Just Another Band From East L.A.

Back from the dead, it's time to resurrect this forgot space of the blog o sphere. If memory serves me right I left off somewhere in the middle of featuring bands that you wouldn't really expect to find in my vast collection. So let's pick up where I left off and feature a Chicano Rock Band from Los Angeles that's been around since '73. Los Lobos pretty much laid the blueprint for Chicano Rock in America. Hailing from East LA the band perhaps may be best know for providing some of the soundtrack to the biopic about the late Richie Valens, "La Bamba".

The band formed in '73 and by the mid '70's were unhappy with only playing an American Top 40 sound. So the bad began to add influences of Mexican music into their sound. The band of course has made a career of blending Rock and other style of music into their sound. The band continues to release new albums to this day and even has put out some Disney Covers.

For the jukebox though I've decided to go with a two CD compilation from 1993. 'Just Another Band From East L.A' takes the bands hits, live cuts and unreleased material and beautifully crafts them into this great collection. The well known tracks from "La Bamba" are here as well as some more of the Mexican influenced material, see the opener a Live version of "Volver Volver".

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Liar

Back from the depths it's the continuation of albums you wouldn't expect to find in my collection. Up next is some Noise Rock. The Jesus Lizard were at the forefront of the early 90's Noise Rock scene. Formed in Austin TX, but based out of Chicago, the band was somewhat of an underground band despite being signed to a major label and having releasing a split single with Nirvana. Fronted by David Yow, the band blended Garage Rock, Noise Core, Grunge and Industrial sound into the ear splitting genre of Noise Rock. The bands sound was a mix of crazy vocals with Guitar driven rock. The band over their career released six albums and a handful of EP's.

'Liar'  marks the fourth release by the band, their third full length album though. Release in '92 and the dawn of the Grunge era, 'Liar' is far from the craziest of the Jesus Lizard records, but perhaps one of their best efforts. Produced by legendary producer Steve Albini, the album is just over a half hour of frantic in your face chaos. Featured here is the reissue of the record with a couple of extra tracks, including a cover of The Dicks "Wheelchair Epidemic". While the band called in a day in 2010, 'Liar' serves as a reminder of what the 90's were all about.

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Okanagana Waves

As we press on through the finding random things in my collection it's time to slow things down a bit with some Ambient Rock/Shoegaze music in this post. For those not familiar with the Shoegaze genre, it's like being doped up on tranquilizers while you stare vacantly at your shoes while melodic ambient music plays in the background. That being said, there's not a whole lot of that in my collection. But there is some and in this post we focus on the duo Hollow Branches.

The band has been around for some time now, releasing a handful of EP's and what not. Based in two different cities, Portland Oregon and Oslo Norway, the duo of Robert Osgood and Marius Sjoli craft an Ambient Rock album full of goodness in 'Okanagana Waves'. The name draws on a scientific classification of moths, this album is a mellow laid back mix of Ambient Rock, Shoegaze and Post Modern Rock. Recorded over a nearly three year period, and released in '12, this marks the bands first real album. The bands previous works were short EP's and featured Jason Walton of Agalloch on tracks. So take a step back and relax to this prime slice of music.

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The House Tha Dirt Built

This post will feature a band that up until a few years back didn't really peak my interest. I didn't know too much about them, just that they had a song used in a Kia commercial. It took an off chance seeing them Live to actually get into the band.

The Heavy hail from Bath England. Yes there's a town called Bath. Jokes aside, The Heavy are a British Inidie Rock band that combine Indie with an upbeat approach to Rock. Look no further than their second album. 'The House That Dirt Built'. Founded in 07, the band has had a steady following since their early days. Releasing four albums to date, the band continues to release their high energy brand of Indie Rock to the masses. For this post we will focus on 'The House That Dirt Built'. Released in '09, the album may be better known for the single, "How You Like Me Now?" which has been featured in numerous commercials and shows. "Short Change Hero" can be heard in various movies and video games as well. The album s far from dull boring Brit Indie Rock. The album from start to end is uptempo complete with dirty garage rock and horns that make you wanna move.

It was a chance night that I got to see The Heavy Live in a little club here in STL called The Old Rock House. Pretty cool intimate venue nestled on the outskirts of downtown. My roommate at the time had wanted to go the gig. I was mulling about that day not really wanting to venture out or do much of anything. After a bit of discussion we were out the door and headed towards the venue. Not sure on what exactly to expect from an Indie Band, feeling a bit close minded that night perhaps. What ensued was a high energy rock show for the next hour. By the end of the gig I was a fan. Proof that going to Live gigs holds the unexpected.

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Garbage

Time to head back to the 90's with a band that sort of came out of nowhere and had some decent success during the Alt movement of the 90's. Garbage is a band that hails from the Madison Wisconsin or all places and among it's ranks features a noted producer in Butch Vig and a Scottish frontwoman in Shirley Manson. Vig is perhaps most known for his work on the 'Nevermind' record from Nirvana. Manson perhaps best known for her work with the band Angelfish. The band has been around since the mid 90's and is back in the studio for work on another album. For this post we'll go back to the beginning with their self titled debut 'Garbage'.

The band sound is really hard to pin down. At best it's a mix of Alt Rock/Trip Hop/Techno/Shoe Gaze. While the guitars and all are present the band does rely on samples as well. Case in point on "Stupid Girl", The Clash's "Train In Vain" is sampled. For what it's worth Garbage really came out of nowhere. The lead single overseas was intended as a non album track. "Vow" did make the cut in the end however, but for stateside purposes, "Queer" ended up as the first single. By the time the video hit MTV, Manson became a video vixen. Don't believe me, look no further than the follow up single and video "Only Happy When It Rains". Garbage got big real quick and followed up the self titled release with 'Version 2.0', but success wouldn't last too much longer. Despite doing the theme for the Bond movie 'The World Is Not Enough', the band seemed to quickly fall by the wayside. Garbage however still remains one of those bands where if you bring up their name today, everyone remembers that first record.

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The Four Tops

Time to go to Detroit for this installment of stuff you'd be surprised that's in my collection. Ah Detroit, home of a crumbling economy, Enimem and Robocop. Hailing from that area nowadays isn't something to be proud of. But if days of yore the area churned out quite a number of successful artists spanning many genres. One of those groups was The Four Tops. Of course back in the 60's Detroit was home to the famous record label Motown. Which gave us so many superstars. The Four Tops were one of those artists that gave us countless hits.

The Four Tops started out with a group of High School friends in Detroit in the mid 50's. The band at that point was dubbed The Four Aims ans signed to another legendary label in Chess Records. After years of going nowhere and getting little to no attention, Motown head Berry Gordy Jr. convinced the band to join the Motown label in '63. From there it was a constant stream of success up until the mid 70's. Here's an amazing fact to, the bands lineup didn't change at all from '53 to '97. Think about that, over four decades with the same guys, still releasing music and touring. The only reason the lineup changed was death. Groups today simple don't have that staying power anymore. Much like every "Oldies" act, there's been a ton of best of releases throughout the years. That being said, for the post I'm going with the '74 release, 'The Four Tops Anthology'. This is a pretty much in depth 2 CD collection of the groups material from the Motown years. All the jams are here, including some collaborations with fellow Motown artists, The Supreme's. Well worth the listen.

Growing up Motown played a big part of my musical life. I grew up listening to all the Motown greats, The Temptations, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops and the list goes on and on. Somehow I've always felt that The Four Tops didn't get enough respect maybe as fellow labelmates The Temptations. The group always had solid hits with the likes of "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)", "It's The Same Old Song", "Reach Out I'll Be There and "Bernadette". In any case it's time to dust of the hits and enjoy some good ol R&B.

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Foo Fighters

Moving away from the Folk Rock posts and jumping back to the days of when Grunge ruled the world for this post. Again I feel like there should be another disclaimer with this post and it'll come in a minute. So with this post I'm going with the self titled debut from the Foo Fighters. You know that band Dave Grohl made famous after Nirvana was done for. So disclaimer time. I've never really been a huge fan of the Foo Fighters or Dave Grohl for that matter. That being said Deave has done some pretty cool stuff outside of the Foos. Go check out Probot or the killer documentary on Sound City Studios. Rumor has it too he's sat behind the kit for the mysterious Swedes in Ghost. In any point, I dug the first Foo record and after that I'm not sure what happened, perhaps my tastes changed or the fact that their material is overplayed. Whatever the case, this is an album that's a shock that's in my collection.

After Cobain decided to pretty much end the Grunge movement in 94, then Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl set out to record new music as an outlet to deal with the death of Cobain. Despite having offer to join some well named bands, Grohl declined and wrote and played every instrument on the debit Foo Fighters album. Pretty impressive feat really. He kept the band a secret for a bit, before recruiting former Nirvana touring Guitarist and ex The Germs guitarist Pat Smear and the rhythm section of the now defunct Seattle band Sunny Day Real Estate. The played a few shows under the name and while fans were expecting Nirvana covers and more Grunge goodness, they instead were met with a solid debut album of Alt Rock. Released on the Fourth of July in 95, 'Foo Fighters' delivers a mix of Alt/Punk/Hard rock while showcasing the multi instrumental Grohl. While the singles on the record obviously stand out, along with the spooftastic video for "Big Me", the band began their domination on the Modern Rock scene.

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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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Songs The Lord Taught Us

Time for another installment of, I'm not really surprised that's in your collection post. While this band is credited for furthering the Garage Punk and Psychobilly genre's, it's probably not a shock to see it in my collection of material.

The Cramps were credited with starting the Pyschobilly genre. A genre that's an odd mix of Punk, Garage Rock and Surf Rock blended together. Think a mix of early Surf Rock groups like Dick Dale, The Trashmen, and Link Wray meets early Punk rock. While the sound is relatively simple, in most cases the band used two Guitars and no Bass along with a minimalist drum sound, the band had a rather strong cult following. Formed in the early 70's by Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, the band along with other CBGB's mainstays paved the way for American Punk in the mid 70's. The band had a solid lineup by '76, but only managed to release a few independent singles, before releasing their debut 'Songs The Lord Taught Us' in '80. The band in '78 however did give a landmark free concert to the patients of The California State Mental Hospital in Napa CA. That show was filmed and later released. However here we'll focus on the debut album. For a debut record, 'Songs The Lord Taught Us' is very well done. You can see the years of work leading up to this effort. Songs like "I'm Cramped", "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" and "Fever" are classics on this record. The dual Guitars and minimal drumming give the record a simple yet rounded feel. It's doesn't hurt either that the album was produced by Alex Chilton either. The band would continue on through the late '00's before the untimely death of Lux Interior. The Cramps remain that hidden gem in the movement that was early American Punk. This is also the Deluxe Version of this record with some bonus tracks of The Original Mixes of a few tracks.

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Collective Soul

Taking it back to the 90's again for some more Alt Rock from a band that had major success and still somehow kept it together and are still around today. Forming in the outskirts of Atlanta Georgia, Collective Soul broke into the mainstream in the early part of the 90's. While the band has had success through the years, we'll focus on their second album, the self titled 'Collective Soul'.

The band gained attention with their first hit "Shine". The band was signed to Atlantic Records, who quickly polished up their Demo 'Hints Allegations And Things Left Unsaid'. "Shine" received a ton of Modern Rock and MTV airplay, so much so the band played Woodstock '94. By '95 the band released their self-titled second album, often referred to as 'The Blue Album'. The album would go on to spend 76 weeks on the Billboard 200 Charts and eventually go Triple Platinum. It remains the bands highest selling record to date. The album churned out several singles including "Gel", "December", "The World I Know" and "Smashing Young Man". The band toured in support of the album, even at one point opening for Van Halen. The band tried to ride the success of the album with their follow up 'Disciplined Breakdown' but the album didn't reach the critical success as the previous record. Despite the letdown the band continued on through the 90's and into the new decade writing and releasing new material. The self titled record for me marks the pinnacle of 90's Rock for me. It was radio and MTV friendly while still able to hold it's own with the non single tracks. So bring out the combat boots and flannel jackets and relive your glory days.

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I'm Your Man

Time to go North Of The Border to focus on what is arguably one of the most respected Canucks ever to walk among us. I speak of Leonard Cohen. There's not a lot Cohen hasn't accomplished in eighty years. A noted poet, artist, novelist and singer, Cohen has been releasing works in one form or another since the early 50's. We'll focus on his rather well rounded music career here for the time being.

Cohen may be best known for a song that he recorded in '84 but wasn't made famous until a decade later when Alt Rocker Jeff Buckley covered "Hallelujah". Chances are you've heard either the John Cale version or the late Buckley's version. In either case, Cohen's career received a boost from that track. For the time being we'll focus on Cohen's '88 release 'I'm Your Man'. The album marked a shift in Cohen's musical direction, turning away from a simplistic Folk Rock sound to a more Synth Pop sound. Despite the shift the album features many of Cohen's concert standards. The album opens with in fact a cover track, well sort of. Cohen originally penned the "First We Take Manhattan" for an off again, on again backup singer for his band, Jennifer Warnes. Her version was released two years prior and featured Stevie Ray Vaughn on Guitar. Jennifer of course would go on to have a hit of her own when she teamed up with Joe Cocker for the song, "Up Where We Belong". The track also would later be covered by the likes of College Rockers, R.E.M and given a Metal twist by Female Fronted Synth Metallers, Sirenia. Back to the album though, while the sound is quintessentially 80's at times, very Miami Vice like, which Cohen actually did appear on, still remains a quality record. After all it's Cohen's voice that makes the album. A solid album here and perhaps a good starting point for listeners new to Cohen.

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The Coasters

Time to go back to the early days of Rock n Roll and revisting some old R&B/Doo Wop for this post. While the name may not be familiar, you've undoubtedly have heard some of this groups music at one time or another. The Coasters were an early R&B/Doo Wop that had a string of hits in the late 50's and left a legacy on future artists and the genre.

Formed in the mid 50's, The Coasters were fueled by the songwriting and producing duo of Leiber and Stoller, who crafted humorous story types songs for the group. For proof look no further than the bands hits "Charlie Brown" and "Yakety Yak". The band got their first hit after moving from LA to New York. "Down In Mexico" was a hit in '56. Years later the track would resurface in Quentin Taratino's movie Death Proof. Fifty years later the song and the group were still be showcased. The band would continue recording a releasing a series of successful singles up through the 60's. However a lack of commercial success and lineup changes would ultimately do in the group in a sense. While the group remains together still today and occasionally performs, the legacy of The Coasters reaches far and wide. Artists like Leon Russell, Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Grateful Dead, would all cover the group and cite the group as an influence. The Coasters also hold the distinction of being the first group inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in '87. So take a trip back in time to a simpler time and enjoy the styling of The Coasters with 'The Ultimate Coasters'.

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Once In A Blue Universe

Switching musical gears to some laid back Smooth Jazz/New Age for today's post. But fear not there is a Rock undertone to today's artist. Craig Chaquico has been making a name for himself since the early 70's. Getting his start towards the end of career of Jefferson Airplane and then helping start what would become Jefferson Starship and later Starship. And yes those are his guitar riffs in the infamously bad hit "We Built This City". We will overlook that for the time being and focus on his post Starship career.

After leaving Starship, Chaquico formed a short lived Hard Rock band called Big Bad Wolf, who released one self titled album in '98. But even prior to that he was releasing solo records as a Smooth Jazz/New Age artist. For this post we'll look at his '97 release 'Once In A Blue Universe'. Helped here by other Smooth Jazz icons like Dave Koz and Richard Elliott, this album is chock full of quality Smooth Jazz. Included here is a cover of the classic Traffic song "Feelin' Alright", which is a great take on the original. Outside of recording Chaquico has also contributed music to Movies and is a supporter of the American Music Therapy Association, which promotes the healing factors of music. This is one of those albums to break out after a long day or just on a day of doing nothing.

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Captain Beyond

Time to dive into the the vault and feature some Psychedelic/Progressive Rock, that while you may not be shocked to see in my collection, but may be shocked to see at all. Captain Beyond was at best a short lived, lineup plagued American/British Prog Rock band that had some potential in the mid 70's, before imploding after a mere three records.

Formed by ex Deep Purple vocalist Rod Evans and former member of Iron Butterfly, Captain Beyond released their self titled album in '72. A fairly short record at just over a half hour total, the album in broken up into two "suites". The songs flow seamlessly into each other without missing a beat. As a special treat for US audiences the album cover is meant to be viewed in 3-D.  The album was dedicated to late Allman Brothers member Duane Allman. While the album was short and sweet, it was a solid debut and showed promise from a supergroup of sorts. However after the release tensions rose and lineup changes began. The  band somehow got it together for a second album and a short US tour in '73, but was done again until another reform and album in '76. Singer Rod Evans would leave the music business for good after the second album. Evans still hasn't resurfaced to this day. The band again was done by '78. Twenty years passed before the band reformed again and began to tour again. Sadly original members Lee Dorman and Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt passed in '12 and '11 respectively. This left original drummer Bobby Caldwell as the only original member left and in '13 he pulled together new members and began touring again.

Captain Beyond for me remains one of those hidden gems in Rock. The band did get some Metal love with the Doom veteran band Pentagram covering "Dancing Madly Backwards" for a tribute record. In addition the side project of at the time former Mercyful Fate guitar duo, Hank Shermann and Michael Denner, Zoser Mez covered the Captain Beyond track "Mesmerization Eclipse" for their album 'Vizier Of Wasteland'. This is a great album for fans of Jethro Tull, King Crimson and The Moody Blues. Enjoy this hidden classic.

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