liz_marcs (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} liz_marcs) wrote,@ 2007-06-20 10:38:00 |
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| Entry tags: | music: music from the cube, music: review |
Music from the Cube: What Am I Listening to Today?
Below the cut are CD reviews of Randy Newman, Good Old Boys (1974) and Bad Love (1999), and one CD review from the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Hot (1997)
Randy Newman, Good Old Boys Rating=$$$$
[Support the Artist, Artist's Official Web Site]
How I Got This CD: Electronically traded for it.
Before he became famous for his movie soundtracks, Randy Newman was known as a misanthropic singer/songwriter specializing in a cynical, darkly humorous, gallows-eye view of humanity. Throughout his career, Newman has often been a misunderstood genius. For example, his biggest hit, 'Short People,' was originally thought to be a screed against either midgets or children. A closer look at the lyrics, however, reveals that it's actually about Newman's dislike of racists and bigots (the "short people" in the song).
It's hard to describe Newman's oeuvre. Is it pop? Well, his tunes are certainly catch-y enough that you often find yourself humming along. Does he write Broadway musical-style songs? Well, most of his songs are definitely written using a point-of-view character who are invariably unreliable people of questionable character. Does he write musical comedy? Well, he's not going to make you laugh out loud like Weird Al Yankovic, but if you listen to the lyrics more than a few will have you nodding and smiling in recognition (or maybe that's only true if you're a meeeeen ol' cynic like myself).
I suppose that in the end, you could say that Newman's jazzy and bluesy pop creations are musically solid, lyrically complicated, and fantastically crafted character studies that make you grin, make you think, and make you listen to voices that you'd otherwise ignore. That is a testament to pure songwriting awesome.
Good Old Boys from 1974, which was ranked by Rolling Stone at position 393 of the 500 greatest albums of all time, is a tour-de-force of characterization, storytelling, and satire, in this case of the American South. As a born-and-bred northerner, I find it darkly hilarious (and more than a little mean). A born-and-bred southerner may find the CD deeply offensive on all fronts, from the dim-witted, racist narrator in the opening track of 'Rednecks' right on through to the last note.
Yet, for all the meanness on the CD, there are some genuinely touching tracks that show real compassion for the working men and women of the south who are struggling against impossible odds, such as the outstanding 'Louisiana, 1927.'
The stand-out songs on this CD include:
The deceptive 'Rednecks,' even though the line "keeping the niggers down" sounds like a painful slap across the face to most modern Americans, whatever the color of their skin. Told from the point of view of a racist character, on first pass the song sounds like a harsh criticism of the institutional racism of the south. Scratch the surface, however, and it becomes apparently clear that not one corner of the U.S. is spared the invective and that we are all, in fact, "keeping the niggers down." After all, as the song points out, is it really freedom when the black neighborhoods of San Francisco or Boston (two places singled out in the song) serve as neglected cages for its residents?
'Louisiana, 1927' is a straight story song about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 in which 700,000 people in Louisiana and Mississippi were killed or left homeless as a result of heavy rains that caused the Mississippi River and its tributaries to flood. In more recent years, this song has become closely associated with Hurricane Katrina, which hammered the Gulf Coast in 2005, especially since it was performed by several artists (including Newman himself and Aaron Neville) at various fund raisers in the hurricane's immediate aftermath.
'Kingfish' is a salute to Louisiana's own Rascal King and radical populist, Huey Long. (Long served as both governor of the state and U.S. Senator before he was assassinated in 1935). Another politician that, depending on your point of view, was either the greatest thing to ever happen to the working class, or a crook who put the principle of democracy in danger. 'Kingfish' (so-named because that was Long's nickname) is told from Long's point of view, in which he espouses unity with his working-class and poverty-stricken supporters. Is it me, or does ol' Long sound like a philandering husband trying to convince his fed-up wife to stick around in this song?
'Naked Man' is a strange tale of a "naked banditto" who runs around at night mugging his hapless victims. During the commission of his crimes, our naked mugger attempts to justify himself to his victim using what may or may not be a series of lies. If we didn't know that the victim in this case was a scared, little old lady, we might feel sorry for this modern-day highwayman.
Randy Newman, Bad Love Rating=$$
[Support the Artist, Artist's Official Web Site]
How I Got This CD: Traded for it through LaLa.
Bad Love was a comeback of sorts for Newman. This 1999 CD was the first non-soundtrack CD that Newman had released in eleven years. The bad news is that Bad Love can't hold a candle to Newman's output in the 1970s and early 1980s. Don't get me wrong, the CD is a solid (if more introspective) addition to the Newman collection of misanthropic observations, but time and the good Hollywood life has sanded down some of the sharp, harsh edges.
That isn't to say that's Newman has forgotten how to use the metaphorical elbows. The older Newman can see that he and his kind are as much a figure of fun as the usual targets of his observational songs. Rich and powerful dirty ol' men who chase after women who are far too young for them; 60-something year-old multimillionaire rock stars playing at being broke 20-something rebels with a garage band; men who ran out on their families just when they made it big; men who live lies and con their way up in the corporate world; and the cyclical nature of both personal and world history are all targeted by Newman's poison pen, and are based (to an extent) on Newman and his peers.
Newman's voice is also iffy on some of the tracks. To be honest, Newman's voice was never the greatest or the most flexible, but what it lacked in some areas it more than made up for it in character. That and the fact that Newman knew how to write his songs so that the weak points of his voice were papered over helped hide a lot of those vocal flaws. Sadly, on Bad Love, Newman doesn't always manage it and the result can make you wince.
Now, don't get me wrong: I do like the CD, but I would've been pissed if I paid full price for this one. As a LaLa trade, however, it was a good bargain, if only for 'The Great Nations of Europe.'
The stand-out songs on this CD include:
'Shame' is a 'Minnie the Moocher'-type tune, complete with a melody line that reminds you of the Cab Calloway classic. For this song, the narrator is a sugar daddy who is brought to his knees by his trophy girlfriend. All the money, experience, power, and high-priced toys aren't enough for him to recover his dignity when he finds out that his trophy girlfriend is seeing men her age behind his back. Not that it matters. The sugar daddy is well and truly hooked, and reduced to nothing more than impotent rage.
'I'm Dead (But I Don't Know It)' takes aim at aging multimillionaire rock stars who play at being broke teenage rebels with a garage band. Even as the narrator knows he's churning out sound-alike crap for new CDs even as he keeps doing farewell tours, he suspects that he's crossed the line into self-parody despite himself. As the narrator points out, he can't stop because he's got a bank account to keep fat and a family of hangers-on to support.
'The Great Nations of Europe' is a gleefully cynical song that can be summed up as "karma is a bitch, baby!" Western cultural imperialism didn't start with the U.S. (Hello, European colonial powers!) and you can bet your britches that the day's gonna come that today's third-world nation will be tomorrow's global power. I'd put this song almost on equal footing with Newman's 'Political Science' from 1972's Sail Away.
'Big Hat, No Cattle' is about a man who more than lives the Peter Principle, he constantly spins ever-elaborate lies to maintain his position in the business world, his family, and society. Think "Enron" (although the song came out a few years before there was an actual Enron), and you've pretty much got it.
Squirrel Nut Zippers, Hot Rating=$$$
[Support the Artist, Artist's Official Web Site]
How I Got This CD: Bought new in Rhode Island at the urging of my musically hip friends
After five years of being on "indefinite hiatus" from recording and touring, the Squirrel Nut Zippers are back with a new recording and a small tour this year. So now is as good a time as any to look back at the band's one mainstream triumph, Hot, the band's CD that was released in 1997.
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are the original pastiche band, drawing influences from classic Harlem-inspired jazz and blues, with a touch big-band swing. They drive the purists nuts with their campy sense of fun — not to mention that they really can't hold a candle to the original tunes that poured out of the hot jazz clubs of the '20s and '30s. But if you can dig the music just because it is what it is, the Squirrel Nut Zippers are a fun good time to throw on the CD player.
This fast-playing CD (it clocks in at a mere 38+ minutes) remains focused on recreating the sound of a smoke-filled club or a black&white talkie for its entire run. Certainly there are some clunkers within the songs, and the voices aren't what you'd call top-notch (lead singer Kathleen Whalen aims for Billie Holiday but sounds far too much like someone who wants to be Billie Holiday without that singer's depth), and the band does much, much better on the more uptempo tunes than they do on the slow numbers. That said, if you're looking for something different and a break from the incessant radio-ready pop, you could do a hell of a lot worse than Hot or the Squirrel Nut Zippers.
The stand-out songs on this CD include:
'Got My Own Thing Now' is a bouncy little number about digging that good ol' fashioned jazz and swing, even if it isn't exactly the coolest thing to do these days. As an opening track for the CD, it's a strong introduction to the band.
'Put a Lid On It' is a little call-and-response number that's bouncy and jazzy. If you can get beyond Whalen's attempt to sound like Holiday, it's a charming song that'll have you bopping.
'Hell' is the band's one big hit, and one that took over MTV and the alternative music airwaves during the summer of 1997. It's hard not to warm up to this little earworm of a song and in retrospect the fact it became a hit was probably inevitable (at the time it was a surprise hit). 'Hell,' basically put the Squirrel Nut Zippers in the one-hit wonder hall of fame, despite the fact that the band continues to be a going concern.
'Bad Businessman' is a catchy little tune that is either about an unethical door-to-door seller, a gambler who cheats at cards, or a playa with the ladies. Your choice.
*** You can listen to streaming MP3 files linked with past reviews at my Vox shadow blog for media.
***
Rating system:
None = Avoid at all cost. Worth cutting your ears off to avoid if someone threatens to play it for you. When faced with even the threat of its cellophane-wrapped presence, your best option is to RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!
$= If you stumble across it for cheap in a used bin, it might, maybe, perhaps could be worth the buy, but only if you need a cheap coaster for your cold drinks or a cool-looking Frisbee.
$$= You might want to give this CD/artist a try, but only if the sample track tickles your fancy. Don't bother buying this one new because the good tunes you'd get out of this one ain't worth that kind of money.
$$$ = Worth looking for on a casual basis and maybe even buying new, but no big rush.
$$$$ = Definitely worth having in the ol' CD collection and definitely worth buying new, but don't re-arrange your personal "must have" list to get your hands on it.
$$$$$ = Why haven't you bought this CD yet? Go. This is a "Want. Take. Have." situation because you so want this.
[Support the Artist, Artist's Official Web Site]
How I Got This CD: Electronically traded for it.
Before he became famous for his movie soundtracks, Randy Newman was known as a misanthropic singer/songwriter specializing in a cynical, darkly humorous, gallows-eye view of humanity. Throughout his career, Newman has often been a misunderstood genius. For example, his biggest hit, 'Short People,' was originally thought to be a screed against either midgets or children. A closer look at the lyrics, however, reveals that it's actually about Newman's dislike of racists and bigots (the "short people" in the song).
It's hard to describe Newman's oeuvre. Is it pop? Well, his tunes are certainly catch-y enough that you often find yourself humming along. Does he write Broadway musical-style songs? Well, most of his songs are definitely written using a point-of-view character who are invariably unreliable people of questionable character. Does he write musical comedy? Well, he's not going to make you laugh out loud like Weird Al Yankovic, but if you listen to the lyrics more than a few will have you nodding and smiling in recognition (or maybe that's only true if you're a meeeeen ol' cynic like myself).
I suppose that in the end, you could say that Newman's jazzy and bluesy pop creations are musically solid, lyrically complicated, and fantastically crafted character studies that make you grin, make you think, and make you listen to voices that you'd otherwise ignore. That is a testament to pure songwriting awesome.
Good Old Boys from 1974, which was ranked by Rolling Stone at position 393 of the 500 greatest albums of all time, is a tour-de-force of characterization, storytelling, and satire, in this case of the American South. As a born-and-bred northerner, I find it darkly hilarious (and more than a little mean). A born-and-bred southerner may find the CD deeply offensive on all fronts, from the dim-witted, racist narrator in the opening track of 'Rednecks' right on through to the last note.
Yet, for all the meanness on the CD, there are some genuinely touching tracks that show real compassion for the working men and women of the south who are struggling against impossible odds, such as the outstanding 'Louisiana, 1927.'
The stand-out songs on this CD include:
The deceptive 'Rednecks,' even though the line "keeping the niggers down" sounds like a painful slap across the face to most modern Americans, whatever the color of their skin. Told from the point of view of a racist character, on first pass the song sounds like a harsh criticism of the institutional racism of the south. Scratch the surface, however, and it becomes apparently clear that not one corner of the U.S. is spared the invective and that we are all, in fact, "keeping the niggers down." After all, as the song points out, is it really freedom when the black neighborhoods of San Francisco or Boston (two places singled out in the song) serve as neglected cages for its residents?
'Louisiana, 1927' is a straight story song about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 in which 700,000 people in Louisiana and Mississippi were killed or left homeless as a result of heavy rains that caused the Mississippi River and its tributaries to flood. In more recent years, this song has become closely associated with Hurricane Katrina, which hammered the Gulf Coast in 2005, especially since it was performed by several artists (including Newman himself and Aaron Neville) at various fund raisers in the hurricane's immediate aftermath.
'Kingfish' is a salute to Louisiana's own Rascal King and radical populist, Huey Long. (Long served as both governor of the state and U.S. Senator before he was assassinated in 1935). Another politician that, depending on your point of view, was either the greatest thing to ever happen to the working class, or a crook who put the principle of democracy in danger. 'Kingfish' (so-named because that was Long's nickname) is told from Long's point of view, in which he espouses unity with his working-class and poverty-stricken supporters. Is it me, or does ol' Long sound like a philandering husband trying to convince his fed-up wife to stick around in this song?
'Naked Man' is a strange tale of a "naked banditto" who runs around at night mugging his hapless victims. During the commission of his crimes, our naked mugger attempts to justify himself to his victim using what may or may not be a series of lies. If we didn't know that the victim in this case was a scared, little old lady, we might feel sorry for this modern-day highwayman.
Randy Newman, Bad Love Rating=$$
[Support the Artist, Artist's Official Web Site]
How I Got This CD: Traded for it through LaLa.
Bad Love was a comeback of sorts for Newman. This 1999 CD was the first non-soundtrack CD that Newman had released in eleven years. The bad news is that Bad Love can't hold a candle to Newman's output in the 1970s and early 1980s. Don't get me wrong, the CD is a solid (if more introspective) addition to the Newman collection of misanthropic observations, but time and the good Hollywood life has sanded down some of the sharp, harsh edges.
That isn't to say that's Newman has forgotten how to use the metaphorical elbows. The older Newman can see that he and his kind are as much a figure of fun as the usual targets of his observational songs. Rich and powerful dirty ol' men who chase after women who are far too young for them; 60-something year-old multimillionaire rock stars playing at being broke 20-something rebels with a garage band; men who ran out on their families just when they made it big; men who live lies and con their way up in the corporate world; and the cyclical nature of both personal and world history are all targeted by Newman's poison pen, and are based (to an extent) on Newman and his peers.
Newman's voice is also iffy on some of the tracks. To be honest, Newman's voice was never the greatest or the most flexible, but what it lacked in some areas it more than made up for it in character. That and the fact that Newman knew how to write his songs so that the weak points of his voice were papered over helped hide a lot of those vocal flaws. Sadly, on Bad Love, Newman doesn't always manage it and the result can make you wince.
Now, don't get me wrong: I do like the CD, but I would've been pissed if I paid full price for this one. As a LaLa trade, however, it was a good bargain, if only for 'The Great Nations of Europe.'
The stand-out songs on this CD include:
'Shame' is a 'Minnie the Moocher'-type tune, complete with a melody line that reminds you of the Cab Calloway classic. For this song, the narrator is a sugar daddy who is brought to his knees by his trophy girlfriend. All the money, experience, power, and high-priced toys aren't enough for him to recover his dignity when he finds out that his trophy girlfriend is seeing men her age behind his back. Not that it matters. The sugar daddy is well and truly hooked, and reduced to nothing more than impotent rage.
'I'm Dead (But I Don't Know It)' takes aim at aging multimillionaire rock stars who play at being broke teenage rebels with a garage band. Even as the narrator knows he's churning out sound-alike crap for new CDs even as he keeps doing farewell tours, he suspects that he's crossed the line into self-parody despite himself. As the narrator points out, he can't stop because he's got a bank account to keep fat and a family of hangers-on to support.
'The Great Nations of Europe' is a gleefully cynical song that can be summed up as "karma is a bitch, baby!" Western cultural imperialism didn't start with the U.S. (Hello, European colonial powers!) and you can bet your britches that the day's gonna come that today's third-world nation will be tomorrow's global power. I'd put this song almost on equal footing with Newman's 'Political Science' from 1972's Sail Away.
'Big Hat, No Cattle' is about a man who more than lives the Peter Principle, he constantly spins ever-elaborate lies to maintain his position in the business world, his family, and society. Think "Enron" (although the song came out a few years before there was an actual Enron), and you've pretty much got it.
Squirrel Nut Zippers, Hot Rating=$$$
[Support the Artist, Artist's Official Web Site]
How I Got This CD: Bought new in Rhode Island at the urging of my musically hip friends
After five years of being on "indefinite hiatus" from recording and touring, the Squirrel Nut Zippers are back with a new recording and a small tour this year. So now is as good a time as any to look back at the band's one mainstream triumph, Hot, the band's CD that was released in 1997.
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are the original pastiche band, drawing influences from classic Harlem-inspired jazz and blues, with a touch big-band swing. They drive the purists nuts with their campy sense of fun — not to mention that they really can't hold a candle to the original tunes that poured out of the hot jazz clubs of the '20s and '30s. But if you can dig the music just because it is what it is, the Squirrel Nut Zippers are a fun good time to throw on the CD player.
This fast-playing CD (it clocks in at a mere 38+ minutes) remains focused on recreating the sound of a smoke-filled club or a black&white talkie for its entire run. Certainly there are some clunkers within the songs, and the voices aren't what you'd call top-notch (lead singer Kathleen Whalen aims for Billie Holiday but sounds far too much like someone who wants to be Billie Holiday without that singer's depth), and the band does much, much better on the more uptempo tunes than they do on the slow numbers. That said, if you're looking for something different and a break from the incessant radio-ready pop, you could do a hell of a lot worse than Hot or the Squirrel Nut Zippers.
The stand-out songs on this CD include:
'Got My Own Thing Now' is a bouncy little number about digging that good ol' fashioned jazz and swing, even if it isn't exactly the coolest thing to do these days. As an opening track for the CD, it's a strong introduction to the band.
'Put a Lid On It' is a little call-and-response number that's bouncy and jazzy. If you can get beyond Whalen's attempt to sound like Holiday, it's a charming song that'll have you bopping.
'Hell' is the band's one big hit, and one that took over MTV and the alternative music airwaves during the summer of 1997. It's hard not to warm up to this little earworm of a song and in retrospect the fact it became a hit was probably inevitable (at the time it was a surprise hit). 'Hell,' basically put the Squirrel Nut Zippers in the one-hit wonder hall of fame, despite the fact that the band continues to be a going concern.
'Bad Businessman' is a catchy little tune that is either about an unethical door-to-door seller, a gambler who cheats at cards, or a playa with the ladies. Your choice.
Rating system:
None = Avoid at all cost. Worth cutting your ears off to avoid if someone threatens to play it for you. When faced with even the threat of its cellophane-wrapped presence, your best option is to RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!
$= If you stumble across it for cheap in a used bin, it might, maybe, perhaps could be worth the buy, but only if you need a cheap coaster for your cold drinks or a cool-looking Frisbee.
$$= You might want to give this CD/artist a try, but only if the sample track tickles your fancy. Don't bother buying this one new because the good tunes you'd get out of this one ain't worth that kind of money.
$$$ = Worth looking for on a casual basis and maybe even buying new, but no big rush.
$$$$ = Definitely worth having in the ol' CD collection and definitely worth buying new, but don't re-arrange your personal "must have" list to get your hands on it.
$$$$$ = Why haven't you bought this CD yet? Go. This is a "Want. Take. Have." situation because you so want this.
X-posted to Music from the Cube