Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 69 - George Martin R.I.P.

I normally prepare these the night before posting them but last night I was struggling around wondering what I should post for today. I didn't find anything that I would have been happy with.

So this morning I thought I'll give it another shot, got the thinking cap on and see where I was going to go. Then I noticed a headline that Sir George Martin, the legendary music producer had died yesterday at some point and was just announced this morning.

George Martin of course is well known as the man behind the sound of The Beatles, some even referring to him as "the fifth Beatle".

He was not just a Producer, but also an arranger, composer and even a conductor! His work crossed over six decades, having begun way back in 1950! Prior to The Beatles coming along he had produced some Pop Music but not with much success. The field he did seem to be having some success was Comedy and Novelty tunes. He had worked with the likes of Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore and a whole host of others.

From 1962 onwards though he was to be associated with The Beatles having taken a chance on them after Decca had refused them as "rather unpromising"! The rest as they say is history! There are no doubt loads of places around the Internet where you can read about his exploits with The Beatles and as I don't have the time to go into it at the moment I'll say no more.

George Martin of course has produced many others down through the years, bands like Ultravox, Kenny Rogers, Neil Sedaka, Elton John to name but a few.

The one that surprised me though is Cheap Trick and their 1980 album All Shook Up. It's one of my favourite albums of theirs.

There were several homages to The Beatles on this album. "Stop This Game" opens and closes with a droning guitar note similar to the piano chord that ends "A Day in the Life." The bridge to "Baby Loves to Rock" features the line "Not in Russia!" with the sound of an airplane in the background, a subtle reference to "Back in the U.S.S.R." "World's Greatest Lover" has vocals reminiscent of John Lennon.

"World's Greatest Lover" also cops the intro to "Big Balls"; Rick Nielsen wrote "Love Comes A-Tumblin' Down" for the recently deceased AC/DC's Bon Scott.

"Go For the Throat (Use Your Own Imagination)" references "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)" by The Stranglers.

All Shook Up - Cheap Trick

Epic

Released 24th October 1980

Produced by George Martin

US Chart #24

George Martin leaves behind a great legacy of music, so much so that he is like to remain unforgotten.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Music is the Doctor 2016 #10 A Whole Lotta New...Sorta!

So, this week's Music is the Doctor is a little bit different in that pretty much all of it is new (there might be an odd song here and there like the Bob Mould vid or the Good Charlotte vid that are playing old stuff but they are from shows performed this year). Most of the tracks are from albums that are either due out this coming month or are out already within the past two months at least.

You will notice that there's a lot of "alternative" (for want of a better word) sounds included in the playlist. Some of the artists are not ones that I listen to on a regular basis, rather it was a case that I liked the particular song that was chosen. Some of the bands represented I know nothing about at all. It's very diverse as well going from the craziness of Disturbed covering Simon and Garfunkel to Willie Nelson covering George Gershwin!

Anyway, hope that you might find some little pearl amid the noise that makes you want to dance, mosh in your bedroom or rush out to buy the albums these songs represent. 

 The Playlist

On The Playlist

Opinion Overload - Simple Plan

The Sound of Silence - Disturbed

The Anthem (Live in Glasgow) - Good Charlotte

Kali Ma - Neck Deep

Cut Me Loose - Killswitch Engage

Taken - HACKTIVIST

Painkillers - Brian Fallon

Sweetness, Take Me Back - Cheap Meat

Figure Me Out - The Summer Set

Jet Black Heart - 5 Seconds of Summer

Miss Fortune (Acoustic NME Sessions) - The Coral

Break Into Your Heart - Iggy Pop

Holda You (I'm Psycho) - White Denim

Live in London Feb 2016 (Five Song Encore) - Bob Mould

They All Laughed - Willie Nelson

Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven - Loretta Lynn

Hanging From The Earth - The Pines

Nothing But Love - James

When A Woman is Around - Unloved

The Soundtrack4Life Concert Series: R.E.M.

About time we had some R.E.M. on The Soundtrack4Life Concert Series.

So from 13th March 2008 at Austin City Limits here's a 17 song set that includes tracks from their current album at the time Accelerate.

And secondly a performance from 10 years prior to the Austin performance at The Bridge School Show. It's a short but sweet performance that includes Neil Young joining them for Country Feedback.

Setlist

1. Living Well Is The Best Revenge
2. Man-Sized Wreath
3. Drive
4. So. Central Rain
5. Accelerate
6. Fall On Me
7. Hollow Man
8. Electrolite
9. Houston
10. Supernatural Superserious
11. Bad Day
12. Losing My Religion
13. I'm Gonna DJ
14. Horse To Water
15. Imitation Of Life
16. Until The Day Is Done
17. Man On The Moon  

 Shoreline Amphitheatre

18th October 1998

Setlist
Losing My Religion
New Test Leper
Country Feedback
Daysleeper
At My Most Beautiful
Electrolite
Everybody Hurts
Man On The Moon

Personnel
Michael Stipe - lead vocals
Peter Buck - guitar, mandolin
Mike Mills - bass, vocals
Guests:
Ken Stringfellow - guitar
Scott McCaughey - guitar, keyboards
Joey Woranker - drums, percussion
Neil Young - lead guitar on "Country Feedback"

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 68 - The Monkees

Today is the 71st Birthday of Micky Dolenz of The Monkees. Big congratulations on making it this far!

2016 is also the 50th Anniversary of the band and the TV Series (You can watch all the Episodes here!). They are due to release a brand new album in June this year entitled Good Times! 

There's going to be a tour (see link above) in the States (no word of elsewhere yet). Michael Nesmith will not be on the tour and it will be just Micky and Peter Tork. Nesmith had joined them on some dates in 2012 following the death of Davy Jones, these had been his first shows with the band since 1997 Justus Tour (the last to feature all four Monkees). He did a couple of more tours but after the 2014 dates he stepped aside and so the 2015 shows just featured Tork and Dolenz.

Anyway, it gives a good excuse to post some music from The Monkees.

There are many compilations of the music of The Monkees but this 57 Track 2CD set is a real cracker.

 Monkeemania (The Very Best of The Monkees) - The Monkees

Released 9th May 2011

 Disc 1 - Track listing
    "(Theme From) The Monkees" (Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart) – 2:20
    "Last Train to Clarksville" (Boyce, Hart) – 2:46
    "Take a Giant Step" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 2:31
    "Saturday's Child" (David Gates) - 2:44
    "Papa Gene's Blues" (Michael Nesmith) - 1:59
    "I Wanna Be Free" [Album Version] (Boyce, Hart) – 2:26
    "I'm a Believer" (Neil Diamond) – 2:46
    "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" (Boyce, Hart) – 2:23
    "She" (Boyce, Hart) – 2:39
    "Mary, Mary" (Nesmith) - 2:17
    "Your Auntie Grizelda" (Diane Hilderbrand, Jack Keller) - 2:29
    "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" [Extended Mix] (Diamond) – 2:49
    "Sometime in the Morning" (Goffin, King) - 2:29
    "When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)" (Neil Sedaka, Carole Bayer Sager) - 1:48
    "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" (Diamond) – 2:48
    "She Hangs Out" (Single Version) (Jeff Barry) - 2:34
    "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" (Nesmith) – 2:33
    "All of Your Toys" (Bill Martin) - 3:09
    "Randy Scouse Git (Alternate Title)" (Micky Dolenz) – 2:34
    "You Just May Be the One" (Nesmith) - 2:04
    "Forget That Girl" (Douglas Farthing Hatlelid) - 2:26
    "Shades of Gray" (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) – 3:23
    "For Pete's Sake" (Peter Tork, Joey Richards) – 2:11
    "Sunny Girlfriend" (Nesmith) - 2:33
    "You Told Me" (Nesmith) - 2:25
    "No Time" (Hank Cicalo) - 2:09
    "Salesman" (Craig Vincent Smith) - 2:36
    "The Door into Summer" (Douglas, Martin) - 2:49
    "Daily Nightly" (Nesmith) - 2:32
    "Star Collector" (Goffin, King) - 4:24

Disc 2 - Track listing
    "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (Goffin, King) – 3:08
    "Words" (Boyce, Hart) – 2:51
    "What Am I Doing Hanging 'Round" (Michael Martin Murphey, Owen Castleman) – 3:08
    "Cuddly Toy" (Harry Nilsson) – 2:40
    "Daydream Believer" (John Stewart) – 2:58
    "Goin' Down" (Dolenz, Hilderbrand, Davy Jones, Nesmith, Tork) - 4:23
    "Valleri" (Boyce, Hart) – 2:14
    "I'll Be Back up on My Feet" (Sandy Linzer, Denny Randell) - 2:28
    "P.O. Box 9847" (Boyce, Hart) - 3:15
    "Tapioca Tundra" (Nesmith) - 3:06
    "D.W. Washburn" (Leiber & Stoller) - 2:48
    "Daddy's Song" (Nilsson) – 3:28
    "Porpoise Song (Theme from "Head")" (Goffin, King) – 4:13
    "As We Go Along" (King, Toni Stern) – 3:54
    "Can You Dig It?" (Tork) – 3:24
    "Circle Sky" (Alternate Mix) (Nesmith) - 2:31
    "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?" (Tork) – 2:39
    "Tear Drop City" (Boyce, Hart) - 2:01
    "A Man Without a Dream" (Goffin, King) – 3:03
    "Someday Man" (Roger Nichols, Paul Williams) – 2:40
    "Listen to the Band" (Nesmith) – 2:28
    "Some of Shelly's Blues" (Nesmith) - 2:30
    "How Insensitive" (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicus DeMoraes, Norman Gimbel) - 2:32
    "Good Clean Fun" (Nesmith) - 2:18
    "Mommy and Daddy" (Dolenz) - 2:13
    "Oh My My" (Barry, Andy Kim) - 3:01
    "(Theme from) The Monkees" (TV Version) (Boyce, Hart) – 0:50

Bonus

The sound and visual quality is not great on this but it is the first full concert performance of all four of The Monkees since 1968!

Justus Release Concert 20th November 1997.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Girl At The End of The World James (18th March 2016)

In two weeks time James will release their 14th album, Girl At The End of The World. The album was actually announced way back in November last year on their website and now we don't have to wait too much longer. A couple of tracks have been issued already (see videos below).

A full tour will take place to promote the new album starting in Bristol on the 2nd May (see dates below).

I have to say that I really loved their last album La Petite Mort, especially the track Moving On.

The band, which began in 1982, had a 6 year break before returning again 2007 has continued to make some great music that follows in the footsteps of some of their greatest works like Stutter, Strip Mine, Gold Mother and Seven (to name a few).

To My Surprise

Nothing But Love

Painkillers - Brian Fallon (11th March 2016)

 Painkillers - Brian Fallon

Island

Produced by Butch Walker

Released 11th March 2016

Like many I was slightly disappointed with the last album by The Gaslight Anthem (Get Hurt), they seemed to be on some kind of spiral with every album getting poorer. I don't know why that was but maybe they had needed a break from the old routine or record, tour, record, tour..

Brian Fallon had actually begun writing some of the songs that appear on his debut solo album Painkillers prior to the recording of Get Hurt but put them to one side to focus on The Gaslight Anthem. Apparently he thought the songs would not fit with the direction that GA were going. It's a shame because some of these do actually sound that they would fit with GA and they are certainly a lot better than what ended up on the Get Hurt album.

Following the public announcement of a hiatus for The Gaslight Anthem in July last year Fallon entered the studio in Nashville and began laying tracks down for his his solo record.

Reviews for the album thus far have seemed quite favourable and I'm looking forward to hearing the whole album in its context rather than the plucking out a track here and there. Five of the twelve tracks have been released thus far with the title track being the latest just a couple of days ago.

I do wish they would stop comparing him to Springsteen though!

A Wonderful Life

Painkillers

Other Tracks from Painkillers

Nobody Wins.

Smoke.

Steve McQueen.

Brian Fallon Live

Atlantic City Live (Springsteen Cover).

Live in The Big Room Music and Interview (Feb 2016).

Low Love (Live at Crossroads Dec 2015).

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 67 - Wrecking Ball

Four years on from Wrecking Ball's release it is still an album that brings me a whole lot of joy to listen to. Some of Springsteen's angriest work to date.

The Tour of course was totally incredible. I think between myself and my friends we managed to get hold of all but a few of the shows on Bootleg.

Wrecking Ball - Bruce Springsteen

Columbia

Produced by Ron Aniello and Bruce Springsteen

Released 5th March (UK)/6th March (US) 2012

#1 Album in 16 Countries

Including US and UK

01. We Take Care Of Our Own.
02. Easy Money.
03. Shackled and Drawn.
04. Jack Of All Trades .
05. Death To My Hometown.
06. This Depression.
07. Wrecking Ball.
08. You've Got It.
09. Rocky Ground.
10. Land Of Hope And Dreams.
11. We Are Alive.
12. Swallowed Up (In the Belly of the Whale).
13. American Land.

Personnel
The album's personnel include the following:

    Bruce Springsteen – vocals, guitars, banjo, piano, organ, drums, percussion, loops
    Ron Aniello – guitar, bass, keyboards, piano, drums, loops
    Max Weinberg – drums (tracks 7, 11 & 13)
    Matt Chamberlain – drums (track 3, 5, 8, 10)
    Charlie Giordano – accordion, piano, organ, synth, celeste (track 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12 & 13)
    Soozie Tyrell – violin (track 2 – 7, 10 & 11)
    Clarence Clemons – saxophone (tracks 7 & 10)
    Tom Morello – electric guitar (track 4 & 6)
    Greg Leisz – banjo, mandocello (track 11) lap steel guitar (track 8)
    Marc Muller – pedal steel (track 8)
    Steve Van Zandt – mandolin (track 10 & 13)

Horn Section:
    Curt Ramm, Clark Gayton, Stan Harrison, Ed Manion, Dan Levine, Art Baron (tracks 3, 4, 7 – 10)
    Curt Ramm – trumpet solo (tracks 4 & 7)
    Darrel Leonard – trumpet solo (track 11)

Additional musicians:
    Kevin Buell – marching drum (track 5)
    Rob Lebret – electric guitar (track 7)
    Clif Norrell – tuba (track 3)
    Steve Jordan – tambourine (track 2)

Backing Vocals:
    Patti Scialfa (vocal arrangements), Lisa Lowell, Soozie Tyrell - (tracks 1 – 3, 6, 7, 10 & 11)
    Michelle Moore – (tracks 9 & 10)
    Cindy Mizelle – outro vocal (track 3)
    Steve Van Zandt – (tracks 7, 10 & 13)
    Ron Aniello – (tracks 1 & 12)
    Kevin Buell - (track 5)

Group Vocals:
    Ross Petersen, Ron Aniello, Clif Norrell, Rob Lebret – (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 & 13)

Choir:
    Victorious Gospel Choir – (tracks 9 & 10) Founder & Director: Lilly “Crawford” Brown

Strings:
    New York Chamber Consort – (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7 & 12) Strings arranged and conducted by Rob Mathes

Singles from Wrecking Ball

We Take Care Of Our Own.

Rocky Ground.

Death To My Hometown. 

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 66 - Sunday Morning Favourites #8 Augustus Pablo

After a loud night of rock and roll I feel the need for something a little soothing this morning. Where better to turn than a spot of Dub with Augustus Pablo mixed by the great King Tubby.

Ital Dub was originally released in 1974 on the Starapple label in Jamaica and was his second album following This is Augustus Pablo (also released in 1974 on Kaya Records). Nationwide released his third album Thriller in 1975 before probably his most well known album  King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown in 1976 on Yard Music.

I must mention in passing that I have a soft spot for Augustus Pablo's 'East of the River Nile' 1977 album and his 1979 classic 'Original Rockers'. 

So there you have links to five other albums by Augustus Pablo to brighten up your day. Click on them to enjoy the sounds.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

The S4L Top 10: The Alarm

(Not sure who that character with the Ukulele is!)

My top ten for The Alarm changes pretty frequently so here's how it stands today. Yep there are some songs in there that might raise a few eyebrows because others have been excluded...But hey, it's my Top 10!

10. Milk and Opportunity.

09. Higher Call.

08. Sold Me Down the River.

07. 45RPM.

06. In the Beauty of My Surroundings.

05. Few and Far Between.

04. Howling Wind.

03. 68 Guns.

02. The Stand.

01. Spirit of 76

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 65 - Black and White

When your first two albums break the Top 5 (the first peaking at #4 and the second at #2) there is weight of expectation about where the third album will fit. The Stranglers needed not to fear as five months after the success of 1977 - 2 hit albums and 4 chart singles (three of them Top Ten) - they entered the studio to record their third album. They were on an extreme high. Martin Rushent was at the controls again and they put together what I think is a pretty great album.

Some reviewers were not impressed, but who makes music for reviewers? The people bought the album demonstrating that they cared little for what the music press said. 

Here on the internet AllMusic called it "arguably the weakest" of The Stranglers' first three albums, "yet it still has some absolutely stunning moments." Trouser Press wrote, "Black and White lacks only good songs. Except for 'Nice 'n' Sleazy', most of the tracks are merely inferior rehashes of earlier work, making the LP easily forgettable."

I take great exception to the "lacks only good songs" jibe from Trouser Press. I think there's more than one good song on the album...'Tank', 'Hey! (Rise of the Robots)', 'Sweden', 'Death and Night and Blood' for starters anyone?  As for "easily forgettable"...well 38 years on it's still being talked about shows that's not true at all.

One of the things I always liked about The Stranglers was that they were more musically able than a lot of the other bands around at the time. I don't mean that in a snobby way because there was an absolute charm to the musical sloppiness of bands like The Clash (who actually got better and better as they performed more) and that I love as well. But the band, because they did possess musical abilty and prior experience were better able to create and refine their sound, and I think on Black and White they were certainly making progress (whether it was like or not by the critics).

Tonight I'm going to see The Stranglers play the album. Their latest tour (and boy do they still do a lot of shows!) is the Black & White Tour and is taking place throughout the month of March.

It's like a double bonus as well because The Stranglers have had some great support bands the past few years and this time around they have The Alarm. It's been a couple of years since their last tour. This is mainly due to members being involved in other projects: Craig Adams with Spear of Destiny and The Mission; James Stevenson with all manner of projects like playing for The Cult, his own solo stuff, Holy Holy, The International Swingers, and Chelsea to name a few I'm sure; Smiley out on the road with his band Archive and also playing with From the Jam for awhile, recording a second solo album and running a recording studio; and last but not least Mike Peters, filming, recording new re-interpretations of the music of The Alarm, doing Solo tours and most importantly... fighting cancer.

It's going to be a great show, I can feel it in my bones.

Black and White - The Stranglers

United Artists

Produced by Martin Rushent

Released 12th May 1978

UK Chart #2

Personnel
The Stranglers
    Hugh Cornwell – guitar, lead and backing vocals
    Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals
    Dave Greenfield – keyboards (Hammond L100 Organ, Hohner Cembelet electric piano, Minimoog synthesizer), lead and backing vocals
    Jet Black – drums, percussion

Additional personnel
    Lora Logic – saxophone ("Hey!")

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!