Welcome to this week's installment of BC Magazine's The Listening Room. Many of our panelists from last week, our inaugural week, are with us again as we also welcome some new contributors. The format is the same: a few words from a few of BC's best about what they have been listening to for the past week. It is going to be interesting to see if trends emerge from week to week as we gather to share the music that's been in our heads, on our iPods, or in our CD players. With a couple of exceptions, this week's Listening Room trends towards the classic rock genre. Is it a coincidence or did some of us all drink the same Kool-Aid?
DJRadiohead (Asst. Music Editor): "If You're Gone" from Turn! Turn! Turn by The Byrds
Part of the reason this series idea occurred to me in the first place is because of what happened to me this past Monday night. I listened to the same song 32 times in a row. Obsess much, do I?
I wrote about my discovery of the magic of The Byrds a few months ago. "If You're Gone" is on the There is a Season box set and while I didn't mention it in my review, I do remember liking it immediately after hearing it. In fact, I liked the entire box set so much I set out to begin collecting many of The Byrds' individual albums, including Turn!. A number of Byrds' fans have bemoaned Gene Clark's relative obscurity when compared to the other, more celebrated members of the band (David Crosby, Gram Parsons, Roger McGuinn). I admit, Clark's voice was not something I immediately responded to. I am still not sure if "If You're Gone" is a new beginning in that regard or if it will be a notable exception.
I feel like I could wring my headphones and bottle the weariness in Clark's lead vocal. The droning harmony vocals, almost buried in the mixed, create a sublime, other-worldly feel that heighten the tension and pain in Clark's words and vocals. The Byrds will always be known best for making Dylan more accessible through their covers, but "If You're Gone" is a stunning example of what they could do with their own material.
Connie Phillips (Music Editor): "Too Much Information" from The Rhythm Syndicate by The Rhythm Syndicate
I might have never heard "Too Much Information from the self-titled The Rhythm Syndicate had I not been asked to review the CD, but I'm glad I did.
This is a blues band local to Northeast Ohio who give a fresh and contemporary edge to a classic sound, and "Too Much Information" is quintessentially a great little song. Catchy lyrics, strong beat, classic horns, and lead singer Pat Sandy's vocals are layered here to make a song that is just impossible to feel bad while listening to.
A. Hathaway (TheWifeToWhomI'mMarried) “What Child is This?” from Majesty and Wonder: An Instrumental Christmas by Phil Keaggy
Article comments
1 - DJRadiohead
Great work, everybody. Mr. Ken, I appreciate the dig and the contribution. Highway Companion is one of the truly fine albums of recent memory; one of the best of last year.
Tom, I might have to check out the GBV song on iTunes. I've never listened to any GBV. I have certainly heard of them, but never investigated them at all.
2 - Tom Johnson
Be careful, DJR - Guided By Voices and Robert Pollard is a deep well to dive into, and once you get past his weird, lo-fi recording techniques and enjoy the songs, there is no turning back. You too will soon own a full shelf of his music like I do and will be forced to dedicate 5gb of your Ipod to the 50 some-odd albums/EPs/singles that I have by the guy (not to mention all the great bootlegs that are floating around out there!) Crazy, I know, but the guy churns out so much great stuff, especially in the mid- to late-90s. But a good place to start is Under the Bushes - just like I did. I actually had about four different GBV songs in mind for this piece this week, and all of them came from this album!
(And don't forget to grab the live version of this song off my site - it'll convert you right away!)
3 - DJRadiohead
The prolific nature of the band is one of the things I actually knew about them despite not having listened to them previously.
I will tread carefully. Just know TWTWIM will be after you if you have sent me off on another billion-dollar quest.
4 - Tom Johnson
I'm hoping it's worth the risk to help turn someone on to great music. My wife's still coming to terms with why I had to buy vinyl copies of a couple of their release when I don't have a turntable. I just had to have them because they were that cool. And, as I tell her repeatedly, they're investments for our daughter's college tuition in 17 years. Don't ever forget that angle.
5 - Mark Saleski
(**** mark whispers into the internet ether: "someday, you will both own turntables...." ****)
6 - DJRadiohead
She is actually a very good sport about it all. She knew about my CD addiction soon after we started dating.
7 - Tom Johnson
DJR: My wife's incredibly understanding, she's known about this habit of mine since we met. It is, however, my only big expense, so it's not like I'm into other expensive hobbies on top of it. Still, she's a trooper for simply smiling when she sees yet another puffy package in the mail . . .
Mark: That's silliness - they don't make turntables for cars!
8 - Mat Brewster
I tried to start a GBV period in my life, but very shortly after I bought a couple of disks, some bastard stole most of my music collection. I never did have the chance to give them much of a listen. No time like the present, I guess.
I also used to own a good turntable, but after a lot of abuse and a few too many cross country moves it died a horrible death. Now my mom holds all my vinyl, cursing my name and threatening to throw them all in the bin every time she moves.
I never dug "The Wheel" until I saw Phil play a very hot (literally it was like a hundred degrees) show in Oklahoma City a few summers back. Covered in sweat and dirt I finally saw the light and now it's one of my favorite Dead tunes.