Dave Brubeck Quartet - Music from "West Side Story" and Other Works

I may not know that much about jazz, but I know that Dave Brubeck is the very knees of the bees. I bought this record because I was raised on Brubeck's awesomeness, and I also have a deep and abiding love of showtunes. This is actually one of two recordings I own which features a jazz great covering tunes from West Side Story (the other is Oscar Peterson, my other favorite jazz pianist). There's just something about these songs that makes them perfect for jazz explorations.

The A-side of this record actually features the "other works" mentioned on the record sleeve. It's a work which was originally featured on the record Bernstein Plays Brubeck Plays Bernstein entitled "Dialogues for Jazz Combo and Orchestra." The work was written by Dave Brubeck's brother Howard, and was performed by The Dave Brubeck Quartet and the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein conducting. It's an interesting work and certainly performed by the absolute best, but I still prefer the flipside of this record.

The B-side of the record features tunes from West Side Story. You really can't beat Brubeck's take on "Maria" and "Somewhere," the latter being one of the most beautiful jazz arrangements I have ever heard. The interplay between piano and saxophone in the beginning of the song almost brings tears to my eyes every time. It's one of the most moving pieces I have ever heard in any genre. While this record is not as essential as Time Out, it's still one of my very favorite jazz records, and a fine example of Brubeck's mastery of his instrument and the genre.

Jackson Browne - The Pretender

I actually listened to The Pretender before I listened to Late For the Sky, which is chronologically incorrect, but had a major bearing on how I feel about The Pretender.

I was loving The Pretender and thinking that Jackson Browne could do no wrong, and then I heard Late For the Sky, which showed that The Pretender is not his best. It's certainly a very good album, but Late For the Sky is all time great whereas The Pretender is merely very good.

The song that tells the tale of the difference between the only two Jackson Browne albums I own better than any other is "Linda Paloma." "Linda Paloma" is a fake Mexican knockoff of a tune. Its mariachi-esque arrangement attempts to mask the fact that it's really not that great of a song. While it's the only song I truly dislike on The Pretender, there's no "Linda Paloma" on Late for the Sky.

The Pretender is a solid Jackson Browne album that suffers slightly in comparison with the very best that the man has ever done. There are plenty of great tracks on this album, not least of which is the title track which belies a bunch of 1970s-style disenfranchisement. Jackson Browne is a master at putting loneliness, disfranchisement, and heartache to music. While he strays a bit from his formula on this album, the moments in which he follows it are highly enjoyable.

Jackson Browne - Late For the Sky

Jackson Browne was one of the luminaries of the early singer/songwriter movement, and it's not hard to see why when you're listening to Too Late For the Sky. The thing about singer/songwriters is that they rise and fall with the strength of their songs. With Too Late For the Sky, Jackson Browne is one the rise in a big way. Each and every song on this album is immaculate in its conception and execution.

The opening chords of the title track (which opens the album) sets the stage for an album filled with well-crafted songs performed in a mellow laid-back mode. Every single song on this album had a ring of familiarity even though I hadn't heard most of them before. By the time this album was done, I just wanted to run out and buy more Jackson Browne albums.

First 10 - Captain America

Now here's where things get a little interesting in terms of how I proceed with these First 10 series. Although in the Marvel Universe characters change very little from their origins to their modern incarnations, which means you could do as I did and read X-Men from their 1963 premier up to the present day and it's all basically the same series. The same is not true for DC. Origins in the DC Universe differ wildly from era to era, which is addressed by the existence of the multiverse and the various crisis events which iron out some of the wrinkles. Anyway, if I'm willing to treat the two different eras of Captain America as two separate entities, am I willing to do the same for DC? The short answer is no. The long answer is that I'll play things by ear and try to be as fair as possible, but there's no way I'm going to scour every era of every DC character. I want to settle on a series and start reading soon, so I'm trying to not give myself too much homework. That said, on to the review of Captain America.

I really loved the first 10 issues of Captain America. He had some epic battles with The Red Skull, a few lesser battles with a few lesser villains (such as The Trapster, who boasts of many weapons and traps, but everything he does is somehow connected to his goofy paste gun. I guess they can't all be winners). You get a new take on The Cap's origins which follows the Golden Age origin story very closely, but adds a bunch of details which are important for The Cap's motivations. The only downside of the first 10 issues of Captain America is that they feel like a pared down version of what was already happening in The Avengers. There are several references to Tony Stark, and more than a few meetings with Nick Fury, which can only serve to remind readers that Captain America works with The Avengers as well. At this point in the game, Captain America wasn't quite strong enough to carry his own title, but he was close. I'm sure things got even more intriguing after the first 10 issues, but the first 10 showed a lot of room for growth.

While I really like Captain America, I can't say that I enjoyed these first 10 more than a lot of the other series I've read up to this point. I'll get around to reading this series, but I can't place it above The Avengers right now.

1. Batman
2. Amazing Spider-Man
3. Fantastic Four
4. Booster Gold
5. The Punisher
6. Golden Age Green Lantern
7. The Avengers
8. Captain America
9. Golden Age Captain America
10. Golden Age Blue Beetle
11. Aquaman

First 10 - Golden Age Captain America

I really really wanted to like Golden Age Captain America comics. I've always been a fan of the Cap, and I don't mind reading old-timey comics. The problem with the old-timey Captain America comics is that they generally fall into the realm of thinly veiled war propaganda. It's not that I didn't support the troops in WWII and it's not that I don't enjoy watching the star-spangled man punch Hitler in the face (something he does on a lot of covers, but not so much in the actual comics), it's just that I don't need to be sold on the war at home for a war that has been over since before my father was born.

The early Captain America comics were pretty standard Golden Age fare. I know that Stan Lee got his start with these comics, but he wasn't yet the Silver Age marvel that we all know and love. Basically, Golden Age Captain America shows shades of the things I would eventually love about the series, but they don't fully manifest themselves here.

The most satisfying parts of the first 10 Golden Age Captain America comics were the things that held over into his reanimation in the Silver Age. This includes his origins in the super soldier program, his nemesis relationship with Red Skull, and his costume, which has changed surprisingly little over the years (the shield, of course, has changed, and I prefer the new one). Anyway, I didn't enjoy Golden Age Captain America nearly as much as I wanted to. I'm sure I'll read this series eventually, but it won't be next on my list. Here's where it falls in the standings.

1. Batman
2. Amazing Spider-Man
3. Fantastic Four
4. Booster Gold
5. The Punisher
6. Golden Age Green Lantern
7. The Avengers
8. Golden Age Captain America
9. Golden Age Blue Beetle
10. Aquaman

The Breeders - Head to Toe

This three track 10" EP features two covers and one original track by Josephine Wiggs. The Josephine Wiggs track, "Head to Toe," opens the album with a garage rock squonk. This is as primitive as The Breeders have ever sounded, and it's an interesting little jag.

The cover of "Shocker in Gloomtown," a Guided by Voices track, is fairly nondescript. It's a decent cover, but it's over before you knew it began.

Sebadoh's "Freed Pig" rounds out the album with layers upon layers of fuzz. It's a nice track, but by the time this EP was done, I found myself wishing I was listening to Pod or Last Splash. Head to Toe is a pretty good EP, but is really only necessary for Breeders completists. For the rest of us, the band's studio output should more than suffice.

Bread - The Best of Bread

Bread is one of the greatest soft rock bands in history. There's really something special about that 1970's AM Radio sound, and Bread rocks it softly as well as anyone ever has.

My two favorite Bread tunes are "If" and "Baby I'm A Want You," and they're both included on this compilation. Side A of this album is filled with Bread's softer material, and they actually rock it out a little on the B-Side. Most notably, Bread churns out an honest-to-goodness Skynyrd-esque rocker in "Mother Freedom," which proves that they aren't just wussies who are afraid to really rock it out (a common perception of soft rock that I have been trying to stifle for years). Although Bread can crank out the rock, I prefer their more sensitive material. I just can't get enough of that wispy 1970's sound. Just go and listen to "If" and try to tell me it isn't awesome.

David Bowie - Changesonebowie

Changesonebowie is a straightforward compilation of David Bowie hits. It takes no chances and only includes songs you already know, even if you don't know that you know anything about David Bowie. While it was an important release in its day, there are several more exhaustive Bowie compilations. Not least of these is Changesbowie, which compiles both this record and its counterpart Changestwobowie. Anyway, if you want a small sampling of Bowie's greatness, this is a decent record to own, but just know that there's better to be had.

David Bowie - Heroes 12" Promo Single

This white label 12" promo has two cuts of the same track. The A-side has the full 6 minute cut of "Heroes" and the B-side has a radio edit which is half that length. The radio edit sounds slightly different than the original cut, and I'm not just talking about the fact that it's a full three minutes shorter. It sounds different for reasons I can't put my finger on.

There's really nothing I can say about this single that I haven't said about the album it was taken from. This entry is mainly just a space filler to show that I own this record. This blog is as much a personal record of my music collection as it is a public service where you can read what some guy you've never met thinks about albums that were made before he was born.

David Bowie - Heroes

Having struck upon something brilliant with Low, Bowie and Eno decided to not mess with success. Heroes is another record with vocals on one side and experimental electronic instrumentals on the other. While it follows in the mold laid out by Low, I would argue that Heroes improves on the formula.

My argument for Heroes' superiority lies in the strength of its vocal side. The instrumentals are a wash. I honestly don't know what makes one ambient track better than another. The title track on Heroes is among the very best songs Bowie has ever written. There's something so enchanting about the rhythm of the song as well as the little nuanced instrumental parts hidden in the background. Also, I really like "Sons of the Silent Age" because it sounds a bit like a throwback to Bowie's earlier material. "Joe the Lion" and "Blackout" are romping rockers, which Bowie has never done enough of. The A-side of Heroes is just better than the A-Side of Low. As for the B-side, I'll leave that for people who know anything about ambient electronica, because I don't.

David Bowie - Low

Low is the first part of a beautiful friendship between David Bowie and Brian Eno. When I first dropped the needle on this record, I thought, "This sounds like early Roxy Music." It wasn't until I did a little research that I found out that I was right on the money.

The first half of this album is a sort of post-glam experimental rock, and the back half is populated by ambient electronica typical of Eno. While Diamond Dogs found Bowie wandering a bit, he hits on something solid with Low. Every track has a purpose, and although I tend to prefer his Ziggy Stardust output, you can't argue with how solid and driven this album sounds. This is one of many times in which Bowie successfully reinvented himself, and as his reinventions go, this is one of the better ones. It's certainly better than his 1980's pantsuit years.

David Bowie - Diamond Dogs

Diamond Dogs marks the end of an era. Before he cut this record, Bowie fired the Spiders from Mars and dropped his Ziggy Stardust persona. Unsurprisingly, Diamond Dogs sounds like a transitional album. As such, it's significantly less stable than its predecessors.

There are definitely some tracks worth hearing on Diamond Dogs. Most notably, the title track, "Sweet Thing," and "Rebel Rebel," are worthy of Bowie's earlier work. Unfortunately, there are a few disappointments on this album as well. I found "1984" tedious and "Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family" odd for oddness' sake. Although it suffers from unevenness, Diamond Dogs is still worth owning, provided you already own Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust.

David Bowie - Pin Ups

This album tends to turn critics a number of different shades of angry purple. After Bowie had taken two gigantic steps forward with Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and one very small step backward with Aladdin Sane, he seemingly catapulted himself a zillion steps backward on Pin Ups. I tend to not agree, but I'm one of those weirdos who wouldn't have freaked out when Dylan went electric.

Anyway, Pin Ups is good for what it is. The liner notes explain that this album features David Bowie covering some of the artists that influenced his work. It's an interesting idea, and can't be compared to Bowie's other albums because it was never intended to be. There are a couple odd choices on the album, such as the bafflingly bad cover of The Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind" (the original is a great song and highly recommended to those who have never heard it).

While there may be a few covers that fall a bit flat, the cover of The Pretty Things' "Rosalyn" is simply superb. It certainly passed the "will my two-year old daughter dance to this?" test. Anyway, for those of you who simply can't abide Bowie stepping back into the 60's right when he was reinventing and redefining the 70's, you can skip Pin Ups. For those of you who are a little more open minded, there are some good things happening on this album.

David Bowie - Aladdin Sane

On Aladdin Sane, Bowie takes a turn for the weird, which is really saying something given how odd he had been up to this point in his career. You need look no further than the title track for evidence of this album's weirdness. It has a sort of Schoenbergian complexity and lack of harmonic beauty. While Aladdin Sane occasionally breaks into glorious simplicity, as it does on "Jean Genie," there are moments of pure frustration of this album.

While you certainly can't fault Bowie for his sonically diverse approach to this album, the overall effect just isn't good enough to place Aladdin Sane on the level of the two albums that preceded it. That being said, the cover art for this album is among the greatest ever made.

David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

This is classic Bowie. While his other albums may have slightly stronger sets of songs (Hunky Dory in particular), Bowie pulls off his androgynous alien persona better on this album than any other.

Perhaps most notable is the title track and its unforgettable opening riff. The song is grandiose, theatrical, and completely awesome. It rocks without ever cranking the amp up to 11, and is decadent without approaching the absurd. Equally amazing is "Suffragette City," a song my two year old daughter rocks out to whenever I put it on. Not bad for a 40-year-old song.

As it was with Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars straddles the line between glam and pop, alternately appeasing and indulging both. As much as he is a master of songwriting, David Bowie is a master of genre, and that is nowhere more apparent than it is here.