Iggy Pop’s validity at being one of Rock’s early children is undisputable.  He has stinted with The Stooges and made several classic albums with that lineup.  He then created one of the most potent pre-punk albums ever made with Raw Power.  After lanquishing for a time, being then resurrected by David Bowie, Iggy Pop went on to show just how great a performer he could be.  Now, some 35 years later, 35 FREAKING YEARS later, this man can STILL show anyone how it’s really done in that molten hot core of creation.

Within the first few songs, Iggy has already sacrificed himself to the audience, launching from the stage and into the hands of the very essence of his craft, the people.  Do I sound like I’m in awe?  You’re bloody right, I am.  Nothing captures the incredible energy that this man puts forth like Live at The Avenue B.

With 21 songs, many of them classic Pop tunes from every era of his career, along with a small dose of covers like “Louie Louie,” and “Shakin’ All Over,” Iggy’s 1999 show from Brussels underscores his unending dance with the ultimate purity of Rock.  In this show, Iggy discourses with the audience, comes into extreme close contact with them (including a swarming of fans on the stage), and powerfully centers the universe at his feet.  He mocks, he adores, he dances, he entertains.  He does all of this in magnificent widescreen and choices of beautifully mixed Stereo, or if you prefer, 5.1 Dolby or DTS.

Iggy Pop IS the Rock’n’ Roll Hall of Fame and Live at The Avenue B easily explains why Iggy is its reigning icon.  I rave not because I’m a fan, which I am.  I rave because this DVD showcases a powerful display of rock n roll, the like of which I have never before seen on DVD.

You owe it to yourself to pick this one up. No shit!

“I’m a product of the paranoia of the age I’m in…” – Avenue B

Release Date: July 19, 2005                                                                  

–Matt Rowe

Audio Fidelity will re-release Nothing’s Shocking, the 1988 debut from Jane’s Addiction in a remastered Gold Disc Edition planned for June 5.

Atlantic Records plan the release of Uncaged by the Zac Brown Band, which is scheduled for July 10.

Atlantic has also scheduled the as yet untitled new album from Flo Rida for July 3.

Hip-O Records will re-release Along Came A Spider, the 2008 SPV/Steamhammer album from Alice Cooper.  It is on the calendar for July 10.

Eagle Rock plan Diamond In The Mind, a 2011 Live set featuring Duran Duran, musically on CD, and visually on DVD and BD (Blu-ray Disc), all planned for July 10.

Mighty Loud Records will release Best In Show by Jackyl on July 31.

Mercury Records has scheduled Handwritten by The Gaslight Anthem for CD and LP on July 24.

Speak Of The Devil  by Ozzy Osbourne is planned for DVD release by Eagle Rock on July 17.  Live At The Checkerboard Lounge 1981featuring Muddy Waters and The Rolling Stones is also planned by Eagle Rock, but on July 10.

Epic and Legacy Recordings will release 12″ vinyl LP of Ozzy Live featuring Ozzy Osbourne with a planned release date of May 22.

Real Gone Music plans It’s A Happening World (1967) by The Tokens to be released on CD on June 26.

Candlelight Records will release Industrialist by Fear Factory on both CD and LP scheduling for June 5.

Mute Records (haven’t heard from these guys in a while) plan the release of The Lost Tapes with music from Can, expected on June 19.

Domino Records will release In Our Heads by Hot Chip on June 12 in both CD and vinyl LP sets.

Fuel Music is releasing Life Will Write The Words by The Rocket Summer on June 5.

Guided By Voices emerge to release Class Clown Spots A UFO on June 12, following their Let’s Go Eat The Factory.  Class Clown Spots A UFO is planned for CD and LP.

Yep Roc Records will release Throw It To The Universe by The Soundtrack Of Our Lives on CD, DD, and LP, all planned for June 26.

Such a long, long path it has traveled.  It’s grown (or side-tracked, depending on your individual point of view).  But one thing is solid, it has remained in our cultural displays for over 50 years.  50 years!!

But one thing that has changed dramatically is how we listen to it.  It used to be an experience all to itself for a long, long time.  We anticipated the arrival of new songs from a band that we loved.  We pored over the album musically and visually.  (Remember how disappointed you were when the album contained little other than the vinyl inside?)  It was played , and played, and played some more.  Many of us didn’t have the greatest stereo equipment to play it back but who cared.  We were listening to songs that we were going to grow to love.

But now, music comes in chunks.  A song is the prize (like it was during the Top40 heydays but those hits led to the album, whereas today really doesn’t, not anymore).

Today, the song has to fit into a playlist, often an emotional playlist.  One for exercising to.   One for driving to.  One for sad times, one for happy times.  One for the current favorites.  But with the availability of cheap disc space (or whatever passes for storage these days), it’s easy to fill up a player, phone, hard-drive, or cloud storage with days of music.

Gone is the experience.  Hello song for the moment.  For the moment because we’re very likely to forget about them in the very near future.  With so many songs available, that’s easy to do.

This can go several directions.  One is the reality that we have moved from the singular music experience of immersing in a new release.  But I’m most interested in a future prediction here.  Like many things, it’s easy to see that in the not too distant future, familiar things are going to disappear.  Manufacturing, overnight deliveries, the way we do business, the way we buy and sell things.  For music, that is also a truth.  Eventually, the production of a disposable song (I hate that term but it’s applicable) will be so cheap that even $0.99 cents is far too expensive to sell it for.  And that certainly isn’t too enticing for the artists of our past to want to pursue, nor would many of them have done so if that was the case.

Fortunately, back then, it wasn’t the case.  Now?  A fast track to reality.

Labels, once they get acceptable pricing figured out, would do well to get back into the business of helping to get us interested in the best of new music.  Yes, the individual bands don’t really need that to get their music out there.  But they need the distributive muscle that comes with a certain kind of directed trust that is still part of the label design today (it really is).

Until some genius comes up with a plan to be that (labels are closest to it, and streaming and iTunes are farthest away), we’re in a stagnant musical atmosphere, where a trusted source is the gate-keeper of great new music.  But then, how long will we be appreciative of a band or song once directed to them?

I wonder how long Rock and Roll has to live if every song is is too fleeting, leaving behind no footprint.

I really wonder.

In addition to my second run-in with a hacker who installed some kind of redirect, breaking all of my links, I am in the midst of selling my house.  That alone is a trying experience with the “do this – do that” prepping for an impending sale.  It’s a lot to occupy your mind with.

And I’m so far behind with a series of excellent reviews, and other things.

Just a quick note.

For many of you, there isn’t an unattached anecdote or story to some of Walsh’s Top40 hits released in the ’70s that you can’t recall easily enough.  You’ll remember “Rocky Mountain Way”, and “Walk Away”.  There’s “Life’s Been Good”, and “Turn To Stone”.  And there is now new Joe Walsh for those that have waited to hear some good old-fashioned Rock, the kind that we know that Joe Walsh can bring to life.

His new album, Analog Man, is slated for release on June 5.  It’s been a LONG 20 years since Joe’s last, Songs For A Dying Planet (1992).  20 years.  And we get to point you to a fairly private link to a live video of a song off that album, “Lucky That Way”.  Enjoy the video.  Also, enjoy the private SoundCloud link for a pure audio stream of the song.

What do you think?  Still Joe Walsh?  Still rockin’?

Photo by Andrew Macpherson

Reprise Records will release an LP set of Americana from Neil Young & Crazy Horse.  The 2LP, 180g set will be released on July 10.

Razor & Tie Records will release The Duke from Joe Jackson on June 26.

Columbia Records will release Swingin’ Into the 21st by Wynton Marsalis on June 19.

Columbia Records will release Set List Electric by Miles Davis on June 26.

The Record Store Day exclusive 2LP release of The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends will be released as a CD on June 26 via Warner Brothers.

LA’s White Arrows will release Dry Land Is Not A Myth via Turnout Records scheduling for June 19.

Concord Records have Green Onions (1962) by Booker T & The MGs available on CD planned for July 24.

Century Media will release City of Vultures from Rise To Remain on June 5.

Classic New Release plans to issue The Ravi shankar Collection featuring the world’s best known sitar player, Ravi Shankar.  It is scheduled for May 22.

Legacy with RCA Records will release The RCA Albums Collection, a boxed set featuring none other than Sam Cooke.  This is on the calendar for June 19.

Legacy Recordings along with Epic Records plan the box set release of The Complete Stanley Clarke 1970s Epic Albums Collection.  It, too, is planned for June 19.

Other June 19th Legacy-reissued Box set albums collections include Complete Albums from John Denver (RCA); the Complete RCA Albums Collection from Paul Desmond; George Duke: The Complete Epic Albums Collection (Epic); The Complete Stan Getz Columbia Albums (Columbia); The Complete Columbia Albums Collection from Dexter Gordon; Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia – 1933-1944; Complete Albums Collection featuring Judas Priest; Complete Albums Collection from Kansas; The Classic Albums Collection from Electric Light Orchestra (ELO);  The Complete Original Mahavishnu Orchestra Columbia albums Collection; The Complete Columbia Albums Collection featuring the music of Return To Forever; A Woody Shaw collected The Complete Columbia Albums Collection; Complete Albums Collection from Wayne Shorter; Complete RCA Albums Collection from Nina Simone; The Complete Albums Collection of Washington Grover, Jr; and The Complete Weather Report/The Jaco Years – Columbia Albums Collection.

Real Gone Music will release The Complete Reprise Singles featuring the music of Electric Prunes, planned for June 26.  The label will also release A Retrospective: 1962-1970 featuring the collected music of The New Christy Minstrels, also on June 26.

Real Gone Music also have five Dick’s Picks featuring the live performances of The Grateful Dead on the calendar for June 26.  Those include Volume 27: Oakland Coliseum Arena – 12/16/92; Volume 28: Pershing Municipal Auditorium – 02/26/73, and Salt Palace – 02/28/73; Volume 29; Volume 30: NY Academy of Music – 03/25 & 28/72; Volume 31: Philadelphia Civic Center – 08/4-5/74, and Roosevelt Stadium – 08/06/74.

Yes, it is getting old, quite old as a matter of fact.  And quite unsettling.

While my hosting company finds a resolution (which I doubt will happen), I might as well seek out different hosting to better protect myself…and the legacy of TAP.

Hang in there while we navigate this turbulent waters all over again.

When the ’80s moved in with its completely varied sounds, some said that Rock and Roll had seen its better years.  I have often disagreed with that assessment.  As far as I’m concerned, music took on a new coat and left behind another enduring era that is beloved by the youth of that period (I was already headed toward 30 by 1985).  I, like the younger crowd, was deeply moved by the stuff that emerged and loved it just as much.

I’ll throw something out here for us to pore over.  The Jam, which really got going strong in the late ’70s until their demise around 1982, rode the coattails of the punk scene.  But like many bands proclaiming to be punk, the real musical intent crept out soon enough in their later albums.  Still, in time, Paul Weller shifted his attention to The Style Council.  The Style Council crafted a diversity of music in their years together, little of which bore any resemblance to anything The Jam produced.

Another.  I ran across a reference to Klaus Nomi, a unique singer from the late ’70s working into the ’80s, who produced music that most would be surprised to hear.  In fact, most might be repelled by the stuff the pop operatic created.  I was fascinated by the music, and not just by Klaus Nomi, who created covers of “Lightning Strikes”, and “Ding Dong (The Witch Is Dead)”, as well as resilient tunes like “Total Eclipse”, “Simple Man”, and “You Don’t Own Me”.  Released on RCA Records, his albums were fun and delightful.  My daughter, at three years of age, adored the Nomi-covered “Ding Dong (The Witch Is Dead)” and had me playing it to her heart’s content.  But I digress.

There was a very large collection of bands birthed in the ’80s.  The list can grow quite long.  We haven’t even brought up the wealth of hard rock bands like Cinderella, Ratt, …Twisted Sister.  There was Springsteen, R.E.M., Simple Minds, and U2 really came into their own during this time-frame.  Then, of course, the Pop singers.  Rod Stewart, Michael Jackson,   There was a lot of music from the ’80sOf course, many of the bands from the ’70s were still around.  But by then, they were being overshadowed on the hits parade by the newer bands.  New groups adopted five times as many musical styles within the framework of their music to create relevancy then.

A day ago, I was listening to several tracks from Klaus Nomi (because of the reference that I ran across), and I began to think about the influence of the ’80s.  With its vast musical soundscape, the bands of the ’80s may have been the most experimental within the ranks of Rock and Roll.  And having been so, the ’80s might even be construed as Rock’s shining period.

Today, Rock and Roll is even more varied than ever before, more so than the ’80s.  But something has happened to dilute that, a topic that we’ll approach later in another article.  For today, let’s keep it in the realm of Rock before the New Millennium.

What is the common thread of thought here concerning the legacy of Rock and Roll through the ’80s?  Did the ’80s produced the greatest splash of Rock and Roll since its birth?  Or was it perfected in the ’70s?  In the ’60s?  ’50s?

If you choose to comment – and you’re encouraged – use all of the examples that you desire, praise or otherwise.

For your entertainment, “Ding Dong (The Witch Is Dead)” by Klaus Nomi on YouTube:

You’re likely to be there for a long time…a very, very long time.

The powers that be give you the choice of ONE – only one – album to sustain you during your long seclusion.

What’s it gonna be?

Community Music have Here coming from Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros on May 29 in both CD and LP.

Fans of Ziggy Stardust, that fantastic alter-ego of David Bowie found in The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust, might be happy to know that there is a 2012 remaster for the album planned for June 5 in both LP and CD forms.

Red will release Big Moon Ritual from the Chris Robinson Brotherhood in both LP and CD with a calendar date of June 5.

Anti Records plan the release of Rhythm and Repose from Glen Hansard on June 19 in both CD and LP formats.

Zoë Records will release the latest album from Mary Chapin Carpenter called Ashes and Roses, which is planned for June 12.

Caroline Records will release vinyl LP and CD of Oceania, the latest from The Smashing Pumpkins, scheduled for June 19.

Columbia Records will issue Days Go By from The Offspring on June 26.

Mom & Pop Music will release Synthetica from Metric on June 12.

Discques Hive plans the release of the fifth album from The Hives, this one named Lex Hives.  It’s scheduled for June 5.

XL Recordings will release The Bravest Man In the Universe by Bobby Womack on June 12 in both LP and CD formats.

Decca Records plan the release of Legacy featuring David Garrett on June 5.

429 Records offer Blues Traveler‘s Suzie Cracks the Whip on June 26.

Relapse Records will offer CD and LP versions of  Yellow & Green by Baroness with a scheduled date of July 17.

Geffen Records will re-release Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II on vinyl LP with a planned release date of June 5 for the Guns ‘n’ Roses albums.

PiL gets music on This Is PiL, scheduled for May 29.

Eagle Records will release Diamond In the Mind from Duran Duran on July 10.

One of our favorite labels, Dead Oceans, plan the release of There’s No Leaving Now from The Tallest Man On Earth, scheduled for June 12.

Watch for LP and CD versions of Living Like A Runaway from Lita Ford on June 19.

Cleopatra Records will release CD and LP versions of Hollywood Forever, the newest from L.A. Guns, with a planned date of June 5.

Megaforce Records will release American Made from BoDeans on June 12.

Cherry Red Records plans the release of  Life Within A Day by Squakett, the dual hybrid featuring Steve Hackett and Chris Squire.  Should be pretty spectacular.  Planned for July 10!

Mobile Fidelity plan the Original Master Recording remaster of Chicago 17 by Chicago, for release on June 19.

And to close it out, I offer the cover shot of the upcoming new Patti Smith album, Banga (which is planned for release on June 5).