Monday, December 31, 2007

Top Whatever List of 07

Enough with the top ten lists already . I didn't even listen to 10 new albums this year.
I'm just gonna cap off the old year by listing the few things I did like.



Top LP
Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Academy
I think this is the only new CD I bought. I like it.



Top DVD
The Johnny Cash TV Show
I now like Country, Western and Creedence. Buy the two disc version.



Top Book
I liked Andy Summers' One Train Later but i didn't finish it. Buy All Over But The Shouting instead. It's about the Replacements and it's easier to read. The Warren Zevon book is fabulous too but you might not want to go there.



Other "top" things:
Elvis Costello live
Red Sox
Patriots
Celtics
Blog posts of out of print vinyl
Vicodin



Some "bottom" things:
Bob Dylan live
Bruins
Blog posts about important new bands
Vicodin

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Joe For Oil


Following sluggish sales of his recent solo album Joe Perry appears to have taken a job delivering oil. click for delivery

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Records Go Round


Picked up this fabulous peice of vinyl at Luke's Record Exchange in Pawtucket RI today. Being a big fan of the Q I wonder why I never bought this LP. It may be their finest (3/4) hour. Almost half the songs are on their best of collections and the other half could be. Vinyl is not my preferred method of listening these days but when I see a good store it's fun to check out all the abandoned wax and laugh at all the bad albums covers people parted ways with. I always try to buy something just to be polite. I usually just spin 'em once and then file 'em away but it's a nice warm break from this cold digital wonderland.
Luke's Ebay Store
buy At Yankee Stadium (cd)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

No Stones

Seems I've been censored by Rolling Stone Rock& Roll Daily. In response to a post titled
Red Hot Chili Peppers vs. David Duchovny
I wrote these exact words:
Rolling Stones
Rolling Stone
Chili Willi and the Red Hot Peppers
The Abbey Road E.P
duh

pointing out the fact that their magazine lifted the name of a famous band just as the Showtime program lifted the name of a famous album.
My comment was there this morning and now it has mysteriously disappered.
Are they trying to hide something?
By the way, I'm changing the name of this blog to Blood Sugar Sex Magic
Do you think anyone will notice?

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Country Comfort


I bought this to see Creedence and Clapton but it's the country stars that keep me watching. Stand By Your Man doesn't mean a thing until you see the girl (woman) sing it. The real standout here though is the Man In Black who puts his heart and soul into everything he sings and is at ease with all the acts here. Maybe next we can get an entire DVD of Linda Ronstadt performances (with bonus rehearsal footage). That would be nice.

buy it now

Saturday, October 27, 2007

A Good Idea


I don't listen to Husker Du or Sugar much anymore but when I saw a positive
review of Bob Mould's new live DVD I was intrigued enough to buy it. The show looks and sounds great but the one thing watching this made me realize is how good his body of songs (cheap pun) is. I've seen the Huskers a few times but the Mould shows that stood out for me were:
A Sugar show which started out with Copper Blue and b-side material and then kicked into overdrive
with with a nearly possessed performance of the entire Beaster EP.
A solo acoustic performance after which Bob stuck around and talked soap box style for an hour then personally shook hands and thanked each person for coming.
Even if you weren't happy with his last few solo CD's buy this DVD to reminisce and realize this guy may still have a few good tunes up his sleeve. Stay in tune.

buy it now

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Don't Be A Dummy

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
head over to nrbq.com and download the live zip file. Then scroll down and buy Live At The Wax Museum.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Champagne Jam


It's time to celebrate.
Not because the Red Sox just swept the Angels
Because the ALCS is on FOX.
That means we can watch it in modern HD TV.
The NLCS is on TBS.
Good luck with that.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Don't Think Twice



The truth of the matter is I was there to see Elvis. When Elvis Costello plays 10 minutes from your house it's time to get off the couch (or laptop) and go see a concert. The venue: DCU Center. Formerly the Worcester Centrum. As the Celtics were hanging banners and the rats were chewing up the parquet floor of the old Boston Garden, the Centrum was the hottest concert venue in New England. Now it houses minor league hockey and monster trucks and on occasion a halfway decent concert bill like Bob Dylan & Elvis Costello. No wristbands these days just a verification code and bingo your on the floor. First up Amos Lee. This guy's in fine voice and his band ain't bad either but after a few songs I realize this is the kind of music I hate. Sort of a poor man's Hootie and the Blowfish. Maybe he should open for Jack Johnson or Phish. That way I won't have to see him again. Seems like nice guy. Probably good at hackeysack. At this point the place is filling up. My guess is Elvis fans probably dig Dylan, but do Dylan fans dig Elvis? They do now. Costello was in fine voice. He opens with Red Shoes and he's already got the crowd.
The acoustic guitar suits him well and prevents him from playing those overextended leads he usually plays with The Attractions/Imposters. Some new songs, a little known gem, and some hits. By the way, I hate Veronica. Do you suppose I'm the only one? It seems like he plays it at every show. Anyway this is top shelf Costello worth the 70 dollar ticket price. A complete success. Between acts I hear people saying things like "I forgot how good his songs were". I didn't.

So what about Bob?

Well maybe I'm not qualified to review this portion of the show because I "left early". I don't want to say I walked out. It wasn't that bad? It was exciting to see the great songwriter as the lights went on. Nice hat. Appropriately, he started with Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat and except for the singing it wasn't that bad. Shortly after that was a reinterpretation of Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (reinterpretation is bobspeak for "bad version"). For a moment I imagine it's all right. Then I think twice. Some new songs sound okay but it's kind of wearing on me. We decide to go look at the t-shirts or get some food. In other words we don't want to leave, it's just that Dylan starting to ruin the good vibes of the earlier EC performance. I've had enough. Hey, it's all right to "leave early" (I "left early" a during an Elvis show once-King Of America tour). Doesn't make me a bad person or him a bad artist. He's still Bob Dylan and he's still a living legend. He's just not a living live legend

Friday, October 05, 2007

The Definition Of Low


Here's a big F**K YOU to MLB, TBS, TNT, and Charter Cable.
I just watched the entire 162 game Red Sox regular season in High Definition on NESN. Now the playoffs are on TBS and TBS HD is not carried by my local cable provider. Even worse the beginning of tonight's Sox game began on TNT HD then switched to non-HD TBS when the Indians - Yankees game ended. It's obvious that TNT could carry the game but they want to force Charter to carry TBS HD at their price. And why is Charter always last major cable company to carry the new stations? As they fight over price the viewers get screwed. Some of the blame must also go to Major League Baseball for giving the contract to a non HD ready network. Watching the game in standard definition on an HD TV is like going back to UHF. The picture nearly as bad as Craig Sager's jacket.

update

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Radio Ga Ga

I'm really glad Radiohead is letting me set the price for the new album IN RAINBOWS (Oct 10) because I wouldn't give you two cents for their last couple albums. In fact I would like my money back.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Joy Division


A solid pitching performance by Daisuke Matsuzaka combined with an unbelievable come from behind win by the Orioles over the Yankees last night gave the Sox their first division title since 1995.
more photos

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Train Of Thought Rocks!


Although they're probably never coming back, the legendary Train Of Thought have a new MySpace Page. Go check 'em out.
Train Of Thought Myspace

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Endless Stamos


(or what I did on my summer vacation part 2)
I was standing in line at Dunkin Donuts (some things you just can't get away from) when I noticed the guy behind me had a Beach Boys cap on. Suddenly another coffee-goer came up to him and said "did you see the Beach Boys at the tent?" I assumed he meant the Cape Cod Melody Tent unless they've lowered themselves to playing campgrounds. And the guy replied " yeah Stamos was great!". Well Brian Wilson was a genius but Stamos, I'm not so sure. Then the other guy said "yeah he rocked!". So it must be true. Still a little skeptcal I sit down with my French Vanilla and my Glazed Stick and open the Cape Cod Times and there it is, in the newspaper
Stamos drives Beach Boys beat

Friday, August 17, 2007

Casual Dining


For 27 years I've missed the Incredible Casuals Sunday afternoon show until now, sort of. Lodging in Hyannis we decided to make the trek to the Wellfleet Beachcomber about 30 miles away. Heading up RT 6 I don't quite know where it is but I do find Cahoon Hollow Rd. It's a long quiet Cape road that goes on forever. "Where is this place?" we all ask aloud. It can't be in the ocean. Sure enough, IT'S RIGHT SMACK ON TOP OF THE BEACH. It's a restaurant so I can bring my kid in right? Wrong! At 4 PM it's a bar and NO ONE UNDER 21 IS ALLOWED. The kind gentleman at the door suggests we order some food and listen outside.
I saw them do a rousing Beat On the Brat in true punk fashion as I ordered from the take-out window. So I did see them, right? Best clam roll I ever had to boot.
Maybe next time I'll get in.
Incredible Casuals (MP3's and more)

Maybe I'm A Leo


maybe i'm not

Friday, August 10, 2007

Sticky Metal


Heading to the beach? You may want to bring your Bill Wyman Signature Metal Detector.
No really!
billwymandetector.com

Summer In Danvers


The Philco Brothers Summer In Danvers EP is now available.
Check it out at
Philco Brothers Myspace

Fight Club


The Van Halen Reunion Tour is on again and this time original bassist Anthony Michael Hall is back in the fold.
Tour Dates will be announced Monday

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Kool For Cats


Peter Criss, the cool cat in front of such Kiss classics as Beth and Hard Luck Woman (and behind all the rest), released his fifth solo LP on July 24th
from petercriss.net
ONE FOR ALL is an autobiographical collection featuring Criss' self-penned tunes, in addition to several cover songs and tribute songs to his fans, that reflect his outlook on life at this point in his long-standing career.
In addition to arranging and writing the lyrics and melodies for most of the material on the CD, ONE FOR ALL is the first fully self-produced CD by Criss. The CD also features collaborations with longtime friends and acclaimed musicians including bandleader Paul Shaffer and bassist Will Lee, as well as guitarist Mike McLaughlin.


did you know?
New York Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan served as Peter Criss' best man at the future Kiss drummer's first wedding.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Hammerin' Bonds


I'll be cheering when Bonds hits home run number 756, steroids or not. It's been 33 years since Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record and it's time for a new home-run king. The fact that he may have "cheated" makes it all the more interesting. If anyone is to blame it should be MLB for not testing and letting the Steroid Era go on. Sure Barry may act like an asshole but I feel sorry for him. It's too bad he can't enjoy being one of the greatest hitters of all time.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Free Coffee


enter here

But seriously, if you have to buy a latte you might want to try
starbucks

A Wicked Bad Time


I love Newbury Comics. Earlier this week I went to the store in North Attleboro where I purchased You're Gonna Miss Me, the Rocky Erickson doc, and a used copy of Out Of The Grey by the Dream Syndicate. This weekend it was time to take my kid to Sherwood Plaza store to spend his birthday gift certificate and buy a few more items for myself.
Great trip. So far I've found Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out, which nobody really needs unless you're a true Sell-Out fanatic. I guess I've been reading my Rolling Stone Summer Of Love issue too much because the Jefferson Airplane bin caught my eye. There were about five copies (new and used) of Surrealistic Pillow and I think I've found the out of print one with both the Stereo and Mono versions on one disc. I'm not sure. This is a used CD and I've always checked out used LP's before I buy them so I decide to take a look at the booklet. No sooner than I opened the resealable plastic folder I'm surrounded. No, I'm not really surrounded, but a clerk runs over and says "you have to bring that to the counter to open it". Now these Newbury Comics types are usually pretty cool so I tried to say " i just wanted to see if this was the mono/stereo version" but before I could get it out he interrupted me and says " yeah that's how people steal CD's" and then threw some hippie- be cool and bring it to the counter- bullshit at me. First,I'm 42 years old and don't think I look like a thief (must be the long hair and the Red Sox hat) and second, I'm not gonna bring it to the counter when you're standing right in front of me. I'm buying the thing anyway. This guy isn't gonna ruin my "wicked good time" But he did. I don't mind the fact that I can't open a used CD, I just like to finish a sentence and be treated like a customer instead of a crook. Just another reason to shop online I guess.

amazon.com
itunes
ebay

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Starting Over Again


The Raspberries will release their first album in 33 years- Live On The Sunset Strip-on July 31st.
If you don't already have their 4 classic LP's this might be a good place to start.

take a listen

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Summer Of Drugs


The latest issue of Rolling Stone in which Jann Wenner tells you how great his acid days were is some mighty powerful stuff.
Wait... before you order out for that sheet of imitation Owsley you may want to watch this.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Anyone Can Play Guitar


Madonna kicks out the jams at Live Earth

Let The Music Do The Talking


I saw the first version of the Joe Perry Project open for Rossington Collins and they were fine. I believe Joe sang Jailhouse Rock while another vocalist handled the rest of the songs. It was average Joe but nothing could prepare me for the Project that played at Westboro Speedway in 1983. It was a very hot day but I didn't need Cowboy Mach Bell, looking like an poor man's Dee Snider, repeatedly screaming "It's fucking hot out here" trying to get the crowd excited while the band plodded through mediocre material, some of which hadn't been released yet. The low point - in the middle of a new tune Joe Perry says"this is for my friends from Milford" then proceeded to play the intro to Dream On while the band rambled on with the rest of the nameless song. Next time let the music do the talking. Luckily Aerosmith reformed shortly thereafter.

this was originally written as an e-mail to the Boston Herald

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Get Off Of My Cloud


POWER POP SHOWDOWN
The Rubinoos have filed suit against Avril Lavigne claiming Girlfriend sounds a lot like I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.
avril myspace
rubinoos myspace

no comment yet from the Stones or Ramones

Acoustic Piece


Ecstatic Peace records will be releasing Trees Outside The Academy-an acoustic based solo album by Thurston Moore- on September 18th.
read all about it

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Declaration


read this:
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

you are now free to have a beer and light a sparkler

grab some tunes

almost 4th mixtape - SVB
life liberty pursuit of happiness- Fuel Friends

Sunday, July 01, 2007

A Gayla Celebration


Go Fly A Kite. You've heard the expression and that's just what we did. Cool and windy day, Cape Cod, perfect. The fifteen dollar Flying Machine lasted about five minutes before it hit the ground. This was shortly after Dick Wagner (my uncle, not the legendary guitarist) boasted of his extreme kite-flying skills. What to do. Luckily, my trusty sidekick brought the BABY BAT. You know, that 1970's model kite that I bought in a joke store for two bucks. Ten minutes and three rolls of string later, the bat was flying at an altitude of approximately 1200 hundred feet. It was true, he was the great kitesman he claimed to be. Hours later we decided to cut the bird loose instead of spending the night reeling it in. So long, we thought, but the string caught the trees and the BABY BAT was still flying well into the darkness of night. Could still be there today. If you cross the Bourne Bridge take a look and let us know.

Starship Troupers?


On a hot summer night in Boston Morrisey had a meltdown and bailed out on his show while Paul Kantner couldn't take the heat across town.
Boston Herald reports:
Amazingly, about the same time Morrissey was wilting last night, Starship was overheating. Complaining about the lack of air conditioning, Paul Kantner and several other bandmembers walked offstage, abandoning singer Marty Balin, who was forced to stretch three ballads into 20 excruciating minutes. Eventually Kantner cooled off enough to come back and finish the show, but he was still boiling when reached by phone yesterday. “We played at the worst venue imaginable yesterday,” he griped. “What a dive. The only reason our manager booked it was because we wanted to play the NBC Morning show in New York City.”
Yeah, that must be the reason.

Bourne In The USA


Maybe it was the Jackass style photos we took of ourselves with the fireworks. I don't know. This year was going to be the biggest display yet. We had them all lined up, boxes and boxes of the finest imported fireworks a lot of money could buy.
A few rockets and a roman candle or two and they were already cheering across the bay. One big box-boom-we were on our way. I walked the yard to check the view and that's when the spotlight hit me. I knew it was the cops. I ran to the beach as fast as I could and they hid the 'works twice as fast as that. But there was no big chase scene, no arrests, just a polite request to stop the show. "Did You Know Fireworks Are Illegal In Massachusetts?" Yes sir. And that was the end of what would have been the biggest display to date. Couldn't ruin a good day though. Sparklers and Snakes will have to keep us amused.

Friday, June 29, 2007

introducing Hate & Oats


Hate & Oats is a side project of the Philco Brothers band.
This is their Myspace site



hate & oats

Tired Of The Same Old Song And Dance?

Then listen to former Ted Nugent singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes sing some Aerosmith classics!
click here
why? you might ask. I don't know but he did put out an album with Brad Whitford back in the day.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Last Minute Father's Day Gifts


Long before salad dressing and iced coffee made him a household name, Paul Newman was an actor.
Yes it's true. He "starred" in b-movies like this tale of a washed-up minor leaugue player-coach trying to save his team from folding. A Bad News Bears for adults.
buy it now



He actually did rub a pot roast all over his chest. And if you need to know more then you need this biography of Warren Zevon. Just don't read it to the kids.
buy it now

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Who Listens To The Radio?


(a little more sports talk while we're on the subject)
The only radio I listen to is "sports radio", WEEI specifically. I lost interest in "music" radio a long time ago. People keep telling me I NEED satellite radio but from what I hear it's just more of the same. Someone telling me what to listen to. The internet is my music source now. This is what I love about sports and sports radio:
Forty year old Curt Schilling ,of bloody sock fame, comes as close to a no-hitter as possible (two outs in the ninth) and all the callers on WEEI can talk about is how Julio Lugo and J.D. Drew can't hit and are a total waste of Red Sox money. Later that night Lugo hits a leadoff homer and Drew adds not one, but two three-run homers. And while the callers aren't completely wrong it seems like he and Julio get the last laugh.
who listens to the radio - the sports
curt blogs about his one-hitter

(editor's note: Who Listens To The Radio could be confused with On Your Radio by Joe Jackson who should not be confused with "Shoeless" Joe Jackson)