Manitoba Christmas songs from Rusty and Savannah, Oldfolks Home, and JP Hoe, a strong Cover of the Pogues' Fairytale of New York, a new Christmas song from Mark Kozelek from an album that isn't even released until November NEXT YEAR, Bad Religion throwing a curveball, and a few more.
Cheap Trick's Come On Christmas is one of my favourite Christmas songs ever, even if they did just change the words to one of their own songs.
Pop Dose recently threw up their list of the top 50 guitar players of all time. I was surprised by some of the omissions and decided to create a post or two to respond, then I noticed that Pop Dose's list was actually created in response to the LA Times magazine's top 50. Okay, so a number of the players missing on one list can be found somewhere on the other. One list skips the Edge, Robert Fripp, Angus Young and Randy Rhoads, but then we see Eddie Hazel, John Mayer, Charlie Hunter, Neal Schon and John Frusciante. Huh? Of course, there are always complaints about lists like these, who got snubbed, who is wrongly placed at the top or bottom, and so on. Sometimes I think the choices are coloured by how much a guitarist sticks out, especially to other musicians or guitar god wannabes (Yngwie Malmsteen, anyone?)So, since I'm a non-guitarist (no musical ability whatsoever, actually) I've compiled a short list of stringbenders I like without any thought to how technically proficient they are, how difficult their music may be to play, or how wizardly they wield their axes. They might not be flashy, might just be rhythm players, but they've made some noises I like and they're not always included on favourite guitar player lists.
Wherever possible, I've tried to include live videos so you can see guitar grandeur without studio trickery.
Canadians already know Rob Baker, as The Hip have been at or near top of the rock heap in this country for years. But we probably take him for granted now, even though he's still pulling out new tricks, Like on Love Is a First, where he yanks out some muted Tom Morello-type moves at about 3:18. For some more new six-string sweetness, impossibly-long curtain of hair half-obscuring, try Morning Moon, or Grace, Too from Saturday Night Live if ya wanna check some older, more-restrained but satisfying licks.
The Tragically Hip - Love Is a First
Rick Nielsen writes the catchiest riffs and plays nice little licks, always looks funny and is a fine showman. Even when he's just playing fuzzed-out simple stuff he's worth a deuce. But what about the guy in the white jumpsuit? What the heck is he playing...a 12-string BASS? Can I nominate a bassist for my guitar player list? Tom Petersson doesn't just fatten up the bottom end, he sometimes manages to make it sound like there's three guitarists onstage, not just Rick and ballcap and goofy mugging. And neither one of them feel the need to show off and overplay on an uncomplicated song such as Southern Girls.
Cheap Trick - Southern Girls
The Church have been making the same hazy guitar rock for 30 years, and it ain't broke. Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes have been making beautiful sounds playing beautiful guitars without paying any attention to what is hip or commercially viable, which may account for a) the fact that many people don't know the band's still around and b) people not "getting it". For me, even if you don't like Steve Kilbey's songs or voice, the guitar almost always makes up for it. And also: Rickenbacker.
The Church - Reptile
If you've been following along, you know of Scruffy's love for the varied work of Adrian Belew. A guy once tried to tell me that all of Belew's songs were simply vehicles for his guitar sounds, but I have always felt that his weird noises and weird songs were showcases for one another - no tunes without the tone, and vice versa. Anyhow, if you listen to how he puts his own spin on Bowie's Heroes (originally played by his King Crimson band mate Robert Fripp), maybe you'll feel like I do; the guy can do anything. If I was sentenced to explain the difference between rock musician and rock star, I might look to Belew for the former - I mean, just look at him.
Adrian Belew & Martha Wainwright - Heroes
Dream Syndicate's Karl Precoda and Steve Wynn did the slow burn and guitar freakout as well as anyone but never got past cult band status. In fact, I'm a little pissed off at the dearth of quality sound AND video available on YouTube. So they get two, from two classic albums that haven't yet received their due. When Wynn gets deep into the song and the rhythm drives the tune, Precoda takes the lead somewhere else, maybe into an alternate universe where Television was part of your daily vitamins and The Velvet Undergound was piped into every crib.
Cheap Trick has released a new single for Sick Man of Europe, which may confuse longtime fans who know that in 1972, the band's name was...Sick Man of Europe. As far as I can tell so far, it's a new song, but it would be just like these guys to repackage one of their own songs and sell it as a shiny new toy. But you know what? It doesn't matter when it was written, because it's the coolest thing the band's done since about 1980. Welding a gritty garage-rock feel to the band's natural power-pop tendencies has sprung a single that we can expect to hear on Little Steven's show, probably on Rock Band, maybe even on high school hallway iPods. New album The Latest is coming out June 23rd on cd, download, vinyl, and...EIGHT-TRACK! Cheap Trick may be the first band that actually put out albums on the eight-track format back in the day to do it again in the new millenium.
The Latest is certainly an album likely to curry favor with the Cheap Trick faithful, filled with anthemic power pop tunes such as "Miss Tomorrow," "California Girl," "Alive" and a cover of Slade's "When the Lights Are Out," Beatlesque songs like "Miracle," "Everybody Knows" and "Times of Our Lives," and the power ballads "These Days," "Closer..." and "Smile." "We wanted to make a record that sounded like 2009, get something that sounds like us this year," drummer Bun E. Carlos explains.
Uh, three "power ballads"? Now I'm a little concerned. And what's California Girl? Trick already recorded the great California Man when I was a wee pup. Maybe the band's going forward by looking backward, including a Slade cover - see below.
In other band news, Trick has also recorded the theme song for Transformers 2:
With Bun E. Carlos garnering attention for his other band Tinted Windows, it's safe to say the band's 2nd "comeback" into the public eye is complete ("The Flame" would be the first, lighters up). I was going to list their tour dates, but there's too damn many of 'em! Go here or here for dates. How old are these guys? How can they keep it up? Maybe they're robots - isn't that what Transformers are? (remember the evil robots impersonating Kiss in Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park). Last time I saw the band was at the House of Blues in L.A. in '94 or '95 for the Woke Up Up With A Monster tour - not their best album, but still an amazing show. Not robotic at all.
Stereogum reports that a new band (supergroup?) including Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger, Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha, Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos, and Hansons's Taylor Hanson will be releasing an album in April. Check out their official site or myspace for more details (or if you just if you don't believe me), or take a look at this short video clip. Sounds a bit like when the Canadian version of Hanson, The Moffats, tried to rock and sounded like a cross between Oasis and, uh, Hanson. Scruffy is stoked.
mp3s will be posted for a limited time and are for promotional purposes only. If you like it, buy the albums, go to the shows, buy the t-shirts - support the artist so they can keep on keepin' on. Artists - if you would like an mp3 or video removed, please contact me directly at chrisyakchart@hotmail.com.
If you've got something Scruffy should hear, same email. Snail mail is cool too.
Scruffy the Yak 34 Allenby Cres Winnipeg Mb R2C 3J4
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