Music Milestones, 1982: The dB’s – Repercussion

Hailing from North Carolina and based in New York City, the dB’s are a great pop band that unfortunately never broke through to the mainstream. The dB’s drew inspiration from prime power-pop acts of the 1970s such as Big Star and the Flamin’ Groovies, and released two landmark records in the early 1980s that paved the way to the rise of jangle pop, a musical style later popularized by R.E.M. While the debut record Stands for Decibels already hints at the dB’s’ knack for playing catchy tunes, their sophomore effort Repercussion constitutes a true treasure trove containing several pop gems. The record kicks off with “Happenstance”, a song that addresses the troubles of emancipation in the face of the possibility of a love affair. ‘’Living a Lie” deals with the dissatisfaction one experiences when building on an illusion, and displays a very suitable brass section and backing vocals that work like a charm. “Ask for Jill” tells a tale about the pains of a quest for said Jill, while “Neverland” includes a very addictive guitar riff that provides the song with a distinctive signature. In “Amplifier”, the story of a suicide is told in a most entertaining manner, where a bluesy piano line concludes the song in high spirits. Have a look at the videoclip for “Amplifier”, which was regretfully turned down by MTV and may have hindered the dB’s from reaching a wider audience:

  

Music Milestones, 1981: Glenn Gould – Goldberg Variations

A virtuoso pianist with eccentric personality, Glenn Gould was one of the great performers of classical music of the 20th century and also a noteworthy contributor to the scholarly debate on music theory and philosophy. Gould garnered international acclaim in 1955 with his seminal recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations, a piece that he would curiously revisit in 1981 shortly before his death. The story goes that Bach’s Goldberg Variations were composed in the 1740s to be performed by the young harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, arguably at the behest of the sleepless Count Kaiserling who longed for music to soothe him during his long nights. Bach decided to compose 30 variations on an aria in a ternary pattern, where every third variation of the aria is called a canon, followed by a genre piece and an arabesque. The result is outstanding and Gould’s performances of 1955 and 1981, while both brilliant in their own right, are rather different in nature. The 1981 version of Goldberg Variations somewhat lacks the vivacity of its 1955 counterpart, and displays a more toned down and pondered interpretation of Bach’s masterpiece. Have a listen to a segment of Goldberg Variations, which includes my favorite variation 14 and should constitute a fine introduction to Gould’s virtuosity:

Music Milestones, 1980: The Durutti Column – The Return of the Durutti Column

Misnamed after Buenaventura Durruti’s anarchist group that fought in the Spanish civil war, the Durutti Column is a music project devised by Factory founder Tony Wilson and revolving around guitar prodigy Vini Reilly. Although Reilly started playing music on the piano at an early age, he soon became interested in the harmonic possibilities of electric guitar. Reilly therefore made use of his solid background in classical music to produce atmospheric soundscapes, which were based on unconventional melodies novel to popular music. The Return of the Durutti Column was Reilly’s first effort, where Martin Hannett’s sparse production rendered the record instrumentals hazy and ethereal. “Sketch for Summer” starts off with the sound of chirping birds reminiscent of a warm summer afternoon, while Reilly’s guitar adds to the joyous feel of the piece. “Katherine” is the longest track in the record and contains a fine blues segment, whereas “Conduct” evolves from a calm and peaceful start toward a more turbulent ending. “Jazz” is self-explanatory, embracing elements of jazz music and preceding by a decade the emergence of post-rock. “Sketch for Winter” is somewhat darker than its summer counterpart, and boasts Reilly’s guitar mournfully proceeding unaccompanied. I leave you with “Collette”, one of my favorites from The Return of the Durutti Column:

Music Milestones, 1979: The Clash – London Calling

Famously dubbed as “the only band that matters” by Columbia Records, the Clash were arguably the most accomplished group rising from the British punk rock movement of the late 1970s. While the music in their first two records, The Clash and Give ‘Em Enough Rope, was fierce, loud and straightforward, it already hinted at an eclecticism that would bloom in their third effort, London Calling. Despite being a sprawling double album and a true melting pot of musical styles, London Calling is remarkably cohesive and focused. It is therefore quite a task to highlight only a few songs from this record, given the superlative quality of the material at hand. The record begins with the anthem “London Calling”, where the apocalyptic lyrics of a devastated London are well accompanied by a rhythm section reminiscent of reggae and a guitar line owing to punk aesthetics. In “Spanish Bombs” and “The Right Profile”, the band pays tribute to poets who fought in the Spanish civil war and to ill-fated actor Montgomery Clift, respectively. “Clampdown” constitutes a merciless critique of young idealists who end up “working for the clampdown”, while “The Guns of Brixton” is an autobiographical song by bassist Paul Simonon about his troubled home district in London. Moreover, “Death or Glory” embodies another rant against the establishment, and “I’m Not Down” deals with persistence in the face of adversity. For your listening pleasure, here is the closer “Train in Vain”, a fine and only love song in London Calling:

Music Milestones, 1978: Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine

Kraftwerk were probably the most popular band to emerge from the German krautrock scene of the 1970s, which spawned other great acts including Can, Neu! and Faust. Kraftwerk’s sound was somewhat more plastic than that of its peers, due to the heavy use of synthesizers, vocoders and computer-speech software. They were therefore pivotal in laying the foundations of electronic music, and played an important role in the development of other music genres ranging from new wave to hip-hop. The Man-Machine is my favorite Kraftwerk record, and it neatly encapsulates their mechanistic approach to music. “The Robots” opens the proceedings with a praise to the machines, where the lyrics “Я твой слуга / Я твой работник” (“I’m your servant / I’m your worker”) help to give a Soviet tinge to the song. “Spacelab” and “Metropolis” are mostly instrumental tracks, where the song titles are repeated in what amounts to a haunting mantra. In “The Model” and “Neon Lights”, Ralf Hütter briefly abandons his vocoder and thereby renders the songs more human and appealing. “The Man-Machine” concludes the record as it started, that is, with a laudatory stance for all things mechanic. Have a listen to “The Model”, perhaps the closest that Kraftwerk ever got to playing a conventional pop tune:

Music Milestones, 1977: Talking Heads – Talking Heads: 77

One of the many successful acts born of the burgeoning mid-1970s punk scene from New York City, the Talking Heads adopted a literate yet funky approach to their music that heralded the birth of new wave. Although the lyrics of songs by the Talking Heads are generally sophisticated, they broach rather prosaic topics revolving around various aspects of life routine and human relationships. Thus, the mundane subjects of songs by the Talking Heads are effectively elevated to an extraordinary level by their worldly take on music. While the sophomore record of the Talking Heads was aptly titled More Songs About Buildings and Food, such simple topics were originally addressed in their first record Talking Heads: 77, which I chose to review here. “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town” opens the record with a catchy tune, where the band resorts to the use of steel drums to accentuate the tropical feel of the song. Exotic sounds are also present in “Tentative Decisions”, which deals with boys and girls concerned with decisiveness. In “Don’t Worry About the Government”, David Byrne personifies the U.S. government and pays tribute to its civil servants, while “Pulled Up” reminds us that the road to success in life is built with the help of our loved ones. Here’s a stripped-down version of “Psycho Killer”, filmed by Jonathan Demme and included in the highly recommended documentary “Stop Making Sense”:

Music Milestones, 1976: Ramones – Ramones

While earlier bands such as the Stooges and the New York Dolls may have laid the foundations of punk, the Ramones were arguably the first punk band in the strict, three-chord sense of the term. Their musical formula was simple and straightforward, and consisted of playing crude songs about lowbrow topics that were powerfully performed at fast pace and in minimal fashion. Unsophisticated as this recipe may seem, it not only lent itself to easy listening, but also provided a lasting staple to rock and roll during 20 years since its inception. The Ramones steadfastly adhered to this musical formula throughout their career, so I think that their eponymous first record is the most relevant and appropriate for review. “Blitzkrieg Bop” opens the hostilities with an indelible call to arms interspersed with lyrics “about kids going to a show and having a good time”, as Tommy Ramone once put it. ”Beat on the Brat” constitutes a brutal critique of the spoiled New York City upper class that Joey Ramone witnessed during his youth, while “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” is the softest and mellowest tune in the record. Toward the end of the record, two songs stand out: “53rd and 3rd” tells the probably autobiographical story of Dee Dee Ramone “turning tricks” in Midtown Manhattan, and “Let’s Dance” is a faithful yet accelerated cover of Chris Montez’s composition. For a condensed sample of Ramones, listen to “Judy Is a Punk”, which is the shortest song in the record lasting a mere minute and a half:

And for a didactic rendition of “Judy Is a Punk”, check out this video:

Music Milestones, 1975: Patti Smith – Horses

Alongside with other acts such as the New York Dolls, the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads and Blondie, Patti Smith was part of the thriving musical scene of New York City in the 1970s that led to the emergence of punk rock in the United States. Although Smith is widely regarded as the godmother of punk rock, her music embraced elements of poetry and improvisation that were foreign to the basic aesthetics of punk. Despite the sophistication of Smith’s approach to music, her songs are delivered with seemingly primitive energy in Horses. In the opening track of the record, Smith recreates Van Morrison’s standard “Gloria” to yield something altogether new and greater than the original. The record contains two lengthy improvisational jams, namely “Birdland” and “Land”, where Smith gives free rein to her surreal stream-of-consciousness storytelling. “Redondo Beach” is a story of female homosexuality and death told at rocksteady pace, while “Break It Up”, co-written by Smith and Tom Verlaine, is a more conventional tune where Smith’s passionate vocals struggle with dueling guitars. I leave you with “Gloria”, which is my favorite Horses song:

Music Milestones, 1974: Tom Jobim & Elis Regina – Elis & Tom

Tom Jobim and Elis Regina were two towering figures of Brazilian popular music that crucially helped to advance and disseminate this musical genre. While Jobim played a pivotal role in the birth of bossa nova together with Vinícius de Moraes and João Gilberto, Regina was a performer whose excellent voice and emotional commitment to music rendered one of the most talented and cherished singers in Brazil. Elis & Tom fulfilled Regina’s old wish of recording some of Jobim’s most relevant songs with the composer, and the result is stunning. The record begins with perhaps the best rendition of “Águas de Março”, where Regina and Jobim engage in a playful and very entertaining call and response. In “Triste”, Regina sings about solitude and disillusion against a melancholy backdrop of piano, flutes and electric guitar. “Soneto da Separação” is a beautiful parting song where Jobim and Regina illustrate the separation between loved ones with witty metaphors. “Inútil Paisagem” concludes the record in low spirits and addresses the pain of loneliness, namely how it renders beauty useless. For a glimpse of Elis & Tom, I share “Chovendo na Roseira”, a hopeful tune that deals with life and renewal:

Music Milestones, 1973: João Gilberto – João Gilberto (Águas de Março)

Together with Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes, João Gilberto played a prominent role in the advancement and outreach of Brazilian popular music (MPB) from the 1950s onward. After careful study of the roots of Brazilian music and the songbooks of great jazz composers such as Duke Ellington, Gilberto devised a new style of singing and guitar playing that marked the birth of bossa nova. Although most of the relevant bossa nova songs were recorded in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, here I review a particularly meaningful record produced after the bossa nova craze. João Gilberto (Águas de Março) contains two original Gilberto compositions and eight interpretations of MPB classics, which were recorded in minimal fashion with Gilberto’s subdued voice and gentle guitar accompanied by Sonny Carr’s frugal percussion. All songs are delivered at a slow pace and display a repetitiveness that renders them somewhat hypnotic, yet not monotonous. Jobim’s “Águas de Março” opens the record with a relentless collage of apparently disconnected lyrics, which arguably recalls Rio de Janeiro’s heavy rains of March. The record includes three atmospheric instrumentals, namely the eerie “Undiú”; the relaxed “Na Baixa do Sapateiro”; and the nostalgic "Valsa (Como São Lindos os Youguis)". Geraldo Pereira’s “Falsa Baiana” lays out the proper rules to dance Bahian samba, while Roberto Roberti and Herivelto Martins’ closer “Izaura” addresses the conflicting coexistence of carefree love and work duty. For a sample of João Gilberto (Águas de Março), listen to Janet de Almeida and Haroldo Barbosa’s “Eu Quero um Samba”: