#476 The Paul Butterfield Blues Band- The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965)

Inspired by the Blues Brothers, I bought my first Blues Harp around the beginning of 1987.  Soon thereafter and unbeknownst to me, one of the musicians pivotal in the crossover of blues music to white audiences, someone who knew the southside streets of Chicago much better than Jake and Elwood, died at the age of 44.

Paul Butterfield, Elvin Bishop, Mike Bloomfield:  the son of a lawyer, a full ride scholarship physics major, and a Jewish northside heir to a catering business respectively. You'd sooner expect to find ketchup on a Chicago Style Hot Dog than these three in a blues bar back in 1963.  But they, as many white suburban kids would do for years to come, made the pilgrimage. Paul traded in his flute (yes flute) and the CSO for the Marine Band and Big John's nightclub.

I know most of the blues "standards" on the album, but there are one or two I'm not familiar with, and several written by Butterfield that I haven't heard before.  I could do some research and then say with confidence that the white flight to blues happened first in Chicago, or that it started first in London... but I'm thinking listening to blues music is better than doing research; Paul, Elvin, and Mike surely concurred.

Born In Chicago-  who better to write your first blues hit than Nick "the Greek' Gravenites.  The influences of Muddy Waters, Otis Rush and Howlin' Wolf are strong, as is the interplay between harmonica and guitar.

Shake Your Money-Maker-  this up tempo blues standard has been covered by everyone from Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, The Black Crowes, and George Thorogood.  The original was recorded by Elmore James.  Suggestive lyrics for the early 60's.

Blues with a Feeling-  a cover of the Little Walter hit.  Little Walter was one of the first harmonica players to play through an amplifier with distortion and thus could "compete" with the lead guitars.  Butterfield would use this style often playing through a Fender amp and/or the house P.A. microphone.  The sound became so popular, that Shure adapted the microphone they once designed for public address systems, into a full fledged harmonica mic.

Thank You Mr. Poobah-  An instrumental original on the album and the first to credit keyboard player Mark Naftalin, another University of Chicago graduate and son of then Minneapolis mayor.  The harmonica playing is great, the guitar playing fluid, but the organ playing is sloppy at best.

Got My Mojo Workin'- The Muddy Waters standard is flawless.  Paul Butterfield's singing, it's a weird mid-point between honoring Muddy and mocking him... I'm sure it's meant as honoring, but he's imitating Muddy's grunts and groans...it's probably just me be overly critical.  Flawless, but maybe that's what is throwing me off.

Mellow Down Easy- The Willie Dixon song reminds me of Wang Dang Doodle (which he also wrote) that was made famous by Koko Taylor.  The guitar solo by Bloomfield, is fluid and wonderfully accented and weaved by the harmonica.

Screamin'-  a blues shuffle written by Bloomfield.  I've never heard this one, but I think it's my favorite on the album so far.  It showcases both Mike's guitar prowess, and the unique style of Butterfield's playing.  It's as if he incorporated his classical flute background to the blues.  Anyone remember Ralph Macchio's character in the movie Crossroads?  Coinkydink?

Our Love is Drifting-  the only original on the album with singing, it's pretty straight forward, not bad, not great.

Mystery Train-  The Junior Parker song, also made famous by Elvis' cover in 1955, is another up tempo blues standard.  It rolls in, and rolls out just as quickly; I would have liked to hear more harp/guitar soloing.

Last Night-  Another Little Walter cover.  You can't hear this and not think of Chicago.  I don't know if it's been used as movie music, but to me the sound is synonymous with the south side.  John Popper sounds like this in his wet dreams.

Look Over Yonders Wall-  was the flip side to Elmore James Shake Your Moneymaker.  The book of the song is a guy who wasn't drafted because of his bum knee, and takes advantage of lonely soldiers wives.  All's fair in love and war, and blues.

I've long since lost my adolescent fascination with the blues.  It has however matured into an appreciation for the musicianship, sound, and culture.  The early sixties, to me, seemed fertile ground for change.  The Beatles, Civil Rights, a youth movement.  Perhaps it's easy for those of us that were born afterwards, to take for granted the struggles faced by those who planted those seeds of change; those who crossed over lines: cultural, race, or artistic.

The Butterfield Blues Band would go on to perform at Monterey, and then Woodstock.  Paul Butterfield died of a heart attack at age 44 caused by drug use and heavy drinking.  Tragically, the blues does in fact cross over.

Next Up #475 Bruce Springsteen- Tunnel of Love (1987)

#487 The Smashing Pumpkins- Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness

I realized at some point I'd encounter the intimidating double-album.  Up until now, all of the reviews I've done were for albums whose length averaged between 45 to 50 minutes--LP records have a practical maximum capacity of 25 minutes a side.  When compact discs became the standard the musical canvas expanded to 74 and then 80 minutes.

Billy Corgan referred to their double disc album as "The Wall" for Generation X'ers.  At almost 40 minutes longer than Pink Floyd's masterpiece, Mellon Collie compels me to change the format of my blog.  Do I review each disc individually, do I only talk about songs of special merit, and can I carve 2 hours out of my day all at once to give this a solid listen?  I could spend my time comparing and contrasting blog formats, or I could just follow the advice of the Greek Goddess of Victory and  "Just Do It."

Disc 1

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: The piano instrumental intro to the album.  My wife always says what people first see when they walk through your front door, sets the tone for the rest of your home.  While I wish the fake sounding digitally sampled string section that accompanies the piano were live musicians, I  understand the tone of sadness this song sets for the album ahead (oh yeah, and sadness is right up there in the track and album title too in case you missed it).

Tonight, Tonight- The first thing that strikes me ironically, are how powerful the strings sound.  They should, they are not fake now but rather the Chicago Symphony Orchestra 30 piece string section.  I'm a sucker for the marriage of rock and classical, and equally a sucker for dynamics--the varying of degrees of loud and soft, gentle and furious-- and this song is flush with it.  Was Billy Corgan inspired by West Side Story?

Jellybelly-  If grunge was a teddy-bear, I'd hug the shit outta this warm fuzzy guitar tone.

Zero- Again, I love the guitar tone on this the third single released (Tonight Tonight was #4)  Great angst, great dynamics, great production by studio heavyweights Flood and Alan Moulder.

Here Is No Why-  Reminds me of David Bowie with its change of meter and guitar-forward sound.

Bullet With Butterfly Wings- The lead single earned the band a Grammy in '97 for best hard rock performance.  Listen to the build up and release of tension between verse and chorus.

To Forgive- It's best to follow a song where you cash in all your chips of rage and fury, with something slow and quiet.  The album represents the loneliness and sadness of Billy's adolescence- "empty party afternoons won't come back"

Fuck You (An Ode to No One)- a hard driving rhythmically intense train that rolls to a stop? Nope!

Love- Phaser and crunch heavy.  It's a grilled cheese sandwich on acid.

Cupid De Locke- doesn't lead with guitars, it's all layered with looped keyboard sequences; it's dreamy.  I keep waiting for Björk to emerge in this slight homage to Romeo and Juliet (maybe Billy was watching West Side Story after all).  Björk doesn't emerge, nor do the guitars.

Galapogos-  sounds like a companion piece to Tonight Tonight.  I've noticed on many of the songs thus far, that Billy refers to himself as a "fool".  An ongoing theme?  Just when I think the song is winding down, the bridge turns it up a notch.  To me, it's a song about growing up, or changing, perhaps adapting. I'd never heard this song, but it's definitely the disc's hidden gem to me.

Muzzle-  while this song got passed over for the fifth released single (33) it still charted on Billboard mainstream and modern rock charts.  Frankly the song doesn't impress me--maybe it's because of the dynamic tapestry I've heard so far on the album-- comparatively speaking, it just seems to go nowhere.

Porcelina of the Vast Oceans-  fades in eerily, with nice use of pulsing synths to color the background of this instrumental?  Surprise, it's got a hard edge part, and finally singing.  This song to me, is about a teenager who finds escape in some type of drug.  Maybe "Porcelina" is his companion in the bathroom while shooting up or getting high?

Take me Down- one of only two songs on the album written by guitarist James Iha.  It's a great contrast to Billy's voice.  It's soft and smooth. It sounds to me like it's written from the perspective of someone who just died, or maybe it's just the relationship that died.  This whole CD has been an exercise in dynamics, contrast and pendulum swings.  If it is indeed intended to represent a teenager's life, then it hit the bullseye.

Disc one of the album is entitled "Dawn to Dusk"  I didn't pay much attention to that before listening to it this morning, but now I think I'll follow it as advice.  I'll return later tonight to listen to disc two: "Twilight to Starlight"

Disc Two

Where Boys Fear to Tread-  Long noisy and angry intro to disc two.  Is this setting the tone?  It's full of resent and it's cut short.

Bodies- Another aggressive angry song of resentment, the adjustment from denial to anger or disillusionment. "love is suicide"  Stage two on the Kubler-Ross model of grief.

33- The fifth and final single from the album, and first released after firing of drummer Chamberlain related to touring keyboardist Melvoin's heroin overdose.  The song to me is a more mature adjustment to break up than Bodies.  Billy's working his way past depression and into acceptance. "deep in thought I forgive everyone, as the cluttered streets greet me once again"  Is it a song about growing up, or his divorce?

In the Arms of Sleep-  Another slower quieter shuffle, classic unrequited love.  If you are still tracking the Kubler-Ross model, perhaps this should have appeared between Bodies and 33, because it's the movement from bargaining into depression.

1979-  probably my favorite song on the album, and the second single released.  It's pure nostalgia. Without inspection, I think it's the first song on the album where Billy remembers his difficult childhood, in a positive way.  I guess it wasn't all bad.  I never realized how much this sounds like the Cure.  It's the loops and sequenced electronic-future bookend of the album, where BulletWBW was the hard-rock-past bookend.

Tales of a Scorched Earth-  "I lie just to be real, I die just to feel"  I don't think there's a harder more thrashed song on the album.  It's as if the Pumpkins keep daring you to pigeonhole them into a sound, luring you down a narrow path just to make you realize you need to completely turn around.

Thru the Eyes of Ruby-  Swirling and phaser-lush, it's dreamy, and lyrically it's heavy.  I thought I had an idea of what it's about, but the disjointed acoustic guitar outro just made me doubt.  Anyone have a read on this?

Stumbleine-  Just Billy alone with acoustic guitar.  A song about feeling alone, misunderstood, and flawed... hoping somewhere there's someone out there "Stumbleine" just as flawed that's meant for him.  The lyrics seem much in the rhythmic style of Lennon's I Am the Walrus.  Listen to it with headphones and tell me if it's just my recording of it, that has his voice "twitching" on/off in stereo.

X.Y.U.- After the soft acoustic, I now have come to expect an all off face smasher.  This song is rage, rage, and insanity.  It's a tough listen, not because it's not good, it's tough because it's painful to admit or imagine feeling this destructive.  (OK yeah, musically it's pretty dissonant and dark too)

We Only Come Out at Night-  And back to electronic, calm, sequenced.  It's starting to feel a little manic depressive now, the swings between rage and sweetness.  Chill out Twilight fans, it's not about vampires, but rather people who feel misunderstood, freaks.  I think night is more of a metaphor for not wanting attention.

Beautiful-  Another slow electronic song that could have easily pulled from a Cure or Bjork album.  "You just can't tell who you'll love and who you won't"  Is this Billy trying to give hope to kids that might have felt lost like he did?

Lily (my one and only)- whimsical ditty about a crazy peeping tom, in hopeless denial.

By Starlight-  The fourth song in a row, void of the rage and anger of the rest of the album.  It's as if by this point in his growing up, he's tired of the blaming and able to put it behind him; he's at last found someone; or perhaps he's finally on meds and stable?  

Farewell and Goodnight- All four members of the SP sing on this lullaby which Corgan and Iha wrote together. It puts to sleep disc two and the album, but more so says farewell and goodnight to the tumultuous melancholy and seemingly infinite sadness of adolescence.

I was well beyond my teen years when this album was released in 1995.  After listening to this full through, I can see the catharsis it must have provided for so many younger than I.  It runs a gamut of emotions: loneliness, anger, resent, withdrawal and hope--just another stereotypical day in the life of a teenager.

Disc two was a much more conceptual listen than was the first, but it dealt more with resolution and healing; and consequently was not as entertainingly destructive.  Because at the end of the day, whether it's Pink Floyd or Smashing Pumpkins, who doesn't love insanity, provided it's someone else?

Next up-  #486 Funkadelic- Maggot Brain (1971)