Blogcritics Author: JC Mosquito

Music Review: The Book of Taliesyn and the (Other) Deep Purple Reissues

JC Mosquito — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:13:51 EDT

Essential reading or a footnote in history?
Deep Purple reached their commercial apex during the early to mid '70s. Original guitarist Richie Blackmore, organist Jon Lord, and drummer Ian Paice, joined by vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover, went on to make a few million selling platters, including the classic single "Smoke On the Water," which will likely endure...

Music Review: The Deep Purple Reissues

JC Mosquito — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:07:12 EDT

A case for everything louder than everything else.
There's no doubt Deep Purple was one of the 70's premiere hard rock bands. Just look at some of the facts: their live album Made in Japan consistently ranks near the top of critics' lists of all time greatest live rock albums. They once held the record for World's Loudest Band, and of course, they wrote "Smoke On the...

Concert Review: Los Lonely Boys in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, April 3, 2008

JC Mosquito — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:09:13 EDT

In the middle of nowhere, figuratively, a light might shine.
Rock and roll in the modern age is, in some ways, a forgotten art. Instead of focusing on making music, rock musicians have become, by necessity, businessmen, promoters, entertainers, and fortune tellers, desperately trying to predict "the next big thing" in hopes of riding the front of the wave of cultural significance and/or possible economic...

Original Music and the Internet - Free for the Taking

JC Mosquito — Sat, 2 Feb 2008 10:51:02 EST

If you're willing to pan, there's always a few nuggets out there.
In the past few years, there's been major controversy concerning the downloading of music from the Internet and its connection to the failing recording industry. Those against downloading and file sharing see it as a simple case of copyright violation: both legally wrong and morally objectionable. However, supporters insist that the illegality...

Rock and Roll: Resurrection or Reanimation? (My Belated 2007 Top Ten List)

JC Mosquito — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:27:53 EST

Of heaven, hell, and eternity - or what seems like it anyway.
Well, the new year turned over a few weeks ago, and everyone else has their Top 10 lists out of the way, so now I can get to my own musings without feeling like I'm jumping on a bandwagon. As the last year wound down, it occurred to me that maybe 2007 would be remembered as the year historians would finally agree that rock and roll really and for...

Music Review: Live, Liver, Livest! Reissues of Concert Classics

JC Mosquito — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:02:16 EST

In some cases, the next best thing to being there - but thirty years late.
As a teenager, I never expected much from live albums. I think it was because other than mainstream touring Canadian rock acts, we never got many bands that stopped through our town as they traversed the country on their way from Vancouver to Toronto. Live albums were a bit of a curiosity to me and my friends - at best, a stopgap with some...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

The Good, the Bad, and the Indifferent - 10 "Unlistenable" Albums

JC Mosquito — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:50:14 EDT

If you've spent any significant time listening to music, you'll likely find that occasionally someone will tell you about an album that's so bad they can't even listen to it. You might even agree; but it's even odds that you're just as likely to express amazement at how anyone could be so far off in their judgment of what you think is a piece of musical brilliance.Sometimes there's just no accounting for taste; but sometimes, an album comes along that garners near consensus when it comes to being defined as "unlistenable." And I don't mean necessarily that it's bad: sometimes it's so harmonically advanced or ahead of it's time that to actually sit and listen to it is simply very hard.The following is a selection of ten albums I think the vast majority of regular people and casual music fans would hear and simply say, "What is this crap?" And they might even be right - maybe some of these really are crap, and some are maybe just so brilliant that they're above most people's ability to fathom them. In either case, I hope I'm not seen as trashing these albums - I actually like most of them. I simply figure these platters don't get spun often, if much at all, hence the term "unlistenable." I'll let the readers decide which are which, and you're all welcome to add to the list - but, of course, I won't blame anyone for not going out and tracking any of these down except as a curiosity.In no particular order:1) The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World - back in the 60s, a trio of sisters began to learn how to play drums and guitars. Their father decided after a few weeks they were ready for the studio, when in reality the were probably due for more music lessons. The resulting album is out of tune and out of sync, yet it possessed a peculiar charm and redefines the word "amateur."2) Jimi Hendrix (with Jim Morrison) - Woke Up This Morning and Found Myself Dead (boot) - Jimi attempts an after hours jam while Jimbo yells profanities at the audience. Remember, Jim - when the music's over, turn out the light. I think Johnny Winter is onstage too somewhere.3) Neil Young -Arc - for those who thought guitar feedback was the best part of Neil's electric set, Neil simply got rid of the set & kept the guitar squelch.4) Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music - Lou one ups Neil: no set, no guitars - just the feedback.5) The Velvet Underground - Squeeze - replacement player Doug Yule one ups both Neil and Lou by getting rid of Lou and having the nerve to still call it the Velvet Underground. Supposedly Ian Paice from Deep Purple somehow ended up playing drums, but I've never ever read or heard of him actually admitting it. 6) Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica - it's supposed to be brilliant, but I still have a hard time getting through it in one sitting. Maybe it's not supposed to be liked.7) Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Sessions - a beautiful album actually, but I have to take it in small doses - it's so relaxing that I always fall asleep after the first two ro three songs. 8) John Coltrane - Ascension - free form jazz at its peak, but just a traffic jam of horns to the uninitiated (all votes for Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz are acceptable here too).9) The Monkees - Changes ummm..... this is supposed to be so bad that I've never actually heard it - heck, I've never even seen a copy of it either, which makes it either truly terrible, or else a collectors' item.10) Brian Eno - Ambient #1 - Music for Airports - OK, it's cheating a bit, but you're not supposed to listen to Eno's Ambient series; it's designed to be ignored and run as background. Actually listening to it is a chore, but if you're doing chores, it's rather soothing (especially if you happen to work at an airport).So the next time you're listening to tunes at a big party and someone says, "I can't even listen to (insert name of once famous artist) anymore," pull out one of these priceless platters (if you have any of them) and keep an eye on your watch. It likely won't be long before many of your friends suddenly grab their coats and wave their goodbyes because they just all at this very moment thought they all had to go back home and check up on their babysitters. Or else dig up their Lou albums.....

JC Mosquito spends most of his day keeping the wolves from the door. When he's not occupied with this pasttime, he's interested in all things rock and roll, which may or may not have died back in the late '50's, the late '70's, or the early '90's depending on who you believe.

Concert Review: Tragically Hip At Bessborough Gardens, Saskatoon, SK, July 18, 2007

JC Mosquito — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 01:24:35 EDT

Canada's own Tragically Hip played a sold out outdoor show at the stately Bessborough Gardens in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on July 18 to an appreciative crowd of about 3500 people. I believe it was the last performance of the Canadian leg of their current tour before playing a couple of summer festivals, and then going Stateside in the middle of August to continue the tour in support of their current album World Container.And that's the way it will go down in the record books in plain ol' black & white. What it actually was is something else entirely. There's a very good chance that on that night, the Hip could lay claim to the title of best Rock and Roll Band that ever came out of Canada.Not that I'm saying that they are (the best Rock and Roll Band to ever come out of Canada, that is), or that they would even say so themselves. But they're right up there with the elder Canadian rock gods that are often named as worthy of the throne -- The Guess Who, Rush, Brian Adams -- and about a half dozen others that you probably only know if you're a Canuck yourself. But the Hip's show last Wednesday was one of a kind, with beautiful outdoor weather, a nice venue, and a band ready to cut loose before a well earned break. Opening act the Sadies warmed up the crowd with their indie cowpunk sound -- played tight and twangy. As the sun went lower in the sky, and the somewhat uncomfortable heat came down to a manageable level, the Hip wandered in from the side of the Gardens. They opened their set with the big single from their current album World Container, "Yer Not the Ocean." A nice, bouncy, uptempo rocker, I thought -- good idea, played well, and with enthusiasm. Singer Gord Downie greeted his audience: "Saskatoon, Bessbourough Gardens - you're not the ocean...yet!" Ironically, Bess Gardens used to be a swimming pool -- go fig. Decent enough I thought, but with the second song, "Grace, Too," something turned right there and the lighthearted start got real intense. The whole band got that look on their faces that you only get when you're deep in the zone, if you take my meaning. Downie didn't bother singing the first verse, it was more shouted -- like no version of "Grace, Too" I've ever heard. I've even seen the YouTube footage of "Grace, Too" from GM Place last week. Sorry, Vancouver, we got the REAL thing. Then he went through his "the sound of war" schtick, and shrieked like a banshee. What can I say? Downie spent the rest of the night dancing, prancing, and carrying on like no one I can remember in recent memory. Downie was part clown; part rock star; part put on; part poet, artist, and mime(?); part spastic, nutcase and political commentator. What a show. And the rest of the band laid down the groove on top of that tight rhythm section. What also struck me was how even the material I never liked before sounded just darn fine, thank you. Like the Guess Who or Rush, the Hip now have such a deep catalog they can play a whole night and miss what I thought were essential songs - but like those other bands, they just have so many to choose from, that they have to leave some out unless they're planning on a five hour long set.Yeah, they were good. But good enough to be the best rock and roll band in Canada right now? Good enough to be the best band ever in Canada? I'm not saying. These things should never be stated in absolute terms for fear of breaking the charm. But they were good enough to push aside the memory of the recent White Stripes concert I saw a few weeks back. And good enough to offer an olive branch to Mr. Rose here at BC, for the good-natured hassle I gave him about his dislike of the Stripes. After seeing a classy act like the Hip, I think I can see a sliver of light into his way of thinking (but I still like Jack and Meg's little band and appreciate their back to the basics approach - they're pretty hip themselves!). But I was thinking about all the BC critics and whether they would've liked the Hip. Maybe, or maybe not. But at this show, I think it would've been hard for anyone to ignore the musicianship, depth, passion, and showmanship. It was a watershed gig in many ways. Remember how Gord Downie said, "You're not the ocean - yet?" By the end of the gig, I'll bet he saw an ocean full of happy faces (complete with the occasional body surfers), and I'm sure a whole bunch of non-believers got baptized that night into the sea to sea fandom of the Tragically Hip -- who are true Canadian icons.Catch their show if they ever come anywhere near your town. It'll be worth it.

Television - Science, Magic and Memory

JC Mosquito — Tue, 3 Jul 2007 18:48:42 EDT

It's funny how your memory plays tricks on you over a long period of time; often, it seems that once important events turn into mere personal trivia. Conversely, sometimes the smallest details become magnified into personal revelations of gargantuan proportions. And sometimes you wake up on any given morning and find you've simply changed your mind.Like many people who bought it when it first came out, I wore out my original vinyl of Television's Marquee Moon, released in 1977. At the time, I liked it, even though it was certainly different that the rest of my growing collection of records, which tended towards the mainstream rock of my day - Zeppelin, Bad Company, ZZ Top, Aerosmith and the like.But Marquee Moon lacked the blues basis that is the bedrock of classic hard rock - it was based not on blues, or country, or even pop: it was a sound unto its own, referencing itself to nothing but its own existence. Guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd played off each other with melody and precision, while bassist Fred Smith and drummer Billy Ficca worked the rhythm section around the beat as often as they sat right on top of it. Verlaine provided the bulk of the writing, bringing in a set of tunes whose moments of stark clarity offset the many other moments of beautiful lyricism. Ultimately, it's a fine example of as close as there is to a perfect debut album, brilliant from start to finish: edgy yet familiar, melodic yet strong, fresh yet traditional. It 's so good, it's quite possibly the best album of the late 70's punk/new wave scene. Unfortunately, it was so good that the 1978 follow up album, Adventure, couldn't hope to be able to live up to expectations. Critics panned it, calling it glossy at best, or even formulaic - built by blueprint in a lab as it were. Consequently, most people just didn't bother with it. But close to thirty years have passed, and Adventure holds up pretty nicely. Not quite as good as that first album, but pretty close, with at least a couple of moments that rival anything on Marquee Moon - I'm thinking about the songs "Foxhole" and "Ain't That Nothin'" in particular. Both albums were reissued a few years ago with bonus tracks, including the original "Little Johnny Jewel" single that predates either album. I always thought (despite their one reunion album in the 90s) it's too bad Television didn't have enough momentum to make a go of it the first time around. But looking back on these albums from a distance of thirty years, I'm thinking maybe it was just as well - after all, if they're still good enough to be talked about thirty years later, then maybe they simply translate over space and time, and perhaps long after many mainstream acts run out of tricks and illusions, Television's Marquee Moon and Adventure will continue to work their magic, reaching out from the past to speak to listeners in the future.

Concert Review: White Stripes: July 1st, 2007 at the TCUP, Saskatoon, SK

JC Mosquito — Tue, 3 Jul 2007 02:01:07 EDT

Let's see - Canada Day 2007 in the Great White North, where, by the time you read this our country will have celebrated its 140th anniversary of Confederation under our relatively young yet distinctive red and white flag. And for those who wanted a band with a red and white colour scheme to help celebrate with some rock and roll....Enter the White Stripes, who brought their own distinctive red and white (and black) trademarked colours to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to help celebrate the festivities at Teachers' Credit Union Place, or the TCUP for short. BUT, hang on for a bit - even before that, I should also mention they played an unannounced five-song set at a local bowling alley earlier that same afternoon to a couple of hundred fans who heard about it by word of mouth. Yes indeed - a bowling alley - wazzupwidat? I just don't think the Stones or U2 would do that nowadays. Or Beyonce. I didn't see the gig, but it puts their TCUP show into perspective: this is a band/duo that marches to its own drummer. Yes, a cliché for sure, but I've got more to say about that later. Interesting note: in the middle of the last song, Jack walked up to a lane and threw a couple of balls - don’t know if he got a strike or a spare, but it’s possible he might be the first person to take a bowling solo in the history of rock and roll.At the gig proper, at the gig proper, opening act Dan Sertain fronted his four-piece group and sang a mixture of country & rock and roll - punkabilly to some, I suppose. Decent material, and I hope he continues to pursue his recording and playing career. His one cover was a curious choice - an Alice Cooper song called “Second Coming” off the Love It to Death album. Go fig.Anyways, on a red and white stage, with guitar amps decked out with red maple leaves, The White Stripes opened their show with a crushing version of “Blue Orchid” that was loud enough to wake God in his heaven out of a Canada Day slumber. That was quickly followed by “Dead Leaves & the Dirty Ground,” “Icky Thump,” and a cover of “Jolene.” That first fifteen minutes was punk rock meets classic rock meets country and supercharged under the light of the giant disco ball and thrown forward into the 21st century. The rest of the set was decent - I recognised a verse of Dylan's “Highway 61” thrown in there somewhere, and a line from the “Stone's Satisfaction,” as well as their version of the old classic “Death Letter (Blues).” And a Bacharach/David song. And some highlights from their albums like “My Doorbell” & “I Think We're Gonna be Friends.” And during the encore Meg came out & sang “In the Cold Cold Night.”But, as is tradition on Canada Day, it wasn't until after the show that the fireworks started. As we left the venue, what my friends & I wondered was this: was what we just witnessed rock and roll at its finest, or simply gimmicky, amateurish trash dressed up and marketed as art? Was Meg a great drummer or barely able to play? Was Jack a great singer/songwriter/guitarist or a hack who covered up his mistakes in great washes of feedback? Was this a brilliant performance or just strange? After some discussion, we came to the conclusion: as my friend JP said, "It's a case of the class geeks who made good." Or maybe it’s just that they really do march to a different drummer - much like Keith Moon in The Who, Meg belongs in this band and this band only - a better drummer wouldn’t be better at all. It’s hard to explain so I won’t even try - you’ll either get it or you won’t.Yeah, some people don’t get anything about the White Stripes - their lineup, their songs, or their colour scheme. And it’s too bad - the industry needs more of the class geeks to take back rock and roll from what it has become - entertainment for those who have become too old to like it loud. And up here in God’s country, even God likes to hear that joyful noise from the class geeks who made good, whether their colours are red and white; red, white and blue; or red, white and black.