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02-18-11 Footnotes
Show 273: The Legacy of the Monkees, Reviews of PJ Harvey, Drive-By Truckers
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1 The Grammy Awards are usually, let’s face it, kind of a snooze. And often, a head-scratcher. But this year our hosts are excited about Arcade Fire winning Album of the Year. Most people, Greg included, were certain Eminem would take home the award. It was an upset, and for once, the Grammy voters honored excellence over sales. In fact, indie bands won 45 out of 108 categories, but that isn’t reflected in the market. Greg also applauds the Grammys for shedding light on artists like Janelle Monae and Esperanza Spaulding.
2 Guitar Hero has played its swan song. Or should we say swan riff? After a huge five year run, Activision has decided to pull the plug on the video game. This signals a decline for the music video game genre, including Rock Band, whose Beatles game didn’t perform as well as expected. What’s the next trend? Dance!
3 Hey, hey it’s The Monkees! Jim and Greg go ape on this episode with Eric Lefcowitz, author of Monkee Business: The Revolutionary Made For TV Band. The three men talk about the band’s history as a group manufactured to tap into Beatlemania. TV producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider brought bandmates Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Davy Jones together, and their music was supervised by record producer Don Kirshner. This was the original pop model, giving way to N’Sync, Justin Bieber and Glee. But eventually, as often happens, The Monkees began to itch for independence. They went on to write and produce more of their own music and make the trippy cult classic Head. But for those who want to relive the golden age, rumor has it The Monkees will be “reuniting” (sans Nesmith) this year.
4 Next up, Jim and Greg review the new album by PJ Harvey called Let England Shake. The British singer, who came out in the ‘90s with a series of critically acclaimed albums, never repeats herself. And on this record she uses autoharp and finds inspiration in war. But sometimes change doesn’t do you good. Jim wishes Polly Jean Harvey sounded like herself. He can’t stand her little girl singing voice and the pretentious sound. He gives Let England Shake a big Trash It rating. Greg is not as let down, but admits the album is a disappointment. He misses her first person perspective and says the music is not at all well-defined. Some parts are just plain annoying, but a few tracks stand up. So Greg says Burn It.
5 We’ve gotten a number of emails and calls from listeners asking, “why no Drive-By Truckers?” Jim and Greg admit this group often gets overlooked because they are so darn consistent. They recently released their 10th album called Go-Go Boots, and it’s another winner. Greg attributes this to the fact that there are two solid songwriters. They create scenes and characters that a novelist would envy. Jim agrees, and encourages Kings of Leon fans to pick up this more authentic southern rock record. Go-Go Boots gets two Buy Its.
Songs Featured in Show #273
Arcade Fire, “Month Of May,” live on the 2010 Grammy Awards, 2011
Deep Purple, “Smoke On the Water,” Machine Head, Warner Bros., 1972
The Monkees, “Theme From The Monkees,” The Monkees, Colgems, 1966
The Monkees, “Take A Giant Step,” The Monkees, Colgems, 1966
The Monkees, “The Day We Fall In Love,” More of The Monkees, Colgems, 1967
The Monkees, “Last Train To Clarksville,” The Monkees, Colgems, 1966
The Monkees, “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Colgems, 1967
The Monkees, “Theme From The Monkees,” The Monkees, Colgems, 1966
The Monkees, “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” More of The Monkees, Colgems, 1967
The Monkees, “No Time,” Headquarters, Colgems, 1967
The Monkees, “Porpoise Song,” Head, Colgems, 1968
The Monkees, “Daydream Believer,” The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees, Colgems, 1968
P.J. Harvey, “Let England Shake,” Let England Shake, Vagrant, 2011
P.J. Harvey, “Written On The Forehead,” Let England Shake, Vagrant, 2011
P.J. Harvey, “The Glorious Land”, Let England Shake, Vagrant, 2011
Drive-By Truckers, “Go-Go Boots,” Go-Go Boots, RED Distribution, 2011
Drive-By Truckers, “The Thanksgiving Filter,” Go-Go Boots, RED Distribution, 2011
Drive-By Truckers, “Everybody Needs Love,” Go-Go Boots, RED Distribution, 2011
Tapes On Pause, “Afternoon, Hazy, Heading South Again,” Tapes On Pause, self released, 2011
Jodeci, “My Phone,” Forever My Lady, Uptown/MCA, 1991
Shout Out Louds, “Impossible,” Our Ill Wills, EMI, 2007
Billie Holiday, “Glad to Be Unhappy,” Lady In Satin, Columbia, 1958
Elvis Costello/Bacharach, “I Still Have That Other Girl,” Painted From Memory, Mercury, 1998
Indigo Girls, “Romeo and Juliet,” Rites of Passage, Epic, 1992
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