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Further Observations From A Jangly Music Fan: December, 2005

Those of us who are music enthusiasts have all experienced this frustration: you hear a great song on the radio, but you don't hear the DJ tell the radio listeners what the name of the song is or who the artist is. Unless you hear the song again, you're just plain out of luck! "Run for home; Run as fast as I can; Wo-oh running man; Running for home." I heard these chorus lyrics once, in December 1979, when I turned on the car radio, heard a very cool song … and then never heard the name of the artist or the song. I concluded that the name of the song was "Running Man" and I thought that the artist was Air Supply … but I was never able to make a match. The song became an unfulfilled musical quest.

Twenty-six years later, I turned on my car radio to listen to my favorite area DJ - a very knowledgeable fellow with a distinctive voice whose radio moniker is "Weasel." Weasel was in the middle of a song with these same lyrics. When the song concluded, he revealed what the song title is and who the artist is. The tune I had been searching for is "Run For Home" by Lindisfarne (as it turns out, the melody is very similar to "Lost In Love" by Air Supply). Amazon did the rest, and I now have this song in my personal music library. God bless you for this very belated gift of ear candy, Weasel!

During the eighteen years that I have been listening to Weasel (first with WHFS; now with WARW), I have discovered that he and I have very similar tastes in music … and he has introduced me to some terrific songs and artists, helping me to fill in some musical voids in my record collection. Songs that come to mind are "Litany" by Guadalcanal Diary, "I'll Carry The Torch" by Firetown, "It's All Changed" by the Royal Court of China, "Gettysburg" by the Brandos and "Til I Am Myself Again" by Blue Rodeo. Weasel used to challenge listeners with an on-air quiz show called "My Three Songs" … and had he not featured three Gene Clark/Roger McGuinn-penned tunes one afternoon, I might never have heard the great Peter Holsapple/Chris Stamey version of "Here Without You." One of my favorite CDR compilations is a disc that I entitled "Weasel Played These On WHFS." Long may you run, Sir Weasel!

Other songs and discs worthy of mention this month include:

The Happy Door - by Tim Anthony. I received a advance copy of this disc several months ago, and listening to the disc again now that it has been officially released, hasn't changed my opinion of the contents. This is Tim's finest solo effort to date - primo power pop from start to finish … with some jangly and chiming guitars to please pseudo-60s enthusiasts like myself!

Westminster Holiday - by Brian McGuire. The CD packaging, artwork and the actual disc graphics are a big clue regarding the contents of this nifty 12-song disc. This is Beatles-influenced pop that should appeal to all pop music fans. It's kind of like listening to the Spongetones without the harmonies. If original material requires a reference point, McGuire is quite comfortable with the Mersey Beat sound being his musical compass. Please, Brian, may we have some more!

Stand-Ins for deciBels: A Tribute to the dBs - 22 songs by 22 artists, plus an enhanced feature … courtesy of Jim Huie and his Paisley Pop label. Only a couple of tracks showcase chiming guitar riffs (the Bill Lloyd, Bobby Sutliff and Tim Lee tracks come to mind), but the real point of this tribute disc is to remind/teach pop music fans that this early 80s band, fronted by Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple, had tremendous influence over their peers and successors. By now, readers of this column should know: if it's a Paisley Pop release, it's terrific! Well done to Jim Huie and all of the participants!

Lowe Profile: A Tribute to Nick Lowe - two discs, 30 songs and the executive production skills of Walter Clevenger. Can't miss with that combination! Personal favorites include "Without Love" by Foster & Lloyd, "There's A Cloud In My Heart" by Walter Clevenger and the Dairy Kings, "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding?" by Michael Carpenter (the first minute sounds like a church choir … and then the soft approach gives way to a high-energy power pop tune!) and "When I Write The Book" by sparkle*jets uk. Listening to these 30 songs makes me very glad that I went to see Nick Lowe in concert several years ago. Long may you run, Sir Nick - you are a Jedi Knight among the pop musician ranks!

Perpetual Limbo - Parallax Project. Their second disc, on Anna Borg's (we miss you in the D.C. area, Anna!) Tallboy Records label, is a winner from start to finish. It may not chime a whole lot, but this disc is an excellent reference for anyone who asks the question "What is power pop?"

"(When Your) Christmas Fades" - an mp3 single holiday "stocking stuffer" from Jeff Larson. Everything Jeff touches turns to gold. Enough said. CD-Eps and singles are always welcome, but give us what we really want, Jeff - a full-length disc!

John Corbett - the new self-titled disc on John's own Funbone Records label. Most people recognize John Corbett from his acting roles on TV's Northern Exposure and Sex And The City and movies like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." As Corbett tells it, he went to Los Angeles as a musician, took acting classes, and got a few breaks that made his a successful acting career. Now he can focus on his first love - roots/rock and country/rock. The album was recorded in Nashville with an all-star studio cast. You can catch Corbett on the road as part of the four-member John Corbett Band. "Waiting On A Heartache" has just the kind of jangle'n'twang sound that one would expect from guitarists like Kenny Vaughn and Pat Buchanan.

In the "gone but not forgotten" category this month is the Connells. Their repertoire of guitar-pop tunes has stood the test of time. These guys were like the North Carolina version of the Gin Blossoms. I saw them perform in the D.C. area three times - at the old WUST Music Hall that is now the site of the "new" 9:30 Club. This band was always energetic on stage, and their audiences always had happy feet. Re-visit tunes like "Slackjawed," "Stone Cold Yesterday," "Doin' You," "Get A Gun," "Hey You," "Carry My Picture" and "1934" … and you'll have a case of happy feet also. The Connells added some shimmering jangle to "Scotty's Lament" and "OT2;" and they sure sounded a lot like the Posies on the pretty tune "Running Mary." If you spot Connells discs at your neighborhood used CD store, give them a good home. They deserve it!

Until next month … and next year, happy holidays … and jangle on!

Further Observations From A Jangly Music Fan: November, 2005

September and October rain, combined with Indian Summer weather, has turned the mid-Atlantic into a region awash with fall foliage and green grass - the prolonged fall season in this area is truly one of the advantages of living here! In the past five weeks, we have enjoyed the splendid fall tree colors on trips to Canada, Vermont, Pennsylvania and rural Virginia. These trips were highlighted by: bicycle rides along Lake Massawippi, the Delaware River and the Potomac River; hikes along the New Hampshire and Vermont sides of the Connecticut River; and attending a good friend's wedding in Vermont. When we weren't traveling, we enjoyed area performances by the Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen Band, Karla Bonoff and Tish Hinojosa. Hillman played mandolin on 90% of the tunes that he and Herb Pedersen performed, and the band sparkled on bluegrass versions of "Turn! Turn! Turn!," "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Eight Miles High" (the latter song is featured on Hillman's most recent solo disc). To date, it has been a terrific autumn season.

There is a surfeit of excellent new material to discuss in this month's column.

Without further adieu, here are discs that jangle enthusiasts and pop music fans, alike, should seek out:

Rhino's four-CD box set Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1996. Fufkin colleague Mike Bennett wrote about this set in his October column, from the perspective of a music fan who grew up already familiar with many of the featured songs and artists. My perspective differs from Mike's. As a Boomer music fan who spent chunks of this era away from the pop music scene, I think it's a terrific 100-song compilation. Yes, it does duplicate some of the material that I have painstakingly collected during the past fifteen years, but there are some delightful finds in the bunch. Volume One is overflowing with radio-friendly tracks that fall into the "should have" (been hits) category. Jangleholics will be pleased with tracks like "Gentle Tuesday" by the Primal Scream, "We're Living In Violent Times" by the Barracudas, "There She Goes" by the La's and "Barbed Wire Heart" by the Sinners. Many of the other tracks feature chiming guitar riffs. This is a very worthy addition to a pop music fan's library - particularly for those who no longer have the time to cull through vinyl and CDs at independent record stores.

The Circle - by Ron Martin and Friends. Singer-songwriter Ron Martin was diagnosed with Liposarcoma in 2003, and he (and his friends) recorded this disc with covers of some of Ron's favorite songs by the Beatles, Byrds, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. Proceeds from the sale of the disc are shared with the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative. In addition to hearing some cool covers of 60s/70s songs, you can feel good about contributing to a very worth cause. My favorite tracks are Ron's versions of "It Doesn't Matter," "Two Of Us" and "Here Without You." Dr. Scott Madry contributes the recognizable Rickenbacker 12-string riffs on the eleven tracks. This disc can be ordered from the www.flyincloudrecords.com site.

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