GG is headed out of town, so he entrusted me with the Throwback column this week. With Memorial Day weekend hearalding the beginning of summer, I thought it would be a good idea to post this classic video.
A lot of people give The Eagles shit. They gave ’em shit back in the day for being a laid-back California rock/country band (and for selling a shit-ton of records), and they give ’em shit today for charging hundreds of dollars per concert ticket (and also because Don Henley and Glenn Frey seem to be complete and total douchebags). All I can say to that is…they won’t be the last assholes to make good music. I’m a huge fan of The Eagles and while I can’t say Frey even made enough good solo material to make a good Greatest Hits EP, Henley’s work is as solid as it is frequent. His solo career has consisted of: 1982 album, 1984 album, 1989 album, 1995 hits comp, 2000 album…that’s it.
Anyway, “The Boys of Summer” is more of a reflective song than it is a “lay the blankets out and crank the radio up” kind of song. It has that END of summer, wistful feel, which I’m sure those of us who are undergoing some kind of transition-whether it be graduation or aging or whatever-can relate to. Bottom line-it’s a fantastic fucking song. That synthesizer part is one of the most recognizable parts of any song from that era-right up there with the drumbeat that opens “Billie Jean” and the sax part that opens “Careless Whisper”. Enjoy, and have a safe and enjoyable weekend.
This week’s list of major new releases is like a musical smorgasbord. A little brooding pop, a little retro-disco, a little beer ‘n chips rock, a little Texas hip-hop. Here’s your rundown.
Scarlett Johansson “Anywhere I Lay My Head”
Well, I guess there’s a reason that Scarlett doesn’t have an official website. SHE’S A FRICKIN’ ACTRESS!! The fact that she has found success in one entertainment medium shouldn’t be enough to dissuade you from buying the album, but in light of the pieces of musical finery made by the likes of Eddie Murphy, Russell Crowe (in 30 Odd Foot of Grunts), Kevin Bacon (as one of the Bacon Brothers), Keanu Reeves (as a member of Dogstar), John Travolta…need I go on?
Anyway, this album is intriguing because it’s a set of Tom Waits covers-definitely not the unchallenging easy road to success here. It’s produced by TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek and David Bowie is among the record’s guest performers. Indie-tastic!
3 Doors Down are essentially America’s Nickelback (I say this under the assumption that you all know Nickelback comes from Canada). It’s meat-and-potatoes hard rock with not even a whiff of anything “alternative” or vaguely “urban”. Anthems like “Kryptonite” and the power ballad “Here Without You” could have been hits in the hard-rockin’ heyday of Bob Seger just as easily as they’ve become hits in this day and age. This self-titled affair is the band’s fourth album and it’s preceded by the single “It’s Not My Time”, which is steadily moving up the charts. One day, 3 Doors Down will put out a killer Greatest Hits album. Till then…
Bun B. “II Trill”
Again, no current website. The only official one I see of his hasn’t been updated in 3 years. ‘Sup with that? Anyway, Bun B is best known as 1/2 of Southern rap trailblazers UGK. After suffering the tragic loss of his rhyme partner Pimp C last year (just as UGK scored their first #1 album), Bun is now officially, totally and completely a solo artist. His sophomore solo effort, “II Trill” (the first was released when Pimp C was incarcerated) features guest verses from his departed partner, as well as all the usual suspects: of course there’s a Lil’ Wayne cameo!!
The Queen of Disco returns with her first studio non-holiday album since 1991’s “Mistaken Identity”. An entire generation has come of age since Donna last released a record, but Ms. Summer remains true to her signature pop/dance sound, and those pipes can still give you chills. The housewives and aging queens will eat this one up. Check out this clip of the recording session for 1982’s “State of Independence”, which featured Donna and just about every singer in the world at the time…and Christopher Cross.
Jesse McCartney “Departure”
He’s been a teen idol twice: first as a member of pre-teen boy band Dream Street, and then as a Ryan Cabrera-ish singer/songwriter with the hit “Beautiful Soul”. Now, Jesse McCartney is looking to capitalize on his sudden notoriety as a songwriter (he co-penned Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love”) by releasing his third solo album, “Departure”. First single “Leavin’” has already hit the Top 10 on the pop charts, and McCartney is turning out to be one of the ore surprising post-teen idol successes.
Also in stores this week: the latest indie rock darlings Flobots, a solo album by Tears for Fears’ Curt Smith, the Kidz Bop Kids tackle the Eighties, and this week’s head-scratcher, a hits compilation from 2001’s 1-hit wonder, Alien Ant Farm.
Get your full list of this week’s releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm
The fellas didn’t look bad on their first live performance since 1994. The choreography was tasteful and befitting of their ages, Donnie Wahlberg is unquestionably still the leader of the group, and Danny Wood and Jon Knight’s mics were probably turned off (there were definitely support background vocals being used here, which isn’t an especially big deal). “Summertime” should be a fairly big hit, although I retched a little during the performance of “Tonight”, a song that should be buried in a cave somewhere.
