NINE INCH NAILS CANCELS MUSIC BOX AT HENRY FONDA THEATER TODAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
First of all, did I ever get lucky. I have the worst news for all you NIN fans chomping at the bit to see their last L.A. shows before Trent Reznor says hello to marriage and a long hiatus...Nine Inch Nails has cancelled tonight's show at the Music Box @Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA due to Trent being ill with influenza. Here's what's posted on the front page of nin.com:
"We're very sorry to announce that Trent is ill, and on his doctor's orders we will not be able to perform tonight's show at the Henry Fonda Theater. This is the only information we have at this time, we're posting this early announcement as a convenience for those of you who had plans to attend. Reimbursement details will be posted as soon as we figure them out; likely within the next 24 hours. We wish this wasn't necessary and we're very sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding."
Bummer. Trent did mention at yesterday's incendiary Palladium show that he was feeling poorly and apologized to us for the condition of his voice (which I thought sounded great in spite of), remarking that it sounded like "the inside of an AM radio" to him. Poor, poor Trent.
NINE INCH NAILS, HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
As far as yesterday's show at the Hollywood Palladium -the first in the L.A. series of NIN "Wave Goodbye" tour shows- well, it was bloody hot, for starters, as evidenced by the above photo of Trent courtesy of the LA Times. In the smaller atmosphere of the Palladium (compared to the ginormous ampitheatre and arena venues like the Verizon Wireless Ampitheater and The Forum, at which I had previously seen Nine Inch Nails in the past couple of years), NIN glowed and burned like a fire that caused us all to sweat bullets. It was a pretty magnificent night for black-clad industrial and rock music fans.
Nine Inch Nails' 1995 tour supporting The Downward Spiral was my first concert ever. Nassau Coliseum out on Long Island. I was fifteen, and though I was stuck in the nosebleed section, it was and remains one of the best shows I have ever seen. Dripping wet and ecstatic yesterday, seeing Trent the right way, up close and personal, brought me back to that initial fervor I felt for the band as a teenager.
Oddly enough, yesterday's show was all about that seminal album. It really should have been called "The Downward Spiral Tour," because with the album played impeccably and in its entirety (even including ambient moments like "A Warm Place"), it was the highlight that every true NIN fan has been hanging in there for. Trent and his band played LOUD and with metallic gusto, but also with incredible nuance and delicacy on songs like "Hurt" and especially "Lights In The Sky," from 2008 album The Slip, a song that I can't say I had ever really appreciated until now.
All this plus some old-school jams ("Head Like A Hole," "Terrible Lie," "Burn," "Suck") and the surprise guest, '80's electronic music stalwart Gary Numan (who rocked out his songs "Metal" and '80's Karaoke Night jam "Cars" in his black eye makeup, blacker hair and pale skin, looking like some kind of cool goth man-insect), NIN's funeral was instead a kind of celebration of a bygone era of angry, darkwave electronic music.
Don't take my word for it, though...LA Times can hook you up with another perspective.
Here are some live videos from the "Wave Goodbye" and "NIN/JA" tours, starting off with a couple from yesterday's Hollywood Palladium show...we can only hope that Trent isn't serious about the "goodbye" part; maybe just "until later":
PEARL JAM'S NEW ALBUM SET FOR RELEASE SEPT. 20 AND NEW VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good news, gang...Pearl Jam's new album, Backspacer, is set for a September release and their new Cameron Crowe-directed video, "The Fixer" is available as a free download from iTunes. You can also score a digital download of the single, and while you're at it, pre-order the album, why don'cha? Yay! It's almost too much to bear.
Here is the fantastic new video if you absolutely cannot make your way over to iTunes, for your viewing pleasure:
Apparently this video is part of a larger commercial deal with the Target corporation, which is pretty eyebrow-raising indeed for such a vehemently anti-capitalist band. But like their manager Kelly Curtis said, it wasn't like they weren't releasing albums for Sony for almost two decades (Backspacer will be released by Universal Music Group). Go figure.
Here's a short about the making of the Backspacer album:
This special edition of "Soundtrack of Your Life" is in response to two things specifically: 1.) News from U2.com that the European leg of their current 360° Tour is winding down and will be wending its way into the U.S., where I will be catching it at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on October 25. Click on the website for tour dates in your area! Hurry!!
2.) Paste Magazine put up a very interesting list of The 20 Best U2 Songs of All Time on August 4...I was dismayed to see the list lacking in U2's formidable '90s output, so I decided to sate '90's U2 fans with our own list. So there!
THE BEST 20 U2 SONGS OF THE '90'S (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER) ONE (ACHTUNG BABY, 1991)
It's so tough to write a list U2's best '90's songs without putting the entirety of Achtung Baby on the list, thereby defeating the purpose of said list. This classic U2 album, startlingly under-represented on Paste's list, is fawned over and argued about by rock music fans to this day. And out of an album full of gorgeous tunes, "One" is the one, hands down.
I remember being enthralled with this song in the early Nineties; I taped it off the radio and listened to it every chance I could get; I loved that it had three totally different videos in rotation on MTV, directed by Anton Corbijn, Mark Pellington and Phil Joanou, repectively.
"One" was the glue that held the band together in the face of creative strife. There seemed to be a divide between continuing to sound like the U2 of the '80's and progressing into a newer sound, inspired by younger rock bands and electronic dance music. "One" clearly shows that U2 was not down for the count yet in terms of raw spirit, as its presence on many "Best Rock Songs" lists shows.
Here is a great documentary on the song "One" called "A Story of One," in two parts:
U2 also performed this song live in 2005 in New York with '90's R&B diva, Damn The Man fave and Yonkers, NY native, Mary J. Blige, which was later recorded and placed on her 2005 album, The Breakthrough. I have to say, Mary kills this song.
TRYIN' TO THROW YOUR ARMS AROUND THE WORLD (ACHTUNG BABY, 1991)
I bet you thought I was going to talk about "Mysterious Ways" next... I will.
One of my best friends in college had a radio show right before mine for a while called "Like A Fish Needs A Bicycle." Love this song. Underrated and sexy as hell.
LEMON (ZOOROPA, 1993)
First of all, Zooropa is that ish. Do not be swayed by U2 snobs who turn their nose up at the band's innovative genre-melding post-80's work. Zooropa will make your booty bounce.
It has to be said: "Lemon" is an awesome song. Quite unlike anything else in their catalogue, but a manifestation of previous ideas harbored by The Edge and Bono, it is Teutonic electronic dance majesty. Combined with Bono's in-concert red-devil-horned alter-ego MacPhisto, it doesn't get any better. Proved that U2 had many styles, and rockin' the dance floor was one of them.
The really cool video, directed by Mark Neale (who also directed videos for the Counting Crows, among others), was actually a tribute to 19th century English photographer Eadweard Muybridge, who was a pioneer in capturing motion on film using multiple cameras, then projecting the result using his zoopraxiscope device. It seems as if his photos of American bison set in motion may have been a reference for the Mark Pellington video version of "One":
(The main inspiration for that video is actually photographs of buffalo by '80's gay NYC artist David Wojnarowicz.)
I think the vocal arrangements and Bono's falsetto are pretty remarkable in this song. I also like the Pet Shop Boys-ish Euro-sophisticate quality of it.
STAY (FARAWAY, SO CLOSE!) (ZOOROPA, 1993)
I love this promo photo because it was on the cassingle my Mom bought for us, she loved the song too. In fact, we bought several copies of this song throughout the years, in a vain search for superior sound quality. The need to hear this song as crisp and clear as a bell was that strong.
I do also remember that the B-side to this song was a duet with Frank Sinatra and Bono on the song "I've Got You Under My Skin"; written by Cole Porter song, it became a hit for Sinatra in 1956. It was re-popularized in the 90's by bands like U2 and Jawbox.
"Stay (Faraway, So Close!) was actually recorded with Frank Sinatra in mind; in fact, the song bore the working title "Sinatra" throughout the recording process. The song had already found life during the Achtung Baby sessions, but was only completed after German film director Wim Wenders requested a song for his 1993 film "Faraway, So Close!," a sequel to his 1987 classic film, "Wings of Desire."
I love "Wings of Desire," so I adored the poignant video for "Stay," directed by Wenders and Mark Neale. Enjoy:
IF GOD WILL SEND HIS ANGELS (POP, 1997)
"If God Will Send His Angels" is kind of like "Stay" Part Two, especially if you consider that the song was featured on the 1998 film "City of Angels" soundtrack, which was an American remake of Wim Wenders's 1987 film "Wings of Desire," directed by Brad Silberling. My best friend and I listened to this song over and over again in the dorm at college...we thought our hearts might break from its sheer beauty. A lot of U2 fanatics like to poop on Pop, but I suggest you don't go there.
Longtime U2 collaborator Phil Joanou directed the video for the song, which I am only just now getting the pleasure to watch. Thank you YouTube!
GONE (POP, 1997)
My husband is a fan of this song..."Gone" is a song about the emotional twists and turns of being a rock star, and is often dedicated in concert to the late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, who committed suicide the same year that Pop was released.
MYSTERIOUS WAYS (ACHTUNG BABY, 1991)
This song did not make the Paste Top 20 U2 list, and for why, I'm not sure. This song heralded the return of U2 in the '90's as the Sexiest Band On Earth, and with good reason. Its snaky, sinewy exotic vibe, throbbing guitar line and Bono in his ruffly red shirt, black-black hair and tight leather pants in the video was all one needed to know, really.
The much-played video was directed in Morocco by French person Stéphane Sednaoui, who was responsible for many a dope video in the Nineties, including Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away," "Breaking The Girl" and "Scar Tissue," Smashing Pumpkins' "Today," Björk's "Big Time Sensuality" and "Possibly Maybe," Garbage's "Queer," Alanis Morrissette's "Ironic," and U2's own "Discothèque."
WHO'S GONNA RIDE YOUR WILD HORSES (ACHTUNG BABY, 1991)
"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" is one of the more overlooked songs on 1991's Achtung Baby, and again, I'm not sure why. This song is as ravishing a song of love and lament as they come. It's like that feeling the last night that you're intimate with a lover that you will be broken up with tomorrow...so wrong, yet so right.
BTW, this video is amazing:
DADDY'S GONNA PAY FOR YOUR CRASHED CAR (ZOOROPA, 1993)
I always had a soft spot for this song's industrial-ish flair...It is an exemplar of a certain kind of '90's sensibility when it came to pop genre-blending; incorporating dance, electronic and hip-hop sounds into rock music. I was a big fan of industrial and experimental bands like Soul Coughing back then, so this was right up my alley.
NUMB (ZOOROPA, 1993)
I remember it taking me and my friends in high school a minute to get used to this song. It was a lot to take in at thirteen years of age, especially given that I hadn't had my full education in industrial music and musique concrète, and Stockhausen and such yet.
Even yet and still, I learned, and came to love another unusual entry in the U2 catalogue. This song was a leftover from "Achtung Baby," and the backing track was combined with The Edge's monotone delivery of his own lyrics to create the song, in addition to keyboards laid down by producer Brian Eno. The song was released as a video single, much in the way that Madonna's song "Justify My Love" was released as a video single in 1990 to great controversy. "Numb" was also the debut single of the album Zooropa, an unorthodox choice if there ever was one.
This video was directed by Kevin Godley of the British band Godley & Creme, and was later remixed by the '90's industrial/performance artist group, Emergency Broadcast Network.
Emergency Broadcast Network (EBN) version:
DISCOTHEQUE (POP, 1997)
Me, I'm partial to dance and electronic music, so it was thrilling to me to see U2 give in to their inner mirror ball with much of their '90's output, culminating in the tune "Discothèque." This song has many haters, but that's just too damn bad. This is a fun, silly song with a tasty hook, video courtesy of Stéphane Sednaoui:
STARING AT THE SUN (POP, 1997)
This is a good example of the kind of shimmery, hummable single that was pervasive throughout the '90's for many rock/pop bands, and would become kind of the linchpin style of the strongest singles to come for U2 on subsequent albums. Just mm-mm good.
Here's a lovely live version of the song from Slane Castle in Ireland:
ULTRAVIOLET (LIGHT MY WAY) (ACHTUNG BABY, 1991)
The 2007 Julian Schnabel-directed film "Le Scaphandre et Le Papillon (The Diving Bell and The Butterfly)" reminded me and my husband again of the wondrous uplift of this song. Yet another underrated Achtung track, it's a soaring piece, and U2 doesn't quite take flight in the same way again until "Beautiful Day" off their 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, which is appropriate since Bono's description of what the latter song is about seems to fit both tunes: "a man who has lost everything, but finds joy in what he still has."
SO CRUEL (ACHTUNG BABY, 1991)
Another little-mentioned song off this seminal album. I love when Bono gets down in his more sensual, R&B slow jam mode, similar to what he achieves on "Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World," so this song is catnip to me.
LOVE IS BLINDNESS (ACHTUNG BABY, 1991)
I was going to talk about "Acrobat," which made an appearance on the Paste U2 list and appears to be a favorite for U2 connoisseurs, but I tip in favor of "Love Is Blindness," a beautifully wintry ode to how-so-very-confusing love can be. I love its dark chocolate-y, late-night, rain-spattered-boulevard-under-a-single-streetlamp jazziness. I love when rock bands pull out their jazz hands; Pearl Jam pulls off a similar act with the song "Indifference" on their 1993 album, "Vs." I once intercepted a mix tape that was meant to be delivered to someone else to make my own copy because it had "Love Is Blindness" as one of its first tracks.
It feels like Nina Simone or somebody should have popularized this song, but it was written during U2's Rattle and Hum sessions. Not to be missed.
ZOOROPA (ZOOROPA, 1993)
I am a big fan of the gauzy, dreamlike quality to the whole album Zooropa, and its title track just exemplifies the detached aesthetic. It feels like a particularly kind pharmaceutical high, but the danger of the big comedown always lurks. Producers Flood (one of my favorite music producers from the '90's; he was down with Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Depeche Mode, PJ Harvey, Jesus and Mary Chain, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.) and Brian Eno (along with The Edge) were responsible for manifesting the sound of a dystopian future Europe.
The phrase "dream out loud" from the song is a reference to the song "Acrobat" from Achtung Baby.
BABYFACE (ZOOROPA, 1993)
In compiling this list, I have to admit that I have been reintroduced to quite a few of the songs I ignored the first time, and this is one of them. What a sweet and sexy song. It reminds me of Madonna's "Borderline" period; just youthful innocence and exuberance. Sit back and think about that first love for me, please:
THE PLAYBOY MANSION (POP, 1997)
It is rather weird how Bono name-checks Michael Jackson in this song, so that it sounds like "Michael Jackson, history," as in Michael Jackson is history, rather than just shouting out the name of his 1995 album.
The lazy stroll of the song and see-sawing main guitar (or just as effectively, strings) chord progression is tailor-made for hazy summer days:
IF YOU WEAR THAT VELVET DRESS (POP,1993)
This song is "Love Is Blindness" Part Two, but you can never have enough sexy, smoky jazz-bo flavor in your life, believe me. The '90's had a lounge-y, cabaret-ish, jazzy undercurrent that I was really into. Songs like this one remind me of songs like Morphine's "Yes" and "Whisper" (from their 1995 album, Yes), and Depeche Mode's "Blue Dress" (from their 1990 album, Violator). Put these on the hi-fi if you need a left-field song to get your "Lay Lady Lay" action on. You will not fail.
EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING (ACHTUNG BABY, 1991)
This song obviously rocks. It too was built around a guitar riff that Edge created during the Rattle and Hum sessions.
The video features a 360° camera effect created by Simon Tayler of London production company Artem, which won a 1992 MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects. While that is all well and good, I agree with a YouTube commenter on this video: Bono does look oh-so-good in leather.
That makes twenty, guys! But I have an extra-special treat for you...This song was originally released by U2 in 1987 as the B-side to the "Where The Streets Have No Name" single off of their album, The Joshua Tree. It was released in a couple of different versions thereafter, including this 1998 version that showed up on their compilation album, The Best of 1980-1990. I think I probably love this song more than anything on here (except for "Stay (Faraway, So Close!), that's my jam). It is that excellent. Kevin Godley directed this really funny, sweet video, enjoy:
If you made it this whole way, congratulations! Here's a cookie! If there's a song that I missed that you love, please sure sure to comment...
THE FLAMING LIPS - SONGS FROM THE FUTURE ALBUM EMBRYONIC EP
Very good news from Wayne and the gang... Flaming Lips.com has announced that three songs pulled from The Flaming Lips' upcoming album Embryonic ("Convinced of The Hex," "The Impulse" and "Silver Trembling Hands") have been made available for download from digital retailers such as iTunes, which has the whole shebang listed here for $3.87. Exciting!
Now I'm going to do you a favor and throw up some videos of The Lips performing "Silver Trembling Hands" and Convinced of the Hex" at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago this past July 19 to wet your whistle for these new tracks:
NSFW for those of you lucky enough to be hanging on to your job...Wayne is pulling an MC5 here and calling out to his sexy MFs incessantly. Keep your day job!
This whole business with Jay just makes me very sad. For those who don't know, Illinois native Jay Bennett was a musician who was a member of the alt-country band Wilco from 1994 until he was fired from the band in 2001, a tumultuous affair partly chronicled in the 2002 Sam Jones-directed documentary about Wilco, "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." He died in his sleep on Sunday, May 24, 2009. The cause of death at this time is undetermined. A Champaign County, IL coroner's report is forthcoming after further testing.
Bennett subsequently went on to a lower-profile solo career, eventually recording five solo albums, including 2002's "The Palace at 4am" with Champaign, IL musician Edward Burch and 2008's "Whatever Happened I Apologize." He was finishing the album "Kicking At The Perfumed Air" at the time of his death. He also produced Blues Traveler's 2005 record "¡Bastardos!" and was a successful studio musician, playing on albums of musicians like Sheryl Crow.
Bennett contributed his talent as a multi-instrumentalist and producer to Wilco's during and including the live tours and records including "A.M." (1995; only live show) , "Being There" (1996), "Mermaid Avenue" (1998), "Summerteeth" (1999), and "Mermaid Avenue Vol. II" (2002), culminating in his contentious recording work on 2002's much-beleaguered rock masterpiece "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," which resulted in producer Jim O'Rourke remixing the title song "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," eventually taking over mixing of the entire album, and precipitated Bennett's unceremonious departure from the band.
Unfortunately, this embarrassing fall was documented in the film "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," which, IMHO, kind of depicts Jay in a less-than-favorable light. Apparently, he agreed, because Bennett filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Wilco frontman and founder Jeff Tweedy on May 4, 2009, for $50,000 in recompense for unpaid royalties accrued during his time in Wilco and his negative portrayal and unauthorized use of his image in the film.
Even worse was that Bennett was having trouble as of late with a hip injury incurred while he was a member of the band Titanic Love Affair in the 90's. He was preparing to go into hip replacement surgery, but found his insurance would not cover the procedure. He struggled with gathering the funds required to pay for the surgery "out of pocket".
Jay Bennett seemed to catch a raw deal in the end, especially when it comes to the impression the general public got of him as a musician and band member from "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." Jay seemed like an enthusiastic and committed artist who only cared about progressing the music to the best place he could guide it. "Summerteeth" and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" are two amazing records that are touched by his care and contribution, and that's awesome. The fact that he lived the last portion of his life in frustrating emotional and physical pain is depressing. You will be missed, Jay. Thanks for bringing music into the world.
Here are some clips of Jay Bennett playing with Wilco, including some portions of the doc "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". For more info on Jay Bennett's contributions to the "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" record, I highly recommend you click here. For an interview conducted by Glorious Noise with Jay Bennett about "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and his leaving Wilco, you know what to do. Fascinating stuff.
THE POSIES - THE GRAMERCY THEATER, NY, NY - JUNE 13, 2009
If you happen to be in NYC in June and are at all a fan of Damn The Man, then you will probably be at this most momentous of 90's shows.
Bellingham, WA band The Posies make me want to cry because they represent the 90's in a lot of ways for me. For some reason, dreamy guitar fuzz pop is not popular with the kids and their iPods these days. Their 1993 album, "Frosting on the Beater" is a triumph of said fuzzy guitar pop, and will be performed in its entirety by the full band, including, of course, co-founders and main songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow.
Here's where you can purchase tickets if that is your wont to do so.
"Flavor of the Month" was their big hit single off "Frosting," but "Dream All Day" is one of the finest songs of the 90's, bar none. Check out some Posies videos that will illustrate what I mean:
Now, there is nothing that Your 90's-ologist loves to do more than reminisce over Ten-era Pearl Jam. I felt a ping of regret in my heart when Epic reissued 1991's "Ten" this past March because it would never again be the first time I was hearing that album.
Then I saw Paul McCartney bust some moves onstage at Coachella a couple of weeks ago, and he performed The Beatles' 1970 hit song "I've Got A Feeling," from their hit album "Let It Be," and it reminded me of just how much I used to love Pearl Jam's cover of this song in the early 90's.
"I've Got A Feeling" is an interesting mash of two unfinished songs written by McCartney ("I've Got A Feeling") and John Lennon ("Everybody Had A Hard Year/Watching Rainbows") ... Pearl Jam included their take on the song on Japanese releases of "Ten." It eventually made its way back to the States through bootlegs, which is how I first heard it, I believe. At the time, I knew it wasn't an original PJ track, but had no clue it was a Beatles song, which seems crazy, but black folks don't pump "Let It Be" on their hi-fi stereos. I was a newborn babe to rock, and Pearl Jam was there to guide me.
I love the idealistic quality of this song. It feels like drinking a tall, cold glass of water...refreshing. Enjoy:
The "Andy" that Eddie Vedder mentions in this version of the song is Andrew Wood, singer of Seattle band Mother Love Bone who died of a heroin overdose in 1990. Pearl Jam is partly comprised of Mother Love Bone members: Jeff Ament on bass and guitarist Stone Gossard.
Paste Magazine reports that The Flaming Lips may title their next album "Embryonic" or "Embryonic and..some other as-yet-unconfirmed thing." Whatever. This post was really just an excuse to post the best picture ever, above.
OK, so I dropped the ball on letting you guys know about their impressive multiple-night stint in the Los Angeles area recently. As Cher from "Clueless" might say: my bad.
In truth, I have been avoiding the No Doubt issue, but as Your 90's-ologist, I would be completely remiss if I did not tell you that Mrs. Rossdale and Co. will be performing their ska/reggae/punk/dance/rock fusion on May 19 in Fresno, CA at the Save Mart Center, on the Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel shows (May 19 and 20, respectively), and on May 22 in San Diego at the Cricket Wireless Ampitheatre. To find dates outside of So Cal and where to buy tickets, consult the No Doubt official website.
No Doubt was kind of like the bane of my existence as a punk rock chick back in the day. Every girl I knew salivated like Pavlov's dog the second Gwen Stefani's now-famous warble spilled out from their Walkman, or when the "Don't Speak" video played for the 1,000,000th time with Gwen in that blue sundress, looking like Madonna in her 1993 "Bad Girl" mode.
Tell me you don't see it...
Now that I'm over my need to be punker than you, I quite enjoy a sprinkling of No Doubt here and there, and I admit that Gwen's solo catalogue is often deliriously catchy. Chris Rock agrees with me here.
In fact, it's been easy to admire No Doubt ad infinitum with their generous gift of their entire discography on MP3 when one purchases top-tier tickets on this tour.
No Doubt made an appearance on the Today Show on May 1st and here's the video to prove it:
I love that Gwen and the gang are rockin' their Fred Perrys. Oi! Oi! Oi!
COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL, INDIO, CA, APRIL 17 - 19, 2009
Damn The Man is back on track now that I've woken up from my Coachella hangover. For the record, I did NOT do what the folks in the above picture are doing; instead, we very strategically stuck to our Motel 6 room until sunset to avoid the grievously hot desert temperatures, but still ended up inhaling pounds of dust...hence the coma I've been in since coming back to L.A. on Monday.
What did Your 90's-ologist think of the show? It was not so much 90's-centric as boomer-era rock-tastic with Paul McCartney on hand to assail us with 2 hours and 45 minutes of mostly Beatles tunes. I can't lie...it was classic and I'm sad if you missed it. Paul had suspenders on and he was ready to rock. "Hey Jude," "Ticket to Ride," "A Day in the Life," "Let It Be," "Give Peace A Chance," "Can't Buy Me Love," "Blackbird," "Yesterday," "Band on The Run," "Live and Let Die," "Something," "I Got A Feeling," and on and on. Variety can tell you more about that, if you please.
I was also lucky enough to briefly catch the set by the fabulous Leonard Cohen; more about him in an upcoming I Can't Believe You Don't Own This F%#kin' Record on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack, which I believe heralded Cohen's surprising resurgence in popularity in the 90's.
While The Cure played gorgeously, their set noticeably avoided recognizable jams, excluding songs like "Lullaby" and "Just Like Heaven," and they were unceremoniously cut short by the powers that be, plugs pulled and lights cut out, leaving them to play perennial favorite "Boys Don't Cry" (which, admittedly, turned into a tearjerking acapella crowd singalong) and "Jumping Someone Else's Train" to the ether without the aid of amplification, which was a very rad thing to do, actually.
The Killers were succinct (set ending at midnight on the dot) but entertaining. Love that "When You Were Young." They have some time to marinate as a band beyond an early 80's U2 copy, methinks.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and M.I.A. alike were a little disappointing. I give the Yeah Yeah Yeahs points for a spot-on rendition of "Y Control," which closed their set, as well as Karen O's King Midas gold coin outfit, which mingled nicely with the setting sunlight. M.I.A. gets the gas-face, however, for being atonal, arrhythmic and largely avoiding anything resembling songs. She pulled out "Galang" and "Paper Planes" to a less than enthusiastic crowd in the beer garden, who are always ready to shake their booty. Always. It's a shame considering her set last year in the Sahara tent, while riddled with technical difficulties, was kinetic and packed to the gills with dance-crazed nutcases ready to rock it with her.
Thievery Corporation, who played before M.I.A., made booties shake proper. Public Enemy did as well, although because I had to keep my husband company in the beer garden before The Cure, I was not able to see them. Though I hear they played quite a bit of their classic 1988 album, "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back."
Morrissey was as he is always: fabulous. Gucci pour Homme and Murray's pomade.
X were great. I wish John Doe and Exene Cervenka were on my speed dial...see them if you get the chance. You may not get too many. Hardcore real punk rock.
Last but not least, my harbingers of pain: My Bloody Valentine. This band makes the little industrial girl inside me jump for joy. They take noise to unholy levels and it is beautiful. Seeing hundreds of people walk away from the main stage with their fingers squished in their ears and their faces scrunched in horror is an unparalleled treat for the misanthropic side of my psyche. And "Only Shallow" is terrific to dance to.
Enough out of me already. Metrowize has a full Coachella report if you want the nitty-gritty, and Style.com has a fashion report if you absolutely need to see how naked people were this year (anyone who has photos of the fellow in the body-length neon green thong, and if you saw him you know what I mean, contact me).
See you in the desert next year!
Some 90's hits from Coachella 2009 artists:
Public Enemy - "911 is a Joke" from their 1990 album, "Fear of a Black Planet"
The Cure - "The 13th" from their 1996 album, "Wild Mood Swings"
I'm really jazzed I found this one. I wish they had played it at the show.
Morrissey - "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful (Live May 1992)" from his 1992 album, "Your Arsenal"
NINE INCH NAILS AND JANE'S ADDICTION, VERIZON WIRELESS AMPITHEATER, IRVINE, CA - MAY 20, 2009
First of all, I kind of love Trent Reznor. At the end of this post you will find the video of his Digg interview with Kevin Rose. He is totally buff, tanned and fit, in short, unrecognizable from his 90's self, and answers interesting questions, like my favorite: what's the most embarrassing song on your iPod? The fact that he answers CeCe Peniston's "Finally" warms the cockles of my industrial rock goddess heart.
Secondly, an incredibly 90's event is coming up in May for California residents, and elsewhere for all of the rest of you loyal readers: NIN and Jane's Addiction (original lineup!!) are playing a concert tour together!
FYI, for those who missed the "alternative nation" part of the 90's, Trent Reznor and his industrial/rock project Nine Inch Nails came to prominence with the 1989 album, "Pretty Hate Machine," but shot to superstardom with the 1994 sonic masterpiece/ concept album, "The Downward Spiral," which spawned one of the coolest videos ever made for "Closer" and was recently reissued in 2004 to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Trent followed it up in 1999 with another concept album, "The Fragile," which contains one of my favorite NIN songs ever, "We're In This Together."
Jane's started life in the mid-80's, but frontman Perry Farrell and his band of misfits (including both equally excellent guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins) left an indelible mark on music in the 90's, including their 1990 record "Ritual de lo Habitual," featuring the wondrous singles "Stop" and "Been Caught Stealing," and Perry Farrell's founding of the rock mega-tour Lollapalooza in 1991, initially as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction. That band gave birth to the successful band Porno for Pyros, whose first album I listened to on a daily basis back then.
You can grab unreleased tracks from both NIN and Jane's Addiction here.
In short, see these guys play together if you can. Rumor has it that Trent wants to take a sabbatical from NIN, and Jane's break up once every ten years,or at least it feels like it. See it.
Please enjoy some videos from both bands. If you are a Trent junkie, check out the Digg interview first!
"Closer" is NOT SAFE FOR WORK, kiddies! I want you to keep your job if you got one.
Nine Inch Nails - We're In This Together
Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing (Live at The City Square, Milan,Italy, 1990)
Jane's Addiction - Stop (Live at The City Square, Milan,Italy, 1990)
I had the good fortune of attending the midnight Prince show last Saturday, the last of three sets in a row that the Purple One played that day. I wanted to follow that up with some discussion of Prince's 90's musical output, but alas, when I searched 'Prince' on YouTube, all the audio in his clips is muted. Because Prince has had oodles of trouble protecting his music in the past, I will forgive this travesty. But, in searching for playable Prince YouTube videos, I did stumble upon the unexpected treat of Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard covering Prince's classic 1982 hit, "1999."
In celebration of the followup album to Stone's 2001 solo album "Bayleaf," several of the songs have been made available on Pearl Jam's website, including "1999." The films of the band playing these songs are lovely, and I am digging the country rock direction that Stone is going in, it's very Wilco-ish.
Sit back on the porch swing and enjoy a mint julep to this:
SUPERDRAG - SUCKED OUT from their 1996 album, "Regretfully Yours" " " - DO THE VAMPIRE from their 1998 album, "Head Trip In Every Key"
I was psyched to see Superdrag in the lineup for one of Paste Magazine's parties at this week's SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas. This Knoxville, TN band provided 90's radio with sparkling pop with a punkish attitude that I myself loved to death. I don't normally like to focus on more than one song for Soundtrack of Your Life, but these singles begged to be reviewed simultaneously.
"Who sucked out the feeling?" describes everything that I feel about music these days. Ironically, this is the rousing call to arms that forms the foundation for Superdrag's 1996 single "Sucked Out," a badass tune about record industry greed and cluelessness; a popular theme with 90's rock bands, many of whom were often on major labels. Again, ironically, this single proved to do so well for Superdrag and its label, Elektra Records, that Elektra provided support for their next album on the condition that there be another radio hit just like "Sucked Out."
To this, Superdrag was like hell-to-the-naw, and took that money and made 1998's "Head Trip In Every Key," an album full of songs they liked but everyone else didn't, which yielded only one radio-friendly tune, "Do The Vampire." I am a fan of this record, and especially loved "Do The Vampire." It was one of my practice songs on my guitar after I first learned how to play at 19. Fun song to play and to listen to.
Please enjoy this extremely pleasant blast from the past:
That Caesar 'do was the Rachel 'do for white guys back in the 90's. Remember George Clooney back then? Future "House of Style" post!
Superdrag - "Do The Vampire" (2002 - Live at 12th and Porter, Nashville, TN)
DEPECHE MODE - THE BOTTOM LINE from their 1997 album, "Ultra"
"Ultra" saw Depeche Mode at a low point in their career after the 1995 departure of keyboardist and songwriter Alan Wilder (who was a DM founding member and, later, Erasure founding member Vince Clarke's replacement after his departure in 1981) for his own project Recoil. He was acknowledged by fans and critics to be an important (if not lower-profile) contributor to the evolution of DM's sound. Dave Gahan also managed to live through a suicide attempt in 1995 and a drug overdose that landed him in Cedars-Sinai in 1996. This did not bode well for a new album of the superlative quality that was expected of them.
Unfortunately, to my ears, "Ultra" somewhat under-performed as feared. Though I had a hard time choosing either "Sister of Night" or "The Bottom Line" for this post, I found many of the songs on this record to be rather slow and dreary. "The Bottom Line" always stuck in my head, however, because it was connected to the first time that, as a young, wild innocent, I had to meet the M-word face-to-face. No, not mortality. Marriage.
A high school friend of mine made what seemed to be a poorly thought-out decision to get engaged to her boyfriend. We were all about 17 or 18 at the time. Though I liked both sides of the equation and wished them well, I could not fathom what in the Sam Hell could compel them to make this momentous, earth-shattering decision at our jobless, directionless age. Then I went to their engagement party, and their song, "The Bottom Line" played as they swayed in formalwear on the dance floor; practice for the real thing, I guess.
This song almost made it possible to believe that these two were doing the right thing. The lyrics may help you understand this intense song of loyalty and slavish devotion, once again sung by the angel Martin Gore:
Like a cat Dragged in from the rain Who goes straight back out To do it all over again I'll be back for more It's something That is out of our hands Something we will never understand It's a hidden law The apple falls Destiny calls I follow you
Like a pawn On the eternal board Who's never quite sure What he's moved towards I walk blindly on And heaven is in front of me Your heaven beckons me enticingly When I arrive It's gone The river flows The wise man knows I follow you
I'm yearning I'm burning I feel love's wheels turning
Like a moth on love's bright light I will get burned each and every night I'm dying to(o) The sun will shine The bottom line I follow you
I would follow Martin Gore through five football fields full of horse-puckey like Tim Robbins in "Shawshank" if he sang these words to me in his lilting tenor. I can see why my friends made this foolish decision if this was the soundtrack. They didn't make it to the altar, but this song lives on in their memory.
Here is a live video of Martin Gore tearing up this song:
Yes, it is a rather dark song for a wedding. We were full-on goth back then. My husband and I got married to U2's "All I Want Is You," personally.
