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Kanye West, John & Yoko, Kings of Leon. Plus Bob Woodward and Russell Crowe

11/30/2010

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ALBUMS

KANYE WEST’S “MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY” (Roc-A-Fella)

√ Bob Recommended

When I first interviewed West shortly after the release of “The College Dropout” in 2004, he spoke about his music and career goals with a passion and ambition that reminded me of my early meetings with Bruce Springsteen and Bono. After listening to so many young artists who weren’t aiming for anything more than a hit record, it was inspiring to hear these young men in their 20s talk about higher creative dreams. As West showed in such tracks as the landmark “Jesus Walks” on that first album, he wanted, first of all, to show you can still connect with a contemporary hip-hop audience by speaking about life and community in the tradition of Curtis Mayfield and other R&B commentators from the 1960s and 1970s. But he also wanted to elevate—or, some might say, liberate—rap by expanding its sonic barriers to include anything that entered his imagination, be it a string section or prog-rock. The following year, West made the album, “Late Registration,” that lived up to both goals and established him as one of the most important figures ever in hip-hop. How could you not believe in someone who could make a track as entertaining as “Gold Digger” and then strike back with “Crack Music,” a statement of inner-city despair as powerful as anything James Brown or Marvin Gaye ever delivered? While West aimed for new heights on his next two albums, neither achieved the growth that the first two promised, “Fantasy” is the one that most fully achieves the growth of tnot only recaptures the early brilliance, but it also extends it. The raps are smart, provocative, funny and revealing—touching on matters as diverse as his own celebrity, the complexity of relationships and the nation’s cultural values and division. Employing, seemingly, a cast of thousands (including musicians, rappers and producers), several tasty samples (Mike Oldfield to Gil Scot-Heron) and stylish musical touches (electro-rock to old-school funk); he delivers an album filled with both sweeping grandeur and deep-rooted intimacy. It’s complex, yet remarkably accessible. A modern classic.

 

JOHN LENNON AND YOKO ONO’S “DOUBLE FANTASY/STRIPPED DOWN” (Capitol)

√ Bob Recommended

When "Double Fantasy" won a Grammy for album of the year following John’s death a quarter century ago, some privately felt that the vote was largely in tribute rather than an endorsement of the album itself. Now that time has passed, it may be easier to look at the actual merits of the work—and this package gives us two ways to examine the music. First, there is the original album, which contained such sweet, wistful tracks as “(Just Like) Starting Over” and “Watching the Wheels,” and it’s a warm, disarming work. It contains a charm and honesty that is so powerful in places that it may bring a tear to Lennon fans’ eyes. Secondly, there is a “stripped down” version which is even more powerful in many ways. In remixing the original album, Yoko and producer Jack Douglas eliminated much of the musical embroidery of "Double Fantasy," thus placing greater emphasis on John’s vocals. This gives the album a more immediate and urgent tone. To some extent, Yoko and Douglas have done the reverse of what John once did himself. After his brilliant, but stark “Plastic Ono Band” didn’t become as big a hit as he had hoped, John returned to the studio with new songs that reflected many of the same themes. This time he added some musical embroidery—“chocolate” he called it—to make the subsequent album more accessible. And, sure enough, the “Imagine” album was a commercial smash. In stripping away the embroidery of "Double Fantasy," Yoko and Douglas take away some of the accessibility of the album, but the added emotional force will be treasured by John and Yoko fans.

  

KINGS OF LEON’S “COME AROUND SUNDOWN” (RCA)

Outstanding band comes up short

This band is one of the decade’s best rock arrivals—one that reflects much of the ambition, passion and craft of the great groups from earlier decades. One shared element between the Kings and their predecessors is wanting to make substantial music and reach a mass audience. Caleb Followill’s voice captures the yearning, questioning and optimism of youth in a way that transcends eras, and the guitar touches highlight consistently tasty, alluring arrangements. That said, the Tennessee-based quartet’s latest album too often feels scattered and uncertain. The earnestness and ambition is still there, especially in “Back Down South,” “Birthday” and the boozy “Mi Amigo.” Yet too many songs seem a step slow—emotionally—in ways that suggest the U2-influenced outfit never quite found just whatthey were looking for in the studio.

 

BOOKS

BOB WOODWARD’S “OBAMA’S WARS”

√ Bob Recommended

From “All the President’s Men” to “Bush at War,” Woodward has chronicled the frustratingly complex and often wildly clumsy ways of Washington with a tenacity that has earned him remarkable access to the men and women who wield the power.  His books have been uneven—sometimes truly revealing, other times merely detailed. Here, he lets us sit in on the give-and-take between the President, his aides and the country’s military leaders as Obama tries to figure out the course he wants to take in Afghanistan and Pakistan. At times, the principals go over the same issues so many times that you feel he’s accidently repeated a section. But that’s the nature of the process. The unnerving thing is that after all the meetings and the final decision, there’s still a sense that no one is quite sure of whether the path is correct. Insightful book.

 

MOVIES

“THE NEXT THREE DAYS”

Not what we or Russell Crowe needed

After that stinker “Robin Hood,” Crowe needed something truly substantial to begin winning back the confidence of movie fans and he turned to a gifted writer-director in Paul Haggis (“Crash” and “Million Dollar Baby”) for help, but Haggis doesn’t deliver for him. The movie is dreadfully slow in places and ludicrous in others—two qualities that you want to avoid at all costs if you are trying to make a tense, psychologically-driven jailbreak movie. At the core of the story, Crowe’s world is torn apart when his wife, Elizabeth Banks, is arrested for a murder she may or may not have committed. After exhausting all legal means trying to free her, he decides to try to break her out of jail. The idea is so goofy that audiences will surely sympathize with the startled Banks when she asks, in effect, after learning of his plan, if he’s lost his mind.        

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BOOKS, ALBUMS and MORE

11/23/2010

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BOOKS

KEITH RICHARDS’ “LIFE” (with James Fox)

√ Bob Recommended

This book is everything you hoped for and more. Keith has not only produced some of the most sensual and exciting music of the rock ‘n’ roll era, but he has been a symbol for everything that was enticing and alarming about the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. In more than 550 pages, he strives to tell us the things about his colorful life that we want to know—both the tabloid-ish things and the moments of musical invention.  The 60s and 70s decades were such a dangerous time for Richards that it’s amazing how he survived the drug-fueled, renegade path he took. We hear about the good and dark times with Brian Jones, Anita Pallenberg and the rest of the celebrated Stones extended family. Crucially, he speaks candidly about his up and down relationship with Mick Jagger—how he felt Jagger would feel threatened and try to sabotage any friendships Keith tried to build apart from him. But he also keeps reminding us of his passion for music, and shares the creation of such Stones landmarks as “Satisfaction,” “Honky Tonk Women” and “Start Me Up” and more. Ultimately, Richards emerges from the years of self-destruction and he discovers it’s a pretty good place to be. He finds saneness and love (with model Patti Hansen) and delights in being a family man. By the end of the book, he’s so relaxed and down to earth that he’s even sharing his recipe for bangers and mash. This isn’t, however, just the tale of a survivor. It’s the story of a man who realizes all that he has to be thankful for and, in the final pages of the book; he comes across as a sensible, humble and loyal. Richards moves beyond the image to share a piece of himself.  “Life” is revealing, intimate, engaging and most surprising, even a bit sweet.

 

ALBUMS

ELVIS COSTELLO’S “NATIONAL RANSOM” (Hear Music)

√ Bob Recommended

Rock ‘n’ roll’s second great man named Elvis has made a couple dozen albums since the classic “My Aim Is True” in the late 1970s.  It sometimes feels like he’s made twice that many because he has packed so many images and ideas into every collection. Not everything has worked in recent years, but this time he’s again in top form. There’s such fury in the opening track that you could picture him listening to his old, high-energy gem “Pump It Up” before stepping into the studio to record it. Besides a solid, thoughtful body of songs, some of which speak to the national psyche, the album benefits from employing several of the musical styles that have interested the Englishman over the years, including music hall. Another inspired piece in producer T Bone Burnett’s remarkable, growing legacy.

 

MUMFORD & SONS’ “SIGH NO MORE” (Glassnote)

√ Bob Recommended

If you like the Avett Brothers (and you should) or Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (and you should), this English quartet is mining much of the same musical soil. There’s a rustic, country, folk, even bluegrass spirit flowing through the tracks, along with a winning youthful optimism that is underscored in the title track, when they declare, “Love, it will not betray, dismay or enslave you / It will set you free.” But, rest assured, the band touches on enough dark or melancholy moments to keep the music rooted in reality. The good news here is the album has found an audience in the U.S. “Sign No More” has been on the Billboard charts for more than half the year.

 

MOVIES

“MORNING GLORY”

Slight, but Rachel McAdams is terrific

This charming, but light tale of an ambitious young TV executive’s attempts to try to pump life into a stale morning TV show (and her own workaholic existence) is much more entertaining than its 57 score on www.metacritic.com would suggest. The story itself has the stale aura of week-old bread, but Rachel McAdams is winning in every scene, whether she’s asked to do slapstick or to touch us with tenderness. It’s an example of perfect casting and an actress finding her voice on the screen. Diane Keaton, Harrison Ford and Jeff Goldblum also respond well in supporting roles. For those expecting something daring and or revolutionary, “Morning Glory” may be annoying. For its quiet pleasures, however, the film is a warm, unexpected treat.

 

“UNSTOPPABLE”

Clichés collide with furious action

This action-drama comes roaring down the tracks with such speed and force that the first hour just sweeps you away even though you know director Tony Scott is going to eventually run out of energy and dynamic shots. And sure enough things sputter for a while until Scott regains his touch and things start roaring again in the film’s final minutes. The runway train is such a menacing force that it could be a nominee for best villain if there was an Oscar category. There are too many clichés in the story (starting with the pairing of a grizzly railroad veteran with a new kid on the job) to make the film more than a simple popcorn diversion, but on the action scenes are sometimes stunning.

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Reflections on "Darkness on the Edge of Town"

11/16/2010

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REFLECTIONS


    BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S “DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN” (Columbia)

    The release of the spectacular “Darkness on the Edge of Town” boxed set retrospective is being greeted with the same kind of excitement that the original album generated in 1978—which is remarkable on several levels. How few times in pop music history has an album had the feel of a landmark the day it was released and to still demonstrate the same brilliance more than a quarter century later when it is being heard in a vastly different social and cultural climate.

    In my 2009 memoir “Corn Flakes with John Lennon,” I describe in detail the thrill of hearing the album for the first time in the late spring of 1978 and recall an interview a few years later with Bruce where he described what he felt was an obsession with music in the 1970s that was so extreme that he virtually cut himself off from other things that eventually proved important in his own search for happiness. The following graphs appeared in slightly different for in the book.—Robert Hilburn

 

HEARING “DARKNESS” FOR THE FIRST TIME.

    Bruce’s “Born to Run” album in 1975 was such a bold, inspiring work that it made you believe once again in rock ‘n’ roll and rock ‘n’ roll heroes at a time when so many early rock stars had either self-destructed or compromised their art and new rock bands were sterile. As a relatively new pop music critic at the Los Angeles Times, I was especially thrilled because I just loved the music and I felt Bruce had such ambition and passion that he could set a leadership tone in rock for years.

      In the three years before “Darkness,” however, I began to worry about him. Two dangerous career traps face anyone gifted and lucky enough to deliver an album as transformational as “Born to Run.” First, you may want to hold on to the newfound popularity so badly that you end up repeating yourself the next time out. The second danger stems in part from becoming preoccupied with avoiding the first: You are so determined to ‘grow’ that you end up moving too far from your strengths.

    Bruce also faced a third challenge in the lengthy period leading up to “Darkness”—a fierce legal battle for control of his career. Even though he won the lawsuit against his former manager, he could have come away from the experience so battered emotionally that he lost touch with the uplifting message that fueled his creative impulses. Creativity is delicate—more than the result of someone’s emotional makeup than sheer craftsmanship.

      I thought about these dangers the day my advance copy of “Darkness” arrived. My teenage so, Rob, loved “Born to Run” as much as I did and he wanted to listen to the new record with me, but I wanted to listen to it alone. I didn’t want anything coloring my judgment. Once I closed the door in my office at home, I waited several minutes before putting the LP on the turntable. I felt that so much was riding on Bruce that I was afraid of being disappointed. I had to go all the way back to Elvis Presley’s early singles to remember being so apprehensive about hearing a new record. In the 1950s, I was such a big fan that I wanted every new Elvis record to be exciting enough to go to No. 1—to prove that Elvis was still the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

     In Bruce’s case, I loved the way he lifted the sights and spirits of the rock audience. Selfishly, I wanted Bruce to deliver a great album because it meant I could look forward to several years of writing about someone who mattered.  I didn’t want to spend that time writing about disco, heavy metal or the Captain & Tennille, and I’m not joking. Though there seem to be lots of appealing acts in rock at any given time, the gap between the good and the very best is enormous, and no one was spreading the rock ‘n’ roll gospel with the conviction and punch of Springsteen.

    When I finally played the album, I picked up right away on the traces of optimism, a holdover from “Born to Run.” As the album progressed, however, I became more intrigued by the expressions of hardship. This was new, ambitious territory for Bruce. He pointed to what stood between people on the edges of society and their dreams. In the title track, he rejected one of rock’s underlying themes by saying that the victories of youth may not—probably will not—be permanent. This made Bruce’s mythical darkness on the edge of town even more threatening than the backstreets of “Born to Run.”

    I listened to the album twice and I had my answer, but I was in my early 30s. I wondered what teenage fans might think. Would they resist moving from the romanticism of “Born to Run” to the somberness of “Darkness”? I asked Rob to listen to it, and then left him alone so I wouldn’t give away my feelings. I paced around until the office door opened.  When he appeared, I could see the answer in his face. He, too, was enthralled.

     I spoke with Bruce in Minneapolis at the opening of the “Darkness” tour and he was much more secure when talking about himself and his music than he had been in the days before “Born to Run.”  Sitting in an arena dressing room minutes after the concert, he said he was grateful for the loyalty of his audience during the three years between albums. “When I was off, I never felt lost about what I was trying to do,” he said. “The great thing now is to go out there every night and see those kids and get that kind of response. It’s like something special with that crowd. In a way, I like to think I was off three years and they were off three years. It’s like they were rooting for you. There’s a little extra thing that’s there now. It’s just a little more satisfying.”

    There were still dozens of fans waiting outside the arena when Bruce later stepped through the backstage door and headed for the tour bus. One kid called out to him. When Bruce turned his way, the boy said he was also from New Jersey, and he asked for Bruce’s autograph. “From Jersey, eh?’ Bruce said as he signed the fan’s concert ticket. “Hey,” the youngster said, “you talk just like you sing.” Bruce looked at him and gave his nervous, but disarming laugh. “Well, it is me up there, you know.”

     That bond was at the heart of Bruce’s music and passion; it’s what made fans want to follow him from city to city to see the shows, knowing that each night would be different. This wasn’t a case of someone figuring out the most effective set list and then repeating the songs in the same order and with the same arrangements night after night. This was a living exchange, highlighted by Bruce’s stories between songs. I though inspiration was rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest quality, and one reason Bruce fascinated me was that he made that inspiration the central theme of his music. He saw himself, his band and his audience as part of a community; a brotherhood of true believers—and he vowed to hold that community together.

AND ON BRUCE’S FINDING FAMILY

          One of the most striking things about the “Darkness” documentary included in the new boxed set is Bruce’s single-minded focus on his music—a dedication which seemed to leave little room for anything else.  Thinking about that now, it reminded me of why “Living Proof,” a song on the “Lucky Town” album, is for me the single most powerful song Bruce ever wrote because it marks the day he moved fully in his personal life from the isolation of the “Darkness” years to the day when he fulfilled his search for the love of his own family. Here’s another section from “Corn Flakes” that addresses that remarkable change in Bruce.

 

      Bruce’s retreat from the front lines of rock ‘n’ roll following his divorce and the breakup of the E Street Band was as dramatic—and as necessary—as John Lennon’s house-husband period and Bob Dylan’s disappearance after his motorcycle accident in the 1960s. It was a time for mending and renewal. Above all, he wanted the relationship with Patti Scialfa to work. The first of their three children, Evan James, was born in the summer of 1990, and the couple was married the following June.

      Bruce eventually began to work on what would be a two-album project, and we got the first glimpse of the new music at two benefit concerts for the Christic Institute, a public-interest law firm, in late 1990 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was a key moment for Bruce because his fans were demanding to know how all the changes in his personal life had affected his music. A lesser artist might have retreated into the safety of his best-known numbers, but Bruce respected his audience and his art too much. He knew he had to address the issue of change in the show. I saw the first signal of Bruce’s intent in his dress—he had his shirttail hanging over his faded jeans rather than sporting the suits he had favored on the “Tunnel of Love” tour. I sensed that the old Bruce was back.

        When I sat down with him for his first print interview in four years, I asked him to comment on the emotions behind “Living Proof,” which was about his joy of becoming a father and finally filling that long-aching void of family. He replied, “I tried Patti’s patience pretty regularly. I think I was just trying to re-find myself and dig up the guts to try to move ahead, and I was having a hard time doing that. “Living Proof” is about the birth of our first son. It was just this unbelievable feeling of conditional sort of love for Patti and the baby.

      “It was probably the single most powerful thing I ever felt, and I understood why I ran from it for so long, because along with it came this enormous fear, probably the fear of loss, the fear of showing your cards, admitting something is that important to you and that you can’t have it unless you show yourself,” he continued. “Part of it is you are with somebody who makes you feel safe enough to do that, and Patti just gave me that particular confidence.”

     Bruce often used interviews to clarify his feelings about himself and his music. But I never sensed it more than I did on this June, 1992 afternoon in Hollywood, as he spoke in his slow, thoughtful way during breaks in rehearsal with his new band. As he leaned forward on a lounge sofa, he wanted to explain why something had gone wrong in his life, which was hard for someone who was obsessed with doing things right.

      “When I was young, I truly didn’t think music had any limitations,” he said. “I thought it could give you everything you wanted in life, and music did that for me—more than I had ever dreamed of. But you eventually get to a point where you realize there are other things you need…things that music can’t give you. That’s when you have to put down the guitar and step into the real world.”

        Some artists find it difficult to speak about moments of doubt and insecurity, but Bruce felt that being open and honest was part of his bond with his fans. “I just kind of felt lost for a while after the ‘Tunnel of Love’ tour,” he said. “I went through the divorce, and anybody who has been through that knows it is tough. You lose a lot of faith in yourself and your ability to connect with people.”

       Bruce frequently stopped and tugged at his shirt or rubbed his hands together.

      “The point is, everything about you doesn’t grow at the same pace,” he continued. “You can become very capable in a certain area, even to the point of doing something so well that you are heavily rewarded and everybody applauds and tells you that you are great. But you can be completely unable at the same time to function in almost every other way. In my case, I wrote a lot about community and relationships, yet personally I lived very internally. But eventually you notice that your friends are started to get married and you even see some of the fans at the shows have kids on their shoulders, and you feel you are missing something important in your life. That’s when you have to see if you can live up to the words in some of your own songs. For me, that step took almost ten years.”       

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Taylor Swift, The Avett Brothers, Elvis, Dylan and Robert and Zack

11/10/2010

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ALBUMS

TAYLOR SWIFT’S “SPEAK NOW” (Big Machine)

Not a fan.

    Measured against Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and other teen favorites of the last decade, Swift is a major advance. For one thing, she tries to actually say something in her songs. Plus, she’s got a fabulous touch for big, sweeping, hit-bound choruses. But she starts running into trouble when higher standards are applied. The strength of the songs, until now, is that they have been built around stories that are easy for young hearts to embrace. In trying to show she’s almost 21, she attempts to give the stories a bit more edge, but they still seem juvenile. There are lots of complaints in the songs, but precious little insight. Is there a respected songwriter in America who would begin a song with these lines, “Words can break someone into a million pieces, but they can also put them back together”? In the end, we are just left with the swooping choruses.  The big X factor here is her youth. Maybe she can begin showing depth as she gets older, but I think the odds are against her. I’d love to hear someone with the promise of a young Patsy Cline or Dolly Parton or Emmylou Harris. At this point, Swift seems little more than the country-pop daughter of the relatively soulless Shania Twain.

 

THE AVETT BROTHERS’ “Live, Volume 3” (American)

√ Bob Recommended

    This rootsy Americana-based band from North Carolina’s major label debut, “I and Love and You,” was one of the most memorable  albums of 2009 and this follow-up gives us a chance to hear some of that music live (including the exquisite title tune) as well as catch up with some of the band’s inviting earlier tunes. They come with the weighty stamp of approval of producer Rick Rubin and it’s easy to see why he signed the Avetts to his American label. There is a fresh, endearing spirit to the music that makes it seem both comforting and inspiring. “Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise” is the title of one of the group’s older tunes, but it conveys nicely the sense of youthful optimism and awakening that is at the heart of the Avetts’ musical vision.

 

ELVIS PRESLEY’s “VIVA ELVIS: THE ALBUM” (RCA/Legacy)

Beware.

     Yes, it’s Elvis voice on this album, but that’s about the only thing that it has going for it. “Viva ELVIS” was put together by Legacy Recordings and the folks behind “Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil,” the stage show at ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The idea was to have some record producers (including Brendan O’Brien) and contemporary musicians surround Elvis’s vocals with aggressive new arrangements to give the music a more pulsating, modern sound. The problem isn’t the goal. It would be great to hear Elvis’ music in a re-imagined setting. But these remakes—with touches of everything from punk rock to hip-hop thrown in the mix—are plodding and hollow. The guy sure can sing, though.

 

BOOKS

SEAN WILENTZ’S “BOB DYLAN IN AMERICA” (Doubleday)

√ Bob Recommended

    This history professor and author was practically born to write about Dylan. His family owned a bookstore in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and Wilentz grew up amidst the emerging folk music and beat literature scenes.  He devotes the first 16 pages of the book to growing up in that environment and how seeing Dylan perform at Philharmonic Hall in 1964 kindled an interest in the singer-songwriter that has only intensified over the years.  He has even served as historian-in-residence for Dylan’s official website. He sometimes get a little diffuse in trying to document some of the forces in American culture that influenced Dylan, but the book’s most compelling sections represent showcase the most stimulating and insightful writing ever about rock’s greatest songwriter. The sections devoted to Dylan’s “Time Out of Mind”-“Love and Theft” period are almost breathtaking in the level of imagination and discovery. A must for Dylan admirers.

 

MOVIES

“DUE DATE”

Has its moments

  O.K., O.K., “Due Date” isn’t as good as “The Hangover” or “Planes, Trains and Automobiles," and it’s not as consistently funny as the trailer suggests, but cut the film some slack. Despite the uneventful interludes in the script, Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Galifianakis  struggle gallantly to inject some humor and some pathos into the story of two ill-suited (or so we think) characters pushed together by unlikely circumstance. It’s easy to see how they could have just given up half way through the film and phoned in their parts. But they work in every scene to find a connection to each other and to us—and they frequently succeed. Kudos, too, to the French bulldog.

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    Robert Hilburn

         I was pop music critic and pop music editor of the Los Angeles Times from 1970 through 2005, and am writing books.  A memoir, "Corn Flakes with John Lennon" was published last fall.  The paperback is due in October.  I am now working on a biography.
    Photo by Jeff Amlotte, copyright 2009.

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