October 2008 Update

I have recently made some new discoveries and will hopefully post in more detail on them in the future. But just to keep everybody updated, here are few few things worth a mention.

Endless Boogie: I recently became aware of a band called Endless Boogie via a sampler in Uncut magazine. They really rock! These guys sound something like ZZTop and AC/DC with a lot of their own flavour in there too.

Rodriguez: We grew up to Rodriguez's 'Cold Fact' album being a part of the ambient sound in 70's suburban South Africa. It comes as a surprise that the rest of the world (apart from maybe Australia) had not paid this American artist much attention. It seems that now about 30 years later awareness has been raised. Give it a listen you will be amazed at how fresh it sounds, and how relevant the lyrics still are.

The Hold Steady:  I bought the new album recently 'Stay Positive', and it sounds fantastic.

Also: I just can't wait for the new AC/DC album. By all acounts so far it sounds like it is good. I have only heard the single 'Rock 'n Roll Train' thus far and while that is a fine song I really hope that the rest of the album is good.

DVD Review: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Runnin' Down A Dream

As mentioned in an earlier posting, I was determined to get hold of a copy of the Peter Bogdanovic movie called ‘Runnin’ Down A Dream’. This is a movie he made about the life and times of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

 

Well, I eventually bought it, risking my hard earned cash on the South African Postal service by ordering it from Amazon (I looked everywhere in South Africa and could not find the DVD). After two and a half weeks it arrived.

 

The version that I bought consists of the movie spanning two separate DVD’s, a live home-coming concert DVD, and a CD of some live rarities. The movie itself is about four hours long, the length of which has created a bit of controversy in itself.

 

The Movie

 

The movie is in fact a revelation. I had my doubts about a movie of this length, but as explained in the liner notes, so much footage from over the years existed that the actual material available was just too good to omit (we also have a theory on the KraKen Rock that Tom’s slow speaking style also dragged things on a bit). It seems that since the band started, there was always someone around with some form of video camera device. For me, living in South Africa all my life, who had only ever seen the video of ‘Don’t come around here no more’ in terms of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers visual offerings, the time spanning footage was the revelation. There are visuals of the band performing in their early years, interviews spanning all the years, and some shots of the band backing up Bob Dylan. For me this was a pure visual feast.

 

Then there is the actual story (a movie should have some kind of story to it). Narrated by various people involved with the band, including most members of the band, it is riveting. After sitting down and watching the first discs about two hours worth of the movie, we seriously considered putting the second disc in straight away. It is a really enjoyable, informative documentary. The only criticism that I had at the end was that of – ‘why didn’t they explain more about various points’, and of course the answer to that is that four hours was already too long.

 

The story spans the formation of the starting bands in Gainesville, the quick demise of Mudcrutch (including where the name came from), the early days and the fact that like so many other bands they had to first break it in the UK before their home country would even take notice. Then it tracks the change of band members over the years, their relationships with other prominent artists (Stevie Nicks and Bob Dylan for example), as well as Tom’s Traveling Wilburys experience. The message that I felt prevailed from this movie is that, often you are only given one chance to do something – at these times, do not mess up., and don’t forget that dogged determination. If you don’t have it – you will fail.

 

In amongst all of this there are some really great moments, and I think that every person will find their own, whether it be a shot of Dave Grohl hammering away at the drums in a rare live performance, or the expressions on various faces during a drug bust in a German airport.

 

I would say – well worth a watch.

 

The live DVD

 

The live DVD is of a concert at the University of Florida in Gainesville in 2006. The guys are starting to look a bit old, and to me it seems to get off to a bit of a slow start. However, after about three songs in it picks up. My favourite parts are when Stevie Nicks joins them on stage. Viewers of the movie will understand her ongoing wish to be in the Heartbreakers, and with this in mind it is great to see her enthusiasm on stage.

 

Another thought that strikes me every time I watch Live Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers DVD’s is how astoundingly good Mike Campbell is. He is in every sense of the word a virtuoso (scary hairdo though).

 

The CD

 

The CD is only nine tracks long and offers live songs from the very early days to more recent times, mainly culled from live TV appearances such as Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle test and Saturday Night Live. The last track is a sound check of a Hank Williams song that they had never done before (apparently) – hard to believe. Dave Grohl appears on the drums for the SNL performance, and if you had watched the movie, you would know how much that meant to him.

 

Interestingly the old songs sound just as great today, and the new songs sound fresh and strong.

 

Conclusion

 

I am glad that I bought this package. It is quite literally hours of entertainment.

There are amazing insights into the recording industry, as well as insights into the band and their friends. A statement not to be taken lightly when you count people like Bob Dylan and George Harrison among your friends.

If you like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, buy it. If you don’t, borrow it, and you may find that you do like them afterwards.

Book: Mark Oliver Everett - Things the Grandchildren should know

I never intended this blog to include book reviews. I have read several Rock biographies and autobiographies, but a book review is something completely different to an album review. What I have decided to do is briefly mention a good Rock related book if I come across one.

 

This brings me to mentioning an excellent Rock related book that I have just finished reading.

 

Recently Amazon lured me into recommendations that were Eels related, and brought my attention to a book called ‘Things my grandchildren should know’ by Mark Oliver Everett. Usually this author goes by the shortened name of E and fronts the band called the Eels. This book is his first autobiography, published in 2008 and therefore pretty much current. It takes us through his childhood, teens and struggles in life and the music industry up to today, and all I can say is that things have been pretty tough so far.

 

The book is well written in very direct prose that uses the actual story to capture the reader, and not necessarily other more subtle literary devices. It works for me and as the cliché goes ‘I could not put it down’.

 

The over-riding message that I got out of it is that one must never give up. When other people are trying to guide you in certain directions - stick to your principles. Over and over again one hears tales of how the record label does not like the new album and wants certain changes made. This book describes several of these incidents and how E handled them. The music industry is really tough and it takes a lot of dogged determination to succeed. I think that that is an excellent message for young people starting out in the industry to understand.

 

Of course, the his struggles in the music industry are described against the backdrop of the terrible struggles E has faced throughout his personal life too. The message about perseverance and determination is even more important in this context. There is never the feeling that E is saying ‘don’t bother me with your problems as mine have been so much worse’, the inherent message is more that life can be challenging, and as an individual one should remain true to oneself if there is to be any hope of rising above it all.

 

This is a well written, thought provoking book. Everyone should read it as it helps to put life into perspective.

 

On another note, please take time to check out the Eels website. It is definitely one of the best I have ever seen, and also makes some rare recordings available.

 

http://www.eelstheband.com/