right from the jump the MELODIES are there.  for me that is what makes THE BEATLES a TIMELESS ACT and a PERENNIAL FAVORITE of mine.  its also what differentiates them from their PEERS and IMMEDIATE PREDECESSORS and what keeps them eternally RELEVANT and even CONTEMPORARY given that TIMELESS MELODIES never age.

of course PLEASE PLEASE ME (PARLOPHONE, 1963) being their FIRST RELEASE is EMBLEMATIC of the EARLY PHASE of their CAREER when a HEALTHY PORTION of TRACKS were COVER SONGS and LYRICALLY everything was about SAPPY and overly SUPERFICIAL takes on LOVE and RELATIONSHIPS.  the INDUSTRY STANDARD PRACTICE of using COVERS as a means of ALBUM FILLER would continue up until their THIRD ALBUM A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (PARLOPHONE, 1964) and such LYRICAL PREOCCUPATIONS with PUPPY LOVE ended around the SIXTH ALBUM RUBBER SOUL (PARLOPHONE, 1965) when BOB DYLAN's BROAD INFLUENCE on SOPHISTICATED LYRICAL CONCEITS in POPULAR CULTURE was in FULL SWING.  i believe you have to go into PLEASE PLEASE ME with those CONSIDERATIONS regarding their OBVIOUS LIMITATIONS at the time.  but even with such being the CASE, the MELODIES on "LOVE ME DO," "DO YOU WAN'T TO KNOW A SECRET," "PLEASE PLEASE ME," "I SAW HER STANDING THERE" and "P.S. I LOVE YOU" and the JOHN LENNON / PAUL MCCARTNEY SUNG HARMONIES are absolutely CELESTIAL, EXQUISITE and even a bit UNNERVING in their PRESENTATION of YOUNG LOVE.  its almost as if that INTENSE SENSE of ANTICIPATION is likewise met with its fierce UNSPOKEN TWIN in RELATED FEELINGS of ANXIETY and SELF-DOUBT. 

​LENNON in particular had a SINGULAR VOICE that channeled such COMPLEX EMOTIONS, even at this EARLY STAGE with VIRTUOSIC CONTROL.  its an INTRIGUING HISTORICAL FACT that he hated his SINGING VOICE and was even embarrassed by it.  id almost consider LENNON's voice the SECRET WEAPON of the GROUP, especially during those EARLY YEARS.  at least such is what caught MY ATTENTION and was what i gravitated towards when first hearing these ALBUMS as a CHILD with my FATHER.  no doubt i didnt pick up at the TIME on any of the SLY SEXUAL SUGGESTIVENESS of its LENNON-derived TITLE TRACK, ANOTHER HALLMARK of his PREDILECTION for SUBTLE SUBVERSION introduced through supposedly CLEAN, WHOLESOME POP MUSIC meant for MASS CONSUMPTION.

you also have to consider that the RECORDING PROCESS of constructing these EARLY RELEASES was rather RIGID and done with RECORDING ENGINEERS in LITERAL WHITE LAB-COATS in the ANTISEPTIC CONFINES of EMI RECORDING STUDIOS (later renamed in the mid-1970s to ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS).  their PRODUCER, GEORGE MARTIN (who was also the HEAD of their LABEL), had previous worked with both ORCHESTRAS and COMEDY GROUPS for the RADIO, including most notably THE GOONS which included BRITISH COMEDY ICONS SPIKE MILLIGAN and PETER SELLERS.  THE BEATLES were just one of a FEW ARTISTS on the PARLOPHONE ROSTER at the time and thus were afforded no ADDITIONAL TAKES or SPECIAL RECORDING PRIVILEGES.  as such, most of these RECORDINGS are SINGLE TAKES with MINIMAL OVERDUBS (sometimes VOCALS would be DOUBLED for MIXING PURPOSES).  it is pretty INCREDIBLE that PLEASE PLEASE ME is as ENERGETIC, COHERENT and emotively IMPACTFUL as it is given such CONSIDERABLE TECHNICAL LIMITATIONS.

although this is not their BEST RECORD in my OPINION, such proves their POTENTIAL that no doubt would be realized down the LINE in RELATIVELY SHORT ORDER as the BAND was only around for a DECADE, and releasing ALBUMS for only roughly seven of those YEARS.  not required listening but PLEASE PLEASE ME is definitely worth checking out nonetheless.

it may go down that the DEBUT LED ZEPPELIN ALBUM LED ZEPPELIN (ATLANTIC, 1969) is far and away one of the most CONSEQUENTIAL ROCK AND ROLL RECORDINGS ever.  i do not even believe that is a particularly ORIGINAL or CONTROVERSIAL ASSESSMENT, more just an OBVIOUS STATEMENT OF FACT.  along with the EMERGENCE of PUNK ROCK in the late 70s and the DEVELOPMENT of UNDERGROUND THRASH and DEATH METAL in the early 80s, undoubtedly one of those PIVOTAL MOMENTS in ROCK AND ROLL was that INCREDIBLE TRANSITION from those EARLY BRITISH INVASION GROUPS of the early 60s to the CELEBRATED, HIGH-POWERED, pre-MODERN, BLUES-based ROCK AND ROLL ACTS that came to PROMINENCE in the late 60s and early 70s like AEROSMITH, ZZ TOP, DEEP PURPLE, URIAH HEEP, THIN LIZZY, BLACK SABBATH, CREAM, BLUE CHEER and MOUNTAIN of which LED ZEPPELIN was UNQUESTIONABLY at the head of the PACK and set the TONE for the NEXT DECADE (and ARGUABLY ROCK AND ROLL writ large moving forward).

at this point its ROCK AND ROLL LORE that the YARDBIRDS GUITARIST and ESTABLISHED STUDIO MUSICIAN JIMMY PAGE initiated the GROUP (originally as THE NEW YARDBIRDS) in the wake of his FORMER BAND's DEMISE as a means of fulfilling a TOURING OBLIGATION in SCANDINAVIA.  rounding out that LINEUP was the VOCALIST ROBERT PLANT, whom he knew by REPUTATION, and DRUMMER JOHN BONHAM, whom the SINGER had RECOMMENDED.  later on the NOTED MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST and FELLOW STUDIO ACE JOHN PAUL JONES rounded out the LINEUP as BASSIST.  outside of PLANT and BONHAM, LED ZEPPELIN was not comprised of FRIENDS but rather PROFESSIONAL ACQUAINTANCES, which is beyond INTRIGUING given their SIMPATICO MUSICAL CHEMISTRY. 

unlike most of their other HARD ROCK PEERS, the LED ZEPPELIN RECIPE included NODS to TRADITIONAL ENGLISH FOLK MUSIC, most PROMINENTLY heard on ACOUSTIC TRACKS like "BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE" and "BABE, I'M GONNA LEAVE YOU."  along with PLANT's J.R.R. TOLKIEN-inspired FANTASY LYRICAL CONCEITS would be a MAJOR COMPONENT of their MYSTIQUE moving forward.  UNDOUBTEDLY PAGE and COMPANY were ACOLYTES of the FOLK REVIVAL MOVEMENT, which provided a NOTICEABLE CONTRAST to the more HARDER-EDGED, HIGH-ENERGY MATERIAL such as ICONIC TRACKS like "COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN," "GOOD TIMES BAD TMES" and "DAZED AND CONFUSED" that they would become RENOWNED for and IMITATED ad nauseam by GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS for FIVE DECADES and counting.  it should also be mentioned that CENTRAL to those SONGS is the SINGULAR DRUMMING of BONHAM, which counterintuitively was somehow both FLUID and VERSATILE while maintaining an absolute UNGODLY AMOUNT of POWER and FORCE on the KIT.  there is a GOOD REASON why SUBSEQUENT DRUMMERS that dont even particularly like LED ZEPPELIN hold BONHAM in such HIGH ESTEEM, as his STYLE was able to maintain its UNBRIDLED RAWNESS with those IMPACTFUL HEAVY BASS KICKS while simultaneously communicated INTRICATE RHYTHMS and GROOVES that served their SONGS EXQUISITELY.  the DUDE was one of one and the INIMITABLE ENVY of PUNK, METAL, ALTERNATIVE and PROG ROCK DRUMMERS ever since.

when i listen to the DEBUT LED ZEPPELIN ALBUM, i hear the MUSICAL TEMPLATE for all that followed.  arguably only THE BEATLES and BLACK SABBATH had as much IMPACT on SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS of ROCK AND ROLL musicians as LED ZEPPELIN.  i know it sounds PARADOXICAL, but their 1969 DEBUT is required listening for FANS of CONTEMPORARY MUSIC, end stop.

its pretty much MADDENING to consider all the UNREALIZED POTENTIAL of JIMI HENDRIX.  just on a purely TECHNICAL LEVEL he utilized EQUIPMENT that was largely at the INFANCY of its DEVELOPMENT, especially GUITAR EFFECTS.  no doubt his PARTICIPATION would have PROFOUNDLY affected the TRAJECTORY of that INDUSTRY had he survived, never mind RECORDING and PRODUCTION GEAR and RELATED PROCESSES.  same goes for POSSIBLE COLLABORATIONS that were on the horizon such as a RUMORED MEETING of the MUSICAL MINDS with JAZZ ICON MILES DAVIS.  so much was TRAGICALLY left on the table when HENDRIX PASSED AWAY UNEXPECTEDLY in late 1970.

our only REAL GLIMPSE into a post-THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE CAREER was that of his SOLE BAND OF GYPSYS (CAPITOL, 1970) LIVE RECORDING he made at the LEGENDARY FILLMORE EAST in NEW YORK CITY with his more EXPERIMENTAL COLLABORATORS in the EXPANSIVE RHYTHM SECTION of BASSIST BILLY COX and DRUMMER BUDDY MILES.  most of the OFFERINGS at that new year's day GIG were LOOSELY-CONSTRUCTED JAMS concocted in the WAKE of the GROUP's WOODSTOCK APPEARANCE the PREVIOUS YEAR and SHOWCASES a LOOSER, more EXPRESSIVE and highly IMPROVISATIONAL ASPECT to HENDRIX's BLUES-based VIRTUOSO PLAYING.  listening to some of these IMPROMPTU SOLOS throughout BAND OF GYPSYS is a reminder of how FLUID and outright LYRICAL the MAN was with his INSTRUMENT, as if such was a BODILY EXTENSION of his VERY BEING.  it is said much in RETROSPECT that his EXTENSIVE use of the WAH-PEDAL during this PERIOD served as a CULTURAL BASIS for the FUTURE DEVELOPMENT of FUNK ROCK, which kind of goes without saying.  the DUDE was at the PEAK of his POWERS when he ultimately FELL. 

case in point is the OBVIOUS BAND OF GYPSYS HIGHLIGHT in the PROTEST JAM "MACHINE GUN" with its RAPID-FIRE GUITAR LINES and UNDENIABLE FEEL that seemingly culled together the FRUSTRATION, ANGER and HOPELESSNESS of that TRAUMATIC PERIOD with the EVER-CONTINUATION of the NEEDLESS HUMAN CARNAGE and WANTON MASS SUFFERING found in the VIETNAM CONFLICT. i dont know how you listen to that TRACK and not FEEL SOMETHING, and then you realize such was likely OFF-THE-CUFF with HENDRIX.  that this was just another LARGELY FREE-FORM PERFORMANCE with his BUDDIES.  and that to me is the ESSENCE of who HENDRIX was, the ULTIMATE COLLABORATOR who had the NECESSARY EXPERIENCE as a SIDEMAN (for LITTLE RICHARD and the ISLEY BROTHERS among others for years on the CHITLIN' CIRCUIT) to know when to pick your SPOTS and make it work.  ARGUABLY the only other MUSICIAN i cant think of on that LEVEL was not a FLASH PLAYER like EDDIE VAN HALEN, RANDY RHOADS or DIMEBAG DARRELL or RESPECTED VETERAN INNOVATORS like JEFF BECK, JIMMY PAGE or ERIC CLAPTON, nor a more RUDIMENTARY SONG-based BLUES AFFICIANADO like KEITH RICHARDS or SLASH; to me PRINCE, like HENDRIX could tailor his playing to fit the SONG and then step out and shine when called to.  and only then.

sadly BAND OF GYPSYS is kind of a FORGOTTEN GEM in HENDRIX' CATALOGUE as it was a LIVE RECORDING.  but for any FAN of that ERA, whether CULTURALLY, POLITICAL or MUSICALLY, it is absolutely ESSENTIAL listening.

DAMN THE TORPEDOS (MCA, 1979) was something of an EXISTENTIAL, MAKE-OR-BREAK PROPOSITION for TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS during its INCEPTION and RECORDING PROCESS.  his LABEL having recently been sold to MCA, TOM PETTY contended that his CONTRACT was NULL and VOID and thus began a PROTRACTED and highly CONTENTIOUS LEGAL FIGHT that threatened to derail the MOMENTUM the BAND had amassed after two WELL-RECEIVED RELEASES.  PETTY even filed for BANKRUPTCY at some point as an UNDERHANDED LEGAL TACTIC so INTENSE and DIRE the STARE-DOWN became at one point.  eventually COOLER HEADS prevailed and PETTY signed with an MCA SUBSIDIARY, but an UNDERSTANDING of the EXISTENCE of such an EXPERIENCE is HELPFUL in contextualizing the THEMATIC BENT of the ALBUM itself.

by many this is considered an IMPORTANT PETTY ALBUM, if not the DEFINITIVE RELEASE of his CAREER.  LYRICALLY many of the MEMORABLE TRACKS, including "DON'T DO ME LIKE THAT," "EVEN THE LOSERS," and "REFUGEE" have a defiantly CONFRONTATIONAL us-versus-them / DAVID-versus-GOLIATH ring to them.  always DIRECT with his LYRICAL CONCEITS and COMPOSITIONS in the GRAND TRADITION of 1950s EARLY ROCK AND ROLL LUMINARIES like CHUCK BERRY, CARL PERKINS, LITTLE RICHARD, BUDDY HOLLY and BO DIDDLEY, the ENDURING POWER of DAMN THE TORPEDOES comes from that UNWAVERING COMMITMENT to stare his AUDIENCE straight in the eye with ABSOLUTE CANDOR sans SUPERFLUOUS DECORATION or MAWKISH SENTIMENT.  that ability to convey UNIVERSAL TRUTHS within his LYRICAL WORLD is makes his BEST MATERIAL still hold up to this day since they EFFECTIVELY convey the TENUOUS, VOLATILE NATURE of the HUMAN EXPERIENCE.  INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES like feeling UNDERESTIMATED, VIOLATED by those in POWER or ALONE without a COMMUNITY are UBIQUITOUS and EVER-SHIFTING to new CONTEXTS.  hearing these SONGS in MIDDLE SCHOOL as an ADOLESCENT and then again as an ADULT teaching at a MIDDLE SCHOOL were doubly RELEVANT.  its definitely why this is such a CHERISHED ALBUM.

like all PETTY RECORDS, as expected the MUSICIANSHIP and FEEL of GUITARIST MIKE CAMPBELL is consistently STELLAR.  UNDOUBTEDLY the DUDE is one of the most criminally UNDERRATED MUSICIANS in ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY along with HUBERT SUMLIN, CAROL KAYE, MICK RONSON, GEORGE HARRISON, JAMES JAMERSON, MALCOLM YOUNG, SCOTTY MOORE, JAMES WILLIAMSON, MICK TAYLOR, JAMES BURTON and PRINCE.  not FLASHY or overly FLAMBOYANT in his GUITAR-PLAYING, instead he is the glue that binds the BAND's sound together with IMPECCABLE FEEL, TIMING and NUANCED CREATIVITY.  in my mind along with JOHNNY MARR he is on that VERITABLE SHORT LIST of RHYTHM GUITAR PLAYERS that elevated the MUSICAL CHEMISTRY of their UNIT.  DAMN THE TORPEDOS is a CASE STUDY of such, including the OVERLOOKED SUBTLETY of "HERE COMES MY GIRL."  his DEFT FEEL for EMOTIONAL WEIGHT on that SONG in PARTICULAR is QUINTESSENTIAL TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS and 70s ROCK AND ROLL writ large.

a DEFINITIVE ALBUM by a DEFINITIVE BAND.  required listening in my OPINION.

parodies & text by nacrowe

there are so MANY TIMES listening to MODERN ROCK N ROLL BANDS that i just get JADED, like everything CREATIVELY INTERESTING or ORIGINAL that came out in the GENRE was essentially mined and exploited by the late 1990s.  and that is being somewhat GENEROUS to the ALTERNATIVE ROCK SCENE itself, which was largely an INSPIRED PERMUTATION of the PUNK, METAL, GARAGE, POWER POP and INDIE ROCK SCENES that came before it.  that is not to say that i always maintain this REDUCTIONIST MINDSET, especially when listening to INTRIGUING, CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS and BANDS like GOJIRA, CHELSEA WOLFE, 311, DRAB MAJESTY, GLASSJAW, LIP CRITIC, DEFTONES, TERA MELOS, SLOWDIVE, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EL GUINCHO, MASTODON, BROADCAST and so on.

but they are the EXCEPTION.

i cant even count the amount of times i just feel TOTALLY FED UP with LAME ROCK N ROLL BANDS and what counts as a SCENE today that i just go back to the SOURCE.  because AC/DC never disappoint.  BON SCOTT or BRIAN JOHNSON, its all good.  just STRAIGHT-UP, DIRECT ROCK N ROLL with no BULLSHIT, no GIMMICKS.  ok correction, maybe a few ON-STAGE GIMMICKS with FAMOUS PROPS like the COPIOUS ROWS OF CANONS, LIT UP DEVIL HORNS, GIANT BRONZE BELLS and MORALLY-DUBIOUS BLOW UP DOLLS, but such is always SECONDARY to that GROOVE.  that SOUND that comes from a PRETERNATURAL CHEMISTRY and UNRIVALED MUSICIANSHIP that is a sight to behold.  i only saw them once at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN when i was 17 and its remained one of the GREAT CONCERTS ive ever witnessed (arguably only topped a few years later by PRINCE) partly because of how much it moved and affected their AUDIENCE.  it was a like an OVERPOWERING COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE on a SCALE i hadnt encountered beforehand.  and that POWER comes from its DIRECTNESS.  those RIFFS, those LYRICS, those SONGS just hit you right between the eyes with no SOUND EFFECTS or AURAL DECORATIONS. 

just DRUMS, BASS, GUITARS and VOCALS.  so SIMPLE, yet so hard to recreate because such a PROFOUND inter-GROUP CHEMISTRY comes from years of PRACTICE and EFFORT.  i wonder where along the way CONTEMPORARY BANDS grew to lack that sort of DO-OR-DIE MENTALITY and CHEMISTRY.  did TECHNOLOGY lead us ASTRAY?  did MUSIC get too COMPLICATED or muddied up with OUTSIDE INFLUENCES?  i have no idea, i just know when i turn on AC/DC i am 100% committed to their CULT. 

sign me up.

click HERE to access a PAST DEER GOD RADIO EPISODE on NONPROFIT INTERNET RADIO STATION MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a PLAYLIST celebrating AC/DC.

ive read before how BANDS in the studio will break the ice by informally recording a COVER with the EXPRESS PURPOSE of getting the GROUP VIBE / CREATIVE JUICES / ATTITUDE / MENTALITY right before formally tackling HIGHER-STAKE ORIGINALS.  some BANDS like DEFTONES really stretch out and record UNEXPECTED SONGS by the likes SADE, THE CARS, DRIVE LIKE JEHU or THE SMITHS while others like METALLICA pay homage with more EXPECTED FAIR.  such is the case with their STOPGAP GARAGE INC (ELEKTRA, 1998) RELEASE which came out during the EXTENDED recording HIATUS between their RELOAD (ELEKTRA, 1997) and ST. ANGER (ELEKTRA, 2003) STUDIO ALBUMS.  the COMPILATION includes VARIOUS B-SIDES dating back to their LANDMARK RIDE THE LIGHTNING (MEGAFORCE, 1984) RELEASE including THE $5.98 EP - GARAGE DAYS REVISITED (ELEKTRA, 1987) that they utilized  before recording ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (ELEKTRA, 1988) to test out then-NEW BASSIST JASON NEWSTED in the studio, as well as ten NEW COVERS recorded specifically for GARAGE INC in 2008.

most of the NEW COVERS pay DIRECT HOMAGE to PUNK, NWOBHM and CLASSIC ROCK BANDS you'd come to expect from METALLICA, including DISCHARGE, THE MISFITS, DIAMOND HEAD, THIN LIZZY, MERCYFUL FATE and BLACK SABBATH, but what is more COMPELLING are the UNEXPECTED TRACKS by the likes of NICK CAVE AN THE BAD SEEDS, LYNYRD SKYNYRD (a FAVORITE of FORMER LATE BASSIST CLIFF BURTON) and even BOB SEGER.  arguably METALLICA at this JUNCTURE had come off of what is no doubt the two most EXPERIMENTAL RECORDS of their CAREER in LOAD (ELEKTRA, 1996) and RELOAD, which RADICALLY opened up their EXPLICIT INFLUENCES to that of TOM WAITS, ALICE IN CHAINS, KYUSS and WAYLON JENNINGS among others, so it makes some sense that SOUTHERN ROCK and POST PUNK seeped its way into their EXTENSIVE CATALOGUE of COVERS.  the OUTLIER of course is SEGER's "TURN THE PAGE" which was adopted largely because DRUMMER LARS ULRICH felt its LYRICAL CONTENT about the PERSONAL HARDSHIPS and FAMILIAL SACRIFICES that come with a LIFE ON THE ROAD fit the ETHOS of the BAND like a GLOVE.  RHYTHM GUITARIST / SINGER JAMES HETFIELD on that TRACK and digs deep with what has to be one of the most AFFECTING VOCAL PERFORMANCES of his DECADES-LONG CAREER, no doubt INSPIRED by METALLICA's LONGSTANDING REPUTATION as PEERLESS ROAD DOGS conquering the GLOBE for years-on-end in seemingly NEVER-ENDING TOURS.  such stands to date as an UNEXPECTED HIGHLIGHT of this COMPILATION.

of the PREVIOUSLY-RECORDED MATERIAL, it should be noted that there are MULTIPLE SONGS included by the likes of THE MISFITS, DIAMOND HEAD and MOTORHEAD.  i remember watching the LEMMY (LIONSGATE, 2011) DOCUMENTARY a number of years ago and there is a SCENE at the SUNSET STRIP's NOTORIOUS THE RAINBOW RESTAURANT [of course] where the LEGENDARY MOTORHEAD FOUNDER LEMMY KILMISTER is holding court and explains to the camera about how his NEARBY APARTMENT was paid off in full courtesy of ROYALTIES from the GARAGE INC ALBUM.  he CHEEKILY thanks METALLICA through the CAMERA LENS, but its TRUE.  METALLICA no doubt knew full well their STATURE in the CULTURE and that along with the CACHE of being covered by them, these BANDS would served to benefit from a likely FINANCIAL WINDFALL in the PROCESS.  to me that is the LITERAL "PAYING IT BACK" MOTIVATION of releasing GARAGE INC, as well as helping complete their CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS to ELEKTRA RECORDS in the INTERIM (for the record, ST. ANGER completed that PROCESS).

is GARAGE INC a bit UNEVEN in terms of PRODUCTION and SONG CHOICE?  yes ABSOLUTELY, but that is kind of the POINT.  recorded QUICKLY in a few TAKES with MINIMAL FUSS and a DELIBERATE GROUP FOCUS on VIBE and GROOVE, this COMPILATION marked a TURNING POINT in how they went about creating MUSIC which later influenced their more SPONTANEOUS EFFORTS like 72 SEASONS (BLACKENED, 2023) and their much-MALIGNED (although i loved it!) LOU REED COLLABORATION LULU (WARNER BROS, 2011).  i dont think METALLICA could SUSTAINABLY FUNCTION much longer if it maintained its PREVIOUS CUTTHROAT INTERNAL DYNAMICS which were the TOXIC STATUS QUO during SESSIONS from previous CYCLES.  in that sense i see this ALBUM as the first foray into a somewhat more COLLABORATIVE MODE of creating as a GROUP.

at the very least its an INTRIGUING  MUSICAL TIME CAPSULE of where METALLICA were at the time and one of the last major CREATIVE EFFORTS with the criminally UNDERRATED NEWSTED.

my INTRODUCTION to DRUMMER RANDY CASTILLO had to have been back in middle school when an OLDER CLASSMATE had a COPY of OZZY OSBOURNE's LIVE AND LOUD (EPIC, 1993) VHS and i remember just thinking that the BAND was absolutely MASSIVE.  turns out that STELLAR OUTFIT, arguably OSBOURNE's GREATEST, was BASSIST MIKE INEZ, GUITARIST ZAKK WYLDE and CASTILLO.

and you can tell with the RECENT THE LIFE, BLOOD AND RHTHYM OF RANDY CASTILLO (FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA, 2018) DOCUMENTARY how much of a TRUE LABOR OF LOVE this FILM was.  perhaps technically its a bit AMATEURISH in places with SHAKY EDITING and some INCONSISTENT SOUND LEVEL ISSUES, but really who cares.  its a CELEBRATION of a MUSICIAN that obviously meant so much to the BROADER MUSIC COMMUNITY, especially in and around LOS ANGELES and the OVERALL 1980s METAL SCENE writ large.  as he moved up the RANKS and worked with ARTISTS he's ultimately remembered for in LITA FORD, OZZY OSBOURNE and MOTLEY CRUE, the STORY REPEATED time and again was his DOWN-TO-EARTH DEMEANOR, GOOD SPIRITS and LOYALTY of FRIENDSHIP, irrespective of one's STATION in the SCENE's PECKING ORDER or COMMERCIAL SUCCESS.  being of MIXED-RACE APACHE DESCENT from NEW MEXICO of all places, he had an INDOMITABLE DRIVE and PASSION for MUSIC and was ESPECIALLY PROUD of being a REPRESENTATIVE of his HOME COMMUNITY and those PEOPLE that supported him in his LEAN years.   

he never forgot.

maybe i notice these things, but oftentimes with PASSION PROJECTS such as this the RIGHTS to the MUSIC an ARTIST participated in is not necessarily used due to LICENSING ISSUES and such LITIGIOUS CONCERNS.  and again, you can tell by the UNEVEN EDITING that this FILM had a MINIMAL BUDGET and that those LITA FORD, OZZY OSBOURNE and MOTLEY CRUE LIVE PERFORMANCE CLIPS are still all there, which makes one assume that the GOOD WILL of his name was very much still an ONGOING THING when this documentary was in production.  perhaps the thing i am most impressed with is the COPIOUS AMOUNT of DRUMMERS interviewed for this FILM, including that of MIKKEY DEE (MOTÖRHEAD / SCORPIONS), ERIC SINGER (KISS / ALICE COOPER), BOBBY BLOTZER (RATT), TICO TORRES (BON JOVI), RIKKI ROCKETT (POISON), FRED COURY (CINDERELLA), BRIAN TICHY (BILLY IDOL / WHITESNAKE), XAVIER MURIEL (BUCKCHERRY), KENNY ARANOFF and LEGENDARY METAL ICON BILL WARD (BLACK SABBATH).  there is something SPECIAL about the FACT that he was so BELOVED by his FELLOW PERCUSSIONISTS and it was genuinely AFFECTING to see how this COHORT of MUSICIANS COLLECTIVELY decided to express their ADMIRATION for CASTILLO the DRUMMER and how much they dearly miss CASTILLO the MAN.  arguably the more HIGH-PROFILE PARTICIPANTS were the NON-DRUMMERS in SLASH, DUFF MCKAGAN & MATT SORUM (GUNS N ROSES / VELVET REVOLVER), NIKKI SIXX & VINCE NEIL (MOTLEY CRUE), LEMMY KILMISTER (MOTÖRHEAD), JERRY CANTRELL (ALICE IN CHAINS), BILLY SHEEHAN (MR. BIG), KIP WINGER (WINGER), CARMINE ROJAS (DAVID BOWIE / TINA TURNER) and FORMER BANDMATES PHIL SOUSSAN (OZZY OSBOURNE), JOHN 5 (RED SQUARE BLACK / MARILYN MANSON / ROB ZOMBIE), MIKE INEZ (OZZY OSBOURNE / ALICE IN CHAINS), LITA FORD (THE RUNAWAYS) and ZAKK WYLDE (OZZY OSBOURNE / BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) but the IDEA that he is still in the HEARTS and MINDS of those that are still beating the skins is pretty ENDEARING and so HEARTBREAKING.  that and the interviews with his SURVIVING SIBLINGS, FIANCE and MOTHER.  just absolutely DEVASTATING.

was more than a little WEIRD that TOMMY LEE and OZZY himself werent involved in this DOCUMENTARY.  seemed to be quite the OMISSION.

i found this FILM DIFFICULT to watch because of all the LOVE being channeled his way.  really felt like he was a FULFILLED SOUL that lived in SERVICE of OTHERS that didnt deserve to be taken suddenly from the COMMUNITY at 51 from CANCER.  seems like the kind of DUDE id love to have seen PLAY LIVE with OZZY.  this FILM was a FITTING TRIBUTE to a MUSICIAN WORTHY of further RECOGNITION and ACCOLADES.  hopefully it will inspire the NEXT GENERATION of MUSICIANS, especially those born OUTSIDE of the CULTURAL MAINSTREAM of AMERICAN SOCIETY.

much like with other TRANSFORMATIVE SINGER-SONGWRITERS like LOU REED, BOB DYLAN and NEIL YOUNG, one of the INTERESTING ASPECTS of BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN's CATALOGUE shifts in TONE and LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE from RELEASE to RELEASE in a CONSCIOUS EFFORT not to repeat oneself.  always one for utilizing a LOOSE NARRATIVE to cohere a set of SONGS, DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN (COLUMBIA, 1978) is absolutely nothing like its LANDMARK, CAREER-ESTABLISHING PREDECESSOR BORN TO RUN (COLUMBIA, 1975), which again was a DELIBERATE DECISION.  while BORN TO RUN is full of sonic bombast, fully utilizing his E-STREET BAND COLLECTIVE of MUSICIANS to create a VERITABLE WALL-OF-SOUND, DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN is instead a more INTIMATE, REFLECTIVE AFFAIR from the PERSPECTIVE of an ALIENATED SOUL adrift from SOCIETY. 

such a LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE is all over TRACKS like "ADAM RAISED A CAIN," "BADLANDS," "DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN" and "THE PROMISED LAND."  all of the ENERGETIC OPTIMISM about escaping REALITY and creating one's own dream in their own SELF-IMAGE is long gone, instead the SETTLED REALIZATION on a SONG like "FACTORY" that one cannot escape the RESPONSIBILITIES of LIFE and the FRUITLESS TOIL and GRIND of a day job with LITTLE HOPE of UPWARD MOBILITY.  i see both RELEASES as LOOSE MIRROR IMAGES of each other, DUELING PERSPECTIVES of modes of thought that range from UNADULTERATED IDEALISM and HOPE to a more GROUNDED REALISM and DESPAIR at the state of one's LIFE and that of their COMMUNITY by EXTENSION.  providing that sort of WIDE-RANGING, EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE on top of the WORKING-CLASS OEUVRE of an UNREMARKABLE suburban NEW JERSEY is what makes SPRINGSTEEN so CELEBRATED and ENDEARING as a SONGWRITING VOICE.  his MUSIC is a LYRICAL WORLD unto itself.

FULL DISCLOSURE: i am definitely not a SPRINGSTEEN FAN or AFICIONADO.  ive been ON-AND-ODD, IN-AND-AROUND the JERSEY SHORE REGION since the mid 90s when my FAMILY stayed with RELATIVES in the AREA as a MAKESHIFT home base for the summer in-between several months ABROAD living in WEST AFRICA.  those RELATIVES grew up going to pre-FAME SPRINGSTEEN GIGS and seemingly every BOOMER in the AREA has a PERSONAL STORY concerning THE BOSS.  im FAMILIAR enough with his MUSIC through OSMOSIS, but unlike some of his PEERS, it feels like you had to be there to fully dive into his MUSIC in my OPINION.  that being said, i absolutely RESPECT SONGWRITERS that noticeably play with their SOUND, especially after a BREAKOUT SUCCESS.  such HUTZPAH and GUMPTION is in DIRECT OPPOSITION to what AUDIENCES and RECORD LABELS want, which is a SURE THING, and speaks to an UNWAVERING SENSE of PERSONAL COMMITMENT to following a MUSE no matter where it leads.  DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN is such a RELEASE in my OPINION.  SPRINGSTEEN no doubt new he could return to the KINETIC, HARD-CHARGING, HIGH-OCTANE SOUND of BORN TO RUN at any POINT, and he did a few ALBUMS later on BORN IN THE U.S.A. (COLUMBIA, 1984), but the guy implicitly knew he needed to have both VARIETY and a sense of light and shadow to his WORK and that there is no better OPPORTUNITY to showcase such CRAFTSMANSHIP, SINCERITY and AUTHENTICITY then right after a commercial SUCCESS.  the idea that he made such a RISKY bet is something i recognize and give him CREDIT for, even if DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN is not my personal FAVORITE ALBUM of his.

nonetheless it is a SEMINAL SPRINGSTEEN RELEASE that is well worth checking out.

much as SOUND CITY (ROSWELL FILMS, 2013) was a CLOSE EXAMINATION of the ANALOG RECORDING PROCESS as a FOUNDATIONAL, EQUALIZING EXPERIENCE for MUSICIANS , the more RECENT WHAT DRIVES US (ROSWELL FILMS, 2021) is a COMPANION DOCUMENTARY that similarly finds DIRECTOR and FOO FIGHTERS FRONTMAN DAVE GROHL investigating the TOURING EXPERIENCE as a BEDROCK PURSUIT that both galvanizes and connects all WORKING MUSICIANS regardless of GENRE or STATUS.  as HENRY ROLLINS of HARDCORE PUNK ROCK ICONS BLACK FLAG made FAMOUS with his GET IN THE VAN: ON THE ROAD WITH BLACK FLAG (2.13.61, 1994) MEMOIR, the EXPERIENCE of TOURING endlessly throughout the country in a CONGESTED, OVERLOADED, FAR-TOO-INTIMATE PASSENGER VAN of some VARIETY was a VERITABLE RIGHT OF PASSAGE.  it is an ARDUOUS yet REWARDING PROCESS that all SUCCESSFUL MUSICIANS from a pre-internet age, until recently, went through at some PHASE in their CAREER and connects EVERYONE from U2 to AC/DC, SLAYER to DEAD KENNEDYS, BLACK FLAG to THE BEATLES.

and GROHL makes that INTERCONNECTION between GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS intimately CLEAR as day with what has to be one of the most ECLECTIC and beyond IMPRESSIVE INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT LIST i have ever witnessed, including all THEN-CURRENT MEMBERS of the FOO FIGHTERS, BRIAN JOHNSON (AC/DC), THE EDGE (U2), FLEA (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), ANNIE CLARK (ST. VINCENT), PETE STAHL (SCREAM), IAN MACKAYE (MINOR THREAT, FUGAZI), EXENE CERVENKA (X), STEVEN TYLER (AEROSMITH), DAVE LOMABARDO (SLAYER), D.H. PELIGRO (DEAD KENNEDYS), BEN HARPER, SLASH & DUFF MCKAGAN (GUNS N ROSES), KIRA ROESSLER (BLACK FLAG), TONY KANAL (NO DOUBT), CHARLIE GABRIEL (PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND), JENNIFER FINCH (L7) and MIKE WATT (MINUTEMEN) as well as MEMBERS of EMERGING BANDS RADKEY and STARCRAWLER and even RINGO STARR (THE BEATLES).  yes, he even got a freakin' BEATLE to talk about the CRUCIAL ETIQUETTE of admitting when one  has farted in the VAN to avoid DISCONTENT and ARGUMENTS therein.  GREAT STUFF.

but the CENTRAL QUESTION is why?  why leave literally EVERYTHING behind? and why bother with all that HEADACHE and UNCERTAINTY.  WHAT DRIVES US seems to argue that the ANSWER lies in BOTH. 

you RECORD and put out a PRODUCT (maybe) and then take the SHOW on the road as a PROVING GROUND of sorts.  putting your CREATIVE EFFORTS into action and possibly experienced that EUPHORIC MOMENT of having a genuine RECIPROCATED REACTION from a PAYING AUDIENCE.  the TOURING EXPERIENCE completes that CYCLE and is at the very essence of what it means to be a MUSICIAN.  its probably the same REASON SAILORS for centuries took to the UNKNOWN, with its INHERENT PHYSICAL and FINANCIAL RISKS, in search of GLORY.  pre-FILE SHARING and STREAMING was the IDEA that TOURING supported ALBUM SALES, but such EXPECTATIONS have been completely INVERTED for the past two decades whereby NEW RELEASES are an EASY EXCUSE to TOUR as extensively as possible and hopefully make a PROFIT to live off of in the PROCESS. 

that is the DREAM at least. 

it seemed before that there were a few TRAJECTORIES at play.  first, you stayed at the VAN-level of TOURING your ENTIRE CAREER, which is undoubtedly the vast majority of MUSICIANS.  the next is that you rise to a somewhat COMFORTABLE LEVEL of TOURING with LONGEVITY right above the VAN-level, which is the case with MIKE WATT or X for example.  thereafter there is the ladder of COMFORT up to SHARED BUSES and SEPARATE BUSES and the like for massively PROFITABLE TOURING OUTFITS like NO DOUBT, GUNS N' ROSES, U2, METALLICA or AEROSMITH.  WHAT DRIVES US interestingly makes the COGENT POINT that no NEW ACTS in the past twenty years have reached that TOP-LEVEL , ELITE STRATA, instead being somewhere in that decidedly more MODEST, MIDDLE GROUND.  at least before in THEORY there was the NOTION that TOURING in a VAN might lead somewhere.  now not so much.

which is why i felt the most IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVES in the FILM were that of EMERGING BANDS in RADKEY and STARCRAWLER, who both see TOURING devoid of CREATURE COMFORTS for months on end in IDEALISTIC TERMS.  the DIY-level TOURING EXPERIENCE is a means of proving their INTENT and their CRAFT to the MASSES.  in spite of their being more DIGITAL COMPETITION in the ENTERTAINMENT SPACE, the almost ELEMENTAL, VISCERAL EXPERIENCE from both the PERFORMER and AUDIENCE PERSPECTIVE cannot be replicated online or shared in a file.  it is an ELUSIVE once-in-a-lifetime MOMENT that has the POTENTIAL to change lives.  those two young BANDS seem to be TRUE BELIEVERS no doubt.

and that is the OBJECTIVE and the payoff.  and the REASON to leave home and TOUR despite all the OBSTACLES, CHALLENGES and off-stage BULLSHIT.  it is a BELIEF in the POWER of the MUSIC itself.

parodies by nacrowe

i get it.  everyone likes to SHIT on BONO.

i think even he understands how his well-publicized PHILANTHROPIC and HUMANITARIAN OUTREACH EFFORTS come off as severely SELF-SERVING and seemingly COUNTERPRODUCTIVE to his STATUS and ROLE as a GLOBAL CULTURAL FIGURE and ROCK N ROLL LUMINARY of the first order.  especially if you are of the more CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL PERSUASION and dont share his decidedly PROGRESSIVE, HUMANISTIC VALUES.  i get it.

but i also feel he is coming from the right place.

im not CATHOLIC but i was partially raised in that MINDSET having unfortunately attended PAROCHIAL school early on and later surrounded by EAST COAST IRISH CATHOLIC RELATIVES.  and to me there is something distinctly IRISH about BONO specifically.  at its core is a GENUINE EMPATHY for the UNDERREPRESENTED, UNDERNOURISHED, UNDERVALUED, UNDER-COMPENSATED and UNAPPRECIATED POPULATIONS that deal with POLITICAL, ECONOMIC and even ETHNIC REPRESSION as part of their REALITY and DAILY LIVED EXPERIENCE.  you look at the IRISH with their VOLATILE HISTORY that is defined by the ENDURANCE of both DOMESTIC FAMINES and generations of SAVAGE MISTREATMENT by their BRITISH OVERLORDS, as well as their FOLK MUSIC that gives voice to such DESPAIR and RESILIENCY, and you can begin to understand why they have such COMPASSION for the UNDERDOG.  i see BONO in that TRADITION, who like ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI turned that SYMPATHY into ACTIONABLE ITEMS that he could pursue. 

i dont feel his ADVOCACY and PHILANTHROPIC WORK comes from a place of SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT or even EGO.  he is basically leveraging his biggest asset, HIMSELF.  i dont know if he could have persuaded GLOBAL POLITICAL LEADERS to collaborate and make SIGNIFICANT strides on EXTREME POVERTY, GLOBAL HEALTH or AIDS initiatives had he advocated quietly in the shadows.  his STRENGTH is in his command of the MEDIA'S ATTENTION, so why not veer such towards SOLUTIONS regarding criminally UNDER-RECOGNIZED PROBLEMS that affect those without the PLATFORM to advocate for themselves.

my WHOLE LIFE ive heard people go on and groan about BONO and his ADVOCACY EFFORTS outside the confines of U2.  they see it as a DISTRACTION from his CREATIVE WORK, not an EXTENSION of such.  i just disagree.  to me what he is doing is QUINTESSENTIALLY IRISH.  being of IRISH CATHOLIC DESCENT i even take a point of pride in the fact that he does such, welcoming in the slings and arrows of a MEDIA CULTURE and even a FICKLE FANBASE that deny his HUMANITY and AGENCY as an INDIVIDUAL.  they just want more PRODUCT for how it affects them.  it is an INTRIGUING DYNAMIC because that INTEREST is what provides him his PLATFORM, but i feel CONFIDENT that his SHAMELESS RELENTLESSNESS in his ADVOCACY for the IMPOVERISHED and UNDER-RESOURCED MILLIONS is not an act of SEVERE SELF-GLORIFICATION, but a DELIBERATE and SUSTAINED ACT of ALTRUISM.  of LOVE.  again, i am not CATHOLIC and thus dont believe in their MYTHOLOGY surrounding SAINTS, SINNERS or SAVIORS, but i appreciate the fact that such informs BONO's DRIVE to help others and cant knock him for it.  on a purely SELFISH level, these EXPERIENCES have long INFORMED both the MUSIC and LEGACY of U2, making such more INTIMATE, HEARTFELT and AUTHENTIC.

and IRISH.

so yeah, i dont get the TIRED ATTACK against BONO and his ADVOCACY WORK.  makes no sense.

embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating U2.  enjoy!

im not originally from NEW JERSEY, but i have been based here intermittently since 1996 and more or less permanently since the early 2000s.  given its DENSE, MULTIETHNIC POPULATION and strategic GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION along the NORTH ATLANTIC CORRIDOR as the INTERMEDIARY between PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK CITY, it should come as a surprise to no one that it is has nurtured and been home to a number of MUSICIANS its ranks.  specifically everyone from THE SHIRELLES, ICE-T, YO LA TENGO, PATTI SMITH, BON JOVI, COUNT BASIE, THURSDAY, SARAH VAUGHAN, THE FOUR SEASONS, REDMAN and FRANK SINATRA to THE MISFITS, LORNA SHORE, DEBBIE HARRY, THE FUGEES, HALSEY, OVERKILL, PAUL ROBESON, THE BOUNCING SOULS, RICKY NELSON, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, WHITNEY HOUSTON, KOOL & THE GANG, GEORGE CLINTON and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.  but arguably other than SINATRA the one musical figure that is most closely identified with the GARDEN STATE is FREEHOLD's own BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.

and BORN TO RUN () was his MAKE-OR-BREAK third ALBUM that became the de facto ICONIC AMERICAN RECORDING concerning the ASPIRATIONAL, WORKING-CLASS ETHOS of ESCAPISM through TRAVEL and the PURSUANCE of an almost insurmountably UNATTAINABLE GOAL of UPWARD ECONOMIC MOBILITY.  that AWKWARD yet thoroughly INTRIGUING DYNAMIC of being effectively TRAPPED by one's CIRCUMSTANCES yet not DEFINED by them.  through LYRICS that romanticize the TRANSFORMATIONAL power of CARS, PARKWAYS and PERSONAL MOBILITY on PROMINENT SONGS like "THUNDER ROAD" and the TITLE TRACK "BORN TO RUN," there is a PALPABLE OPTIMISM about GREENER PASTURES just over the horizon.  namely out of NEW JERSEY but figuratively another locale where one is not so DEFINED by their PAST CHOICES and has the OPPORTUNITY of a NEW START at LIFE, LOVE and the AMERICAN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.  for all its POSITIVE, CHARGED and UPLIFTING SENTIMENT, the OBVIOUS IMPLICATION is that such ESCAPIST PURSUITS are ultimately futile given that one cannot outrun themselves.  as a THIRD CULTURE KID that grew up ABROAD and shifted across HEMISPHERES MULTIPLE TIMES by the time i hit thirty, i can attest to such and find that LYRICAL PREOCCUPATION to be my FAVORITE ASPECT of this ALBUM and SPRINGSTEEN's CATALOGUE as a whole.

its FUNNY to me but other than my PARENTS, my only REAL CONNECTION to SPRINGSTEEN's MUSIC was a few years back when the RECORDING STUDIO at DEER GOD was still a FUNCTIONING ENTITY and we were in the process of MIXING an EXTENDED PERFORMANCE VIDEO we shot of a SPRINGSTEEN COVER BAND from STATEN ISLAND on location at both THE WONDER BAR and THE STONE PONY in ASBURY PARK.  in a sense that BAND found that same sense of CREATIVE ABANDON and EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION through SONGS like "BACKSTREETS," "TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT" and especially "JUNGLELAND."  playing in ASBURY PARK for them was almost akin to a RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGE, touching and gracing those STAGES gave a TACTILE PALPABILITY to those same ASPIRATIONS and DREAMS of a LIFE beyond the MUNDANE TOIL and MEDIOCRITY of STATEN ISLAND EXISTENCE.  as much as i mocked the BAND and their COMMITMENT to all things SPRINGSTEEN, whom admittedly i am not a FAN of (not that i particularly dislike his MUSIC by any stretch), i secretly ADMIRED their COLLECTIVE RESOLVE to his CORE IDEALS of DIY SELF-TRANSFORMATION and COMMUNITY-BUILDING, even if they didnt share his POLITICS.  somewhere that venn diagram makes sense.

being in NEW JERSEY so long, SPRINGSTEEN is just part of the CULTURAL LANDSCAPE at this point, just like LUCY THE ELEPHANT or the ATLANTIC CITY BOARDWALK.  seemingly everyone has a STORY about him or E STREET BAND DRUMMER MAX WEINBERG, SAXOPHONIST CLARENCE CLEMONS (RIP) or GUITARIST STEVEN VAN ZANDT, much like when i lived in MASSACHUSETTS for two years during high school seemingly everyone had a PERSONAL CONNECTION, however TANGENTIAL, to AEROSMITH SINGER STEVEN TYLER or GUITARIST JOE PERRY.  but as a BROADER TOUCHSTONE arguably on par with other songwriters in BOB DYLAN, NEIL YOUNG, ROBBIE ROBERTSON or JOHN FOGERTY, it is that sense of being internally DEFINED by AMBITIONS and ASPIRATIONS that far exceed our INDIVIDUAL, IMMEDIATE MEANS that demarcates the CREATIVE WORK of SPRINGSTEEN.  and such was no more EVIDENT than on BORN TO RUN.

what gets me though is that most of my NEW JERSEY RELATIVES and NEIGHBORS that were supposedly BIG SPRINGSTEEN FANS back in the day, and early SUPPORTERS of his, are all now HARDCORE TRUMP VOTERS.  its just ODD how such WORKING-CLASS ASPIRATIONS of UPWARD ECONOMIC MOBILITY from that generation CURDLED into something altogether TOXIC, SELF-DEFEATING and against the very ETHOS of what it means to be an AMERICAN.

how does one follow-up on a CULTURAL PHENOMENON?

its something that ARTISTS of commercially and artistically SUCCESSFUL bands have been struggling with since ever.  sometimes that ASCENDENT TRAJECTORY continues UNABATED like with NEW ORDER after JOY DIVISION, FOO FIGHTERS after NIRVANA, PEARL JAM after MOTHER LOVE BONE, GORILLAZ after BLUR, or THE BREEDERS after THE PIXIES.  other times it goes the other way like AUDIOSLAVE after RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, MEGADETH after METALLICA or THE RACONTEURS after THE WHITE STRIPES.  needless to say, its always a CREATIVE and FINANCIAL RISK to mess with or alter that UNIQUE CHEMISTRY that resulted in SUCCESS.   but these ACTS are relatively small time.

what do you do if the band you are following up on is THE BEATLES?

in the case of JOHN LENNON, you use that platform as an opportunity to move forward and create some of the most EXPERIMENTAL, and frankly UNCOMMERCIAL, MUSIC of the period by any MAJOR RECORDING ARTIST with the assembling of THE PLASTIC ONO BAND with his WIFE, JAPANESE AVANT GARDE CONCEPTUAL ARTIST YOKO ONO.  its a SIMILAR TACT that GEORGE HARRISON undertook as well post-BEATLES with his subsequent SOLO ALBUMS which delved deeper and deeper into his INTIMATELY-FELT CONNECTION with HINDU MYSTICISM and INDIAN MUSIC in general.  COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS be DAMNED.  such was not the case with PAUL MCCARTNEY who seemed unable to establish a VOICE after the DISSOLUTION of THE BEATLES and spent most of his decades-long career creating MEDIOCRE PABLUM that bordered from the SCHMALTZY to absolute CRINGE.

but back to LENNON. 

​his FOLLOW-UP RELEASE to the WILD EXPERIMENTALISM of his SOLO DEBUT JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND (APPLE, 1970) was the more SUBDUED and SONG-DRIVEN VEHICLE IMAGINE (APPLE, 1971), which has continually been ranked as one of the great albums of all-time by PROMINENT BOOMER CULTURAL PUBLICATIONS and is widely considered an EQUAL alongside his TOP BEATLES OUTPUT.  it should be said that many of these SONGS are rooted in UNUSED MELODIES and PARTIAL STEMS OF TRACKS dating back to the LATER BEATLES years, as was the case with most of the MEMBERS' first few SOLO RELEASES.  contributing to the sessions were VARIOUS MUSICIANS, ARTISTS, FRIENDS and HIRED GUNS ranging from GEORGE HARRISON to KLAUS VOORMAN (noted for his ILLUSTRATED REVOLVER cover art), ALAN WHITE (YES), MIKE PINDER (THE MOODY BLUES), TED TURNER (WISHBONE ASH), JIM GORDON (DEREK & THE DOMINOS) and JOEY MOLLAND and TOM EVANS of BADFINGER, a recent APPLE RECORDS SIGNEE.  IMAGINE was coproduced by LENNON, ONO and the FAMED WALL OF SOUND PRODUCER PHIL SPECTOR.  the title track "IMAGINE" is one of the most UBIQUITOUS and CELEBRATED SONGS ever written, but also grossly MISUNDERSTOOD.  it is often MISUSED as a WARM, FUZZY PEAN to all things UNITY, PEACE, HARMONY and KUMBAYA, when in actuality it is anything but.  LENNON himself understood this mistake and stated it was "virtually the COMMUNIST MANIFESTO" in interviews, as the TRACK considers a WORLD FREE of GOVERNMENT, RELIGION, POSSESSIONS, HUNGER and GREED (i.e. CAPITALISM), and calls instead for a VISION of the EQUAL BROTHERHOOD OF HUMANITY to take its place.  i feel like this is LOST on everyone, the public and ARTISTS alike, who ABUSE such when doing TELEVISED CHARITY FUNDRAISERS for PANDEMIC and WORLD DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS.   its almost CLICHE at this point and just plain LAZY.  maybe they should do "WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD" by LOUIS ARMSTRONG instead.  just saying. 

"IMAGINE" is undoubtedly the TRANSCENDENT BEHEMOTH of a TRACK on LENNON's LEGENDARY second post-BEATLES RELEASE, but its not the only GREAT SONG. 

"JEALOUS GUY" is one of the most achingly BEAUTIFUL, and quite frankly REALISTIC, EXPRESSIONS of the PAIN and inner TURMOIL that comes with being in a LOVING RELATIONSHIP, where one is constantly reevaluating their own MOTIVES, EXPECTATIONS, PERSONAL HISTORIES and INSECURITIES regarding such.  its an admission of GUILT and acknowledgement of IMPERFECTION, as well as an INTRIGUING declaration of INTENT.  lyrically the SPEAKER is seeking GREATER INTIMACY with their SIGNIFICANT OTHER in spite of their FLAWS.  in my mind that is pretty TIDY DESCRIPTION of what constitutes a MATURE RELATIONSHIP based on OPEN DIALOGUE. 

"OH YOKO!" is a BUOYANT FOLKSY TUNE that effectively showcases the ENERGY and PASSION of a NEW RELATIONSHIP.  it is so ENDEARING, and not in a contrived SACCHARINE MANNER, that i have a hard time listening to it in light of LENNON's DEMISE and the UNSPEAKABLE PAIN that came with his LOSS by his LOVED ONES, not limited to ONO herself.  same EXCRUCIATING DYNAMIC with "BEAUTIFUL BOY" off of his FINAL ALBUM, DOUBLE FANTASY (GEFFEN, 1980). 

"GIMME SOME TRUTH" is an pointedly ACERBIC protest SONG focused intently on the then-ONGOING VIETNAM WAR and the IDIOTIC HYPOCRISY and what we would now term TOXIC MASCULINITY that both initiated and sustained it during this period.  this PLAINTIVE question at its core is almost a GENERATIONAL DEMAND of the AMERICAN GOVERNMENT to explain its MOTIVES, as POLITICAL secrecy and WARPED PET THEORIES about the EXPANSION of COMMUNISM sent an estimated two million people to their DEATHS (on both sides) in a NEEDLESS CONFLICT over IDEOLOGY and BRUTE, UNADULTERATED POWER. 

lastly, and arguably my FAVORITE, is the MCCARTNEY DISS TRACK "HOW DO YOU SLEEP?" which is a response to then-recent DISPARAGING INTERVIEWS and SONG LYRICS his FORMER BANDMATE leveled at LENNON and ONO as being BUFFOONISH and UNSERIOUS.  given how deeply POLITICAL and PERSONAL LENNON's EFFORTS were during this period, it is no surprise that such PUBLIC ATTEMPTS at cutting him at the knees were not welcome in the slightest.  the deeply CUTTING COUNTERATTACK by LENNON is one in which he directs that MCCARTNEY had run out of IDEAS, pityingly rehashing and even pilfering his own past MELODIES ("ANOTHER DAY" and "YESTERDAY") for NEW MATERIAL and that his post-BEATLES OUTPUT was but a FAINT SHADOW of his former GREATNESS.  it should be said that all of this has remained TRUE over the decades, whereas LENNON and his post-BEATLES CATALOGUE has only grown in STATURE and CULTURAL PROMINENCE to date.

so how do you follow-up THE BEATLES?  by writing TRANSCENDENT SONGS for the ages.  a whole generation of PROMINENT BRITISH SINGER-SONGWRITERS ranging from NOEL GALLAGHER, PAUL WELLER, DAMON ALBARN, JARVIS COCKER and JOHNNY MARR no doubt have taken note of LENNON and see his path of SONIC EXPLORATION and deeply felt LYRICAL CONVICTIONS as a north star of sorts to judge one's next career phase against.

it goes without saying that IMAGINE is an absolutely ESSENTIAL album that is well worth checking out and repeatedly revisiting.

when the SEMINAL IRISH ROCK AND ROLL band U2 played its last show on THE JOSHUA TREE TOUR in CORK in late 1987, the group found itself at the physically EXHAUSTED and spiritually DEPLETED end of a CREATIVE STREAK that had lasted and sustained them since their founding more than a decade earlier in 1976 as SCHOOLCHILDREN.  after six albums released over seven years that in totality spread a HUMANISTIC MESSAGE of SOCIO-POLITICAL UNITY, PEACE and HOPE that was informed by their INTIMATE APPRECIATION as IRISHMEN of the PERILS OF WAR and CIVIL UNREST, and found the band touring the UNITED STATES to ever-increasing crowds to the point of filling stadiums, the band had come to a CROSSROADS.  

in essence they were sick of THEMSELVES.

their COLLECTIVE PUBLIC PERSONA throughout that first phase of their career was EARNEST, POLEMIC, RIGHTEOUS and STRIDENT to an EXTREME.  counter to the personalities their FRIENDS, FAMILY and CLOSE ASSOCIATES knew intimately, the band came off as HUMORLESS as well.  by the time they embarked on their RATTLE AND HUM (ISLAND, 1988) FILM PROJECT that saw them encounter and explore AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC, (i.e. BLUES, GOSPEL, ROCKABILLY and the like), the band on stage had turned into a BLOATED PRODUCTION of MULTIPLE BACKUP SINGERS and CRINGY white bread takes on the AMERICAN SONGBOOK STANDARDS that was a world away from the LEAN, SPRITELY, ECONOMICAL POST-PUNK SOUND and MINIMALIST AESTHETIC of their youth.

what makes the FROM THE SKY DOWN (UMG, 2011) DOCUMENTARY about the PROCESS behind the GENESIS of the CELEBRATED ACHTUNG BABY (ISLAND, 1991) album so COMPELLING is that it showcases a band in TRANSITION.  not just CREATIVELY but INTERPERSONALLY as well.  in order to push ahead LOGICALLY one must leave something behind in the PROCESS and that ALBUM represented a CONSCIOUS shedding of one's PUBLIC PERSONA in the most striking of terms.  rather than point the proverbial finger at the ILLS of society, this RECORD found them pointing such at THEMSELVES.  especially MAIN SONGWRITERS BONO and THE EDGE.  both became enamored with the then-CURRENT MADCHESTER scene and its particular brand of ACID HOUSE and DANCE MUSIC that was at the forefront of INDIE ROCK CULTURE at the time, as well as rediscovering more EXPERIMENTAL FAIR in the KRAUTROCK of their youth with bands like KRAFTWERK, NEU! and CAN. there was also a keen interest in the related UNDERGROUND INDUSTRIAL scene at the time best exemplified in the work of EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN, DIE KRUPPS and KMFDM.  this HEADY mix of INFLUENCES was a world away SONICALLY and PHILOSOPHICALLY from the PUNK ROCK that first prompted the MEMBERS to start a band.  PUNK was about being ACCOUNTABLE and attacking the problem of society's ILLS, whereas ACID HOUSE and DANCE CULTURE was more about ESCAPISM, KRAUTROCK a new MUSICAL VOCABULARY and TRADITiON for a GERMAN POST-WAR GENERATION not interested in their PARENTS' (i.e. NAZIs) experience and INDUSTRIAL MUSIC the EFFECTIVE ERADICATION of the HUMAN ELEMENT from ART entirely.  all of which offered U2 a path forward.

with SONGS like "ONE" and "THE FLY," the band was able to find a SPIRITUAL IDENTITY in the NEW MATERIAL.  this did not happen without much PERSONAL CONSTERNATION, INTERPERSONAL STRUGGLE, and ARTISTIC TREPIDATION.  the band famously went to HANSA STUDIOS in BERLIN with RETURNING PRODUCERS DANIEL LANOIS and BRIAN ENO.  the later of which was involved in DAVID BOWIE's LOW (RCA, 1977) and HEROES (RCA, 1977) RECORDINGS as well as IGGY POP's LUST FOR LIFE (RCA, 1977) ALBUM, which were all recorded at the site.  the CONCEPT was that the change in scenery and focus on the ALBUM would help initiate their next step by OSMOSIS.  this didnt happen.  the SONGS came together through DETERMINATION and much EFFORT, but the result was SPECTACULAR.  gone were the sermons and instead where more IMPRESSIONISTIC and ALLEGORICAL MUSINGS on POST-MODERN LIVING, especially in this NEW AGE of 24/7 cable television.  BONO for one on TRACKS like "EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING" and "ZOO STATION" feels LIBERATED and REINVIGORATED by channeling this DISAFFECTED LOU REED-inspired NEW CHARACTER to play against type and very much intelligently deconstruct his own previous HOLIER-THAN-THOU PUBLIC PERSONA with HUMOR and GUSTO. for me the highlight of the ALBUM was "LOVE IS BLINDNESS," which THE EDGE wrote in SULLEN ANTICIPATION of his IMPENDING DIVORCE.  it is one of the most startling BLEAK SONGS ever written and is contrary to everything the band stood for pre-ACHTUNG BABY in TONE and SUBSTANCE.  there is no RESPITE or HOPE, just the BRUTAL COLD REALITY that LOVE has ended and nothing is there to adequately fill that PAINFUL chasm.  NO OPTIMISM, NO MORAL VICTORIES, just DEATH. 

it is such a REAL SONG.  everyone has been there.  everyone is familiar with that FEELING.

what comes out of that ALBUM for the band is a RENEWED bond of AFFECTION for one another built on MUTUAL RESPECT and TRUST.  it is arguably the BIGGEST left turn of their career and no one was PHYSICALLY or CREATIVELY LEFT BEHIND.  the fact that the band didnt break up, but instead authentically reinvented THEMSELVES for the second phase of their INIMITABLE career is beyond REMARKABLE and the REAL ACHIEVEMENT documented with a deep well of COMPASSION and LOVE in this documentary which is required viewing for any U2 fan.

back when i my family lived in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA during my preteen years i was a bit of a JOCK.  given my height and frame i was on the traveling teams in SOCCER, BASEBALL, TRACK and BASKETBALL but the later was my TRUE PASSION.  to date i love watching BASKETBALL and dissecting OFFENSIVE and DEFENSIVE SCHEMES and STRATEGIES like a FOOTBALL FANATIC would evaluate a team's IMPLEMENTATION of a west coast offense.  part of the RITUAL of going to a game or meet in the GREATER LOS ANGELES / SAN DIEGO area was a SOUNDTRACK built around JIMI HENDRIX, specifically "VOODOO CHILE (SLIGHT RETURN)."  that line where he sings 'well i stand up next to a mountain / and i chop it down with the edge of my hand' was practically my PERSONAL MANTRA entering a COMPETITION.   it always got me pumped up.  later on in college when writing term papers that track served a similar PURPOSE in boosting my CONFIDENCE before what would prove to be a mentally TAXING ACTIVITY.

and that was always my relationship to the MUSIC of HENDRIX in general, one of transforming my MINDSET and CONSCIOUSNESS as i was always by nature more TIMID and INTERIOR despite my PHYSICAL STATURE or INTELLECT.  and i feel thematically that his final album with THE EXPERIENCE in ELECTRIC LADYLAND (POLYDOR, 1968) is very much about that DEEP-SEATED, MYSTERIOUS, almost spiritually TRANSFIGURING POTENTIAL that comes with emotionally aligning with MUSIC.  when i list to tracks like "BURNING OF THE MIDNIGHT LAMP," "RAINY DAY, DREAM AWAY" "GYPSY EYES," and especially his EPIC BOB DYLAN cover "ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER" it is not even about the CHORDS, PRODUCTION, RHYTHM or even the SUNG MELODY, instead it feels like HENDRIX was about connecting to HUMANITY at large on a HIGHER PSYCHIC PLANE.  one in which a VIBE or feeling bypassed the INTELLECT into something much deeper.  like an EVOLUTION in being at balance with one's EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE.  to me such is the state of play with TRULY PSYCHEDELIC ROCK.

and its FUNNY that my relationship to his MUSIC was based on such at an early age, long before i investigated his TROUBLED BIOGRAPHY and FRAILTY as a mere MORTAL HUMAN.  to me such INANE DETAILS are SECONDARY to the MUSIC and its CAPACITY to expand CONSCIOUSNESS and EMOTIONAL AVAILABILITY.  ELECTRIC LADYLAND to me, along with AXIS: BOLD AS LOVE (POLYDOR, 1967) seem to be the releases where he truly spread his CREATIVE WINGS in the studio and let his ABSTRACT LYRICS fully intertwine with LUSH and revolutionarily CREATIVE SOUNDSCAPES that still serve as the SOUNDTRACK to SELF-DISCOVERY generations later.  i feel that same sense of LIMITLESS interior PSYCHIC EXPLORATION when listening to the work of APHEX TWIN, J DILLA, THELONIOUS MONK or GUSTAV MAHLER.

a LEGENDARY album by an AMERICAN ARTISTIC JUGGERNAUT for the ages.  absolutely ESSENTIAL and well worth checking out and revisiting on the regular.

it is absolutely not hyperbole to state emphatically that the career narrative of LEGENDARY METAL SINGER RONNIE JAMES DIO (ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL) was beyond IMPROBABLE and that the TRANSFORMATIVE power of ROCK N ROLL changed his life.  raised in UPSTATE NEW YORK in the small rural town of CORTLAND, the YOUNG RONALD JAMES PADAVONA was forced to play trumpet for multiple hours a day throughout his childhood by an OVERBEARING father.  this was during the BIG BAND era and over time PADAVONA realized that his VOICE could effectively mimic the range of his trumpet, which thus began the start of his SINGING career.

at the time, which was pre-BEATLES and pre-ROCK N ROLL, PADAVONA sang in a series of JAZZ-inflected VOCAL GROUPS (THE REDCAPS, THE PROPHETS) with his friends.  even at this TENDER stage, his RANGE and DICTION is IMPECCABLE.  always a quick study with an INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC to boot, PADAVONA took his musical efforts seriously.  taking his cue from the BRITISH INVASION bands that rose to prominence in the early 1960s, he likewise transitioned to ROCK N ROLL with his friends by recommitting themselves as the BLUES ROCK band THE ELECTRIC ELVES and toured locally around the NORTHEAST.  by this time PADAVONA now went by the stage name DIO (after the NOTORIOUS MAFIA FIGURE). it was during this period that a DRUNK DRIVER hit their tour bus, KILLING one of his BANDMATES and severely injuring DIO in the process.  having good grades and admittance to PHARMACY SCHOOL in the bag, his recovery from his head wounds found DIO doubling down on his unlikely music career. 

and he never looked back. 

THE ELECTRIC ELVES became ELF, who gained attention from INCESSANT touring and had their major debut ELF (EPIC, 1972) produced by members of DEEP PURPLE, whom they idolized.  this led to multiple tours with DEEP PURPLE as openers and for DIO, a sense of camaraderie with their SINGER GLENN HUGHES and their ENIGMATIC and IMPULSIVE GUITARIST RICHIE BLACKMORE.  when DEEP PURPLE started writing more FUNK-inflected songs in the mid-1970s to keep up with the POPULAR trends, BLACKMORE departed the group and started the more CLASSICALLY-INDEBTED band RAINBOW with DIO on VOCALS.  this was a GREAT fit as DIO was prone to DRAMATIC LYRICS steeped in IMAGERY borrowed from the MEDIEVAL worlds of FANTASY NOVELISTS.  eventually after two records BLACKMORE wanted to steer RAINBOW in a more POP direction and dropped DIO.  it should be said that RISING (POLYDOR, 1976) is an absolute CLASSIC METAL RECORDING that sadly never got a proper follow-up.  around this period DIO joined BLACK SABBATH after that band famously sacked their much-beloved ORIGINAL SINGER OZZY OSBOURNE.  DIO revived that band's prospects with the HEAVEN & HELL (VERTIGO, 1980) and MOB RULES (VERTIGO, 1981) ALBUMS before departing due to EGO BULLSHIT on account of TONY IOMMI and the rest of the band being drugged out of their COLLECTIVE MINDS.  DIO in comparison was a not a DRUG USER so such friction feels in retrospect pretty INEVITABLE.

so now having been a formerly part of two massively SUCCESSFUL bands, DIO self-funded his own creative effort at starting a NAMESAKE group DIO by recruiting FORMER BLACK SABBATH BANDMATE VINNY APPICE on DRUMS, former RAINBOW BANDMATE JIMMY BAIN on BASS and most famously a YOUNG VIVIAN CAMPBELL (then of SWEET SAVATAGE, later of DEF LEPPARD) on GUITAR.  their debut HOLY DIVER (WARNER BROS, 1983) is a METAL CLASSIC for the ages, with DIO's REMARKABLE, OPERATIC VOCALS taking center stage.  commercially this was the apex of his career. 

CAMPBELL became an INTERNAL issue after leveraging for more money during the recording of the third album, after being promised such by DIO and his MANAGER WIFE WENDY years earlier during his recruitment.  in what is the most UNCOMFORTABLE and HEAD-SCRATCHING moment in the documentary, which largely promotes the NARRATIVE of DIO as a FOCUSED (maybe NAIVE) ARTIST who was screwed over repeatedly by the business efforts of FORMER COLLABORATORS, here was an example of DIO now taking the mantle of IOMMI and BLACKMORE.  he fired CAMPBELL in essence because DIO was his band that he could do what he wanted with, personnel included.  WENDY in the film SMUGLY asserts this line, but even she had to know that such bit into the relatively AMIABLE, GRACIOUS and altogether ALTRUISTIC PUBLIC PERSONA of DIO.  even in retrospect its hard not to side with CAMPBELL.  seems a bit like karma that the follow-up releases never lived up to the quality and/or commercial success of HOLY DIVER.  it may not have mattered in the end since once the 1990s hit with the arrival of NIRVANA and the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion, everything else was effectively carried away with it, not just HAIR METAL but METAL in general. 

​DIO included.

it was only later in the 2000s when UNFORESEEN acts like the JACK BLACK-fronted MUSICAL COMEDY duo TENACIOUS D began earnestly singing his praises that RONNIE JAMES DIO became a VIABLE CULTURAL ENTITY again.  even BLACK SABBATH reformed as HEAVEN & HELL with the ORIGINAL VINNY APPICE lineup for an album and tour before DIO passed on from a bout with STOMACHE CANCER.  it feels like DIO was on the verge of reestablishing his LEGACY when he unexpectedly passed on, which may be the purpose of this AUTHORIZED documentary that his widow largely oversaw.  given his stature in the METAL community, it is a little DISAPPOINTING that more HEAVYWEIGHT FIGURES (and OUTSPOKEN DIO FANS like SCOTT IAN, JAMES HETFIELD, GEOFF TATE, COREY TAYLOR, MATT HEAFY and so on) were not included in the mix.  DIO deserved better, especially given that there was a somewhat recent STAR-STUDDED (including METALLICA, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SCORPIONS and ANTHRAX) tribute album released in his MEMORY.  instead there is an UNFORTUNATE over-reliance on INDUSTRY HACK EDDIE TRUNK for historical context and perspective, which was more than a bit GRATING, but it was at least nice to see VETERAN WRITER MICK WALL thrown in the mix as well.  PARTICIPATING MUSICIANS included ROB HALFORD (JUDAS PRIEST), SEBASTIAN BACH (SKID ROW), DAN LILKER (ANTHRAX, S.O.D.), LITA FORD (THE RUNAWAYS), DON DOKKEN (DOKKEN), JACK BLACK (TENACIOUS D), GLEN HUGHES & ROGER GLOVER (DEEP PURPLE) and surviving FORMER MEMBERS of DIO (VINNY APPICE, RUDY SARZO, DOUG ALDRICH, JEFF PILSON and CRAIG GOLDY) and BLACK SABBATH (TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER and BILL WARD).

so much of what makes up RONNIE JAMES DIO's legacy to me is centered around his OPTIMISM, DECENCY and CHARITY and how he communicated such humanity with that SINGULAR instrument of his: that VOICE.  i think further generations that discover his music will likewise fall in love with the POSITIVE INTENT and MAJESTY of his LYRICS and the TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER of his VOICE, which is the very embodiment of ROCK N ROLL.

along with ELEKTRA LABEL-MATES and FELLOW MICHIGANDERS THE STOOGES, the MC5 are undoubtedly one of the most IMPACTFUL ROCK N ROLL bands in history.  their debut KICK OUT THE JAMS (ELEKTRA, 1969) is a LIVE RECORDING of what amounts to a firehose of stridently REVOLUTIONARY SONIC VOLATILITY that unquestionably INFORMED the PUNK ROCK MOVEMENT of the late 1970s, almost a decade later.  tagged in retrospect as PROTO-PUNK, the band (especially GUITARIST WAYNE KRAMER) was POLITICALLY ACTIVE with LEFTIST causes throughout the 1960s and their MANAGER, JOHN SINCLAIR, was an ACTIVE WHITE PANTHERS MEMBER.

i always find it FUNNY when a contemporary CONSERVATIVE CULTURAL CRITIC or supposed ROCK N ROLL FAN opines endlessly about wanting bands to divorce their POLITICS from their MUSIC.  i am of the BELIEF that all groups are POLITICAL, even the CONSCIOUS choice to not sing about such overt topics is at its core a POLITICAL DECISION.  so the point is generally MUTE, but with an INNOVATIVE and CONSCIENTIOUS band like MC5 their very raison d'etre is to impact the CULTURE and spur POLITICAL CHANGE, MUSIC being a better vehicle for projecting a MESSAGE than POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS, SPEECHES and EVENTS.  its always LAUGHABLE when an outside CRITIC attempts to separate ART from its MESSAGE and INTENT, but i appreciate their attempt.  unfortunately for them the generations of renowned EXPERIMENTAL ROCK N ROLL bands (some overtly POLITICAL) over the years directly inspired by the example of the MC5 is LONG and quite CONSEQUENTIAL, including but not limited to the likes of THE RAMONES, FAITH NO MORE, BLACK FLAG, MASTODON, THE SEX PISTOLS, MOTORHEAD, THE CLASH, MINUTEMEN, THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS, DEAD KENNEDYS, AT THE DRIVE-IN, THE DAMNED, MINOR THREAT, DINOSAUR JR, CRASS, SOUNDGARDEN, MUDHONEY, BAD RELIGION, THE CIRCLE JERKS, MELVINS and THE NEW YORK DOLLS among countless others.

CLASSIC tracks from KICK OUT THE JAMS include "RAMBLIN' ROSE," "BORDERLINE" and the ICONIC "KICK OUT THE JAMS" which, forget about BRITISH INVASION bands THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES or THE WHO, is arguably the most ROCK N ROLL SONG of all-time.  just sayin.  and like most works of ART that are truly TRANSCENDENT, they should be experienced and not talked about.  so stop reading this and go out and listen to "KICK OUT THE JAMS."

you're welcome.

parodies by nacrowe

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the LEGENDARY IRISH ROCK N ROLL band U2!
​
​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

SURF MUSIC ORIGINATORS THE VENTURES are such an FOUNDATIONAL element of GLOBAL ROCK N ROLL CULTURE as we know it that its incredibly EASY to look past their achievements and take them entirely for granted.  such is the reason that the recent decidedly RETROSPECTIVE THE VENTURES: STARS ON GUITARS (GRAVITAS VENTURES, 2020) documentary is appropriately times as a reintroduction to a band, a SOUND and an ATTITUDE that influenced quite literally all that came after it.

released two years before the PASSING of the final surviving ORIGINAL MEMBER DON WILSON, STARS ON GUITARS provides an UNLIKELY narrative into how an INSTRUMENTAL band became a ROCK N ROLL INSTITUTION that LED ZEPPELIN, THE RAMONES, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, THE B-52's, THE CRAMPS, MC5 and so on took direct inspiration from.  the story stars NOT in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, where youd expect, but far north in WASHINGTON STATE in TACOMA where two BRICKLAYERS, WILSON and BOB BOGLE, made friends and started to learn guitar together to fill time in-between gigs on rainy days, of which there were many in the PACIFIC NORTHWEST.  their SOUND was very PARTICULAR, with lots of REVERB and SYNCOPATED 1/8 and 1/16 NOTES that set the basis for LUSH HARMONIES and INTOXICATING POLYRHYTHMS.  after a few name changes, WILSON's MOTHER JOSIE suggested THE VENTURES since they were all creating a new venture together as she functioned as their MANAGER.  JOSIE even helped start their INDEPENDENT label that got their career off the ground and was by their side throughout their long career.  one of the INTERESTING subplots of the film is the level to which JOSIE was a INSIGHTFUL, POWERFUL and RESPECTED BUSINESSWOMAN during an era with few examples of such in the MALE-DOMINATED ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.

another aspect that is quite INTRIGUING about the band is how that SOUND and the ATTITUDE in portrayed resonated down the line as ROCK N ROLL morphed and EVOLVED over the coming decades.  again, there were no VOCALS on their records and such proved an asset for the JAPANESE who absolutely adored the group to the point that they are an ENGRAINED part of their CULTURE to this day.  in fact, in JAPAN the band was more POPULAR than THE BEATLES, as NO ENGLISH was needed to appreciate such and THE VENTURES went out of their way to record music for the country and collaborate with its MUSICIANS repeatedly down through the years. 

LEAD GUITARIST NOKIE EDWARDS and DRUMMER MEL TAYLOR may not be household names, but to generations of MUSICIANS their INDELIBLE GUITAR LEADS and ROLLING RHYTHMS are an INTEGRAL part of the AMERICAN CULTURAL FABRIC.  such was asserted with vigor by the main PARTICIPATING ARTISTS, some FAMOUS and some OBSCURE, for this film including the likes of JOHN FOGERTY (CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL), WAYNE KRAMER (MC5), MARKY RAMONE (THE RAMONES), TIM POLECAT (THE POLECATS), DANNY AMIS (LOS STRAITJACKETS), MARK FARNER (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD), JEFF "SKUNK" BAXTER (STEELY DAN, DOOBIE BROTHERS), BARRY GODREAU (BOSTON), ROGER FISHER (HEART), RANDY BACHMAN (THE GUESS WHO, BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE), WADDY WACHTEL (STEVIE NICKS BAND, WARREN ZEVON BAND), DEKE DICKERSON (ECCO-FONICS), MEL BERGMAN (THE PHANTOM SURFERS, THE KNOCK ME OUTS) and MEMBERS of MODERN SURF MUSIC-inspired acts THE WHYS, THE NEPTUNAS and THE SURFRAJETTES.  not to mention GUITAR PIONEERS DEL CASHER (INVENTOR of the WAH PEDAL) and SEYMOUR DUNCAN (GUITAR PICKUP ENTREPRENEUR and INNOVATOR) as well as ACTOR BILLY BOB THORNTON.

the film itself is a little HEAVY on the interviews and more than a little LIGHT on VINTAGE archival footage, which would have been COOL, but i get it that this project was meant as a CAREER RETROSPECTIVE for DON WILSON and the late MEMBERS of the group so the more the merrier.  that being said, although NOT ESSENTIAL, i did find this film to be ENTERTAINING and INFORMATIVE, if not a but UNIMAGINATIVE in its presentation.  its a perfectly fine starting point for anyone interested in learning about SURF MUSIC, the early MUSIC INDUSTRY and the roots of ROCK N ROLL CULTURE as we know it. 

TACOMA, who knew?

LEGENDARY SINGER OZZY OSBOURNE was in a good place back in 2011 when this IN-HOUSE retrospective documentary GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE (NEXT ENTERTAINMENT, 2011) was released.  at the time he was SOBER for nearly half a decade after years of ALCOHOL ABUSE that was pushing the limits of his FAMILY LIFE.  and that hope that comes with RECOVERY is really what the film is about, placing it in the context of a LIFE'S NARRATIVE in which all his SUCCESS, PASSIONS, FEARS, ANTICS, OBSESSIONS, SELF-ABUSE was a COMPLICATED EXPRESSION of a SUFFERING individual with little regard for himself, and the toll such took on not one, but two sets of FAMILIES.

the story of OSBOURNE and by extension that of the FOUNDATIONAL METAL band BLACK SABBATH is practically COMMON musical history knowledge at this point.  growing up dirt POOR in the ENGLISH WORKING-CLASS section of ASTON in the long-economically suffering MIDLANDS industrial outpost of BIRMINGHAM, the members of BLACK SABBATH found each other and their sound while attempting to escape the fate of their comrades whose DISMAL options included prison, the nearby factories or the army.  however IMPROBABLE, somehow they wondered into FAME and NOTORIETY with an INNOVATIVE sound and unflinchingly RAW lyrical PERSPECTIVE that has yet to come out of FASHION in the more than half century since.  DRUGS and ALCOHOL took over and effectively neutered the band, with them castigating and firing OSBOURNE eventually at the end, although they all admit they were just as worse for wear as he was.

being reborn with a SOLO CAREER by finding his MANAGER, who later became his second wife, in SHARON ARDEN, and that of KINDRED musical spirit and MULTI-TALENTED MUSICIAN in RANDY RHOADS, lifted his CAREER and PUBLIC PERSONA to new limits.  ROADS of course perished in a FREAK  PLANE ACCIDENT and not too long later his MARRIAGE DISSOLVED with his first WIFE THELMA RILEY, the MOTHER of his first two CHILDREN.  the IMMEDIATE LOSS of both his FAMILY and his FRIEND and SONGWRITING PARTNER was absolutely DEVASTATING and OSBOURNE could not handle such.

ARDEN at some point later in the filming thinking about their own struggles in the 1980s with three SMALL CHILDREN in tow, mentions that for OSBOURNE the DRUGS, CASUAL SEX and LEGENDARY tales of UNHERALDED DEBAUCHERY was a shield to protect himself from REALITY.  the REALITY being that he had a low-self esteem despite his success and that everything he cared about he lost eventually.  in ARDEN and his SECOND FAMILY there is a theme that their mutual love and his eventual ability to love himself helped with their collective RECOVERY after years of TRAUMA and NEGLECT.  in fact, it was OSBOURNE's son JACK becoming sober in his early 20s that set him on a track to pursue his RECOVERY.  effectively the thought that his own YOUNG SON at such an earlier point in his development had the INTERNAL FORTITUDE and GUMPTION to take on REAL ACCOUNTABILITY and fight for SOBRIETY shamed OSBOURNE into following suit.  and thank god he did.

of course this was not a happy ending by any means.  from 2012 to 2016 OSBOURNE admitted to having a fling with his hairdresser, a circumstance that nearly ended his marriage.  in 2019 he was diagnosed with PARKINSON's DISEASE, only years after JACK was diagnosed with MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS in 2012.  OSBOURNE very recently even learned of his second induction into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, the first as a MEMBER of BLACK SABBATH and this time as a SOLO ARTIST.  lots of ups and downs, but the OSBOURNE clan carries on.

there were quite a few NOTABLE interview participants in GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE, including his surviving siblings and all five of his children from both marriages, every MEMBER of BLACK SABBATH in TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER and BILL WARD as well as former MEMBERS of his solo band in RUDY SARZO (QUIET RIOT) and ROBERT TRUJILLO (METALLICA, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES).  similarly additional PROMINENT MUSICIANS interviewed include JOHN FRUSCIANTE (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), HENRY ROLLINS (BLACK FLAG), BRANDON BOYD (INCUBUS), TOMMY LEE (MOTLEY CRUE) and undoubtedly the most EXTRAORDINARY of them all, PAUL MCCARTNEY of THE BEATLES.

if there is an epitaph for OSBOURNE, let this documentary be it as it contextualizes the ups and downs of his CAREER and battle with ADDICTION with that of his FAMILY LIFE.  im sure he would want his PERSONAL NARRATIVE told in no other manner.

i always find it INTRIGUING that RUSH's MUCH-HERALDED eighth studio album MOVING PICTURES (MERCURY, 1981) is considered such a CAREER-DEFINING highlight given that it within the SCOPE and CONTEXT of their catalogue it was something of a TRANSITIONAL record.  SYNTHESIZERS and KEYBOARD PAD SOUNDSCAPES were always a SUPPLEMENTAL ELEMENT on previous records but COMPOSITIONALLY and STRUCTURALLY were more of an additional ORCHESTRATED layer on top of the CORE GUITAR, PERCUSSION, BASS and VOCAL ELEMENTS.  at their core RUSH were always a TECHNICALLY-PROFICIENT PROGRESSIVE ROCK band that utilized their abilities adroitly to aurally embellish on and help establish the MOODS and NARRATIVES of their almost LITERARY LYRICAL CONTENT.

interestingly on "TOM SAWYER", SYNTHS are introduced as an INSTRUMENT more than on equal terms with the other AFOREMENTIONED ELEMENTS.  this would be a harbinger of what was to come throughout the 1980s as the next several releases would find ELECTRONIC SYNTH-BASED MUSIC at the forefront of their new TRANSFORMED SOUND.  MOVING PICTURES is the beginning of such and arguably when that more equal balance was at its peak.  that said there are several more TRADITIONAL RUSH tracks that represent some of the STRONGEST SONGWRITING of their career in "LIMELIGHT," "RED BARCHETTA," "VITAL SIGNS" and the ICONIC INSTRUMENTAL "YYZ."  those tracks in particular almost represent a last hoorah of a certain approach to SONGWRITING that would not be revisited until the 1990s when the band transitioned into more of a legacy act. 

​thing is, i really appreciate bands that are willing to INNOVATE and follow their own CREATIVE IMPULSES, dramatically altering their STYLE and SOUND damn the consequences or UNEVEN reactions from a HARDCORE fanbase.  and believe me, RUSH fanatics are opinionated about their almost NERDISH obsession with the VIRTUOSIC TORONTO three piece.  obvious MODERN examples of such include that of METALLICA, LINKIN PARK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, RADIOHEAD, BRING ME THE HORIZON and AFI.  its not even about whether the NEW SOUND was quality or not (not everyone can be DAVID BOWIE), more just the very idea that they were willing to take the risk of not being stuck in a CREATIVE RUT a la the RAMONES, AC/DC, MOTORHEAD, SLAYER and so forth that have effectively recreated the same record their whole career.

more than any particular song, MOVING PICTURES is EMBLEMATIC to me of the need for artists to expand their SONIC PALETTE and explore, sometimes consciously shedding a SIGNIFICANT portion of their fanbase in the process.  this go around it worked out CREATIVELY and commercially, but on subsequent releases like SIGNALS (MERCURY, 1982) and GRACE UNDER PRESSURE (MERCURY, 1984), such is up for SERIOUS debate. 

​if anything MOVING PICTURES is an ESSENTIAL album by a LEGENDARY band well worth checking out.