Croft

Who is Jeff Hubbard anyway?

Jeff Hubbard

Fair question!

Yes, I've been fairly in absentia this year, and I need to get back on the proverbial horse, but I used to write a review or two around here.

So that's me (see 2004 reviews of things like Brian Wilson's "Smile" and the Black Keys "Rubber Factory," if you care).

Natalie Pendleton

Gotcha - I went back and checked out your list for 2004, the fact that you wrote about each album on your list made it much more interesting than the ones who just listed theiers. You''re right dude, you should get back on your horse and write.

Slacker

Jeff

You and I seem to have similar tastes & I'm curious about what you think of the Blood On The Wall. Would you compare them to anything else? Give me the low down.

tyson

hell yeah!! please come back. i miss you:) lol!!!where've you been anyway? totally myspacing it!?

tyson

hey man we've had our diffs in the past but fuck that, it's squashed all right...squashed! i like your style here,: very simple and straight forward. SOAD was good, sure...but...who the hell is #18? he sounds exotic, you know like maybe i should jump on this shit too. what do you think? what gives with #18...details.

stanton

I'm surprised at you TC, I thought everyone knew that Madman Milton Nascimento was the original drummer for Yugoslavia's premiere black metal band Goldfish Assassins. An ugly struggle for creative control of G.A. forced Milt to walk away from the band and strike out on his own. Desperate for creative freedom, and food money, Milt sold blood and semen, pretty much anything he could squeeze out of his victims - for Milt was no poseur he lived his nightmarish lyrics, and with the money he'd ammased from the blackmarket he was able to bankroll his next project simply called M.I.L.T. (Mothers I'd Like to Torture) His first album Pieta (Slavic for prison) was released posthumously after his tragic death that most attribute to autoerotic-asphyxia. Fans mourn the loss of the artist and salve their pain with the thought that at least he died doing who he loved. I hope that was helpful Tys.

tys

thanks man...wow i feel like a douche. but i love INXS if that's cool.

Jeff Hubbard

Regarding queries from Slacker and Tyson: whassup, homies? Yes, I can definitely compare Blood on the Wall to other acts (and, suprisingly, given the name, none of them are death metal); namely, Sonic Youth and the Stooges. If the two had sex and had a child together, Blood on the Wall would be at least a fraternal twin. They took a while to grow on me, I must confess. I was expecting something a little more sophisticated, a la SY's mid-period stuff, but the riffage leans towards early Stooges, with boys and girls alternating lead vox. I now really dig the record, and how can you not love a title like "Awesomer," especially when the album is, in fact, pretty awesome?

As for Milton, he's been around forever - not in eastern Europe, though, as otherwise indicated (yes, I know it was a joke). He was one of the earlier, and better, Tropicalia pioneers, along with Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and Jorge Ben. If you've never heard Nascimento's voice, you're missing out on one of the wonders of the modern world. His new record isn't a straight-up masterpiece (for one such, track down his early-70's milestone "Club da Esquina," which is probably my single favorite Brazilian release ever), but it's closer than he's come in years, and it is super enjoyable, if you don't mind not understanding a damn thing he's singing (if you speak Portugese, I stand corrected). Pat Metheny and Wayne Shorter are huge fans, if that means anything to you. If not, well okay then.

Merry Christmas. God bless us... EVERYONE!

The Boneman

Just the other night Adam and I had the distinct pleasure of watching (certainly the funniest) if not the best film of the year, Ice Harvest. Throughout the film the couplet "As falls Wichita, so falls Wichita Falls, was written on the stalls of restrooms and spoken aloud a few times. After the film was over I challenged Adam to tell me what fine musician had named an album the very same. Not having the benefit of at one time being an obsessive fan of jazz (primarily prog-jazz, I had to tell him that it was none other than Pat Metheny. Which brings to mind one of my favorite "brush with greatness" stories. Years ago when I was in college I'd travelled to Park City to see Pat Metheny in concert. It was during his White Album tour, just after he and his band had finished a tour as Joni Mitchell's band. I had arrived early for the show which was to take place in the open air pavillion and had plenty of time to poke around before the show. Off to one side of the stage was a ski chalet lounge and as I passed through in search of a beer, I happened upon Pat's guitar- leaning against one of the many identical chairs in the place. Now, anyone that knows their Pat Metheny knows that his guitar is easily distinquishable from any other guitar on the planet. A blonde hollow-body Gibson that is held together along the bottom with several layers of duct tape. There didn't seem to be anyone around, so I took a seat next to the guitar (if for no other reason than to stand watch over the famous instrument). It wasn't long before the guitar's owner would come walking up to find a stranger sitting suspiciously close to his baby. I was quick to disabuse him of any concern regarding the guitar -putting my custodial excuse to good use. And so there I sat chatting with, whom at the time anyone would have listed in their top 5 greatest guitar players, it seems he had gone off in search of a tooth pick with which he was using to dislodge some sort of gunk that was inside one of his pick-ups. We spoke of all things jazz, his recent project with Ornette Coleman, Charlie Hayden and Jack DeJohnette for one, when what to my wondering eyes should appear his pianist Lyle Mays who had a winsome woman on his arm. They took a seat beside me and Pat Metheny introduced me to Joni Mitchell - as if introductions were necessary. So in answer to your question Jeff, the name Pat Metheny does ring a bell.

Jeff Hubbard

Jeez, color me impressed! That's an amazing story. Given the "Song X" reference, I'm guessing this would've been some time around '85, which places the chronology of his "White Album" a bit off (you sure it wasn't the "First Circle" tour? That album also had a white cover).

In any case, I'm sick with jealousy. Just sick. He's one of my favorites, even if he hasn't made an album I truly dig since about the time you met him.

That Hubbard is a Mutha

Hubb you really made me go to the engines to ensure my sanity. Actually there is no error in my story, but I can see how your investigation might call it into question. In 1980 Metheny recorded under the moniker of the "Pat Metheny Quintet," which included Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Hayden, Dewey Redman and Michael Brecker. The fact that I included Ornette Coleman in that list is not as erroneous as it may seem, because at the time he was known to guest with the quintet in concert. Which I mentioned because as I discussed the project with Pat, he mentioned Coleman glowingly and spoke of a future project in which he hoped to include Coleman. Which as you pointed out did come to fruition with Song X about five years after my fortuitous brush with my heroes. You'll also note if you're studying the timeline that Metheny's collaboration with Joni Mitchell was recorded in September of '79 and is now available on DVD as "Shadows and Light" - but the tour continued into 1980. The show I saw was in the spring of 1980. Nice try.

Greg

YOu seem to be the most talkative of the bunch so I'll aske you. I've seen a few lists including Rolling Stone's that included Mariah Carrey in their best ofs. Is this the result of "payola" rearing it's head again or did the twittering Queen of the Trill actually make an album that can stand up to ridicule, Just wondering -

Jeff Hubbard

I'm going to be completely honest and say that some how, some way, I managed to not hear a single tune from what I believe is now the top selling album of the year. I'm probably not the best person to ask about the relative worth of a Mariah Carey record, though I'm not going to deny she's had moments in the past. I think that the truth lies somewhere in those numbers; when the record debuted, I remember it getting only decent reviews for the most part, but since it's revived her career, it seems the album now carries some degree of critical cache. Only some, though. "Rolling Stone"'s list is one of the only one's I've seen that included "Emancipation," and it might be smart to remember that they chose "A Bigger Bang" by the Stones as number two - utterly ridiculous. Now THAT smacks of payola.

george blanda

pat metheny is not in the top 5 of anything except the guys-who-look-like-they're-taking-a-shit-at-this-very-moment list. this is an example of why zdouchebag isn't worth the spit to rub it out. when you let wonks turn this site into a metheny lovefest things are totally out of whack. metheny is nothing but a noodledicker extraordinaire. And i don't care one iota about the run-in with joni mitchell. the topic of the review is JHubbs top 25--how is that related to "my namedrop story from when you were all zygotes?"

blurb

Don't be hatin on Metheny. If he isn't indie enough for you, no less than Thurston Moore listed Metheny's work with Ornette on Song X as some of the most intense and brilliant music he'd ever heard.

Jeff. Write me. If you ever check this board.