MY TWO SHITS WORTH: EPISODE FOUR

     This next musical recommendation is somewhat bizarre coming from someone like me.  But to understand its significance and beauty to me, I might have to provide a bit of backstory here.  In 1992,  I suffered what I would kindly refer to as a nervous breakdown.  I can't say I didn't see it coming but it would still rate as a bit of a shocker.  However, my mental state started to effect my physical well-being and things were generally not going as planned for me.
     A few months later, I was in a record store in Bozeman, MT (don't bother looking for the place;  it's long gone) and was thumbing through the titles and suddenly I heard music that literally was speaking to me.  It was sonically appealing and the lyrics were very striking to say the least.  It was as if every song was a chapter in a book and every chapter sparked my interest exponentially.  Finally,  my very shy self tip toed up to an employee and asked what the heck this album was.  The employee said "This is the first CD by a new band called Dream Theater.  Never heard of 'em but we're supposed to play it."  And with that ringing endorsement I walked over and picked up a copy to purchase and then slowly put it back down when I saw the $18.98 price tag.  This was a lot of money for a college student to pay for anything (including most modes of transportation) and so I left feeling disappointed that I might not hear that music again because it certainly was not the type of genre that any of my local radio stations would play at that time.  On my way out of town,  I decided to stop at a pawn shop to ogle musical instruments I also couldn't afford.  When I was there,  I noticed they sold used CDs and the very first one I saw was this exact CD which was titled "Images And Words."  I jumped at the $6.00 price tag and bought it.  Twenty-five years later I'm still amazed by it.  But since then I've learned a few things.  First,  this was not the 'first' CD by Dream Theater.  However, it was the 'first' CD with their current vocalist James LaBrie.  Second,  this album was a loosely conceptual story about a friend of the band who was losing his battle with a horrible disease and the lyrics were very blunt but also very hopeful.  The vocal samples were cool too.  Third, being a amateur pianist, I was floored by the amazing keyboard playing and lyrics of Kevin Moore (who left the band after their 3rd release 'Awake' in 1994).
     To this day,  I only own their first three albums.  I have owned others at times but could never 'get into them.'  And, yes, I know this is not exactly an underrated album as it has gone Gold by the RIAA.  But what I do know is every time I listen to it,  my mind opens up to endless hope and possibilities.  Is that alright with you?

FAMOUS LAST WORDS?

I plan on continuing the blog as long as I'm spiritually, physically and mentally able.  These three areas can cause problems in my writing style which can lead to long periods of time during posts but, rest assured, I'm always thinking about this space somewhere on the side of the road on the information superhighway.
Until next time.....

MY TWO SHITS WORTH: EPISODE THREE.

     Okay, so I'm switching things up a bit in honor of April Fool's Day.  Instead of underrated music I'm shifting my focus to a group of TV specials and books from the mid-1980s.  Martin Mull has never really found his niche as an entertainer and I think this is because he really doesn't care if he is multi talented as an actor, painter and musician.  He's just one of those people that are great in 'measured doses.'  Yes, 'Fernwood 2-Night' and just about everything else he has done are now cult classics and one of these 'classics' is a trilogy of TV specials he did for HBO with the title "The History Of White People In America."  All of these specials where directed by Harry Shearer and all three starred Mary Kay Place and Fred Willard as your typical married American suburban WASP couple.  Some of these specials also starred greats like George Wendt,  Michael McKean and Jack Riley.  Mull usually plays himself as the interviewer and questions these people about politics, religion, culture etc.  There also is some hokey drama played out that surely is a parody of the PBS cinema verite series of the 1970s, "The Loud Family."
     These specials are done in the 'mockumentary' form although these feel a bit more scripted (by Mull and friends) than the usual Christopher Guest variety.  Two books on the subject were also printed and I seem to recall Mull having a strange fascination with the white man's love of Sans-A-Belt slacks (one of the first makers of slacks with the elastic waistband).  With just about anything Mull does, there is a very dry wit that some people might just not get but I loved these specials as a teen ( and still do).
     All three specials are available on the treasured VHS format at yard sales and church book swap benefits.  I think Mull would heartily approve.

R.I.P. TO (OUR YEARLY SUBSCRIPTON OF) ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

     My Father and I were really excited about this new magazine called Entertainment Weekly that was launching in early 1990.  My old man had a subscription (is this now an obsolete term?) to Sports Illustrated that advertised this new mag and we both thought it sounded fantastic.  Well, now it's 2017 and the fascination is definitely over.  When it started, I thought the reviews of TV, Film, Music and Books were very insightful and the in-depth articles about behind-the-scenes information about artists and various looks at how these forms of art are made were wonderful.  The editors (I'm guessing) also made a somewhat controversial decision to publish an end-of-the year issue with not only the "Best Of" articles but also had several pages devoted to the people in front of and behind the scenes in all entertainment fields who had succumbed to the (then) death sentence of AIDS during the previous year.
     My college years, which lasted from 1990 to 1995,  would have been so more much more boring without these issues arriving in the mailbox every week or so.  The writers turned me on to TV, music, film and books that I had no idea even existed.
     Over the years, the writers changed and the articles become shorter while the pictures and increasingly worthless "Best Of" lists become even larger, eventually edging out real entertainment news content in favor of a more exploitative 'who's maybe doing this movie' or even 'who's sleeping with what' types of stories that I'm guessing the kids today go ga-ga about.
     Of course, online sources of true entertainment news are so numerous now that I just won't count them for you (It's 3267).  So, yes, after 27 years, your Father and I believe it's time that you leave the nest and start being read (or looked at) by other people.  You'll thank us later.

MY TWO SHITS WORTH: EPISODE TWO

     I hoped the one viewer who read my last post enjoys this one just as well.  In this post,  I'm talking about overlooked albums and this one is a bit of a head scratcher.  In 1997 Marcy Playground had one the most played (er, overplayed) songs of the year that wasn't about The Titanic.  "Sex And Candy"  was a laid back and mostly acoustic ode to underage women that caught fire on radio.  What was interesting is that the self titled album that spawned the monster was originally released through the EMI main label but just weeks after its release the label went tits up and most of the releases on the label were 'set free.'  However,  the label re-released the album on the Capitol imprint and kept promoting the song and came out a winner.  The bands' 2nd release for the label is a different story.
     In 1999, the band released "Shapeshifter" and not without a bit of controversy.  The cover art by Mark Ryden was also selected to be the cover art on the then upcoming release by Butthole Surfers.  There was a bit of bitching between the two camps but MP won out and the painting went on their release.....which was totally ignored by everyone everywhere.  Why?  Maybe it was the "Sex And Candy" burnout or the fact that it was a totally different and superior album.  Leader John Wozniak wasn't too pleased with the outside production on the 1st release and most of the songs were in the same laid back vein.  So for "Shapeshifter" Wozniak took control of the production and amped up everything.  The songs themselves sound raw and direct.  They have an almost demo-like sound to them that is very alive.  "It's Saturday" ,which was the 1st single, set the tone with the tongue-in-cheek lyrics about a STD caused by a 'girl with New Jersey hair.'  "All The Lights Went Out" is a beautiful and feedback laden love ballad.  "Wave Motion Gun" is a bizarre but great anti-drug tune supposedly based on Wozniak's former addiction issues.  "Rebel Sodville" pays homage to some of the louder Neil Young and Crazy Horse workouts.  My favorite song "Pigeon Farm" is so gleefully weird that I've probably played it a few thousand times.  Whereas the self-titled effort was good but uneven, every tune on this record is a winner.
     Sadly, this album is out-of-print but easily found on this 'series of tubes.'  If you like loud guitars and truly original lyrics, buy this one.

MY TWO SHITS WORTH: EPISODE ONE

     Okay, so I promised I would start this intermittent blog post about albums that are, in my treasured opinion, severely underrated.  I've decided to start with a relatively new effort that did not even get an US release.  This would be Guy Garvey's debut solo album "Courting The Squall" from 2015.  Mr.  Garvey is the lead singer of the British band Elbow whose entire catalogue has been available in the states and have become somewhat of a cult favorite here in the States but are a big deal across the pond.  In fact, their last album went to #1 in the UK(#83 in the US) and "Courting The Squall" reached UK#3.  Garvey's voice is a bit reminiscent of Peter Gabriel although he doesn't have quite the range.
     His solo debut is a departure from the mostly hushed tones of recent Elbow releases and has more of a electronic bent with a minimalist production style.  The songs have more of a kick and a groove than a typical Elbow song which is a compliment.  "Angela's Eyes" starts things off with a wild beat and Garvey proclaiming he's been 'looking for the truth since God was a boy' and some bizarre keyboard sounds.  The title track sounds more like an Elbow tune but more experimental musically and lyrically.
     You can buy this album for a very reasonable rate as an import and you really should, especially if you are an Elbow fan or even if you'd just like to spin something new to dance to that isn't your run of the mill EDM. 

THE FUTURE.

     I haven't talked about my almost incestuous love of music lately so starting soon I will be writing an occasional column called "My Two Shits Worth!" where I talk ad nauseam about an album or other things that I believe to be severely underrated.  I hope you'll enjoy it.