Review: Debbie Harry’s ‘Necessary Evil’
Gonzo takes the wheel for a review of Debbie Harry’s new album. – Pete….
(2007, Five Seven Music)
I have to begin by admitting two things. First, I’m a big Blondie fan. I have all of their albums on vinyl, minus the contract-filling Hunter. I’ve often said that New York City in the mid-late 1970s is my favorite music ‘scene’ of all time. Along with the Talking Heads, Patti Smith, The Shirts, Television and the Ramones, Blondie is one reason for my view. Secondly, I confess that I haven’t followed Debbie Harry’s solo career with any level of depth. That said, I was intrigued when given the opportunity to review Harry’s latest solo disc, Necessary Evil.
The album’s opening tracks set the tone for the rest of the album. In general, the songs on Necessary Evil retain Allen’s roots in the new wave and pop music of the late 1970s/early 1980s. Whether this is conscious or not, this aspect of Harry’s most recent work fits in well with the current trend of retro-new wave acts such as The Killers. Yet in addition to recalling Harry’s most well known work with Blondie, the album combines this aesthetic with contemporary conventions of indie rock and electro dance music. The result is admittedly not anything to write home about. While Harry is able to bridge the past with the present, the product of this marriage is sadly not particularly unique or groundbreaking. Still, that’s not to say that the songs are without merit.
However, the failure of the album is its lack of brevity. At 17 tracks, the disc gets to be a bit tedious. While I doubt that it would create a landmark album, trimming some of the fat on Necessary Evil could at the very least have led to a more solid and enjoyable disc.
In short, Necessary Evil is enjoyable for what it is. It isn’t earth-shattering, but it shows that Harry has maintained her competence in form and execution. Overall, I give it a solid ‘C’ grade.
Necessary Evil hits the shelves on 9/17 in the US.
Debbie Harry – Official Website
Debbie Harry on Myspace (featuring songs from the upcoming album)The Boss Live at the Roxy, 1978 (Part Three)
August 24th, 1978 cover, photo by Lynn GoldsmithYou’re a patient bunch, but it’s worth the wait, don’t ya think? Tonight, we finish off Bruce and the band’s legendary 7-7-78 show at the Roxy…
Part Three
Independence Day
Born to Run
Because the Night
Raise Your Hand
Radio Comments
Twist and ShoutExtras:
Thunder Road – Roxy, 10-17-75
Goin’ Back – Roxy, 10-17-75
Pretty Flamingo – Cleveland, 12-31-78
The Fever – Cleveland, 12-31-78
The Promise – The Record Plant, 11-77 thru 4-78Covers Fit For A King
As I’m sure you’re all well aware, Thursday marks the 30th anniversary of the passing of Elvis Presley. In light of that I thought I’d pull some of my favorites together for a video montage… Everyone grab a peanut butter and banana sandwich and enjoy!
Pete Yorn – Suspicious Minds
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9H_R0RyNkQ 336 278]
No Doubt – Suspicious Minds
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7q2nI28hE0 336 278]
The Flaming Lips – Suspicious Minds (Can you tell what my favorite Elvis tune is?)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3hFrGjcDGQ 336 278]
Cheap Trick – Don’t Be Cruel
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFX4MqgHrqQ 336 278]
UB40 – Can’t Help Falling In Love
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MxmthbKZYU 336 278]
Willie Nelson – Always On My Mind
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3DXyfL3HX0 336 278]
Tommy Emmanuel – Heartbreak Hotel
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVFt5sS4gRE 336 278]
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – In The Ghetto
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWWVwDL9wKs 336 278]
And I’d be remiss if I did not post the King himself covering some great tracks
Are You Lonesome Tonight?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rawGKd2wxiU 336 278]
Johnny B. Goode
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xaycq2sXPdw 336 278]
Faces / Stones Synergy
In the “It’s Sort of Silly” department, it’s sort of silly that I haven’t yet taken the time to jump into the music of Faces. Thanks to a Radio Free Wohlman podcast (which has been turning me on to some great music – highly recommended), I heard this live Faces version of the Stones’ “Love in Vain.” It’s one of my favorite Stones songs from one of my favorite albums, Let It Bleed.
How cool it is to hear this loose, bluesy, raw version with a young Rod Stewart on vocals.
Rod Stewart – vocals
Ronnie Lane – bass
Ronnie Wood – guitar
Kenny Jones – drums
Ian McLagan – keyboardsFaces – Love in Vain – live – from the Faces box set, Five Guys Walk into a Bar….
Here’s another great blues number, with Keith Richards joining in. This is after Ronnie Lane left the group and was replaced on bass by Tetsu Yamauchi.
“I’d Rather Go Blind”:
P.S. How did we ever survive without YouTube?
Ickmusic Live: Talking Heads 1979
I haven’t spent too much time with the music of Talking Heads in my life, but I’ve always liked what I’ve heard, and I enjoy David Byrne’s stuff too. My favorite tune? Probably “Road to Nowhere”.
Let’s travel back to a nice little show snippet from their peak of creativity: 1979.
I skipped posting the DJ intro. If you feel like you need it, let me know. TH fans, what is the essential TH album?
Talking Heads
Sydney State Theater
Sidney, Australia
1979The Book I Read
Paper
Mind
Found a Job
Memories Can’t Wait
Psycho Killer
Take Me To the RiverGong!
Gong: a psychedelic – progressive – space rock band formed in the late 60’s, the brainchild of Australian Daevid Allen.
And if you’re brand new to them (as I am), it’s just a bit difficult to wrap your head around their whole “scene.” They even have a glossary, which includes mind-bending confusion-isms like:
WIZARD OF THE KEYS – one of the eight immortals of the planet gong. he has the key to the gong cosmognie & correspondance [sic] charts, the key to your heart, and above all the key to the secret vaults wherein is stashed the highly hush hush or ha! ha!ha!sshhh! cakes from the moon which he distributes daily to each of the 1024 (1K) PHP’s which means that a day on the planet gong is 1024 (1K) pipes long, and is measured by lunggong pipeclocks all over the planet.
So I won’t go too far into their background now, because – well – I need about six months of exhaustive research to give you something substantial. But I will play you a song of theirs. A song that captured my attention on my afternoon drive home from work. It’s always fun to hear something new and interesting that happens to be over 35 years old (egads – so am I, in fact, tomorrow is the 3-7! Urk!).
GONG – Dynamite / I Am Your Animal
Buy Camembert Electrique.
Visit Planet Gong | Daevid Allen’s Web Site | University of Errors (David’s current San Francisco-based band) | Gong’s All Music Profile
And while on the subject of Gong, here’s Paul Reubens on the Gong Show, circa 1976.
Ickmusic Giveaway: New Crowded House
Any Crowded House fans out there? It’s time for a giveaway, and this time it’s the new release from Australia’s Crowded House, who, after an 11-year hiatus, are back with the new album – Time on Earth – and a full tour. Once again, a great band I would go see skips Phoenix on their itinerary. Luckily I’ll catch them at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in September.
I can’t count myself as a huge fan of Crowded House, but I did buy Temple of Low Men on vinyl back in the day (1988), and I think “Better Be Home Soon” is one of the finer songs to pass through these ears. The original lineup was Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, and Paul Hester. Sadly, Hester took his own life in March 2005. You parents of young children would also recognize Hester as the chef on The Wiggles. You know, the one that sang along with them on “Fruit Salad'”? That was Paul.
The new album, Time on Earth, was released on July 2nd. I’ve had a few listens and am enjoying it thus far.
So as is the norm around these parts, leave a comment below to enter into the CD giveaway. Anyone gonna check them out on tour?
Crowded House’s Official Site
Check out video of their Live Earth performance over at Krup’s Place.
Cinderella: One for Rock and Roll
Do not lump Cinderella in with the rest of the 80’s hair bands. Sure, they hit it big with a classic power ballad “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” – still a great song, by the way. But beneath the hair and makeup was a great blues rock band. Their best effort, in my opinion, was 1990’s Heartbreak Station. It was their third studio release (following Night Songs and Long Cold Winter). They abandoned a lot of the over-produced hair rock sounds of their previous records for more of a bluesy, rootsy sound.
There are some great songs on this one. The most popular is “Shelter Me” – a Black Crowes/Stonesy number that rocks it with the gospel-like backing vocals. My favorite, though, is their ode to good old rock n’ roll. It’s an uplifting, spirited song. A great rhythm, great acoustic guitars & mandolin. And seventeen years later, the tune still sounds as fresh and vibrant as ever.
And as idealistic and corny at is seems, this song perfectly describes my lifelong obsession and affection towards music.
Cinderella – One for Rock and Roll
Buy Heartbreak Station.
Good friends and original members Tom Kiefer and are still active as Cinderella. Their Official Site is still referring to last year’s tour dates, but keep your eye out.
The Videos:
Motorhead on The Young Ones
Aikin’s great Motorhead post made me think back to their appearance on The Young Ones, a great British comedy from the 80’s. Off to Netflix to see if they have it on DVD…. and they do! To the top o’ the queue.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIBOvTovppM 336 278]
Taken by Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga
Hey, look! It’s the Spoon bandwagon coming down the road! Wait, hold on, out of my way! Ouch. Jerk! Let me on! Let me on! *runs along side, and jumps on the bandwagon*
It all started when I heard Spoon’s single, “The Underdog”, from their new album, Ga Ga Ga Ga.There’s a catchy and shall I say, summery-ness about it (even though I’m stuck in 110 degree desert hell, so summer isn’t pleasant like it should be). But I can enjoy a good summer song in the car with the AC cranked, or in a friend’s pool (note to self – next house, pool).
So off I went to eMusic to see if their new album was there. It was. I downloaded it. I played it all the way through. I played it all the way through again. I burned a disk for the car. I put it on my iPod. This album makes me happy. It is laden with catchy hooks, pleasant melodies, and a wide variety of infectious tunes.
“The Ghost of You Lingers” is wacked out dream music (a good thing). Then the 3-4-5 song combo of “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”, “Don’t You Evah”, and “Rhythm and Soul”pack a BAM BAM BAM punch. Cool sounds pervade the album: tamborines, handclaps, horns, cool bass lines, and fresh acoustic guitars.
It’s a solid album from start to finish. And it’s no secret. I’m about the 1,000th music site to rave about this album. So consider this highly recommended with the Ickmusic *ding* stamp of approval.
Pick up Ga Ga Ga Ga on Amazon
Listen to “Don’t You Evah” over at Said the Gramophone.
Check out some more Spoon toons on Elbo.
Watch the video for “The Underdog”…
