Filed under: Adventures in Stereo favourite, Albums of Year, Future releases, Giant Sand, Greg Dulli, Guns N' Roses, Mark Lanegan, Music News, Screaming Trees, Stone Temple Pilots, The Afghan Whigs, The Gutter Twins, folks on tour | Tags: Best of 2008, Chinese Democracy, Giant Sand, Greg Dulli, Guns N' Roses, Mark Lanegan, Screaming Trees, Stone Temple Pilots, The Afghan Whigs, The Gutter Twins, Velvet Revolver
So, the end of November is drawing near and December will no doubt bring countless ‘The Best Of’, ‘The Very Best Of’ and ‘Essential’ compilation albums that capture only a selection of the artists work. Normally it’s the stuff that the average fan can’t bear … ‘The Greatest Hits’: the breakthrough single and a bunch of top 60 ‘chart toppers’.
I have never been a fan of such albums. All of the tracks (bar one or two ‘previously unreleased’) are on the studio albums and if you like the artist enough then you’ll own these anyway. However, there are exceptions …
1. Unbreakable: The Afghan Whigs compilation released last year. There’s a few notable exclusions, but it’s nicely packaged, plays like a set from a Whigs gig and it’s great to hear the two new tracks from one of the greatest bands ever.
2. Thank You: The bonus DVD edition is worth purchasing. There’s the ‘previously unreleased’ gem, ‘All In The Suit That You Wear’, alongside some of the Stone Temple Pilots‘ best moments. Again there are notable exceptions, but the bonus DVD is the icing on the cake … 3 hours of videos, live stuff and amateur bootleg footage.
3. Selections Circa 1990-2000: The Giant Sand compilation is a nice starting point for anyone interested in the dusty sounds of Howe Gelb collective.
4. Ocean of Confusion: is the second, and finest, Screaming Trees retrospective from Epic/Sony (the first being the shabbily packaged Nearly Lost You). Covering the best of the Trees’ output between 1990 and 1996, this is another fine starting point.
… there are probably more, but I don’t own too many. If I remember any others I’ll give them a mention.
December also brings a ton of year end lists and I wonder how many of these that Axl Rose’s Chinese Democracy will appear in. Billed as “the most eagerly anticipated album ever”, 17 years and 4,800 musicians later, The Chinese Democracy was eventually released yesterday (November 24th). Some of the songs do sound like they were conceived 17 years ago and in that time rock music has evolved and many of Guns N’ Roses’ fans have likely passed on. All credit to Mr. Rose though, he’s stuck by the project and the sound that he heard.
I did expect the album to be terrible (mainly due to the farcical wait, the high drama and the fact it would never live up to the hype) I have to admit that it’s not. I’ve laughed at some of the insanity, the clichéd lyrics and the over the top howls. I’ve also found a few toe tapping moments there too, but ultimately it’s way too long (clocking in at over 70 minutes), lacks cohesion and is a little bloated (I expect the fact that there’s been so many ‘cooks’ involved hasn’t brought focus).
As I’ve said, I don’t think it’s terrible, but I don’t think it’s particularly good … in fact, I’m actually quite baffled by much of the album.
Where to now? Well, Velvet Revolver are still looking for a singer. But, according to ‘The Management’, this is an exciting time for Guns N’ Roses.
There’s also great news for fans of The Gutter Twins (well, those in Europe anyway): after what has been a very successful year for Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan, they return to Europe early in the New Year. We should expect a more stripped back set similar to Greg Dulli’s incredible Triple Door set (which was released via iTunes last month). The dates and venues:
January
15 UK Glasgow Oran Mor
16 IRELAND Dublin Academy
17 IRELAND Galway Roisin Dubh
19 UK London Union Chapel
20 BELGIUM Hasselt Muziekodroom
21 BELGIUM Brussels Ancienne Belgique
22 HOLLAND Haarlem Patronaat
24 GERMANY Berlin Babylon
25 AUSTRIA Vienna WuK
26 ITALY Milan La Salumeria Della Musica
27 ITALY Rome Auditorium Parco Della Musica
28 ITALY Florence Auditorium Flog
30 SPAIN Barcelona Apolo
31 SPAIN Bilbao Kafe Antzokia
February
2 SPAIN Madrid Joy Eslava
4 GREECE Athens Gagarin 205
Anyway, I’ll be making a start on the Adventures In Stereo Best of 2008 list fairly shortly and for the people who bother visiting the blog and who emailed to say “hey! What’s going on here?”, I’ll be making an effort to post more often in 2009 (well, at least once a month). I’m also aware that I haven’t posted a bootleg in a while (in fact, Blind Melon was the last one) so I’ll get round to changing that real soon. My apologies.
Filed under: Adventures in Stereo favourite, Albums of Year, Chris Goss, Future releases, Greg Dulli, Scott Weiland, Shawn Smith, Stone Temple Pilots, The Gutter Twins | Tags: Amazon.com, Barb Antonio, Brad, Greg Dulli, Happy in Galoshes, iTunes, Jeff Klein, Masters of Reality, MySpace, Petra Haden, Pigeonhed, Pine/Cross Dover, Rolling Stone, Satchel, Scott Weiland, Shawn Smith, Stone Temple Pilots, The Afghan Whigs, The Gutter Twins, Triple Door, Twilight Singers
So, with rumours still doing the rounds over a possible Stone Temple Pilots album in 2009, there’s the announcement of the imminent release of Scott Weiland’s second solo record.
Happy in Galoshes has been anticipated for quite a while. And since a Rolling Stone article in 2002 I guess we all kinda thought the album would be with us real soon.
The wait is over though. The album will be released on November 25th 2008, however those folks over at Amazon.com have a little surprise for us all.
For more information check out Scott Weiland’s Official Site
The track listing for the album is (according to Amazon):
1. Missing Cleveland
2. Tangle With Your Mind
3. Blind Confusion
4. Paralysis
5. She Sold Her System
6. Fame
7. Killing Me Sweetly
8. Big Black Monster
9. Crash
10. Beautiful Day
11. Pictures & Computers (I’m not Superman)
12. Arch Angel
13. Be Not Afraid
As well as this, Weiland’s Biography, Desperation #5, is also scheduled for an early 2010 release.
This isn’t the only release that has me singing the paises of the music gods.
What!?
Yeah! I know!
In October 2007 Greg Dulli (The Afghan Whigs / Twilight Singers/ The Gutter Twins) played two nights at the Triple Door in Seattle.
As a founding member of The Greg Dulli Appreaciation Society (G Division) and hearing the tracks posted on MySpace, I have been itching to hear the rest of the recordings.
To be honest, I was fearing the worst (along with other Dulli fans) but a release – albeit through iTunes – has been announced for October 28th 2008.
The highlights from both nights will be included on the digital release:
3. Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair
4. Tell Everyone
5. That’s Just How That Bird Sings
6. Isn’t It A Pity/Atlantis
7. King Only
9. Tonight
10. Down The Line
11. Front Street
… and I’ll also await the release of Pine / Cross Dover from Masters of Reality. Originally pencilled for an August (and then October) 2008 release, mastersofreality.co.uk has it credited as 2009. Still, it promises to be a crackin album.
Filed under: Adventures in Stereo favourite, Albums of Year, Brian Wilson, Calexico, Earth, Future releases, Giant Sand, Greg Dulli, Grinderman, Isobel Campbell, Jane's addiction, Kings of Leon, Lil Wayne, MGMT, Mark Lanegan, Music News, NME, Nas, Nick Cave, Perry Farrell, Satelitte Party, Scott Weiland, Shawn Smith, Stone Temple Pilots, The Gutter Twins, folks on tour | Tags: Adorata, Brian Wilson, Calexico, Earth, Giant Sand, Jane's addiction, Kings of Leon, Lil Wayne, Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell, MGMT, Nas, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Shawn Smith, Stone Temple Pilots, The Gutter Twins
Greetings …
… It’s been near enough 4 months since I last posted and there’s been so much that I’ve failed to comment on.
So what’s been going on? I’m assuming that everyone who is interested will know that The Gutter Twins have issued a 7″ of God’s Children, which includes a great (new) track, titled Spanish Doors (which happens to be a door without a handle). They also released Adorata (a ‘digital release’ of outtakes and the likes) through iTunes.
Speaking of iTunes, I aint a big fan ‘digital music outlets’. I have never been inclined to buy MP3’s and although much of the music I buy ends up on the MP3 player, I like the ‘hard copy’. The whole package (whether it be CD or record) is a necessity and I hope that Adorata eventually makes it on to such a format.
I figure that it’d be a good time to look over the year so far and also look at what’s ahead.
The Gutter Twins, Saturnalia
The finest album this year? So far anyhoo. It’s powerful and is exactly what we were all looking for from Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli. We haven’t been disappointed.
Earth, The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull
Another brilliant release from Dylan Carlson’s Earth. Similar to HEX in its gothic soundscape and a title that refers to the story of Samson, this is one of the finest albums to have been released this year.
Shawn Smith, The Diamond Hand
Another great release from Shawn Smith (Pigeonhed, Brad, Satchel, Twilight Singers). This has been a mainstay of my stereo since I purchased it. It’s also worth noting that his previous albums have been re-issued. Nice one.
Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun
The demos floating around the information superhighway gave us all a taste of what was to come and there’s no denying that Mr. Wilson is back on form (the star studded ’Gettin’ In Over My Head’ was a little hit and miss, while the Christmas album wasn’t so inspiring either).
Other albums worth mentioning:
Nas, N; Calexico, Carried to Dust; Giant Sand, ProVISIONS; Kings of Leon, Only By The Night; Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!; Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III; MGMT, Oracular Spectacular and Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Sunday at Devil Dirt.
Stone Temple Pilots:
together and touring, Scott Weiland, the De Leo’s and Eric Kretz look as though they are back for good. It’s been too long.
Jane’s Addiction:
a stunning performance at the NME awards in L.A. reminded everyone just how incredible this band were prior to Strays. Sadly it looks like it was just a one off … but with Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party falling apart at the seams and Dave Navarro’s The Panic Channell being the most musically redundant project he or Mr. Perkins have been involved in, maybe there’s hope that they’ll decide to get back in the studio.
What’s on the horizon?
Filed under: Adventures in Stereo NEWS!, Adventures in Stereo favourite, Stone Temple Pilots, Video, folks on tour | Tags: Adventures in Stereo favourite, Adventures in Stereo NEWS!, folks on tour, Stone Temple Pilots, Video
So, the newly reformed Stone Temple Pilots have made some additions to the reunion tour which kicks off on May 17th and have suggested that a new album is on the cards. This is all very good and certainly makes me a happy man. Don’t get me wrong, Velvet Revolver were enjoyable, but not a patch on Stone Temple Pilots.
The band start by headlining the Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, OH before finishing up in New Orleans (Voodoo Music Festival) on October 24th (list of dates below). Hopefully they’ll make their way out of the US.
As well as annoncing a pretty extensive touring schedule, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 1st.
Welcome back!
May
17 - Columbus OH US Columbus Crew Stadium
18 - Camden NJ US Susquehanna Bank Center
20 - Cleveland OH US State Theatre
22 - Chicago IL US Charter One Pavilion/Northerly Isle
23 - Indianapolis IN US Indianapolis Motor Speedway
25 - Wallingford CT US Chevrolet (Oakdale) Theatre
26 - Uncasville CT US Mohegan Sun Arena
31 - Holmdel NJ US PNC Bank Arts Center
June
01 – Mansfield MA US Tweeter Center
03 - Detroit MI US Fillmore
04 - Detroit MI US Fillmore
06 - St. Paul MN US Wilkens Auditorium
07 - Kansas city MO US Liberty Memorial Park
08 - St. Louis MO US Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
11 - Salt lake city UT US E Center
12 - Las vegas NV US Pearl Concert Theatre (Palms Resort)
14 - Las vegas NV US Pearl Concert Theatre (Palms Resort)
21 - Calgary AB CA V Festival @ Fort Calgary
24 - Los angeles CA US Hollywood Bowl
25 - Tucson AZ US Anselmo Valencia Ampitheatre
27 - San antonio TX US AT&T Center
28 - Woodlands TX US Woodlands Pavilion
29 - Grand prairie TX US Nokia Live
July
02 - Denver CO US Red Rocks Amphitheatre
04 - Milwaukee WI US Summerfest
10 - Quebec City QC CA Quebec City International Festival
11 - Montreal QC CA Bell Centre
12 - Toronto ON CA Downsview Park
15 - Canandaigua NY US Constellation Brands Performing Arts Center
17 - Green bay WI US Oneida Casino
18 - Mt. Pleasant MI US Soaring Eagle Casino
19 - Cadott WI US Chippewa Valley Music Festival
25 - Berkeley CA US Greek Theatre
26 - Paso robles CA US California Mid-State Fair
27 - San diego CA US Qualcomm Stadium
29 - Phoenix AZ US Dodge Theatre
August
08 – Bethlehem PA US Musikfest
09 - Atlantic city NJ US Borgata Hotel and Casino
10 - Pimlico MD US V Festival
16 - Elizabeth IN US Caesars Casino
17 - Charlotte NC US Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
19 - Orlando FL US UCF Arena
20 - Hollywood FL US Hard Rock Live (Seminole)
22 - Tampa FL US Ford Amphitheater
23 - Alpharetta GA US Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre @ Encore Park
30 - Vancouver BC CA General Motors Place
31 – Seattle WA, US Bumbershoot
October
24 – New Orleans, LA US Voodoo Music Festival
Filed under: Downloads, Ford Radio, Future releases, Greg Dulli, Isobel Campbell, Jane's addiction, Jools Holland, Little Radio, Mark Lanegan, NME, Perry Farrell, Radio Sessions, Random, Satelitte Party, Scott Ford, Scott Weiland, Stone Temple Pilots, The Afghan Whigs, The Gutter Twins, Video | Tags: Greg Dulli, Isobel Campbell, Jane's addiction, Jools Holland, Mark Lanegan, NME, Scott Ford, Screaming Trees, Stone Temple Pilots, Sunday at Devil Dirt, The Afghan Whigs, The Gutter Twins
Just a few things that you folk might be interested in:
1. Jane’s Addiction will unite for an NME Awards show, where they will receive the Godlike Genius Award
The original line up will perform for the first time since September 1991 at the ceremony on Wednesday, April 23rd at the Goldenvoice El Rey Theatre in L.A.
Hopefully the band rediscover the magic that brought them together and embark on a tour … maybe even record some new material. With Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party seemingly stalled who could say?
2. Sunday at Devil Dirt, the second album from Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, is due out May 5th. You can expect more of the same, however the chemistry is slightly different this time around (due to the both being in the same room this time), making the whole thing sound that little better. And if what I’ve heard is anything to go by, this album is a lot darker than it’s predecessor.
Although Ballad of the Broken Seas was well received by critics, Lanegan fans were largely divided. I actually enjoyed the album, but felt that ‘Revolver’ (Lanegan’s writing contribution) was the highlight.
Sunday at Devil Dirt is again penned by Campbell and those who fell in love with the first album will no doubt fall in love all over again … those looking for something a little bit more will not be disappointed either.
3. Scott Ford has confirmed that The Gutter Twins will be appearing on Jools Holland’s ‘Later … ‘ on April 29th. This is great news as it harks back to the days when I actually enjoyed watching Later as it had bands that were great, not just ‘cool’.
It seems that The Gutter Twins have been well received and this just strengthens that further. Sadly it means that some tour dates will have to be cancelled, but this exposure is certainly good news.
4. Stone Temple Pilots announced an extensive tour, which is scheduled to kick off on May 17th. At the press conference at Harry Houdini’s Estate in Hollywood, the band also performed a 30 minute set.
This comes shortly after Weiland’s split from Velvet Revolver and almost certainly will result in a new album.
That’s about it.
Until next time, here’s two great MP3’s:
The Gutter Twins: Idle Hands (the Letterman performance) and Down the Line.
… and two great video’s to watch.
Filed under: Adventures in Stereo NEWS!, Adventures in Stereo favourite, Downloads, Earth, Joseph Arthur, Nick Cave, Perry Farrell, Random, Satelitte Party, Scott Weiland, Stone Temple Pilots, The Gutter Twins, Velvet Revolver, Video | Tags: Adventures in Stereo favourites, Earth, Gutter Twins, Joseph Arthur, Nick Cave, Random, Satelitte Party, Scott Weiland, Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, Video
Greetings!
I realise that it’s been a while since my last post and in that time Velvet Revolver have announced that they are parting company with Scott Weiland. This comes just shortly on the heels of Weiland’s announcement in Glasgow on March 20th that “this is the last tour” and former band, Stone Temple Pilots, announcing that they were reforming for a tour in the summer.
Slash had stated that “This band is all about its fans and its music and Scott Weiland isn’t 100% committed to either. Among other things, his increasingly erratic on-stage behavior and personal problems have forced us to move on.”
Regardless, it seems that a 3rd Velvet Revolver album is on the cards, while Weiland will no doubt focus on the Stone Temple Pilots reunion.
… I also realise that I’ve again been late with the monthly bootleg. I had loaned much of my collection to a friend and it’s taken me a while to look out a worthy show.
… I’ve also been re-arranging my proper CD collection so that ‘Saturnalia’, ‘The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull’, ‘Ultra-Payloaded’, ‘Our Shadows Will Remain’ and ‘Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!’ finally find their place among the many others.
Saturnalia, for those who are missing out, is one of the finest albums I’ve heard in a number of years. I’ve been a fan of Lanegan for some time (since I first heard Screaming Trees) and I also loved The Afghan Whigs (Twilight Singers are pretty good, but The Whigs were special), so to say this collaboration is a little special would be understatement. The first 3 tracks (The Stations, God’s Children and All Misery/Flowers) make their intentions very clear: there’s no dwelling on past glories and although often echoing the best work of each frontman (God’s Children sounding like Black Love era Whigs, All Misery/Flowers creeps in like one of Lanegan’s Bubblegum-era tracks, while Bete Noir is reminiscent of the best of Screaming Trees), the approach is fresh, with both are on particularly inspired form.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ latest (Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!) may not be as instantly appealing as it’s predecessor (2004’s amazing double Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus), but after a few listens it has managed to tunnel its way into my brain. The title track is particularly catchy and was for a while my wake up call in the morning. Night of the Lotus Eaters, We Call Upon the Author and Jesus of the Moon are highlights.
I’ll say no more about Earth’s latest, as I’ve already commented on it in a previous post. However, if you haven’t already checked out the MP3 of Omens & Portents I: The Driver (courtesy of record label Southern Lord), I recommend that you do so now. The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull’ is an incredibly powerful album, tinged with desert rock and uplifting southern gothic (doesn’t that stir some intrigue?).
The other two albums are older, but are well deserving of a mention here. Perry Farrell’s first Satellite Party record didn’t get the reaction it deserved from me first time around, but I’ll have to review my top 10 of 2007. I’ve been listening to it a fair bit these last few weeks and it’s a brilliant album … a natural progression from Jane’s Addiction’s Strays.
‘Our Shadows Will Remain’ is another that has grown on me over time. There’s no denying Joseph Arthur’s talent, however I’d initially found it to be a little too … overwhelming. Or underwhelmingly overwhelming? Regardless, it has since grown on me … the sign of a great album. Even Tho is my current favourite, with Can’t Exist being a close second.
Anyhoo, hope you are all doing well and enjoy these videos.
Filed under: Bootleg of the Month, Downloads, Stone Temple Pilots | Tags: Bootleg of the Month, Downloads, House of Blues, Stone Temple Pilots
January is gone already!? I get the feeling that this is gonna be a very quick year. Anyway, although it’s slightly late, here’s January’s ‘Bootleg of the Month’. I hope you folk enjoy it.
I was dead set on posting the 1993 MTV Unplugged show from ‘Live’, however, as the news of Stone Temple Pilots’ summer reunion got me kind of excited I thought I’d share that excitement with the visitors of ’Adventures In Stereo’.
The Stone Temple Pilots are one of my favourite bands, though I have to admt to not being particularly keen on the majority of their debut record ‘Core’. I got into them through ‘The Crow’ movie after hearing ‘Big Empty’, deciding to purchase ‘Purple’ and thinking it was absolutely incredible. My friend, on the other hand, dispised them … I believe he called them a ”second rate Pearl Jam”.
But, the output from STP just got stronger (though the band got a little torn up) and ‘Tiny Music … Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop’ (their third effort) remains my favourite. ‘No.4′ was also a fine record, a return to form after the DeLeo brothers and Kretz flirted with a new vocalist on their ‘Talk Show’ project (Weiland also released a solo record, ‘12 Bar Blues’, which I thought was an incredible album, but apparently no-one else did?). Their last album, ‘Shangri-La Dee Da’ has some good moments, but it’s patchy and largely disappointing. However, you’ll find something worthwhile on each of their albums. They were astounding.
They were also quite brilliant Live. I caught them only once, on their ‘Shangri-La Dee Da’ tour and I thought they were quite brilliant. Powerful.
This show, from the ‘House Of Blues’ on Sunset Strip, was STP’s first ‘proper’ show since the 1997 (mainly due to Weiland’s problems and incarceration). I also believe that this was the first time the band had performed ‘Sex & Violence’.
Enjoy.
Stone Temple Pilots, House of Blues, March 15th 2000
01 Crackerman
02 Meatplow
03 Vasoline
04 Tumble In The Rough
05 Big Empty
06 Kitchenware and Candybars
07 Sour Girl
08 Interstate Love Song
09 Plush
10 Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart
11 Sex & Violence
12 Down
13 Unglued
14 Dead & Bloated
15 Piece Of Pie
16 Sex Type Thing
17 Roadhouse Blues
Filed under: Downloads, Grunge, Stone Temple Pilots | Tags: Army of Anyone, News, Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, Video
It would appear that Stone Temple Pilots are set to reform — for a summer tour at least. The Pilots were another of the alternative rock bands that found success during the ‘grunge’ era of the early 1990’s. Often labelled as ‘grunge-lite’, they proved that they were a little more than just bandwagon jumpers.
Various problems (mainly attributed to Weiland’s drug habit) meant that the band never quite took advantage of the momentum following their mighty sophomore effort, ‘Purple’. They finally split in late 2002 following a fall-out between Weiland and the DeLeo brothers. The break-up was made official in 2003 through guitarist Dean DeLeo, “It’s time to move on to other things. Life and personalities and brotherhood took its course”.
As we all know, Scott joined the new project of ex-Guns N’ Roses members Duff, Matt and Slash (Velvet Revolver), while the DeLeo brothers formed Army of Anyone.
Weiland had told the Miama Herald to “be on the lookout for an STP reunion in the coming months”, before Slash confirmed to Billboard.com that Weiland would be hooking up with his former bandmates after the current tour comes to an end.
As yet there has been no official announcement made regarding the dates or a possible album.
… and here’s two of my favourite Pilots tracks.
Big Bang Baby (live on the Tonight show)
Unglued (Live from Vegas)
