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Pop Rock Nation

Category: News

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  • The (Old) Boys of Summer

    I had a disturbing realization last month. Disturbing, at least, from the point of view of a guy whose entire adolescent self-identity was wrapped up in the idea that he was ahead of the curve in all things pop music, that he could tell you with metronomic precision the Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 at any given moment (at a time when the Top 10 actually changed from week to week – and not just due to the latest event single). At the end of the summer, I’m looking back on the music I’ve purchased and listened to this year, and I’m finding that a disproportionate number of my favorite records of 2008 are by old farts.

    Willie Nelson. Photo by Kjell Ove Hattrem.
    Willie Nelson. Photo by Kjell Ove Hattrem.

    Now, I realize that as most people settle into their adulthoods and are faced with the imminent onset of middle age – dear god, I can already smell the despair-laced liquor and cigarette smoke at the hall of my 20 year high school reunion – with growing debt loads, and growing children with growing attitude problems, it’s perfectly natural for a guy to reassess his priorities away from discovering the hottest new pop thing. No offense, Katy Perry, but it’s perfectly natural, and even admirable, for a guy like me to spend his Sunday night watching an inspirational Disney movie on DVD with his kids and dogs rather than sequestering himself in his basement tracking the hit parade according to Seacrest. And as we settle into our cosy adulthoods, it’s perfectly natural to fall back on the favorites and golden oldies (like “Rock the Casbah”!) we grew up with.

     

     

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  • KISS To Release Yet Another Compilation- KISS IKONS

    Gene Simmons wants to pluck some more dollars out of the fan’s wallets with the announcement of yet another Kiss compilation album which is going to be released on October 21st.  It will be four Disc set with each disc featuring the influential songs from each of the four members on vocals.  The die-hard KISS fanatics are going to buy it even though there isn’t anything remotely new on here.  Instead of perhaps taking off the make-up and recording new music with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, KIss just keeps cranking out these pointless compilation albums.  I’m surprised Gene and Paul didn’t have Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer rerecord the Ace and Peter songs to attempt to shit on their former bandmate’s contributions.  I will be a devoted member of the KISS army until the day I die, but the shit Gene Simmons has been doing really makes me embarassed to be a KISS fan.  Anyhow, my full-on KISS fant is due for another day.  Here is the information for anybody foolish enough to buy this compilation.

    Click to enlarge

    Disc 1: Gene Simmons

    ‘God Of Thunder’, ‘Almost Human’, ‘Calling Dr. Love’, ‘Ladies Room’, ‘Christine Sixteen’, ‘Deuce’, ‘Rock And Roll All Nite’, ‘Cold Gin’, ‘Parasite’, ‘Larger Than Life’, ‘Love ’em And Leave ‘Em’, ‘Plaster Caster’, ‘Radioactive’, ‘Charisma’.

    Disc 2: Paul Stanley

    ‘Detroit Rock City’, ‘Love Gun’, ‘Take Me’, ‘Strutter’, ‘C’mon And Love Me’, ‘Hotter Than Hell’, ‘100,000 Years’, ‘Rock Bottom’, ‘Do You Love Me?’, ‘All American Man’, ‘Mr. Speed’, ‘I Stole Your Love’, ‘Wouldn’t You Like To Know Me’, ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’

    Disc 3: Ace FrehleyClick to enlarge

    ‘New York Groove’, ‘Shock Me’, ‘2,000 Man’, ‘Rocket Ride’, ‘Snow Blind’, ‘Speedin’ Back To My Baby’, ‘Talk To Me’, ‘What’s On Your Mind’, ‘Rip It Out’, ‘Save Your Love’, ‘Hard Times’, ‘Two Sides Of The Coin’, ‘Dark Light’, ‘Into The Void’.

    Disc 4: Peter Criss

    ‘Hard Luck Woman’, ‘Baby Driver’, ‘Hooligan’, ‘Beth’, ‘I Can’t Stop The Rain’, ‘Black Diamond’, ‘Mainline’, ‘Don’t You Let Me Down”, ‘Dirty Livin”, ‘Getaway’, ‘Strange Ways’, ‘That’s The Kind Of Sugar Papa Likes’, ‘Easy Thing’, ‘I Finally Found My Way’.

  • In Memoriam: Norman Whitfield

    Most of today’s generation have no clue who Norman Whitfield is, but the Detroit native was one of the most important producers of the late Sixties and early Seventies. He was the main catalyst from turning Motown Records from a freshly-scrubbed pop-friendly label into something a little more psychedelic and sinister. While he wrote and produced nearly every song during the Temptations phenomenal post-Smokey run (“I Wish It Would Rain”, “I Can’t Get Next to You”, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”), his most treasured composition is undoubtedly “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”, a song whose definitive version was provided by Marvin Gaye, but has been rerecorded by everyone from Creedence Clearwater Revival to the frickin’ California Raisins.

    That string of hits alone would have been enough to ensure Whifield’s legendary status, but he went on to discover and produce well into the disco age. His most popular discovery of that era was Rose Royce, who scored chart hits with “Car Wash”, “I Wanna Get Next to You”, and the classic “Wishing on a Star”.

    At a time when most current pop music sounds alike, it’s important to remember the originals, and Norman Whitfield was a true original.

    Here’s The Tempts performing “I Wish It Would Rain”, one of my all-time favorite songs. Below it, a little bonus from Amy Winehouse and Paul Weller.