Going Down Highway 61

It's been a while since I threw together a post. I left off somewhere in the mist of a Folk Rock mindset. Leaving where Donovan began and now going where the legend continues. The legend of course being none other than Bob Dylan. Now for the standard disclaimer. I'm not the hugest Dylan fan out there. In fact I have to be a mood to put anything on by him. That being said I respect the hell outta the man for his contribution to music. Further proof I'm not a fan, growing up we had a nickname for him, "Mumbles", it worked for Springsteen too. But enough with the back story, let's focus on the classic from '65, 'Highway 61 Revisited'.

Dylan was a Folk hero in the early 60's, perhaps best know for his hits, "The Times They Are a-Changing" and "Blowin' In The Wind". Folksy, thinking man's music. But for the better part of five decades now, Bob Dylan continues to leave his footprint on music. The man has won just about every music award out there, sold over 100 million records, in the Hall of Fame, I mean the man is a legend. Born in raised in Minnesota, Dylan relocated to New York in the 60's and began to change the face of music. Starting out as an acoustic Folk hero in the early 60's, Dylan caused a controversy when in '65 he decided to go electric. A move that shocked the music world and is still a big topic of debate today. In July of '65  though the first single from 'Highway 61 Revisited'  was released. "Like A Rolling Stone" became a huge hit in the US and the UK. Peaking at Number 2 on the US charts, the song would go on to become one of the most acclaimed songs ever. A few years later Jimi Hendrix would cover it at the Montery Pop Festival, the song leading up to the infamous Guitar smashing and eventually sacrifice. In addition to being one of the most popular Dylan records, it also features some great musicians on it, including Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield. The latter would later play in The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and The Electric Flag, two bands that go under appreciated at times.

Whether you actually like Bob Dylan or not isn't really relevant. The fact the you can appreciate what he's done as a musician for five decades now is impressive. And just when you think you've heard the last of him, he somehow comes back and again reminds everyone of his influence. The man has been respected for years, ever for his worst records. He's played with countless talented musicians and introduced us to The Band all those years ago. I got the chance to see Dylan a few years back at my old job. I went into the show unsure of what to expect. I've heard the stories about the erratic shows, playing with his back to the crowd, walking out on gigs, etc. For the better part of two hours I watched a man, play in between his band, rarely speaking to the crowd, or even acknowledging them. It was interesting to say the least, but to see him play "All Along The Watchtower" and in that moment realize I was truly in the presence of Rock royalty, was and is something that I'll always remember.

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Donovan

Folk Rock isn't a genre that's real prominent in my collection. That's not to say it hasn't snuck itself in there. So for the next couple posts we're gonna focus a bit on some Folk Rock heroes. First up is Donovan. You've got to be a big deal if you're only gonna sport one name. And Donovan is.

Best known perhaps for his string of hits in the '60's, like "Hurdy Gurdy Man", "Sunshine Superman" and "Season Of The Witch". Early in his career Donovan befriended then Rolling Stones Guitarist Brian Jones and had a somewhat of a press feud with up and comer Bob Dylan. By the mid 60's however Donovan has begin to shed the Dylan/Guthrie comparisons and began to embrace the flower power sound with the hit "Sunshine Superman". Donovan became on of the first British musicians to improves the West Coast movement. Upon signing to Epic Records in '66, Donovan released "Mellow Yellow", which was arranged by future Led Zeppelin Bassist John Paul Jones, and allegedly to feature backing vocals by Paul McCartney. The tune became Donovan's signature tune stateside and turned him onto the American audiences. As the years went on, Donovan soon befriended The Beatles, going so far as teaching John Lennon figure picking techniques on the Guitar. In '68 Donovan released "Hurdy Gurdy Man", perhaps the song most associated with him. The linear notes of reissues claim the song was intended for Jimi Hendrix, but he had passed on it, and insisted Donovan record it. Unable to get Hendrix to play on it, he enlisted the help of Jimmy Page. In fact John Bonham cites Donovan as helping create Led Zeppelin. As the 70's progressed, Donovan withdrew himself from the music scene to focus on other things. However he didn't manage to sing on the Alice Cooper track "Billion Dollar Babies" and opened up for Prog Rock giants Yes.

As the new millennium approached, Donovan played himself on an Episode of Futurama. You know the one where Fry meets a mermaid is the lost city of Atlanta. Donovan continues to write and record new music and occasionally will play live gigs. in '12 he was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Donovan for me is somewhat of a forgotten by product of the Hippie Love Generation. But take a listen to 'Greatest Hits' here on some headphones and really get into the music and Donovan's vocal work. Great stuff that still sounds great today.

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Turn 21

Girl groups aren't something new in music. In fact they've been around since Rock 'n Roll started. But somewhere during the Punk movement, girl groups like The Runaways started to get attention and by the Glam Metal heydays there were a number of them. Somewhere though in the mid 90's a Punk/Rock/Pop girl group came out of Palo Alto CA and channeled the likes of bands like The Runaways, The Ramones and AC/DC. That band was The Donnas.

The Donnas started out life as friends in school who formed a band. Honing their Punk/Rock sound through High School, the band signed to the Indie Punk label Lookout! Records in the mid 90's. If the label sound familiar it's the same label that once had Green Day on their roster. The band released a handful of records on Lookout! through the 90's. the style was fun upbeat and tongue in cheek. The last album on Lookout! was 'The Donnas Turn 21'. A solid album that brought the girls into the mainstream. The album released in '01 was their final indie album before signing with Atlantic Records. The album marks the transition from their Pop Punk sound to a more Hard Rock sound. The album lyrically of course remains the same. Chasing boys, partying and the likes. The hidden gem here, a cover of the Judas Priest classic "Living After Midnight".

While the band is on hiatus currently. Having released a few more albums and being featured in both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, the band remains one of the most popular female bands to date. The band for me has always been somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me. But the band can play though. For me The Donnas, where the Gen X female version of The Ramones. Songs about boys, partying and drugs may sound gimmicky and old, but when the talent is there to back it up, it seems to work. So rock out with some chicks and enjoy some good ol girl group goodness.

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Ten$ion

This post is probably by far the weirdest collection of material I have in my current collection. There's really no way to describe this odd mix of Alt Hip-Hop/Performance Art other than to just show proof. So in essence I will try and describe the phenomenon that is Die Antwoord.

So some background first. I found out about Die Antwoord via the old G4 TV show Attack Of The Show. Somewhere in time they showed a clip of the band, a little ditty entitled 'Zef Side'. Upon viewing it was an instant wtf moment. At that point the band was starting to make noise stateside with their debut '$o$'. It became kinda of cult thing and now the thing has spiraled into a few album and tours. So Die Antwoord, what's it about. First of the name loosely translates out to The Answer in Afrikaans. Formed in South Africa, the band consists of Ninja, Yolandi Visser and DJ Hi-Tek. At best you could categorize the music as a blend of South African rap, Zef, American Hip-Hop and Performance Art. Frequently asked by critics if the band is real or some elaborate hoax, the band defines the act as "documentary fiction". The band also incorporates the Zef style and sings in Afrikaans, Xhosa, and English. The band gained a cult following stateside due in part to their crazy and wildly innovative videos. See the preview for proof. While the band has issued out three albums to date, we'll focus on the second album, 'Ten$ion' from 2012.

'Ten$ion' picks up and continues where the first album left off. This time around incorporated moire next level beats and crazier videos. The album is a weird mesh of music and raps. I really don't know how else to describe it. Grab the record, see for yourself and prepare for nightmares.

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Pioneers Who Got Scalped

As we dive into the vault a bit further we stumble across a band who for a number years has had a cult following and a sound that can't really be described. You however probably sung their hit "Whip It" at one time or another. I of course speak of Devo.

Devo for a lack of classification is a New-Wave/Punk/Art Rock band hailing from Akron Ohio of all places. Formed in the early 70's by a pair of brothers in Mark and Bob Mothersbaughs and Gerald and Bob Casales. Devo was short for Devolution and often had a bizarre stage show including surrealist humor and kitsch sci-fi themes. Early praise from the band came in the forms of two Rock icons, David Bowie and Neil Young. By the mid 70's the band had a record deal thanks to the urging of Bowie and Iggy Pop and we're well on their way to weirdness with the first 7' "Mongoloid/Jocko Homo". The B side was a cover of The Rolling Stones classic "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. By the start of the 80's the band had developed their unique sound and scored a hit with "Whip It". The band was an early pioneer of the music video, embracing it so much they eventually released a collection of clips on the now defunct Laser Disc format. The band continued on through the decade releasing several albums and projects. By '91 however the band decided to split and focus on other projects.

Mark Mothersbaugh and Bob Casale would form a commercial production music studio and go on to produce music for shows like Pee Wee's Playhouse and Rugrats in addition to films and video games. The band would reform in the mid 90's and release new music via movie soundtracks. The band even played Lollapalooza, introducing the band to a new generation of fans. The band continues to tour and release new material, despite the recent passing of Bob Casale.

Devo continues to push forward forty years into their career. Sadly I feel most people associate Devo with "Whip It" and that's a bummer cause there's quite a bit more to the band. So to get people better acquainted with them, I give you a 2 CD anthology entitled, 'Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology'. Released in 2000, this massive collection features 50 tracks, 17 of which were previously unreleased. The album does contain some of Devo's cover songs. Covers include, "Secret Agent Man", "Working In A Col Mine", the Hendrix classic "Are You Experienced?" and the Nine Inch Nails classic "Head Like A Hole". This is an awesome collection that shows of what Devo is as a band. Even if you're a fan already, I suggest grabbing this collection.

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Bobby Darin

Turing to another American songwritter/singer legend, this post will focus on the short life of Bobby Darin. Perhaps best know for his songs "Splish Splash", "Mack The Knife" and "Beyond The Sea", Darin was a talented lyricist, instrumentalist and actor who's life was cut short at the age of 37.

Darin's life is somewhat of a bizarre thing. Born and raised in New York by his maternal grandmother who he thought as his birth mother. In a twist worthy of any good movie, it's later reveled that the woman he though to be his sister was in fact his Mother. The identity of Darin's father was never revealed to anyone other than Darin. His early music career saw him teaming up with Don Kirshner to write songs that didn't really go anywhere. Kirshner of course went out to manager bands and have his own TV show. Darin then began songwriting for singer Connie Francis, a move that wouldn't last long, as Darin soon left Decca Records for Atlantic's Atco imprint, where under the guidance of Ahmet Ertegun, Darin would get his first hit in "Splish Splash". Over the next few years Darin would continue to record and make hits. In addition he owned and operated a publishing company with Doris Day's son. Darin would go onto to sign Wayne Newton and give him his break into music.

In addition to being a singer songwriter, Darin was also an actor. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his work in TV and Movies. As the years progressed Darin's sound in music changed into a more Jazzy/Folk sound. He also become more involved with politics. As a supporter of Robert F. Kennedy, Darin was at the hotel the night RFK was assassinated . The act had a profound impact on him causing him to go into seclusion for years. Poor health was something that plagued Bobby for years. As a child he had Rheumatic Fever, so much that in '71 he had heart surgery. Later in '73 after failing to take antibiotics for a dental visit, he had a bout of sepsis. This lead to another surgery to repair the heart. Shortly after surgery though Darin passed. Unlike many big names of his day, there was no funeral, instead his body was donated to science.

Darin's legacy continues to live on. A biopic that was finally brought to life in '04 by Kevin Spacey, showed the singers career in a new light. Darin's music also lives on in several commercials as well. But for the time enjoy a classic Greatest Hits sampling of an amazing American singer.

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Deja Vu

Time to file another not shocked album into the pile. This time around it comes from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Four huge singer songwriters in their own right, but when put together, the end result is some of Rock music's most finest work ever.

'Deja Vu' marks the first release as CSNY, the band as CSN had cut another record prior to. Released in March of '70. The album to date as sold over seven million records. Spawned four singles and helped further solo record sales of all members. The record was said to have taken a collective 800 hours of studio time, which may or may not be greatly exaggerated. However with the exception of "Woodstock", each track was recorded as an individual session. While the album helped launch the band into the public eye, the record does feature two other well known musicians in Jerry Garcia who plays pedal steel on "Teach Your Children" and John Sebastain plays Harmonica on the title track. The album remains a critical darling to this day, and the band occasionally gets together and tours.

This record should come as no surprise to being in my collection. If you follow the blog, I've posted a lot of Neil Young over the years. I got into CSNY after I got into Neil Young. The pure musicianship on display in 'Deja Vu' is simply stunning. Each member bringing their best on each track. The band of course did stay together in some forms throughout the years. Namely Nash and Crosby releasing a few albums together. However each member saw success in their solo work as well. See David Crosby's Vatican approved record 'If I Could Only Remember My Name'. That album became a running joke in the house growing up. Also look no further than Neil Young's 'After The Gold Rush' or Still's solo debut record. Sometime rounding up the cream of the crop doesn't always last, but there's always the amazing albums left behind.

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