Deep Cuts - Rock Albums - Part II

Once again, I'm digging into some legendary albums, locating songs sort of buried in the mix, that didn't quite register on the radar at the time of their release, and remain sort of forgotten or unknown today. 

It's All Too Much - Beatles, Yellow Submarine 1999 Songtrack - this album accompanied the re-release of the 1968 animated movie. Short and sweet, bashy and raw, Harrison adopts a Hendrix-like guitar aggression, licks on fire over the droning keyboard. Definitely a sing-a-long tune, catchy and fun. A lesser Beatles song yet it truly rocks, certainly grittier, if less developed, than album mate Hey Bulldog. 

Sweet Pain - KISS, Destroyer album (1976) - eye-rollingly raunchy lyrics overlay a rollicking hard rock tune that features Gene's thundering bass and one of the best guitar solos on the album (sadly, not by Ace, but a session musician). The album is chocker-blocked with strong and memorable rock classics, and even the non-hits demonstrate a knack for songwriting and headbanging simultaneously. Sweet Pain is an example of how KISS kept the quality from front to back on Destroyer. 

Secret Journey - The Police, Ghost in the Machine album (1981) - atmospheric and lush with guitar riffs and effects washes, hypnotic percussion and bassline, big bright choruses countered by weightier verses, and interesting (maybe even uplifting) spiritual lyrics... probably close to Sting's heart. Ghost in the Machine was a huge album that took the band on a massive world-wide tour, of which I attended the Toronto Police Picnic event. The material is consistently good throughout (Everything She Does Is Magic was the major hit), and though Secret Journey did chart as a single in the U.S., it barely crept into the #29 spot. Still, I think it deserves a closer look.

Hearts - Yes, 90125 album (1983) - The final track on the album, Hearts does not allow this disc to go out with a whimper. Half of the album's songs went top 10 on various charts, and of course, Owner of a Lonely Heart became one of the biggest hits of the 80's. Hard to compete with that, yet Hearts is a strong and attractive tune. The first portion of the song is staccato electronic keyboard, soon joined by bass and drums, vocals locked into the rhythm. Then the song opens up into a soaring chorus, expansive, lush vocals courtesy of Rabin, Anderson and Squire. It changes gears in its final minutes, loping at a mellow pace, guitars jangling and vocal harmonies to the fore. New Yes frontman Trevor Rabin's expressive guitar solo and outro electrify and meld perfectly with the track. 

1976 At The Movies - Fists, Bats, and Lasers

The year 1976 was a good one at the movies. At age twelve, I was finally getting to see films on their theatrical release on a somewhat semi-regular basis. The previous year, when I first began seeing movies at the cinema without my parents, I only caught a couple on the big screen - one of which was the meg-blockbuster Jaws. Hard to top that.

Well, in December of '76, the adrenalizing boxing film Rocky took my hometown by storm. I had never seen such stirring drama, both in and out of the ring. Stallone nailed his role as the blue collar worker turned boxing contender, as did old Burgess Meredith as his gritty manager and trainer. So many aspects of the movie made an impact on me. The blood, the guts, the "glory" (so to speak - we all know how it goes). Rocky had a powerful impact both physically and emotionally. 

Yo, here's the beef! - Rocky

Aside from the iconic duh-duh duh-duh theme from Jaws, Rocky has to have the most famous film music of all time. Think about it... on TV and in movies that followed... those classic Rocky musical moments were, and still are, re-used in tribute (both seriously and humourously) often. Bill Conti's famous score contributed in large part to the exhilarating spirit of the film. I re-lived that movie at home (before home video) by buying and playing the Rocky soundtrack album... over and over and over again.

The Rocky story and its music inspired me to whip myself into shape.... the best I could at the time. I bought some weights and other bits of exercise equipment. I pulled on my sweats and went out running in the cold. I kept looking for a long staircase to run up Rocky-style, but couldn't find one. I kept on with that fitness mindset for decades, all thanks to this timeless tale of gutsy determination. A movie with heart, if there ever was one.

This was also a year of laughter. I enjoyed the next installment in the Inspector Clouseau series, The Pink Panther Strikes Again. Peter Sellers never missed a beat in all of these slapstick gems. He was one of my favourite actors to watch, with his weird and silly accent and bumbling hi-jinks. 

The Bad News Bears was my first exposure to semi-raunchy comedy, with the young baseball team freely tossing curse-words around the diamond. Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal were among the star power here. I have zero memory of this flick and its sequels today, but I know I originally saw them all from a theatre seat, so I must have liked them at the time. Or maybe they were crap, but as a young lad, I just wanted to hang out with my pals at the viddy-plex. 

Take that, you mutha! - Logan's Run

Another wacky comedy I saw back then was Silver Streak, which starred Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, among a large cast of big names. I thought it was fine at the time, but ultimately, it was forgettable. An outrageous story of a murder mystery on a cross-country train trip. 

Now on to a movie that to this day I consider one of my most nostalgic - and even durable, despite what others say - science fiction films: Logan's Run. I absolutely loved (and still admire) this exploration of utopian and dystopian themes. From the cool, athletic-looking uniforms of the Sandmen to Jerry Goldsmith's unsettling electronic musical score, and the fascinating world-building that included strange concepts such as Last Day and Carrousel, both designed for population control. And the idea of the police force of Sandmen who pursue and terminate the Runners who try to flee the domed city. Sure, you could look back on this movie and think it looks dated and hokey, but I don't have any problems with the visual effects - from the models and sets to the gadgets and laser violence. And really, how can you argue with the dashing young Michael York as Logan 5 (Sandman turned Runner) and his lovely new friend, Jenny Agutter as Jessica 6. And of course, pin-up poster model Farrah Fawcett-Majors has a small role. 

I liked Logan's Run so much that I even bought the original novel and read and re-read that endlessly, the only way to re-live the excitement of the movie in a time before DVDs and streaming video. 

If only I had been a few years older, I would have loved to have seen the shocker Carrie (which I later caught  on TV and home video) and Clint Eastwood in his second Dirty Harry outing, brandishing his cannon-sized side-arm in The Enforcer (which I eventually saw many times on the tube, and now own on home video). 

All in all, a pretty good year for movies. But, boy, does it ever get better in '77.

Black is Beautiful... on Album Covers, Too

Ever notice now much attention is paid to all-black album covers? Black makes a statement. It's the "cool", dark, mysterious, even classy colour - or lack of colour, if you want to get technical about it.

As I recently picked CDs off my shelves for listening, I noticed (with more interest than usual) that there were more than a few albums with that plain yet striking all-black cover art. Occasionally, the cover would include a subtle adornment, like the band logo, album title, or some small graphic, but our eye initially only registers that looming darkness. There is importance and austerity in that colour choice. Maybe even something ominous and foreboding, depending on the artist and how you perceive them. And it seems just about every album wrapped in black becomes hugely famous. Coincidence?

This all-black cover feels sort of funereal, an omen

that this was the end of The Eagles (for a while)

The first albums that I noted were The Eagles' The Long Run, Metallica's self-titled "black album", AC/DC's Back in Black, and Spinal Tap's Smell the Glove. Oh, and Steely Dan's Aja.

There is usually a story behind an album cover, and there are some related to these shadowy sleeves: I don't know the scoop behind The Eagles 1979 album, but it was known back then that the band was disintegrating. It's my theory that the black cover art reflected the unhappy mood at the time, that this was the end. Until they reformed more than a decade later. 

Metallica's black album signalled a drastic change for the metal-heads: the subdued graphic of a snake coiled to strike might have symbolized the band poised to dominate the world... the album was huge, placing Metallica among the most famous and wealthy musicians, and it made them the most commercially successful metal band of all time. But there was a dark side to that fame and fortune: there was turmoil within the band and with their new radio-friendly approach, they lost many long-time hard-core fans. 

In the case of AC/DC, the somber cover art was clearly a respectful memoriam to singer Bon Scott, who had passed away just months before the album release. With a new vocalist on board, the band chose to honour Scott with a record heavy in mood, with more than a few nods to their lost compatriot. 

And then the Spinal Tap cover.... well, the plain black was substituted by the recording and production companies for the "morally offensive" image that originally appeared. The Tap first submitted album art that showed a woman on all fours, wearing a dog collar, sniffing a glove that was shoved in her face. Um, a bit of a problem there, eh, mate?

The spare but unusual imagery on Steely Dan's Aja

belies the intricate jazz-rock style of the music within

A little poking about on the web and I learned that Jay Z and Prince had released black albums, too. Maybe I already knew that, but I needed a refresher. Upon inspection, Jay Z's album doesn't really apply according to my "rules"... yes, the album art background is black, but there is also a large image emblazoned across it. On the other hand, Prince's album does meet my standards, with its complete lack of anything... though a small adhesive label bearing the artist's name was applied to the top corner of some copies.

I'd heard something about an unofficial Beatles "Black Album" years ago, but it was only now, as I researched it a bit, that I learned it was a late-career bootleg full of alternate versions, outtakes, and unused songs from recording sessions. The quality of the material was questionable, due largely to the lack of PC-ness of its lyrics. But perfect for the die-hard Beatle-fan. And cool in its dark sleeve, which is practically the negative image of the Fab Four's '68 White Album.

Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon sort of qualifies. Its colourful prism graphic is what draws the eye, not the empty backdrop. The large field of stark black provides the contrast that makes the rainbow colours pop out. So.... I guess I can give this a pass. 

I know diddly squat about the Arctic Monkeys (though I love the band's name), but they have a black album cover that depicts what appears to be a sound wave graphic, presumably that of an AM (amplitude modulation) signal... since the album is called AM. I guess this falls in the same marginal category as the Floyd album, since one's eye immediately settles on the sound wave image. Black, with an "accent". 

Electronic squibbler Tiesto's Just Be album cover is plain black with only his word logo and handwritten title dead centre. Nothing special, but it works. For some artists, this approach can evoke emptiness or loneliness, perhaps in connection with the music itself. Similarly, Japanese rock instrumentalists The Black Mages released a "black album", featuring their Final Fantasy game music. Again, there is a very simple word logo that sits comfortably in the centre of the nothingness. I suspect that when there aren't any creative ideas for a cover, the band and/or the graphic artist opt for basic black as the go-to.

Of Mice and Men's Restoring Force boasts an eye-catching dark cover, a large conch shell displayed prominently in the centre. Attractive, if not exactly a completely black cover. 

Rapper 2 Chainz's cover for the album Based On A T.R.U. Story works nicely with its simple yet strikingly elegant image. An appropriate name and cover art for the artist, given the musical genre. Nice bling.

January 8th Celebrity Birthdays

I'm not big about celebrating my birthday, but I am kind of jazzed about the fact that I share a birth date with two of the biggest music stars in history, Elvis Presley and David Bowie. Especially Elvis. I've been a bit of an Elvis fan since I was a lad. Bowie, well, I liked some of his stuff on the radio as a teen, but it wasn't until decades later that I properly appreciated the genius of his songs. 

I bought my first Elvis album, an excellent collection of his best music, on 8-track tape back in the 70's. I still have that crazy tape, but I have no idea if it would even play today.... if I even had a player for that ridiculous format. Still... I loved listening to that tape endlessly, from Hound Dog to Surrender. Some of my fave tracks were - and still are - Good Luck Charm, Return to Sender, and (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear. A hunk a hunk a burnin' rock'n'roll. Today, I have a handful of Elvis "hits" collections on CD that provide me with the best of the different eras of his career. 

I watched a bunch of those goofy Elvis movies on TV when I was a kid, but when I caught a bit of one when I was older, I quickly realized this was pretty lame stuff. So forget the cinematic Elvis. Yet The King's music endures, and I still listen to his albums now and then. And when I got into Cheap Trick, I learned of their love of Elvis via their cover of Don't Be Cruel and their album entitled All Shook Up. 

In more recent years, listening to Glenn Danzig's heavy metal tunes, I noticed his vocal style emulated that of Elvis... and a bit of Jim Morrison of The Doors, too. A rough and garbled style of singing, to be sure, but we, as listeners, can hear Danzig's influences from the past. 

As for Bowie, I didn't hear much beyond Rebel Rebel and Space Oddity on rock radio back in the 70's and then China Girl and Let's Dance in the 80's. Rebel Rebel remains a favourite Bowie song for me, and I've learned to enjoy Golden Years, Jean Genie, and Diamond Dogs, among other timeless tracks. I've never been much of a fan, but I recognize Bowie's creativity and talent. He certainly wrote some of rock music's most memorable songs. And his unique androgynous and freaky visual style sense placed him on the map for the most startling performer of all time. 

1975 At the Movies - First Theatrical Releases

I didn't see many movies as a young kid, since neither of my parents were movie-goers. Sigh. But I've certainly made up for that unfortunate childhood ever since. Watching hundreds of movies each year (on TV, home video, internet, and at cinemas) for the last several decades has allowed me to do some serious catching up. 

I do recall as a youngster being taken to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. That must have been my first visit to the cinema. I was visiting my grandparents at the time, and my grandmother and my mom escorted me to the theatre. I can't recall when this was or how old I was, but obviously, this must have been a re-release (possibly in the late 60's or early 70's?), since this Disney classic first appeared way back in 1937, before even my parents were born. What I remember most of that day was becoming fearful when Snow White dashed through the forest as scary faces appeared in the craggy trees surrounding her. That made an impression... and the movie remains my favourite of all the Walt Disney animated films. 

A movie marquis somewhere, announcing

the first summer blockbuster of all time, Jaws

When I was thirteen years old, I was finally allowed to see movies on my own... well, at least without my parents around. As if they'd go anyway. Some of the films I saw did require that an adult be present, so I'd go with a friend and his cooler parent(s). 

I know with certainty that my first such movie was Jaws back in the summer of 1975. It was a warm June afternoon matinee in my hometown. I can still picture the huge line-up starting at the Geneva cinema and wrapping almost around the block. My friends and I (and a couple of their parents) found a spot in line that wasn't too far from the doors. We chose to sit in the balcony, which back then was sort of reserved for smoking. Ha! The good old days. But hey, nobody cared much about that stuff then. It just felt like a cool experience sitting way up, way back, and freaking out at the great horror adventure before us. I remember first seeing that shocking scene early in the movie when the severed head pops out of the broken hull of the boat. The whole theatre rang with the screams of the audience. It was great!

I'm not one hundred percent sure of this, but I believe I also saw The Return of the Pink Panther at the cinema that same year. I know I caught at least a few of the Inspector Clouseau comedies on their theatrical runs back in the day. Those Peter Sellers gems absolutely killed me! I always anxiously awaited the scene - at least one in each movie - where manservant Cato would leap out from some unlikely hiding place to attack Clouseau... as part of the Inspector's home "training" for surprise attacks. Crazy slow-motion and vocal effects turned these skirmishes into bizarre comedic sequences. Pure gold. 

I think that was it for '75. There were several big movies out that year, but I wasn't old enough to see the Restricted rated ones yet... like Rollerball and Death Race 2000.