Ask 411 Music 03.06.08: Filling You With Useless Knowledge

Posted by Blake Lauderback on 03.06.2008

This week in class we will be discussing picking between Blue and Pink, birthday legalities, underrated guitar players, Pearl Jam and Ten, and oh yeah…. Chevy Chase. Plus, my open letter to Robert Plant.

Good day class. Welcome back. I appreciate all of the response I received last week. Once again, the top seven list sparked the most controversy despite my expectations. I am by no means complaining, the idea was to inspire opinions and debate. In fact, I am quite proud that so many of you stepped up to the plate in support of your favorite pianists/keyboard players. Often times those guys are treated like the redheaded stepchild in a rock band. (No offense to any actual redheaded stepchildren.)

Last week I mentioned that I had yet to see the movie "Once," which contained the Oscar winner for Best Original Song. I also made mention that it had been recommended to me by a friend of mine that had led me astray in the movie department before. I am please to tell you that I have now seen the film, and that he has fully redeemed himself… for now. "Once" was a very good movie filled with beautiful, meaningful moments, and while I believe it had a few slow parts, it was impossible not to identify with the characters. The music and the story behind it were truly moving, and I feel that the Academy made an excellent choice by awarding "Falling Slowly."

Most of you that responded to my frustrated rant about musicians and politics felt the same way that I do. The one thing that no one (myself included) can't figure out, is who the hell is buying in to this crap? I suppose you could say that after the failure of the "Vote or Die" campaign, perhaps no one is… which is great! The only way to make a celebrity realize they're stupid and that their opinion isn't worth the tabloid paper it is printed on is to ignore them.

Check out my recently posted review of the latest effort from The Black Crowes called "Warpaint." It is my first review for 411 so please let me know what you think. (Is it wrong to plug your own work? If so, do I really care?)

Before we did in to our studies this week, I want to get something off my chest. To do so, I have written a letter to a rock legend, Mr. Robert Plant. I know he will most likely never read it, and I can handle that. (But if you somehow know the man, feel free to pass it along. I won't stop you I swear.) I just think some of what I am about to say needs to be said by someone… why not me?

Dear Robert,

It has recently come to my attention that you sir are the major roadblock that is keeping the world from experiencing the once in a lifetime rock spectacle of a Led Zeppelin world tour. I am here to plead my case for you to reconsider.

First of all, I know that it's not about the money. You have turned down you share of the $200 million that you three were offered to hit the road once again. I can understand that. I would almost feel cheated if I thought that you and the rest of Zeppelin were really just out there to grab one more fat handful of cash. There are plenty of acts out there in the world of music today that reunite for a few months to get paid and then head their own separate ways. You guys are and have always been a class act in the industry, and such a move is way beneath you.

I also could never ask you to come back for the fame. Frankly, none of you guys really need to add anything to your legacy. Jimmy, John Paul, and yourself are already at the head of the class. Your music will not soon be forgotten, and in fact your fan base continues to grow daily, as each new fan gets the Led out for the first time. Your music speaks for itself. You are not a band like Kiss who has a decent catalogue but has to tour every couple of years to sell some merchandise. Zeppelin has one of the strongest collections of music in the history of rock, which, again will never be lost on the world.

You have nothing left to prove to the world. You all played your one off concert in the U.K. earlier this year and you brought down the house the way you always have. For that one night the eyes of the entire music world were focused on you, and frankly they loved what they saw. Your tribute gig was the hottest ticket in the world and your fans and peers all looked up on that stage wondering if you three still had the magic. You proved to them and everyone else that you do.

I know that you don't need to tour because you are bored, as you not only have your successful solo career to keep you occupied, but you also have your recent collaboration with Alison Krauss that was met with amazing critical acclaim. Despite Zeppelin lying dormant for years you have never fully left the scene. You have plenty of promising projects on the horizon and endless possibilities to choose from.

Finally, despite what many fans are claiming, you do not owe a single fan anything. Led Zeppelin has given plenty to their fans over the years. If they cannot appreciate and respect your wishes, are they truly a fan anyway?

There is only one reason that I believe that you guys should be back on a private jet headed to the next gig, and that is the impact that your tour could have on music for the next generation. While you owe nothing to the fans, you owe everything to music. Your past, your present, and your future were all given to you by music and you would be nothing without the art form. You three are being given the opportunity to make a triumphant return to the stage to inspire the future of music.

Can you truly imagine how inspirational it would be for a young, budding musician to see what you three are capable of? The musicians of tomorrow are cutting their teeth on music by seeing live shows by bands like Paramore and Panic at the Disco. Not to knock those bands, but they cannot hold a candle to what you guys are capable of on stage. This generation needs to feel the power of "Black Dog" and "The Immigrant Song," the raw emotion of "Since I've Been Loving You" and "When the Levee Breaks," not to mention the awe inspiring feeling of witnessing "Stairway to Heaven" unfold as the masters are playing it.

I really and truly believe that this is your chance to return to the mainstream and do what you have already done before, change the landscape of music forever. So please, accept the $200 million and give it all away to charity if you like and call up Page and Jones and tell them that its time to get the band back together. The future of music is depending on it.

Anxiously hoping to see you soon,


Blake Lauderback

Take your seats kids, because class is in session.

Beatles' Lyric of the Week

"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, the slither while they ask, they slip away across the universe. Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind, possessing and caressing me." – Across the Universe

As always, a brief reminder of the guidelines for sending me your questions and comments:

1. I am not the last guy that ran this column, nor the guy before him. I am told that I have the freedom to do things the way I want to, and frankly I plan on letting all of that power go straight to my head. Long story short, we do things my way now, bud.
2. I am a human being, with my very own opinions. Since you yourself are reading this, I am going to go out on the proverbial limb and say that you too are a human with the ability to form your own opinions. That is GREAT! I do not ever wish you to stop doing that. At the same time I do feel that I have the right to be treated respectfully, that you have the right to expect the same from me. I am more than happy to debate music from here until the day I meet my maker, but I will not be treated like crap in the process.
3. I have no problem answering opinion questions provided that you are prepared for the fact that I might not answer the way you'd like. If you email me asking me to confirm for you that Fall Out Boy is the greatest band ever, you may be a tad disappointed, but feel free to attempt to make your case nonetheless. (Good luck with that one however.)
4. I am told that there is no way to predict the number of questions that come flooding into my inbox. I am sure there will be weeks where I will answer each and every question that is sent in with a level of information that is way more than you ever wanted. At the same time I am sure there will be weeks when I receive a ton of emails and that I might not get around to each and everyone, or answer them all as in depth as you might like. It doesn't mean that we can't be friends…. At least not on my end.

The Questions – Round 1

Q: Please, settle a bet for my buddy and i. He swears up and down that Chevy Chase was once a member of Steely Dan. I keep telling him that its not and that its just an urban legend. Who's right? – Rick E.

A: I suppose that depends on how much you guys have riding on it and whose willing to give me a larger cut. Just kidding… mostly… send me an offer.

Anyway, you sir, are correct. Mr. Chevy Chase of SNL and National Lampoon fame was never a member of Steely Dan. However there is at least a shred of truth behind the legend. Chase did attend school with Steely Dan mainstays Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, and did play in a band with them. (Chevy played drums incase you were wondering.) The band was known as The Bad Rock Group. Seems like a poor choice for a name, but then again I have played under some craptastic band names myself. Ultimately, Becker and Fagen went on to fame with Steely Dan, recording classic albums like "Can't Buy a Thrill," "Countdown to Ecstacy," and my personal favorite, "Pretzel Logic." Chevy Chase proceeded to find his lucky break in comedy, making us laugh with hits like Fletch and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." Tragically, Chase seems to have lost his ability to make people laugh somewhere in the last decade. Here's hoping he finds it.

On a side note, next weeks edition of Ask 411 will feature Steely Dan in the encore as I give you a little trivia as to where they pulled their name from (no pun intended… okay maybe a little.) It is one of the funniest name origin stories out there. I could tell you this week, but I have got to get you guys coming back somehow.



Q: On the subject of Ben Folds, I would love to hear your top 10 Ben Folds' Songs? – Eric P.

A: Ah, a fellow Ben Folds fan. Lets see if I can put something together for you here…

Top 10 Ben Folds' songs (song, artist, album):

10. Jesusland, Ben Folds, Songs for Silverman
9. Zac and Sara, Ben Folds, Rockin' the Suburbs
8. Rockin' the Suburbs, Ben Folds, Rockin' the Suburbs
7. Late, Ben Folds, Songs for Silverman
6. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces, Ben Folds Five, Whatever and Ever Amen
5. Kate, Ben Folds Five, Whatever and Ever Amen
4. Army, Ben Folds Five, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
3. Song for the Dumped, Ben Folds Five, Whatever and Ever Amen
2. Landed, Ben Folds, Songs for Silverman
1. Brick, Ben Folds Five, Whatever and Ever Amen

As you can see, while I do greatly appreciate Ben's solo work, I do tend to lean a little towards preferring his work with Ben Folds Five. Ultimately however, all of Ben's work, both solo and with the Ben Folds Five, is excellent. His quirky combination of humor, passion, and musicianship is quite unique. If you have never had the pleasure of hearing his music I highly recommend doing so immediately.



Q: Is it true that the song happy birthday is under trademark? – Lynn L.

A: Actually yes. The song Happy Birthday is currently trademarked, meaning that all public performances should require the performer to pay royalties to the trademark holder. (I want to say that a record company owns the rights. Maybe Sony? I could be mistaken.) Now, it doesn't mean that the FBI will be coming after you the next time you are singing Happy Birthday to your grandmother, but it is a contributing factor in the decision by most restaurants to have their own "birthday song."

Trademark laws are funny aren't they? In fact, it is my understanding that anyone can play the song "House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals anywhere at any time and not be prosecuted because of some misfiled paper work.

Q: Whats up man. I have been enjoying your stuff so far. You seem to be a classic rock kind of guy. I wanted to get your opinion on Queen and their live CD with Paul Rodgers on it. I started to pick it up the other day because I love Queen, but I am not really sure if I will hate it or not with no Freddy. Let me know what you think. – Evan T.

A: As far as my thoughts on Queen, I think that they are an outstanding band all around. I won't spend too much time gushing over them so I can get to your question about the live CD, but I think it is worth mentioning that Freddie Mercury should be mentioned in any conversation about the greatest front men of all time, and that Brian May deserves more credit than he receives for his outstanding six string work.

As far as the live CD in question, you are referring to 2005's Return of the Champions. Brian May and Roger Taylor decided that it was time to dust off the stage gear and reunite under the Queen mantle. John Deacon decided to stay home for this one, but gave the others his blessing so to speak. May and Taylor realized that not just anyone could step into Mercury's shoes, so they started searching for a big name front man to fill the void. They settled on Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company fame. I can see why they chose him, as he is a "name" in classic rock, and his is a talented lead singer in his own right, but overall I think that it was a poor choice. Rodgers' style is just a little too macho to fit in with Queen who have thrived on their operatic style and Mercury's flamboyant vocals. This is not to say that the CD is a disaster or an embarrassment, but simply to prepare you for the fact that this is not the Queen we know and love. The hits are there (with a few from Rodgers' past thrown in) and the band is tight as always, but Queen isn't Queen without Freddie.



Recess

This week's list… (Insert mental drum roll here)

Top Seven Underrated Guitar Players in Rock History:

7. Lenny Kravtiz (Solo Artist) – I know that it seems like a contradiction in terms to call a multiple time grammy winner underrated, but I don't think that Mr. Kravitz gets enough recognition for his abilities on the axe. With his classic rock and funk influenced, riff heavy tunes he holds his own with some of the guitar greats he grew up admiring. Tracks like "Always on the Run," "Rock and Roll is Dead," "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" and "Fly Away" are quickly becoming legendary riffs.
6. Scott Gorman (Thin Lizzy) – Even though we are nearly 30 years removed from their heyday, Thin Lizzy remains an undiscovered treasure for the most part. While overshadowed by bigger name acts like Zeppelin, Sabbath, and Deep Purple, Lizzy was a crucial band in the hard rock movement. Thin Lizzy generally used dual lead guitars, but Gorman was the only one to stay for the entire run of the band.
5. Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) – While a lot of attention has been paid to the band as a whole during their career, including a lot of focus on Corgan as the front man, not much has been paid to the fantastic guitar parts that have created a host of signature songs for the band. On top of that, it has come to light that Corgan recorded most of, if not all of guitar and bass parts on all of the Pumpkins' albums.
4. John Fruscante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) – RHCP has had several different guitar players over the years, but none of them have defined the sound of the band the way that John has. Now in his second tour with the band after taking a break to battle addiction (he was replaced by Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction) John's impact is felt more than ever. His touch on songs like "Californiacation" and "Dani California" has shaped them into the gems that they are.
3. Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains, Solo Artist) – The grunge era produced a great number of guitar players that are slowing assuming the throne as guitar legends. In my opinion, Cantrell deserves to be leading the pack in that regard. His blue influenced grunge riffs made Alice in Chains what they were just as much as Staley's vocals did.
2. Andy Summers (The Police) – The Police are a big name act, that much is sure. They raked in a fortune this last year out on the road, and while there are only three guys in the band, it always seems that Summers in the one taking the backseat, especially when it comes to Sting. Check out some of Summers' phenomenal work in some of The Police's hits like "Roxanne," "Next to You," and "Message in a Bottle."
1. Brian Setzer (Stray Cats, Brian Setzer Orchestra) – Setzer broke onto the scene in the 70's with his rockabilly band the Stray Cats where he began to show of his outstanding abilities. He has spent the last decade and a half or so working with his big band orchestra, The Brian Setzer Orchestra. He found a lot of popularity at the tail end of the 90's when swing music made a resurgance. The fad passed, but Setzer has still been hard at work with his band. My personal favorites are "Rock This Town," "Stray Cat Strut," and "Caravan." If you haven't heard any of his work in recent years, do yourself a favor and try it out.



Forgotten Favorite

This week we are pay tribute to an early hard rock band that is generally conceived to be the first "super group," not to mention being the first band to make the "power trio" work in rock. That's right, today's featured album is "Fresh Cream," the debut album from Cream in 1966. With Jack Bruce on the bass, Ginger Baker behind the kit, and of course the legendary Eric Clapton on guitar, Cream opened up hundreds of doors for future musicians. Though they were only together for a little over two years, they are still one of the biggest influences on today's music whether we realize it or not. Check out the tracks "I Feel Free," "Spoonful," and "I'm So Glad," and then sit back and listen to the music world evolving in front of you.



The Questions – Round 2

Q: Your column is muchos awesome my friend, very well done. You seem to like Weezer, which pleases me as they're my favourite band. So my question for you is one that has plagued Weezer fans since 1996..Blue or Pinkerton? –Richie

A: Thanks Richie. This question turned out to be much more difficult than I anticipated. My initial gut instinct was to immediately say the Blue Album. I decided that I should have both records fresh in my mind before I could make the decision, so I put them both in and started listening. What did I discover? That I wanted to listen to more Weezer. What did I do? Listen to all of Weezer's CDs. Long story short, I am not only going to pick between The Blue Album in Pinkerton, but I am going to rank all of the albums in reverse order and give my favorite and least favorite tracks on each.

Before we get started, here is a list of Weezer's albums in chronological order with the year they were released (Keep in mind that this is only major releases and not singles):

1. Weezer (The Blue Album) 1994
2. Pinkerton 1996
3. Weezer (The Green Album) 2001
4. Maladroit 2002
5. Make Believe 2005

Now here we go.

#5: Maladroit – Weezer released the album only a year after The Green Album and their return to the mainstream, which is their quickest album to album turnaround. It is still a very solid CD throughout, but there weren't near as many standout tracks on this album as there are on the rest of the Cds from Rivers and the gang
Favorite Tracks: Dope Nose, Keep Fishing, Fall Together, Love Explosion
Least Favorite Tracks: American Gigolo, Slob, Space Rock



#4: Weezer (The Green Album) – The Green Album marked the end of the hibernation of Weezer. Their first effort since the cult classic record Pinkerton, The Green Album took the band in an entirely different direction. Cuomo had come back with a new batch of song writing goodness, but all of these songs were far less introspective than his earlier material. The entire record, start to finish, is 28:34 long, but it is 28:34 of wall to wall rock. While this album produced to some of the bands most signature tracks, I don't think that the short run time can go unnoticed, and I also think that the album lacks a little on some level since there is not the same personal touch that fans had come to expect.
Favorite Tracks: Hash Pipe, Island in the Sun, Photograph
Least Favorite Tracks: O Girlfriend, Knock-Down Drag-Out, Simple Pages



#3: Make Believe – It seems that after being almost a decade removed from the beating he took critically for Pinkerton, Rivers was finally ready to put himself (and his notorious geekiness) back into his music. Its nice to see that side of him again, and as with all of their work, Make Believe is chocked full of pop rock gold. Their most recent effort brought in a new wave of adoring fans that are now all sitting on the edge of their seats for the next release from the Weez.
Favorite Tracks: Beverly Hills, Perfect Situation, My Best Friend
Least Favorite Tracks: The Damage in Your Heart, Freak Me Out, Haunt You Every Day



#2 Pinkerton – Pinkerton was originally view as one of the most tragic missteps by any band in history. The album is not particularly single friendly, so there were not any true break out singles like their debut album, and on top of that it was critically panned. In fact, Rolling Stone named Pinkerton the worst album of the year in 1996. I view this album the same way I would look at an impressionist painting (for the art challenged, substitute impressionist for Magic Eye 3D.) Up close and on initial view the painting looks like nonsensical chaos, but when you step back and view it as an entire piece you can see the genius (or if you are thinking Magic Eye, you see the elusive Rocketship. Good job!)
Favorite Tracks: El Scorcho, Pink Triangle, Butterfly
Least Favorite Tracks: Why Bother, Tired of Sex, Across the Sea



#1 Weezer (The Blue Album) – Upon further review, my initial thought was correct. It doesn't get much better than the Blue Album in my opinion. This record was so monumental that I think it deserves a spot with the top five albums of the 1990's. This was our first glimpse at Weezer and they had a truly original sound. My favorite description of Weezer's debut that I have ever seen was as follows…"It's like Kiss and The Pixies made a baby and the kid grew up to wear a pocket protector." After this record, Geek Rock was born. As a side note, one of the many local bands I have played with did a great cover version of "Undone (The Sweater Song.)" I was in charge of singing the really high-pitched third "bye." It always screwed up the guitar player because he would start laughing. Anyway, back on topic. The Blue Album=Awesome.
Favorite Tracks: Buddy Holly, Say it Ain't So, Undone (The Sweater Song), and well… all of the rest.
Least Favorite Tracks: N/A



Q: What is your opinion of Warren Zevon as a pianists? - Jasper J.

A: The late, great Warren Zevon was obviously a more than capable pianist. I believe that his true talents lied more with his ability to craft a song rather than just tickling the ivories. His folksy style, satirical lyrics, and unique voice defined his music and his legacy. He had a long career, but never seemed to be appreciated as much as he should by the general public. He did however always maintain his respect from his peers, which is shown by the big name collaborators (Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Don Henley, and Joe Walsh among others) on his last record. His last album, The Wind, is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. The album was essentially his last gift to the world, and one that we should all admire and take to heart. I still get chills every time I hear "Keep Me In Your Heart."



We'll tackle one more question so I don't end on such a downer of an answer.

Q: Hey Blake. I notice that you and I share lots of opinions on music. I have something that is worth nothing in my opinion…

I was looking at some of the upcoming releases and I noticed that New Found Glory is releasing a greatest hits collection. What the hell? I guess they will let anyone claim to have enough hits for an album. Is the most pointless greatest hits album ever? – Molly W.

A: I have got to admit. I have a difficult time trying to piece together enough "hits" from these guys to justify a CD dedicated to them. It is not as if these guys were charting with song after song. In fact they have released six CDs (I would have guessed 3 or 4) in just a hair under a decade together. My initial reaction was yes, this is the worst idea for a greatest hits album ever, but after mulling it over for a while I have decided to change my answer.

A few years back the infamous Creed decided to bless us with a greatest hits compilation. I am not going to sit here and knock Scott Stapp and co, in fact one of these days I may rant for a while about how they did not get a fair shake and that it's the record companies and the radio stations who are at fault for shoving them down our throats to no end. But that is for another day. My beef with Creed's Greatest Hits CD is this… they only released three freakin' albums ever. Before some superfan writes in to point out that they had several huge hits and several minor hits as well, I am well aware. The whole world did seem to be enthralled by Creed. Did you realize that they hold the record for most consecutive singles to hit number one on the Billboard Charts? Mind blowing. Its not that I don't think that they have the hits to support the album, but I think greatest hits should have to meet two crucial criteria.

1. The idea of such a collection is to make it easier for the consumer to own all of the major hits from an artist. That is why all of those late night commercials play up how many hundreds of albums you would need and thousands you would spend to get such a collection. Hell, you would need to by at least twelve different albums to get all of the songs on the lastest Now That's What I Call Music Vol. 418. We should set a number of minimum full length albums released before an artist can opt for a greatest hits collection. I am not sure what that number should be… five? Six? Ten? But three is definitely not going to cut it. At that rate we might as well release a Greatest Hits collection for The Sex Pistols! (Oh… there is? Good lord this is getting ridiculous.)
2. Creed's GH album hit the streets in 2004. That is just about three years since there last studio album, "Weathered," was released. Can we make it a rule that a certain amount of time has to have elapsed since your last big CD before you can drop a compilation in an attempt to grab a ton of cash?

If the music world would simply abide by these rules then we could all go back to viewing Greatest Hits CD's in a positive light and treating them as a time to step back and appreciate what an artist has done, instead of the poor excuse to make a buck that they are today.

The Encore

Its time again for me to give you some knowledge to "wow" your co-workers at the water cooler tomorrow. (Assuming your place of business has a water cooler… and that you have a job. If not, work on that for next time.)

Pearl Jam - There is a whole host of legends out there trying to give an origin for the band name. The most prominent one is that Vedder's grandmother, Pearl, used to make a halucenagen gel from peyote that she referred to as Pearl's Jam. While Eddie admits his grandmother is named Pearl, he denies the rest of that rumor. Vedder has gone on the record as say that there are lots of different reasons that they settled on that name, the biggest reason being that the guys liked the concept of an oyster taking something disgusting and making it something beautiful.

The most interesting part of the name is the name that almost was. Eddie, Stone, and the others originally wanted to call the band Mookie Blaylock after the NBA player that played guard for the Atlanta Hawks among others. Blaylock did not seem to high on the idea so instead the guys decided to pay tribute to him by naming their debut album after his jersey number… and the name for the legendary album "Ten" was born.

That wraps it up this week. Please send me your questions, thoughts, ideas, opinions, adoration, and hate mail.

Until next time, class dismissed.