411 Music Roundtable: July Edition
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 07.09.2007
The non-vacationing Music Zone staff pulls up a chair to the roundtable to discuss Bon Jovi’s rise, Kelly Clarkson’s fall, Police reunion shows, Bret Michaels on TV and the coolness of The White Stripes. Plus, previews of new releases by Danzig, Common, Velvet Revolver, Big Shug, Keith Murray, TRANSFORMERS!, Smashing Pumpkins and more!!!
Hey folks, it's another edition of the 411 Music Roundtable, where the venerated and/or inebriated Music Zone staff look back on the news of the last month and forward to the new releases of this one.
On with the show!
JULY 2007
BIGGEST WINNER OF THE MONTH
Danzig
Jesse Coy: Fresh off a month long look into crappy reissues pulling the whole bonus tracks baloney, Danzig is set to offer a two-disc release, The Lost Tracks of Danzig. Now I suspect there could've been some monkey business, where the whole Danzig catalogue would be reissued, doling out three to four bonus tracks per album. Instead, Glenn and the label are doing the right thing, and I already have the inside track that the quality will be there, too.
Bon Jovi
Dan Marsicano: Who knew that, after twenty years, Bon Jovi would still be popular? Their newest album, Lost Highway, reached #1 on the Billboard charts. Lost Highway is the first Bon Jovi album since New Jersey, which was released in 1988, to reach #1 on the charts. It's nice to see that people still appreciate terrible rock songs and cheesy ballads in the 21st century.
Mitch Michaels: Bon Jovi got a lot of praise for their *ahem* innovative idea of coupling copies of their new album and tickets to some of their concerts back in the middle of the month. When I read that news, it sounded a little like desperation. "(You Want To) Make A Memory" barely scratched the Top 40, wasn't getting played at rock radio, and Bon Jovi's so-called newfound audience at country radio was tentative to jump on the Jersey boys' bandwagon to say the least. That all seemed like it would spell doom for Jon and the boys, but then Lost Highway hit stores and gave the band their best sales week of the SoundScan era and their first #1 album since the days of "Bad Medicine". Whether you like Bon Jovi or not, you have to admit that it's a nice comeback story.
BIGGEST LOSER OF THE MONTH
Bret Michael
Jesse Coy: As if it weren't bad enough that Poison desecrated a number of cover tracks (if I never hear them covering that David Bowie song, I'll be just fine), it was announced in June that the vocalist for Poison will be doing a VH1 TV show ala Flavor Flav, called "Rock My Heart", or some such crap. Please, for god sakes, spare us! The station barely even plays good rock documentaries anymore because that stupid Flavor Flav show spawned several other idiotic shows. Now this?
Kelly Clarkson
Dan Marsicano: I know, her album is selling like hotcakes and the controversy surrounding the album didn't look like it affected sales. I think that Clarkson is the biggest loser of the month for canceling her summer tour. Yes, ticket sales were low, but this is her perfect opportunity to get out there and show people that she wasn't affected by all the controversy. Instead, she's going to chill out for the summer and wait until fall to tour. The summer is the biggest season to go out on tour and Clarkson decides to sit this summer out, which could either be a brilliant move or one that will have consequences down the road.
Mitch Michaels: Kelly Clarkson's last album, Breakaway, was one of the most durable hits of 2005 and even 2006. It spawned four Top 10 hits and another just missed the Top 10. It was certified six times platinum. Kelly Clarkson could've done nearly anything for her follow-up and it would have sold like gangbusters out of the gate. Instead, she's got a record company smear campaign (don't convince me that's not true), a disappointing lead single (#19?), a crappy duet with Reba McEntire and a cancelled tour. Not to mention she's now working with her third management agency in her short career. So, My December gets released and toppled (nicely, too) by fucking Hannah Montana??? It's a cruel world we live in Kelly.
BIGGEST MUSIC NEWS OF THE MONTH
The Chris Benoit Murder/Suicide
Phil Watts, Jr.: Canadian Crippler turned cold-blooded killer; leaves shockwaves all across the Internet. Of course, this is not music related, but this story is so disturbing, it makes everything else seem insignificant. This is a story of Chris Benoit, a person that I and many of us have supported over the years. When the revelation comes that this individual that many of us loved would do things that we never thought in our wildest dreams that he would ever do, it leaves us confused, angry and beside ourselves. It makes me think of all the times when some other people that I've been a fan of have done indefensible things, like kiddy rapper Chi Ali killing somebody over a CD collection, Steady B and Cool C trying to rob a bank and killing a cop in the process, Ronald Isley (of the legendary Isley Brothers) doing some underhanded shit to support his "Mr. Biggs" image (even if it meant using his dead brother's royalty checks to buy yachts and shit), Michael Jackson being a child molester, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin being a wife beater, Mike Tyson being a rapist and, of course, O.J. Simpson murdering his wife. Yes, most of that doesn't come close to comparing to strangling your wife and snuffing the life of the kid you helped bring to this world, but that doesn't make them any less inexcusable. We all like to think that the musicians we listen to or the actors and athletes we watch would never commit these kind of crimes and yet, once upon a time, we thought the same thing about all these people that I just mentioned. News stories like this forces us to remember that even though we see these people on TV, on stage, or in the ring all the time, we don't really KNOW them and we never see them when the spotlight is off. So who knows what their state of mind really is? So think about all your favorite performers and hope and pray that they stay on the straight and narrow (or if they're not, hope that they get their minds right soon), because you never know when YOUR favorite star lets out their bad side and it results in a tragedy like this.
First Police Reunion Shows Were Lame
Jesse Coy: The first couple Police reunion shows were lame, says… er, one of the band mates? Yes, I guess the drummer is telling us all "buyer beware". Thank goodness I didn't fork out such dough just to see The Police. Nah… I'm going in August to the Virgin Fest for THE BAD BRAINS!
Spice Girls Reunite
Dan Marsicano: Hell has frozen over. The Spice Girls have come back to lower musical standards again. The big question is if the Spice Girls can actually remain together long enough to complete an entire tour. There have been rumors that the members are already starting to argue amongst themselves. Frankly, I wouldn't care if they didn't tour at all.
Mitch Michaels: Wow, Dan, we sure are agreeing a lot. I don't find the fact that the Spice Girls reunited all that amazing. It's like "The X-Files'" Cigarette Smoking Man told us: Nothing vanishes without a trace. What amazes me is how the media has jumped all over it. I mean, look at these girls now. We used to have five hot Spice Girls. Now we have, what? 1.5 hot Spice Girls, a borderline MILF, a chick Eddie Murphy didn't even wanna cop to having sexy with and a middle-aged Strawberry Shortcake. Without their looks, it won't take long for us to remember that Spiceworld bombed and their third album barely cracked the Top 40.
MOST NOTABLE RELEASE OF THE MONTH
Pharoahe Monche - Desire
Phil Watts, Jr.: It's been forever since he came out with the Internal Affairs album. With that long of an absence, most artists would wind up losing a whole lot and would forget how to make decent records (see: Mos Def). Not here, as Pharoahe's dizzying lyrical acrobatics are just as potent here as they were in his verse in "Bring It On" from Organized Konfusion's Stress album. He even pays some tribute to Public Enemy with his cover of "Welcome To The Terrordome" (However, the beat leaves much to be desired - they should've tried to find another way to flip the Temptations' "Psychedelic Shack" like the original did.) Pharoahe shows some versatility with this one, with some gospel, some funk, and a little bit of Rock & Roll. Make no mistake, the Pharoahe's still got it. Now let's call up Prince Po and O.C. for that Organized reunion, please?
Bad Brains- Build a Nation
Jesse Coy: And I already wrote a review for this one, a contender in my opinion for one of the year's best albums. To briefly recap, the punk portions kick ass, and the reggae tracks are great, allowing you to take a break after slam dancing into your nearest padded
cell wall (or, uh… I guess I'm the only one who's got one of those around here).
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Dan Marsicano: Oh yeah, my favorite progressive metal band has returned! If you have not picked this album up yet, what is wrong with you?! This album has everything a metal fan would love; heavy riffs, pounding bass drums, and crazy solos. Oh, and the keyboardist isn't too bad either. Pick it up just for "The Dark Eternal Night". Trust me, if you don't bang your head to this song, you have no soul.
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Mitch Michaels: If you like The White Stripes, you knew this album would be good. But I wasn't prepared for just HOW good it is. In a month where we got the long-anticipated Traveling Wilburys reissues and a kick-ass return by Queens Of The Stone Age, the Whites managed to stand head and shoulders above the rest with an album of dirty punk blues and thumping lo-fi rock. Just when you think you're getting tired of this band's left of center antics, they release another awesome record.
MUSIC DVD OF THE MONTH
Pantera: 3 Vulgar Videos From Hell
Jesse Coy: This takes you back to a time before whackjobs with guns could storm a stage. Hell, it takes you back to a time before the band imploded. Now, I am slightly annoyed that they didn't tack on "Revolution Is My Name" as an extra, being the only other music video Pantera did after these videos…still, it's a pretty good deal. And all that stuff between the music videos? Did these guys invent "Jackass" before the folks at that show were doing those sorts of things? They had to have been an inspiration. Some of the cameos by other musicians are hilarious, too (Mike Muir and Trent Reznor, for example), and it also brought back memories. I saw these guys in '91 with Wrathchild America, and in '92, opening for Skid Row (yes, Sebastian is on the video), who we didn't stick around to watch. Anyway, that's my pick.
Anthrax – Alive 2 (2005): The DVD
Dan Marsicano: This DVD showed the 80's lineup of Anthrax back together in 2005 for a sold out show at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. As the band blasts through their 13 song setlist, which includes such classic as "Among the Living" and "A.I.R.", it really seems like Anthrax was full of newfound energy. It's a great performance. Too bad they broke up a year later and now the band is in limbo. Oh well. At least there's Alive 2 to enjoy.
The Traveling Wilburys Collection: The True History Of The Traveling Wilburys
Mitch Michaels: This is the DVD that was packaged with the recent Wilburys rerelease. The biggest pleasure of the Wilburys' albums is how the fun and energy and sense of friendship between its five principals translates so well onto the recordings. The DVD takes this one step further, documenting the 10 days that Dylan, Petty, Harrison, Lynne and Orbison went into Dave Stewart's home and recorded some of the best rock ‘n' roll music of the 80's. Seeing how quickly and seemingly effortlessly Vol. 1 was written and recorded is a true joy, a rare glimpse into the process of 5 men who do it better than anyone else.
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Shalamar - Big Fun
Phil Watts, Jr.: With all this doom and tragedy going on, I figure to bring up an album like this to lighten the mood a bit. It was 1979, and disco was in its waning days. However, SOLAR (Sound Of Los Angeles Records) would be instrumental in keeping those clubs filled even after the demise of disco - and they did it with groups like Shalamar. This is the first album that featured the hit-making line-up of Jody Watley, Jeffery Daniel, and Howard Hewett (the latter took the place of Gerald Brown, who was there for the Disco Gardens album with the hit, "Take That To The Bank") Aside from the combined talents of that trio, part of the success of this group (and most of the SOLAR roster as a whole) can be attributed to the production skills of Leon Sylvers III. Being a former member of the teen pop family the Sylvers, he was able to take bubblegum pop and add some soul to it. That's the reason why many of these songs have held up over time. Songs like "Second Time Around", "Right In the Socket", and "I Owe You One" have filled up dance floors for years, and ballads like "Find The Time For Love" shows that they're no slouches in that department either. These days, when Hewett isn't catering to the adult contemporary crowd with his new album, If Only, he's out there with Jeffery Daniel and Carolyn Griffey (daughter of SOLAR owner Dick Griffey) performing Shalamar hits. Meanwhile Jody Watley (who hasn't aged a day!) is doing her thing for the House/Techno crowd with the Makeover project.
Brian Wilson Presents Smile
Jesse Coy: If I can't go from Pantera to Brian Wilson at the drop of a hat, I'm probably having a bad day. Well, I'll just put this classic in and grin. Yes, I know it officially came out in 2004, but it was floating around in parts, bootleg or underground, or just in rumors, for over 37 years. I didn't know all that history… I just heard this one in the last year or so, and it blew me the hell away. It's like the Beach Boys on some really good acid.
Slayer - Reign In Blood
Dan Marsicano: There really isn't anything new to say about this album. It's fast, it's brutal, and it's violent as hell. It is also one of the best speed/death/heavy metal albums ever made.
Billy Ray Cyrus - Some Gave All
Mitch Michaels: With Billy Ray's daughter Miley going #1 again, it reminded me of Cyrus and his country hits from the early 90's. Sure, "Achy Breaky Heart" gets a lot of shit because it was a silly little song that was fucking EVERYWHERE, but when you revisit Cyrus' other music on his debut (and his follow-up, It Won't Be The Last), you find some really solid country music, most of it written by Cyrus himself. With his mullet, overplayed hit and revival of line-dancing, it's easy to write Billy Ray Cyrus off. But he had some nice vocals (he was like a trailer park Elvis), an ear for a great tune and some fantastic songs. "It Could've Been Me" is the ultimate tale of love lost, his cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" sure beats the piss outta Jessica Simpson's and "Some Gave All" is still a patriotic holiday anthem around the Michaels household. Hey, it's been fifteen years folks. Let's give Billy Ray his due.
LYRIC OF THE MONTH
Jesse Coy: "Life's a piece a shit, when ya look at it/Life's a laugh, and death's a joke it's true/You'll see it's all a show, keep'em laughing while you go/Just remember that the last laugh is on you…" - Monty Python, "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life"
Dan Marsicano: "I saw some stuff in your yard. Are you gonna give it to us? Now, Meg, don't be rude. They might need it." - The White Stripes, "Rag And Bone"
Mitch Michaels: "I ain't saying I'm innocent/In fact the reverse/But if you're headed for the grave/You don't blame the hearse" - The White Stripes, "Effect & Cause"
NEXT MONTH'S NEW RELEASES
Common – Finding Forever
Phil Watts, Jr.: This month could see some really good Hip-Hop releases (that is if they don't change up on the release dates). Common had a fire lit under him with the Be album, thanks to Kanye handling a huge chunk of the production, and with Finding Forever, J-Dilla's death has inspired them both to step it up a notch. I really hope this makes the same numbers as Be did. If the industry was really concerned about bringing more positive images into Hip-Hop, they'd have promoted this album to the hilt months ago.
Big Shug – Street Champ
Phil Watts, Jr.: "I'm like Clinton on that DL shit/but I'd never sling dick to no PORKY THE PIG-LOOKING BITCH!!" That line has me cracking up every time. Anyway, Big-Big-Big Shug continues to hold down the GangStarr Foundation. However, DJ Premier only supplies beat on about three songs, leaving Moss to handle the rest. Is he up to it? Judging from Sean Price's Jesus Price album, I think he has a shot.
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Wanted: Dead Or Alive (Reissue)
Phil Watts, Jr.: The deluxe reissues of the Cold Chillin' catalogue continues, this time with G Rap & Polo's second joint, with Eric B and Large Professor sharing production duties. "Streets Of New York", "Riker's Island" (the lone Marley cut), "Erase the Racism", and one of the nastiest records ever made, "TALK LIKE SEX". All this, plus instrumental versions of all the songs and a few remixes, too.
Yesterday's New Quintet - Yesterday's Universe
Phil Watts, Jr.: Madlib continues his various jazz-related projects with this album. I've always liked his attempts at jazz, but he kinda jumped the couch with that Stevie project (where he tries to cover Stevie Wonder songs). I remember him saying that he plans on making a disco or funk themed project pretty soon. I'd definitely be checking for that.
Camp Lo in Black Hollywood
Phil Watts, Jr.: "We be SIPPIN' AMA-RED-DUUUUH!!" Ugh. The mid-to-late 90's was a very dark period in Hip-Hop, with everybody and their momma bragging about sipping Champaign. When all these same individuals (including Jigga) started throwing hissy-fits when they found out that the wonderful people that brought us Cristal had no respect for rappers, I couldn't help but roll on the floor and laugh at each and every one of them! Now, in a comeback that no one is feinting for, the Luchini-sipping duo is returning to the Hip-Hop game.
Talib Kweli - Eardrum
Phil Watts, Jr.: Kweli kicked off 2007 by bringing us the Madlib-produced Liberation album. With that and the few songs I've heard from THIS – let's just say that Mos Def needs to step his game back up, because Kweli has been outshining his ass for a while now.
Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4
Phil Watts, Jr.: After the last Gang Starr album, The Ownerz, Guru split from Premier to do some soul-searching and clean himself up, thanks to the help of a guy named Solar. Soon, Guru decided to take a chance by letting Solar get behind the boards for his 2006 solo album, Street Scriptures, Ver. 7.0. Sadly, that album was a complete DEBACLE, as Solar wasn't experienced enough to carry an album, and Guru was at his lyrical worse. Now, Guru and Solar are set to try it again, this time with Jazzmatazz #4...and with such jazz artists such as Bob James, Ronny Laws, and David Sanborn joining in (as well as Caron Wheeler and Dionne Ferris, former singers of both Soul 2 Soul and Arrested Development respectively), maybe Solar might learn a few things this time out. Otherwise, let's hope that Guru still has Premier's cellphone number.
Keith Murray - Rap-Murr-Phobia
Phil Watts, Jr.: OUCH. Come on, Keith. With all that off-time, surely you could've thought of a better album title. Anyway, Keith is back, and DEF SQUAD is still in effect - although not as strong as they used to be. Hopefully, this might change things. In my opinion, both the Hit Squad and the Def Squad need to get together, work things out, and do some joints together. However, this would require Erick Sermon to bring back them funk breaks.
Transformers
Phil Watts, Jr.: A little confession, if I may - I was a Transformer freak back in the day. I loved the hell out of them old toys. Sadly, after the original movie 20 years ago, the franchise went through some major speed bumps, like Monkey Prime and Mega-Barney the Purple Dinosaur and all the anime-style bullshit that passes for Transformer cartoons these days. Now, they have a chance to reignite the franchise. At first, I thought the robots looked like huge piles of dog shit with car parts in it, but after a few action sequences, I think this just might work. As for the soundtrack, in my opinion, they should've gotten El-Producto to do the soundtrack and score the movie. That whole Co-Flow/Def Jux sound would've been a perfect match for it.
Steele of Smif-N-Wessun - Hostyle Takeover
Phil Watts, Jr.: Look, guys. This has gone on for way too long. One of the main things that made the first album Da Shinin' (not to be confused with J-Dilla's correctly spelled album from last year) such a classic was the Beatminerz. Looking at the last Smif N Wessun joint (Reloaded), the only good songs on it were produced by the Beatminerz ("Tools Of the Trade" and "Crystal Stair" with Kweli). Every song they've ever done without Evil Dee & Mr. Walt behind the boards winds up sounding like filler cuts on some random thug rapper's mixtape. So please, guys - come back home.
Oh No - Dr. No's Oxperiment
Phil Watts, Jr.: After watching his brother Madlib release instrumental albums every other week and watching J-Dilla practically making experimental albums while in the hospital, Oh No decided that he should try it out for himself. After he brought us his debut album (The Disrupt), a remix album (The Disrupt Chronicles, Part 0) and making a record using songs from Galt McDermot's catalogue (Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms), this is his attempt at an instrumental project. After this, Oh No's going to have to work on making these kind of projects EVERY WEEK! I hope he's up to it!
Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
Dan Marsicano: I'm pretty excited about Smashing Pumpkins' new album. After hearing the single "Tarantula", I got really hyped up for it. Here's hoping that they can keep the energy as high as "Tarantula" for the entire album.
Mitch Michaels: It's funny, I've never been a HUGE Smashing Pumpkins fan, but I'm really rooting for these guys on their new album. People already seem determined to hate it (mostly due to the lack of original Pumpkins), but I think Corgan may just be in the frame of mind. He's a talented songwriter who just can't seem to cut it on another canvas (you can even check out the Pumpkins' last album for proof of that). Let's wait until the album actually sucks to write this new incarnation off, OK?
Puddle Of Mudd - Famous
Dan Marsicano: Puddle of Mudd is definitely a guilty pleasure for me. I hated their last album, but loved their first one. I've heard the title track, and current single, on their MySpace page, and it wasn't too bad. Not a classic, but catchy and full of energy that was missing on their last release. Even with two original members gone from the band, I hope that Famous can hearken back to Come Clean.
Devildriver - The Last Kind Words
Dan Marsicano: This will be an intense album, no doubt about it. With added solos and speedy riffs to most of the songs, The Last Kind Words could be their best release yet and a potential sleeper hit of the year.
Velvet Revolver - Libertad
Mitch Michaels: Am I the only rock fan that thought Contraband kinda sucked? Of course, I've never liked Guns N' Roses much anyway (throw things at me now), so this spin-off wasn't made to appeal to my tastes. A big selling album after a lot of hype is fine and dandy, but I don't think their second set will be as big a runaway smash. Remember how quick Audioslave got old?
T.I. - T.I. Vs. T.I.P.
Mitch Michaels: Well, this one is out already and currently sitting in the 411 review section. I was disappointed. T.I. has really carried the quality for a few years, so I figured the album after his major breakout would be a typical quality affair. I think some more time should've been spent on recording this one than in Hollywood movie talks.
Danzig - The Lost Tracks Of Danzig
Mitch Michaels: FINALLY! It seems like we've been talking about this album in upcoming releases for the last 3 months. But the 10th is the street date, hopefully. I'm psyched. All that early line-up material, plus a song that has people crying RACIST ("White Devil Rise"). Sounds like Glenn's still got it.
Jason Isbell - Sirens Of The Ditch
Mitch Michaels: Another long anticipated CD. It seems like I've been hearing about a Jason Isbell solo set since before I'd even heard of Jason Isbell. The preview tracks on MySpace sound amazing and "Dress Blues" is possibly the best war-inspired song ever heard. Certainly the most personal. If you like country, classic rock or anything like it, BUY THIS CD.
Raul Malo – After Hours
Mitch Michaels: I don't really have anything to say about the new solo album from the (former?) frontman of country band The Mavericks, but check out those gams! Va-va-voom!
THE END
And that'll do it for this month. Join us next month for another awe-inspiring edition of the 411 Music Roundtable!
