Forgotten Music Thursday: Brian Vander Ark - Resurrection (2004)

It was once said of Billy Joel that his mass appeal is due to his ability to write songs which can be so personal and individual for so many different people. Each of his songs can conceivably mean something different to every listener. Where Billy Joel has left off, others have risen to the challenge of writing songs that have that similar mass appeal. Brian Vander Ark is such a singer and his album, Resurrection shows some of the best material of one of the best singer/songwriters of his generation, picking up the torch left by the likes of Elton John, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen, but with a style all his own.

Despite the success of their 1997 hit The Freshman few people (outside of Michigan at least) are familiar with The Verve Pipe in general and the songwriting talents of their lead singer, Brian Vander Ark in particular.

While the Verve Pipe didn't grab me at first, there's no denying that Vander Ark's songwriting has only improved with each successive album. His solo album, Resurrection, follows in the natural progression of the Verve Pipe's 2000 release, Underneath. The two albums make excellent companions to one another.

The opening track, 1229 Sheffield has some of Vander Ark's more clever turns of phrase:

Returning our bottles for ten cent deposits
I'll drink us two dollars more...

The pet names you once gave me, we soon gave to the pets
I still come when you call them, just to be sure

There's a naked honesty to Vander Ark's songwriting that some may describe as "angsty" but to pigeonhole it would do it a great disservice. Another highlight to the album, And Then You Went Away probably best captures Vander Ark's "heart-on-the-sleeve" angst:

You hung your favorite picture so you could see it everyday
Then you went away, then you want away
It's by the window garden you said you'd water everyday
Then you went away, then you went away...

Slipped on the velvet curtains you had custom made
Then you went away, then you went away
And there's my new best friend, the one you took in as a stray
Then you went away, then you went away

Much like many of his Verve Pipe songs, there's a common theme of the evolution of relationships-- people growing together, growing apart, and the circumstances we face in relationships and the effect those events have on the relationship-- sometimes making it stronger, other times tearing it apart. This theme, tackled initially on the opening track, 1229 Sheffield is revisited on Mileage:

Pass by the high school
A memory rerun
When I was seventeen couldn't wait for twenty-one
I pass by the church
Where I married you
When you were twenty-one and I was twenty-two...

So I speed past the building
I always wanted to
Since I was twenty-one, almost twenty two
If I'd had the nerve
I'd have quit there before
You turned twenty-three and couldn't take me there any more...

The album as a whole is Vander Ark at his very best. His voice is soothing and consistently interesting. The songs never falter, there's not a "weak" or "skippable" song on the CD-- if anything most songs fall victim to the repeat button and with each new listen provide the listener with the gift of a new perspective. This is an album that only improves with each listen. So listen and enjoy!

Harry Chapin - Portrait Gallery (1975)

Starting with 1974's Short Stories and right up until his untimely passing in 1981, Harry Chapin released a series of consistently brilliant albums.  Portrait Gallery was one of the best of his best albums.  The quality of the material is considerably more consistent than on Verities & Balderdash. 

Opening with the whimsical yet cynical Dreams Go By.  The clarinet and the whistling provide a backbone of whimsy to the relatively cynical lyrics that tell the story of a couple who grow up together sharing their dreams but keep putting off their dreams when life gets in the way.  The song ends with a gentle but regretful, "But I guess our dreams have come and gone, you're s'posed to dream when you are young." 

The album then shifts to Tangled Up Puppet, which makes for a unqiue companion piece to Cats in the Cradle from the previous album.  This time, instead of missing his son growing up and becoming a man a father laments as his daughter grows less and less a part of his life and becomes increasingly more her own woman.  As a father of a little girl this song packs a wallop every time I listen to it-- "I'm a tangled up puppet, all tangled up in knots, and the more I see what used to be, the less of you I've got." The message, as with Cats in the Cradle is clear, treasure and make the most of the time you have with your children as that time doesn't last.

Star Tripper while one of Harry's weaker songs, lyrically, from a musically perspective is one of Harry's more hauntingly beautiful compositions.  There's a somber melancholy vibe that drips from every note.  The song shows the less glamorous side of the life of the astronaut.  Given that the NASA was in a bit of a lull at the time, it could be argued that the song is also metaphor of the space program in general and the general apathy the public was starting to display towards the space program.

Babysitter had the potential to be a huge misstep, but Harry manages to turn what could have been a sophomoric locker room tale into a poignant coming of age story.  As a young man laments that, "I was much too late to be the first to make you a woman, but you were the one to make my mother's son a man."  The song delves into the beauty of the experience of first love and the impact that first love had on the rest of the man's life, long after the experience had ended.

Harry delves into his back catalog for Someone Keeps Calling My Name.  The song initially appeared on a then (and now) long out of print and largely ignored album that Harry and his brothers recorded as The Chapin Brothers in 1966.  The original version was later re-released on Harry's 3CD box set, Story of a Life.  The original and considerably shorter version was in the tradition of the Kingston Trio and other folk acts of the mid-60s featuring Harry, Steve, and Tom Chapin harmonizing and trading vocals.  Harry dusted off the song and added several verses stretching the song from just under three minutes upt to six and a half minutes.  The vocal harmonies with his brothers are replaced on the newer version with a group of women echoing as Harry sings the chorus.  The verses Harry adds tell the stories of Jenny who is "four fingers old," Jason is "ten birthday's old", Jonathan at "fifty seasons old", and Jamie who at "15 years has been too young,"

The Rock is one of Harry's finest story-telling gems.  It's an instantly catchy Chicken Little-esque tale about a young man who warns his townspeople that the large rock that leans over his town is about to fall.    The townspeople are dismissive of his claims as the rock has always been there and as far as they were concerned it always would be.  Without help, he decides to take matters into his own hands and figure out ways to stop the rock-- "he ran under with one last hope that he could add a prop, and as he disappeared the rock came to a stop, the people ran into the street, but by then all was still, the rock seemed where it always was or where it always will be, when someone asks where he had gone they said 'ah he was daft, who cares about that crazy fool?' then they'd start to laugh." 

Sandy is a song Harry wrote for his wife, the same wife he detailed in his I Wanna Learn a Love Song on his previous album.  Of the two songs, I Wanna Learn a Love Song is imminently more enjoyable.

Dirt Gets Under the Fingernails is an O. Henry-esque story of irony about a mechanic and his wife with aspirations of being a painter.  The payoff at the end is thoroughly enjoyable.  Musically the song is a bit dated but it works but the lyrics make up for it.

Harry brings the epic back to his albums with Bummer, at just shy of ten minutes it's his longest piece since Sniper and A Better Place to Be from 1972's Sniper and Other Love Songs.  It tells the tale of a man who grew up abused and on the wrong side of the law yet he somehow manages to earn a Medal of Honor and a handful of Purple Hearts in Vietnam.  Upon his return he falls back into his old habits and comes to a bad end.  When his body is retrieved they find him clutching onto his Medal of Honor and a smile on his face.  The song features a rather dated 70s horn chart and string arrangement giving the song a similar epic over the top anthemic vibe reminiscent of Sniper.

The album closes with the somewhat more upbeat and tongue in cheek blues tinged Stop Singing These Sad Songs creating a nice bookend for Dreams Go By which opened the album.  Much like Harry's live favorite, Circle, this album come full circle ending on a similar upbeat fun vibe to that which it began.

Portrait Gallery was Harry's strongest album to that point and arguably none of his other studio albums, save for 1977's dual LP Danceband on the Titanic, would quite equal the quality of this album.

Related Links and Media
Harry Chapin (official site)
Harry Chapin (wikipedia)

Harry Chapin - Verities & Balderdash (1974)

From first glance this album has a forceful message.  With Harry sporting an Uncle Sam "I Want You!" pose he singles out the listener before the album is even purchased. 

Largely due to the oft-covered Cats in the Cradle, Verities and Balderdash is Harry Chapin’s best known album. Harry was busy in 1974 as this was the 2nd album he released that year (although Short Stories was recorded in 1973 it wasn’t released until 1974). Short Stories and Verities and Balderdash bookend each other nicely. Harry and his band built on the strengths of Short Stories and recorded what some would argue was his best album to that point.

The album opens with Cats in the Cradle which may actually have done the album a disservice in the era of LPs as there are a lot of other excellent songs on the album and any listener who might hear Cats in the Cradle may or may not have continued on to the rest of the album. Anyone skipping the rest of the album is doing him or herself a tremendous disservice.

After Cats in the Cradle is the autobiographical, I Wanna Learn a Love Song which tells the tale of how Harry met his wife, Sandy, several years before. The song later became a staple of Harry’s live set.

Shooting Star is another of Harry’s story-telling gems about a woman married to a man who is mentally ill. At its core it’s a beautiful love song—a woman standing by her man through all of his mental difficulties even as the rest of the world would either laugh at or ignore him.

One of Harry’s most popular live staples, 30,000 Pounds of Bananas, made its first appearance on Verities and Balderdash. As enjoyable as the song is, the live version took on a life of its own and easily eclipses the original studio version that appears on this album. Both musically and lyrically this is a purely fun and enjoyable album. The live version is sped up at points to great effect as it fits the lyrics as Harry tells the story of the out of control truck of bananas. Incidentally, the song is based on an actual truck crash in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Other notable tracks include Vacancy and What Made America Famous, an ode of sorts to our nation's then upcoming bicentennial.  Today it sounds somewhat dated but it's still an enjoyable song when enjoyed within the context of when it was recorded.

While not quite as strong as Short Stories, Verities & Balderdash is consistently enjoyable and shows Harry's further growth as a songwriter with the albums stronger tracks including his trademark, Cats in the Cradle.  Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed.

Related Links & Media
Cats In the Cradle (Live on PBS Soundstage)

30,000 lbs. of Bananas (Live @ Rockaplast 1977)

What Made America Famous (live on PBS Soundstage)

Harry Chapin (official site)
Harry Chapin (wikipedia)

Forgotten Music Thursday: Harry Chapin - Short Stories (1974)

Short Stories was the next step in Harry Chapin's musical evolution.  After finding his footing with Heads & Tails and Sniper and Other Love Songs Harry comes across considerably more self-assured and comfortable in his shoes on Short Stories.  While Short Stories lacks the epic seven to eleven minute tracks like Dogtown, Sniper, and A Better Place to Be from his first two albums Harry manages to say less with more.

W.O.L.D. tells the tale of an aging DJ constantly seeking happiness at his next stop on the radio dial only to one day find his life, looks, and youth have passed him by.  The song was inspired by Boston DJ, Jim Connors who was instrumental in Harry's early success.  Chapin overheard a phone conversation Connors had with his ex-wife that sparked a deep discussion between Chapin & Connors and that conversation was the inspiration for this song.  The song is told through a phone conversation a DJ is having with his ex-wife, although you only ever hear his half of the conversation. 

Harry hits another homerun with Mr. Tanner which tells the tale of a humble man in Dayton Ohio who runs a dry-cleaning business and has a talent for singing in local plays and shows.  After increased pressure from his friends and neighbours he uses up all of his savings to book a concert hall in New York City to audition.  Being crushed after receiving some rather unkind reviews, Mr. Tanner returns to Dayton where he never sings again, "excepting very late at night when the shop was dark and closed, he sang softly to himself as he sorted through the clothes."  What drives the song home are the haunting background vocals of bass player, John Wallace as he sings O Holy Night.  According to interviews this song was inspired by a couple of rather harsh reviews Harry read in the New York Times-- Harry actually quotes segments of both reviews in the song.

As good as all of the tracks are, of all the tracks on the album it is really buoyed even further by the aforementioned tracks and by the achingly beautiful Mail Order Annie.  A sad tale of two lonely less than attractive people who, through unusual circumstances end up fighting that loneliness together-- a similar theme to what Harry tackled on the previous album with A Better Place to Be.

Once Harry found his voice, his comfort level and gained a bit of self-confidence as an artist his albums were elevated to another level.  Short Stories is the first in a series of several Chapin albums that truly showed Harry at his creative peak, a peak he rode through the rest of the seventies and up to his untimely passing in 1981.  Honestly, from this album on, there's not a weak one in Harry's entire catalog.

Related Media & Links
W.O.L.D. video

Mr. Tanner video

They Call Her Easy video

Mail Order Annie video

Harry Chapin (official site)
Harry Chapin (wikipedia)

Lindsay Aline - Illusion (2009)

I was recently approached by the management of Lindsay Aline requesting that I review her debut album, Illusion. 

Upon first listen I'll be the first to admit this is not normally the kind of music I would listen to.  It's generally a bit too light for my tastes.

That being said there's no denying Ms. Aline's talent her voice is reminiscent of Evanessence's Amy Lee.  Her style is closer to My Immortal than to Wake Me Up Inside. 

There's a haunting yearning in her vocal delivery on most songs.  While there is some variance of style from song to song there's a bit too much similarity for my tastes.  All of the songs are relaxing and easy to listen to and could easily stand on their own.  But the sum of the whole does show a lack of variety.

All of that aside, this is Ms. Aline's debut album and as far as debut albums it's certainly a worthy outing.  I can't help feeling that she's holding back though.  As I listen to songs like What Would It Be Like (easily my favorite on the album or Pop My Collar with its beautiful muted trumpet backing her hauntingly beautiful voice. I can't help but feel Lindsay is giving but a glimpse of herself...  She's giving just enough of herself to whet the listener's appetite.  There is an undercurrent of untapped potential that resonates under each song.  Even if that talent is never FULLY realized Lindsay is talented enough that she'll have a respectable career.  But if she ever really taps into her full potential she will be a force to be reckoned with.

If you're looking for a relaxing Sunday afternoon CD, Illusion should certainly fit that bill, but I do challenge Ms. Aline dig deeper, the talent is undeniably there.  She's given us a taste of what she's capable of, next time I hope she feeds us the meal. (7 out of 10)

Related Links
Lindsay Aline

Harry Chapin - Sniper and Other Love Songs (1972)

While not as commercially successful as his debut, Sniper and Other Love Songs is a far superior album to Heads & Tails. Harry’s vocal delivery and range are substantially improved, the production is superior, and the overall quality of the material is far more even and consistently good. Where Heads & Tails was largely buoyed by Taxi & Dogtown, there’s not a weak track on Sniper and Other Love Songs.

The first half of the album, or what would have been side 1 of the LP is anchored by Sniper which is easily one of Chapin’s most vocally challenging songs. Later in his career Harry would rarely sing the song as he confessed, “It tears my voice to hell.” While no real names are actually used. The song is a fictitious account of actual sniper Charles Whitman who killed 14 people and wounded 32 others from the clock tower at the University of Texas in 1966. The song is so ambitious in its scope it plays out like a screenplay examining the psychology and mindset of the sniper. Harry alternates between singing the voice of the sniper, the eyewitnesses and an objective narrator showing a tremendous range and an impeccable ability to shift between different vocal deliveries within the same song.
The other standout track on the first half of the album is Burning Herself. After the soft more acoustic folk stylings of And the Baby Never Cries, Burning Herself is a somewhat jarring piece. Compared to the other songs on the album it’s largely out of place, but it’s that rather jarring out of place style that makes the song that much more effective. There’s an anger and hostility to the lyrics that needs to be noticed.

The second half of the album is equally strong, if not stronger. It features the hauntingly beautiful A Better Place to Be about a night watchman and a rotund waitress who “both know all about loneliness and living all alone.” It also features the catchy sing-a-long, live-staple Circle.

All in all, Harry sounds decidedly more comfortable and self-assured in his second outing. The quality of the material is consistently better and you can clearly hear Chapin’s growth as both a singer and songwriter. *** ½ (out of *****)

Related Video & Links
Sniper

A Better Place To Be

Circle

Harry Chapin (official site)
Harry Chapin (wikipedia)

Harry Chapin - Heads & Tails (1972)

While not as well known or remembered as some of his contemporaries, Harry Chapin’s career thrived on a sizable and devoted cult following and the respect of many of his peers.

Despite not being as strong as many of his later albums, on his solo debut, Heads & Tails, Chapin shows glimpses of his talent as a singer/songwriter. Musically, the songs are quite an eclectic mix. As would be the trend on future Chapin compositions, the cello (played on this album by Tim Scott) is a cornerstone of his folk-rock sound on every track. The album also features Chapin’s longtime bass-player/background vocalist, John Wallace (he continued touring with Harry right up to Harry’s last show).

The trouble with the album is that it’s rather “bottom heavy” that is to say on the LP side 2 was considerably stronger than side 1 (or on the CD, Tracks six through nine were stronger than tracks one through five).

The second side starts with Taxi, easily one of the best songs Harry ever wrote or recorded—so popular amongst his die-hard fans that it yielded Sequel in 1980 that picks up several years after Taxi leaves off. As much as I enjoy Taxi, I’d argue that the live versions I’ve heard are superior to this original studio version. Where Harry’s voice is somewhat youthful and innocent on the studio version, there’s a grizzled world weariness to his vocals on the various live recordings I’ve heard of the song that gives the song a bit more emotional weight. An interesting footnote to Taxi, the movie Taxi Driver was supposedly a cross between Taxi and Sniper which appeared on Harry’s 2nd album, Sniper and Other Love Songs.

Dogtown is the #2 of a 1-2 punch on side two. It’s another glimpse at the storyteller style of songs that Harry first exhibited with Taxi and would become increasingly more prevalent on Harry’s subsequent albums. It’s the tale of a town of fishermen’s wives in Massachusetts. With their husbands out to sea so much they all have guard dogs to keep them safe in their husband’s absences. The song relates their hard lives even mentioning one widow who had already buried 3 husbands who had drowned. The song also features the wives of these fishermen asking, “Am I his widow or his wife.” and asking if they’ll have to give their husbands to the sea or the sky. The emotional intensity is undeniable and Harry’s delivery is considerably stronger and more intense than on Taxi.

The album closes with the haunting autobiographical Same Sad Singer. The song is spare and yearning but the lyrics lack the punch of songs like Taxi and Dogtown. Harry does make up for the weak lyrics (weak in comparison to Taxi and Dogtown) with a strong vocal delivery. The sorrow and loneliness drips from each tender note he sings.

While Harry would come to perform stronger material on later albums, his debut made for a respectable start and a glimpse of the better material that he’d release as his career matured and progressed. For the casual listener, it’s generally a “pass”, but for the more die-hard fan and those who are interested in hearing his musical evolution it’s an excellent place to start one’s musical journey.  Feels like ** 1/2 (out of *****)

Related Video and Links

Harry Chapin (official site)
Harry Chapin (wikipedia)

Beckley Lamm Wilson - Like a Brother (2000)

Supergroups come and go with varying degrees of success. One would think that combining the vocal talents of Gerry Beckley (America), Robert Lamm (Chicago), and Carl Wilson (the Beach Boys) would be a recipe for success. And at times it is. This particular endeavour is largely hit or miss.

There aren't any songs on the album that could be considered "bad." There are a handful of good tracks mixed in with a handful that one would struggle to use superlative adjectives to describe. The best that can be said for much of this album is that it's pleasant and unoffensive.

In all fairness to Gerry, Robert, & Carl given the rigorous touring schedules of their respective bands finding the time to get together to record this album proved rather prohibitive. Add to that Carl Wilson's cancer and subsequent passing there were certainly plenty of obstacles which likely played a part in preventing this album from being far better than it actually ended up being.

That being said, there are some excellent songs on this album-- the Gerry Beckley sung Today, the Harry Nilsson cover Without Her, the wistfully nostalgic Watching the Time Go By, and the hopeful yet somber farewell from Carl Wilson to his sons: I Wish For You. Incidentally Watching the Time Go By had previously appeared on Robert Lamm's 1999 solo release, In My Head. On Robert's solo version he sings the first verse, whereas on the BL&W version, Gerry Beckley sings the first verse. Both versions are rather enjoyable and neither is really superior nor inferior to the other.

With this album being released a few years after Carl Wilson's untimely passing, the album was dedicated to his memory. Indeed, the strongest material on this album is the material that features either he or Beckley on vocals. And in light of Carl's passing his songs take on a decidedly more haunting and poignant tone, especially I Wish For You which is said to be the final song he recorded before his passing and Like a Brother which was a tribute to Carl's brother, Brian.

One is left wondering how much better this album might have been had it not been treated almost as an afterthought to Beckley, Lamm, & Wilson. If the album had been recorded over a shorter time span and all three members of the band had made a concerted effort to MAKE time to record this album rather than record and collaborate only when they were able to find the time to do so this album could and likely would have been considerably better. The talent was certainly there and the stronger material on the album does bear witness to the quality the entire album could have aspired to had it been give the time and focus it truly deserved.

Related Links

Like a Brother (wikipedia entry)

Like a Brother (Amazon.com-- mp3 download $8.99--includes 3 songs not on the original CD release!)

Gerry Beckley (wikipedia entry)

Robert Lamm (wikipedia entry)

Carl Wilson (wikipedia entry)

Gerry Beckley (official website)

Robert Lamm (official website)

Mark Seymour - The Closest Living Thing (2008)

From 1981 to 1998 Mark Seymour was the front man and vocalist for Aussie pub-rock band, Hunters & Collectors. Since Hunters & Collectors called it quits in '98, Seymour has taken his solo career in a more acoustic direction.

In 2008, Seymour released The Closest Living Thing a collection of acoustic versions of H&C songs for all of those nostalgic for the music of that era of Seymour's career.

The song selection is exceptional. While all of the fan favorites are included, Seymour also included some more obscure and deeper H&C album cuts like Titanic and True Believers from Juggernaut and What's a Few Men from Fate.

While the "horns of contempt" are conspicuously absent the more bare-boned acoustic arrangements of the classic "Hunnas" repertoire allow the listener to focus more on Seymour's vocal and songwriting talents. The acoustic arrangements give the songs a new freshness giving the listener not only a reminder of what he or she enjoyed about the original versions but also an opportunity to hear all of these songs for the first time all over again.

Some of the highlights include Talking to a Stranger which features exceptional vocal harmonies, Titanic which Seymour gives a unique spoken-word delivery to the verses and sings the choruses, Everything's On Fire which features some beautiful acoustic guitar playing, and What's a Few Men stripped to the bare essentials making the lyrics a bit more emotionally charged than they were in the original version playing an exceptional tribute to the fallen ANZAC soldiers of the Battle of Galipoli.

All in all, with this collection Seymour blows the dust off the better material of Hunters & Collectors 17 years and gives it new life. Whether your new to Hunters & Collectors and/or Seymour's music or a long time fan this album is a welcome addition to any music collection.


Related Links
Hunters & Collectors (wikipedia)
Mark Seymour (wikipedia)
Mark Seymour (personal website)
Human Frailty (Hunters & Collectors Official Website)
Other Hunters & Collectors Reviews
Interview with Nick & Mark Seymour from the H&C website (Mark's brother, Nick, is a member of Crowded House)

James Reyne - Ghost Ships (2007)

Following up on the success of his previous acoustic endeavour, ... and the horse you rode in on from 2005, James Reyne released his 2nd acoustic album, Ghost Ships in 2007.

Ghost Ships finishes the job Reyne started in 2005. With acoustic versions of both his hits with Crawl and his own solo material Reyne fills in the gaps-- the material he didn't get to on ... and the horse you rode in on.

Given how dated some of Reyne's early solo material from the mid-late eighties sounds today, these new acoustic arrangements offer a breath of fresh air to songs like Motors Too Fast and Fall of Rome. Reyne rounds out the collection with a new cover of the Dingoes Way Out West that he had initially covered with country vocalist James Blundell in 1992, a song that to this day remains his biggest solo hit. The new version, minus Blundell is more uptempo and lively that the original cover. Reyne also covers Australian Crawl hits Beautiful People and Boys Light Up to great effect. The new arrangement of Boys Light Up features an almost calypso rhythm and Reyne's superlative songwriting skills are laid bare when the song is presented without the bombast and bluster of his former band.

With the exception of Bug (a solo track of Reyne's I've never been keen on), there's not a weak track on the album. These fresh new acoustic arrangements of past hits and favorites give them new life and energy and remind the listener of Reyne's talents both as a singer and songwriter.

Ideally this album should be enjoyed with ... and the horse you rode in on as the two albums bookend each other very nicely, although both albums also stand on their own quite well too.

Related Links
Australian Crawl Boys Light Up (1980)
James Reyne ... and the horse you rode in on (2005)
James Reyne (wikipedia entry)
Australian Crawl (wikipedia entry)
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James Reyne - "... and the horse you rode in on." (2005)

After the demise of his band, Australian Crawl, James Reyne, has for several years continued to enjoy success as a solo artist. From his pop-friendly early material to his more laidback and eclectic recent releases Reyne has continued to show himself to be an excellent singer/songwriter.

His 2005 predominantly acoustic endeavor is an aural treat. Featuring a mix of acoustic versions of some of his Crawl classics like Errol, Reckless, Downhearted, and Oh No, Not You Again along with acoustic versions of material from his own solo career. The album is rounded out with covers of songs by Townes Van Zandt, Dan Hicks, John Hiatt and fellow Aussie singer/songwriter Paul Kelly not to mention a cover of the English folk classic Mr. Frog Went a Courtin'.

The acoustic versions of his material differs considerably from the original versions. The already melancholy Australian Crawl classics, Reckless and Downhearted take on an even more somber vibe when stripped down to merely Reyne's vocals and guitar.

Perhaps the greatest treat of this collection is how Reyne's voice has matured and improved with age. The minimalist approach of these recordings allow his voice to really shine. While his vocals with Australian Crawl were quite enjoyable, this album shows that his voice, like a fine wine, has grown considerably better with age.

Whether you're already familiar with Reyne or have never heard of him and are merely on the lookout for something new-- if you're a fan of acoustic music, chances are you'll find yourself enjoying this exceptional collection.

Related Links and Media
James Reyne - Downhearted (acoustic)


James Reyne - Reckless (acoustic)


Interview with James Reyne


The Official James Reyne Website
James Reyne Wikipedia entry
James Reyne - "... and the horse you rode in on" (Order the album on Amazon.com)
James Reyne Myspace.com site
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Now playing: James Reyne - Hammerhead
via FoxyTunes

One Track Mind: Billy Joel - Captain Jack (song review)

There’s always been something about Billy Joel’s music. They capture moods, they paint aural murals to be taken in, savored, and stored away for future enjoyment. Perhaps one of Joel’s finest aural murals is Captain Jack.

At over seven minutes long and chocked full of images it’s easily one of his “busiest” pieces. He sings of what we know, either from our own experiences or because we know or are at least peripherally familiar with the people of which he sings. The thing which makes the song so deeply personal is the level of detail Joel uses whether it’s the “tape deck in your brand new Chevrolet” or whether “they just found your father in the swimming pool” the details are so incredibly specific yet at the same time so universal that Joel is able to “connect” with all of his listeners. He hits that melancholy nerve of ennui that so many of us suffer from and he pulls it all together with the fictitious drug dealer, “Captain Jack.”

We all have our own “Captain Jack”—that someone or something that makes life enjoyable or bearable, that magical thing which gives us our escape from the madness of life. For some it’s drugs, others alcohol, but for many of us its nothing so glamorous or damaging. Simple companionship is the Captain Jack that so many of us long for. So, part of what makes Captain Jack such a well-painted aural mural is that it gives that sense of companionship. In many ways, the song itself is a “Captain Jack.” Because it captures that chord of melancholy and loneliness so well, Billy Joel, is essentially letting us all know that even in our darkest hours, those moments when life has landed you with the mother of all sucker punches… You aren’t alone. Captain Jack is just the reminder we all need from time to time that whenever life gets us down, when we’re at our worst and loneliest. We’re not alone in our experiences.

So now I’m left to ask, who or what is YOUR “Captain Jack?”

Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977)

If you were alive at the tail end of the seventies, chances are this album has been indelibly stamped on your psyche.

As much as Boston's debut or the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, this album was the soundtrack of the late seventies and managed to help catapault Joel from mere popularity to superstardom.

With all of Joel's music there's an emotional honesty there that most of us are able to relate to on some level or another. While Sir Elton was the big name across the pond-- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road his name-making smash hit, over on our side of the pond, Billy was our piano man and The Stranger was our Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

There's a familiarity to the characters he sings of-- whether it be Anthony from Movin' Out or Brenda & Eddie from Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, Joel sang of them with a familiarity that made them our friends as much as they were his. And with that familiarity comes the popularity of this album. Billy Joel seemingly effortlessly, wrote and performed an album that many of us could all relate to in our own special ways.

All of the songs on the album are written in such a way that each listener feels the songs are about him or her directly, or peripherally. We may not know of these experiences he sings of personally, but we know "those people." And in that relatability, Billy Joel created an album that is as timeless as it is beautiful.

So pop on your headphones and visit this old friend with a bottle of red, a bottle of white-- it all depends upon your appetite...

Related Links

Movin' Out





The Stranger


Just the Way You Are


Scenes From An Italian Restaurant


Only the Good Die Young

Kevin Gilbert - Thud (1995)

Sometimes genius comes and goes without much notice or fanfare. Such is the case with the late Kevin Gilbert.

Gilbert was an exceptional songwriter, singer, and producer. While his talents were recognized by many of his musical peers and his small cadre of fervently loyal fans, his music and talents remained and continue to remain largely ignored by the general population.

Thud showcases Gilbert's satirical bite, his talents as a producer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. But what was Gilbert's strongest suit was his lyrical skills, his masterful way with words and the way his pained vocals delivered his clever lyrics.

Much like the Toy Matinee album he'd done a few years before with Patrick Leonard, there's not a weak track on the album, all songs showing evidence of his troubled musical genius.

Waiting excellently dispels the myth of the promise of better days to come. In Gilbert's vocal delivery you hear his skepticism that the better times he's waiting for will ever actually arrive. If anything you hear a certainty of future disappointments that the longer he waits for things the less apt they are to happen.

Tea For One captures the pain of loneliness and unrequited love with a stark emotional poignance that allows the listener to feel the pain of Duncan, the song's protagonist, and make an emotional connection with the music that is lacking in more conventional pop songs. Similarly, Tears of Audrey, is a song of putting up walls to keep love out. It gives the fear of pain of broken heart a name-- throughout the song the listener wants the tears of Audrey to fall, to break down the emotional walls many of us are guilty of putting up.

All of us have a dark side, a Shadow Self, we keep at bay-- a darker evil version of ourselves that feeds off of our negativity and grows in strength the more we give into that negativity. Shadow Self is a message from that dark side we all have, acting as a warning to help prevent us from letting our Shadow Self take us over.

But of all the tracks on Thud the one that is almost spooky in its clairvoyance-- it's lyrics even more true today than they were at the time of the albums release is Goodness Gracious:

Goodness Gracious
I'm not listening anymore
Cause the spooks are in the White House
and they've justified a war
So wake me when they notify we're gonna fight some more

Who knows what music Gilbert would have created were he still alive today? What stories would he gone on to tell? What messages would he be delivering us through his darkly emotional lyrics? Unfortunately the world will never find out. But at least he left us with a few glimpses into his musical genius. Thud is an overlooked album that is worthy of not just a first glance, but also of several subsequent glances.

If you've missed out on Gilbert's work in the past, it's not going anywhere and it's never too late to sit up and take notice.

Robert Lamm - Live at the Knitting Factory 4-23-05

In his 39 years with Chicago Robert Lamm has proven himself to be an accomplished songwriter with such classics as Beginnings, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?, 25 or 6 to 4, and Saturday In the Park to name just a handful of his more recognizable songs.

Those outside Chicago's cadre of die-hard fans may not be aware that Lamm has also released a handful of solo albums including 1973's Skinny Boy, 1993's Life Is Good In My Neighbourhood, 1997's In My Head, and 2003's Subtlety and Passion not to mention a trio project he recorded with Gerry Beckley (of America) and the late Carl Wilson (of the Beach Boys) in the years leading up to Carl Wilson's death in 1997 (the trio album, Like a Brother, was released posthumously in the summer of 2000).

Despite his outside efforts, Lamm's live performances as a solo artist can be counted on a single hand, his performances on US soil can be counted with a single index finger. And this live bootleg is that index finger (or, if you prefer, middle finger).

This small and intimate live performance was given to celebrate the release of Lamm's Leap of Faith: Live in New Zealand CD. Opening for Lamm and the small band he put together was the Howland-Imboden Project a small jazz side-project of Chicago guitarist Keith Howland and drummer Tris Imboden (with special guest bassist, Jason Scheff).

To lend a certain air of familiarity to the Chicago material, Lamm's performance was augmented by a 3 piece horn section led by Chicago trumpeter, Lee Loughnane. Jason Scheff lent his voice and bass chops to Lamm for some excellent background vocals (particularly on Watching the Time Go By-- while Scheff is no Carl Wilson, he did handle the Wilson b/g vocal parts respectably).

The set focused heavily on a mix of material from Lamm's most recent solo album, Subtlety and Passion and some of Lamm's better known Chicago material (including Beginnings, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, Saturday In the Park, and 25 or 6 to 4) with a small smattering of tracks from his Life Is Good In My Neighbourhood and In My Head albums.

Perhaps the biggest treats were 25 or 6 to 4 which Lamm sang lead on, possibly for the first time since he recorded the demo back in 1969. In addition to Lamm's vocals there's some fiery guitar work shared by Hank Lindenman and Chicago's own Keith Howland. The other "treat" is All the Years which not only appeared on Lamm's Life Is Good In My Neighbourhood album but also would have been the opening track on Chicago's ill-fated unreleased Stone of Sisyphus album.

The bootleg also includes what I believe were the songs Lamm performed during his sound check, another take of All the Years as well as When Will the World Be Like Lovers which was initially recorded by Chicago for Chicago 18 but ended up not making it onto the album. It did however later appear on Lamm's Life Is Good In My Neighbourhood album.

Perhaps what makes this live set so enjoyable is that it hearkens back to Chicago's much more creative period in the seventies and shows that Lamm still has the songwriting chops which made him the premier songwriter for Chicago in their seventies heyday.

(see also Michael Fortes review on the Rasputin Manifesto)

Top 5 New Releases of 2005

My musical tastes lean more towards the old than the new, but that being said, I do listen to some current releases as well. Here's my Top 5 for '05:

1. Dream Theater Octavarium - This band still doesn't fail to impress or amaze me. This, their 8th album, is a step back in the right direction after 2003's nearly pure metal misstep, Train of Thought. The band has gone back to implementing various different musical styles from progressive to metal to hard rock, and even contains hints of pop on a few songs. The lyrical content of the album is also quite diverse ranging from recovery from alcoholism (The Root of All Evil, a sequel to 2002's The Glass Prison and 2003's This Dying Soul), 9/11 (Sacrificed Sons), to the 24 minute title track which is full of clever turns of phrase and has 5 sections, each section written by a different member of the band-- truly a "group" effort if ever there was one.

2. Ben Folds Songs For Silverman - At first I wasn't as impressed with Songs for Silverman as I was with 2002's Rockin' the Suburbs. But there's a lyrical majesty in Songs For Silverman that was lacking in its predescessor. While Rockin' the Suburbs had a bit more of cynical bite to it, Songs for Silverman is a bit more sentimental for the characters in the tales Ben sings about. Landed is an excellent song that struck a nerve with me as I've been "that guy"-- the one who was in a relationship with a girl and lost contact with all former friends in the process, only to come back to my friends, like the prodigal son, upon "escaping" from the controlling and suffocating relationship I'd been stuck in before.

If you wrote me off
I'd understand it
I've been stuck on
Some other planet

A sentiment common to any of us who have ever been in that situation! Other highlights include Jesusland and Late. The latter of which is a stirring memorial for the late singer/songwriter Elliott Smith.

3. James LaBrie The Elements of Persuasion - Dream Theater lead vocalist's 3rd solo endeavour. LaBrie's previous 2 albums under the moniker "Mullmuzzler" had a hard rock bite and at times sounded like homages to the musicians and bands which inspired LaBrie. The Elements of Persuasion is LaBrie being his own man. This isn't the hard rock album its predescessors were-- no LaBrie turns it up a notch and goes full bore, straight ahead heavy metal. While his voice isn't for everyone, one can't argue that his vocal style is best suited for this kind of music.

4. Dream Theater When Dream & Day REUnite - On the 15th anniversary of the release of their 1989 debut album, When Dream & Day Unite Dream Theater performed their debut in its entirety with their current line-up. They were joined for their 2 song encore (To Live Forever and Metropolis Pt. 1) by their former lead vocalist, Charlie Domenici and keyboardist Derek Sherinian. This is probably the first and only performance you will ever hear of Metropolis Pt. 1 as a duet with both Charlie Domenici and current lead vocalist, James LaBrie. Due to some shady dealings with the label which released their debut, Dream Theater gets NO money from the sale of their debut album. This live performance, released on their own label, Ytsejam Records, allows them to actually earn money for the material on their debut album. This release would have placed higher, but for Jordan Rudess keyboard playing on Ytse Jam. Normally the keyboard theatrics of the Julliard educated, Rudess, are a treat to listen to. But Rudess interpretation of this fan favorite (originally played by former keyboardist, Kevin Moore) is a bit over the top and really made me miss the more restrained performance from the original studio album.

5. Queen & Paul Rodgers Return of the Champions - Paul Rodgers, easily one of the most underrated rock vocalists to come out of the 70s pays homage to his late friend, Freddie Mercury with his performances of Queen classics. There's an intense energy on this album, not heard on a live album since Queen's Live @ Wembley 1986 release. While Rodgers may seem like an unusual choice-- it's that very novelty which makes his voice work. Rather than try to find a "Freddie clone" to perform the classic Queen material, Brian May & co. opted to go with someone with his own distinct and established style and gave him the opportunity to put his own stamp on the songs. So, rather than sounding like a cheap attempt to make a few extra bucks, this performances sounds like a tip of the hat to Freddie.

Here's to hoping 2006 brings even more musical treasures to savor and enjoy!

One Track Mind: Pat Dailey - Being Me

Awhile back I put this song on one of my mix CDS. One night my wife & I happened to be listening to the CD before bed and this song came on. She asked why I'd put it on the CD. I told her to pay attention to the lyrics.

Being Me
by: Pat Dailey

I never set a clock to wake me up
I leave that to the coffee in my cup
And as the world assembles
I will be the absentee
That's just what it's like being me

I am a man who wants no telephone
I have no need to speak when I'm alone
My friends say I'm reclusive
Well I guess I would agree
That's just what it's like being me

I spend my days thinking of the song
Sometimes all the words just come out wrong
On those days I do nothing
but just sit down by the sea
That's just what it's like being me

One time I tried to throw my heart around
But it wound up in pieces on the ground
Now I make no promise and I get no guarantee
That's just what it's like being me

Nothing lasts forever so they say
And tomorrow is not mine like yesterday
So I hold on to these passing moments most tenaciously
That's just what it's like being me

And I never set a clock to wake me up
I leave that to the coffee in my cup
And as the world assembles I will be the absentee
That's just what it's like being me

When the song was finished she looked at me and said, "that song is so you." She's absolutely right, I've never heard any other songs that I could relate to on the level I relate to this one.

Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman (2005)

He is often compared to, and in many ways, similar to Billy Joel. Much like Joel his songs tell stories, his songs are rather open for different interpretation based on the feelings and mindset of the listener. However, their lyrical styles are nearly polar opposites. Ben Folds writes the songs Billy Joel would have written had he come of age in the 80s and 90s instead of the 70s. There’s a certain Generation X detachment in Folds songs that sets him apart from predecessors and makes him unique.

In his latest outing, Songs For Silverman, Ben Folds waxes poetic about subjects as various as religion, relationships, parenthood, and the passing of friends/mentors.

Lyrically and musically this album is a departure from Rockin’ the Suburbs, it lacks the wit but replaces it with a bit more of an emotional punch. At first listen, I was aching for the fun and the less dour tone of Folds previous works, but with each subsequent listen this album has tiptoed into my psyche with a gentle subtlety. Folds may not be telling any “new tales” in his songs, but he tells many of the tales of life we’re all too familiar with in such a refreshingly deep and personal way that he makes his stories ours as well.

Harry Chapin Had a Way With Words

When I was in high school visiting my sister in Rochester, I stumbled upon this CD-- Harry Chapin Greatest Stories Live. I knew of Chapin's work due to his hit Cats In the Cradle which I thoroughly enjoyed. So I decided to give the CD a listen to see if Chapin's other songs were as cleverly written.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that his other songs weren't just as clever-- they were actually, in many cases, even moreso than Cats In the Cradle.

I get on these binges where I basically just devour an artist's entire catalog. I went on such a binge when I first "discovered" Chapin's work and I found myself continually more impressed as I devoured more and more of his material. While some groups appeal to me due to their superior musicianship (old school Chicago, Toto, Dream Theater, Genesis, Marillion), other groups and musicians appeal to my sense of strong lyrical craft (Ben Folds, Billy Joel, Elton John, Fish, Jim Steinman)-- Chapin's work falls into the latter category.

And as I find myself re-discovering Chapin's work, I notice I'm falling in love with this music for the first time all over again.

The Mercenaries

It's a slow motion night
In the hot city lights
Past time when the good folks
Are snoring in bed
On a loose-jointed cruise
To recolor your blues
With illegal notions alive,
Alive in your head

You are back from some war
That you've been fighting for
Some old blue blood bastard
In a dark pinstripe suit
and the word from your loins
Has your mind in your groin
And your back pocket burning with blood
Blood money loot

So, you walk past the glow
Of the flicker-picture shows
Where the raincoat men wait
For a child to come by
And the women in doorways
Who have nothing to say
'Cause your money is talking
To the ones that you would try

She owns the block
With the dead pawnshop clock
She's the answer to dreams
That you pay to come true
She's got no heart of gold
But that's not what she's sold
She just sees herself doing what she
What she has to do

And she's all that you're hoping
As her coat falls open
Give her bread she leads you
To a bed on the floor
Where for ten million years
And through ten billion tears
The armies of bootmen have marched
Back from their wars

She's in that state of grace
Before time finds her face
With a mind of old wisdoms
And a body still young
And she tastes as sweet
As a child's chocolate treat
Before the butts and the whiskey
Had wasted the taste of your tongue

Play the music again
Of the grey-stubble men
That groaning blue symphony
Moans evermore
And you watch as she fakes it
And of course you just take it
She's better than others
You never paid money for

You've used up your booty
The girl's done her duty
The turnstile has turned
And you learn you are done
You're back on the street
Joining fresh marching feet
You see more soldiers coming
And your girl chooses one

And you're back in your army
Back shedding red blood
And you dream of the girl
As you sleep in the mud
And you know you'd swap with her
If the deal could be made
'Cause you'd rather be working at love
Love as your trade

Sometimes I find myself wondering what songs Harry left unwritten at the time of his death. I wonder what kind of songs he might have written if he were still alive today. I somehow see him as leading the charge of US musicians participating in events like Live Aid, Farm Aid, the Concert for NY, Live 8, and I even see him being the first to sign up for the benefit concert to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Pat Dailey - Raw Bars (1998)

Welcome everybody to my place
You can pull up a chair
Or just pull up a face

We've got all we need
The only thing that we lack
Is a rich, dumb, young nymphomaniac

As a Cedar Point employee, near closing time at the employee bar back in 1998 that was my introduction to the music of Pat Dailey.

Raw Bars is pure fun. There's not a serious song to be found on this album. Whether you're looking for A Doobie and a brew and some poontang too or are a fan of Raw Bars (especially the ones with Liquor (lick her) in the front, and poker (poke her) in the rear) you'll more than likely, end up singing along to these amusing drinking songs.

That is to say that this is the kind of music to listen to when you're sick of listening to all that other music that takes life too seriously. The songs are fun and upbeat and certainly not meant to be enjoyed in the presence of young ones. This music should appeal to the teenager (or the dirty old man) in everyone.