Versions:
LP
CD Tracklisting: Side One:
1. Disguises
2. Run Run Run
3. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
4. I Can't Reach You
5. Our Love Was, Is
6. Call Me Lightning
Side Two:
1. Magic Bus
2. Someone's Coming
3. Doctor, Doctor
4. Bucket T
5. Pictures of Lily
Best Tracks:
Magic Bus
Pictures of Lily
Call Me Lightening
Disguises
Currently listening to: LP Magic Bus is a weird addition to The Who's catalogue. It is typical of an American released compilation by a British band in the 60's - a mish mash of B-sides and tracks from previous UK albums, built around their - then current - single.
For some reason, I have a real soft spot for a lot of these American releases. While The Rolling Stones' catalogue was completely butchered, I quite enjoy a bunch of The Beatles' American LPs (which isn't say that The Beatles catalogue wasn't completely butchered, either - it was). Though, it still hurts my brain to think that those LP's were what American audiences knew as The Beatles and The Stones' albums. For me, they're curios, often with interesting (though, not necessarily, great) artwork and tracklistings.
While The Who didn't suffer quite so badly, Magic Bus shows there weren't completely immune.
Magic Bus' biggest flaw is that the cover boats that it's The Who 'On Tour', giving the impression that this is, in fact, a live album. Instead, it's all studio recordings, including three tracks already released on previous albums (at least The Stones and The Beatles' sloppily compiled LPs never repeated tracks from older albums). Despite this, I find Magic Bus a very enjoyable listen.
Like the American release of The Beatles' Rubber Soul was re-sequenced to sound like a folk-rock album, Magic Bus feels like it's been sequenced to present The Who as the energetic live band they were. This would certainly explain the misleading 'On Tour' subtitle. Aside from the lovely feedback we got in 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere', none of The Who's 60's recordings captured their ferocious live sound (and none did until 1970's Live At Leeds). Given the wonderful material The Who released in the 60's, this is merely an observation rather than a criticism. The main success of Magic Bus, as an LP, is that it actually presents The Who as a great 60's rock band better than A Quick One and The Who Sell Out did.
The first three tracks kick things off on a high. It could be that most of the tracks are presented in their mono mixes, but they really leap off the vinyl, particularly 'Run Run Run' and the great 'Disguises' ('Run Run Run' on the A Quick One CD sounds noticeably limp in comparison). The first side loses steam with 'I Can't Reach You' and 'Our Love Was', unnecessary repeats from The Who Sell Out. Given the amount of Who B-sides available at the time, there certainly could have been more inspired choices than these two tracks (personally, I'd have gone with the insanely underrated gem, 'Circles' from the Ready Steady Who EP, from which two tracks on this album were already pulled. Or even 'The Last Time' or 'Under My Thumb' from their 1967 single in support of the then recent arrest of Mick Jagger and Keith Richard). The first side ends with lesser-known single 'Call Me Lightning', another gem.
Side Two also plays well, featuring both sides of both the 'Magic Bus' and 'Pictures Of Lily' singles, along with 'Bucket T' from the aforementioned Ready Steady Who EP. You wouldn't think the silliness of 'Bucket T' would sit well along the quality of the other four songs on this side, yet somehow, it works. Again, the mono mixes give these songs a grit and rawness missing on the CD (and even some later vinyl compilation) releases.
I had my CD copy of this album since the late 90's, but only (and FINALLY) picked up a vinyl copy today. Which is why I'm writing about it like it's a revelation. The vinyl copy is far superior to the 80's pressed CD. All of the songs on this LP are well worn into my brain, which is why it's been so nice to finally listen to a vinyl copy.
Magic Bus isn't an essential addition, but a very enjoyable one. It's worth the price of admission for that cover art, alone.
Side A:
I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me)
Side B:
I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me) (Acoustic)
The Donnas are another band that I absolutely loved ten years ago, who I have - I hate to say - all but forgotten about in 2015.
They really stepped up their game with 2004's Gold Medal. With every album they seemed to get better and better, and they reached their pinnacle with Gold Medal. They were always a great party band, but Gold Medal felt like the hangover. Which is probably why I loved it so much.
'I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me)' became the sound track to my life for a time in my early 20's. Like most people, I made questionable choices, romantically. And, 'I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me)' summed up my situation pretty damn well. As such, it was on heavy rotation during 2004-2005. I'm pretty sure it was the soundtrack to many a LiveJournal entry.
Hearing it tonight - for the first time in a long, long time - brought back a lot of memories. Suddenly, it's 2005 again and I'm drunk at the Crown & Anchor pissing my friends off and chasing boys. Gladly, I still really enjoyed hearing it tonight. The B-side is pretty faithful to the original, just played on acoustic guitars.
I think I need a palate cleanser after that last blog. I deliberately picked this one.
Side A:
The Piano
Side B:
Heaven
This is notable for being one of the few PJ Harvey singles that I own in only one format. Even though the majority of her singles over the past ten years have only been released on 7", I usually pick up promos or other curios. For some reason, I haven't with 'The Piano'.
I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to blog White Chalk, the album from which this single was pulled. It has become one of my favourite albums of all time, if not the favourite (and, yes, I know I said the same about To Bring You My Love. I'll probably say it for every PJ Harvey album I write about. And, I will mean it, sincerely, every time). Despite having White Chalk in my life for eight years, I don't think I will yet be able to articulate just how much I love it, how genius I think it is and just how much it means to me. 'The Piano', with it's images of violence and loneliness, is one of White Chalk's unsettling highlights.
White Chalk was interesting in that all three of it's singles did not, for the first time in Harvey's career, include album outtakes as B-sides. All three features old demos. I've always pictured Polly Harvey having a huge backlog of demoed songs that she's never released, given that she's often stated that she'll write up to 60 songs when writing for an album. This theory (or fantasy) was supported by Mick Harvey when he recorded her beautiful unreleased song, 'Glorious'. He stated that it was on a tape of songs she had given him and he thought it was too good a song to waste away in a drawer somewhere. The White Chalk B-sides only furthered my insatiable curiosity as to what other lost treasures exist.
Both 'When Under Ether' and 'The Piano' featured demos recorded way back in 1988. Intriguing choices, given that 'Dress', her first single, didn't come out until 1991. 'Heaven', 'The Piano''s B-side is an interesting inclusion. She had actually recorded the song with Automatic Dlamini, the first band she was in with John Parish, in 1990 on their unreleased record, Here Catch Shouted His Father. This version, however, is a demo recorded with John Parish in 1988. It's a nice little song, full of Biblical references, which she would later explore further on her first two records. It really shows just far her song writing came in the next few years, especially as the production is reminiscent of the Dry demos.
'Heaven' is a rare glimpse into PJ Harvey's early development as an artist, while still managing to be an enjoyable listen.
In my late teens and early 20's, I was always a total snob when it came to what records went into my collection. If I had anything remotely daggy, I made sure I justified it somehow (usually irony or nostalgia). As time wore on, I began to care less and less about filtering what went into my collection. These days, anything goes. Because, why the fuck not?
Plus, I do have a soft spot for bad pop songs.
Hello, Tiffany.
A lot of 80's songs like this are now socially acceptable, thanks to the 80's revival that's now lasted longer than the 80's did. Which irks me somewhat. Because, songs like this really are atrocious. Though, I think that's the appeal? Because, loathe as I am to admit in a public forum such as this, I fucking love 'I Think We're Alone Now'. Goodbye punk rock street cred. Perhaps it's nostalgia? This was my favourite song in the world when I was 5. I have fond memories of singing this song as a child (and have, somehow, never forgotten the words).
I also have fond memories of acquiring this record. It was when I moved to London in 2011 and my friend Kate bought me this, along with a hand full of other 45's, to cheer me up when I found out that my cat died. We'd spotted it earlier at the record fair we'd stumbled across and had all been highly amused by Tiffany's denim jacket. When I wasn't looking, Kate went back and bought it for me. Bless her heart.
OK, enough about Tiffany (oh, except to say that the B-side here was, unlike the A-side, - which is gloriously terrible - offensive in it's terribleness).
I can't tell if this was double A-side, or if 'Play With Fire' was actually the B-side. Either way, both sides of this single are essential, two of the best early Stones songs from their pre-Aftermath period. I have a great many of the Stones' 60's singles, but I think this was one of the very first I ever bought.
Funnily enough, after explaining why I love 60's singles in the last batch of 7" blogs, 'The Last Time' actually sounds pretty lifeless on this single, compared to how it sounds on the various albums it appears on. 'Play With Fire', though, sounds great. While it doesn't sound so bad on CD since the Stones' 60's catalogue was remastered in the early 00's, I'm still scarred from how utterly terrible it sounded on the original Stones CD's, released in the 80's. I don't know why, but 'Play With Fire' - out of every 60's Stones song - seemed to suffer the worst. I'm eternally grateful that this has been rectified!
After picking 'Babooshka' last time, 'Running Up That Hill' was the first random selection tonight. I guess the universe wants me to listen to more Kate Bush. And, who am I to argue? 'Running Up The Hill' is, of course, one of my favourite Kate Bush songs. As I'm sure it is for many people. It's pretty great. This 7" was another from my 7" binge of 2011. I actually can't remember if this was from the eBay guy mentioned in the last blogs, or if I picked this one up from one of the Music Exchange stores in London (which is odd, I usually have a 'Rain Man'-esque knack for remembering where I bought most of my records, and how much I paid).
Like 'Babooshka', my main interest here tonight is the b-side, in this case, 'Under The Ivy'. Like 'Ran Tan Waltz', I'm fairly sure I've never played it. Considering how much I love Hounds Of Love, I'm not sure why I've neglected a b-side from that record, but here we are. It's a shame, too. 'Under The Ivy' is really something. I've enjoyed it so much, I've just started it again for a third time. I think I've found a new favourite Kate Bush song. it's just beautiful (and, I've just started it for a fourth time).
Discoveries like this are part of the reason I wanted to do this blog in the first place.
Since my long-awaited vinyl copy of American Caesar arrived the other day, I figured now's a good time to blog it.
Versions:
LP
CD
Tracklisting:
1. Character
2. Wild America
3. Mixin' The Colors
4. Jealousy
5. Hate
6. It's Our Love
7. Plastic & Concrete
8. Fuckin' Alone
9. Highway Song
10. Beside You
11. Sickness
12. Boogie Boy
13. Perforation Problems
14. Social Life
15. Louie Louie
16. Caesar
17. Girls of N.Y.
Best Tracks:
Fuckin' Alone
Louie Louie
Wild America
Hate
Mixin' The Colors
Iggy Pop's solo career is patchy, at best. I used to feel awfully guilty about this. Being that Iggy is one of my favourite artists (and one of my absolute favourite people in the world), I always felt bad that I didn't like a lot of his solo work. Obviously, there are moments of absolute genius (The Idiot, Lust For Life) and a great number ofburied and/or forgotten treasures (this, New Values, Skull Ring). Unfortunately, there's also a bunch of records that, if I'm being honest, just aren't very good (Party, Instinct). I felt, for a long time, that I loved Iggy so much that I should still love his not-so-good albums. It wasn't until I read Paul Trynka's wonderful Iggy bio, Open Up And Bleed, in which the author explicitly notes the flaws in Iggy's back catalogue, that I stopped feeling guilty about it.So, not all of his records are great. Big deal. The ones that are great, are really fucking great. Iggy has always been a risk taker. Sometimes, artistically, those risks don't work out. Sometimes, though, those risks result in moments of greatness. The Stooges aside, Iggy is still highly regarded, and that speaks volumes about the quality of his work when he gets it right. And, with American Caesar, he got it right.
This is probably my favourite of all Iggy Pop's solo records. I love it more than Lust For Life (though, it may be equal with The Idiot). I first bought it after Triple J did their Iggy Pop J Files show, around 1998. They played 'Fuckin' Alone'. I'd never heard it, but instantly fell in love with it. It remains my favourite song on the album. But, it took me a while to really digest American Caesar. For the first few years, I'd listen to the songs I liked and that was it. At 75 minutes, it was certainly a lot to take in. At 16, I somehow didn't have the attention span to give the album the time it warranted. I did, however, love the feel of the album. I always found myself coming back to it, even as I investigated Iggy's solo work further. By the time I was about 25, I'd found my groove with American Caesar. It's a fucking wonderful record.
Hearing it on double vinyl for the first time tonight has given me a renewed appreciation for the album. It really should have been a double album. It certainly feels more immediate, broken over four manageable sides, rather than all lumped onto a single CD (and that could be said for many albums released during the CD era). It's certainly a diverse record, probably the most varied of Iggy's career. It's also surprisingly mellow. The acoustic 'Highway Song' and 'Social Life' are excellent, but there are actually some real tender moments ('Fuckin' Alone', 'It's Our Love', the beautiful 'Mixin' The Colors' and, especially, 'Jealousy'). These moments are particularly moving, showing a vulnerability not often heard - before or since - from Iggy. There is also the weirdness of the wonderful seven minute, spoken word title track. Being an Iggy Pop record (as the warning on the sleeve hilariously warns us), there's also no shortage of rock tracks. 'Wild America' and 'Louie Louie' are highlights (the latter is, somehow, even better than The Stooges' version), while others result in American Caesar's only disappointing moments. While 'Plastic & Concrete' and 'Sickness' are OK, 'Perforation Problems' and 'Boogie Boy' are the albums only bad songs. Which is, however, not a mean feat for a 17 track album.
I had been searching for a vinyl copy of this album for many years. It's been the only one of Iggy's solo records, released on vinyl, that I haven't owned on vinyl. I actually found a copy last time I was in London, at a little record shop I found tucked away in a lane way off Tottenham Court Road. It was £25, so I left it there. I immediately regretted my decision. I went back a few days later to buy it and, of course, it was gone. Much to my delight, Plain Recordings re-released it last year and, this week, I finally have a vinyl copy. And, I haven't been disappointed. This blog was the first listen, but certainly won't be the last. It's a great sounding pressing and, as I said earlier, the album makes a bit more sense as a double record.
Aww, remember Duffy? It's more than a little depressing that she's practically fallen off the face of the earth after her underwhelming second record. Because that first record was truly wonderful.
I'll delve into it more when I blog the album, but 'Rockferry' was always my favourite song off Rockferry. 'A Bag of songs and a heavy heart'. Oh, yes. She had me at hello. It's simply charming. And it swaggers along beautifully. I bought this 7" off eBay before Duffy's downfall. I seem to remember it being somewhat pricey (between $30 and $40, maybe?). But, after I'd accumulated all of her her other singles, I was desperate to get this one, being that it was my favourite of all her songs. Being that it was her first 7", we were led to believe it something of a rarity. Depressingly, it's now on Discogs for $4 (the same thing happened with an Irish band I really liked in the early 2000's called JJ72. Except that I ended up buying most of their 'rare' releases very cheap).
B-side, 'Oh Boy', I'd first heard as it was released on the Australian 'Mercy' single. It's a nice song, and wouldn't have been out of place on Rockferry, much like all of her b-sides from this album. More on those later.
This is a nice one. 'Laura' is such a gorgeous song. Hearing it on this 7", after playing 7" roulette all night, feels just right. It doesn't quite feel like a song that came out in 2012. It feels timeless. It feels like I should have picked this dusty old 45 up along with the others I've blogged tonight.
I didn't, of course. This was released for Record Store Day in 2013 (but it's fairly easy to come by). I must say, I love the generic Parlophone cover (and who knew that Parlophone was still an active label?! Though, I remember thinking the same thing when Kylie Minogue was signed to them in the early 2000's), which I first encountered on the 2010 Bat For Lashes RSD release.
The version of 'Marilyn' here is, I hate to say, nothing special. Not that it matters. This one's worth the price of admission for 'Laura' alone.
This was an interesting choice to jump out at me. As I, generally, don't care for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. At all. I have Californication, and still enjoy that occasionally. And, 'Soul To Squeeze' is pretty great. They also seem cool as people. But, my interest in the band's music ends there.
This was another $1 purchase from the Old Reynella record shop. It's an old jukebox record, so it's pretty scratchy and well worn. 'Under The Bridge' has become a classic, I can't deny that. Even if says nothing to me about my life. Though, I must admit, I've kinda enjoyed hearing it tonight. Probably because it's been many, many years since I heard it. Growing up, most of my mates adored the Chili Peppers. A group of my high school mates even started a Chili Peppers tribute band, who still play around the place now. To say I got sick of hearing 'Under The Bridge' would be the under statement of the century. I've seen far too many drunk bogans passionately singing along to it. For a time, in my early twenties, it became the antithesis of everything I stood for in life.
Hearing 'The Righteous & The Wicked' tonight reminded me that I actually bought Blood Sugar Sex Magik on CD when it was fairly new. It was one of the first CD's I ever bought. Which I had completely forgotten about. I got it because I liked 'Under The Bridge' and 'Breaking The Girl'. I think I may even still have the CD. I don't care to search for it now. We'll save that for another blog.
[Another not-so-interesting aside, speaking of bands I don't like: The same day I bought this record, I also got a 7" of Pearl Jam's 'Alive'. I sold that on eBay - for $1, just like I paid for it - about 7 or 8 years ago. Which means that, thankfully, I don't have to listen to Pearl Jam for this blog].
Now, this is an example of why I love hearing 60's singles on a crusty old 45. Hearing 'Think' digitally doesn't pack quite the same punch. And, I have noticed that 'Think' suffers more than any of Aretha's other 60's hits. On CD it sounds flat. On this 45, another from the eBay seller I mentioned earlier, it's full of life. The entire song joyously jumps off the vinyl, the cracks and pops seem to disappear. And, while not stated on the disc, it's clearly a mono mix. Mono mixes don't seem to translate as well digitally. For some reason, they sound gloriously rough and ready on old singles like this. I've enjoyed it so much, I've just dropped the needle back at the start for third time.
'You Send Me' isn't a song I'm fond of, in general. However, if I'm too listen to anyone do it, it's gonna be Areatha. She does a pretty good version of it, I must say!
This one also reminded me how nice it is to get a nice American pressing of (practically) any record from the 60's. The quality is so much better than the original Australian pressings. Even this 45. American pressings are quite sturdy, whereas the Australian equivalent are usually flimsy and, often, don't pack the same punch, sonically.
Side A:
Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)
Side B:
I Mess Up Everything I Get My Hands On
Oh, lord. I haven't heard this one for a while.
I remember seeing it rage sometime in the late 90's. And found it fairly ridiculous. A disco song about not dancing with fat chicks. Ack. What were they thinking? It's kinda funny and kinda terrible.
My beloved Old Reynella record shop was another place where I bought many, many 45's. I think he must have bought a bunch of ex-jukebox stock. I remember going in one day, when i was about 17, only to be greeted with mountains and mountains of these 45's. Of course, I faithfully scoured these piles. I wince at the thought of what I may have left behind, but I ended up taking a great many home. Most he sold for $1, so I wasn't entirely fussy about what I took home. And, this was one. Purely for the novelty of the thing. I think tonight may have been the second or third time I've ever played it. Tonight is certainly the first time I've ever played the B-side (and considering how well worn the A-side is, and how clean the B-side sounds, I'm guessing it's one of the few times it's been played, ever).
I quite like 'I Mess Up Everything I Get My Hands On'. It's a fairly decent soul/disco track. But I don't think I can enjoy 'Ain't Gonna Bump No More'. I don't mean to be the fun police, but come on. Let the big fat woman bump!
Ha! This is the second 7" I randomly selected. And, funnily enough, there's not a lot to say about it after the last blog. This was another acquisition from the aforementioned eBay seller. Usually, a rather sizeable package would arrive (and more frequently than I care to admit), so it's not that surprisingly that I picked another one that came from him.
Again, this one goes without saying. I love 'Babooshka'. What's not to love? Tonight, however, I'm more interested in the B-side, 'Ran Tan Waltz'. I don't think I'd ever listened to it. I quite like it. It's a non-album track, but wouldn't have sounded out of place on Never For Ever (not than I'm an expert on Kate Bush, as much as I do enjoy her). It does sound a bit like the uglier sibling of 'Army Dreamers'. Maybe that's why she left it off? It's a nice little song, though.
I'm going try and blog a few 7"'s tonight. Because I have a shitload of them. Some are lovingly collected and sought out (Magic Dirt, PJ Harvey, the never ending stream of Madonna), others I just acquired somehow and may be just songs I like - I may not own any albums by the artist, but if I dig the song and stumble across the 45, I usually buy it.
I'm going to play a little game of 7" roulette. I shall close my eyes and pick a few at random. Hopefully, they'll make for short, snappy blogs. Let's see what we get.
First up:
Prince - 1999
Side A:
1999
Side B:
Little Red Corvette
Oh, lovely! If I remember correctly, I got this off eBay from a guy that would sell hundreds of a records at a time for a starting price of 1 cent. I'd go nuts, bid on a ton of shit, and inevitably end up with a rather interesting selection of bargain records. It was in the months after I'd returned from London, having tried (and failed) to find a job in London. I really missed those London record shops once I was back in Adelaide. This guy and his eBay bargains were just what I needed to get through.
At the time, I had a real thing about buying 45's. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because they were plentiful (and cheap) in London. I've always bought them, but over the following year or so, I really stepped it up. And, I ended up with a lot from this particular eBay seller. This was one.
No prizes for guessing why I wanted this one. One of my favourite Prince songs on either side! I actually didn't realise these were released as a double A-side (my childhood love of Prince started around the time of Diamonds & Pearls. The Hits cassette I had was my only education I had in classic 80's Prince, at the time). It was also around this time that I (finally) started to seek out vinyl copies of Prince's 80's albums (the few I had as a kid were long gone). This one made a nice addition, too.
And, that back cover! Oh, Prince. Only he could get away with something so pompous - especially to the point of making it endearing. I guess that's why we love him.
Versions:
CD (EU)
CD (Australia - Tour Edition with bonus disc)
CD (Limited Edition - Black)
CD (Limited Edition - Rose)
LP
Cassette
Tracklisting:
1. Music
2. Impressive Instant
3. Runaway Lover
4. I Deserve It
5. Amazing
6. Nobody's Perfect
7. Don't Tell Me
8. What It Feels Like For A Girl
9. Paradise (Not For Me)
10. Gone
Best Tracks:
Paradise (Not For Me)
Don't Tell Me
Impressive Instant
Fuck me, I didn't realise I had 6 copies of Music. I guess it's bound to happen when I'm constantly (and mindlessly) picking up Madonna knick knacks. I'm not really surprised, once I think about it. It'll probably happen more as I dig through and blog the (extensive) Madonna library.
Anyway. Music. It was this album, along with Ray Of Light that re-ignited my interest in all-things-Mads back in 2000. By the time I was 17, I had thought (however erroneously) that Madonna would forever be a nostalgic remember of my childhood. Given that I was only about 14 when I decided to hide my Madonna CD's and cassettes in a bottom drawer so that my friends wouldn't see, we were only apart a few years (and during her Evita phase. So, there was that). Occasionally, I'd hear an 80's hit on the radio or in a shop and smile knowingly. At the time, obsessed with 60's music and (gulp) Marilyn Manson, I would not have thought - at that point in time - that I'd rediscover Madonna's music. And with such a vengeance.
I mean, I was always going to. It was inevitable. I couldn't stay away forever. The love never stopped, as much as I tried to deny it. After Music came out, I embraced it wholeheartedly.
I had heard Ray Of Light and quite liked it. I thought 'Frozen' was great when that came out. But, that was it. I'd always meant to check it out further, and never did. Then the 'Music' single came out, flooded the airwaves, and was catchy as hell. Then 'Don't Tell Me' came out and was actually a fucking great song and had that great cowboy video. Then 'What It Feels Like For A Girl' gets released as a hard techno remix with a Guy Richie directed video. I loved all three. I couldn't hold off any longer. I got one of my mates to burn me his sister's copies of both albums, and gave them a whirl.
I fell in love with both, pretty well instantly. Both were on high rotation, much to the chagrin of my Nine Inch Nails worshipping pals. Personally, I didn't think Madonna and NIN were that different.
The songs on Music are, generally, very good. Aside from the 'Beautiful Stranger' re-write 'Amazing' (which was almost a single, but thankfully wasn't), there are no songs on Music that I don't like. 'Music' was a great single and showed that, in 2000, Madonna was still a trendsetter (as Jennifer Saudners, playing Edina Monsoon, in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous said, 'Lo, she hath spoken! Cowboy hats is back!'). 'Don't Tell Me' is still one of my all time favourite Madonna songs. As well as being a wonderfully produced slice of pop goodness, it's actually a beautiful song. 'Impressive Instant' really should have been a single (and Madonna fans on the internet in 2001 would have told you that it was the biggest travesty of her career that it wasn't). The song shows that heavy vocoder use can, believe it or not, be used to great effect. 'What It Feels Like For A Girl' is a sweet song, but I have grown the love the Above & Beyond single remix much more than the album version. 'I Deserve It' and 'Gone' are softer guitar based songs (yes, this was when she started playing guitar and speaking with a British accent) which, despite songs very naff and clichéd lyrics ('This guy was meant for me, and I was meant for him' - guy....Guy! Guy Richie! Get it!), both hold a special place in my heart for some reason. They don't come close to 'Don't Tell Me', but they're nice anyway.
The dark horse of the whole record is 'Paradise (Not For Me)'. It came out on Mirwais' Production album before it came out on Music. I remember Triple J playing it, saying something to the effect of 'You won't believe this is Madonna!'. Considering she'd worked previously with Massive Attack and co-written a song with Björk, it wasn't that much of a surprise. That said, it was quite unlike anything she'd done before. It doesn't sound like it in 2015, but in 2000, it was strikingly different. It was not the type of song that a mainstream pop singer would produce. Thankfully, mainstream pop music became a little more adventurous in the 00's. I think it speaks volumes about the state of pop music in 2000 when a song like 'Paradise' could evoke such a reaction. 'Paradise' is still a really great song. I may even go so far as to say it's Madonna's best song that was never released as a single.
The first copy of this album I got (because the burnt copy just wouldn't do) was the 2-disc tour edition. Why a tour edition was released in Australia (it was even pressed in Australia), I do not know. Since it's 2015 and she still hasn't fucking toured here. Interestingly, the version of Music used on the tour edition is the US 10 track version, not the standard Australian version with 'American Pie' and 'Don't Tell Me' b-side, 'Cyber-Raga' as bonus tracks. I've not included those tracks in this blog because, first and foremost, they don't belong on Music, but also because the 10 tracks version is the version I'm used to hearing (even the vinyl has 'American Pie' frustratingly tacked onto the end. I've also - strangely enough - never picked up a copy of the Australian CD. Which is rather unlike me). The bonus disc of the tour edition features remixes found on the singles released from Music. For some reason, it doesn't include the Above & Beyond remix of 'What It Feels Like For A Girl', which renders the whole thing just about pointless.
I found the vinyl copy at The Muses one fateful day. They had this, Ray Of Light and American Life. They just randomly popped up. After squealing like a schoolgirl, I bought all three. I have two of the limited edition hessian cover versions. The black (which is apparently the hardest to get) I found years ago in a secondhand shop for $10. The rose coloured one I got off eBay more recently for under $10. Both are quite nifty additions. The hard cover looks very cool. The CD pictured with the 6 for £5 price tag I bought in Manchester, during my trip following Madonna around the UK. For reasons best known to itself, my iPod wiped itself while I was staying in Dublin. And, I didn't fancy catching the train back to London from Manchester iPod-less. 6 Madonna CD's for £5? That was money well spent. Even if I did have them all at home already. I left the price tag on as a reminder (usually a big no-no for anything in my collection).
Music has actually aged quite well. While it may not be Madonna's best album, it's certainly up there. It is easily one of her most consistent albums. Which may be down to it's 44 minute running time. Only her first three albums run less. While others (Erotica, Ray Of Light, Hard Candy and the stifling 25 tracks on Rebel Heart) push well past the one hour mark. As such, Music has a directness that most of her others records lack. This one doesn't really fuck around too much.
Tracklisting: Side One:
1. Blue Suede Shoes
2. Money
3. Dizzy, Miss Lizzy
4. Yer Blues
5. Cold Turkey
6. Give Peace A Chance
Side Two:
1. Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)
2. John John (Let's Hope For Peace)
Best Tracks:
John John (Let's Hope For Peace)
Money
This is a kinda interesting one. I think I picked up a CD of it cheap not long after it was released on CD in the mid-90's. I bought it because I was obsessed with The Beatles as a teenager and I was beginning to explore John Lennon's solo stuff (having already fallen desperately in love with John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band). It was also around the time that The Rolling Stones' Rock And Roll Circus had also been released, and I really liked the version of 'Yer Blues' that The Dirty Mac (Lennon's supergroup) had played on that. The tracklisting looked promising for this album. My expectations were high. Being that Eric Calpton was in the band, I was hoping it'd be like Cream with Lennon singing. I was hoping for late-60's bluesey stomps through 'Money', 'Yer Blues' and 'Dizzy Miss Lizzie'.
Which it kinda is. But, it's a mess. And not a pretty mess.
I was disappointed with the album when I first heard it. Listening to it now, it's more enjoyable than I remember. 'Cold Turkey' suffers most, but the rest of the songs are loose and ragged - and clearly under rehearsed. Which is - historically - fair enough, given the circumstances of the show. But, it doesn't really make for a great album.
Until, we get to Side Two.
As I mentioned in The Stooges' 'Fun House' post, Yoko was my introduction to a world that had to more to offer than the classic rock I favoured at the time. When I got this album, the only rendition I'd heard of 'Don't Worry, Kyoko' was my Dad's. Who sang it mockingly when I took an interest in Yoko's work. When I first heard Yoko's side of this album, I found it rather interesting. I wasn't that taken with 'Don't Worry, Kyoko' (I would later discover that I love the studio recorded version on the 'Cold Turkey' single and Fly), but I loved 'Let's Hope For Peace'. I'd never heard anything like it on a record before. It sounded so...free? I'm not sure what it was, but it really struck a chord. Particularly, last 5 or so minutes. It's Yoko screaming against a wall of feedback. That's it. But, it said more to me than a lot of other records did.
I also investigated Yoko's art more thoroughly. And, loved what I found. From her performance art and films, to her early records. I still love Yoko's work. I saw a retrospective of her work she put on at the Serpentine Gallery in London last time I was there. I made me so happy, I ended up going three times.
It was also around this time that I was in my first band. And, Yoko was a huge influence. Our first band consisted of mostly feedback and screaming, thanks in no small part to 'Let's Hope For Peace'. It helped keep our minds open. Anything was possible. And, anything was valid. Especially if people said it was shit.
I think I had the CD copy of this album first. I picked up a vinyl copy of this album for $5 from my fabled Old Reynella record shop. It didn't come up very often, and like many records before and after, I'd nabbed myself a bargain.
The most important thing about this record for me is that it was a gateway drug. Though Yoko, I started searching for less mainstream music and became very interested in performance art. From here, I discovered The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, etc. All things I still love (while my patience is tested by some of the 70's rock I loved as a teenager).
Right, so I can't blog the released version of Nobody's Daughter without first talking about the original (as-yet unreleased) bootleg version. While I don't physically own it (because, sadly, no bootlegers out there have seen fit to put it out - bootlegers, please note: a vinyl copy of this would be fucking ace), it is - by far - my favourite version of the album. I love the faux-Broken English cover art. It popped up on Wikipedia as the official album art at one point, though I'm sure it's fan made.
This version of Nobody's Daughter has become one of my favourite albums. I actually rate it as highly as Hole's three studio albums.
Courtney Love - Nobody's Daughter (Bootleg Version)
Tracklisting:
1. Pacific Coast Highway
2. For Once In Your Life
3. Letter To God
4. Stand Up Motherfucker
5. Loser Dust
6. Dirty Girls
7. Never Go Hungry Again
8. Nobody's Daughter
9. Happy Ending Story
10. Car Crash
11. Sunset Marquis (Piano Version)
[My updated version also adds 'Samantha', 'Dirty Girls (Candy Version)' and 'Sunset Marquis (Band Version)']
Best Tracks:
Pacific Coast Highway
Letter To God
Happy Ending Story
For Once In Your Life
Courtney Love releases music with frustrating infrequency. When America's Sweetheart was finally released in 2004, it had been a long wait. Not only was it her first album since Hole's Celebrity Skin in 1998, she'd also been teasing us with hints and the occasional performances of new songs since around 2001. The follow up, which became Nobody's Daughter, was no different. Well. It was different. The teasers were more frequent and more intriguing. The wait was excruciating.
So, the story goes that, after the disaster of America's Sweetheart and Courtney's so-called "Letterman Years" of 2004-2005, our hero is finally court-ordered to three months in rehab. Her friend, Linda Perry, shows up, gives her a guitar and tells her to make good use of her time in rehab. And, she does.
The first glimpse we got of the album was a 2006 UK TV documentary called The Return Of Courtney Love. It's actually a great documentary. I still like to watch it from time to time. However, it got me really excited for the album. Recording with Linda Perry (and with Billy Corgan helping out), it was then titled, How Dirty Girls Get Clean. The songs they played in the documentary sounded great. 'Pacific Coast Highway', 'Sunset Marquis' and 'Letter To God' all stood out - I desperately wanted to hear this album. These snippets showed great potential.
Eventually, Courtney herself started leaking songs. 'Dirty Girls' was put up on her MySpace, 'Car Crash' played when you visited her website. Then, 'Letter To God' leaked. And, my God! I fucking loved 'Letter To God', as did my fellow Courtney-loving comrades - it became a favourite to sing along to drunk. It was put on very high rotation. It was the perfect song for Courtney at that point in her career - it would have been the perfect single for Courtney's comeback, even though Linda Perry wrote it. Had she played her cards right, it probably would have been a (moderate) hit.
Sometime in late 2009 (if memory serves), this version of the album, now called Nobody's Daughter, leaked. Having my appetite whet by The Return Of Courtney Love, I eagerly downloaded it.
First was 'Pacific Coast Highway'. This is what I'd been longing for. There'd been a teaser in The Return Of Courtney Love, and the recorded version was even better than I'd hoped. Despite some very ominous imagery, Courtney insists this song isn't about her late husband. Whether it is or not is irrelevant. It's the best song she'd written in years, easily on par with her best song-writing moments from Hole's career. This was the Courtney Love I'd longed to hear. And, that I'd longed for the rest of the world to hear. Mature, yet still ragged. She'd grown up, but she hadn't lost her spark. She could could finally prove to the nay-sayers that she was, indeed, a force to be reckoned with. It was simply magical. As time has gone on, I'm not ashamed to say, I think it's possibly the best song she's written since 'Doll Parts'.
While clearly not the finished version, I was still struck by the album. It was exactly the album I'd wanted her to make, since 'Hold On To Me' from America's Sweetheart had shown her softer, (for lack of a better term) singer-songwriter side. These songs showed that she didn't have to be screaming her head off to make a powerful statement. It was both raw and vulnerable. The tenderness of 'For Once in Your Life', the heartbreak of 'Happy Ending Story', the sorrow of 'Car Crash' and 'Nobody's Daughter' (which is completely different song to the 'Nobody's Daughter' that came out on Nobody's Daughter), the defiance of 'Never Go Hungry' and 'How Dirty Girls Get Clean' - this was the side of Courtney Love that I longed for the world to see. Many of us knew it was there. It felt like, with this album, she was ready to show the world she was more than another celebrity-gone-bad headline.
It's rough. It's raw. It's passionate. It perfectly depicts a woman coming to grips with her past, while trying to put her life back together. I desperately hoped it would be the album that Courtney back her credibility. On a large scale.
However. This is Courtney Love we're talking about. Obviously, it wasn't meant to be.
Sometime, while all of this was happening, Courtney announced that she was getting Hole back together. Except that she wasn't getting Hole back together. No Eric, no Patty, no Melissa. Essentially, no Hole. She was playing with her new band and calling it Hole.
Not long after, after a four year wait, the release of Nobody's Daughter was announced.
After so much potential from the leaked demos from the album, I was worried. Once it had it been announced that she'd completely re-recorded the album with Michael Beinhorn (who'd produced Celebrity Skin), my heart sank. I worried that she'd strip the songs of their vulnerability and try (too hard) for a hit record.
Turns out, I wasn't entirely wrong.
With all that out of the way, let's officially start the blog on the official version of Nobody's Daughter.
Hole - Nobody's Daughter
I'm playing the vinyl version because it sounds way better. The CD version sounds far too compressed. There's a very noticeable difference. The CD mix is a mess in comparison.
Versions:
CD
LP Tracklisting:
1. Nobody's Daughter
2. Skinny Little Bitch
3. Honey
4. Pacific Coast Highway
5. Samantha
6. Someone Else's Bed
7. For Once In Your Life
8. Letter To God
9. Loser Dust
10. How Dirty Girls Get Clean
11. Never Go Hungry Best Tracks:
Pacific Coast Highway
Never Go Hungry
Samantha
This was never meant to be a Hole record. And the 'Hole' moniker never fit it. The songs are very much Courtney Love solo. Which is - absolutely - not bad thing. I blame Billy Corgan for it. He's been playing in a band called The Smashing Pumpkins that isn't really The Smashing Pumpkins for some years now.
Nobody's Daughter feels like a missed opportunity. Michael Beinhorn's production is a mess. These are, for the most part, pretty mellow songs. On the Linda Perry version, they were presented beautifully - raw, vulnerable and surprisingly tender for a Courtney Love record. Which is what the songs were begging for. The released Nobody's Daughter strips all that away. Everything is way over-produced. And, this new band plays the songs as if they're big, flashy rock songs. Which, they're not. The acoustic guitars - one of the high points on the Linda Perry version - sound atrocious, mixed too violently and drowning the record.
'For Once In Your Life' might the best example of this. One of the highlights from the Linda Perry version, the Nobody's Daughter version is a mess. Despite there being potentially gorgeous strings buried in the mix, it's drowning in those 300 layers of acoustic guitars. Listen for yourself:
(Original)
(Album Version)
Interestingly, 'Letter To God' and 'Never Go Hungry' are the Linda Perry produced versions on the released album. 'Never Go Hungry' is unaltered, while 'Letter To God' has had the piano mixed out. It just doesn't have the same impact without it. 'Pacific Coast Highway' sounds like a Celebrity Skin reject here, but doesn't suffer quite as much, despite a new outro which, quite frankly, drives me nuts. 'Loser Dust' doesn't suffer much, either. However, that it was included on Nobody's Daughter while the beautiful 'Sunset Marquis' and 'Happy Ending Story' were not, is yet another frustration I have with the album.
The news is not all bad, however. The new versions of 'How Dirty Girls Get Clean' and 'Samantha' work very well. They're the only songs from the original batch that work as rock songs. The new 'Nobody's Daughter' and 'Someone Else's Bed' are also very good. I was never fond of 'Honey', until I saw her play it live last year. It was really nice live. Actually, all the songs I saw her play from Nobody's Daughter were particularly good live. Which reinforces my view on this album. The songs are there. They're good fucking songs. The production just does them no justice (much like America's Sweetheart). However, the quality of the song writing is leagues ahead of America's Sweetheart. Maybe even Celebrity Skin.
All that said, the released version of Nobody's Daughter is a actually pretty decent record. I just wish she'd released two separate albums - the Linda Perry rehab album, then the Michael Beinhorn rock album. I do also wonder what I would have thought of the album had I not heard the original version first, and had I not already been familiar with most of the songs on it. But, the fact remains - tonight, I listened to the released version of Nobody's Daughter for the first time in a long time. Yet, I still play the Linda Perry version. A lot. That probably says more than this blog could.
