The Saddest Part Of The Whole Guns 'n' Roses Helicopter Ride Story!

Guns 'n' Roses, left to right, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, and Slash.  DJ Ashba not pictured for obvious reasons

The first time I heard the local news tease the story "Las Vegas police officer in hot water for role in Guns 'n' Roses helicopter marriage proposal", I admit to being mildly intrigued.  I couldn't help wonder which iconic member of the legendary Hollywood rock band was getting hitched.  I knew it wasn't Axl, but I also recalled that Slash was already happily married, as was Duff McKagan.  Heck, even Tommy Stinson, who will always be a "Replacement" member of the band in my eyes, has been off-the-market for some time.

So imagine my surprise when the GNR member-in-question, for whom the Las Vegas Police Department rolled out the red carpet celebrity treatment, was none other than...DJ Ashba?

DJ Ashba

That some poor schmuck in the P.D., who eventually caught a lot of flack and was ultimately forced to retire early rather than face a formal inquiry into his actions, did this for a "member" of Guns and Roses that 9.5 out of ten fans of the band couldn't name if their lives depended on it just confirms the fact that otherwise intelligent people sure do get excited by the prospect of rubbing shoulders with a celebrity.

They hear the words "Guns 'n' Roses" and suddenly keys to the city are being handed out without anybody actually checking credentials.  DJ Ashba may be a nice guy, but he's no celebrity.  It wasn't the dropping of his name that got him that helicopter ride, it was the name "Guns 'n' Roses".  Of course, what makes the blowback received by Las Vegas police Captain David O'Leary all the more sad, is that it wasn't even a real member of Guns 'n' Roses.

R.E.M. Albums Best To Worst!!

1. Murmur

After original producer Stephen Hague tried his darndest to turn them into a synth band, R.E.M. revolted, appealing to their label to let them work with Mitch Easter and Don Dixon instead.  After a test session resulted in a superior version of "Catapult", IRS Records gave Easter and Dixon the green light and the rest, as they say is history.

Sadly, the world is probably chock-full of great bands who just got stuck with the wrong producer for their first album and were never heard from again.  What always made R.E.M. so different was that they knew exactly what they DIDN'T want and stuck to their guns.  As a result, the arrival of Murmur in April 1983 was met with almost universal critical raves, which is quite an accomplishment when you think about what Murmur would have sounded like if Hague had produced it.

Instead, discerning rock fans were treated to something vaguely familiar, yet decidedly unique as the opening notes of "Radio Free Europe" announced the arrival of a band whose identity was already fully formed, yet free of pretense or label trickery.

You didn't have to know what Stipe was singing about to feel the honesty.  Just as importantly, Easter/Dixon's genius was in knowing enough to stay out of the way and let R.E.M. be themselves.
In the end, that simplicity and respect for the songs is what makes Murmur the best R.E.M. album.

From a production standpoint, it's almost a field recording, capturing the band in their natural habitat and embracing their idiosyncracies rather than trying to "fix" them with synths and studio trickery.  R.E.M. of course, brought in a stellar batch of soon-to-be-iconic tunes: Radio Free Europe, Pilgrimage, Laughing, Talk About The Passion, Moral Kiosk, Perfect Circle and that's just Side One!

2. Life's Rich Pageant

One need only listen to the opening strains of album-opener "Begin The Begin" to realize that "the little band that could" had successfully fought off the growing pains that had grounded Fables Of The Reconstruction and were now firing on all cylinders.   With their best batch of tunes since Murmur and a new producer (Don Gehman, best known for his work with John Cougar Mellencamp), the sky was now the limit and R.E.M. took full advantage of the resources at their disposal.

Up to this album, being an R.E.M. fan meant being a part of a small, but growing community of oddballs and outcasts and not having to share them with the mainstream crowd.  For better and worse (mostly worse), this album, and the success of "Fall On Me" on radio and MTV, began to change that forever.  Having said that, the middle part of the record ("Cuyahoga", "Hyena", et al) is not all that far removed from the early murkiness of Murmur.

3. Reckoning

Coming a year after Murmur, Reckoning could just as easily be called Murmur, Part Two if not for the band's newfound musical confidence coming off of a year of steady touring.  Whle this batch of songs is admittedly not as strong as those on Murmur, the high points ("South Central Rain", "Pretty Persuasion", "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville") are higher.  From a production standpoint, Easter and Dixon appear even more hands-off this time around when, in truth, the album could have used a little more ambient weirdness.

4. Document

This album marked the beginning of R.E.M.'s "angry period", for lack of a better term.  From the album's opening moments ("Finest Worksong" and "Welcome To The Occupation"), it was easy to see that this was a band on a mission and that Document was an honest-to-goodness no-holds-barred protest record.
It's also oddly fitting that this would be the album to propel the band to the top of the charts, as "The One I Love" went Top 10 and the super-catchy "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" got heavy MTV play.

Listening to the album today, the songs wash over you like the last sunny day before the arrival of the storm of commercial success that would ultimately turn them into arguably the biggest band in the world.

5. Green

Their first effort for Warner Bros., this is the album that officially marked the end of the band's "angry period" and forever closed the door on their "indie rock" days.  While the once small, but thriving community of R.E.M. fans had now grown to include frat boys and cheerleaders, the band's subject matter was never darker, yet their musical execution never more upbeat.

Still, the appearance of a song like "Stand" certainly ranks as one of the band's mightiest missteps, but the rest of the album marches to its own drum, which just happens to be played by Bill Berry, who is at his rock-solid best on this outing.  "World Leader Pretend" may sound like something that would not have sounded out of place on Murmur, but Stipe's vocals were now almost fully intelligible and seemed to be declaring an entirely new mission statement, recognizing the "weapons" of a huge media corporation (the WB) now at their disposal and using them to shine light on societal injustices and bring about positive change.  This is R.E.M. at their most ambitious, each track crackling with urgency.

6. Fables Of The Reconstruction

Perhaps fearing a fall into formulaic ways after two albums with Easter/Dixon, REM left the comfort zone of Charlotte, NC's Reflection Studios and headed to England to work with legendary producer Joe Boyd.  Despite some truly choice tunes (Driver 8, Life And How To Live it, and Can't Get There From Here), most of the album is mired in a sort of mid-tempo morose that weighs down the entire album.  Boyd's production adds nothing to the proceedings and to whomever sequenced the album, I can only say, "what were you thinking?"  Not a bad album, mind you, but one that sounds more like a collection of outtakes and B-sides than the band's actual collection of outtakes and B-sides (Dead Letter Office).

With the release of Out Of Time and Automatic For The People, R.E.M. became a singles band, for lack of a better term.  While those albums are not without great moments, the continuity that had held seemingly disparate groups of songs together to tell a singular story was gone.  Forever.

Monster, while reasonably successful, revealed a band no longer happy to be ignored by a generation of kids more interested in the brooding yarl of Eddie Vedder than Micheal Stipe's earnest wail.  The band cranked up the amps in hopes of competing, thereby making R.E.M. the momentary follower of the latest musical trends.

New Adventures In Hi-Fi had its heart in the right place, but lacked the strong material to truly be a return-to-form.  More like Automatic Adventures For The People.

Subsequent albums Up, Reveal, Accelerate, Around The Sun and Collapse Into Now are completely interchangeable and, sadly, forgettable.

The Shit List: The Ten Coolest Things That Happened In Music: 2013 Edition!

The Boomtown Rats got back together.

Geldof, who, like his buddy Bono, remains involved in numerous charitable interests, too time out from his demanding schedule to get the band back together because some of his former bandmates had fallen on hard times.  They played their first official reunion shows in April and spent the summer and fall hitting the UK fests.  Say what you will about Live-Aid and all that, Geldof is a man who remains loyal to his principles and his friends.  I heard a couple Rats tunes on the Exposed 2 compilation when I was a kid and have been a fan ever since.  As great as they are, some people just don't get 'em.  They're loss, but it would be nice to see them putting asses in the seats should their proposed summer tour find a U.S. promoter.  Until then, dig this TV performance of the Bowie-esque "Never In A Million Years".

Nile Rodgers is still one bad-ass mo-fo.

His involvement in the making of Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories" and its massive hit single "Get Lucky" reminded us all that Nile Rodgers is not only still alive, but capable of turning a so-so electro record into the year's biggest hit.  Wanna be really inspired, though?  Check out the above clip to get a glimpse into the mind of a true artist.

The Three O'Clock reformed.

I had honestly given up on ever seeing this seminal 80's psych rock band reform, especially after drummer Danny Benair told me a few years ago about the failed 2003 reunion that would have included Benair, singer/bassist Michael Quercio and guitarist Louis Gutierrez along with Jason Falkner replacing Mike Mariano.

So when I heard they'd been booked to play Coachella 2013, after a quick change of pants, I immediately began worrying about whether or not they could capture that same youthful energy as men in their fifties.  I need not have worried, as even the Coachella warm-up shows bristled with a raw power that erased all markers of time.  Sure, they were a tad rough around the edges, but that only seemed to add to the awesomeness of the occasion.  This past December saw a string of successful West Coast "Paisley Undergound" package tour dates with The Bangles, Rain Parade and Dream Syndicate and January 14 sees the release of "Aquarius Andromeda" on LP (cassette is available now).

Spotify saved me a ton of cash.

Seeing as how I bring in a cool $40 or so a month from Spotify airplay royalties, I am already appreciative of the service, but I am continually impressed by the scope of their expansive music database, which literally saved me thousands of dollars.  Let's face it, we've all seen albums we WISH we could hear, but circumstances and budget limitations just didn't allow it.  With Spotify, I was finally able to devour entire discographies by the likes of 10cc, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Pet Shop Boys, Love Tractor (whose albums are now commercially available again, by the way) among others.

The Foo Fighters "broke up".

While Dave Grohl may officially be the rock star most dudes would like to have a beer with, the constant presence of the Foo Fighters on the music scene can be a bit, well, exhausting, what with all the screaming and posing and shit.  So when Grohl announced in January 2013 that the band was breaking up, we took it as an opportunity to catch our breath and relish life in a Foo-free world.  Sadly, said break-up lasted all of ten seconds as the band was back in the studio by February. They capped of the year by playing two December shows in Mexico.

The Replacements reunited, put out a new EP AND played Riot Fest

Very few shows were as joyous as the Mats' reunion gig at the Humboldt Park Riot Fest.  For starters, the audience seemed to be mostly comprised of Chicago rock royalty, all paying respectful homage to Westerberg and Stinson.  Members of Material Issue, Green, and Naked Raygun could be seen weeping tears of joy and singing along to every word.  Of course, by being there at all, Paul and Tommy were paying tribute to fallen brother Slim Dunlap, who suffered a serious stroke in 2012.  Proceeds from their "Songs For Slim" EP were donated to Dunlap in hopes of covering his continuing medical care.

Los Lonely Boys overcame tragedy and finished work on a new album.

After a fall from the stage at an L.A. gig left singer/guitarist Henry Garza with serious neck and spine injuries, many wondered if the Austin-based band had played their last show, but both Henry and the band battled back by year's end to put the finishing touches on the band's new album,  Revelation, due January 21.  The group also begins a U.S. tour (with a few Japanese dates tossed in for good measure) later this month.  They don't hit the Chicago area until June 29, though.

Jan. 24 Maui HI | Cultural Center
Jan. 25 Honolulu HI | Aloha Tower Market Place
Jan. 26 Kauai HI | Kilohana Plantation
Jan. 30 Tokyo Japan | Liquid Room
Feb. 1 Nogoya Japan | Club Quattro
Feb. 2 Osaka Japan | Shangri-La
Feb. 4 San Francisco CA | Independent
Feb. 6 Los Angeles CA | Troubadour
Feb. 7 San Juan Capistrano CA | Coach House
Feb. 8 Chandler AZ | Center for the Arts
Feb. 9 Flagstaff AZ | Orpheum
Feb. 11 Beaver Creek CO | Vilar Center
Feb. 12 Boulder CO | Boulder Theatre
Feb. 13 Taos NM | KTAOS/Solar Center
March 19 Boston MA | Paradise
March 20 Portland ME | Asylum
March 21 Tarrytown NY | Music Hall
March 22 Uncasville CT | Wolf Den
March 24-26 New York NY | City Winery
March 28 Norwalk CT | Concert Hall
March 29-30 Annapolis MD | Rams Head
April 1 Washington DC | Hamilton
April 2 Wilmington DE | World Café
April 3 Millville NJ | Levoy Theater
April 4 Glenside PA | Keswick Theatre
April 5 Harrisburg PA | Whitaker Center
April 22 Carmel CA | Sunset Center
April 23 Napa CA | Uptown Theatre
April 24 Fresno CA | Tower Theater
April 26 Laughlin NV | Harrahs  w/Los Lobos
April 27 Pauma Valley CA (San Diego CA) | Pauma Casino
April 29 Portland OR | Aladdin Theater
April 30 Spokane WA | Knitting Factory
May 1 Snoqualamie WA  (Seattle) | Casino
May 3 Phoenix AZ | Cinco de Mayo Fest
May 4 Spring TX | Crawfish Fest
May 9 Tulsa OK | River Spirit Casino
June 19 Dulce NM | Blues Fest
June 29 Aurora IL | Blues on the Fox Festival
July 20 El Paso TX  | Music under the Stars

Cadillac Used A  Ramones Song In One of Their Car Commercials.

While part of me wonders if such a thing would have taken place if Johnny or Joey (or Dee Dee) were still alive, when you hear a Ramones song in a Cadillac commercial, it still feels like victory.  After all, Cadillac wouldn't be using the song if they didn't finally wake up to the reality that we former punk rock kids sure do have a lot of money!  Never mind that Cadillac also went after the cougar demographic by licensing Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom".

David Bowie Released A New Album.

With rumors circulating that he was bed-ridden and close to death, rock chameleon David Bowie secretly recorded an album with longtime producer Tony Visconti.  Entitled "The Next Day", Bowie's 24th studio album turned out eons better than it had any right to be and quieted the naysayers who all but referred to this living legend in the past tense.  For shame.  Now if only Bowie will give Nile Rodgers a call the next time he books some studio time.

Whole Foods Began Selling Vinyl Records!

In 2013, Whole Foods began selling "a carefully curated selection" of vinyl records at select stores in the L.A. area.  The move was so successful that the newly opened Brooklyn location also came with its own vinyl section.  The idea of being able to grab some tofu and the new Xiu Xiu album on 180g vinyl.  While the move was criticized as just another attempt to tighten their stranglehold on the coveted "hipsters with money" demographic, let's face it, any place that sells vinyl is better than NO place that sells vinyl.  Perhaps some enterprising young lads will take the next logical step and devote an entire store to selling nothing but vinyl.

Stranger things have happened.

The Shit List: Top 10 Things Wrong With Year-End Top 10 Lists!

Okay, THIS Top 10 List We Kinda Like...

Once again, we were besieged by offers to contribute our year-end Top 10 list to otherwise respectable publications and, once again, we turned 'em all down, baby. The truth is we just like you too much to do such a thing to you.  Make no mistake, we still have more opinions than there are assholes on the planet, but just don't think ANYONE should be subjected to another person's Year-End Top 10 List.

On anything.  For those needing an explanation:

Top 10 Things Wrong With Year-End Top 10 Lists

1. All Writers Like The Same Bands

2. Seriously, It's Ridiculously Coincidental

3. That all these hundreds and hundreds of writers from all different parts of the country (if not world) would all regurgitate some slight variation of the same twenty albums.

4. Which, if you think about it, is so fucking pretentious and sheep-like.

5. Incestuous even.

6. Have you actually met any of these writers?  No?  Neither has anybody else.  They never leave their fucking apartments.

7. But when they do, they Four Square from Starbucks.  How original.

8. Truth is there are really only four great music writers and the rest WORSHIP THEM.  If those four great music writers rave about something, the rest will follow, and we all end up buying some variation of the same twenty albums.

9. Pretty much like everybody else.

10. The End.

Sky Ferreira's Album Recalled By Capitol Records!

Sky Ferreira's "Night Time, My Time" (2013), left, and Blind Faith's self-titled album (1969)

While you might not be familiar with the name Sky Ferreira, you may be familiar with the album cover for her recent Capitol Records release, Night Time, My Time, which features a topless photo of the 21-year-old singer.

Showing some major skin on an album cover is nothing new - Ohio Players anyone? - but full frontal nudity is a whole other bag of wax.  The most well-known example came in the summer of '69 when Blind Faith (which featured Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Ginger Baker) chose a photo of a topless pre-teen girl for the cover of their one and only studio album.  As one can imagine, the cover did generate a fair amount of controversy upon release, thereby leading to the release of an alternate cover, but the original cover remained in-print and is familiar to ANYONE who has ever walked into a record store in the past 50+ years.

Alternate cover art for Blind Faith's album

In what most certainly qualifies as a shining example of reverse progress, the original cover art has slowly and methodically been removed from the marketplace.  In fact, the original unedited artwork is nowhere to be found on eBay, which refuses to display the cover art in its original form.

While CD's carrying the original art are available on Amazon, the domestic version of the album began carrying the alternate artwork exclusively three years ago.

So, why is it that an album cover that was certainly controversial, but allowed to exist in the marketplace for 50 years, is suddenly deemed too racy and pulled from circulation?  If one didn't know better, one would almost think that it never existed in the first place.

Sadly, the same fate awaits Sky Ferreira's new album, which has just been recalled by Capitol Records due to the subject matter of the album cover.  Keep in mind that the label had no problem releasing the album a mere two months ago with the original cover art.

When the national media is increasingly focused on the latest clothing-optional antics of Miley Cyrus, who Ferreira toured with as opening act in 2013, while, at the same time, buckling to the whims of conservative groups lobbying for further censorship of albums, films, and books like Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", the message being sent to children and adults alike is a mixed one.

Call me crazy, but in the 30+ years since I became a familiar presence at local record shops in the 80's, I just presumed that we as a society would have moved past such ridiculous censorship issues by now.  Instead, we've regressed to a point where I half-expect to see a witch and some flying monkeys go screaming past at any moment.

Strangely, Tipper Gore's short-lived PMRC group that sought the censorship of song lyrics by such artists as Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest had no beef with Blind Faith's cover art.  Yet here we are in the year 2014 - where celebrity "wardrobe malfunctions" are considered front-page news - going to dangerous lengths to instill in our children the belief that the human form, even in an artistic context, is pornographic.

What next, burqas?