Bring on 2010!

From me to you (and yours) Happy New Year!

FDF Volume 2: Issue 168 - Christmas with the Brady Bunch

By: March

Album - Christmas with the Brady Bunch
Artist - The Brady Bunch
Key Players - Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marsha, Jan and Cindy
Produced By - ?

Release Date - Originally in 1970, issued on compact disc in 1995

What caused me to blow off the dust? - Its Christmas music season.

Overview - This was the first album released by the Brady Bunch. The feel good American television family would grow in to their performance shoes as the show would progress with many episodes focusing on music. The family would also embark on musical tours. They'd push a few records over the course of a few years, but this was the first introduction to the kids as singers.

FDF Comments (aka the songs) - The cd opens up with "The First Noel". On this track Bobby takes the lead. A perfect fit for his vocal range at his age. It is a standard run through of the song, as all the songs are, with very little added production. The other kids come in on the chorus. Marsha takes the lead on "Away in a Manger" and at times shows she will have a stronger singing voice as she gets older. She'd use her voice stronger in years to come as one of the more dominate leaders when the group would perform live. Jan takes on "The Little Drummer Boy" with the help of the others, but her voice is low enough that it almost seems to be "okay". You hear the girls offer some backing vocals, but the orchestration of the track overwhelms this by the second verse. Greg is listed as the lead vocalist on "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "O Holy Night" and it doesn't sound like him at all on either and O Holy Night sounds more female. I understand the kid were at "awkward" ages, but on O Holy Night he comes in on the later parts and it is more suited for "When its Time to Change" than anything else (sorry). It is a group ensemble for both "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells" which are about as vanilla versions as you would ever hear. Youngest member Cindy takes on "Frosty the Snowman". Her trademark lisp is evident but also her total lack of singing ability. It it is cute, but awkward as well. You can hear her voice waiver on the most simple of lines, and you can hear her gasp for breath on more than one case. The whole group is on "Silver Bells" and this is one of the more stand out tracks. Peter gets the lead on "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". The disc wraps up with full group sing along on "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"


FDF Overall Take - Steer clear of this one. It is funny for about one song, then it gets pretty embarrassing. It is also woefully short at just 20 minutes long. Now I know I am probably being harsh, but you can tell this was a rush job. The production is not the best, the versions are very cut and dry and you almost feel bad for the kids. Granted its been years since a TV show released an album of Christmas songs (Okay..South Park did one) but you get the idea. Not all Christmas collections can be winners.

Mp3's have been removed....
Curious? Check out some MUSIC!
Frosty the Snowman
Silver Bells

The cd is out of print, but you can find it for pretty cheap money here .

Redeem your self and download the clip in this post instead.

This is probably do it for 2009. Thanks for reading, see you in 2010!

Disclaimer - For the most part songs listed you can find on iTunes or your local cd shop. The idea is to give you a little taste of the music. Please support the artist buy purchasing some of their work. Songs are posted for about 1 week but can and will be removed at the request of the artist, band, band management etc. If you are one of those persons contact me via the email link in the profile and they will be removed as soon as we are made aware of the request.

FDF Volume 2: Issue 167 - Maybe This Christmas - Various Artists

By: March

Album - Maybe This Christmas
Artist - Various Artists
Key Players - Various Artists
Produced By - Darin Haromon and Dave Holmes (Executive Producers)

Release Date - November 5, 2002

What caused me to blow off the dust? - It is the time of year for Christmas music.

Overview - A collection of "modern" and "alternative" artists doing their take on Christmas songs. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this album also goes towards "Toys For Tots".

FDF Comments (aka the songs) - Broken down by song/artist and then thoughts.

"Winter Wonderland" - Phantom Planet. The band start the song off pretty mellow, but come the second verse the guitars come up more for a little more bite, but they revert back to a more mellow approach. The vocals are clean and the band is very tight. There is a short guitar solo before the band does the more "rocking" verse they had done before. "Maybe This Christmas" - Ron Sexsmith. A solo acoustic guitar with the deep voice of Sexsmith is a pretty take on the track. A single percussive instrument lays the tempo underneath before a more full band sound arrives with keyboards/bells. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Coldplay - arguably the biggest band on the collection, this is the version you hear on the radio is lead by piano and Chris Martin. Like them or not, this is a decent version that is pretty straight forward. "Green Sleeves" - Vanessa Carlton. Carlton somehow was tossed into some teen angst role and never really got a fair shake in my opinion. Trumpets and piano swell at the intro as she begins to sing..and sing she can do. She sings sort of hushed at the outset, but as the song grows she shows her vocal strength. It may feel like it is taking a bit to get rolling, but the pay out comes with one of the strongest modern takes on an old classic. "Blue Christmas" - Bright Eyes. Conor Oberst leads the band Bright Eyes through a pretty straight forward version. Oberst has a unique vocal presence. Not powerful, but fitting to the music that is with him. The are some pretty harmonies with a female backing vocalist as well. "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" - Sense Field. One of the bigger holiday songs that seems to be covered by so many. They keep this true to form with acoustic guitars and the vocals are sung with respect to the original. As the first verse ends it gets to be a little more "loud" but as noted, keeps with the original. "12/23/95" - Jimmy Eat World. An original track written by the band for the collection. It takes a bit to build with guitars bouncing off one another, but once they start up the guitars have a subtle ring to them. The bass and drums join in after a full verse, but are still deep in the mix. I find it to be a pretty song, but it never really goes anywhere. It could be that Jimmy Eat World are have some big hooks in their other tunes. "Rudolph" - Jack Johnson. The laid back guitar player runs through a fun version. Dig your toes into the sand and sip that fruity drink with the umbrella in it..you'll get it. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan. With a rolling upright bass intro the boys of BNL are complimented with the harmonies of Sarah McLachlan. BNL take the first two verses before Sarah goes solo on the third. The song really shines when all parties sing in unison. The ultimate payoff is the final set of verse(s) and chorus. "Bizarre Christmas Incident" - Ben Folds. Folds leads a fun band of slide guitars and bass over a "bizarre" incident. Folds is no stranger to fun story telling has a rowdy good time singing this self penned track. "What a Year for a New Year" - Dan Wilson. Every time this cd is played at home and is on shuffle this tune comes on and I always seem to perk up and pay a little more attention. I am not sure what it is, but I think it lays in Wilsons strong voice. He makes you wait for it, over the first verses of guitar and piano, not really pushing things, but before you know it, he is really pushing the song. Surprised this song is not played more on commercial radio. It would be a perfect fit on most Adult Album Alternative stations. "Sweet Secret" - Neil Finn. Opening with piano (a trend of Christmas songs it seems) Finn leads the piano and string filled track that is musically "full" but seems to lack any real hook. Can't take away the talent here that is for sure. The collection wraps up with "Snow" by Loreena McKennitt. McKennitt has a strong, operatic at times vocal ability. Booming and powerful at times is kept in check with piano and harp.

FDF Overall Take - Most Christmas music I am hit or miss on. I think many people are but since it (used to) be a short amount of time to hear the songs they sort of deal with it. Now days you are sorting your kids Halloween goodie bag to Christmas music on the radio. Not a bad collection for the money, and it offers something new to your collection. What is also nice is most of the versions are pretty much true to form, no faster/slower than the"original" just has each artists sound pasted on to it.

Curious? Check out some MUSIC!

Mp3's have been removed:

Greensleeves
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

The tracks were taken from "Maybe this Christmas" which you can buy here.

Oh yeah..don't forget this classic Christmas tune as well.

Disclaimer - For the most part songs listed you can find on iTunes or your local cd shop. The idea is to give you a little taste of the music. Please support the artist buy purchasing some of their work. Songs are posted for about 1 week but can and will be removed at the request of the artist, band, band management etc. If you are one of those persons contact me via the email link in the profile and they will be removed as soon as we are made aware of the request.

Special early holiday download.

What do you get..when you take Billy Gibbons from ZZTop on guitar....



Dave Grohl on drums....





And Lemmy from Motorhead on Bass????



You get the most rocking version of "Run Run Rudolph" that's what! (mp3 has been removed)

Dig in. Taken from "We wish you a Metal Xmas & A Head Banging New Year. You can buy it here.

Disclaimer - For the most part songs listed you can find on iTunes or your local cd shop. The idea is to give you a little taste of the music. Please support the artist buy purchasing some of their work. Songs are posted for about 1 week but can and will be removed at the request of the artist, band, band management etc. If you are one of those persons contact me via the email link in the profile and they will be removed as soon as we are made aware of the request.

FDF Volume 2 Issue 166 - The Dead Milkmen - Big Lizard in My Backyard

By: March


Album - Big Lizard in My Backyard
Artist - The Dead Milkmen
Key Players - Dean Clean - drums and backing vocals. Joe Jack Talcum - guitar, vocals. Dave Blood - bass, backing vocals. Rodney Anonymous - Vocals.
Produced By - The Dead Milkmen and John Wicks

Release Date - 1985

What caused me to blow off the dust? - I have had this on tape since my 16th birthday. A friend of mine gave me the tape for my birthday that year..and I still have the tape. I recently updated to CD of this, but honestly it was one of the few tapes worthy to have kept the tape deck up and running for.

Overview - The punk band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Considered to be a "satirical" band with quirky lyrics and odd time signatures. The band would go on to release 8 studio records and gain a large cult following, but barring "Punk Rock Girl" the band would never garner much success out of the college radio market. They would switch labels, and then disband.

FDF Comments (aka the songs) - The album opens with the rock a billy fell of "Tiny Town". I does feel "punky" as well, with the temp. Rodney has a funny drawl to his voice and all the backing vocals add to the charm. It is a quick and fast run of a song, clocking in at less than 2 minutes, a trend that will be for the duration of the record. "Beach Song" starts off much slower with a single guitar chiming before the bass and drums come in with the snoggy vocals sung. It reverts back to the quirky vocal delivery. The bass drives "Plum Dumb" far quicker than the other two tracks, but some how the band sings in more harmony than the prior tracks. The guitar has a great chime to it over the basic bass and drum line. The verses are sung quickly before they revert to more of the harmonies on the chorus. Blood really works the bass on "Swordfish" a silly track about faith in swordfish, but it makes sense..even if they believe in Joanie love Crotchie. The great guitar sounds returns on "V.F.W." the song is about being members of fucked up world. A great tune about teen angst and the bass and drums get the biggest workout. Its an instant sing along track that blends perfect in to "Rastabilly" a song that is just a blast to sing along to. It will take you about 2 listens to learn the words, but you'll sing along. Foot stomps, burps, laughs and a "heck of a frrrrrrrrrrrrrriend". "Serrated Edge" once more shows off Bloods bass chops. You don't usually think of "punk" records having such melodic bass parts, but Blood really locks into the groove. The drums and guitar keep a perfect groove with the bass and vocals. The band name checks Charles Nelson Reilly a few times and its more a punk rockabilly sound the band seems to really embrace. The band gets a little more technical on "Lucky". Technical in the sense of some odd time signatures. The sound and feel of the band is retained, its just a little off the pace for the band, which is fine. We don't tread any new ground nine tracks in on "Big Lizard" the albums title track. The fun part is just how you realize that simple can be often times really great. There are no flashy solos, just fun music tempos, good instrument separation and fun lyrics, really a great combination. "Gorilla Girl" finds Dean Clean clicking off on the drums before the band comes crashing in. Anonymous' vocals seem distorted at times and it has a very raw, demo tape feel when you listen. "Bitchin' Camaro" is probably one of the bigger know early tracks from the band. A dialogue between two guys about how they were going to get down to the shore. An anthem for all punks who made fun of jocks. The track would erupt into a major punk rock feel in the later half. "Filet of Sole" rolls back into the flavor we've been used to. (two songs about fish so far??hmm). As noted, the bass doesn't get too flashy, but makes a point and does it in under 2 minutes. "Spit Sink" is another track that feels like a left over demo track. It just "sounds" different than other tunes on the record. It is still the dead milkmen, but the mix is off or something. Talcum and Blood tag team off the intro to "Violent School" a song about as controversial as one could be, if the band were mainstream. Chanting "guns are cool" is going to perk up the ears of anyone these days. (those days too) "Takin' Retards to the Zoo" and "Junkie" are two tracks that both are less than one minute each. "Right Wing Pigeons" returns to more of the song convention on previous tracks. "Dean's Dream" is a quick punk paced track, but the vocals don't seem to fit the music as well. They are clear and not "screamed like you'd think. The band works the harmonies good on "Laundromat Song". Blood once again shows his bass chops on "Nutrition" and the band is really locked into the groove on the track. They implore you that they know about Nutrition after all. Clocking in at an astounding 5:27 "Tugena" closes off the record. This track is almost 3 minutes longer than the next closest with regard to length. Again, it has sort of that demo take sound to it and relies more on the band jamming than it does with a formula of verse chorus verse.


Where are they now? - You can get all the information you need on the FAQ section of their site right here. The band probably won't write a new record, or tour mostly due to Dave committing suicide in 2004. Here is a case where Wiki and the bands official contradict one another. Wiki says the band is not opposed to the idea, but the bands official site seems to say its really more up in the air. Granted both mean the same, but I take the bands official sites stance.

FDF Personal Comments (aka the Live experience) - I was actually lucky to see the band live on two occasions. The first, I am not sure of the date, was at the Living Room in Providence. The show was ton of fun and the audience was just over the top having fun. I want to say fall of 88 or spring of 89. The second time was as an opening band for The Red Hot Chili Peppers (Mothers Milk tour) at the Orpheum in Boston on May 1, 1990. The Milkmen had a spirited set, and really got the place good and ready for a rock show.
If you care, FDF looked at the Chili Peppers Uplift Mofo Party Plan ages ago.

FDF Overall Take - The band would gain more success with "Punk Rock Girl" that came from a future release. Although they'd never chart, or sell a ton of records they had a ravenous fan base. This record is a lot of fun and sometimes just the quirkiness you need as part of your day.

Links
The band has an official site that looks to be updated often.

Curious? Check out some MUSIC!

Mp3's have been removed
V.F.W
Rastabilly
Bitchin' Camaro

All the tracks from "Big Lizard in My Backyard" that you can buy here.

Disclaimer - For the most part songs listed you can find on iTunes or your local cd shop. The idea is to give you a little taste of the music. Please support the artist buy purchasing some of their work. Songs are posted for about 1 week but can and will be removed at the request of the artist, band, band management etc. If you are one of those persons contact me via the email link in the profile and they will be removed as soon as we are made aware of the request.