Well Iowa city, I have about three Radioloveless shows left before I leave the KRUI airways for good. Two shows will consist of my favorite tracks to hear, thus the title of my post. If you listen to the show, I’m sure you’ve heard most of them. Either way, the next two shows will be filled with my favorites. The last show will be my Christmas show, which is always a fun show to do.

I’ll be moving back east next year, after living and DJing in Iowa city for the past 6. I love it here, and I love KRUI even more. Listen in at 89.7 fm or online here. Here’s the show

1. R.E.M.’s Fables of Reconstruction (1985), Driver 8
2. Sebadoh, Bakesale (1994, oh and the naked baby on the cover is Lou Barlow), Skull
(It’s my favorite track from Sebadoh along with lots of other kids my age, thank you Lou for bringing this into my life.)

3. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Pig Lib (2003), Vanessa from Queens
(Steve defines cool, even if I can’t figure out what he’s singing about)
4. Teenage Fanclub, Bandwagonesque (1991), Star Sign
(This just sounds like the 90s to me, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and little.)
5. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground, Pale Blue Eyes
(Uhm, who doesn’t like this song?)
6. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002), I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
This is my favorite Wilco album, I keep coming back.
7. Wire, Pink Flag (1977), 1 2 X U
8. Yo La Tengo, President Yo La Tengo (1989), Barnaby Hardly Working
9. Catherine Wheel, Ferment (1992), Black Metallic
10. Black Tambourine, Complete Recordings, Pack You Up
This track is so short and cool, it just makes me want to go out and be their groupie if they were still around.
11. The Dandy Warhols, Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (1999), Sleep
I can’t help it, I love this album.
12. Big Star, #1 Record (1972), Thirteen
Rolling stone said it was “one of the most beautiful songs about Adolescence.”
13. The Breeders, Pod (1990), When I was a Painter
14. Pavement, Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (1994), Silence Kit (awesome request for Sutcliffe Catering Song but was having issues with my CD.)
15. Built to Spill, Perfect From Now On (1997), I would Hurt a Fly
16. Cat Power, What would the Community Think (1996), Bathysphere
17. The Church, Starfish (1988), Under the Milky Way
18. Cocteau Twins, Head Over Heels (1983), When Mama was a Moth

19. My Bloody Valentine, Loveless (1991), When you Sleep
Pitchfork quoted Loveless as the best album of the 90’s, I might have to agree.
20. The Clash, The Clash (1977), Janie Jones
21. Sleater-Kinney, One Beat (2002), Combat Rock
22. Depeche Mode, Violator (1990), Blue Dress
23. The Cure, Seventeen Seconds (1980), A Forest
24. Archers of Loaf, White Trash Heroes (1998), Dead Red Eyes
25. Guided By Voices, Alien Lanes (1995), My Valuable Hunting Knife
26. Meat Puppets, Meat Puppets II (1984), New Gods

dal 01/11/2009 al 16/05/2010
LEZIONI DI ROCK Viaggio al centro della musica –  V Ed.
a cura di Ernesto Assante e Gino Castaldo
Auditorium Parco della Musica
Teatro Studio, Sala Petrassi
h. 11:00 € 5.00
Info 06 80241281

Inizia domani 1 novembre la quinta edizione della rassegna LEZIONI DI ROCK, incontri di approfondimento a cura di Gino Castaldo e Ernesto Assante, critici musicali, giornalisti, ma soprattutto due grandi appassionati di musica, quella buona  e vera, che sanno riconoscere e trasmettere raccontandone, come si farebbe a un amico, tutti i dettagli spesso inediti della storia e di cio’ che ha fatto nascere o spesso finire una determinata situazione musicale. Che si parli di un artista, di un disco o di una band in generale, Lezioni di Rock è sempre l’occasione per imparare qualcosa in più grazie ai racconti dei due esperti, che ne sanno una più del devil, supportati da ottimo materiale video, foto e audio a rendere ogni incontro più completo.

Anche io mi sento allieva di Gino ed Ernesto e grazie a queste lezioni di rock, che frequento con certosina assiduità, ho fatto crescere il mio bagaglio di conoscenze musicali. Non vi lasciate  ingannare dal titolo della rassegna, perchè se il rock è l’ingrediente fondamentale degli incontri domenicali, non macheranno il jazz, il pop, RnB e tutto cio’ che può essere considerato la grande Musica degli ultimi cento anni.

gino castaldo

PROGRAMMA 2009/10

Dom. 01/11/2009
Beatles – Remastered

Dom. 22/11/2009
Michael Jackson – Thriller

Dom. 06/12/2009
Santana – Abraxas

Dom. 13/12/2009
Coldplay – Viva la vida

Dom. 10/01/2010
Jethro Tull – Aqualung

Dom. 31/01/2010
Tom Waits – Raindogs

Dom. 21/02/2010
Aretha Franklin – Aretha

Dom. 28/02/2010
Led Zeppelin – II

Dom. 14/03/2010
Weather Report – I sing the body electric

Dom. 28/03/2010 Sala Petrassi
Queen – A night at the opera

Dom. 11/04/2010
The Cure – Seventeen seconds

Dom. 18/04/2010
Neil Young – Harvest

Dom. 09/05/2010 Sala Petrassi
2001 Odissea nello spazio

Dom. 16/05/2010
Depeche Mode – Violator

Lite läskigt och lite nervöst att vara tillsammans utan den mest betydelsefulla personen i våra liv. Vi har vid några få tillfällen tidigare varit utan vår lilla guldklimp. Så detta mina vänner är nytt, skrämmande och lärorikt. Han vaknade vid sjutiden vilket är ganska sent. Jag tog upp honom och vi böt blöja. Allt var lugnt och vi kände båda två en gemenskap. Så där på morgonen har är vår kontakt så där ljuvligt ömsint och nära. Inte mycket ljud som kommer ifrån oss men det är som om vi förstår varandra i alla fall.

Svärmor tog vid och han hade en jättefin morgon med henne. Där han fick göra saker som vi inte brukar låta honom göra. Ni kanske undrar vad och det gör vi också. Dags att sova. Sätter på Cure Seventeen seconds.  En av världens absolut bästa plattor – någonsin. Vi dansar runt på vardagsrumsgolvet och det dröjer inte länge förrän det meditativa i musiken gör oss båda totalt avslappnade. Skillnaden är att han somnar och jag blir enbart lugn.

Idag ska jag och hans fantastiska mamma äta lunch ute, gå på bio. Ringa svärmor ett gäng gånger och sedan avsluta dagen med att träffa lite vänner.  Efter detta så blir det hem och så får vi se om el vovvo kommer hem ikväll eller imorgon.

Kram på er från en något vilsen pappa. Vi har inte gått hemifrån än he-he—–

Listen in tonight to Radio Loveless at KRUI 89.7 fm from 8 to 10 pm or online here. You never know, maybe Patti Smith will offer up some “Free Money”.

1. Patti Smith, Horses (originally released 1975, live album and digitally remastered version released in 2005. Patti’s Horses album also contains one of my all time favorite album covers, if this isn’t the image of feminism and equality I don’t know what is. It has photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s picture of black and white androgynous Patti.), Free Money

2. Gordon Gano, Hitting the Ground (2002), Hitting the Ground
3. Black Francis, Bluefinger (2007), She Took All the Money

4. Joy Division, Closer (a direct quote from Wikipedia “Closer is the second and final album by post-punk band Joy Division, released July 18, 1980, two months following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis.” Such a sad fact.) , Twenty Four Hours
5. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses (1989, Writers of the NME declared this album in 2006 the greatest British album of all time), This is the One
6. Desert Sessions, The Desert Sessions Vol 9 & 10 (2003), There will never be a better time
7. Thurston Moore, Trees Outside The Academy (2007, Thurston’s first solo album since his 1995 Psychic Hearts, another interesting tidbit is that it was recorded in J. Masics’, of Dinosaur Jr, home studio), Trees Outside The Academy
8. Blondie, Blondie (1976), Look Good in Blue
9. X, Wild Gift (1981 and on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of all Time!), In This House That I Call Home
(On a side note the vocalist Exene Cervenka has a solo album out with Blood Shot Records that I hear is awesome! She just performed live in Brooklyn NY just last weekend. Also through the grape vine, I heard that this classic vocalist has recently been diagnosed with MS. One more reason to admire this woman who is still rocking live venues.)
Here’s her new album:

10. The Smiths, The Sound of the Smiths (A compilation released in 2008), Vicar in a Tutu
11. Depeche Mode, Violator (1990, their seventh and most brilliant, in my opinion, studio album. This is also on Rolling Stones 500 greatest albums of all time and is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before you Die), Halo
12. Bauhaus, The Sky’s Gone Out (1982), Third Uncle (This was originally Brian Eno’s track)

13. The Cure, Seventeen Seconds (1980), M
14. June of 44, The Anatomy of Sharks-EP (1997, based out of Louisville), Boom
15. Egg Hunt (a project of Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson , former singer and drummer of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat), Me and You-Single (1986), Me and You

16. Pavement, Brighten the Corners (1997 with Matador Records), Date W/ IKEA
17. Sleater-Kinney, Sleater-Kinney (1995), The Day I went Away
18. The Jesus & Mary Chain, Stoned And Dethroned (1994), Girlfriend
19. South, From Here On In (2001), Sight of Me
20. Spacemen 3, Recurring (1991), Just to See you Smile
21. Kinski, Alpine Static (2005 off of Sub Pop), The Party Which You Know Will Be Heavy
22. New Order, Substance (1987), Perfect Kiss
22. Slint, Tweez (1989), Pat

(continued)

July 28th, 2008

And so I finished the last installment of these compilation CDs and it’s only fitting that I finished with The Cure.  I know I have said it before that these aren’t greatest hits mixes or best of, they are simply my favorites.  This was by far the hardest one to make because there are so few Cure songs that I don’t like, I daresay none that I don’t like, just some that I have overplayed and then some that sound too much like their older or younger counterparts.  So this is just the first of many, like skimming off of the top of my library, the tracks that peaked their heads out of the archives.  One thing to note, I still buy every album The Cure puts out, I’ve never wavered because they have never wavered.  Unlike U2 and R.E.M., The Cure has been constant.  Robert Smith is true to what he laid out on the table almost 30 years ago, that is 89% of the reason that they are my favorite band of all time, 1% moodiness, 5% wallowing in own self pity, 4% men in black eyeliner/obnoxious red lipstick/big laceless sneakers, 1% this lifelong reoccurring dream that I was Sleeping Beauty in a past life.  Is that 100%… okay, good.

1. Boys Don’t Cry from Boys Don’t Cry 1979

2. Jumping Someone Else’s Train

3. The Figurehead from Pornography 1982

4. A Forest (originally from Seventeen Seconds 1980; this version was released in 1990 on Mixed Up)

5. In Between Days from The Head On The Door 1985

6. Six Different Ways

7. Close To Me

8. The Walk (originally from Japanese Whispers 1983; this version was released in 1990 on Mixed Up)*

9. Just Like Heaven from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me 1987

10. Hot Hot Hot!!!

11. Why Can’t I Be You?

12. Plainsong from Disintegration 1989

13. Pictures Of You

14. Fascination Street

15. From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea from Wish 1992

16. Jupiter Crash from Wild Mood Swings 1996

Bonus track: 17. Burn from The Crow soundtrack 1995

*Side note: I only had this album on cassette, along with The Top album; I should really buy the CDs.  Japanese Whispers is not available on iTunes.)

La frase que da título a este post lógicamente tiene una historia detrás, me la espetó en la cara mi mujer hace muchos años. Con esta sentencia me hacia responsable de su estado emocional por haber roto con ella la primera vez que comenzamos nuestra relación, allá por los tiempos de nuestra mas tierna juventud. Pero por otra parte yo lo sentía como un reconocimiento a la influencia que había causado durante ese tiempo de relación en su gusto musical. Espero que por este comentario las mujeres que leen este blog no me consideren un cretino, a más de 20 años de este suceso seguimos juntos, así que tan malo no debo ser…
En el post que hice hace un tiempo sobre Cocteau Twins les contaba como la música gótica o dark de los años 80 llego a penetrar profundamente en la juventud argentina de aquellos años. Bandas como The Cure, Bauhaus, Echo & The Bunnymen o Joy Divison marcaron a una generación con su sonido melancólico y oscuro.
Recuerdo la primera vez que escuche “Bela Lugosi is Dead” de los Bauhaus, era una cinta copiada que me paso mi amigo Fernando, allá por el año 1987. La canción era extremadamente tétrica, y para colmo de males esta versión era extendida, o sea 9 minutos de calvario y opresión. Ideal para cualquier corazón adolescente con ganas de conflictuarse al pedo.

De todas las bandas que sonaban en aquella época mi favorita era (y sigue siendo) Echo & the Bunnymen, este grupo fue un nexo perfecto entre dos generaciones, ellos estaban influenciados por gente como Los Doors o la Velvet Underground, y a su vez sirvieron de influencia a bandas como Radiohead, Oasis, Blur o Coldplay. En lo personal creo que su importancia en la música inglesa es comparable a la de los Clash.

Pero la banda que mayor cantidad de fans cosecho por mis tierras fue The Cure, creo que durante la segunda mitad de los 80 la mitad de la juventud Argentina escuchaba a Robert Smith y Compania. La otra mitad bailaba imitando a una gallina creyéndose Mick Jagger al ritmo de “Under my thumb” en la versión del mítico disco en vivo “Still Life”, amo a los Rolling Stones pero esa versión me da ganas de vomitar…

Yo caí rendido inmediatamente ante la tristeza de Los Cure, como la gran mayoria llegue a esta banda gracias al disco “The Head on the Door”. Canciones como “In Between Days” o “Close o Me” son indelebles en la memoria de una generación. Mi favorita de este disco es la inmensa “A Night Like This”, insuperable.
Lo mejor del asunto fue cuando empecé a escuchar sus trabajos anteriores, discos como “The Top”, “Seventeen Seconds” o “Pornography”, eran obras impresionantes, todos diferentes entre si pero con la marca registrada de Mr. Smith. Canciones como “Play for Today”, “Shake Dog Shake” o la juvenil “10.15 Saturday Night” son de lo mejorcito que se hizo por aquellos años.
Su pico de popularidad mundial fue con Disco “Desintegration”, este trabajo es para mi el último de la banda, siguieron sacando discos, tocando en festivales y reciclándose mil veces, pero ya no era lo mismo, en lo personal siento que Robert Smith ya no podía mas con el personaje. Y lógicamente, yo tampoco.
Y ahora, unos cuantos años después, cuando estamos en casa viendo clips en VH1 y aparece alguna banda de las citadas en este post nos miramos a los ojos con mi mujer para vez cual de los dos es el primero en soltar la frase “por tu culpa me hice dark” y reír con mil recuerdos de juventud.

TITOLO: A forest
AUTORE: The cure
ALBUM: Seventeen seconds (1980)
ASCOLTALA!: http://www.musicwebtown.com/jacopax/162395

Pochi gruppi hanno marcato un genere così a fondo da diventarne una sorta di prototipo universalmente riconosciuto. Se si pensa al dark-punk, il nome dei Cure viene in mente istantaneamente: meritatamente o meno -non importa - il gruppo inglese ha costituito il punto di riferimento obbligato per chiunque si sia cimentato con quel genere. Di certo, al di là della qualità della proposta musicale, a tratti veramente eccellente ma nel complesso molto discontinua, i Cure devono la propria fama e la propria influenza alla carismatica leadership del frontman Robert Smith. Con il suo aspetto (le sue occhiaie, il viso pallido, i capelli perennemente sconvolti), con il suo abbigliamento, con il suo modo di stare in scena, Smith ha iscritto sul proprio corpo e consegnato all’eternità tutto ciò che ha significato, significa e significherà il movimento dark.

LINK: monografia su Ondarock, testo della canzone

If, for some strange reason (let’s say either the threat of violence or the promise of brownies), I were forced to produce the single theme that I felt runs through Robert Smith’s lyrics, then I would likely choose “identity.” As I’ve written in other entries, there is a general preoccupation with the concepts of perception and observation in many of The Cure’s songs. For me, Seventeen Seconds represents the first solid articulation of these ideas. However, on this album the balance shifts dramatically towards perception (and the expectation that perception brings), rather than dwelling on comparisons between sense and reality (which would come with Faith).

“In Your House” is, as Robert once noted, a song about “uncertainty in love,” and the idea that every attempt at performance might result in disaster – and then, by extension, the dissolution of the friendships within the band. Extending that idea to romantic relationships, it’s easy to see how one might (particularly if he were a touch insecure) begin to consider each encounter a sort of flirtatious chat with Failure. This song focuses on the need for honest self-representation in the face of such things. Consider the lyric “I play at night in your house /I live another life / Pretending to swim / In your house” set against “I drown at night in your house / Pretending to swim…” The consequences of mis-self-representation (a new word! gosh.) are fairly obvious.

Yet, even with the general straightforwardness of the lyrics, I think it’s interesting to consider their place in the broader context of this album. The general mood of the album is reflection – of looking at the state of one’s life, and rooting out the fictions. Given the suddenness of the album’s composition (the lyrics were reportedly composed in a mere two sessions), it seems worth considering that this theme deals with a real change for Robert. Apart from the band being in flux (Gallup and Hartley in, while Dempsey was out), it would seem that significant changes in social profile were taking their toll on Robert (as we would see in Faith and Pornography). Many of the songs on Seventeen Seconds focus on the idea of illusion (both social and personal). Consider:

Secrets: “One look relives the memory / Remember me / The way I used to be.”

A Forest: “I’m lost in a forest / All alone / The girl was never there / It’s always the same / I’m running towards nothing…”

At Night: “…I hear the darkness breathe / I sense the quiet despair / Listen to the silence / At night / Something has to be there…”

And then there’s “Seventeen Seconds” itself: “And the picture disappears / And everything is cold now / The dream had to end…”

This obsession with identity and illusion that so permeates the album seems to have manifested itself in the musical arrangements, as well. Consider the minimalism that each track affects, and the use of echoing, far-off backing vocals. The album is full of space, which affords the interiority of the narratives room to maneuver. While beautiful, the album’s somber tone (with occasional crescendos – “A Forest,” “Play for Today”) gives a real sense of “working things out.” Which, I suppose, is where it has always fit in in my own life. A soundtrack for late-night drives alone, consumed by a sense of uncertainty or frustration.

On an unrelated note, you really have to give it to The Cure for remaining true to their artistic vision with this track. After their previous releases, it would have been quite normal, and certainly expected, for them to return with an album full of radio-friendly, up-beat numbers. Indeed, a pop career in the radio sense wasn’t too far out-of-the-question for the band in 1980. (“Play for Today” did do reasonably well, and it remains a bouncy favorite live.) Even so, this sombre album (which critics, predictably, call “grown-up” or “mature” – remember kids: moroseness = maturity.) is a bucket of cold water on the head of dance fans. As much as Robert worried about the tours maybe leading to personal enmity and ruin, this album proves that he has the strength to overcome such adversity.