creekdipper

Interesting stuff, although I'll pull a Norm and say that it didn't grab me. It reminds me of the type of early LP's, EP's, demos, etc. of bands that became more polished later & turned the best of those early tracks into more solid tunes. Ryan Adams' old band Whiskeytown comes to mind.

The second tune sounds as though it could have been produced by Terry Melcher (Byrds) or Mitch Easter (Connells, REM, Let's Active).

Offering my "professional critique" (as a former member of a garage band...although, weren't we all members of a neighborhood band in the '60's? ), here's my two cents: Lyrics need more work (look at Springsteen notebooks to see how many times he changed lyrics to iconic tunes); some of those verses are a mouthful. Also, a bit too much imagery & wordplay that overwhelms some of the content. I'd advise a "less is more" approach (see, Neil Young, Gillian Welch, Robbie Robertson).

The guitar solos are also a bit underwhelming, and the first song could stand some heavy edits to tighten it up (could use a break or hook that shifts the melody; otherwise, it can get repetitive really fast).

They remind me a bit of some other 80's-early 90's bands (Lone Justice, Michelle Malone & Drag the River, Sidewinders, Cruzados, Vulger Boatmen, Rank & File, as well as Long Ryders). All bands with lots of potential but either couldn't get over the hump of mass appeal, splintered into solo acts, or simply never could find the sweet spot or ran dry of material (or money).

kd5

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creekdipper

Thanks for posting this, kd (along with the STARZ clip). It shows the serious gap in my 70's rock education that I was confusing Tommy Bolin (who died in '76) with Marc Bolan (who died in '77). Both died in their twenties, but that was about it as far as their sound (it's like confusing Deep Purple with T Rex! ).

The opening riff reminded me of Rev. Gary Davis' "Cocaine" (as performed by Cale or Clapton), while later spots made me think of Edgar Winter.

But the guitar solos got me hooked, and now I'm listening to Tommy B. cuts just to hear his guitar work.

Curse you, kd5!

creekdipper

Two bookends by the Handsome Family (probably best known for their incredible "Far From Any Road" used as theme song for HBO's "True Detective" series). Both cuts from The Singing Bones:

"If The World Should End in Ice"

"If The World Should End in Fire"

Although the two above cuts are atypical of their sound, they illustrate the gothic quality of Rennie's lyrics. I can't get enough of them; they remind me of author Robert Morgan's (Gap Creek) stark, bleak poetry such as "Mountain Bride" found here: http://www.robert-morgan.com/poems/mountain-bride/.

Handsome Family (Brett & Rennie Sparks) manage to combine horror and black (dark, not racial) humor...sort of like a musical version of Fargo. Ghosts, dead siblings, murdered spouses, bleached bones, frozen corpses...all fun stuff in the hands of the Sparks couple!

Ky-Fi

Yep, those are fair criticisms. The singer is a literate guy, and I get what you say about going heavy with the imagery, but as far as the phonetic sounds of the words, the timing and the number of syllables, I thought his vocal delivery worked well. I guess that's a subjective thing, though.

But yeah, I think you hit on a big issue---having an experienced producer with another set of ears to tighten and polish things up is hugely important. That's something that a lot of independent, low-budget artists (myself included) suffer from, and why they can't make that next step up with their music.

It's funny, these guys are a good bit older than me, and when I heard "Shadow Girls", I said the same thing to the singer that you did--"wow, I can really hear the R.E.M/ Mitch Easter sound on that one." He really didn't know what I was talking about---he hadn't really listened to much 80's music at all, but they just had all the same influences as those bands.

Ky-Fi

So after The Clash, Mick Jones formed Big Audio Dynamite. And after they broke up some of the BAD guys formed Dreadzone. Old pal Mick Jones joined them for this one:


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Norm de Plume

"The Unguarded Moment" by The Church.

kd5

Gary Moore: Over the Hills and Far Away...


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creekdipper

^ ^ ^

Made me think of some of his collaborations with Phil Lynott (aside from TL), which made me think of this:

King's Call Phil Lynott feat. Mark Knofler guitar; Brian Downey on drums.

Best Elvis tribute, IMO.

Ginwen

My current favorite song by my all-time favorite band: The Fall: I Am Damo Sazuki


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Ky-Fi

^ Nice. I need to get more stuff by them. I've got the A-sides singles collection and maybe one or two other albums. This is my favorite:

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Norm de Plume

Moving father-son ballad, "I am My Father's Son" by Dan Hill:

Norm de Plume

Minor classic by David Baerwald, "Hello Mary":

dom56

Loved this song with a mixed of rock and middle eastern tune.

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The Cow

See these guys live if you get the chance.

GatorDeb

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Norm de Plume

Dream Academy's "Forest Fire":



And for the occasion, "St. Valentine's Day":

kd5

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kd5

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creekdipper

Thanks for posting this, Norm...new for me. Certainly sounds as though he poured his feelings into the song, and I'm sure a lot of us can relate to dads who were somewhat distant & made mistakes but were doing the best they knew how. Makes me think that a thread could be posted on songs about parents each Mother's/Father's Day...along with familiar ones from Harry Chapin, Cat Stevens, Merle Haggard, John Lennon, Dolly Parton, Tori Amos, etc., probably a lot of less-familiar gems.

Here's one that sums up my father-in-law perfectly and makes my wife cry every time she hears it. Thought of it recently when finishing up going through her parents' attic when cleaning out the house (closing estate). Her dad was an orphan during the Great Depression and was passed from pillar to post; maybe that's what gave him his big heart toward seeing the best in others (particularly children).

Catie Curtis: "My Dad's Yard":

creekdipper

Aztec Two-Step: Highway Song.

Acadian Driftwood (written by Robbie Robertson/The Band; covered by Richard Shindell):

Interesting version of same song done by Amy Helms & the Handsome Strangers while riding down highway in van near Quebec; Amy appears to be playing percussion using plastic knife & spoon & peers over guitarist's shoulder to squint at words while taking lead vocals on a stanza or two. Sounds really good for a road trip karaoke version!

rbrown498

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The first time that I heard this song I thought that it was Fleetwood Mac.

kd5

A slightly different Highway Song...

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Norm de Plume

Nice song, creekdipper. I'm a sucker for ballads or songs that touch the heart. Your idea for a thread on songs about parents is a meritorious one, if there are enough songs to fit the bill.
My cherished dad died 6 years ago (he and I were extremely close), and a song about a parent's death that always chokes me up is Rick Springfield's very short "April 24th, 1981" (the date his dad died), which closed his '82 album Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet. I can't relate to the metaphysical aspects of the lyrics, but they move me nonetheless. They are sentiments shared by all of us who love our parents.
Here someone uses the song to pay tribute to his/her dad. What a soaringly sad piece. It takes me back to the wrenching last moments at my dad's bedside:

kd5

Several years ago I went through a phase in that I migrated away from the standard hard rock/classic rock/heavy metal into a more refined theater rock, or concept rock if you like. I found a band named Saga and stuck with them for quite awhile. Here's a sample:


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And another:

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Haven't listened to them in awhile, it was kind of nice hearing them again.