Instant Party Mixture: 8.24.2011
Posted: 08.24.2011 Filed under: David Bowie, Elton John, Gillian Welch, Humble Pie, Instant Party Mixture, Led Zeppelin, Marillion, Neil Young, Pavement, Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones, XTC Leave a comment »Once again, I’m in a mood to shake things up a bit here, and those who know me (or follow this blog even semi-regularly) know that I love a good mix. Having watched I Need That Record!, a good-not-great documentary on the downfall of indie record stores, last night, and being let down that it basically boiled down to older men from indie bands shaking their fists and grumbling “Fucking record companies! Grrr!!!” (instead of backing it up with hard evidence, of course; although it was fun to watch archival footage of Chuck D. berate perpetual jackass and blowhard Lars Ulrich for suing Napster.) However, I do feel somewhat guilty for having betrayed my love of record stores, and going the easy route with downloads and Internet purchases. Still, whenever I have cause to enter an independent record store, I do my best to spend a bit of time there, peruse the aisles, and make at least one or two purchases.
How is this relevant to a mix? Well, years ago, I would make a mix by recording it directly from the source to a tape, carefully editing together a tape that had a certain ebb and flow to it, to the point that it almost became a work of art to me. But the allure of drag-and-drop ease finally got to me, and when I started making mix CDs, the same principals applied, but the actual physical work was non-existent. These days, having no need for physical CDs, I’ve resorted to making a mix on my iPod or – at my laziest – simply hitting “shuffle” and going from there.
But some new and surprising selections do show up with this, and the depths of my iPod are often explored. In “Instant Party Mixture” (named after a previously unreleased Who song from 1966), and what is an inaugural category on Sound Round (because full album reviews are still beyond my attention span, and my perpetually-delayed “Best of 2011 … So Far” entry continues to gather dust while I collect contenders for the “Best of 2011 … The Rest” entry), I’m going to list the random playlist of the morning, with links to YouTube videos (where available) for extra measure. That way, if you’re so inclined, you can recreate the mix yourself! What fun!
(Work with me here, I’m trying something new.)
1. Arc (Pearl Jam)
2. Beating Of Hearts (XTC)
3. I’ve Seen That Movie Too (Elton John)
4. Just For The Record (Marillion)
5. Alabama Song (David Bowie)
6. Big George (Humble Pie)
7. The Bridge (Neil Young)
8. Fill Your Heart (David Bowie)
9. Tennessee (Gillian Welch)
10. Black Country Woman (Led Zeppelin)
11. Amongst The Waves (Pearl Jam)
12. Tumbling Dice (The Rolling Stones)
13. Kennel District (Pavement)
Wowee Zowee!: Pavement Reunion Tour
Posted: 09.17.2009 Filed under: Pavement Leave a comment »Several years ago, when I was searching for new music to enjoy, I was recommended Pavement, the quintessential lo-fi indie rock band of the ’90s. Eschewing stardom and a high profile on MTV (though they were well-known for about 38 seconds with ‘Cut Your Hair’), the band was quirky, charismatic, and enigmatic; not quite slacker rockers, with just enough of a tinge of Talking Heads-esque surreality to their lyrics to keep analysis interesting – and usually incorrect.
They released five albums, all of them essential – Slanted & Enchanted, Crooked Rain Crooked Rain, Wowee Zowee, Brighten The Corners, and Terror Twilight – before splintering amid disputes of songwriting and direction in 1999. Songwriting rivals Stephen Malkmus and Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg released their own solo albums, with the former enjoying the most success, though I personally enjoyed the latter’s post-Pavement band, Preston School of Industry. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut album, a deluxe edition was released; every other year a new reissue of each successive album appeared, jam packed with rarities, B-sides, live performances, and any other odds and ends from the time period.
A reunion seemed unlikely for years, as all were seemingly enjoying their various post-Pavement projects; then, earlier this week, news broke on Pitchfork of a single show scheduled for September 2010. Today, Pavement’s record company, Matador Records, posted this on their blog:
Ever since that fateful night in late 1999 when Pavement left the public eye with a final show at London’s Brixton Academy, we’ve often fantasized about the day when we could finally tell the world “yes, Brooklyn Vegan scooped us, Pavement are back.”
After years of speculation, the most important American band of the 1990’s is returning to the stage, with the lineup of Mark Ibold, Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg, Stephen Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich and Steve West reuniting for dates around the world in 2010. Please be advised this tour is not a prelude to additional jaunts and/or a permanent reunion.
Described in their own Wikipedia entry as having experienced “moderate commercial success”, Pavement’s catalog for the Matador, Domino, Drag City and Treble Kicker imprints has come to define in the eyes of many the blueprint for independent rock over the past generation. In spite of this, the records are still pretty fantastic, and we’re fully prepared to remind you of such with a details-to-be-determined compilation album planned for release sometime in 2010.
The first show announced is a New York performance on September 21, 2010 at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. Things worked out really well when Diana Ross played Central Park in 1983, and we have no reason to suspect Pavement’s return to the live arena won’t generate similar headlines.
A pre-sale begins at 10:00 AM EDT on Friday, September 18, 2009 (tomorrow). The password for the pre-sale is ZOWEE . The general on-sale is slated for 10:00 AM EDT on Friday, September 25, 2009. Please note that tickets will be available without surcharges from the Nokia Theatre box office in Times Square and from Earwax at 218 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg.
The new Spiral Stairs LP/CD/digital album ‘The Real Feel’, Scott Kannberg’s first album under the S.S. nom de plume after two Preston School Of Industry long-players, is available October 20, 2009. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks are playing 4 Australian shows later this month, and plan to begin recording their 5th album in the near future.
So it looks like a reunion tour is the only thing they have planned. I’m conflicted, because while this is great news, especially considering I haven’t been able to see them at all, I’m hoping it doesn’t smack of commercialism or that phony “hey we’re reuniting and having such a great time!” feeling that affects most bands who reunite.
But I’m not too worried – I probably won’t be able to get tickets anyway.
