4.11.13

On April 11th I listened to Frank Black Frank Black, The Afghan Whigs Black Love, and Clutch Earth Rocker.

Black Francis is dead! Long live Frank Black! Or Frank Black Francis!

I don’t think I love another whole album from Frank, post-Pixies, as much as I love his first two solo projects. Frank Black and Teenager Of The Year are slick and fun and then everything he recorded after was coarse and almost as much fun.

Originally conceived as a collection of cover songs, Frank Black only features one. He does an upbeat version of the Beach Boys’ chilling “Hang Onto Your Ego” and the rest is all Frank Black.

A big collection of 15 songs, there isn't much on this album that isn't worth listening to. I get why he didn't continue making records that sound like this. It just wasn't him and maybe it was his shot at breaking through to a larger mainstream, but when he realized that wasn't going to happen, he just said “fuck it.” Now he does what he wants. I dunno, maybe?

I had been a little miffed at Frank since I was supposed to interview him in 1996 and he bailed at like the absolute last second. He “ wasn't speaking to save his voice for tonight’s show.” As I left through the back door of the venue, the crew was still loading in when I heard a guy yell, “Hey Bill! Where’s that box of cables!” I turned around and guess who it was? Dick! Frank did reply to one of my tweets last year, so I guess all is forgiven.

Do you hear that? A train’s coming. A train bound for the darkness! A train bound for enemy lines. A train bound for evil. A train bound for commercial disaster. All aboard!

Hands down, this is one of the best albums of the 90’s! It’s dark and brooding. It’s soaring and bluesy. It’s dirty and spiteful. It’s a fucking masterpiece.

The Afghan Whigs handed Elektra Records this masterpiece and said, “Go forth and promote the brilliance!” Elektra proceed to drop the ball with a record they had no idea what to do with. 

Granted, there wasn't much that was gonna get on the radio at the time, but putting out “Honky’s Ladder” as the album’s lead single with an awful video pretty much sealed its fate. The Whigs even sued the label afterwards so they could go somewhere else for their next album.  

I used to live with this Phish loving materialistic chick that loved to start fights with me for stupid shit. After the yelling, I’d throw on Black Love just to piss her off. “Do you think I’m beautiful, or do you think I’m evil!” She was both.

I’m not the biggest Clutch fan in the world, but are they just putting out the same record every two years now?

Sounds like Clutch! Right on, man! 

Tomorrow I listen to Gun N' Roses Use Your Illusion I and II, and Stereophonics Graffiti On The Train. 

Here's April's Playlist!

3.15.13

On March 15th I listened to World Party Goodbye Jumbo, The Afghan Whigs Gentlemen, and Foals Holy Fire.

World Party was the very first band I saw for free because I was working for a radio station! It was early in the summer of 1990. Mike Parrish and I drove his shitty green car up the QEW to Toronto for a really cool double bill, all paid for by our friends at Chrysalis Records!

Our evening began at Bamboo for dinner with the band The Pursuit Of Happiness. I sat across from Dave Gilby and we stared are our waitress’ boobs the whole dinner. Not cause they were big or she was showing a lot of cleavage, but because she was wearing a really loose fitting tank top… I mean loooooose, and her tits were just hanging out. Perky little B-cups with pointy nipples, if I remember correctly. We nicknamed her Downtown, because she looked like Downtown Julie Brown from MTV. Every time she put anything on the table, they were right in our face! We must have drank 12 beers between us just to get her to keep coming back to the table. We didn't care cause the record label was picking up the check!

After dinner, we headed out to the Diamond to see World Party. The only time I ever saw Karl Wallinger play live. Then we headed to a really small place where The Pursuit Of Happiness was playing a “secret show” billed as The New Adults On The Block. Which is not only a fun take on the New KIDS On The Block, but also the band's biggest single "I'm An Adult Now." I drank so many free Black Label beers at this show, that we had to pull over on the way home so I could puke. “If I didn't have puke breath, I’d kiss you,” I said to Mike when I got back into the car. He didn't get it.

Oh right, Goodbye Jumbo. I can’t say I've listened to this album since that time, but I must have heard “Way Down Now,” and “Put The Message In The Box” a million times since. Sadly, those are all I cared about from this offering. “Is It Too Late?” and “When The Rainbow Comes” are all right.  This listen proved to be a little boring. But, I will say that “Way Down Now,” is up there as one of my all-time favorite songs!

Inside my future eye. What I see just makes me cry. I’m way down now. I’m way down now. The clocks will all run backwards. All the sheep will have two heads and Thursday night and Friday will be on Tuesday night instead. And all the times will keep on changing. And the moving will increase. There’s something about the living, babe. That sends me off my feet. There’s breeding in the sewers. And the rats are on their way. They’re clouding up the images of my perfect day. And I know I’m not alone. And I know I’m not alone. And I know I’m not alone!

You can divide The Afghan Whigs career right down the middle. The first half was their Indie period and the second half was their brilliant period. Although, some music snobs would probably disagree with me on that assertion. 

Gentlemen marks the beginning of the Golden Age of Whigs! Their last three albums contain some of my favorite music. They also represent almost 99% of the Whigs music that I have listened repeatedly for the last 19 years. Every now and again I'll go back to the first three, but they just don't speak to me. Their last album on Sub Pop, Congregation, was actually pretty good, if I remember correctly. I’ll definitely listen to it again this year.

Gentlemen isn't flawless, there's some stuff on here I don't love, but "Gentlemen," "Debonair," "What Jail Is Like," and "My Curse" really set a beautifully fucked up table for the much overlooked masterpiece to come, Black Love. 

Denis Leary took this picture of me and Greg Dulli at a Mets game.

I had to pull out Foals' first album Antidotes to remind me what I didn't like about them. Let's just say their "sound" is what I don't like. They’re not for me. Who likes this?

Tomorrow we listen to Live Mental Jewelry, Hole Live Through This, and ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Lost Songs. 

Here's the entire March Playlist!