Not a subjective “truth” - the real truth. And, to be clear, that which is beautiful is what uplifts humanity. To put these ideas front, top and center is always a matter of vigilant urgency and perhaps moreso under the current climate of world unrest. It may be worth proposing that war, as a means to subjugate a peaceful nation that poses no threat to a neighbor, is an abomination to all those who value truth and beauty. For those of us not on the front lines of the immediate conflict, being vocal about supporting the defenders of democratic values – not to mention truth and beauty – may seem insignificant. However, watching silently as the bullies run roughshod over the weak is never a noble option. Any sentient being with a conscience – and access to the truth – can easily understand the dangers of autocracy and totalitarianism. Although flawed in a variety of ways as an ongoing experiment – United States style democracy is still a valid export. Movements contrary to the ideals put forward in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution are just as destructive and pernicious now as they ever have been at any point in history. Universal Human Rights are exactly as described and it is the job of any modern government to uphold those rights or be vanquished.
Witnessing the unfolding of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is among the saddest and most frustrating world events I have ever had to live through. As I write, the war is relatively “new” and alarmingly concerning – especially to those like myself who lived through the Cold War and all its attendant paranoias. Plenty of governments around the world are headed up by madmen, true enough. Just how bereft of sanity Putin may be is NOT something I want to think about for too long – or to have it proved in the most destructive of ways. Yet, no need to consider the severity of his affliction – the evidence is already visible. So, in the grand scheme of heavy-duty shit to think about, music and culture may appear to be diversions for the fortunate. Fair enough. Yet, it is the duty of those who have the ability to take a stand for truth and beauty through the humanities, which has ever been my take on it and the purpose of making any small contribution to that end. In the spirit of all that – I was quite moved by the new Pink Floyd song - a collaboration with talented singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk from the Ukranian band Boom Box. Listen here:
A stirring statement indeed. I've been a longtime fan of Gilmour and company (maybe a bit more than Roger Waters as a solo entity, certainly). Considering how much of the Pink Floyd catalog is imbued with the topic of the destructiveness of war – the new offering is entirely within the aesthetic of the band's output. From a musical point of view, Floyd fans are treated to wonderful extended Gilmour soloing and plenty of Nick Mason's tom-tom work (one of the strengths of the song in my opinion). What a different world we have today from the one of Pink Floyd's humble beginnings.....
1967 is so far away. It is difficult to imagine how a sense of idealism could be evident at a difficult point in world history even then. Cold War, Vietnam War, environmental ruination, social unrest and violent reactionaries acted out on a confrontational stage – culminating perhaps in the following year. Although times were bad then too, a sense of idealism did counteract the doom and gloom – however naive it may have been in retrospect. Did that shred of hope really evaporate in 1968? Flower Power might not have transformed the world, but it did represent hope in the face of doom.
In one place you get to see Allen Ginsberg, Abbie Hoffman, Ed Sanders and leading figures of the international emergent counterculture – particularly the Diggers. I'll also recommend perusing the other parts of the Diggers site. Fascinating stuff!
1987 is further in time from us now than folks were from 1967 in that year. Yet, it seems like the world changed more in those 20 years than it has from 1987 to our time. This may or may not be entirely true, but hedging on the possibility that it IS true I'll put the blame on what Ed Sanders roughly termed “The Creeping Meatball”. To get a working definition of what that is, a little extra reading is necessary so I'll hand you over to Ed circa 1968 for a few minutes. Curiously, he has a few things to say about Beauty and Art versus BS as well. Take it away Ed:
Interview with Ed Sanders - Issue 57, July 4-18, 1968 - Fifth Estate Magazine
We all know how the rest of 1968 played out and I'll tie in to 1987 to suggest that the Creeping Meatball won, for the time being. However, I'll also make the observation that the present era is undefined with no clear outcome of how much the Creeping (or Galloping) Meatball may or may not prevail, ultimately. If Ed was pissed off at the LBJ / Nixon axis of crud in his time, we have a whole new cast of villains to contend with now. But what, if anything, represents hope today? I'm not done looking. Before we abandon 1987 though I'll pause to consider a few noteworthy vibrations......
1987 might not go down in music history as a particularly watershed year, but I can recommend a few noteworthy moments. The first one didn't even hit me until many years later – in the mid 2000s actually.
MEAT PUPPETS – MIRAGE
Of course, I later discovered the idea of using drum tracks / triggers, etc....was an aesthetic choice – what was considered “industry standard” at the time (think: BON JOVI). I also eventually discovered a full MIRAGE-era concert recording from 1987 where the band rips through the whole album live (real drums of course) and it's a corker! So..........gradually I found myself re-evaluating the whole notion of live drums – or ANY drums for that matter and realizing – it's all an illusion anyway. The kooky nature of the recording of MIRAGE gives it the unique feel that it has and it works. The Meat Puppets had nothing to prove on record as far as being a kick-ass live band. Records are for radio. Live music is for the fans. So anyway, thanks to Derek Bostrom for yanking me out of my snobby “real drums only” mentality – and I'm being serious here!
For lots and lots of great, free live Meat Puppets shows, check out this cool online archive:
https://archive.org/details/MeatPuppets?&sort=-week&page=2
And as for MIRAGE, oddly enough it is the album that got me to love the Meat Puppets. It's probably a good thing that I never saw them live back in those days. Hearing the fun Live in Montana 1988 release made me realize I could have easily never gone to college and followed them around the country Grateful Dead-style. And that would have been a horrible waste of time, however fun!
Speaking of the Dead and 1987, it dawned on me that this was the big comeback year for those guys with the In the Dark album and Touch of Grey in heavy rotation on MTV. The one and only time I ever saw the Grateful Dead was in July 1987 at Giants Stadium with Bob Dylan. I thought the Dylan segments of the show were lackluster – but the Dead were on top form! They might have been past their peak, but I'm glad I went. Come to think of it, that show was the last stadium rock concert I ever went to. By that point I was more excited to see up and coming acts in small venues. Witnessing the Dead Milkmen playing a community center in Poughkeepsie NY in 1986 was an eye-opening experience for me! Way more fun than watching a classic rock band in a stadium.
Who I didn't get to see in 1987 or 1988 was Husker Du – the band I thought was poised to break through and change music in the right direction. Funny though – I didn't get their last studio album Warehouse: Songs and Stories at the time. So it, like the Meat Puppets album, is not tied in to my memories of that year, strangely enough. What 1987 showed me was a direction out of my childhood. I had discovered an identity totally away from the friends I had as a kid and with one year of high school left, I was ready to move on to a whole new direction in my life. I consider myself fortunate to have lived during a time of peace and relative calm, even though I saw economic changes swirling rapidly around me – the family business was in trouble due to the emergent globalization taking place. Lets not forget it was Republican Nixon who opened China to trade before we pin it all on Clinton and NAFTA. I saw the whole thing changing during the Reagan years long before Clinton. The shoe industry in the United States must have been among the first to move overseas and my family felt the hit long before many others. So much for Reaganomics! Bah!
Before I get too stuck on 1987 it is worth remembering there is LOTS of great new music happening right now as well as new releases of older vibrations....
For example:
Time Outtakes – a wonderful alternate-takes LP from the classic Dave Brubeck Quartet. I have no idea if this material was ever issued on CD before, but this is essential listening. I found this new-ish release fairly cheaply online – beautifully restored from the original tapes by expert New York engineer Scott Petito (also bass man for The Fugs!). Can't say enough positive things about this release. Happy to hear more recordings from the old Columbia church studio on 30th street in New York City (now demolished, alas). Cheers to Petito for preserving the unique drum sound of that studio which captured Joe Morello's artistry behind the kit in dramatic fashion. Now THERE'S some great natural drum sounds for ya!!
Robbie Basho – Songs of the Great Mystery
A new release of “lost” album material from Robbie Basho. These recordings were available as a download for awhile, but the music is presented to better effect on this fine release from Real Gone Music. As troubled as he was, Basho managed to create some beautiful, healing music that remains a totally authentic expression of his vision and artistry. Excellent liner notes from Glen Jones as well. Highly recommended.
Maki Asakawa
This is a compilation double LP made up of choice tracks from the sweep of this fascinating singer's career. Although the singing is all in Japanese, the aesthetic of the music reflect the artist's interest in American Jazz and progressive music. The years span mainly across the 1970s and the music is imbued with the sensibilities of that decade. For those of us who have heard all the great hit music of that decade from the English singing artists, international acts can be a welcome sonic diversion. The liner notes don't add much to the history of who Maki Asakawa was – she was a fairly private person despite her public singing career. In the end, its the music that matters and this 2 LP set is an inexpensive introduction for the curious.
For new NEW music – the following are recent acquisitions....
Ryley Walker – Course in Fable
Of all the artists I latched onto in the last several years, Walker has been among those I've stuck with. This most recent release builds on the more experimental jazz-rock songcraft developed on his 2018 offering Deafman's Glance. Listening to his breakthrough album from years ago Primrose Green it is easy to hear that Walker is more comfortable with his current explorations – he has grown considerably as an artist. It's been a rewarding journey as a listener so far and if his bandcamp activity is any indication of where he's going there will be lots more to look forward to. Hooray!
Gwenifer Raymond – Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain
This was a tough record to find for a reasonable price. Of all online sources, Target was the cheapest – go figure. Raymond is a ferocious guitarist in the advanced American Primitive tradition. The goth vibe is pretty thick here as well, but it's the adventurous music that is the real selling point. I'd bet she's great to see in a live setting!
Jake Xerxes Fussell – Good and Green Again
I admit to being persuaded by a bit of online advertising from Paradise of Bachelors here, but I liked the clips I heard so why not? The music is a different take on the Americana genre – the guitar work is stately and thoughtful with a down-home, no-frills vocal approach on top. It's a calm, slightly wistful record. I found the vinyl record sounded way better than the download. Not sure what accounts for that or if it was my imagination, but this is a record I can throw on anytime. Still digging through it's many layers of enjoyment........
NRBQ – Dragnet
The most recent LP from the legendary band. A short and sweet record with some excellent new songs from Scott Ligon, Casey McDonough and company. Side two kinda runs out of steam, but for $12 I know I got a great deal! And the John Perrin song is way better than one might predict! It will be great to see this talented version of the Q live again!
Lilly Hiatt – Lately
Yes – you know its a new era when a new cassette-only release hits the mailbox. I couldn't resist. The price was right and I was intrigued to hear what John Hiatt's daughter might cook up. The only odd thing about this great new release is some guitar effects found on the second track - the warbling nature of the effect was kinda distracting in the cassette format. Something just didn't sound right so I preferred to listen to the download of this title. Still, I think it's fun to have purchased a new pre-recorded cassette of a new release. Lilly Hiatt is a fantastic artist by the way.....check out this compelling video performance here:
From the long-awaited category.............The Pineapples – Incommunicado
Wow! A great new offering from the ONLY modern rock band that matters. The Pineapples keep getting better with every new release and so far Incommunicado is the group's high-water mark.
But wait – what about Classical music? What happened to that? Still happening friends........
Lately I've been on a Debussy La Mer – a thon of sorts. Comparing many different versions of this beautiful piece:
Yet, the big AHA moment of recent listening happened when I took this MFSL copy of Carmina Burana out for a spin.
It's a real shame that the first few minutes of this piece have been used for every violent video game commercial ever produced because the rest of the work is so much better and fascinating than the opening (and closing) famous minutes can suggest. Maybe it's now in the “warhorse” category for most folks, but not for me. I will also swear on a stack o'hundreds the second movement was a direct influence on the Moody Blues Days of Future Passed. I was totally surprised to enjoy this piece as much as I did. It will come out for more spins in the future.
There's more music to consider and more positive vibrations to send out to the universe. With any luck - better days ahead through the dark times. In the words of the great Joel Dorn - "Keep a light in the window...."
