Janis Ian BILLY'S BONES
Additional Information from Movie Mars
Product Description
Personnel includes: Janis Ian, Dolly Parton.
Decades after their initial burst on the pop scene certain serious artists conjure up special recordings deserving of extra attention. A Jackie DeShannon will deliver something stunning like her wonderful You Know Me disc while Ian Hunter strikes hard with his powerful Rant. Janis Ian takes a more restrained approach, but the result is just as masterful on Billie's Bones, a collection of 13 songs recorded over three days in Nashville at Sound Emporium from June 9-11, 2003. Dolly Parton adds a complementary vocal to "My Tennessee Hills" as Janis takes the listener all over the world -- the beautiful "Paris in Your Eyes" preceding the instrumental "Marching on Glasgow," the poet taking the journey from the Southern states to Amsterdam as well. This is not a "folk" album, the always creative Janis Ian finding different melodies on her guitar giving a distinct flavor to each tune and the bevy of thoughtful lyrics. The title track is inspired by a previous work the artist published in her 1968 book Who Really Cares, Poems by Janis Ian. The lyrics to it open up the 14-page booklet while the original poem closes out the insert. "Billie is my idol, I wander through the desert of her later years," she writes in the earlier version concluding with "Tell them I am ash...and I have no tongue." The song has another perspective for the story: "All these years and all I've learned is just how brilliantly I fail." There is no failure here on this successful light rock collection displaying all sorts of musical elements -- the touch of country in "My Tennessee Hills," a jazz feel on "Matthew," the soft introspection of "Amsterdam." As the great Jimmy Miller put the Blind Faith album together in three days after the supergroup tried for months to record, Ian takes her paint brush and in three days creates an album that contains multiple ideas that entertain as they unravel in a unique and impressive fashion. It is a beautiful and fulfilling disc from her vast repertoire. ~ Joe Viglione
About Movie Mars
JOHN LENNON & the Plastic Ono Band Live In Toronto '69
Filmed at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival 1969 (festival)
To those fans who loved the Velvet Underground-ish sludge of "Gimme
Shelter" as performed by The Rolling Stones on that iconic bootleg "Liver
Than You'll Ever Be", this DVD serves up a whole lot of young Eric Clapton
and John Lennon on the fringe of the right pitch with an onslaught of raw
power. To those of us who played the vinyl into the ground, including
Yoko Ono's persistent and quite lengthy primal scream that is "Don't Worry
Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)", resplendent in
Lennon/Clapton reinventing The Everly Brothers' "Wake Up Little Suzy" riff
and drenched in Pennebaker's trademark (and a bit annoying) dark footage
of the event. Though he dazzled us with Monterey Pop - an event muchlike
filmmaker Spike Lee creating the brilliant and commercial "Inside Man" and
breaking out of his formula - D.A. Pennebaker, with this footage as well
as David Bowie's Spiders From Mars and Bob Dylan's Don't Look Back,
crafted a dark tone that's not as compelling. If Lennon, Clapton, Klaus
Voorman and Alan White weren't on the bill would you sit through a dark
tunnel of Yoko Ono screaming? Would you watch the Spiders From Mars if
not for Bowie onstage? Would a Leonard Cohen documentary as darkly
filmed as Dylan's "Don't Look Back" be as popular? The answer is - only
to the limited fans of those groups. Ono and Cohen have their followers,
and even the Spiders from Mars sans Bowie & Ronson had a novelty aspect to
their existence, but these films are noteworthy more for the performances
of the superstars than the cinematography. (A bit of digression here: As
Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller said to this writer "There is no
right or wrong in production" (with a nod and a wink because, of course,
taste is a big part of it). Miller also was humble about the fact that he
was as good as the artists he worked with. He worked with those greats
because he was one of the greats himself and Gemmzine.com will have a huge
special on the late Jimmy Miller including photos and perhaps some rare
audio interviews from my archives). So any number of name filmmakers
could have made this film and gained noteriety and that's what irks me
about Pennebaker's work - his Monterey Pop material is majestic, this
superb set of performances remains great because of the talent onstage
more than the talented filmmaker with a film crew of eight who seems to
have been taking a siesta when he should've been more concerned with the
lighting. Wally Heider's four person sound crew are superb in capturing
this intense Lennon moment. Had this band performed 30 shows and were
they all taped this precious moment in rock history might not be as vital,
though it would still be appealing. That it was "one night only" and so
spontaneous and impromptu makes it an absolute essential for any true fan
of rock & roll. "Cold Turkey" (Lennon's second solo 45 RPM) and "Yer
Blues" from The White Album are as revealing as "Blue Suede Shoes",
"Money" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" - none of which are on the John Lennon
Roots: Sings The Great Rock & Roll Hits on Adam VIII (click highlighted
title for Gemmzine review). These oldies also are absent from the
official Apple/Capitol/EMI release John Lennon's "Rock 'n' Roll", making
their appearance here all the more intriguing and fulfilling. Interesting
that Alan Douglas is an executive producer here (yes, Douglas of Jimi
Hendrix fame, see his interesting website
Meat Beat Manifesto Travelogue Live 05
A visually intriguing package of {$Meat Beat
Manifesto} with images culled from a rehearsal in San
Francisco, on the road in North America and Canada, at
a sound check on June 16th in Kansas City as well as
a sound check in Chicago six days later, and then the
full concert live at that Chicago venue on June 22,
2005. {$Jack Dangers} builds his audio as {$Greg
Hawkes} of {$The Cars} and videographer {$Jeff Hudson}
did back in the 90s, the concert combining imagery
with the electronica/techno/ backbeat and sound
weavings. Picture {$Monsieur Leroc} adding some punch
to {$The Chemical Brothers} without the soul music.
Or perhaps it is {$Kraftwerk} hypnotics with {$Ringo
Starr}-style beats courtesy of {$Lynn Farmer}'s
V.Drums. It's fun stuff, but like
{$Chrome & Helios Creed} on their {^Dual Forces} DVD
the quartet here can sometimes deliver too much of a
good thing and it can all descend into monotony.
Where the rap and performance of a {$Blackalicious}
has the potential to evolve, at a certain point the
explorations of these sons of {$Kraftwerk} seem to
bang their heads against the glass ceiling when they
should be bashing through it, though {&"Radio
Babylon"} is nicely eerie. Don't expect {$The
Beatles} when {&"Helter Skelter"} kicks in and it is
{$Elsa Lanchester}'s face and scream from {#The Bride
Of Frankenstein} that will greet you on {&"She's
Unreal"}. When it comes to experimenting a group like
{$Home And Garden} seems to have the knack for it and
{$Meat Beat Manifesto} would be wise to combine forces
with musicians from another world, as {$Sutherlan
Brothers & Quiver} once did with their respective
genres decades before this. {^Travelogue Live 05} is a
fun jaunt and might spice up a party for twenty
minutes or so, but then it's time to slap on {$Andy
Mackay}'s {^In Search Of Eddie Riff} again.
John Batdorf HOME AGAIN
Though an essential songwriter/singer behind the
scenes in the music and film industry, {$John Batdorf}
deserves equal time on the radio and {^Home Again}
provides solid evidence for that argument. A reunion
of sorts with 70's partner {$Mark Rodney}, the title
track is a re-make of a {$Batdorf} tune from their
second release as a duo, 1972's eponymous {^Batdorf &
Rodney} release. As with {$Ian Hunter}, {$Buzzy
Linhart}, the group {$Epitaph} and a notable list of
other veteran artists, the music they are generating
in the new millennium is in many ways superior to
their previous efforts, and better than what radio and
what's left of the industry is attempting to force on
the masses. {$Mark Rodney} writes the liner notes here
inside this elegant package which includes over a
dozen photo images of the players and he references
the sound of {$Crosby, Stills & Nash}. Yes, the title
track could fit nicely into that trio's repertoire,
though {$John Batdorf} takes this disc through his own
personal journey. {&"Me and You"} is one of seven
co-writes with {$Michael McLean} and it would be a
nugget on any {$Paul McCartney} album. Vocally
sounding like a cross between John Anderson from
{$Yes} and {$Seals & Croft} (both of them; and yes,
{$Batdorf & Rodney} have been compared to that duo in
the past), {$John Batdorf} generates a striking album
with help from his colleagues, a master craftsman
delivering the goods without resting on past laurels
or going through the motions. Though there is nothing
ground-breaking here, that isn't the objective for it
is refreshing to hear an artist do what he does best
and do it without concern for Top 40 airplay or
commercial success, though this album is oh so very
radio friendly. Drifting through folk/pop and the
blues of {&"Solitude"} Batdorf communicates his ideas
superbly, backing vocals cascading in a spacious
production that is minimal yet still big. {&"I Don't
Always Win"} evokes that minstrel in the gallery feel
{$Ian Anderson} spoke of, the voices matching the
guitar sounds with amazing effect. The ten titles
clock in at under forty-five minutes but it is great
playing and well considered production that makes this
a very special project. The final track, {&"Where Are
You Now?}, is an old {$Batdorf & Rodney} number which
previously only showed up on their {^Live At McCabes}
release. Perhaps collaborations with {$Jonathan
Richman} and other quirky originals could take this
music to an even different path and audience in the
future but for right now the sounds on {^Home Again}
are warm, eloquent and very enjoyable.
Epitaph Remember The Daze
{$Epitaph} roll out the melodies on this excellent
disc with {&"East Of The Moon"}, styled after {$Roxy
Music}'s opening track/anthem to their 1979 epic -
{^Manifesto} - and just as effective. It's quickly
followed by a stylistic change, folk guitar, keyboards
and heavy vocals which make {&"Evermore"} a solid hard
pop outing in the vein of {$Sutherland Brothers and
Quiver}. The dark greys of the CD artwork and slick
eight page booklet don't adequately reflect the sounds
at play on the first two tracks, though things do get
bleak with the driving {&"Cold Rain"} which borrows
heavily from {$Ian Gillan} vocally and {$Deep Purple}
rhythmically. Guitarist/vocalist {$Cliff Jackson}'s
production is crisp and clean, the title track chock
full of hooks and sweeping sounds. While no new
ground is broken here the collection of sounds from
the past sprinkled throughout keeps each track
exciting, older listeners finding elements of favorite
tunes tucked into all sorts of nooks and crannies on
this cd. It'll keep your brain engaged trying to
figure out where each riff was nicked from. The
difficult thing is the timing of it all for this disc
is so intense, magical and satisfying that it would
have fared better in a more friendly environment -
like 1975 or 1989 or some time in the past where radio
could have embraced the solid production and playing.
The acoustic {&"Ships (In The Dark)"} is so elegant it
could fit inside {$Richard Shindell}'s {^South Of
Delia} disc next to his {&"The Humpback Whale"}, which
is a musical stretch for this ensemble, and a very
nice one at that. {&"Hole In My Head"} could be a
lost track from {$John Stewart}'s classic {^Bombs Away
Dream Babies}, these blokes all over the musical map
in a very good way. The eleven tracks and bonus
"radio edit" of {&"East Of The Moon"} included here
will be hard to top on a future outing, but they make
the need for that follow-up to this one hour of music
very necessary.
Landmarq
"Turbulence: Live In Poland"
{$Tracy Hitchings} has a smooth voice and in-control
presence which brings the complex pop music of the
group {$Landmarq} across with cool efficiency. Dubbed
"British neo-progressive", the title of this DVD,
{^Turbulence: Live in Poland}, is a bit of a misnomer.
Yes, recorded live at the Wyspiaski Theatre in
Katowice as was {$Pendragon}'s {^Past and Presence},
the lighting, camerawork and stage production all
combine to make this an exciting visual and audio
experience. Hitchings could be a latter day {$Jinx
Dawson} of {$Coven} fame with a voice that cuts
through the thick layer of keyboard and guitar {$Tracy
Hitchings} has a smooth voice and in-control presence
which brings the complex pop music of the group
{$Landmarq} across with cool efficiency. Dubbed
"British neo-progressive", the drums of {$Dave
Wagstaffe} are rock solid (Wagstaffe is the drummer in
three {$Landmarq} lineups, {$Pendragon}'s {$Fudge
Smith} shows up on bonus material included here),
while guitarist {$Uwe DRöse } and bassist {$Steve Gee}
hold down the fort nicely. There are lots of quick
camera cuts but the director does a fine job of
getting the concert images in along with a superb
focus on the musicians. The band's newest member,
{$Mike Varty}, plays keyboards that have the tonal
quality {$Tom Scholz} put on the group {$Boston}'s
{&"Foreplay/Long Time"}, though he can mellow it out
and proves it nicely on the ballad {&"Prayer (Coming
Home)"}. {&"Calm Before The Storm"} is not the
fabulous song by 70's rocker {$The Phantom} - the
short-lived {$Jim Morrison} imitation, though it is
what this exceptional music from {$Landmarq}
could use - a jolt of good old fashioned pop
structure. That's all that's needed to drive this
fine ensemble into the mainstream. Lots of bonus
tracks here and plenty of information in the four page
booklet. It's a classy package which should please
the fan base and attract new listeners.
Miscellaneous
70+ articles for AMG since January 1, 2004
July 12, 2004
Patti Labelle DVD
Doris Troy song reviews
Due for publication by May 14th:
Hendrix, Jimi Live At The Albert Hall 197z Album
Review
Hendrix, Jimi Experience ( Original Soundtrack From
The Feature Length
Motion Picture EXPERIENCE) 1971 Album Review Pinera,
Mike In The Garden Of
Eden 1996 Album Review
Hendrix, Jimi More Experience 1972 Album Review
Ferrante & Teicher Broadway To Hollywood 1960
Humperdinck, Engelbert We Made It Happen 1970 Album
Review
Blues Image Red, White and Blues Image 1970 Album
Review
Various Artists Jackpot 2001 Album Review
Andalucia Cale, John Cale, John Song Review
The Bee Gees The Hits And The History Of The Bee
Gees-One Night Only and
The Official Story of The Bee Gees 2003 Whiteface 1979
Biography Various
Artists Apollo Saturday Night 1965 Album Review
Williams, Roger Ivory Impact 1987 Album Review
Whiteface Change Of Face 1981 Album Review
Ferrante & Teicher 50 Fabulous Piano Favorites 1964
Album Review
Calo, Peter Peaceful Easy Feeling 2003 Album Review
Paris 1919 Cale, John Cale, John Song Review
The Stompers Live Scrapbook 1979-1983 2001 Album
Review
Art Garfunkel & Amy Grant The Animal's Christmas 1986
Album Review Joey
Dee & The Starliters Back At The Peppermint Lounge in
Miami Beach
(Recorded Live) 1962
Williams, Mason The Mason Williams Ear Show 1969
Avalon, Frankie The Young Frankie Avalon 1959 Album
Charlemagne Cale, John Cale, John Song Review
Viglione,
Big Brother & The Holding Company Big Brother & The
Holding Company (1968)
Checker, Chubby Limbo Party Amsterdam Cale, John Song
Review
Mr. Wilson Cale, John Song Review
Gun Cale, John Song Review
I'll Do Anything (Anything He Wants Me To) Troy, Doris
Song Review
Fotomaker Vis-A-Vis 1978 Album Review Williams, Mason
The Mason Williams
Phonograph Album 1968 Album Review Checker, Chubby
Your Twist Party 1961
Album Review All I Know Webb, Jimmy Webb, Jimmy Song
Review
It Ain't Easy Davies, Ron
Cher Backstage 1968 Album Review
Montez, Chris Time After Time 1966 Album Review
Ferrante & Teicher Bouquet Of Hits 1968 Album Review
Didn't We Webb, Jimmy Webb,
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress Webb, Jimmy
Highwayman Webb, Jimmy Song Review
Worst That Could Happen Webb, Jimmy
MacArthur Park Webb, Jimmy
Up, Up And Away Webb, Jimmy various artists Song
Review
Whiteface Whiteface 1979 Album Review
Wampeters Look What's Left 1994 Album Review
Roomful of Blues Roomful Of Blues 1977 Album Review
Ian, Janis Billie's Bones 2003 Album Review
Davies, Ron Where Does The Time Go? 2003 Album Review
Checker, Chubby For Teen Twisters Only 1962
Humperdinck, Engelbert Engelbert 1969 Album Review
Wampeters Murder Your Darlings 1999 Album Review
Stompy Jones Stompy Jones 2003 Album Review
Shepherd, Cybill Cybil Does It...To Cole Porter 1974
Album Review
Manilow, Barry Barry 1980 Album Review Manilow, Barry
One Voice 1979
Album Review
Manilow, Barry This One's For You 1976 Album Review
Manilow, Barry Even Now 1978 Album Review
Manilow, Barry Trying To Get The Feeling Again 1975
Album Review
Brooklyn Dreams Brooklyn Dreams 1977 Album Review
Focus Live In America 2003 Album Review
Focus 8 2002 Album Review
Lopez, Trini The Whole Enchilada
Various Artists You Light Up My Life (Soundtrack)
1977
Barry, John The Deep (Soundtrack) 1977 Album Review
Simone, Nina Jazz As Played In An Exclusive Side
Street Club 1958 Carr,
Vikki The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) 1972
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
VARULVEN'S OWN HOUSE ORGAN:
Check out the new Music Business Monthly
JOE'S SOUNDTRACK TO HIS FILM BEING COMPLETED:
The soundtrack to "The Salt Water Summers" is being
worked on as we speak!
The film opens with "Summer Summer" by Andy Pratt, and
filming begins this
summer! Stay tuned!
EBAY UTILIZING JOE VIGLIONE REVIEWS:
There are 28 posted as of 2:18 AM May 2nd,
58 items as of 2:12 PM July 11, 2004:
Someone actually posted my biography of Joey Molland
from Badfinger:
and two of my recordings released in 1976 and 1977
available on EBAY
If these links are not functioning
Go to Http://www.ebay.com put Joe Viglione in the
search enginer
make sure to click on "Search Title and Description"
===========================================================================
REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST!
===========================================================================
Quotes & Thanks!
Quoted on Oldies.com - Collectables' Records
Tim Moore release
Thanked in Books by
Harriet Schock "Becoming Remarkable" (Dolphin
Publishing)
Kris Engelhardt "Beatles Undercover" (CG Publishing,
Canada)
Kris Engelhardt "Mark Farner: From Grand Funk To
Grace"
(CG Publishing,
Canada)
Genya Ravan "Lollipop Lounge" (Billboard
Books)
Jorie Gracen "I Saw Him Standing There" (Billboard
Books)
tons of other quotes from a blurb on Ian Hunter used
in Radio & Records
Magazine, to postings on websites all around the
world.
=====
Rock Journalist Joe Viglione
P.O. Box 2392
Woburn, MA 01888
Joe's Top 30
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