A quick thought on Bluetooth techonology....

It used to be that if you saw someone walking around talking to themselves, you could be pretty sure they were a little crazy in the head; now, all you can be sure of is that they are fairly affluent with an active social life.

We Can't Work It Out: The Fab War -- Round 2

"Taxman" v. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" v. "If You've Got Troubles" v. "Paperback Writer"

"Taxman" is a great satire on the power of The Man to regulate the man's dollar. It features punching guitar and some witty lyrics, including a reference to saving money by putting pennies on your eyes when you are dead. This is a modern twist on an old tradition, which I believe was used so that one would be able to pay for the poling of the ferry across the river Styx and into the underworld. Unfortunately, its still far from Harrison's best work. The aforementioned wit was included in a line which went "be careful, pennies on your eyes." This seems rather lazy writing as its grammatical structure, or lack thereof, forces the listener to work overly hard at figuring the line out. A great track, but not Harrison's best.

"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" is one of Lennon's early Dylan rip-offs, and perhaps his best. "I can't go on feeling two foot small" is a neat grammatical construction reminiscent of Dylan. Lennon is at his most derivatively Dylanesque with the line "gather round all you clowns," and the use of acoustic guitars shows a move toward the folk genre. While parts of this song are great, overall it does sound somewhat rehashed, though well-executed and with excellent use of percussion with the tambourine and maracas combo.

"If You've Got Trouble" features a rip-roaring Ringo vocal and a driving bass riff over a steady beat. This sounds like a Lennon lyrics, and one of his most biting. He seems to be in Dylanesque mode here, emulating "Like A Rolling Stone"'s thematics, but making them completely his own. The Harrison solo that starts about 1:45 into the song bounces and cuts in equal measures. This song may not be the best song ever, but it features excellent performances by all involved, especially Ringo those driving drums and striving vocal make this one of the best tracks he sang.

"Paperback Writer" comes on like a power-chord avalanche. The dirty overdrive that characterizes this song is appealing and catchy. The lyrics are sort of silly, but they nail the kind of pleading that only a pulp writer can do. The echo effects and layered background vocals only add to the affect. Overall, this is one of The Beatles' strongest tracks, and certainly winner of this round, followed by "If You've Got Trouble," "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away," and "Taxman."

Scores thus far:

Paul -- 8
John -- 5
George -- 3
Ringo -- 4

We Can't Work It Out: The Fab War -- Round 1

"Don't Bother Me" v. "If I Fell" v. "That Means A Lot" v. "I Wanna Be Your Man"

"Don't Bother Me," from With the Beatles, is the first Harrison composition to make it onto a Beatles album, and is a standout track on what is likely their second strongest early album (behing A Hard Day's Night). This guitar part is insanely wicked, especially the solo. The brushed percussion adds a nice tinge. Also, its a break-up song, which is always nice. Depression seems to make for better art, and this is a song of heartbreak where the lamenting male seeks isolation from family and friends; a lot more complex stuff than "Love Me Do."

Meanwhile, "If I Fell" is somewhat of a sappy love ballad, but a damn, damn good one. This excellent track from A Hard Day's Night is supposedly from the point of view of a man afraid to fall in love, though he sounds pretty head over heels already. The melody is super, though. The song caresses a gorgeous melody line through a mid-tempo swing that is perfectly punctuated by occaisional guitar jabs. Musically, this is among the Beatles best songs.

"That Means A Lot" was recorded, I believe, for Help!, though it didn't appear until Anthology 2. This song features some excellent drum rolls by Ringo along with some added maracas-shaking action. Musicially, the song is mostly percussive, and so it is up to Paul's vocal to make the song, and it does so gloriously. He snarls, howls and sneers his way through the song. Lyrically, the song seems to be about a suffocating relationship, where you know that "your love is all you've got." That sounds sweet, but the bitter angst of the bridge's "love can be suicide" shows the song's darkness.

"I Wanna Be Your Man" was Ringo's first Beatle-penned vocal lead on record (his first was the King-Coffin song "Boys"), but was intended to be written for fledgling Rolling Stones. The Beatles push through it like a barn-storm, but its all pushing. The song doesn't really have any nuance or soft edges to balance it out. The repetitive vocal just kills it.

"That Means A Lot" is the best of this bunch. Although rare, it is good enough to hold its own with any Beatles track, and is better than many of the tracks that did make it onto Help! After that, I have to go with "If I Fell" for its gorgeous melody and impeccable sense of timing. I love Harrison, but he has to take third in this round; "Don't Bother Me" is good, but its facing pretty stiff competition. "I Wanna Be Your Man," while driving, is definitely last place this time around.

For those of you watching at home, the scores thus far are:

Paul - 4
John - 3
George - 2
Ringo - 1

We Can't Work It Out: The Fab War -- The Prologue

Here's the premise: everyone fights over their favorite Beatle, but no one gets too particular. Paul is cute, John is political, George is spiritual and Ringo is fun(ny-looking). Most people are happy to pick the Beatle whose identity they most identify with and go from there. I decided that wasn't enough. Thus, here's what I am doing:

I have compiled a 22-song track list for each Beatle, respresenting both their contributions to the Beatles and their work as a solo artist. The track lists are arranged chronologically, and are my personal favorite tracks from that artist. This means that some artists have more Beatles work than others and so the chronology doesn't always match up, but nothing's perfect. Also, my taste is pretty idiosyncratic. Each track number on each list will go up against its own track number on the other discs in a four-song battle royale. The song that comes out on top will recieve four points. The runner up will get three points. Third place gets two points. The loser gets one point. (No, I don't foresee Ringo ending up with 22 points.) Following 22 rounds, scores will be docked points based on each Beatles' worst work (i.e., "Ebony and Ivory" and "Revolution No. 9"). Whichever Beatles emerges on top will become my new favorite.

A little background going in:

Paul McCartney -- bass, keyboards, drums, etc.

Paul was probably the poppiest composer of the group as well as the most stereotypically cute. He was an ace of bass as well as a menagerie of other instruments. This meant that he'd sometimes become control freakish and insist on playing everything himself, which probably played at least as big a role in the breakup of the Beatles as Yoko did. He led Wings in the seventies and has toured extensively. Despite horrid duets with Michael Jackson, he had the longest marriage and was probably the most commercially successful solo artist among the Beatles, if that counts for anything.

1. That Means A Lot
2. Paperback Writer
3. Eleanor Rigby
4. Here, There and Everywhere
5. Got To Get You Into My Life
6. Penny Lane
7. When I'm 64
8. Hello Goodbye
9. The Fool On the Hill
10. Rocky Raccoon
11. Back In the U.S.S.R.
12. You Never Give Me Your Money
13. She Came In Through the Bathroom Window
14. You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
15. Come and Get It
16. Junk
17. Uncle Albert/Admirable Halsey
18. Maybe I'm Amazed
19. Live and Let Die
20. Band On the Run
21. Ever Present Past
22. Mr. Bellamy

John Lennon -- rhythm guitar, piano:

John was the most political and likely the most stereotypically "artsy" Beatles. He divorced his first wife Cynthia in favor of an avant garde Japanese artist. He was rawly emotional in his songs, presaging the emo movement by decades and accomplishing more than it could hope to. He also discovered several artists and had great names for the bands he was associated with, such as Plastic Ono Band, Elephant's Memory and The Elastic Oz Band.

1. If I Fell
2. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
3. Nowhere Man
4. In My Life
5. Wait
6. She Said, She Said
7. Strawberry Fields Forever
8. I Am the Walrus
9. Sexy Sadie
10. Dear Prudence
11. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me and My Monkey
12. Revolution
13. Hey Bulldog
14. Come Together
15. Don't Let Me Down
16. Across the Universe
17. Working Class Hero
18. Instant Karma!
19. Imagine
20. Jealous Guy
21. #9 Dream
22. Woman

George Harrison -- lead guitar:

George was the spiritual Beatles, and also a crack guitar player. His influence can be heard in the work of everyone from Prince ("I Could Never Take the Place Of Your Man") to Dean Ween ("What Deaner Was Talkin' About"). Despite having his hot, hot wife stolen by Eric Clapton, he still nice enough to organize the Rainbow Concert that helped bring Clapton out of a downward spiral caused by his heroin addiction. When not helping to save overblown rock stars, Harrison helped out the starving children of Bangladesh and hung out with Hari Krishnas. He later became de facto leader of the Traveling Wilburys, the superest supergroup ever to walk the planet.

1. Don't Bother Me
2. Taxman
3. I Want to Tell You
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
5. Savoy Truffle
6. Not Guilty
7. It's All Too Much
8. Something
9. Here Comes the Sun
10. Old Brown Shoe
11. For You Blue
12. I Me Mine
13. I'd Have You Anytime
14. My Sweet Lord
15. What Is Life?
16. Crackerbox Palace
17. When We Was Fab
18.Handle With Care
19. Heading For the Light
20. Cheer Down
21. Any Road
22. Pisces Fish

Ringo Starr -- drums:

Ringo was everyone's buddy. He wasn't a great drummer, but he wasn't a slouch either. He replaced the showier Pete Best, which most people lament but it was better that way for the band. Ringo's steady-but-not-too-showy drumming provided a perfect backdrop for the Beatles. Also, when uberdrummer Keith Moon recorded his solo album, Two Sides of the Moon, he hired Ringo to play drums, so he can't be all that bad. Ringo had a great sense of humor. He was friendly, humble, and a much better songwriter than anyone ever gives him credit for.

1. I Wanna Be Your Man
2. If You've Got Trouble
3. What Goes On
4. Yellow Submarine
5. With A Little Help From My Friends
6. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
7. Don't Pass Me By
8. Good Night
9. Octopus's Garden
10. The End
11. Beaucoups of Blues
12. It Don't Come Easy
13. Early 1970
14. Back Off Boogaloo
15. Photograph
16. I'm the Greatest
17. Oh, My My
18. Snookeroo
19. Only You
20. (It's All Down To) Goodnight Vienna
21. Wrack My Brain
22. Fading In and Fading Out

100 Albums, 100 Words (60-51)

60. Northern State – Dying In Stereo (2003)

This album works because Hesta Prynn, Guinea Love (Spero), and DJ Sprout are master signifiers, verbally cutting down men with verbal acumen. Case in point: “like Derek Jeter, I’m-a make you stop short.” Here Hesta Prynn is signifying on other MCs who think they’re dope; most MCs are male, thus she is spittin’ it at men. Derek Jeter, short stop of the New York Yankees, is a symbol of masculinity. Here she flips the position he plays into “stop short,” simultaneously disrupting Jeter’s masculine power and harvesting it for her own use in signifiying on other (mostly male) MCs. Boo-yah!

59. Saturday Night Fever (1977)

This album could be titled Bee Gees Greatest Hits, Plus. As great as the Bee Gees songs are, both the infinitely popular “Stayin’ Alive” and the actually good “You Should Be Dancing,” the real gems are in that plus half of the equation. Both classically-inspired instrumentals are good, but “Fifth of Beethoven” stands as one of the best instrumentals ever. “Open Sesame” is perhaps the best track Kool & the Gang ever recorded; who can resist the “genie of sound”? Sure, maybe they didn’t need to include two versions of “More Than A Woman,” but this “Disco Inferno” still burns.

58. Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)

Ozzy’s crowning achievement, Paranoid is both wicked and good. Case in point: “War Pigs/Luke’s Wall.” “Luke’s Wall” is the definition of instrumental wickedness as Tony Iommi’s guitar swirls around and around. “War Pigs,” the other half of the song, is a righteous denunciation of war for profit. Denouncing the capitalist pigs of the Military Industrial Complex, it is heavy metal’s “Masters of War.” In addition to “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Paranoid” feature the catchiest riffs. “Faeries Wear Boots” is one of the quirkiest titles for one of the coolest songs. Paranoid deserves its spot as a heavy metal landmark.

57. Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)

In middle school, everyone wore flannel. Granted, at my school that was as much indebted to the rise of West Coast gangstas as to grunge, but, really, are they that different? Both attempt to authenticate the voice of a disgruntled youth culture. Regardless, I wanted blue-and-black plaid to rock with my canvas K-Swiss. What my mom bought me was a lavender-and-green plaid Ralph Lauren. You can’t get street cred in that, and it’s a bit too bourgeois for Cobain. Now, more working class than thug, I still want the black and blue, if only to fulfill my manufactured proletarian fantasy.

56. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II (1969)

The “Stairway to Heaven” is like the stairway up the tower of Babel – it leads to inflated pride for seventies’ rock enthusiasts, but the guitar playing is so intricate and beautiful on “Ramble On” that it makes one forgive the references to Lord of the Rings. “Ramble,” along with “Thank You” and “What Is and What Never Should Be,” make this one of the most lushly gorgeous albums ever. “Whole Lotta Love” and “Heartbreaker” hang on some great riffs and are as experimentally melodic as metal can get. Meanwhile, “Living Loving Maid” cleans house in the straight out rocking category.

55. Guns’N’Roses – Appetite For Destruction (1987)

James Brown writes a song about traveling from city to city on tour; Ernest & Julio Gallo name a bum wine after it, on which Axl Rose gets shitfaced and writes the hardest-rocking tribute to alcoholism ever. The Gallo brothers had the gall to demand payment from G’n’R, but I can almost guarantee they never paid James Brown. Along with the obvious hits, “Mr. Brownstone,” “Out Ta Get Me,” “Think About You,” (featuring Izzy Stradlin’s underrated songwriting) and “Rocket Queen” help to ensure this album’s lasting appeal. You can almost hear the grit of hard living on the Sunset Strip.

54. Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding (1967)

This album must have sounded like a wet noodle lashing against the monstrous wall of psychedelia when it was released, but its quiet, understated strength made it determined to stand, and it killed psychedelia in one decisive blow. From its rustic matte cover to its simple acoustic strums, John Wesley Harding exudes rootsiness, and is the granddaddy of alternative country. But there’s more going on here, too. The album’s cryptic vignettes, littered as they are with outlaws, retell Biblical tales within the context of the Old West. Dylan records his first piano-based masterpiece here too with the majestic “Dear Landlord.”

53. Outkast – Stankonia (2000)

Stankonia, on the strength of “Ms. Jackson,” is almost the great sensitive male hip-hop album that it probably would have been had Andre 3000 gone it alone, but, even with the inclusion of “Gangsta Shit,” this album comes close to the mark. Big Boi’s contributions are certainly no detriment either, especially on the delightful “We Luv Deez Hoez.” “Gasoline Dreams” remains a bluntly scathing commentary on the glut of white (read: corporate) america (sorry, Marshall, but your song can’t compare). The album does leave one mystery unsolved though: just what are they saying at the end of “Bombs Over Baghdad?”

52. Elvis Costello – Imperial Bedroom (1982)

Following Nellie McKay’s Get Away From Me, this is the second Geoff Emerick production on this list, and perhaps the more Sgt. Pepperesque of the two. Sonically, it resembles the Beatles’ golden period with tinges of Tin Pan Alley. Thematically, the album deals with just what the title suggests, imperialism in the bedroom. This takes shape in a number of forms from incest to molestation to good old-fashioned domestic abuse. Costello masterfully explores the social implications and consequences of these grim practices with an emotional sensitivity that is bared out by a keen focus on the details of paralyzed hearts.

51. Nellie McKay – Pretty Little Head (2006)

It is hard to follow up perfection with brilliance, but that is exactly what Nellie McKay did with Pretty Little Head. Mostly, the album is very good, particularly on tracks like “Columbia Is Bleeding” and “The Big One.” “Pounce” is a personal favorite, especially with its guilty pleasure “meow” chorus. The album buoys itself with many short songs; had it cut off the screamed outro and, possibly, the intro of “Mama and Me” then it would be much more accessible. Likewise, the slurred vocal of “Pink Chandelier” kept it from reaching its full potential. Of course, perfection rarely strikes twice.

Worth Playing More than Once

A beautiful album in its own right, the Once soundtrack amazes even those who haven't seen the movie (like me). Killer melodies and earthy instrumentation give the album a humbly ambitious feel that works perfectly.

Although one might assume this album has overly-pompous-art-house prior to listening, the album also has a song called "Broken-Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy." The song begins with the phrase "Ten years ago..." that melodically and lyrically echoes "Long Black Veil," where the lover suffers the death penalty to avoid admitting that he slept with his best friend's wife. Here, there is a similar love triangle, but the other man is a friend of the woman's rather than the man's, making it a much simpler triangle. Despite being simpler, the song carries a similar emotional weight.

"Long Black Veil" gathers much of its power from the long-standing weight of traditional music; this power reappears elsewhere in Once. The cellos and violins in "Gold," for instance, recall traditional celtic music. If asked to name instruments common to celtic music, these would be two of the last instruments I named, but they add a noticeable Irish flavor to this song. (As does the vocalist Fergus O' Farrell; what a great name! He sounds particularly Irish on phrases like "and if a door be closed.")

"Fallen From the Sky" and "Trying To Pull Myself Away" sound to me like stolen melodies. "Trying To Pull Myself Away" specifically sounds like something 90s, perhaps by the Gin Blossoms, though I can't place it. The songs sound instantly familiar, and I've tried my best to track down their source; unable to do so I can only conclude what this album shows all along: Glen Hansard has tapped into the collective unconscious.

Never Turning Back; New Album a Testament to Mavis' Strength

From the swampy opening chords of "Down In Mississippi," it is clear that Ry Cooder's musical direction produced one of the finest albums of 2007, Mavis Staples' powerful We'll Never Turn Back.

Although Mavis is the star here, that "We" in the album's title is worth examining. Best known as a member of the Staple Singers, Mavis Staples, along with her family, helped politicize gospel music and use it as an instrument for societal change. That same spirit prevails here, as Mavis is clearly singing of a post-Katrina America, as made clear by the exclamation "broken levees, lyin' politicians" in the funky "99 and 1/2 (Won't Do)."

It is important to bear in mind that gospel music is communal. Though there may be a lead voice, in takes a whole choir full of people to join their voices together and overcome. Gospel music started on plantations where one's only hope was being free in the afterlife. Several gospel songs, such as "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd" and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" became codes of how to escape to freedom in the North. These songs were always sung together because community was necessary; no slaves would have escaped the horrible institution of slavery had they not banded together. Love for each other and a desire to help others are the bedrock of gospel music. The "We" in this album's title encapsulates that reality of working together. The communal nature of gospel makes this album call out to the listener and ask them to join in fighting injustice themselves.

Despite the message, musically this album is amazing. On several tracks Mavis is joined in singing by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, famous for her work with Paul Simon on Graceland. Jim Keltner's drumming is spot-on as usual. This may be my first time hearing Mike Elizondo, though at various times I found myself amazed by both his bass and piano playing.

The song selection is also amazing. Mavis chose several classic gospel tunes, several in new arrangments. "99 and 1/2" is peppered with references to the contemporary political situation, and is only strengthened by them. "Eyes On the Prize" is a strong reworking of "Gospel Plow."

"Down In Mississippi" is an amazing track with Mavis building it up with personal stories of her role in the civil rights movement, including a narrative of her accidentally integrating a washroom as a very young girl. Another highlight of that song is pointing out the irony that white men were more likely to be arrested for hunting rabbit out of season than for killing a minority.

Two original songs prove two of the strongest. "My Own Eyes" is a strong statement that lays out Mavis' world view. "I'll Be Rested," one of my favorite tracks on the album, features a listing of fallen civil rights activists and related figures, ranging from the well-known (King, Robert Kennedy, Emmett Till) to the obscure (Andrew Goodman) to somewhere inbetween (Medgar Evers); all of them should be more well-known than they are today, as should Mavis and her beautiful music.

(Mavis Staples is coming to Manhattan, KS to perform at McCain Auditorium October 28.)