Ultimate Singles Jukebox [Slot 105]

You Get What You Give
b/w "To Think I Thought"
New Radicals
MCA Records
Released 10 November 1998
Produced by Gregg Alexander
Written by Gregg Alexander & Rick Nowels

In the annals of rock history, there have been plenty of memorable "one hit wonders." And although the term must gall many musicians - particularly those who have made the profession their life's work - if you were in that position wouldn't it be great if your particular song had been praised by artists as noted and varied as The Edge, Ice-T and Joni Mitchell?

In 1997, Michigan native Gregg Alexander (nee Gregory Aiuto) had two ignored solo records in the rear view mirror and was busking in Central Park in New York City. But somehow he configured New Radicals, meant to be a revolving door band with no permanent members save for long-time collaborator (and former child TV star) Danielle Brisebois, and landed a one album deal with MCA Records. Using the $600,000 advance, the band cut the long player Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too, which went on to sell over a million copies.

The trigger for that avalanche of sales was the lead single, "You Get What You Give." It is a rousing youth anthem questioning authority and calling out celebrity excess (the lyrics name Beck, Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson). While the song did create controversy in that regard, the reason for its success was clearly its irresistible rhythm. Anchored by a distorted piano, driving electric guitar and steady drum beat, Alexander screams the classic "1, 2, 3, 4" downbeat and delivers a passionate, call-to-arms vocal, reassuring the listener that even When the night is falling/And you cannot find the light/If you feel your dream is dying/Hold tight/You've got the music in you.

Over ten years later, when "You Get What You Give" comes on the radio, the listener is still moved to turn the volume up to the higher ranges, because as long as there's one dance left, the world is going to pull through. Indeed, U2's The Edge, when asked in 2006 to identify which song he was most jealous of, indicated "Oh. Easy. . . I would love to have written that. Great Music, great energy." And no less the poet laureate of TNOP, Miss Joni Mitchell, selected the song to her eclectic list in the Artist's Choice CD series, citing "You Get What You Give" as "rising from the swamp of 'McMusic' like a flower of hope."

The band configured by Gregg Alexander were scheduled to begin a world tour in May 1999, but instead New Radicals were disbanded without much explanation. Alexander would resurface on the music scene in 2003, authoring "The Game of Love," a Grammy award winning song recorded by Santana and Michelle Branch.

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The original video of New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" can be viewed here.

Albums You Must Own (#4 of a series)

STEELY DAN

Aja (ABC 1977)

See the TNOP review of Steely Dan's performance live of this album below.

Read the original Rolling Stone review of the record from the December 1, 1977 issue.

From the "Classic Albums" video series, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, as well as some of the studio musicians (including Wayne Shorter, Michael McDonald, Denny Dias, Larry Carlton, Rick Marotta and Bernard Purdie), discuss in detail the recording of a number of tracks from Aja:

"Peg"

"Black Cow"

"Home At Last"

"Aja"

The Live Vault: Steely Dan

13 November 2009

Riverside Theater, Milwaukee

[Note to our readers: On occasion, our far flung correspondents review concerts. Here's another one.]

Since their reformation under the name Steely Dan in 1993, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen have had a modest career renaissance in the rock world. The Dan, notorious for its aversion to touring, finally returned after a long hiatus to the road that year and have been mainstays on the arena circuit since then. In addition, the band produced the multiple Grammy winning Two Against Nature (2000) and Everything Must Go (2003). In between, they were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The latest fad on the economy challenged concert trail is to play "classic" albums from beginning to end. On its "Rent Party '09 Tour" Steely Dan has been playing multiple nights in separate U.S. cities, spotlighting three records consecutively released by Becker and Fagen from 1976 through 1979: The Royal Scam; its biggest seller, Aja; and Gaucho.

After a brief introductory interlude by the four piece horn section, drummer, guitarist, bass player, keyboardist and three female background singers, the famous cover of Aja was produced, its LP removed and plopped on an old turntable. And to the familiar bass line of "Black Cow," out strode Becker with his custom electric guitar and Fagen parking himself behind his Fender Rhodes. And so the high wire act began for these two: performing one of the most meticulously produced albums live, with the challenge of replicating enough of the familiar sounds while not sounding rote. To ardent followers of Becker and Fagen, the superior musicianship of the players on the stage was immediately evident. The twist on the first tune turns out to be a baritone, rather than soprano, sax solo. But "Black Cow" still hits you right between the eyes with it smooth groove just as it did so many years ago as the opening salvo of the LP.

The title track follows, and it is a tour de force for the free form guitars of Becker and John Harrington. The famous sax solo is decidedly different, with good reason. Aja featured the incomparable Wayne Shorter, at the height of his Weather Report days. Here, the soprano player politely nods to the Shorter sound, then wisely takes his own route. But it is the drumming of Keith Carlyle at the tail end of the tune that lathers up the crowd.

"Deacon Blues" is then tackled - out of LP sequence - and Fagen, in good voice, plays slightly with the phrasing of the lyrics, to fine effect. By now it is clear that the game plan is to put personal stamps on solos with respectful nods to the originals.

The musicianship on "Peg" is once again top-notch: the ripping guitar solo of Harrington, the brass subbing on the bottom for the album's keyboard. But the female chorus cannot make up for the male refrain made famous by Michael McDonald. It makes us wish we had attended the last tour when McDonald opened for and then joined The Dan on stage for the numbers he has lent his voice to.

Fagen then fires up an extended coda on the Rhodes which leads into "Home At Last," the Odyssey tale of Becker/Fagen's transfer from New York to Los Angeles. While it is played a half-step slower, allowing the lead vocal a more conversational tone to the lyrics, it maintains the "Purdie Shuffle" beat. Becker finally comes out of the shadows and plays his familiar, crystal clean notes. A muted trumpet replaces the melodica. (We see the unique instrument sitting on top of Fagen's keyboard; when will it make its initial appearance?)

"I Got The News," a jaunty cut from Aja which should set the house on fire, wilts. Fagen, who has never been known for his strong voice, struggles with the higher register needed to deliver the song.

The closing track of the album tribute is the FM staple "Josie." The funky shuffle shows Becker at his most engaged since the beginning of the concert, his guitar turned way up in the mix. And as the song reaches its climax, Fagen leaps up from his piano bench, arms raised in a mad jazz professor pose towards his band mates, urging them on to the close.

In addition to the ever-present sunglasses (and the Ray Charles-like swaying at the keyboard), Fagen reveals in the now brighter spotlight his gold/silver lame shoes. He seems to sense some relief on behalf of all his fellow musicians with the conclusion of Aja. And he tells the sold-out crowd: "We've got some time to fill." He grabs the Yamaha harmonium and starts to scat. Suddenly, the familiar melody of "Time Out Of Mind" is heard and the tight rhythm section of Carlyle and bassist Freddie Washington allows Becker and Fagen to play off against each other for the first time of the night.

The rumbling intro of "Black Friday" comes next. Blues and gospel organ riffs effectively reflect the apocalyptic mood of the lyrics. And suddenly you wish the whole of Katy Lied was on the playlist tonight, too.

While there seems to be two throwaways in the mix tonight ("Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More" and "Godwhacker"), all is forgiven with the back-to-back selections of "Babylon Sisters" and "Hey Nineteen." At his present age, Fagen can play the satyr even more effectively while the background singers "shake it."

Fagen departs the stage. Becker introduces the band and the females take the lead on "Dirty Work" and a fine cover of The Supremes "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart."

The concert reaches fever pitch in Steely Dan's closing numbers by pulling out its ace musical card: John Harrington on lead. Fagen has returned with a new sense of vocal purpose, shining on "Don't Take Me Alive." Harrington plays the guitar lines true to this hard rocking gem from The Royal Scam. The ante is upped on the R&B rich "Show Biz Kids," The Dan's wonderful take on the dichotomy of economic strata that still rings true in today's society. Fagen and the choir sing the famous refrain twice to make sure the absurdity of the celebrity world is evident: Show business kids/Making movies of themselves/You know they don't give a ****/About anybody else. The crew kills "My Old School" and a wonderful "Kid Charlemagne" completes the set, carrying a slight, funky reggae beat underneath Harrington's lively guitar - he wisely stays away from the famous Larry Carlton solo and blazes his own trail here. [Ed. note: Watch Harrington put his stamp on "Kid Charlemagne" here.]

Returning to a thundering ovation, the obligatory "Reelin' In The Years" serves as the encore: "the original version," as Fagen puts it. And Harrington carries the mail one last time, a guitar slinger ready to draw with the best of 'em in the town square.

SET LIST

"Black Cow"

"Aja"

"Deacon Blues"

"Peg"

"Home At Last"

"I Got The News"

"Josie"

"Time Out Of Mind"

"Black Friday"

"Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More" (Becker on lead)

"Babylon Sisters"

"Hey Nineteen"

"Godwhacker"

"Show Biz Kids"

"Dirty Work" (Choir on lead)

"Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" (Supremes cover) (Choir on lead)

"Don't Take Me Alive"

"My Old School"

"Kid Charlemagne"

(Encore) "Reelin' In The Years"

The People Speak

The People Speak, a documentary based on Howard Zinn's 1980 work A People's History of the United States, will premiere on The History Channel on December 13. Zinn, Chris Moore, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin co-produced the film, which they indicate "celebrates democracy, based on the lives and experiences of ordinary Americans who, through their words and actions, changed the course of history, from the founding of this country to the civil rights movement and beyond."

Just as exciting is the accompanying soundtrack, to be released on December 8 on Hip-O Records. Zinn's book is considered a progressive classic (it has sold over two million copies) and an impressive roster of artists has contributed live performances reflecting uniquely American grass roots sentiment, from Bob Dylan's take on hero Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi" to Lupe Fiasco's "American Terrorist."

Track listing:

BOB DYLAN -- Do Re Mi

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN -- The Ghost Of Tom Joad

EDDIE VEDDER -- Masters Of War

PINK -- Dear Mr. President

RANDY NEWMAN -- Sail Away

LUPE FIASCO -- American Terrorist

JACKSON BROWNE -- The Drums Of War

JOHN LEGEND -- What's Going On

EXENE CERVENKA & JOHN DOE -- See How We Are

TAJ MAHAL -- Blues With A Feeling

ALLISON MOORER -- Brother Can You Spare A Dime

RICH ROBINSON -- Only A Pawn In Their Game

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Listen to Woody Guthrie sing "Do Re Mi," recorded in 1939.

Watch the great Randy Newman perform "Sail Away" with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in The Netherlands in 1979.

(RED) Holiday CD

Here's an idea to ignite your holiday spirit and feed your rock 'n roll jones at the same time. Starting today, spend $15 at your local Starbucks and receive a four-song CD of unique tunes (preview here) that will benefit the (RED) Global Fund and the Fight Against AIDS in Africa. The tracks include:

1. Playing For Change, "All You Need Is Love" - a reggaefied version of The Beatles anthem tinged with some Cajun flavor.
2. U2, "I Believe In Father Christmas" - the Dubliners' take on the Emerson, Lake & Palmer holiday tune. Author Greg Lake is impressed, by the way.
3. Dave Matthews Band, "You & Me (Acoustic)"
4. John Legend, "(RED)Emption Song" - cover of the Bob Marley classic.
   
   

Staying Up To Watch The News With Everyone

NME reports that on December 14 Damon Gough a/k/a Badly Drawn Boy will release Is There Nothing We Can Do, his first long-player since 2006. In the meantime, revisit the video for his song "You Were Right."

The lineup of acts for the MusicCares event in Los Angeles honoring Neil Young is pretty impressive. Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews, Jackson Browne, Wilco, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Ozomatli are among many set to perform on January 29 in a salute to Neil's art and philanthropy.

Carbon/Silicon is offering a free mp3 download of its latest album, Carbon Bubble.

According to blues blogger Reverend Keith A. Gordon, Copiah County, Mississippi is intent on raising $250,000 in order to restore the birthplace of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson. While much of his life - and death - have been shrouded in mystery, apparently no one argues that Johnson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi on May 8, 1911 in his stepfather's home. But we can be assured that generations to come will still be arguing about the location of "the crossroads."

Yusef Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, had a wide range of opinion directed at him at his O2 Arena concert in Dublin the other night. TNOP recommends a viewing of Harold and Maude to make everyone feel better.

Don Letts, John Savage and the founder of Rough Trade records takes The Guardian on an interactive and podcast tour of punk landmarks in London's Notting Hill neighborhood.

Pop & Hiss reviews last night's Ray Davies concert in L.A. Not surprisingly, he impressed the critic as well as the crowd.

Florence & The Machine's debut effort Lungs has been appearing on many early "Best of 2009" album lists. Spinner reports that on November 30 it will be reissued as a four-disc set, including not only the studio CD, but live performances, covers and remixes.

This Date In Rock History: 17 November

Happy birthday to film director Martin Scorsese. But rock 'n roll, you ask? Absolutely: check out the ever-present soundtrack running in the background of Goodfellas and Casino. More importantly, Scorsese (shown with The Band's Robbie Robertson, above) has turned out to be one of the more influential figures in rock documentaries. He was a young camera operator and editor on Woodstock. He chronicled The Band's swan song with an incomparable guest list at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom back in November 1976, resulting in The Last Waltz. In recent years, Scorsese has tackled the rise of Bob Dylan in No Direction Home as well as the career of The Rolling Stones in Shine A Light. A bio-pic on Frank Sinatra and a documentary on George Harrison are now in the works.

(Ain't That) Good News

Ben Ratliff of the New York Times reports that a treasure trove of recordings from past Newport Jazz Festival performances are being prepared for on-line access at Wolfgang's Vault: "the archives include many, many tapes: 1,000 to 1,200 individual performances, dating at least to 1955, the festival’s second year, and continuing to the end of the century. It is not a complete audio record — certain years contain only a small number of performances, or are missing completely — but it is a major one nonetheless." 1959 concerts from Count Basie & His Orchestra, Dakota Staton and The Jazz Messengers are available now at the site.

The entertaining Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros are featured in the latest of the "Tiny Desk Concert" series at All Songs Considered.

Jim DeRogatis blogs about the upcoming 12th Annual Jeff Buckley Tribute, to take place on November 17 & 18 at Uncommon Ground in Chicago. Good luck getting tickets.

Rolling Stone has put together 40 musical moments from the 40 year history of the groundbreaking PBS/Children's Television Workshop series Sesame Street. Make sure to catch the videos of Johnny Cash ("Nasty Dan") and Stevie Wonder ("Superstition").

Wes Anderson's new animated film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, opens in theaters today. Spinner provides us with ten unique moments in Anderson's past films that are punctuated memorably with music.

The Guardian profiles the Northern Irish band Ash. One of Celtic Ray's favorites, he suggests that you listen to "Kung Fu" to kick start your weekend.

Ray also reports that Solas played a rousing show in Denver this past week to a sold-out crowd.

The reinvigorated Crawdaddy! Magazine profiles Alex Chilton's output from 1976 to 1981.

This Date In Rock History: 12 November

Well. Hello, Mr. Soul. Happy Birthday to Ol' Shakey himself, Neil Young. Long may he run.

Albums You Must Own (#3 of a series)

ELBOW
The Seldom Seen Kid (Fiction 2008)

Unknown to even some of the more serious music fans in America, Elbow is a five-man group hailing from Manchester, England that has been recording albums since 2001 (and performing together under different names prior to that, stretching back to the early 90's). Perhaps it is because the band has floated around to various record labels and not received a proper public relations push in the States. With the release of The Seldom Seen Kid in 2008 and the resulting awards and accolades that followed, Elbow's under-the-radar days are probably numbered. This past summer, the Mancunian lads opened for Coldplay on their tour of the US and Europe; played the main stage at Oxegen in Ireland; opened for U2 at Wembley Stadium in front of 90,000 fans; and headlined the Bestival on the Isle of Wight.

Elbow debuted in 2001 with the release of Asleep In The Back and became darlings of some of the indie press. [Note the inclusion of this effort on many "best of" albums lists over the past ten years that are end-of-the-decade vogue at the moment.] Drawing inspiration from Pink Floyd and Radiohead, the band was nominated for the Mercury Prize and garnered a Brit Awards nomination. But many of those same critics would bite back with luke-warm reviews of the two CDs that would follow: Cast of Thousands (2003) and Leaders of the Free World (2005). Specifically, writers were now defining Elbow as mope-rock artists and lesser cousins of fellow British bands Coldplay and Keane.

But in retrospect, these two records were solid, necessary building blocks that helped define Elbow's own distinctive voice found on The Seldom Seen Kid. While readily admitting admiration for U2 and Radiohead, lead singer and lyricist Guy Garvey embraces the album concept, inviting listeners to experience the band's work in a linear progression. Drawing emotion not only from its words but its lush orchestration, the opening cut "Starlings" is a template of sonic landscape that invites the listener to stick around for more. "The Bones of You" follows, and the nods to "The Seldom Seen Kid" - the nickname given to the recently deceased mate of the band, Bryan Glancy - and reveries of Five years ago/And sleeping through the day. Next up is the gorgeous, spare "Mirrorball," a tale of newly found love in which Garvey sings We took the town to town last night/We kissed like we invented it!

The mood abruptly changes, and Elbow shows it can write a hook with the best of their contemporaries. "Grounds For Divorce" lays a Led Zeppelin cum The Bends-era Radiohead sledgehammer guitar on the ears that compels you to get out of your seat. Is it a raucous wake for The Seldom Seen Kid? A reminder of bitter memories around every corner of their home town Manchester? Both?

The Seldom Seen Kid glides along and continues to flex its musical confidence, varying from the bawdy bossa nova of "An Audience With The Pope" to "The Fix," a Brecht-infused duet with guest Richard Hawley.

The twin centerpieces of the record are emotional bookends on each side of the spectrum: "The Loneliness of A Tower Crane Driver" and "One Day Like This." The former is a brooding, heart-breaking melody with murky, but thought provoking lyrical images about the dangers of success. "One Day Like This" is Elbow's swing at creating a crowd anthem, and it hits solidly on all counts, right down to the choral ending that throws a ray of hope amidst The Seldom Seen Kid's otherwise somber tone: So throw those curtains wide!/One day like this a year'd see me right.

Overall, it's a stunning record from a band that has the goods to deliver in the future.

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Read the BBC story about Elbow being awarded The Mercury Prize for Best British Album of 2008 for The Seldom Seen Kid.

Watch the video of "Grounds For Divorce."

Performance of "One Day Like This" with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Chantage choir.