Seeing Nowhere Boy and re-listening to some of Lennon's work with the Beatles has gotten me wanting to check out some of his solo work again, as well. So I'll be writing about some of it in the days ahead. I'm also going to give another spin to the solo stuff of the other three chaps. Today, I'll recommend McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard from 2005, which coincidentally features a cover photo called Our Kid through Mom's Net Curtains that was taken at roughly the same time as the events portrayed in the movie mentioned above. Virtually all of the instrumental work was done by McCartney, and it's impressive. It was produced by Nigel Godrich, sometimes referred to as the sixth member of Radiohead for his work with them. The album is rich and resonant in sound, beautifully sung and played by an astonishing musician capable of matching his very best work right into his sixties. Here's a link for "English Tea": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa3D1OrZZpo

I'll always be a fan of the J. Geils Band after seeing them on the night that Elvis Presley died. They were backing up Peter Frampton at the Montreal Forum, and they found just the right tone - respectful but fun-loving - for the occasion. I remember thinking that he would've enjoyed the show. Peter Wolf, the fast-talking, former-DJ hipster who's fronted the group for over forty years dedicated one of their slow ones (sorry, I'm not sure which) to Elvis, saying that without him, "none of us would be here tonight", which was quite simply right. Wolf, always a great entertainer, gave a particularly wild performance that night. I remember him doing crazy frog-type leaps around the stage while singing "Must've Got Lost". As the man himself might have said, "That cat is gone." The album I've been re-listening to lately is their second, The Morning After from 1971, which is a pure r&b blast. But for a sense of what the aforementioned show was like, I'd recommend their memorably-titled double live album, Blow Your Face Out (1976). Here's a link to the studio version of their cover of the Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9KdTeqGrzg . It's terrific, but try to hear the live one if you can. That's where they're at their best (as was Elvis).

As I mentioned Wednesday, I was planning to see the John Lennon movie - Nowhere Boy, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood - as soon as I could. So I did; I saw it today, and it was terrific. The acting, the settings (it was shot in Liverpool), the directing, I thought they were all convincing. As for the music, I think they did well there too. Because Aaron Johnson was himself learning to play the guitar and sing to do the role, we get to witness some of the process as it may have actually sounded at the time. McCartney came from a more musical background than Lennon - his father was a professional musician - and was therefore more advanced in skills at the time. But the film shows, correctly, that Lennon was the group's spiritual leader; he had a heart full of soul (as I'm sure the Yardbirds would agree). Of course, he would catch up musically as well, and go on to become one of the greatest musicians of the century. The movie helps to clarify how this happened, and to dispel some of the mythologizing around the Beatles. In this age of instant gratification and televised talent shows, it's important to be reminded that the Beatles' brilliance came from their work ethic. As the song says: a working class hero is something to be, and it has nothing to do with the part of town in which one's born.

Another notable debut was Gang of Four's Entertainment! (1979). Its title is quite indicative of the tone of both its musical and lyrical content. (By the way, the last word of the previous sentence is the name of their latest release, from 2010.) On Entertainment!, the band combined elements of funk, reggae and modernism to create a sound that was rare in punk, largely because of its creative use of space. This was achieved via the band's modernist/minimalist, staccato-attack style. They succeeded in making the sharp edges of their individual parts into a smooth whole. I saw the group live once, and that performance ranks among the most powerful and energetic I've heard. There wasn't a stationary person in the club. Lyrically, they come from a hard-left angle perhaps influenced by the Clash, and with song titles such as, "I Found that Essence Rare", "At Home He's a Tourist", and "Guns before Butter", it's easy to see that irony is their primary mode. The vocal style with which they deliver it is also very interesting: they make use of shouting and chanting as much as singing. In this band, everyone is in the rhythm section. I'm glad that I got to re-discover this record; it's great. I'll be writing about Content soon, once I hear it.

As I'm sure you know, it would have been John Lennon's seventieth birthday on Saturday. So I thought I'd write about him today, for that reason, and because I'm looking forward to the release of Nowhere Boy this Friday (in Montreal, anyway). First, as a guitarist, Lennon rarely got the respect he deserved, but his contributions to the Beatles' sound was immense. Like Pete Townshend, the bulk of his instrumental innovation can be found in his rhythm guitar playing. One of the greatest examples is the triplet-feel part that he plays on "All My Loving" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuVVs30gIb8&feature=related). He plays a very difficult feel with great touch and swing. Very hard to do and completely original.

As a performer, he had some of the Elvis Presley quality of being both in the middle of, as well as above, the frenzy. There was always a sense of humour involved, and he used it wisely. On the early records, and in the early videos, it's clear that he's the leader of the band. He was the oldest member, and at that point the most assured performer and vocalist. Over time, that changed somewhat, as the others caught up, but they only did so with his example to follow. As a singer, well, I've written about it before, but for me, he's in the top five all-time. Here is a list of some of his great vocal performances: "Twist and Shout", "Baby, It's You", "It Won't Be Long", "Money (That's What I Want)", "Rain", "Any Time at All", "Run For Your Life", "In My Life", "No Reply", "Mr. Moonlight", "Help!", "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", "Norwegian Wood", "Girl", "I'm Only Sleeping" - and that's only up to 1966. There are many others from before and after that date. I'd recommend listening to all of the above (and the others as well), but if I had to pick only one performance to exemplify the passion and the fun that his voice conveys, it would be this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXOdAgLZQPs.

The Beatles' debut album, Please Please Me (1963), is another one that's high on the all-time list. It was recorded quickly (apparently ten of the fourteen tracks were done in one ten-hour session), but that's irrelevant in music. The amount of time and practice that are done before a recording is what makes the difference. As one of my teachers once said, "You can hear how much someone has practiced with every note they play". This album is a case in point.

Another aspect of the record that always amazes me is the assured manner in which the band handles differing tempos and feels. Listen to "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" back-to-back with "Twist and Shout", or "Baby, It's You" right after "Boys". Seven of the album's tracks are originals, and they provide a glimpse of what was to come over the next seven years. I would even argue that "There's a Place" should be considered among the very greatest of their compositions, and also one of the most beautiful singing performances in rock history. Hear for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4lGuxEWn3c&feature=related

The Clash (1977) is another of the all-time great debut recordings. But before I go further, I have to be clear that I'm referring to the real debut album - not the 1979 U.S. release that dropped "Deny", "Protex Blue", "48 Hours", and "Cheat" in favour of later singles-based releases like "Clash City Rockers", "Complete Control" and others. With the changes, the album sounds more like a compilation than a cohesive statement, which is too bad, because it was one of the most powerful statements of its kind in rock history. It brought a very important concept to the world of rock and roll: the idea that the way you think and act are important. It could be argued that the Pistols were more pyromaniacal in their approach to social issues (although I'd argue that it was necessary at the time), and that the Clash offered a way forward. For me, and many others that I knew at the time, and others I've met since, it was tremendously exciting and liberating. Rock badly needed to re-integrate the do-it-yourself ethos. Don't forget that this was the time when rock musicians used to wear capes, bat-wings and so forth onto smoke-machined stages that contained banks of synthesizers, where they'd play the scales and arpeggios that they had learned in piano lessons. Yipes. For a teenager who wanted to participate, there didn't seem to be a point of entry. Until the Pistols, the Ramones, and these guys, that is. As a matter of fact, this may be the album that I've listened to the most times - due to endless plays through headphones during my high school days. Time well spent.

The Clash was probably the most articulate and idealistic of all punk bands, and very likely the most influential. Virtually every artist that tries to make their work move toward improvement and equity in the world is indebted to them. Also, the idea that punk should be inclusive in terms of musical style and cultural input mostly came from them as well. They were one of the first punk bands to cross-pollinate their music with reggae, and certainly the most successful. I'll dedicate another post soon to their awesome fourth album Sandinista! from 1980, which took this aspect of their work to its furthest point. In the meantime, listen to this album in its original form if you possibly can, and see the film that does justice to Joe Strummer's great legacy: Julien Temple's Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007). Here are links for two of the album's greatest tracks: "Janie Jones" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyoW0tf6N-Q&feature=related and "Police and Thieves" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6FZwVvS8_8 .