Brothers in Arms was one of my favorite albums growing up. I remember when my dad bought a CD Stereo system in 1989 (a huge awesome piece of audio tech in those days), he bought a boatload of CDs, and this Dire Straits classic was one of them. It was also right around the time we got cable TV, and of course I was obsessed with the song and video of “Money For Nothing.” Co-written with Police legend Sting, Mark Knopfler crafted one of the 80s greatest anthems, and delivered Dire Straits first #1 hit in the US. It features the decade’s sleekest guitar riffs, a heavily processed digital blues line that still blows my mind. The song is a clever commentary on the excessive 80s consumer culture, vapid 80s pop music, and MTV, the Mount Olympus of cool in that era. As a bonus, I found an awesome video of present day Knopfler explaining the origins of the song, both the riff, and the lyrics, and how he created the sounds. It’s completely rad, so enjoy both the original ground breaking video and Knopfler’s precious behind the scenes story on the songs creation.
Like the title says, this video represents the first time the Rolling Stones played, “Gimmie Shelter” in public. They played the song on “Pop Go the Sixties,” a variety show no doubt, (the 60s were rife with them,) and they pull it off as good as they ever would. Made for the brilliant Let it Bleed record, “Gimmie Shelter” was Richard and Jagger’s genius abstract mashup of all the apocalyptic violent atmosphere dominating the hearts and minds of people across the world in the late 60s. It’s one of the best songs of the Vietnam era, and it just drips cool and burns with bluesy hellfire. The song also reflected the tumultuous time the Stones were going through themselves what with increased heavy drug use from Richards, the death of Brian Jones, and killing at their massive free Altamont Concert. Oh, and I can’t end my little entry without mentioning how legendary guest vocalist Merry Clayton, the female vocalist who burns her voice into music history with her lines, “Rape, murder, it’s just a shot away, its just a shot away.” Of course Mick performs that part in the live performance, but still, timeless.
Posted in George Gross on September 27th, 2011 by Willie
My friend George Gross is a brilliant filmmaker, but as he continues to rise to new levels of fame, he’ll have to compete with the world’s other famous George Gross, the one who made trashy (yet awesome) crime/sex posters like the one above. It’s actually not bad company, as I think the only other famous Willie Simpson is an Australian beer critic or something. I’d love to interview him actually. Anyway, George’s latest masterpiece is a short film entitled, “Senior Break.” It’s actually a perfect film to put up as the leaves change, and people start thinking about autumn and Halloween. It’s an incredibly sharp portrait of some of crafty seniors plotting a daring escape from the clutches of some well meaning nursing home attendants. The project was shot for the Producer Guild of America’s “Produce This! Competition,” in which participants had only 51 hours to conceive, shoot, and edit a film with very narrow parameters. George had recently won a similar contest, the New York wing of the “48 Hour Film Project” contest, and because this website is so cool, I’m gonna post that award winning video to go along with his latest. “Nanny Cam” is another short film about a twisted psychopathic babysitter, that is actually a really cute baby film in disguise. If that doesn’t make sense, pressing play will answer all your questions, and trust me, both films are masterpieces of suspense and film making ingenuity. Remember, he made these things from start to finish in less than two days, concept, execution, everything. It’s an unbelievable accomplishment, so check them out.
Sorry for the disturbing lack of updates, but I was busy packing up my Brooklyn apartment and heading north for Maine. I’ve got three weeks in beautiful Portland before I head across the world to South Korea and Australia. I’m happy to be out of the city and hear crickets out my window, as four and a half years in New York really drains the nature out of you. I couldn’t be more excited for my trip across the Pacific, and I’m reminded of four other guys who had to get away from it all, the fab four. The rare song you are about to hear was NOT recorded by the Beatles, but rather its a solo John number from 1980 that he made reflecting on the journey he took just 12 years prior. John was beginning to feel sentimental about his life, emotions reflected strongly in his last record Double Fantasy. “India, India” didn’t survive the cutting room floor of that record, but luckily it survives the cutting room floor of history. It’s a pretty psychedelic folk ballad with a wistful haunting melody. Enjoy.
Beulah was formed in a mail room in San Fransisco when Miles Kurosky and Bill Swan decided they both liked the same music, well mostly. This is the kind of story yours truly can get behind due to own desire to hatch great ideas when I worked in a mail room. Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo hooked them into Elephant 6 when he heard their first demo, and before you knew it, Beulah was one of E6’s shining stars of indie rock. The thing I love about the Elephant 6 Collective was how they all intermingled with each other and helped out other bands when they recorded and went on tour. The “collective” part of the moniker was no bullshit, as this was a band of boys and girls who all loved the same music, and all dreamed of becoming rock stars. They remind me of the way certain underground comedy teams were forming around this time in the mid 90s like Upright Citizens Brigade and the State. Creative young people in the 90s all saw the value in sharing, working together, and having fun, despite rivalries, which were never too serious. Beulah is that band, constantly swapping members with Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, and the Apples. Musically, Beulah has a gorgeous storytelling quality to their songs. Most of them begin somewhere in the middle, and the music is so energetic and uplifting, that you just go along for the ride, no matter how out of context the lyrical content seems. The only thing I know about “Gene Autry” is that it was released on 9/11/01, bestowing it’s sweet sadness with even more mysticism. “Emma Blowgun’s Last Stand” has some of the greatest lyrics you’ll find in an indie rock song. Lastly, my favorite, “Ballad of the Lonely Agronaut,” I’ve played 1000 times. I always kept swept up in its tale of American exploration, and its ceaselessly catchy structure. The song bursts out the gate with an enthusiastic melody that just hooks you instantly. Also, the line, “gold is coated with gold on the languid hills, where they wait for hours and hours, cool grey ladies from Shirley’s loan us cheer, as they sat for hours and hours,” is so wonderful, and I have no idea what it means, but its been stuck in my head forever. Beulah broke up in 2004 because their last record, Yoko, despite the best reviews of their career, failed to go gold, a huge goal for the band never reached. The recording of that album, which featured the breakup of Miles and his long term girlfriend, and three other band member divorces, was dark and difficult, and took its toll on the group’s psyche. It was a bit of a burnout for one of the most unique and creative bands of the late 90s/early 00’s, but they certainly left a legacy as one of America’s best underground bands with one of the most devoted fan bases.
R.E.M. broke up yesterday, but worry not, because Athens, Georgia rocks on with their other native sons, Of Montreal. Of Montreal, famously not “of Montreal,” hail from R.E.M.’s hometown too. Kevin Barnes, the group’s extroverted introvert genius front man, is peculiar guy. When he broke into music, his talent wasn’t entirely assembled. His early home record, Cherry Peel, is pretty terrible. The only redeeming feature was the strange lyrical sense. It mixed a sublimely inspired high brow thing with an almost crass vulnerability. Even though his early records weren’t great, Kevin kept plugging away, churning out song after song, and record after record, becoming one of the most prolific artists in rock and roll. Along the way, his talent skyrocketed, and most of Of Montreal’s records were entirely recorded by him, and featured stunning melodies, complex arrangements, and a mashing together of styles that was bold and futuristic. My favorite Of Montreal record was 2004’s Satanic Panic in the Attic, a modern day Sgt. Pepper if I ever heard one. That album launched Of Montreal into the mainstream of indie rock, and they have capitalizing on its success ever since, crafting an outrageous David Bowie and Prince inspired live show, and headlining shows all across the world. The first two songs are from the aforementioned album, and the last one, “Art Snob Solutions,” was a bonus cut from The Sunlandic Twins record that followed in the next year. These are my favorite Of Montreal songs, and not only reflect the spirit of Elephant 6’s desire to bring vintage Beatles psychedelia back to life, but Barnes’s own dreams of writing hits and becoming a modern day rock star. Since the middle part of the last decade, Of Montreal has veered towards a more experimental funk disco oriented sound, away from their 60s British roots that I love, and they have become an object of profound love or hate. Again, like Neutral Milk Hotel, I fall somewhere in the middle, not entirely digging their newer stuff, but not dismissing them at all due to my knowledge of the supreme accomplishments Kevin has achieved with his group. He is just following his muse down a path where the one rule seems to be, “don’t repeat yourself,” and its a creed I wished more artists would live by.
Jeff Mangum’s “Neutral Milk Hotel” was the third founding wing in the Elephant 6 Collective. If the Apples in Stereo represented the happy side of the Beatles, and Olivia Tremor Control were the, ahh, trippier side of the Beatles, then Neutral Milk Hotel was Elephant 6’s approximation of Blonde on Blonde’s Bob Dylan. Mangum’s breakthrough record, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, was produced by founding Apple Robert Schneider, who matched Mangum’s intensely personal songs about childhood, sex, and death, with a New Orleans marching band on acid. The album also is said to contain a loose concept concerning Anne Frank, World War II, and the holocaust. While the lyrics are very abstract and practically impenetrable, Mangum sings them with such clarity and emotion, that somehow, these themes are evoked. When the album was released in 1998, it was a smash hit in the indie world, and Mangum was in high demand. Having sold over 200,000 copies of the LP, and offered an opening slot for fellow Athens natives R.E.M., Mangum decided to go into recluse mode, effectively breaking up the band, and only making sporadic live appearances in the last 13 years. It is rumored that he is on the verge of releasing some new material through this website, http://walkingwallofwords.com, where you can stream the song “Little Birds (Unfinished Version 2),” a haunting psych ballad. Besides that track, you can also listen to two of the strongest tracks from his now legendary album below. The first song is the title track of the LP, is a swirling emotional journey through the sky, and the second, “King of Carrot Flowers Parts 1-3,” is just as adventurous and bizarre. A lot of people either love or hate this band, but I fall somewhere in the middle. I’m intrigued by Mangum’s obvious talent and singing style, but have always wanted more songs to get a more complete picture of the guy. As it is, there exists only two records, some scattered songs, and not much else, which creates a scattered portrait of man only really known by his close friends. I actually think that’s a pretty cool feet for a musicians like Mangum. Stay tuned tomorrow as we begin to explore the E6’s auxiliary members!
The oddly named Olivia Tremor Control hail from Ruston, Louisiana, and are probably the most beautiful thing ever to come out of that place. Along with Robert Schneider’s Apples in Stereo, the OTC were founding members of the Elephant 6 Collective, the group of like-minded psychedelic enthusiasts who sought to re-inject the world with the sort of pure kaleidoscopic bliss not heard since 1967. Fronted by the songwriting team of Bill Doss and Will Cullen Hart, Bill and Will churned out two timeless records of 90s indie rock, possibly the best ever, with back to back double albums, Dusk at Cubist Castle and Black Foliage. These records are monuments to their ability to carve beauty out of sound. Filled with fragments, song experiments, and some of the greatest psychedelic pop songs ever, the two records weave together in a gorgeous cacophony of sonic splendor. If you’re the kind of person who loves the Beatles “White Album,” and always wondered what the Beach Boys completed Smile would sound like, just buy, download, or steal the OTC’s records immediately. The band never released any official music video that I know of, so you’ll have to do with straight up still youtube videos as samples, but my preview is going to glide you along OTC’s chronological history. The first song, “Love Athena,” is from their earliest days, appearing on compilation records California Demise and Singles and Beyond. It is the great white whale of underground psychedelic pop rock, filling you with feelings of nostalgic love for perfect lost days. I kind of hate how they mumble some of the greatest lyrics ever written. Just check out the chorus, “Shining like Athena in a silver suit of armor, Her love is like a nail and now I’ll bring down the hammer, Sprouting like a flower on a hill top where I’ll find her, Where I’ll plant a seed and watch it grow into the streaming light of love.” Unbelievable poetry. The next song, “Memories of Jacqueline 1906,” is from Dusk at Cubist Castle, and is just a perfect rock and roll raga. I have no idea what the song is about, but its basically like a lost melody the Beatles might have churned out in early 1968 when they were meditating in India. That introductory electric and acoustic guitar part is so perfect, my God, just play it! Last is the song “Black Foliage (Itself)” from the epic Black Foliage record, (itself.) Hah. This song is just a masterpiece of sonic architecture, with sounds rushing in and out, all orbiting around a melody and words so dark and beautiful. I love how the song keeps crashing into itself like ocean waves at midnight. All this stuff is hard not to describe abstractly, so I really suggest you get right to work and listen to these tracks, then get everything they’ve ever done. Before I go, if they are reading this, I just want to thank the Olivia Tremor Control for creating some of the greatest music of all time, and inspiring me to make music as well. From one Willie to a Bill and Will, you guys are the best.
When I was 17 years old, I first heard Her Wallpaper Reverie, a sort of mini Apples in Stereo LP, and I was blown away. It was the first time I’d ever heard anyone from the Elephant 6 Collective, and they were making the exact sort of music I was missing in the world. In my mind, I pictured front man Robert Schneider as a young, handsome, and skinny punk rocker, a new symbol for the pop world to rally around. Little did I know he was a portly balding redheaded nerd with glasses. The resurrection of neo psychedelic pop would have to wait for a more photogenic rock star to emerge, but goddamn did Robert and the Apples know how to make songs. Obsessed with the Beatles and the Beach Boys, Robert and his band of merry rockers cut some of the catchiest and well recorded rock and roll of his generation, all in relative cult like obscurity. His one problem were his lyrics, which ran the gamut between childlike and stupid, and often ruined the gorgeous creative gems he would cut with silly irrelevance. This in no way stops the band from being great, or fun, but in my mind, holds them back from being anything really daring or meaningful. It’s kind of a harsh criticism, because the music Robert was making was so beautiful, that the lyrical content should be considered an afterthought to his overall concept of bringing true psychedelic pop back to life. His accomplishments in this field influenced a ton of great bands including Of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Olivia Tremor Control, all groups found on the E6 roster. The song below, “I Told You Once,” from 2010’s Travellers in Space and Time, is another example of Robert’s insane ability to write perfect pop music with flawless mathematical precision. This song, and all the songs from the album, are heavily influenced by ELO’s Time, the only ELO record I’ve ever listened to coincidentally. Time was a pompous, overblown, snyth rock explosion, and not for anyone but serious pop music nerds. The fact that Robert of the Apples sites this as a major influence endears me to no end, and is proof positive that even the most inane cultural artifacts all have their worshipers. All this talk about the Apples and E6 is taking me hard and fast down memory lane, so expect more of this stuff all week.
When the Beatles split in 1970, it was mainly a split between John and Paul. It’s odd because George, Paul, and Ringo would have kept the group going, but because John wanted to end it, George and Ringo became as enthusiastic as John about kiboshing the whole affair. I suppose John had more good will with the “sidemen” then Paul did, and as a result, John collaborated much more frequently with his former mates than Paul did. In this video, I have an intimate portrait of John and George rehearsing one of Lennon’s more tender ballads, “Oh, My Love,” from the Imagine album. It’s a cool scene where you George fiddle around with a steel guitar, and John ruminate with Yoko on their philosophies about love and sex. You also get to see George lay down those awesome electric licks that instill in the ballad its beautiful perfection. This video also serves as a great preview for the upcoming Martin Scorsese HBO documentary on George Harrison’s life, “Living in the Material World,” which premieres in early October. Enjoy.
