I miss the early Black Keys. For their first few LPs they were raw, living up to their "part broke ass shit, part hot ass shit" sound. I'm not saying their later stuff isn't worth listening to, I just really dig their first few LPs.
Here's three covers that found their way onto their first three albums. You should know the originals. If you don't, they're easily found. I really dig the way they deconstruct them and put them back together with fewer parts. It's kind of like what the Ramones did, but the Black Keys didn't rely on the "1,2,3,4!" nothin' but chords approach.
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I was looking for something completely different, yeah again, and ran across a cover of Dylan's "Wicked Messenger" by the Black Keys. I'd never heard it before and it was sufficiently crunchy, like the Keys of yore. I was just on the cusp of going to check on some of their old stuff (I stopped after their second LP), but the thought that there had been a lot of covers of "Wicked Messenger", for a song that wasn't close to a hit, popped into my head.. The Faces were my indoctrination, so I have a sentimental attachment. But, shit, Patti Smith does something with that song. That might be tainted by me just digging the type of person she is, but she feels the song, puts more into it. Mitch Ryders approach is total seventies rock. I'd probably like it better if it didn't screw up "Little Latin Lupe Lu" for me going forward. Now I'm just nit picking. Just listen to Patti Smith's and go from there.
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The Black Keys have a new song out, their first in something like five years. Will someone please tell me why I still hang on the hope that they'll return to their broke-ass shit? I fear this new one is as close as were going to get to a step back. Progress, schmogress. I dig the raw shit.
Here's the new song and a handful from their first LP in 2002, my personal favorite. But you don't give a shit about that. Dig the contrast anyway.
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This isn't to dis Dan Auerbach or his song "Malibu Man". It's a slinky chunk of string laden seventies type soul and it stands on it's own as digable. But, and there's always a but, when you compare it to the first Black Keys, yeesh! It makes you long for your teenage guitar-only diet. The "broke ass shit" sound of the first LP after listening to "Malibu Man" is like chasing Koolaid with whiskey.
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I don't think they suck. Maybe there is, deep down, still something redeeming about them. They might not be my bag, not anymore, but after a debut album as good as theirs was, you know they knew how to do it at one time. As things happen, budgets get bigger, aspirations higher, and music further and further away from the struggle. It's just a matter how much it's resisted or embraced. That's what determines how fast it happens.
Never has my interest spiked as high, and waned so fast as it did with the Black Keys. I loved their first LP, and I still do. But I haven't bought anything past their second album, because what I liked about them was all but gone by their third. Check these, all from their their first.
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Right down the "Summertime Blues" rabbit hole tonight. All it took was hearing a crappy cover of the song. It was bound to happen, there have been so many covers of it. But it was a little disconcerting to realize that there are few Eddie Cochran covers at all, let alone of that one song, that have the sound or feel of their original version. Not to say some aren't good. Some are and some aren't. But it seems nearly impossible for anyone to cover an Eddie Cochran song without fucking with it. Only one of the assorted covers down there sounds even remotely like him, and I'm not going to
tell you which one it is. Those of you familiar with his music will hear
it right away. If you aren't familiar with his music, I'll bite my tongue.
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You do know Richard Berry right? The guy who wrote "Louie Louie"? Oh jeez, it just occurred to me, there's a possibility that some of you don't even know that song. That thought sort of creeps me out. Anyway, he also wrote "Have Love Will Travel", a song that's been covered by everybody and their mother. I've posted the song before, but I just ran into the version by the Imperialites, who are from San Diego, which is where my ass is planted. So, really, this is for my homies, particularly the one that recommended it to me a year or so ago. To AEC, whoever the hell you are.
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Richard Berry's "Have Love, Will Travel" is one song with legs, I'll tell you. That song just keeps on giving. You know how to tell that it's a good song? Because there's a bunch of good covers of it, in varying styles. And everyone's got their favorite. Club Cortez just posted Berry's original version. Here's some other good ones.
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Holy hell. It's been almost ten years. No wonder they sound so different. Remember how they sounded on that first one? The Big Come Up was produced by drummer Pat Carney "using his patented recording technique known as medium fidelity. This system requires equal parts broke-ass shit to equal parts hot ass shit." (I remember getting a good chuckle reading that one.). I don't know for sure if they added more broke-ass shit, or more hot-ass shit, but I think it's the latter. There are too many resources available to them. I like them with less. None of their later records sound as alive, as stripped down, as that first one. This is the stuff that initially put them on the map; small, though, the map may have been. Funny, you don't hear this stuff in commercials.
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Boy, this is a mixed bunch, with only the loosest of threads. I was puttin' around town today listening to an old mix that I made that had the Flamin' Groovies, the Blues Explosion and a few other bands that got me all riled up and wishing I was having one of those good ol' "Really, they said I was having a party tonight?" type impromptu what-the-hell, if you can't beat 'em join 'em type Saturday night throwdowns, just like the good old days. Problem is, that ol' gang of mine has, literally, moved on. Time was, there was a steady stream of drop-ins on just about every weekend night (and some during the week) that would give cause to hiding a few beers in the vegetable drawer. People get married, move away, buy homes where they can afford them, and start families. Not me. Just like John Milner said in the movie American Grafitti, "I'm staying right here, having fun, as usual." It is what it is, to use a phrase I hate to use. We all grow up in different ways and I suppose. now that I'm a little older, my way is leaving beer right out in the open. So I guess this is for the "Do you have a paper plate?' "Who pissed on the seat?" "Is that the last one?" "He's upstairs" "Can I play this?" friends. They know who they are. I have carpet stains named after some of you, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Love you more because of it. XO you loiterers.
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Diddy Wah just posted Richard "Louie Louie" Berry's original version of "Have Love Will Travel," which, of course, I took as my cue (or excuse) to post the Sonics' version. And, as if I don't have enough shit rattling around in my head, I began thinking about the Kingsmen's hit version of "Louie Louie." Most of you will know that another Northwest band, the Wailers recorded it before them; and that Paul Revere and the Raiders recorded their version of "Louie Louie" in the same studio as the Kingsmen, in Oregon, right about the same time. (I've always thought it poetic justice that the Kingsmen, despite being the non-gimmick underdogs, ended up with the hit.) What do you think the chances are that the Sonics heard Berry's "Have Love Will Travel," (released a couple years after "Louie Louie") and decided that they had better snag it before the Wailers, Raiders or Kingsmen did?
Moment of silence interlude: I just found out that Wailers' Kent Morrill died yesterday. According to LouieLouie.net, Morrill's wife Toni said that he was singing "Louie Louie" in his sleep the night before he died. Pay your respects: The Wailers' "Out of Our Tree" and "Louie Louie" are posted below.
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Following yesterdays post about the Evasions' "Lost Studio Sessions", this morning I received a message from David Doyle, who I know from years ago as the bass player of the Unknowns, a San Diego band from the early 80s. Back then, his band mate, Mark Neill, was just starting to record other bands, with equipment that was considered dated, though Neill's template was studios of the past, and his get-up intentional. That was a long time ago. After years of plugging away, recording scores of bands, Neill is finally getting his due recognition. You see, now Neill is officially recognized as hot shit, having produced the Black Keys' "Brothers" LP (of which, I presume, you've heard a song or two).
Doyle asked me if the Evasions' sessions were the same sessions that Neill recorded in a garage of band friend, Chris Davies (guitarist for another local band, the Penetrators). So, I asked about the type of tape Neill preferred back then, and after speaking with Neill, he answered that the tape reel would be either Ampex, or Radio Shack. The Evasions tape was indeed in an Ampex box, and Neill also confirmed recording one song ("Exodus") that was on the tape, but wasn't posted yesterday. So, the Evasions songs in yesterdays post were recorded by, I'll say it, hot shit producer Mark Neill. The songs are from roughly 1980 or 81, so they are some of Neill's earliest work. But, really, just a blip for Neill, who has recorded a fuckload of names you may or may not recognize: Deke Dickerson, Big Sandy, Rip Carson, the Paladins, Billy Zoom, Carl Rusk, the Tell-Tale Hearts, Los Straightjackets, Ricky Nelson, and his own band, the Unknowns. Oh yeah, he also helped Liam Watson set up Toe Rag Studio, which was where the White Stripes "Elephant" was recorded.
Recording notes about the Evasions songs in the previous post, and "Exodus" below, from David Doyle (added 1/15/2011): "In a conversation today, Mark mentioned he had never heard these tracks on actual speakers and only had a pair of David Clark headphones that I had loaned him at the time to listen and mix these tracks on! Also he is grateful to have the opportunity to hear them after all these years and sends his regards. I thought it was a Fender reverb unit he was using but it was the reverb in the Kustom PA head he was using to mix with! He also remembered only having enough mics for the drums and guitars and took the bass direct..."
Here's a sampling of Neill's work. A few notes: Doyle also said that Neill remembered the bass amp blowing during the recording of the Evasions' "Exodus", but there were a couple takes on the master, so the one below is most definitely not the final amp-blowing take. And the two Tell-Tale Hearts songs were recorded by both Doyle and Neill. To learn a whole lot more about Neill, I recommend the interview, and partial discography (extensive as it is), both completely honorable time sucks. Finally, a big fat thank you is due Doyle, for being invaluable in connecting the dots.
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Sometimes I get to maniacally cruising around online, looking for music to write about, and don't slow down enough to smell the pixels. It's ridiculous, really. This whole thing was started for two reasons. One, is that I found myself sending links to great music via email an awful lot. I figured, why should I do that, when I can do a simple blog that would be like emailing everybody all at once? The second reason is that I missed the "you gotta hear this" conversations with my brothers. So, consider this post, actually all the posts, as "you gotta hear this" things, because most of the songs and sites that I link to are some pretty cool shit.
The Heartbreakers - One Track Mind, and Too Much Junkie Business
Though none of the hosts of other sites, or the visitors to this godforsaken dump, have made a peep about my habit of directly linking to mp3 files on other peoples blogs, I will. Here's my thing: just about every blog that has music posted has some sort of disclaimer saying that they're posting mp3s for education value, or to help promote the recording artists. My assumption is, if they are sincerely trying to do just that, then I am helping in them in their mission. If any host has a gripe about the bandwidth they may be paying for (to store mp3s and other media), as a result of a particular post, then I'll take 'em down. Begrudgingly (to be honest), because it will interrupt the flow, man; but I will. It's their right. Just as it might be their right to put ads on a blog that is supposedly for educational purposes. See what I'm getting at?
Rolling Stones 1972 rehearsal. Hipshake, and Tumbling Dice
Here's a good "gotta hear this" with a dash of "you gotta read this". It's a recent post over at the Adios Lounge, It's not very often I run into a post that is well thought out, taking partial bits of songs and connecting them with other artists or bands, and citing different eras and disciplines. On the post, titled "LAMF: A Study in Rock n' Roll DNA", he goes to town. For instance, suggesting that the Germs, on "Richie Dagger's Crime" sounds like the Heartbreakers mixed with X, with a John Fogerty type guitar tone (from the first Creedence LP) in one particular 28 second part of the song. Whether I agree 100% or not, I dig that shit. It's a great post, with 12 songs, two Chuck Berry guitar parts as references, and various other links sprinkled around (i.e. to Richard Hell's piece about Johnny Thunders on his site).
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A just a taste of the mp3s (because any post that includes Don & Dewey, the Germs, the Sonics, the Heartbreakers, and Creedence is the post of someone who undoubtedly broke into my apartment and raided my record collection):
Captain Beefheart (real name Don Van Vliet) died yesterday from complications from multiple sclerosis. He probably influenced a dozen bands in your your collection and you may not have a single thing by him. Let's just say this; his music was an disjointed mix of blues, jazz, and rock. It was punk and no wave before they existed.
Tom Waits wrote yesterday "He was like the scout on a wagon train, he was the one who goes ahead and shows the way. He was a demanding bandleader, a transcendental composer (with emphasis on the dental), up there with Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra and Miles Davis. He drew in the air with a burnt stick. He described the indescribable. He's an underground stream and a big yellow blimp.
"I will miss talking to him on the phone. We would describe what we saw out of our windows. He was a rememberer. He was the only one who thought to bring matches. He's the alpha and the omega. The high water mark. He's gone and he won't be back."
Capt. Beefheart & his Magic Band, Cannes beach 1968
Though often critically acclaimed, his music was just a little too out there for mass consumption. His first album (which contained the single "Diddy Wah Diddy") wasn't initially released for that very reason. But he was never concerned with popular acceptance, and did things his way his entire career, regardless of the reward. That alone is something to be championed. The fact that his music was challenging is icing on the cake. And he was a painter as well. He really had it going on, friends. You wish you could be half as creative.
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Flipping through Rolling Stone at the drug store about a week ago, I saw a short article about the Black Keys recording at Muscle Shoals, the legendary Alabama recording studio (Aretha, Wilson Picket, Stones, etc.). I made a mental note to check out the details online (Rule #143: Never buy a magazine with a teen heartthrob on the cover), but before I got a chance to, I was told by an old acquaintance, Dave Doyle, that his ex-band mate Mark Neill was producing. I got all sorts of worked up, for a few reasons. Number one is that the Black Keys shit don't stink. Number two: neither does Neill's. There's two right there. And Muscle Shoals studio has produced some epic shit in the past, so it seems like it could be the perfect storm for a landmark album.
When the first Black Keys album, The Big Come Up, came out in 2002, there were all these stories of guitarist Dan Auerbach honing his chops and blues cred hanging out with T-Model Ford for an extended length of time (not something your everyday guitarist would bother doing). Their sound was extraordinarily full for a two piece, more so than the White Stripes, the "other two piece" band that they were often compared to. The production, by drummer Patrick Carney, was awesome and meaty. They referred to it as "medium fidelity" ("equal parts broke ass shit and hot ass shit") and had somehow tapped into that missing link between distorto-blues and the heavy thud seventies guitar sound of bands like Mountain, Cactus, and raunchier Led Zepplin. It was an impressive debut and, other than producers, they've pretty much stuck to the same formula in their subsequent releases. That's not to say they don't branch out; they do. But they do so with other projects.
A year or so ago, Auerbach released a solid solo album (mixed by Neill), and Carney followed that up with his side band, Drummer (self described as shoegaze on the MySpace page...blech). And recently, as Blakroc, the two teamed up with a hip hop A-listers, which has probably brought unfair comparisons to other hip hop/rock collaborations. It's a bit more significant, to team up a primarily roots type band with rappers doing new material, than, say, Aerosmith and Run DMC teaming up for "Walk this Way." Time will tell if it carries the weight of some sort of groundbreaking fusion, but as a concept it clearly kicks ass.
How the Black Keys know Mark Neill, I've got no idea. He's familiar to many of the old San Diego punk rock/retro crowd through his work as guitarist for the Unknowns. One of the few local bands in the early eighties that could actually play well, they somehow managed to mesh a sixties reverb drenched sound with a little organ and, surprisingly enough, actual singing. To call them a punk band is inaccurate at best, but that's the crowd they were lumped with, such was San Diego's sad state for non-cover bands at the time. Singer Bruce Joyner was studied, and really into good singers (Del Shannon and Roy Orbison come to mind). Neill was all about Mosrite guitars and the Ventures/Semie Moseley lineage, showing a keen interest in sound, not just songs. It was that interest, and his disappointment with the production of the Unknowns early output, that led him to open his own studio (in '82 or '83).
Neill's studio, Soil of the South, is, at this point, very well known for it's retro sound and vintage equipment. Not unlike Liam Watson's Toe Rag Studios in the UK, bands record there to get that stamp of authenticity. Neill's recorded the elite of the pomade army, notably Deke Dickerson, Big Sandy, Rip Carson, and the Paladins, along with Billy Zoom, Carl Rusk, the Tell-Tale Hearts and surf stalwarts Los Straightjackets. Suffice it to say, with Neill's equipment, the Black Keys sensibilities and the walls of Muscle Shoals, there's every reason to expect good things to come out of the ten day recording session. That Neill's been quoted as saying that the album would be "their biggest statement...the equivalent to Radiohead's 'OK Computer'" not only raises expectations, but begs the question: Mark Neill was cognizant of Radiohead?
