Kloghole's 2022 Music List

By Kloghole

It has not been a big year for music for me. I did get out to see the Bay Strikes Back tour with Death Angel, Exodus, and Testament. Good show. We were in the old folk’s balcony, but it was one of the few concerts where we were not subjected to some annoying asshole. Some of my purchases from late 2021 were from the thrash category. I passed, for some reason, on the Judas Priest and Queensryche show in town. I just could not gather the energy to commit to it, despite the constant barrage of Queensryche posts on my Facebook feed.

I think I have have all James McMurtry’s studio albums now. I just got tired of waiting to find the last one in the used bin as a pleasant surprise. I am getting too fucking old to wait for shit anymore. Who knows whether I will be here tomorrow.

I found a 1970s collection in the New Arrivals bin, missing only the 1973 discs. Who does that? Who keeps one fucking disc, or buys one fucking disc when the whole collection is sitting there? Dick move. Basically, I bought it for the roller-skating music. Shit I didn’t like, but unwillingly committed to memory, because it was shit they played at the roller rink or incessantly on the AM radio.

I also found some multiple disc collections of Waylon Jennings. Some of these I only had on tape from my BMG cassette collecting days. Others I was only ever able to track down used on LP. I bought Music Man when it came out on LP, but side B was pressed wonky. By the time it got to “Waltz Across Texas,” it sped up and slowed down like someone was dragging their finger on the platter. Now, when I hear that song, it always has this weird lilt that I hear in it, even with versions not morbidly distorted.

Looking over this list (see below), there are a couple I forgot I had that I should listen to. Lamb of God is a relatively recent acquisition, but Deep Purple completely escaped my memory. There are a few looking back at this list that I want to give a closer listen. I could do without the fucking Bee Gees tune rolling out of my iTunes laptop as I write this review.

It has been a brutal fucking year, as usual. My musically selections this year were neither very deliberate nor organized. I typically do not buy my music new, but wait for it to end up in the used bin. Not sure why. However, this year, I was too fucking tired and defeated to believe I might live long enough to make it back to record store.

I spent the year battling the bedbugs (undoubtedly a “gift” from my stepsister) and mice in the schoolhouse I inherited from my grandmother. I had to invest in a used amp as my $99 RCA amp and tape deck combo from Radio Shack took a crap. I have one of my old phones hooked to it to play classic country, just like the “good ol’ days.” 

At the end of the day, I take off my painter’s onesy, check it for bedbugs, and drink too much whiskey and beer before going to bed. After more than a year, I am still not comfortable spending the night or bringing in anything fabric that may serve as a vehicle for the little fucking hitchhikers.

The dusty looking shit on that board is mostly desiccated bedbug shedded exoskeletons.

Below is a list of albums from the past year (and late 2021) basically in order of acquisition. Hopefully ya’all had a better year than I did, but it is a pretty fucking low bar.

Here’s to the possibility that 2023 does not suck as hard as the past 50 years.

Sweet Dreams Motherfuckers


Death Angel, The Bastard Tracks (2021).

Exodus, Persona non Grata (2021).

Iron Maiden, Senjutsu (2021).

Tab Benoit, Night Train to Nashville.

Motorhead, Everything Louder Forever (Box Set) (2021).

Guy Clark, Guy Clark, The South Coast of Texas, and Better Days.

Ray Wylie Hubbard, Loco Gringos Lament.

Ryan Bingham, Roadhouse Sun.

John Prine, Live at the Other End (2021).

Classic Country (Time Life Box Set).

The Everly Brothers, The Complete US and UK Singles.

The Allman Brothers Band, Filmore West ‘71.

Saxon, Greatest Hits Live, Innocence Is No Excuse, and Carpe Diem (2022).

High on Fire, Blessed Black Wings.

Deep Purple, Phoenix Rising.

Mad Season, Above (Box Set).

Ultimate Seventies.

Waylon Jennings:
    What Goes Around Comes Around
    Music Man
    Black on Black
    Waylon and Company

    Folk Country
    Leavin’ Town
    Waylon Sings Ol’ Harlan
    Nashville Rebel (Soundtrack)
    
    Just to Satisfy You

    It’s Only Rock & Roll
    Never Could Toe the Mark
    Turn the Page
    Sweet Mother Texas

Lucinda Williams, Ramblin’.

Ben Harper, Bloodlines (2022).

Drive-By Truckers, Welcome to Club XIII (2022).

Bad Company, Straight Shooter and Bad Company.

Anthrax, For All Kings.

Michael Monroe, Sensory Overdrive.

Brandi Carlile, In the Canyon Haze (2022).

Lamb of God, Omens (2022).

James McMurtry, It Had to Happen.

Larkin Poe, Blood Harmony (2022).

Dan McCafferty 1946 – 2022

 
By Kloghole

If you cannot immediately recall the resonant cowbell that introduces “Hair of the Dog,” I do not know what to say. Then, the vocals kick in. What a voice. McCafferty’s vocals are iconic.

My earliest recollection of Nazareth is the lyrics, “Now, you’re messin’ with a son-of-a-bitch” blasting out of a boombox in the back of bus returning from a triumphant JV football game. I was not one of the “in” kids, but joined the team for exercise and to let out a little aggression. When I was a senior during one scrimmage with the JV team, I was playing defensive line (at 127 lbs). The guard kept cutting out my knees on running plays, so I decided to go lower. I dropped my helmet to undercut him, but it must have been a passing play. He went down, and I, unimpeded, chased the quarterback until he dumped off the pass. When I went back to the huddle, everyone was asking who hit the guard in the nuts, as he was still writhing around on the ground. I played dumb, but grinned ear to ear under my helmet. They tell us to wear a cup for a reason was my thought.

It was at some point during my graduate work at Oregon that I started collecting dirt cheap LPs. They were a way to try out unfamiliar music without any real investment. For two bucks, I could grab a pre-skull-fracture Hank Williams Jr. without worrying that I blew $8-16 on something rather unexciting. Sifting through the albums in a music store is always overwhelming. I have to find ways to narrow my search, especially if I am pressed for time. One tactic is to stick to the new arrivals. They have a nice randomness in the selection, but perhaps have gems that others have yet to mine. Another tactic is to have an artist that I always wanted to get into their catalog, even though the musician is known to be pretty inconsistent, have limited CD releases, or I have yet to commit to. You head straight to those LP bins and look for specific artists. For some reason, I began digging around for old Nazareth albums.

My first selections may have been a few with the more ominous looking covers like No Mean City and Expect No Mercy. While distinctly different in its tone, the one that sticks out for me, however, is Exercises. I began reading the lyrics for “I Will Not Be Led” and found some surprising complexity and social commentary:

Why want me to believe the word's you read
But I don't believe in what your good book says,
I just believe that when I'm dead, I'm dead.
You say I must repent,
Bow down and show respect,
I am a man and I will not be led.

Another song resonated with my “only luck I have is bad luck” life story, “Woke Up This Morning.” The lyrics are an intentionally tongue-in-cheek hard luck story, but they hit very close to home. There are times in my life where the lyrics are not far off.

This year is one of those years. It is the 10th year since my brother’s house burned down, killing his cat. In the past couple months, I lost both my dogs within a couple weeks of each other. Where I work is in full meltdown, and I have no real idea where I will end up on campus. Students are flocking to me because the other faculty are bigots, assholes, and self-centered fucks. My dean asked me who the students were complaining about. In exasperation, I said, “just about everybody” ... pausing to reflect on what I just said, then repeating ... “yeah, pretty much everybody.” In my program, there are only two people I have not heard complaints about. I am one of those, but I am sure students wouldn’t complain to me about me, but the other one is also, like me, attacked by the bullies in the department.

Listening to Nazareth to reflect on my love for their music, it is one of those bands that helps you get through those tough times. There are songs that resonate with your moods, either to work you up like “Hair of the Dog” or to sympathize with your plight like “Woke Up This Morning.” Other songs like “Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman” remind me of the years that I tried to kill myself either intentionally or unintentionally with alcohol. I look back now with fondness and nostalgia at the time I woke up choking on my own vomit. Ah, those were the days.

One significant aspect that draws me to Nazareth is McCafferty’s voice. Like many bands, the uniqueness of the singer’s voice becomes the trademark of the band. What I find so intoxicating about McCafferty’s voice is that it has a quality to it that is very similar to tone achieved by adding a distortion pedal to guitar. His voice is like the tension and energy created with the heavy metal guitar sound. It both blends with the crunch of the distorted guitars, but stands above them adding additional punch to each song.

We lost an iconic and unforgettable voice when we lost Dan McCafferty. Nazareth is worth digging back into their lesser known albums, if you have the desire. They have a long, varied, and enjoyable catalog. In addition to Exercises, which is a departure from what folks might expect, you can find a “concept” album in Close Enough to Rock N Roll. While “Hair of the Dog”may eclipse most folk’s relationship with Nazareth, there are still some songs that latch onto my brain like “Expect No Mercy.” The chorus just hangs in there, but the song has more of a rolling 1970s vibe. It is one of those songs that McCafferty’s voice lifts into a hooky ear worm. For those of you who are classic country fans, look for Harlan Howard’s “Busted” on the Expect No Mercy album.

I wish I could get myself to sit down with my music like I did when I was drinking a bottle of whiskey a couple days a week and who knows how much cheap beer the rest of the week. Nazareth, like Saxon and others, deserve a bit closer listening. If the mood strikes you, grab a couple of used LPs in the bargain bin. What’s two dollars here or there?

Sweet Dreams Motherfuckers

Dave’s Favorite Music in 2022

By Dave

Here is my list of musical things that have made me happy over the last year.

Thunder Cat, It Is What It Is, album.

Kneebody, Anti-Hero, album.

Velvet Teen, “No Star,” single.

Hiatus Kaiyote, Tiny Desk (Home) Concert NPR 2021.

Faith No More, Angel Dust, album.

Bartee Strange, “Heavy Heart,” single.

Dysrhythmia, Terminal Threshold, album.

Alluvial, Sarcoma, album.

MagruderGrind, self-titled album.

Insect Warfare, World Extermination, album.

Hüsker Dü, Metal Circus, Ep. 

Complete schizophrenia in musical tastes, it will probably take over my actual cognitive function soon enough.

Various Artists, Life Moves Pretty Fast: The John Hughes Mixtapes (Demon, 2022)

By Null

When I first heard there was going to be a John Hughes box set, I pictured a set containing all of his original movie soundtracks in their original forms. I had always loved the soundtracks for the films Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club. I then had a series of questions: Would they be in little facsimiles of the original LPs? How cool would that be? How many movies did John Hughes even make?

My immediate impression was shattered, however, when I learned that the box set was a series of four CDs, or “mixed tapes,” compiling selected tracks from his film made in the 1980s. I looked at the track list and was disgruntled by the fact that, not only were songs not in chronological order, but none of the great instrumental tracks from The Breakfast Club were present. I’m not even sure if they’re “great,” but I am used to them being there. These instrumental tracks are a major part of the listening experience of that album. I then pulled out The Breakfast Club soundtrack and was reminded of the weaker tracks that I often forget even appear on the record. It’s true, not all of John Hughes soundtracks were as solid as Pretty in Pink. As a matter of fact, I only have the two aforementioned soundtracks. Maybe most of them are awful. Do I even want to hear the soundtrack for She’s Having a Baby?

Once I finally got my hands on the box set and started listening, I realized that the people who put this collection together had the right idea. It is a great listen that never really reaches a moment of fatigue, which would undoubtedly happen if one had to sit through the entire litany of soundtracks in their entirety. As far as “mixed tapes” go, each disc has a flow that twists and turns with recognizable favorites and unknown, buried gems that span decades of music. 

This box set is highly recommended. 

And don’t worry, the original Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club soundtracks are both still in print for your listening pleasure. 

Finally, I have a physical copy of that song from National Lampoon’s Vacation. It’s the small things; life moves pretty fast.

Eulogy For a Giant Fucking Talent, Nik Turner

By Jimmy “Explosive Diarrhea” B.

 Do you know what almost never belongs in rock and roll? Saxophones. Like all of my rules and beliefs, there are exceptions. If the sax is played by Bruce Lamont, Dana Colley, or Nik Turner then I can accept it. One of these important sax blowing men, arguably the best of the lot - Nik Turner - died recently.

 I assume that most of the Taint Ticklers know that Nik Turner was one of the original members of Hawkwind where he played sax and flute. His playing wasn't that weak-ass horn blowing of someone like Clarence Clemons. Nik always played jazz. Early Hawkwind had an unusual sound that combined punk, hard rock, and jazz flourishes to create some of the most original progressive rock of the era. It is likely that if Nik had begun his career recording jazz albums he would be regarded as one of the great jazz sax players. He did make jazz albums later in life, although I doubt he sold enough jazz records to keep the lights on. 

 Outside of Hawkwind, Turner played on a bunch of records, sometimes his own projects and sometimes as a guest for other artists. His list of credits is long. I know Turner from four projects, Hawkwind, his solo jazz recordings, his solo space-rock albums, and a wonderful album he made with Youth from Killing Joke called Interstellar Energy (click play on the video below). 

 

 

I first heard Hawkwind when I was in my late-20s. This was a time when I was beginning to experiment with progressive rock. I had come from hard rock and metal so I found Hawkwind at the right time. I was also excited that Lemmy Kilminster played bass on three of the early Hawkwind records. I found a stash of Hawkwind records at a small thrift store below my favorite bar, The Speak Easy, in Lincoln, Nebraska. At the time, I had never heard Hawkwind so I only bought one of the records. The next day I was back at the thrift store buying the other three Hawkwind albums in the bin. Nik Turner helped me move along my musical journey to the jazz, progressive rock, bluegrass, country, and metal loving weirdo that I am now. 

 I assume that because you are reading a blog post you are staring at either a phone or a computer screen. Jump over to the website you use to find new music and listen to Interstellar Energy and some of the early Hawkwind tracks. Be careful though, Nik Turner's playing may prevent you from liking those old Bruce Springsteen (and the E-Street Band) or Huey Lewis and the News records ever again.

Farewell D.H. Peligro

By Null

The legendary drummer of Dead Kennedys died after hitting his head during a fall on October 28, 2022. Peligro had a long history playing in many bands and even released three albums under his own name. While I am unfamiliar with most of them, I intimately know all of his work in the Dead Kennedys, as this band absolutely changed my life. For me, D.H. Peligro will always be “the sound” of punk rock drumming. 

I cannot quantify how much each member of the Dead Kennedys meant to me. Jello Biafra’s socio-political lyrics involved satire that made listeners snicker with laughter, yet also left them heartbroken. His vocal delivery was a vicious attack on injustice and inhumanity wherever he found it. East Bay Ray’s guitar work complemented Jello’s lyrical style with a slashing, psychedelic surf rock. Klaus Flouride’s bass lines were the sound of perfection, tethering the band, and each song, to the ground. Behind all of this was the knocking stream engine of Peligro. He was the backdrop to the drama and theatrics, holding the show together. He could play with gentle hands and subtly until he hit the release valve, cueing the band to explode, as in the song “Riot.” He nailed swing-jazz, as in “We’ve Got a Bigger Problem Now.” He was able to hold the whole band down in a straight-up rock groove. He also played blisteringly fast hardcore punk that still baffles the mind. Best of all, the band could play loose and free, or be as tight as a tourniquet, often within the same song. Peligro was there for each lightening turn.

Like The Beatles or Led Zeppelin, each member had a specific roll to play resulting in a unique and instantly recognizable sound. Also, unlike today, where everything is overproduced, the Dead Kennedys sounded like a band in a room. Peligro’s drums sound like, well, drums, recorded with microphones, not processed on the some virtual-space.

There will not be full-blown articles in rock magazines analyzing and recounting the many triumphs in Peligro’s style, as was the case when John Bonham and Neil Pert died. But there should be. Unfortunately, music critics will simply note, “He was just a punk drummer.” Okay, that’s fine. It is as it always was. However, those who listened closely and took mental notes already know the brilliance of Peligro. We don’t need any validation of his ability, because it was completely evident when sitting in a bedroom with lyric sheets in hand and listening to the music with headphones. Peligro did not just play a part in a radical punk band; he was a member of one of the greatest and most important bands to ever record music.

Peligro rarely wrote lyrics for the Dead Kennedys—that was Jello’s role. However, he did write the lyrics to the second song on the album Frankenchrist, called “Hellnation.” I’ll let him have the last word.

Hellnation’s when they teach us

Profiting from greed

Hellnation’s what they give us

Coke, heroin & speed

Hellnation’s when they tell you

You gotta go clean up your act

You’re the one who dragged me here

And now you drag me back

To this Hellnation

Problem is, few care

About the people in despair

If you help no one

You’re guilty in the Hellnation

Hellnation’s when the president

Asks for four more fucking years

Hellnation’s when he gets it

By conning poor people and peers

Hellnation—got no choice

What’s the point of trying to vote?

When this country makes war

We all die in the same boat

In this Hellnation

Problem is, few care

About the people in despair

If you help no one

You’re guilty in the Hellnation

It’s the only world we’ve got

Let’s protect it while we can

It’s all there is and there ain’t no more

Hellnation—asking please

For a nuclear freeze

So the unborn kids

Get their chance to live and breathe

Hellnation asking aid

For the minimum wage

So the kids of tomorrow

Don’t wind up slaves to their trade

In the Hellnation

Problem is, few care

About the people in despair

If you help no one

You’re guilty in the Hellnation