Let me hear you say, "Toots, Roots, n Boots!"

Before there was Michael Franti and Spearhead, there was Toots and the Maytals. If you like Franti & Spearhead, then you'll love Toots.

For those that don't know Toots Hibbert he comes from a long line of successful reggae ska performer from Jamaica. Much like others from his time, Peter Tosh and some guy named Bob Marley, Toots helped bring the ska reggae sound to the forefront and in my opinion he is regarded as one of it's pioneers.

The 2004 release of True Love allowed the Maytals to go back in time and re-record many of their classics with some famous stars of today.

I picked up this demo in my days at Wherehouse Music and have loved it ever since. Now I won't go through every track as in previous posts because this entire record is filled with groovy upbeat reggae tunes that keep you going tune after tune. Therefore this post will be short. I highly recommend that every music lover own this disc in some form or fashion. I myself will be converting this over to mp3 format because I no longer have the need to keep this in hard copy. However once I do so, my wife wants the CD for her car. That's ok in my book and it's not breaking any of the rules. Just check out this track list and the performers that accompany the Maytals and you'll be sure to get this one yourself:

#	Name	Featured guest(s)	Time
1	"Still Is Still Moving to Me"	Willie Nelson	3:11
2	"True Love Is Hard to Find"	Bonnie Raitt	4:27
3	"Pressure Drop"	Eric Clapton	2:57
4	"Time Tough"	Ryan Adams	3:23
5	"Bam Bam"	Shaggy & Rahzel	3:46
6	"54-46 Was My Number"	Jeff Beck	4:40
7	"Monkey Man"	No Doubt	3:39
8	"Sweet and Dandy"	Trey Anastasio	3:17
9	"Funky Kingston"	Bootsy Collins & The Roots	4:06
10	"Reggae Got Soul"	Ken Boothe & Marcia Griffiths	2:58
11	"Never Grow Old"	Terry Hall, The Skatalites & U-Roy	3:27
12	"Take a Trip"	Bunny Wailer	3:57
13	"Love Gonna Walk Out On Me"	Ben Harper	3:33
14	"Careless Ethiopians"	Keith Richards	3:20
15	"Blame On Me"	Rachel Yamagata	3:57
16	"Merry Blues"	Manu Chao	3:49
17	"Reggae Got Soul"	Gentleman	2:54

So many great collaborations on this one. It's also a great chance for folks to get familiar with Willie Nelson singing reggae if you didn't know.

I leave you with video samples from the original versions of the hits listed above.

This is just a taste and in no way does justice to all of the great songs on this release.

Just buy it why don't you.

"Reggae got soul"- Toots Hibbert

"We are building a religion"

Ah yes Cake. The catchy hooks, the hollow electric country-esque guitar riffs, the moving trumpet solos, the booty shaking beats, the sad lyrics put to happy music, and lead frontman John McCrea's vibra-slap in your ear. What more do you need?

I found Cake as a lot of people did with "Going the Distance" off of the Sacramento, CA group's second release Fashion Nugget in 1996. This track was all over the place and probably to this day still one of their most memorable cuts. However since that time I have kept up with this fantastic group during all 6 releases that they have to date. Yes that's right, 16 years performing and only 6 albums. So it goes without saying that when a new one gets released, it's kind of a big deal.

I first saw the group open for No Doubt on 4/28/97 in Birmingham, AL. What a fantastic display of energy and cohesiveness; and No Doubt was pretty good too. Anyway.

We will now turn our attention to 2001's Comfort Eagle. The fourth release from the band fell straight in line with previous albums and debuted at #13 of the Billboard 200. Not bad for a group singing songs about love gone wrong and political undertones. Let's take a look at what we've got:

"Opera Singer"- Pretty straight forward, an opera singer who is and knows exactly who he is and that he's a good opera singer.

***Disclaimer: for those that don't know, many of Cake's songs are completely easy to sing along with. Just so ya know***

"Meanwhile, Rick James"- an odd ball tune of sorts, but hey, it's Cake.

"Shadow Stabbing"- one of my favorite upbeat tunes from the group that tells a peppy little story (my guess) about a guy in jail writing about how he'd like to get out of the slammer and go stab someone. But the words "Say it all, say it all".

"Short Skirt and a Long Jacket"- Ah yes, the hit single! If you haven't heard this song then you have been living under a rock. It's just about a guy who's pretty picky about the women he dates. One of the best things about this tune is obviously the video: Robert Clark is my favorite test subject by the way

"Commissioning a Symphony in C"- about a lonely Austrian nobleman that writes a symphony that no one really pays attention to.

"Arco Arena"- how many songs do you know that are written about a sports and event complex? Exactly.

"Comfort Eagle"- a clear cut (or is it?) political statement probably about 'the man' or 'the system' and how commercialization has ruined religion OR- Is is about a crazy guy that "calls you dude" and "grooms his poodle"? I have no idea, but it's silly, and I like it!!

"Long Line of Cars"- I feel this tune is a love song and a metaphor about how relationships get things that build up between partners. Call me crazy

"Love You Madly"- don't get excited Doors fans, it's not a cover tune, but yet an oddly phrased 'let's get it on' love song including lyrics like "All the dishes rattle in the cupboard when the elephants arrive". Regardless, Cake likes to think of it as theme music to a cook-off show featuring celebrity chefs Rick James, Phyliss Dillar, and the Gourmet Chef.:

"Pretty Pink Ribbon"- could be a jealous notion that if the girl in the song wasn't a girl, then she couldn't get free tickets or wear tight denim---OR--- could have a cancer spin stating that the pink ribbon protects her from the weights that cancer brings with it. You decide.

"World of Two"- lyrics: "there's only room for you, in your world of two". Here McCrea goes on about how his partner seems selfish in the relationship.

So if you look at this release on paper, pretty weird stuff huh? But it keeps us Cake fans coming back for more. I listen to this record in heavy rotation BUT........

This one's going into iTunes.

Gotcha, I have two copies! I'm not giving up any of my Cake collection.

"You're either with us, or against us"- John McCrea

Down with tha De La

I began listening to De La Soul in 1989 with the release of their hip hop classic 3 Feet High and Rising. I bought it on cassette and later upgraded to CD because let's face it, what's a cassette? On a side note, it's kind of sad when you think about it. Sony doesn't even make the Walkman cassette player anymore. Any way I digress.

De La Soul are in my top five hip hop groups of all time. I think what sets them apart is their quirkiness, complex style, and what I like to call 'jazz hop'. This power trio from Long Island broke through in the early 90's when rap wars were becoming more apparent and they served (to me) as a breath of fresh air. On a similar note, De La Soul could also be considered pioneers in the hip hop game. I like to separate rap from hip hop because to me, rap is mainly flaunting money, cars, and girls whereas hip hop actually has a message; whether it be political, philosophical, or insightful. The three band mates, Plug One, Two, and Three as they liked to be known, brought something fresh in and I latched onto to it without a doubt. So without further ado, I present 1996's Stakes is High.

What sets this record apart from other De La Soul releases is that it was the first time the band did not collaborate with Prince Paul, their previous producer. So to me, it gave it a bit more of an edge and lost some of the D.A.I.S.Y. (da inner soul, ya'll) Age, as they'd like to call it, persona. This was also the platform for one of the best hip hop artists today; Mos Def. It also features another current hot rhyme master, Common. Both Mos and Common rank high in my catalog as do De La Soul.

Now I'm not going to go through every track like previous posts because it's hard to explain in words what these guys are all about. Here are a few samples; complete with Maury Povich:

All in all, I like this album. It's by no means my favorite, but I'm going to keep this one on hard copy. I picked this CD up in 2000 I think. This is one that going back and listening to makes me appreciate it even more. I do pull this one off the shelf at least 3-4 times a year just break things up. A good one to own.

Well it's silly of me To think that I Would never get a chance to see A piece of this pie I sat dead in front of speakers Thinkin' that could be me Anticipatin' open microphones So I could emcee

- From "The Breaks"

"Along came Lou with the old baboon and said, "Recognize that smell? Smells like 7 layers, that beaver eats Taco Bell"

Oh my gosh, Primus. Where to begin? I'm not even sure I can go there. Let me try to keep it as basic as possible.

I think I already threw out that I like weird music right? Well some could put Primus in the heaviest and hardest bunch of the weirdos. Led by front bassist Les Claypool, the band from El Sobrante, CA brings takes the odd and forms it into some pretty head bobbing stuff. What's interesting is this power trio has gone through many band member changes back and forth while still maintaining the caliber of madness that only Primus is known for. Of course, without Les Claypool, there is no Primus. What's funny is Claypool auditioned to play bass for Metallica many moons ago. Lucky for us, he continued on into the world of the weird, joined Larry LaLonde (guitar), and Tim "Herb" Alexander (drums) to create this post's album.

The 1995 release Tales From The Punchbowl has always been a favorite of mine from their catalog the day it was released. However, this album is set apart from others in their collection because many tunes don't have that head bopping, jump up and down appeal; which makes me like it more and more seeing that I like weird music and all. I like to think of this record as a 'circus on a boat'. Almost all of Primus' records include a song that refers to the sport of fishing because the band members enjoy it; so does this record. However it seems to have somewhat of a nautical theme, so I guess that counts. Regardless, it's a collection of crazy stories thrown into punchbowl with Captain Shiner at the helm sailing through all of them to create the aforementioned 'circus'.

"Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats"- A romp of a strange tune about a professor who makes jellies, jams, and sweets including a "worm" that we shouldn't fear according to uncle Claypool.

"Mrs. Baileen"- "she was a sixth grade teacher and she controlled the children by using humiliation". Yep, that about sums it up, except the fact that this kid Don accidentally cuts another kid with a fish knife. Who knows?

"Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver"- Now wait a minute, don't get excited or offended here folks, it's not what it seems. It's honestly about a girl that has a pet beaver that actually turns out to be a porcupine. What's even better is the video. The band dressed as plastic cowboys has nothing to do with the subject matter of the song, just pointing out the weird hoedown theme it has including Claypool squealing. Enjoy at your leisure:

http://youtu.be/aYDfwUJzYQg

"Southbound Pachyderm"- What?! Flying elephants?! This 'circus' keeps getting better! I'm not even going to try to explain this one:

http://youtu.be/6xb898sQtu8

"Space Farm"- is just that, an instrumental space farm.

"Year of the Parrot"- oddly is about plagiarism. Hey I don't know what got Claypool upset about this topic, but something sure did.

Let's skip a few because I love what's coming up.

"Del Davis Tree Farm"- pretty simple, a tree farmer selling Christmas trees. Ahh you can almost smell em.

"De Anza Jig"- This truly is a jig if I've ever heard one and one of my favorite Primus tunes because it gets away from the bass thromping and into the banjo; or as Les likes to call it "banjee boy". This song also gives us the 2nd Taco Bell reference on the album. I wonder if the band got something for that? Here's where the circus sideshow steps up:

http://youtu.be/otlNWDYvOks

"I can still remember Julie Tolentino, the dancing Filipino, we used to run around"

"On the Tweek Again"- enough said

"Over the Electric Grapevine"- sounds like a story about a road trip gone wrong. I honestly don't get it, but great tune!!! Ha ha!

"Captain Shiner"- Round it out with a "De Anza Jog" reprise and you got yourselves a boat ride.

So Primus will pop up again on this blog in many forms. Be prepared. Remember what Jim Morrison said in a previous post?, "Where's your will to be weird?"

This album reminds me of college. Seeing Primus a few times with cohorts really takes me back to a time when I loved to explore the odd balls. That is all.

You might have a favorite book or film, but you can only watch or read it so many times before you have to let it sit and then go back and realize it's your favorite still. At some point everything gets a little stale and you have to step away from it.
Les Claypool

CD'S Reviewed: 6

Going to iTunes: 3

"Music is an addiction"- Miles Davis

Remember those 80's cop shows or movies like Hill Street Blues or Beverly Hills Cop that always had that funky electric jazz in the background? Well that's what this next selection reminds me of.

Layered with electronic handclaps, synthesized melodies, and some horns, the 1984 release from John Scofield is great representation of where jazz was in the mid-80's.

Electric Outlet fuses together things I love about jazz and things that I could do without. First off, I admire anything that Scofield puts his hands on. For those not familiar with his work he his hands down one of the greatest jazz guitarists alive today. He has collaborated with greats like Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Medeski, Martin, & Wood, and Charles Mingus; just to name a few. His work has spanned over 30 years and includes almost 40 albums. Yes sometimes 2 albums a year; and that's not even counting the side projects!

Scofield was originally introduced to me via an old Miles Davis disc I have that will eventually end up on this blog. His smooth licks and annotative expressions are very 'clean cut' in my opinion and I appreciate his overall sound. Like most artists I enjoy I had to get my mitts on everything I could after I heard what this guy could do. Of course like many I know, Scofield's meeting on the 1998 release A Go-Go with MMW catapulted my urge for this six string virtuoso.

So in my addictive CD buying nature, I picked up this disc to add to my collection probably around 2002 or so. I bought it just for the sake of owning another Scofield disc. I can honestly say that it's not my favorite of John's just from the electronic 80's style of it. When it comes to jazz I appreciate the randomness, the improv, and expressionism of it, but I don't care for the "Night Court" TV show theme-esque of it all. http://youtu.be/WVg2FXmz4Vs. The Night Court bit on Family Guy was pretty hilarious though. All in all, electronic hand-claps don't belong here in my opinion. However there are still some great tracks to be had.

"Pick Hits" has a funky bass groove that I appreciate, but as it turns out Scofield played both the six string and the bass on this album, which to me looses some of the flavor when it comes to improv.

"Filibuster" is a pretty upbeat track driven by Steve Jordan's licks and keeps the momentum going in the middle of the album.

"King For A Day" is actually a pretty standard blue tune that could easily be thrown into a B.B. King line-up; hence the title I suppose.

Other than that, the album is pretty full of slow numbers and that don't give me goosebumps like some of Scofield's other releases. As much as I hate to say this about one of my favorite guitar players; this one's going to iTunes.

“It's easy to talk about it in the abstract, but the devil's always in the details.”

John Scofield

***So I was thinking about keeping a tally at the end of each post of what I have reviewed thus far:

5 CDs Reviewed

3 going digital

That's pretty good shrinkage right?

Ween: verb (used with object), verb (used without object) Archaic . 1. to think; suppose. 2. to expect, hope, or intend.

When I picked the next disc off the wall (blindly of course) I said, "I don't even have to listen to this. I know this CD like the back of my hand". However, 'dems the rules'. I've got to follow the rules. And wouldn't you know it, the 5th CD review for this crazy blog ALSO happens to be the 5th studio release from one of my top 10 favorite groups that is constantly in heavy rotation; Ween.

1996's 12 Golden Country Greats is a mixture of oddball lyrics fused with some of the best country music and delivers an album that is sometimes beyond words for me.

I love weird music. Many will say that some of Ween's music is exactly that. However I partially disagree. True their earlier work was chocked full of quirky sounds featuring two friends from New Hope, PA experimenting with a tape deck and a drum machine, but over the years they have blossomed into really good musicians.

I first came across Ween in 1992 when I bought Pure Guava on cassette during the "Push the Lil Daisies" craze. I was hooked ever since. As with any other group I liked, I had to collect them all; and I did. During high school and most of college nobody that I really hung out with really enjoyed Ween the way that I did so you could say the group was mostly a private pleasure. However while working on college radio I had the pleasure of interviewing the band at a local show in Birmingham in 1999. My buddy Geoff got us access to interview the Ween boys backstage before their legendary show featuring a very young Queens of the Stone Age as the opening act. We most spoke with Dean Ween, the lead guitarist, about where the band was and where they were going. It was a phenomenal night.

After that, I went deep into Ween-lore and discovered the band's passion for the weird and "brown" as they like to call it. Being "brown" to me means being so bad, it's good or dirty so to speak. Now I could go on about Ween all day, but I have to get back on track.

12 Golden Country Greats consists of 10 country tunes that makes for a rip roarin' good time. So if there are only 10 tracks, why is it called 12 Golden Country Greats? Well I'm glad you asked. The 12 refers to the phenomenal line up of musicians that grace this record. Some have also said that 2 tracks were left on the cutting room floor, but I like the musician theory. More on that later. Let's start from the top.

"I'm Holding You" kicks the record off on a very slow note with drowning pedal steel guitar and Gene Ween's sorrowful vocals in a traditional country fashioned love song. "I'm holdin, something more precious than, fire ore baby, I'm holdin' you". Romantical ain't it? Johnny Cash could've owned this cut.

Track 2, "Japanese Cowboy", is all about things that don't seem right together. "Like a Japanese cowboy, or a brother on skates. Like a blizzard in Georgia, or a train runnin' late" are chorus lyrics that give you a giggle and fires up the heat on the album; especially with a mean fiddle squealing away. That's how you do it son.

The ever popular track "Piss up a Rope" is a country rockin tune that pays homage to every country tune before it that features a story about a man with woman troubles. This tune was also featured in the move U-Turn staring Sean Penn. Weird movie, funny song. I recommend it.

"I Don't Wanna Leave You on the Farm" is an easy country swinger that moves right into place within the rest of the record. Think of it as an easy tune from Loretta Lynn song, with a peppy swing.

"Pretty Girl" is a truck drivin' George Jones tune that moves and groves along the highway.

And then there's "Powder Blue". A simple tune about another pretty girl that just so happens to be powder blue. "Powder blue. She's powder blue. What can you do? She's powder blue".

This is probably one of my favorites on this CD because each main player gets a fabulous solo; including Muhammed Ali. What? Muhammed Ali? Yes, the original release of this song includes an exert of a speech Ali gave and is dropped in as if his voice was a solo in the band. This version was cut from the record once Ali's lawyers heard about it and the band had to repress the CD's to omit Ali's speech. Thankfully I have an original copy and get to enjoy Ali's solo during every listen. Gene Ween introduces the players before their solos in the following fashion:

"Bobby Ogdin on the piano ... Thanks, Bobby

Mr. Charlie Mccoy, harmonica ... Ah, Charlie
Russ Hicks, steel guitar...
And ladies & gentlemen, I'd like to present: Muhammed Ali:
"Everybody stop talking now, I tell ya....I told you, all of my critics, I told you all that I was the greatest of all time...
Now just listen...I told you today, I'm still the greatest of all time...never again defeat me...never again say that I'm going to be defeated...never again bet and make me an underdog, until I'm about 50 years old. Then you might get me. But I didn't dance, I didn't dance for a reason. I wanted to make him lose all his power, I kept tellin' he had no punch, he couldn't hit, he swang like a sissy, he's missin', let me see you box, I hadn't start dancin' yet! You can't say my legs are gone, you can't say I was tired, because what happened? I didn't dance from the second round on. I stayed on the ropes. When I stay on the ropes, you think I'm doin' bad. But I want all boxers to put this in the page of boxing: staying on ropes is a beautiful thing with a heavyweight when you make him shoot his best shot, and you know he's not hittin' ya. I would've gave George Foreman two rounds of steady punchin', because after that he was mine."

The next track to me is not too much of a country tune, but more of a swing jazz tune. "Mr. Richard Smoker" is a smoker of a track indeed. Probably the most played in Ween's live rotation off of this record, "Smoker" is an entire insult song. "Mister Richard Smoker, you're an Ono Yoker" or "Mister Richard Smoker, you're a chicken choker" tells most of the story. Smoke!

"Help Me Scrape the Mucus Off My Brain" is the 'my woman left me' country ballad off this release. I can easily see Conway Twitty holding this one up too. Lyrics like "I think I spent the dog food money" just have a Conway ring to it to me. I highly enjoy singing and playing this tune on my acoustic guitar.

"You Were the Fool" brings another slow tune to the record, but in a really good way. Willie Nelson could make this is own. The chorus:

"Think about it turn around
and go back to the quiet sound
while Jim and Dan prancin' round the pool
you were the fool
and i feel sorry for you
you were the fool

but there's something you can do"

What does that even mean? I don't care, but I like it. It doesn't have to make sense to me with Ween and that's what draws me in more and more.

To round out this collection of delights is "Fluffy". It's about a dog because every country record needs a tune about a dog right? What's better is that it's a song about a dog "on the porch". When I first got this disc I didn't care much for "Fluffy", but now I love it because of how 'brown' the song is. A few years back at a Ween show "Fluffy" was the encore and lasted a good 20 minutes. Swirls of electric slide guitar and dirty solos made me appreciate the song about a guy and his dog on the porch. Man's best friend right?

12 Golden Country Greats will forever be in my heavy rotation and I could never give up this original release. I mean who doesn't like Muhammed Ali?

I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.

Muhammad Ali

"OOOOk-lahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain, And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet, When the wind comes right behind the rain"

When I first chose the disc for this next review I thought, 'Well this is going to be an interesting ride to work'. But as I put in the CD and pulled out of the neighborhood it actually turned out to be a pretty cool ride. I use the lyrics to "Oklahoma" as the title of this post because album review #4 comes to us from none other than the best alt-rock band from the state of OK; The Flaming Lips.

In 2009, the Oklahoma City native band were given the honor of having their song "Do You Realize" named the official rock song of Oklahoma, but unlucky for us, that song wasn't even conceived until 12 years after the album to be reviewed here. So with that I give you the 1990 release of In A Priest Driven Ambulance. And like the last post, this album was the 4th album released by the Lips and just happens to be the 4th review. I can't make this stuff up people. I chose this with my eyes closed.

Here's the thing with the Flaming Lips. You could probably get close to classifying them as one of those bands that you either hate them or love them. The reason I say this is because they are in many cases an acquired taste. Lead singer Wayne Coyne's high pitched almost puberty stricken shrill of a voice may not sit well with the average ear. Having said that, I love them. I think I first got into them around the time "She Don't Use Jelly" was a hot single of theirs; most people got hooked on the Lips around then too. So it was 1993 and again taking me back to high school. At the time I hadn't branched out into the weird music that I so love and respect today, so "Jelly" was as about as far as I got with them. It wasn't until about 1997 when I rejoined the odd rockers and I have been hooked ever since.

So as the years rolled on I began collecting as many albums of the groups I enjoyed as much as possible. Which is how I came upon this disc. If memory serves me correctly I picked this up during my stint at a music store to add to my collection. The CD I have in my hand is actually the special edition of the album released in 2002 which contains extra bonus tracks that I'm glad I have now. I have only listened to this album maybe twice or "thrice" since I purchased it 9 years ago so I'm glad I've forced myself to give it another go.

What's interesting about this release is that it finds the band on the cusp of mutating from a really rough around the edges heavy garage band into the psychedelic rock outfit that they have become today. Giving this album my full attention now makes me appreciate even more how they have transformed.

The first track "Shine On Sweet Jesus" is right in line with a lot of other tunes that I already recognize and love. The timing of the phrases and it's cadence in this tune could easily be inserted into other songs. Part of the phrasing could easily lead into "Put A Little Love in Your Heart" while another portion could lead right into "Do They Know It's Christmas". I don't know, call my ear really weird, but I pick up on things like this for some reason.

The tracks are mixed pretty well on this album. One rocking track followed by another slower track gives it just the right balance. I really enjoy "Rainin Babies" featuring Wayne screaming, "This is my message to the world" as if it's some pseudo 80's rock anthem.

Likewise "Five Stop Mother Superior Rain" falls in line as a really weird mock hair metal love ballad that might have been sponged out of some late 80's band like Poison, or Cinderella, or Whitesnake or somebody like that. The lines "I was born, the day they shot JFK" AND "I was born, the day they shot John Lennon's brain" are really catchy if you look underneath it all.

The acoustic guitar work on this album is really great. "There You Are- Jesus Song #7" is almost Pink Floyd-esque in an odd way. It kind of reminds me of something off of Animals.

The final shredding track "Mountain Side" could easily fit into the early U.K. punk era if you squeezed it just right. It's a great solid take just before the album's final salute.

The last song on the record (before any bonus tracks were added) is the Lips' rendition of the Sam Cooke classic "What A Wonderful World". The version we all refer to the most was made popular by Louis Armstrong in 1968. However in this case Louis' scratchy deep resonating voice is substituted by Wayne's airy cracking pitch with an echo built in; "And I think to myself to myself to myself, what a wonderful world". All in all it's a great cover tune.

The bonus tracks on the CD continue in the same fashion as the formal record. Some great slow tunes like "Ma, I Didn't Notice" and Nirvana grunge licks like "Drug Machine Heaven" round out the extra features from the cutting room floor. all to culminate into another cover tune! Made famous by Elvis Costello, the Nick Lowe tune "What's So Funny Bout Peace, Love, & Understanding". Here I prefer the original because I just don't feel the Lips captured the same essence that Elvis did. Call me an Elvis lover.

So after a back and forth with my brain I have decided to let In A Priest Driven Ambulance be forever contained into iTunes. Don't get me wrong this is in no way an insult to one of my favorite bands, it's just that disc doesn't entirely grab me the way that other Flaming Lips records do. Now I won't name those albums because I've gotta keep something in my belt for those posts right?

I first saw the Flaming Lips live in 2003 at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA. Why it took me so long to get the live experience from these maniacs upsets me, but I can say that after seeing them on several occasions I will always and forever be a Flaming Lips fan. Their shows are unlike any other and I can easily describe them as a birthday party gone crazy. I look forward to late May when I get the chance to experience said birthday party as a life long fan.

"I am not that thrilled about the way our records sound anyway. Don't get me wrong, I work hard on them and I want them to sound fantastic but I'm happy to have another interpretation of them anyway."
Wayne Coyne

"Grow my hair, grow my hair, grow my hair, I wanna be, wanna be, wanna be Jim Morrison"

The next selection off of the rack, well actually I'm behind a bit and already listening to the fourth installment in the car, but the #3 album comes to us from Los Angeles, California in the year of 1968.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Waiting For the Sun by the Doors.

So again I have to refrain myself at all costs of getting into the history and the mythology of the groups themselves and must stick to my guns by reviewing the material at hand; and trust me it's so hard to do with groups like the Doors. It's no surprise that the Doors, like them or not, had a huge impact on not only music, but culture in general. Their no holds barred approach to their craft was impeccable. When you look back at their history nobody really stopped them either. James Morrison was a genius, in my opinion, and he knew it. He knew what he was doing and did it full steam ahead without looking back. However what's interesting about Jim is that he did allow a select few reel him back in so to speak; his wife Pam and the Doors. Of course this all depended on his 'chemical' levels I suppose. Anyway if you want to jump deeper into the Doors and their madness just use that fancy "Google machine" as my brother in law would call it and do some homework for yourselves. I've got an album to review, but I will suggest for reading material "No One Gets Out of Here Alive" by Sugerman & Hopkins, any of Jim's poetry books including the audio poetry from an American Prayer, and for the visual learners the 2009 documentary "When You're Strange" narrated by Edward Scissorhands, I mean Johnny Depp. No more Chad, hold back.

It's funny that this review is the 3rd because Waiting For the Sun was the 3rd album released by the Doors; and one of my favorites ta boot.

BRAIN FART

**Before I go any further I'd like to make a rule amendment. I can change the rules because it's my blog, but you'll like this one. I forgot to add in that I should include in each review 1) When I acquired the CD, and 2) How long it has been since I last listened to it. This should give me a better indicator as to if I should keep it or compress it. Sound good? I will update the rules then. Let's move on.**

That said, I got this CD in high school and I can tell you right now, I'm not getting rid of this one folks. It means too much. It takes me back to friends hanging out on the weekends and chilling. I mentioned in my first post that I got hooked on the classics early on and this just so happens to be one of them. I listen to this album quite frequently I suppose but I can't put an exact date on it. I would say in the last 6 months or so; and that's good for me. Call it mid-heavy rotation for now. Now we walk on.

To start, I love the order of the songs on this record. The way it's laid out is pretty cool. Song titles, music styles, content, etc. Follow me on this one:

1- "Hello, I Love You"

2- "Love Street"

An easy one right? Love. Two great songs both about love. However some have said that "Hello, I Love You" was thrown in to fill space and was originally recorded for their '65 demo.

Anyway

3- "Not to Touch the Earth"

This tune stands apart because it's actually a part of Jim's "Celebration of the Lizard" poem. "Lizard" was originally supposed to take up the entire second side of this release (about 18 minutes worth), but the band scrapped it. You can find it on the 40th anniversary edition if you're feeling froggy. Get it? Lizard? Frog? No, nothing?

4- Summer's Almost Gone

5- Wintertime Love

Another easy one. The seasons. I won't go into the hippie crap about seasons but these tracks work well together. What's funny is the energy of these two. "Summer's" is a very sad tune but leads right into "Wintertime" which could almost be put into an obscure Christmas mix.

6- "The Unknown Soldier"

Again a loner song due to the political statement of it all. Jim didn't like the Vietnam war but then again a lot of people didn't either. the Doors just had a platform to express it.

7- "Spanish Caravan"

You kind of need this one after the war anthem. This tune lets Robbie spread his wings by doing what he does best; classical Spanish flamenco guitar. Makes you actually want to travel to Spain. I dig it!

8- "My Wild Love"

Jim always did like the native Americans. He always chased the naked Indian in the desert. Now close your eyes with this classic, get in the drum circle, and do the pow-wow smoke signal dance.

9- "We Could Be So Good Together"

A great sixties style 'hey girl i want to get with you' type song.

10- "Yes, The River Knows"

The softest piece on the record. A very dreamy and melodically easy flowing tune. The guitar and piano work on this is great. But Jim, what the hell does "mystic heated wine" taste like?

11- "Five to One"

The raging tune on the record. "Get together, one more time" and "No one here gets out alive" will always be a few lines that can easily sum up what the Doors were about. Especially the later.

What's neat about Waiting for the Sun is that the title track for which it's named doesn't even appear on this record! It got shelved in the recording process and didn't show it's face until two albums later on 1970's Morrison Hotel; another favorite of mine, but another post. It's kind of a shame that they didn't do the "Celebration of the Lizard" on the release or "Albinoni's Adagio in G minor", but the 40th Anniversary edition is worth it. I have that on iTunes.

"Where's your will to be weird?"

-James Morrison

"Come on! Snoop, Snoop-a-loop! No, it's cool, it's cool, I'm cool. Bring your green hat. Let's go, come on everybody! We're streaking!"

So day two into the the blog and I'm hearing great responses so far. Some have said that the idea of it all has forced them to dig out their old boxes of discs and reminisce on the past. There's just something about memories and music that can't be denied. Who you were with when you heard that one song, what you were doing, the weather, etc. Music to me transcends so many things. I've always liked to think that music can be an unspoken language. You can easily connect with another person from another part of the world with music. You don't need to speak, just listen.

Ok too deep, let's move on. With that said, (laughs), the next blind selection off the wall comes to us from the great Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. or as he'd like to be called, Snoop Dogg.

And so behold the 1993 Death Row Records release Snoop Dogg's first solo album, Doggystyle.

Clearly Dr. Dre's most successful protege, Snoop broke records with this release by selling over 800,000 copies in the first week. After the success of Dre's The Chronic, everyone was waiting for Snoop to fly solo; myself included. Now if you don't care too much for rap music or hip-hop, that's fine, but let's just step back and look at what we've got here.

Here's a kid from Long Beach, California who started off on the wrong foot. Got into some gang trouble but later found his way out due to his talent of rhyming and freestyle word flow that he had begun in the 6th grade. Thankfully Dr. Dre found him through some demo tapes and there you have it. A Cinderella story that many artists and especially rappers find themselves fall into; at least they'd hope to.

I'm not going to go on about Snoop's drug relations, or women relations because everybody knows about all of that stuff. I just want to recognize what this album did for me back in the day.

High school was an excellent time for me to explore music and I did just that. At the time I was into all kinds of music including the rap genre. However I didn't go too deep, just enough to keep up. In '93 when this came out everyone bought a copy. We'd blast "Gin & Juice" for hours at parties just like we'd blast The Chronic prior to it. The catchy hooks was what sold it, not so much the cursing or content but the 'bounce'. Still blasting this in the car the other day made me want to throw my hands up again as if I was 16 again. It was just fun.

Now in 2011 I look at this disc in a different manner. I look deeper into the G-funk audible tones and seek out what the music has to offer. Snoop was heavily influenced of Parliament and the P-funk and it's totally splattered all about this album. In high school I knew very little about that type of funk, but I grooved to it nonetheless through this disc. And I liked it! I remember the video for "Who Am I (What's My Name)" playing on MTV when MTV showed videos and I was astounded. Snoop on top of the building waving his hands screaming, "What's my name?" and the catchy hook, "Snoop doggy dawg uh awg" was great. It just solidified for me the need to purchase this CD and I've had it ever since.

Of course there are a few tracks here and there that are my least favorites such as "Serial Killa" and "Pump Pump", but tracks like "Aint No Fun", "Lodi Dodi", & "Doggy Dogg World" stand the test of time. Furthermore, look at how many people have covered "Gin & Juice" over the years? I can name a few but the most popular I'd say would be the bluegrass version done by the Gourds. That's right folks, it was the Gourds and not Phish. Leave it up to some kid on Napster to mislabel the mp3 file because he didn't know who covered the tune. Yeesh.

So all in all this album is a keeper. I think it was recently ranked #19 of the best rap albums of all time. Therefore I have made the decision to keep this one in CD form as well. I enjoy the really cheesy cartoon inside the artwork. What can I say?

“It's so easy for a kid to join a gang, to do drugs, ... We should make it that easy to be involved in football and academics.”

Snoop Dog