Meet The Wildhearts, Possibly the Best Band You Don't Know (at least to my ears) -- Spotify Playlist included

I used to work in an office where the iTunes libraries of willing employees could be accessed by anyone on the network.

Given the breadth of my tastes--even simply within a mainstream rock vein--I usually found considerable musical congruency with my colleagues, but in any collection there were invariably numerous artists I'd never even heard of, let alone heard or knew well.

So while I often bemoan the seeming sparsity of new rock acts that excite me--which in itself may be a fallacy born simply from obliviousness--the truth seems to be that, for years on end, I could quite exuberantly discover and enjoy quality rock artists and albums that have long existed without my awareness and affinity.

In no way do I presume that "less famous" artists I cherish beyond The Beatles, Stones, Who, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Pearl Jam and other somewhat ubiquitous--at least at one point--rock acts are better, or even more worthy of my attention, than those you cherish.

But my life has been greatly enriched by personal favorites beyond the famous to the point that in 2006 I created a 6-CD  Hidden in the Isles box set compilation of UK bands much bigger at home than they ever became in the U.S.

Some of my favorite acts--across the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s--that I included were The Move, The Jam, The Undertones, The Waterboys, Blur, Ash, Stereophonics, Maxïmo Park and The Fratellis.

And with the caveat that levels of popularity or familiarity to others is always imprecise--thus I assume many music fans know some of these names, even if they never sold a ton of records--The Replacements, Dinosaur Jr., Bob Mould, Social Distortion, Jason & the Scorchers, Alejandro Escovedo, The Smoking Popes and Willie Nile are just a few of the great-if-not-huge American rock artists I've enjoyed, collected and seen numerous times over the years. (I also specifically appreciate being turned onto Australia's Hoodoo Gurus.)

Which brings me to the acute topic of this blog post: The Wildhearts.

There is still no musical artist I've discovered in the 21st century that I've liked more.

This doesn't mean they arose after 2000; they didn't.

The Wildhearts--see AllMusic.com and Wikipedia--formed in 1989 and released their debut album, Earth vs. The Wildhearts in 1993.

Many of their songs that I now love precede the turn of the century.

And whether from acts that debuted post-Y2K--Arcade Fire, Maximo Park, The Fratellis, The Killers, The White Stripes (their first album came out in 1999, but 2001's White Blood Cells really broke them) and even Coldplay--or that I loved long before this millennium--Springsteen, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Wilco, Radiohead--there has been "current" music put out that I've liked as much or more than The Wildhearts' 21st century output.

Having cited some of my favorite "under the radar" artists a few paragraphs up, I also wouldn't say The Wildhearts outrank any or all as "my favorite band you may not know"--with #1 being The Jam.

But I can tell you the very day I first came to know and love The Wildhearts:

March 26, 2004, when I ventured to Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom to see the then-hot The Darkness and was so blown away by the unknown opening act that mid-set I made my way to the merch table to buy The Wildhearts' latest CD, Riff After Riff.

And with apologies to the similarly beloved Willie Nile--who I first came across in 2008 or so--there isn't any artist I've come to know since whose best work I like any more than that of The Wildhearts.

Now to some of you, this might sound vaguely familiar or even be old news.

As this blog attests, I am rather passionate about sharing my passions and though I haven't previously written a post specifically about The Wildhearts--they've only been sporadically active in recent years--I have included them in various lists (such as my most-read-ever The 100 Best Alternative Rock Bands of the Past 25 Years post from 2012). 

And after first coming to know of the Wildhearts, I bought whatever CDs were available in America (and more on trips to London), gathered much more of their output through peer-to-peer sites--I would've said Napster but 2004 seems late for that--and put together a compilation CD called Meet the Wildhearts that I shared with the few friends I thought might care.

If a "musical album" can merely be considered anything that fills up to 80 minutes on a compact disc, Meet the Wildhearts would still be my favorite album of the 21st century. That's how much I like their sound that I'd best describe as Cheap Trick meets Metallica, though without any such exactitude.

I included a Wildhearts song on my Hidden in the Isles box set--"29x the Pain," in which singer/songwriter/guitarist Ginger Wildheart cites a litany of his musical loves and influences, including The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, The Ramones, Cheap Trick, Jason & the Scorchers and many more--and have at least once sang the band's praises on Facebook.

But my fervor only recently became inflamed anew--as it does every few years--and I have a number of music-loving friends who perhaps have never heard me effuse about the Wildhearts.

So babble on, revisited.

While the best of the Wildhearts--beautifully melodic, often humorous, but with a thunderous edge--has never stopped thrilling me, some of their output can be too heavy and not melodic enough for my tastes. The bulk of new material since I became aware of the band's existence in 2004 hasn't delighted me like that which preceded it.

And while Ginger (born David Walls but known predominantly by his stage moniker) has remained rather prolific in releasing solo material, Wildhearts music and work with various projects such as Hey! Hello!, I've never been aware of The Wildhearts playing in Chicago. (After seeing them at the Eagles Ballroom with the Darkness, I made a point of catching them at Milwaukee Summerfest, but have never seen them nor noticed a reasonable opportunity since.)

Though they seem to have a devoted fan base, I don't believe The Wildhearts were ever all that popular in England, and their activity seems rather intermittent. (Ginger has long and openly battled depression, and I think had substance abuse issues in the past; three other band members have seemed fairly constant, but he's been the mainstay in some different lineups.)

Anyway, last year, via the power of YouTube, I noticed that The Wildhearts has played a brief run of shows in England, and they still sounded good. (Check out the clip below and simply search "Wildhearts 2016" to find more.)



And although when I looked in December, their Spotify representation was far from complete--prompting me to order 3 more CDs, including one from Japan--it now seems almost all their albums are on there.

So, except for a couple prime B-sides and outtakes--"Friend for Five Minutes," "The Bullshit Goes On"--I can now compile for you my original Meet the Wildhearts collection, plus almost a full album's worth of more great stuff.

Enjoy.

I know I will.
---

Meet the Wildhearts - a Spotify playlist compiled by Seth Arkin
Listen below or click here to find it on Spotify. (Or just search for "Meet the Wildhearts" on Spotify)

Recent Albums Fail to Transcend Great Expectations

September served as a pretty robust reminder that suggestions of rock ‘n’ roll being dead are greatly exaggerated.

In addition to attending nine concerts, including some pretty terrific ones—Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Slash, Maximo Park; click to see my reviews—I bought more new compact discs in a given month than I have in years.

These include works by five longtime favorite artists and one relatively rare newer act that intrigues me.

And especially in having read press/Amazon reviews and/or heard emphatic personal recommendations about each that ranged from strong to scintillating, I had great expectations for these recent albums:


Bob Dylan – Tempest
Bob Mould – Silver Age
Dinosaur Jr. – I Bet on Sky
The Killers – Battle Born
Green Day – Uno!
Band of Horses – Mirage Rock

So I would like nothing more than to tell you that these are all brilliant new releases, with each being a must-have addition to your music library. Except for my relatively nascent appreciation of Band of Horses, all of these are artists I have loved for a long time, and though none would qualify as complete unknowns, Dinosaur Jr. and Bob Mould have long been personal favorites despite never filling hockey arenas.

But with the caveat that I’ve come to realize that I sometimes don’t come to properly appreciate an album until it’s been around awhile, so far, after listening to each of these albums a good number of times, I can’t call any of them phenomenal.

Unless you are already an avowed fan of the given artists, I wouldn’t recommend that you spend any money—or much time—on their latest albums. And even if, like me, you are a hardcore fan, I don’t know that much here will surpass your regard for these acts’ past output or considerably enhance their oeuvre.

That’s not to say each—and all—of them don’t have merits. It’s hard for me to calibrate exact ratings for each album in “a pretty good but not nearly their best nor truly essential” sort of way—which helps to explain this combined review post.

But on the Seth Saith @@@@@ rating scale, each album likely merits @@@1/2 to @@@@.

Which doesn’t mean that you should avoid them like the plague or cringe if you happen to hear any of their songs. Each of the albums has moments that comfortably remind of the artist’s past glories, but relatively little that has me saying “I’d rather listen to this than the stuff I’ve loved in the past.”

Take for example, Bob Mould’s Silver Age. Before I heard the album itself, I heard—and read—great things about it, from heavy-duty Mould fans, the music press (see MetaCritic) and numerous glowing reviews on Amazon, where it currently has a 5-star composite rating. The common thread that runs through many of the reviews is that the new disc is Mould’s best work in years and harkens back to Copper Blue, a terrific album he released in 1992 under  the auspices of Sugar—his second great power trio, following Hüsker Dü.

But while Silver Age’s 10 songs all feature the searing guitars that epitomize many of Mould’s best and most emblematic songs, including several of those on Copper Blue, they suffer from a sameness. Not just in comparison with Mould’s past, but among each other. All of them blister and burn in a way that makes each enjoyable enough—conceivably even more so in concert—but none are melodically or musically distinct enjoy to elevate to the level of Copper Blue’s “Helpless,” “If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” “Hoover Dam” or “The Act We Act.”

Even a song like “Needle Hits E,” which was left off Copper Blue, is a more enjoyable listen than anything here, as are “Your Favorite Thing,” “Underneath Days” and Egooverride,” to name just a few other hard-charging songs from Mould’s Sugar and solo incarnations.

Similarly, there are several not unpleasant songs from Dinosaur Jr., The Killers and Green Day, but even some of the better ones—”Don’t Pretend You Didn’t Know,” “Miss Atomic Bomb” and “Nuclear Family,” respectively—would have a hard time playlist-supplanting “Out There,” “This River is Wild” or “Armitage Shanks,” to name a few tunes that don’t even quite top the artists’ back catalogs. I didn’t cite The Killers’ new “Runaways” just now because I do think it is a true standout, on par with their best, but I’m not even sure it doesn’t just “sound a lot like” The Killers at their best.

The Green Day and Killers albums are two that I was most looking forward to, and perhaps with time their virtues will become more pronounced, but without going through them song-by-song, both records tend to bore me more than thrill me. Neither makes me eager to throw it on at any time, which a great album should. 

There are some nice tunes on Band of Horses’ Mirage Rock—“Knock Knock,” “Heartbreak on the 101”—and I think they do enough to justify my interest among a (to my awareness) uninspiring crop of relatively recent vintage rock bands, but it’s also already become an album I listen to infrequently. Part of the problem is that rather than doing much rocking, most of the songs settle into an easy going Eaglesque groove.

Even Dylan’s Tempest, which garnered some @@@@@ reviews, isn’t an album I find myself putting on for pleasure. Yes, there are a number of quality songs from the old master, enough to make the album essential for Dylan disciples, but thus far Tempest isn’t making me forget Time Out of Mind, let alone approaching Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks or much else from Mr. Zimmerman’s glorious past.

I know I have friends who are loving Tempest, and I’m sure there are fans of each of these artists/albums who would vociferously avow that they’re far beyond run of the mill.

Of course, my opinion doesn’t matter; only yours does and my regard for any or all of these albums may change over time. But though it's possible I'm being too harsh, I recently went back to a couple other somewhat disappointing 2012 releases from longtime personal favorites--Alejandro Escovedo - Big Station; The Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania--and neither convinced me anew that they stand with these great artists' very best work.

So while The Killers' second album Sam's Town is an example of one I later came to really love despite not doing so initially, at this point I suspect that none of the six recent albums I bought will stand--at least to me--as paragons of the phenomenal from acts that have previously achieved that apex.

Maximo Park Rewards My Devotion with a Superb Show at Schubas -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Maximo Park
w/ Stagnant Pools, The Neighbourhood
Schubas, Chicago
September 17, 2012
@@@@1/2

If I were to look at your iPod, I would undoubtedly discover at least a few—if not several—musical artists with which I am unfamiliar but that you devotedly enjoy and follow. The British band Maxïmo Park is one of those acts for me.

I found their 2005 debut album, A Certain Trigger, to be the best album of the century’s first decade and although their two subsequent discs were each a step downward, their latest release, The National Health, is among the best new albums I’ve heard in 2012.

On Monday night, I saw Maxïmo Park live in Chicago with a relatively small but passionate crowd of fellow devotees at Schubas. The show, also featuring opening acts Stagnant Pools and The Neighbourhood--I enjoyed the former, a 2-piece band of brothers from Indy, a bit better than the latter--had been booked at Lincoln Hall, but was moved to its older-but-smaller sister venue, presumably due to middling ticket sales.

If you’re oblivious to Maxïmo Park, so be it; I just hope that whatever obscure bands you love deliver as satisfying a show as I got last night. For in a 90-minute, 22-song set—every one of which I enjoyed—Maxïmo Park further demonstrated that, IMHO, they are one of the best bands in the world today.

Coming on the heels of outstanding concerts by Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello, I’d be hard-pressed to award this one a full @@@@@ as it just didn’t have the emotional heft of the former or classic brilliance of the latter. But once the acoustics got worked out early on in a much-smaller room than Maxïmo Park plays in Europe, it was every bit as good a performance as I could have wanted.

Energetic, animated and amiable, Paul Smith is a first-class front man, providing the 5-piece band’s primary focal point in addition to crisp vocals. Mixing songs from all four of their studio albums, it was clear that the band has built up an estimable songbook and that The National Health has substantially enhanced it.

New tunes such as the album’s title cut, “Hips and Lips,” “Write This Down,” “The Undercurrents,” “This is What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” and “Waves of Fear” sounded great among A Certain Trigger chestnuts “Graffiti,” “Going Missing,” “I Want You to Stay” and “Apply Some Pressure.”

And while the band’s 2nd and 3rd albums aren't end-to-end excellent like the 1st & 4th, “Questing, Not Coasting,” “Our Velocity” and “By the Monument” showed that Our Earthly Pleasures and Quicken the Heart each have choice cuts that come off quite well in concert. (A Chicago setlist is not posted on Setlist.fm, but I believe it matches what Maxïmo Park played in New York.)

I had seen Maxïmo Park play a similarly stellar show in 2007—though their new material certainly added to this one—but they cancelled a U.S. tour in 2009, and with their brief current jaunt experiencing the downsizing of venues, who knows when they might be back again. So this review may be somewhat moot in terms of a recommendation that you see this band anytime soon.

But if you’re looking for someone new and worthwhile to add to your personal music universe, in my estimation you could do a lot worse than to explore Maxïmo Park. Start with the albums and just maybe, you’ll join me in looking forward to their next visit to Chicago. Or at least a concert DVD that isn't Region 2 only.

---
This is a video I shot of their first single and closing song, “Apply Some Pressure”:

System of a Down Tears It Up in Rosemont -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

System of a Down
with The Deftones
Allstate Arena
August 15, 2012
@@@@1/2

Why don't Presidents fight the war?
Why do they always send the poor?

More than anything else, that incisive lyric from System of a Down's brilliant, Grammy-winning 2005 song "B.Y.O.B."--on my shortlist of the 21st century's best--is what made me realize how much the band transcended most of the Nu-Metal genre with which they'd been lumped.

Although SOAD released their first album in 1998 and the smash Toxicity in 2001, due to my aversion and/or indifference to bands such as Korn, Linkin Park, Tool and Limp Bizkit, I didn't pay much attention, even to the glorious single, "Chop Suey."

I can't recall what prompted me to explore Mesmerize, the first of sibling albums in 2005 (along with Hypnotize), but when I did, I found the title apt.

The music and the lyrics were wildly inventive, fused with heavy metal volume, punk protest and rap topicality, but in a style all System's own.

Seeing SOAD live in 2005 further blew me away and, in rueing the relative lack of contemporary bands that are releasing socially commentative music in the wake of economic meltdown, I've looked to System as a paragon of rock activism and hoped they would re-activate.

Last year, without releasing any new music, the So. Cal quartet re-emerged to play a number of international festivals, and have now embarked on a U.S. tour that brought them back to the Allstate Arena on Wednesday.

After a solidly entertaining opening set by the Deftones, another acclaimed nu-metal band, yet one whose music I've never explored, System of a Down once again showed that they are a powerhouse live act as they dazzled the not-quite-full "Horizon" crowd with their unique style of hyperkinetic songcraft.

Tunes like "B.Y.O.B.," "Psycho," "Chop Suey," "Bounce," "Cigaro," "Sugar" and many more kept the throng on the floor in a state of perpetual frenzy and those of us with seats never needing to use them over a 90-minute barrage. (Full setlist here)

While it was cool to see the crowd react to "B.Y.O.B." and other Mesmerize/Hypnotize songs as classics, rather than the new songs they were on the last tour, given the topical insight that has elevated System's music, it was a bit amiss to not hear any new material.

With the state of affairs in the world being what they've been over the past few years, I am eager to hear SOAD's spin on Wall Street malfeasance, corporate corruption, political impotence and all the rest. With the caveat that singer Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian have released solo projects in the intervening years that I haven't explored--and may well have plenty of politicism to them--it felt a trifle lacking for such an incendiary voice of enlightened dissent to run through a greatest hits set, as enjoyable as it was.

And perhaps slightly as a result, along with the fact that band members--and I--are now 7 years older, Wednesday's show didn't seem quite as ferocious as I recalled the 2005 gig being.

Yet, based on post-show reactions from the audience, it seemed no one was disappointed with what was a tremendously entertaining performance by what remains a great band. In fact, on the way to my car I witnessed one exuberant--and perhaps overserved--fan humping a tree while exclaiming, "That show was so awesome!"

Even without quite that abandon, I was certainly glad to have System in a Down back in action and giving their new and old Chicago fans a potent reminder of their rare power and panache, both musically and viscerally, albeit without any of the gimmickry accoutrements that characterized Coldplay's great show last week.

Given the band's stretch of dormancy, it wasn't too surprising to see almost an utter lack of teenagers in the house, but here's hoping that younger fans will again come to realize the greatness of an act that not only provides such an animated assault, but actually has something to say.

---
Here's a taste of "Chop Suey" from Wednesday night in Rosemont (video not shot by me):

Weezer Justifies Place in History, Trek to Out-of-the-Way 'Venue' -- Chicago (Hammond) Concert Review

Concert Review

Weezer
The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
Hammond, IN
July 27, 2012
@@@@

Although I have most of their albums and like almost everything on them, Weezer has long been something of an afterthought for me.

I rarely think to listen to their music and, until Friday night, I'd seen them live just once, primarily because they were on a double bill with the Foo Fighters in 2005.

While I believe Weezer belongs in the class photo of "alt-rock superstars of the '90s," especially among those that still remain active today, they haven't consistently elicited the active affinity I have for contemporaries like Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, Soundgarden and other alternative rock luminaries. (Check out my list of the 100 Best Alternative Rock Bands of the Past 25 Years, which I put together largely to assess just how highly I regard Weezer.)

I won't say that I owe Weezer an apology, as I have supported them over the years and when I had seen them in '05, not only were they far lesser than the Foo Fighters, but I even liked opening act the Kaiser Chiefs a bit better.

But on the basis of Friday night's concert at the Venue at Horseshoe Casino--a comfortable but rather sterile setting for a rock show--and a rather thorough re-exploration of their catalog beforehand, they certainly deserve to be more prominent on my mind's shortlist of the world's best extant bands. And not simply for their mid-'90s glories--their debut "blue album" and follow up, Pinkerton--as their set included songs from across their eight studio discs, all of which have their moments.

After a solo acoustic opening set by Jason Jeka of Chicago band Fivestar Deluxe, which showed some nice songwriting talent to a crowd that didn't seem to much care and would've been well served with a couple cover songs, Weezer took the stage with "Undone - The Sweater Song" from their debut.

I've never been clear if singer and band leader Rivers Cuomo is really as geeky as he looked in videos or simply plays up a nerdy persona; I still don't know, but it seems the former may be true. In a sweater over an Oxford shirt, he certainly appeared overdressed for the occasion, but as he says in the great "Pork and Beans" off 2008's "red album," "I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like." More power to him as Harvard geeks everywhere are inheriting the Earth.

Other than their sparkly W that mimics the Van Halen logo and some nice lighting, there wasn't much to the Weezer show besides about 80 minutes filled with hard rocking songs featuring great hooks. Cuomo barely spoke to the audience and although he made mention of being in Indiana, he didn't acknowledge the Illinois contingent that had driven to Hammond to see Weezer's only area show.

This wasn't much of a detraction as I'll always take great music over silly stage patter, but while Weezer sounded ever bit as good as I could've hoped--despite a terrific run, they still should have much life left in their career--the intangibles that can make an excellent concert truly transcendent weren't readily apparent.

While the relative brevity wasn't as rueful as it would've been for other bands--2-1/2 hours of Weezer would frankly be too much, given the stylistic similarity of their songbook--I would've appreciated about 10 more minutes, perhaps with "No One Else" as a more satisfying closer than "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived." (You can see the full Hammond setlist here).

But highlights were many, including "We Are All on Drugs," "Island in the Sun," "Hash Pipe," "Surf Wax America," "Buddy Holly" and a fun, seemingly reverent cover of Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" to open the encore.

While it entails paying to cross the Skyway, the Venue isn't really any farther from downtown Chicago than the Allstate Arena or Akoo Theater in Rosemont, and if it wasn't for lane closures on the Dan Ryan I would've made it home to Skokie in about 40 minutes.

I am also glad Weezer played there rather than the Aragon, which they commonly do, as I relished the ability to sit down throughout the concert. That said, the Venue isn't a venue I am likely to frequent and although I had long noted the Weezer date, I wasn't intending to go until a friend noticed that discount tickets were available through Goldstar.

It turned out he wasn't able to go, but after delving deep into my Weezer albums, I realized this was a band--if not quite an all-time great, pretty close to it--that I really should catch again.

I'm glad I did.

While I still hope to discover new bands that I really like, it's nearly as gratifying to re-appreciate old ones.

The 100 Best Alternative Rock Bands of the Past 25 Years

Last night I saw Weezer. It was an excellent show and I should post my review later today or tomorrow.

Despite Weezer being, arguably, one of the few alt-rock superstar bands of the '90s still in existence--and one whose music I've always enjoyed--this was only the second time I'd seen them, and the first was only because they were on a double-bill with the Foo Fighters.

So it got me thinking about where I'd place them in the pantheon of alternative rock bands. Thus, I started making this list.

Initially I was only thinking in terms of acts from the '90s, but in being unsure if I should also consider music made since then, I decided to go back 25 years.

Even this, like all list making attempts, is of course imprecise.

First of all, what defines alternative?

It seems that once Nirvana rolled around, alternative music became the mainstream. And nowadays, "alternative" seems to be a dead moniker, with alternative rock stations--like Chicago's Q101--having bitten the dust.

But, as a rough qualifier for inclusion on this list, the following artists (mostly bands, but not just) are ones I would have expected to hear on an alternative rock radio station (with new music) over the past 25 years. Thus no Guns 'n Roses, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen or presumably Adele, but a pretty wide swath otherwise. And if you're unclear what makes Elvis Costello, post-87, any more "alternative" than Tom Petty, you've got a pretty good point. As I said, this is imprecise.

Though the 25 year span largely covers the rise of alternative era--from the origins of The Pixies and Jane's Addition through the grunge explosion, the birth of Lollapalooza and everything since--it too is an imperfect demarcation, as it leaves out much punk, which I tend to consider alternative.

Though the whole list is obviously based on my own preferences and whims, I tried to gauge artists only by the music they made within the 1987-2012 range. Thus I left out otherwise extremely deserving bands like The Smiths, Husker Du, Talking Heads and Ramones, who were either on their last legs by '87 or no longer producing their best music. For included acts whose careers pre-date 1987, I tried to only reflect their work since them, not their overall output. In many cases, I was able to factor in the band as a live act, but some I've never seen.

And since this is my list, I could only include artists whose music I know pretty well and enjoy, so no Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, My Bloody Valentine, Ministry, Tool, Guided by Voices, Built to Spill, Sleater-Kinney, Portishead or others that you might include (additional "also-rans" are included after the top 100).

So take it for what it's worth--if I made the same list tomorrow, it would likely be ordered slighly differently--but this is how I rate the 100 Best Alternative Rock Bands (and Solo Acts) of the Past 25 Years:
 

1. Nirvana
2. U2
3. R.E.M.
4. Pearl Jam
5. The Smashing Pumpkins (+ Zwan)
6. Radiohead
7. The Replacements (+ Paul Westerberg solo)
8. Midnight Oil
9. Green Day
10. Soundgarden

11. The Cure
12. Foo Fighters
13. Red Hot Chili Peppers
14. Dinosaur Jr.
15. Nine Inch Nails
16. The Pixies
17. Arcade Fire
18. The Flaming Lips
19. The Beastie Boys

20. The Wildhearts (check out this song)

21. Depeche Mode
22. Blur
23. Wilco
24. The White Stripes
25. The Killers
26. Weezer
27. Bob Mould (including Sugar)
28. Jane's Addiction
29. System of a Down
30. Stone Temple Pilots

31. Paul Weller
32. Rage Against The Machine
33. Elvis Costello (remember, this is '87 onward)
34. Phish
35. Smoking Popes
36. Stereophonics
37. The Waterboys
38. Garbage

39. Beck
40. BoDeans

41. Maximo Park
42. Ash
43. Social Distortion
44. Oasis
45. Sonic Youth
46. No Doubt
47. Coldplay
48. Counting Crows
49. Teenage Fanclub
50. Material Issue

51. Pulp
52. Moby
53. LCD Soundsystem
54. Alice in Chains
55. The Lemonheads
56. Screaming Trees
57. Everclear

58. The Hives
59. The Wallflowers
60. Faith No More

61. Stone Roses
62. Liz Phair
63. Snow Patrol
64. Hole
65. Urge Overkill
66. Supergrass
67. Manic Street Preachers
68. Pavement
69. Mudhoney
70. Cracker

71. Muse
72. Incubus
73. Live
74. Alanis Morrisette
75. Franz Ferdinand

76. The Strokes
77. The Cranberries
78. The Wedding Present
79. PJ Harvey
80. The Jesus and Mary Chain

81. Blink 182
82. Suede
83. Placebo
84. The Charlatans UK
85. Matthew Sweet
86. The Tragically Hip
87. Fishbone
88. Dave Matthews Band
89. The Fratellis
90. Local H

91. The Decemberists
92. Kaiser Chiefs
93. Bush

94. The Offspring
95. Sponge
96. TV on the Radio
97. Son Volt
98. The Hold Steady
99. Feeder
100. Soul Coughing

Assorted Others in No Particular Order

Primal Scream
Arctic Monkeys
James
My Morning Jacket
Keane
Rancid
Soul Asylum 
Linkin Park
Mission of Burma
Fastball 
The La's
Uncle Tupelo
Goo Goo Dolls

Gin Blossoms
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Queens of the Stone Age
Primus
Sublime
Korn
Death Cab for Cutie
My Chemical Romance
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
My Bloody Valentine
Ministry
Tool
311
Guided by Voices
Built to Spill
Sleater-Kinney
Portishead
Sloan

Radiohead Excels at Being Radiohead, Which is (Mostly) a Good Thing -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Radiohead
First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Tinley Park, IL
June 10, 2012
@@@@

When it comes to Radiohead, I must cop to a certain amount of cognitive dissonance.

Especially amidst an age of artifice, I very much admire, respect and applaud the British band for staying true to themselves. Which, since the year 2000, has meant a preponderance of their recorded material--and concert setlists--has been infused with electronic textures and minimalist beats, rather than more conventional guitar and lyric driven songs.

This music, which is more disparate than my brief description conveys, is often brilliant and invariably amplified on stage by powerful instrumentation and dazzling lighting displays. Over the years--often quite beyond the initial release of each new album--I've come to appreciate the beauty, and even melodicism, of what at first can sound avant garde, jarring and/or droning.

But while Radiohead is great because they excel without making easily-digestible ear candy, before the new millennium came about their music--while still quite innovative--was a good bit more stylistically traditional. 1995's The Bends and 1997's OK Computer remain my favorite Radiohead albums; I just enjoy them more than last year's The King of Limbs or other 21st century releases, excellent as several of them are.

So without wanting to sound like a philistine, I wish they would play a little bit more of the old stuff.

Much to their credit, Radiohead's experimental, arguably anti-populist musical proclivities have not hurt their popularity. After headlining the Bonnaroo Festival on Friday night, the band drew what looked like a full-house (perhaps 28,000 or so) to the inconveniently-located First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Chicago's south suburbs.

Having seen Radiohead on seven previous occasions and routinely checking their live setlists (you can see Sunday's on Setlist.fm), I was well aware before I bought my tickets that their shows are always heavy on their latest material, with perhaps just 2 or 3 more traditional, theoretically crowd-pleasing '90s songs sprinkled in.

Led by lead singer Thom Yorke, Radiohead is still fantastic at what they do, as they amply demonstrated again in Tinley Park at a venue I've long abhorred (fortunately, I had pavilion seats rather than the often acoustically-challenged lawn). My friend who had never seen the band and knew very little of their music was tremendously, and a bit surprisingly, impressed with the concert.

While I anticipated nothing less, the six musicians onstage made wonderful noise over 130 minutes that--despite "Karma Police" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" being the only sing-along "oldies"--never dragged.

Every song played was well-presented and several were pretty astonishing, including a few that go back to early in the '00s: "Myxomatosis," "Idioteque"  and "Everything in Its Right Place."

In sum, Radiohead delivered the show I was expecting and as my @@@@ rating should suggest, I liked it far more than I didn't.

But where my dissonance comes in is that I really think their concerts would be more satisfying--at least for me, but probably not just--if the band weren't so stingy in exploring their exceptional back catalog.

"Creep" (which I've never heard live) and pretty much everything off The Bends and OK Computer are among the best, most intelligent rock songs written in the past 20 years. I understand the band's--and especially Yorke's--desire to move in different directions when they head into the studio, but I can't help but want to hear more of their great older material. And given the money, time and effort invested getting to any show--but particularly this one--I don't think it's unjust to want to hear what I want to hear.

I respect their right to play what they please, especially if the adoring crowds keep turning out, and wouldn't really want them to compromise themselves by putting on a pandering, greatest hits performance. But I can't deny that Sunday's concert wasn't as fun, or as enjoyable, as it would have been if Radiohead played 3-4 more well-placed early gems.

Given how the crowd sang along lustily with "Karma Police" and cheered the show closing "Spirit Street," I don't think anyone would've minded if the band decided to give us "Fake Plastic Trees" or "No Surprises." Even setlist stalwart "Paranoid Android" was MIA.

Certainly, an imagined retort of "Don't complain about it; just don't go. You know what you're getting." isn't entirely unreasonable. But to reiterate, it's not that I didn't like Radiohead last night; I very much did. And I would not hesitate to see them deliver a similar performance again.

But that doesn't mean I can't wish they liked their old stuff as much as I do.

---
In Sunday's encore, Radiohead debuted a new song called "Full Stop," in the vein of their recent material. This is a clip I found on YouTube:
 

Rather Than First-Rate Garbage, 'Not Your Kind of People' Feels Disposable -- Album Review

Album Review

Garbage
Not Your Kind of People
@@@1/2

Although I have found it less than essential, I do not mean to trash, nor bag on, the first new album from Garbage in seven years.

I've been a big fan of the Madison, WI foursome since their 1995 debut album--which I rank among the 20 best albums of the '90s--and have enjoyed, to varying extents, all four of their past studio albums. They've also been great when I've seen them live. 

And back in the day, when Tower Records still existed, I stood in line to have them sign their second CD and found them to be--contrary to the title of their latest album--very much my kind of people.

Friendly, down to earth, humble. And I don't just mean Butch Vig, Steve Marker and Duke Erikson--star producers and journeyman musicians who struck gold when they formed a band and recruited Shirley Manson from Scotland to be their singer. Despite a persona that's brash and outspoken, Shirley herself was lovely as can be.

So it gives me no pleasure to suggest that this album will likely wind up on the scrap heap of history. With rather little else I've musically loved of late, I've been very much looking forward to a fresh batch of Garbage, especially having noted on Facebook how excited Shirley was once the new songs were in the can.

But while it certainly doesn't live down to the band's name, there is little here that outshines Garbage's previous output. With enough listens, the disc has become pleasurable enough as background music, and the band's trademark variety of sonic textures remains apparent & appealing, but I don't foresee Absolute Garbage--their 2007 greatest hits album--needing to be reissued with many songs from Not Your Kind of People.

The album starts solidly, with "Automatic System Habit," "Big Bright World" and lead single "Blood for Poppies," adequately reminding of, candidly, better songs they've written before--but also why I love Garbage. Yet by about the 6th or 7th track, the satisfying-but-short-of-superb consistency starts to wane, and the 15-song deluxe version of the album especially tends to drag.

As always with Garbage, I can tell that this is a record made with integrity. The group is good at what they do, and it's certainly no crime if their best happens to be behind them. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from buying this album, but both existing and prospective fans will likely find far greater pleasure in the debut and greatest hits.

For while this isn't a collection of throwaway songs, and far from junk, Not Your Kind of People just feels rather disposable.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: It's Time to Put in The Replacements

You can see all Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees here

(Note: As this piece is primarily about The Replacements, at bottom there is a sequential video playlist of some of their best songs, which you may wish to listen to as you read. Most of the videos are audio only.)

Next Saturday, April 14, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will hold its 27th induction ceremony in Cleveland.

As you can see at left, Guns 'n Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donovan, Laura Nyro, The Small Faces/Faces and Beastie Boys head the inductee class of 2012. 

I have no real argument with any of these artists as being worthy of induction--FYI, artists in the "Performers" category become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. The Rock Hall Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year, which are voted on by an international voting body of more than 500 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes, and more than 50 percent of the vote, are inducted--and it's not that I really care about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For while its inductees are generally among rock music's most celebrated practitioners and pioneers, as an arbiter of artistic merit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is inconsequential compared to my own tastes. And yours.

Heck, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the actual hall of inductees is one of the least conspicuous attractions, tucked away on an upper floor.

And yet I do care. In the way that I care about the Oscars--not as gospel but as a catalyst of consideration, exploration and conversation--I care about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and who its voters choose to induct.

Or more irksomely, not induct.

For my money, or lack thereof, here is my updated list of the Top 20 eligible artists who are not yet in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: 

1. The Jam
2. The Replacements
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
4. Warren Zevon
5. Cheap Trick
6. The Zombies
7. Hüsker Dü
8. The Monkees
9. Rush
10. Midnight Oil
11. Peter Gabriel (solo)
12. Roxy Music
13. Dire Straits
14. The Smiths
15. Love
16. KISS
17. Deep Purple
18. New York Dolls
19. The Cars
20. ELO and/or The Move (they're linked via Jeff Lynne)
Oops: Meant to include The Cure at about #12

Having recently written a review of ex-Jam leader Paul Weller's new album, in which I extol the brilliance of his band that ruled England from 1977-82 but made few inroads in America, here I will focus on another magnificent group that has been criminally overlooked by the Rock Hall: The Replacements.

Hailing from Minneapolis in the early '80s, the Replacements were critical darlings--if never commercially huge--which makes their omission a bit more puzzling.  

- Rolling Stone called them "one of the all-time great American garage bands" in their album guide and ranks both Let It Be and Tim among the top half of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time (this list, like Hall of Fame inclusion, was based on surveying a panel of rock experts)

- AllMusic.com gives 5 of their 7 albums 4-1/2 or 5 stars, and another--perhaps the one I like best, Pleased To Meet Me--4 stars.

- Trouser Press, the self-proclaimed but widely respected "Bible of alternative rock" opens their bio of The Replacements by saying "For a time the world's best rock 'n' roll band..."

- Robert Christigau, the "dean of American rock critics" wrote this about the band's chief singer & songwriter (in a review of Tim): "No songwriter in memory matches Paul Westerberg's artful artlessness."

So with these kinds of accolades from the rock press, who is denying 'The Mats'--as they were colloquially called, playing off "Placemats"--entry into the Rock Hall?

According to the helpful site FutureRockLegends.com, the Replacements, like many on my list of snubs, have never even been nominated.

If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction process was based directly on popularity with the general public, I'd better grasp why the Replacements have been overlooked. Although they eventually toured decent-sized venues--such as Chicago's Aragon Ballroom--the Mats were never truly superstars. But I can't imagine many rock journalists nor even fellow musicians who are unaware of The Replacements--and most people who know of them seem to hold them in high regard.

I can't help but wonder if there is some unspoken requirement about American mainstream popularity being a criteria for nomination and induction into the Rock Hall, although the Ramones never sold that many records and I don't know if the late Laura Nyro was ever truly a star. But it somehow seems that perhaps the Replacements, Jam, Smiths, Cheap Trick, Hüsker Dü, Warren Zevon and others are being shunned because they weren't "big enough."

Although I didn't become aware of the Replacements until about 1987, with Pleased to Meet Me, I know that they were notorious for often being drunk and sloppy during live shows. But as Christigau alludes, Westerberg's songwriting is some of the best ever in a rock vein. Consider this verse from "Bastards of Young," off Tim:

The ones who love us best are the ones we'll lay to rest
And visit their graves on holidays at best
The ones who love us least are the ones we'll die to please
If it's any consolation, I don't begin to understand them

I love too many of Westerberg's lyrics to do them justice here, but another of my favorites is the opening of "Never Mind," off Pleased to Meet Me:

Absolution is out of the question
It makes no sense to apologize
The words I thought
I brought I left behind

So never mind
All over but the shouting
Just a waste of time

As no less a master songwriter than Stephen Sondheim has articulated, saying something enlightened with an economy of words is one of the hardest things for a lyricist to accomplish. From my perspective, few rockers have ever matched the wit and wisdom Westerberg brought to the Replacements' best songs.

Originally comprised of Westerberg, guitarist Bob Stinson, bassist Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars, the band initially had more overt hardcore punk leanings. Though their first album, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out The Trash has certain charms, the Mats' prowess pretty closely correlates with Westerberg's evolving maturity as a songwriter. Glimpses of true greatness were seen on songs like "Color Me Impressed" and "Within Your Reach" from Hootenanny, though much of brilliance of 1984's universally praised Let It Be comes from its amalgamation of the band's thrashy past and more contemplative future.

The album opens with the jangly-guitar romp of "I Will Dare" (courtesy of R.E.M.'s Peter Buck), followed by a Ramonesque love song, "Favorite Thing." But while Westerberg's plaintiff ode of angst, "Unsatisfied," hints at his tackling of bigger themes, any suggestion of the band becoming overly introspective are offset by "Gary's Got A Boner" and the KISS cover, "Black Diamond." One of the most unique songs of wistfulness ever written, "Answering Machine," closes the album.

While many critics seem to suggest that the combo of Let It Be and Tim--their first major label release, from which "Hold My Life," "Bastards of Young" and "Little Mascara" are among many true gems--was the band's high water mark, I'd fully include Pleased to Meet Me as part of the plateau. There's not a bad song in the bunch and a pretty diverse range of textures, from the stomp of "I.O.U." to the loungy "Nightclub Jitters" to the unique desperation plea that is "The Ledge."

1989's Don't Tell A Soul is commonly derided as being overly slick, there is much here I like, including probably the band's best pop song, "I'll Be You." And though their 1990 swan song All Shook Down was essentially a Westerberg solo album in everything but billing, it still rises above most of his subsequent solo material. (Westerberg, like Weller, is part of my Paul Principle, as even though he's done much impressive work on his own, it's never quite matched the magnificence of his inaugural band).

Somewhat infamously, the Replacements broke up on stage at Taste of Chicago on July 4, 1991, letting their roadies finish out their set. Though I was living in L.A. at the time, I was actually in Skokie that week but passed on the show for a more personal gathering. I rue that I missed it, especially as another great, short-lived band, Material Issue, opened the show, but I heard the live broadcast on WXRT.

I had seen the Replacements at the Hollywood Palladium in January 1991 and also as openers for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers--who nicked Westerberg's "rebel without a clue" lyric from "I'll Be You" for "Into the Great Wide Open"--at Poplar Creek near Chicago in 1989. I've also seen Westerberg on his own a number of times.

And I would like to see the Replacements rightfully enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even if it doesn't really matter. (I would also like to see someone make a documentary about the band--I would if I could--and a classic concert get released on DVD, as none are available.)

A few weeks back Steven Van Zandt was on Howard Stern's radio show and Howard asked him about the Rock Hall, intimating that it was somewhat nebulous and wondering why the E Street Band wasn't inducted along with their boss, Bruce Springsteen. Little Steven danced around the latter question, saying that a technicality kept E Street out, but opined that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was particularly important for smaller bands who might not get due recognition otherwise. I think he may have been referencing older acts such as The Midnighters in this year's class, but it struck a chord with me given my consternation over the Replacements, Jam, etc.

I guess I should take some solace from the fact that from a list I made of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame omissions in December 2009, Tom Waits, Alice Cooper, The Faces, Neil Diamond and the Beastie Boys have now gotten in. So hopefully the voters will soon see the light about the Replacements and the others on my list above. I think they may have to as once we get past acts that released their first album in 1991--such as Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day and Blur, though they'll likely get ignored too--the well of newly eligible Hall-worthy artists will likely start to really dry up.

But for now, I'll amplify my advocacy by letting the music do the talking.

As I referenced up top, the video below is a sequential playlist of 14 great Replacements. I also made a Replacements playlist on Spotify that anyone connected to me there can access, and if not, anyone using Spotify can find all the Replacements albums.

The Funk Meets the Modfather -- Album Review: Paul Weller - Sonik Kicks

Album Review

Paul Weller
Sonik Kicks
@@@@

Paul Weller belongs in the same sentence as Joe Strummer, David Byrne, Tom Petty and Sting, so I am putting him there.

Like the rest, Weller was the chief singer and songwriter for a seminal band that released several superlative albums within the years 1976-1983. Unlike the rest, his band--The Jam--is not in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and I don't recall ever seeing them on a list of nominees for consideration.

That's a gripe for another day, but if you are a fan of The Clash, Talking Heads, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and The Police and--like many Americans--unfamiliar with The Jam, I venture to suggest that they remain the best rock band you've never heard of.

According to The Jam's entry on AllMusic, in the U.K. the trio was the "most popular band" of their era--yes, even beyond The Clash and Police. AllMusic gives three of the Jam's six albums a full 5 stars and the composite ratings of all their studio albums compare strongly with the output of the aforementioned bands (only the Talking Heads' work from 1976-83 averages higher). You can find The Jam on Spotify, where the first album listed--Snap!, a 2-disc greatest hits set--is a fine place to begin an exploration.

But while I'm always happy to wax ecstatic about The Jam, the point of this post is not to extol the work Paul Weller did when he was in his late-teens and early '20s. As his new album, Sonik Kicks, once again attests quite convincingly, into his 50s "The Modfather" continues to produce excellent music.

I would even assert--supported by AllMusic's album ratings--that since 1990 and certainly 2000, Weller's recorded output has outshone his more U.S.-famous contemporaries' in both breadth and depth. (Sadly, Strummer died in 2002 after a couple decent albums with The Mescaleros; Petty continues his fine work with the Heartbreakers but their later albums have been spotty; Byrne has shown glimpses of solo brilliance, but sporadically; and while I can't deny Sting's genius with the Police, I haven't liked much of his solo work nor his persona. And I should mention somewhere that after disbanding the Jam in 1982, Weller was in the Style Council duo before eventually embarking on a solo career.)

Though I've rarely found Weller's solo material as instantly accessible nor quite as magnificent as that with The Jam--thus he fits into my Paul Principle suggesting that despite stellar solo work, he like Mssrs. McCartney, Simon and Westerberg was even better earlier with a group/duo--2010's Wake Up the Nation was one of my favorite albums of that year, 2005's As Is Now was among my favorites of the century's first decade and 2008's 22 Dreams and 2002's Illumination are also quite stellar.

Given the album's angularity due to Weller's incorporation of a variety of sonic textures, it's taken me about a dozen listens to really appreciate all that excels on Sonik Kicks, so I wouldn't expect the uninitiated to be wowed on a first listen. But from the techno-funk of set opener "Green" to the late-Jam punch of "The Attic" to the string section lushness of "By The Waters" to the handclaps and doo-wop harmonies of "That Dangerous Age" to the "Sun King"/"Because"-like dirge of "Paper Chase," there is a whole lot here to explore, admire and warm up to rather robustly.

Sonik Kicks probably won't stand as Paul Weller's crowning achievement, nor my favorite album of 2012. But it does serve as ample proof that the Modfather continues to make excellent music without wasting much time looking back to his glorious past nor across the pond to glory that has eluded him in America. For the few here who may care--Weller remains an icon in England, where the new album hit #1--and the legions of music lovers who should, Sonik Kicks is worthy of exploration that reveals a entirely enjoyable jam.

--
Here's a clip of Paul Weller performing "The Attic":

The Best of 2011: The Best Concerts I Attended

2011 was a really good concertgoing year. Aside from years in which I've seen Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band multiple times--hopefully 2012 will be another such year, despite the sad passing of Clarence Clemons--I can't readily recall a year in which I've enjoyed as many shows to such an extent.

As I've pretty much come to expect, my favorite shows are almost exclusively drawn from old favorites, for there aren't many acts I've yet to see that I knowingly want to.

But Arcade Fire, who I saw for the first time in April, was truly a revelation in terms of just how good they were live. Although I had seen a number of live streaming concerts of theirs previously, catching them in person was a far transcendent experience.

Which is why, although I saw a number of full concerts within the comfort of my condo in 2011-- streaming live over the internet, via Blu-ray/DVD and on the Palladia cable channel--and enjoyed several of these, they are not eligible for inclusion below. Though I was often able to get a sense of an artist's abilities as a live performer, there is much that just can't be replicated without actually "being there." And I'm not speaking simply of the smell of pot or the jerk in front of me arguing with his girlfriend all night.

As you'll see, the top two spots on my list are taken by acts I saw multiple times. Each of their shows could easily have earned its own berth--although the Chicago U2 show seemed slightly better than the Denver one, and McCartney's Wrigley shows felt even cooler than the one I caught in Paris--but I decided not to clog the list with redundancies. And even if you don't bother to click to see my reviews of each show--a few I didn't bother reviewing--I thought I'd mention that the first nine listed all got @@@@@ ratings from me, while the Foo Fighters got @@@@1/2. A good year for live music, indeed.

The Best Concerts of 2011

1. Paul McCartney - July 31, August 1, Wrigley Field (my review); November 30, Bercy, Paris

2. U2 - July 5, Soldier Field (my review); May 21, Invesco Field, Denver (my review)

3. Arcade Fire - April 25, UIC Pavilion (my review)

4. Soundgarden - July 16, UIC Pavilion (my review)

5. Pearl Jam - September 4, Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI (my review)

6. Willie Nile - September 23, Fitzgerald's, Berwyn (my review)

7. Wilco - December 13, Riviera Theatre (my review)

8. Roger McGuinn - June 3, Beverly Arts Center (my review)

9. Ray Davies - November 11, Chicago Theatre (my review)

10. Foo Fighters - September 17, Scottrade Center, St. Louis (my review)

Honorable Mention

Fastball/Smoking Popes - August 27, Backlot Bash, Skokie (my review)

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - April 2, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI (my review)

Rush - April 12, United Center

Jerry Lee Lewis - December 3, Congress Theatre (my review)

Ike Reilly/Alejandro Escovedo - July 3, Summerfest, Milwaukee  

Steve Miller Band - August 4, Chicago Theatre

The Smashing Pumpkins - October 14 - Riviera Theatre (my review)

Outtasite! Wilco Rocks Riv With Rollicking Show -- Concert Review

Concert Review

Wilco
with Eleventh Dream Day
December 13, 2011
Riviera Theatre, Chicago
@@@@@

This was the Wilco of my dreams.

You see, I've liked virtually everything the Chicago-based band has done over the last decade, beginning with 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, an album of great beauty, experimentation and introspection that many consider among the very best of the 21st Century.

But my favorite Wilco album remains 1996's guitar-driven, somewhat Replacementsesque Being There, followed by 1999's Summer Teeth. Although the band, whose personnel beyond singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt has completely changed since the '90s, has rightfully earned worldwide acclaim and swelling popularity, they've more infrequently "rocked"--in the bar chord, pounding drums sense of the word--since the turn of the century.

That's not to say they haven't been good, even excellent, at many of the six Wilco shows I've attended since 2002--plus a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Tweedy perform in a living room--prior to the one on Tuesday night.

The concert was the second of the band's mini-tour of Chicago that saw them play the Civic Opera House on Monday, with shows at The Vic, Metro and Lincoln Hall still to come. I would've liked to go to the Opera House show, but when new tickets were released for the Riv on Friday, I was able to grab a pair. And no matter how good the first show was, or the subsequent ones might be, I'm perfectly satisfied with the one I saw.

For with Tweedy playing an electric guitar most of the show, rather than an acoustic, the band rocked in a way I'd never before witnessed. And kudos to all their sound engineers, because even from the top of the Riv, the sound was phenomenal.

This isn't to imply that Wilco became the Ramones or aforementioned Replacements. A multitude of weird sounds and obtuse textures from the six skilled players were still in ready abundance, such as on the new "Art of Almost" and "Via Chicago," with its breathtakingly thunderous bursts by drummer Glenn Kotche.

Take a look at Wilco's setlist from Tuesday and you won't see that it's full of hits, or even weighted to the early albums.

In fact, there are many songs I would have loved to hear that weren't played. But what was played was performed with such a sonic blast that it didn't matter. And true thumpers like "I Got You (At the End of the Century)," "I Must Be High," "I'm Always In Love," "Can't Stand It," "Just A Kid," "Monday" and "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" ravaged the paint-peeling walls of the 94-year-old, 2,500 capacity venue.

The band played for 2 hours and 20 minutes--the epic "Spiders" in Encore 2 wasn't even the finale, as "I'm A Wheel" followed to end the night--and proved to me like never before that if they aren't America's best rock band, they sure can sound like it when they want to.

Here's just a snippet I shot of "Outtasite (Outta Mind)"

Pumpkins Still Smashing But Only in Parts -- Concert Review: The Smashing Pumpkins

Photo Credit: Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune

Concert Review

The Smashing Pumpkins
with Light FM, Fancy Space People
Riviera Theatre, Chicago
October 14, 2011
@@@@

In considering a Smashing Pumpkins concert at this stage in their career, it's easy to focus on what "they" no longer are.

As in, "they" no longer include 3/4 of the original band--with singer/songwriter/ guitarist Billy Corgan the only holdover--and they are precipitously shy of their peak mid-'90s popularity, when the Pumpkins were truly one of the world's biggest bands.

But although I have some mixed feelings about the current incarnation being called the Smashing Pumpkins, in truth the band name may have always been more of Corgan's alter ego (his Nine Inch Nails or LCD Soundsystem) than a unified group.

While the band, so to speak, once consisted of Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer James Chamberlain, on their breakthrough 1993 album, Siamese Dream, Billy played all the instruments except drums. When I first saw them at Lollapalooza '94, the band sounded rather loose and sloppy, and at their '96 peak, Chamberlain was ousted after a drug incident that left tour keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin dead.

The band would continue as a 3-piece, augmented by several musicians on their 1998 Adore tour, and by their 2000 farewell tour, Chamberlain was back but D'arcy was gone.

Since even in their heyday, the Pumpkins were often carved into various manifestations, it's somewhat hard to rue that the original band no longer exists. Chamberlain accompanied Corgan after the initial 2007 resurrection--with Iha and D'arcy seemingly wanting nothing more to do with the supposedly dictatorial head Pumpkin--but he split in 2009.

Now the so-called Smashing Pumpkins are Corgan and guitarist Jeff Schroeder, 21-year old drummer Mike Byrne and Nicole Fiorentino, the latest in a line of hot female bassists that Billy somehow manages to perpetually find and recruit.

And at the Riviera, on several great Pumpkins songs of yore, the new band still sounded smashing. Although not quite as powerful as Chamberlain, one of rock's best drummers, Byrne was rather impressive. And though I used to think Iha did a bit more onstage than Corgan probably gave him credit for--I liked the way his guitar fills danced around Corgan's 6-string roar--Schroeder seemed adequate and Fiorentino appeared to offer more than eye candy as she supplied bass licks and background vocals that sounded rather strong.

There are few bands, ever, whose sound I enjoy as much as the Smashing Pumpkins, and if Billy is able to fairly-well replicate it accompanied by trained monkeys, well, I'll probably be there cheering, playing air guitar and singing along. On great back catalog cuts like "Geek USA," "Muzzle," "Siva," "Cherub Rock" and "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," the thunderous melodies sounded sublime and any qualms about promotional legitimacy seemed rather pointless.

But though, in direct opposition to latter-day Pumpkins concerts in late 2008 and even in their heyday, Corgan avoided any ill-advised verbal harangues--in fact, he barely spoke to the hometown crowd at all--he still couldn't resist his tendency to deliver roughly half of a truly sensational show. Although Saturday's setlist looks pretty decent on paper, particularly to a pretty avid fan--I've seen the Smashing Pumpkins and other Corgan incarnations (Zwan, solo) over 20 times, more than any other act except Bruce Springsteen--there were still large portions of the show where the music meandered and dragged.

While I feel my @@@@ rating is about right, it's more based on the really good parts of the show deserving @@@@1/2 and the lesser sections only about @@@, rather than being solidly fulfilling throughout. Which serves to remind that even during their initial run, there were often portions of Pumpkins shows that left me scratching my head, while the great parts kept bringing me back for more.

At this point, my advice to Billy Corgan--not that I'd expect him to heed it--would be to start focusing on composing rock-based stage musicals (or even rock operas), something that clearly should be within his talent and comfort zones. And when he wants to play concerts, it should be as Billy Corgan, allowing him to mine not only the Pumpkins' glorious past, but also some of the stellar work he did with the short-lived Zwan, whose 2003 album is probably the best thing Billy has created in the last decade or so.

But as Saturday night proved, whatever brand of Pumpkins gets served up, I'll still be there, gloriously happy, at least for part of the night.

I should also mention that there were two opening bands, Light FM--of which current Pumpkins bassist Fiorentino is a former member and who were quite enjoyable--and Fancy Space People, which was one of the weirdest, most annoying bands I've ever seen (all the members wore space outfits). And as part of the Pumpkins' encore, Billy reunited the members of a band named Catherine, who he explained used to share rehearsal space with his band. I've never heard of them, so it didn't mean much to me, but the two songs they played sounded decent enough. Sure, I would rather have heard "Zero" and "Tonight, Tonight" but the Pumpkins weren't going to play them anyhow.