The Charlatans "Who We Touch" special edition

These guys were part of the Manchester scene in the early 1990's that resonated with my soul, fitting perfectly into my catalog along with other wonderful bands such as Ride, Inspiral Carpets, Manic Street Preachers, and the Stone Roses.  Swirling psychedelia straight out of the 60's featuring a heavy dose of organ in the mix... danceable, too.  I lost interest after that as the output of the first decade of the 21st century did not move me like before.  Maybe I was just getting older.  Anyway, when I saw this release a few months ago, I sprung for the double disc with alternative takes, early versions and outtakes, hoping for a revelation somewhere within the 23 tracks.  And I found it all over the record.  This is an outstanding album for any band, much less one in it's third decade of existence.  Here is the first video and lead track, and oddly enough, it's one of the two which I substituted the alternate version for the original.  I read one reviewer essentially peeing his knickers for this song, and here I am including the "softer" version instead for my one-disc edited tracking.  One of the outtakes that did not make the regular release could have been INXS in their heyday covering some obscure 60's song.  These are just two examples of why I enjoy the Charlatans (UK, for those of us in the States), one is never quite sure what to expect when it comes to their sound and style.  Buy an Oasis album and you know you are going to get an Oasis album. 

I found the extended version for sale domestically on Napster and did not see either version on iTunes.  Go figure.  But I will say that even though this was released in September, 2010, it is an early candidate for best album in 2011, an actual R-O-C-K n' R-O-L-L record!

Some thoughts about the upcoming 2010 Grammy Awards

I've had a couple of people ask me about this year's nominees, but I don't feel qualified enough anymore to make predictions like I used to.  Sure, it was a big deal when I managed music retail shops.  There was always a nice sales bump after the show.  Back then, I had to be cognizant of virtually every category out there, whether I enjoyed it or not.  Billboard magazine always posted a big spread about the major non-classical categories, and I would challenge my staff to beat my picks, dangling some carrot as the reward should one of them actually beat me (and, no, it never happened).  But my picks were made without emotion, mostly, choosing winners based on who I expected the Academy to select, not who I would vote for if I actually had a ballot.  But now, I'm so far out of the loop that I don't even know who some of the artists are.

However, in response to those who asked, I have decided to scroll down the list of categories and offer a few brief comments where applicable.

Record Of The Year:  Cee Lo Green can sing, but the Academy will never vote for a song with F*** in the title for this top award.  The Lady Antebellum track "Need You Now" is a fine tune.

Song Of The Year:  Happy to see Ray LaMontagne in the running.
 
Best New Artist:  I truly hope Mumford & Sons wins but I'm guessing Bieber takes it.  The kid is indeed talented, but child stars seldom have career longevity.  Florence & the Machine is a joke.

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance:  I'd bet the farm on MJ.  Never quite understood the Buble' fascination.  Like Adam Lambert's voice but thought the album was just wrong.

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:  I don't think the Glee Cast are all that good, but mark my words, there will be an upswell of talent down the road who were inspired by this television show.

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals:  Listened to the Elton & Leon record last week.  It's very good, but I doubt it'll win.  Probably Mrs. Brand and Snoop.

Best Pop Instrumental Performance:  Laurie Anderson is still alive?  The Jeff Beck album was a colossal disappointment.

Best Pop Vocal Album:  Please, anybody but Bieber or Gaga.  Don't encourage them.

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance:  What does this say about the state of Rock music in 2011 when the nominees are Clapton, Plant, McCartney, and Young?  Oh, yeah, right,  John Mayer for his vocals...come on, no!

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:  If it's not Muse, I will be sorely upset.

Best Hard Rock Performance:  Again, what year is this?  Alice in Chains, Ozzy, STP, Soundgarden.  I hope the statue goes to the old guys in Them Crooked Vultures so Josh Homme will finally get his due.

Best Metal Performance:  Wow, just how bad is it out there?  It's no wonder I'm out of the business.  Korn, Megadeth, Slayer, Iron Maiden.

Best Rock Instrumental Performance:  Hope Los Lobos wins.  Fine album.

Best Rock Song:  Actually a tough call.  I'd be happy for any of them except the Black Keys.

Best Rock Album:  Tom Petty's album really isn't Rock and Neil Young's is too...I don't know, minimalist?  If only Pearl Jam could find someone who could really sing...

So completely skipping the R&B and Rap section we come to...ah, never mind.  I can't say much about Country, either, only just that this category is where real songwriting still happens.  There are a few other comments to make...

Best Contemporary Jazz Album:  If you haven't heard Trombone Shorty yet, look him up.  This isn't some old cat, he's 25 years old from New Orleans and I'll wager he'll have a longer career than Bieber.

Best Americana Album:  Let's see, Roseanne Cash, check; Willie Nelson, certainly; Mavis Staples, I guess; Robert Plant, British using Nashville musicians, that's a mulligan; Los Lobos? 


Best Traditional Blues Album:  If Cyndi Lauper wins this over Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, and Jimmie Vaughan, I'll turn in my union card.  Her album was a disgrace to the genre.

Best Contemporary Blues Album:  I have the Kenny Wayne Shepherd record, but there are no losers in these nominees; Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Bettye LaVette and Solomon Burke.


Best Traditional Folk Album:  I heard one track from Maria Muldaur's album (yep, Midnight at the Oasis Maria Muldaur) and it was outstanding.

Best Contemporary Folk Album:  Another quality category with Ray LaMontagne, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Richard Thompson.

Best Spoken Word Album:  Haven't heard any of these but check out this A-List of nominees; Craig Ferguson, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, Michael J. Fox, Carol Burnett and Woody Allen!

Best Comedy Album:  Don't know if he'll win, but Robin Williams did a bit about God and his Creation Committee developing human genitalia that had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe!


Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual:  Funny that Trent Reznor wasn't nominated and he won the Golden Globe for "Social Network".  Go figure...

Best Surround Sound Album:  I know, this is reaching, but if you truly want to hear a tremendous progressive-rock album, get Porcupine Tree's "The Incident."  Steven Wilson is nominated here in what is certainly the most diverse category of the entire procedings. 

Whew!  That took longer than I thought.  Guess I'll now have to watch the show this Sunday. 

Clinic "Bubblegum"

I remembered their album "Walking with Thee" from 2002 and I thought I liked it, so I sampled the first 20 seconds or so of a couple of the new tracks from this record and decided to get it.  Just remember, I pay for these myself.  I don't receive promos from labels.  So I am picky about my choices, and for the twenty months I've been blogging about new music, I have yet to pay for a complete turkey.  "Bubblegum," however, is a 92.3% turd.  For the non-mathematicians, that's one redeeming track out of thirteen.  I've seen comparisons to Radiohead, Elbow, and Arcade Fire, and I only like Elbow from those choices, but I don't get the connection.  The gimmick for this British band is they wear surgical masks, and it's apropos since the sound is so sterile.  The songs here are dull and BORING!  Art-punk, my ass!  I even went back to my catalog to see if I could find the earlier album just to see what had changed, but it wasn't there.  Slowly, it's coming back to me through the fog.  One of my assistant managers at Music 4 Less was a fan so I believe I gave it to him.  And honestly, I think I was confusing Clinic with Caviar.  Damn fog gets thicker with age...

The Orb featuring David Gilmour "Metallic Spheres"

If you had played a game of "Name That Band/Artist" with me with a hint that one member of Pink Floyd was involved, I would have guessed Richard Wright, not Gilmour.  There is just enough guitar here to qualify, and most of it is neatly tucked within the mix, and no way would I think David Gilmour.  Hell, I could have made those noises eventually and I don't play guitar!  Multiple reviews have compared this record to early Pink Floyd albums (and why not since there have been so many Floyd references over the course of the Orb's existence), but I'll be damned if I once thought that to myself while listening. 

I'm not going to delve into the history of this band, but I own their first album from 1991 (I need to dig it out for a 21st century spin).  The Orb was all the rage in the new ambient/house age, remixing tracks by artists like Primal Scream, Mike Oldfield, and Wendy & Lisa.  And twenty years ago I may have partied more, and that could have had some influence on my tastes. 

A listen to "Metallic Spheres" would benefit from some of the substances available at the alleged parties of two decades ago.  I would guess it would be best absorbed while in a minimally altered state achieved by your method of choice.  If I was the proprietor of a hip, ultra-chic martini bar, I'd have this CD playing in heavy rotation.  It's essentially one track broken into two "Sides" which are composed of several vignettes, each several minutes in length, neatly tied together with subtle edits.  Gilmour's involvement stemmed from his version of Graham Nash's "Chicago" (another typical Orb trick in a couple of ways), recorded long before this project was ever conceived.  You will hear the song in vocal samples briefly on each side, and that's the only connection to the original. 

So the Orb pays Gilmour for the use of his name and a track of work. They slice, dice, marinate and fold it into a retro-Orb recipe, and I'm sure it has sold well worldwide in the four months it has been available.  I'm not going to label it a sell-out, but is Gilmour aiming to become England's equivalent of Gene Simmons?