LEEDS
Everything’s Dandy!
(RoystonLangdon.com)
Former Spacehog singer and bassist
Royston Langdon reemerges as a solo
artist under the moniker Leeds.
Everything’s Dandy! is a deliberately mis-
leading title for a set this intimate, raw,
isolated and beautifully melancholy. “You
Can’t Go Home Again” relies solely upon
Langdon’s unmistakable, tremulous bari-
tone voice and acoustic guitar, until a siz-
zling ride cymbal adds muted energy to
JAY O'ROURKE
Sumpthin' Good
(O'Rourke Records)
Longtime IE readers will remember
O'Rourke as guitarist and co-founder of
The Insiders in the '80s, they had a brief,
but impressive run on Epic Records dur-
ing the Reagan-era. His resume is even
more impressive as a guitarist, studio
owner/engineer/producer,
and live
sound boffin for artists as eclectic as
Stabbing Westward to Ministry and
Robbie Fulks. Sumpthin' Good brings
O'Rourke back to what appears to be his
true calling; being a guitarist/frontman
for his own band with roots and passions
rooted heavily in Chicago blues. Powered
by a backing band of old friends and
who's who of Chicago musicians that
includes
Insiders'
drummer
Ed
Breckenfeld, bassist Klem Hayes,
Slammin Watusis' Frank Raven on harp
and Grant Tye on guitar. Sumpthin' Good is
buoyed by driving and celebratory tracks
like "Superstar" which pokes fun at beau-
tiful models and rockers driven by fame
and glory, that even Keith Richards would
appreciate. "Blackout" yolks a spooky SRV
style riff layered with Raven's gritty dirty
harp. "Bullshit" showcases O'Rourke's
filthy blues riffs and vocals and
Breckenfeld's adept drumming. Though
not included on this album, a bonus
online favorite is the JBTV performance
(available on YouTube) of "Early Grave"
which laments the early demise of old
friends, name dropping Material Issue's
Jim Ellison and Roger's Park punk bar
C.O.D. Sumthin' Good finds O'Rourke
acknowledging his life as a survivor and
robust Chicago music stalwart, drenched
in an album immersed in passionate, elec-
trified blues. As a listener you can't help
particpating in his celebration.
Appearing 11/23 at Brauerhouse,
Lombard 12/1 at Reggies, Chicago.
– David Gedge
the final chorus. The half-spoken “Your
Day Will Come” glides upon acoustic
piano, hazy slide guitar, trippy mellotron
and low synthesizer drone, like the hazy
reverie two parks down from Strawberry
Fields. Langdon’s lyric describes a past
full of neglect, but clings to hope for bet-
ter times ahead. At the other end of the
timeline, brother and Spacehog guitarist
Antony Langdon joins Royston to write
the ballad “What Became of the People.”
“My heart’s still in it,” promises Langdon,
as he ponders how the present failed to
measure up to the promise held by the
past. Jay Rodriguez’ saxophone heightens
comparison to David Bowie’s “Young
Americans” during “Never Gonna Let Go
of Your Hand.” Thomas Dolby’s jazz-
informed cover of “I Scare Myself” echoes
through “Innocence,” as Langdon braves
the unknown territory of the 21st century.
Island rhythm drifts through the whimsi-
cal but still reflective “No No No.” Don’t
expect the grandeur of “In the Meantime”
or the glam-rock swagger of party starters
like “Mungo City” from Leeds, but
Everything’s Dandy! is a perfect album for
a rainy evening alone with your thoughts
and Langdon’s presence as a kindred spir-
it. “We Are Not Alone,” he sings reassur-
ingly.
– Jeff Elbel
“too outrageous” a title. The new CD ver-
sion amasses some 30 outtakes and other
performances related to the original 1968
studio sessions, including 25 previously
unreleased to the public at large. The col-
lection abounds in nuggets to mine for
those well-versed in the original recording,
the band, and its era. These include the
original LP’s iconic cover of R. Crumb
“Zap Comix” art that was originally
designed for the back cover as alternative
packaging when a Richard Avedon fashion
cover shoot of the band went awry. Or how
most of the crowd noises that you hear
throughout the original LP recording were
actually dubbed in to make it sound as if it
was a “live” album, among numerous oth-
ers. But for those otherwise unfamiliar,
there’s the music itself—mostly stripped
down to its essence, for the most part
unadorned and captured as made. And
best of all are the vocal performances of the
incomparable Janis Joplin front and center,
with almost none of the overdubs and stu-
dio sweeteners to come, her soul bared for
us all to savor and share. As captured here,
the
enduring
original
LP
cuts
“Combination of the Two,” “I Need a Man
to Love” and (especially) “Piece of My
Heart” are heard in a whole new light. Or,
as surviving BB&THC drummer Dave
Getz in part sums up in his liner notes,
Cheap Thrills seems to have stood the test of
time. It might be because it is arguably the
most exceptional work by a great artist
Janis Joplin. It is undoubtedly the most sig-
nificant and closest representation of what
BB&THC was as a band.
– David C. Eldredge
8
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BIG BROTHER AND THE
HOLDING COMPANY
Sex, Dope & Cheap Thrills
(Columbia/Legacy)
In a move celebrating the 50th
Anniversary of Big Brother & The
Holding Company’s seminal recording
Cheap Thrills, the successors of BB&THC’s
original record label also makes amends
by releasing it under the album’s original
title, Sex, Dope & Cheap Thrills, which at
the time was considered by the label as
R.E.M.
R.E.M. at the BBC
(Craft Recordings)
Not unlike their relationship with col-
lege radio during the genesis of their
career, R.E.M. has also shared a lengthy
history with the BBC. This relationship
now translates into great news for fans of
the quartet from Athens, GA. From early
on, the British Broadcasting Company
rolled tape on the band’s live and studio
performances. R.E.M. at the BBC proves to
be a comprehensive box set that documents
the band from near inception to its ultimate
demise. As is common with releases of this
nature, it hits the streets in multiple for-
mats. The most exhaustive is the Super
Deluxe 8 CD/1 DVD version, which con-
tains comprehensive, career-spanning stu-
dio performances, as well as four complete
concert recordings. Absolute highlights
here are music from the band’s Out of
Time/Automatic For The People era, specifi-
cally because they refused to tour behind
what would become their two biggest sell-
ing albums. The DVD features the
Accelerating Backwards film-available here
for the first time commercially, as well as a
1998 episode of Later...with Jools Holland
dedicated entirely to their music. Various
television appearances help round out the
visual ephemera. Don’t want to drop a
giant bag of lettuce on all that?! Truncated
2-CD, 2-LP or digital versions are also
available, thus assuring that all levels of
fandom and price point are accommodat-
ed.
– Curt Baran
7
DONNIE VIE
Beautiful Things
(Grizzly Grayola LLC)
With singer Donnie Vie’s blessing, his
former band Enuff Z’nuff has forged ahead
this year with co-founder Chip Z’nuff tak-
ing over lead vocals for the 2018 incarna-
tion of the band. With fans’ support
through Pledge Music, Vie was able to
curate his new solo album Beautiful Things.
Its ten short, sugary power-pop songs are
right up his alley. The title track opens with
the swirling, bluesy guitar leads, Beatles-
esque melodies and soaring Cheap Trick
style vocal harmonies on the chorus. Vie
has enlisted a great cast of guest musicians
including Paul Gilbert, Mike LaPond and
others, who add a special flavor to the
songs. From the twangy Eagles melodies of
“Tender Lights” to the swirling carnival-
like atmosphere of “I Could Save The
World” to the Beatles’ “Day Tripper”-laden
riff of “Plain Jane,” Vie & Co. guide you
into familiar territory that fits in with
everything he has created in the past. One
blemish is Beautiful Things lacks a true rock-
er. At least one track with a faster tempo
would add more of an overall dynamic to
the album. Otherwise, longtime fans of
Enuff Z'Nuff will dig Vie's new music.
– Kelley Simms
7
KONG: SKULL ISLAND
Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack
Music by Henry Jackman
(Waxwork)
The 2017 film Kong: Skull Island reintro-
duced legendary film monster King Kong
to the same cinematic universe populated
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28 illinoisentertainer.com november 2018