All that you can't leave behind is how to dismantle an atomic bomb because there is no line on the horizon.
The Grunge and Alterna Rock boom of the early 90's was the last significant movement in Rock music that would hit on a mass scale in my book. When the 2000's rolled around many of those flannel wearing acts had broken up or gone back to the underground. At the same time there were artists who did persevere, gliding into the second stage of their career proving they still had some potency left past their 20s. Of those that survived, here are my favorites:
All That You Can't Leave Behind...Luggage!
U2's 2000 release All That You Can't Leave Behind is my top pick from this genre, though technically they were an 80's band. Top flight songs (the hits "Beautiful Day", "Stuck In A Moment", "Elevation" and "Walk On" all stem from this disc) broadcasting a weary, melancholy sense of hope became my soundtrack to the feeling after 9/11. It also brought guitars back to the band's sound after spending the 90's tinkering with electronic noise. A great album.
With The Lights Out, It's Less Dangerous
The Smashing Pumpkins kicked off the new millennium with what was supposed to be their swan song, Machina/The Machines Of God (2000). While the album is a little abstract (it was the remnants of a planned concept disc that didn't go through) there is some good stuff here. Not the greatest Pumpkins disc, but not an embarrassment either. Anyway, it was Pearl Jam's return to anthemic songwriting that pushed their self titled Pearl Jam (2006) to the top of the ex flannel heap. Scorchers like "Life Wasted" or "Big Wave" exploded on impact. Former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl led his Foo Fighters through Echoes Silence Patience Grace (2007), a decent disc highlighted by two outstanding jams "The Pretender" and "Long Road To Ruin". Coming in at the end of the Grunge era was Weezer, who sat out the last part of the 90's only to return armed with an inspired set of compelling nerd rock on 2001's Weezer (the green album). "Island In The Sun" still gets my head bopping.
It Is The Distant Future, The Year 2000
Like the album cover, Green Day caught everyone off guard with a masterstroke pop punk concept album American Idiot (2004) going off like a grenade. An artistic triumph, Green Day spoke to the disaffected with a strong set of songs that hung together thematically. American Idiot was one of the discs I played the most within the last couple of years. And no one saw it coming from a trio that was written off as lightweight has beens.
Radiohead has been the barometer for everything considered great about rock music following The Bends in 1995. Many Best Of The Decade lists I've seen rate Kid A (2000) near the top, an album I could not get into. Electronic doodling in rock music is nice as an additional extra, like buying an accent piece of furniture, but I hate when rock bands remove guitars completely in favor of blips and bloops (lookin' at you U2 and Radiohead!). The Radiohead album I did get into was the famous freebee In Rainbows (2007). A sturdy bunch of songs packed with that whiny croony thing Thom Yorke does so well. Along similar lines, Coldplay became one of the few new stadium bands of the 21st Century thanks to a string of polished, glossy U2/Radiohead style balladry. A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002) was a compelling listen evoking a sort of post modern yearning for something more. It's a mellow ride through a mildly tortured soul. The lone downside is that "Clocks" threatened to become as ubiquitous in montages as Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" was five years before it. Once I heard "Clocks" used in a scene from ER I saw there was no getting away from that song. Ever.
Not to be left in the past, alternative techno rock icon Trent Reznor served up the pretty good With Teeth (2005) for his Nine Inch Nails. It wasn't as inspired as his best work, instead it was consistently good with "Only" becoming my favorite NIN song.
Shiny Happy People Marching
R.E.M. spent most of the time making mediocre albums to a fanbase that kept wondering - when was R.E.M. going to be great again? What happened to those sublime post punk songs with the riddle filled lyrics? In 2008, R.E.M. took a shot at regaining their own title back as jangle rock kings on Accelerate and came damn close to succeeding. On its own terms, Accelerate powers forward by embracing the bands past but not copying it.
R.E.M. had their roots in college rock or what's now called Indie rock which will be the next genre on my list here. Because that's me in the corner, that's me in the spot. light.
December 8th Add On
There were two CDs that I went back and forth on including and ultimately I decided to tack them on. The first is Pearl Jam's latest Backspacer (2009). I didn't think much of this disc when I first got it but since then it has grown and resonated with me strongly so I am adding it on. Also, power pop ace Matthew Sweet generated Kimi Ga Suki (2003) should have been included for its pure chimy catchiness.
Rock rock til you drop: 16 year old Alison Iraheta has shown potential on American Idol but will probably get kicked off the show soon.
It's been a few weeks since I've felt like a Midnight Madness, tonight I think I have enough to post about. This week's post goes to Alison Iraheta, American Idol is continuing it's tradition of raspy voiced rocker girls who have no shot of winning but are fun to watch. She's sort of like a coherent version of Amanda Overmeyer from last year. Iraheta's been in the bottom three twice already, so enjoy watching her while it lasts. On with the Madness!
American Idol Update - Country and Motown weeks went over well, the singers picked up their game and delivered solid to outstanding performances. Then this week the whole group suddenly sucked big time when they got the chance to select whatever song they wanted. Really not sure what happened, but here's what we've got so far: Adam Lambert is schooling the other contestants, particularly with his soft take on "Tracks Of My Tears". Meanwhile, my favorite Alison Iraheta has been underperforming except for a strong rendition of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". Pixie soul belter Alexis Grace was surprisingly booted a few weeks back followed by roughneck Michael Sarver and bird cawing Megan Joy. Can the singer's rebound this week?
This Is Not A Test - A few weeks ago former WWE wrestler Test died. Pretty shocking because he was a young guy. Test was a featured player and occasionally got big pushes, having on screen relationships with the McMahons as well as the tag team T&A. Sad to see another grappler go.
...And Justice For All - Metallica officially was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cool! Run D.M.C. was inducted too. Why? For one half of a rock song?
Gone Gone Gone - Bad Company is reuniting for a few shows on the Eastern side of the U.S. so they can keep their band name. C'mon, no love for the West Coast? What's up with that?
You Are Gold - Spandau Ballet is reuniting for a tour. Their four remaining American fans get excited, busting out the hair gel and trenchcoats for all to see. You know this much is true.
Pumpkin Patch - Drummer Jimmy Chamberlain has quit the Smashing Pumpkins leaving Billy Corgan the sole Pumpkin left in the group. Now we'll have to see if Corgan's antics causes enough pressure to make himself quit. Then he'll probably bad mouth himself in the press and file lawsuits against himself too.
It's not Cameltoe, it's...- Chickenfoot, the supergroup featuring Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith are getting a lot of attention for their upcoming CD. Can it live up to the hype? Sounds promising so far.
Rorschach Test - Jackie Earle Haley will star as Freddy Kruger in a Nightmare On Elm Street reboot. You know, they really should try to get enough money together for a Johnny Depp cameo if they're gonna do this thing right. Or put him up against Jodie Foster for a Bad News Bears On Elm Street combo reboot.
Chicago's Last Hope - The long running TV series ER wrapped things up this week, I've recorded the finale so I'll get to see all those old faces return. For many years a quality program worth watching in reruns (that's how I saw the show anyway), we can finally declare ER the winner of the hospital show wars once and for all (when ER debuted it was up against Chicago Hope, another hospital show drama set in Chicago. Many wondered who would win out of two similar programs. That's how old this show is, I have to explain my bad jokes with trivia).
The Fast and the Superfluous - Does anyone care about the latest reunion movie sequel in the Fast & the Furious franchise? It's the #1 movie this weekend, so I guess the answer is yes. He's the beast from the east he's the best from the west he's the Vin man. Bonus points if anyone can name the 80's movie that's from.
Web Slinging Insanity - When reading a recent issue of Rolling Stone, I read that Bono and Edge of U2 have written music for a stage musical about Spider Man. Now I've read online that they're starting to have casting calls for this thing so I guess it's not a joke. I shouldn't judge it without hearing anything first, but it's so hard when you read about something this bad.
Natasha Richardson - I realize it happened a few weeks ago, still it was sad to see talented actress Natasha Richarson pass away. I remembered her best from the film The Handmaid's Tale way back when.
Mini Movie Reviews:
The Visitor - A slow moving film about a closed off College prof who encounters and befriends illegal immigrants living in his New York Apartment. Well acted and relatively realistic. It tries to show the human side of the immigration experience post 9/11 but is only modestly affecting to me. It's not bad but skippable.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Decent comedy about a TV music writer who gets dumped by his TV star girlfriend and ends up in Hawaii at the same time as her. Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) wrote and stars as the dorky guy crushed by the rejection and is ably assisted by Mila Kunis (That 70's Show) and Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) as the women in his life. It's not non stop fun but it does create likeable characters and has a good sense of humor. I guess this is the film that made British comedian Russell Brand a name here, he's amusing but overrated in my opinion.
Kung Fu Panda - Jack Black's animated animal martial arts comedy is zippy fun from start to finish. Panda pulls every cliched martial arts movie storytelling device in the book which should make it dull. Instead the Panda team use hyperkinetic direction, celebrity voices and Jack Black's ritalin resistant jokes to keep things moving. A great ride for all ages.
I couldn't embed the video so I got an audio version of the song that my wife and I have been stuck on since seeing it on VH1's One Hit Wonders of the 80's. Oran Juice Jones. The Rain!
After this movie, all anyone would talk about was how this move wouldn't work in real life. I guess they thought all the other stuff in the movie was incredibly realistic.
One of the great films of the '80's, The Karate Kid (1984), has been a long time favorite flick of mine. Directed by John G Alvidsen, the movie took Rocky and put it in the teen years. When I saw this movie in the theater, the audience erupted as Ralph Macchio crane kicked William Zabka for the championship. Now a new generation is being exposed to the greatness of this classic motivational movie.
Ooh La La - Rumors are going around the media that The Faces are considering a reunion. Hopefully it will happen, my wife is a big fan.
What will happen to Bubbles? - Michael Jackson sold off his theme park home, the Neverland Ranch.
Watcher of the Skies - Genesis is still kicking around the idea of a Peter Gabriel / Steve Hackett version reunion. As impressive as it would be to have this version roll out, I wonder how big an audience is out there waiting for it to happen. There are definitely fans out there but while the Gabriel era gets more respect it was the Phil Collins era that sold records.
Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen will debut part of his new song "Working on a Dream" during a Sunday Night Football game tonight. The Boss is on a roll!
In Spite Of His Rage He Is Still Just A Rat In A Cage - the new Smashing Pumpkins tour is said to be dissolving into trash talk between Billy Corgan and the audience. Corgan is always an innovator, searching for new ways to self destruct.
Perfect Crime - The dude who illegally distributed the new Guns N Roses songs pleaded guilty in court. Another guy in court pleading no contest is ex-drummer Steven Adler for possession of heroin. The drug addled Adler hopes to reunite with Guns N Roses in the future. This poor guy gets sadder and sadder by the second.
Joey, Have You Ever Been To A Turkish Prison? - The city of Batman, Turkey is suing the makers of The Dark Knight for usage of the name Batman. Batman's Mayor charges that his city's high crime and suicide rate is caused by, well, Batman. Sooo...apparently Turkey must have just found out about Batman after what 70 years? Decades of comic books, a TV series and six movies just got by them. And they must not have seen or read Batman because otherwise they would know he does the opposite, he fights crime. If this stupid lawsuit works, I'm going to sue that Mikey kid from the Life cereal commercials. Do you know how many times I had to hear "He like's it, hey Mikey!" or "Give it to Mikey, Mikey will eat anything" growing up? Cereal eatin' jerk.
The Stroke - (s), The Strokes are planning to get back together next year. Can they get back that early magic of shambolic indie rock?
Goin' Rogue in Widescreen - What's the deal with these movie commercials being shown in letterbox with the title on the top? Commercials for a lot of movies are doing this now, it's really annoying. The latest in this trend is the commercial for the upcoming Vampire flick Twilight. With the letterboxing going on it draws extra attention to the title and date but makes me less involved with what they're showing. The movie being advertised loses credibility to me because they don't have enough faith that people will watch the commerical to the end to find out what movie it is. Because of this, everytime Twilight's ad comes on and the girl says "I know what you are" and he says "Say it" I say "Someone who needs acting lessons because this scene seems really cheesy." I saw a full screen commercial on You Tube and didn't have that reaction. Bring back the old full screen commercials!
Passings - Author Michael Crichton passed away at the age of 66 after an esteemed career writing books like The Andromeda Strain and Jurrasic Park. The last of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, drummer Mitch Mitchell, passed on as well at age 61.
Wax On, Wax Off - 80's movie classic The Karate Kid is picking up visibility again. First, WWE Wrestler Funaki has repackaged his gimmick to be Kung Fu Naki. Funaki now wears a white gi and headband reminiscent of Ralph Macchio's get up while using the famous Crane Kick for a finishing move. Then Will Smith's son Jaden is said to be lined up for a remake of the film. A missed opportunity here, I think Karate Kid 4 should have Macchio and William Zabka start fighting again as adults. Wait, that sorta happened. See the video below.
The Beginning is the End is the Beginning: The Smashing Pumpkins (l-r James Iha, D'Arcy Wretzky, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin) in 1990.
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I haven't listened to one of my favorite 90's bands in a while, but I have a bit of renewed interest in them so I thought it would be a good time to blog about the Smashing Pumpkins. Led by auteur Billy Corgan, the Pumpkins hit it big as a part of the early 90's Grunge movement. Corgan's braying voice and heavy guitars made for incredible music in the Clinton era. Initially joined by drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, bassist D'Arcy and guitarist James Iha, the Pumpkins seemed poised for legendary status at one time and still have a decent following.
Gish (1991)
Their debut album was named after actress Lillian Gish and produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana, Garbage) to hard hitting effect. Gish is easily the rawest of the Pumpkin patch and the tone is set right from the opening cut, I Am One. My favorite Pumpkin song, the raging guitars, the propulsive drums, lurking bass lines and vocals that alternate between snarling and sighing were all in place from the giddy up. Most of Gish follows in a similar course, ranging from the mosh pit ready Siva to the psychedelic dreaminess of Suffer. Rhinoceros garnered the band some attention from rock radio. This album had a slight 60's garage rock edge that would not appear on any other Pumpkins disc. The inclusion of Drown on the Singles soundtrack is what really started to break the band and ensure their association with the Grunge / Alt rock movement.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: Billy Corgan is notorious for, to put it mildly, upsetting the people who know him. So I thought I would chart some of his enemies and frenemies (much of which seems to revolve around Courtney Love). Around this time he dated Courtney Love beginning an on again/off again friendship that still brews to this day. Corgan also played almost all of the bass and guitars on Gish, ticking off his band mates.
Siamese Dream (1993)
With Vig returning to the Producer's chair, the Pumpkins steamlined their sound a touch taking the garage band sound out and replacing it with clean, muscular sonics. On top of this, Corgan hit a hot streak in his songwriting as he churned out one brilliant whiny boy anthem after another. Everything came together for the Pumpkins, the songwriting and performance, the marketing ties to Grunge and Alternative and the increased visibility through MTV and the Singles soundtrack pushed the band to the forefront of rock.
Hit songs like Today created a huge buzz as they took over the Alternative Nation. The sweeping orchestral Disarm added depth to their sound and hinted at Prog rock tendencies. Album cuts like Geek U.S.A. and Spaceboy stood out too, displaying the fullness of Corgan's compositions. But the highlight was the Rock Band / Guitar Hero fave Cherub Rock where the Chicago band brought down the thunder. And Soma was rated by Rolling Stone magazine as having one of the best guitar solos ever. I bought this CD a few years later while camping with my wife, great memories of 100+ degree Summer days, sunburns and swimming go with this album.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: Again, Corgan played most of the instruments and publicly stated it much to the dismay of his band mates. Courtney Love got together with Kurt Cobain of Nirvana making a rumored feud between Cobain and Corgan.
Pisces Iscariot (1994)
After Nirvana released Insecticide (1992) following their monster breakthru album Nevermind (1991), the release of an "Odds & Sods" album became a popular trend. Made up of B sides, covers and outtakes the disc holds together surprisingly well. Most of the album sounds like what it is, decent but not amazing songs. Still, the format gave James Iha a little more room for his soft Country rock style such as on Blew Away where he even gets a lead vocal. The only other song that really connected for me was the Fleetwood Mac cover Landslide which finds Corgan getting all sensitive- a rarity indeed.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: Alternative and Indie rockers like Pavement, Bob Mould (ex-Husker Du) and Steve Albini openly criticized the Pumpkins for not being "legitimate". The criticism had started earlier in the band's career and was part of what inspired "Cherub Rock". Corgan and Courtney Love allegedly got close to each other again following Kurt Cobain's death which made some unhappy.
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)
Billy Corgan's magnum opus, a two CD concept album about...I really don't know, but it was still a fantastic set of songs. Mellon Collie does exactly what a double album should do, play to the band's strengths and expand them at the same time. Switching Producers from Butch Vig to Flood (U2) allowed a little more space for atmospherics. Take no prisoner rockers like Zero and the awesome Bullet with Butterfly Wings went over well with the faithful. Meanwhile, new ideas led to the New Orderish smash 1979 which is arguably their best known song. The Prog side gets more play with the Moody Blues styled Tonight Tonight or the Yessy Cupid De Locke. The epic length Porcelina and the Vast Oceans takes the band to new Art Rock heights.
By the second half of the second disc the album does start to run out of steam with a series of slower songs. The odd ball serenade We Only Come Out At Night adds a little bit of fun before heading off for the finish line and by the end you realize you've just finished listening to an incredible album. The slow streak in the second half would eventually hint to the future of the band, particularly the ballad Thirty Three.
This was the first Smashing Pumpkins disc I had, it started a chain reaction where I would eventually pick up all the SP discs.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: in 1996, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and tour keyboardist Jonathan Melovin overdosed on heroin. Melovin passed away, Chamberlin was promptly fired and the group continued as a three piece.
Adore (1998)
After three years, news of a new Pumpkins CD was like finding water in the desert. We ran out to Tower Records right away to pick up...a soft ambient Goth folk album? Replacing Chamberlin with drum machines and studio musicians, the energetic rhythms were gone and in its place were a lot of slow songs. While this approach did allow for an even more accurate New Order pastiche with Perfect, the lack of beats put more weight on Corgan's self pitying lyrics making it a more somber affair. A sad dark cloud permeates Adore making it more of a mood album, the song For Martha was written for Corgan's mother's passing in 1996. My personal favorite track is the strummy The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete which has a nice feeling of pleasant escape. But ultimately I was disappointed, Adore added more dimension to the groups sound but the new style did not beat the old style. Around this time one of the oddest hirings I've seen in Rock took place when drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp) was called in to play with the Pumpkins for live performance. The sight of Aronoff in a tight black shirt and yellow ski goggles playing behind the Pumpkins was just bizarre.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: Around this time Corgan helped Courtney Love with her Celebrity Skin (1998) album including the title track. Corgan's involvement in the sessions eventually led to their usual sniping at each other. One of my favorite Corgan quotes came from this, where Love tried to downplay Corgan's involvement with the Title Track and Corgan responded "Yeah, but it's my riff". I also recall Corgan being disappointed that the fans did not take to Adore.
Machina / The Machines of God (2000)
Jimmy Chamberlin was brought back for what was to be the last hurrah for the Smashing Pumpkins. Originally intended as another two disc epic concept album, Machina was cut down to one disc to make it more accessible. Just before completing the record, bassist D'Arcy left the group and was replaced by Melissa Auf Der Maur (ex-Hole). The lead single The Everlasting Gaze became an instant favorite of mine, Chamberlain's drums and heavy guitars were back though there was still a high tech gloss included for the Matrix (1999) crowd. The rest of the album was OK, Stand Inside Your Love and Try Try Try were fine singles as well but it was clear the Great Pumpkin was winding down. Heavy Metal Machine stood out as one of the harder rocking cuts but as the later part of the album takes hold the lost concept gets more confusing. Farewell shows were announced early on and they seemed to call it a career.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: D'Arcy quit, making what was to be the final act in the Pumpkin's play incomplete. She has never come back and Corgan has openly insulted her in the years that followed. Sharon Osbourne dropped the Pumpkins from her management around the album's release because Billy Corgan "made her sick".
Machina II / The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music (2000)
After the Pumpkins had called it a day, an album's worth of remaining tracks was given out free over the internet as a last farewell to their fans. The tracks were from the Machina concept album, where Corgan revealed he initally had a master plan for the whole deal. I seem to remember each member having a different character or something like that, it all sounded like Warcraft to me. Machina II contains music that's slightly less commercial but edgier than what appeared on the main album. Cash Car Star was the only song I had heard in advance, having seen the clip linked here on a KISS tv special (this is the one with Aronoff in it from 1998). Other songs like Real Love or Let Me Give The World To You were memorable and could have had commercial potential. Acoustic ("Innocence"), Near Industrial ("White Spyder") and classical piano ("Le Deux Machina") jams add to the variety. Machina II is less polished than it's counterpart, but it has more spirit and nerve making it the better album.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: Did you see the title of the album?
Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea (2003)
Billy Corgan wasn't done yet, he grabbed Chamberlin and formed a new group called Zwan. He brought in a bassist and three (count 'em, three!) other guitarists for the new enterprise. Sort of billed as "Billy Corgan being happy", Mary was the most upbeat record he has recorded to date (Honestly!). It also differed from the Pumpkins in allowing another person (bassist Paz Lenchantin from A Perfect Circle) a stronger presence in the background vocals allowing for an almost harmonious effect. Songs like "El Sol" and "Ride the Black Swan" are excellent displays of the new direction. Plus a more spiritual tone was given to the lyrics concerning God and Jesus while simultaneously lightening up with song titles like "Yeah!" or "Baby Let's Rock!". Yes, this was a new band.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: But this is Billy Corgan folks! Happiness doesn't last and Zwan imploded shortly after taking off. Corgan has since slagged the entire band except Chamberlin.
Billy Corgan - The Future Embrace (2005)
I've never heard this album, though I've heard of it. This album practically became a moot point anyway because Corgan, always dramatic, took out a full page newspaper ad stating he wanted the Smashing Pumpkins "back" around the same time as the release of this. As if he didn't realize he IS the Smashing Pumpkins. This record I've heard is sort of techno, maybe some day I'll check it out.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: Corgan launched a blog in 2005 that brought some issues to light in detail such as an abused and neglected child hood, sexual encounters and Jimmy Chamberlin's drug use. It doesn't seem to be written in anger, but I imagine some of the people depicted might have felt uncomfortable.
Zeitgeist (2007)
Bringing back only Jimmy Chamberlin (other members were said not to be interested) the Smashing Pumpkins got back into gear for the first time in seven years. Zeitgeist is a little self conscious as it returns to the early sound of the Smashing Pumpkins. The single Tarantula was good but not as catchy as classic SP. But the one track that does stand out is That's the Way My Love Is, showing Corgan can still write a great tune when he needs to. Bring the Light provides near Queen like thrills. The rest of the album is frantic and busy, in its weaker moments its a little remiscent of Bush more than the Pumpkins (lacks a little bite sometimes). The enthusiasm is there, yet somehow it rings a little hollow. But its still fun to listen to anyway.
Billy's rumored sh*t list: Corgan lived in the same house as Courtney Love for a little while, but he missed her daughter's birthday party putting these two on the outs again. He also sued Virgin records for being included in the Pepsi Stuff campaign saying it threatens their "artistic integrity".
Billy Corgan has since recruited new members to round out the band. Recently, they've made news by having their new song G.L.O.W. as part of the Guitar Hero game. Also, the usage of "The End is the Beginning is the End" from the Batman and Robin (1997) soundtrack has become popular from it's usage in the Watchmen trailer. Below is a video that a You Tube person named vesselrx put together that's fairly apocalyptic but fits the song well. Billy Corgan may upset some people, but he's a talented guy and I look forward to see what he comes up with next. And a "reunited" Smashing Pumpkins is better than none at all.
Smashing Pumpkins "The End is the Beginning is the End"
All that you can't leave behind is how to dismantle an atomic bomb because there is no line on the horizon.
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