Rock Music and Pop Culture: What’s Puzzling You?

Has rock music become more widely accepted as culturally significant?  Or, has it been relegated to a series of cultural footnotes? Guest writer Geoff Moore muses on the more recent, seemingly prominent position that rock music and rock history has taken in the annals of popular culture: the nationally syndicated newspaper crossword puzzle clue…

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Sure signs that the boomer generation is almost grown: Life magazine celebrated rock ‘n’ roll’s 40th and 50th anniversaries with special issues. Media doesn’t get much more mainstream than the once venerable and now defunct picture magazine. And the music itself, once in the vanguard of youth culture, has been relegated to a sub-genre by an industry scrabbling to rebuild its shattered business model in the digital age (Alas, all of the airplane glue was sniffed years ago). Rock ‘n’ roll is mere crossword puzzle clue fodder these days.

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And that’s all right now, Mama. Especially if your Latin is rusty, your atlas out of date, your periodic table is for monthly poker games and your exposure to opera is limited to Bugs Bunny and the Marx Brothers. Because you need an ANKA when you’re ASEA on an ocean of ORR, ORE, OTT, ORTS, OKRA, OLIO and OLEO. Crossword puzzles are elegant and esoteric; patterned grids demanding to be filled in through knowledge, recall, intuition and blind guesswork. And cheating.

They can be eerily synchronous. If the grid teaches you a new proper noun, that person, place or thing will be an item in the newspaper the next day or mentioned in the novel you’re reading. The music clue is playing on the radio. Crosswords are as addictive as drugs and alcohol and almost as much fun.

‘One of two cars besides a Cadillac named in Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac’” was 5 down on the New York Times puzzle a few Saturdays ago. Six letters. Like asking a metallurgist about alloys or a doctor about symptoms. Oh, it was the beginning of a fine, fine day.

The most popular rock group in the crossword world is the Electric Light Orchestra, ELO. On a Monday or Tuesday the clue might read ‘”Evil Woman” grp.’ or ‘”Don’t Bring Me Down” grp.’ As the week progresses and the Times puzzle becomes more difficult with each new day, those same three letters may be elicited with something a little trickier to those who don’t read liner notes: ‘Bev Bevan’s band.’

REM could easily take the number two spot, unfortunately they answer to both ‘Murmur group’ and ‘_ sleep’ thereby halving their appearances. The Who are infrequent guests in the crossword perhaps because of the sequence or combination of letters in their handle – ironic as Pete Townshend took years to piece together his sci-fi rock opera about a grid. Proggie dinosaurs ELP and Yes apparently, and mercifully, have no fans among puzzle makers.

The Rolling Stones’ biggest songs are ‘_ Is On My Side,’ ‘Time _ Side’ and ‘Time Is On My _.’ Yet ANGIE’s (’1973 no. 1′) kisses may still taste sweet after so much time has passed so many times. ‘Let It _’ always results in the simple, obvious and disappointing BE. ‘Let It _’ BLEED, RAIN, ROCK or SNOW sometime, please and thank you. And for Neil, rather than the too clever punning of ‘”Old Man” singer,’ how about ‘”F*!#in’ Up” singer’ just once? Just for laughs.

‘One-named singer.’ Sometimes it’s SADE or even BONO, but usually the answer is CHER. Though she had a memorable stint has the lead vocalist of Black Rose (Where have you gone, Les Dudek?), it’s really only the daily crossword puzzle that guarantees her immortality. Yoko Ono will not be remembered for her art or her deft way with a lyric. But she will always plug the gap in ‘John _ Lennon’ when WINSTON doesn’t fit.

And ONO is not to be confused with ‘Musician Brian’ ENO who is also the ‘Creator of the “Microsoft sound” played when Windows 95 starts.’ Encountering the common ‘Rocker John’ clue your mind always scrolls through surnames before concluding it’s ELTON. ‘Australian rock group’ is almost always ACDC unless it’s INXS, but never Mental As Anything.

And what of Ike Turner who may or may not be the father of rock ‘n’ roll? With the publication of ITINA (’1986 Turner autobiography’) we learned that he wasn’t just a bad dude in the good sense, but a bad man of the sort whose actions seem to smear an entire gender. The man’s just not PC in these hyper-sensitive times. The three letter answer to ‘_ Turner’ is always NAT, a more significant, more complex and an even more difficult figure in American social history but distanced from us by centuries. When IKE is the answer, you know that for sure, the clue references the 34th President of the United States whose WWII command was, of course, the ETO.

Geoff ‘Bond actor Roger’ is relieved that ‘”Titanic” diva’ and her husband and Quebecor Inc. are not a component of the new ‘Mtl. team informally,’ ownership group. The dilemma of whether or not to buy all of her CDs or hang himself has been deferred indefinitely.

Geoff Moore is a writer based in Calgary, Alberta.

Northern Pikes Play ‘Let’s Pretend’

Listen to this song by Saskatchewan power-pop jangle merchants Northern Pikes, with their not entirely removed from early REM Canadian radio hit “Let’s Pretend” as taken from the band’s 1988 album Secrets of the Alibi.  And Happy Canada Day, everyone!

The Northern Pikes allied themselves with post-punk and with college radio that drew from 60s British Invasion sounds, as well as roots rock overtones as well.  And they formed in the Canadian Prairies, with simple expectations of rock bands playing smaller venues placed upon them.  This meant that they had to learn how to play Lynyrd Skynyrd tunes too, in between ones by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, and Squeeze. As such, the range of this band was wide, stylistically speaking.  The result was a solid career in Canada, with a record deal with Virgin Canada.

Like a number of Canadian bands, they had the advantage of drawing from three singers and songwriters, all with a talent for classic pop-rock songwriting.  And “Let’s Pretend” is one their best, a song about having one’s innocence crushed, and about the cruelty of the world that runs contrary to how many of us feel things should be.  From the peace between religions, to the stability of loving familes, to the ongoing career of the Beatles, this is a song about disappointment – that an ideal world is often vastly removed from the one we find ourselves in.

The Northern Pikes had a number of hit songs on Canadian radio  in the late 80s and early 90s (’Teenland’,  ‘Wait For Me’, ‘She Ain’t Pretty’, ‘Girl With A Problem’, and others).  They served as opening act to a number of high-profile acts of the time (Duran Duran, David Bowie, Robert Palmer), and achieved international exposure. But like many bands from this country, the American market was seemingly unmoved by them.  As such, after their final album Neptune in 1991, and a live album the following year, they split.

But, you may recgonize the lead vocals on this track from bass player, singer, and songwriter Jay Semko . He wrote and performed the theme to Due South, a cop series about a mountie working in Chicago.   Under all of that, the show is really about the cultural differences and barriers between Canadians and Americans.  Considering the troubles Northern Pikes had breaking through to our neighbours to the south, this is kind of appropriate.

More recently, the band has come together to work on a number of projects together which have, to date, not been released.  For more information on this, and other Pikes-related info, check out thePikes.com.

And of course for more music, head on down to the Northern Pikes MySpace page.

Enjoy!

Hothouse Flowers Perform “Don’t Go”

Listen to this song by U2-championed Dubliner roots-rock outfit Hothouse Flowers.  It’s their rootsy-soul gem “Don’t Go” as taken from their 1988 debut album People.

When you think 80s music, chances are you’re not thinking of rootsy, R&B-flavoured folk pop.  This may or may not explain the reasons why Hothouse Flowers were not a household name in 1988.  Yet, Bono from U2, who himself had become reacquainted with American R&B textures in time to put together Rattle and Hum that year, thought enough of this band to sign them to U2’s Mother records.

Perhaps even then, the feeling that pop music had become sterile was enough to create a niche for a band like this one.  Hothouse Flowers were made up of former Dublin street musicians.  They made music that was immediate and fit to be played live because that’s how you play when you’re a street musician – there is no production, or studio gadgetry to bail you out.

As such, they brought something new to the table when they finally did hit the studio.  This is even if that something new was actually hearkening back to something older – the influence of Van Morrison and Tim Buckley that helped to underpin their folky sound.

The group put out a number of albums, and made themselves a modest audience although arguably with diminishing returns from the late 80s to the early 90s.  Singer/keyboardist Liam O’Maonlai collaborated with Tim Finn on a side project, and other members guested on the work of others as well.   In 2004, they put out a new album, Into Your Heart to critical praise.

For more information about the band, check out the Hothouse Flowers MySpace page.

Enjoy!

Goodbye, Michael Jackson

Here’s a clip of Michael Jackson with a song from his most popular album, 1982’s Thriller.  It’s “Human Nature”, my favourite track off of that smash LP which solidified Jackson as a worldwide phenomenon in a manner that I believe, for good or ill, will never occur again.

There is a lot we didn’t need when it came to Michael Jackson.  There was the eccentric behaviour, the self-mutilation disguised as serial celebrity surgical procedures, and of course there was the speculation about his sexual proclivities.  But, what is measured against all of that is his immense talent that seemed almost supernatural.  And where he drew inspiration from Jackie Wilson and James Brown, he inspired Justin Timberlake and every other dancing R&B pop singer in turn.  Love him or hate him, that’s what true artists do; they pass it on.

And of course there is his worldwide fame and celebrity, from smash albums in America, Canada, the UK and Europe, along with similar success in every corner of the planet for years and years from Thriller onward.  In the days before music, movies, and TV were at one’s fingertips through various online channels whenever we wanted them, Michael Jackson dominated popular culture, with his songs, his face, his influence pervading nearly every medium.  And it strikes me that in this current age of media fragmentation, such influence, such fame, can never again be so ubiquitous.

But, fame destroyed Jackson, argubly never having developed as a person, as a man, due to all of the other things on his plate when other kids his age were playing baseball, hide and seek, and out on their bikes.  For Michael, it was stage shows, Jackson 5 TV appearances, and (incredibly) a concurrent solo career by age 11.  He was the image of a person who was victimized by fame, becoming a parody of himself; an image that subsumed the man.

And why did this happen?  Why did he allow himself to get swallowed up by his own success?  Was it the money, the love emanating from his fans which he didn’t otherwise get when he needed it as a kid, or was it just insecurity, the insecurity of a child trapped in the shell of a grown man walled off from reality?

Whatever the reason, he was only human, and subject to the very human nature he sang about.

RIP Michael.

The Mull Historical Society

Listen to this song by one man act Colin MacIntyre, AKA Mull Historical Society.  It’s the self-referential “Mull Historical Society” as taken from MacIntyre’s debut album under that name, Loss, put out in 2001 to critical acclaim if not to worldwide adulation.  Yet, this is the sound of pure pop, and seemingly infused with sunshine and optimism, which is my favourite kind of pop.

There seemed to be a spate of pop artists coming out of Scotland by the end of the 90s and the early part of our current decade, inspired by the orchestral pop of the late 60s.  And MacIntyre certainly struck me that way, along with other acts like Cosmic Rough Riders and The Pearlfishers, all motivated by the creation of bright pop tunes, heavy on the melody and on scale too.  These were big and unabashed pop songs.

This one in particular is not only a big pop record, it seems to defy you not to sing along in spite of some very over-the-top arrangements of horns, wah-wah guitar, and anything else MacIntyre can think to add.  With a sound like this, you’d expect that the Mull Historical Society was just that – a throng of people all playing together with whatever instruments they had on hand, rather than a single multi-instrumentalist with aspirations to Lennon-McCartney and Brian Wilson visions of pop grandeur.

And at the same time, this song and the approach it took to create it makes you think that indie music need not necessarily mean sullen, or po-faced.  For me, creating a little world inside of a pop song is a tough bit of sonic alchemy at the best of times.  Yet this one, seems to have been handed down from the heavens, maybe even on a flaming pie.

For more about Colin MacIntyre and Mull Historical Society, check out the Colin MacIntyre website.

If it’s more music you crave, investigate the Colin MacIntyre MySpace page.

Enjoy!

Paul McCartney: 10 Musical Moments

It’s June 18th, and on this day in 1942 one James Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool.  He would later go on to great success as a member of the Beatles of course, and a successful solo career which I’ve summarized in a post I wrote last year celebrating Paul McCartney’s birthday.  So, this year, I wanted to do the same thing I’ve done for John Lennon and George Harrison when their birthdays came around – present 10 musical moments in the career of Paul McCartney.

Now, to reiterate this, the following 10 are not meant to be the 10 best. No.  I don’t think it works that way.  Well, at least not for me.  This list is just about 10; 10 moments in the musical life of a hero of mine: Paul McCartney .

I Saw Her Standing There – The Beatles 1963

One Two Three FAAAAAAAW!  It’s one of the best openings of any song ever written, appearing on the Beatles Parlaphone debut album Please Please Me.  And what a song it is!  A story of teenage love, or is it lust, with an impossibly fluid bassline and sterling playing from all four Beatles. But, Macca’s voice on this is what gets me, full of youthful vigour, and delivering one of the greatest rock n roll couplets ever: she was just seventeen, you know what I mean.  Yes we do, Paul!

Things We Said Today – the Beatles 1964

One thing about the Beatles as songwriters was that they seemed to be young men with the songwriting brains of those much older.  This is one of the best examples I can think of when it comes to Paul songs.  With the young rush of love established in “I Saw Her Standing There”, this song as taken from A Hard Day’s Night talks about what may come after that, with the eye that nothing ever stays the same, including perspectives.  What is true now, may not be true later, says Paul.  In some ways, this is something of a sobering love song, and from a 23 year with the world on a plate by 1964.  If fame affected McCartney, perhaps he was saved by this self-same perspective.

Hello Goodbye – the Beatles 1967

By 1967, The Beatles had been through the grind of tour-album-tour, all the while becoming disenchanted with celebrity that was weighing them down in every way including creatively.  So, when they cast off their pop group shackles and became a studio band, the songs did the work for them.  And why not, since that was their strength.  And despite the movement toward harder edges on rock songs, McCartney was still interested in writing pop songs with a bit extra.  And this is one of my favourites of his, quintessential Macca from Magical Mystery Tour, with tons of optimistic and colorful ear candy for the kids, with a few interesting chord progressions for the eggheads to enjoy too.

Helter Skelter – The Beatles 1968

And where the Beatles were in tune with the colorful and kaleidoscopic psychedelia the year before, by 1968 even the Beatles knew that the world was a starker, more violent place than could be papered over with paisley and Lewis Carroll.  The Who had released “I Can See For Miles”, and McCartney wanted to go one louder.  And so he did, with a raucous rock growl of a voice, a bludgeoning bassline, shreds of distorted guitar, and an inspiration in waiting for Charles Manson who interpreted this song taken from The Beatles (The White Album) quite liberally for his own diabolical ends.

Maybe I’m Amazed – Paul McCartney 1970

The Beatles were effectively over as a group in the first few months of 1970.  But, by then McCartney had other forces in his life holding him together, which came out thematically on his first solo album McCartney in 1970.  These were his new wife Linda, and her daughter Heather from her previous marriage.  But, as one marriage ended and another had begun, with the feelings of heartbreak from the lost camaraderie of his band blurred into those of amazement at being in love.  This was a potent emotional punch that was waiting to be expressed.  And here it is, one of the best songs Paul McCartney ever wrote.  It was later re-recorded live in 1976 on the Wings Over America album and released as a single.

Dear Boy – Paul & Linda McCartney 1971

One thing that we often forget when looking at songwriting deities is that they too have their heroes.  For McCartney, his hero stands as a legend in his own right; Brian Wilson.  And McCartney was not unaffected, writing his “Getting Better” from Sgt. Pepper under Wilson’s influence. But, this is my favourite of McCartney’s Wilsonesque tunes, a lighthearted jibe at a figure who is too misguided to know what he’s given up in favour of a prize which may turn out to be not worth having.  That this figure may have been one John Lennon is beside the point.   This is pure pop, the pop at Lennon notwithstanding, taken from the classic 1971 album Ram.

Junior’s Farm – Wings 1974

One criticism often leveled at McCartney is that he tends to stray on the side of whimsy, and doesn’t often, well, rock.  Another one is that when in the Beatles, it was John who was the imaginative lyricist, while Paul was strictly the melodist of the pair.  “Junior’s Farm” puts all of this to rest, recorded as it was as a single in 1974 (later to appear on the Wings Greatest album) after the release of his, arguably, breakthrough album with Wings the previous year Band on the Run. Wings was his attempt at getting back into the groove of being in a band.  They tried it democratically in terms of the writing and attention, which was noble.  But, ultimately, McCartney’s ability to write songs and sing in such a monumentus way as he does here makes that decision seem naive at best.

Here Today – Paul McCartney 1982

Speaking of criticisms, when John Lennon was shot, and after the initial shock had worn off, media at the time ghoulishly clamoured to get the impressions of the other Beatles; how did they feel about the whole tragedy?  Paul disappointed everyone by giving a very brief “what a drag” statement to the press, making him seem in print to many to be callous, to say the least.  Yet, he loved John.  And not to prove it to anyone, he wrote this tribute to his friend, placing it on his excellent Tug Of War album in 1982. Listen to the above clip, recorded in 2007, and with his voice heavy with emotion.  He is holding back the tears no more…

Calico Skies – Paul McCartney 1997

Paul and Linda had something of a unique rock marriage.  For one thing, they stayed together for 29 years.  And this song is something of a testament to their commitment, not just because they stayed together that long, but because they seemed to have a game plan – “always finding new ways to love you” as this song says, and one of the greatest love songs he ever wrote too which is certainly saying something.  The song appeared on the ‘comeback’ record Flaming Pie, and album recorded quickly and virtually solo but for a few guests, after the Beatles Anthology project was completed.  There are shades of his earlier composition “Mother Nature’s Son” in there, an English folk feel that offsets the modern notion that in order to keep a marriage healthy, it can’t be taken for granted.

Fine Line – Paul McCartney 2005

McCartney has put out albums over a long career that not every fan has been happy with.  In some ways, being Paul McCartney has been something of an impediment to his artistic growth, for who is going to tell him that one of his songs needs a bit more work before it’s committed to a final take?  Well, the answer is Nigel Goderich, producer best known for his work with Beck and Radiohead.  And Nigel, if reports are to be believed, put Sir Paul through the paces on this record and song, and it shows.  This song, and the album off of which it comes Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, represents a career high in a span of four decades, and one of the best albums by anyone in 2005.  This proves of course that talent doesn’t get old, and that artistry knows no age.

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So, happy birthday Sir Paul.  You’re still my hero, and these 10 songs are 10 just reasons to thank you.

Enjoy!

Blur reform, interviewed by the Guardian

Take a read of this article from The Guardian newspaper about a newly reformed Blur.

In an age where a lot of bands are getting back together, this one feels a bit different, going beyond the usual rock clichés of ‘we’ve put the past behind us’, and ‘the music is bigger than our petty squabbles’.  For one thing, the word nostalgia isn’t a dirty word.

It’s admitted in the article that the period when the band made its best work were the among the best times of their lives, particularly kicking off with their 1993 album Modern Life Is Rubbish, through to the heady days of 1994’s Parklife, when they captured the attention of an entire nation.  That the Brit-Pop hangover albums 13 and the self-titled Blur, not to mention the very rocky Think Tank sessions in 2001 are still fresh in the minds of each member, it seems to be their early period that stands out for them:

(Blur bassist Alex James)  “That was when we really discovered ourselves and stood up for ourselves. We were just young and … Not rich, but we did have everything we wanted. All we wanted was to get drunk and play our guitars really loud. And we traveled round the world and were … Just young men, I suppose.”

Article writer John Harris muses that this may be a common experience for many, given that the period roughly between the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the 9/11 attacks in New York City in 2001 were a period of relative stability.  There was a certain feeling of innocence during those times, when it seemed like a good time to be young, in a band, or just in being a music fan.  This is certainly true in my own case.  Yet, despite this, the article gives the impression that this sense of nostalgia is in context.

Life hasn’t stopped for each member.  Singer Damon Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon still have wandering musical interests of their own.  Bassist Alex James is a an active columnist for a number of British publications. And drummer Dave Rowntree is studying to be a solicitor with a mind to become an Member of the British Parliament!

The band are currently rehearsing for upcoming live appearances, most notably in Hyde Park on July 2 and 3 of this year, and the Glastonbury Festival.  There’s no word on a new album, currently.

Enjoy!

The Fleshtones Perform ‘Shadow Line’

Listen to this song by Queens New York garage-dwellers The Fleshtones.   It’s ‘Shadow Line’ as taken from the band’s 1982 debut album Roman Gods.

In some ways, the band hearkens back to the 1965-1968 garage band era, yet also captures some of the darkness of late 70s post-punk. This made them something of a throwback, and a welcome addition to early 80s college alternative radio in the modern era as well.  It can be argued of course that it is the pursuit of that 60s sound which fueled college radio at that time, when the simplicity of garage rock was something of a touchstone for post-punk groups like the Fleshtones.

Yet, with this song in particular, it is something of a curious listen in the sense that it sounds entirely timeless, even if at the same time it is tied to a specific era.   There is as much Joy Division in there as there is the rough-shod R&B influence of bands like the 13th Floor Elevators.

The result is a highly potent strain of guitar-driven rock music that was able to endure the changing sounds of the 80s, through to the 90s when guitar bands had won back their favour, and onto this decade where the Fleshtones enjoyed something of an renaissance at Yep Roc records with a new release in 2003, Do You Swing?.  Since then, they’ve put out a number of releases without any sign of slowing.

For more information about the Fleshtones, be sure to investigate the Fleshtones MySpace page.

Enjoy!

Joni Mitchell Sings ‘In France They Kiss On Main Street’

Here’s a clip of the original folky-chick turned jazz fusion crossover abettor Joni Mitchell with a crack team of musos (Pat Matheny, Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker, and others).  It’s ‘In France They Kiss On Main Street’, the studio version of which appears on the  1975 album The Hissing of Summer Lawns. For a tune that evokes the continental practices of Gallic culture, it actually turns out to be more about Mitchell’s misspent youth in Canada in the 1950s.

Oddly, the album in question Hissing of Summer Lawns was pronounced to be the worst album of 1975 by Rolling Stone Magazine.  I say oddly because it is such a vital release, crammed with imagery and character which is well demonstrated by this song alone.  Yet, much like Dylan, Joni Mitchell was most likely the victim of the expectations of the press for her to remain as she was .

In Mitchell’s case it was the pose of the sensitive woman with an acoustic guitar, or behind a piano, in ‘confessional’ mode as she was on 1971’s Blue.  No one expected jazz, even if it was heavily hinted at on 1974’s Court and Spark.  And no one expected Burundi drumming, as featured on the track ‘the Jungle Line’ here on Hissing…

Despite criticisms by the rock press at the time, the album is now looked upon as an artistic turning point for her, a switch-over from one era to another.  As successful as this album was commercially, no one would ever expect her to repeat herself again.  And she wouldn’t disappoint on that score, even if universal critical praise for her next few releases into the 1980s wouldn’t be a reality.

For me, it’s the strength of individual songs that sells the record.  And this is one of my favorites.  The optimism of youth in this song, and the feelings of immortality experienced only in that unique way by teenagers is perfectly captured.  It is a perfect soundtrack for a sunny day when the world is full of possibilities, poised on a precipice of wonder.  Yet, like the impressionist paintings from which Mitchell herself draws inspiration, you never get lessons about any of these things.  You just get suggestions of characters, emotional tones, and of course impressions of that 50s teenage world.

Maybe the strength of this tune lay in the contrast between a naive 1950s and a jaded 1970s, or more pointedly between childhood innocence depicted and adult experience in which the song was written and performed.  This of course would be a theme which Mitchell would revisit often, even as her musical curiosity continued to expand. Mitchell would inspire other songwriters to be as curious as she, including Prince, who called this an album that he loved ‘all the way through’.

For more information about Joni Mitchell, be sure to check out Jonimitchell.com.

Enjoy!

Sam Phillips Sings “Baby I Can’t Please You”

Here’s a clip of former Christian-rock chanteuse turned secular Beatlesque pop singer Sam Phillips, singing her 1994 song “Baby I Can’t Please You” as taken from her T-Bone Burnett-produced disc Martinis & Bikinis.

Sam Phillips started her recording career singing straight-ahead Christian rock, being herself a woman of faith and recording under her given name, Leslie Phillips.  Yet the Christian subculture and the sub-sub culture of being a Christian rock artist began to take its toll on Phillips.  Firmly aligned to her own ideas of her faith, and aware that the mainstream church’s (and her label’s) right-wing political baggage had very little to do with that faith, Phillips broke away from being a Christian singer in favour of being a Christian who sings.  And Sam Phillips was born where Leslie Phillips once stood.

As he was in assisting Bob Dylan through his Christian period, producer T-Bone Burnett was instrumental in helping Phillips to make this transition from the Christian rock ghetto to a secular pop space which allowed Phillips to address spiritual and earthly matters on a level playing field.  Burnett helmed her first two albums The Indescribable Wow and Cruel Inventions both to critical praise, if not in the smash sales or chart positions she’d enjoyed as a Christian rock artist with a guaranteed niche audience.  The couple married in 1991.

One of her critical breakthrough’s was this album, Martinis & Bikinis, and particularly this song which could be about a dysfunctional relationship with the God of the Right Wing as much as it could be about a relationship with a self-righteous human being.  The line ‘you say love when you mean control’ seems to speak volumes in favor of this idea.  In actuality, the entire album has little moments like this, with lines that point to the need to refocus on the ideas of what love really means, and how far away it is from the impulse to wrest, and maintain, control over others.

Sam Phillips most recent album, Don’t Do Anything, is out now.

For more information about Sam Phillips, check out the Sam Phillips MySpace Page.

Enjoy!