Best of, worst of, Deaths 2012

~ Cave_Guy ~ 2 Comments
Pete Townshend's Guitar
Pete Townshend’s Guitar (Photo credit: soul_motor)

The end of the year means we will see  lists to make sense of it all. What was good or bad –who did we lose and why.

The good news for rock music – We have plenty of candidates for the good and bad lists. Whatever genre you like – we can make a list.

And on the other side- rock music has now been around long enough that some of the players are starting to expire from the same things as the general population.  Those terrible things that will happen to us all…the frailties of old age are taking them away. The days of  “he choked on his own vomit” are being replaced by “yeah, there were some health issues, but he was old ”

I knew these days would come…Pete Townshend  once said “Never trust anyone over 30” and he also said “Hope I die before I get old”…I don’t think he says that anymore.  The Who may be the poster boys for the Geriatric road warriors of rock music in this century…”Quick get a ticket while we are still breathing” tours are raking in the bucks.

I am just going to take three of the many we lost this year.

Jim Marshall 1923 – 2012

This is the end of a good long run for the inventor of the Marshall Amplifier. The electric guitar became the star of the show even if you were sitting outside the arena. Les Paul or Stratocaster  alike could be plugged into this bad boy to scream and cry for the masses.

Lee Dorman  1942-2012

“In-a-Gadda-da-Vida, baby”- Bassist Lee Dorman expired in his car at 70 years old, he was on the transplant list with some heart problems. Iron Butterfly did break-up and reform over the years-still burning the left over jet fuel from the smash hit record of 1968…it is amazing to think that one great hit can keep something viable for such a long period of time.

Ronnie Montrose 1947-2012

Great guitar player.  Battling cancer and self inflicted gunshot wound. This happens too often all around us…it does not make the news and only those with intimate knowledge of each situation know the real details. Cancer and death and devastation of lives and families are all intertwined in a complex web of difficult decisions.

Worst Rock Song of 2012- Van Halen “Tattoo”

~ Cave_Guy ~ 5 Comments
David Lee Roth with Eddie Van Halen Taken at T...
David Lee Roth with Eddie Van Halen Taken at The Van Halen Tour featuring David Lee Roth (lead vocals), Eddie Van Halen (guitars), Wolfgang Van Halen (bass) and Alex Van Halen (drums). The concert was held at Bell Center, Montreal on 10th November, 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This was released in January of 2012, and it is so bad nothing could top it.

I admit that my heart went a little a-flutter when I heard that Eddie and Dave were back together…yes it was true…Sammy was off  “not driving 55”  on some other highway and Diamond Dave was back.  Van Halen with that mixture of over the top humor to go with the over the top super gymnastic guitar work and a new record…..This is going to be great!

Then I heard the first release “Tattoo” and I was in a state of shock…call 911-call 911- we have a music emergency…patient is unresponsive- he has a look of glassy eyed disbelief….please for the love of everything you hold dear shut that new Van Halen record off and get this man a cool drink of water!!!

Yes, it was a shock…The song comes off as a public service announcement about the evils of putting ink on your body…”Hey you kids, don’t be walking in them nasty parlors and letting them bad men stick them needles on your arms and other places or we may make fun of you in one of the lamest  reunion rock songs ever!  Got the message guys and thank you…I won’t be getting my new Dave tatt on the left cheek and my new Eddie tatt on the right…Appointment cancelled and go find Sammy and get him back now!

Joe Strummer’s Telecaster

~ Cave_Guy ~ Leave a comment

Even though The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is adding both Rush and Donna Summer to their sometimes questionable list of stars. They do have this, this famous Telecaster alone is worth the trip to Cleveland…. and they have Mr. Rock Historian Dude talking about it.

On the plus side, they are also adding Randy Newman in 2013- Do you think Neil Pert will play drums and Getty Lee will add a killer bass (please don’t sing) on a version of “Burn on” with Randy?…”There’s a red moon rising On the Cuyahoga river rolling into Cleveland to the lake ”  That might start me on the way to respecting Rush…just might, but that is a long trip for me to take… “Burn on, Big River, Burn On”

“Pumped up Kicks”- Censorship or thoughtfulness?

~ Cave_Guy ~ Leave a comment

In the wake of the horrible shooting in Connecticut- Pumped up Kicks is being pulled from playlists all over the country.

I am good with that. You can call it censorship or you can call it a thoughtful response to a horrible tragedy.  I don’t care what you call it-I am good with that.

It is a great song that propelled Foster the People onto the music map. Yes, it has references to the Columbine High School massacre. Yes, that shooting happened in 1999 and releasing a song about it I thought was a good thing…I thought it meant that this school shooting trend was a turn of the century dark ruthless void in the American landscape that we had got past. It was time for it to become pop culture fodder. I was wrong…About as wrong as any music loving American can be. Completely and tragically wrong. It is a great song…I have called it my favorite 2011 release with that ice cool California attitude  bringing an alternative dance beat to something that is beyond comprehension. Great song -but I can’t listen anymore.

After the  Newtown shooting, it is time for us to make any changes that need to be made to stop this from ever happening again. I have been against music censorship my whole existence but have no problem amending that to stop another terrible Friday. I don’t think anything is off the table as we combat a defect in our culture that has to be repaired right now. Nothing is more precious than young innocent lives and I am good with that.

Joni Mitchell – “River” Not a fan, but I’m not done yet so who knows.

~ Cave_Guy ~ Leave a comment
Travis_front_003
Travis_front_003 (Photo credit: marcokenmoeller)

I heard the Sarah McLachlan version of this song a couple days ago and it hit me as a well written Christmas ballad. I’ve heard it before but it kind of went over or under my head and never really stuck. Reason #387 that music is cool –You can listen to stuff, even good stuff and it might take a while for you to really hear it and have it hit you. I don’t know why that is…just like I don’t know why time and mood and all the other elements that make you you seem to have a connection to what you hear and what you don’t. You can hear stuff as just ambient background fuzz or it can dance with your soul. Same music – just you in a different place.

Instead of the Canadian Mclaclan doing  her excellent version of fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell’s song…I kicked around a bit to find a Scottish dude doing a version…Hey…this piece of music is very wimpy for the cave so I needed Scotland to give it a little nip of whiskey, salmon fishing and a cold north wind…you know, rustic masculine stuff.

So here we go with a Travis version of this song that starts with a good story. Good stories make everything better.

Merry Christmas from the Cave!

5 good covers…#1…Johnny Cash “Hurt “

~ Cave_Guy ~ Leave a comment

The other cover versions on my quick list are all good. This one I have no problem calling “great” and stand ready to defend it.  You can say Johnny Cash is a country music star if you want to limit him to just that…you would be wrong, but you could do that. Johnny Cash chooses a Nine Inch Nails song and makes it his own video epitaph on his way out of a long music career and life on this earth. The song was already dark and brooding and about hopeless self reflection but the Man in Black makes it personal. So personal that it is almost difficult to experience. Like all the best…he brings you along with him on this journey…you will feel what he feels.

Chrissie Hynde covers Radiohead “Creep”

~ Cave_Guy ~ Leave a comment

Chrissie Hynde is Rock n Roll. The first Pretenders record is a great record- If you only heard Brass in Pocket, you only know the weakest track on it. I am in love with this woman…she just sets stuff up and kicks it down.  And I don’t mean that creepy, stalker kind of weird love even though I am picking a music track that is about that creepy stalker weird kind of love. I mean that 14 year old girl to Justin Bieber kind of love. That AAAHHHHH! OMG!, there is Justin….I can’t believe it….here is a sharpie Justin…please sign something while I text all my BFFs…Ahhhhhhhh! Kind of love.

O.K I admit to being a bit star struck and here she is doing that beautifully dark lullaby to isolation and unrequited-ness…I don’t think there is a better song about it.