LIVE CONCERT REVIEW BY BRAD KOHLER! BLONDE BOY WILSON!
I went to high school with Mr. Wilson. He was blonde, if not yet Blonde Boy Wilson, and a somewhat legendary character and studious curator of his own myth. He was a STONES fan, but his snide sense of humor made him appreciate Lou Reed, which is where we found common ground.
Based in NYC for some time, I can hear some of his Stones fixation in his music, but the dominant strain seems to be New Jersey and acts like the J. Geils Band, not that I've ever bothered to listen to them. (I have a DVD collection of SCTV episodes which contains a show Geils et. all guested on, but I fast forwarded through their songs. By the way, Martin Scorcese is doing a documentary movie on SCTV which at the very least may feature the clip of Rick Moranis as Woody Allen doing the "Are you talking to me?" scene from TAXI DRIVER. Still hilarious.)
Blonde Boy Wilson writes some sharply acerbic lyrics, especially when it comes to treacherous women even if his backing comes off a mostly generic (for God's sake, boost the guitar and subdue the sax). Some studio cuts I've heard are topical, or were topical...references to Operation Desert Storm or waterboarding mildewed long ago, a curio that reminds me of an updated David Peel on angel dust.
The best cut to these ears, and really someone more versed in the genre may be able to guide you better, is "Wallstreets". If that one sticks with you, one can delve into more Blind Boy Wilson releases - all at your fingertips on the web at ten bucks a pop. At the very lease he's pursued his own dogged path, and beter to be an Armand Schauerbroek in these cyborg times than cut-and-paste indie rock weebils.
DOUBLE-LP RECORD REVIEW BY BRAD KOHLER! Simply Saucer-CYBORGS REVISITED (EXTENDED) (In The Red Records)
I assume we all are familiar with the considerable merits of this, one of the all time top spinners. OK class, then let's move on. What you get here, in a nice gatefold package, is the rest of the live show that made up side two of their original LP. "Rock n' Roll Brain Cells" is propelled by a primordial ooze of bass guitar and drums along with "I Feel Alright" refrain, even if the direct homage to their Velvet Underground heroes with a "Sweet Jane"/"I'm Waiting For My Man" alluded to in the liner notes is nowhere to be found. Whatever, I would've guessed they would have somehow channeled "Hey Mr. Rain" completely drenched with Ping Romany synth, even though there is no way they could have known about it at the time.
"I Can Change My Mind" will never be one of my faves of theirs, but it sounds better here than on the somewhat sterile 45 that really wasn't representative of them at their awe inspiring peak. "Gonna Throw it All Away" is a slow burner in which the fuse burns out before the tune can resolve itself. But the folllowingsong "Limitless Love" is a corker I could have seen the Troggs doing.
A six pack of Moldon Golden, some Tim Horton doughnuts and whatever other substances you have on hand will launch you into the rarefied air this monster inhabits. So go for it, and go all in. Oh Canada indeed!
I went to high school with Mr. Wilson. He was blonde, if not yet Blonde Boy Wilson, and a somewhat legendary character and studious curator of his own myth. He was a STONES fan, but his snide sense of humor made him appreciate Lou Reed, which is where we found common ground.
Based in NYC for some time, I can hear some of his Stones fixation in his music, but the dominant strain seems to be New Jersey and acts like the J. Geils Band, not that I've ever bothered to listen to them. (I have a DVD collection of SCTV episodes which contains a show Geils et. all guested on, but I fast forwarded through their songs. By the way, Martin Scorcese is doing a documentary movie on SCTV which at the very least may feature the clip of Rick Moranis as Woody Allen doing the "Are you talking to me?" scene from TAXI DRIVER. Still hilarious.)
Blonde Boy Wilson writes some sharply acerbic lyrics, especially when it comes to treacherous women even if his backing comes off a mostly generic (for God's sake, boost the guitar and subdue the sax). Some studio cuts I've heard are topical, or were topical...references to Operation Desert Storm or waterboarding mildewed long ago, a curio that reminds me of an updated David Peel on angel dust.
The best cut to these ears, and really someone more versed in the genre may be able to guide you better, is "Wallstreets". If that one sticks with you, one can delve into more Blind Boy Wilson releases - all at your fingertips on the web at ten bucks a pop. At the very lease he's pursued his own dogged path, and beter to be an Armand Schauerbroek in these cyborg times than cut-and-paste indie rock weebils.
DOUBLE-LP RECORD REVIEW BY BRAD KOHLER! Simply Saucer-CYBORGS REVISITED (EXTENDED) (In The Red Records)
I assume we all are familiar with the considerable merits of this, one of the all time top spinners. OK class, then let's move on. What you get here, in a nice gatefold package, is the rest of the live show that made up side two of their original LP. "Rock n' Roll Brain Cells" is propelled by a primordial ooze of bass guitar and drums along with "I Feel Alright" refrain, even if the direct homage to their Velvet Underground heroes with a "Sweet Jane"/"I'm Waiting For My Man" alluded to in the liner notes is nowhere to be found. Whatever, I would've guessed they would have somehow channeled "Hey Mr. Rain" completely drenched with Ping Romany synth, even though there is no way they could have known about it at the time.
"I Can Change My Mind" will never be one of my faves of theirs, but it sounds better here than on the somewhat sterile 45 that really wasn't representative of them at their awe inspiring peak. "Gonna Throw it All Away" is a slow burner in which the fuse burns out before the tune can resolve itself. But the folllowingsong "Limitless Love" is a corker I could have seen the Troggs doing.
A six pack of Moldon Golden, some Tim Horton doughnuts and whatever other substances you have on hand will launch you into the rarefied air this monster inhabits. So go for it, and go all in. Oh Canada indeed!
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