Bob Mould - Workbook

So you are in one of the most influential and bombastic bands in the 80s...that happens to break up. What is a lead singer to do? Release an acoustic CD of course. So in 1989 Bob Mould, not only does that but it's also a LOST TREASURE of a CD.



In between Husker Du (yes named after the children's game) and Sugar, Bob Mould went solo and acoustic. The CD is called Workbook. It's his first solo CD and it is a must have. It's not your typical acoustic Dave Matthews/Tim Reynolds kinda cd - no this one rocks. He assaults the guitar and if you've ever seen him live solo and acoustic you know just how bloody intense it is. Not really a "Sunday morning relax and have some coffee" acoustic cd no this is more like a "it's Thursday night and I'm thinking of starting the weekend off instead of waiting for Friday" acoustic CD. There are quiet and absolutely beautiful moments but still underneath it all is Bob fuming at something or someone.

If you'd like to read Bob Mould's Blog. It's Boblog. and he has a new DVD concert coming out called Circle of Friends. Should be a good one.

More later
Bro

The Replacements - All Shook Down

Another Lost Treasure...in fact some might argue a Lost Band.

Let’s start this thing off by saying if for some reason you don’t have all three of the holy trinity of ‘Mats CDs then you need to remedy that right now. It’s a perfect trifecta. “Let it Be”, “Tim”, and “Pleased to Meet Me” should be in each and every CD collection. Murmur by REM was released in ’83 and the ‘Mats perfection was recorded during that same time(’84 to ’87). Green came out in "88. How did REM get sooo huge while The Replacements watched the world pass them by? You might know the stories and if not search them out. There are some truly wonderful Rock N Roll stories. The Replacements really have no one but themselves to blame but that doesn’t change the fact that we have the chance to “do it right” now. If your favorite radio station plays more REM songs then Replacement songs something is terribly wrong. Call them. Email them and ask them why they don’t love music.

Ok enough of that little rant. So this is a lost Treasures CD review and obviously I can’t pick one of the big three so I picked “All Shook Down”. It is basically the first solo Paul Westerberg CD. The CD sounds like an almost defeated Paul. I think by this time he knows that The Replacements should have and/or could have but didn’t. This CD is not classic sounding Replacements it’s the perfect ending that knows that it is an ending. It is full of med tempo rockers and low key acoustic numbers. It’s a good CD to listen to when the party has ended but you are not ready to call it a day. You want to hang on to the buzz and kick back with one last beer -- or maybe two so that you can slowly pull on the beers and hear the entire CD. All I am saying is give Paul a chance.

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Bro

Pink Floyd - Meddle

So the latest from Spoon gives you 12 tunes that expires in at just over 37 minutes. I love the cd but sometimes I like to stretch out. Explore the space between the notes. That brings me to of course Pink Floyd. When I say Floyd most people react with a thought toward “Dark Side of the Moon” or “The Wall” or if they think they may sneak one past me they will say “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” - which I might add is getting the royal treatment in a 3 CD boxset in August and if you don’t own it yet count yourself lucky and just wait for the boxset. Anyway you aren’t wrong by thinking about any of those but I would like to throw a monkey in the Floyd mix. “Meddle”. I really think you should go back and give this one a listen.

It begins with one of the best openings of a Pink Floyd CD “One of These Days”. It’s quiet. The wind blows. Throw on the headphones ladies and gentlemen. Enter the echo and bass. There is only one line of lyric “one of these days I’m going to cut you into little pieces”. It is the band’s basic feeling about music critics. Classic. Bite that hand that feeds you. Yet one more reason I love Floyd.

"A Pillow of Winds" follows and it’s one of the few quiet, acoustic songs in the Pink Floyd catalogue

"Fearless" ends with field recordings of the Liverpool F.C. fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone", their anthem. Now I am an Arsenal fan and this track almost makes me want to change teams. Plus the fact that Henry and now my favorite Swede are leaving the team but I still wear the Gunnar Gold with pride.

"San Tropez" is a jazz-inflected pop song.

“Echoes” is a triumph. An epic tune that is almost as long as some albums these days. “Echoes” clocks in at almost 27.5 minutes. It is a glorious way to end a Pink Floyd album.

Now My all time favorite PF is “Wish You Were Here” but “Meddle” is a very close second and deserves another listen or maybe even your first listen. You can thank me later while your enjoying the stretching out of the music.

For more fun and adventure check out Next Music Online.
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Bro

Pearl Jam Binaural

OK let's get this out of the way. I love PJ.

There is an album that for some reason people have over looked. Why? I have no idea. In 2000 for some reason everyone that loved rock was focused on U2 with their release "All that you can't leave behind" but they missed it. I guess they were still gorging on Boy Bands and were on a sugary high.

Binaural starts off perfectly with A CRASH of sound -- then the wonderful line "There's a girl on a ledge she got nowhere to turn- cause all the love that she had was just wood that she burned". The song explodes. If you love rock music then you are head over heals. In fact, the first three tunes are a heavy trifecta.

It isn't until "Light Years" that the band slows down a bit. A slight, dirty groove of a tune.

Then a lonely, pensive guitar comes through the speakers. Eddie and an acoustic guitar and then the wailing guitar again. Welcome to "Nothing as it Seems". This is PJ all growz up.

They grow up even more with "Thin Air".

Three fast. Three mellow. Back to the Rock with big bouncy drums. You would think time to kick it up a notch but instead the slow, meticulous jam of "of a girl".

Now two songs just made for driving. Driving fast.

Then "Slight of Hand" is a great slow build.

How does one end a Lost Treasure CD? Eddie on a uke. Perfect but that is not the end. One last tune. It's not the 7 minute jam you thing you're getting. You don't worry because you know that when they play this one live they are going to stretch "Parting Ways" out. The song is only 3:37 then about 3 more minutes of silence then a Hidden Track. I'd forgotten about those. Anyway it's just someone banging on a typewriter. I would have given my left nut to have been the one that typed on a typewriter on a PJ Hidden Track but sadly I can't claim that.

I know that it will be tough to ever top Ten but that is because that was a perfect storm. Ten will always have a special place in my heart but really you need to give Binaural one more listen. Plus the booklet in the cd is quite sweet.