Pearl Jam: Live at the Gorge 05/06

Written by Fumo Verde

Hey, gang, last month Pearl Jam came out with a seven disc set that contained recordings of three separate concerts performed live at the Gorge Amphitheater in Eastern Washington. The concert dates were 9/01/05, 7/22 & 23/06, and my buddy Smitty, who follows PJ like the FBI followed Lennon, confirmed to me that these were fantastic shows. Pearl Jam has become one of the cornerstones of modern rock n’ roll and they don’t disappoint when it comes to live shows.

I was given a sample disc of twelve tracks ranging from the three concerts. It had songs like “Alone”, “Army Reserve”, and “Given to Fly” along with “World Wide Suicide”. From the flavor of this disc, I feel this set will sound just as clean. With each song you can hear the crowd in the background as they become immersed in the moment of the show. The crowd sounds do not infringe on the music at all. The complete seven-disc set also includes unreleased material, cover songs, and of course crowd favorites, of which I truly don’t know because I have yet to attend a Pearl Jam concert, though I would like to.

Everything I have seen online regarding this set and from what I’ve heard off of the sample disc lead me to believe this is a great set to have, unless you already have these shows live. This is where I have a problem with the record industry as they slowly release music with a couple of extras here and there to keep the fan buying songs they might already have. Smitty told me he would still buy the set although he already had a copy of the 7/22 show. He didn’t tell me where he got it or if that show had been released on its own earlier. True fans like Smitty will gobble this up just because it came from Pearl Jam, kind of like me when it comes to the Dead or Miles Davis.

No CD or DVD compares to being at a live show, especially a Pearl Jam show, so I’m told, but as technology improves, the sounds coming out of your entertainment center, PC, or i-Pod get better thus bringing you closer to the show while sitting in your home. This little disc packed a real punch and I would assume the seven CDs will kick your ass. Given the power of the music Pearl Jam plays, I’m impressed they captured it on only seven discs.

Robert Plant: Shaken ‘n’ Stirred

Written by Fumo Verde

If life only had a rewind button, but then it better have an erase button to go along with it. That's how I felt about Shaken ‘n’ Stirred and what upset me most, it was done by one of the greatest voices in Rock n' Roll history: Robert Plant. Even greatness has off-days, and not that Plant was off by any means. It was the ‘80s where most of the mainstream music pretty much blew ass. I should know I was a junior in 1985 when this album was released. Now it's 2007 and the music companies are trying hard to stay afloat by re-releasing music such as this. If it weren't Robert Plant, I wouldn't have even listened.

Sorry to shit in everyone’s cereal, but during the ‘80s I was not a Cure fan, nor a Depeched Mode fan. I did watch Madonna to give me ideas to think about late at night. I couldn't stand dancing with my arms out at my sides while extending one leg at a time and touching the floor with only the big toe of each foot. Oh yes, and don't forget to wear black with many accessories and a funny hat. Fuck that, I followed the Dead, Rush, Pink Floyd, and The Police. I was stoked that Plant had come out with a new album, until I heard it. It wasn’t the Plant I wanted; it wasn’t very rock n’ roll. Shaken ‘n’ Stirred had stopped at #20 on Billboard’s Top 200. The single “Little By Little” hit # 1 for Mainstream Rock Tracks while “Sixes and Sevens” peaked at #18. At least Plant had the courage to go somewhere else with his music, to try and experiment with new sounds and ideas that were coming out of the radios at that time.

In the ‘80s it was all about electronics, and Shaken ‘n’ Stirred was no exception. Synthesizers were a mainstay for the recording industry, and if you weren't a pro with it, then it either sounded like shit or came out to sugar-coated. That's how this CD sounds, sugar-coated, but then like I said that's most songs from this time period. Take for instance “Kallalou Kallalou,” it starts out with keyboards and drums and immediately I hear the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop in the back of my mind with Axel Foley and the banana in the tailpipe bit. “Pink and Black” has the same vibe. Plants voice carries this track as the drums rarely diverge from their formatted beat. The synthesized guitar and keyboards rehash over the same cords as they did the track before. With the exception of his voice, the music sounds the same.

“Little By Little” is the diamond in the ruff here. With the drifting sound of guitars and the electronics all coming together, this song gives way to images of hazy-colored sunsets as Plant’s voice cruises in and out of the melody. The bass line can be felt as the drums keep a steady drive going. The extra on this disc is the remix of “Little By Little” with a slightly longer, synthesized intro but that's really about it. The original sounds better.

There is nothing wrong with the music on this CD. Robert Plant has no fear when it comes to trying new genres of music and Shaken ‘n’ Stirred isn't any different. He tried to go the way of the ‘80s and did a pretty good job at it. Music back then was blowing up everywhere and by 1985 the punk craze was waning and bands like Wham and Culture Club were the big draws at the time. Rock ‘n’ roll still had a heartbeat, but it was barely alive. Robert Plant was one of the few who tried to mix the hard rock sound with the new wave sound that was winning its way through the MTV world. I give Plant kudos for trying, but I have to be honest when I say, that this CD I could do without in my collection. It’s just too ‘80s for me.