Freakin Sweet Art

As Joe Pesci would say "Ok OK Ok" I have a lot of catching up to do. So let's cut the crap and get down to it with an old fashioned multi post fest. I have had a lot of posts on me mind but haven't bothered to type them out, so here goes.

Matthew Sweet released an album called Modern Art that I downloaded about a month ago. And it is a really good album. Probably the most addictive one of original material for me since Blue Sky On Mars. Sweet pretty much said his approach to the music was a little more organic and it shows with delightfully quirky touches and loose ends surrounding his sturdy power pop stylings. As a result Modern Art has a broad palate containing Sweet's fave influences that includes White Album era Beatles ("Ivory Tower"), Brian Wilson precious melodies ("Modern Art")and Neil Young ragged chug a lug rock ("Ladyfingers").

Unlike the prior solo release Sunshine Lies there are some stand out cuts. The ghost story "She Walks The Night" has a bangin hook while the midtempo "Baltimore" finds Sweet in his forlorn zone. My favorite track is the music geek out "Late Night With the Power Pop".

This is Matthew Sweet's best work in a long time, so I give it a

The Year That Was 2009 pt 1

I've been neglecting the blog lately and want to get back into posting so to start up again I'm going to subscribe to the "Out with the old and in with the new" routine. My first two posts of 2010 will be to review the year that was 2009. The first post is music and the second is everything else.

2009 was a year of big hype and modest pay offs in music. It was the year the King of Pop died, ironically sparking a career re-evaluation as audiences were able to separate the music from the person. It was the year of Glambert and Susan Boyle keeping reality tv's foot in the door of pop music. It was the year of free live concerts streaming on the internet. It was the year people went gaga for Gaga and told Kanye he's heartless. Maybe he was upset that it was the year of Taylor Swift, the lanky Country teen dominated everyone and everything else in her path.

For me personally it was the year I completed my Top 100 Favorite albums posts. It only took what, two years? I'm big on lists though, as my wife says I have lists of my lists. And true to my self, here's more lists-

To start things off, here's my Top 5 favorite albums of 2009:

5. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - Under The Covers Vol. 2 / Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot (tie)

When old timers pool their talents, sometimes they can come up with something a little fresher than if they worked on their own. Fan that I am of Matthew Sweet and of his first pairing with the lead Bangle (2006's Vol 1.) I anxiously looked forward to this set of 70's covers. And fan that I am of Saint Sammy, how could I resist a combo with guitar god Joe Satriani, ex VH Mike Anthony and funky drummer Chad Smith? In both cases, the teams came up with solid discs touched with earnest excitement and heavenly bright spots. Sweet and Hoffs were a little more mechanical this time out than on their first combo yet still found magic in well worn power pop(Raspberries, Todd Rundgren) and classic rock (Rod Stewart, Yes) scripture. Meanwhile AOR geeks rejoiced, basking in the glory of hard hitting guitar driven grooves ("Soap On A Rope"), high flying rockers ("My Kinda Girl") and power balladry ("Learning To Fall") that's Hagar's stock in trade.

4. U2 - No Line On The Horizon

The Irish quartet returned to save the world again with their most subdued effort since...The Unforgettable Fire (1984)? I was turned off by the weak techno pop lead single "Get On Your Boots" which turned out to be the hardest rocking thing on the album. That's not to say No Line is a bad album, it's actually pretty good. The dream reteaming of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois ensures the dreamy atmospherics envelope everything in its path, creating a disc that is as grey and cloudy as its album cover. Though "Moment Of Surrender" is a nice ballad, I found myself really digging the clunky rocker "Stand Up Comedy" in addition to the classic U2 flag waver "Magnificent" and the catchy "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight". But U2's quiet ways were too mysterious with their mass audience leading to weak sales. Wonder if they'll bring back the thunder next time out?

3. Pearl Jam - Backspacer

When I first picked up this disc I was somewhat disappointed that it seemed a little weak lyrically and that they had removed the anthem rock element they just reclaimed on '06's self titled album. A little after that I was notified I would be losing my job and this album took on special meaning to me. The enervated vibe, open ended lyrics and classic Vedder clenched teeth me-against-the-world delivery provided the motivating soundtrack to a month of hell. I've already gone on about this album in other posts so I'll end it by saying my feelings about this disc has increased greatly since my initial review of it.

2. Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King

For most of the past decade, Matthews seemed to be on the run from his own band - creatively that is. DMB brought in producers to try to swerve the sound away from the intricate jam band tendencies they built their name on. But the passing of saxophonist Leroi Moore seemed to change all that and as a result we got the loosest, grooviest DMB disc in ages. The slam bang breezy rock of "Why I Am" was a highlight on an album packed with the natural, tight and instrumentally impressive music that made DMB famous. Other highlights included the gently loping "You and Me", the Cameo "Word Up" send up "Shake Me Like A Monkey" and the Lillywhite Sessions reminiscent "Lying In The Hands Of God". Of studio albums, this was the best of the year. But I'm not done yet...

1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Live Anthology

I debated over whether or not to include this, seeing how its an anthology of performances spanning back to the 70's and not a disc of new material. It's just I'm so blown away by this set (if I had done a separate post to review it Dixie would have given ten barks) that I feel compelled to include it. This is an outstanding set, five discs in all, of live performances taken from all phases of Petty's career with the Heartbreakers. Big hits, deep cuts, covers and what not are sewn together to form the facsimile of a live concert. Each song features a strong emotional performance and stack together to form something greater than the sum of its parts. This is one of the best box sets I've heard, it captures a spirit of the different facets of a brilliant artist better than most other box sets and does it with live cuts. I was lucky to get this set as a gift and even though I haven't watched the DVDs that came with it yet I will say that if you have the money to spend on this, it's well worth the price.

And now, my Top 10 songs of 2009:

10. The Lonely Island "I'm On A Boat" and Bruce Springsteen "The Wrestler" (tie)

Is having a tie a way of cheating so I can include an extra song or album in a countdown? Yup, and that won't stop me either. Comedy rappers The Lonely Island floated in "I'm On A Boat" early in the year and I turned a deaf ear to it until it was featured on a mash up with the movie Ponyo. I haven't gotten the song out of my head since then, with my flippy floppys while you're at Kinkos straight makin' copies! On the other end, The Boss provided a song for a movie soundtrack finding him in grumbly acoustic serious guy mode. He captures the soul of a beautiful loser perfectly. Technically this song is from 2008 but since I didn't listen to it until I bought this years Working On A Dream album I'm including it here.

9. Green Day "21 Guns"

All in all, I found Green Day's heavily hyped follow up to their modern classic American Idiot to be a fair but bloated affair. Except for a handful of cuts, one of them being "21 Guns" with its steady march beat and defiant chorus. Never did figure out what the song is actually about, after watching the overblown video for it I went off the song for a little while. I went back to it later, when you get to brass taxes I just like the beat and melody here.

8. Foreigner "Can't Slow Down"

A full review is to follow of the new Foreigner disc I got for Christmas. There's a lot of slow numbers on the new one, but the opening cut is a hard charging rocker that shares its title with the album. The current lead singer gets his Lou Gramm on (Grammophone?) to great affect as the guitars hammer onward to a charged anthemic chorus. A slice of AOR awesomeness on a stick.

7. U2 "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"

Easily the catchiest tune on the recent U2 effort, you know a song is listener friendly when you hear it playing over the sound system of Home Depot while you shop for bricks. In one of those lazy susan musical influence deals, "Crazy" bears some resemblance to the sound Coldplay has employed to amazing success, the sound that borrows a lot from Radiohead and U2. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Either way, this is a pleasant pop rock feel good song.

6. Franz Ferdinand "No You Girls"

New new wavers Franz Ferdinand went from future stars to yesterdays news in a heartbeat between their first and second albums. On their third disc a desperate move (infusing their angular guitars with techno dance sound effects / beats) paid off with strong results peaking with "No You Girls". Balanced on a groove that is almost disco, the Scottish quartet bring the alternative rock cool on and back it up with a killer hook. The chorus has me flashing back to Greg Kihn's "Jeopardy". Normally I hate when a song is referred to as "hip". Franz Ferdinand justifies use of that word.

5. Dream Theater "The Best Of Times" (pts 1 and 2)

My favorite song off the musically spectacular but lyrically insipid DT disc Black Clouds and Silver Linings. The heartfelt intent of the words to "The Best Of Times" (not to be confused with the Styx song) about a man thanking his dying Dad is enough to overcome the maudlin sentimentality of the piece. Best of all, the proggy metalheads weave a tight fabric of instrumental virtuosity that pays off with a stunning John Petrucci guitar solo at the end. It's epic in all the right ways that make Dream Theater great.

4. Mandy Moore "I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week"

Unlikely 70's inflected pop from a former teen queen Britney Spears type singer, Mandy Moore hauled in a hand clap beat and cheap keyboards to finesse a tune that would have sounded right on an AM radio channel in 1973. And I'm a sucker for songs that use the days of the week in the chorus (see "Seven Days" under Sting for details). Amid the heavy clutter of machines and calculated marketing moves that make up modern pop music, Mandy Moore sounded like a breath of fresh air in '09. And yes, this is the same girl who once sang "Candy" and starred in those teen romance movies.

3. Bon Jovi "We Weren't Born To Follow"

OK, you're Jon Bon Jovi and you think: you know what a new Bon Jovi album needs? "Born To Be My Baby" with different lyrics! Yes, that's precisely what was needed Jon Bon Jovi. That sir, is why you earn the big bucks. Musical cop out that it is, I freakin love this song. Maybe it was the timing, I certainly could use encouraging music from a familiar artist. "We Weren't Born To Follow" (just noticed this title even has "Born" in it!) hit home and meant a lot to me. And thank you Richie Sambora for redoing that guitar solo.

2. Lady Antebellum "Need You Now"

Well look at that, I picked a Country song for number two. My cousin gave me the debut album which I thought was decent pop rock done Country style so when their new song for their second album popped up I gave it a shot. Well, I was floored by how good the new song is. A straightforward pop rock duet rendered nicely with able vocalists. Sure, this is about as Country as say Restless Hearts "When She Cries" (meaning its not) but that's fine with me, I don't listen to hardcore Country. This is like Starship's "Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now" for the new millennium. Which I guess isn't that new anymore since we're up to 2010.

1. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs "Go All The Way"

Duets are us it seems, Sweet and Hoffs Marvel Team Up hit a home run with their cover of The Raspberries / Eric Carmen classic "Go All The Way". The revved up guitar riff and intertwining voices make for audio ecstasy thanks to an inspired performance by the dynamic duo. It may also help that my copy of the original song sounds like crap even though it's from a Time Life collection. Anyway, this cover encapsulated everything that makes the pairing of these two great. (The only place I could find the song online is their myspace page, you have to click on the song to play)

2009, so glad its gone. Next is the year in movies, tv and whatever else I can think of media related. Vampires you say? That is so last year and I hear they suck.

Old Timers Day

Classic rockers did their best to not let Rock and Roll die, spending the decade releasing new music to their shrinking fan bases. Some proved they still had something relevant to say while others looked like they were going thru the motions.

The Future Past Of Rock And Roll

Probably the most visible (and biggest following) performer to make my list is The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. He was prolific, putting out like five albums. Of those, the one to impress me was 2007's Magic where I felt he had a good batch of songs ("Radio Nowhere", "Livin In The Future" and "Long Way Home" were highlights) and recaptured some of the 'ol E Street magic (I thought they sounded stiff on 2002's The Rising which is otherwise a good disc). The Boss's idol, or The Bosses Boss if you will, Bob Dylan, issued the excellent Love and Theft in 2001. Dylan's album had a ramshackle well worn feel alongside vibrant material (like the relaxing "Sugar Baby"). Meanwhile, Sir Paul McCartney came up with a winner on his Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005) by having quality tunes and a nice homemade feel. "Jenny Wren" had a great classic Beatles feel to it.

Let Your Freak Flag Fly

More prolific was Neil Young who should win the award for most faithful recreation of a 60's event by spitting out a vitriolic anti war album in Living With War (2006) which doesn't make my list for song quality yet deserves mentioning just for intent. Maybe the only 60's liberal rock survivor I can think of that used his flower power era anti establishment cred for something other than a marketable cache of cool. Agree or disagree with him, Young showed guts to stand behind his established politics even as it just made him seem that much more like a walking antique. But in terms of the actual music, I liked the acoustic Prairie Wind (2005) on which Young muses on fleeting personal mortality.

John Mellencamp also went acoustic and a little somber on Life, Death, Love and Freedom (that's probably not the right title but too tired to look up right title) the disc that turned around decades of hatred...for me that is. I hated John Mellencamp's music since 1982 yet this album grabbed my attention. This disc made me feel like American values of fairness and freedom for all were slipping through my very fingers. Impressive album.

Jackson Browne (a personal favorite of mine) also went anti war in a more low key way (because he is Jackson Browne after all) in 2008's Time The Conqueror. Browne's songwriting was as eloquent and So Cal with its laid back urgency (oxymoron alert!) as ever in an enjoyable way. And though John Fogerty made an anti war statement on the weak Deja Vu All Over Again (2004) CD, he turned it around musically by reviving his Creedence sound on Revival (2007). By getting back to his old swamp grounds Fogerty's anti Bush rants like "Gunslinger" carried more weight.

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Speaking of laid back So Cal urgency, Browne's fellow scenesters also dished out plenty of harmony driven goodness. Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had nice solo turns with Under the Skin (2006) and Trouble In Shangri La (2001) respectively, outshining their one Mac disc together the spotty Say You Will (2003). Buckingham went the acoustic route with rewarding results. The minimal instrumentation gave a break from Buckingham's usually dense production style adding freshness to head boppers like "Show You How". Ms. Nicks pumped up her resume' with a polished disc containing older songs written in her songwriting prime. Hence the outstanding numbers "Sorcerer" and "Planets Of The Universe" saw the light of day with strong results.

Meanwhile Hell froze over again thanks to The Eagles double disc smackdown Long Road To Eden (2007). While far from an astounding album, it's solid and a firm reminder of their best qualities.

Gotcha Covered

Because writing new compelling material is the ultimate challenge for every rock and roll artist, watching established performers turn to cover albums became a regular event. Of these, my favorite was the first Matthew Sweet / Susannah Hoffs team up Under The Covers Vol 1 (2006). They had a nice heartfelt vibe in paying tribute to power pop's past. Jack Blades (Night Ranger) and Tommy Shaw (Styx) also teamed up well on their paean to the early 70's with Influence (2007). Shaw / Blades had the best cover of Yes' "Your Move" ever (Sweet / Hoffs covered it in '09). In this list of Marvel Comics Team Ups I've got to throw in The Black Crowes with Jimmy Page Live At The Greek (2000) for tearin' it up on Led Zep covers. Let's face it, unless you were one of those Billionaires at the one and only Led Zep reunion show this is as close as you're gonna get to Valhalla. Bean town's Aerosmith rocked hard and well on their "blues" covers album Honkin On Bobo (2004) including a nice zipping take on "Baby Please Don't Go". Lastly, Def Leppard's best effort in the 21st Century was 2006's Yeah. Lep even got me to enjoy "Rock On", a song I personally loathe for just plain sucking in general.

Next, I'll run a catch all thru the remaining genres before naming my favorite album of the new millennium.

That 70's Show

Rating:

and a half

A few years back 90's one hit wonder Matthew Sweet (who I am a huge fan of) and 80's pop ingenue Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) teamed up for an album of 60's songs called Under the Covers Vol.1. It became a modern favorite of mine, the duo's well established love for power pop coalesced into a fun, tuneful and entertaining display.

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Now it's the present day and the dynamic duo is back, this time tackling the 70's with Under the Covers Vol. 2. Being a sequel it invites comparison to the first album, where the two showed exquisite taste in song selection (gotta pick the right song dawg!) mixing a few well known songs with a variety of lesser known ones. The mix held attention but gave them space to put their stamp on these songs, elevating above karaoke.

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With Under the Covers Vol 2 the strategy has changed somewhat, there is a greater focus on better known songs and a more regimented approach of Sweet on production / background vocal duties while Hoffs more emotive (and commercial) voice out front. Also the 70's is historically known as the point Rock music fragmented into sub genres, to go with that there is a noted shift away from psychedelic power pop. Instead Sweet / Hoffs follow the polyester decade into power pop (natch), country rock, punk rock and prog.

The resulting album is a hit and a miss affair. When it hits, it recaptures the magic of the first disc. Highlights include a charged take on The Rasperries "Go All The Way" with it's amped up guitar riff and McCartneyish chorus. Hoffs and Sweet trade vocals and intertwine with a warm dreaminess fit for AM radio. A real surprise is Derek and the Dominoes "Bell Bottom Blues" with Hoffs on lead vocal. On paper this should suck ass, yet Hoffs plaintive vocal has bite while what sounds like multiple guitars dig into the vibe without taking the legend of Clapton head on. Another surprise on the deluxe edition is a dual lead vocal on Elvis Costello's "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love and Understanding" which actually works better for me with a male/female co-lead. It makes the song sound that much more universal. Country rock is a good fit for them as smearing steel guitars heighten the vocals on Gram Parson's "A Case Of You" or Little Feat's "Willin".

But even with these high points there are some serious clunkers, particularly when they venture into prog rock. Prog is about showing off an insane degree of instrumental virtuosity, so it seems like an empty cheat to drag in guitarist Steve Howe to reprise his parts on a cover of Yes' "All Good People". Tommy Shaw / Jack Blade's cover of "Your Move" last year was superior. Like wise a silly cover of Queen's "Killer Queen" sounds like fun in the studio that doesn't translate for a listening audience. Ditto xerox takes on "All The Young Dudes" or "Melissa", both are pleasant but hollow. And trying to imitate the attitude driven talk speak of Tom Petty on "Here Comes My Girl"? Even Petty's idol Bob Dylan couldn't pull that off. Plus a wretched cover of The Ramones "I Wanna Be Sedated" that drains the life out of a punk rock classic. In spots my wife's chief criticism seems accurate that their version of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" applies to Sweet /Hoffs hubris in thinking they could play any musical style they feel like well (though I have to admit to liking their cover of this song, playing up the fragile hurt a bit more).

Thankfully, there are more winning moments than snoozers to keep this boat afloat. Even a note for note copy of the ten minute Television tune "Marquee Moon" might sound bad in theory, yet in practice I like it more than the original. The second half of the main disk lets the group jump into some lesser known songs to develop more personality. And hearing Hoffs push raspiness into her voice for Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" is good stuff and revives her knack for not changing genders in lyrics when handling male driven songs. Even a song from my musical arch enemy James Taylor ("You Can Close Your Eyes") becomes enjoyable when passed through the duo's hands. Last but not least Matthew Sweet + Todd Rundgren song = amazing ("Hello It's Me")

Under the Covers Vol 2. retains much of the fun spirit of it's predecessor even though Sweet and Hoffs periodically jump the shark. Despite its flaws, this is a thoroughly addictive listen for me. If you're in the mood to kick back with big headphones and RC Cola while hanging out in your basement playing Connect Four, Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs are playing your song. (I should note that some of the songs covered come from the deluxe edition which has a second CD)

The Sweet Life

Matthew Sweet keeps on truckin thru the 21st Century

It was clear Matthew Sweet had time on his mind following the Pet Soundsy In Reverse from 1999. All was quiet on the Sweet front in 2000 thru 2002, it wouldn't be until 2003 that he would resurface in an unexpected way. Sweet teamed up with fellow one hit wonders Shawn Mullen and Pete Droge to form the Crosby Stills and Nash lite group The Thorns. The trio had tight harmonies that recalled the best of CSN&Y while backing a strong lead single, I Can't Remember. I ran out and got the CD, only to confirm it was a lot like CSN&Y-just the later years. Like their forefathers, The Thorns suffered from weak material past the first single. The poppy "Long Hot Summer Night" and the one attempt at a rocker "Thorns" were OK and that was it. Everything else was a snoozy stroll through rehashed folk rock.

That same year, Sweet reassembled most of his Girfriend lineup of musicians to record a Japan only album Kimi Ga Suki (2003). The power popmeister dedicated himself to a quick cutting approach by recording the album in a week. Kimi Ga Suki is Sweet's liveliest album since 100% Fun, the tunes are fast and direct with the peppy harmonies and gnarled guitarwork that's expected. Songs like the fired up "The Ocean In-Between" or the laid back 70's AM radio pop "I Don't Want To Know" hit like thunder. Even in it's weaker moments (a week is not a lot of time for Sweet to write and develop songs) the album gets by on energy and snazzy musicianship.

2004 saw Sweet resume his solo career in earnest. With Living Things it seemed like Sweet had spent a little too much time in the Sun. Most of the songs have to do with nature, being stuck "In My Tree" in "Sunlight" while dealing with "Cats and Dogs". Musically, Sweet takes a few chances with steel drums and layered bass lines yet the songs themselves seem alien in subject matter. None of the songs really stick and it all goes by like background music.

Not that it would stop Sweet from continuing. Next, Sweet would pair up with Ming Tea partner Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) to record an album of 60's songs called Under The Covers, Vol 1 (2006). Sweet and Hoffs show outstanding taste in their song selection and inspired performance. There are classics from The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Who and Neil Young rendered with a feel that's both professional and genuinely excited. Tunes like "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" sit comfortably aside lesser known 60's singles like "I See The Rain" by Marmalade. One of my favorite albums from 2006, it has warm memories of nice summer days and cruising around Napa with my wife.

I noticed Sweet seemed to get a little beefy and shaggy around now, looking like one of those guys who play World of Warcraft in their basement for a week straight in rumpled clothes and trucker hats. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Maybe he spent all that time in the studio resulting in releasing his most recent record Sunshine Lies (2008). On Lies, Sweet develops a careful balance between his gritty guitars of the early years and the polished Brian Wilsonisms of the later years. The title track is a blissful surge of 60's peace and love energy while the appropriately titled Byrdgirl soars. A steady album with some high points, Sunshine Lies is a pleasant tour of Sweet's best moves.
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Matthew Sweet continues to fly under the radar dropping albums on a regular basis. Sweet's talent for 60's / 70's influenced power pop has developed over time, consistently delivering warm bittersweet harmony based tunes. And thanks to Guitar Hero he is not entirely forgotten. I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Freakin' Sweet

The man, the myth, the legend...Matthew Sweet livens up the power pop pack in the Grunge era.

I'm a big 'ol fan of power pop maven Matthew Sweet ever since his breakthru CD Girlfriend (1991). Even though he can get a little repetitive, when he matches the right bright pop hook with the right chiming guitars and bittersweet sad sack lyrics it's aural awesomeness. With a long career spanning two decades in the can, I'm going to break his retrospective into two sections: the 90's and the 00's.

The first time I (and maybe a lot of his current fans) heard of him was with the release of the song and album Girlfriend. An album reportedly borne from his divorce, it had an emotional immediacy packed in craggy guitar licks and pristine harmonies. The title song was an alternative radio hit, a punchy slice of catchy garage rock that would make the next generation flail their plastic guitars in a Guitar Hero frenzy. The Byrdsy follow up single I've Been Waiting was another winner. For me, the mix of upbeat pop rock ("I Wanted To Tell You"), sad guy balladry ("You Don't Love Me") and pop culture fixations ("Winona", "Evangeline") was spellbinding. And did I mention the heavy use of anime in his videos? How could a geek refuse?

The attention Sweet got from Girlfriend gave him the juice to bring in Fleetwood Mac producer Richard Dashut for the follow up Altered Beast (1993). I think I read an interview once where Sweet said he was hiding on this album, it certainly feels that way. His voice seems low in the mix amid Dashut's smooth production. The hits were just OK with me, though I did like the video for Ugly Truth Rock with it's Vanishing Point influenced fast car driving. What stuck with me was an almost self loathing attitude on the best songs like "Someone To Pull The Trigger" or "Dinosaur Act". And Mac fan that I am, I played "Reaching Out" a lot because of the Mick Fleetwood guest appearance. "Devil With The Green Eyes" and "Fallen" were the two other songs that made my CD player regularly back then. Altered Beast kept my interest although I didn't like it nearly as much as Girlfriend.

Sweet rebounded by snagging hard rockin' producer Brendan O' Brien who quickly injected a more muscular sonic sheen. 100% Fun (1995) was exactly that, Sweet's songwriting had sharpened to give potency to the new uncluttered approach. The singles Sick of Myself and "We're The Same" even made alterna rock radio play just as the early 90's breakthru artists were starting to fade away. Always the video genius, there's a bit of 70's glamourpuss fantasy in the clip for We're The Same. The softer moments came across really well with one of my favorite Sweet songs, "Not When I Need It", with it's yearning melody and lush background vocals. The man looked unstoppable as this album was played regularly in my car.

Around 1996-1997 Sweet became affiliated with Mike Myers and Susannah Hoffs to form Ming Tea, a band that would play background and interlude music for the Austin Powers movies. The fun infectious nature of the 60's throwbacks like BBC added a bit of flavor to the franchise. This should have set up for another round of glorious power pop, yet Sweet decided to challenge himself with a stripped down approach to Blue Sky On Mars (1997). Mars had a self contained mood with Sweet playing a lot of instruments and spare arrangements. Although the Cars-sy single Where You Get Love and the rushing opening number Come To California played well, much of the album felt underdone for my taste. I can't say it was bad, just dull. So dull it put me off Sweet's music for about five years or so.

Which is why it was just a few months ago I picked up his 1999 release, In Reverse. It got good reviews but I still ignored it thinking he had lost his mojo. Hearing it now, In Reverse is actually pretty good. The lushest of his albums, In Reverse finds Sweet on a serious Brian Wilson binge with some Byrds and Eric Carmen mixed in. "If Time Permits" is like the Fleet Foxes a decade ahead while "Hide" recalls ELO. It also contains some of Sweet's most pleasantly self aware writing, making the clever "Untitled" or the critic kiss off "Write Your Own Song" late inning finds.

It was the end of Century, Sweet would take a break at the first part of the new millennium before returning to his prolific self again. Fortunately I wasn't listening to his music at this point anyway until he would become a Thorn in my side.

Midnight Madness - Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles Edition

Kind of reminds me of that Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact.

The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has returned for a second season. I'm two episodes in and finding it just as big a kick as last year. It's well written and acted Sci Fi fun, a nice escape from reality. When combined with Terminator 3 and Terminator 4 it looks like the rampaging machine future gets more crowded by the second.

The Edge of the Blade - In an interview with Rolling Stone, new singer Arnel Pineda reveals he's homesick and a little worn out from Journey's punishing touring schedule. Maybe he'll be able to overcome these issues but ultimately it's up to him what makes the guy happy. If he leaves it will be a bummer, the band's recent disc Revelation is creeping up on Gold. The interview is here, Pineda says he has no intention of leaving yet. On the plus side, I've treated Rolling Stone reporting with a little skepticism ever since the hatchet job they did on Eddie Vedder in the mid-90's. There's always a chance the reporter got the whole thing wrong.

Blink 182 drummer - Travis Barker and DJ AM are in critical condition following a plane crash that killed four people. A sad, tragic event for all of the victims involved. Update: Barker and DJ AM are expected to recover, which is very good news.

Damage, Inc. - Metallica has scored their fifth #1 album with Death Magnetic proving there's still life in the career of the long running Metal band. The huge buzz has paid off for this excellent disc.

The End of the Line- Some fans are up in arms when a better sound mix for Death Magnetic showed up as part of the Guitar Hero game. What's funny for me is that I thought the monolithic mix was intentional because it reminded me of ...And Justice For All which had a dry, boxey recording itself. Oh well, if a new mix doesn't come out I'm not worried, I like it as is so if I hear a better version then bonus!

Motown Producer - Norman Whitfield who had co-written "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and produced the Temptations passed away. Another sad loss for music.

Idol Talk - Last season's Idol winner David Cook is set to politely rock out on November 18th when his disc drops. Meanwhile, David Archuleta and Kristie Lee Cook both have put fresh material in the marketplace. "And I am telling you" that Oscar winning singer Jennifer Hudson is engaged to an ex reality show contestant.

Super Sonic - I finally got to eat at a Sonic fast food restaurant this weekend, it was pretty good! The chocolate shake and tater tots were awesome. The burger was good, but it did fall short of In N Out burger standards. Overall, I do recommend it though. Mmmm...Sonic.

Hello There Ladies and Gentlemen: Next Sunday I'll get to see Journey with Heart and Cheap Trick. It will be my first chance to see the Tricksters and Journey with sad Arnie. Heart I saw once in 1985 and it was great so I'm looking forward to this show. I'll post a bit about these bands this week to get psyched up. As Joe on Family Guy would say, "Let's do this!!!"

Free Stuff - Two web sites have provided a bit of entertainment for me this week. The first is Fancast which allows free streaming Tv programs and movies. I've managed to catch up on my Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles through this site. Also, free streaming music that will create a playlist based on your favorite artists is at Pandora Radio . The website is definitely worthwhile for any music lover.

Mini DVD Reviews:

• Stranger Than Fiction - This movie came out in 2006, an ingenious fantasy about a blocked writer who happens to control the life of an IRS auditor with her writings. He hears her voice in his head as she narrates / dictates the events of his life. Will Farrell surprises as he dials down his childlike mania to give a mature performance. Good stuff.


• 10 Items of Less - Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega go faux indie on this flick where Freeman plays a movie star much like himself observing and meddling with the life of a grocery store clerk. The cute theme wears a bit thin yet the stars keep it watchable. Wouldn't go out of my way for this one


• The Condemned - My favorite wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin gets sent to an island with a bunch of killers to fight for his life as its broadcast on the internet. Austin has good presence and is as convincing on film as in the ring. Too bad the rest of the film is crap. And that's the bottom line, 'cause I said so!

New Song that Rules - The recent issue of Paste magazine included a song from the group The Bridges which is produced by Matthew Sweet and has been compared to Fleetwood Mac. That's right up my alley, the song Pieces is definitely worth an easy listening listen. But that's not all! AC freakin' DC. That says it all.

AC / DC "Rock and Roll Train"

Midnight Madness - Peanut Butter Jelly Time edition

It's break time...Peanut Butter Jelly time with a baseball bat!

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I'm taking a break from the Blog for a little bit, got a lot of stuff to take care of so I'll be away for probably the rest of the week at least. If anyone happens to be reading, I thank you for stopping by and hope to resume soon! And now...I'll go out in a fit of Madness!

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Save us Y2J! - Chris Jericho becomes a World Champion again at Unforgiven. And as an awesome heel. Yeah!

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Heaven isn't too far away... - Jani Lane is out of Warrant again. I didn't even know he was back in Warrant. "Sometime She Cries" will never sound the same!

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Who you gonna call? - The word is there's work being done to make Ghostbusters 3. The 80's sequel revival is just going nuts now isn't it? I'm voting for a sequel to Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo then. I just feel there's more story to tell.

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Don LaFontaine - The voice to many movie trailers has passed on.

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Web Slingin twofer - Spider Man 4 and 5 are planned to be filmed back to back with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire. Because back to back sequels worked so well for the Back to the Future sereis. And the Matrix series. Oh well, can always hope for a Lord of the Rings hot streak.

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The Heart of the Matter - The Wilson sisters express outrage that the Heart song "Barracuda" was used by the Republican Party.

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Mysterious Ways - U2 has pushed their album back to 2009 due to a creative roll.

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Stand Up to Cancer - Just wanted to include a link to their site, the telecast Stand Up to Cancer was on last week and is asking for donations for a worthy cause.

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You want a Piece of Me? - After spending all week advertising anarchy, the MTV Video Music Awards went off without too many hitches and a boring host. A rehabbed Britney Spears won awards and seemed both awake and aware. The VMAs have become the equivalent of Car Racing (people watch to see the horrible accidents) so there wasn't much of interest here. Nice production values on the music segments though.

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Go Phish - The famous jam band of the 90's reunited for a wedding gig.

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Mini CD Reviews:

• Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs: I really wanted to like this album and have found a few good tracks ("Cath" and "Long Division") but the wanna be Mitchell Froom production is annoying. Hopefully this will grow on me over time.
• Matthew Sweet - Sunshine Lies: A solid album with some highlights from the Sweetster. "Daisychain" rocks with power pop force while the sublime title track features background vocals from Susanna Hoffs.
• Duffy - Rockferry: I wasn't planning on getting this but I have a relative who likes the Duff so I checked it out. Very old school, a pleasant throw back to 60's with a soulful performance by the young singer. But still nothing outstanding and I'm just now getting over the huge marketing push she got a few months back.

Numbers 28, 27 and 26

Bon Jovi celebrate making my Top 100 CD List! No, not really, I'm not that egotistical. It was the best 80's pic I could find for this.

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It's Labor Day! The day meant to be a day off work to show appreciation for workers across the country. So to celebrate, I'm going to add three more to my 100 favorite CD list:

Number 28: The Replacements - Let it Be (1984)

I had never heard of the Replacements until the end of the 80's when Rolling Stone magazine put out its top albums of the decade. This album ranked pretty high so when I saw a used cassette of it I decided to check it out. Sometimes going by a Rolling Stone recommendation can backfire (other than a handful of songs, I still can't get into the much revered late Jeff Buckley) but in this case it really paid off. The Replacements were a ragged alternative band that had a punky edge but also a bit of midwestern maturity. Led by Paul Westerberg, the band could veer from furious rock (We're Comin Out) to alt rock defiance (I Will Dare) to wistful ("Sixteen Blue"). The band had undeniable chemistry that held their loose playing together and helped bolster the highlight of the album, the brilliant Unsatisfield. They lacked polish, but the Replacements had soul.

Number 27: Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend (1991)


One of my favorite artists from the early 90's Alternative rock explosion, Matthew Sweet's brand of power pop was a hit for a few minutes thanks to the single and album Girlfriend. Sweet wrote the album following the end of his marriage resulting in a focused theme for his songwriting. The song that hooked me was Girlfriend 'natch, I was single at the time and the song had a hooky 60's style chorus and garage band sound. Plus, the video had a lot of anime imagery that looked great. After buying the CD, I found that song wasn't a fluke as the whole disc was uniformly good. The Byrdsy I've Been Waiting is actually better remembered now than the main hit while ballads like You Don't Love Me had equal depth. Roping in guitarist Robert Quine added gnarled, rough guitar work that played well against Sweet's harmony vocals. And for nostalgia, there's the longing ballad Winona about the then "it" girl actress that had stolen his heart (pun intended).

Number 26: Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (1986)


For a few months, there was no bigger Bon Jovi fan than me. When Slippery When Wet first came out, I thought it was the greatest thing ever and played it to death. And when I was sick of the record and needed a break, Bon Jovi hit the big time as You Give Love A Bad Name hit #1 and suddenly the album was playing everywhere. While that act of fate dampened my spirit for the Jersey band, I've remained a fan and still look back on Slippery as one of the greatest albums of all time. Livin' on a Prayer has become an icon of 80's hair metal as everyone in that generation now knows the tale of Tommy and Gina. And while Wanted Dead or Alive isn't quite as good as "Stairway to Heaven" (a boast Jon Bon Jovi used to make at the time) the mythos about steel horses and rocking a million faces has stood the test of time. The power ballad Never Say Goodbye became every guys dedication to his girl and Raise Your Hands was put to good use in the Mel Brooks film Spaceballs. By using outside songwriters, a first rate producer and a knack for self marketing Bon Jovi became household names. And with an album this good, their fame was well earned.

That's it for this round, just for fun the image for Slippery When Wet above is the original banned record cover. One last video, one of my favorite Bon Jovi tunes was recorded for Slippery but released on the movie soundtrack for Disorderlies (the Fat Boys movie) called "Edge of a Broken Heart".

Bon Jovi "Edge of a Broken Heart"