Category: My Honest Opinion

David Paton “Under The Sun”

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I would like to jump on my soapbox for a moment and say that for every “washed up” old rocker trying to extend the 15 minutes of fame (Bow Wow Wow) there are honest-to-God talented musicians who need to be heard again and fans who’ve missed them. Because the reunion isn’t a train wreck, they get little or no attention from the press and that’s a crime in my opinion. Thankfully a few oldies bands are still makin’ music I want to listen to (The Beach Boys, DB’s) and maybe we can find a few more. Okay, rant over.

Pilot was one of the best power pop bands in the 70’s era, lead by the #1 single “Magic.” Written and sung by David Paton, it’s an enduring classic and I’m happy to say Paton still has the goods when it comes to catchy singles. Under The Sun is a return to form, although Paton’s done great work with the Japanese power pop band Beagle Hat. Here it’s more adult oriented contemporary pop, and it starts out with the low key “Under The Sun” which sounds like Paul McCartney’s answer to Nilsson’s “Coconut.”  The minimal jazz of “I’m No Liar” and slick pop of “I Wanna Be With You” are okay, but feel formulaic. The real gems are “Don’t Touch Me” and the gorgeous melody of “All For You.” Like Sir Paul, David pours out his experiences with compelling melodies, like the world weary “Go Find Yourself.” The bonus tracks of Pilot’s “Magic” and “Just A Smile” are newly recorded and still sound fresh today. Overall a worthy addition to Paton (and Pilot’s) discography.

 

The Critters “Timepieces”

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Old bands don’t always die, sometimes they come back. Originally similar to The Lovin’ Spoonfuls, they scored a big hit in 1966 with “Mr. Dieingly Sad.” Known for soft vocal harmonies I wondered what the band would sound like 45 years later, lead by surviving original member Don Ciccone. Much like The Four Seasons after its prime, it goes after a contemporary sound and splits up vocals and songwriting between new band members.

Listening to the opening track “Keep America Dancing,” I thought I had the wrong band on… it sounded more like Hank Williams Jr. But I need not worry, an excellent cover of Jackie Deshannon’s “Children and Flowers” and a few of the band’s past hits followed, albiet with a slick Vegas-style gloss. Mr. Ciccone still has solid songwriting skills, evidenced by  the impressive “A Roll Of The Dice,” but its his only new contribution other than the forgettable “Ooh, La Ooh.” The harmonies that gave the band its claim-to-fame are still intact and displayed beautifully on “Pledge of Allegiance.”  Not bad for a bunch of a geezers. Tailor made for the oldies circuit, it will win over my dad easily, but I wished the band stayed closer to its folk rock roots instead of trying to appeal to the Lee Greenwood – Wayne Newton crowd.

Happy Valentines Day, Power Pop lovers!

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Did you see the Grammys?

The finale was a wonderful sight of Sir Paul McCartney joined by his posse (Brian Ray and Rusty Anderson) and throw in Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh and Dave Grohl. All playing the Beatles “The End” and I thought just having The Beach Boys reunion on stage was an incredible site.

What is really amazing is not the age of the Beach Boys (or McCartney) performing. Its that a 46 year old song  (“Good Vibrations”) sounded more experimental and relevant than anything currently awarded at the show. Happy Valentines Day!

P.S. …R.I.P. Whitney. The world will always love you.

Memorials and Comebacks of 2011

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First a memorial to those musicians who have made a lasting contribution to the power pop genre, who passed away this year:

Andrew Gold (1951-2011) If Alex Chilton was last years biggest star passing, then Andrew gets the honor this year. You can read some memorial quotes on his site: http://www.andrewgold.com/, but his biggest legacy is his music. Perennially under-rated as a talent, his first three solo albums are flawless and I highly recommend you get Andrew Gold (1975), What’s Wrong With This Picture? (1976), and All This And Heaven Too (1978). Although not all are easily accessible, I expect re-issues to come soon.

Other important passings include: Gerry Rafferty (Stealers Wheel), Rob Grill (The Grass Roots), Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy) and Moogy Klingman (Utopia)… R.I.P. — Rock in Peace. Yes, I know the list is incomplete. Please add your favorite in the comments.

This was also a year of comebacks, some successful.. others not so much:

Biggest comeback of the year is easy here as The Bangles made my top ten list with Sweetheart of The Sun. Although it didn’t make my top albums list The Smithereens – 2011 was a very respectable return to classic form. And if you wanted a band stuck in it’s era you could consider The Outfield – RePlay a successful effort. Other artists here deserve a critical kick in the pants, so here’s my biggest disappointments of 2011:

  1. Julian Lennon – Everything Changes
    “Tired of this world…” Julian starts off in the opening lyrics and the depression continues throughout. What happened to Julian? A few decent ballads, some whining and that’s about it. Meh.
  2. The Cars – Move Like This
    A complete sell out that revives the classic Cars sound for “Blue Tip” and “Free.” But someone forgot to tell Ric Ocasek he was doing a full album. “Drag On Forever” sure is appropriate here, because that’s how I feel about this album. The lack of Benjamin Orr on the ballads really is noticeable too (he died in 2000). I never thought I’d miss Todd Rundgren here — but I do.
  3. Paul Simon – So Beautiful So What?
    Much better than  Surprise (2006) and “Rewrite” is so good it makes you forget that most of this album sounds like leftover demos warmed over in the studio. Simon fanatics will like this, but most of the music loving public can pass on this.
  4. Matthew Sweet – Modern Art
    A very good album by any measure and Matthew should be allowed to experiment, but after listening to this I wanted to reach for my Jimi Hendrix collection instead of replay it. “She Walks The Night” is great and my review points out other good tracks. I miss the classic Sweet sound and a lack of memorable hooks make it a “base hit” instead of a “home run” to me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Brian Ray “Very Happy Song”

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Christmas is over. Time for leftovers and a look back at 2011.I try not to get political on this blog, but when a power pop favorite like Brian Ray writes a song for the ninety-nine percent of us, then I am proud to post this. For another equally great anthem for the OWS crowd, you can’t beat Our Lady Peace’s “Fight the Good Fight” for inspiration.

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A new project is being developed for a band called The Stars Explode. The reason I was interested is that the band is lead by Doug Edmunds, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founding member of critically acclaimed 90s power pop outfit, Gladhands. The band is currently finishing work on its sophomore effort, having started the recording process with renown producer/engineer, Mitch Easter at his home base studio, The Fidelitorium. The new record is scheduled for a January 2012 release, with regional touring to follow. Go to our Help A Musician Page to find out more.