Sound and the Fury: "Live Albums" and the Concerts that Inspire Them...

 

Redartz:  Over the course of the rock era, one of the signal features of many musical careers has been the release of a "Live" album. Once you got big enough, had a few hits, you could count on the eventual release of a live  performance recording; generally amounting to a 'greatest hits' collection, but often with some nice, uncommon tracks as well. Our discussion this time around will be centered upon such albums, as well as questions on concerts and preferred formats. Allow me a few words to illustrate.

 

Back in the Bronze Age (there's that phrase again), my favorite live album was "Wings Over America". Having been a fan of Wings (and that other band Sir Paul had been involved with) for a couple of years, the release of "WOA" in 1976 was most fortuitous.  That summer I got my driver's license, and got a car with, yes, an 8 track player in the dash. Ah, but what would be the first 8 track to drive to? No question, that 2-tape set was the choice, and it got worn out in play over the months that followed. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to see the tour, but that album was a fine substitute. All of Wings' highlights, and for the first time since the Breakup, Paul included a few Beatles tunes on a commercial release. A perfect soundtrack for the Summer of '76.

 

 

Some years later, another live album (or more correctly, disc) took over the spot as my favorite live album. In 1985 I had the great pleasure to see Depeche Mode in concert in Chicago. I'd seen many shows, but none matched the magnitude and spectacle of this show in my book. They were incredible. Perhaps it was the electronic aspect of their music that made the show so appealing- unlike some live performances, the heavy use of synthesizers made the show sound as polished as a studio recording, while allowing the sheer energy of the live band to shine through. At any rate, the show was the best I'd ever seen.

 

Fast forward a few more years, to a local music store. While scouring bins for CD's, what do my eyes spy but a Depeche Mode disc with the title "101". As no Depeche Mode discs resided on my shelves at the time, I snatched it up, not realizing at the time that it was a live recording. A happy discovery, I assure you. It brought all the excitement of that 1985 concert right back into my living room. It's still a favorite.

 

 

 

 

 I've since added numerous other 'live' recordings to my collection, some great and some little more than semi-audible novelties. It has become  a source of interest to seek such recordings out now, in search of those unusual cuts and alternative arrangements you find therein. An example: Duran Duran, on "Seven and the Ragged Tiger", featured the song. "The Seventh Stranger". Subsequently that song was also included on DD's live album "Arena"; upon hearing that version, I greatly preferred it to the original studio recording. Which surprised me a bit at the time, as my experience had been that live performances often failed to match the quality of a fully engineered,  polished studio cut. Love the exceptions to the rule...

 To sum up, concerts are fun, and concert recordings can be as well. So, what live albums have you encountered, and which did you like? Were there any you thought fell pretty flat? How did they compare to the familiar studio albums? What rare performances, out-of-the-ordinary songs, and special appearances have you found on such albums? Do some artists sound better live, or  should they stick to the studio?  All these questions, and more, await your consideration...

Panel Discussion: The Art of Barry Smith!

 

Redartz:  Quite recently I was taking a leisurely tour through some comics websites and happened to see something that grabbed my attention. It seemed Barry Windsor Smith's decades-awaited book "Monsters" was being released by Fantagraphics. Out of curiosity I looked into the availability of a signed edition, and lo, there it was; a signed vellum page included in this special edition. Essentially forty dollars more than the standard edition. Well, I decided to think about it a bit. Next morning, I logged back in to pull the trigger on it, and discovered it was no longer available. The entire signed edition had sold out overnight.!Ah well, so then I ordered the regular edition . I'm currently about 100 pages into it and am most impressed.  Long story made short: Barry's newest work prompted the decision to open a discussion of his career and art in general. 

Before we look at his more familiar work, here's a few pages from "Monsters"; just to give you a sample.  I don't see the 'art deco' styling we know from his "Conan" work, However, Barry's trademark detail and intricate linework is evidenced everywhere. Literally, everywhere across 365 pages of fully illustrated story. Oh, and sorry for the skew images, this book is impossible to fit into a scanner...

Now, here's a sampling of Barry's black/white work. Personally, I enjoy his art in this format more than in color, but it's a visual treat either way. Not many can render with the finesse that he can, and still  maintain solid storytelling quality. And aside from the pen work, his sense of basic design and dramatic highlighting is superb. I could look at this print all day...

 

 

 

Here's the classic cover from Conan Annual 1. Better in color or b/w?  A tough call, what do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

And another fine image...

 

 

 

 

This is a set of bookmarks featuring a familiar scarlet haired warrior woman; a convention pickup back in 1975...

 

 

 

 

Then there's this incredible page from "Worms of the Earth" as presented in Savage Sword of Conan 16-17. Man, wish I'd kept those.

Inks by Tim Conrad

 

 

Finally, we present a selection of Barry's color work, in roughly chronological order. Talk about artistic development! There's some real gems here; Conan 16 reprinting "The Frost Giant's Daughter" in color ; with Barry himself handling the brush. And that Marvel Presents with the Thing is both gorgeous and a  hoot. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inks by Frank Giacoia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inks by Dan Adkins

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Now that you've seen the evidence, time for you to make your judgement calls. What do you think of Barry and his work?  Which books are your favorites?  Granted, his work in comics has been intermittent, but what he's done has been pretty remarkable. Share your thoughts about the imagery and imagination of Barry Windsor Smith...

 

 

Two Questions: "You Can't Go Home Again"...But.......

 

 Redartz: Hello gang; hope you're up for a little introspection. I'll try to keep things light, never fear! This week's post was prompted by an experience I had over the past weekend. Being Mother's Day on Sunday, I went back North to my hometown to visit my Mom (having moved around some, she has ended up back where we started). The visit was great, had a good time visiting with her and with other family members. When the event ended, I had a little extra time available before I needed to hit the highway for home. So on a whim, I decided to take a little drive around the old haunts and see how things had changed. 

As it turned out, much had. Sadly, my hometown fell victim to the worst effects of recession and loss of industry. I knew that going in, but it kind of struck me more intently; seeing so many familiar sights gone. There were a few businesses actually remaining that I recalled from, well, forty years ago. And there were some signs that there was still some life in the town, despite the omnipresent empty buildings and abandoned lots. But perhaps what hit me hardest was my stop at a local park; one I visited very frequently as a youth (indeed, among my very earliest memories is a trip to said park with my family and cousins, drinking Kool-Aid and swinging on the swingsets). Long story short, the park was being eliminated. All the swings and attractions were gone. Picnic tables gone. Even the trees were being cut down. It was.....disappointing. 

But, as I said above, I don't want to get too down here. As they say, the only constant in life is change. Which brings us to our questions. After I left town and was on the three hour drive home, I had the radio (Sirius XM) going full bore.  The music, all 70's and 80's, perked me up quickly, as did the knowledge that some of the changes I witnessed would work for the good. So,  our questions:

1.  How has your 'origin town' changed! Have you visited recently; or perhaps even still live there? Is there much remaining that would have been familiar to young you? 

2.  If you are needing a little 'blast from the past', how do you achieve it? We surely have many ways, in this day of internet availability. Additionally, where do you find elements of optimism, signs of improvement, as you look around you physically and culturally? If you were a teen today, what would you look back on fondly? 

Again, hope this isn't too...navel-contemplative. Just kind of put me in a thoughtful state of mind this week. At any rate, here's a sneak preview hint for next week: a look at BWS...

Short Cuts: Comic Book Oddities and Obscurities !

 

 Redartz:  Throughout their history, comics have been published in a variety of formats, shapes and sizes. There have been digests, magazine size issues, mini comics, promotional comics, giveaway comics, book-and-record comics, and so on. If you're like me and enjoy variety, you find these variations to be a lot of fun. Sometimes tough to read (those Marvel Mini-Books from the gumball machines could only be opened for reading by separating the pages, essentially), but certainly a cool offshoot from standard comics fandom..All of the below illustrated examples are items I've encountered, some of which I've owned.  The Spider-Man vs. Prodigy giveaway is....rather odd. A sex education pamphlet from Planned Parenthood; it did have art by Ross Andru.

The Jonny Quest mini came packaged with VHS tapes of the original tv series; there were four each adapting an episode of the program.

The Justice League/Secret Origins mini was sold at candy counters in the late 70's. As were the Marvel Amurol mini's, which actually came with a piece of gum.

The Simpsons mini is identical to the regular standard size release but doesn't contain the fake newspaper insert.

The Big Boy comic was always a treat to be anticipated when our family dined at "Frisch's", somehow this one avoided food stains.

Those are just a few of the stories behind these eclectic gems . There are many more; and that's where you come in. Did you have any of these unusual, out-of-the-ordinary type comics? What other ones have you encountered? What's the strangest comic form you've come across? This week let's examine these 'obscurities' of the comic world...