Red Hot Mats On The Floor Of My Caravan
I could probably write a whole entry debating which is more depressing: The Avalanche falling to 0-3 in their series with the Ducks because of a bad turnover in a game they probably deserved to win and that would have put them right back in the series; or the fact that Britney Spears is pregnant again and, for those keeping score at home, Kevin Federline has reproduced 4 times. I want the militant pro-life crowd to really think that one through. And while I respect the hockey fans in Anaheim, I just want everything associated with the Mighty Ducks (movies, cartoon, team) to...uh...die. :)
But that isn't what I want to kick around in this entry. I want to write about rock and roll and what happens when some rock and rollers get gray hairs but keep on recording. Case in point: The new Red Hot Chili Peppers double album, Robert Plant, and the two-song reunion of 3/4 of the final version of The Replacements for an upcoming anthology.
I've only listened to about 5 tracks of the new RHCP set, Stadium Arcadium, but I'm digging it. I'm enjoying it in the same way I enjoyed most of Californication and By The Way. I'm liking how at this stage in the game the band is still trying to reach some new heights, try some new things, and not limit themselves one iota to what their fan base expects or to their previous records. This does not necessarily mean their new material is "better" or "as good" as those past recordings. But success gives license for experimentation or for musical growth, which can go well (what I've heard of the new disc) or terribly astray (see also: One Hot Minute). It is the artist's right to do whatever they want, just as it is up to an often fickle listening public to decide if it is worth purchasing or listening to. Some longtime fans of RHCP want to hear new music akin to their older records, pre-Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and that is certainly a valid desire. Does that mean Anthony, Flea, Jon, and Chad should try to recreate the sound from Freaky Styley or their debut? Only if they feel like it. Sonically some funk would be welcome, I suppose, but at this point if Keidis was singing something akin to "Party On Your Pussy" I would find it rather pathetic. The Chili Peppers have matured and I think their more recent recordings reflect that. In a live setting, yes, I think they should give the people some of their older material. But in terms of creating new music? I find I have a greater respect for artists that want to open new doors rather than doing the easy thing, which more often than not is to just crank out another version of something they did way back when.
Consider for a moment Robert Plant. (For some of you: He was the lead singer of Led Zeppelin.) I love Led Zeppelin. Nearly everything Robert, Jimmy, John Paul, and John recorded was either good or Oh-My-God brilliant. Plant's solo career has been a more mixed bag but, love it or hate it, I have always admired him for keeping it interesting and never resting on his past. His solo career has had Led Zep-ish moments but, for the most part, the only thing his solo albums have had in common with Led Zeppelin are his vocals and his continuing curiosity to create new sounds and try new things. In some cases the public was all-in (see Now and Zen) and other times they've taken a pass (see his most recent solo album). And such is the marketplace of music. And I'm sure Plant, along with your average Republican in the Adam Smith tradition will tell you the same: The market will decide. I don't think Plant enters a recording studio wondering if what he is working on will be a hit or go over with the crowd still itching for a Led Zeppelin reunion. He does what he wants to do and that is why you've never seen the guy playing at an Indian casino as part of his own Led Zep Revue. You haven't seen him desperate either, choosing to record the American Songbook or a record a covers record.
Finally we come to The Replacements and the solo career of their front man Paul Westerberg. I, like so many Mats fans, am happy that Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars have collaborated on a couple new tracks. I was so pleased that I went to the Rhino Records website and heard some clips of the two new songs. And you know what? They sound a lot like the stuff from the final two Mats albums (Don't Tell a Soul and All Shook Down), which represent to many die-hard Replacements fans the end of their hard, garage rock edge and the beginning of what would continue in Westerberg’s solo work. And it still never fails when it comes to music Westerberg has recorded since. A lot of Replacements fans didn't like 14 Songs because it was too poppy; they didn't like Eventually because it was, well, a collection of songs reflecting in large part on not feeling so young anymore; and they really didn't get Suiccane Gratification because it was even more mellow than it's predecessor. And so on and so forth. For his part, Westerberg is unapologetic and I like him all the more for that. In the same regard that I think Anthony Keidis still singing about things he sang about in his 20's would be pretty ridiculous, I really have no desire to hear Paul Westerberg (who is at or near 50) try to re-hash "Shiftless When Idle" or "Gary's Got a Boner". So if these two new Replacements songs don't sound like "classic" Mats then the fans still longing for that should just go listen to Tim or Let It Be one more time.
So, yes, Paul Westerberg used to be rowdier and The Red Hot Chili Peppers used to be funkier. But Westerberg also used to be a drunk and the Peppers used to be hooked on smack. I'm not sure if ridding themselves of their demons had anything to do with the evolution of their respective sounds or not. I am, however, pretty sure that growing up and growing older has. More than anything I'm happy that those artists are still alive, still creating something, and coming out of the speakers of my Grand Caravan in much the same way they came out of the tape deck in my first car. Just as I don't drive that car anymore or live that life, I don't expect any band or artist to stop moving forward. And if they've still got something to say that I think is worth listening to then I am happy to have them along for the ride.
J
But that isn't what I want to kick around in this entry. I want to write about rock and roll and what happens when some rock and rollers get gray hairs but keep on recording. Case in point: The new Red Hot Chili Peppers double album, Robert Plant, and the two-song reunion of 3/4 of the final version of The Replacements for an upcoming anthology.
I've only listened to about 5 tracks of the new RHCP set, Stadium Arcadium, but I'm digging it. I'm enjoying it in the same way I enjoyed most of Californication and By The Way. I'm liking how at this stage in the game the band is still trying to reach some new heights, try some new things, and not limit themselves one iota to what their fan base expects or to their previous records. This does not necessarily mean their new material is "better" or "as good" as those past recordings. But success gives license for experimentation or for musical growth, which can go well (what I've heard of the new disc) or terribly astray (see also: One Hot Minute). It is the artist's right to do whatever they want, just as it is up to an often fickle listening public to decide if it is worth purchasing or listening to. Some longtime fans of RHCP want to hear new music akin to their older records, pre-Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and that is certainly a valid desire. Does that mean Anthony, Flea, Jon, and Chad should try to recreate the sound from Freaky Styley or their debut? Only if they feel like it. Sonically some funk would be welcome, I suppose, but at this point if Keidis was singing something akin to "Party On Your Pussy" I would find it rather pathetic. The Chili Peppers have matured and I think their more recent recordings reflect that. In a live setting, yes, I think they should give the people some of their older material. But in terms of creating new music? I find I have a greater respect for artists that want to open new doors rather than doing the easy thing, which more often than not is to just crank out another version of something they did way back when.
Consider for a moment Robert Plant. (For some of you: He was the lead singer of Led Zeppelin.) I love Led Zeppelin. Nearly everything Robert, Jimmy, John Paul, and John recorded was either good or Oh-My-God brilliant. Plant's solo career has been a more mixed bag but, love it or hate it, I have always admired him for keeping it interesting and never resting on his past. His solo career has had Led Zep-ish moments but, for the most part, the only thing his solo albums have had in common with Led Zeppelin are his vocals and his continuing curiosity to create new sounds and try new things. In some cases the public was all-in (see Now and Zen) and other times they've taken a pass (see his most recent solo album). And such is the marketplace of music. And I'm sure Plant, along with your average Republican in the Adam Smith tradition will tell you the same: The market will decide. I don't think Plant enters a recording studio wondering if what he is working on will be a hit or go over with the crowd still itching for a Led Zeppelin reunion. He does what he wants to do and that is why you've never seen the guy playing at an Indian casino as part of his own Led Zep Revue. You haven't seen him desperate either, choosing to record the American Songbook or a record a covers record.
Finally we come to The Replacements and the solo career of their front man Paul Westerberg. I, like so many Mats fans, am happy that Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars have collaborated on a couple new tracks. I was so pleased that I went to the Rhino Records website and heard some clips of the two new songs. And you know what? They sound a lot like the stuff from the final two Mats albums (Don't Tell a Soul and All Shook Down), which represent to many die-hard Replacements fans the end of their hard, garage rock edge and the beginning of what would continue in Westerberg’s solo work. And it still never fails when it comes to music Westerberg has recorded since. A lot of Replacements fans didn't like 14 Songs because it was too poppy; they didn't like Eventually because it was, well, a collection of songs reflecting in large part on not feeling so young anymore; and they really didn't get Suiccane Gratification because it was even more mellow than it's predecessor. And so on and so forth. For his part, Westerberg is unapologetic and I like him all the more for that. In the same regard that I think Anthony Keidis still singing about things he sang about in his 20's would be pretty ridiculous, I really have no desire to hear Paul Westerberg (who is at or near 50) try to re-hash "Shiftless When Idle" or "Gary's Got a Boner". So if these two new Replacements songs don't sound like "classic" Mats then the fans still longing for that should just go listen to Tim or Let It Be one more time.
So, yes, Paul Westerberg used to be rowdier and The Red Hot Chili Peppers used to be funkier. But Westerberg also used to be a drunk and the Peppers used to be hooked on smack. I'm not sure if ridding themselves of their demons had anything to do with the evolution of their respective sounds or not. I am, however, pretty sure that growing up and growing older has. More than anything I'm happy that those artists are still alive, still creating something, and coming out of the speakers of my Grand Caravan in much the same way they came out of the tape deck in my first car. Just as I don't drive that car anymore or live that life, I don't expect any band or artist to stop moving forward. And if they've still got something to say that I think is worth listening to then I am happy to have them along for the ride.
J