What You'll Find Here: Music, Movies and Me

Since May 1976, I have written in journals. When I have nothing particularly resonant to say about my own inner turmoil, philosophic ramblings, sexual peccadillos or whining on about the state of the world around me...I have always fallen back on reporting the cultural time consumption that takes up in inordinate portion of my daily goings on.

In the 40+ years since my first concerts seeing Children's Symphony presentations on Sundays at the Pasadena Civic or The Hot Jazz Society's monthly Dixieland romps in an old meeting hall on the edge of the L.A. "River" across from Griffith Park, I have been sold heavily on the magic of live music. As Neil Young so aptly put it, "Live music is better bumper stickers should be issued."

Growing up a few orange groves and canyons length away from Hollywood also contributed greatly to my family's addiction to movie going. From the time I was a small there were weekly trips to the drive-in theaters that dotted the landscape, or the local Temple theater for the Saturday matinees. Once in a while we'd drive the 12 miles into Hollywood and see something in one of the magnificent old movie palaces like Grauman's Chinese, the Egyptian, The Pantages or later the Cinerama Dome. My dad loved Westerns and War movies, as if he didn't get enough shoot-'em-up as an L.A. County Sheriff in his day gig, my mom adored musicals and comedies. My brother and I loved them all.

At SDSU, I played in my first gigging band and began booking concerts on campus as part of the well-funded Cultural Arts Board, kindling for my future life in and around music.

So it's not surprising that my first jobs out of college were working in local video rental places (which were all the rage) or managing a couple of Sam Goody record stores in Mall's on the East Coast where we marveled at the new CD format and sold the first home computers and video games (yes Commodore and Pong and Atari).

So these are really just extensions of all of those journal entries talking about the great new movies I was seeing and LPs/CDs I was listening to.

Though iPODS/iPADs, apps, smart phones and downloads now make music and movies accessible in your own pocket, there is still nothing like sitting in front of a stack of speakers with a room full of people swaying to music created before your eyes. Nor is there anything that works quite so well for me to escape the real world and all of it's pressures just outside than two hours in a dark theater, absorbing the stories flickering across that wide screen as they pull you into their world.

But a really good taco runs a close third...

Thursday, April 1, 2010

AN UNFATHOMABLY BAD ALBUM BY A MAJOR ARTIST - This is NOT an April Fool's joke though it should be...


AN UNFATHOMABLY BAD ALBUM BY A MAJOR ARTIST
-- an ongoing retrospective

Today’s nomination:
Phil Everly -- LIVING ALONE Elektra 2e 613 - 1979
Let me preface by saying that without the harmonies of the Everly Brothers the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, The Eagles...every other harmony-centric band to climb a stage since would be a shadow of themselves. In addition, they are one of the few 50s groups whose original recordings I go back to year after year with fresh ears and thoroughly enjoy. That said, this album by usually inspiring Phil Everly supplied, quite possibly one of the most painful 30 minutes of my life while listening to this record. Especially after listening to great Everly Bros. music for 3 hours previous. Bad, Bad, Bad. This 1979 solo album from the younger Everly Brother during a period when the brothers weren't speaking to each other (for over a decade). Nothing odd about that, just more brotherly love/hate between sibling musicians stuck in the same plane/hotel/studio/career trajectory quagmire.


In the grand tradition of Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey and carrying the torch for the soon to be fireworks from Ray & Dave Davies, the entire Beach Boys family and so many more. But this record has little to do with the brothers personal problems other than THERE IS ONLY ONE OF THEM HERE and HE MADE A CRAPPY RECORD…and as always…how much is the artist’s fault or the label’s or the producer’s? You never really know. And true, a listener’s expectations always play into one’s reaction to a less than brilliant record…Look at all the folks who slagged Pet Sounds (Mike Love, ya listening?) wondering where had all the little deuce coupe’s and surfboards gone—“long time passing…”

But LIVING ALONE? Total misstep. Huge bummer. Stellar fuck-up. Complete and solid agonizing crap. Horrid period production from Snuff Garrett. A long-time successful producer, entrepreneur in the music industry with his share of successes. Obviously, not on his tip here.

Let’s explore the pain…Disco/Spinners-esque opening tune. Huh? From an Everly Brother? The guys who basically, by proxy, taught The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel how to sing? Now, I dig the Spinners. But when you put on the Spinners, you expect The Spinners. That string-wash of Philly soul, goosey bass line and street savvy slickness. Uh, okay…so I write off the first tune to a commercial stab at modernity…


I should have quit while I was ahead. What's up with the 2nd tune? A beautiful tune that starts up kinda strummy …okay, better but wait… the opening line, the title is sung in German…odd…a story of falling for a German girl I guess. Okay, but on a comeback album shouldn’t this have been buried ¾ of the way through side 2? Okay, I presume it was sort of a writing exercise…and maybe, Phil is big in Germany, the Hasselhoff of his era, who knows. Just plain stupid. Not really comeback material, though production on this # is sort of ELO-ish which isn't too bad...comparatively. Oy.

Next is a HORRID song with synthy disco-y FX and those Synsonic drum type sounds WAY too loud in the mix. Wasn't disco over by this time? Sickening. I keep telling myself that I’d love to hear some of these songs done "NORMALLY", but, no, probably not. This is the worst track EVER!!! I won't even comment on the last two tunes on side one because though they just ended while I was writing the above...I have absolutely NO recollection of them.

The most rockin’ tune thus far has a verse about weenies, yes, hot dogs. It's a song called “California Gold” maybe about pot or sunshine or disco money??? Who friggin’ knows. This is a tune trying to cop a timely Eagles sort of L.A. hipness. No cigar. But that is only the beginning of side B. The second tune is by far light years better than anything previous and it is late 70s schmaltz but almost a huge relief which is a bit disconcerting. Sort of Air Supply-light, but there was a lot of that going around and the Everly’s were always romantic before romance was unhip.

WAIT...holy fucking shit...what’s this? A way fast tempo, aerobicizing, disco tune call "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" which would be perfect for Donna Summer at her MOST dance-y. Phil sings in falsetto. Again, why? The fucked up thing about this album is there are a ton of songs without even an overdubbed Phil harmony...which you would think would be a given...now, I may be mistaken there but I sure as hell am not going back to listen to the album again to be sure…if I’m wrong, have fun finding out. Here there are horrendous disco-y chick backing vocals on things...God this sucks...sucks BIG TIME!!!

Next is a really bad, sappy almost country ballad with pedal steel and, what, celeste???, Christ! Yuck. Really, shouldn't Snuff Garrett have his producer's license revoked after this...oh my god. No wonder Phil bit the bullet and made amends with his brother 4 years later. I can't imagine that Phil Everly was actually sitting home for a decade thinking, "When I come back to the scene I can't wait to make a disco record..." Was he actually sitting around listening to this music? Was the world really so lame that someone of his talent and track record would completely lose his mind and fall for this shit? Then the final song has actual, slick L.A, rock guitar (though stiff and pedestrian, remember pedestrians have the right-of-way in California. Coincidence? I think not.) The tune is a rocker about "The Fall of '59" back when Phil felt “more like me”, meaning himself. Obviously. This “rocker” (I know, it’s a stretch) has a horrible disco bass line and a Beach Boys-esque backing vocal riff…the hook sounds a little Eaglesque also. The ending is sort of abrupt as if they couldn't wait to be done with this record. Did the musicians go home every night and call their friends and say, "You won't believe the shit I played today FOR MONEY!!!"

Thankfully, we’d only have a few short years to wait for a full-fledged Everly Brothers comeback with a killer live REUNION CONCERT recording, 3 pretty decent studio records and a bunch of killer live dates with a band led by the stupendous Albert Lee on guitar. It only lasted for a handful of years but it was sure nice while it lasted.

As opposed to the polar opposite with this LP reviewed above. Maybe there’s a reason Phil was LIVING ALONE at the time…probably drove people out of the house playing this shit.

This album is officially for sale...make me an offer...

Send me your choices for AN UNFATHOMABLY BAD ALBUM BY A MAJOR ARTIST...
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