Music Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Published on December 29th, 2015 in: Current Faves, Movies, Music, Music Reviews, Reviews, Soundtracks and Scores |By: Tyler Hodg
Finding a franchise that has produced the same number of memorable musical themes as Star Wars may be a difficult task. The sounds of the films have become iconic pieces in pop culture and remain classic tracks after nearly 40 years.
Best Of 2015: Ronnie Barnett, The Muffs
Published on December 29th, 2015 in: Best Of Lists, Music, Reissues, Retrovirus |
Reissues of the Year:
1. Various Artists, Ork Records: New York, New York (Numero Group): The complete output of the amazing 1970s label finally compiled with perhaps the most lavish and beautiful packaging of any reissue, ever. Essential.
2. Bad Company, Bad Company/Straight Shooter (Swan Song/Rhino): A fucking revelation! These two disc sets offer remastered versions of both albums alongside a multitude of (gasp) previously unheard alternate takes & unreleased songs. Oh my…
3. Suburban Lawns, Suburban Lawns (Futurismo): At last this classic finally gets reissued for the first time. Hopefully this will renew interest and inspire a disc of demos and unreleased tracks. I can dream, can’t I??
4. Continental Drifters, Drifted: In The Beginning & Beyond (Omnivore): Perhaps the greatest widely unheard supergroup of all time. The talent and songwriting in this band will be a revelation to the uninitiated. Better than the Band… they’re that good.
5. Really Red, The Complete Collection: 1979-1985 (Alternative Tentacles): This Houston group were very special. Their music is far beyond “punk” and has not aged a day. My childhood heroes!
6. Velvet Underground, The Complete Matrix Tapes (Universal): Soundboard tapes from 1969 spread over four discs, enough said. The inside word is that it’s already out of print and Universal is not doing another pressing. Grab it if you still can.
7. Game Theory, Real Nighttime (Omnivore): The reissue of the catalog of my favorite band continues. So much more than merely a power pop band. The campaign continues next year, get ’em all!
8. Dictators, Go Girl Crazy! 40th Anniversary Remastered & Expanded Edition (Epic/Real Gone Music): The title says it all. Long overdue overhaul of one the most classic and influential albums of all time. I am right!!
10. Bruce Springsteen, The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (Columbia): No explanation necessary.
11. The Professionals, The Complete Professionals (Virgin UK): The collected works of the highly underrated band Steve Jones and Paul Cook formed after the breakup of the Sex Pistols. You might not have heard them; now is the time.
12. Yes, Progeny: Seven Shows From Seventy-Two (Atlantic/Rhino): Some might find a 14-disc box set of seven shows with identical set lists recorded in the same week to be a bit excessive… not me.
Runners Up:
Saved By The Bell: The Complete Works Of Robin Gibb 1968-1970 (Warner Brothers)
The Sound, Jeopardy/From The Lion’s Mouth/All Fall Down… Plus (Edsel UK)
The Sound, Shock Of Daylight/Heads And Hearts/In The Hothouse/Thunder Up/Propaganda (Edsel UK)
Faces, 1970-1975: You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything… (Warner Brothers)
The Jam, Fire And Skill (Polydor/Universal UK)
The Muffs’ self-titled debut was reissued by Omnivore Recordings in June with oodles of extra tracks.
Best Of 2015: Johnette Napolitano, Concrete Blonde
Published on December 28th, 2015 in: Best Of Lists, Music |
1. Gifting, and working with, The Mojave Desert Land Trust
2. Recording the The Naked Album at home with the MediaLab mobile unit under a sky of diamonds
3. Lots of road time, laughs, horse talk, and great music with Laurie Sargent, and every great gig we did together this year, and all the great clubs that had us
4. Finally shooting the “Naked” show at BART Lounge (voted Best Ambience in the Coachella Valley by Coachella Weekly) for DVD due out Year of the Monkey
5. Being chosen “Drunkard of the Issue” in Modern Drunkard magazine
6. Drinking a lot of wine and writing poetry with Harold Budd
7. My fAnimaly, which actually should be #1
8. Discovering Victorian musician/author/all-around female Nikola Tesla, Marie Corelli
9. Joseph Pilates
10. Getting a typewriter
Johnette Napolitano released The Naked Album on September 22.
Today In Pop Culture: When Gerry Met Squeaky
Published on December 17th, 2015 in: Culture Shock, Music, Today In Pop Culture |
It’s September 5, 1975, and President Gerald R. Ford is visiting California. Appointed rather than elected, Ford has not been the greatest President. He’s already been repeatedly made fun of by Chevy Chase on SNL for being clumsy. He is also dealing with the public relations nightmare that occurred when he pardoned former President Richard Nixon for his part in the Watergate burglary and other crimes. He is seen as a stooge, a puppet, a leader who would rather play golf than deal with the issues.
Today In Pop Culture: The Battle Of… Danzig?
Published on December 16th, 2015 in: Music, Today In Pop Culture |
The year is 1577. All throughout a dirty black summer, the soldiers loyal to Stephen Báthory, the Polish-Lithuanian, laid siege to the city. The inhabitants of the city didn’t recognize Báthory’s authority and had resolved to let themselves die if they couldn’t keep possession of their home.
These sworn enemies of the Báthory kingdom were known as Danzigers, and they all lived in the city of Danzig.
That’s right. Today marks the end of the Siege of Danzig.
Ho Ho Humbug: Christmas Music For Miscreants
Published on December 15th, 2015 in: Holidays, Music |
If you have to leave the house at any point between November 1 and Christmas Eve, chances are good that you’re going to have to hear the same, tired, annoying, and cloying holiday songs over and over again.
Don’t worry; I’m not going to tell you to cheer up or anything. I do, however, have some musical suggestions for you to put on your iPod so that you don’t have to endure the billionth repeat of “Wonderful Christmastime,” but which will still allow you to maintain that air of cool, annoyed resignation that is the only way to get through the holiday season.
Today In Pop Culture: Jive Talking, London Calling
Published on December 14th, 2015 in: Movies, Music, Today In Pop Culture |
Image from Disco Demolition Night in Chicago; July 12, 1979
Today is an important, nay, pivotal day in pop culture history because of two shocking and relevant events.
Music Review: End Of Love, Ghosts On The Radio
Published on December 11th, 2015 in: Music, Music Reviews, Reviews |
There are a lot of cooks in the band End Of Love. The press release refers to them as a collective of musicians, and from the unevenness of their album Ghosts On The Radio, it certainly seems they’re more of a collective. The players on Ghosts On The Radio read like a who’s who of college radio: Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth, Chris Stamey from the dB’s, members of Wilco and Big Star. There’s a rotating cast of vocalists, most notably Django Haskins from Old Ceremony, but also Skylar Gudasz, Karlie Bruce, and Elisa Peimer.
Today In Pop Culture: The Circus That Came to Town Late
Published on December 11th, 2015 in: Movies, Music, Today In Pop Culture |
Dusty: “What does that mean? Infamous?”
Ned: “Ah, Dusty! Infamous is when you’re more than famous! This guy El Guapo is not just famous, he’s IN-famous!”
—Three Amigos!
I’m not sure if The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is famous or infamous, so maybe it’s both. We do know that on December 11, 1968, some of the biggest rock acts in the world got together to film a concert special. The Stones were the headliners, with Mick Jagger resplendent in a ringmaster’s outfit, the master of ceremonies for a carnival-like concert film that ended up being lost for decades.
Today In Pop Culture: The Grand Ole Opry Still Exists
Published on December 10th, 2015 in: Music |
There was a time when radio was king. That was your nightly entertainment. No cable, no Internet, no television, nothing but tinny voices coming out of a vacuum-tube powered box. Weird, huh? We’re so spoiled.