Music! (Old and New)

It's surprising (to me) how little I knew about this band, considering they've been around for a hell of a long time, and basically sound like a mash-up of some of the first bands I started listening to in high school. About two weeks ago this song was put on the stereo at my house in Guelph, just after a nice pass around of the old wacky tobacky. I asked my roomate (repeatedly) when the fuck Robert Plant put out this song, and if it was with Zeppelin backing him or not. I was met with a few looks of bewilderment, and was asked if I was as retarded as the question. Soon after I did feel like a fool, as the band was clearly Supertramp playing School. Since then I have listened to this song a couple dozen times. That Pink Floyd inspired guitar and song structure mixed with a Plant-esque voice has had me hooked, feeling like I'm in grade nine again listening to The Wall for the first time. This is off their album Crime of the Century.

I downloaded a Neil Young album this week. I had heard about it reading some article that was talking about Uncle Neil releasing a huge set of previously unreleased work, which includes mostly live material. I decided to get Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968 from the extensive set. And wow, what a great fucking album. The recording isn't perfect. You know that white noise sound in the backround you hear when you play a tape? Yeah there's alot of that in here. But Neil's voice is crystal clear, as is his guitar work. It's quite early on in his career, and I don't think I've ever heard his voice sound better. The show was an intimate one as you can tell it's a tiny crowd by the small amount of clapping, and the way he addresses the fans. Considering it's 1968 and Young hadn't hit the music scene as a huge solo artist yet, this album feels kind of special. He's playing his heart out. Go give it a listen, if not only for the version of Sugar Mountain. Or when he rambles on about taking speed pills while trying to work a real job.

(sorry I couldn't find a sample from this recording)

I also got Raekwon's new album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II. This is a big one, as it runs at over 70 minutes and has 22 tracks. Not that it's a particularly bad thing, for the most part they're solid tracks. But maybe a few songs could have been left out, simply for the reason that it's almost hard to listen to the album the whole way through without getting bored. But that's just me, I'm sure rap fanatics would have no problem doing it. If you're a fan of Wu-Tang, definitely check this one out, as many members return to help out, along with other non-clan members.