Robert Rodriguez's Bible Of Beatles Facts Gets A Solo Sequel

Book Review: Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Solo Years 1970 - 1980 by Robert Rodriguez

Like its predecessor Fab Four FAQ, Robert Rodriguez's new Fab Four FAQ 2.0 is a book jam-packed with facts, facts, and more facts.

In this look at the post-breakup solo work of the four ex-Beatles, no stone is left unturned when it comes to dissecting the most minute details of John, Paul, George and Ringo's individual work apart from the collective Fab Four.

Everything from who played what on which albums, to tantalizing details about a number of those "near misses" when it came to reunion rumors (the Saturday Night Live offer of $3000 to reunite on the show was one such close call), to juicy tidbits from John Lennon's "lost weekend" and the love triangle between George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, and Eric Clapton all receive their fair share of ink here.

But wisely, Rodriguez mostly sticks with the music here. As was the case with last fall's Fab Four FAQ, Rodriguez breaks down the Beatles solo years with all the precision of a master statistician. No matter how much you think you may know about the fabs, Rodriguez is sure to show you something new here. It makes for quite a bit of information to digest in a single sitting, or even in just reading it cover to cover. But as a resource that can be revisited time and time again, Fab Four FAQ 2.0 is near unequaled.

Nearly as interesting as the details about the albums though, are the interesting side-stories Rodriguez manages to unearth. Did you know for instance, that Cheap Trick members Rick Neilsen and Bun E. Carlos played on an early version of John Lennon's Double Fantasy album, or that Lennon may have scrapped their contributions to the record because of his anger after details of the sessions were leaked to the rock press?

Equally fascinating are the number of times that ex-Beatles played on each others solo albums. This also paints a very clear picture of the makeup of the Beatles post-break buddy system (it's little surprise that Paul McCartney became the de facto odd man out in the fraternity after the split).

There's also plenty of information here about the various sidemen employed by the ex-fab's, ranging from the famous friends (Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Elton John, David Bowie, Harry Nilsson) to the somewhat sadly forgotten (Gary Wright, Jesse Ed Davis). Of course, there is plenty on the usual suspects like Klaus Voorman and Alan White here as well.

The one way that Rodriguez breaks with the template of the first Fab Four FAQ book though, is the way he is so much more forthcoming here with his own opinions about the Beatles solo work than he was in the previous discussion. Because of this, the chapters in this book tend to be a little longer than the short lists which made up the bulk of the first Fab Four FAQ book. Rodriguez is much looser with his own opinions here.

For the first time, Rodriguez also takes it upon himself to actually rate the Beatles solo albums and singles with personal best and worst lists. The choices in the best column include most of what you'd expect (Harrison's All Things Must Pass, Lennon's Plastic Ono Band, McCartney's Band On The Run and Starr's Ringo). But there are some surprising choices here as well, as he rates albums like Ringo's Beaucoups Of Blues and Harrison's 33 1/3 much higher than you might think.

The real surprises — and the ones which could generate some controversy for the author — come with his choices for the worst albums though. It's not at all surprising to see something like Lennon's Sometime In New York City get the Rodriguez version of the Razzie, but Double Fantasy? You're kidding me, right? Or the albums McCartney, Wings At The Speed Of Sound and Red Rose Speedway from Macca's catalog?

Opinion being the subjective thing it is, I still fully expect to see Rodriguez catch some heat for some of the more curious choices here. The thing is, he backs up each argument very effectively. The best and worst lists included here also provide a nice counter-balance to this otherwise very fact heavy book.

As a resource for anyone researching the Beatles, Fab Four FAQ 2.0 is as invaluable as its predecessor was and makes a fine companion to it. As a more casual read, its also perfect for the coffee table or the porcelain library. Beatle-maniacs and casual fans alike will find themselves coming back to it again and again, and still finding something new every time.

T.A.M.I. Show: The Greatest Rock Film Ever Made?

Music DVD Review: The T.A.M.I. Show (Collectors Edition)

Originally filmed at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on November 14, 1964, The T.A.M.I. Show was a concert featuring many of the top rock and soul acts of the day. It later became a movie (filmed in glorious "Electronovision" no less) which saw a very limited release in movie theaters.

With a lineup including everyone from The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones to Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Marvin Gaye and James Brown, this was a mega-concert long before such things even existed. Since it also disappeared just as quickly as it was there, The T.A.M.I. Show (it stands for Teenage Awards Music International) has also become a concert film long coveted by collectors.

Its legendary status comes for very good reason. Quentin Tarrantino calls The T.A.M.I. Show "in the top three of all rock movies," and Sting even sings about it in the lines "James Brown on the T.A.M. I. Show, same tape I've had for years" from The Police hit "When The World Is Running Down (You Make The Best of What's Still Around)."



For the most part, the performances all live up to the hype too. But none of them touch the James Brown set that Sting is still singing about all these years later. Producer Rick Rubin — who is no stranger to some great performances himself — has called Brown's turn that day the greatest rock performance ever captured on film.

Yet, up until now The T.A.M.I. Show has remained locked up in a vault somewhere gathering dust, and only able to be seen through the many grainy bootleg copies which have circulated among collectors over the years. There has never been an official VHS or DVD release until now. Thanks to Dick Clark Productions and the folks at SHOUT Factory, The T.A.M.I. Show has finally, at long last been restored.

Despite this being a black and white film from the early sixties, the high definition transfer job here is absolutely stunning. Given the decades that this film has spent locked away somewhere, and the obviously limited technology available to the original filmmakers back in 1964, it really looks and sounds better than it has any right to. The picture is crystal clear (every drop of James Brown's sweat is visible), the surprisingly tight camera angles put you right there with the go-go girls at the center of the action, and the sound is nice and crisp.

The performances themselves are the real treat though. The house band for most of the artists (save for James Brown and the Motown acts) is the notorious L.A. "wrecking crew" that featured such future stars as Glenn Campbell and Leon Russell. But beyond the band's credentials, you get to see a very young Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross working the bi-racial crowd of mostly teenaged females to a fever pitch (producing some absolutely deafening screams throughout the film).

Diana Ross and The Supremes and even Lesley Gore turn in some great vocal performances. Previously unseen footage of the Beach Boys displays that group's impeccable vocal harmonies, even as Dennis Wilson reveals himself to be a frenetic drummer in the Keith Moon mold, and clearly the group's teen idol. It's also a lot of fun to watch the duck-walking Chuck Berry at the height of his powers doing "Maybelline" just before he became an oldies-circuit act.

If there are any weak spots here, these come from the squeaky clean Billy J. Kramer And The Dakotas and the equally gruff and garagey Barbarians, who both seem a bit out of place here. Gerry And The Pacemakers are likewise not much of a highlight, although they do get into a surprisingly rocking jam with Berry.

The Rolling Stones — who were said to be nervous about having to follow James Brown — also turn in a great set here. Jagger throws in a few JB-esque moves amidst his trademark prancing and preening during "Around And Around" and an amazingly youthful looking Keith Richards (was Keef ever really that young?) looks and sounds great on guitar, especially during "Time Is On My Side" and "It's All Over Now."

But the James Brown set is the undeniable show-stopper. Brown and The Famous Flames are nothing short of electrifying. There is simply nothing else on The T.A.M.I. Show that touches it or really even comes close. Watching James Brown here is a casebook study in just where everyone from Micheal Jackson and Prince to Jagger and Springsteen got a lot of their moves from.

With his Famous Flames solidly cracking the whip behind him, James Brown rings every inch of sweat he has out of his then still nimble body, culminating in a show-stopping "Please, Please, Please" that just tears the house down. When Brown repeatedly falls to his knees, only to be helped back up each time by his "capeman" Danny Ray, it's no small wonder how he earned the title of the "hardest working man in show business."

Here's a small taste...



Now just imagine that in high definition picture and sound.

Bonus features on the DVD release include a souvenir booklet with new liner notes and photos, the trailer for the original film, as well as four radio original spots advertising the theatrical release. The T.A.M.I. Show is one of the greatest rock concert films ever made, and the restoration of it on the DVD release is nothing short of remarkable. It's a must for any serious student of rock and roll history.

Glen's Job Search Adventures: 03/26/10

Welcome to my new weekly feature about my job search adventures. For the record, this is month 15, week 4.

This week: Applied for positions at Kelly and Amazon. Again. Expect zero response again. Why should it be any different this time?

Took a three hour test for a public service gig and passed. Filled out 27 page form and told life story beginning with "I was born in..."

Guy never called for 5pm phone interview today about a sales gig. This is nearly as common as the job scams.

Stay tuned for next week's all new job search adventures.

Before There Was NWA's Straight Outta' Compton, There Was Eazy E

Music Review: Eazy E - Eazy Duz It (Uncut Snoop Dogg Approved Edition/Remastered)

If there ever was such a thing as a rap supergroup, NWA was it. There are plenty of things I could mention here to back this up. But for the sake of arguments, let's start with the members of this crew from the mean streets of Compton, California.

Dr. Dre went on to become the most sought-after producer in all of hip-hop. Ice Cube went on to a successful career as an actor and solo rap artist. And Eazy E? Well, he didn't quite make it (the rapper died of complications from AIDS in 1995). But his legend has long since become a matter of record.

So here's the thing. When music historians talk about landmark hip-hop albums, NWA's Straight Outta Compton is a given. It just goes without saying that for those in the know, this was a breakthrough for the West Coast based Gangsta' Rap genre in every sense of the word. And there is certainly truth to why that is — NWA pretty much wrote the book on all things "Gangsta'" with that landmark release.

But what a lot of more casual hip-hop heads and Johnny-come-latelys to the rap scene don't realize is that Eazy E's Eazy Duz It not only came first, but that it also paved the way for all of the groundbreaking music which came later.

Eazy E's raps like "Boyz In The Hood" (which later became a movie that heralded John Singleton's arrival as a director) and "Radio" were blowing up on the streets long before NWA joints like "Dope Man" and "Fuck Tha' Police." They also established the street buzz that NWA would later ride to platinum selling success as the first true West Coast rap superstars. Eazy Duz It laid the groundwork for everything that was still to come.

The other thing about Eazy Duz It is that although it was sold as a solo album, the rest of NWA are still all over the damn thing. Dre produced many of the tracks, and Ice Cube, MC Ren, and Yella are likewise present on most, if not all of the raps on this album.

Like the much better known Straight Outta' Compton, Eazy E's solo album Eazy Duz It also follows a very simple, but effective formula. Deep-ass bass lines, old-school funk samples, and plenty of street smart ghetto attitude are what powers this record. Which is exactly what made Eazy Duz It so revolutionary when it was originally released way back in 1988.

A lot of this stuff seemed positively shocking back then, and it definitely opened  doors for the wave of Gangsta' Rap acts which would follow, and continues even now. Even so, today Eazy E's liberal use of expletives like "muthafucka" in nearly every other lyrical couplet, and even the grittier portrayals of street life in his Compton 'hood seem somewhat tame now. The lyrics are often so extreme they seem kind of like cartoon images today — it's almost as though Eazy E was playing a joke all along, and that it simply took us this long to get the punchline.

Still there is no question that Eazy Duz It was a landmark, groundbreaking album. As Eazy himself might have said, it was a muthafucka' of an album.
As part of Priority Records series of "Snoop Dogg Approved" reissues of classic rap albums — the series also includes classic rap albums by people like Master P and EPMD — Eazy Duz It is now out in a new remastered edition.

Like the other albums in this series, the producers seem to have largely left things alone as far as any new studio tinkering goes, and that's just fine. The album was a classic as is, and any additional tweaks would be largely unnecessary. In fact, I kind of like Snoop Dogg's whole "leave it alone" approach to these reissues.

I also have to admit that I'll always have kind of a soft-spot for this album because my former partner-in-crime on the radio, Nasty Nes, is featured on the one radio-friendly track included here called — what else? — "Radio."

Bottom line is that although NWA's Straight Outta' Compton is by far the more historically celebrated album, there simply wouldn't have been a Gangsta' Rap genre at all without the street level breakthrough of Eazy E's Eazy Duz It.

EPMD: Snoop Dogg Approved Old School Crunk For Your Trunk

Music Review: EPMD - Strictly Business (Uncut Snoop Dogg Approved Edition/Remastered)

Long before there was Kanye, Jay Z and Auto-tune, there was a period during the mid-eighties when hip-hop musicians were making some of the most creative sounding records you could find anywhere.

LPs like the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique and De La Soul's Three Feet High And Rising not only featured deliciously dirty grooves and bass lines fatter than a Louisiana catfish, they also made old records new again through the use of sampling. Listening to these records, and picking out all of the obscure bits and pieces of music history woven into their mosaics of sound was like a music-geek's wet dream.

These days, you don't hear a lot about EPMD, but this wildly innovative rap duo was right up there with the best of them. Even today, their debut album Strictly Business is regarded as a hip-hop classic, and rightly so. Anchored by its rich, thick grooves and even fatter sounding beats, EPMD were crunk before there even was such a thing. As the homies might say, they shit was crackin'!

The thing is, EPMD (which stands for Erick and Parish Makin' Dollars) sound just as good now as they did back in the day. Reissued as part of Priority Records, "Snoop Dogg Approved" U.S.D.A. series, Strictly Business is now out in a remastered version.

Now, here's where it gets a little dicey, because to my ears at least, it doesn't sound like they've remastered or changed anything at all. Which is perfectly fine by me, because the deep, bottom-heavy production of the original album is one of the biggest reasons it remains such a classic today. Leave the tweaking to someone else, just don't funk with that bottom.

Joints like "Strictly Business" (and its clever use of "I Shot The Sheriff"), "I'm Housin'" and especially "You Gots To Chill" still rumble the speakers with big bass grooves thicker than a jar of day old molasses. The way "You Gots to Chill" cuts up the old school Roger And Zapp joint "More Bounce To The Ounce" still gets those butts a shakin' every damn time! So if there wasn't any tinkering done here, so be it. You can't improve on what is already perfection.

The Snoop Dogg connection is still somewhat curious to me though. Outside of lending his name (and "approval") to the project and scribbling a few liner notes, I really can't tell what role, if any, Snoop actually plays here.

But you know what? It's a minor point. The pleasure of giving my bass woofers the best workout they've had since my old school days as a rap DJ more than compensates, "Snoop Dogg approval" or not.

Live At Knebworth: It Was Twenty Years Ago Today, The Bands Came to Play

Music Review: Various Artists - Live At Knebworth

It was twenty years ago, today...

Well okay, maybe not to the exact day. But in June 1990, a superstar assemblage of England's biggest music names gathered together at Knebworth House in Hertsfordshire to benefit Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and the Brit School of Performing Arts. The Knebworth concert has been available on DVD for a while now, but has long been out-of-print on CD...at least until now.

Eagle Rock is reissuing Live At Knebworth as a 2-CD set this Tuesday, March 23. The lineup for this package really is something else, even by today's standards.

There are a few holdovers from the late eighties/early nineties here as well. But for every Tears For Fears, Cliff Richard or Status Quo here, you also get the likes of McCartney, Clapton, Elton John, Robert Plant, Pink Floyd, Phil Collins and Genesis. Nope, not a bad lineup at all.

But speaking of those eighties holdovers, Tears For Fears actually sound surprisingly good here, especially on the extended jams they get into on "Badman's Song." The duo is complimented here by a full band and backup singers, which serves them well with a much deeper, more textured live sound. There is an almost Steely Dan sort of complexity to TFF live, that I for one was quite surprised by.

Robert Plant also comes off swimmingly here, with his voice showing a much deeper timbre on tracks like "Hurting Kind" than we've heard from him in years. The Led Zeppelin samples of "Tall Cool One" are also always a lot of fun to hear. Speaking of Zep, Plant's former (and future?) bandmate Jimmy Page joins him here on "Wearing And Tearing."

I found the Phil Collins and Genesis sets a little bit irritating, as this was during the period when Phil Collins was driving the boat, and the band had essentially devolved into a Wurlitzer hits-making machine. Even so, could we at least have gotten their own hits here, rather than a covers medley? "Mama" aside, the "Turn It On Again" medley is a rather cheap-sounding knockoff of short bits from the rock and roll hall of fame songbook. Maybe they were already lobbying back then, who knows?

Clapton's "Sunshine Of Your Love" and McCartney's "Hey Jude" are the same versions each of them have been doing onstage for years, so there's no real new fireworks there. They sounded good then, just as they sound good now. McCartney does manage to turn "Coming Up" into a very cool (and very uncharacteristic) little hip-hop jammy though. I never imagined the day I'd hear Macca sampling away like he was Dr. Dre or something. What's even weirder is how well it works.

As much as I like Mark Knopfler's solo work, I kinda miss Dire Straits too, so hearing that band's "I Think I Love You Too Much" is a nice treat here, especially when Knopfler gets to the guitar solo. Man, can that cat swing an axe.

The Roger Waters-less Pink Floyd does their usual bang-up job with "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell." Elton John likewise makes easy work of "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting."

So, this is a nice little compilation of live performances from some of the world's biggest bands. There's nothing particularly earth-shaking about it, but as these sort of all-star gatherings go its a decent package. Sales of the CD will also benefit the same music and arts related charities as the original concert. Live At Knebworth will be in stores Tuesday March 23.

Why Paul Revere And The Raiders Belong In The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame

Earlier this week, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducted its Class of 2010 in a ceremony at New York's Waldorf Astoria. As could be expected, this year's inductees — which included the likes of Jimmy Cliff, Abba, Genesis, The Hollies and roughly half of the songwriters from the old Brill Building — generated the usual howls of protest from certain corners of the rock and roll blogosphere.

Last fall when the 2010 nominees were first announced, a number of Blogcritics writers — including yours truly — thought it might be fun to offer up our own Rock Hall Picks. Amongst a deserving group of artists that also included The Cure, Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Tom Waits, my own pick at the time was Alice Cooper.

So with the nominating process for the Class of 2011 now probably well underway, I'd like to submit another pick: Paul Revere And The Raiders.

My first ever rock concert was a Paul Revere And The Raiders show in 1967 at the old Seattle Center Coliseum. It was one of those old Dick Clark style rock and roll showcase of stars deals, only in this case it was being promoted by Seattle Top 40 radio powerhouse KJR, and its number one jock, the legendary Pat O'Day.

I can't remember exactly who else was on the bill (though I'm pretty sure Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart and Keith Allison were there), but Paul Revere And the Raiders were the headliners. What I do remember, though, was being accompanied to the concert by my grandma, since at age eleven I wasn't yet old enough to go to rock concerts by myself.

Another thing that stands out in my memory was all the screaming girls. The high-pitched din was so deafening you couldn't even hear the band. Since the Beatles had already stopped touring to make records like Sgt. Pepper by the time I was old enough to attend rock shows by myself, this was also the last time I ever heard anything like that at a rock show again. By then, the teen idols of the early sixties had been supplanted by the "serious rock" of the Jefferson Airplane and the Doors.

That fact alone may account for the mysterious way the Rock Hall has, at least to this point, chosen to ignore Paul Revere And The Raiders. They were definitely a pre-psychedelic era sort of teen-rock band, complete with a ready-made teen idol in lead vocalist Mark Lindsay. That they were closely associated with Dick Clark-produced shows American Bandstand and especially the short-lived Where The Action Is likely doesn't help their case with Jann Wenner and the other stuffed shirts on the Rock Hall's board of directors either.

On the latter show, the Raiders were essentially the house band on a "beach party" sort of show filmed outside on location at what I want to say was Malibu Beach. Even there, with bikini-clad beach babes running about all over the place in the sand, the Raiders still wore their American Revolution-styled uniforms.

Oh yeah, that's another thing: the uniforms. These went hand-in-hand with the name as part of the Raiders whole American military history gimmick. Mark Lindsay even wore a ponytail to match his red coat, long before L.A. Record company weasels turned ponytails into a 1990's music-biz fashion statement.

Looking at it today in modern terms, the Raiders matching military jackets and boots certainly weren't any sillier looking than what Coldplay wore on the Viva La Vida tour. Even so, by the time the hippies took over rock, the Raiders were no longer taken seriously. What's harder to understand, though, is how or why this "bubblegum image" continues to linger today, or why it should continue to matter.

In purely musical terms, when you listen now to any one of the Raiders' string of hit singles from roughly 1965 to 1967, they hold up as well as anything that a band like, say, the Rolling Stones did during roughly the same period.

It was one hell of a streak, too. Starting with "Steppin' Out (#46)" and continuing on through "Just Like Me (#11)," "Kicks (Top 5)," "Good Thing," "Ups And Downs," "Him Or Me — What's It Gonna' Be" and beyond, Paul Revere And The Raiders were arguably the hottest rock band in America during this time.

The classic lineup — with Lindsay on vocals, Paul Revere on Vox organ, guitarist Drake Levin, bassist Phil "Fang" Volk, and drummer Mike "Smitty" Smith — was also one hell of a garage rock band. Paul Revere And The Raiders may have been unfairly tagged as a top forty, teen pop bubblegum act. But the aforementioned singles rocked as hard as anything by bands like the Troggs, The Seeds or The Electric Prunes. Even today, the Raiders' singles hold up remarkably well.

This probably owes, at least in part, to their roots in the early sixties Northwest rock scene, which also produced such noteworthy precursors to Seattle's grunge sound as the Sonics, the Viceroys and the Wailers. Paul Revere And The Raiders even had an early hit with a cover of the frat-rock classic, "Louie, Louie" — although the Kingsmen's version is admittedly better known. Bottom line is that this alone should put them on the radar of a Rock Hall board member like Underground Garage guru Little Steven. Or, at least you'd think...

Next week, Collectors Choice will be releasing the most complete anthology of Paul Revere And The Raiders ever assembled. Spanning three discs, and some 66 songs, The Complete Columbia Singles features all of the original A and B sides of Paul Revere And The Raiders' singles, as well as rarities like the jingles the band recorded for Chevrolet and the Pontiac GTO.

This includes everything from early tracks like "Louie, Louie" and "Louie Go Home," to the big hits like "Kicks" and "Hungry" (along with lesser known singles like "The Great Airplane Strike"), to latter-day hits like "I Had A Dream," "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" and "Indian Reservation." The three-disc collection also includes extensive liner notes with comments by Lindsay, Paul Revere, Fang and the rest, as well as other Raiders alumni like Keith Allison and Jim "Harpo" Valley.

This is a powerhouse collection that provides undisputed proof that there was a lot more to Paul Revere And The Raiders than funny suits and hats. The fact is that they were among the best practitioners of American garage rock of their time, and it's high time the Rock Hall took note.

But if the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame isn't listening — yet! — at least you can.

The Sixties, The Stones, The Dead, And Altamont

Book Review: You Can't Always Get What You Want: My Life With The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead And Other Wonderful Reprobates by Sam Cutler

There have been scores of books written about the Rolling Stones over the years, and nearly as many of them about the disastrous 1969 free concert at Altamont Raceway near San Francisco.

But very few of them have come from the same birds-eye view as Sam Cutler's You Can't Always Get What You Want.

Cutler was the de facto tour manager for the Stones during their 1969 American tour — he even came up with the "greatest rock and roll band in the world" announcement which preceded the Stones taking the stage each and every night.

As such, Cutler is one of the select few people alive uniquely qualified to report first-hand on all of the music and the madness surrounding the events of that historic tour, including those which occurred at the infamous free concert at Altamont. Not surprisingly, the Altamont story takes up a very significant chunk of this book, and we'll get to that in a minute...

Bookending the Altamont story though, are Cutler's recollections of the early days of the sixties rock scene in London, and the period immediately following his tenure by fire with the Stones, after which he ended up going to work for the Grateful Dead. Although these details pale by comparison to the Altamont story, there is some juicy stuff to be found here as well.

For example, Cutler recalls the way Mickey Hart's father — who was a purported Christian minister no less — essentially robbed the Dead blind during his stint as the band's manager. The book is also laced with accounts of swinging sixties London and all of its key players including Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and of course the Stones themselves. Cutler also goes on record here as the latest of many voices to raise rumors of murder and conspiracy in the suspicious death of Brian Jones.

But it is the events of Altamont that form the undisputed centerpiece of this book. Cutler's version involves all of the usually cited players in the disaster — including the Grateful Dead, the Hells Angels, San Francisco uber-lawyer Mel Belli, and of course the Stones themselves. But it also offers up a few interestingly conspiratorial new twists.

At different points in the book, Cutler's account seems to suggest a type of bizarre conspiracy involving everyone from shadowy Mafia figures like the mysterious John Jaymes — a central figure in the concert whose actual point of origin seems to be a mystery — to FBI officials who, it is suggested here, may have been running a political black-ops operation directed towards the youth counter-culture. It is even suggested that Altamont murder victim Meredith Hunter may have been a "Manchurian Candidate" type assassin under some type of outside control.

By Cutler's own account, grade-A Peruvian cocaine was being consumed by the truckload then by all parties concerned, which may contribute to some of the more wildly paranoid conspiracy theories being floated about here. Still, we do know today that the FBI in particular was engaged in covert activities directed towards everyone from Martin Luther King to John Lennon during the sixties.

Either way, Cutler's account makes for a very fascinating read. However, it also has the perhaps unintended side-effect of peeling away much of the flower-power, peace and love fallacies of both the period and especially of some of its heroes. Cutler does his best to paint a favorable picture of both the Stones and The Dead, but likewise does himself no favors by revealing things like the time he vengefully spiked John Jaymes drink with LSD.

And even if Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are painted here in somewhat more human shades than some of the other more Satanic accounts out there, they still come off as self-absorbed hedonistic egomaniacs more often than not. But we already knew that, right?

Sam Cutler's You Can't Always Get What You Want is a fascinating historical snapshot not only on the life and heady times of the Stones, the Dead and Altamont, but of the Sixties themselves. As such, it is not to be missed.

Seasick Steve Is In A Word: Authentic (And Organic)

Music Review: Seasick Steve - Man From Another Time

Leave it to the British to embrace the eccentric.

In the tradition of such English oddities as Jilted John and Wreckless Eric, 65 year old Seasick Steve is the latest in a long line of slightly off-kilter musical sensations to first hit it big across the pond, and who is now set to hit North American record shops on March 30.

The comparisons however end there.

Escaping from an abusive stepfather by running away from home at age 13, "Seasick" Steve Wold has lived the life of a vagabond hobo for most of his 65 years. His travels have taken him around the North American continent, across the pond, and back many times over. He has hitched all the trains, worked all the odd-jobs, and generally experienced the sort of life that would probably make for one hell of a movie directed by somebody like the Coen Brothers.

Seasick Steve — who got his name from once riding a ferry from Norway to Denmark and, in his own words "puking all night" — is in a word: authentic.

With his balding hair and long grey beard, Seasick Steve looks like the grizzled sort of salty dog you might encounter on a bar stool around closing time at the local biker bar, rather than someone who has sold out London's Royal Albert Hall and played festivals from Glastonbury to Coachella.

Did I also mention that his albums Dog House Music and I Started Out With Nothin' And I Still Have Most Of It Left were platinum-sellers in England?

On Man From Another Time, his American debut album for Rykodisc, Seasick Steve combines this gritty sort of lyrical authenticity with an organic sound where things are left as simple as humanly possible. Steve is basically a one-man show here, captured on one gloriously analog recording.

Accompanied only by Swedish drummer Dan Magnusson, Steve wraps his vagabond tales of working in apple fields ("Wenatchee") and spending time in a Spokane slammer ("Never Go West"), around a funky sort of country-blues that owes as equally to Mississippi Fred McDowell and Gram Parsons as it does to ZZ Top and Jack White.

And in case you missed it, yes both of those previously mentioned songs reveal a Pacific Northwest connection. Seasick Steve spent time in Olympia, Washington in the nineties, and even produced some early tracks for the likes of Modest Mouse.

But beyond bringing his considerable, undeniably authentic life experiences to songs like "Big Green And Yeller" (about the joys of driving a John Deere tractor) and "Happy (To Have A Job)" (I'll let you fill in the blanks there), Seasick Steve plays one hell of a mean blues guitar.

From the tremelo-slapback of "Diddley Bo," to the bottleneck blues of "Happy (To Have A Job"), to the sweet slide guitar of "Never Go West," Seasick Steve cuts one mean-ass sounding black cat bone. If you like your blues as greasy as a Louisiana catfish, be sure to Seasick Boogie on down to the record store on March 30th.

One more thing...don't change the CD once its twelve listed tracks have played. There is a beautifully wistful version of Hank Williams classic "I'm So Lonesome I'd Could Cry" that as bonus tracks go, is more than worth sticking around for.

Finally! The T.A.M.I. Show Is Coming Out On DVD!

Finally! One of the greatest concerts of all time sees release on DVD! I watched the PBS premiere tonight and I've just got two words here: James Brown. See video below...



I first saw this as a seven year old boy in the theatre...and man, the first rock concert film ever remains one of the best! I'll be first in line on March 23rd.

The Rockologist: What If They Were On American Idol?

Let's get something straight here first and foremost. I'm just not that big of a fan of American Idol.

Oh sure, as strictly entertainment value while I'm eating dinner or whatever, it provides a harmless, and occasionally humorous enough diversion. I laughed as hard as anybody else during the Sanjaya segments from a few seasons back, and I especially love the earlier parts of the competition where guys like William Hung or "Pants On The Ground" guy are weeded out.

You go, Platt!

Still, I could use a lot less of the really nasty references to things like "monkeys" and "retards." That's just some really hateful stuff. But I digress...

In the cases of both aforementioned contestants, I especially love it when they actually catch on in a populist sense. To me, this is musical subversiveness at its most fly-in-the-ointment-best — color me nuts, but I was one of the guys actually rooting for Sanjaya, okay?.

That said, I have also wondered aloud to myself what would happen if some of the musical greats from the past were to go up before the American Idol judges? Would they pass the test? My money is on doubtful — but I'll let you decide. More on that in a minute...

Here's the thing though.

One thing that I like, watching this season of Idol as I usually do at about the same time the Pork N' Beans and Rice are sizzling on the burner, is that the judges seem a little more willing to break through the barrier of innocuous pop singers that have characterized the series thus far than usual...

I like that. I like that a lot actually...

As Kara told one contestant, at least in not-so-many words, "You are bringing something different to Idol — and maybe after seeing you, we can somehow find our way outside of this cookie-cutter crap."

Okay, I added that last part. But one can hope, right?.

On that note, they do seem to be looking for something a bit different this year than someone who can trill a Mariah Carey song like nobody's business. For which I can only say "Thank God" and good for them. It's about damn time, even if it's a case of too little too late.

To that end, my money is on the chicks this year.

Damn, did I really just say that? Not just the part about the chicks, but the admission that my money is actually on anybody?

Have I actually been drawn into this overblown karaoke contest that has, at least in my own humble opinion, contributed more heavily than anything else — including free internet downloads — to the downward spiral of the record industry this past decade? Am I really ready to sign on to the whole idea of the here-today, gone-tomorrow stars promoted by American Idol?

The truth is that, yes, perhaps I am.

Are any of these Clay Aikens, Adam Lamberts, or even Kelly Clarksons going to have any sort of a shelf life beyond their allotted fifteen minutes? Hell no, they are not. Will our grandchildren remember them the same way we remember the Beatles or Dylan? No, I am sorry, but they will not. That's a frickin' guarantee.

The American Idol franchise is on life support as it stands anyway, and anyone with a brain knows it. Ratings magnet Simon is gone after this season, and just between you and me, I don't think that whoever they get to replace him — the smart money right now is on former U2 producer Steve Lillywhite — will reverse the downward spiral. The party is over, and for my money at least, thank God that it is happening before I go bemoaning this monstrosity into my own grave.

But that's just me...

The singers this year — save for the occasional breath of fresh original air like Lily Scott or Crystal Bowersox — mostly suck. The fact that my own money is on one of these two to win it all this year is largely moot.

We already know what happens to anybody with a remote streak of artistry or actual originality on Idol. Just ask Constantino (or whatever that guy's name was). Better yet, ask Adam Lambert — because his personal fifteen minutes are about to be up any second now. Gay glitter rock went out back in the seventies with Queen and Bowie, okay?

So put a fork in it kids, cause it's done and then some. And in my own humble opinion it couldn't come a second sooner. Hopefully, Lily or Crystal wins it all this year, and we can salvage something from what I am sure will be remembered for generations to come as the decade we all re-discovered our inner Pat Boone. And a none-too-begrudgingly hippy-hippy shake to that, okay?...

But it's done. Thank me later for saying so.

So in the interest of dancing on Idol's grave, I thought it might be fun to imagine how some of the greats from the past might fare in the "competition."

So what if? Let's take two:

Janis Joplin sings "Ball And Chain":

Randy: So listen up, dawg...oh,sorry, I meant "dawg-ette." You've got it on goin' on! It was a little pitchy in places...but man, I gotta' tell ya'... Dawg...I'm lovin' the whole look! You are hot, baby, hot!"

Ellen: Wow man, you were really wonderful, but I'm just not that comfortable with your song choice. So what was your phone number again?

Kara: Listen sweetheart, we loved you back in San Francisco, and I'm just wondering what happened to the sweet little girl we all fell in love with?

I'm a big fan, and I'm rooting for you...but this was a terrible song choice for you tonight...I'm really sorry. What we need to see is more of that country girl we all fell in love with back at the audition. Don't shout so much, honey, okay? More of that "Bobby McGee" thing, that's what we want to see...but I'm still your biggest fan."

Simon: Janis, I am just horribly disappointed here...(boos from audience)...Sorry, but that was utterly atrocious! I had faith in you based on the audition, but those wild shrieks of yours only had me reaching for my bottle of Excedrin! Your a very nice girl, but you simply belong back at the soda fountain where we found you (sorry....).

Bob Dylan sings "Like A Rolling Stone":

Randy:(Hilarious Shrieks Of Laughter)... Dawg! Dawg! Dawg! — you know I'm your biggest fan, right? But what is up with with that voice? You know I'm lovin' that whole guitar-and-harmonica thing, right, dawg? But I was just feeling the whole "Knockin' On Heavens Door" thing from your audition in Minnesota a whole lot more, dawg. I'm still a fan, but definitely not your best performance, dawg."

Ellen: Wow, Bobby, I just really don't know what to say here! Too wordy, for one thing. If I was at home vacuuming up cat fur from my carpet, I'd much rather have visions of you laying across my big brass bed than having me scrounging for my next meal — ya' know what I mean? I'm still a fan, but this was definitely not your best performance.

Kara: Wow, Bob, that was just all over the place, okay? The vocal performance was just really pitchy, and it wasn't the best song choice, okay? Get with me after the show though, okay? Because man, have I got the song for you!

Simon: Look Bob, I like you. I really do. But that performance was absolutely the worst thing I have ever heard. Your voice sounded dreadful, and I could make absolutely no sense of the lyrics, because you seemed to be mumbling them to yourself. At this point, I doubt you will make it past this round...sorry...

(Boos)....Sorry, but were any of you hearing the same thing I just did? The worst performance I have heard so far this entire competition!


Have I made my point?

Why I May Just Be Becoming A Vince Russo Mark

Book Review: Rope Opera: How WCW Killed Vince Russo by Vince Russo

Rope Opera — Vince Russo's first-hand account of his life as a television wrestling scriptwriter for Vince McMahon's WWF/WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment); Ted Turner's WCW (World Championship Wrestling); and finally Jeff Jarrett/Dixie Carter's TNA (Total Nonstop Action) — was not supposed to affect me this way.

So, if in fact I've been "worked" in much the same way Russo has done so many times over the years in writing the storylines behind some of "pro-rasslin's" greatest (and worst) televised feuds over the years, consider me had as the latest hapless victim of the con. The fact still remains. In the vernacular of professional wrestling itself, I think I've actually become a Russo "mark."

For those who don't follow TV wrestling, Vince Russo is one of its most influential players of the past decade or more — even if his name isn't as instantly recognizable outside of the game as such mainstream personalities as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Vince McMahon and the like. Call Russo the "other Vince," if you will.

As principal writer for both WWE and WCW at different points of wrestling's "boom years" during the so-called "Monday Night Wars" of the nineties, Russo has been labeled both saint, savior and Antichrist. He has been equally credited as the man responsible for both winning the Monday night ratings war for Vince McMahon's WWE during the so-called "attitude era," and with destroying WCW upon defecting to the rival organization long after they had already lost the same battle.

Quite a cross to bear for the man who, at least in his words, simply wanted to earn the respect of "the boys" and do whatever was best for the business. And one which, if this account is to be taken seriously anyway, exacted a considerable emotional toll on both Russo himself and his family.

To hear it in Russo's own words, the world of professional wrestling was a near continuous battle of backstage politicking and, above all, watching one's own back while doing a near nonstop juggling act between the egos of the locker room and the suits of the boardroom.

But Russo also tells two separate stories here. When he is not revealing unique insider perspectives about obvious TV ratings ploys (like awarding the WCW championship to Hollywood actor David Arquette, for example) or his own personal battles with mega-legends Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, Russo recounts his own personal journey from the career and money driven architect of WWE's often raunchy "Crash TV," to the inner peace he now derives from his Christian faith.

What makes this part of Russo's story most refreshing is the way in which he tells it. Christianity is of course nothing new to the inner-squared circle of pro-wrestling, with everyone from Jake "The Snake" Roberts to Sting to Shawn Michaels professing their faith in the Almighty to various, if occasionally self-serving degrees of belief.

What makes Russo's conversion story stand out, however, is both his humor and his lack of either pretentiousness or preachiness in recounting it.

At one point in the book, he even likens the story of the Garden of Eden to a wrestling-like angle of Adam and Eve's "heel turn." The heartbreak and the emotional toll on Russo himself is also recounted in such detail that I often found myself relating to his story on a very personal level (like me, Russo also once owned his own record store). Even if this is just another "work" from the master of so many wrestling cons, I have to admit that it was still good enough to convince me.

What makes Russo's story most compelling though is the fact that his faith is never colored by the sort of sanctimoniousness that otherwise characterizes many other such show-business accounts of becoming "saved." Russo oftentimes wears his own disappointment and bitterness on his sleeve here, revealing himself to be nothing more than an imperfect, insecure human being just the like the rest of us.

Whether providing his own occasionally self-serving spin on his tumultuous three-month stint as creative director of WCW, or venting his frustration towards the universally reviled, but nonetheless unanimously read "dirt sheets" of the wrestling trade, Russo pretty much lets it all hang out here — warts and all.

As a wrestling fan who was also a firm member of the "Russo as Antichrist" school of thought going in, I have to admit that with Rope Opera, Russo has more or less sold me — or perhaps just worked me, as the case may be — here. Either way, I may just be becoming a Russo mark.