Big Yellow Taxi

My ignorance of popular music recorded before 1990 has brought me here to apologize to Joni Mitchell. Much like the many years I spent thinking the Black Crowes were actually capable of writing a hit song like Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle," I have for a long time believed that the hit song "Big Yellow Taxi" was a song written and recorded by the Counting Crows and sometimes sung with Vanessa Carlton. Wrong. This song was written by Joni Mitchell in 1970, but has been covered by many artists (including Bob Dylan) in the time since her original recording and did not become a bona fide hit again until the Counting Crows version came out in 2002.

Normally this is where I'd post an audio version of the original song, to pay homage to Joni Mitchell for the many years I've spent not giving her credit, but instead this is where I'll post my favorite cover version of the song since hers is not the best in my opinion. The first time I actually heard "Big Yellow Taxi," it was by Billie Joe Armstrong's other, non-Green Day band called Pinhead Gunpowder. It was recorded in 1994, but I probably didn't hear it until 1999 when Napster made it possible for a 14 year old kid with no money to listen to something other than what the radio or Mtv wanted me to hear.

American Idiot on Broadway

Ever since I was the one and only blogger in America to break the news that American Idiot would be on Broadway, I felt compelled to see the show and praise the world with my opinion. So here it is.

First and foremost, I want to confirm what most people are probably thinking. There is absolutely no legitimate reason why this show needs to exist. For me, the only true purpose it serves is providing Green Day fans the surreal but awkward moment that occurs when they first realize their hero Billie Joe is actually acting. And I don't just mean acting as in "playing a character," I mean the full fledged over-the-top acting common to musicals. I mean the kind of stage acting that includes having fake background conversations and silly choreographed jumping around. Once this initial jolt wears off, you realize his presence is not so far fetched. In fact, he plays a character called "Jesus of Suburbia," an anarchist drug dealer who appears on stage for maybe 20% of the show and has very little dialogue. You get the impression this was not much of a stretch for a guy who regularly plays 2 hour concerts in sold out stadiums. This spectacle is the 20% of the show I would recommend to anyone. The rest of the show...well, have you seen the film Across the Universe? If so, you know that it was a 2 hour cliche'd farce about some kids having some identity trouble in post-Watergate, Vietnam-era America. Along the way they sing Beatles songs that contain a word or phrase relevant to the manufactured plot, but not at all relevant to the intent of the songwriter. Here's an example: The main character's name was Jude so that it would make sense to sing "Hey Jude." The whole thing begs the question, "am I watching this story because I like the songs? or do I like the songs because they compliment the plot?" If given a chance to think about it, 9 of 10 people would choose option 1. I think I saw this film on opening night though, so my audience is as much a reason for the films existence as the songs themselves. Such is American Idiot.

The non-Bille Joe Armstrong 80% of Broadway's American Idiot is Across the Universe set in post 9/11 America and containing worse music. It is for the hardcore fan of the American Idiot album and fans of stubborn attempts to create a plot out of songs that while written with a common theme in mind, were not written as a cohesive storyline. It is about 3 kids who play in a band together. Then one gets a girl pregnant and has to quit the band, another goes to Iraq and loses his leg, and the third--the primary character--falls into a deep, drug-fueled, depression. Every couple of scenes, Billie Joe's character stops by to be a bad influence and sell some drugs. The story is told by each of the three men through the lyrics of songs from both the American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown albums, and the acting and musicianship is generally very good throughout the show. If the play is not amazing, it is not for lack of decent acting. But the plot... As if the thematic parallels to Across the Universe--which we've established was an awful exploit of good music--were not enough, one scene in the play is a complete ripoff of THIS scene from the film. And that's really all I can say. In 2004 I listened to the American Idiot album exactly one million times and not once did I hear a story about a kid going to Iraq and having his leg blown off. But that's art, right?

Overall, though I'm sure this post has seemed overly negative, my only issue is with the plot. And since I'm convinced American Idiot was not written with Broadway in mind, I can forgive it. This is not high art, nor do I believe it was meant to be. I am not breaking any new ground by criticizing this, and my having gone to see it despite knowing it would lack a story illustrates the very reason it exists. The point is that this show does not NEED to exist on any artistic level, but I am glad that it does if only because I am a fan of Green Day, and I don't know if I would ever have gone to Broadway without its existence. The set is fantastic, the theatre very nice, and the overall atmosphere is very self-aware. It is not as if the producers of the show do not know that the plot rarely makes sense and is not important.

So will you like it? If you liked the album, yes. If you didn't like the album but would pay $75+ to see Billie Joe act, yes. If you are a fan of Broadway musicals like Rent, but have no idea who Green Day is, no.

You Know You're Right

We can agree that all musicians probably leave behind a veritable trove of unpublished, unpolished recordings. It's in the nature of being a recording artist to try, and eventually scrap, failed attempts at new music. As such, rarely will an artists' work receive a posthumous release, unless said artist is someone whose legacy demands it, or whose legacy includes a crazy bitch-wife trying to make a buck.

The two examples of gigantic posthumous recordings I can best remember were both created as ways to sell larger boxsets or compilations. Those are the Beatles' "Free as a Bird" from the 1995 Anthology release which included the late John Lennon's vocals, and later Nirvana's "You Know Your'e Right" from their 2002 self-titled Best of compilation which included lyrics sung and written by Kurt Cobain.

Of the two, I have to admit I like the Nirvana song much better. But both songs have their own wikipedia pages revealing the story behind how the recordings came to be, and both are worth looking over.

Free as a Bird
You Know You're Right

The Bens

In 2003, piano pop stalwart Ben Folds put together an 8 show tour through Australia in which he asked up and comers Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to support. Together as supergroup "The Bens," the trio recorded a 4 song EP to be sold exclusively on the tour, all 3500 pressings of which sold out. The album was later given an internet store release. So were The Bens any good? Critics thought so, but then again the group never recoded together again.

Who is Harry Nilsson?

The title of this documentary might imply that the name Harry Nilsson is one that pops up a lot in popular culture but is not widely known. This was exactly my experience with Nilsson prior to watching this documentary. Fun Fact: The only reason I knew the name was because I once googled "The Puppy Song" after watching You've Got Mail. I only became aware of this film when my dad asked me "find it" for him. It's available for free streaming if you've got a Netflix account.

I had no intention of actually watching it too, but I couldn't stop. This isn't a puff piece about some genius musician that was under-appreciated. While it is true Harry Nilsson wrote many hits from the 70s you've heard of and like, this is a vivid portrait of a very complex man with a documented history of alcoholism and self-destructive behavior which is contrasted with his being a loving father, husband, and activist. In other words, my favorite kind of documentary.

Beyond the Lighted Stage

If the mark of a good documentary is its ability to hold one's attention despite a lack of interest in the subject matter, then the Rush documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage deserves a spot in documentary pantheon of any music enthusiast, especially anti-Rush music enthusiasts.

I was never the biggest Rush fan. I've consumed less than a quarter of their entire collection and mostly stick with the hits. I had never been exposed to the geek culture associated with the band and I'd never really done any thoughtful analysis of their literary lyrical content. From afar I've simply admired the sound they can produce with just 3 members. To be honest, I have always assumed that their talent must be accompanied by an obscene amount of Canadian pretentiousness. And yet, every time Palladia runs this film I watch it. I can't help it, these guys are cool.

The truth, as this documentary points out, is far from my assumption and yours. Specifically worthy of your attention is the career arch and mind of Neil Peart, arguably the world's greatest drummer. The guy is absolutely fascinating. Despite his fame he is a fiercely guarded and infinitely neurotic person scared to death of the spotlight and social interactions, a true anti-hero of the rock and roll world you might be used to hearing about.

Dropkick Murphys - Barroom Hero

"Face down in the gutter won't admit defeat though his clothes are soiled and black, he's a big strong man with a child's mind, DON'T YOU TAKE HIS BOOZE AWAY..."

Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies

Flogging Molly - Seven Deadly Sins

Tossers - Siobhan

Tossers - Goodmorning Da

The Irony in this Post Will Be Astounding

You know the guy you grew up with who co-opted his heritage as the bulk of his identity? He had the t-shirts, ate the food, knew some words, knew every player on the national soccer team, and listened to the music, all as if some test was coming where he'd have to prove how loyal to his ancestors he'd been. My Irish buddies were just as guilty as the Italians.

Now, we should all be so lucky on this planet as to have something such as that to make us feel interesting and happy. But if I could go back to high school and college to send one message to the people who fit that description, it would be this: Pick more interesting music. This goes to the Irish punks especially. There are literally a thousand or more punk bands claiming the irish ethos as their own. You don't have to listen to them all! They aren't all good! So, if you must listen to music about drinking and fighting, go for the Jameson, not the Black Velvet. First, if you haven't done so already, check out the Pogues, and then at this point you might as well listen to Dropkick Murphys. Got that? I think you're ready for some other gems too.

Espionage

According to my iPod I have 8,345 songs available to me at any moment. So I consider it a severe improbability that the Shuffle function would ever play the 3 instrumental tracks out of a possible maybe 20 instrumental tracks I might have in a matter of twenty minutes. And yet it happened today. Okay, okay, I get it. Shuffle works in mysterious ways. But it just so happens all three would be perfect for urgent, aggressive, espionage scenes.

First up, Green Day's "Espionage," complete with surf guitar and just the right amount of horns. This was apparently recorded for one of the Austin Powers' movies, but you can also find it on the B-Side album Shenanigans.

	Green Day - Espionage
	Found at skreemr.org

Then there's MxPx, with "The Theme Fiasco," which I'm positive was written with spies in mind. Heavy on the bass.
(I could only find the live album version, but it's good)

And finally, Everclear's "El Distorto de Melodica," which, I'll admit, was probably not written with spy movies in mind. But, if you imagine Jason Bourne bum rushing a terrorist compound while listening to this track nothing will seem out of place.

Best Ramones Songs?

Paste attempts the impossible by listing the 10 Best Ramones Songs of All Time.

To me this is more a list of the most important songs to hear if you're new to the Ramones. Besides, without Dee Dee's "Warthog" it can't be a "Best Of" list. A nice attempt nonetheless.

Hard to Handle

I heard Otis Redding's original version of the song "Hard to Handle" on XPN a few days ago and ignorantly thought to myself, "this is such a great cover of the Black Crowes' song." It was an ignorant thing to think for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Redding has been dead since 1967. So to honor the man, let's all listen to the song that sparked this post and make a pact to be music snobs together and point out to anyone listening to the Black Crowes that arguably their biggest and only hit is the one they didn't write.

Runner Runner

No, that's not the cast of the new show Jersey Shore Emo, it's Runner Runner, the first and only band signed to David Letterman's new Clear Entertainment record label.

On one hand, I'm not surprised Dave has a record label as he's consistently been the late night host who books the best bands and he seems to genuinely care about the music. But, on the other hand, this might be the worst pop-punk band I've ever heard, and the label's signing is an obviously pandering to the Hannah Montana generation where the quality of the music means nothing.

Hear for yourself with Runner Runner's new "single" "So Obvious":

End of the Century

In last week's post about It Might Get Loud, I mentioned it was my second favorite documentary. The first is one I've blogged about before, and that is End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones. I love it simply because it seems surreal. People who hate the band's music would be interested in their story simply because of the multiple personalities involved and the length of their careers. And now I can prove it because it's available in parts on Youtube.

Start with Part 1, here.

Tiger Army

On the heels of their latest album, 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day is going on tour this summer and bringing fellow San Franciscans and 924 Gilman Street alum AFI along as the opening act. The tour will come through Philadelphia by way of Camden's Susquhanna Bank Center, which is a venue I find a little big for my personal tastes, so I'm debating whether or not to go. Of course, the decision would be a lot easier if my dream of adding a third San Francisco based band and Gilman Street alum were added to the bill were to come true. I'm talking about Tiger Army, who unfortunately don't have a new album to promote, so I can forget about this Back to Our Roots Tour (tm) happening.

Tiger Army is great because they combine elements of music not seen often enough in today's cookie cutter era of rock music with bands like Nickelback and faux-punkers like Fall Out Boy. I'm talking, of course, about the upright bass, and the sound known only as "psychobilly," which Tiger Army offer their own twisted take on with only 3 members. A "power psychobilly trio" if you will, and a singer who goes only by the name of "Nick 13." It's intriguing, right? And the upright bass is up there with the moog synthesizer on the list of most underrated instrument. [Side Note: I saw Bob Dylan in Hershey 2 summers ago and of of course the show was great. But I've always wondered, was it great because I saw a two-hour mix of past and present super-hits performed by one of the world's most popular and influential music legends, or was it because Dylan's bassist strummed an upright bass? I may never know.]

Listen to that bass go walking on "Pain" from 2007's Music From Regions Beyond.

Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn

Ash and I caught the band Hello Goodbye while they opened up for New Found Glory a month or so back. Their use of auto-tune on a few songs was a little much for me to commit to calling what we heard "great," but there was this one song I've since found myself blasting probably a little too often.


*Warning* This song is pretty much for children, but see if it has the same affect on you.

It Might Get Loud

If I could just start slow with a simple film recommendation, I'd have to say that It Might Get Loud is the second best documentary about music I've ever seen (I haven't seen a lot of music documentaries), and one of the better films I've watched in the last few months for sure.

The basic premise is "what would happen if Jack White, Jimmy Page, and The Edge (U2's guitarist)were hanging out together in a room full of guitars and amplifier equipment?" And even if you aren't a fan of or two of these guys, the answer to that question is "some really incredible guitar sounds, stories, and insight." My personal favorite overall musician is Jack White, so his presence would have been enough for me, but Jimmy Page is fantastic in this too, and outside of allowing himself to be called "The Edge," the dude from U2 does plenty to remove himself from Bono's shadow and portray himself as a pretty cool guy, even if a lesser musician than the other two.

Stick around to watch the "Deleted Scenes," a couple of which show the three learning each others songs. Not surprisingly, these deleted scenes are probably the only scenes of the film that can't seem to stay up on YouTube for very long. But I did find THIS CLIP of Jimmy Page showing the guys how "Kashmir" was born. Pretty cool stuff.

Grade: B