The Grateful Dead - 30 Days of the Dead: 2017 Edition

Since 2010, the Grateful Dead through their website has released songs from their vault and celebrated "30 Days of the Dead" each November 1st to the 30th.  The daily song release is in conjunction with a contest that contains a clue as to where each song was recorded the particular tour and venue.  The winner is then entered into a larger drawing for rare and unreleased Grateful Dead music.  While I enjoy listening to the Dead and saw them a number of times between 1988 and 1992, I am by no means a "Deadhead" and cannot pick out the minute details of each performance like other people can.  But I do enjoy listening to the Dead and songs from various shows.  Here is this years track list.

1st - Uncle John's Band

2nd - Easy Wind

3rd - Unbroken Chain

4th - Feel Like a Stranger

5th - China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider

6th - Brown-Eyed Women

7th - Saint of Circumstance

8th - Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo > Franklin's Tower

9th - My Brother Esau > Might As Well

10th - Shakedown Street > Samson and Delilah

11th - Sugaree

12th - The Other One > Stella Blue > The Other One > Sugar Magnolia

13th - Lazy River Road

14th - Shakedown Street

15th - Bird Song

16th - Let Me SIng Your Blues Away

17th - Seastones > Playing in the Band

18th - Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain

19th - Candyman

20th - Picasso Moon

21st - Truckin' > New Speedway Boogie

22nd - Bertha

23rd - Comes A Time

24th - Terrapin Station > Jam

25th - Here Comes Sunshine

26th - Help On the Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower > Jam

27th - So Many Roads

28th - Here Comes Sunshine

29th - Friend of the Devil

30th - The Music Never Stopped

The songs can be downloaded from this location 30 Days of the Dead 2017.  From the Grateful Dead website (www.dead.net), you can access previous years songs as well.

RIP - Pat DiNizio

News came out that lead singer/guitarist/songwriter of the Smithereens Pat DiNizio passed away yesterday at the age of 62.  A product of the New Jersey music founded in Carteret, NJ, I have always described the Smithereens as "Jersey Beatles".  Their music had the melodic sensibility of the Beatles but the power that represented the alt-rock movement of the early 1980's.  I had the opportunity to see the Smithereens twice in concert.  The first, I still described as one of the best concert that I have ever since, was when the Smithereens opened for the Pretenders at Radio City Music Hall in 1987.  The combination of the intimacy of the venue added to the fact that the Smithereens left everything they had on stage gives its illustrious position.  The second time was while I was attending the University of Delaware and they played the school's field house and instead of assembling a stage, they set up in the middle of the basketball court and intermingle with the crowd of about 500-600.  It was a unique experience.  Their first four albums are the groups strongest works and best representation of their sound.  They recorded sporadically in the 2000's, when they did the recorded complete cover of albums that influenced them "Meet the Beatles", "Tommy" and "B-Sides and the Beatles".  The last studio album of new material was "Smithereens 2011" released in the same year.

Rest in Peace - Pat and thank you for your contribution to music.

Live - Songs from Black Mountain

Songs from Black Mountain was released in 2006 and was the 7th and last album to feature the original band line-up.  The album is a far cry from the first two releases Mental Jewelry and Throwing Copper.  Where those two album established Live as a premier "alternative rock" band, Songs From Black Mountain comes across as an "alternative lite" where Ed Kowalczyk exerts even more influence on the bands direction musically and lyrically.  Ed was always the lyric force within the band and his lyrics always had a religious/spiritual overtone to it and those theme continue on this album.  In addition to those themes, Ed has added an intensely anti-war message throughout as well.  Musically the album is weak and uninspiring, consisting mostly of acoustic, ballads or mid-tempo full electric with orchestration enhancing the tracks.  The song "The River" was the alone single from the album and by 2006 radio and Mtv/VH1 had moved to new platforms and genres as that there was no audience The band presented the album "as a back to basics" but it is not "a return form" which is unfortunate.  In 2009, it was announced that the band would go on a two-year hiatus but it eventually became a break up of the band.  The band reformed minus Kowalczyk in 2012 and released one album with him in 2014.  In late 2016, it was announced that Ed would be returning to band and that they would be touring throughout 2017 with a possible new album in 2018.  You can hear Songs from Black Mountain here: Live - Songs from Black Mountain

Yes - House of Yes: Live at the House of Blues

House of Yes was recorded on Halloween 1999 and the band was touring in support of its most recent release "The Ladder".  In its history, membership in Yes has always been on a rotating basis except for Chris Squire.  The line-up for this tour included Jon Anderson (Vocals), Chris Squire (Bass/Backing Vocals), Steve Howe (Guitars/Backing Vocals), Alan White (Drums), and relative newcomer Billy Sherwood (Guitars/Backing Vocals) who joined the band on the 1996 release "Open Your Eyes" and would be the handpicked replacement for Chris Squire upon his passing to assume his bass duties, and "newbie" Igor Khoroshev (Keyboards).  The set-list for this concert tour include 5 songs from "The Ladder", Homeworld (The Ladder), Lightning Strikes, The Messenger, Face to Face, and It Will Be a Good Day (The River).  The remaining tracks are their greatest hits from their back catalog.  In comprising the set, the band wisely interspersed newer songs around the older ones, this way they kept up the momentum in the show which is what usually does not happen when a new album is being represented.  Usually when new material is performed, the audience traditionally sits down in their seats and takes the proverbial "air out of the show".  The performance at the House of Blues was simultaneously released on DVD and it included the complete show.  For the CD release, "Closer to the Edge" and "Hearts" from 90125 were omitted.  Of their greatest hits, "Long Distance Roundaround/The Fish", "Heart of the Sunrise" and "Siberian Khartu" were not played.  Additionally, Yes did not go "deep into the catalog" for this tour as they would in subsequent tours.  The album can be purchased here either physically or digitally Yes - House of Yes: Live from the House of Blues

Extreme - Take Us Alive

Take Us Alive was recorded at the House of Blues in Boston, MA and was the last stop of the reunion tour of the same name.  The band reunited in 2007 to record their 5th studio album, Saudades of Rock, which was released in 2008.  Extreme was one of those bands who were victims of their success as far as having two Top 5 singles which were a departure sonically from the rest of the songs on the accompanying album.  Extreme's sound has been described as funk/rock/glam but the songs which received airplay and rotation on Mtv were acoustic based "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted" and people were surprised by Extreme's "real sound".  I remember in college people commenting that they thought "Hole Hearted" was performed by The Alarm and not Extreme.  All this being said, for a band that endured two hiatuses they still play with a high level of proficiency and vocalist Gary Cherone's voice has not diminished to where he could not reach the higher register within the songs.  The 17 tracks on the CD take a little bit from every release and give a well rounded representation of their catalog.  A good of the tracks are "stretched out" into extended jams which highlight the bands musical prowess.  Take Us Alive is better than any of the compilation albums which have been previously released and is worth a listen.  The album can be purchased here: Extreme - Take Us Alive.

Jack Bruce & Robin Trower - Seven Moons

After the 2005 Cream reunion, Jack Bruce wanted to continue on with his power-trio mates who, unfortunately, declined.  Not to  be deterred, Jack Bruce recruited Robin Trower with whom he had played with in the early 1980's, added drummer Gary Husband and the result was the album - Seven Moons.  The background of Bruce and Trower are vastly different.  Jack Bruce, as played with Cream, is more blues based while Robin Trower has more of a progressive background but the combination works.  From the opening notes of the title, the listener knows that there is something good going on here.  Jack Bruce's voice sounds as vital as ever.  Robin Trower, brings a blues element to his playing that could be compared to Eric Clapton and it would not be an unfair comparison even though the majority of his solo work is not in the blues genre.  Gary Husband's playing rounds out this power trio and while people might think they were duplicating the "Cream formula" but the distinctive stylings of Mr. Trower and Mr. Husband avoid that comparison.  "Just Another Day", "Distant Places of the Heart" and "Perfect Place" are among the standout tracks on this CD.  The trio toured following the release and a follow-up live album was released in 2009 which had tracks from this album and a few Cream tracks included.  Unfortunately, this was the only and last studio release for this trio as Jack Bruce passed away in 2014.

Foo Fighters - Songs from the Laundry Room

Songs from the Laundry Room was originally released as part of Record Store Day in 2015.  For those who are unaware, Record Store Day is an annual promotion to celebrate the remaining independent record stores throughout the country.  There are traditionally exclusive releases on vinyl only available in limited quantities.  Songs from the Laundry Room initially had just 4,000 copies made available and included three songs; two were demos  from the Foo Fighters original release and one unreleased song from the same period.  Side A included demos of "Alone + Easy Target" and "Big Me".  Side B had the unreleased song "Empty Handed" which, again, was recorded around the same time.  Later in 2015, the Foo Fighters re-released Songs from the Laundry Room as a traditional release, as well as, making available for digital download.  The re-release include the three original songs and a cover of Kim Wilde's "Kids in America".  The EP is still available as a digital download and worth a listen as it gives insight to the origins of the Foo Fighter sound since Dave Grohl played all the instruments on the first album to their most recent release "Concrete & Gold".