Monday, May 15, 2006
"Your Disciples are Riddled with Metaphors"
Title of the post comes from Rival, the song I'm currently listening to...
More Pearl Jam from Night One in Toronto
I wasn't going to post too many more pictures, but there are some pretty decent ones left. The videos were uploaded last night and should be available from Google Video in a couple days. I'll probably post some directly on the site.
Above, the very beginning of the show. 
Ed tips back the bottle of red
Thursday, May 11, 2006
More PJ 2nd Night Pics
Decent lighting here.
Eddie on the drum riser while Jeff and Stone jam face to face.
and one of the coolest pictures I've ever taken...
Eddie Vedder in flight (or Given to Fly?)
Pearl Jam: 2nd Night in Toronto Pictures
I have quite a few little video clips that I need to upload as well, but here are a few more pictures. These are the first three I took the second night. We were slightly to the right of where we sat the first night, and one row up (Right floor, Row 17 as opposed to Center floor, row 18). I was on the aisle, which helped because I could lean forward a little more and get some better angles. Just about all these shots were taken by holding the camera high over my head so I wouldn't just get a lot of backs of heads.
Pearl Jam - 1st Night in TO Last Pictures, Setlist
Set: Severed Hand, World Wide Suicide, Life Wasted, Marker in the Sand, Given To Fly, Betterman, Even Flow, Unemployable, Garden, Sad, Corduroy, Present Tense, Daughter/(To Come [Lenny Bruce monologue]) -> Grievance -> Not For You, Inside Job, Why Go
First encore: Do The Evolution, Jeremy, Come Back, Alive
Second encore: Porch, Rockin in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
From Two Feet Thick: This is the first night of the first leg of the tour in support of Pearl Jam. The "Daughter" tag is parts of "To Come", a monologue by Lenny Bruce. The band hits the stage at 8:50PM local time. "Inside Job" premieres at this show, with Mike playing a double neck guitar.
---Neither Turck nor I had any idea what Eddie was saying during Daughter, but I guess now we know.
First encore: Do The Evolution, Jeremy, Come Back, Alive
Second encore: Porch, Rockin in the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
From Two Feet Thick: This is the first night of the first leg of the tour in support of Pearl Jam. The "Daughter" tag is parts of "To Come", a monologue by Lenny Bruce. The band hits the stage at 8:50PM local time. "Inside Job" premieres at this show, with Mike playing a double neck guitar.
---Neither Turck nor I had any idea what Eddie was saying during Daughter, but I guess now we know.
During RitFW - Eddie is triumphant. The guys you don't recognize are fromMy Morning Jacket. They were actually pretty decent.
We saw their set the first night, but skipped it the second.
More Pictures - Night One for Pearl Jam in Toronto
Eddie Vedder belting it out.
A good shot of Mike, Jeff, and Stone clustered together.
I'm pretty sure this was during Do The Evolution, since it appears Stone is soloing.
This was during Rockin in the Free World.
Members of the opening band My Morning Jacket
were invited onstage to add tambourine accompaniment.
Pearl Jam at the Air Canada Centre May 9, 2006
I hope to write up a more extensive review soon, but in the meantime, here are some pictures. Above, Turck is smiling about our seat locations. We were pretty much dead center, eighteen rows back for the first night.
I cut this one down a little bit, but I liked the way the lights are shining on Eddie. You can see Jeff Ament to the left and Stone Gossard to the right.
If this guitar doesn't look familiar to you, it should. Jimmy Page uses a very similar Gibson double-neck guitar for Stairway to Heaven and The Song Remains the Same. The top neck is a 12-string and the bottom neck is a regular six-string. Mike McCready employed this guitar for the live debut of Inside Job, which he wrote.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Pearl Jam on AOL Sessions
New songs from Pearl Jam plus a couple from Lost Dogs, and an interview.
This time tomorrow, Turck and I will be rocking out in Toronto!
This time tomorrow, Turck and I will be rocking out in Toronto!
Pink Floyd Live 8 Rehearsals
I assume this probably comes from the official Live 8 DVD, which I would like to get, just for the Floyd, when I get some disposable cash. It's a nice little eight minute clip.
JPJ - When The Levee Breaks
This performance comes from October 1999 in Seattle at the Showbox. John Paul Jones is playing steel guitar and kicking ass. Nick Beggs is playing an instrument called a Chapman Stick, and Terl Bryant is on drums.
I've seen JPJ play this in concert twice (10/19/99 Cleveland, and again 11/30/01 Cleveland), and it brings the house down.
What Started it All
Lots of people don't believe me when I tell them what started me on my Led Zeppelin obsession, but it was indeed this travesty that I witnessed in May 1998 on Saturday Night Live. Puff Daddy with Jimmy Page performing a modified Kashmir, retitled "Come With Me" from the Godzilla soundtrack. The funniest part is when Puffy tries to "sing" in the middle of the song.
Combs and Page teamed up again in October 1999 at NetAid to do the song once again, and I'm pretty sure that's the last time it was played live.
A part of me can't help but enjoy it, but I don't like to admit it. Realistically, Page probably only agreed to the collaboration because he thought it would bring more young people into the Zeppelin fold, and in my case, it worked.
"Turn me up, yo!"
Right.
Dread Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
Robert Plant loves these guys. Lead singer is an Elvis impersonator of course, but there's also a distinct reggae tint to a lot of their stuff (not quite as much here). Check out that tiny, tiny bass guitar. Funny stuff.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Animated Tribute to Colbert
...featuring images of Colbert superimposed on the likes of V from V for Vendetta and He-Man of Masters of the Universe.
Music from The Doors' Soft Parade.
Kind of funny, I think.
Music from The Doors' Soft Parade.
Kind of funny, I think.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Pearl Jam on SNL, RS Interview with Eddie Vedder
Here's a link to the video of PJ playing World Wide Suicide on SNL.
And here's a great interview that Austin Scaggs of Rolling Stone conducted with Eddie Vedder, posted April 21. I've picked out only a few highlights.
RS: Why do you think the musical community has been so quiet recently about the war, about the president? Or maybe you don't think that?
EV: I'm not sure what's out there. People like Steve Earle are a great example. He goes on Bill O'Reilly. It's beyond commendable. It's gutsy and I think a lot of it, it doesn't get heard. Or maybe people don't like to mess up a good time. I mean, we could talk about it in this interview, and it might not be the part that gets in. We could talk about Democrats and why they aren't leading an anti-war movement. Are they waiting for a shift in the polls? We could talk about our country in ways outside the war, like why they refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, in regard to environment. Why aren't we agreeing to strengthen the conventions on biological weapons? Why haven't we signed the ban on landmines? Why haven't we banned the use of napalm? They refuse to be subject to the jurisdictions of the International Criminal Court. They can get away with anything. If you highlighted the classic aspects of this war, find out who's fighting and who's dying, and why are there billions of dollars being spent on this war and schools are crumbling and 45 million people in the US don't have health insurance? This is all stuff I've been reading in a book on Iraq called The Logic of Withdrawal by Anthony Arnove. It seems like it's a class issue, because there are things going on underneath this spectacle of war, and the Bush administration is using it as a distraction for the ills of this country that are being not only ignored but exacerbated. But, is anybody else saying that in interviews, and are they being edited? I'm not sure. Right now, we are in a situation where the "Worldwide Suicide" song is getting airplay, and three years ago that might not have happened. After 9/11, they took "Imagine" off the air! It's interesting...I'm not sure why.
RS: Do you have a favorite self-titled record out there?
EV: Ha ha. The first three Zeppelin records were untitled. Those are great.
[Not quite accurate, Eddie... The first three Zep albums were Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin III, and the fourth was titled with the four symbols you see as my profile picture. But I appreciate the sentiment...]
And here's a great interview that Austin Scaggs of Rolling Stone conducted with Eddie Vedder, posted April 21. I've picked out only a few highlights.
RS: Why do you think the musical community has been so quiet recently about the war, about the president? Or maybe you don't think that?
EV: I'm not sure what's out there. People like Steve Earle are a great example. He goes on Bill O'Reilly. It's beyond commendable. It's gutsy and I think a lot of it, it doesn't get heard. Or maybe people don't like to mess up a good time. I mean, we could talk about it in this interview, and it might not be the part that gets in. We could talk about Democrats and why they aren't leading an anti-war movement. Are they waiting for a shift in the polls? We could talk about our country in ways outside the war, like why they refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, in regard to environment. Why aren't we agreeing to strengthen the conventions on biological weapons? Why haven't we signed the ban on landmines? Why haven't we banned the use of napalm? They refuse to be subject to the jurisdictions of the International Criminal Court. They can get away with anything. If you highlighted the classic aspects of this war, find out who's fighting and who's dying, and why are there billions of dollars being spent on this war and schools are crumbling and 45 million people in the US don't have health insurance? This is all stuff I've been reading in a book on Iraq called The Logic of Withdrawal by Anthony Arnove. It seems like it's a class issue, because there are things going on underneath this spectacle of war, and the Bush administration is using it as a distraction for the ills of this country that are being not only ignored but exacerbated. But, is anybody else saying that in interviews, and are they being edited? I'm not sure. Right now, we are in a situation where the "Worldwide Suicide" song is getting airplay, and three years ago that might not have happened. After 9/11, they took "Imagine" off the air! It's interesting...I'm not sure why.
RS: Do you have a favorite self-titled record out there?
EV: Ha ha. The first three Zeppelin records were untitled. Those are great.
[Not quite accurate, Eddie... The first three Zep albums were Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin III, and the fourth was titled with the four symbols you see as my profile picture. But I appreciate the sentiment...]
Iraqization?
Toward the end of the Vietnam War, our country had a plan to shift more of the responsibility to the South Vietnamese and to let them take greater control of their own safety and security. It was called the Vietnamization of the war.
Obviously, there has been a significant push in our current war to have the Iraqis take greater responsibility for their safety and security and to lessen the reliance on American forces.
Let's take a look at one example of just how well that's working out.
Obviously, there has been a significant push in our current war to have the Iraqis take greater responsibility for their safety and security and to lessen the reliance on American forces.
Let's take a look at one example of just how well that's working out.
Rumsfeld Caught Off His Guard
Courtesy www.crooksandliars.com -
In a press conference yesterday, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld actually had to answer a real question and was somewhat flummoxed.
Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern was called on after a woman with a sign was carted away. McGovern, well-dressed and bespectacled, no doubt looked like a safe bet. Unfortunately for Rumsfeld, this was not the case. The Secretary was confronted with his own words, which he then proceeded to deny.
Watch the clip here.
McGovern was interviewed later on Paula Zahn's show, and she seemed to go out of her way to cover for Rummy.
Even Lou Dobbs took issue with what Don had to say about not being in the "intelligence business."
McGovern knew exactly what he was talking about. The quote from Rumsfeld comes from This Week with George Stephanopoulos on March 30, 2003. Here's the relevant transcript:
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Finally, weapons of mass destruction. Key goal of the military campaign is finding those weapons of mass destruction. None have been found yet. There was a raid on the Answar Al-Islam Camp up in the north last night. A lot of people expected to find ricin there. None was found. How big of a problem is that? And is it curious to you that given how much control U.S. and coalition forces now have in the country, they haven't found any weapons of mass destruction?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Not at all. If you think -- let me take that, both pieces -- the area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forces control is substantial. It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.
Second, the [audio glitch] facilities, there are dozens of them, it's a large geographic area. It is the -- Answar Al-Islam group has killed a lot of Kurds. They are tough. And our forces are currently in there with the Kurdish forces, cleaning the area out, tracking them down, killing them or capturing them and they will then begin the site exploitation. The idea, from your question, that you can attack that place and exploit it and find out what's there in fifteen minutes.
I would also add, we saw from the air that there were dozens of trucks that went into that facility after the existence of it became public in the press and they moved things out. They dispersed them and took them away. So there may be nothing left. I don't know that. But it's way too soon to know. The exploitation is just starting.
Second, the criminal facilities, there are dozens of them, it's a large geographic area. It is the -- Answar Al-Islam group has killed a lot of Kurds. They are tough. And our forces are currently in there with the Kurdish forces, cleaning the area out, tracking them down, killing them or capturing them and they will then begin the site exploitation. The idea, from your question, that you can attack that place and exploit it and find out what's there in fifteen minutes.
I would also add, we saw from the air that there were dozens of trucks that went into that facility after the existence of it became public in the press and they moved things out. They dispersed them and took them away. So there may be nothing left. I don't know that. But it's way too soon to know. The exploitation is just starting.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you think we'll still be fighting in Iraq six months from now?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Oh, goodness, you know, I've never -- we've never had a timetable. We've always said it could be days, weeks, or months and we don't know. And I don't think you need a timetable. What you really need to know is it's going to end and it's going to end with the Iraqi people liberated and that regime will be gone.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Secretary Rumsfeld, thank you very much.
___________
Yeah - thanks, buddy.
In a press conference yesterday, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld actually had to answer a real question and was somewhat flummoxed.
Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern was called on after a woman with a sign was carted away. McGovern, well-dressed and bespectacled, no doubt looked like a safe bet. Unfortunately for Rumsfeld, this was not the case. The Secretary was confronted with his own words, which he then proceeded to deny.
Watch the clip here.
McGovern was interviewed later on Paula Zahn's show, and she seemed to go out of her way to cover for Rummy.
Even Lou Dobbs took issue with what Don had to say about not being in the "intelligence business."
McGovern knew exactly what he was talking about. The quote from Rumsfeld comes from This Week with George Stephanopoulos on March 30, 2003. Here's the relevant transcript:
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Finally, weapons of mass destruction. Key goal of the military campaign is finding those weapons of mass destruction. None have been found yet. There was a raid on the Answar Al-Islam Camp up in the north last night. A lot of people expected to find ricin there. None was found. How big of a problem is that? And is it curious to you that given how much control U.S. and coalition forces now have in the country, they haven't found any weapons of mass destruction?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Not at all. If you think -- let me take that, both pieces -- the area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forces control is substantial. It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.
Second, the [audio glitch] facilities, there are dozens of them, it's a large geographic area. It is the -- Answar Al-Islam group has killed a lot of Kurds. They are tough. And our forces are currently in there with the Kurdish forces, cleaning the area out, tracking them down, killing them or capturing them and they will then begin the site exploitation. The idea, from your question, that you can attack that place and exploit it and find out what's there in fifteen minutes.
I would also add, we saw from the air that there were dozens of trucks that went into that facility after the existence of it became public in the press and they moved things out. They dispersed them and took them away. So there may be nothing left. I don't know that. But it's way too soon to know. The exploitation is just starting.
Second, the criminal facilities, there are dozens of them, it's a large geographic area. It is the -- Answar Al-Islam group has killed a lot of Kurds. They are tough. And our forces are currently in there with the Kurdish forces, cleaning the area out, tracking them down, killing them or capturing them and they will then begin the site exploitation. The idea, from your question, that you can attack that place and exploit it and find out what's there in fifteen minutes.
I would also add, we saw from the air that there were dozens of trucks that went into that facility after the existence of it became public in the press and they moved things out. They dispersed them and took them away. So there may be nothing left. I don't know that. But it's way too soon to know. The exploitation is just starting.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you think we'll still be fighting in Iraq six months from now?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Oh, goodness, you know, I've never -- we've never had a timetable. We've always said it could be days, weeks, or months and we don't know. And I don't think you need a timetable. What you really need to know is it's going to end and it's going to end with the Iraqi people liberated and that regime will be gone.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Secretary Rumsfeld, thank you very much.
___________
Yeah - thanks, buddy.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Return
Let's try this again.
I tried to post an entry about my return to the Empire State back on Monday or Tuesday and the whole thing got lost when Blogger apparently wet its pants, shit the bed, choked, or any other choice metaphor you'd like to use.
Anyway, it was quite an adventure getting back. I left on Friday afternoon with a ten dollar bill and three ones in my back pocket, a checking account balance of $3.28, and a deposit of $100 that had yet to clear. I said my goodbyes, gave the appropriate handshakes/man-hugs to the roommates, a strained/hurried farewell to Jenn, and jumped into my car, which had a half-tank of gas. It was smooth going for about seven miles or so. Then I ran into considerable traffic on 495 and soon after got a phone call from Paul, who pleasantly recommended a stop at a pub for dinner (which in their infinite generosity, Paul and Tia insisted on paying for). It took me roughly 80 minutes to travel the remaining 20 miles to their house. Lovely. After a good meal, and directions from Paul about getting back on the right road, I was on my way again, and the traffic was much reduced.
I had used up all my cash and paid for some more gas with my check card, thinking that I'd probably overdrawn my account (I didn't - it didn't post that transaction till after the deposit had cleared). This led to an interesting scene at the toll on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, where a few cars waited for me as I paid the guy in the booth with three dollars in quarters, numerous nickels and dimes, and three Sacagawea dollar coins to cover the $7 charge. He had a very skeptical look on his face as he waved me through. That left me with roughly 16 dimes and two nickels in the entire vehicle.
I rolled into Chautauqua County with about a half-tank of gas. I called Matt, who agreed to meet me at Aldo's with Ben (who had driven up earlier in the day) and Steve. It was about 2am. I had a vanilla milkshake (Matt bought it) and we got to witness a dispute among the waitresses in full view of the customers (the kitchen is not exactly closed off from sight). Jamestown remained relatively unchanged from the virtual paradise it had been when I left it. A veritable Eden, to be sure.
Anyway, Saturday was a waste of gas and time for much of the day. I went up to Fredonia and contacted only one person of many that I attempted to meet up with. Abe was apparently living it up in Cassadaga and I didn't get to see him. I eventually just came back to Miley's and met up with Oz and an unusually engaging Mary Kate. Later, Turck and Matt showed up and we played some pool before venturing to Mojo's. Nate and I followed Matt back to his house, where we made quick work of a bottle of wine and some cheese before running through some of Matt's good (and some not-so-good...think Notorious BIG) music purchases of the last 12 years or so. The next day, we breakfasted at the crack of 1pm at a quaint little diner in Mayville, talked current events, and overtipped. It was a beautiful day to drive around, although not so beautiful at $3.05/gallon.
That's all for now. It's incredibly exasperating to deal with this internet connection after having broadband for 3 months in Alexandria.
I tried to post an entry about my return to the Empire State back on Monday or Tuesday and the whole thing got lost when Blogger apparently wet its pants, shit the bed, choked, or any other choice metaphor you'd like to use.
Anyway, it was quite an adventure getting back. I left on Friday afternoon with a ten dollar bill and three ones in my back pocket, a checking account balance of $3.28, and a deposit of $100 that had yet to clear. I said my goodbyes, gave the appropriate handshakes/man-hugs to the roommates, a strained/hurried farewell to Jenn, and jumped into my car, which had a half-tank of gas. It was smooth going for about seven miles or so. Then I ran into considerable traffic on 495 and soon after got a phone call from Paul, who pleasantly recommended a stop at a pub for dinner (which in their infinite generosity, Paul and Tia insisted on paying for). It took me roughly 80 minutes to travel the remaining 20 miles to their house. Lovely. After a good meal, and directions from Paul about getting back on the right road, I was on my way again, and the traffic was much reduced.
I had used up all my cash and paid for some more gas with my check card, thinking that I'd probably overdrawn my account (I didn't - it didn't post that transaction till after the deposit had cleared). This led to an interesting scene at the toll on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, where a few cars waited for me as I paid the guy in the booth with three dollars in quarters, numerous nickels and dimes, and three Sacagawea dollar coins to cover the $7 charge. He had a very skeptical look on his face as he waved me through. That left me with roughly 16 dimes and two nickels in the entire vehicle.
I rolled into Chautauqua County with about a half-tank of gas. I called Matt, who agreed to meet me at Aldo's with Ben (who had driven up earlier in the day) and Steve. It was about 2am. I had a vanilla milkshake (Matt bought it) and we got to witness a dispute among the waitresses in full view of the customers (the kitchen is not exactly closed off from sight). Jamestown remained relatively unchanged from the virtual paradise it had been when I left it. A veritable Eden, to be sure.
Anyway, Saturday was a waste of gas and time for much of the day. I went up to Fredonia and contacted only one person of many that I attempted to meet up with. Abe was apparently living it up in Cassadaga and I didn't get to see him. I eventually just came back to Miley's and met up with Oz and an unusually engaging Mary Kate. Later, Turck and Matt showed up and we played some pool before venturing to Mojo's. Nate and I followed Matt back to his house, where we made quick work of a bottle of wine and some cheese before running through some of Matt's good (and some not-so-good...think Notorious BIG) music purchases of the last 12 years or so. The next day, we breakfasted at the crack of 1pm at a quaint little diner in Mayville, talked current events, and overtipped. It was a beautiful day to drive around, although not so beautiful at $3.05/gallon.
That's all for now. It's incredibly exasperating to deal with this internet connection after having broadband for 3 months in Alexandria.
Pearl Jam
Being a TenClub member, I had the distinct pleasure of receiving the eponymous new Pearl Jam album on Saturday, along with a bonus CD. The bonus was a December 31, 1992 show in New York City.
The album grows on me more and more with repeated listenings. My first impression was of something that was simply too punk-like, too reliant on The Ramones for inspiration. But those were only the first few tracks, and that was only the first time through the album. After six or seven times of hearing the entire piece, I can discern so many more textures to the sounds and I appreciate the vocals in particular much more than I did initially.
The first few tracks - Life Wasted, World Wide Suicide, and Comatose - are indeed pretty hard-driving, aggressive songs. But like a good band will often do in concert, things are pulled back a bit by the the fourth, fifth, and sixth track. Waiting for a Zeppelin parallel? Okay - in 1971, the band would open with Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, and Black Dog and then pull back for the intense blues of Since I've Been Lovin' You. By the latter part of the next year, they usually added the light-and-shade/tight-but-loose dynamics of Over the Hills and Far Away after 'Since...' And that's kind of what this album invokes for me. It is, like any of the preceding Pearl Jam albums, a work meant to be savored and taken in as a whole. The band does release singles and they stand firm on their own, but when the album is taken as a complete entity - this is when the band can really shine and present the whole case to the jury.
Tracks like Marker in the Sand, with a pretty infectious chorus (which you may end up just humming along to if you don't have the lyric sheet with you), will probably help the album do better on the charts than Riot Act or Binaural, though of course chart success does not have a direct relationship with quality of the music, since both of those albums were welcome additions to the PJ catalogue as far as I'm concerned....
Other highlights for me are Unemployable, Gone, and Army Reserve. Favorites often change with repeated listenings, but those are really strong tracks for me.
The bonus disc of Pearl Jam performing on New Year's Eve is highly entertaining. Anyone expecting the sound quality of the 2000 and 2003 tour 'official bootlegs' will be disappointed, but the atmosphere is great. To remind us all of what was going on in the music world of the time, Vedder takes time out after the first song to call out Marky Mark as a no-talent hack. Pretty funny stuff. Alone - a song that didn't see too much daylight until Lost Dogs is performed, as is Dirty Frank, along with probably one of the shortest-ever versions of Daughter (no improvisational ending leading into other songs this time). Alone is a really great song and I'm genuinely curious how it didn't wind up on a regular studio album. All in all, a great show from the very young band. I saw the video for Jeremy tonight on VH1 Classic. To think that's 15 years old is very odd. We're very lucky this band is not only still 'around' but as strong as it ever was.
Turck and I will be in attendance next week at the first two shows of the PJ's '06 North American tour, in Toronto. I'm really looking forward to it.
I'm also eagerly anticipating the new Tool album, 10,000 Days, which I have not had a chance to purchase yet.
The album grows on me more and more with repeated listenings. My first impression was of something that was simply too punk-like, too reliant on The Ramones for inspiration. But those were only the first few tracks, and that was only the first time through the album. After six or seven times of hearing the entire piece, I can discern so many more textures to the sounds and I appreciate the vocals in particular much more than I did initially.
The first few tracks - Life Wasted, World Wide Suicide, and Comatose - are indeed pretty hard-driving, aggressive songs. But like a good band will often do in concert, things are pulled back a bit by the the fourth, fifth, and sixth track. Waiting for a Zeppelin parallel? Okay - in 1971, the band would open with Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, and Black Dog and then pull back for the intense blues of Since I've Been Lovin' You. By the latter part of the next year, they usually added the light-and-shade/tight-but-loose dynamics of Over the Hills and Far Away after 'Since...' And that's kind of what this album invokes for me. It is, like any of the preceding Pearl Jam albums, a work meant to be savored and taken in as a whole. The band does release singles and they stand firm on their own, but when the album is taken as a complete entity - this is when the band can really shine and present the whole case to the jury.
Tracks like Marker in the Sand, with a pretty infectious chorus (which you may end up just humming along to if you don't have the lyric sheet with you), will probably help the album do better on the charts than Riot Act or Binaural, though of course chart success does not have a direct relationship with quality of the music, since both of those albums were welcome additions to the PJ catalogue as far as I'm concerned....
Other highlights for me are Unemployable, Gone, and Army Reserve. Favorites often change with repeated listenings, but those are really strong tracks for me.
The bonus disc of Pearl Jam performing on New Year's Eve is highly entertaining. Anyone expecting the sound quality of the 2000 and 2003 tour 'official bootlegs' will be disappointed, but the atmosphere is great. To remind us all of what was going on in the music world of the time, Vedder takes time out after the first song to call out Marky Mark as a no-talent hack. Pretty funny stuff. Alone - a song that didn't see too much daylight until Lost Dogs is performed, as is Dirty Frank, along with probably one of the shortest-ever versions of Daughter (no improvisational ending leading into other songs this time). Alone is a really great song and I'm genuinely curious how it didn't wind up on a regular studio album. All in all, a great show from the very young band. I saw the video for Jeremy tonight on VH1 Classic. To think that's 15 years old is very odd. We're very lucky this band is not only still 'around' but as strong as it ever was.
Turck and I will be in attendance next week at the first two shows of the PJ's '06 North American tour, in Toronto. I'm really looking forward to it.
I'm also eagerly anticipating the new Tool album, 10,000 Days, which I have not had a chance to purchase yet.
Prescient Selection?
I think I may have talked about this before, but I happened to be listening to a recording of Ten Years Gone just now (from May 21, 1977 in Houston), and it struck me again just what a dumb move it was for me to pick this track for Destini and I as "our song" when we were together. As she used to point out, the first song we ever really heard together was Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time." And when we got in my car, the CD player was on "Candy Store Rock" off Presence.
So really, picking this song and calling it 'ours' was kind of cheating anyway.
In my mind at the time though, it was perfect, since the lyrics are about meeting a love after a long period of time. This fit, because Des and I met up at JCC after not seeing each other for about 13 or 14 years. But as Robert Plant makes clear in numerous 'recordings of illegitimate origin' (i.e. 'bootlegs'), this song is about "the first time around" - the "first love." In other words, this song is about someone you meet up with again after a long absence, but not in the sense that I imagined when I played it for her on our six-month anniversary or any other time.
I'm going to leave it there, since I've thought about it much more than enough. It just makes me wonder sometimes if the whole thing was set up to fail from the beginning. I haven't really been thinking about her any more than normal, but songs of course are always pretty powerful ways to jog a memory that is already in pretty decent shape - perhaps too much for its own good.
Ten Years Gone
(Page/Plant)
Then as it was, then again it will be
An' though the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea
Blind stars of fortune, each have several rays
On the wings of maybe, down in birds of prey
Kind of makes me feel sometimes, didn't have to grow
But as the eagle leaves the nest, it's got so far to go
Changes fill my time, baby, that's alright with me
In the midst I think of you, and how it used to be
Did you ever really need somebody,
And really need 'em bad
Did you ever really want somebody, The best love you ever had?
Do you ever remember me, baby, did it feel so good
'Cause it was just the first time,
And you knew you would
Through the eyes an' I sparkle,
Senses growing keen
Taste your love along the way,
See your feathers preen
Kind of makes me feel sometimes,
Didn't have to grow
We are eagles of one nest, The nest is in our soul
Vixen in my dreams, with great surprise to me
Never thought I'd see your face the way it used to be
Oh darlin', oh darlin' I'm never gonna leave you.
I never gonna leave
Holdin' on, ten years gone
Ten years gone, holdin' on, ten years gone
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Monday, May 01, 2006
Stephen Colbert WH Correspondents Dinner (with link to video)
Okay - pretty big news here, if you haven't heard about it. Stephen Colbert was the headliner at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. He spoke from the perspective of his personality on The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, which is a parody of an amalgamation of Bill O'Reilly, Joe Scarborough, and other right-wing talk-show hosts. The big deal is that he did the whole routine while standing less than ten feet from Dubya and Laura Bush. This is what's called ballsy.
The mainstream media is choosing to ignore his remarks and their reception, instead focusing on a segment of the dinner with Bush speaking next to an impersonator. This is the same dinner where a year or two ago, Bush showed a video of himself looking around the White House for the missing Weapons of Mass Destruction, something viewed by many as being in poor taste, given the fact that Iraqi WMD were given as the principal rationale for war, and thus for the sacrifice of over 2500 American lives (to say nothing of the thousands of now 'liberated' Iraqis who happen to be deceased as a result of their liberation).
The video is long - the whole thing probably tops 20 minutes.
I just attempted to post a long entry about my return home from Alexandria/DC, but it was erased in its entirety. I guess I'll have to do that one over again. In the meantime, I would encourage you to view this. Note the discomfort of the audience.
Part One
Part Two
There are several posts up around the internet about this incredible event and the lack of media attention being devoted to it. Here are a few:
CrooksandLiars
TalkingPointsMemo
EditorandPublisher
The mainstream media is choosing to ignore his remarks and their reception, instead focusing on a segment of the dinner with Bush speaking next to an impersonator. This is the same dinner where a year or two ago, Bush showed a video of himself looking around the White House for the missing Weapons of Mass Destruction, something viewed by many as being in poor taste, given the fact that Iraqi WMD were given as the principal rationale for war, and thus for the sacrifice of over 2500 American lives (to say nothing of the thousands of now 'liberated' Iraqis who happen to be deceased as a result of their liberation).
The video is long - the whole thing probably tops 20 minutes.
I just attempted to post a long entry about my return home from Alexandria/DC, but it was erased in its entirety. I guess I'll have to do that one over again. In the meantime, I would encourage you to view this. Note the discomfort of the audience.
Part One
Part Two
There are several posts up around the internet about this incredible event and the lack of media attention being devoted to it. Here are a few:
CrooksandLiars
TalkingPointsMemo
EditorandPublisher
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