http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Tue, 23 Sep 2003 14:23:08 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, 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. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/09/23/142308.php Keith HanlonIt Starts With BowieI've always dug David Bowie. When I was a little kid, maybe 7 or 8 years old, I loved his then-new single, "Young Americans." I kept seeing a commercial on TV for his new album, and I really wanted it (yes, my record collecting impulses started early). I thought I could get it easily, because Bowie was on RCA records, and my dad worked for RCA. The only problem was that he didn't work for RCA Records! He was a manager at the Harrison, NJ plant that made tubes for TVs, radios, amps, etc. He didn't really have any contact with the music wing of RCA.One day the commercial came on the TV, and my dad was in the room. I asked him if he would buy me the record, but I don't think he took it seriously. He was a very practical man that worked 9 to 5 in order to support his family. He never understood where his kids' artistic talent came from (my sister an artist, my two brothers musicians). I suppose he didn't see it as practical. Toys, sure. But records? I'd scratch them up in a matter of days. He was probably right.The Problems with ReissuesFast forward 28 years later. Bowie has licensed his catalog to EMI, after a stint in the 90s with Ryko. The records have been remastered, and supposedly sound great. But I don't agree.One thing I noticed when listening to my EMI copy of "Scary Monsters" was that the music had been compressed a lot. Compression is the process of "taming" the volume, so that it plays at a more consistent volume. It tames the peaks, or louder segments, and boosts the quieter passages. When done tastefully, the listener might not notice the difference. If comparing an uncompressed signal to a compressed version, some might say that the compressed version sounded louder. This is an oversimplification, but you get the idea. When listening to the Ryko versions of these albums, I often notice treble boost, which usually just sounds too bright. The EMI versions have an EQ boost in the high end as well. Combine that with the compression, and the results sound harsh and annoying. Especially when played on a half-way decent stereo system. Ryko also issued special gold disc versions of Bowie titles called the "Au20 Series." These discs were mastered with noise reduction techniques, mainly used to reduce analog tape hiss. The only problem is that when you remove hiss, you also remove high end information, including room and reverb ambience, parts of cymbals and guitars, among other sounds. It's not immediately noticeable, but in general the result is stale-sounding. Worse still, the engineer will compensate for the loss of high end by turning it back up with EQ. How far are we getting from the sound of the original tapes? Pretty far in such a short signal chain...I find these types of mastering techniques to be completely against everything the CD stands for. When CDs were introduced in the 80s, we were told that they were better than our LPs because they allowed for the full dynamic range of a recording without added signal noise. The only limitation would be the limitations of the analog tape that was used for the original recording. This was all true, but when you compress the music you LOSE DYNAMICS. The number one benefit of CD sound is then lost, all because we want to listen to our CDs in the car. If the road noise is too loud, I have my own way to get the music louder. It's called a volume knob.Flat TransfersIn the 80s, most CDs were "flat transfers." They took out the master tape and transfered it to the digital medium with nothing in the signal chain. The only problems with this technique was usually the fault of the "master tape" that they used. Sometimes this was a copy of the original tape, and sometimes it was a copy of a copy. Sometimes they used the "LP master" which DID include things like EQ and compression, which were sometimes necessary for manufacturing LPs. We've all heard really bad CDs made from these "LP master" tapes: the old Hendrix catalog, the old Dylan catalog, and much of the early Springsteen albums.Once the nineties came along, the record industry realized that they could make money from their back catalog yet again. So they started remastering titles and re-releasing them with bonus tracks and new liner notes & photos. At the same time, digital technology had grown by leaps and bounds, so newer techniques like digital compression and EQ were put to use, as well as noise reduction. Then all hell broke loose, and now nearly every CD is compressed beyond belief and brightened up after the fact.Back to RCAThe Bowie catalog was first issued on CD in the mid-80s, and most (if not all) of these titles were flat transfers. They weren't necessarily from the original master tape, but they didn't put the music through racks of outboard gear or a digital workstation.After hearing an RCA version of "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars," I realized that remastered recordings weren't always what they were cracked up to be. This disc contained music that wasn't touched by a digital compressor or a noise reduction system. It had all the life and energy I remembered from the LP, even if it wasn't necessarily from the original master tape.Since then, I've been picking up the old RCA discs on eBay. It seems that prices on Bowie RCA discs have dropped significantly in recent years, probably due to the so-called "definitive" versions that EMI released in the 90s. Though they lack the bonus tracks found on the Ryko versions, I find the RCA discs to sound really nice. There are some problems, but how do you know until you hear it? "Low" was probably from an LP master, and I actually think the Ryko version might be a little better. Hands down, I love "Ziggy," "Station to Station," "Heroes," and "Lodger." And finally, I have my first copy of "Young Americans." I never did get that album, and this CD version is dynamic and full of life.What can you take from this rambling post? I guess "newer isn't always better." Sometimes newer IS better (see the new Dylan reissues). More importantly, use your ears. You can fret over flat-tranfers vs. remasters, you can scour eBay for an out-of-print gem, and you can compare multiple versions of a disc. In the end, it's all about the music, and that's really what matters. I mean, I'd rather hear the EMI version of "Scary Monsters" than ANYTHING by Nickelback. Related LinksDiscussion on RCA BowiesSteve Hoffman InterviewHow to Reissue a Record (LP info) Music8610@blogcritics.org Tue, 23 Sep 2003 14:23:08 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/20/145500.php Keith Hanlon Anybody who loves Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville" knows what she is capable of writing. The album, which was marketed as a song-by-song response to the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Mainstreet", is filled with blunt, clever lyrics that touch on sex, relationships, fame, and friendship. At the time of its release, there was much talk about lines like "I wanna fuck you like a dog" ("Flower") or "Fuck and Run / Even when I was twelve" ("Fuck and Run"). But those lyrics are tempered with honest feelings of loss and disappointment like "The Divorce Song" and "Dance of the Seven Veils". Brad Wood's production built on the lo-fi honesty of her home demos while adding a modest amount of professionalism to the arrangements. It was close to perfect and, as it turns out, hard to top.For her upcoming self-titled album, Phair has teamed up with production team The Matrix, who brought us Avril Lavigne. Imagine what that would sound like... and you'd pretty much nail it. There's no subtlety to the songs that I've heard. It just screams, "look at me, look at me!" It doesn't sound honest.I look back to when a friend first played "Guyville" for me. I was really into PJ Harvey at the time, thanks to hearing her on John Peel's show when our public radio station played it. My friend commented that Phair "rips PJ a new one."It didn't quite work out that way, did it? Phair has made mediocre albums since Guyville and is now trying to break into the youth market by imitating somebody half her age. PJ Harvey has always followed her muse. She's changed over time, but only to challenge herself. She has never tried to be the next big thing. She still has her integrity, and she continues to do exactly what she wants...If Liz Phair fails with her new look and sound, she won't be taken seriously ever again. She will forever be a has-been. It's a shame, because we could really use the honesty of "Exile in Guyville" in 2003. Music6378@blogcritics.org Fri, 20 Jun 2003 14:55:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/19/104457.php Keith HanlonAs I was leaving for work this morning, I grabbed a handful of CDs from the racks. One of them was Unrest's 1992 classic, "Imperial f.f.r.r." I was a year out of college, had just quit a proto-grunge band (I hadn't played with them in months and decided to go see The Pixies and Pere Ubu instead of playing a show with them... I say I quit, but they would say I was kicked out). I was a little lost in Columbus, Ohio, working at the mall for minimum wage and barely touching my drum set. What little money I had went to buying records. It was the cover, peering at me from the LP shelf at Used Kids, that attracted me. The indie marketing worked... The US cover of "Impreial f.f.r.r." It had a definite indie vibe to it; a vintage stereo amp featured in a clean layout. The title, "Imperial f.f.r.r" made little sense but it's meaning became clear after reading "full frequency range recording" elsewhere in the packaging. Unrest's label, Teen Beat, always played with retro themes, from a vintage Sammy Davis Jr. picture on the single for "Yes She Is My Skinhead Girl" to the catalog model, in a yellow raincoat and holding a clear plastic umbrella, on the cover of Eggs' "Bruiser" LP. Not only did label owner and Unrest leader Mark Robinson create a brand identity for his label, but often complimented the music's vibe. While the music isn't retro, the image fit. Here was indie music, smartly packaged and marketed, that was a natural progression of pop music: sugary and catchy, experimental and groovey. The vintage stereo on the cover somehow connected with that idea. Drop the needle and the first thing you hear is a track titled "Volume Reference Tone." Yes, the 1kHz tone that was required by the mastering engineer is included as a song. You get the feeling that you have delved into some record company's vault, pulled a master tape, threaded it through the reel to reel, and hit play. Immediately afterwards, you are hit with the happy declaration of love, "Suki." As Robinson sings, "wanna be with you all the time... Suki!" you get the feeling that you're hearing some lost Brady Bunch track. There's an innocence to it, both in the lyrics and in the band's performance. This isn't a band of schooled musicians... this is a group of amateurs who are discovering pop. Throughout the previous decade, their innocence was captured on a number of cassette releases, singles, and LPs that featured experimental jamming, noise, and very little songcraft. "Imperial f.f.r.r." found Unrest excited by the simplicity, and the guilty pleasures, of pop music. It doesn't take long for the album to take an introspective turn. The title track, "Imperial," features a beautiful, repetitive picked guitar line accompanying Mark Robinson's lonely voice, shifting in and out of verse and chorus melodies and drenched in reverb. The tension this creates is sad, beautiful, and alienating. "Sun is whiter than whiter / could be a witness to / burning out / killing and talking." It all breaks at the end, when the chords shift to a lower, slower coda. It's breathtaking and beautiful. Suddenly you wonder where the innocence went... The experimental side makes an appearance on "Champion Nines." At it's base is a funky breakbeat, possibly sampled, possibly programmed. Over top are a series of bells and chimes, tracks stacked on top of each other in a dense wall of sound. A bass line weaves through, barely noticeable. The drums stop, start, and stop again. The track ends. Despite it's simplicity and obliqueness, it works. It's listenable and funky... what more could you want? The album continues to fluctuate between these three extremes... the enthusiastic pop of "I Do Believe You Are Blushing," "Isabel" and "Cherry Cream On," the seriousness of "June" (featuring vocals by Bridget Cross) and "Loyola," and the alienating weirdness of "Firecracker" and "Sugarshack." And somehow it all fits and makes sense. "Imperial f.f.r.r." was released in 1992, a world of marketed teen pop and the violent overthrow of pop music by Nirvana. It has never found a big audience, partly due to it's strange mixture of songs and it's limited distribution. However, it probably has more in common with Pavement's "Slanted and Enchanted," an album that found a large audience in the indie college crowd. Personally, I found Unrest's release to be more inspiring and influential than Pavement's debut. Here was a record with a depth that you couldn't find at your indie record store. I remember asking a clerk at a hip New York record store, "I've been listening to that Unrest nonstop; can you recommend something else like that?" His lack of help, in retrospect, speaks volumes about the record. Listening to it today, for the first time in years, I'm struck by how well it has stood up. The cover of the UK edition. Unrest would sign to Warner Brothers and release one more album, "Perfect Teeth," before "breaking up" (to get out of their contract?). Robinson and Cross formed Air Miami, delving into 80s retro for an album or two before breaking up. Mark Robinson still runs Teen Beat, and has released a few solo albums. Though all are enjoyable, Robinson has never quite recaptured the spirit of "Imperial f.f.r.r." And considering how special this album is, that's probably a good thing. Music6314@blogcritics.org Thu, 19 Jun 2003 10:44:57 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/11/101007.php Keith HanlonIt was 3:00 in the afternoon yesterday when my boss asked me if I wanted to go see the Dixie Chicks. The show started at 7:30. Sure, why not? This indie rock musician wouldn't mind seeing a BIG show for a change. You see, one of our customers is involved with the tour, and he called to see if anybody wanted to check it out. Nearly none of my coworkers were interested. While not a fan of their songs, I do have a respect for the Chicks on a musical level and on a political level. I was curious to see how Columbus, Ohio would react to those spunky ladies. Will there be protests and CD burning? Will they address their naysayers from the stage, or make some comments about as-yet-to-be-found Weapons of Mass Destruction? Accompanied by another curious co-worker, we headed down to Nationwide Arena to find out. We picked up our tickets at Will Call. Fourth row on the floor, and VIP passes. Did we really deserve this? I can barely recite 5 Dixie Chicks songs, let alone their names (Natalie, the blonde one, and the brunette). We toyed with 1) selling our tickets and passes for lots of cash, and 2) finding a couple with shitty seats and trading tickets. But we were there as guests, and didn't feel comfortable with either scenario. We headed down to the pit... the stage was at the center of the arena, and the floor seating split between the east and west sides of the stage. We were directly in front of a long ramp, so we knew we'd have a good view for much of the show. After a short set from Joan Osborne, we were assaulted by a short video compilation of young girls doing Dixie Chicks Karaoke (brought to us by Lipton). Cute. This is when things started to get interesting. The music over the PA consisted of clever songs that most likely went right over the heads of most Chick fans. What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding? - The Nick Lowe-penned classic performed by Elvis Costello. Indeed, what is so funny about that... shouldn't it be called "What's So Bad About Free Speech?" Everybody Wants to Rule The World - Ok, I get it... but what is this song REALLY about? I never really GOT it. Our Lips Are Sealed - The first verse of the Go-Gos classic put it nicely: "Do you hear them? / They talk about us / Telling lies, well that's no surprise." But why should their lips be sealed? Are they caving into their critics? Band On The Run - Another one of those songs where the title means more to the Chicks' circumstance than the actual content. Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad - Tammy Wynette's classic. Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - Sly and The Family Stone's unmistakable groove, included here as a message from Natalie Maines. It got the country girls dancing. Only a short segment of this song was played, before... Born In The USA - Another misinterpration of this dark story of a Vietnam vet's experiences after returning home. But a nice declaration of patriotism before the ladies took the stage.. By this time we were surrounded by adoring fans. The Dixie Chicks appeared to the sound of screaming fans, and played a rousing rendition of "Goodbye Earl." And the hits came, one right after another. The audience sang along, babies were brought to the front so the Chicks could wave at them (annoint them?), and the focus was squarely on entertainment. I swear, the non-Natalie Chicks never stopped SMILING. The crowd loved them. Musically, the highpoints were the bluegrass numbers. They have a damn good band, and the Chicks are pretty damn talented too. The blonde non-Natalie is a very good fiddle player, the brunette equally talented on banjo, dobro, mandolin, or guitar. And Natalie can certainly sing her heart out. There were only a couple references to their recent troubles. When talking about how accident-prone they were lately (broken toe, third degree burns, and a lost voice), the non-Natalie blonde said she imagined President Bush sitting in the Oval Office sticking pins in voodoo dolls. At another point, Natalie introduced the Patty Griffin-penned "Truth No. 2," saying that when she recorded it, she liked it but didn't really understand the song. "After I put my foot in my mouth... I knew what every word meant." You don't like the sound of the truth Comin' from my mouth You say that I lack the proof Well baby that might be so I might get to the end of my line Find out everyone was lying I don't think that I'm afraid anymore Say that I would rather die trying I wanted to tell Natalie to stop apologizing for her words. I think the lyrics don't apologize, but statements like "I put my foot in my mouth" ARE apologetic. I know your album sales took a dive, and your "F.U.T.K." stunt pissed a lot of people off, but damnit, STAND UP FOR YOURSELF. Say what ever the hell you want. I realize that the country music business is a very conservative one. I know that your fans paid to hear and see you perform your hits. But part of me wanted to see you address the issue again... take the oppurtunity to question Bush's more recent actions. Where are the WOMDs? Is Iran next, or Syria? How about informing your audience about Bill Pryor's upcoming confirmation hearings? The show ended with streamers and confetti showering down on us. We left the crowded arena, and as "Wide Open Spaces" echoed in my head, I realized that the Dixie Chicks' pop numbers sound frightingly like Wilson Phillips. Music6089@blogcritics.org Wed, 11 Jun 2003 10:10:07 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/06/09/210756.php Keith HanlonTomorrow, Radiohead will release their follow-up to 2001's "Amnesiac." I've listened to the "pre-release" MP3 files over the last couple months, and only recently did I get to hear a copy of the final release. Luckily, I'm not burned out on the record, so I'm really looking forward to it's release.The press is making a big deal about how this new album is a return to form, but if you ignore the hype and listen to the music, you'll find a lot of the "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" sound in there. It's a great sound... one minute Thom Yorke is crooning along to electronic beats and ambient tones, the next the band is rocking out. And if recent reports are any indication, the upcoming tour shouldn't be missed.But how will this record find it's place in the History of Radiohead? Will it be seen as a comment on our post-war climate? Will it be considered a classic, or just a good album before they break new ground?Earlier today, I was visiting the men's room and picked up the copy of Forbes magazine that was lying on the floor. I felt a little alienated by it's contents... all that money-loving business talk can really bother me. Then I realized that this issue was from 1997... wow, instant time warp. The article on rich entertainers was particularly interesting, reporting on Bowie, Spieldberg, among others. The dotcom phenomenon. The Clinton scandals were brewing. America was a different place.Into this world came Radiohead's "OK Computer." They'll probably never top this record. Not only was the timing perfect for the subject matter (technology increasingly in control of our lives), but it was musically seductive: the compostions, the complex arrangements, the dense musical landscape. This album sunk in slowly, and it seemed to me that it's popularity grew from word of mouth. Critics were hailing it as a brilliant record, but it wasn't receiving much airplay or exposure. I wasn't in much of a position to guage this though. I was living in the foothills of Appalachia with no radio or cable TV.Once it was nominated for a Grammy, you couldn't get away from it. My garage-rock friends were praising it for it's intensity, my prog-rock friends were loving the epic qualities of songs like "Paranoid Android" and the album's overall concept, and my bandmates were loving the textures and melodies."OK Computer" was the warning sign of things to come... "All Hail The Thief" arrives to tell us "I told you so." Are we "fitter, happier, more productive?" Or are we "concerned (but powerless)... a pig, in a cage, on antibiotics"?I have a habit of putting art in an historical place. The idea is that art should be made for the moment, and with passing time, we can look back, not in nostalgia, but to better understand our place in history. With the release of "All Hail The Thief," now isn't a bad time to look back at "OK Computer." In the process, perhaps we can learn how we got where we are today, with two wars behind us and an uncertain future. Music6042@blogcritics.org Mon, 9 Jun 2003 21:07:56 EDT