Barry Melton may not be easily recognizable in the sea of 1960’s psychedelic guitarists, but his influence on the genre should not be understated. Melton co-founded and played lead guitar for the late 60’s psychedelic juggernaut Country Joe and the Fish, best known for the famous perversion of their own “f-i-s-h” chant at Woodstock. Melton celebrates his 64th birthday today.
Like stated above, most people know of Country Joe and The Fish because of their iconic Woodstock performance. This was the pinnacle of the band’s success and lifted them on a pedestal for the anti-Vietnam campaign. But in the popularity of The Fish’s chant followed by “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin-To-Die Rag, many listeners do not get the full range of the band’s talent. The Fish played an eclectic form of moving psychedelic folk and blues that was both efficient and enjoyable. Barry “The Fish” Melton contributed to the band’s underrated sound and for that we thank him.
Sad news in the wide world of music today. Clarence Clemons, long-time saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, has reportedly suffered a massive stroke. At 69, he has since had two brain surgeries at a Florida hospital and is currently in responsive and stable condition. It was earlier reported that Clemons sustained full paralysis of the left side of his body, but latest news suggests that he has been moving his left hand. This is excellent news and the next few days will be vital to the healing process. We send our best wishes to this rock saxophone pioneer and wish him a speedy recovery.
The news about Clemons got me thinking about the other members of the E Street band. Clemons has performed with Springsteen for 40 years now and his body of work is extraordinary. But what about some other long-time E Street band members? All of the original 1972 members of the E Street Band can mark the Springsteen-led band as their first major musical appearance. So we need to dig a little later to find a candidate for the new Music Court category Same Artist, Different Place.
Guitarist and vocalist Nils Lofgren has performed with the E-Street Band since ’84, but Springsteen was not his first major gig. At 17 years old Lofgren was recruited by Neil Young to play piano and guitar for After The Gold Rushdespite his inexperience. Youthfulness did not prevent him from performing capably during the production of the album. He earned himself a brief role with Crazy Horse and played on their self-titled premiere album. Here is a Lofgren original entitled “Beggar’s Day” which is track four on the album.
No fancy introduction today… instead we dive straight into the music! I will be reviewing an album in an interesting fashion. I will only talk about the first and the last songs and see how they relate to the album as a whole. Hopefully it shows how much those two songs mean to an album.
Arm’s way is the title of the album. The Arm is the title of this song and as the first song on the album, I find it to be highly appropriate for some reason. The name of the Canadian band is Islands and Arm’s Way is their second studio album.
The first thing you should notice about this song is the amazing intro. Soft humming flows into a pretty violin trill. A bass drop and a heavier beat make room and a shriek queues in the song. If I was to make a top 10 intro’s list, this one would most definitely be up there.
The song in my opinion is one of the most idyllic takes on classic rock. First and foremost, the violins are such a nice touch. They are used sparingly to create a quasi-classical atmosphere. And it isn’t only violins. There is a piano and several different guitars all taking turns to make for a very interesting song.
Secondly, and most importantly to me, you can understand the lyrics! (Most of them anyway) This is so important to me because all too often good lyrics are wasted simply because the singer is unintelligible. But no, not this band. The man’s voice is clear and his lyrics about “arm’s way” have you yearning for him to slip and actually include the h in that first word. After all he is alluding to something, right?
In my opinion this is an all-around good song. At around four minutes a short down beat with screeching violins is expertly executed and foreshadows future songs. At five minutes, just as you think the song is ending, a march styled beat is employed, definitely not something you hear everyday.
Just the right mix of everything epic.
Excuse the two part video, this next one’s a long one.
Compare that first one to this last song on the album, Vertigo (If it’s a crime). The intro instantly fills you in on the mood at that point in the album. I like to think it’s a concept album even though I don’t think it is. Vertigo would be the direct final result of arm’s way, if that makes any sense. Also, this song makes even more sense if you compare it to the first song on their next alphabetically ordered album. But I digress, you will have to explore that on your own.
The song is really slow and moody. The lyrics are soft and particularly melancholic, while the guitar has some really cool wah-wah action going on and what seems like panning. It a very relaxing song, but it fills you with this sort of mysterious loathing mixed with anxiety for what is coming next.
At around four minutes a shaker signifies an epic transition. The vocal ooh’s and the violin’s create a bittersweet atmosphere. Everything slowly fades away and the stage is set for one of the most breathtaking instrumentals ever.
Do you know when something is so sad and moody, but with just the right mix of an up-beat it actually results in something that is astoundingly beautiful? Yeah, sit back and enjoy it, because words cannot describe it.
Seriously, because before you know it you will be listening to the outro, and in which case you might feel a slight rising sensation. And yes, I believe that alludes to something as well. If you find that crazy, simply find the name of that first song off the next alphabetical album which I mentioned earlier and your mind will be blown, especially considering that that album that would be their first album.
The only thing I find funny about that scenario if it was intentional is that now they can’t use any album name starting with the letters A-R. But again, I do digress.
If you are lost, don’t worry about it. I have presented to you the first and last song of this amazing album and hopefully it paints a pretty accurate description of the scope of everything in between. This band successfully manages to keep an album interesting without having to change up their sound too much from song to song which is quite a feat in today’s day and age.
I definitely recommend it as it is probably one of Islands’ best. Although their first and alphabetically second is up there as well…
-Oko
&)
P.S. If you haven’t researched yet, I’ll help you out! haha Their first album is named Return to the Sea. Maybe that may be able to clear some things up and maybe uncover even more cool connections between the two album’s which I may have missed. Here is the single from Harm’s… errr Arm’s Way for being a good sport.
Never underestimate the power of a band of friends. The Alternates, a group of six good friends, formed in Los Angeles and have been playing music together for over seven years. You can actually hear the friendship in their guitar-driven melodies and effortless harmonies. The band meshes like a comfortable couch and a good book. We catch the band a few days before the digital release of their first EP Spiders and Webs, a solid debut that ranges from folk/Americana to hard-hitting rock. Let’s dive into The Alternates this Saturday afternoon.
“The Modern Way”
This five-minute biting attack at of the world’s overconsumption and destruction of the environment is carried by strong harmonies, skillful drumming, well-placed electric guitar and a neat acoustic chord progression. I specifically enjoy the Modern Way harmonic lyrical cut-ins that provide the listener with a chance to catch their breath. The guitar solo at the four-minute mark provides the song with a refreshing Americana input.
“Spiders and Webs”
“Spiders and Webs” is the title track of The Alternates EP. It features a sharp, head-bopping moving rhythm that tinkers with elements of raw early hard rock while grasping on to slight Indie sentiments. But the hard guitar certainly prevails and it takes the form of an expedited, but enjoyable rock burst.
Spiders and Webs will be released online on June 14 and currently the band is offering free downloads of songs “The Modern Way” and “Slow and Steady” on their website. You can also follow the band on twitter and facebook by following these links. If you live in the California area, The Alternates may be coming to a venue near you. Check out the dates below.
May 18th- House of Blues- Sunset Strip
June 16th- Queen Bee’s- San Diego
June 17th- TRiP- Santa Monica
June 18th- Good Hurt- West Los Angeles
June 21st- Blue Cafe- Long Beach, CA
June 22nd- Frog and Peach- San Luis Obispo
June 23rd- Grant And Green- San Francisco, CA
June 25th- Brainwash Cafe- San Francisco
June 28th- Skylark Cafe & Club- Seattle, Washington
So as I am writing this it is still currently Les Paul’s birthday. Funny how these thing’s work out, right? I know I’ve been away for a while, so take your anger out on Matt. It is time to continue this list and there is clearly no better time than the present. There is a great deal of fascinating stuff about Les Paul and I’m not talking about that nifty guitar thing Google had up…even though that was awesome.
Les Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss and played jazz as well as country guitar. Rock and roll exists in large part because of Paul’s part in pioneering the electric guitar. If you want to talk about someone being influential, here’s your guy. If it wasn’t for his work, many genres of music would never have evolved.
In 1940, “The Log” was built in the Epiphone guitar factory. This was no mere cylindrical slab of wood, but one of the first solid-body electric guitars. There was a great deal of drama when the Gibson company changed the design of the guitar without Paul’s knowledge in response to declining sales. Les wasn’t so happy, but went on after an unpleasant divorce to put his name on the guitar, followed by “SG.” This designation stands for “solid body,” and gained immense popularity after Eric Clapton began playing the model, as well as the ES-335.
In addition to the immensely important innovation, Les Paul also delved into multi-track recordings. With a push from Bing Crosby, Les Paul went for it, creating his own studio, utilizing acetate discs instead of magnetic tape.
So, why does Les wind up at #20? Because…he helped make all these things possible…not to mention he was a pretty good guitarist.
Barry Melton may not be easily recognizable in the sea of 1960’s psychedelic guitarists, but his influence on the genre should not be understated. Melton co-founded and played lead guitar for the late 60’s psychedelic juggernaut Country Joe and the Fish, best known for the famous perversion of their own “f-i-s-h” chant at Woodstock. Melton celebrates his 64th birthday today.
The Music Court 