recent re-mastering of all The Beatles music it seems that it is a good time to package it up and ship it out one more time before EMI lose the rights (yes it’s been that long). In fact the last Beatles album in the cannon was released over 40 years ago!

Cynics will say that who cares? The Beatles were so long ago it might as well be trying to get a 14 year old into world war 1 music but the difference is that a song like "All You Need is Love" or "Hey Jude" are timeless and whether you play it for the 1000th time in your car or on your turntable or for the 1st time on your MP3 player, the experience will be new and fresh to the listener. As a Beatles fan bordering on obsessive it can only irritate me when I hear people who apparently "love all music" but don't "get" the Beatles. As if there is something to "get". It’s not a joke or a hidden magic eye picture, they are amazing songs, played amazingly and the soundtrack to a generation out side of the one when it was originally recorded. Brick Lane sceenster kids who only like new, new, new bands from 11am today only can listen to a song by the new flavour of the week without seeing the blatant link from The Beatles. From the newest drum and bass song mixed last night The Beatles already recorded "Tomorrow Never Knows" in 1966. The new X-factor slow ballad with slow building strings and vocals edging for xmas number 1? The Beatles already have such tracks as "Here, There and Everywhere" and "Something". Even the most Avant garde' act out there have a while to go before they top "Revolution #9" from The White Album. The Beatles are yesterday, today and tomorrow, get over it. For those of you who only know the singles and the hits take the chance to browse the catalogue on iTunes and find the nuggets of gold in them fab mines...goo goo ga-joob!

slow off the mark...

Right as of late I haven't been posting as much as previous months, mainly because I have been juggling reviews and gig write ups for a few music sites and most recently ARTROCKER which is a real bonus. Just going through the world of myspace to find new bands and new tracks to listen to (gotta keep the brain ticking over till the new dylan album)

Here are a few songs for you to listen to along with the band names and myspace links (I'm far too nice to you really)

MONA - listen to your love
http://www.myspace.com/monatheband

THE EXPLORERS CLUB - Do you love me?
http://www.myspace.com/explorersclub

go in peace brudders and sistas!

FLATS REVIEW - ARTROCKER

FLATS


It’s been a long time coming that’s for sure. Who would be the NEW band, the NEW thing? Who would take the indie baton from the old guard and basically strut along keeping the status quo of music boring? Well I can happily say that it’s not FLATS, they might occasionally pop up in the weekly music rags but part of the indie elite they are not. Asking lead singer Dan Davine what he thinks of the latest NME top 10 chart is like asking a pit-bull what he thinks of the EU summit, firstly you get a look of confusion, closely followed by anger then a quick run down of bands you should listen to instead of the watered down drivel we are spoon fed week in week out. His hatred of bands such as Gang of Four and “angular guitar riffs over a disco beat” is something that follows him around and always makes him popular as he joins the list of “if you don’t want my answer, then don’t asking me the question” template of outspoken musicians that came before him. FLATS have an underlined manifesto of give it out fast, loud, heavy and nasty (they pull all of this off track after track in their set) they aren’t here to re-invent the wheel they are just happy to be here and want to get their kicks while the night is still young and before the rollercoaster comes to an end.

Tracks up on their MySpace page and which litter their set in under 2 minute bursts include “Rat Trap” and “Mucky Pup” which kick out at the very people that think they’re being contemporary and influential but are singing from a hymn sheet so outdated you wonder if they even know the Vietnam war has ended. The former “Rat Trap” itself screams out at Mods, revivals, The Jam, The Who with such venom that even though they are bands which have a special place in my heart you start to get caught up by the noise and contemplate frisbeeing that well worn copy of “Quadrophenia” over the dual carriage way before its over, although as it ends you just prefer to place it back down again and wipe the sweat from your brow.

Punk is a word and genre that gets attached to all types of bands and styles in recent times and I can see how a band like FLATS would want to steer clear of such standard pigeon holing but Punk seems to be the only genuine phrase I can think of that sums them up with any degree of accuracy. Forget Mohawks and studded jackets like the “welcome to London” post cards show punks to be like. FLATS are punks, fucking noisy little punks that will hopefully create a big enough gap in the generation from the last that there will be people the right side of 25 smashing their MP3 players in disgust of “the state of music today” when one of their songs comes up.

http://www.myspace.com/flatsofcourse

new single reviews...

James Blake
Limit To Your Love

At first glance this cover of the Feist 2007 track seems a little understated and uninspired although upon repeat listens it seems to take on a life of its own with its stark production and slow build up that always backs down before over spilling into cheesiness or cliché. James Blake has a fair voice although as I haven't seen any live performances of yet I can't really judge how its soft fey tenor will hold up with a live band. A nice example of studio restraint in a genre of music that praises over indulgence and 'more is more'. Blake comes from both the dub-step world as well as that of Joni Mitchell and slow melodic soul singers and with the subtle syncopated piano chords, steady metronome like drum machine and subtle treatment of his voice he creates something original and interesting.

With his album on the way to follow previous efforts like the hailed “CMYK” James Blake will find himself being pulled from the underground to the mainstream sooner rather than later with Radio DJ's such as Zane Lowe, Jo Whiley and Annie Mac already adding him to their play-lists with the former Lowe presenting this track as his “Hottest Record In The World” on September 29th. Expect good things.

1 + 1 = 3

Good morning children, as many late night watering holes have found out the drunker a party of people get the more in depth and detailed the conversations go. In the world of Internet enabled mobile phones it is easy to check and double check points while making them and many the chin stroking comments can be shot out of the water in the time it takes to line up another round of drinks. A topic that comes up time again is "what album was that on?" when discussing a good,bad or indifferent track. Today's topic is a quick list of those curve ball songs that direct you to the albums of the same name but aren't in fact on those albums either because they weren't completed in time or worst of all the artist or band was laughing from their mansions at the forehead twitching fans wondering if they'd bought the right version or not.

I've kept it simple today trying to stick to the classics as its pointless mentioning some random Japanese b-sides only album that had a different mix of some long forgot Elvis Costello track on. Lets show the wood for the trees today.

Houses Of The Holy - Led Zeppelin, a great track but one not on the album of the same name but in fact released a few years later on Physical Graffiti.

Bring It On - This track from Gomez was the title of their Mercury Award winning debut album although the track itself Bring It On didn't appear until the follow up album Liquid Skin, cheeky scamps.

Exile On Main Street Blues - This is a bit of a cheating one but I think still worth a mention. "Exile On Main Street Blues" was a track recorded during the mixing sessions of The Rolling Stones classic album of the same name but instead of appearing later on it was given away free in NME (on a plexi disc..whoo whoo) as part of the promotion.

Waiting For The Sun - The Doors were never conventional and hardily surprising that they would confuse their fans by keeping this more progressive sounding track for a later album rather than adding it to their second album, or maybe they just had better material lying around but liked the title. This finally surfaced on Morrison Hotel.

There have been others that have simply been relegated to b-sides not even making it to hallowed track listings, these include:

Midnite Vultures - Beck ; b-side BECK (EP)

Screamadelica - Primal Scream ; Found on the Dixie Narco EP (ten minute dance track)

His 'n' Hers - Pulp ; The sisters EP

Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins, on the single Disarm b-side

I hope this has shown you that X never marks the spot when it comes to musicians and pop stars and they'll happily send the punters down a blind alley if the stars aren't in alignment or the final mix of the violins isn't quite right yet before sneaking it out disguised at a later date...

thank you for your time, there are tea and cakes in reception...

Frank Zappa's 70th Birthday LIVE@ The Roundhouse

Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa
Frank Zappa 70th Birthday celebrations
The Roundhouse-Camden
Saturday 6th November

Tonight's show was part of what would be Frank Zappa's 70th birthday celebrations (Zappa Died Dec 4th 1993) and here is day 2 of the 3 day occasion and is the "band" night performed by Zappa's eldest son Dweezil on lead guitar and a band of highly skilled musicians who handle the extremely complicated and challenging music with aplomb as part of the Zappa Plays Zappa ongoing touring line-up which is wowing die hard and new fans alike by bringing Zappa's music to a new generation and performing it flawlessly.

With over 80 albums released in his discography finding material to perform was never going to be an issue and tonight's idea of cherry picking an album to perform in its entirety was a great idea. The 1974 album "Apostrophe" performed tonight was one from Zappa's most accessible and strongest period (early 70s) and after the initial introduction was started straight into "The Gumbo Variations" before starting the "Apostrophe" material with "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" and its follow on song cycle of the wonderfully named "Nanook Rubs It", "St .Alphonzo's Pancake Breakfast" and "Father O'Blivion". Along with the band's own performance we were also treated (to great applause from the crowd) with Frank Zappa himself via old concert footage with his guitar and vocal audio mixed in with the live performers on stage. The idea of mixing the generations and across the veil worked perfectly where other people that have tried this device have failed (see the Elvis show.)

Tonight's show also included special guest from the family and past line ups including 1970-1971 Mothers Of Invention era Jeff Simmons on "Wonderful Wino" and 1981-1988 era bassist Scott Thunes on "Pick Me, I'm Clean". Also in a rare outing was Moon Unit Zappa (eldest daughter) who appeared with her own daughter Matilda for a version of the hit song from 1982 "Valley Girl". One of the past line up from what some would call the "classic" era line up was Ian Underwood who was advertised on the tickets and programme but wasn't anywhere to be seen at the show or earlier Q&A. As of yet there hasn't been an official reason for this although the recently released ZAPPA magazine Mojo special includes new interviews with Underwood who in no uncertain terms mentioned that the "Apostrophe" era material was a bit gimmicky and puerile for his tastes, whether this was taken as a knock and he was sent packing is still unknown at this stage.

Along with the album tracks from the already mentioned "Apostrophe" album included in the set were live staples from Zappa's concerts such as "Montana", "Inca Roads" (both with Franks vocals and guitar solos from 70's on screen) and also "Cruisin' For Burgers", "Baby Snakes" and finishing with guitar duels from BOTH Zappa's in unison with the standout "Muffin Man".

Tonight's show and all the other events of the weekend were filmed as part of SKY Arts channel and will be shown in early December and is worth checking out. Overall this was a triumph for both the Zappa family and ensuring the legacy of one of Rocks most enduring and sometimes misunderstood geniuses.


SET LIST

The Gumbo Variations
---------------
"Apostrophe'" ALBUM
Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
Nanook Rubs It
St. Alphonzo’s Pancake Breakfast (with FZ footage)
Father O'Blivion (with FZ footage)
Cosmik Debris (with FZ footage)
Excentrifugal Forz
Apostrophe (’)
Uncle Remus
Stink-Foot
---------------
Inca Roads (with FZ footage)
Dumb All Over (with Scott Thunes & FZ footage)
Montana (with Scott Thunes & FZ footage)
Pick Me, I’m Clean (with Scott Thunes)
RDNZL
Wonderful Wino ( with Jeff Simmons & FZ footage)
Cruisin’ For Burgers
I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth
Baby Snakes
Valley Girl (with Moon & Matilda Zappa)
Muffin Man (with FZ footage)

off the xmas list....

With every high street and bus stop reminding me that we have only 7 odd weeks to Christmas the shops are already twitching with bargain hunting consumers looking to get that "perfect" present for their UN-grateful offspring. As a music lover (bordering on rock snob) I tend to get music based goodies including Cd's,DVDs etc, but what of the rubbish and 1 star material that is available out there on the shelves by good artists that the great Auntie Mildrid's of the world would purchase because of the artist on the front for their nephews and grandchildren. Awful records by famous stars....pray to Santa, Jesus, The Easter Bunny,The Tooth Fairy and all the other beloved children's characters that you don't get one of these in your stocking Xmas morning....


1)HAVING FUN WITH ELVIS ON STAGE -Elvis Presley
A live album released in 1974 of Elvis Presley which features NO SONGS, just the chatter, random drug induced humming and lame jokes that were recorded between the songs (each "track" is faded before the songs were to start), still made number 9 in the Billboard Charts on its release so there is no end to the stupidity of fans.

2)ARC-WELD - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
The companion piece to the excellent live album "WELD" (which features Neil Young & Crazy Horse in fine form re-inventing some of Young's best songs for the early 90s grunge generation) but this "album" collated by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore consists of the feedback and guitar squeals from the live records and made into an avant-garde sound collage....ignore, rubbish.

3)METAL MACHINE MUSIC - Lou Reed
Already given my write up on this piece of crap on previous posts, but lets just say that time isn't a great healer with a double album of feedback that even the artist involved hasn't listened to all the way through.

4)LIVE AT THE SCENE CLUB:NEW YORK 1968 - Jimi Hendrix
When a great artist dies young and still commands interest its only to be expected that the record company is going to scrape every barrel and check every inch of tape for NEW recordings to pack,ship and sell to the public. Jimi Hendrix has had everything but him singing in the bath released at some point (15 albums released so far and counting when he only lived to see the release of 3 of them!) Some of the recordings have been 5 star gold (see First Rays Of The New Rising Sun) but this is the worst thing ever given the "Hendrix" name. A live recording from New York's Scene club recorded after a gig with guest artists such as Jim Morrison, Johnny Winter plowing through lame versions of blues songs and Cream and Beatles tracks ("Sunshine Of Your Love" and "Tomorrow Never Knows") Complete dogshit, I could make a more convincing Hendrix album with a tennis racket guitar and headband.

5)DYLAN & THE DEAD - Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead Bob Dylan in the 80's on tour with The Grateful Dead sound as bad as all that? Yes it is. Dylan songs re-arranged and given the treatment from the San Francisco peddlers of space rock and LSD munching never ending solo's, what was blowin' in the wind? A wet fart of an album