By: David Schultz

The Eighties proved to be an awkward era. Not only did it give us the Safety dance, purple rain, luftballons, the moonwalk, Wang Chung and Terence Trent D’Arby, it’s the decade that gave us the phrase “Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto.” In addition to cringeworthy fashion statements like suits with pastel-colored T-shirts and teased, feathered hair for both men and women, the Eighties brought us into the computer age. In the arcades, we played Pac-Man and Missile Command and at home, we slowly converted our record collections to compact disc.

The emergence of MTV, which stressed an artist’s appearance as much as their talent, the widespread incorporation of synthesized and computer generated music and the initial growth of rap drove many established and iconic acts from the Sixties and Seventies into an identity crisis as they tried to keep up with the changing times. The Eighties may have served as the birthing ground for U2, R.E.M. and The Replacements but it also marked the time that the careers of many artists from the Woodstock generation went into a tailspin.

Since Oliver Stone has decided to bring Gordon Gekko, the decade’s archetype of amoral greed, into the modern day with Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, it’s probably not a bad time to look back at the Eighties and see how it nearly dimmed some of the rock era’s brightest lights.

ERIC CLAPTON
By the Eighties, Clapton’s storied reputation as a blues-rock demigod had started to diminish as he battled drug and alcohol addiction. Where Slow Hand once dallied in the studio with the likes of Duane Allman, Steve Winwood and George Harrison, the Eighties saw him palling around with Phil Collins and releasing slickly produced albums like Behind The Sun and August. At his 80s nadir, Clapton found himself in heavy rotation on MTV with “It’s In The Way That You Use It,” his tie-in with The Color Of Money, and in Michelob commercials with his re-recorded version of “After Midnight.” Capitalizing on everyone’s need to replace their LPs with CDs, many artists had their greatest hits combined into comprehensive multi-disc box sets. Clapton’s Crossroads, which covered all aspects of his career, created the blueprint for such collections and reawakened interest in the master bluesman. Trading in the T-shirt and jeans that had become his stage wear in favor of dapper suits, Clapton stopped dabbling in 80s-style superficial blues-rock and once again found his muse.

GRATEFUL DEAD
Defying all logic, the Grateful Dead had a run of success on MTV. In 1987, The venerable jamband titans released In The Dark, easily their most accessible album and, in line with the times, made . . . shudder . . . a music video for its lead single “Touch Of Grey.” In between Peter Gabriel and Dire Straits videos, the shaggy manes of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir played interchangeably with animatronic skeletons while Deadheads watched on with bemused horror. In line with the chorus of “Touch Of Grey,” the Dead survived the Eighties by persevering and simply outlasting the nonsense until it came full circle. Whatever fair-weather fans they attracted through their MTV exposure quickly fell to the wayside as the Dead remained on the road, paving the way for the modern jamband scene to flourish. Always a mighty live draw, the Dead toured regularly up until Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. By that point, the brain cells in which Deadheads stored their memories of the Dead’s brief 80s flirtation with mainstream popularity had long been killed.

LOU REED
With classics like “Walk On The Wild Side” and “Street Hassle” a distant memory, the former leader of the Velvet Underground spent most of the Eighties churning out albums like Legendary Hearts and Mistrial, filled with formulaic, barely inspired three chord rock songs. Never the most harmonious singer, Reed got in into his head that he should be acknowledged as one of the originators of the burgeoning rap scene, insinuating as much on “The Original Wrapper.” At the end of the decade, Reed turned his razor-sharp intellect on two subjects on which no one would doubt his expertise, New York City and Andy Warhol. With the release of New York in 1989 and his collaboration the next year with John Cale on Songs For Drella, a eulogy for Warhol, their former mentor and patron, Reed found relevant topics to apply his blunt, streetwise poetry to, reemerging as one of America’s most prolific and outspoken songwriters. Like he had for the decades before, he continued to sort-of rap most of his lyrics but once Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch released “Wildside,” Reed seemed to lose all interest in drawing comparisons between himself and the world of hip hop.

GENESIS
Next to ZZ Top, there was no more unlikely MTV superstar than Phil Collins. Looking more lecherous old man than video icon, Collins worked ahead of the curve; his slick videos for “Sussudio” “Take Me Home” and “In The Air Tonight” defining the early 80s Miami Vice influenced video era. As a solo star, this was fine. However, as the de facto leader of Genesis, one of the titans of progressive rock, this influence resulted in the band that created The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway being represented by Spitting Image puppets on “Land Of Confusion” and hawking Michelob beer with “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight.” Unlike many of the other artists on this list, the Eighties didn’t almost kill Genesis, they put the band six feet under. After the unbearable We Can’t Dance, the band went dormant with Collins officially leaving in 1996, relegating them to a cult status amongst those who would flock in droves to see a reunion with Peter Gabriel. However, like all bands from the Seventies, there is always one word that generates gobs of cash: reunion. The 2007 Genesis reunion tour touched on their forgettable 80s success but wisely kept things focused on their pre-80s majesty.

DAVID BOWIE
David Bowie's descent into Eighties inanity didn’t take place during that decade – although some would be pressed to call shenanigans on “Blue Jean,” “China Doll” and his mincing prance with Mick Jagger on “Dancing In The Streets.” Rather, in 1997, Bowie engaged in the type of Wall Street chicanery that made Michael Milken the poster boy for Wall Street greed: junk bonds. Coming up with the novel idea of selling securities backed by royalties on his pre-1990 recordings, Bowie Bonds were initially greeted with optimism and an A3 rating. Coupling Bowie’s retirement from the stage with the digital revolution and its crippling effect on music sales in any medium, the lack of a sustainable interest in Bowie’s back catalog has resulted in the Bowie Bonds being continuously downgraded, reaching a level just a touch above junk bond status.

JETHRO TULL
When a band that’s made their career on English blues, sprawling progressive rock suites and flute-based epics becomes fascinated with the synthesizer, nothing good could result. In the case of Jethro Tull, nothing good did result. Instead of flirting with Bach compositions and mandolin solos from a prior century, Ian Anderson attempted to give the band a new wavish Eighties feel on albums like A, Under Wraps and their most Spinal Tappish effort, Broadsword And The Beast by including electric violins and decidedly non-rustic synthesizers. The extreme divergence from medieval acoustics and progressive rock digressions alienated all but the most loyal of fans. Tull came to its senses by the end of the decade but at that point it’s unclear if anyone was still paying attention. It surely baffled everyone when they won the inaugural Grammy for Best Hard Rock Album for the mostly acoustic Crest Of The Knave.

AEROSMITH
This is the band from the Seventies that proves to be the exception to the rule. Already in trouble at the start of the decade, the band was on the steep path to nostalgia tours and obscurity when Run DMC helped resurrect Aerosmith’s career with rock and rap music’s original mash-up, “Walk This Way.” Being associated with the groundbreaking rap trio and the emerging genre of music hardly hurt Aerosmith, nor did it do Run DMC any harm to get the rub from one of the hardest rocking bands of the previous decade. In the era before gangsta rap and Kanye West egos, a classic rock act reaching across the aisle in this fashion seemed more revolutionary than conciliatory or opportunistic. Once the singles from Permanent Vacation started to make their way into heavy rotation on MTV, Aerosmith became one of the first bands that actually was saved by the Eighties.

NEIL YOUNG
As if the success of Buffalo Springfield was an albatross hanging around his neck, Neil Young found himself a Vocoder and a synthesizer and let the world know what “Mr. Soul” would have sounded like if it had been recorded by robots. Embracing the new technology a bit too eagerly, Young released Trans, an album chock full of Eighties-style robotics and unlike anything Young had ever done before. Geffen Records, who released Trans, hated it so much, they skipped constructive criticism and sued him for making it. Young’s dabbling in computer rock was thankfully short lived but it sent him into a downward creative spiral and he spent the decade making the weakest music of his career, getting banned from MTV in the process for glibly mocking the network and its advertisers. Fortunately, the first Bush era awakened the rocker; when Young released Freedom and the incendiary “Rockin’ In The Free World,” the past decade faded blissfully into the ether and Young took his rightful spot as the flannel clad Godfather of Grunge.

THE WHO
The world’s loudest band presciently sat out the decade, saving the world from finding out what other synthesized epics Pete Townshend had in mind when he wrote “Eminence Front.” Instead, we got sappy fluff like “After The Fire” from Daltrey’s Under The Raging Moon and Townshend succumbing to the urge to rap on “Face The Face” and to the need to adapt The Iron Giant into a misfire of a concept album. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Tommy, The Who reunited and embarked on the first of many, many reunion tours. Always a reliable draw, Townshend, Daltrey and, until his death in 2002, bassist John Entwistle, kept The Who’s legacy alive, waiting until the oughts to put out any new material bearing The Who’s mighty trademark. Daltrey’s voice may have lost its once-mighty power and Townshend battled tinnitus, but once they launch into “Won’t Get Fooled Again” or “Baba O’Riley,” people don’t seem to care, mainly cause Townshend remains one of the best guitarists alive.

ZZ TOP
In the Eighties, ZZ Top performed the nearly impossible task of transforming themselves from a gruff, rough-and-tumble Southern-rock trio into neo-lecherous, bearded purveyors of synthesized blues. It’s hard to begrudge them the success they found by reinventing themselves as it resuscitated their flagging career . . . but at what cost? Nowadays, when ZZ Top enters the conversation, it’s impossible to extricate the images of the three of them mysteriously appearing with a bevy of hot, leggy women to offer up the keys of their cherry red vintage Ford to some deserving soul. Beguiled by the synths, ZZ Top turned the blues into a cartoon wonderland, stripping the music’s back door man ethic of every ounce of its menace.

Happy Thanksgiving. The daily Earfuls will return after the holiday.

Labels: Aerosmith, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Genesis, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, Lou Reed, Neil Young, The Who, ZZ Top

By: David Schultz

The High Line, an elevated section of abandoned railroad tracks located on the west side of New York City, has become a lightning rod for the revitalization of an entire neighborhood. At the same time that the tracks are being refurbished into an elevated park and many new buildings are being constructed, the neighborhood is also undergoing a cultural Renaissance of sorts. One of the focal points of the area's artistic reawakening, the Highline Ballroom, opened this past Monday and will host multiple performances during this month's First Annual High Line Festival. David Bowie, the Festival's inaugural curator, followed through on his promise to bring a diverse group of musicians to New York City for the occasion, securing performances personal favorites like The Secret Machines, Laurie Anderson, Air, The Polyphonic Spree and the Arcade Fire.

The Thin White Duke may not have had a hand in selecting Lou Reed to open the new venue this past Monday night, but if he did, a finer selection could not have been made. Dating back to his days with the Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol and the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, Reed and his literary body of work are as intrinsically tied to New York City as James Joyce's to Dublin. With other notable Manhattanites like Richard Belzer, Paul Shaffer and Laurie Anderson in attendance, the prototypical New Yorker consecrated The Big Apple's newest stage as only he could - with attitude, lots and lots of attitude.

In contrast to the earthy, lived-in concert halls that are rapidly disappearing from the New York concert scene, the Highline Ballroom is a sleek, upscale nightspot. With top shelf bars and relatively frou-frou menus of mixed drinks and haute cuisine, the Highline apparently expects to be catering to an elite group of concert-goers. The surroundings made an odd but not unfamiliar setting for Reed: the iconoclast has a penchant for playing atypical venues like the staid Town Hall or former hip-hop mecca Crobar. The honor of opening the Highline comes on the heels of recent accolades bestowed upon him by Syracuse University, his alma mater, who not only awarded the singer the George Arents Pioneer Medal For Excellence In The Arts but also founded a creative writing scholarship in his and mentor Delmore Schwartz' name.

The notoriously cantankerous singer wasted no time making his first impressions known, interrupting his second song, "What’s Good" to scathingly bark disapproval over his sound monitors and the smoke machine. Reed reserved his praise and admiration for his band, which consisted of several familiar faces: Mike Rathke on guitar, Rob Wasserman on stand-up bass and Jane Scarpantoni on cello. In lieu of Fernando Saunders, Reed's longtime cohort, or a drummer, Steve Hunter, who rejoined Reed for last December's Berlin concerts, played the role of Reed's onstage foil.

Reed's performance highlighted his penchant for poignant urbane poetry. Bracketing his set around songs from Magic And Loss, his 1992 contemplation of mortality, Reed seemed uninterested in tackling material from his influential Velvet Underground period or Seventies solo catalog. With the exception of "The Last Great American Whale," Reed built his set list from the post New York period of his career. It made great fodder for true-Lou fans but probably proved bewildering to the non-obsessive; Reed hardly played anything that could be traditionally considered "a hit." As to be expected from any Lou Reed show, the headstrong singer followed his own muse with mixed results. Updated renditions of "Trade In" and "Sword Of Damocles" worked splendidly, an overwrought "Ecstasy" meandered and an electronic-based reworking of Songs For Drella's "Faces And Names" went bewilderingly awry.

For the most part, Reed played a restrained set interrupted by short staccato blasts of guitar, usually from Hunter. The sparse arrangements brought Reed's lyrics and everyone's musicianship to the forefront, but oftentimes lacked a cohesive consistency. John Zorn, another icon of New York music scene, joined Reed near the close of his two hour set and provided the proper spark. The two New York titans first played together at the 20th Anniversary celebration of the Knitting Factory and, at the Highline, recaptured the same chemistry that worked so well last March. Blending perfectly with Scarpantoni's cello, Zorn's saxophone played perfect counterpoint to Reed's guitar on "Magic And Loss" and lovingly filled the gaps on "Rock Minuet."

Time Out magazine recently ranked The Velvet Underground atop their list of the Top 50 New York musicians of all-time, describing them as "the ultimate New York band." If the Velvets were the ultimate New York band, Reed is the ultimate New York musician. Even though Okkervil River played the Highline's first notes, tabbing Lou Reed to break the champagne bottle on the Highline's newly christened hull nicely bridged the gap between different generations, uniting them all in the name of New York rock and roll.

Labels: David Bowie, High Line Ballroom, John Zorn, Lou Reed

By bringing Arcade Fire, The Secret Machines, Air, Polyphonic Spree and Ricky Gervais to New York City as part of mid May's High Line Festival, curator David Bowie has done his job of creating a distinctive slate of artists to promote and celebrate the impending opening of the High Line, an elevated park located on Manhattan's West side. In addition to the park, the festival will also see the opening of a new concert space: The High Line Ballroom.

Consecrating the new venue will be New York's own resident poet and urban legend Lou Reed, who will play the High Line's first show on April 30 with guitarist Mike Rathke and cellist Jane Scarpantoni, the same pair who assisted Reed at last month's celebration of the "Old Knit." Following Reed into the new concert space will be jamband emeritus moe. for four sold-out shows and the tempestuous Amy Winehouse for a pair of sellouts of her own.

In a tried and true case of the new boss being the same as the old boss, Irving Plaza will be renamed The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. More an extension of Live Nation's corporate brand (extending also to Philadelphia where the longstanding TLA will be dubbed "The Fillmore Philadelphia") than a broadening of Bill Graham's legacy, Irving Plaza's new identity will come complete with gradual renovations to the balconies, bathrooms, sound and lighting systems. The first show at "Fillmore East" will take place on April 11 as yet another British brat, Lily Allen, will christen the renamed venue.

Labels: David Bowie, Fillmore New York, High Line Ballroom, Lily Allen, Lou Reed

Neil Young is releasing a set of previously unreleased live and studio tracks assembled from earlier days in his career. His Archives Volume 1 will consist of eight CDs and two DVDs and will be out later in the year. But, first Young is putting out a live solo cd, Live At Massey Hall, which was recorded in January 1971 in Toronto, Canada.

Garbage is set to hit the studio to record some new music. Drummer Butch Vig reportedly told MTV: "We're recording a couple new songs at the end of February. I think everyone's excited about getting back in a room and playing some music together. We've been working on it for a while. There was originally talk about doing a B-side and remix CD as well. I'm not sure what we'll do, but we have a lot of B-sides and remixes over the years, so it would be cool to see that come out in a proper package for our hardcore fans."

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists have a new record due out in March. Meanwhile, catch "The Sons of Cain" here. Another indie buzz band, Arcade Fire, are also readying new material. Their new record is called Neon Bible. You can listen to the track "Black Mirror" here.

Brooklyn's Pela, who struck me as very nice guys when I got to hang a bit with them in Philadelphia last summer, have announced a deal with Great Society records and will be putting out a full length disc in April. The band has a great live show and worth checking out if you haven't seen them yet.

For those who like a genre mixing, check out this track with a little Biggie, Tupac and others mixed over a mash-up of David Bowie's "Fame" and Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side."

Keller Williams got a bunch of friends together for his new record. Dream hits stores in February and includes appearances by Béla Fleck, Bob Weir, Michael Franti, Steve Kimock, The String Cheese Incident, Victor Wooten and a host of others.

Labels: Arcade Fire, David Bowie, Garbage, Lou Reed, Neil Young, Ted Leo

In teaming up with Trey Anastasio, The Allman Brothers and Pearl Jam for their summer tour, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers have amassed some serious firepower to help commemorate their 30 years in the music business. As if that wasn't enough, Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame will come along for the ride for the first eight shows of the tour, which will definitely include a stop at Madison Square Garden and possibly an appearance during Petty's headlining spot at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN. While it doesn't appear that Nicks will perform a set of her own, it's likely safe to bet that Nicks, Petty & The Heartbreakers will reprise their 1981 hit "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" off of Nicks' Bella Donna album. Less of a certainty, but definitely a possibility, they could recreate "Needles And Pins," their collaboration from Petty's 1986 live album Pack Up The Plantation.

America can look forward to a Nicks/Petty (and possibly Anastasio) combination but London's Royal Albert Hall saw an unlikely combination of their own when David Bowie joined David Gilmour on stage for his encore this past weekend. The Thin White Duke joined Gilmour for a rendition of the Floyd classic "Arnold Layne" and then joined in on Floyd's signature piece, "Comfortably Numb." As if Bowie's appearance wasn't enough, David Crosby, Stephen Stills & Graham Nash joined The One Who May Be Pink for "On A Island," the title track from Gilmour's current album as well as sticking around for their own "Find The Cost Of Freedom."

Labels: David Bowie, Tom Petty

Last month, construction began on the High Line Park, the nation's first elevated park which will sit atop a stretch of renovated railroad tracks running thirty feet above New York City's west side. The project, the result of 7 years of civic-minded work of the Friends Of The High Line, will beautify a section of abandoned railway running from 34th Street to Gansevoort Street. Even with the ground freshly broken, plans are afoot for the First Annual High Line Festival, a 10-day marathon event that will feature music, nightlife, visual art, performance and film.

Not to put things off until the last minute, the festival has already slotted May of 2007 for its inaugural event and has announced that David Bowie will be its initial curator. Bowie will choose a diverse collection of artists and musicians who inspire him and capture his point of view.

The Festival plans to rotate curators annually. "One of the most exciting things about the Festival for me is how different curators will actually change the complete flavour of the event each year," said Festival co-founder David Binder. "Curators can be filmmakers, musicians, painters, someone with passion and vision."

In praising Bowie, Binder noted that the Thin White Duke's "eye for talent and his passion for emerging artists is nothing short of spectacular." Given his immediate recognition of the Arcade Fire and The Secret Machines, expectations for the 2007 Festival should be set sky high. Bowie's appearance at the Festival has already been confirmed and will mark his first New York appearance in over 3 1/2 years.

Labels: David Bowie

Outside of Desperately Seeking Susan at the height of Madonna Madness, "Madge" has never had much luck in film. Can teaming with David Bowie and Snoop Dogg turn things around for Madonna on the big screen? One thing about this film that improves her chances of a cinematic hit is that she won't actually appear in it.

Lady Kaballah will lend her voice, along with Bowie, Snoop and Mia Farrow to "Arthur and the Minimoys" an animated action picture directed and written by Luc Besson (the Fifth Element).

Besson has written four "'Arthur" books which have sold more than 1 million copies around the world.

Labels: David Bowie

By: David Schultz

Relatively unknown outside of his native Brazil, American audiences are likely more familiar with singer Seu Jorge from his acting endeavors. Making his film debut in Fernando Meirelles' Oscar-nominated City of God portraying reluctant gangster Knockout Ned, Jorge practically steals the last third of the film with his raw but captivating performance. From an acting perspective, Jorge's next role was considerably smaller. As Pele dos Santos, one of Bill Murray's red-hatted crewmen in Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Jorge's character had minimal dialogue and floated on the periphery of the plot However, much like in City of God, Jorge found a way to charm the audience, but this time it wasn't with his acting ability, it was with his musical talent.

To a large extent, all of Anderson's films deal with the difficulties people have relating to their friends and family. In Zissou, Anderson subtlety extended his alienation metaphor further by using Jorge's Portuguese-language renditions of seventies-era David Bowie classics to bridge several scenes, creating an even deeper feeling of disconnection. In preparation for the film, Jorge created acoustic guitar arrangements of several archetypal Bowie tunes, focusing primarily on Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders Of Mars and Hunky Dory. Although relegated to the fringes of the film, Jorge's performance, which consisted primarily of his singing, provided as many memorable moments as the accomplished actors at the forefront. Disappointingly, only six of Jorge's gorgeous compositions were included on the film's soundtrack.

For those yearning for more than the smattering of Jorge's interpretations included in the film comes the release of The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions containing the complete set of acoustic arrangements Jorge created for the film. The collection consists of 13 exquisite reworkings of some of Bowie's most familiar tunes (14 if downloaded through iTunes) and one throwaway track, the whimsical "Team Zissou." In removing the glam, Jorge strips Bowie's songs to their bare bones, bringing to the surface the remarkably elegant melodies that lie beneath. Translating Bowie's lyrics into Portuguese, Jorge not only adds splendor to the compositions but also provides them with a suave and debonair flair a la Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Singing in a lower and warmer register than Bowie, Jorge, through his simple and uncomplicated arrangements, transforms glam anthems like "Rebel Rebel," "Ziggy Stardust" and "Suffragette City" into softly meditative pieces. Even in Portuguese, Jorge conveys the wistful emotion of "Quicksand," "Life On Mars" and "Space Oddity" (the iTunes exclusive) with a depth and beauty that transcends language. The one song Jorge truly makes his own is Hunky Dory's "Queen Bitch." That Jorge's most significant screen time comes during the closing credits, where Anderson features the singer playing the Velvet Underground influenced tune immediately after closing the film with the original, highlights the triumph of Jorge's version.

Jorge's interpretations offer a wonderfully different take on familiar Bowie classics. Bilingual listeners will not be thrown by the foreign language: however, for most of us, the removal of ingrained lyrics as well as the elimination of familiar guitar licks will result in these seventies classics being heard with a fresher ear, which should earn renewed respect for Bowie's earlier work. For those seeking a perfect complement to the Arcade Fire's brand of Bowie-esque pop, Jorge's Life Aquatic Sessions neatly fits the bill.

Labels: David Bowie, Seu Jorge

We once lovingly referred to Ozzfest's reunion of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest as "Geezer Rock." Of course we all know that 40 is the new 30 and 50 is the new 40. I know, some of you youngsters reading this can't even contemplate those numbers. But, God willing, we will all get old. So, its cool to be reminded that folks can still turn heads after 50! The AARP has put out its "Hot 50" list and a few "rockers" like Sting, Bowie and Stevie Nicks made the list.

"The Hot Fifty list runs the gamut, from classic beauties to cool crooners," said AARP The Magazine Editor Steve Slon. "But what all of them have in common is that their appeal goes beyond just looks. These people all have a charisma, an unquantifiable 'it,' that simply draws you to them."

I can't believe no one from Sabbath made the cut...

Labels: David Bowie, Sting