· Are you cold, wet, and ready for the blossom of spring? Come, my friend, into the warm pulse of the bottom end of the pool, as two new releases of bass exploration - one a five-star reggae classic from 1980, and the other a nu-funk slammer - are the perfect antidote to the winter blues.
I must admit that my heart skipped a bit recently, to see that Goldenlane Records was poised to release a deluxe CD re-issue of Lee "Scratch" Perry's mind altering Return of the Super Ape, one of the most groundbreaking albums of reggae. Originally a talent scout and producer for the Studio One dynasty, Perry is the undisputed father of the dub sound, his slippery madness opening up the third eye of reggae in 1968 with slow, psychedelic bass somersaults, a distinctive left turn from the current- day upbeat ska and rock-steady rhythms. As an insulting blast to Wirl Records producer Joe Gibbs, the single "People Funny Boy" introduced to the world the funky dub reggae beat, spinning never-before-heard sound samples into droopy, rolling beats. Later, in the 1970s, Perry's backup band, The Upsetters, and his Black Ark studio forged the mothership mecca of deep vibrations, kin to the punk do-it-yourself scene of the same period, recording magical moments that are hard to fathom emanating from a 12-by-12-foot room of primitive equipment. As a testament to Perry's erratic personality, the rationale for his burning down the beloved studio in 1979 is rumored to be his belief that the studio was "possessed by Satan" or his anger over a "stolen" rubber ball. If you love early Public Image Limited bass gymnastics, the dub passages of The Clash on their Sandinista! set, or cinematic wanderings of cosmic sound images, this classic is a must-own delight. Newly packaged as a miniature paper-sleeved gatefold LP, the CD doesn't offer any bonus tracks, but in this case I'm pleased, as they might detract from the simple beauty of the original form. Highly recommended.
· I'm also blown away by Shocka Zooloo, the just released monster from bassist extraordinaire T. M. Stevens on the United One Records label. Stevens is no beginner to the four strings of funk, as his session work with James Brown, Steve Vai, and The Pretenders has his work in high demand. This new CD features P-Funk's Bernie Worrell, Living Colour's Will Calhoun, Megadeth's Al Pitrelli, and other guests burning down the house with positive, uplifting messages lyrically reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield, his fretwork cool, funky and blistering. My mojo feels better already.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts Kasey Chambers tonight, and Mary J. Blige on Friday; The Late Show with David Letterman welcomes The Pretenders on Thursday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features Supergrass on Friday overnight, and Jurassic 5 on Monday overnight; and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn serves up All American Rejects on Thursday overnight, and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr on Friday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, February 11:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Interscope) from executive producers Dr. Dre and Eminem
Absinthe Blind - Rings (Mud / Parasol)
The All-American Rejects - All-American Rejects (Dreamworks))
BLACKstreet - Level Two (Dreamworks) featuring a reunion of the original members
The Bloodthirsty Lovers - The Bloodthirsty Lovers (Frenchkiss Records) featuring David Shouse of Those Bastard Souls and The Grifters
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Nocturama (Anti/Epitaph)
David T. Chastain - Instrumental Variations (Leviathan)
DJ Krush - The Message At the Depth (Red Ink) featuring guests Sly & Robbie, Anticon and the Anti-Pop Consortium
Tim Easton - Break Your Mother's Heart (New West) with guests Jim Keltner and Mike Campbell
Fabulous Disaster - Panty Raid! (Pink & Black)
Fates Warning - The View From Here (Metal Blade) DVD retrospective
Further Seems Forever - How To Start a Fire (Tooth & Nail)
Jeffrey Gaines - Toward the Sun (Artemis) all new and co-produced by Mitchell Froom
Grade 8 - Grade 8 (Lava) Los Angeles hardcore in the vein of Pantera
Daryl Hall and John Oates - Do It For Love (U-Watch) all new studio album featuring Todd Rundgren on "Someday We'll Know"
Holland - Photographs and Tidalwaves (Tooth & Nail)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak (Lookout) formerly of Chisel and The Sin-Eaters
The Levellers - Green Blade Rising (Eagle Records) acoustic album featuring two CD-ROM videos
Massive Attack - 100th Window (Virgin) with guests Sinead O'Connor and Damon Albarn
Men At Work - Business As Usual and Cargo (Columbia Legacy) reissues from 1982 and 1983 with bonus tracks
Gary Numan - Scarred: Live At the Brixton Academy (Eagle Records) 2-CD set recorded in 2001
Erlend Oye - Unrest (Astralwerks) new from the Kings of Convenience frontman
Pacifier - Pacifier (Arista) formerly known as Shihad
Proof - Searching 4 Jerry Garcia (Shady / Interscope) new from the D12 member, produced by Eminem
Tony Romanello - Counting Stars (Engine Shed) new from the Murmer founder, with guest drummer Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips
Virgil Shaw - Quad Cities (Future Farmer) new from the Dieselhead member with guests from Mr. Bungle, Pell Mell, and the Mommyheads
The Stranglers - Peaches: The Very Best Of (EMI/Capitol) all new collection of hits and misses, hot off the Sexy Beast soundtrack
Joe Stump - Guitar Dominance (Leviathan)
Supergrass - Life On Other Planets (Island) domestic release that debuted at number nine on the British charts
Gary Valentine - Tomorrow Belongs To You (Overground) collection of solo work from the founding Blondie drummer
Paul Van Dyk - Global (Mute) CD and DVD package
various artists - We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones (DV8 / Columbia) anticipated "gabba gabba hey" interpretations by an interesting mix of artists like Tom Waits, Metallica, U2, The Pretenders, Garbage, Billy Corgan, Static X, Motorhead, Rob Zombie, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rancid, The Offspring, and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder - who covers "I Believe in Miracles"
· I'm also blown away by Shocka Zooloo, the just released monster from bassist extraordinaire T. M. Stevens on the United One Records label. Stevens is no beginner to the four strings of funk, as his session work with James Brown, Steve Vai, and The Pretenders has his work in high demand. This new CD features P-Funk's Bernie Worrell, Living Colour's Will Calhoun, Megadeth's Al Pitrelli, and other guests burning down the house with positive, uplifting messages lyrically reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield, his fretwork cool, funky and blistering. My mojo feels better already.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts Kasey Chambers tonight, and Mary J. Blige on Friday; The Late Show with David Letterman welcomes The Pretenders on Thursday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features Supergrass on Friday overnight, and Jurassic 5 on Monday overnight; and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn serves up All American Rejects on Thursday overnight, and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr on Friday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, February 11:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Interscope) from executive producers Dr. Dre and Eminem
Absinthe Blind - Rings (Mud / Parasol)
The All-American Rejects - All-American Rejects (Dreamworks))
BLACKstreet - Level Two (Dreamworks) featuring a reunion of the original members
The Bloodthirsty Lovers - The Bloodthirsty Lovers (Frenchkiss Records) featuring David Shouse of Those Bastard Souls and The Grifters
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Nocturama (Anti/Epitaph)
David T. Chastain - Instrumental Variations (Leviathan)
DJ Krush - The Message At the Depth (Red Ink) featuring guests Sly & Robbie, Anticon and the Anti-Pop Consortium
Tim Easton - Break Your Mother's Heart (New West) with guests Jim Keltner and Mike Campbell
Fabulous Disaster - Panty Raid! (Pink & Black)
Fates Warning - The View From Here (Metal Blade) DVD retrospective
Further Seems Forever - How To Start a Fire (Tooth & Nail)
Jeffrey Gaines - Toward the Sun (Artemis) all new and co-produced by Mitchell Froom
Grade 8 - Grade 8 (Lava) Los Angeles hardcore in the vein of Pantera
Daryl Hall and John Oates - Do It For Love (U-Watch) all new studio album featuring Todd Rundgren on "Someday We'll Know"
Holland - Photographs and Tidalwaves (Tooth & Nail)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak (Lookout) formerly of Chisel and The Sin-Eaters
The Levellers - Green Blade Rising (Eagle Records) acoustic album featuring two CD-ROM videos
Massive Attack - 100th Window (Virgin) with guests Sinead O'Connor and Damon Albarn
Men At Work - Business As Usual and Cargo (Columbia Legacy) reissues from 1982 and 1983 with bonus tracks
Gary Numan - Scarred: Live At the Brixton Academy (Eagle Records) 2-CD set recorded in 2001
Erlend Oye - Unrest (Astralwerks) new from the Kings of Convenience frontman
Pacifier - Pacifier (Arista) formerly known as Shihad
Proof - Searching 4 Jerry Garcia (Shady / Interscope) new from the D12 member, produced by Eminem
Tony Romanello - Counting Stars (Engine Shed) new from the Murmer founder, with guest drummer Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips
Virgil Shaw - Quad Cities (Future Farmer) new from the Dieselhead member with guests from Mr. Bungle, Pell Mell, and the Mommyheads
The Stranglers - Peaches: The Very Best Of (EMI/Capitol) all new collection of hits and misses, hot off the Sexy Beast soundtrack
Joe Stump - Guitar Dominance (Leviathan)
Supergrass - Life On Other Planets (Island) domestic release that debuted at number nine on the British charts
Gary Valentine - Tomorrow Belongs To You (Overground) collection of solo work from the founding Blondie drummer
Paul Van Dyk - Global (Mute) CD and DVD package
various artists - We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones (DV8 / Columbia) anticipated "gabba gabba hey" interpretations by an interesting mix of artists like Tom Waits, Metallica, U2, The Pretenders, Garbage, Billy Corgan, Static X, Motorhead, Rob Zombie, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rancid, The Offspring, and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder - who covers "I Believe in Miracles"
