The Verve Reunites

1-2; 1-2; 1-2
1-2-3; 1-2-3

So simple yet so grand. This orchestral riff was the powerful centerpiece to one of the last worldwide smash singles we’ll ever see. Last night at MSG theater, THE VERVE played their classic "Bittersweet Symphony" to a rousing crowd that instantly leapt out of their seats and sang along with every word.
These guys came out of nowhere over 10 years ago and on the back of this one song sold millions of records and achieved worldwide fame. You're talking serious connection when they can reunite after 10 years and sell out shows, without releasing any new material. That's the beauty of a hit single, though the days of focused media attention needed to create these are long gone.
What's particularly interesting here is that this song was from a credible, alternative rock band. There might have been hits since but none like this one - we're not talking beats and inane slang about ghetto cool and body parts, this was a piece of art coming from a deep place. The strength of this was the affect, the emotion that the music summoned in all who heard it. I'm not sure if we'll ever this this type of quality in popular music ever again, not that anyone seems to really care.
As for The Verve's masterpiece, I don’t know one single person who doesn’t love this song. At the heart of it is the universal truth everyone knows. It IS a bittersweet symphony that’s life. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just is. And I'm not sure if expressing and celebrating this idea has ever been done better.

Heroes by The Wallflowers

Came across this earlier in the week and rekindled an old flame as I always loved this take on Bowie's classic, something that's not easy to do. Although tied to one of the worst movies ever made The Wallflowers scored here bigtime.
These guys were actually a great band and put out some solid material over the years, even though from they were always saddled with the burden of inevitable comparison with their frontman's father's work, something no mere mortal could hope to compete with.

Rogue Wave

New favorite song = "Lake Michigan" by Rogue Wave.

Awesome. Among the vast heap of indie-rock bands, these guys really move. Heard the song once and have been hooked since.

Live At Massey Hall

When Neil Young released LIVE AT MASSEY HALL last year I spent a few straight weeks listening. On this tour he was debuting the material from HARVEST to the public for the first time, before these songs became bona fide classics.
Imagine seeing one of these shows, witnessing Neil's transformation from noted Buffalo Springfield collaborator to one of the most important recording artists of all-time. This record contains it all and is a must-own for its stunning document of this incredible tour. On it you'll hear classics like this, one of my all-time favs. The mood, the heaviness - check out Neil's delivery of the chorus, around the 1:55 mark. The jedi-like force of this lanky, longhaired Canadian; you've got to be kidding me here. I'll be playing this album all day today...

Swingin'

“moonlight on the interstate
she was cross the Georgia line
looked out the window, feeling great
yeah it had to come in time”

Tom Petty released ECHO long after his Greatest Hits album, otherwise this song would have definitely been included on it. It's easily one of the best things he’s ever done but never seemed to get the attention that his earlier hits received. It's no wonder when there’s so much classic material to choose from, but this is vintage TP and the Heartbreakers serving up what they’ve always done best.

Killer hooks, movie-screen lyrics, harmonica, piano, and that famous southern drawl. Pick this up and crank it, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear.

Shine A Light

It's a classic. You'll realize this about 10 minutes into Martin Scorsese's outstanding documentary on The Rolling Stones. I was lucky enough to be there for the 2nd show filmed at New York City's Beacon Theater and to relive this on the big screen with all the extra footage reinforced the Stones' position as the world's greatest rock-n-roll band. You don't want to miss seeing this in theaters.

The star of the film is of course the band and the tunes, but its the photography here that puts this over the top. Stunningly gorgeous shots of the band, venue and crowd that at times pop you right in the front row. This film wasn't shot in 3D but somehow Scorsese achieves that effect anyway. It's really exceptional.

As far as the performance, it's all about the energy. Although some say the Stones have become caricatures of their former selves in the last 10 years, their fans support has never faltered. The reason why is that they keep delivering and this essential aspect is plain to see all throughout the film. Mick is positively incredible. 63 years old when the show was filmed, he tears through the set with electric vigor and affirms his place as rock's greatest showman. It's truly incredible and I don't see how anyone won't be moved and awed by his performance here.

The best songs? Not the ones you might suspect. After a full set of Stones classics the one that stood out most was a stripped down version of "You Got The Silver" with Keith steering the ship. Wow. Keith's persona has overshadowed his musicality for a long time but this one goes back to basics and shows why he became the legend he is. His delivery is all charisma, all soul, and incredibly powerful. Ronnie Wood's steel-guitar backing is priceless as well.

There's a ton of other ace moments too, especially the behind the scenes and specially selected archive footage included throughout that take a look back on the band's extraordinary career with humor and irony. A great night out for you here - don't miss it.

There's A Web Sheriff In Town

So after posting the now-inactive link to "Old Enough", one of the better songs on the new album from The Raconteurs I received the below letter via email this morning.

Let's consider this for a second: the rights holders, XL&WB records in this case, want to STOP word of mouth on this record. Word of mouth of course, being the single most important thing any product, not just musical, can hope to generate. What's even more insane is that, presuming that this Sheriff doesn't render his services for free, they're incurring expense to do so!! Literally, spending money to kill off potential for new money to come through the door.

The hardest yet most vital thing to do for any musician is to get your music heard. Sure, "Salute Your Solution" is available on the band's website, but what if people who want to spread the word about other songs? The record has been out for 2 weeks already. Further, I thought the whole idea of the rush to release this record (Jack's, not the labels, from what I read in the press) was done to bypass traditional 'set-up' tactics? In today's environment where there is so much music available and nobody is listening to radio, what significance does the "single" really have anyways?

I could go on and on here, but this neither the first nor last cease-and-desist letter to be sent on behalf of major music labels. I just find it crazy how they continue to use their resources. Given all the promotional possibilities of the web, why limit themselves to :30 clips on artist sites, iTunes or wherever? These simply do not work.

Anyways, this is not what this blog is meant to be about but I just wanted to expose something that's truly extraordinary. I'm skeptical of the claim that this is also the "artists wishes" and won't let it hamper the way I feel about the band, though I could see how this would piss off some fans. I was honestly going to post about another track today, one that I'm actually liking even more, but in light of all this you're going to have to find a way to listen to "These Stones Will Shout". An incredible, energetic tune with some of the best changes I've heard in a long while. If you're still interested at this point, do check it out...



WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Hi FM,

On behalf of XL Recordings and Warner Bros Records, we would kindly ask you not to post copies of "Consolers Of The Lonely" on your site (or any individual tracks from The Ranconteurs' newly released album - release date 25th March).

We do appreciate that you are fans of / are promoting The Ranconteurs, but XL and Warners would greatly appreciate your co-operation in removing your links to the pirate files in question. If you’d like a good quality, non-pirated, preview clip, a widget of the promo video for “Salute Your Solution” is available for you to embed at http://www.theraconteurs.com/widget.html .

Many thanks for respecting the artist's and label's wishes.

As you will appreciate, this e-mail is written on a without prejudice basis and, as such, all of our clients' accumulated, worldwide rights and remedies remain strictly reserved : please excuse this required formality.

Regards,

WEB SHERIFF
Protecting Your Rights on the Internet
Tel 44-(0)208-3238013
Fax 44-(0)208-3238080
websheriff@websheriff.com
www.websheriff.com

The Raconteurs

Reason #1 why you should buy the new Raconteurs album, CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY: track4, "Old Enough".

Masterful. Jack and his southern-boy side band are all over the place, throwing all the ingredients of 70's rock and country in the punchbowl and serving up something that's got plenty of bite.

Keep's getting better with every listen. There's some great new music out there people.....

Apple Now the Biggest Music Retailer in US

Pretty interesting story released today that illustrates the increasing demise of the CD in the US. At the end of 2007 when Tower Records and all other traditional record stores had closed their doors, Walmart was the top purveyor of recorded music. However in a report just released by the NPD group, iTunes has now surpassed them in total sales during Jan & Feb of this year, which of course consist of digital content only.

Incredible.

R.E.M. - New Album Drop Today

Have to say I've always enjoyed R.E.M.
If you think about what makes an artist truly classic, the consistent output of great material is among the chief criteria, and they've always had at least a couple great songs on every album they've made. Beyond that they simply deserve props for the longevity and for keeping themselves together for over 20 years.

I'd been noticing a lot of press on the new album, ACCELERATE, and as I started listening it appears they've haven't lost steam. The 1st single "Supernatural Superserious" is wicked combination of pop and rock, something they've always excelled at. Radio stations would have loved this kind of song back in the 90's, but now I'm not sure where you'll hear it if you're not online.
A strong recommend here. Enjoy.