Adventures In Recordland, post #14: The Bs, part 11

#1: Eric Bogosian- self-titled, 1983:

I'm not that familiar with Mr. Bogosian's work, to be honest. But according to Wikipedia, he's quite an accomplished and talented man- an actor, playwright, novelist, and so on. So I'm sure he must have some talent. But this album, recorded when he was just starting out, doesn't show much of it. As Ronald L. Smith points out in his guide to comedy records, there's a reason he's called a "performance artist" rather than a comedian. This record contains a long series of monologs in which he impersonates various characters who ramble on a bit about nothing particularly amusing- DJs and radio announcers on one side, several other characters (a preacher, a drunk, a hillbilly, a child, etc.) on the other.
I'm really not sure why I bought this album many years ago, and now that I've heard it, I'd be better off getting rid of it. As an actor myself, I admire his versatility in playing all these different character types, but the writing is just bad. There's an occasional funny line, but much of it is just blather, either boring or just downright annoying. It's a waste of time. If this was the beginning of his career, I just hope he's improved since.

#2/3: Victor Borge- "Comedy In Music" and "Caught In The Act", 1954 and 55:

I might as well put these two albums together, since they come from the same source. They're both recordings of Mr. Borge's hugely successful one-man show on Broadway, "Comedy In Music." It was a record-breaker at the time, running for more than two years and well over 800 performances. The format was simple: Victor Borge and his piano, ad-libbing, taking audience requests for songs he could clown around with, doing a few prepared set-pieces, and sometimes playing "straight" piano pieces. These albums demonstrate his talent very well. They're about 50/50, half comedy and half serious music, both of which he does wonderfully.

These are actually the records I did yesterday- I was too busy with other things last night to write about them then. So I've got to catch up and do today's records. I'll be back later.

Adventures In Recordland, Post #6: The Bs, part 2

I cut down a little and only did three albums today. Well, technically four. I'll explain that in a moment.

#1: The Bangles- "Interchords"/"Tell Tales interview" (1986)

Record companies pulled a bit of a trick on buyers here. "Interchords" is a promotional record released to plug their album "Different Light" (see yesterday's blog) in 1986. It consists of an interview with the group and several cuts from the album. The "Tell Tales" album, it turns out, is the exact same interview with a different DJ asking the questions and the original answers spliced in from the other album to make it sound like they're in the same room together! I found this out the hard way. But at least "Tell Tales" is a picture disc, so that makes it collectible. Anyway, it's an interesting interview from when the group was at its peak, they sound like they're having fun together, and it gives you an idea of their songwriting process. There's nothing very unusual about it as interviews go, but for a Bangles fan, it's a fun footnote.

#2: Dr. Murray Banks- "How To Live With Yourself, Or, What To Do Until The Psychiatrist Comes" (1965)

I've had this album since I was about ten years old and have always been rather fond of it, so it was fun to hear it again.
The late Dr. Murray Banks (he passed away as recently as 2008, aged 91) was a psychology professor who toured for many years as a lecturer and after-dinner speaker. He made a series of albums about various topics- some are straightforward, but on others, especially this one, Dr. Banks uses a lot of humor to get his point across. He discusses the psychology of human behavior and human desires, an interesting subject in itself, and illustrates his various points with funny stories. He does it quite well- many of the stories are genuinely funny, and get a tremendous response from the audience. He also seems to have a natural instinct for performing- he ad-libs when a joke doesn't go over ("Would you explain it to this side of the room so we can go on?"), does character voices, and overall comes across as a charming entertainer, as well as making some interesting observations about human nature. Of course, this album is fifty years old, so some of the psychology is a bit dated, but the roots of his ideas are timeless, as is much of the humor.

#3: Belle Barth- "If I Embarrass You, Tell Your Friends" (1960)

Belle Barth, birth name Annabelle Salzman, was a comedienne who told dirty jokes in nightclubs after hours. This album, her first, sold a million copies. Barth is something of a cross between Sophie Tucker and the late Joan Rivers, with a dash of Redd Foxx's raunchiness.
Back in 1960, of course, dirty jokes were to be told strictly between adults in the privacy of their homes. Today, you can hear much dirtier stuff than this every day on television. In fact, Barth sometimes pulls her punches- instead of saying all the dirty words, she'll substitute Yiddish, or use cute euphemisms like calling male private parts a "yo-yo"- although that's undoubtedly because she would have been arrested at the time for using a word like "penis" onstage, even in a 4 A.M. show. So, her material comes across as slightly naughty and coy by today's standards rather than the outright filth it was probably perceived as at the time.
But is she funny? Sometimes. There are certainly a few good one-liners in there, but a lot of it is bantering with the crowd and the kind of thing you would find in the average dirty joke book. It's an enjoyable album for those who like the risque Borscht Belt style, but I'm not in a hurry to buy more of her albums.

That's it for today. See you tomorrow for some Count Basie!

Adventures In Recordland, Post #5: The Bs, part 1

Five more done today. Let's take a look.

#1: Mildred Bailey- "The CBS Radio Shows", 1979

Not a lot to say about this one, really. Mildred Bailey was a great and very underrated jazz singer. On this record is an hour-long radio show of hers from 1944. It's quite entertaining, but pretty average as far as 1940s jazz radio shows go. I have several of Mildred's 78s from the late '30s and prefer those. Not to say that this record isn't worthwhile, but it doesn't stand out.

#2: The Bangles- "All Over The Place", 1984

I have more to say on this subject, however. I'm actually quite a Bangles fan. In fact, I just saw them live in concert last weekend, for the second time.
Most of you probably know them for their hit singles, "Walk Like An Egyptian" and "Manic Monday." Depending how much radio you listened to in the '80s, you might also know "Eternal Flame" and a couple others. But I think it's unfortunate that the singles are all they're known for by most people- especially "Walk Like An Egyptian", which is really not a typical Bangles song in any way, was not written by them, and apparently they were not very happy about recording it either. I think it made them come across as a novelty act, so the fact that that's their bid for posterity is disappointing to me as a fan. If you look at their whole body of work, they are tremendously talented musicians and songwriters- especially when you see them live, where they really bring the house down. Those women can ROCK, so don't let the slick commercial "image" they were later given fool you.
For proof, look at this album. This was their first full-length album (they did a five-song EP in 1982, which I'll get to in a moment.), at a time when they were still a raw, hard-edged garage band, before record companies got ahold of them and softened them into a more commercial pop group.
The truth is they never made a perfect album- who has?- but while there may be a few songs that aren't favorites of mine, this album is a great demonstration of who they were at this time- young and energetic and full of ideas- especially the five songs on side 1.
And while I like the later hit singles as much as anyone else, and much as I, like every other guy, have always had a crush on the later more sexualized Susanna Hoffs image, I kinda wish that THIS early incarnation of the Bangles had received a little more attention at the time so that the record company hadn't felt the need to change them. You can see in their concerts today that they're really going back to the 1984 version of their band, definitely not the 1987 version.

#3: The Bangles- self-titled EP, 1982

This is where it all started. Their first album. Only five songs, less than 15 minutes altogether. I'm very lucky to have this because it's hard to find, but it's not their best work. The songs are pretty good, you can see they had potential, but they hadn't quite gotten there yet. Although it was a treat to hear them perform all five songs live last weekend. I wish I had something more insightful to say here, but go listen to it yourselves and see what you think.

#4: The Bangles- "Different Light", 1986

This was the album they released at the height of their success. In fact, it went all the way to #2 on the Billboard charts. Almost all the hit singles are here. "Walk Like An Egyptian", "Manic Monday", "If She Knew What She Wants", "Walking Down Your Street."
As I've already indicated, Columbia records took a rock band and turned them into a pop group to make them more commercial. Many of the songs were written by other people and given to them. This, unfortunately, is what happens often in the music business- an executive sees something they can make money with, removes the rough edges to avoid the artist doing anything offensive or, God forbid, DIFFERENT, and proceeds to crank out a nice piece of product. This seems to be what happened to the Bangles, and it's only since their reunion at the turn of the 21st century that they've managed to get back to making their music their way.
That said, I enjoy "Different Light." They're a changed group, but still a lot of fun. But remember what I said about how they've never made a perfect album? Side 1 is fun, but a lot of the songs on side 2 are less memorable to me (although bassist/vocalist Michael Steele's solo song "Following" is a strange standout). So, here was a band still struggling to reach its peak, was catapulted to that peak by execs who probably didn't care very much about music or art, and suddenly things were out of control, and they broke up just a few years later. But they still managed to make a very entertaining, if flawed, record. I'm glad to have it in my collection.

#5: The Bangles- "Everything", 1988

This was their last album for 15 years. They broke up shortly after it was recorded, and got back together in the early 2000s only after many years of estrangement. You can tell from that front cover that they're not exactly thrilled to be there. Even in the inside sleeve photo where they're smiling, the smiles look quite forced.
So unfortunately, this album shows a band falling apart. Again, the first side has some wonderful material- "Complicated Girl" is one of my favorite Bangles songs, and I think it could have been a great radio hit. "Bell Jar" is different and intriguing. Their hit songs "In Your Room" and "Eternal Flame" (the latter of which went to #1 on the charts) are here. It's a strong beginning. Then you flip over to side 2 and find that they're running out of steam. I've heard this album several times over the years and almost none of the songs on side 2 have stuck with me. They were not getting along well by this time, and I'm sure they were phoning it in- it's no coincidence that the last track involves Vicki Peterson repeating "I wish I could crash and burn." But there are a handful of diamonds in the rough to be found here.
I'm just glad that they got back together and seem to have rekindled their friendship with each other. By all means, go see them live if you get a chance!

That's about all I have to say for tonight. See you again tomorrow.

Adventures In Recordland, post #3: The As, part 3

More records today. I have a lot to say about these much more than usual, so...

#1: Tori Amos- "Boys For Pele", 1996

     

 Tori Amos is not a musician- she is a way of life. I say that because first of all, she is possibly one of my favorite artists of all time, and second, because over the past year or so, I've met dozens of fellow fans through Facebook and found that her music is so much more than entertainment for a LOT of people out there. For many fans, their whole lives revolve around Tori and her music. Her words have literally saved lives, helped people to deal with tragedy and trauma, and been an inspiration to many people, especially to young women. I know there are a lot of people who write her off as a one-trick pony or a wailing misandrist hack, or whatever else, but because I'm a fan, I've seen how much she's helped people, including myself, so if anybody reading this is in the habit of bashing her- I'm completely unapologetic about being a Toriphile. She means a lot to me.

Those of you who aren't familiar with her work probably only know her, if at all, because of her song "Cornflake Girl", or because of that dumb remix of her song "Professional Widow." So let me give you some brief details. She was born in North Carolina, raised in Baltimore and Washington D.C., was a child prodigy who started playing piano at age three, played in piano bars in her teens and early '20s, was in a third-rate band called Y Kant Tori Read, got out of it as soon as possible and went solo. Her solo career has yielded to date 14 albums, each one very different from the last. She's toured worldwide for more than 20 years, and will probably continue to do so as long as possible. I've seen her twice. That's good enough to start with.
Now about this album, "Boys For Pele." I was lucky enough to find it almost by accident and buy it for ten bucks. It's worth much more because finding her stuff on vinyl is quite rare- of course her albums, being from the '90s and 2000s, are usually found on CD.
"Boys For Pele" is a very unusual album. It came at a time when Tori was at the height of her popularity- in fact it went all the way to number 2 on the charts- but was the result of one of the most painful and emotional times of her life. She had recently broken up with her boyfriend, producer Eric Rosse who produced her first two albums- so this is an album full of alternating anger, sadness, and vulnerability. Pele is the Hawaiian volcano goddess, so she's basically saying "The hell with men, throw 'em all into the volcano!" Much of this comes through in the first half- the second half is quieter, more contemplative, as if she's trying to get over it and find herself again.
There are some songs on this album that I love, but even as a hardcore fan of hers, it's not my favorite. Much of the lyrics are surrealistic and abstract so that it can be difficult to know exactly what she's talking about on some songs- perhaps because she was doing a bit of drugs at the time (the song "Father Lucifer" is about a mushroom trip she had). But it's an important album in her career, because it epitomizes her personality at that time- eccentric, sometimes bizarre, but underneath the showmanship is something very human and relatable. It's definitely NOT the album I would recommend to someone who has never heard her before- far from it- but it defines the energy, personality and talent that shaped the early years of her career and made her famous.

#2: Tori Amos- "The Interview", 1992

I'd been a fan of Tori's for several years before I knew this existed- a picture disc interview! There's no music on it, it's just a half hour or so of her being interviewed by a woman whose name I didn't catch. It's always seemed to me that Tori Amos the performer and Tori Amos the person are two different beings in a way, but fortunately they're both fascinating. This may not be the best or most fun interview she ever gave, but she makes a lot of interesting points discussing politics, feminism, and religion. It's a great collector's item.

 

#3: Tori Amos- "Little Earthquakes", 1992

 You might have guessed by now that I'm going through my records alphabetically. The Bill Cosby records alone will take up about six blog entries.
Again, this album can be easily bought on CD, but it was only pressed on vinyl overseas, so this is very rare and I'm very happy to have it.
I want to shy away from getting overly personal on this blog, but it's impossible for me to review "Little Earthquakes" objectively. I first heard it at 5 AM on my 23rd birthday, and right away I knew I had discovered something special, and was hearing things that I could relate to on a very personal level. I won't go into details because I don't know who's reading. But suffice to say that this album has a special place in my heart, and as of this year I finally have an autographed copy of it. Thank you, Tori!

 But to get to the facts- "Little Earthquakes" was Tori's first solo album, and in my opinion her masterpiece. I don't think she's ever really topped it, but it's to her credit that she hasn't tried to duplicate it. She could have made a lot of money just making "Little Earthquakes part 2", part 3, part 4, and so on, but instead, every album she's made has been different. And yet here's where it all started- this is the thesis statement from which all her subsequent work derives. She covers a wide variety of emotions and topics- childhood, identity, death, religion, relationships- even rape, in the autobiographical song "Me And A Gun." The title song sums it all up: "Oh, these little earthquakes- it doesn't take much to rip us into pieces." So really it's a concept album that makes a statement. Not only does this album showcase her excellent musicianship and great songwriting, it showcases her honesty. She doesn't pull any punches, she expresses her raw emotions fearlessly, and that's why so many people have responded to it so strongly, myself included. It's not a comfortable album, but it's not trying to be. It's unique and powerful and there's nothing else like it.

#4: Tori Amos- "Under The Pink", 1994

This was her sophomore album after "Little Earthquakes." It's still very strong in terms of songwriting and performance, but there are a number of songs I don't particularly care for. And it was around this time that her lyrics become a little more surreal and abstract, rather than the more direct approach of the first album. Judging by her comments about the songs, this is probably because a number of them seem to be inspired by visions or hallucinations- the 9 1/2 minute closing track, "Yes, Anastasia", for example, she once described as coming to her in the delirium of a fever dream when she was ill. This is not to say that I dislike this album, quite the contrary, but it doesn't have as many songs that make as powerful an impression as the songs on "Little Earthquakes"- with a couple of exceptions, such as the song "Icicle" which deals with masturbation and religious guilt about sex. But most of the songs are not my personal favorites- I know many Toriphiles who would vehemently disagree, but I'll say it anyway.

#5: Apollonia 6- self-titled album, 1984

Hoo boy. How do I explain this one being in my collection?
I consider myself a reasonably intelligent guy. I went to college. I teach film history classes for a living. I've read James Joyce. How on earth do I explain the fact that I spent my own money on this juvenile nonsense?
Let me back up a little bit and tell you this story.
My family got cable TV in 2004. I was 18 years old, and had recently seen "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" and, like every other straight guy who's ever watched that movie, I fell in love with Phoebe Cates. I was up late watching our new cable TV one night and saw that there was a movie called "Private School" on, starring... Phoebe Cates. It's a typically goofy early '80s T&A flick, but since I was a horny teenage boy at the time (as if there's any other kind), it did exactly what it was supposed to do for me. Also in the movie was another beautiful young lady named Betsy Russell who stole the show from Phoebe pretty quickly. Underscoring one of Ms. Russell's most prominent scenes was some weird early '80s song I'd never heard before. I Googled it and found out it was a song called "Nasty Girl" by a group called Vanity 6. If you were around in 1982 (I wasn't), you might remember Vanity 6. They were a girl group created by Prince, consisting of three hot young chicks who wore lingerie and sang songs about sex. Their album came out in 1982- a couple of years later, the titular (in every sense of the word) Vanity had some disagreements with Prince and left the group. Unfortunately, this was right before she was supposed to play the leading lady in a movie called "Purple Rain", which you might also have vague memories of if you were around in 1984 (which I still wasn't. What took me so long?). And if you've seen "Purple Rain", you'll remember the leading lady was named Apollonia. When she came along, Vanity 6 became Apollonia 6 (the other two members, Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie, reamined), but the act was pretty much the same. Apollonia 6 appeared in "Purple Rain", and also recorded this self-titled album, and that was pretty much the end of their career when Prince got bored and moved on to other things.
Both the Vanity 6 album and the Apollonia 6 album are the guiltiest of guilty pleasures for me. Again, being a teenager at the time, I was just titillated by hearing songs with dirty lyrics. But as I've gotten older, I'm still fascinated by these albums because they're utterly surreal and bizarre and kinda creepy, and not even very good, so I find myself listening to them every now and then, usually after midnight- listening to them in broad daylight just doesn't feel right- and thinking "What were they thinking? What drugs were they on? How did a group of presumably intelligent adult human beings end up doing this rubbish and get paid for it?" Susan couldn't sing at all, Apollonia was fair.. at least Brenda did have some genuine vocal chops, as demonstrated by her solo numbers on this album.
And while Apollonia 6's album doesn't quite have the funky, raunchy, trippy sense of fun that Vanity 6's album had, it's still entertaining. The songs were all written by Prince, so they've got some great beats, if rather less-than-Grammy-worthy lyrics. That's about all I can think of to say about this. They made a music video for it which is even weirder than the album- you can see it on YouTube. It still fascinates me for reasons I can't readily explain- although I've tried. Maybe file this under "so bad it's good." But it took guts for me to write this blog about it and publicize it that way, because normally I'm totally embarrassed to let anyone know I even have it. Let's just keep it between you and me, eh?

See you tomorrow for the last of the As.