[MusicRatty] tag: morgan

Friday's Music Briefing: MySpace Music, CMJ '09, iTunes, DRM Free & Mire

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:16:00 +0000

From The "What's Taking So Long" Rumor Department:
- I'm hearing multiple rumors that more indie distributors and labels are very close to signing MySpace Music deals and that several outside providers are biding to provide do-it-yourself tools for non-affiliated artists.
- Apple's iTunes is in talks to sell all the major labels DRM free. (cNet) Finally...They should have done this a year ago.cNet agrees with Dear Steve Jobs: Set The Music Free.
The CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival 2009 edition will run Tuesday, October 20 – Saturday, October 24 in New York City. Registration for 2009 is now open at www.cmj.com/marathon with special early bird prices available until December 19. Artist showcase submissions are being accepted now with a special one-week discount price until November 25.
Have iPod sales peaked? (Alley Insider)
Cable TV's Music Choice announces MOST DEMANDED - The Music Choice Video On Demand Awards. (press release)
Live Nation, whose stock has been struggling along with the rest of the market, will present at the J.P. Morgan 2008 SMid Cap Conference. (press release)
Congratulations to David Rose as his very useful and increasingly popular d.i.y. destination KnowTheMusicBiz.com celebrates its 1st anniversary.

American Youth Symphony To Present Jerry Goldsmith Project

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:16:00 +0000

The American Youth Symphony, in conjunction with the Film Music Society, will embark on a three-year multi-disciplinary project celebrating the music of Jerry Goldsmith with a symposium and an orchestral performance on December 7, at Royce Hall on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles. Both events are free of charge. The project is supported in part by a gift from BMI.

Oscar-nominated composer David Newman, president of both the AYS and FMS, will conduct newly assembled suites from Goldsmith’s original, Oscar-nominated scores for A Patch of Blue, The Sand Pebbles and Patton, along with excerpts from Planet of the Apes and The Blue Max that Goldsmith himself arranged for concert performance.

In addition, Newman — as part of an afternoon symposium on Goldsmith’s early career — will conduct, live to film, a complete performance of one of the composer’s most famous television scores: His music for “The Invaders” episode of The Twilight Zone.

The December 7 events mark the beginning of a three-year American Youth Symphony project focusing on Jerry Goldsmith, the Oscar- and Emmy-winning composer of such classic films as Planet of the Apes, Patton, Chinatown, The Omen, Star Trek: The Motion Picture and more than 150 others. One of the most respected composers in Hollywood history, Goldsmith died in 2004. He was a pivotal figure in advancing composition for film and television.

Newman has divided Goldsmith’s career into thirds. This year’s events will focus on Goldsmith’s work in television and his early career in feature films, from the late 1950s through 1970. In 2009-10, the focus will shift to Goldsmith’s work in the 1970s and early 1980s; and, in the following year, the 1980s and beyond.

The afternoon Goldsmith Project symposium, sponsored by The Film Music Society, will be moderated by journalist and film-music historian Jon Burlingame. Featured panelists will be composer Robert Drasnin, who worked on the original Twilight Zone and who knew Goldsmith well; Marc Scott Zicree, author of The Twilight Zone Companion, the definitive history of the show; Robert Townson, producer for the Varese Sarabande record label, who worked extensively with Goldsmith; Tommy Morgan, who played harmonica for Goldsmith on Twilight Zone and who also composed for the series; and Michael Lloyd, a film composer and Goldsmith expert.

The 25-minute, live-to-film performance of “The Invaders” with members of the AYS will be part of the two-hour symposium, beginning at 2 p.m. and also in Royce Hall. Clips from Goldsmith’s other work for the Rod Serling series will also be featured.

After the performance, Newman will join the panel for the discussion of Goldsmith’s music and the specific challenges associated with that show. “We want to show how unique this music is, and give it a context, filmic as well as historic,” Newman said.

My Gut Reaction: Big Daddy Kane - It's A Big Daddy Thing (1989)

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0000

Back when I first wrote about Big Daddy Kane's debut, Long Live The Kane, I had mentioned that I never listened to any of Kane's work up until that point, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. So, of course, the next logical step is to follow the discography, and that's where My Gut Reaction to It's A Big Daddy Thing, Kane's sophomore effort, comes in.

Released one year after his debut, It's A Big Daddy Thing is apparently Kane's best-selling album in his entire catalog. It features a couple of songs that hit the Top 40 charts, and the disc's success helped him ease into the new decade. Big Daddy Kane's verse on Marley Marl's "The Symphony" (alongside other fellow Juice Crew members Master Ace, Craig G., and Kool G. Rap), released after Long Live The Kane hit shelves, probably did the most to stir up interest in the project, though, being that "The Symphony" is generally considered to be the best hip hop posse cut in history.

Let's hope this is worth my time.

1. IT'S A BIG DADDY THING
The beat sounded like it was going to rock, until Kane started rapping: after that, the instrumental switched itself up to a lame-ass club-ready track. And this is a fucking Prince Paul beat! (I'm as shocked as you are right now.) On the upside, the beat sounds as if Paul specifically created it for Kane to use, but that's not much of a positive. This does not bode well.

2. ANOTHER VICTORY
Easy Mo Bee's beat kind of sounds like a De La Soul reject, but Kane flows over it like water. Although it still isn't as catchy as the best songs from Long Live The Kane, this is still not half bad.

3. MORTAL COMBAT
Kane sounds as if he's about to trip over his words, and his own instrumental (Kane actually produced the majority of the album himself) manages to be both derivative and too busy, an interesting combination, but not nearly intriguing enough for me to give a damn.

4. CHILDREN R THE FUTURE
I liked the sentiment, but Whitney Houston did it better, and I hate nearly every single Whitney Houston song there is. (There's a song she did with Wyclef a bit more recently, "My Love Is Your Love", which is good, but I'm veering off topic.) I'm not saying that all rappers have to rhyme about killing people and having promiscuous sex all the fucking time, but I'm pretty sure that Kane doesn't perform this at his live shows. (Maybe I'm wrong, though.) Also, was it really necessary to misspell the word "are"? If children r the future, maybe they should be taught how to spell.

5. YOUNG, GIFTED, AND BLACK
I have to be honest. Kane sounds great over this Marley Marl beat, but I feel that Jay-Z sounded better when he jacked the instrumental, an opinion I attribute to the fact that I had heard this song last. However, the best use of this instrumental has to be Breezly Brewin' and Big Sha's "What U Got (The Demo)" from Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves. I'm fairly certain I'm in the minority, though.

6. SMOOTH OPERATOR
I couldn't get into this at all.

7. CALLING MR. WELFARE
Social commentary in a rap song is usually something that I appreciate and support, but this song doesn't sound sincere: all Kane does is criticize without offering any constructive feedback. The introduction also sounds pretty fucking insipid. Oh well.

8. WRATH OF KANE (LIVE)
Kane sounds pretty good live. I bet it was pretty fucking amazing to see all of these artists live in concert back in the day, as opposed to watching what passed for a hip hop show today. As for why there isn't simply a studio version of this song on here, I'll never know.

9. I GET THE JOB DONE
Meh.

10. AIN'T NO STOPPIN' US NOW
Nothing on here is grabbing me like his debut did. I don't expect greatness, but it would be nice if the music were interesting. The sad thing is, this is the other Prince Paul-produced track on It's A Big Daddy Thing, and I don't like it at all. This shit is just depressing.

11. PIMPIN' AIN'T EASY (FEAT ANT LIVE, NICE & SMOOTH, & SCOOB LOVER)
It certainly isn't. It's fucking hilarious that this song appears on the same album as "Children R The Future", especially with Kane's ridiculously and unnecessarily homophobic verse. Not like you'll ever hear his anti-gay comments anyway, since this song is so awful, but whatever.

12. BIG DADDY'S THEME
Not the best instrumental in the world, but I've heard worse, so kudos to Kane. His joke at the end isn't really very funny, though.

13. TO BE YOUR MAN (FEAT BLUE MAGIC & CHUCK STANLEY)
I can't imagine that this song was a good idea back in 1989, as it's clearly terrible today. A message to all aspiring rappers that read this blog: love songs don't have to completely suck.

14. THE HOUSE THAT CEE BUILT
The deejay cut that we don't see as much of anymore, because rappers only seem to use deejays on their mixtapes. Not bad.

15. ON THE MOVE
Fuck, this album is boring. How is it possible that this is the biggest seller in Kane's career?

16. WARM IT UP, KANE
Okay, I finally found something that offsets my last comment. This song is just plain great. Kane effortlessly flows over his own beat, presenting us with the album's pinnacle moment.

17. RAP SUMMARY (LEAN ON ME) (REMIX)
Hearing Kane rhyme from the perspective of Morgan Freeman's Joe Clark from (predictably) Lean On Me. I suppose Freeman is a good choice, since Kane could have easily rhymed as Jim Belushi's Rick Latimer (from The Principal) when it came to choosing the mindset of an annoyed administrator. Regardless, this song is a mess, kind of embarrassing to listen to, and I fucking hate the Bill Withers song anyway, so I'm just through with this shit.

THE LAST WORD: As much as I recommended Long Live The Kane, I can honestly say that I will never listen to It's A Big Daddy Thing again. This album is consistently boring, with only one or two highlights that managed to keep me awake. It seems that Kane got lazy after his early success and felt that putting his name on anything would help it sell, regardless of quality, and to that end, he was right. If this were his debut album, we would have never heard from the man again.

That is all. Comments can be left below.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Big Daddy Kane - Long Live The Kane (My Gut Reaction)

--=[ Prince 5 ]=--

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:07:00 +0000

Prince - Come [Explicit Lyrics][1994]

In many ways one of his most brilliant quirky albums. "Come" is an exciting concept album that flows from everything to sex to abuse to racism to even more sex. The songs not only work great as written poetry but as great R&B music. The album starts out with the sex fest that is "Come" that is extremely long at over 10 minutes but is beat for beat hot rhythms. Followed is the even hotter "Pheromone". Great social commentary's come in the form of the story song "Papa" ("don't abuse your kids, or they'll end up like me.") and the awesome funk rap of "Race" ("I bleed, you bleed. Both the bold is red. Get it"). "Letitgo" is one of those great R&B gems that just doesn't get the radio play it deserves. It's a great funky number and is extremely heartfelt at the same time. "Orgasm" speaks for itself and is just a sex scene with some Prince music in the background. Talk about the conclusion. Maybe the best song on the set is a small gem that just hides within the middle. It's an electronic song called "Loose!" which pulsates with hot dance grooves and tons of funk. The CD is almost worth it just for that track. The album is full of not only great feeling and hot R&B sounds but has light faire like the mellow "Solo" and R&B ballad "Space". It's also Prince's last record and a great ending to an awesome career. The Artist has made some great stuff, but I think this Prince record is nearly untouchable. Eccentric music and creative stuff.

V.A. - Symbolism: The Prince Songbook [1998]

1998 release with 14 covers of his best by top pop starspast & present. Includes: Tina Turner 'Let's Pretend We're Married', Cyndi Lauper 'When U Were Mine', Living Colour '17Days', Bangles 'Manic Monday', Sheena Easton 'Sugar Walls',etc. Other choice cuts are by Melisa Morgan, Stephanie Mills and Joe Cocker.

Prince - Days Of Wild [Ep][2002]

A live performance of "Days of Wild" from a 2002 Prince concert in Montreal, released as a single on June 30, 2002. The original release of the song was on Prince's 1998 3-CD set, Crystal Ball. You will hear a lot of contrast from the original release to the 2002 version, though. Strong language and cursing is used throughout the original, but in 2002, all profane lyrics were changed by Prince.

The single also features a live version of "1+1+1 is 3" (an excerpt from Prince's One Nite Alone... Live! album) as a B-Side.

Prince - Indigo Nights/Live Sessions [2008]

Indigo Nights/Live Sessions is a collection of after-show performances by Prince and his band during the 21 Nights In London tour. This CD was released as part of the 21 Nights book by Prince and Randy St. Nicholas featuring photos and poetry from the tour.

* Props 2 Kindlyhandmethebread *

All track info is in the comment section..

Sneaky Tuesday

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:20:19 +0000

Ahoy there. I just got the new Metro Area Fabric CD and nearly pissed myself listening to the intro. Love those dudes. Great idea, I'll post some! I swear I heard Morgan Geist talking on Beats In Space about a new Metro Area release that came out recently, but after minimal searching I can't really find anything. Any ideas? Anyway, here are a couple of my faves of theirs. Orange Alert is a total classic of course, and coming back to it after listening to the DFA remix non stop was really refreshing! The arrangement, sounds, composition - everything! - is so well done. The special dub of Read My Mind really does it for me too, they're just so good at making things sound simple and easy and amazingly groovy. Grab their Fabric album - it's a winner!

Metro Area - Orange Alert

Metro Area - Read My Mind (Special Dub)

Two songs I really can't stop listening to the moment happen to be on pretty opposite ends of the spectrum. #1 is Codependency by In Flagranti. Who knew one note could be so much fun? It's really rare to hear a song that's based on something so simple with such a colossal amount of feel and groove. Play it teeth shatteringly loud, it's fantastic! #2 is a Pilooski edit of Elvis Presley. Retaining, accentuating and modernising Presley's ultra high cool factor. This is a seriously brilliant edit.

In Flagranti - Codependancy

Elvis Presley - Crawfish (Pilooski Edit)

Hmm what else is new... Found a couple of gorgeous new tracks the other day by Chateau Flight and Lullabies In The Dark, two artists I'm really digging at the moment. I just spilled tea on my keyboard :( lame. The Chateau tune is a beautiful relaxed disco number slash space cruise with plenty of bongos to boot. Love bongos. Bongos and cowbell should be mandatory instruments learned at school I reckon, not shitty recorders and xylophones. The Lullabies track, remixed by Superpitcher, is a 10 minute journey of gliding synths which make you float away off to awesomeland. Where everyone plays bongos :)

Chateau Flight - Prism

Lullabies In The Dark - Iridium (Superpitcher Remix)

Last but not least, I feel i should probably give our neighbour Miami Horror's EP a plugging since it's finally out. It turned out really nice too! Not that it wasn't expected. This song has bongos so it's already a winner! And coupled with a glorious Voyager-esque bass it secures itself nicely. Definitely grab a copy of this when you see it around.

Miami Horror - Make You Mine

OK, I'm done.

Chain - Toward the Blues (Superb Australian Bluesrock 1971)

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:52:00 +0000

Size: 138 MB
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped By: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included

1968-69
Over the years, Perth has provided the setting for a thriving blues-rock scene, spawning many future stalwarts of the idiom who have gone onto greater national success. The original Chain grew out of this hotbed, forming from the ashes of The Beaten Tracks, who won the Perth heat of the 1967 Hoadley’s Battle Of The Sounds. The band at that time comprised Warren Morgan (keys), Dave Hole (gtr), Ace Follington (dr), Murray Wilkins (bs) and Ross Partington (vcls); moved to Melbourne in early 1968 to avail themselves of their prize, ostensibly recording and touring opportunities in the eastern states.

While in Melbourne, Dave Hole (these days recognised as one of Australia's top blues perfprmers) quit The Beaten Tracks, to be replaced by Tasmanian guitarist Phil Manning (formerly of Tony Worsley & the Blue Jays, The Laurie Allen Revue and Bay City Union, among others) and the band returned to Perth, where they lost the services of Partington. A return to Melbourne in December 1968 saw the group recruit ex-James Taylor Move singer Wendy Saddington, and the first incarnation of (The) Chain was established. Saddington was a blues/soul vocalist in the vein of Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin, and it was she who came up with the band’s moniker, derived from Aretha’s classic hit, Chain Of Fools. This line-up of Chain never recorded, Saddington having departed by May 1969 to join Copperwine, and later to forge an erratic but compelling solo career.

Chain relocated to Sydney in August and recruited bass player Tim Piper (ex-Chants R&B, Electric Heap, Wild Cherries) and legendary blind keyboardist Claude Papesch (who was also from Electric Heap, and who had been a member of Johnny Devlin & The Devils in New Zealand in the early '60s). This line-up stayed together long enough to record Chain’s first single for Festival with house producer Pat Aulton -- Show Me Home b/w Morgan’s Mr Time, which was released in September. The single, while not a strong charter, convincingly displayed the group’s abilities, and showed the strong and unmistakable influence of The Band -- who profoundly affected so many Aussie acts at the time -- as well as particularly showcasing Manning’s fluid guitar style. The single is regarded by many as the earliest example of the "progressive" stance developing rapidly on the OzRock scene around this period.

Follington, Piper and Papesch left Chain late in ’69, to form Savage Rose, and each went on to reputable careers in a number of other prominent bands. Chain moved back yet again to Melbourne, where its core hooked up with the ex-Wild Cherries rhythm section of Barry Sullivan (bass) and Barry Harvey (drums). Nick-named, respectively, "Big Goose" and "Little Goose", the two Barrys injected a 'fish-arse-tight' cohesion into the band’s sound, and helped unveil what was to become the classic, and best-remembered Chain configuration, gaining considerable notice in the southern capital’s burgeoning blues-rock performing circuit in the process.

1970
The new decade saw Chain consolidating its reputation and popularity on Melbourne’s "head" scene, with the powerful voice and guitar skills of ex-Kiwi Glyn Mason (ex-Larry’s Rebels, later of Copperwine, Greg Quill's Southern Cross and Ariel) being added to the band early in the new year. The blues sensibilities in the band intensified, and many memorable gigs with this line-up followed; notably, their appearance at the pioneering Ourimbah Pilgrimage For Pop festival held north of Sydney in January. The band triumphed alongside such other notables as the ubiquitous Aztecs, Tully, Leo De Castro & Friends and the festival’s organisers, The Nutwood Rug Band.

This version of Chain commenced recorded at Armstrong’s in Melbourne for an album on EMI, but the fact that the group was still contracted to Festival scuppered the sessions and nothing was released. But certain tantalising acetates from this time exist, and perhaps one day the full tapes from these sessions might see the light of day.

Nevertheless, Chain continued to ply its brand of heavy, bluesy rock around the Melbourne circuit (venues like Sebastian’s, Bertie’s and Traffik), as well as proving itself as a reliable staple on the festival scene. In March, the Launching Place festival just outside of Melbourne was staged. Chain held its own among other strong performing entities like Spectrum, Doug Parkinson In Focus, Wendy Saddington & Copperwine, Tully, Nutwood Rug, Carson, Bulldog, Friends, Genesis, Cam-Pact and (of course) Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs.

One of those groups, Genesis, was a breeding ground for many future OzRock luminaries and at this time included in its ranks one of the foremost blues performers in the country, one Matt Taylor. The Brisbane-born singer and harp player originally hailed Brisbane blues pioneers Bay City Union, which was also home to both Phil Manning (in his formative years) and future Masters Apprentices bassist Glen Wheatley. Matt (who also had a brief stint in the last lineup of The Wild Cherries) joined Chain in December, and the four-piece comprising him, Manning and the two "geese" developed into what is acknowledged as the enduring "classic" Chain line-up.

But before that, in June 1970, Chain (Morgan, Manning, Harvey, Sullivan and Mason) made its first album for Festival. In order to capture the live chops of the group, the album, Chain Live, was recorded, rather primitively, at Sydney’s Caesar’s Palace Disco and resulted in a raw, basic slab of hard blues. The LP established the band’s credentials and met with critical, if not chart, acclaim, but, with the fluidity that characterised the group throughout its career, two key members departed soon after its release. Warren Morgan joined the Aztecs, while Glyn Mason left for the UK. That left Phil and the two Barrys to carry on as a trio, and this grouping appeared on ABC-TV’s GTK, performing a blistering version of Robert Johnson’s Crossroad Blues. It was when Matt and Phil corresponded later in the year, each inviting the other to join either’s band, that the classic four-piece line-up of Chain was settled upon.

1971
The new Chain (already by now, "Mk 7"!) attracted the attention of the aggressive young entrepreneur Michael Gudinski, who was by then in the throes of putting together the enduring Mushroom indie record label. Gudinski, who also became the group’s manager soon afterwards, has subsequently acknowledged that Mushroom was conceived and built upon Chain’s reputation, and he in turn enthusiastically helped foster their career during those heady times.

During 1971, the band continued to grow in stature as a must-see drawcard around the Melbourne blues haunts, as well as being a popular staple at the various outdoor festivals common to the era. An appearance at the Odyssey Festival at Ourimbah in January was captured on the double-LP set History Of Chain, cementing the group’s greatness for posterity. Other festival appearances, such as at Myponga outside Adelaide and Wallacia near Sydney (each featuring a roster of the cream of OzRock’s best) had a similar effect, and Chain by now were regarded as among the premier of Australia’s progressive blues units.

The "classic" line-up of Chain enjoyed a national top ten hit in May with its debut Infinity single, Black And Blue (working title: We’re Groaning), backed with Taylor’s ambitious but solidly-delivered and decidedly progressive Lightning Ground. The A-side recalled the traditional Afro-American "work-song" motif, and heralded the solid, blueswailing body of songs featured on Toward The Blues, Chain’s first album for Festival’s "progressive" Infinity imprint, which was released to great (and enduring) critical acclaim in September. But Phil Manning himself was quick to dispel the "blues" pigeonhole into which Chain had become firmly placed, by pointing out his band’s musical diversity in a fascinating interview he gave for Freedom Train fanzine in 1994:

"Look, we had so many diverse influences. I mean, from Traffic, Cream, The Rolling Stones, back to The Beatles. You can’t separate one particular influence and say ‘this is my influence’. They were all so important. (But) we put our own mark on it. That’s what Chain was about. Injecting some originality into it, some personality. The thing that was nice about it was that it was a nice selection of good players and people who got on well together."

At a climactic concert on 13 June 1971 at the Melbourne Town Hall, where a number of the scene’s pre-eminent bands assembled (headliners Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs released an LP of their stunning performance there), a self-deprecating Chain were awarded a silver disc plaque (at that time a coveted accolade) for selling 25,000 copies of the Black & Blue single, a record that went on to become one of mainstream rock radio’s most-played and most oft-requested staples.

The pressures attendant to this newfound attention manifested in different ways for different members of the group. Typically with Chain, its participants splintered off to other projects. Little Goose left to pursue his interest in jazz-rock, and soon linked with King Harvest; while Big Goose went on to fulfill the demand for his services as a session muso. Manning also quit in July of ’71, teaming with old cohort "Pig" Morgan in Pilgrimage, a more delicate and acoustically-based outfit that had its debut as national support to Pink Floyd. At these shows, Pilgrimage was dwarfed by the gargantuan Floyd PA rig (forbidden to plug into it), but managed nonetheless to seduce Floydian partisans with their soft, pastoral suite of songs, resulting in a quiet success for the duo’s endeavours. Further successful forays for Pilgrimage were their concert supports for the wildly-popular Daddy Cool at Festival Hall in Melbourne, as well as a well-received back-up spot for Elton John and band at his 1971 Kooyong Tennis Centre concerts.

Of course, the Chain personnel roster at this time was somethign of a revolving door, or a game of musical chairs if you will, and it’s here that it’s hard to keep track of just who was who within the band. So many different configurations of Chain came and went but, bolstered by the considerable success of Toward The Blues after its release in September, at least the entity enjoyed some worthwhile notoriety and considerable, ongoing success.

While the album was still charting, the band’s membership had already changed yet again; this time reverting to the Morgan, Manning, Harvey, Sullivan and Mason line-up; in time to perform at the Operation Earth Concert held on 2 November 1971 at the Myer Music Bowl. Among other featured acts that day were Blackfeather, Captain Matchbox, Bakery, Carson, Indelible Murtceps, Matt Taylor & Friends and the inescapable Aztecs. This line-up of Chain also found finding time to record a live-in-the-studio sequel to Chain Live, a collection of seamless heavy blues jamstitled Chain Live Again. While neither the critical nor sales success of its predecessor, and while perhaps not as cohesive as the first live album, Live Again showed the band stretching out and trading off each other, building the momentum of the jams with a more organic and progressive feel. Yet, typically for Chain, they disbanded soon after the sessions; and due to various setbacks the album didn’t appear until later in the year.

1972
It’s worth dwelling on Toward The Blues alone for a moment or two, for the milestone that the album undoubtedly is. Recorded at Melbourne’s TCS Studios with engineer/producer John Sayers, the album announced, upon its release in late ’71, the matured essence of Chain in its acknowledged classic configuration of Phil, Matt and the two Goose-Barrys [aarrgh! – Ed.]. The album made the number 6 position on the national album charts and remained a strong Top 40 seller for four months (it still sells in respectable quantities to this day!). It was supported by significant and valuable airplay, mainly on "alternative" radio programs like future Double-J presenter Chris Winter’s seminal national ABC radio show, Room To Move". It was the sort of record that seemed to already be on the turntable whenever you stepped into a Saturday night party in those days. In short, it was one of those albums, along with Spectrum’s Milesago or Tamam Shud’s first, or maybe Co. Caine’s debut opus, that any self-respecting aficionado of quality OzRock; (like your reporter, at the time, about 18 or 19, and avid!) would consider essential for a well-rounded record collection!

Led by the single Judgement, an aggressive, multi-faceted bluesy showcase for each band member, and notable for Phil’s singular wah-wah guitar filigrees, TWB proved an early pinnacle that Chain struggled to surpass later in their career -- if, indeed, they themselves ever wanted or needed to (Chain’s credo, like that of most of their contemporaries, generally eschewed such crass or quaint notions of career longevity or quick riches). Instead, Aussie punters were presented with one of the finest and most well-rounded LPs of the era. Other gems include an inspired version of Robert Johnson’s 32/20, followed by the supreme swing and swagger of their version of Junior Wells’ Snatch It Back And Hold It, delightfully re-appropriated here in true Aussie ratbag fashion as Grab A Snatch And Hold It! Many other highlights abound, such as Albert Goose’s Gonna Turn The Blueses Looses: a vehicle for Harvey to unleash a fierce drum solo. Side Two ends with Taylor’s wailing blues harmonica featuring on the signature tune, Black & Blue (the full version of the single edit).

Chain began its performance rounds in 1972 as a three-piece: Morgan and Sullivan, joined by drummer Laurie Pryor (ex-Twilights and fresh from Healing Force). The piano-led trio debuted with a two-night residency at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in late January, supported by Friends (with Phil Manning guesting on guitar), The Wild Cherries and Spectrum. This was followed by their televised performance before 35,000 at the famous 1972 Sunbury Pop Festival, which was of course a triumph for Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs as well as for Spectrum, Madder Lake, Pirana, The La De Das, The Wild Cherries and many others. Chain can be seen performing Sunny Day in the film of the event (since released on video -- see discography). Manning’s acoustic duo slot with Steve Cooney is also featured.

Soon after Sunbury, Pryor left Chain to be replaced yet again by Barry Harvey. This version of the band featured at a number of important gigs, including the Mulwalla Festival in April (with the usual formidable list of top outfits of the day). The band featured prominently at various venues in Melbourne’s vibrant club scene, sharing stages with the likes of Daddy Cool, Madder Lake, Dutch Tilders and Manning’s new outfit, The Philtones. Tilders himself enlisted the support of past and present Chain members, Manning, Harvey, Sullivan and Pryor, along with Brian Cadd and Broderick Smith for his debut album on the Bootleg label.

On the recording front, Chain recorded a single at TCS in April, Sunny Day. The a-side pumped along brightly, with Pig’s piano to the fore. Its 6-minute flip, I Was Born, was a jazz-tinged blues piece that was edited down from a 20-minute studio jam. Unfortunately, by the time this single was released in October, there was no band to promote it, thus rendering this one of Chain’s least successful records. The 3-piece Chain split in July after a falling out between Morgan and Harvey. Its final appearance was as support to John Mayall, with Graham Morgan deputising on drums. Soon afterwards, Warren Morgan began a solo career, before reuniting with The Aztecs. Chain did not resume as a performing entity until early ’73.

There were, however, other outfits that emerged in late-’72 that were basically Chain in all but name. Phil Manning kept busy with a new, more rock-orientated band, Willy & the Philtones which evolved into the Band of Talabene. Consisting of guitarists Manning and Tony Naylor, drummer Tony Buettel and bassist Phil Gaunt, this outfit lasted until December when Manning moved over to Mighty Mouse, which formed in November, with the two "Geese" Harvey & Sullivan, Phil Manning, Ian Clyne, Mal Capewell, Kevin Murphy, Russell Smith and Barry McAskill passing through its ranks. This group never recorded, but proved a popular draw around Melbourne’s live traps until splitting in January 1973 after an appearance at the second Sunbury Festival.

1973
As mentioned, the ’73 Sunbury Festival featured Mighty Mouse, as well as a Matt Taylor "solo" slot. Phil and the two Barrys, augmented by second drummer Kevin Murphy backed Matt for this gig. On Mushroom’s triple-album document of the event, The Great Australian Rock Festival Sunbury 1973, Mighty Mouse weigh in with the lengthy Sunset Song, while Matt’s set is represented by his own composition, Brisbane To Beechworth. He had already recorded with his Sunbury line-up (sans Murphy, but with Greg "Sleepy" Lawrie on board) for his debut solo album, Straight As A Die. Again, ostensibly a Chain record in all but name, yet showcasing Taylor’s own rollicking and witty compositions, this album was a Top-20 seller and in September yielded what was to be Mushroom Records’ first Top 10 singles placing with I Remember When I Was Young.

Meanwhile, with so much activity involving so many Chain luminaries, it was almost inevitable that the Mighty Mouse line-up would evolve into yet another Chain (by now the 15th permutation of the band!). Signing to Mushroom, this line-up issued two singles, the medium-tempo I Thought You Weren't My Friend (August) and the gruff shuffle-blues I'm Gonna Miss You Babe (November). Neither was particularly successful, but the reconstituted group did impress on the touring circuit, appearing in March at yet another large outdoor gathering, the Down Under Rock Festival in Melbourne (again, all the usual suspects were on a bill that featured – surprise – headliners The Aztecs). During May, Chain toured the country as support to the Muddy Waters Band and soon after teamed with that band’s James "Peewee" Madison (guitar, vocals) and George "Mojo" Beauford (vocals, harmonica) for recordings that would form part of Chain’s next LP, Two Of A Kind, but more about that presently...

One of Melbourne’s premier "head" venues around this time, along with the T.F. Much Ballroom, was the Garrison Disco in Prahran, the venue which had served as the unofficial HQ for Madder Lake. Local council pressure forced Garrison’s closure in June 1973, and as one of its most popular and regularly-performing acts, Chain was fittingly invited to be among a handful of select bands that paid tribute to the place in its final days. Two Chain songs (Grab A Snatch And Hold It and Do What You Wanna Do), recorded live there on 7 June, appeared on the various artists’ album Garrison: The Final Blow Vol. 2, along with Roberta by Taylor and Lawrie as a duo. Other songs recorded that evening were released in other formats: the single I Thought You Weren't My Friend, b/w Elephant, an edit of the overblown extended soloing jam How To Set Fire To An Elephant, which appeared in its full 18-minute form on Two Of A Kind.

TOAK was a comparatively low-key affair by Chain’s standards. Of the four cuts featuring Madison and Beauford from Muddy’s band, only the title track (written by Madison) and Little Walter’s Blues With A Feeling provide any real excitement, despite the typically robust backing that Chain supplies. And some observers at the time found Elephant tediously self-indulgent. The album sold in only moderate numbers and by the time of its release in December, Chain had undergone further personnel shifts, Little Goose being the first to leave. He went on to considerable success with the Kevin Borich Express and later formed his own eponymous outfit. His replacement, Tony Lunt, was formerly drummer for Carson and Alta Mira, and he brought his bandmate, the in-demand keyboardist Mal Logan with him. However, this arrangement was short-lived and in July the mighty Chain was laid to rest. Chain’s recorded legacy was fittingly commemorated with the fine double-LP compilation, History Of Chain, issued in December ’74.

01. Thirty Two-Twenty Blues
02. Snatch it Back and Hold It
03. Boogie
04. Booze is Bad News Blues
05. Albert Goose´s Gonna Turnthe Blues´s Loose´s
06. Black and Blue
07. Undgemend
08. Blow in D
09. Mr. President
10. Leaving
11. Two of A Kind
12. Forever
13. I´m Gonna Miss You Babe
14. Gertrude Street Blues

1. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YZRQAW66
or
2. http://rapidshare.com/files/164699744/Chain.rar

VAI, STEVE - Real Illusions: Reflections (2005)

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:57:24 +0000

This is not the shred-solo album one would probably expect from the name Steve Vai. It is an instrumental concept album, part one of three. The concept is difficult to follow because, while Steve has explained the part of the narrative that each song corresponds to in the liner notes, the songs are intentionally out of order. However, what we know so far is that Captain Drake Morgan experiences a spiritual epihpany and an angel named Pamposh builds a giant church named Under It All. Doesn't make much sense to me either. But I'm expecting that it will eventually.

There are a couple technical displays on this album, mainly in Building the Church and in Freak Show Excess. But that isn't the point of this album. Instead, he focuses on evoking atmospheres and emotions with his playing. I've always considered Steve Vai to be one of the more tasteful shredders, and it shows on this album. There's enough wankery to impress and remind you who you're dealing with, but it's made more effective by the way he holds back most of the time. He also does quite a bit of singing on this album, as Dying for your Love, Firewall, I'm Your Secrets, and Under It All are all based around lyrics. I personally think Steve has a great voice, perfectly on key and knowing to stay within his limits (no doubt this is due to his having perfect pitch.)

All in all, I think this is a great album. There are many who say it's the worst thing he's ever done. The key is to approach with an open mind. This is not necessarily a guitar hero album, despite the large quantity of instrumental tracks and amazing guitar playing. The flashy solos take a back seat to the songwriting, and if you're willing to accept that, hopefully you can enjoy this album as much as I do. (Just as a warning though, my idol as a guitarist is Steve Vai, so there may be some bias playing in here.)

by MrEdifus

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YAK - Journey of the Yak (2008)

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:25:56 +0000

Originally active in the early 80's, it took 20 years and the dedication of keyboard player Martin Morgan to present the music of Yak to the world. Arguably not the best of band names, but thankfully the music is much better than what one might expect from a band with a name which gives some funny associations.

Instrumental, progressive symphonic rock is the name of the game here, with the keyboards as THE dominating instrument. Lush, mellow moods and harder majestic ones; slow themes as well as faster more complex motifs - the keys are ever present and totally dominating on all tunes.

More often than not we're served multilayered keyboards; up to six different layers at most if my hearing and analyzing skills were up to it when going through this creation. A minimum of one symphonic layer from the tangents will be found on most compositions, and additional layers will often be provided as organ or piano. Flute-sounding layers and spacey sounds are other often used textures from the keys, and there's also the flowing solo segments with a guitar-tinged sound to it. Additional elements utilized are synthesized versions of backing vocals/choir, lighter floating melody lines and deep, slightly ominous sound layers.

The focus is on mood and atmosphere rather than complex creations though; some dissonances and disharmonies are used as effect but most of all this is a harmonic production in a modern symphonic tradition, which I guess will be classified as neo-progressive by many.

Musically we're talking a mix of influences from Genesis and Camel mainly, with inspirations taken from the more atmospheric creations of these fine acts from the 70's. Some compositions sound more like the one than the other; but most times the music comes across as a mix of both.

It's a nice release; no filler material on display albeit nothing truly outstanding either. There's captivating moods and melodies aplenty though, and I suspect quite a few fans of symphonic rock will view this as one of the better releases of 2008.

by Windhawk

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Tiny Mix Tapes Reviews The Dead C's Bowery Ballroom Show.

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:04:00 +0000

Dead C / Northampton Wools / Sightings / King Darves
[Bowery Ballroom; New York, NY]
[10-13-2008]
Original Post

It's with some serendipity that New Zealand noise-rockers the Dead C would be making an appearance in New York at the same time the actual Dead Sea scrolls would be on display at the Jewish Museum in the very same city. Indeed, for both, a Manhattan appearance is equally rare. Though there exists no tour t-shirt to document the scrolls globe trekking, the band, the Dead C are on record as having only made one journey to the states before this tour, to play the Los Angeles chapter of All Tomorrow's Parties back in 2002. Like the scrolls, the Dunedin, New Zealand band's extensive back catalog has been ruminated over, each new release pored over for meaning and intent, and as is the case for both, new paradoxes arise out of every examination of their output.

New York City parking regulations had me circling the Bowery Ballroom 20 or 30 times before settling upon a viable spot to stash my ride. Unfortunately, I had already missed openers King Darves. Bummer. So it would be Northampton Wools that would whet my live music whistle for the night. The guitar mangling duo of Thurston Moore and Bill Nace invoked the spirit of Derek Bailey, as the two started out with spacious, delicate amblings only to build towards further rupture and the all-out guitar squall Thurston has manifested in over a bazillion projects. In a particularly pleasing moment (after several awkward silences), Thurston, in a fit of fury, slammed a file against the strings and continued to absolutely maul the guitar that sat torturously, crying out for help upon his lap.

Sightings continued the guitar abuse with their skronk 'n' pummel routine. Rich Hoffman provided plenty of dyspeptic "bass face," switching from slinky-snake charming riffs to retard rumble, while Mark Morgan danced around the stage doing a hybrid Russian folk dance mixed with a modified version of the limbo. The synth pad/actual drum drumming of Jon Lockie further accentuated Sightings half-man/half-machine hybrid attack. The whole Sightings package kind of sounds like what Einstürzende Neubauten would if they were around in the late-'60s — call it industrial-edelia if that suits you (it shouldn't). Not recognizing this song cycle from their latest Through the Panama, it stands to reason these new jams are to be featured on some sort of new album, which has me atwitter with schoolgirl-like excitement.

Dead C took the stage last and culminated a night of discordance. Mike Morley's lethargic drawl wove a dream-time musical language with Bruce Russell's guitar noisiness. Russell, in a perpetual Quasimoto slump, leaned over his guitar, not necessarily playing it, but maybe exploiting it, inserting a small metal strip between the fretboard and strings and producing a steady stream of feedback from the small amp he had in front of him. The drumming of Robbie Yeats was impressive; holding together amorphous rock tendencies can't be easy, but he pulled it off. Their set was full of peaks and valleys, build-ups and let-downs, while an underscore of atonality held it all together. The performance for the most part lacked the energy of some past recorded shows (gotta love that video of them on New Zealand television) and opted for more unilateral unfoldings and subtle crescendos. Although the sheets of sound built up by the C reached some transcendent heights, I felt, overall, they kept it mired in a sort of cosmic funeral dirge. Dead C have to be commended for their unique vision, their disregard of convention, and the sheer influence they have bequeathed, which makes it tough to decry such a seminal and legendary band for being "boring." To save face, I'll revert back to that old axiom about Wagner's music and say that, like the German composer, Dead C are better than they sound.

Madonna "Miles Away" Remixes Available Now

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:07:57 +0000

After several remixes of Madonna's new single "Miles Away" leaked online over the past couple of weeks, Warner Music has made the "unprecedented move" to exclusively offer the leaked remixes to the online dance music retailer Masterbeat.com. "Warner chose to partner with Masterbeat because the niche retailer was able to make the remixes for sale immediately, as opposed to retail giants, who require weeks to offer items for sale," according to a statement.

Click here to listen and download the remixes in high-quality MP3 format. Remixers include Morgan Page (my favorite), Thin White Duke, Johnny Vicious and Aaron Lacrate & Samir B-More.

Morgan Page recently spoke with ArjanWrites.com about his remix of "Miles Away." "Warner had been digging the other mixes I've done for them, so they gave me a shot," he comments. "It sounds a little bit like the Katy Perry remix [I did]. It is kinda an electro-house vibe with a progressive twist."