Adebisi Shank - This Is the Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank

I love this record. I don't even know much about the band. I can't remember where I heard about them and no one I know has ever heard of them. But this record is great all the way through. High energy, interesting ideas in every song, great playing. And no lyrics. According to their record company's website they are a "three Piece intrumental Robot/Dance rock trio based in Wexford, Ireland". From the sounds of it they are a band that is best appriciated live. If they come to my home town I will definately check them out. I suggest that you buy this record as soon as you can. It will make most of that other crap you listen to sound like the shit that it is.

About the name, I can only guess that it's a reference to Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's character on the TV series OZ.

The Doors - The Soft Parade

The best part is when Jim Morrison starts talking about the "best part of the trip" during the title track. It's fucking hilarious. Jim...why don't you smoke another joint. I actually like this record. I think it's pretty much considered The Door's worst album and I can kinda understand why. The whole horns and strings thing is kinda weird, but I think it really works on some tracks. The title track for example is a great song. It gets kinda strange at times like Burt Bacharach was in the studio or something. The same is true for Tell All The People. But I really like the horns and Morrison's voice sounds great. I think he's a really under-rated crooner. If he had lived longer he could have evolved into Frank Sinatra's opening act. I can see him up there in a power blue velvet tux doing lounge version of Light My Fire and People Are Strange. Now I would have paid a lot of money to see that. But back to The Soft Parade. The hit was Touch Me. Not a great song because of it's super gay chorus, but it's got a good energy and I think the horns work well on it. The other high point on this record is Wild Child. Morrison's voice sound particularly raw on this one and it's got a catchy riff. I think the low point on this record is Wishful Sinful. It pretty much defines "filler" for The Doors. It's just terrible. But the real high point on this record is the eight and a half minute title track. It's got lots of that great Morrison nonsense poetry, like that crap at the beginning about petitioning the Lord with prayer. What the fuck? I guess it was the 60's and making sense was the last thing on every body's drug addled mind. Fine with me. It's a good song, often with hilarious results. The aforementioned "best part of the trip", and other great lyrics such as, "Peppermint, miniskirts, chocolate candy/Champion sax and a girl named Sandy", or "When all else fails/We can whip the horse's eyes/And make them sleep/And cry". If it weren't for Leonard Cohen Morrison might have been the greatest comedian of his generation.

Bruce Springsteen - The Wild The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle - 1973

This is a terrible record. The best part about it is the E Street Band. It's too bad that that talentless blow-hard on what I guess some would call vocals keeps fucking each song up with his idiotic caterwauling.

The E Street Shuffle - This song has some nice if not self indulgent moments on it. But this of course only happens when Springsteen shuts his word hole.

4th of July, Asbury Park - Hey Bruce, I didn't know that you were from New Jersey. This being your second album I had no way of knowing that based on your first one. This song appears to be a ballad about the salad days of the guy who changes your oil. Who cares? Lyrically it's boring and musically it's monotonous.

Kitty's Back - This might be the worst song on the album. Some of the work by the E Street Band is good, but way over the top. The lack of economy dramatically impacts its effectiveness. Does this song really need to be over 7 minutes? Absolutely not. Also the mix kinda sucks. If they had mixed Springsteen's vocals right out of the song and cut it to about 4 and a half minutes this could have been an OK song.

Wild Billy's Circus Story - I've always said that John Cougar Mellencamp is the poor man's Bob Dylan and that Bruce Springsteen is the retarded man's John Cougar Mellencamp. This song is a perfect example of what I mean by that.

Incident on 57th Street - It just keeps going and going and going and the longer it goes the more I get this sinking feeling that there is absolutely no point to what is happening.

Rosalita - I like the horns on this one. The keyboards are pretty cheesy. The lyrics are moronic.

New York City Serenade - Terrible. Just the worst.

Note to Bruce Springsteen: You aren't, never was, and never will be even half the song writer that Tom Waits is and was, no matter how hard you try.

RNR Hall of Incest - 2011 Nominees

The RNR Hall of Incest 2011 nominees list is out and is even more pathetic than expected. Let's start with the good. Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, and Tom Waits are all understandable as far as I'm concerned. In fact I would have but all of those people in over ZZ Top or Bob Seger. I can even kinda buy Bon Jovi, (whose music i really hate). I think the Beastie Boys, Dr. John, (both of whom I like), Chuck Willis and Donovan are reaching a bit as nominees. The rest are perplexing given that bands such as The Smiths, Rush, Kiss and Kraftwerk haven't been inducted yet.

Chic? Seriously? They want to put Chic in the Hall of Fame? Why would anyone give a shit about Chic? We're talking about a band that was popular for about 3 years in the late 70s. Has anyone even thought about them since 1981? There are thousands of bands that would qualify if issuing a few popular records over the course of a few years were the only criteria for entrance. Why not put Men At Work In? Or how about Sugar Ray?

It's a laugh to think that Chic might make it in, but what's even funnier is that they aren't the worst choice out of this year's nominees. LL Cool J is on the list too. That's right LL Cool J. It is difficult to come up with words to express what I think about this. The only thing I can imagine as leading to this choice has something to do with white guilt on the part of whoever chooses the nominees and its relationship to Rap music. LL Cool J. Unbelievable.

The rest of the group is split between "has beens" who were popular and sold a shit load of records for a few years, (J. Giles Band, Donna Summer) and people who are just too obscure of irrelevant to bother with, (Darlene Love, Laura Nyro, Joe Tex). I have nothing against any of these people or groups, I even have some records by a few of them, but I don't think that any of them should be inducted into an organization that calls itself a "Hall of Fame".

The sub-mental thinking of Jann Wenner, Dave Marsh and whoever the hell else sits on the nomination board is in fine form with this year's nominees. Donna Summer over Kiss? My God. If the Hall wasn't a joke before it certainly is now. Shit, I'd put Deep Purple in over Donna Summer. Or how about Peter Gabriel. Or how about Lou Reed? Sure he's in as a member of the Velvet Underground, but not as a solo performer. Between 1970 and 1990 he was one of the most important musicians in Rock and Roll. Can you even imagine what Rock and Roll would be without him?

In closing I'd just like to remind everyone that ZZ Top is in the Hall of Fame. ZZ TOP!
Fuck, I just can't get over it.