Category Archives: Justin McCreary

Weezer: Because Everything Will Be Alright in the End.

Everything Will Be Alright In the End – Cover

It is difficult for me to write about modern albums, I feel like. I try to make sure that if I am going to dedicate the time to learning the new music (by learning I mean a lot of listening) it had better be good. My attention span isn’t what it used to be, and I find little desire to decode the lyrics of complicated songs. And though I support the idea that all musicians should grow in depth as they mature, the fact is, I am a much older man in spirit than body, and am very much a fuddy duddy, even though my last three posts were about modern albums.

Many of the bands singing pop rock when I was a kid had their start in the 70’s before I was born. I found them in the late 80’s and respected them into the 90’s. When it comes to bands that started during my middle to teenage years in the mid to late 90’s I wonder what they are doing now. For some reason I had assumed Weezer had simply stopped making music after Green. Then I realized why I was missing their new albums, when I saw “Everything Will Be Alright In the End,” at the record store.

Everything Will Be Alright In the End – Record

My ascension to Fuddy Duddydum had left me listing to classic rock channels and 90’s grunge and alternative channels (which is considered classic rock in some circles). I forgot that classic Weezer, though very good, was not the only Weezer. I looked over while picking my daughter up from school and heard her singing along to Weezer’s new album and realized that Weezer had gained new status in the world, a band that survived its beginnings and grew into something bigger, something that made them into a new classic. I was just old enough to have been there when they started, but my daughter, learned of them many years after their beginning. Of course it can often be difficult reconnecting older bands, but Weezer’s “Everything Will Be Alright in the End” made it easy. Cuomo’s intent in this album was to look back while moving forward, using their classic sound.

Everything Will Be Alright In the End – Insert

I don’t know what it is about Weezer and Cuomo’s writing that makes me pour over lyrics, regardless of whether I want to, it is compulsive. Sure, I could try to just enjoy this album, bobbing my head as I listen to the catchy tunes, but I feel like I would be treating the writer unjustly. These songs make it hard to just listen to I want to hear them as well. In fact I had to google Foucault before writing this paragraph. I can imagine saying that to Rivers Cuomo and Rivers just walking away shaking his head. When I listen to River’s words and music I cycle through few basic thoughts that progress in this manner.

I’d love to meet this guy for coffee
We could talk about his music and theology
I’d love to hear about his writing process
Shit he went to Harvard
Am I smart enough to talk with Rivers?
Uh oh I’d better prepare how do you pronounce Foucault again?
Can I call him Rivers?
And I’d better bone up on my Greek, where did I leave my old professors email?
I’m tired

Would Someone Please Translate This For Me? My Greek is Terrible.

Weezer produces great and catchy music, which seems extremely unpopular today. Cuomo writes amazing lyrics, in fact he went to college to make himself a better writer, to better delve into the depths of his soul. The songs in this album are broken into three topics, Women, Work, and Father Issues. These three topics show up often in Weezer songs, but that’s not a bad thing, because these three topics show up often in our day to day lives. But Cuomo doesn’t sing about these three things the same way as he did in Pinkerton and Blue, instead, his songs engender growth, and one of the greatest truths, sometimes we have to return to the beginning to really know who we are in the end.

Time Traveling Audio

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Initially I had not set out to build a vintage audio system. I bought a Stanton t.52 turntable and hooked it up through a preamp into a Sony 5.1 receiver just sitting in our attic. The turntable was nice, it had good reviews for its price range. The Sony receiver had a nice steady power output and two good bookshelf speakers, early on I had removed the midrange because there really wasn’t any use for a third speaker until I found a subwoofer to help the smaller woofers of the bookshelf speakers.

JVC KD-V100

I knew at some point I would add a cassette deck to the system. To be honest, I was frustrated with the reviews for the newer decks in my price range. It was because of constant complaint about their cheap construction that I began searching Ebay for a used deck. I found a JVC KD-V100 for $40 with free shipping. There are better decks and more vintage decks, but not at that price. This player from the middle 1980’s uses all major cassette types including chrome and metal and has Dolby noise reduction. Someday I will probably get a better deck but this one records very well from Vinyl or CD. It also plays my copy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Soundtrack, so what I lose in Total Harmonic Distortion I make up in Turtle Power.

After purchasing my first vintagy piece I realized just how new the old Sony receiver looked, and how bored it sounded. It’s like through every song the receiver wanted to say, “I have all these channels and you’re just using two, please, add a TV or something. Due to the complaints of my receiver I decided to start looking for other vintage parts. I began looking at reel-to-reels, 8 tracks, receivers, amplifiers, and speakers. After spending a month on Ebay I realized I was never going to be able to get the piece I wanted for the right price because of shipping. That’s when I started hitting thrift stores and Craigslist.

Pioneer SX-650

One day I found a reel to reel on Craigslist thirty minutes away, I never called the seller until my wife encouraged me to do so a day later. Of course, the post was already 3 days old and his number was disconnected. But I noticed something else had popped up while I was trying to contact him. A woman who had just finished a yard sale posted her receiver and speakers, which didn’t sell. I found out she had a Pioneer SX-650 and two HPM-60 speakers.

HPM 60

I bought the set for 100 dollars. I found out that she bought this system new. I looked up when that was, and it would have been between 1977 and 1979. This system had only had one owner, and she was glad someone saw in it what she did, she had spent decades enjoying music through this receiver and didn’t want to just give it away. I learned a lot setting this system up, mainly distance matters, the further away I moved my speakers from the turntable the better everything sounded. I still struggle with the phono input though, I have a nice stable sound through the auxiliary input using my preamp, but I randomly lose left or right with the phono, also when I got the speakers home I noticed I was missing a terminal, which was a little difficult to replace.

Covered in sweat I wondered if all the work was going to be worth it. The speakers sat for days as I waited on a replacement part. Then, when I finally got the part I played Beck’s Morning Phase on vinyl and realized how different the sound was. My Sony speakers projected an amplified sound adequately and clearly, the HPM 60’s offer something else, a full rounded sound, almost soft. It is like I am resting on a bed of pine needles in spring while a breeze blew over my body. It is so different. Everything is clear and round and also soft, like the embrace of a lover.

I don’t have audiophile ears. And I learned through my reading that I don’t really have a HiFi system. I know that the SX-650 with its 300 dollar price tag was the “affordable” model in 1977. It pushes a solid 35 watts per channel with Total Harmonic Distortion of only 0.3%. And though they tell me it’s not a HiFi system, there seems to be consensus that it is a good vintage system But in the end that doesn’t mean much to me I can tell the color of the music and the feel, and that’s fine for me. Over time I may add another turntable but until then, I will continue the tradition of the woman who sold me the system and rock on.

Best of Mandatory Fun 2014

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This is scary in the right light

Watch this record spin

I don’t know if I’ve made it clear but I don’t feel well versed enough to review new music, in reality, I question my ability to review any music. Which is fine because that has never been the purpose of this blog. This blog has always been about my relationship with music, and that means that I don’t need a good technical understanding of music I just have to have ears and feelings.

However, I have had a new Weird Al Yankovic album thrust upon me, and I feel I must comment on this album that entered the billboard top 200 at number 1. I have been a fan of Weird Al for a long time, in childhood he was the one who let me know (and Gonzo from the Muppet Babies) that I was ok even though I didn’t fit in, I wore the epithet “weird” proudly even when it hurt. But that will be more important when I talk about my favorite childhood Weird Al Yankovic album. This post is about a new album that shows the relevance of Weird Al and his adaptability.

With Tea Cup

Weird Al, coming off of a solid but not well received album by the public found himself in a pickle. When this album came out the label made it clear they wouldn’t be making his videos so he had to find a different way. He did, he proved not only to be relevant but savvy. He released 8 videos in 8 days on 8 different websites.

But, this post is not about how amazing Weird Al is, it is just my annual Best of Mandatory Fun 2014. Listed below are the categories I find important.

Just typed up some lyrics

Best song upgrade (This parody actually improved the song)
Word Crimes

Best Breakout song with male twerking
Tacky

Best song that the video does no justice for
Mission Statement

Best parody that introduced me to an original song that I really like
Handy

Best Pixies style parody
First World Problems

Best style parody of a band I never heard of
Lame Claim to fame

Best school fight song ever
Sport’s Song

Song that should have been made into a video as the theme song to a pretend new show
Inactive

Best song that could almost be a parody of Dr. Seuss’ Things I Saw on Mulberry Street
My Own Eyes

Song that reminds me of how glad I am to be married
Jackson Park Express

Best Parody
Foil

Best Song on Mandatory Fun
Now That’s What I Call a Polka

Scott Pilgrim: In Regard to a List of Things I’ve Liked for A Thousand years.

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There are two important things to note about this blog. First, this is not the third post on Zeppelin I and second, this is a movie soundtrack. I wanted to take my time with the final Led Zeppelin blog and I was working with a lot of new material, this LP is one I know well from movie and music.

Scott Pilgrim Vs the World

I would generally avoid buying movie soundtracks on vinyl, but there is something different about this movie, this movie is about music. On the back of the record sleeve Edgar Write says that the music leaps off the pages of the original source material and also that these songs became the soundtrack for the lives of all the people involved with the movie. The movie sets itself in the middle of the Toronto indie rock scene therefore this soundtrack lives there. I know what you’re saying, “There were so many better option to start with, why didn’t you start with the Blues Brothers or Spinal Tap,” well there is a good answer to that, I don’t have a copy of the Blues Brothers and I didn’t really care for “This Is Spinal Tap.” And I probably wouldn’t have started there anyway, if you think they are so great write your own blog.

I should also say on the front end that I am not a movie critic, I base the goodness and badness of movies on whether I walked away saying, “That was fun I liked that.” Unless of course it was a sad movie then I base it off of the statement, “That movie explored deep issues and was important.” I make this clarification because for some reason critics didn’t like this movie and many thought Michael Cera gave a week performance, to those things I say very clearly, “Eh maybe but, the music was great and Michael Cera did what Michael Cera does.” But then I am not here to talk about some movie that came out forever ago, instead I am going to talk about the LP. I will probably mention the movie on more than one occasion but then this is a soundtrack.

I noticed something when I watched this movie, I liked the band Sex Bob-Omb. I don’t just mean the characters but also the music. The great thing is that was before I found out that the actors were playing and Beck wrote their songs. I have never been a big fan of indie-rock rock per-say but I would have loved seeing these shows, when I was younger and before I found my own Ramona Flowers. The music, as I move through the record, is so diverse and there is a tone that makes fun of itself. I walked away singing about going for a ride on a garbage truck… truck truck truck truck.

Spinning Pilgrim

These songs and the scenes being described remind me of the time from college to my late 20’s when I was catching live shows like they were going out of style, of course, I could list them off but you’ve probably never heard half of them. The difference between my scene and Toronto was the style of music, sure there was weird rock, but I was out mostly listening to blues, swing, and Rock-a-Billy. I spent a lot of time in Bars and Juke Joints, don’t get me wrong I would order a drink, but I was there for the live music and the dancing.

Of course not all the music is Indie and Beck, for instance “Under My Thumb” recorded by the Rolling Stones. The stones provide great anchor point, of course if you are looking for that sound throughout you may want to look into something else. The fact is, if you are an old feller who can’t open up to different styles you may want to just buy something else. This music was very different than my normal music that was why I loved the album.

One of the things I love about the physical construction of the album is the color, red. Or at least some weird variant thereof. The LP has a great look even though it was made with thin vinyl. That is normal with first issue releases. Most bands aren’t going to start with 180 gram vinyl until they have a big enough base to support them and with this record being a soundtrack it would have to garner major support. I do, however, believe that this record is important in any collection if you are a fan of the genres represented, if not however, don’t worry about it, you will only miss out on some great indie-rock and Beck, but if you are looking for a good music that will make you feel bad and think about stuff, you should check out this album.

In Search of Lead Balloons Part 1: You’re Time is Gonna Come

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Friday Vinyl

I didn’t hear the knock at the door, I didn’t hear the door bell, and I didn’t hear the dog bark at the mail carrier. In fact I sat wondering why my record had not yet arrived, so I checked the tracking numbers. I noticed that that my package was reading delivered, so I opened my front door and saw sitting there, the square box containing Led Zeppelin I.

Since renewing my vinyl record hobby I had been trying to find used copies of Led Zeppelin albums to no avail. Used copies of Led Zeppelin records didn’t last long in used record stores. There is a good reason for this, Atlantic stopped producing vinyl because record players were on the way out and the mainstream was switching from cassette to CD. Vinyl records were not only outdated tech but had been on their last legs for a long time.

There were still bands putting out records in the 90’s but they were mainly new bands and the vinyl releases were small and only served the purpose of getting a cassette out. Then the world switched from analog to digital so many labels asked, “What’s the point of producing vinyl?” A starting band could record a track in their garage on a 4 track and make a decent cassette. Today that process is even simpler. But there were bands that still recorded in Vinyl, and over time a small subset of people decided they missed what I like to call the religious aspect of music. The touch of the media, the physical process of playing, and the ritual of old tech.

Many bands, including rock bands, new age, rap, and even techno, started releasing and re-releasing their original recordings in vinyl, Led Zeppelin did not. And though, they did re-release their songs on vinyl in different sets the original albums were never released. Over the last few years they had made plans to re-release, finally. Originally it would be over a year but then they realized if they took their time they could add more tracks, so they switched to the idea of three a year. So I now have the first of three.

I had big plans for my record arrival with a special post used to relaunch my blog, I had been under hiatus since planting my garden, and had also moved it to a self-hosted address. I ordered the record three months before the release date at my local record shop so I thought this would work out perfectly. Of course, since the closing of the locally owned store I had to go to a chain store. I am fine supporting chains because at some level they are still local and they bring money back to the community though I will always wish I could have stopped in and talked about the release to the owner of Morning Bell Records in Jackson Mississippi. I remember going the day of the release and to my dismay, the record had not been shipped, they had plenty of the CD’s but not the records.

It wasn’t the fault of the store clerk, it was supposed to be shipped it just wasn’t because the chain doesn’t really care about the buying and selling of vinyl records. Of course, I may be too harsh, maybe they do care but figured the re-release would go over like a lead balloon and they wouldn’t have a problem with the item being out of stock. The clerk sadly told me he didn’t know if they would get it anytime soon.

So I figured I would just order it from Amazon then I would still have time to write my blog, but Amazon was now back ordered. I tried other online retailers and they too were back ordered, and though I better understood the problem the local store had in getting the record, I was still a strange mix of sad and angry.

Come to think of it, it was the same feeling I got when I found that the locally owned Jackson Mississippi store Morning Bell was closing. The store struggled to stay open for two years and I like to think that the owner, who had become a common conversant with me, would have made sure I had the record on time (whether that is true or not). The reason this is sad because some of us love the ritual of the thing as much as the thing itself. For me music is personal and all aspects of it should be. I don’t want to be 1 of 2000 people in a concert hall just to hear my favorite band. I would rather slow dance to the local blues guy with my wife in a small juke joint. If it isn’t personal I don’t have enough interest to sustain the show. And if you think that is crazy you should see me make coffee.

I envision a future where everything will be bought online and I get nervous. I am a fan of online shopping, but there are some things that will always be better local: fruit, vegetables, restaurants, and music. These are things that make a community a community and not just a collection of living quarters. It was sad that I couldn’t get Led Zeppelin I at the record store on the release date because it means that part of what makes a community a community is dying. I would have loved standing in a long line out the doorway to get my record that day it was released. I would have camped out. I wonder if there is a way to strike a balance, to have it both ways, Amazon.com and Morning Bell. How do we save community from ourselves?

Led Zeppelin I the deluxe edition comes with 3 records. The original studio recording and newly released live material. I will respond to this release in two posts. The first will deal with the original release material and the second the live material. Happy reading, and please leave feedback or tell me about your experience in music.

All About Fish and Feelings, Whatever Nevermind

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My first experience was Nirvana was not from their ground breaking album Nevermind, nor was it from MTV over playing the video Smells Like Teen Spirit, no my first experience with Nirvana was through Weird Al Yankovic’s song Smells Like Nirvana. I was, at the time, a classic rock fan, I had never been too impressed with modern music so I encountered most of it through satire. I would sit and wait for hours for the video of Smells Like Nirvana to air on MTV. Of course during that time I heard songs, like Come As You Are, In Bloom, and Smells Like Teen Spirit.

www.heptide.com

I was just leaving Middle School when Nirvana hit the airwaves and I missed it. Of course when I found them, finally, they were the first band since Led Zeppelin or Queen to make any sense. Much of my music taste comes from hindsight, in fact, I missed most of it the first time, except the grunge. Once I found that style I never let go, even today I listen to 90’s stations frustrated with the lack of Nirvana. However, there is no doubt that Nirvana changed things for rock music. Glam Rock was reaching its panicle, men in sprayed on leather pants with hair do’s that cost more than most of my wardrobe were prancing back and forth on stage when Kurt Cobain stepped up in ratty jeans, old converse (from before they were popular), and a tee-shirt. From that point on, jeans and a tee-shirt were just fine for me, in fact even today I might just throw a blazer on top and go to work.

I remember hearing a story that when they made it big, Kurt was living in a van. Chris Novoselic said once, “We didn’t come to the mainstream, the mainstream came to us.” This one statement says volumes about the struggle that Nirvana and specifically Kurt Cobain felt about their success. This struggle along with the constant physical pain led Kurt to commit suicide, I remember coming home from school one day, turning on MTV like I often did, and read the scrolling words at the bottom of the screen, “Kurt Cobain has been found dead.” This was the first musician of my era to die, and I will never forget the feeling that day.

I was reminded of Nirvana the other day watching a rerun of the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. I sat with tears in my eyes during the opening clip, the tears stayed throughout the show. Michael Stipe called them “lightening in a bottle.” I agreed. I agreed when Dave Gohl and Chis Novoselic gave their short speeches, and I agreed as Joan Jett sung Smells Like Teen Spirit. I remember thinking about how I would react if I were to ever meet those two men. I imagine I would hug them with tears in my eyes and hope to God that it didn’t come off creepy. I couldn’t help but think about what they were to me, I think I spent most of the rest of my life dressing like Kurt Cobain. They exuded frustration, and that was how I felt so I showed it. Their music helped me give voice to feelings I couldn’t consider touching.

I never understood teen spirit (the spirit not the song), pep rallies never made sense to me. In hindsight I appreciated my high school but while I was there I stood counted with social exiles, I was home there. Through the years the music may have changed but the caliber of people didn’t. We were to the social minority, we didn’t want to be football stars, we didn’t play basketball, and we weren’t ashamed to be part of the marching band. Most of my good memories of high school took place in either the band room or the theater. My lunch was spent with all the “others,” because they weren’t afraid to come as they were.

I never owned Nevermind, I borrowed my brother’s cassette and over the years had a few dubs. I bought this a few months ago as soon as I found it, and as I listen to this record over and over again, I sing the songs, often without thought, the words are just there. Funny, the first time I actually bought this album was 2014 and 180 gram vinyl. Nirvana’s lightning in a bottle fueled my teenage years. Through dating, break-ups, and embarrassing moments, I found my voice while listening to the often ridiculous lyrics of Nirvana, lyrics so pure I never had to actually consider their meaning, mine was good enough. Spoke the alien, “Nevermind.”