WNEW | Where Rock Lives

The WNEW Rock Week-in-Review

As we nurse our fireworks hangovers -- listening to music softly -- we look bleary-eyed at the week past.

• Bill Melville reminded us of Modest Mouse's forgotten fave, Building Something Out Of Nothing.
• Jabartlett is having flashbacks again, this week investigating a case of disappearing guitarists from the Fleetwood Mac compound.
• Will Durkin gave us the front row skinny on Harlem Shakes at New York's Bowery Ballroom.
• Alex Young turned us on to a noo toon from Spoon and
• And our fellow archivists dug up some more classic videos from John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan. Anytime you want to see those and more, just click the "Video Classics" at the top right hand spot on this page.

Thanks for reading!

Random Thoughts: Fact and Fiction

There are funny bands – basically, serious musicians with a sense of humor and, in the case of Supercharge, a stage show to match, bands who make songs like Red Dress. Then there are satirical or comedy bands, such as the Bloodhound Gang, or the wonderful act so few people remember these days, Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias. Finally, there are parodies, such as Bad News or Spinal Tap (which should have an umlaut over the n, as well as a dot-less “i”).

Confusingly, the parody acts often toy with being actual bands, blurring the distinction between themselves and the institutions they’ve been mocking. Bad News, for instance – partly to get footage for their second TV show – performed at the Donnington Monsters of Rock festival. It’s probably worth revisiting the British tradition of bottling off unwelcome acts (throwing bottles at them until they leave the stage) and observing that Monsters takes place at a Grand Prix race track. The inadequate plumbing is, naturally, nowhere near the stage. So, bearing in mind a profound reluctance to give up a good place in the crowd with lots of beer and remember that alcohol is a diuretic, take a guess what the bottles contained.

Classic Recording Studios: Bias Recording

The list is a long one: The Seldom Scene, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, the Kennedys, Doc Watson, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Shawn Colvin, Robin and Linda Williams, Bela Fleck and on and on. These are just a few of the artists who have laid down tracks at Bias Recording.

The Bias, as it was known in the 1960's, was launched by three high school friends -- Bill McElroy, Charlie Muir and Bob Dawson -- who moved their odd mix of recording equipment from one irritated parent's basement to another during their first few years as recording studio owners. Later that decade, Bias was temporarily disbanded as McElroy was inducted into the Army, Dawson went to college and Muir was bought out for the astounding sum of $67 and an amplifier.

Relaunched in Falls Church, VA in 1972, Bias Recording, as it was rechristened, quickly became one of the most important studios in the DC area. McElroy -- who worked with the Seldom Scene and Quicksilver Messenger Service, among others -- left the business in 1994. Dawson, however, continues to be the guiding vision of the studio and has produced a mile-long list of great records from John Gorka, Mary Chapin-Carpenter and his childhood friend, Nils Lofgren.

Rock Flashback: Fleetwood Mac's Disappearing Guitarists

Much of rock's history is shrouded in the haze of legend, or even in danger of being forgotten. Join J.A. Bartlett of the Hits Just Keep On Comin' each Saturday as he reminds us why we love this music like we do ...

Here's the original lineup of Fleetwood Mac performing Albatross, which has been a hit in Britain several times since 1969, and is their most famous song over there.

A generation of rock fans has grown to adulthood thinking of Fleetwood Mac as a hit machine. But before the mid-'70s, Fleetwood Mac's existence was always precarious. From 1968 to 1970, the lineup contained three guitarists: Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, and Danny Kirwan. Each one of them would leave under stressful circumstances, putting the band in jeopardy.

Video Classics: 'Pink Houses' - John Cougar Mellencamp

To honor WNEW's legendary Firecracker 500, every day we are highlighting the music that populated the 1991 and 1996 lists, with classic videos, live performances and little-known facts about the songs and how they came to be...

Really, how hard is it to make a rock song that is unabashedly positive about America? Pretty hard, apparently, with everyone from Bob Dylan to the Rolling Stones taking time to offer up cynical, downbeat takes on what they see as this country's shortcomings. Even Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA isn't a very positive piece, despite many peoples' misinterpretations over the years.

Even John Cougar Mellencamp's song Pink Houses has its points to make about income disparities and the different experiences different people face in America each day.  Still, it is less critical than some, and with Independence Day falling on a Saturday, this year, Video Classics takes today to present a song that almost goes someplace where many rock performers seem uncomfortable going (though many country performers practically live there) ... the land of Good Things About the USA:

Forgotten Favorites: Building Nothing Out of Something

Some albums are just too good to let slip away beneath the sands of time, so each week Bill Melville pulls one out, dusts it off and offers it up for your renewed consideration ...

While they made some pop concessions this decade, the framework for Modest Mouse has barely changed since the band's inception. Their debut, This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About, proceeds in direct succession to We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

This isn't to say the band hasn't changed; if anything, it has been true to its musical vision. This vision comes out just as clear in the band's non-album tracks, a fact that allowed the band to assemble those tracks into one solid long-player. 

Nothing Out of Something bucks the trend of the non-album collection, sequencing songs from an EP, some Sub Pop Singles Club efforts and other tracks in an organic manner. Without the diagram in the liner notes illustrating where Modest Mouse originally released them, it would be impossible to tell these tracks weren't recorded together.

Random Thoughts: What's That You Say?

I took a new job last week, designed for the most part to support my continuing efforts to write myself into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eating something more than Friskies and sleeping in a place a few steps above a refrigerator box also influenced my decision.

It's a pretty good gig, all in all, but the commute's a bit of a drag. A few weeks ago, I was hoping to set a new "working from a home office" record -- six straight years of making calls wearing pink fuzzy slippers and a Lester Bangs t-shirt -- but now I'm spending 45 minutes (each freakin' way) in the car.

But, I've learned a few new musical things this week. First, I've learned that Bjork is pronounced "Bee-YERK" not "Bah-JORK," as I once thought. I also learned that a Syrian singer named Omar Souleyman is one of her current favorites.

With all due respect to Mr. Souleyman, I was strangely fascinated by his music, much like one is fascinated by a car wreck (especially a loud, repetitive car wreck at 120 beats per minute).

Fascinated, too, that his lyricist apparently stands near him and whispers words into his ear, words that he subsequently performs on the spot. And fascinated that Souleyman has apparently recorded 500 (!) albums, though only 2 are available in the U.S.

Pretty crazy stuff, as you can see for yourself:

Top 10 Songs About Freedom

Top 10 Lists: Letterman made them famous, the Internet made them commonplace, but WNEW makes them rock! Each week, Fusion45 brings you a classic rock Top 10 every week for WNEW's List-o-Mania ...

Happy Independence Day!

10) Freedom for the Stallion: Though nice versions have been done by Three Dog Night and Elvis Costello, we're partial to Boz Scaggs' rendering of Allan Toussaint's classic piece of rock and roll gospel.

Freedom for the Stallion - Boz Scaggs

9) Broken Freedom Song: We'll listen to anything Kris Kristofferson's written. When he sings, we're sold.

8) Calypso Freedom: An ever rotating sextet of gospel singers, Sweet Honey in The Rock is long considered an American treasure. They sing gloriously of sweet freedom.

Calypso Freedom - Sweet Honey In The Rock

7) Chimes of Freedom: We dig the Byrds' version of this Dylan classic.

6) Fifty States of Freedom: Though it's paid their bills for a long, long time, One Toke Over The Line wasn't their only contribution to music. In fact, Brewer & Shipley were a highly underrated folk duo, worthy of being revisited.

5) Freedom Hangs Like Heaven: Our man Sam Beam, aka Iron & Wine, gets major spins around the Fusion 45 record pool.

4) Freedom: One of many songs by the simplest of names, this is the Isley Brothers funky, gospel track.

3) Freedom Fighters: Todd's Utopia is our utopia.

Freedom Fighters - Utopia

2) Freedom: Jimi Hendrix. 'Nuff said.

1) Songs of Freedom: If there's a better song of freedom than this one from Bob Marley, please let us know.

How does this list stack up against your Top 10? Let us know in a post or browse past List-o-Mania Top 10s.

WNEW Rock News: Alice in Chains Back on the Road

One of the bands that defined the Seattle Sound back in the late '80's and early '90's, Alice in Chains, has announced they will do one US show later this summer in support of their first studio album in more than 10 years, Black Gives Way to Blue.

The iconic band will hit the stage with Kid Rock on July 18 at Detroit's Comerica Park before pulling up stakes and doing a string of dates with Metallica across Europe.

They'll get back to the US for a Pomona, CA show with Tool and Linkin Park on August 22 before dropping into DC to start an 11-city headliner on September 4th.

Tours dates here and some classic video below.

From the Front Row - Harlem Shakes at Bowery Ballroom 7/1/09

On Wednesday night WNEW caught NYC natives Harlem Shakes at the Bowery Ballroom.  The show was a homecoming of sorts for the band, who have been touring across the country.  And the many people singing along and dancing made it obvious that was indeed a hometown crowd. 

The band's performance was tight, with the guitar and synth lines bolstered by solid drumming and a great brass section, and with lead singer Lexy's nimble voice riding on top of everything.

The setlist ran through much of their EP Burning Birthday and LP Technicolor Health with favorite tracks like Strictly Game, Red Right Hands and Niagara Falls.

As a contending up-and-comer in the NYC rock scene, Harlem Shakes made a strong case for their right to be named with the other big names of the area that night.

Check out their video for Strictly Game, the lead single of their album Technicolor Health, after the jump.

Video Classics: 'Highway 61 Revisited' - Bob Dylan

To honor WNEW's legendary Firecracker 500, every day we are highlighting the music that populated the 1991 and 1996 lists, with classic videos, live performances and little-known facts about the songs and how they came to be...

Lest we list humility amongst Bob Dylan's virtues, let's listen to what he had to say about his album Highway 61 Revisited before listening to the title track ...

"I'm not gonna be able to make a record better than that one... Highway 61 is just too good. There's a lot of stuff on there that I would listen to."

Certainly, many critics and fans agreed with Dylan's assessment, and Highway 61 Revisited remains one of his most popular and influential albums, and the source of many of his concert favorites. It was the first album to be entirely recorded with a full rock band backing him, after he had experimented with the sound earlier on Bringing It All Back Home.

Ironically, Highway 61 Revisited, for all that it is often considered quintessential Dylan, is a bit of an anomaly, stylistically, as it encapsulates only the singer/songwriter's 'angry young period'. His work both prior to the album and following it were definitely more playful, or at least wistful in tone.

Classic Recording Studios: Amigo Studios

Amigo Studios was opened on Compston Avenue in North Hollywood in the mid 1960's by legendary producer Snuff Garrett. He used the facility while working as the staff producer and head of A&R at Liberty Records (during which time he hired Phil Spector as a producer.)

Garrett was the man behind a number of Bobby Vee's hits (including Devil or Angel and Rubber Ball) as well as sides for the Ventures, Sonny and Cher, Gene McDaniels and Sonny Curtis. Garrett also signed J.J. Cale to Liberty Records in '65 and produced a band that included Cale called the Leathercoated Minds. Now an out of print cult classic, A Trip Down The Sunset Strip, was a largely experimental set of covers. But, out of that session came the seed of a future Cale classic, After Midnight.