ENGLISH BEAT - LIVE AT THE US FESTIVAL

Remember the US Festival?  Is was Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak's big idea to combine music with a tech expo.  He spent giant amounts to put on a star-filled event in both '82 and '83, quite nicely promoting the Apple name at the dawn of the PC era.  It was also a time when  music festivals were rare, so over a million souls made their way to California for the likes of Bowie, U2, Fleetwood Mac, The Police and The Clash.  Oh, and The English Beat, so flash they were invited to play both shows.  It was right at the moment the group was enjoying some American success, around the time of their 3rd and final album, Special Beat Service.

This CD/DVD includes both concerts, with the DVD holding both shows, and the CD trimmed down to omit several duplicate songs.  The DVD would be complete except two cuts from '82 were damaged and unusable.  The CD suffers from a weak, bass empty recording, all vocals and sax, just bootleg quality.  But it's a throw-in anyway, you'll want to see the action, to experience the band.  It's too bad more didn't at the time, because they were a dynamic and hard-working group, with energetic, festival-ready tunes.

Looking over the ocean of people, most of whom wouldn't have had much knowledge of the group, it's interesting to see how well the Beat's punky version of ska goes over with the California kids.  Twist & Crawl, Mirror In The Bathroom, Tears Of A Clown and I Confess have them moving and grooving.  It wouldn't be many years until the sound solidified with Rancid, No Doubt an others.  But The Beat were much better, more melodic and inventive, and had surprisingly positive lyrics.  It's always seemed a shame they lasted so short a time, and this DVD seems like a surprise visit from an old friend you thought you'd lost.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: CORB LUND - CABIN FEVER

I'm so proud to live in a country where the new Corb Lund album can go to #1 on iTunes the first week out of the digital box.  Watching the West rise strong and proud through Lund's modern take on cowboy music has been a joy, and to see him embraced by more and more shows just how interested Canadians are in real, roots music.  Lund is certainly his own musician, mixing styles and attitudes, cultural references, time periods, whatever he wants to throw in the mix.  Although he'll always be identified with Alberta, he doesn't lean on any cliches, musically or lyrically.  You're just as liable to run into Goth girls here as rednecks, motorcycle riders as cowboys, New York City as the Prairies.  And while there's a C&W base, there's just as much rock 'n' roll (the real, original kind), and a host of hybrids, including Western Swing and actual, authentic cowboy music.

Cabin Fever is full of Lund's playful side, with several of the 12 tracks lighthearted and clever.  Cows Around is supposedly a "Western blessing", as he sings, "May you always have cows around", ending on a very good imitation of Bossy.  Bible On The Dashboard tells the tale of a band, maybe the Hurtin' Albertans, maybe not, who learned a good trick driving recklessly through the U.S.  They stick a Bible on the dashboard, for when the cops pull them over, hoping to catch a break from the law-abiding, God-fearing patrolmen.  The Gothest Girl I Know, features the drum intro from Sing Sing Sing (sorta), turning into a rockabilly rave-up, and a pledge from Corb he's "going to lose these country boy blues/for the Gothest girl I can."

While he's having a bunch of fun here, Lund doesn't let us forget he can do heartbreak too, and the cut September is about a man from the Rockies who looses his love to the allure of New York City.  In the midst of the sadness comes a high-lonesome moan that tears at your heart as much as the reverb-laced twang of his guitar.  Lund could just be doing straight retro music, appealing to those who find the cowboy genre authentic and appealing, and I'm certainly one of them.  But that he updates and advances it as well is the mark of a true artist.  And the album is full of great, great fun.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: SEAN HOGAN - PHOENIX

The Canadian Country Music Awards are coming up Sunday, Sept. 9 in Saskatoon, and one act I'm hoping for is up for Roots Artist of the Year.  Sean Hogan put out a killer album this year called Phoenix, which I'm currently loving.  It's a great example of how to work in the usually conservative country genre, and still stay true to your own style.  Hogan specifically gave up trying to fit into the country format, and made the music he wanted to for this album, and it worked out to be a gem.

You'll find a bunch of different styles on the disc, and certainly some music that was able to find a niche in radio.  Lead single Travel Plans is a nifty one, with good lyrics far away from the cliches, and just the title alone is smart.  But fitting in mariachi-style horns was a deft touch, it fit with the vacation topic, and stood out from anything else on the playlist.  Elsewhere you'll hear R'n'B stylings on Ain't You Got Better Things, complete with more horns, bluesy slide licks, and soul singers behind.  It drips of Lyle Lovett, and that's a grand thing.  We Never Had To Say Goodbye is in a mellow groove, a grand duet with former Fleetwood Mac singer Bekka Bramlett, sleek soul, the singers in tight harmony.  The title cut is a slide guitar-driven medium tempo rocker, Tennessee for sure, but Memphis, not Nashville.

Oh, if only all the country music was like this.  When he gets to more commercial tracks, they are still smart and different, and you don't feel like you've heard it all before.  Kudos.  There's also another reason I'm pulling for him.  Hogan was diagnosed with oral pharyngeal cancer last year, after the album was completed.  He endured months of chemo and radiation, and thankfully got a clean bill of health around the same time the album came out.  A phoenix, indeed.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: BLUR - 21 box set

Yes, young Padawan, I was there during the BritPop Wars.  Great Jedi rock stars roamed Britain, battling to rule the charts and hearts of the young.  Huge battles were fought, huge egos were made, and like great Imperial Walkers, they were tripped up and came crashing to the ground before the Millenium ended.  No, it had little effect on this far-away ice planet of Canada, but the repercussions are still being felt, now that we are under the spell of the evil Empress Adele.

So, who won?  Oasis or Blur?  Of course, it doesn't matter and never did, but the tabloid battle did make it across the pond, where we knew more about the supposed feud than the music.  I suppose one could argue Blur came out a bit better, without the internal splits and brotherly bickering, and without a trail of disappointing albums that trickled on for another decade.  Blur only did seven discs in their career, and Damon Albarn has certainly had the most interesting and fulfilling career, at least in terms of art, as opposed to the same old same old for the Gallagher Brothers. 

I couldn't begin to swallow the idea of a massive, career-spanning Oasis box, such was the spottiness of most of their albums.  And initially, I was highly skeptical of this big block of Blur.  But now that I've made it through, I've got to say there's an interesting career here, most of which passed the bulk of us by.  Can you take 21 discs though?  Huh?  Huh?  That's what you find inside, somehow the seven original discs being tripled.  Each proper album has a full, and longer disc of b-sides and live tracks accompanying it.  That's 14.  Then there are four CD's, or a full normal boxed set, of demos, alternates and early versions from their career.  Finally, there are 3 DVD's as well, live concerts from various eras.  That makes 21.  Not to be chintzy, they also throw in a 45 RPM disc, with one more live cut.  And then it gets ridiculous, because there's also a code to unlock more material on-line.  Ah, I think I've reached my Blur limit, but thanks.

What makes this group so interesting, especially in retrospect, is how different each album is, and how restless they were.  At the start of the '90's, and their debut Leisure, they were a typically noisy and brash pop band, fast and fun and furious, but with lots of brains.  By the next one, Modern Life Is Rubbish, a sound had emerged, and it was something that had been missing in England since the end of New Wave, a proud British release.  They were emerging as heirs to The Kinks, albeit crossed with The Jam, proudly reviving that tradition.  At the same time, Oasis arrived with its blatant Beatles influence, and BritPop was born.  By the next one, Parklife, the band hit #1, and they would repeat that through the rest of the decade with each subsequent release.  But already they were experimenting.  The title cut featured spoken-word ramblings about living around the park, an older, fading look at British life.  There were moments of music hall, and blasts of noise, editing and silliness.  Albarn's tongue was in his cheek much of the time, and the English in-jokes were much of the fun.

The Great Escape followed, and this was the very height of the chart battles with Oasis.  Although Blur won the race to #1, it put an image in the public's view, that of Oasis being the rock band with street toughs, Blur the artsy ones, middle class.  It wasn't quite like that, but made a good story.  And The Great Escape was certainly full of fancy, with horns and strings and complications.  It was a disc of British characters, with a new cast each tune.  But the price of fame was taking its toll on the group, especially guitar player Graham Coxon, who hated the fuss and rebelled at the success.  The next recordings saw him wanting to return to the roots of the group, be loud and cranky and obstinate.  It would just be called Blur, in 1997.  And of all things, the very loud and back-to-basics big guitar sound of Song 2 became an even bigger hit than the rest, actually cracking the North American market.  The stripped-down but still gorgeous Beetlebum wasn't far behind.  They had thumbed their noses at BritPop, and still were the kings of it.

There was nothing to do then, but go further.  The next disc, 13, was full of contradictions, with the aching Tender giving way to wildness at other points.  Anything was fair game in the tracks, and it is almost impossible to categorize.  If anything, the group was showing all their sides at once.  There was just too much going on.  Coxon was a mess, and would remain a problem until entering rehab, and being forced to leave the sessions for the group's final effort, Think Tank in 2003.  By this time, Albarn was onto other things, including Gorillaz, and Blur's days were numbered anyway.  Think Tank seems now to be a denouement, with the mellow material in Coxon's absence a relief after the chaos.

Why, there's even a happy ending, with a full reunion for gigs starting in 2009, a couple of new singles, threats of an album, and a jolly old showing at The Olympics.  At $200, this is actually quite a good deal, what with the 21 discs, the hard-bound book and the masses of stuff unavailable elsewhere.  Usually these things are for hard-core fans, already so invested in the group that another $200 isn't that outrageous.  But it's also a very good way to start listening to them seriously, if you only own Parklife and Blur and a hits set.  Like The Kinks before them, once you break past the Anglo-centric invisible barrier, there are plenty of riches.  Better than Oasis, too.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: ETTA JAMES - LIVE AT MONTREUX

The late, great Etta James had a tumultuous career, but when she was on, which was most of the time, she was awesome.  And she remained so until the end of her days, as witnessed by surprisingly strong solo outings and a rigorous touring schedule at times.  That's made obvious by this strong live collection which captures performances from 1975 to 1993, at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival, where she was a regular.

Best of all, and another surprise, is the set of songs that comes from '93.  Well past her 60's and 70's hits, she's in great voice here, with tons of energy.  And, she's busy plugging a new album.  I remember really liking the How Strong Is A Woman disc when it came out then, and here she brings full passion to the title cut.  That it sits so well beside classics like I'd Rather Go Blind says lots.

The three songs from '75 have classic and tough soul though, rough and ready for a tougher time for Etta.  Her take on The Staple Singers Respect Yourself if more of an order than advice, and it doesn't feel churchy at all.  And if you want deep blues, she hits you with Dust My Broom.  The only downside to the set is the inclusion of the dreaded medley.  Here, it's a waste of the wonderful At Last, over too soon as it goes into Trust In Me and A Sunday Kind Of Love.  How 1977.  But everything else on this 75-minute disc is top drawer.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: LIAM TITCOMB - CICADA

Cicadas are bugs that return in cycles, as long as 17 years, and Titcomb took inspiration from that idea for this, his third disc.  He sees it as a return of sorts, or at least a new cycle.  Now, most 25-year old singers would see themselves at the start of a journey, but Titcomb's been at it 10 years, his first disc coming back then, spied as a talent-in-the-making.   So he's already seen some highs and lows, and this disc saw him step back, start over and take some serious time thinking and writing.

It does feel like a re-invention, or least a serious upgrade in the songwriting.  These are moody and mysterious love songs, tight and focused, with memorable melodies, sing-along choruses, but nothing light-weight.  You get the feeling the tunes were worked on, but in the right way, stripping away anything unnecessary until the core was reached.  That goes for the music too, as the production uses just the right amount of instruments, built on acoustic guitar, bass and drums, with flourishes dropped in as strong touches, such as banjo licks, organ lines and lots of layered vocals.  Titcomb's an excellent singer, with a voice that's full of emotion, and he has both a low and high range, making for great doubled vocals and harmony lines.  This is particularly strong on the cut Landslide, the one that started this turn of writing, about the end of a serious relationship, and it's certainly powerful.

It's not all heavy though.  First single Love Don't Let Me Down is affirmative and up, and Games has a big groove, so the guy isn't hurting.  This isn't James Blunt territory, it's serious study of love, and filled with hooks.  Blunt would make it sappy, Cicada is more in line with Neil Finn or Jakob Dylan.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: DVD - BIG EASY EXPRESS

No matter how the times change, there's always been a romantic notion to crossing America, even for those who have to do it for a living.  Touring musicians, once they reach a certain level, are faced with the prospect of yet another slog by van, bus, or if they are rich enough, plane.  There's not too much romance in that, but the train, well, now that's something cool.  Hopping on board for that idea were a trio of neo-folk acts, Old Crow Medicine Show, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and England's Mumford & Sons.  They got a vintage train, a movie crew, and went on a trek from Oakland to New Orleans, stopping off at several cities for concerts.  All told, it took 160 people, from crew to family to train workers, but what the hell, it was as close to living the old dream as they could get.

This is the result, a film debuted at SXSW this past spring, winning the Audience Award.  We get to see all three bands in concert settings, playing stages set up by the train stations.  But much of the film is devoted to the interaction on board, as the bands speak about how well they mesh on this voyage, musically and personally.  Well, duh, they are all big old-time fans, thrilled as heck to dig out the fiddles and accordians and jam until late morning.  As much as the crowds no doubt loved their stops, the real party was happening while the wheels were rolling underneath.

When I say party, I just mean musically.  Unlike the legendary Festival Express train tour of Canada in 1970, with The Band, The Dead, Janis Joplin and others, there's no sign of booze and drugs, and the joy is all in the experience.  Surprisingly, it doesn't feel contrived, either.  Your mom might find them all nice young hippie kids, especially those clean-cut Brits in Mumford.  Musically they come out on top, followed closely by Old Crow.  I still haven't figured out the appeal of Sharpe and the Zeros, other than its music you can jump around to.  He can't sing, and is just kind of freaky. I think the 10-piece group and followers are some kind of feel-good cult.  No matter, Mumford's coming back on.

One of the best moments comes when the Mumford guys stop by a high school, to check in with a marching band that's set to join them on stage that night.  That's always cute, but in this case, the big band treats them to something extra, playing them one of their set pieces, complete with swinging trombone choreography.  The Mumford members then proceed to join the band in the gymnasium, tapping on the big drums, and grooving to these kids.  It's a behind-the-scenes moment you usually don't know about.

Yes, some of the on-train folk jams are a little precious, but since there are so many talented folk players there, and they are obviously having a grand time, you can forgive it.  Then, seeing the footage of the groups joining each other on stage each show, dumping the old showbiz hierarchy of opening and closing acts, and instead enjoying their new bond, you realize that maybe their is something magic about the train.  The whole trip looked like a ball.  Although, I'm glad you can't smell those Zeros, I don't think they bathed.