February 9, 2007

Valentine’s Day Live with Robbie & Donna Fulks

Jim and Greg love to love. And this week on the show they celebrate Valentine’s Day by discussing some of the greatest love, lust, and heartbreak songs in rock and roll. The hosts are joined by alt-country troubadour Robbie Fulks, with his own true love Donna Fulks, as well as a live studio audience.

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Music News

This week Apple CEO Steve Jobs called on the music industry to start selling songs without copy protection software, or DRM. Right now, music purchased digitally may not be compatible with all music players. And, in an open letter, Jobs explained that this kind of protection is not only a challenge for the consumer, but doesn't actually thwart piracy. Jim and Greg never expected to hear this kind of statement being made by a major corporate head, but they wonder what his motivation is. It's unlikely that the labels will actually follow Jobs' advice; more likely they'll all agree to use the iTunes format.

Target entered the music business this week. In an attempt to cash in on a vital demographic, the retail corporation has started a music label geared at "adult" consumers. While much of the music industry is going digital, there are still older music fans who want to buy CDs. With a roster that includes artists like David Cassidy, Kenny Loggins, and Kris Kristofferson, Jim recommends Target set up kiosks in local nursing homes.

Another slick business move is being made by the "Prince of Darkness." Ozzy Osbourne and wife/impresario Sharon Osbourne announced that tickets for this summer's Ozzfest will be given away for free. Instead of relying on ticket sales, they plan on making up costs through the sale of concessions and on-site advertising. Ozzy will headline the tour, which is in its 12th year of bringing hard rock and heavy metal across the nation, but it doesn't appear that any other big names are on the lineup. Jim and Greg suspect that the Osbournes plan to book smaller acts that warrant a ticket price of $0. But they are all in favor of such a creative business move, especially in an industry that desperately needs a new paradigm.

Infinity on High Fall Out Boy

Next up Jim and Greg review Fall Out Boy's fourth album, Infinity on High. The pop punk quartet from the Chicago suburbs sold 3 million copies of its last album, and 15-year-old girls everywhere have been anxiously awaiting the follow-up. Teenagers aren't the only Fall Out Boy fans out there. The band's boss, Def Jam head Jay-Z, has also been championing them and arranged a larger-than-life debut. Jim also counts himself as a fan. He thinks Fall Out Boy is a smart, fun, exuberant band full of the punk spirit of bands like The Ramones. He admits that the lyrics are nothing profound, but gives the album a Buy It for its huge attitude and timeless pop songs. Greg admires how Fall Out Boy conducts itself as a band and thinks lead singer Patrick Stump has an impressive voice. However, he doesn't think they do a good enough job of differentiating themselves from other pop punk bands like the All-American Rejects and Sum 41. He wishes they did more with new producers like Babyface. This critic finds Infinity on High a little too generic and can only give the album a Burn It.

Valentine’s Day Live

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Sound Opinions decided to have an intimate celebration -- just Jim, Greg...and a couple hundred of their closest friends. They invited listeners to join them in a live taping at the Chicago Cultural Center. They were also joined by alt-country troubadour Robbie Fulks and his wife Donna . Robbie and Donna agreed to act as the Paul Shaffer of the show and perform the hosts' favorite love, lust and anti-love songs. They also treated the audience to some of Robbie's own songs.

There are so many different types of love songs in rock and roll, that Jim and Greg had to divide their picks into 3 different categories: "Love Stinks," "Endless Love," and "Carnal Love." These hit all the notes of heartbreak, romance and lust that run through rock music. Jim and Greg picked out some of their favorite love songs and asked Robbie and Donna to perform them. Here are the selections featured on the show:

Carnal Love

Jim: The Troggs, "I Want You"
Greg: Amazing Rhythm Aces, "Third Rate Romance"

The audience also got a chance to get in on the action. Here are some of their favorite love songs:

Sebadoh, "Not a Friend"
Extreme, "More Than Words"
Neutral Milk Hotel, "In The Aero Plane Over The Sea"

Sound Opinions H.Q. also dug up some trivia on two famous rock couples. Biographer Michael Streissguth, who wrote Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece, believes that Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash's "song" would have to be "Meet Me in Heaven." While "Ring of Fire" encapsulated their relationship early on, "Meet Me in Heaven," is a song the couple loved to perform together later in their life. The lyrics really expressed how Johnny felt about growing old with June.

Also, Charles Cross, who wrote Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain, told us that Kurt and Courtney Love's song was an odd one. "Seasons in the Sun," by Terry Jacks was a favorite of the punk-loving couple. This was the first song Kurt Cobain ever purchased on a 45, and he appreciated its origins. The song was based on a French story by Jacques Brel called "The Dying Man." He wrote it for the Beach Boys, but that band thought it was a little too dark for them to record. Sounds perfect for Kurt and Courtney.

Featured Songs

The Gamblers, "LSD 25," 1960
The Beatles, "Revolution," Hey Jude, 1970
Kenny Loggins, "I'm Alright," Caddyshack, 1980
Ozzy Osbourne, "Crazy Train," Blizzard of Ozz, 1980
Fall Out Boy, "Takeover," Infinity on High, 2007
Fall Out Boy, "Thriller," Infinity on High, 2007
Air, "Playground Love," The Virgin Suicides, 1999
Outkast, "Happy Valentine's Day" Speakerboxx/The Love Below, 2003
Robbie and Donna Fulks, "I'm Gonna Take You Home (And Make You Like Me)," Georgia Hard, 2005
Robbie and Donna Fulks, "Dead Flowers," Sticky Fingers, 1971
Richard and Linda Thompson, "Walking on a Wire," Shoot the Lights Out, 1982
Sebadoh, "Not a Friend," Bakesale, 1994
Robbie and Donna Fulks, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," A Package of 16 Big Hits, 1967 Robbie and Donna Fulks, "If I Think, I Think of You," Superfuzz Bigmuff, 1988
Extreme, "More Than Words," Extreme II: Pornograffitti, 1990
Neutral Milk Hotel, "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, 1998 The Troggs, "I Want You," Vintage Years, 1976
Johnny Cash, "Meet Me in Heaven" Unchained, 1996
Terry Jacks, "Seasons in the Sun," Seasons in the Sun, 1974
Robbie and Donna Fulks, "Parallel Bars" The Very Best of Robbie Fulks, 2000
The Bee Gees, "How Deep is Your Love," Saturday Night Fever, 1977

Dear Listeners,

For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!