The Time Machine

I own a time machine.  It's small enough to fit in my pocket (although large enough to prompt people to ask me, "Is that a time machine in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?").  The time machine is in the form of a portable hard drive that has tens of thousands of songs on it, many of them have memories attached to them.

Today as I was busy at work wrapping up a project that fell on my lap yesterday afternoon that had a deadline of EOB today, I found myself thrust back to my freshman year of college.

I spent most of my formative early years in the eighties.  I watched all of my siblings get married in that decade, not to mention many of my nieces and nephews were also born in that decade.  Heck, I'm closer in age to most of them than I am to my own siblings.

I never bought into the whole grunge thing.  I mean I appreciated that that kind of music and its lyrics appealed and spoke to many of my peers but it fell rather flat with me.  For a little over half of the nineties, I was in denial that the eighties were over.  My freshman year of college I had reached such a state of denial that I was referring to the year as nineteen-eighty-sixteen (the denial came on much stronger my second semester than it had been my first semester).

I was a college radio DJ and much of the music I played had been popular in the eighties or it was more recent music of bands who had been far more popular in the eighties than they were in the nineties.

So today when Johnny Hates Jazz's Shattered Dreams started playing it was nineteen-eighty-sixteen all over again.  I could see myself dressing in 80s fashion, still listening to the music of that era, and yearning for reruns of Family Ties, The Cosby Show, Growing Pains, ALF, Amazing Stories, Cheers, and even some of the lesser known shows of that era: The Greatest American Hero and Voyagers (the latter of which was my favorite show when I was in first grade...  no wonder years later I ended up getting my BA in History).

Today's journey to the past kind of felt like a nested journey, I was taken back to an era when I felt a strong sense of nostalgia for an earlier era.  That being said I also felt a twinge of nostalgia for my brief spell in the late seventies, being a toddler watching Deney Terio on Dance Fever (I only have a few memories of my toddlerhood- being a fan of Dance Fever is one of them, and making my sister, Laurie, play her 8-track of Billy Joel's The Stranger whenever I wandered into her bedroom are probably the most vivid).

I don't know where this time machine will take me next, no matter "when" it takes me, it tends to leave a smile on my face.

Politicizing a tragedy

Attempting to link Sarah Palin's politics to Jared Loughner's shooting rampage in Arizona last weekend is akin to me linking my taste in music to the snowstorms that have been plaguing the East Coast this winter.  In an effort to curb the high volumes of East Coast snow, I'll stop listening to my favorite band.

...  and that's all I have to say about that.

Looking back and looking forward too much can give you whiplash.

This time of year many bloggers, myself included, have in the past released detailed lists-- the best albums, movies, books, whatever of the year, the most defining moments etc. etc. 

For some reason I just haven't felt as compelled to do that this year as I have in years past.  There are albums that were released this year that I found to be enjoyable and worthy of mention on such a list were I to write one (oh okay, stop twisting!). 

5.  Yoso Elements: featuring former members of Yes, Toto, and even a Yes covers band.  Their music is more prog-rock than Asia or Toto but more accessible and pop-friendly than Yes. 
4.  Black Country Communion Black Country featuring Glenn Hughes (ex-Deep Purple), Joe Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater), and Jason Bonham.  While all of the songs are enjoyable they're all very similar.  Individually each song is thoroughly enjoyable, but trying to listen to the album as a whole can feel a bit repetitive.
3.  The Cat Empire Cinema Great Aussie party band with a horn section jazz/ska/pop.  Thoroughly enjoyable album but it still doesn't match up to the brilliance of their debut nor 2005's Two Shoes.
2.  Steve Lukather Alls Well That Ends Well:  Toto guitarist's most personal album since 1997's Luke.  It picks up right where 2008's Ever Changing Times leaves off.
1.  Steve Hackett Out of the Tunnel's Mouth: The first "perfect" album I've heard in a LONG time.  Easily Hackett's best solo album of his career thus far.  That's saying a lot as he's had some real beauties over the past few decades.

I did read books this year that I thoroughly enjoyed at the time I read them... but the one that stuck with me most (This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper) I've already written about. ("and that's all I have to say about that"- in my best Forrest Gump voice).


I know this is the time of year when people tend to take stock of their lives... but as Minnie Driver said in Grosse Point Blank, "Leave your livestock alone!"  People also tend to both reflect on the year that's passed and make plans/resolutions/promises to be broken about the year to come.  If you're a regular reader, you know I've already reflected on last year. 

For some reason this year I'm a bit more noncommital on any further of my traditional reflections of the past.  A few years ago the future was so bright I was wearing shades-- recently married, secure job, new home, the economy was looking good.  Then someone turned out the lights and I was stuck in my sunglasses at night.  When the lights came back on what I saw no longer resembled what I'd been seeing before.    This has left me with some reticence about going forward in life with my eyes holding a steady gaze in the rearview mirror, cell phone in one hand, razor in the other, while I steer with my knee and read the newspaper going 70 mph in bumper to bumper traffic. (phew... have to stop and catch my breath after so many metaphors, not to mention 80s song references in such a short span of time). 

As one who has traditionally been overly nostalgic I'm finding the luster of nostalgia wearing off.  Not sure whether it's from generally world weariness or if perhaps I've reached the top of my hill that so many of us get teased about being over after a certain age.  If it's the latter, I'm here a bit early.  I think I'll stick around and enjoy the view for a few years let others my age catch up so we can all go down the other side together.

Comfort "Food"

Every year, autumn greets me with a strange mix of comfort and melancholy.  Perhaps it's my October birthday, and with it the general reflection that comes with birthdays, the resistance to aging and the wistful nostalgia of my youth all rolled into one.  Or perhaps it's just the dwindling hours of daylight that culminate with the days in which all of my daylight is spent in an office cubicle.  The sun just rising as I walk into my office and setting before I exit in the evening.   

The changing of the leaves while beautiful gives way to the starkness of naked trees.  As the weather cools, and the daylight wanes I find myself listening to a fall soundtrack of sorts:

1.  The Verve Pipe - Miles Away: Brian Vander Ark is a brilliant and underrated songwriter.  There's a poignant vulnerability to this song.  The music evokes overcast fall days with auburn leaves that haven't yet shed from their trees.  ("Today was a strange day, I meant what I said, Today was the first day that I've looked ahead.")
2.  Chroma Key - Another Permanent Address : There's a relaxed laidback vibe to this song wrapped around some rather melancholy lyrics about the end of a relationship.  But it feels more like the end of a season. ("Always it's the same situation, it's got to be somebody's fault, But I never know what to do, so let's say we put the blame on you")
3.  Gabriela Kulka - Space Dye Vest: Incidentally this song was written by Kevin Moore/Chroma Key and originally performed by Dream Theater.  Ms. Kulka's vocal delivery has a haunting edge to it that was/is missing from James LaBrie's delivery on the Dream Theater original ("Love is an act of blood and I'm bleeding a pool in the shape of a heart, beauty projection in the reflection, always the worst place to start").  I can feel the leaves falling from the trees with each note.
4.  Gotye - Hearts a Mess: I was only recently introduced to the delightful music of Wally De Backer.  His music has a quality that makes it perfect driving music.  This song in particular feels "right" for this season. ("Pick apart the pieces of your heart, let me peer inside, Let me in, where only your thoughts have been, let me occupy your mind, as you do mine")
5.  Hunters & Collectors - True Believers:  There's a muted trumpet that dances through this song like the lines on a highway on chilly fall drive.  ("Let's go dancing in our Sunday clothes, let's raise a glass to the life we chose, can't believe after all these years, you're still laughing, it brings me to tears")  This was H&C's final album and this song was their farewell to each other and their fans before going their seperate ways. 
6.  Poco - Indian Summer: Every fall there's that brief spell of summer weather before the temperatures drop and the leaves finish their exodus from the trees ("There's a full moon in the sky, it's got a hold on me, I'm hypnotized")
7.  Neil Young - Harvest Moon: What Autumn playlist would be complete without either Harvest or Harvest Moon by Neil Young.  Personally I prefer the latter but one or the other is an essential song for any soundtrack for Fall.
8.  Chicago - Happy Cause I'm Goin' Home: A predominantly instrumental piece from their often overlooked 3rd album.  There's a relaxed whimsy to the song.
9.  Pat Dailey - Here In the North: Dailey is the Great Lakes answer to Jimmy Buffet.  His songs vary from the melancholy style and nature of Gordon Lightfoot to the relaxed island whimsy of Buffet.  ("Here in the north we're just further from the sun, but the geese still fly, and the rivers still run")  Up until his death in 1999, Shel Silverstein wrote many of the lyrics for Dailey's songs. 
10.  Queen - Those Were the Days of Our Lives: One of the final songs Freddie Mercury recorded before his untimely death. ("Sometimes I get to feelin' like I was back in the old days, long ago, when we were kids, when we were young, things seemed so perfect, you know, the days were endless, we were crazy, we werew young, the sun was always shining, we just lived for fun, sometimes it seems like lately, I just don't know, the rest of my life's been just a show")

What does your Autumn soundtrack look like?

Music is a warm blanket

This past weekend I was driving down the road, Chicago 17 blasting out of my car stereo. Next thing I knew I was eleven years old and "discovering" Chicago for the first time all over again. My life has changed substantially since then-- friends have come and gone, relatives have passed away, I've relocated nearly 900 miles away from where I grew up, been in love a few times, had my heart broken nearly as many, even managed to break a heart myself, gotten married, and now the latest turn on my life's journey-- fatherhood.


But in all that mileage of the twenty plus years of life since I initially "discovered" Chicago (back when my allowance started taking a sharp shift away from toys and towards music) they have been my beacon, my compass, and my warm blanket. It's that music from those early formative years of my life starting in my late "tweens" that has been my constant.

It's little wonder than when the chips are down and things aren't going well that I find tremendous comfort in their music-- especially those albums from the eighties that came out during those still innocent days of my youth.

This past weekend was no different. Without going into detail I've hit a bit of a rough patch and there are some days when it gets me down a bit more than others. So I popped in a CD that is much more an old friend to me than it is a mere piece of music. And, for a few minutes at least, I was a young carefree eleven year old and I was falling in love with that music for the first time all over again. And in spite of my troubles of late, I was able to find my smile again. My smile is also a friend, but one that has visited far less frequently of late. It was good to see him again.

Toto bassist Mike Porcaro diagnosed with ALS

As many of you know, one of my favorite bands is Toto. I recently learned that their long-time bass player, Mike Porcaro, has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

Mike was not Toto's original bass player. In 1980 then bass player, David Hungate, decided to retire from touring. So Mike was asked to join his brothers Steve (on keyboards) and Jeff (on drums) in Toto... at least on the road. Following the success of Toto IV, David Hungate decided to retire from the band altogether and became one of the most in demand session bass players in Nashville. Mike officially became a full member of the band at that point.

I saw Toto live but once in their 30+ year career. It was a chilly November night at the House of Blues in Chicago on their Falling In Between tour. Mike was there, sitting on a stool playing bass like a trouper. He did not look comfortable but he played like a true champ. I later found out that he was having medical issues even then (2006).

A few years ago I had the pleasure of interviewing one of Mike's former bandmates, vocalist Joseph Williams, on the telephone. He regaled me with the following tale of Mike Porcaro:

...when we walked out on stage during that same tour in Hanover, Germany and Mike Porcaro slipped and shattered his elbow before we had even played the first note and he put the bass over his shoulders and manged to get through about four tunes and then he just couldn't do it any longer and Jeff had to get up and go stand out in front of the audience and tell them that Mike had broken his arm and that we were gonna have to stop and that was actually the last show on the Fahrenheit tour. And Mike was taken to a doctor and [he] put a cast on his arm and we all came home and that was the end of that tour.

In light of Mike's illness, some former members of Toto including guitarist Steve Lukather, keyboardists David Paich and Steve Porcaro, vocalist Joseph Williams, drummer Simon Phillips, and special guest Nathan East on bass are getting together for a small European tour to raise money to help pay for some of Mike's medical bills (the disease has already started to adversely affect his ability to play bass-- his livelihood. He sat out the band's final tour in 2008 on doctor's orders).

This tour will be the first time that Steve Porcaro has toured with Toto since their 1997 mini reunion tour and only the 2nd time touring with Toto since he left the band in the eighties. It's also the first time David Paich will have toured with Toto since 2002 or 2003. He retired from touring for undisclosed family reasons at that time and was replaced on the road by grammy winning keyboardist, Greg Phillenganes.

It's interesting to note that this band is more "Toto" than the band that was on the 2008 farewell tour which only had 2 original members (one of which, Bobby Kimball, had been fired in 1984 and re-hired in 1998). This tour will feature 3 original members (Paich, Lukather, and Steve Porcaro) not to mention fan favorite vocalist Joseph Williams (Toto's lead vocalist from 1986-1989). I wish they were playing some dates in the US... Hopefully they'll release a live album from this tour with some of the proceeds going to either help out Mike and his family or possibly to some ALS medical research foundation.

Brand New Day

This morning on the way to work I popped in a CD as I wasn't in the mood for the drone of talk radio I often listen to on my morning commutes. The first song to play was Al Kooper's Brand New Day from his Easy Does It album. It really started my day on an upbeat note:

Last night I had a dream that the world was changin’ by leaps and bounds
It started up in the bigger cities and it spread to the smaller towns
The people began to small at people that they never even seen
And when Jeremiah woke me up, I was ready to live that dream

Well it’s a brand new day
Brand new way
Brand new day
Uhh-huhhh
Give it to me!
Alright!

You know the mother called the father on the telephone
She cried “My God I’m so upset”
She said “The boy left home naked this mornin’ all he took was the TV set”
Then the sister picked up the extension and she said, “He’s just doin’ his thing.”
Then the father hung up on the mother
And the children began to sing

Well it’s a brand new day
Yessir, brand new way
Brand new day
Uhh-huhhh
We’ve got to put our heads together
And see where we’re goin’ from there
We’ve got to fight for what we believe in
‘Cause there’s somethin’ in the air

It’s a brand new day
That’s right
Brand new way
Brand new day
I can feel it growin’ stronger every minute now

Twenty million shadows stormin’ at the gates
Now how can you be surprised?
With the image of the fallen four reflected in their eyes
Though twenty million tongues are shoutin’ out it’s only heard by a precious few
But the years of night will pass forever when the sun comes shinin’ through

On a brand new day
Brand new way
Yessir, brand new day
Hey, people you know that it’s a brand new day
Brand new way
Brand new way of walkin’
Brand new day
Yessir, brand new way

It’s alright
Yes it’s alright
It’s alright now
It’s alright
And it’s alright
Yes it’s alright
And it’s alright

I'm guessing that the "fallen four" that Kooper sings of, are the four students killed at Kent State in 1970 (considering Easy Does It came out in '70). But even in light of his mention of that tragedy, Kooper's attitude is one that's upbeat and optimistic for the future-- a message that is generally rather timeless. And it's a considerably more upbeat way to start my day than listening to political talk radio and the gripefest about Harry Reid.

Now the key is to hold on to that upbeat optimism throughout the rest of the week. After all, ever day is a "brand new day" and there's no need to dwell on the negatives of the past or worrying about things that haven't yet happened. The only thing you're ever fully in control of is the present. Take care of the present on this brand new day and the future, you'll find, will sort itself out. As for the past, what's done is done. You can't change it, so rather than dwell on how things could have been better... it's best to make them better now.

Christmas Music

With the Christmas season upon us now is as good a time as any to bring this up. For those of you who enjoy Christmas music what are some of your favorites? What do you think are the "definitive versions" of some of the Christmas classics? And what's your take on the new Christmas offerings this season from Bob Dylan?!?! and REO Speedwagon?

Some of my favorites include:
Hall & Oates - Jingle Bell Rock (I actually prefer their version over the original)
Roch Voisine - O Holy Night (my favorite version of my favorite Christmas song. Voisine is a French-Canadian singer with an exceptional voice who releases albums in his native Canada in both English and French. He has 2 Christmas albums, 1 in French, 1 in English)
Roch Voisine - I'll Be Home For Christmas
Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas
Chicago - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Chicago - What Child Is This
Chicago - O Come All Ye Faithful
Chicago - Bethlehem (an original song by Bill Champlin)
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Little Drummer Boy
David Bowie/Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy
John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Bing Crosby - White Christmas
Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas
Olivia Olson - All I Want for Christmas Is You (from the movie Love Actually, I much prefer this version over Mariah Carey's version)
Craig Armstrong - Glasgow Love Theme (a beautiful instrumental theme from Love Actually)
Billy Mack - Christmas Is All Around (also from Love Actually. It reminds me of the movie, which I love so as bad as it is, it always makes me smile)
Trans Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve Sarajevo
Steve Lukather & Sammy Davis Jr. - Jingle Bells (from Lukather's Santamental CD, very tongue-in-cheek, very fun)
Dan Fogleberg - Same Auld Lang Syne
Kevin Gilbert & Jonathan Brooke - O Come Emmanuel
Robert Lamm - O Little Town of Bethlehem (I have no idea what this is from. It doesn't appear on Chicago's Christmas album. It even predates it by several years. It's also not on any of Lamm's solo albums, but he does a great job on it)

And this gets an honorable mention because it's such an unusual departure from the traditional arangement of the song:

Jon Anderson - Oh Holy Night

Your turn!

A look back...

Some of the music blogs I read have been reviewing assorted albums released in 1969 (and thus celebrating their 40th anniversary this year) and discussing the impact these albums have had on their lives. Despite personally having a younger vintage than these albums some of them did have a rather strong impact on me.

Some of the better albums released that year:

The Beatles Abbey Road
Chicago Transit Authority s/t
The Sons of Champlin Loosen Up Naturally
King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King
Led Zeppelin II
Yes s/t
Quicksilver Messenger Service Happy Trails (live)
Doors The Soft Parade
The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed
Blood Sweat & Tears s/t
The Who Tommy
Boz Scaggs s/t (incidentally this one makes the list largely due to the Duane Allman guitar solo on Loan Me a Dime)

I've only reviewed 2 from the list (follow the links if interested) but those 2 albums have a lot in common:

Both the Sons of Champlin & Chicago:
had guitarists named Terry (Kath in Chicago, Haggerty in the Sons of Champlin)
had 7 members
had a 3 piece horn section
had double LP debut albums
had debut albums released on the exact same day
at one point or other in their history featured Bill Champlin on lead vocals, keyboards, and sometimes guitar.
and... admittedly this last one is a bit of a stretch. The last song on Chicago's debut is the 14+ minute Liberation. The last song on the Sons of Champlin's debut is the 14+ minute Freedom.

As a teenager I listened to both of their debut albums incessantly. I just couldn't get enough. The music was and still is excellent. And it never fails, I'm always able to hear something "new" that I didn't notice on previous listens.

It was the musical adventurousness, innovation, and overall inventiveness of these bands that opened my ears, heart, and mind to a lot of other great music of the same era.

Veteran's Day

In honor of Veteran's Day here are the lyrics to some of my favorite songs dedicated to war veterans:

I Was Only 19 (A Walk In the Light Green) - Redgum (about an ANZAC Vietnam vet)
Mum and Dad and Denny saw the passing-out parade at Puckapunyal
It was a long march from cadets.
The sixth battalion was the next to tour, and it was me who drew the card.
We did Canungra, Shoalwater before we left.

And Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the quay
This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and clean.
And there's me in my slouch hat with my SLR and greens.
God help me, I was only nineteen.

From Vung Tau, riding Chinooks, to the dust at Nui Dat
I'd been in and out of choppers now for months.
But we made our tents a home, VB and pinups on the lockers
And an Agent Orange sunset through the scrub.

And can you tell me, doctor, why I stil can't get to sleep?
The night-time's just a jungle dark and a barking M16?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, I was only ninteen.

A four week operation when each step could mean your last one on two legs
It was a war within yourself.
But you wouldn't let your mates down til they had you dusted off
So you closed your eyes and thought about something else.

Then someone yelled "Contact!" and the bloke behind me swore
We hooked in there for hours, then a Godalmighty roar
Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon,
God help me, he was going home in June.

I can still see Frankie, drinking tinnies in the Grand Hotel
On a thirty-six hour rec leave in Vung Tau
And I can still hear Frankie, lying screaming in the jungle
Til the morphine came and killed the bloody row.

And the Anzac legends didn't mention mud and blood and tears
And the stories that my father told me never seemed quite real.
I caught some pieces in my back that I didn't even feel
God help me, I was only nineteen.

And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep?
And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, I was only nineteen.


Khe Sanh - Cold Chisel (another song about the ANZAC Vietnam experience)

I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh
And my soul was sold with my cigarettes to the blackmarket man
I've had the Vietnam cold turkey
From the ocean to the Silver City
And it's only other vets could understand

About the long forgotten dockside guarantees
How there were no V-day heroes in 1973
How we sailed into Sydney Harbour
Saw an old friend but couldn't kiss her
She was lined, and I was home to the lucky land

And she was like so many more from that time on
Their lives were all so empty, till they found their chosen one
And their legs were often open
But their minds were always closed
And their hearts were held in fast suburban chains
And the legal pads were yellow, hours long, paypacket lean
And the telex writers clattered where the gunships once had been
But the car parks made me jumpy
And I never stopped the dreams
Or the growing need for speed and novacaine

So I worked across the country end to end
Tried to find a place to settle down, where my mixed up life could mend
Held a job on an oil-rig
Flying choppers when I could
But the nightlife nearly drove me round the bend

And I've travelled round the world from year to year
And each one found me aimless, one more year the more for wear
And I've been back to South East Asia
But the answer sure ain't there
But I'm drifting north, to check things out again

You know the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
Only seven flying hours, and I'll be landing in Hong Kong
There ain't nothing like the kisses
From a jaded Chinese princess
I'm gonna hit some Hong Kong mattress all night long

Well the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
Yeah the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone
And it's really got me worried
I'm goin' nowhere and I'm in a hurry
And the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone


What's a Few Men - Hunters & Collectors (about the WWI - Battle of Galipoli)

The colonel said "these bodies stink wont someone come and drag them away"
We try to clean them up but they mow us down
And the English colonel looks the other way
Oh the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
Well I ran for the trench but I had no time to speak
Well my heart said yes
But my head said no
When the English colonel said "its time to go"

He said "Whats a few men?"
He said "Whats a few men?"
He said "Whats a few men?"

The colonel's job is never done
So he declares timeout on Christmas Day
We held the enemy in our arms
And we ploughed each others dead into the clay
Well the Lord said death will be no longer
And all of these things will pass away
There will be no sorrow and there will be no pain
And we'll swap cigrettes on christmas day

Well my heart said yes
But my head said no
When the English colonel said "its time to go"

He said "Whats a few men?"
He said "Whats a few men?"
He said "Whats a few men?"

I realize that all 3 of those songs are Australian and are about the ANZAC soldiers, not American ones. This isn't a reflection of the sacrifices of Australian soldiers vs. that of American soldiers it's more a reflection of Aussie songwriters vs. American songwriters. There are some decent American songs about veterans (Springsteen's Born In the USA and Billy Joel's Goodnight Saigon and the late Harry Chapin's Mercenaries all come to mind) but I don't find those songs to pack the emotional wallop of the above songs.

the 80s

Over the years I've accrued Billboard's Top 100 hits for every year in the eighties (except 1980)... While I have memories of music from the late seventies and the early eighties for some reason 1980 is a bit of a musical black hole for me. I looked over the hits from that year and didn't find that many that I had/have any emotional connection to.

So anyway-- I'm listening to this music and feeling this music a regular sucker punch of nostalgia and it's not just the good stuff, there's some real cornball stuff that I'd almost rather not even cop to being familiar with that is triggering some rather random memories.

So, could I re-create the 80s with my daughter by exposing her to predominantly eighties music? Maybe I need to expose her to some eighties movies too... stuff like Real Genius, Better Off Dead, One Crazy Summer, How I Got Into College, the Back to the Future trilogy, the first two Indiana Jones films... Or would that be considered child abuse?

Bill Champlin leaves Chicago

Yesterday I learned that one of my favorite musicians, Bill Champlin, left one of my favorite bands-- Chicago. While not an original member of the band, Bill had been in Chicago for over 28 years and was an integral part of their popular renaissance in the eighties. And while it wasn't so much Bill's voice that got me hooked on Chicago's music as an eleven year old boy back in the fall of 1988, it was largely Bill's voice which held my interest in the band's recent back catalog-- before I'd started to discover their earlier works with the late great Terry Kath.

It was through Bill's gritty soulful vocals that I discovered his OTHER band, The Sons of Champlin-- a staple of the San Francisco Bay area music scene of the late sixties and into the seventies. And in discovering the Sons, I also branched out into some of their contemporaries like Tower of Power and Quicksilver Messenger Service.

Due to lack of significant output in recent years, my interest in Chicago has waned. However they are my musical compass... Whenever life has been too overwhelming or confusing it's been Chicago's music I've returned to. And it's that music that brought me back to happier times and given me the strength and focus to re-center and re-focus on life before tackling whatever issues had been plaguing me.

Bill's departure, while not entirely unexpected given his level of professionalism and musical adventurousness contrasted with the complacency of his now former band is somewhat bittersweet. Now Bill has the time to devote to making new music, to being himself and stretching out-- to being the consumate professional he's always been at heart. But on the flipside, Chicago has lost one of the few (if not only) bandmember interested in creating new music and driving forward rather than looking back.

During Bill's 28 plus tenure in Chicago, I had the pleasure of seeing them live 9 times. I'll always treasure my memories of those shows... the first two in 1993 and 1994 featured 6 hour (roundtrip) road trips from the Northern tier of NY to the capitol district (Albany/Latham/Saratoga Springs) 3 hours south with my father I'll hold especially dear. Since I've moved over 16 hours away from my parents my time with them is limited these days-- I treasure the special times I had with them when I was growing up and lived closer-- and I hold my memories of the Chicago concerts we attended together especially dear.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bill in 1994 after Chicago's concert @ the Starlite Theatre in Latham and again the following year prior to their concert at the Joyce Center @ Notre Dame. Bill was then and from what I can tell, continues to be, a class act.

I will continue to enjoy the music Bill has already recorded and look forward to the music he's yet to create. I'm excited about what the future has in store for him and at the same time growing more pessimistic about the future creative output (or lack thereof) of his former band in his absence.

Here's Bill performing Turn Your Love Around back in 1994:



For more Bill Champlin related goodness:
More Bill Champlin related reviews
Bill Champlin's Official Website

Do you still believe in Father Christmas?

Merry Christmas to all! Sometimes cover versions of songs are respectable, sometimes they surpass the original version (Joe Cocker's cover of With a Little Help From My Friends and UB40's cover of Red Red Wine both come to mind).

With that in mind--

U2 - I Believe in Father Christmas



And for those who prefer/miss the original
Greg Lake - I Believe in Father Christmas

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Now playing: Sarah Blasko - Flame Trees
via FoxyTunes

Dear ToTo

I remember it was 1992 or 1993 at one of the music stores at the Champlain Center. I was peripherally familiar with Toto, I had their Past to Present greatest hits collection and quite enjoyed it. So I picked up their then latest album, Kingdom of Desire. The artwork was decidedly different than the typical cover art with the sword that had graced many of their previous albums.

When I popped it into my CD player for the first time I didn't know what to think. It wasn't at all what I had expected. This did not sound at all like the same band responsible for Rosanna, Africa, Hold the Line or I'll Be Over You. No this CD had an energy to it. It had an attitude to it. It was as if the band had taken their music to a completely different level.

And so began my musical love affair with Toto. I bring this up now, because on June 5, 2008 an official press release was issued by the band... After 31 years Toto was no more. On their final tour there were only 2 original members on stage, 1 of which (Bobby Kimball) had been absent from 1984 to 1998. Guitarist, Steve Lukather, didn't want the band to be a caricature of itself and he said Toto without at least one of the Porcaro brothers was not really Toto.

The band had formed after many of them had done sessions for Boz Scaggs grammy-winning Silk Degrees album with David Paich and Steve Porcaro both on keyboards and vocals, Steve Lukather on guitar, Jeff Porcaro on drums, David Hungate on bass, and Bobby Kimball on vocals. In 1980 David Hungate retired from touring and was replaced by Mike Porcaro and in 1982 after Toto IV was released Hungate left the band completely and Porcaro was invited in as a full member of the band. Steve Porcaro left in 1986, Jeff Porcaro died in 1992 leaving only Mike... and on the recent world tour Mike Porcaro was unable to tour with the band as he was recovering from surgery on his hand... marking the 2008 tour the first time that no members of the Porcaro family were on stage with the band.

Toto was a band of musicians musicians. They all excelled at their respective instruments. Throughout the eighties almost every pop album released featured at least one former or current member of Toto on at least one song. From Roger Hodgson to Richard Marx to Chicago members of Toto were ubiquitous.

And over the past 16 years or so I was part of their musical journey, in November 2006 I finally had the opportunity to see them perform live, in light of the recent announcement am I ever glad that I did.

If you've heard Rosanna, Africa, or Hold the Line and believe you know Toto-- you're mistaken. I recently made a mix CD for a friend of mine. She was a bit of a Steely Dan fan and one of our mutual favorite musicians, Bill Champlin, had been quoted as referring to Toto as "they're like Steely Dan with teeth." About a week or so after she received the CD in the mail and had the chance to digest it she dropped me a note thanking me and indicating that the "Steely Dan with teeth" quote was spot on.

So, it's with heavy heart and a touch of sadness that I post this:

Dear Toto (all members past & present),

Thanks for the music, thanks for the memories. It's been a great ride!

Cheers,
Perplexio

Music, Art, & Literature that touch your soul

Lately I've been re-exploring my love of and interest in early twentieth century American authors. A few years back I read Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie, Ernest Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises (which was far better than For Whom the Bell Tolls which I'd been forced to read in high school), and Sinclair Lewis's Main Street. A few months ago I read F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise and currently I'm reading Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned.

The thing is, reading these novels through an early 21st century lens is not that enjoyable. So as I read these books I put myself in the mindset of the age in which they were written and in so doing my appreciation for these works increases substantially. Take for example the following passages from The Beautiful and Damned:

He was wondering at the unreality of ideas, at the fading radiance of existence, and at the little absorptions that were creeping avidly into his life, like rats into a ruined house. He was sorry for no one now-- on Monday morning there would be his business, and later there would be a girl of another class whose life he was; these were the things nearest his heart . In the strangeness of the brightening day it seemed presumptuous that with this feeble broken instrument of his mind he had ever tried to think. (page 237, 238 Enriched Classic edition)

Her bosom is still a pavement that she offers to the hoofs of many passing stallions, hoping that their iron shoes may strike even a spark of romance in the darkness... (page 247 Enriched Classic edition)

There's a penetrating and timeless loneliness and emptiness in both those passages that Fitzgerald captured with brilliance conveying a tremendous depth of emotion. Being a bit of a solitary person myself, it's often passages like this, the artwork of Edward Hopper, the lyrics of Harry Chapin that really strike a chord with me, that speak to not just on an intellectual level but on an emotional level as well. I feel the intensity of emotion in the words and it strikes me clear to my very soul.

So what writers, painters, musicians push your buttons? Which writers make you not just read and appreciate their words, but make you feel their words? With which artists do you FEEL their works? Which musicians strum the chords of your soul?

Colour My World

So, last night I was putzing around YouTube and found:





Considering I've been a Chicago fan since I was about 11 years old I'm all too familiar with Colour My World. But last night as I watched that video clip I was struck clear to the core with a sense of nostalgic melancholy. The song has never had that effect on me before.

I felt like I was hearing the song for the first time all over again... And maybe I was, for the first time in a long time I didn't just HEAR the song, I FELT it. It's almost as if we Americans have been so spoon-fed dime-a-dozen cookie cutter crap that's pleasing to listen to but beyond that lacks substance that we've forgotten how to not just hear but also FEEL music. It's hard to feel music, when there's nothing to feel-- when it's completely manufactured vapid crap. Sure, a lot of American rock and roll SOUNDS good, but where's the feeling? Maybe it's just me, but I don't just want to HEAR music, I want to FEEL it.

Maybe that's why Chicago is my musical compass. Their music always helps me find my way "home" emotionally, no matter what else is going on in my life.

I guess that lately I've felt more emotionally adrift in my life than I realized and hearing Colour My World last night just brought me "home."

Random Thoughts and observations

1. Several years ago (either the late eighties or early nineties) the slogan for Toyota was "Who Could Ask For Anything More?" In the mid-late nineties Edwin McCain released the song I Could Not Ask For More. With that in mind is McCain writing about a woman or is he a satisfied Toyota owner with an unnatural affection for his vehicle of choice?
2. In 2006 Survivor (remember them?) released their first new studio album since 1988's Too Hot to Sleep. The album is pretty good, or at least it would have been had it been released in 1989, or maybe 1990 at the latest. An album released in 2006 should not sound like it was released in 1989 or 1990.
   
3. I'm currently on another of my Australian music binges. Lately I've found myself listening to Crowded House, The Cruel Sea, Australian Crawl, and a handful of other distinctly Australian bands. I've come to find that there is something about Aussie music that sounds "different" than similar music from the United States. And while it does sound similar, there is something about it that's distinctly different. Oh, and much of it is pretty damn good-- many of us North Americans are missing out.
4. Over the weekend I rented and watched 10,000 BC. 2 Observations. The leading lady in the film whose name I don't currently know had/has some of the most strikingly beautiful eyes I've ever seen. AAAAAnnnnd, the film was not at all what I was expecting, the only reason I kept watching through to the end was because of the leading lady with the strikingly beautiful blue eyes. Oh and there's some decent violence but it wasn't "ultra" violence and there was no Ludwig van... so Malcolm MacDowell would not have approved.
   
5. I'd like to start a presidential campaign a la Richard Pryor's mayoral campaign in Brewster's Millions-- "Vote for None of the Above!" McCain's 2008 Presidential platform is a bit different than his 2000 Presidential platform so there's no telling which McCain we'd actually get and Obama's lack of foreign policy and military experience has me rather leery. Regardless of whether or not we should have gone to Iraq in the first place, we're there now. If we leave before the job is done, chances are we'll have to send our kids or grandkids over to clean up the mess we'd create by pulling out too soon. In other words going in may have been wrong, but pulling out too soon is wrong too... and last I checked 2 wrongs still didn't/don't make a right.
   

Well I didn't see my shadow but I'm still going to dip back into my hole for a spell.

Cheers!

Surf's Up

The waves are pounding on the sand tonight
I want to take your hand and make it feel so right
I know I'm ready and I'll never be like this again

And the sky is trembling and the moon is pale
We're on the edge of forever and we're never gonna fail
I know you're ready and we're runnin' on the back of the wind

Chorus:
And my body is burning like a naked wire
I want to turn on the juice, I want to fall in the fire
I'm gonna drown in the ocean in a bottomless sea
I want to give you what I'm hoping you'll be giving to me
And when the waves are pounding on the sand tonight
I want to take your hand and make it good and make it right
And now the sky is trembling and the moon is pale
We're on the edge of forever and we're never gonna fail, no

How hard, how hard, how hard do I gotta try?

Surf's up, surf's up, surf's up and so am I, surf's up and so am I

(chorus)

How hard, how hard, how hard do I gotta try? (I want all of your love)
Surf's up (I need it so bad), surf's up (I need it so bad)
Surf's up and so am I (I gotta give you some love)
Surf's up and so am I, and so am I, and so am I, and so am I

As teenagers we build up that special moment in our minds so much that for far too few of us, it's impossible for the eventual reality to ever match the expectation and fantasy of what we expect and want our first time to be like. Jim Steinman's Surf's Up ever so perfectly captures that feeling, that anticipation of a first experience that we build up so much in our hearts and minds.

The reality is often far coarser and clumsy than the fantasy... It's our first time after all, it's not like we have the experience to be "good and right." I seriously doubt Babe Ruth hit a home run in his very first at bat (he did start off as a pitcher after all, and a damn good one at that). That came with time and experience, it came from learning how to communicate with that special someone or those special someones-- learning which of her buttons to push and when and how.

But still, I remember that feeling. I remember idealizing the experience of not just losing my virginity but also falling in love... and being a teenager of course those feelings and emotions were cranked to eleven. And every time I listen to this song, I can't help but be taken back to my clumsy awkward adolescence... and it puts a smile on my face. In some ways the reality could never have lived up to the fantasy but in other ways the reality was, oh so much better. As a teen I was quite self-absorbed, lost in my own world. I kept to myself, I was a loner by nature. I did have a handful of close friends and they were great but being so self-absorbed, I remember the fantasy being all about me... Whereas the reality is all about the "us." There's a certain symbiosis in love that goes far beyond what I ever imagined it could be.

Related Link
Download Jim Steinman's Surf's Up from Amazon.com

Interesting Randomness

Back in 2006, about a week or two before my 30th birthday party, I threw together a huge playlist. Perhaps I got a bit overzealous with it, but I saved the playlist and still listen to it from time to time. For curiosity's sake I set it up to play the playlist from start to finish on Saturday night at about 11 pm Central... It's now Monday at about 7:23 pm Central and only about 60% of the list has played. At this rate it probably won't play through until Wednesday night or possibly even Thursday.

Either way, maybe my expectations for the length of my birthday party were a bit unrealistic... but I guarantee there were NO songs repeated that night.

If you're interested in seeing what material was/is on the playlist (although I'm not sure why you would be)... You can find it scrobbling here.

Another Permanent Address

So today I find myself listening to an album that was largely a soundtrack to the summer of 2002, Chroma Key's You Go Now. The ambient melancholy feel of the album draws me back to the hot sticky stifling summer nights of 2002. In a car with no A/C driving stretches of empty road with the hues of dusk still haunting the horizon and living a life that by and large felt like wheels spinning without traction.

Sometimes I want to sleep in the street
But it feels a little funny without you
Down in the basement feeling the pavement
Holding my stomach

And sometimes i can't believe my own feet
So I found another permanent address
Sold the old mattress keeping the changes
Talking to strangers

I knew I could forget you
That's what I'm gonna do
Now I'm staring at a stop sign
Just like the last time

Hey you're everything you dreamed you'd be
What a civilized way to be angry
Locked in the attic, starting to panic
Wait, that's me

Always it's the same situation
It's got to be somebody's fault
But I never know what to do
So let's say we put the blame on you

Standing in a phone booth
Waiting for the punch line
Trying not to call you
Just like the last time

Sometimes I wanna sleep in the street
But it feels a little funny without you
Down in the basement feeling the pavement
Holding my stomach in

And sometimes I can't believe my own feet
So I found another permanent address
Sold the old mattress keeping the changes
Talking to strangers

I knew I could forget you
That's what I'm gonna do
Now I'm staring at a stop sign
Just like the last time

At the time I was debating moving back to Chicago. I'd spent my last semester of college there and I felt homesick for a place I'd only lived for about 3 months. And there was a certain bittersweetness. I'd come to know and love Northern Ohio. It was more home to me than the small town where I grew up in Northern New York. I knew I was about to embark on a grand adventure-- "another permanent address" and say goodbye to the place that had gotten under my skin and into my bloodstream, into my very soul, a place that had come to feel like home in every sense of the word. I was beginning to feel homesick for Ohio and I hadn't even left yet.

And somehow the music from Chroma Key's CDs perfectly captured that mood for me. A strong ambivalence... An excitement for a fresh new start and the yearning melancholy of a goodbye. At the time there was talk of return visits to see old friends and keep those friendships alive... Since leaving Ohio on a brisk autumn day in October 2002, I've returned a grand total of zero times. I guess the road paved with good intentions doesn't go that far. The guy who had been my best friend before I left, I'd drifted so far from that I didn't even have his address to send an invite to my wedding in April 2005.

Listening to this CD again, after so long, I'm feeling that hot sticky summer melancholy and wondering whatever became of some of those people I'd once called friends before I took the winning gamble on love that led me here.