Just Because I Can, And For No Apparent Reason…
…and considering that it’s almost the new year, I figured I’d do a breakdown, in no particular order, of some of the music (either individual artists, songs, or albums) that I’ve completely let myself get into. There’s no real rhyme or reason as to why I really do become obsessed about some of these (and I’ll replay songs and albums until the CD’s themselves become transparent), but honestly, I don’t care; music is always, and will always be, a very visceral experience for me, and each song is like a self-contained packet of exactly that.
Did that make sense? Yes? No? To hell with it—here’s the list. And I should’ve taken the time to figure out how to get images for each of these in here.
Cream: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 2005.
For those of you who are like me and like to sink your teeth to into good guitar-driven hard rock and blues, Cream was arguably the best expression of that over the past 40 years (possible exceptions to that claim, IMHO, being Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix). Although Cream was only around from 1966-68, the trio—comprised of Eric Clapton on guitar/vox, Jack Bruce on bass/vox, and Ginger Baker on drums—lit music on fire, and are the reason I love extended live improvisational jams. Since all three members are still alive (Baker is the oldest at 67, I believe), a full-fledged reunion has always been a lingering question. Baker and Bruce are famous for getting pissed off at each other, Bruce recently had a liver operation that he nearly died from, and all have been doing their own thing for 38 years, but the real question was whether or not they could still flat-out JAM.
Sweet Jesus, did they ever. Say what you will about geezer rock, the three of them came together and blew the Royal Albert Hall right the hell up. They started with “I’m So Glad,” a classic cut by Skip James, and burned through greats such as “Politician,” “Sleepy Time Time,” “Outside Woman Blues,” “Stormy Monday,” and more. Was it different than 1968? Of course it was. The jams and musicianship maybe weren’t as frantic as they were in 1968 (listen to “I’m So Glad” from the album Goodbye, and you’ll hear what’s essentially an awesome musical tantrum), but they kicked ass nonetheless. All three, even though they’re in they’re mid to late 60’s, can play rings around damn near anyone else. Do yourself a favor and sprint, don’t run, and get this album. Now.
John Brown’s Body
Those that know me and those that don’t know that reggae music has defined a large part of my life for almost 13 years now. To paraphrase Lucky Dube, I Love It. J
Several years ago, I had the chance to go see The Wailers when they played Toledo at the Seagate Convention Center. How could I not go? I was too young to see Bob or Peter, haven’t seen Bunny Wailer yet, so this was the next best thing (or so I thought at the time; two years ago, Groovemaster got to OPEN for The Wailers, and I still remember eating egg rolls with Aston “Family Man” Barrett).
The first time I saw The Wailers, there was a band called John Brown’s Body opening for them. After some issues with the sound during the first song (guitar was too loud, then the horns were too loud, then the bass was too soft, and we couldn’t hear any vocals), they settled into it and mashed it up nice. The second song, which my friend Matt and I found out later was called “Original Man,” was one of the best tracks I’d ever heard. Wickedly catchy bass line, great one-drop beat, good horn fills, and great vocal delivery. It was crack in music form, and as soon as their set was done, I bought the first two albums.
The cool thing about JBB is that they have a very roots-and-culture style sensibility and message, but incorporate elements of R and B, rock, dub, and electronica into their music. Their studio stuff is good, but they really shine live. Check out www.archive.org, look them up, and start downloading. Recommended tunes are Original Man, Make It Easy, Garden Tree, 33 RPM, Sweet Ambrosia, Among Them, Traveling Man, Dreadnaught, and Forward Always.
Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals
This one comes courtesy of my better half, the lovely Becky, who’s a rabid Ben Harper fan. I’d heard of him and seen pictures of him, but Ben was, until this year, an example of me having a preconceived notion that kept me from actually doing any exploring. For whatever reason, I pictured him as doing very rambling, generic, Dave Matthews-like, hippie-ish music. Thanks to Becky’s patience (and rabidity as a fan), I’ve been pleasantly proven wrong.
This isn’t to say that I like everything of his that I’ve heard, but I appreciate the fact that he’s willing to challenge his own musical boundaries in terms of the styles that he brings to the music. There’s a huge blues influence, which is always a good thing, but his reggae and funk flavors are, to put it mildly, pretty damn good. We actually saw Benny-boy on tour back in September up in Rochester Hills, MI (with Damian Marley opening, which was beyond killer), and he put on a great show. Tight but loose jams, good lyrics, solid songs, and an awesome bass player in the form of Juan (who reminds me of my bass player, Lewie). Early hooks for me were “Brown Eyed Blues” (especially Juan’s wicked funky solo in the middle), Ben’s true-to-the-original covers of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing,” and The Wailers’ “Get Up, Stand Up” (performed with Damian), the rocker “Burn to Shine,” and the ganja-influenced “Burn One Down” (which Becky tells me is Ben’s most overplayed song).
One final note…hon, if you’re reading this, I would not be averse to seeing Ben in concert again. J ;)
Did that make sense? Yes? No? To hell with it—here’s the list. And I should’ve taken the time to figure out how to get images for each of these in here.
Cream: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 2005.
For those of you who are like me and like to sink your teeth to into good guitar-driven hard rock and blues, Cream was arguably the best expression of that over the past 40 years (possible exceptions to that claim, IMHO, being Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix). Although Cream was only around from 1966-68, the trio—comprised of Eric Clapton on guitar/vox, Jack Bruce on bass/vox, and Ginger Baker on drums—lit music on fire, and are the reason I love extended live improvisational jams. Since all three members are still alive (Baker is the oldest at 67, I believe), a full-fledged reunion has always been a lingering question. Baker and Bruce are famous for getting pissed off at each other, Bruce recently had a liver operation that he nearly died from, and all have been doing their own thing for 38 years, but the real question was whether or not they could still flat-out JAM.
Sweet Jesus, did they ever. Say what you will about geezer rock, the three of them came together and blew the Royal Albert Hall right the hell up. They started with “I’m So Glad,” a classic cut by Skip James, and burned through greats such as “Politician,” “Sleepy Time Time,” “Outside Woman Blues,” “Stormy Monday,” and more. Was it different than 1968? Of course it was. The jams and musicianship maybe weren’t as frantic as they were in 1968 (listen to “I’m So Glad” from the album Goodbye, and you’ll hear what’s essentially an awesome musical tantrum), but they kicked ass nonetheless. All three, even though they’re in they’re mid to late 60’s, can play rings around damn near anyone else. Do yourself a favor and sprint, don’t run, and get this album. Now.
John Brown’s Body
Those that know me and those that don’t know that reggae music has defined a large part of my life for almost 13 years now. To paraphrase Lucky Dube, I Love It. J
Several years ago, I had the chance to go see The Wailers when they played Toledo at the Seagate Convention Center. How could I not go? I was too young to see Bob or Peter, haven’t seen Bunny Wailer yet, so this was the next best thing (or so I thought at the time; two years ago, Groovemaster got to OPEN for The Wailers, and I still remember eating egg rolls with Aston “Family Man” Barrett).
The first time I saw The Wailers, there was a band called John Brown’s Body opening for them. After some issues with the sound during the first song (guitar was too loud, then the horns were too loud, then the bass was too soft, and we couldn’t hear any vocals), they settled into it and mashed it up nice. The second song, which my friend Matt and I found out later was called “Original Man,” was one of the best tracks I’d ever heard. Wickedly catchy bass line, great one-drop beat, good horn fills, and great vocal delivery. It was crack in music form, and as soon as their set was done, I bought the first two albums.
The cool thing about JBB is that they have a very roots-and-culture style sensibility and message, but incorporate elements of R and B, rock, dub, and electronica into their music. Their studio stuff is good, but they really shine live. Check out www.archive.org, look them up, and start downloading. Recommended tunes are Original Man, Make It Easy, Garden Tree, 33 RPM, Sweet Ambrosia, Among Them, Traveling Man, Dreadnaught, and Forward Always.
Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals
This one comes courtesy of my better half, the lovely Becky, who’s a rabid Ben Harper fan. I’d heard of him and seen pictures of him, but Ben was, until this year, an example of me having a preconceived notion that kept me from actually doing any exploring. For whatever reason, I pictured him as doing very rambling, generic, Dave Matthews-like, hippie-ish music. Thanks to Becky’s patience (and rabidity as a fan), I’ve been pleasantly proven wrong.
This isn’t to say that I like everything of his that I’ve heard, but I appreciate the fact that he’s willing to challenge his own musical boundaries in terms of the styles that he brings to the music. There’s a huge blues influence, which is always a good thing, but his reggae and funk flavors are, to put it mildly, pretty damn good. We actually saw Benny-boy on tour back in September up in Rochester Hills, MI (with Damian Marley opening, which was beyond killer), and he put on a great show. Tight but loose jams, good lyrics, solid songs, and an awesome bass player in the form of Juan (who reminds me of my bass player, Lewie). Early hooks for me were “Brown Eyed Blues” (especially Juan’s wicked funky solo in the middle), Ben’s true-to-the-original covers of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing,” and The Wailers’ “Get Up, Stand Up” (performed with Damian), the rocker “Burn to Shine,” and the ganja-influenced “Burn One Down” (which Becky tells me is Ben’s most overplayed song).
One final note…hon, if you’re reading this, I would not be averse to seeing Ben in concert again. J ;)
posted by Reggae Joe at
7:25 PM
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