Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Compilation Nation: Elton John - Greatest Hits

Only one of the best album covers of all time!
When it comes down to bare essentials, this 1974 compilation of Elton's early 70s hits is about as bare and essential as it gets. Upon it's original pressing, it was graced with just 10 tracks. The US and the UK versions differed slightly, with "Candle in The Wind" replacing "Bennie and The Jets" on the latter. Even more puzzling was the omission of tracks from Elton's Madman Across The Water album such as "Levon" and "Tiny Dancer" in favor of "Border Song" from the Elton John LP.

Yet, as an album it is most definitely a strong and satisfying listen. In my opinion, these are Elton's strongest hits. This was when he was at the top of his game. Sure, he would become even more successful after this album, but from "Your Song" to the concluding "Crocodile Rock", this is the tops.

Presented in a non-chronological order, Greatest Hits flows remarkably well from track to track. Having grown up with the US version, I was surprised when I first purchased the CD incarnation years ago and found that "Candle in The Wind" had been added to the track list. While it was interesting to hear a track that I had previously only heard as a live cut on the Live In Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra album, it did interrupt the flow for me. Therefore, I think the US version is tops while the UK version runs out of gas in the second half.

NOTE: "Candle In The Wind" was a hit in the UK and "Bennie and The Jets" was a hit in the US, hence the difference between the two countries.

Breif it may be, but it serves as the best introduction to the vast world of Elton John's music. Buy it for your kids. They'll thank you for it years later.
  1. Your Song
  2. Daniel
  3. Honky Cat
  4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  5. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
  6. Rocket Man
  7. Bennie & The Jets
  8. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  9. Border Song
  10. Crocodile Rock

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Blogging With A Genius: Dr. Pants

Note:
Sincere apologies for the complete lack of updation within the past couple of months. Being a working musician, I have been a bit preoccupied with getting my first full length album recorded and mixed. Wanting to focus every last bit of creative energy into that pretty much meant that I did not have much thought about this blog during that time. However, I don’t want this baby to disappear into the black hole of cyber space. Therefore, ATKA? is back!


In honor of our (hopefully) welcome return, I would like to take an opportunity to talk about one of the better live bands I have ever had the pleasure to see. If you are into rock that doesn’t take it self far too seriously and have a flare for Zappa-esque ideology and They Might Be Giants-esque morals being preached by Weezer, there’s a chance you would love the hell out of Dr. Pants.

My introduction to the world of Dr. Pants happened as I was traveling around Oklahoma City in my (now totaled) white Chevy Aveo listening to the (now defunct) Spy FM station. A song came on that caught my attention right away. It was the kind of rock that I didn’t hear too much of in recent years. The lyrics were cute and poppy but were delivered with what seemed like a lot of heart. The riff was relentless and by the last chorus, I was singing along with the window rolled down for everyone to hear. The song was “Sarsaparilla Girl” by Dr. Pants. The lead-off track from their 2006 album, Gardening in A Tornado was enough to make me drive home as fast as legally possible in order to find out as much about the band as I could about this band.

Check out the "Sarsaparilla Girl" video here:



I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were a local Oklahoma City band and had been around off and on since the early 2000s. Their brand of “nerd power groove rock” has earned them a rather devoted following, myself now included.

Somewhere along the way, lead singer/songwriter/guitarist David Broyles and I became friends (coincidentally, David co-wrote one of the songs on my newly completed album) and, as the host of The Mixtape Jones Radio Show on JiveWired.com, he has shown a great deal of support for my music.

Therefore, I feel inclined to brag on Dr. Pants a little bit. Having recently been awarded the People's Choice Woody award by the Oklahoma Gazette, it seems I'm not alone.
 
Gardening In A Tornado released 2006 on Little Weasel Records

Since I have discovered them, I have made an effort to include at least one of their songs on each and every mix CD I have made for someone (and I make quite a few). In addition to “Sarsaparilla Girl”, the ‘Gardening...’ album also offers such tasty rock treats as “Doppelganger Rock” and “Away From This” to the delightful white boy rap about “Donuts”.

With each album and EP release, their musical growth becomes more and more evident. 2008‘s Cusack/Loggins EP has taken up a lot of space in their current live setlists with crowd favorites  “If I Were John Cusack”, “Bootyfest”, and the irresistible “Kenny Loggins” (a song actually centered around a somewhat inside joke regarding the title of a long lost Loggins album).

Most recently, Broyles and company have taken on the task of releasing a complete album as four separate EPs, the first of which is appearing within the following months. Already, insiders are claiming that this shall be the best work that the band has done yet. Having heard some of the new material in demo and live form, I can vouch for them.

Rock on, indeed.

For more info on Dr. Pants or to join their mailing list, just CLICK HERE! 

EDIT:
I feel obligated to inform the readers that when I said The Spy FM was defunct, I only meant the actual FM station. The Spy is still available on the world wide web and they still play Dr. Pants religiously. Check it out HERE.