I recently took advantage of a 2 for $20 deal at the local record store. I bought Neil Young and Crazy Horse's Rust Never Sleeps (1979), and the Who's Live at Leeds (recorded in 1970).
Rust Never Sleeps has quickly become one of my favourite albums. From the acoustic "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" to the proto-grunge "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)", the album gives you everything you need from music.
Young uses the first five tracks to assuage the listener with classic folk excellence. "Pocahontas" and "Sail Away" combine with "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" to give the first half of this album the credentials required to be listed among great folk-rock works.
Then comes "Powderfinger", "Welfare Mothers", "Sedan Delivery" and "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Blue)" to jolt the listener out of their lull. These four tracks, highlighted by the first and last, rock with an unabashed distortion that could easly have come from Seattle in the early 1990s.
Live at Leeds is my first Who record. I previously bought their greatest hits package Then and Now! 1964-2004 and was disappointed. The collection features many of the over-produced, over-exposed classics we all know. It was only when a friend lent me his copy of The Who: Live at Kilburn 1977 that I decided to give the band another look.
The DVD showed my why the Who are so highly regarded and it prompted me to buy their classic album Live at Leeds. This album shows the Who in their prime and in their element. Songs that seemed too clean, like "Substitute," "Magic Bus," and "I Can't Explain," come alive on this album. Songs that I always loved, such as "Shakin' All Over" and "My Generation," take on a whole new life. This is how the Who should be heard.
12 January 2009
02 January 2009
Political Polarity
A few days back my good friend Pat McIver suggested that we combine our efforts into one blog. I was flattered that he thought highly enough of my babblings to invite me to post them alongside his own. So we now have a new URL:
http://www.politicalpolarity.com
From this point forward the vast majority of my posts will be made to that address. I will, however, continue to post apolitical notes here.
The new format will allow our readers to view both sides of the arguments on one site, thereby eliminating the need to follow links between our two sites. I hope you enjoy the new blog!
http://www.politicalpolarity.com
From this point forward the vast majority of my posts will be made to that address. I will, however, continue to post apolitical notes here.
The new format will allow our readers to view both sides of the arguments on one site, thereby eliminating the need to follow links between our two sites. I hope you enjoy the new blog!
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