Bambi Kino - Taking Beatles Tribute To A New Level

Thanks to the ever informative Beatlefan magazine, I've recently been hipped to a unique new Beatles tribute band (and one actually worth checking out) - Bambi Kino. Named after The Beatles' first accommodation in Hamburg, Germany, the band features Mark Rozzo (Maplewood). Ira Elliot (Nada Surf), Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices) and Erik Paparazzi (Cat Power). Formed In New York City back in the summer of 2009, the band played  Hamburg's legendary Indra Club in 2010 (marking the 50th anniversary of The Beatles debut at the same venue).

What sets this band apart is they stick strictly to The Beatles repertoire circa the Hamburg years. This means energetic covers of mainly 50s & early 60s rock and roll, with a few scattered Lennon/McCartney originals from the period thrown in. While they thankfully don't concern themselves with wigs and costumes (outside of some Hamburg-era leather jackets), their attention to detail is striking. Obscure songs like 3:30 Blues (often played by The Beatles in the wee hours when few patrons were around) and Nothin' Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Trees) are given equal space alongside more well known fair like Kansas City and I Saw Her Standing There.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCPdNhpZHS4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmgFbmRpBvA&feature=related

Going beyond that (for the Hamburg shows at least), they even had German guest vocalists come up on stage and sing lead vocals on songs like Money (That's What I Want), just as The Beatles would do on occasion. That truly impressed a hardcore Beatles nerd like myself. The toilet seat around the neck in-joke was the icing on the cake!

During their August 2010 run, Bambi Kino recorded their self-titled debut at the Indra, featuring 12 songs from the ever growing set list. Released in 2011, it's available from amazon.com and on iTunes, along with a single of Some Other Guy (which features 2 splendid covers not on the album - Falling In Love Again and Red Sails In The Sunset).

Any Beatles fan who grew up with the Live At The Star Club album (like myself) or who ever had dreams of starting a clever tribute band like this (again, like myself) should really check out Bambi Kino. Perhaps there's still time for me to form that Wings University Tour 1972 tribute...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE-uxfmKcfs

The Melody's Coming In Clear: Ringo Returns!

"Wings" is the new single by Ringo Starr from his forthcoming 17th studio album Ringo 2012, out January 31st in North America. Of course a single in today's music industry means a digital download. Oh how I miss the long-gone era of CD singles that usually featured 1-3 extra songs not found on any album. I could be wrong, but I think Ringo's last physical single was 1998's "La-De-Da."

What's unique about "Wings" is it's a re-recording of a solo Ringo track from 1977's Ringo The 4th album. In my 30-plus years of being a fan of the solo Beatles, I would never have predicted Ringo returning to this particular song. It's nice to know there's still a few musical surprises up the old boy's sleeve!

Start to finish, he's made the revisitation well worth the effort. Long past putting out music with commercial charts in mind, Ringo records pretty much for the love of making music these days, and "Wings" clearly illustrates this. Featuring a nice, sprightly drum track, Ringo also harmonizes with himself    on a few lines (a rare occurrence in the man's catalogue). At 71, he sings this better than his 37 year-old former self, which really gives this version the edge for me. Brother-in-law Joe Walsh contributes some fine lead guitar work throughout.

2011 saw the release of only one new studio recording by Ringo Starr, a great version of Buddy Holly's "Think It Over," which will also be included on Ringo 2012. "Wings" bodes well for the rest of the full length album (albeit featuring a much too short 9 tracks) at the end of the month.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu7qpQFGXZ0

Universal Here, Everlasting Now: My Faves Of 2009...So Far

With less than 4 months left in 2009, I thought it high time to start listing albums that have made a positive impression on me. We'll see how these titles fare in my year-end top 10, but for now, here goes:

-Working On A Dream by Bruce Springsteen: An ornate pop album like no other this year, WOAD has divided Bruce's fan base. Put me down as somebody who really, really likes this record.

-Under The Covers, Vol. 2 by Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs: It's always nice to have a new covers album that works as an album. Even Lindsey Buckingham and Dhani Harrison tag along for the ride.

-My Old, Familiar Friend by Brendan Benson: Freed at long last from the short leash of The Raconteurs, Benson returns with what may prove to be this year's power pop treasure.

-Electric Arguments Deluxe Box Set by The Fireman: My favourite album of 2008 gets even better this year with a super expanded version (a create your own remixes disc, double vinyl, art prints, DVD & a disc of bonus early versions & instrumentals).

-The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again by John Fogerty: A more charming record this year you'd be hard pressed to find. The former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman delivers his long-overdue followup to his original 1973 Blue Ridge Rangers album. A hybrid of old school country and rockabilly, Fogerty puts his stamp on classic material, including songs made famous by John Prine, Buck Owens, The Everly Brothers & Rick Nelson.

-Down The Line by Buddy Holly: A 2CD set of unreleased material marking the 50th (!) anniversary of Buddy Holly's tragic death. To say this collection is long overdue would be putting it mildly. Start to finish, Down The Line stands as 2009's most important archive release (just for including his legendary final Apartment tapes alone earns it this distinction).

-A Sideman's Journey by Klaus Voorman: Thus far only released in Germany, A Sideman's Journey marks the first solo album by this legendary ex-Manfred Mann bassist/solo Beatles session musician. Guest artists include Yusuf Islam, Bonnie Bramlett, Dr. John and (on the same track) Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr!

-Roadsinger by Yusuf Islam: Mr. former Cat Stevens released a very strong follow up to 2006's wonderful "An Other Cup" CD. This new record is even more "Cat-like," while the man's vocal and melodic abilities remain as strong as ever.

-Middle Cyclone by Neko Case: Anyone who tackles a Harry Nilsson song from Pussy Cats gets my vote, plus Neko is one of the finest vocalists out there today. Best of all, she continues to blossom into one fine songwriter.

*Currently listening to: Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen (1982)

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"There's treasure children always seek to find..." - 10 Overlooked Elton John Classics

Elton John, in the minds of the masses, is an artist defined by his greatest hits. This is too bad, because between 1970's self-titled "Elton John" and 1976's "Blue Moves," the man born Reg Dwight released a run of albums that are simply staggering in their depth of quality. Even beyond that, Elton has, on occasion (usually 2 or 3 tracks per album) risen to the lofty heights of his self-described early 70s "purple patch." Here's a quick dip into but a few buried treasures by an artist once described by John Lennon as the most original thing to come along since The Beatles:

1 Salvation (Honky Chateau - 1972) - A side 2 opener that's easily the equal of "Rocket Man," this LP's most famous number. Infused with a gospel influence, Elton delivers one of his all-time great bridges in this song, featuring the killer Bernie Taupin line "a chance to put the devil down, without the fear of hell..." People who've grown up only hearing the Elton baritone vocal he's used for the past 25 years or so should listen to the strength and emotion he puts into the last verse.


2 Holiday Inn (Madman Across The Water - 1971) - Another side 2 opener, this life of a musician on the road song is absolutely perfect. New band member Davey Johnstone plays some fine mandolin, especially on the outro. Why this isn't in regular rotation on so-called classic rock radio is beyond me!


3 Ticking (Caribou - 1974) - Without question, the highlight of this record and one of the absolute highlights of the Elton John canon. A 7 minute, thirty six second opus that looks at American gun violence, sadly an issue that is always topical. Featuring just Elton on vocals and piano and David Hentschel on A.R.P. synthesizer, "Ticking" never fails to send a chill through this listener.


4 Ballad Of A Well-Known Gun (Tumbleweed Connection - 1970) - Brimming with influences including the American old west and Canada's The Band, Tumbleweed Connection is always seems to be in my top 3 Elton albums. This opener casts our hero as a man on the run from the law. Included in the 6 strong cast of backing vocalists is the legendary Dusty Springfield. Elton dusted this song off for inclusion in his 60th birthday concert at Madison Square Gardens a couple years ago and did a fine job of it too (much to my surprise!).


5 High Flying Bird (Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player - 1973) - It's not often I cite a track as achieving "Beatles perfection," but High Flying Bird hits those highs on all counts. Melody, lyrics, arrangement, performance...I wouldn't change a thing. For me, it remains one of the great album closers in music history.


6 The Wide And Laughing (Blue Moves - 1976) - There's undoubtedly stronger material on Elton second double album in just 3 years, but this track resonated with me from first listen. Featuring the ever versatile Davey Johnstone on sitars, a more "un-Elton John" sounding track you'd be hard pressed to find...great lyrics as well.


7 No Shoe Strings On Louise (Elton John - 1970) - A funky number, this one has Elton doing his best Jagger-like vocal. I'd love to hear a live version of this song, although I'm almost certain he never did it in concert.

8 Street Kids (Rock Of The Westies - 1975) - Clocking in at 6:25, "Street Kids" is an inspired EJ rocker that would be so refreshing to hear in concert rather than yet another airing of "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting." Great ensemble guitar work by Davey Johnstone and Caleb Quaye
make this track really shine.

9 I've Seen That Movie Too (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 1973) - Covering the much trodden once bitten, twic shy ground, but making it sound oh so original. I've always appreciated this moody number, but the past couple of years it's become titanic for me. Elton's at the top of his game here.

10 Curtains (Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy - 1975) - A fond acknowledgement and farewell to one's formative years ("Just like us, you must have had a once upon a time..."), "Curtains" shall forever remain my favourite Elton John track (my friend and fellow Elton fan R.M. Chapman has said this shall one day play at his funeral). He outdoes himself on vocals, as does Nigel Olsson on drums. Add to that some fine mellotron playing by Elton and spot on bells courtesy of Ray Cooper, and the result is one haunting 8 minute piece of work. Masterful!

*Currently listening to: White City by Pete Townshend (1985)

"You only give me your funny paper..."

I stopped reading Rolling Stone's current cover story "Why The Beatles Broke Up" by Mikal Gilmore after the following asinine statement:

"Though Lennon is more commonly regarded as the Beatles' true genius (which is inarguable: he wrote the bulk of their masterpieces and until the last couple years of their career, wrote the best tracks on their albums), it is also fair to say that without McCartney, the Beatles would not have mattered in history with such ingenuity and durability."

Well, I'll be glad to argue such a tired, uninformed opinion. First off, I hold Beatles-era John Lennon as an artist second to none. To me, that is inarguable. That said, Paul McCartney is every bit his equal during that period (and post break-up, he leaves his 3 former bandmates in the dust, but I'll save that for another blog).

To claim that Lennon wrote "the bulk of their masterpieces" is lazy journalism, to be sure. Songs like And I Love Her, Things We Said Today, Here, There And Everywhere, For No One, Penny Lane, Mother Nature's Son and You Never Give Me Your Money to name but a few rank right up there amongst The Beatles best. All were written with little or no help from John Lennon.

Of course it works both ways - classic Lennon tracks like Tomorrow Never Knows, Strawberry Fields Forever, Julia and Come Together were written with little or no help from Macca...unless one counts Paul's input during the recording process (ie: his futuristic idea of using homemade tape loops on Tomorrow Never Knows...Paul's mellotron opening on Strawberry Fields...McCartney's total rearrangement of Come Together, slowing it down from a fast, Chuck Berry inspired rocker).

The beauty of McCartney and Lennon is they were more alike than different...both staggering geniuses together in one band (I can't think of another band that has a one/two punch the equal of that). Both inspired and fed off each other to the point that the lines between them eventually blurred. For every ballad like John's Goodnight or Paul's The Long And Winding Road, there's rocker's like John's I Want You (She's So Heavy) or Paul's manic Helter Skelter. Trying to label one a craftsman and the other natural genius is ignorant, and it ends up shortchanging the vast spectrum of talent both men exhibited.

Rolling Stone magazine's publisher Jann Wenner has long been a staunch John & Yoko supporter, so this latest cover story is just another in a long list of anti-McCartney nonsense. He's the same Jann Wenner who kept McCartney out of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist years after Lennon had been inducted. Finally bowing to pressure, he relented, but not until Paul's wife of nearly 30 years was dead and gone. As Stella McCartney's shirt read at the induction (Paul's date that night) - "About fucking time!"

It's impossible to fight a ghost, but that's the position McCartney has found himself in time and again since 1980. The artistry of both Lennon and McCartney deserve much better than hack critiques as found in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Buyer beware...

Currently listening to: Album Number One by Gary Walker And The Rain (1968)

32 Years Gone...

August 16th looms large in my personal history. My parents celebrate their anniversary on that date, this year reaching the impressive number 40 (which explains why both Mom & Dad have no memory of Woodstock taking place, also celebrating a 40th anniversary this weekend). Almost as important for me though, it's the day Elvis Presley died, this year being the 32nd anniversary of his death.

1977 is ancient history to a great percentage of today's population, but that August 16th stuck with me, even as a 6 year old with minimal interest in music. My family was on our annual summer trip to visit my Mom's parents in Cochrane, about a 10 hour drive from where we were then living. Checking into our hotel for the night in North Bay (roughly the half way point of our journey), the TV was clicked on and right away the news broke that the king of rock and roll had died.

I had no idea who Elvis Presley was, but I was intrigued by the shocked reaction around me. My Aunt Vi, an original Elvis fan from the 1950s cried for the better part of the week. Years later, I would come to realize that Presley was one of my Dad's heroes during the same time period, for a couple of years anyway.

A year and a half later, I was curious enough to watch the 1978 made for TV biopic "Elvis," starring a young Kurt Russell. For Christmas that year I was given the soundtrack LP to Elvis' 1968 Comeback Special, an album that is by now basically part of my DNA. That simple act had an enormous impact on the direction my life would take. Just over two years later, music would replace Star Wars and model trains as the all-consuming passion of my life...a position it holds to this day. I have the artistry of Elvis Presley to thank for that.

Today, I own more music by Elvis than any other artist in my collection. While not a songwriter by any means (I believe he wrote in the neighbourhood of 3 songs in his 42 years), I rank Presley's otherworldly vocal talent alongside Lennon, McCartney and Sinatra for that matter. Although he's been reduced to 1o greatest hits by the mainstream media, his catalogue is an embarrassment of riches. Tracks like Just Pretend, I Need Somebody To Lean On, Stranger In My Own Home Town and Pieces Of My Life (to name but a scant few) deserve to be up there with mega-hits like Don't Be Cruel, Can't Help Falling In Love and Suspicious Minds.

I'll sign off with my favourite quote concerning Elvis Presley, this coming from famed American Studios house band pianist Bobby Wood. Recalling the 1969 Memphis sessions (and outside his Sun material, the greatest music the king ever cut in my opinion), Wood commented:

"He was in his prime. He looked better than most women I've seen."

That my friends, sums up Elvis for me - all that talent, and the guy was a looker to boot. The world lost a lot on August 16th, 1977.

The Return Of An Old, Familiar Friend

I was apprehensive of the upcoming 4th album by Detroit's Brendan Benson, My Old, Familiar Friend, but I'm pleased to report it's a winner all round. Now residing in Nashville, Benson has been doing time of course in The Raconteurs. While the two CDs with Jack White and company were not without their charms, Benson's strengths truly shine on his solo albums. Thankfully, The Racs haven't dulled his power pop sensibilities.

Produced by Gil Norton (China Crisis, Echo & The Bunnymen, Pixies, Foo Fighters), My Old, Familiar Friend is a rousing, 11 track/40 minute summer record to be sure. Benson is wearing his musical influences on his sleeve more than ever, with shades of Todd Rundgren, Wings, 100% Fun-era Matthew Sweet and Motown throughout the record.

Even on first listen, tracks like A Whole Lot Better (so far, my pop single of this summer), Eyes On The Horizon (great chorus!), Gonowhere (complete with killer Wings synth lines) and Borrow stuck with this listener. Start to finish, this is energetic pop music that doesn't sacrifice melody, and that's a rare trick to pull off these days.

As someone who's followed his career since One Mississippi in 1996, it's a nice feeling knowing Benson, while still one of pop's best kept secrets, has the potential to reach more listeners than ever with this release. My Old, Familiar Friend is a welcome return!

-My Old, Familiar Friend is released August 18th, 2009 on ATO Records