Flowers for a Lady

In honor of Valentine's Day this year, my post today is "Flowers for a Lady," a track off of Charles Mingus' 1974 record Mingus Moves. Incidentally, the track actually is not actually written by Mingus himself - it's written by his saxophonist at the time, George Adams.

I was speaking with a friend yesterday in regards to my MP3some Mingus dilemma. My biggest problem is that Mingus' best work (in my mind) comes off of The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) and Let My Children Hear Music (1972) - both records that are meant to be experienced as complete works of art. To post a single track from either record, my friend said, would be like "cutting up a child." I heartily agreed. Unless I can find a way to post the entire albums, you will hear no part of either of them here. This will not stop me, however, from very strongly suggesting that you track down both of the records - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady in particular. They will change your preconceived notions of what jazz is and can be.

Mingus Moves is from Mingus' late period. While he's best known for his late 50s/early 60s work with Eric Dolphy, his later work is often overlooked. Though it doesn't contain a lot of the controlled chaos for which he was most famous, Mingus nonetheless continued to put out great material until his death in 1979.

Flowers for a Lady

Making Nice with the 80s

A home-made friendship collage for the worst decade of the 20th Century

I'm not going to mince words here: the 80s really sucked. There was a recession, Reagan, Thatcher, Chernobyl, an attempt or two by the Christian right to censor music, horrid fashion, Flashdance, the birth of MTV, the birth of the Fox network, the assassination of John Lennon, etc., etc., etc.

Then again, there were some OK things. Like DeLoreans. And... and... Well, there were DeLoreans.

Still, in my mind, all of this stuff is secondary to the insanely shitty mainstream music that came out during the decade. As if it weren't bad enough that the populace was subjected to the whims of a senile neocon, it was also duped into believing that cheap synthesizers, gated snare drums, and guys in spandex constituted legitimate pop music. Even worse - this was a time when music's actual legends hit rock bottom. Bob Dylan, David Bowie, James Brown, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder - the excesses and warped aesthetics of the 80s turned their once-brilliant art into raw sewage. This was, bar none, the worst decade for pop music in recorded history.

The "We Are the World" video illustrates just how many things were profoundly wrong with the 80s.

But I've decided to make nice with the 80s today (as the subject of this post would suggest). Having been born during the illustrious decade, I figure it's not right to spew forth such hateful things all the time. Today, I'm going to force myself to come up with a list of five songs that actually benefit from the 80s pop aesthetic. The following are songs that actually use the era's production values to their advantage:

#5

The Police - Synchronicity II

Outside of the 80s, a snare drum would never sound that huge. A synth sound like the one at the top of the song just wouldn't exist. Nor would the reverb on Sting's voice or the weird guitar effects during the break. Could you picture this song being produced in any other era? I thought not.

#4

David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes

Though the Thin White Duke took a serious nose dive in the 80s ("Let's Dance," anyone?), he opened the decade with 1980's Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), which is actually a fantastic record (It's so good, in fact, that I suspect he completed the bulk of it in 1979). Then again, could you imagine that bass tone coming out of any other decade? Or that piano tone? How about the video? This is a rarity: Bowie doing the 80s aesthetic correctly.

#3

Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me

Fondly remembered by an entire generation as the theme from The Breakfast Club, this song is a true classic of its era. That snare drum has "1987" written all over it. So does the synth that comes in during the chorus. Would anybody outside of the 80s use such a cheesy sound? Not unless they were feeling really nostalgic. Give the band credit where it's due, though: it works.

#2

Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Even ten years after its initial release, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" retained its poignancy as the opening song for Dennis Miller Live (which began airing in 1994) - proof that the 80s aesthetic was tastefully utilized in this track. The main "80s culprits" in the mix: 1) The track is awash in very dated sounding synths. 2) The vocal reverb is about as dated as it gets. Nonetheless, the track as a whole still sounds fresh.

#1

A-Ha - Take on Me

Everything about this song is a product of its era. The snare sound, the cheesy synths, the vocal sounds ("I'll be gone...") - hell, even the tempo and beat are clichés. The video is something that would only fly in the 80s. But there's something about this track that sets it apart from the rest. A-Ha might not have had any success after this song, but they nonetheless managed to gracefully utilize an aesthetic that was marked by its lack of grace.

the Pretty Things

The story of the Pretty Things is actually intertwined with that of the Rolling Stones. Originally a member of the Stones (first as a guitarist and then as a bassist), Dick Taylor founded the Pretty Things with vocalist Phil May in 1964. Initially, the band was a hard R&B act reminiscent of Jagger & Co. However, while the Stones stayed true to their rootsy beginnings (only embracing pop psychedelia for brief semi-successful stretches), the Pretty Things enthusiastically threw themselves into the burgeoning mod-psych scene with 1967's Emotions.

It was not until 1968, though, that the band truly hit its stride with SF Sorrow, a concept album that ranks among the most influential of the 60s. If nothing else, it was almost certainly a point of reference for the Who as they worked on 1969's Tommy. Today's upload is "Bracelets of Fingers," the second track on the record. I've posted it for two reasons: 1) Lovely harmonies. 2) I'm a sucker for anything in 3/4 or 6/8.

Bracelets of Fingers

Also worth tracking down: Parachute, the band's 1970 effort. The first side of the record is particularly stunning.

The Index

Of my entire record collection, The Index (1967) maybe be the most personally endearing album I own.


Hailing from the Detroit area, the Index was comprised of three teenage members playing guitar, bass, and drums, respectively. The band opened for regional acts and played a mix of covers and original material at local parties. Eventually, the guitar player left for Yale, but continued to return home sporadically to play. This album was recorded on whim in a basement (my original guess was a warehouse, but I suppose that's close enough). I have previously described the record as sounding "like garage rock on Xanax" - a description I still stand by.

Aside from the music (which is great in its own way), the beauty of the album lies in its earnestness. These guys were not professional musicians or producers, and their record was clearly a labor of love. From the perspective of somebody who grew up playing in shitty garage bands, this has particular resonance. It's like listening to a rehearsal tape that inexplicably turned out fucking great.

I would suggest you track down the record, which contains spectacular covers of "Eight Miles High" by the Byrds, "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Supremes, and several originals. I have uploaded one of those originals, "Fire Eyes."

Fire Eyes

Psychedelic! Exotic! Sultry!

Yesterday evening, a friend of mine sent me a video of the Flower Travellin' Band, a late-60s/early 70s psych/hard rock outfit from Japan. I was impressed by the track. I'll probably grab a record this weekend. The band looked entertaining in its heyday:





I remarked that my biggest problem with the Japanese rock music I've heard is that it seems too content to ape American music in a very one-dimensional fashion. That is, most of the Japanese rock bands I've heard don't really put their own spin on the genre - they just try to do it in a more "extreme" fashion. "Give me an electric koto or something," I said to my friend. "Make it uniquely Japanese." Not that great Japanese music doesn't exist - it does - but so much of it is wrapped up in sounding like something it's not.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with borrowing influences. Os Mutantes, for example, were an encyclopedia of American and British rock influences. What made them special was the uniqueness with which they blended these influences with their own native music.

The example I gave my friend, however, was Erkin Koray, a Turkish artist. I've always loved the fact that Koray's music rocks hard for its era, yet retains a very distinctly Turkish sound. It's the perfect bridge between Western pop psychedelia and Eastern traditional music. Here, we see a video for "Mesafeler," a song that appeared on Koray's first album (which was actually a collection of singles spanning 1967-1973). Dig the whole psychedelic-striptease thing:





In addition, I have uploaded "Istemem," one of Erkin Koray's most well-known tracks. Its Eastern roots are very apparent, both in the vocals and lead guitar.

Istemem

The Outsiders

Continuing the trend of northern European artists, today's post comes from Amsterdam ca. 1968.

The Outsiders were a Dutch band fronted by Wally Tax. In 1968, they released CQ, which many people have come to consider one of the finest psychedelic/garage LPs of all-time. While today's track (the first on the record) is a straightforward rocker, it belies the diverse nature of the rest of the record. Overall, CQ is strong mod-rock that alternates between fury and pensiveness. It deserves a listen in its entirety.

Misfit

Savage Rose

Before I get into anything music related, I'd just like to mention how happy I am that Mitt Romney took a beating in the primaries yesterday. He's got the charm and class of a used car salesman. Anyway...

Apologies for the lack of posting in the past few days. I've been dealing with a brief illness that pretty much knocked the life out of me. The only good thing that came out of this illness: endless amounts of time to look for new [old] music. My biggest find: The Savage Rose, a Danish band that started in the late 60s but has maintained its native popularity through today.

While the band's sound has apparently been very malleable throughout the years (I wouldn't know, as I've only heard their first two records), the initial incarnation was vaguely psychedelic and jazzy. Apparently, the band's lineup has also been rather malleable - the only constants being pianist Thomas Koppel (the son Danish composer and professor Herman Koppel) and Annisette, a woman whose voice is hard to forget once you've heard it.

The track I've posted today is from their second album, 1968's In the Plain. Of particular note: Alex Riel's phenomenal drum work (he would later go on to record with such jazz legends as Bill Evans, Donald Byrd, and Stephane Grappelli) and Annisette's wailing vocals.

Evening's Child