Last time out, 2005’s At the National Grid, Robert Scott and the Bats sculpted the best record of their 25+ year career, pitch perfect from start to finish. Understandably I went into their follow up, The Guilty Office, with high hopes. None of the elements have changed—the chiming guitars and soothing vocals—but they don’t melt together as well. I can hear the seams, so to speak, and find myself paying attention to the individual parts rather being immersed in the whole. The record opens and closes well but in between there too many songs like “Castle Lights” and “Two Lines” where the added strings feel more like decorations rather than essential pieces.
Don’t You Rise collects four tracks from ’98-’03. All four work well, on par with National Grid, and are surprisingly cohesive given the time span. A great introduction for newcomers.
In January, Cheap Trick descended on New York City for a series of shows promoting The Latest, their 2009 studio album. Four Go Metric contributors were on hand and have gathered for a special roundtable discussion about the legendary power poppers.
Mike: So, Cheap Trick, 2010, worth braving the cold, gentlemen?
Steve: I’d say yes, well, because it was free and only six blocks from my office. It was kind of hard turning that down. I mean, I can be
lazy, but not THAT lazy.
Brett: Based on the inclusion of some rarely played material from ’79-’80 (“Way of the World,” “Baby Loves to Rock,” “Just Got Back”)
fleshed out by two former members of Jellyfish, I’d say yes. Demerits for the venue (Fillmore at Irving Plaza — $12 beers and $4 coat check on top of the exorbitant service charges) and the seemingly endless shout-outs to Little Steven.
Brian: This was the first time I may ever have seen them, at least the first time in 25 years, but my memory has been dulled by rock and/or roll. Rick Nielsen is always worth a laff even at 64 and they did play a decent set list, ending with my all time favorite “He’s a
Whore” instead of the “The Flame,” which was sort of a victory for the rock crowd. However, $50 for a band that played circa one
hour and fifteen minutes? I just saw Leonard Cohen do two THREE hour sets at the age of 74, so perhaps the music/price ratio could have been a lot better.
Mike: I’ll always love Cheap Trick. The rest of the world is knocking themselves out to write a shout-along anthem like “Come On, Come On.” These guys toss it into their opening block of songs. I’ll never understand Cheap Trick, though. Before they came on stage they played this odd audio montage. Here’s how I read it: “Hey, did you hear that clip from The Simpsons? The one that mentioned Cheap Trick? We’re them! Really! We’re culturally relevant.” At best it was needless self promotion. At worst a bit desperate.
Mike: It reminds me of a scene in one of the Ramones documentaries. Marky demonstrates what else he can do on the drums, beyond, so to speak, what he does on the Ramones songs.
Brian: I think they do a fairly good job at somehow juggling their rock star dreams with being an underground band. Now when I say that, I mean that they are some how “cool” to be into for a rock band. I always used to argue that it was the combination of early seventies rock with huge servings of the Beatles, but maybe it was just that they were one of the most quintessentially goofy looking bands of the last forty years. And I think that unlike KISS, they seem to actually give a damn about a good pop hook, even thirty-five years in, as opposed to “rocking,” (whatever that means).
Brett: The sly Beatles references in their early work are what drew me to them initially — the way they would lift a Fab Four riff or lyric with a wink and twist it into something unique. “If You Want My Love” took that premise a step further. It sounded like a song the Beatles might have actually written. Since then, the Beatle nods have been outright mimicry, or in some cases (“Miracle” from The Latest) note-for-note lifts from ELO aping the Beatles.
Steve: I think you all make good points. I’ve seen Cheap Trick nine times over the past 14 years, and the only time I can say they truly stunk was when the played an acoustic show at Town Hall (I think it was ’01). I went with Ira Robbins, who has known them for ages and did the liner notes for their box set. And we both came to the conclusion that playing stripped down seemed to rob them of their essence as a band. These guys wrote “Baby Loves to Rock” — they might as well substituted their own name.
Mike: And Robin Zander still has the pipes. Most bands have to deal with their frontman fading over time. Maybe that’s part of what makes them tick: Cheap Trick has the frontman role split between two people, the goof (Nielsen) and the pretty boy (Zander). Too bad the dude’s plastic surgery makes him look like Stevie Nicks. Or one of the Nelson guys.
Brian: Well, they always marketed themselves, as “two hot front guys and the the surprisingly talented nerds in the rest of the band” so it’s good to see that some things have never changed. I think that the main point to remember about Cheap Trick is that they are as much pop as rock, in a good way and their best songs still stand up after all these years. Not to belabor the KISS comparison, but you really only need a greatest hits from KISS, where as with Cheap Trick, I would say you NEED the first four albums, as well as the greatest hits. Also the fact that their set list was completely different from the last gig they played to this one, makes me even more impressed.
Brett: There are very few bands from that era still regularly releasing new material with all original members. While the songwriting on the newer records doesn’t stand up to the first four, every album since 1997’s Cheap Trick has been solid with occasional flashes of the old magic.
Mike: We all seem a bit serious, analytic about Cheap Trick. Are they one of those bands you think about a lot more than you talk about?
Steve: I can’t say that I do. I have thought more about them the past five years because my ability to sing “Surrender” got me into my band. But I just like them because they write hooky songs, which is pretty much all I’ve been looking for since I was five years old I guess.
Brett: Thanks for bringing us back down to earth, Mike. Perhaps this is getting a bit too cerebral, because as Steve rightly points out, it’s about the hooks and in a live setting Cheap Trick still delivers those in spades.
Brian: I listen to Cheap Trick to forget, not remember. They always bring me back a little piece of the late seventies, early eighties, so I don’t “think” about them that often, but then again I don’t “think” about most bands unless I am in a mood to hear a particular record, or a song gets stuck in my head. But pop music is for fun, not contemplation, and that’s where Cheap Trick fits in for me.
Final verdict, there are few bands out there doing what Cheap Trick do, and using Aerosmith as an example, look at how bad they could have become, but didn’t.
Mike: Thanks, guys, for the roundtable. Good times.
— Mike Faloon, Brian Cogan, Steve Reynolds, and Brett Essler
Day 4 First day in the studio, The Laundry Room, in the El Serrano section of
L.A. Ulysses Noriega at the helm. Great guy. Every doctor should
have such a bedside manner. He nudged us at just the right times. We
did basic tracks for nine songs. I drank a lot of tomato juice,
munched pretzels. My knee gave me grief toward the end of the session,
but overall I felt pretty good for 44.
Day 5 Bowie
and I finished basic tracks. Pepsi and goldfish. Reno started guitar
tracks. Ulysses hooked him up with a monster Marshall stack. My god
it was loud. Been going to shows for 20 some odd years and I couldn't
be in the same room with that amplifier. After that it was vocals. My
favorite part of recording because I finally get to hear what the
lyrics are. I don't know if we're going to stick with Too Big to
Fail. One back up title: Short Stories with Guitars. I fly home
tomorrow. Next month Bowie and Reno finish the vocals and mix.
We rehearsed in the morning. In the afternoon we ran around town
taking pictures for the album cover with our friend Kathleen. It was
hot and sunny, so obviously we wore flight suits.
First
stop: The Proud Bird. It's a theme restaurant with about two dozen
decommissioned aircraft mounted on the grounds. Kathleen got in a
couple of good shots of us posing with the planes but we were asked to
leave.
Second: Ralph's grocery store. We made
it half way down the cereal aisle before a manager asked what we were
doing. They were nice enough to let me buy some Clif Bars before we
left. I was surprisingly hungry.
Next: Blockbuster. The employees
left us to our own devices us but we had a difficult time finding the
movies we were looking for. Apparently Blockbuster has abandoned
alphabetical order for some abstract classification system. Some days
you just can't find the Meg Ryan films.
Last:
The Roosevelt Hotel. What better place to drag your flight
suit-wearing tuchus than an outdoor pool in downtown L.A.? The lounge
chairs were like queen size beds -- really comfortable queen size beds.
Kathleen worked her magic from the opposite side of the pool. Reno
and Bowie considered umbrella drinks. I was nearly asleep when we were
politely escorted off the premises. The guy was so gracious about it I
thought about tipping him.
I’ve loved nearly everything Travis Ramin has ever been associated with. The Fevers. Candygirl. Tina and the Total Babes. Nikki Corvette. Whether in the background as a drummer or producer or up front on vocals and guitar he has an impeccable sense of sugar-coated guitar pop. Recently I found out that he’s started a label, Ramo Records. There is some of his patented pop but there’s also country and punk and garage rock. Here’s what I’ve found.
“You Blow My Mind” b/w “Do You Know What Love Is” 7”
Miss Georgia Peach
Two great country songs. They remind me of the Loretta Lynn tribute single that Niko Case and Kelly Hogan put out a few years ago. Outspoken “know your place, chump” lyrics with a little more kick in the tempos and and guitar. Blaine Cartwright (Nine Pound Hammer) guests. Both cuts are excellent.
“All Talk No Action” b/w “Put the Blame on Me” 7”
Miss Georgia Peach and Scott Morgan
Seems like a great idea, pairing Miss Georgia Peach with a Detroit legend like Scott Morgan (Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, among dozens of others) but neither song stuck. It’s neither like the single reviewed above nor the pop that we usually get from a Travis Ramin project. More like the lesser tracks from Travis and Georgia’s old band the Short Fuses.
“Pretty Wild” b/w “Why You Gotta Roam” 7”
Tough Shits
Despite the “slug you in the gut” image of the band’s photo and moniker these guys play it delicate, pretty even, especially on “Why You Gotta Roam.” Half country, half rock. A little Buck Owens, a little Roy Orbison. “What did I do to make you run away?” I love that the narrator turns it back on himself instead of blaming her. They rev it up a bit on the “Pretty Wild” and the result is another great Ramo single.
Yummy Yummy Yummy 7” EP
Nikki Corvette
Two outtakes recorded in 1978 and interview with Rodney Bingenheimer. The title track might be the definitive bubblegum song of all-time. It was recorded by the Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Co. Makes sense that bubblegum queen Nikki Corvette would take a shot at it. The first time my daughter heard this cover of “Yummy Yummy Yummy” she tossed her crayons aside and started jumping around the room. I can slather on adjectives all day but they’ll pale compared to the testimony of a three-year-old bouncing on the couch. “Summertime Fun” is pretty fun, too.
“Monkeyshines” b/w “I Go Ape” 7”
Chimptastics
Two songs about primates with pictures of monkeys playing instruments on the cover. I’m old enough to know better and probably would have resisted this single were it not for the involvement of two trusty participants: Dave the Spazz (WFMU, Sea Monkeys) and Travis Ramin (him again!). These guys know ridiculous. If you like “Twist and Shout,” then “Monkeyshines” will treat you right. “I Go Ape” moves like a Chuck Berry song. Don’t let pride get in the way.
“Gimme the Shakes” b/w “20 Flight Rock” 7”
Dogmatics
This one’s ok. One time it sounds like Alex Chilton fronting the Stooges. The next time it comes and goes without making a mark. I like the Eddie Cochran cover better.
That’s four in the “Keep ‘em” pile (Miss Georgia Peach, Tough Shits, Nikki Corvette, Chimptations) and only two in the “Toss ‘em back” (Miss Georgia Peach & Scott Morgan, Dogmatics). Based on the early results any release with the Ramo stamp is worth investigating and likely to make its way on to your mixes.
Back to San Pedro for rehearsal. I was very excited. I'd learned the frameworks of the new songs yesterday and anticipated a day of playing around, trying out different ideas. We'd book the whole afternoon. I felt really good about being ready for Thursday's recording session.
Reno and I arrived early. Reno forgot his meds and wasn't up for driving, so I went out to get his prescription filled. I don't drive stick but the drivers of San Pedro were quite patient.
Two hours later I was back and ready to practice. That's when Bowie showed up. He was late but that was fine. Reno and I were late yesterday. These things balance out. Unfortunately, Bowie forgot his bass. Matt, our host, found another bass in the house but it didn't work. He was too tired to go ask other friends to borrow a bass. I think it was the excessive paint fumes he'd smelled while silk screening posters. Matt gave me the names of a few people who might be able to help and I went canvassing the neighborhood. I think the locals pegged me as a Pedro newbie but what's a little hazing among friends, right? The fourth door I knocked on was Vincent's. Sweet guy. Most generous in loaning us his Gibson bass.
By the time I got back to practice Reno had lost his meds, so I had to get that filled again. I never actually played drums but apparently Reno and Bowie accomplished a lot. Matt said he thinks the songs are coming together well.
What’s it like to be on the precipice of greatness, on the verge of creating a lasting work? Kurt Vonnegut about to begin Slaughterhouse Five or Buster Keaton embarking upon The General? Until today I’ve only been able to imagine what such experience would be like.
Egghead, for whom I play drums, begins rehearsing this week. We haven’t played on a regular basis since ’97. I’ve flown out to L.A. for three days of practice followed by three days in the studio. 13 songs. Our debut full-length. Working title: Too Big to Fail.
My bandmates, guitarist Johnny Reno and bassist John Ross Bowie, recorded demos a few months ago. I’ve been listening to them when I drive to work. The new songs are excellent. As a drummer who doesn’t write songs (aka a drummer in a band) I’m kind of like a fan within the band. I thought it would be interesting to document the process of rehearsing and recording this monumental record, Too Big to Fail, for the dozens of Egghead fans eagerly awaiting the album (or in many cases, informing them that such a record is in the works so that they may commence awaiting).
Day one
I’m staying with Reno for the week. His bungalow is in West Hollywood. It’s cozy but there’s a weird vibe. I think Andy Dick used to live here. Before Reno moved in. Last night we watched the Olympics. Reno and I. (There shall be no more Andy Dick references, implied or otherwise.) Or rather fast forwarded through three hours of Tivo to watch a few minutes of biathalon. He wore sunglasses and insisted on turning off the lights. He hadn’t shaved in days. It was like I was hanging out with Howard Hughes. We talked about going grocery shopping this morning but around ten o’clock he stumbled downstairs clutching his eye. He mumbled something about an appointment with "the only doctor who can help me right now." I pressed for details but got nothing in return. The doctor’s credentials are suspect. This made me feel like I’m hanging out with Lenny Bruce. Genius is hard to decode.
He seemed better when he returned a few hours later. We drove down to San Pedro, to the Killer Dreamer house, where we were rehearsing. John, our bassist, was already there. I played drums for much of the afternoon but can’t recall more than one or two songs wherein both Reno and Bowie played at the same time. Reno was coming and going all day because his “eye medication” kept wearing off and Bowie did a lot of Twittering. The bits I managed to read over his shoulder full of vitriolic anti-tax rants. I think he’s going Tea Party.
I like this record a lot but given the Used Kids choice of styles it’s best to put the potential pitfalls up front. Let’s use “Desperate Times” as an example. First, it’s called “Desperate Times.” There’s a breakdown two and a half minutes into the song. That’s when most songs are eyeing the exit but Nato and company are just getting started. Then in said breakdown we hear “rock ‘em back now” and “hang on.” This is a minefield of clichés. Toss in the harmonica and ever-present organ and you should be thinking Bruce Springsteen or Tom Petty. You’d think that treading lightly would be best practice given the circumstances but Used Kids gleefully barrel through, fully aware of and unconcerned with the treacherous landscape. They’re not winking at the conventions of classic rock, not trying to make them cool. They genuinely like the stuff, revel in it, songs about backyard barbeques and dancing the night away, romantic notions of good times and good friends sweeping your troubles away. They’ve got me doing it too. Right fine, this album.
That said Tenement wins the battle of the bands on the split 7”. “Earwig” is perfect, crunchy guitars, just a bit of snarl in the vocals and a hook that sticks the first time. In college we called it (with much affection) “flannel rock.” Soul Asylum, Husker Du, the Wrench. “Spaghetti Midwestern” is pretty good, too. The Used Kids counter with a good cover of Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right,” retitled “I Crashed Your Party (which is a much better title) and it works well. There’s also an original, “Silver and Gold,” but unlike Yeah No it doesn’t stray enough from classic rock.
Black Wine, the band, open Black Wine, the album, with “Black Wine,” the song. Thus, achieving the rare Talk Talk, Talk Talk, “Talk Talk” trifecta. (Kudos!) But it, the song, is too slow for my tastes. Too much stomp, not enough melody. So why the recommend Black Wine, the band, and Black Wine, the album? Because said tune is exception not rule. The balance of Black Wine is excellent, mixing riffs that make my neck ache and melodies and harmonies that swim in my head for days; sweet pop to contrast the big ROCK action. At least on side one where the Dinosaur Jr./Screaming Trees influences loom largest. Side two shifts from indie rock to indie pop, more reminiscent of Hypnolovewheel or King Missile. In fact, Black Wine gets better as it goes on. In the middle of side two we find “Chateau of Ghosts,” the record’s poppiest song. (It’s also bassist J Nixon’s one songwriting credit. Is he Black Wine’s George Harrison/Dave Davies figure? Kind of like Jeff Schroeck was in the Ergs? Is a J Nixon-led band in the future? Does one exist now? How did he come to receive so much ink in this write up?) There is also “Belong,” a perfect closer that could go on for another five minutes.
