nonaesthetic
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In who didn't see this coming news:
Van Halen have reunited with original frontman David Lee Roth for the first time in 20 years.The band are set to announce details of a 40-date tour this summer.
The reunited group will feature Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang on bass, replacing original bassist Michael Anthony, plus drummer Alex Van Halen.
It's one thing to have Van Halen with Roth, or Hagar, or even Cherone. But Van Halen without Michael Anthony is a disgrace. His backing vocals are the only thing that kept VH consistent throughout their career. And now, after years of loyalty, he's replaced in their Rock Hall year. Shameful.
Rage Against the Machine is reuniting at Coachella, which everyone is talking about, but no one seems to care about the biggest reunion this year: Crowded House.
I came to Crowded House late and have a particular fondness for their album Woodface. There isn't a weak song to be found. Hit after hit - strong, sensible, smart pop songs delivered with brilliant Finn brother harmonies. With a six month old, I don't make it out to many concerts anymore. But for Crowded House, I'll make the trip.
Will I fork over the big bucks to see Van Halen? Well, maybe. I've seen Dave in concert - but not Eddie. And now, sadly, I'll probably never see Michael Anthony.
Ever get the feeling you had too many bootlegs? Like you need some sort of a cleansing process from the drama of properly tagging and cataloging hundreds of shows?
I'm sitting on around 80 concerts by The Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers. I haven't traded a bootleg in a long time (and please, don't send any requests, because I'm just not interested). I'm lucky enough that people know I'm a fan and send them to me, gratis.
A year ago, I bought a ton of Super Jewel Box standards, the two disc versions, to start archiving my shows. All of the discs obtained post-2003 are neatly labeled with my Epson R300 printer. The earlier shows, I'm not going to worry about. Now, I'm at the stage where I need to design and print the cover art.
This used to be my favorite part of burning a disc (or, back in the day, a XLII J-card). I remember sitting at my work computer, finding images on the net (way back in 1997) and designing and printing J-cards for my black and white printer. Now, I'm simply overwhelmed.
I wish I had time to listen to the gigs of yesterday while I work, but I can only hear these songs so many times in a row. So, I have to space them out - take my time, and savor the best recordings. Soundboards, FM broadcasts - you are my preciouses. Rare audience boots (with even rarer setlists) come in a close second. It may be time to purge the lesser-quality shows - for my sake (and that of the overloaded Billy bookcase).
For now, I'm enjoying listening to my latest addition - an FM broadcast of The Twilight Singers in Brussels from a few short months ago. And it makes me want more to add to the collection.
Comments
Well, if you're gonna have a bootleg collection, I don't think you could have picked better artists. :) I got to see the Twilight Singers last November with Mark Lanegan... Oh so good. :)
Start Here: Background on Dokken Day
On January 27, 1988, Dokken got the Key to the City from Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, who proclaimed it Dokken Day.
Never mind that Dokken wasn't a force in the LA club scene and had absolutely no reason to receive this honor. It's DOKKEN, baby!
I never had false pretenses about Dokken's greatness, I just loved their music as a wee pre-teen. George Lynch's guitar work was blues-based but still technically brilliant. Don Dokken could scream with the best of them. But what really separated Dokken was their sense of melody. Well, that and Lynch's skeleton guitar (that would come alive in videos through very bad stop-motion).
While their early work made their name (Tooth and Nail) - I'm partial to Back for the Attack, their 60 minute plus opus. I remember it was that long, because there was a sticker on the cassette case that told you (what a value!).
Since I'm not in LA to celebrate with the faithful at the Rainbow on the 27th, I'll fire up my tape deck and play my favorite Dokken tunes, including the entire Beast from the East live set.
Burning Like a Flame Video:
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Wow Dokken Day and my birthday - both on the same day. Who'd have thought it possible?
I always thought bassist Jeff Pilson was an underrated member of the band too. Under Lock and Key, the first Lynch Mob album (Wicked Sensation, I think) and the amazing Lynch/Pilson album are still favorites.
Now I'll have two reasons to celebrate on Saturday. Thanks!
MOG Meter
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I don't know about anybody else, but I'm beside myself with excitement about the Crowded House reunion, though the absence of Paul Hester makes me sad. New album, a tour, etc., etc. ... W00t, I say!
A Woodface-era CH show ranks among my favorite concerts ever. And I've been to a lot.