How I Got Here - Michael Rachap (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road)

This morning's entry is a two-fer: not only is it the latest "How I Got Here" entry featuring kindie musicians talking about albums that influenced them as musicians, but it's also a world premiere video.  That's right, Michael Rachap, the mastermind behind the wonderful Readeez series of videos (they're not just sing-alongs, they're read-alongs, too), offers up his thoughts on Elton John's classic double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and offers up his latest Readee, "Haircut" (perfect for the newly shorn or long-unshorn).  Check that new video out at the end of the essay.  And for the rest of his Readeez, check out the Readeez Digital 2.0 Bundle.

At this point, you're probably saying, "j-j-j-j-j-just get on with it," so without further ado...

*****

I was ten years old when Goodbye Yellow Brick Road came along and rocked my pre-pubescent world. Today, nearly four decades and countless spins later, it's still among my greatest sources of inspiration and musical pleasure.

Though this lavish, over-the-top double album is credited to Elton John, it is decidedly a team effort: musicians, lyricist, producer, engineers, art directors, illustrators and photographers, all at the top of their games.

The record is nothing if not ambitious. Side One opens with the maximalist "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding." (Honestly, who kicks off their album with a funeral?) But unlike other early-70s Big Important Rock Songs ("American Pie," "Roundabout," "Stairway to Heaven"), "Funeral" doesn't supply a clean, conflict-resolving ending. Instead, when genius producer Gus Dudgeon finally draws the curtain and fades out at the 11:08 mark, the band is rocking ever harder, approaching Maximum Warp, threatening to leave the galaxy. 

I like to think that in some alternate universe somewhere, Elton and the boys are still playing the coda to "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," thrilling an arena filled with lucky aliens and/or angels.

*

My first crush on this album was most likely for "Bennie And The Jets," a big ol' hunk of ear candy if ever there was one. And of course the title track went on to become a soft-rock standard (and a staple of my college summer-job lounge act). The piano player in me also adored (and copied) Elton's technique on keyboard-driven songs like "Grey Seal" and "Harmony." 

In fact, this 17-track opus tramples all sorts of genre boundaries. There's glam. There's synth-heavy prog-rock. There's '70s singer-songwriter balladry, retro '50s 3-chord boogie—plus that "Other" category Elton and Bernie seemed to specialize in ("All The Girls Love Alice"—ehrm…okay).

Then there's the sublime "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting," which rocks as hard as anything AC/DC ever did.  

*

Beyond its many musical lessons, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road's biggest impact on my creative future may have been visual. The LP's tri-fold jacket delivered all the lyrics, decorated—you might even say "illuminated"—with stylish multicolor typography and superb illustrations. In retrospect, this "words-plus-music-plus-pictures" formula seems to be what I landed on as the foundation for Readeez.

Yes indeed, friends: This isn't just a double album—it's more like an album squared. To be fair, it does harbor a few clunkers. There's also some misogyny, and plentiful Adult Themes. Nearly all of which went right over my ten-year-old head. 

Four sides of Elton & Bernie, plus Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper, masterfully written, played and produced, wrapped up in a dazzling, lapidary package. 

I can't recall such a yummy aural/visual combo, before or since.

Not for nothing did Rolling Stone rank Goodbye Yellow Brick Road among its top 100 Albums of All Time.

Me personally, I'd say "Top Five."

******

And here it is, the premiere of the latest Readee, "Haircut!"

[Photo credit: Courtesy of Readeez]

DVD Review Roundup: Gustafer Yellowgold, Readeez, and more

It's been a (comparatively) long-held belief of mine that DVDs generally don't change anyone's overall impression of an artist.  If you love the artist, only a shoddy, over-priced video will sour you on their DVD, while the most competently produced visual version of music your family didn't like on CD still won't make it onto your TV or computer.  With that in mind, here are 6 DVDs with a musical hook that may be worth checking out even if you're not completely familiar with the artists.

Let's start with the two best disks here, each from loooongtime Zooglobble favorites and each recommended without hesitation.  Not surprisingly they're from artists for whom videos are an integral part of their music-making -- Morgan Taylor's Gustafer Yellowgold series and Michael Rachap's Readeez series.  Gustafer Yellowgold's Year in the Day is the fifth CD/DVD set about the yellow alien from Minnesota by way of the sun.  Its theme?  Holidays of the year.  As Taylor has gradually used up the songs he wrote many years ago at different times and started writing new songs, the DVDs have become more focused thematically, and this one holds together better than its predecessors.  The songs are mostly the '70s (soft-)rock Taylor must write in his sleep, though he dips into more varied musical ponds, such as the electronica-esque touches of "Four Leaved Clover," written by Taylor's wife, singer-songwriter Rachel Loshak.  Other highlights also include the spirited leadoff track "New Is The New Old" and sweet Valentine's Day song "Keep It Simple Sweetheart."  While mostly uptempo, the album does nestle down into coziness with "Pumpkin Pied" and "Fa And A La," the final two tracks.  The distinctive animation drawn by Taylor and lightly animated hasn't changed, either (see the YouTube channel for more).  There's not a lot that's changed from pevious albums, and in the case of Year In The Day, that's a good thing.

There isn't a lot that's changed in the world of Julian and Isabel Waters, either.  They're the animated father-daughter team at the heart of Readeez and their innovatively-titled third DVD, Readeez Volume Three: Knowledge is good. (I kid because I love.)  Well, OK, there's a new character: Olivia Longlife, a librarian, who makes a handful of appearances.  And it includes "Readee-Oh," Readeez-style videos for songs performed by other kindie artists such as Recess Monkey, Coal Train Railroad, the Okee Dokee Brothers, and Irish band the Speks.

But at its core, this video, like its predecessors, features songs about a minute in length (maybe more) on preschool-aged topics accompanied by minimally-animated videos.  The songs and videos strike just the right balance of earnestness and whimsy and their brevity helps keep the more edu-ma-ctional songs from annoying the parent who may already know how to, say, eat properly ("Plate, Cup and Saucer").  The short length isn't surprising, considering Rachap's advertising background -- think of them as Pre-Schoolhouse Rock.  (Watch Vol. 3 videos and many more.)  As before, Readeez Vol. 3 isn't just good for you, it's, well, just good.

Beyond these two videos, here are four more worth exploring further.

• Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - Spelunk the Funk!: Features a live show by the best kid-hopper in the business in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, drawn primarily from his Underground Playground album.  Lots of guest vocalists and props to Skidoo's daughter, DJ Fireworks, who spends the whole concert on stage dancing and sometimes singing.  Also includes a couple
• Debbie and Friends - Story Songs & Sing Alongs: Debbie Cavalier has invested a lot of time (and, presumably, not a small amount of money) in making videos for her story songs with animation company Planet Sunday.  All those videos (plus the fun "Hangin' Around") make their way to this disk, plus 2 live performances.
• Eric Herman - The Elephant DVD: I would say that it features "The Elephant Song," a kindie-video classic (and YouTube viral sensation) and leave it at that -- because, really, that might be enough -- but there's other stuff on here.  Ten more songs, live footage, 15 songs on a "jukebox" feature, and what might be the best kindie DVD bonus feature ever: Herman being interviewed by his daughters.  Somebody get them their own show!
• Spaghetti Eddie - Spaghetti Eddie! and Other Children's Videos: It's brief -- just 5 songs and 15 minutes in length -- and the videos are pretty simple, featuring green screen technology, animation, and kids running around.  But for a relatively new kids artist, it's a decent-looking disk.  Check out the YouTube channel for more.

Monday Morning Smile: MLK, Jr., Readeez-Style

I couldn't say much -- anything, really -- that would improve upon the speech that Readeez creator Michael Rachap chose to give the Readeez treatment. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech on the Washington Mall in 1963 is a classic -- here's the powerful last ninety seconds.