The Cover Up #2

Once the Grilling It executive branch promised to keep posting records that time forgot (because they suck) which have awesome covers. Remember installment #1?

In our spotty commitment to undercooked online journalism and slapdash music blogging:

Welcome to installment #2:

PETRA - NOT OF THIS WORLD

The album is generic soft boy trying too hard to be futuristic radio friendly cock rock. Overproduced, yet undercooked. I won't lie, I only listened to side one.

But the cover is a guitar spaceship blasting out into a cartoonish 80's spacescape:



Since the Petra has no jams to offer, here's my absolute top tune from the "palatable anachronistic pre-future cosmic rock" sub genre:

ZAP!

Some people are mad about the raging "us" ification of Switch and Diplo's Major Lazer. This video encapsulates the awesome dog's breakfast that is danchall fusion in the web age.

All Dressed Up For Sunday

That's a picture that my Uncle Johnny sent me of "The Bench," a sacred spot near our log cabin. Taken yesterday. I should be down there shotgunning beers with Dube, Rogie, Apple Jam and whoever else is around...

My only concern is the effect that a May snowfall has on mosquito reproduction, as that bench will be getting myself, The Wizard and a boombox added to it come August.



Sunday is a day for CLASSICS.

LOU REED - A Gift

From the appetite whetting new Mixtape Blood On Chef's Apron

RAEKWON - Beauty (feat Noreaga & Joel Ortiz)

Here's to urban music in bucolic settings.

Like?

In the winter of 2005, I was holed up in Toronto, living mostly alone in a four bedroom house on barely the right side of the tracks, staying warm, being poor, doing comedy and working at HMV.

That winter, as every cold winter (and spring/summer/fall) I took refuge in songs, and titled all of my mixtapes after tunes by Ike Turner & The King's of Rhythm. I still listen to "Prancin'" and "The Rooster."

IKE TURNER & THE KINGS OF RHYTHM - Getting Nasty

Ike was bad, but he's dead, so I like him.



A scene from the Shannen Doherty/Cypress Hill Saturday Night Live
(Aired October 2nd, 1993)

Ike Turner Played by Tim Meadows
Kevin Nealon Played By Himself

Kevin Nealon: Joining us this week to help sort out the new Clinton Health Care Plan, is Weekend Update correspondent, Ike Turner. Welcome, Ike.

Ike Turner: Alright, thank you, thank you, Kevin Nealon. Well, President Clinton brought out his newest plan, baby, because there are 225 million people in this country without Health Care, you dig?

Kevin Nealon: Uh, excuse me, Ike. I believe that figure is 25 million people without Health Care.

Ike Turner: I don't need that from you, Kevin Nealon!

Kevin Nealon: Oh.. sorry, Ike. I was just trying to help you out.. sorry.

Ike Turner: Oh, you trying to help Ike, huh? You trying to help Ike? Ike don't need your help! If I can get a band, I got songs in my head, I could get my music going, baby!

Kevin Nealon: Yeah. Ike, uh.. you were talking about the Clinton Health Care Package, I believe..

Ike Turner: Oh, okay, Kevin Nealon, is that how it is, huh? Fine! You want to talk about Health Care, baby? You want to take about Health Care with Ike?! Alright, then, look at this, huh, look at this.. [ pulls out cake ] Alrigh,t this cake is the U.S. budget, you dig? [ pulls hunks of cake loose as he talks ] Alright, you got your taxes, and you got your defensive spending.. [ eats from the cake ] Mmm.. this is some great cake. Have soem cake, Kevin Nealon, you want some cake?

Kevin Nealon: I'm not hungry, thanks..

Ike Turner: Come on, baby, it's good!

Kevin Nealon: No, I'm not hungry. Thanks, anyway..

Ike Turner: Now, don't you do this to me! Don't you do that to Ike!

Kevin Nealon: I don't want the cake! I'm not hungry Ike. Please!

Ike Turner: Alright! You don't want the cake, here's the stupid cake! [ throws the entire cake at Kevin ]

Kevin Nealon: Ike! Stop it, that hurts! Come on!

Ike Turner: Oh, baby.. I'm sorry, baby.. I just get crazy sometimes!

Kevin Nealon: I know you do!

Ike Turner: I'll make it up to you, I promise, baby, I promise..!

Kevin Nealon: Just don't even touch me! Ike.. Turner.. ladies and gentlemen. Just get away, just get away!

IKE TURNER & THE KINGS OF RHYTHM - Getting Nasty

Rockies

The Luminato Festival is a Toronto-centric burgeoning cultural blip that is attempting to host the world's largest jam session, and pick the "Great Canadian Tune."

I don't know if this means the song that is the best, made by a person born in Canada, or the song that best represents Canadian-ness. Either way, I'm bummed that Spirit of the West, Maestro Fresh Wes, Propagandhi, and our girl Joni didn't make the cut.

I ride fervently for Feist, Sarah Harmer, "Taking Care Of Business," and The Hip, but of all the choices, "Boy Inside The Man" by Tom Cochrane, although a bit of a weak song, probably summarizes bits of our fractured and developing identity better than any of them.

"Sister cool this face
As if it's carved in stone
Don't leave me in this place
Like a boy without a home (repeat) "

However, the choice is between: "The Weight" and "Helpless" if we're being honest with ourselves (never a hallmark of Canadian media, but hey...).



This is the video I referenced just the other day. Also, this is the song with the lowish angled profile shots of Younger where a now infamous "rock" had to be removed from his nose in post-production. Neil Young's soul is made of solid rock, so that should come as no surprise.



As an added bonus, here's KD Lang haunting the life back into Helpless while Neil lay in the hospital.



This space has been ROCK HEAVY as of late. Might have to get into the rap and technos next week just to keep the blogger crowd. I'll be typing:

"this jam is a banger that is sure to have all the peak time party time party people putting their fists in the air to its wobbly bass, chopped-up vocals and banging jammerness!" As if this site was done from Scandinavia and I wasn't University educated. We'll see.

Ok, rock on eh.



Ok, fine, since I mentioned them before...here's one great Canadian tune. It represents all the conflict, luxury and stress that we're born into if we're born in this country, but really just born free:

Cat Skills

Hi gang. I'm currently working out a short story on cats (the animal not the musical) and as soon as it's done and published, then you'll see it. Well it's not JUST about cats, it's also about deer, Indians, the afterlife, western expansion, rabbits, living in the moment, a man's false construction of the things he did not do having some bearing on his fate, rock music and staying up all night. Oh, and it's a comedy.

The point is, I've had cats on the brain in a serious way, and then today I see this amazing video of Louis Wain's work and its progression as he descends into Schizophrenia. His renderings of cats get progressively unreal as he becomes more mentally ill.



THE KINKS - Phenomenal Cat

THE COUP - Fat Cats, Bigga Fish

If anyone has any cat related media that I should be using as inspiration, please leave tips/links in the comments. Bear in mind that I have TS Eliot, the Cat Power Discography and Fritz The Cat.

Ok, thanks for reading watching listening stopping...skip on...

DOM (Died On Monday)

I know it seems arbitrary and ridiculous when I choose some notable deaths and ignore others. It's not ignoring, just Bea Arthur was too tough to blog about. I grieved about Bea as you might expect, by watching Golden Girls and by ogling Blanche as I touch myself under the covers. Just kidding (not kidding). No. Just kidding.

Dom DeLuise, peace.

Lunar Unit Moon Loosie

SOCIETY ALARM

Is a kid becoming a raveterestrial better than morphing into a hog on Mcwhoppers and on-line gaming? This may be a critical parenting issue.



I think kids should dance, but if it seems that they enjoy spinning or hyperventilating to dissorient themselves, then the parent should search their room for illegals well into the child's thirties.

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN - The Killing Moon

I played this album (Ocean Rain) five times in the car today. Precipitationary (rainy) spring days in the Nerd American Pacific rain forest calling for the throbbing basic superficial gloom, deep thoughts and emotional sparseness of...



Soon I will start an improv troop that plays as "Mr. Echo & The Funnymen." The only suggestion we will ask for is: "What's something that was awesome on Lost?" Then we'll play for 44 minutes exactly, ending with a cliffhanger that will make your brain wish it was your butt.

That's me on the left.

The Past Is The Dark Side

I'm yelling at that clown: "CHEER UP PATCHES! You're rolling with Lord Vader and a boss Ewok!"GROWING UP STAR WARS

Different Sets Of Circumstances

Coyote Uh Huh Glee

The problem of having too many songs, in digital, vinyl, cd, and cassette form, is an enviable one. There is a balance to be achieved between rifling through so-called "jams" and "bangers," connecting with heavy piles of wax and getting Compact Disc's to their final resting place. The balance is one as crucial as work/play or teaching/learning. It's fun to sort through music, to judge lp's by their cover and to skip through dance mp3's. But you're not really listening.

As I was working through my music, I stopped and opted to play something I know, The Last Waltz, and was treated to Joni Mitchell's "Coyote."

One of the beautiful moments about Scorcese's sequencing in the Film The Last Waltz, is how Joni is introduced by her striking, distinctive, silhouette singing backup for Neil Young & The Band on "Helpless." Only to then emerge as a representative of women, folk, the womenfolk amidst the joyous big-time boy's club of The Last Waltz, and absolutely SLAY her coyote.



When Robbie Roberstson starts playing those little leads towards her, and she is still just locked in on driving "Coyote" right to the end, she shrugs his noodling off like a lewd whistle in a truck stop bar.

Oh they still make em like they used to, but it gets harder and harder to find them.


(Nightime At The Nucleus by Joni Mitchell)

For those of you curious about the image up top, it's from a peace on graf in Iraq up at Hear The Sounds farmed from El Stence Stence Stence.

That's it for this wordy bloggery, I'm retiring to work out some material not to be heaved into the awesome abysss of the onlines.