CD Odyssey Disc 73: The Rolling Stones

For the next disc, I have decided to put a new CD back in the mix. Santa was good to me and put some music in my stocking.

I had asked Santa for some Dick Dale surfer guitar, and was surprised to find the Rolling Stones' "Sticky Fingers". That's OK though - Dick Dale was something I might not have bought, but wanted to hear. The Stones fit that bill perfectly as well. Santa knows me better than I know myself!

So, without further ado...

Disc 73 is...Sticky Fingers

Artist: The Rolling Stones

Year of Release: 1971

How I Came To Know It: I'v known the Stones all my life, and I used to own the ubiquitous "Hot Rocks" on tape. This album was bought for me by Sheila/Santa. Apart from the two "Hot Rocks" tracks (Brown Sugar and Wild Horses), I didn't know it.

How It Stacks Up: The Rolling Stones have 25 studio albums. I have only 1 (this one). Of the one I have, this one is the best. I have a feeling it will stack up well if I had more, but who knows?

Rating: 4 stars.

I wasn't sure how I was going to like this album on Christmas morning, but immediately decided to dive in and see how it went. Since then, I've listened to it five times in five days (twice yesterday). I have not been disappointed.

Also, since my last couple reviews have taken the piss out of Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, I think a third band from that era is in order.

I know next to nothing about the Stones, apart from the fact that Keith Richards is a member of the living dead - likely a lich, but as he ages I think maybe a mummy. My buddy Casey is a huge fan, and has kept the pilot-light of my interest burning for years. Thanks, Casey!

Back to the album - which is a great one. This record starts with the very recognizable "Brown Sugar". This is a good song, but hardly my favourite on the album.

I'll skip all the obvious stuff here - except to quickly point out that the Stones are a very tight band, that can obviously play their asses off. In particular, I don't think I've ever appreciated Keith Richards' guitar until now. It is like I've listened to the Stones a thousand times but only truly heard them now. The headphones likely helped on that account (I listened while painting the evil cleric - coming soon!).

A couple things on this album stick out (apart from the trouser snake on the album cover).

Firstly, I really enjoy the blues-rock sound which is the natural pocket of the rolling stones. In particular "Bitch" is a sweet track for this, and I think my favourite on the album.

Secondly, I like the range of the music - something I didn't fully expect, having been fed only anthologies and hits most of my life. In particular, the use of strings (very noticeable on "Moonlight Mile") and the ability of Richards to switch from blues-rock to country-rock on tracks like "Dead Flowers" and the aforementioned "Moonlight Mile". I should've expected this, as one of my favourite Stones' tracks is "Far Away Eyes", but I didn't realize the sound was so prevalent.

I also really dug the otherworldly sound on "Sister Morphine", which reminded me a bit of Steve Earle's "CCKMP" which I reviewed as part of his "I Feel Alright" album back on July 30th. Like that song, "Sister Morphine" captures the numbness of the drug addict in the throws of addiction.

Lastly, what really hit me was that the Stones play with emotion. They understand that rock and roll should not just be heard, it should be felt. Frankly, hearing it is what makes me realize what I've been missing a little bit in the Beatles review for Rubber Soul recently posted.

In short, I was pleasantly surprised. This is my first Stones album, but it won't be my last.

Best tracks: Wild Horses, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Bitch, Sister Morphine, Moonlight Mile.

CD Odyssey Disc 72: Led Zeppelin

I am off this week, so no car listening. Instead, I reviewed this album on my cordless headphones while painting a figurine (Evil Cleric pictures to be posted when I finish him).

It was weird not listening in the car, but painting is an activity that allows me to concentrate, so I think it is a good approach. Besides - I make the rules around here!

Disc 72 is...Led Zeppelin II

Artist: Led Zeppelin

Year of Release: 1969

How I Came To Know It: I got into how I came to know Zeppelin when I reviewed Vol I back at Disc 27, so I won't repeat a bunch of that. Basically, at the constant positive reinforcement from the many Zeppelin fans I know, this is the third album I've bought, and the latest.

How It Stacks Up: I would put this album second of the three (I, II, and IV) that I have.

Rating: 4 stars.

Because Zeppelin II is a more recent purchase of mine, it hasn't got a lot of heavy listening, so I went through this one two times back to back to really get the groove in my mind. I was once again left with a deep appreciation for Zeppelin's musicianship, but also once again lacking an emotional connection to many of the songs.

I do like that they keep their albums to a reasonable number of songs - in this case 9. I think part of that is to the power of vinyl. Modern bands take note - if you have 15 songs, save a few! As an example, Zeppelin II is their second album within a single year (1969). Maybe they saved a few - you can too!

I also like that unlike Zeppelin I, the band for the most part makes the songs only as long as they ought to be, and don't just play for the sake of playing. It makes for a tighter, more professional sounding record.

Part of what makes this band so great is they are so tight, they could play almost anything and make it sound good. Part of their problem is that at times I think they do just that. The noodling is less of a problem on II, but they still manage to go overboard in places where it doesn't make the song any better.

Case in point - "Whole Lotta Love". This is a classic riff, that when you hear it you know it right away. Moreover, it MOVES you. The song has a strong groove, and is for the most part finely constructed and superbly played. In short, a classic.

Yet, right in the middle, the band decides to put a 2 minute noodle-fest with all kinds of weird stereo effects (very noticeable on the headphones). I'm not 100% sure what is up here, but having seen Nick's DVD of them playing, I know part of it is Jimmy Page doing weird stuff on the guitar, and getting off on the whacky sounds it can make.

Note to Jimmy Page: That stuff is really cool in the studio, but it takes a 5 star song and turns it into a 4 star song.

I know what you're thinking - did I just call out Jimmy Page on "Whole Lotta Love"? And the important thing to remember is that yes, I did - but not to his face. To his face I would say, "Thank you for all the wonderful music, Mr. Page. I wish I could play the guitar."

But I digress.

Moving on, my favourite tracks on this album are the ones where Zeppelin lays down an incredible riff, and just lets it grow into an incredible song. "Heartbreaker" and "Ramble On" are particular favourites.

I do also really like "Moby Dick". This song is the exception that proves the rule; John Bonham's wild solo actually makes this track better. More Bonham, less Page playing his guitar with a violin bow!

"Ramble On" will be familiar to Tolkien afficianados as the song with the weird references to "Lord of the Rings" that don't make any sense. At one point Robert Plant sings about how he met a fair maid in darkest Mordor, but she was stolen away by "Gollum and the Evil One." Hey, Robert! Gollum didn't work with Sauron - he was captured by him, and I'm pretty sure neither of them stole your girlfriend.

I know what you're thinking - did I just call out Robert Plant? Yes, but again the important thing to remember is that it is OK for me to call people out on literary references; I am a trained professional. Also, it wasn't to his face. To his face, I'd say, "Mr. Plant - you sing really great, please apologize again to Jimmy Page about the "Whole Lotta Love" thing. Also, do you find those jeans you wear uncomfortable, or too comfortable - on the video footage it is hard to tell which it is, if you take my meaning."

Anyway - Zeppelin II - a classic album, where they mostly keep their noodling in their pants.

Best tracks: Heartbreaker, Ramble On, Moby Dick and Whole Lotta Love (minus the weird middle part).

CD Odyssey Disc 71: The Beatles

This review should have a full disclosure - I don't worship the Beatles. Never have, never will.

Disc 71 is...Rubber Soul
Artist: The Beatles

Year of Release: 1965

How I Came To Know It: I have heard a lot of Beatles songs since a young age. I think this album once featured at a high school party I went to (at the time I was more interested in the weird Syd Barrett solo stuff I hear that night). In any case, it has been Sheila who brought me the Beatles in my adult life.

How It Stacks Up: We have 7 Beatles albums, and a few I really dig. This one is just OK for me. I'd put Rubber Soul about 5th.

Rating: 3 stars.

OK, I'm going to just get this out there right up front. I don't worship the Beatles. I don't think they are the most influential rock band ever. Yeah, I know - those who know more than me feel otherwise, but this is my blog. I'm not a music historian; I simply like what I like.

The Beatles aren't the be-all/end-all of music history, but they certainly fill an important part of music history. In particular, the arrangements for this album are well in advance of most of what was going on in 1965.

So I respect what the Beatles did for music. But there is a big difference between recognizing their importance in music history and really liking the music.

I do enjoy this album starts with a love song ("Drive My Car") and ends with what could only be considered a stalking song ("Run For Your Life"). I think arranging the order of tracks is an underappreciated part of record making.

"In My Life" is one of the better love songs of the modern era, although this is tempered by an unfortunate accident in the nineties where Sheila inadvertently picked this song twice for one mixed tape. A good song, but for a while there it was literally too much in my life. That I still like it is testament to its quality.

Notwithstanding unexpected repitition, the music on this album is consistently good. My friend Casey is always singing this album's praises, and certainly there is much to praise.

At the same time, while novel, the arrangements haven't all aged well to my ear. I find myself comparing this to early "Who" stuff, and feeling that The Who sound a little fresher over forty years later.

There is an emotional detachment to the Beatles as well - one of my beefs with the modern self-labeled "indie" movement. It might be the constant harmonies that takes away from what are often insightful lyrics and interesting topics ("Nowhere Man" comes to mind as a song that is very thoughtful but loses something in the harmonies).

Am I nitpicking? Sure - but the Beatles have enough praise to last a lifetime. This is just one man's emotional response to their music. I think it is technically brilliant, but it is lacking a bit of soul - or maybe it is just that the soul is made of rubber? That would make sense...

Best tracks: Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, In My Life, Run For Your Life

CD Odyssey Disc 70: ELO

From seventies folk-rock to eighties disco-pop. The CD Odyssey rolls on...

Disc 70 is...Time

Artist: E.L.O. (Electric Light Orchestra)

Year of Release: 1981

How I Came To Know It: I had heard ELO as a kid on the radio, but it was Sheila that made me appreciate them. "Time" is one of her favourite albums. More often than not, whether we are playing a game, or picking music for a trip, or deciding what to paint the house to, when I ask for her to pick an album, "Time" is often the response.

How It Stacks Up: We have three ELO albums. "Time" is definitely the best of the bunch.

Rating: 4 stars.

In the "How I Came To Know It" I note this is one of Sheila's favourite albums. What I didn't add is how much is has become one of my favourites as well.

The first thing I noticed about this album was the overall strength of the songs. This is quality pop music, coming out at a time (1981) where there was an overabundance of schlock (think Air Supply). There are no wasted tracks, although I particularly like the dressed down "Rain Is Falling." Dressed down that is, in comparison to the normal song in the synth/disco/pop world of ELO.

The songs that have a lot of production are just as good, though - and that is the second thing that struck me about this album; the incredible production. Whether it is his own projects with ELO or with others (Tom Petty's "Full Moon Fever" comes to mind), Jeff Lynne does consistently excellent production work.

"Time" is a concept album about time-travel and futuristic themes. The record is filled with heavy synthesizer, and widely varying voice production ranging from do-wop to almost techno in sound (often both techniques within the same song). Lynne blends all of this seamlessly, in a way that makes you feel the future, but at the same time never lose the human undertones that allows you to emotionally connect with the work.

There are also some great anachronistic "future" lyrics that sound funny now, like this from "Yours Truly 2095":

"I drive the very latest hover car.
I don't know where you are
- but I miss you so much 'til then
I met someone who looks a lot like you
She does the things you do,
but she is an IBM."

But then from the same song, lines with an eerie modern resonance:

"She is the latest in technology
Almost mythology
But she has a heart of stone
She has an IQ of 1001
She has a jump suit on
And she's also a telephone."

Did Jeff Lynne stare Nostradamus-like into the future and foresee the rise of the i-phone?

While a few lyrics can be goofy, "Time" really works as a cohesive piece of art. The songs are strong without any real duds, and they manage to be complementary to one another, yet distinctive in their own right (this balance is a key part of the chemistry of a good concept album).

The version we have has three bonus tracks, two of which I could live without. However, the third "Julie Don't Live Here Anymore" is well worth having, so I can suffer the other two for it.

In closing, this is unique blend of pop music, sci fi imaginings, a cohesive album concept and not a small amount of disco. You'll likely never see that again. Er...on second thought, The Alan Parsons Project's "I Robot", also gets a tick in all those boxes, but that is for another review.

For now - take my advice, and take Sheila's advice. This album is worth having. You won't be disappointed.

Best tracks: Twilight, Rain is Falling, The Lights Go Down, Here is the News, 21st Century Man, Julie Don't Live Here.

CD Odyssey Disc 69: Bob Dylan

I am sad to report that the next disc rolled in the CD Odyssey does not at any point have the lyric "like a rainbow in the dark."

Disc 69 is...Planet Waves
Artist: Bob Dylan

Year of Release: 1974

How I Came To Know It: Like most people, I've heard Bob Dylan since I was a kid. I bought my first Dylan record (Times They Are A' Changin') in about 1988 so I am a late bloomer, but since then I've really gotten into him. Planet Waves is one of the most recent ones I purchased, maybe a year ago or so.

How It Stacks Up: I have seventeen studio albums of Dylan. They are all good (we are talking about Bob Dylan here) but Planet Waves is not one of my favourites. I would say bottom three of those seventeen - maybe 15th?

Rating: 3 stars. When I first listened to this album I think I might've gone 2 stars/thumbs up, but owing to a variety of factors I couldn't blog yesterday and did a lot of driving. I ended up hearing it about 4 times I guess it grew on me. Either that or I have Stockholm Syndrome.

I love Bob Dylan. He is one of the greatest songwriters of all time and I would proudly stand on Townes Van Zandt's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say so. If course, I'd only do this because Van Zandt is dead. Otherwise, I'd be afraid of him - and rightly so. Also, with him Townes long gone, who knows what's happened to his coffee table. With my luck, Steve Earle inherited it and would kick my ass if he caught me standing on it. Then again, Steve's put on some weight - I think I could probably outrun him. But I digress...

Anyway, I love Bob Dylan - and not in the kiss-ass blind way that Rolling Stone does, but in an appreciative way irrespective of his monolithic standing in 20th century music history.

Having said that, this album is just a little uneven, and not up to his usual standards. A lot of his seventies stuff have that transitional sound from his early folk feel to his later rock feel. Often this works, but on Planet Waves it just comes off a little disjointed.

I particularly find the slow version of "Forever Young" followed by the peppier version of exactly the same song a little self indulgent. It isn't even the best song on the album - not even close to the best song on the album.

For those, I like Dylan's love songs on this album, in particular "Something There is About You", "Never Say Goodbye" and "Wedding Song". Without knowing Bob's history in 1974, he seems to be in a pretty good place on these songs - if not he fakes it well.

I also like the high guitar sound complimenting a rolling piano, really noticeable in "Something There is About You" and "Never Say Goodbye". That could be the Robbie Robertson influence, as I notice similar arrangements on the one Robbie Robertson album we have.

As an aside, the album art for this album is particularly atrocious. Looks like a charcoal drawing by someone using their wrong hand.

On the plus side, when Dylan's albums were remastered, he focused on making the sound good, and didn't add a bunch of "bonus" tracks that ruin the original flow like so many artists do. Planet Waves is as it was on record - and that is how it should be.

Best tracks: Going Going Gone, Something There is About You, Never Say Goodbye, Wedding Song

CD Odyssey Disc 68: Dio

The next disc shows the power of random rolling yet again. You'll recall the last review was for Figgy Duff - this one is Dio. How could there possibly be a connection? Read on...

Disc 68 is...Holy Diver

Artist: Dio

Year of Release: 1983

How I Came To Know It: I have known Dio since this album came out and my brother bought it. Back when I was 13, my brother had a good job as a fisherman and he'd get off the boat and buy every metal album with a good cover. You have to admit, this is a pretty cool cover. Is that preacher escaping Satan's chain as it breaks, or has Satan released him to the depths? We don't know. What we do know is that the Devil is doing a wicked "devil horns" with his off hand.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Dio albums - this one and "Last In Line". This is by far the better one. Still meaning to get "Sacred Heart" - then I'm done with Dio (I have no interest in "Locking Up the Wolves".

Rating: 4 stars.

Most people got to know Dio because he joined Black Sabbath. I'm one of those weird guys who got to know Black Sabbath because of Dio. My first exposure to Sabbath were Dio albums, "the Mob Rules" and "Heaven and Hell"

O solo Dio (couldn't resist) is a lot like those Sabbath albums, but mostly not as good. "Holy Diver" is the exception.

This album is early 80s metal at its finest. Driving riffs and soaring guitars - I particularly like "Straight Through The Heart" for its energetic riff. Accompanying all this bombast is one of the greatest rock voices in the world. Dio is up there with Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford.

In addition to great music meant to be played loud (apologies to those who shared the commute with me today), the lyrics on "Holy Diver" are vintage Dio. Here's a little sampling:

From "Holy Diver"

"Between the velvet lies
there's a truth that's hard as steel
The vision never dies
life's a never ending wheel"

It...almost...means...something...profound:

Here's a little more:

From "Don't Talk to Strangers"

"Don't write in starlight 'cause the words may come out real"

The kind of "magicky" line that really appeals to the 13 year old boy. Guilty as charged; I remain a 13 year old boy.

But here's the best - one of the most ridiculous rock lyrics since Uriah Heap sang of Rainbow Demons:

From "Rainbow in the Dark"

"When there's lightning you know it always bring me down
'cause it's free and I see that it's me who's lost and never found
I cry out for magic I feel it dancing in the light
It was cruel lost my hold to the shadows of the night
No sign of the morning coming you've been left on your own
Like a rainbow in the dark a rainbow in the dark"

Surely only a metal God like Dio would stoop to such hyperbole. Then again...shall we revisit the album I just reviewed two days ago.

From Figgy Duff's song "Heart of a Gypsy"

"She can make you listen deep inside
For her secret still untold
She has it locked inside her heart
Like a rainbow in the dark."

And the third song on "Holy Diver" is..."Gypsy".

I just love the coincidences that result from the random CD Odyssey. Either that or Figgy Duff and Dio should go for beers. And invite me.

Best tracks: Stand Up and Shout, Holy Diver, Straight Through The Heart, Rainbow in the Dark, Shame on the Night.

CD Odyssey Disc 67: Figgy Duff

The Odyssey now returns to the heart of Newfoundland folk music. If you're following along you know I had a bit of a thing for this stuff in the early nineties.

Disc 67 is...Weather Out The Storm

Artist: Figgy Duff

Year of Release: 1990

How I Came To Know It: I heard the song "Woman of Labrador" on Country Music Television (CMT) in around 1993. I went to go buy the album, but the only Figgy Duff album they had was ""Downstream". So I bought "Downstream". It was OK, but I really wanted that song "Woman of Labrador" so I kept going back until it this album was finally in stock.

How It Stacks Up: Figgy Duff has four studio albums over a 13 year span - I've got two. If you're reading comprehension hasn't failed you, you know which two. Anyway, "Weather Out the Storm" is definitely my favourite.

Rating: 2 stars with a thumbs up

Figgy Duff is a folk band from Newfoundland. I seem to recall my friend Tony telling me that a "figgy duff" is a kind of pudding. I think that's what he said, and if I've got it wrong, well - then there oughta be a pudding called that. The world needs more pudding.

Whatever Figgy Duff means, they only have four albums. They weren't that prolific to begin with, and were prematurely disbanded by the tragic death of one of their main creative forces, Noel Dinn - who succumbed to cancer shortly after 1993's "Downstream".

I don't know if it is just that I have their two later albums or not, but Figgy Duff gets a little too into a new age, synth-pop kind of sound. This is particularly noticeable on tracks like "Weather Out the Storm" and "Heart of a Gypsy" which lead off this album. Both songs have strong fundamentals and would really benefit from being stripped down to more traditional folk arrangements. Still, you can't blame a band for experimenting - Capercaillie does it very well. It's just that not every band is as good as Capercaillie.

The tracks on this album that are stripped down are really quite good. In particular, "Woman of Labrador" is a solid 4 star song about the hard life of pioneering women in Labrador, who tended the house for weeks while their husbands worked the trapping line. The song ends with a bitter lament of a simple way of life lost:

"Daughter of Labrador
Those days are here no more
Wonder if your baby will ever understand
The hardships that you endured
When everyone you knew was poor
Sharing everything you had
And living off the land."

I'm also a big fan of "Yankee Skipper" which is a funny little sea shanty about a local woman who decides to accept the advances of a visiting Yankee skipper by the name of "Peter Nelson". She goes on his boat and as the song says "Whatever the captain asked of her/the maid she never grumbled."

In between each semi-bawdy verse we have some excellent fiddle reels. I love that sound of an east coast fiddle played well...

Anyway, spoiler alert! The story ends thusly:

"For sleeping with the yankee chap
Her own true love she lost him
But she got herself a fine pair of boots
Cost five dollars in Boston."

Not knowing what her boyfriend was like, or what boots were worth when it was written, it's hard to say if this was a fair exchange or otherwise.

The album ends with a murderous ballad about a man who chooses to go privateering to support his brothers. The song is called "Henry Martin". I'm not sure if it is my imagination, but it seems a lot of the time when a song is titled a man's full name, someone gets killed. I'll have to look for that ahead on the waves of the CD Odyssey.

Of note - all my four favourites on this album are traditional folk songs, arranged by Figgy Duff, which is fine for what it is, but sadly doesn't speak strongly to Figgy Duff''s own stuff holding its own. Thus I give 2 stars, where I might've been generous on another day and given 3.

To sum up: Do you really like Newfoundland folk music with a hint of new age production? This may be the album for you - both of you! The three of us can listen to it occasionally.

Best tracks: Woman of Labrador, Yankee Skipper, Rumbolt

CD Odyssey Disc 66: Aimee Mann

In less than a month, I've rolled my two favourite Aimee Mann albums. Actually, as more rolls occur I find I am rolling a disc already listened to.

In these cases I roll to see if I go to the right or left of that disc until I come to a new one.

This time I rolled "Lost in Space" again - and heading East again, the next album was this one.

Disc 66 is...The Forgotten Arm

Artist: Aimee Mann

Year of Release: 2005

How I Came To Know It: We had purchased "Lost in Space" (which I reviewed in November at Disc 54) back in 2004 and when this album came out, we were fans so we bought it right away. It did not disappoint.

How It Stacks Up: I have six Aimee Mann albums, not counting the Magnolia Soundtrack, which is 80% her music as well. I started out listening to this album expecting it to be tied for first with "Lost in Space" but after going through it, I'm going to give it first place all on its own.

Rating: 5 stars.

This album is quite simply Aimee Mann at her best.

The album borrows its title from an old boxing term. In boxing, "The forgotten arm" is refers in a fight when one fighter uses the same arm to launch the majority of his attacks (like a constant left jab, for example). Over time, his opponent shifts his defence a little to favour that arm, creating an opening which can be exploited with an unexpected strike from the other side, via the "forgotten arm." It isn't like the defending fighter deliberately shifts his defence, he just kind of forgets, and lets the attacking fighter lull him into a pattern that is later exploited.

As a fencer, I know this is very much part of any martial art. Setting up your opponent by establishing a pattern or a rhythym , and then breaking that pattern.

On this album, Mann uses this image in a series of intertwining ways to tell the tale of the love between a fighter and his woman. How they met, and how they fall in love and how they fall apart. Alternating songs from the point of view of first the girl and then the fighter she shows us how "The Forgotten Arm" is a powerful metaphor for how a relationship can slowly fail.

On my first few listens, I just picked up the failure of the relationship elements, but at each listen new applications of the image of the forgotten arm reveal themselves.

At its most basic, near the end of the woman sings in "I Can't Help You Anymore":

"I'll get a pen and make a list
and give you my analysis;
but I can't write the story with a happy ending.
Was I the bullet or the gun?
or just a target drawn upon
a wall that you decided wasn't worth defending?
And I should know - but I don't know:
That I can't help you anymore."

In addition, the fighter has has alcohol addiction problems that also creep up on him unawares like a "Forgotten Arm" and that he can be violent - both of which are big reasons for the end. Early on the album, the woman sings in "I Can't Get My Head Around It" as the fighter makes a promise to straighten out.

"I want to believe, if you tell me so,
I want to believe because you ought to know:
That kicking is hard, but the bottom's harder."

Instead, by the time the album nears an end, the fighter realizes he cannot quit - that he has been cruel to the woman he loves without even realizing. In "I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up for Christmas":

"I was thinking I could clean up for Christmas;
and then baby, I'm done.
Because I can't live loaded and I can't live sober,
and I've been this way since the end of October,
and I know enough to know:
That baby when it's over, it's over. And it's over
Because baby, I'm done."

And this time I noticed it also refers to a boxer struggling with memory loss from brain damage - no doubt contributing to his inability to live without self-medicating, as well as his rage. In "Video":

"Tell me why I feel so bad, honey
- fighting left me plenty of money,
but didn't keep the promise of memory lapses
Like a building that's been slated for blasting
I'm the proof that nothing is lasting...
Counting to eleven as it collapses."

The whole album kind of sums up right in the middle with "Little Bombs"

"Life just kind of empties out
First a deluge then a drought,
Less a giant mushroom cloud
Than an unexploded shell."

But at the end, Mann gives us hope. The final track "Beautiful" features a bittersweet reunion of the couple, who hook up again and swear to be best friends, as our fighter hero closes by telling his ex-girl:

"Beautiful - I wish you could see it, too.
I wish you could see it, too.
I wish you could see it, too -
baby, how I see you."

Yes, he is a schmuck, but in this moment, for all the pain between them and behind them, you feel that even though they won't be together, they are both going to be OK, and you're glad of it.

Maybe I love this album because I have a soft spot for concept albums. I'm sure that's part of it, but that's not all it is. I love this album because the music is excellent, Mann's voice is incredible and the lyrics tell a story that is as good as anything you'll read or hear. I love it because even though I've heard it dozens of times, it still hits me in unexpected ways.

Speaking of which, whatever your particular Forgotten Arm is, this album will remind you to keep your guard up, and stay on your feet.

Best tracks: All tracks, preferably listened to sequentially.

CD Odyssey Disc 65: Nick Cave

The next Disc in the Odyssey is the second entry from Nick Cave. The first was reviewed way back at Disc 13, when I rolled The Boatman's Call.

Disc 65 is...No More Shall We Part

Artist: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Year of Release: 2001

How I Came To Know It: After our success with "The Boatman's Call", this was the third album of Nick Cave's that I bought (Tender Prey still to come).

How It Stacks Up: I still have 6 Nick Cave albums, but plans are in the works for more. Sadly, I am in exile until after Christmas (no shopping allowed!). I'd put "No More Shall We Part" in the middle of the pack. Maybe 3rd or 4th depending on my mood.

Rating: 4 stars (just).

By the time this album came along in the collection I was a devoted Nick Cave fan and in full "drive your friends nuts" mode in my excitement.

I am over that phase, but I'm not over Nick Cave nor this album. It is really good.

This particular record has a similar sound to 1997's "The Boatman's Call" with very sparse arrangements, and the centrepiece of Nick Cave's haunting voice and troubling lyrics. Overall, it isn't as strong, but it definitely has the magic.

One criticism of this album is that most songs are predominantly mood pieces, and some are a little overlong - the result is 12 tracks but almost 70 minutes of music. I wouldn't cut any of these songs short, nor do I think there are any real stinkers, but I think I'd've saved some for the next record and maybe had 8 or 9 tracks and a more manageable length.

Standout tracks include "As I sat sadly by her side" which is a deeply philosophical song about the nature of empathy for strangers, and the presence and absence of God in that empathy. It is deep stuff, like a lot of Nick Cave.

Here are some of my favourite lyrics off this record, which are from "Hallelujah" (no relation to the Cohen song of the same name).

On writer's block...

"I'd given my nurse the weekend off
My meals were ill prepared
My typewriter had turned mute as a tomb
And my piano crouched in the corner of my room
With all its teeth bared
All its teeth bared.

And then later after he goes out into the world and gets some experience, he finds himself filled only with sadness:

"The tears are welling in my eyes again
Hallelujah
I need twenty big buckets to catch them in
Hallelujah
And twenty pretty girls to carry them down
Hallelujah
And twenty deep holes to bury them in
Hallelujah"

You see, in a Nick Cave song, even when you get what you want, it is only going to bring another level of angst and further spiritual hand wringing. But it is really good spiritual hand wringing, so we forgive him.

I also like the song "God Is In the House" which is satirical piece about a town so supposedly perfect that they've dyed all the kittens white so they can be seen in the dark.

This album is filled with the tales of a man wrestling with his complex relationships with his art, his woman and his God. If you like that kind of sombre pondering, this is for you. I happen to really dig sombre pondering - we English Lit types are famous for that stuff.

For this I make no apologies, and declare this album excellent. Sombre Ponderers of the world unite!

Best tracks: As I sat sadly by her side, Hallelujah, Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow, God Is In the House, Oh My Lord, Darker With the Day

CD Odyssey Disc 64: Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins

Here's my first appearance of Mark Knopfler - an artist who wears many different genres well. This time, it is his country side, on a collaboration album with C&W star Chet Atkins.

Disc 64 is...Neck and Neck

Artist: Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins

Year of Release: 1990

How I Came To Know It: I know Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits, but I'm also a fan of his solo work. This album is an early example of that work, although I bought it comparatively late. I took a rider on Chet Atkins, because I trust Mark Knopfler's stuff to be good.

How It Stacks Up: I have seven Dire Straits albums, and eight Mark Knopfler albums, of which two are collaborations. Of the two collaborations, I prefer the other one, but this one has its moments.

Rating: 2 stars with a Thumbs Up.

When I was a kid, my Mom had this greatest hits album by Chet Atkins called "Chet Atkins Picks His Best". My brother and I thought it hilarious to refer to this album as "Chet Atkins Picks His Nose", in fact I think my brother went one step further and had Mr. Atkins picking his bum.

This used to infuriate my Mom, who thought quite highly of Chet, a top notch guitar player in his day. The angrier she got, the funnier we thought Chet's inappropriate picking was.

Well, many years have passed, and I've grown up a lot. Well, not really - I still think that was pretty funny.

As for Mark Knopfler, he is my #1 guitar hero (with apologies to Buck Dharma and Jimi Hendrix). Knopfler can play any style and master it. This album has he and fellow maestro Atkins playing country, a little blues and that groovy Hawaian sounding guitar. They handle each amazingly.

That said while the playing is stellar, the songs themselves are just OK. Also, there are plenty of moments of total self-indulgence including an "impromptu" guitar-off between the two on "There'll Be Some Changes Made".

I like this album because it is clear the admiration Knopfler holds for Atkins (and it shows one of the influences that makes Knopfler such a versatile player). For just sitting and listening to, it isn't terribly exciting.

So, unless you are a Mark Knopfler completionist like me, I'd say skip this one. You might also pick it if you are a Chet Atkins fan, if you aren't already picking something else. Tee hee hee.

Best tracks: The Next Time I'm In Town

CD Odyssey Disc 63: Blue Rodeo

The Odyssey continues with more Canadian folk/rock, but this time it is an artist discovered for me rather than by me.

Disc 63 is...Diamond Mine

Artist: Blue Rodeo

Year of Release: 1988

How I Came To Know It: Blue Rodeo is one of a few bands that Sheila introduced me to. Sheila is a big Blue Rodeo fan, and it hasn't taken much to make me a big fan also. This album is one of their classics.

How It Stacks Up: We have 11 Blue Rodeo albums (and a twelfth on the way at some point). All have their moments, but "Diamond Mine" is one of the best. I'd put this one 2nd best overall.

Rating: 4 stars.

Blue Rodeo is Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor at their best. These guys are so different, yet they are perfect when combined. I think that each keeps the other from straying too far.

Cuddy is a folksy crooner who sings about personal relationships. Keelor is a bluesy rocker who sings about saving the world. This album captures them both at their best.

Keelor has songs lamenting false politicians (God and Country), and decrying war (Love and Understanding) and what I think is a bit of both, with some mineworker issues thrown in (The Fuse).

Cuddy contributes a nice body of divorce/break up songs with "How Long", "Girl of Mine", "Now and Forever" and "House of Dreams".

Both contributions are excellent, but a whole album of Keelor's protests would be preachy, and whole album of Cuddy's sad introspection would be monotone and depressing.

Put them together, and it really really works.

Some of Keelor's better protest lyrics are from one of my favourites, "Love and Understanding":

I live on this rock
Where the grass don't grow
Talk is cheap well I ought to know
And I'm not proud of this world we've made
Still it's a part of you and me
And we're the only ones who can
Make it change.

I love this song, which captures that while Keelor is angry at the world, deep down he dreams of something better. In the chorus he really personalizes how he approaches the problem, rather than preaching "Love and understanding are the best answers I've heard yet."

For his part, Cuddy is the master of the Fading Relationship Song, aptly summed up in the chorus to "How Long"

"How long will it take
'Til you open up your eyes
I've been gone for years
You never even realized

How long
How long"

I do have two small criticisms of this album.

First, the title track (and a hit), "Diamond Mine" is a clear example of Keelor's noodling not being reigned in by Cuddy. It is a goofy, bluesy Surfer sound that never quite comes together, but takes seven plus minutes trying.

Second, for some unknown reason, Blue Rodeo peppered this album with short 30 second or 1 minute tracks of them experimentally noodling. The tracks, called "Blues Piano", "Percussive Piano" and "Swells" are annoying interruptions to the music. Also, they are not listed so the track listings don't make any sense. When you go to upload songs, you'll find the short tracks make everything else not match up. Keep that stuff in the studios, boys.

I'll close by noting that these guys can both really play the guitar. Sheila and I have seen them twice in concert and I can attest first hand these guys wail. Cuddy is a more straightforward folk/rock player, but at a high level. Keelor is kind of harder to quantify - I'll call it a Surfer Guitar that got lost in the Prairies and had to resort to playing in blues clubs to pay bus fare home.

Of course that didn't happen, but if Blue Rodeo wrote a song about it, you'd believe it did, and you'd be glad to hear the story.

If you don't have this album you should get it - it should be the second album of their's you buy. What's the first? Hey - one review at a time.

Best tracks: How Long, Love and Understanding, Girl of Mine, Now and Forever, Fall In Line, Fuse

CD Odyssey Disc 62: Primus

The next disc is proof that a band can be good, and you can still not enjoy them very much.

Disc 62 is...Tales From the Punchbowl

Artist: Primus

Year of Release: 1995

How I Came To Know It: I've heard Primus here and there at friend's houses for years, but this album was a gift from Sheila for my birthday, I believe. It was a valiant effort to try a new band that, by all rights, I should have liked. I have no complaints though - I once bought here a "Talk Talk" album for her with similar results. Talk Talk will not appear on this Odyssey, having already gone to that great Used CD Store in the Sky.

How It Stacks Up: I only have the one album, so I can't compare. I am told by those in the know that "Sailing The Seas of Cheese" is their defining album, but I have no idea.

Rating: 2 stars with a thumbs down (but it should be 3 stars for most folks).

This album was an odd experience. Primus is some kind of odd combination of prog and funk, and maybe a little metal. It is the kind of weird crossover that naturally appeals to me.

For all this, the album just doesn't appeal to me. There is no question these guys can play - especially the bass player and the drummer. Their songs are very innovative and interesting.

At the same time, it comes off sometimes as a bit of a 'hot mess' to borrow a dancing term. The constantly changing groove that is so fun in music like Rush just doesn't connect for me with Primus.

In their first song "Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats" (all the tracks have bizarre names) I actually checked the CD clock on my stereo because it seemed like it had been going on forever. It had actually been playing for 4:34. Then, it proceeded to go on forever - 6 minutes or so.

There are some good songs, "Mrs. Blaileen" is pretty cool, and has a good groove, and the song that was apparently famous "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" is goofy and fun.

Having said this at the end of the day, a lot of these songs just kind of blend together. They are all different, but they all kind of sound a bit the same.

I think many listens to Primus would definitely make me appreciate them more. I did almost two listens and the second listen was better as I got an ear for them. But I've got a lot of CDs and not a lot of space, and I'm not sure realistically how often this album is going to get played over the years.

I must reluctantly part company with Primus. They are good, but they are not for me. At least not now. Maybe some time in the future, I'll be standing in The Great Used CD Store In The Sky, and across the aisles my eyes will meet the eyes of the punchbowl spoons on the album cover. Then, I'll remember our brief relationship and want to rekindle it, and make up for lost time. You never know.

Best tracks: Mrs. Blaileen

CD Odyssey Disc 61: Belle and Sebastian

The next entry on the Odyssey has a great album name.

Disc 61 is...Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant

Artist: Belle & Sebastian

Year of Release: 2000

How I Came To Know It: I was actually bought a Belle & Sebastian album for my birthday seven or eight years ago. This album (for brevity's sake I'll call it "Fold Your Hands") is me drilling through their back catalogue.

How It Stacks Up: I have three of Belle & Sebastian's albums. I think this one is definitely third on this list. I'd like to get Tigermilk, as I don't have that one, but I haven't been keen of late, and have been going in a different direction.

Rating: 2 stars with a thumbs up.

Belle & Sebastian are a band from Scotland, and in the oughts are one of the chief musical exports from that country. In the indie/pop genre they seem to be a pretty big thing, since most music lovers know who they are, despite my never hearing them on the radio.

Then again, I never listen to the radio, so who knows if they are on it. I hope not.

I like this band because they have a cool mix of poppy upbeat songs with lyrics that are at times disturbing.

Consider a flighty pop song like "The Chalet Lines". The song is so gentle it might be a few listens before you really pick up on the lyrics. You start to hear them, and they go something like this:

"He raped me in the chalet lines
I had just said no for the final time
Although it's last month it's like yesterday
I missed my time, I don't think I could stand
To take the test, I'm feeling sick
Fuck this, I've felt like this for a week
I'd put a knife right into his eyes."

Actually, they're not something like that - that's them exactly. Yikes.

Visually, Belle & Sebastian album covers always remind me of Jones Soda bottles; they seem to have no connection with either the band. Just some random photo. See the young, sleep deprived girl above, clutching her book in the mirror. Why? Why? There is no right answer.

On the back of "Fold Your Hands"' liner notes there is another photo (couldn't find it online) featuring a bunch of folks dressed in 30s clothing, as well as a guy in a gorilla suit holding a platter. The picture's caption reads, "Please don't let them make me a monkey butler."

I don't know exactly what they're getting at, but at face value, I agree. No one wants to be forced to be a monkey butler. The suit is hot, and the pay is probably low. Also, you are probably blamed for breaking the china, even though it slips from your fingers because you are wearing a monkey costume. But I digress...

Anyway - somewhere between Kris Kristoffersen's constant decision to have only a giant picture of his head on his albums, and Belle & Sebastian's decision to choose detached arty photos of no particular purpose, I am sure the truth lies.

To return to this particular album, it is by far the most dark of the three I have. I don't mind the dark, it is all part of the experience of this band, and it makes them better.

However, "Fold Your Hands" is a little uneven, and for every strong pop track there is a song that veers into the weird but loses some quality in the process.

That said, there are many good tracks on the album, and it is worth a listen or two or three. If the lyrics creep up on you, don't be alarmed - they are creepy. It is meant to be that way.

Best tracks: I Fought In a War, Don't Leave The Light On Baby, The Wrong Girl, The Chalet Lines, Women's Realm

CD Odyssey Disc 60: Irish Descendants

The next Disc on the CD Odyssey is the third consecutive entry from Canada. Yeehaw!

Disc 60 is...Look To The Sea

Artist: The Irish Descendants

Year of Release: 1993

How I Came To Know It: I heard "Last of the Great Whales" on CMT (Country Music Television). CMT is mostly bad, but once in a while they throw on some good Canadian folk music, and I caught it. The song was on this album so I went and bought it shortly thereafter.

How It Stacks Up: I have 5 Irish Descendants albums, and this is the first one I bought. I'd say it is #2 on my list, but it is pretty close to #1.

Rating: 3 stars.

Irish Descendants are straight-ahead, no-frills Canadian folk music, with the Celtic bent common to the Maritimes and Newfoundland.

These guys were four unattractive, out of shape guys who played great music. I couldn't find a good picture of the album cover, so I just found a photo of a bunch of them that captures their general down home look.

What they lack in style, they make up for in their ability to play and sing and write good folk music. This album is about half of their original stuff, and the other half traditional songs that they have arranged. Both are good.

Not unlike Cypress Hill, the Irish Descendants like to sing about a very short range of topics. However, instead of smokin' dope, killin' folks, and scorin' girls, the Irish Descendants stick more to Gettin' Drunk, Goin' fishin' and Hankerin' for Gals. You'd be surprised how different the results are.

This particular album is an old favourite, that I probably overplayed a little in the day, and so it doesn't make it into heavy rotation anymore. I love the sound of the mandolins and the celtic drum and the general "rolling" feeling that makes you think of the sea and coastal communities. Growing up on the coast in BC gives me an affinity for the other side of the country, and I hope one day to go to Newfoundland and explore her natural beauty (and maybe visit a traditional pub or two).

Some of these sea shanties are rollicking, like "Rollin' of the Sea" and some are sombre like "Go To Sea No More", and the Irish Descendants can sing both equally well. The humorous tracks like "Useta Love Her" are suitably humorous, despite the atrocious spelling, and the album overall is a good time.

There are certainly moments where the lyrics turn maudlin and knock you out of the moment, and there are places where they go for grandiose, but come off sounding a little bit like that fat dude who reads the news in the "Rome" miniseries. These moments are rare though, and they mostly hit the right mood for each song.

If you like folk music, this album is worth your money. If you don't like folk music, I wouldn't start here - it is pretty solidly in that movement. Ease in, my friends. Ease in. Before you know it, you'll be buying the Capercaillie boxed set and this album will seem like pop radio.

Best tracks: Rollin' Of the Sea, Useta Love Her, Fisherman's Song

Figurine: Hammer Bot

I've had a flurry of painting lately, so following closely on the heels of the Lunging Vampire, I bring you the equally deadly...Hammer Bot!

OK, not so deadly, but much funnier. This miniature is from a board game called "Robo-Rally", in which each player is a robot left in an abandoned factory. The robots race each other through the factory, avoiding malfunctioning laser beams, pit traps, and crushing walls (and each other). It is a hilarious good time.

We were lucky to get a rare copy of Robo-Rally which had unpainted metal miniatures (most of the later ones were painted plastic). Sheila and I each have four robots to paint - this is my third one, she has done one so far (just hasn't rolled as many).

Yes, we roll which miniatures we are going to paint randomly.

Anyway, here is Hammer-Bot.

I tried to give him a weathered look. Like he has been around the factory a long time and his once impressive red paint job is starting to flake away. I also thought he had a kind of sad "face" so I used the weathering to slightly anthropomorphize him.

Here he is from the back:

And here are the robots we've done so far. From left to right, we have "Tank Bot", "TV Bot", "Hammer Bot" and "Tonka Bot" (not the names they come with, but much better names after we were through with them).

Sheila did "Tonka Bot" and I did the rest. We agreed that all of them should have the same base (the arrow designates what way they are facing for game purposes).

These are all simple figs, that aren't hard to paint, but I really like their goofiness. Tank Bot and Tonka Bot are actually the same figure, but I added a cannon to Tank Bot to make him look a little different.

CD Odyssey Disc 59: Captain Tractor

Another album, another Canadian band! Not exactly Leonard Cohen this time, but still a good time...

Disc 59 is...Bought the Farm

Artist: Captain Tractor

Year of Release: 1997

How I Came To Know It: I first saw Captain Tractor on MuchMusic doing a video for "Last Saskatchewan Pirate" in about 1995 or 1996. That song rules, but I'll talk about it when I roll it - this album is their follow up to that one, so just me drilling the collection (such as it was at the time).

I actually saw the tour for this album back in 1997, when they came to town and played a local pub. It was an awesome show, so if you get a chance see these guys live do so - for a low cover charge you'll drink beers, and dance your ass off. When you're done, collect your ass and take a cab home - see Captain Tractor responsibly!

How It Stacks Up: I have 3 Captain Tractor albums (I used to have 4 but "Celebrity Traffic Jam" is awful). This album is a close second to the classic album that preceded it.

Rating: 3 stars.

Captain Tractor is a Canadian folk/rock band from the 1990s. They might still be making music now, but I haven't bought any of their discs since "Celebrity Traffic Jam" (see above).

Captain Tractor has that unique Canadian blend of roots rock with celtic/maritime folk. I have a soft spot for these kind of bands. In this case, Captain Tractor is from Edmonton - which is kind of funny, since they were made famous by the remake of "Last Saskatchewan Pirate".

"Bought The Farm" has a solid mix of songs. Some are breakup album songs, but they are good tracks about growing apart under the pressures of the road. I imagine this is the writer falling out with the woman who sings on the album that precedes this one, but is not to be found here.

Other tracks have a social commentary feel, about drug abuse or prostitution. These are right in the pocket of where such songs should be - they capture the emotional loss of the downtrodden, but don't come off preachy. Art should never be a speech, it should be a...um...well, a song. I really like these lines from "40 miles of pain":

"Who loves? What is love?
Standing in the rain
When your face paint becomes war paint
you can never wipe it off again
Who loves? What is love?
Standing in the rain
Does anybody here love Mary?"

Of course, Captain Tractor is best known for their fun, rollicking songs about drinking, carousing and various goofy fun things - often with Canadian referencing.

Although the single on this album, "Here We Go Again", is fun and serviceable, my favourite is "Frozen Puck to the Head", which tells the tale of a minor league hockey player who falls in love with a local diner waitress. The chorus is:

"Love hit him
Love hit him
Love hit him like a frozen puck to the head"

Now that's how you fall in love - Canadian style!

I also love all the references to my home and native land, also from "Frozen Puck"

"He was real quiet as he ate his meal
just listenin' to the radio play Rita McNeil"

And from "I Remember You"

"It's raining again in Vancouver
I haven't seen the sun in seven days
I'm sitting here in Kitsilano
Waiting for a chance to play."

Anyway, Captain Tractor is a rollicking good time. They have even inspired me to make an album of all songs about sports. You might say the idea hit me like a frozen puck to the head.

Best tracks: Here We Go Again, Frozen Puck to the Head, I Remember You, 40 Miles of Pain,

CD Odyssey Disc 58: Leonard Cohen

OK, since I am about to review one of the greatest records ever made, a quick announcement - right below this entry (posted earlier tonight) are some photos of my latest figurine - a "Lunging Vampire". I am quite pleased with it. Take a look if you are inclined.

That said, the next disc in the CD Odyssey (rolled randomly) is so good it features in the sidebar of this blog as one of the five "greatest...albums...ever."

Disc 58 is...Various Positions

Artist: Leonard Cohen

Year of Release: 1984

How I Came To Know It: As I noted in my first review of a Cohen album (way back in July when I rolled "Songs of Love and Hate") I have known Cohen since I discovered his poetry in junior high. Various Positions has been in my life almost as long - I think I bought this back in about 1989.

How It Stacks Up: The 10 studio and 1 live Cohen albums I have are all incredible. Amidst that incredible group of albums, "Various Positions" is #1. His first couple albums come close, but they get edged out by the musical growth Cohen shows on this album.

Rating: 5 stars, because sadly this system only goes to 5.

Succinctly put, "Various Positions" is a desert album island. Not only is the album strong throughout, of the 9 songs (Like Sabbath's Vol. 4, Cohen achieves greatness in under 10 songs), I'd say easily 5 of them are 5 star songs by any measure - about 7 are by my measure.

As ever, there is no greater pure lyricist as Cohen. It isn't really fair, I suppose. He was an award winning poet before he was a songwriter. Still, the work here is strong even for him.

I really like the range of topics on this album, and the range present even within each individual song. "If It Be Your Will" takes an intense personal commitment of love and make that love universal. "Hallelujah" wraps up personal love and religious love until you're not sure which he is singing about. "The Captain" takes a political protest, and turns it into an internal struggle of right and wrong.

This is an album where the lyrics will haunt you, while the siren's call of Cohen's oft-underrated music writing draws you in. The music isn't just beautifully written, it is also beautifully arranged, and whether it is strings or piano, or guitar, Cohen always seems to know just what instrument calls forth the right emotion to go with the lyrics. In fact, a big (and my first) shout out to Producer John Lissauer, for everything he might have had to do with that.

Some lines in these songs have stuck with me for twenty years, and I still revel in hearing Leonard sing them out. Here is just a sampling:

From "Heart With No Companion"

Through the days of shame that are coming
Through the nights of wild distress
Though your promise count for nothing
You must keep it nonetheless.

From "Night Comes On"

The crickets are singing, the vesper bells ringing,
the cat's curled asleep in his chair.
I'll go down to Bill's Bar, I can make it that far,
and I'll see if my friends are still there.
Yes, and here's to the few who forgive what you do,
and the fewer who don't even care!
And the night comes on; it's very calm;
I want to cross over, I want to go home,
but she says, "Go back, go back to the world."

From "If It Be Your Will"

It if be your will
that I speak no more
and my voice be still
as it was before;
I will speak no more,
I shall abide until
I am spoken for,
If it be your will.

This album has been with me through a lot, and at each stage, it has taken on new levels for me. When I was a single young man in my early twenties, it was a comfort to me when I needed it, and an inspiration when I sought one.

As I aged, it morphed seamlessly into something intrinsicly part of my married life. In fact, "Dance Me To the End of Love" is the theme song of my wonderful relationship with Sheila. We even have one of those corny stone plaques in the bathroom quoting the title.

It isn't corny for us. It's beautiful, and so is that song, and so is this album.

Best tracks: All tracks.

Figurines: Lame Bird and Lunging Vampire

It has been a while since I posted any painted miniatures. This is for two reasons.

First, it is football season, which tends to cut an entire day out of possible painting time, so it is a lot more slow going.

Second, I had recently painted a bird figure, but it was a disaster. I was going for a Prairie Falcon (I love doing North American birds of prey). This is what it was supposed to look like:


Unfortunately, it came out like this:

I'm sorry, what was that? Picture too small to see how well I did? What a terrible Blogger "accident".

Instead of looking at that, let's look at my recently finished "Lunging Vampire" which I think turned out a whole lot better:

I love this figure because he is charging at his foe, and he has a great facial expression. He was fun to paint and surprisingly easy.

Here is from a side view. I tried to do his two swords very differently - getting an old school metal look on his falchion and a weird alien-metal kind of feel for his strangely-shaped broadsword by starting with an undercoat of metallic blue.


I did a good job on his face, I think. Here is the "he's coming right at me!" pose.

Remember, kids. If you are out hunting vampires without tags or out of season, always yell "he's coming right at me!" before firing your crossbow.

Of course, this guy is wearing full plate mail and looks like he knows how to handle both his swords pretty well, so you're probably dead at this point. Die, poacher!

CD Odyssey Disc 57: Cypress Hill

My last random disc was actually some music made by a friend. I liked it a lot, but I think it unwise to review my friends' music, just as it is unwise to review their bathrooms. So I'll say I liked it plenty, and move on to Disc 57 - which was chosen by me under the "it's new" category.

Disc 57 is...Till Death Do Us Part

Artist: Cypress Hill

Year of Release: 2004

How I Came To Know It: I originally heard of Cypress Hill when my buddy Spence made an album of all the original artists doing the songs covered on Rage Against the Machine's "Renegades" album. Cypress Hill did the original "How I Could Just Kill a Man". I liked Cypress Hill, and this album is just me drilling into their collection.

How It Stacks Up: I have 5 Cypress Hill albums, but this is the most current one I own. I'd say it is 4th out of those 5.

Rating: 3 stars.

Cypress Hill is some awesome gangsta rap from some guys from the LA area that have been around since the early nineties.

In their first 3 albums, Cypress Hill basically sings about 3 things and only 3 things. These things are:

1. Killin' folks
2. Smokin' dope
3. Killin' folks trying to take your dope.

However, starting with their 4th album, they branched out and added a fourth topic of interest:

4. Scorin' girls.

This sounds really lame to listen to, but Cypress Hill is uniquely able to find new ways to make these topics interesting.

This particular album has a good song about scorin' girls called "What's Your Number?" which must have been some kind of hit (since it is advertised as being on the album with an extra sticker). I wouldn't know, since I don't listen to hip hop radio. I did note that this song is based off of the bass line in the Clash's "Guns of Brixton" which is pretty cool.

Other tracks cover the topics well, including Ganja Bus (#1), Another Body Drops (#2) and Last Laugh (#3).

I was never a big rap fan, so I am amazed that 5 albums in, I am still finding new things to like about Cypress Hill. Gangsta Rap is certainly no experience I can relate to, but the visceral quality to their music - mixed with a bit of black humour and a healthy dose of talent - is the right combination to get my feet wet.

This album is strong, particularly given that it is over a decade after their first release. Not many rap bands last that long, and for good reason.

In the end, you would be well served to just get Cypress Hill's first three albums, but if you wanted a fourth - you could do worse than "Till Death Do Us Part"

Best tracks: Another Body Drops, Ganja Bus, Busted in the Hood, What's Your Number?.

CD Odyssey Disc 55: KISS

Back to discs chosen. This one was both chosen by me, and chosen for me - read on to learn how this can be...

Disc 55 is...The Elder


Artist: KISS

Year of Release: 1981

How I Came To Know It: As I mentioned the last time I reviewed KISS, this is likely the first band I ever knew. In the case of "The Elder", it is the last KISS album I've ever got. For almost a decade now my buddy (and fellow KISS fan) Spence has been asking me "Did you buy KISS: The Elder yet?" and I dutifully answered no. I guess he got tired of waiting, because the last time I saw him, he just bought it for me. Very cool - thanks, Spence!

How It Stacks Up: I was really pleasantly surprised by this album. I now have 11 KISS albums. I'd say this is around 7th or 8th, which is pretty good. I'd say 7th.

Rating: 3 stars.

"The Elder" is KISS' concept album. In 1981 they wanted to do something different, and so Bob Ezrin suggested a concept album. While some shriek in horror at the notion, I am a notorious sucker for a concept album - no wonder Spence knew I'd like this one.

In this case, the story is about as schlocky as you would expect from a hard rock concept album. There is some horrible evil that appears "once in every age" and some wise dude known as "The Elder" is responsible for finding a training a champion to defeat the evil.

This may sound lame, but almost thirty years of role playing games makes this plot seem pretty basic and reasonable. All it needs is an added location where "everyone who has ever gone there never returns" that our hero can go to...and then return.

But never mind goofy concept album plots, how is the music you ask? Damned fine. The music is excellent, and KISS plays well on this album. It could use a little more Ace Frehley, and the track that sounds most like him (Dark Light) is not his strongest work, but I really love the KISS lineup when it is the originals, but with Eric Carr in place of Peter Criss. Each to his own, but I really dig Eric Carr's drumming.

It also helps that this album is produced by the undisputed King of Seventies Rock, His Majesty, Bob Ezrin. Ezrin does all kinds of great KISS albums, and a bunch of great Alice Cooper besides. He also rules the world of the concept album. KISS wanted the best; they got the best. Get it? Get it?

Anyway, the songs are predominantly strong (with the notable exception of the stinker "Escape From the Island"). I really like the ridiculously over the top (but awesome) Mr. Blackwell.

Overall, the lyrics read like they were written by me in Grade 6, as part of some dreamy project to turn a KISS record into a book that would then be made into some kind of rock and roll fantasy musical.

Of course, I deny ever doing such a thing. I didn't even know about "The Elder!" In point of fact my hard rock fantasy novel/screenplay opus was entirely based on "Destroyer" (God of Thunder was the bad guy's theme song). I find it funny that I would have been hard at work on my crazy idea in 1981...likely the same time as KISS. Let's just say their's is better.

Should you buy this album? Verily!

Best tracks: Only You, Under the Rose, The Oath, Mr. Blackwell

CD Odyssey Disc 54: Aimee Mann

Disc 54, where are you? Oh - right here. I guess you were lost temporarily...

Disc 54 is...Lost In Space

Artist: Aimee Mann

Year of Release: 2002

How I Came To Know It: I believe Sheila heard about Aimee Mann and this album in particular from an online friend a few years back.

How It Stacks Up: Since first hearing "Lost In Space" we've gone on to purchase all her solo albums, of which there are 6 (there might be a 7th, but is a Christmas album, so noooo thank you). I would put "Lost in Space" at the top of this list - tied for first probably with "The Forgotten Arm".

Rating: 4 stars.

For those who don't know, Aimee Mann is the former lead singer of the band "'Til Tuesday", which had a hit back in the 80s with "Voices Carry". Til Tuesday has 3 studio albums, and I've been diligently searching for them for a while without success. I don't anticipate they will be as good as Mann's solo work.

Aimee Mann is that rarest of beasts - good pop music. The arrangements are straight pop/rock, and there is no denying that. However, the songs are beautifully constructed, and about very adult subjects.

"Lost In Space" is an album that has a lot of imagery comparing drug addiction to love when the love is failing, but you're holding on to it anyway. It is pretty depressing stuff, which is a refreshing change for the usual vacuous offerings from pop music these days.

The first track on the album, "Humpty Dumpty" captures this feeling of being unable to repair something once beautiful. Following a couple of minor notes, Mann's ethereal and amazing voice leads us into our journey:

"Say you were split, you were split in fragments
And none of the pieces would talk to you
Wouldn't you want to be who you had been?
Well, baby I want that too.

"So better take the keys
And drive forever
Staying won't put these
Futures back together
All the perfect drugs
And superheroes
Wouldn't be enough
To bring me up to zero."

Ouch. Painful, but a nicely descriptive and evocative painful! Ah, art - making a painful experience of one person enjoyable to a bunch of others.

Many other tracks build on this idea of being unable to exit something you know is wrong for you. Pavlov's Bell sings about the learned reactions we know about from...er...Pavlov's Bell, and "The Moth" is a song about how a moth will burn its wings black and die before it will retreat from the flame that fascinates it.

This album comes very close to a concept album, except that each song clearly stands on its own. I don't think there are any bad tracks on here, and some are truly amazing like "Invisible Ink". Is this album worth 5 stars? Oh, so close. I'm going to hold out though, because I'm a hard marker (see sidebar).

When I am trying to get people hooked on Aimee Mann, this album is almost always where I start. Maybe I've got it for your birthday...hey, the first one's free, kid.

Best tracks: Many, including Humpty Dumpty, Lost In Space, This Is How It Goes, Pavlov's Bell, Invisible Ink

CD Odyssey Disc 53: Kris Kristofferson

I still have a backlog of 8 new discs to review (I've heard them all now at least once, but I'm mixing in a random disc every other time to keep things chaotic.

This entry is actually one disc, that was originally two records, so this review is a 2 for 1 deal, just like the album.

Disc 53 is...Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame AND To the Bone

Artist: Kris Kristofferson

Year of Release: 1975 (Who's To Bless...) 1981 (To the Bone)

How I Came To Know It: I have known Kris Kristofferson since my Mom listened to him when I was a child. I first reviewed him back on Disc 39 of the Odyssey, so I'll try not to be repetitive. Mom owned "Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame" so I know that album fairly well, but "To The Bone" I hadn't heard until I got this package deal.

How It Stacks Up: I have eight Kristofferson records now, of which I know six fairly well. "Who's To Bless" I'd put 2nd or 3rd. "To The Bone" is at best 7th, and maybe 8th.

Rating: "Who's To Bless" gets a solid 3 stars. To The Bone gets a bare 2.

I won't get into the basics on Kristofferson since I covered those back at Disc 39 (great songwriter, remade a lot, kick ass vampire killer etc.). I'll focus on these two albums.

Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame

I really liked this album, even with its faults. It is strong mix of political songs like "The Year 2000 Minus 25" which I think must be about the Vietnam War, to some strong 'booty call' work in "Easy, Come On" and "Stranger" to his tough break up stuff with "Who's To Bless And Who's to Blame"

This latter song I think was the "hit", but it is hard for me to tell. I grew up with this album, so all the songs sound very familiar. In any case, I really like the title track, which is a longing song about heartbreak, and how it is hard to lay blame in a failed relationship, because when things go wrong, they just go wrong - there aren't any clear cut villains.

More than his first album, this record augments Kristofferson's voice with back up singers and more interesting musical arrangements. As Sheila rightly pointed out to me, he is kind of an American Leonard Cohen (during Leonard's late 70s/early 80s sound). Did one of these artists steal the other one's sound?

It doesn't matter - as Kristofferson points out himself in "Don't Cuss the Fiddle":

Don't ever cuss that fiddle boy
Unless you want that fiddle out of tune
That picker there in trouble, boy
Ain't nothin' but another side of you
If we ever get to heaven, boys
It ain't because we ain't done nothin' wrong
We're in this gig together
So let's settle down and steal each other's songs

Bottom line, while there are some forgettable tracks on this album, overall it is strong, with a few really memorable songs. Good for 3 stars.

To The Bone:

By contrast, 1981's To The Bone is simply not that strong of an album. It is a hard core break up/divorce album. These can work, but this one doesn't. Most of Kristofferson's talent is squandered in songs that come off as too angry or too pathetic. It is too bad, because I like his work, but every artist is due for a clunker once on a while. This album is Kristofferson's.

So my goal is to find a CD release with just "Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame" that has quality recording production. Then I can de-pair this terrible connection for ever more. Overall, though it is worth having. And although Sheila doesn't really like Kristofferson, I think we can all agree he is a good guy to have around if you are having a battle with vampires.

Best tracks:

Who's To Bless and Who's To Blame: The Year 2000 Minus 25, Stranger, Who's To Bless And Who's To Blame, Don't Cuss That Fiddle.

To the Bone: Magdalene, Blessing In Disguise

CD Odyssey Disc 52: Queen

The Odyssey returns to the island of classic rock (in this case, England).

Disc 52 is...The Miracle

Artist: Queen

Year of Release: 1989

How I Came To Know It: This particular album I picked up because I already loved Queen, and I thought the single "I Want It All" was one incredible rock anthem. After further review, that song is still awesome. I've had this album on tape and wore it out, and now my disc is looking a little sorry even - I can sing along to the whole thing, and frequently do. Yeah, that was me you saw at the traffic light.

How It Stacks Up: As I noted when I reviewed The Game, I have 13 of Queen's 15 studio albums. I'd say The Miracle is at the low end of those - maybe 10th, but it is still awesome, as pretty much every Queen album is.

However - of note this is one of the worst album covers ever. It could be the worst album cover in my collection. Even Freddie's moustache is missing.

Rating: 4 stars.

This album snuck up on me a bit. Often when I am about to listen to an album for the CD Odyssey, I can't help but think in advance what I will likely rate it.

In the case of "The Miracle", I expected a solid 3 star album. Yet, it surprised me. This album is more than solid, it is excellent.

Starting with the song I bought it for (I Want It All), which is a 5 star rock song, but the album is more than that.

This album has Queen expirementing with a lot of 80s sounds, like drum machine beats and other early electronic sounds that really damaged other albums from the late 80s (some of Springsteen's stuff comes to mind). Queen uses this stuff without letting it take away from their distinct sound. When it is ocassionally goofy, like in the song "Rain Must Fall", it is pretty clear they mean to be goofy.

In addition to this new element, this album has a fair bit of what we expect from Queen, in funky bass playing, the classic rock guitar of Brian May and Freddie's cabaret singing and lyrics.

I particularly noticed the bass licks on this album, which are very much at the forefront of a lot of the songs. John Deacon definitely gets his fair share of star treatment, particularly on "The Invisible Man" and "Breakthru" (both killer tracks in totally different ways).

While not my favourite Queen album, The Miracle is near the top of Queen's catalogue when it comes to showing their range - they really try a lot of different styles, and make each one their own.

I guess there isn't much to say - as my buddy Spence would say "just another great Queen album".

Best tracks: Khashoggi's Ship, I Want It All, The Invisible Man, Breakthru, Scandal, Was It All Worth It

CD Odyssey Disc 51: Lyle Lovett

The alternating between random and chosen continues. Today, we play Calvin ball and predetermine which disc is next. I picked this one because it has a remake of the Townes Van Zandt song "Loretta", which was on an album I just recently reviewed.

Disc 51 is...Natural Forces

Artist: Lyle Lovett

Year of Release: 2009

How I Came To Know It: I saw a Lyle Lovett video somewhere back around 1991 for the song "Here I Am", bought an album and have been hooked ever since. This album I saw in Vancouver shopping for CDs with my buddy Spence. It is the new release - it came down to the new Lyle vs. the new Kris Kristoffersen, and Lyle won this round - but Kris will get his due.

How It Stacks Up: I believe I have all of Lyle Lovett's albums. In any case, I have 10. I'd put this one around 8th. Hey - there's a lot of good Lyle out there.

Rating: 3 stars.

Ah Lyle - such a strange and compelling amalgam of super cool, and super goofy. When he is firing on all cylinders, his cool songs are mournful tunes sung with a deep bluesy pathos, and his goofy songs are whimsical, fun and catchy.

With "Natural Forces" he manages one half of the equation. His bluesy mournful, emotional songs are quite strong on this record - I would argue his best on that front of his last 3 records (dating back to 2003). Hence 8th place.

Songs like "Natural Forces" and "Bayou Song" have an honest yearning in them for open spaces, and natural beauty. Lyle is definitely reconnecting with a simpler life, and simpler pleasures. In fact, this record has a fairly strong thread of a yearning for the past, as though Lovett is recognizing how fame can slowly separate an artist from the basic things that matter.

Bayou Song in particular, is an understated emotional piece of music, with words that accompany that slow measured tone well:

There's a spirit that covers a bayou
A surface, quiet and calm
Slow, dark, vertigo water
Swallow me, feed me, float me to a land

Another beautiful track is "Sun and Moon and Stars" which tells the story of a man who has lived for most of his life pushing others away, and is now sitting in a bar, drunk, wishing he had companionship.

Lyle's softer songs like these always have strong arrangements, and they are beautifully and subtly produced (he has been with Producer Billy Williams faithfully since 1986). They take a couple of listens to appreciate, and they are worth it.

...ahem...

Remember how I said earlier that Lyle is at his best when his goofy songs are whimsical, fun and catchy? Well, these ones have only one element - they are catchy. You do not want a goofy, clunky, unfunny song to be catchy.

This album has two - Farmer Brown/Chicken Reel where the chorus is a constant repeat of "I'm gonna choke my chicken". After 3 listens, I still think at least in part, he means for us to think of what you are all thinking of. He could have at least added some variety by throwing in some "I'm gonna spank my monkey" here and there.

The other one is "Pantry" where the supposedly clever line is "Keep It In Your Pantry" - connecting imagery of the kitchen with faithfulness (pantry/pants - get it?)

Both get stuck in your head worse than the Hockey Night In Canada theme song.

The remake of Van Zandt's Loretta is excellent, and very different from Steve Earle's attempt of earlier this year (also excellent).

One other item of note, is the I have always loved Lyle's songwriting. In this album's case, of the 5 tracks I liked the best, only 1 (Natural Forces) is written by Lyle. I am OK with this - just something to note. It shows that when he isn't writing a good track, he is at least picking one.

Throw in a few other fairly strong tracks, and this album grades out at a 3. Could've been better without the goofy tracks, but without the goofy Lyle, we have no emotional balance with the cool Lyle. It is a package deal.

Best tracks: Natural Forces, Bayou Song, Don't You Think I Feel It Too, Sun and Moon and Stars