Marty Balin dead at 76

Marty Balin (born Martyn Jerel Buchwald)
January 30, 1942 - September 27, 2018

Marty Balin, singer and founding member of Jefferson Airplane, passed away on Thursday. The news was confirmed by Balin's family and rep, saying wife Susan was by his side. Balin was 76. While the cause of death is not known at this time, Balin's  health had been declining the last two years. 

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Balin was the son of Joseph and Eugenia (nee Talbot) Buchwald. Balin's father was Jewish while his mother was Episcopalian. In 1962, Balin changed his name to Marty Balin when starting out his career as a musician. He released several singles on Challenge Records before joining the folk quartet The Town Criers in 1964. In 1965, Balin had purchased a former pizza parlor on Fillmore Street- turning it into a music club called the Matrix. Jefferson Airplane came to be after Balin met fellow musician Paul Kantner at the Drinking Gourd- another music club. Balin and Kantner would team up to form a a house band for the Matrix. That band would end up becoming Jefferson Airplane- who officially formed in 1965. 

After singer Grace Slick replace original co-lead singer Signe Toly Anderson in 1966, the wheels were in motion. The band would go on to achieve success with the band's sophomore effort Surrealistic Pillow in 1967. The album was a hit, thanks in part to hit singles such as "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit." Throughout the late 1960s, Jefferson Airplane would become one of the most successful bands to come out of the East Coast- along with bands such as the Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company- just to name a few. The band would released three more studio albums together and performing at three major music festivals: Monterrey Pop in 1967, Woodstock in 1969 and Altamont in 1969. Balin left the band in 1971. When the band changed their name to Jefferson Starship, Balin rejoined in 1974. As Jefferson Starship, the band would top the charts again with "Miracles" from the 1975 best seller Red Octopus. Balin left again in 1978, although he would rejoin the band (as Jefferson Starship: The Next Generation) many years later on/off . 

Aside from the Jefferson bands, Balin had a solo career. In 1981, Balin released his first solo album- Balin. The album featured two top 40 hits "Hearts" and "Atlanta Lady"- both of which were written by singer/songwriter Jesse Barish. In the 1990s and 2000s when not touring with Jefferson Starship, Balin would release several other solo albums- his last being 2016's The Greatest Love. While on tour in March 2016, Balin entered Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York City after complaining of chest pains. Balin ended up undergoing open-heart surgery, triple-bypass and valve-replacement surgery. In total, Balin stayed in the hospital for three months. Back in August of this year, Balin filed a lawsuit against the hospital for malpractice. According to the lawsuit, Balin had suffered vocal cord damage, loss of his thumb and half of this tongue- along with loss of mobility in his left hand. 

In his life, Balin was married three times. In 1963, he married Victoria Martin. With her, he had a daughter named Jennifer. In 1989, Balin married again- this time to Karen Deal, who was the mother of his second daughter Delaney. Balin was married to Deal until her death in 2010. Prior to his death, Balin was married to Susan Joy Balin (nee Finkelstein). 

Balin is predeceased by six former Jefferson Airplane-Starship members: Papa John Creech in 1994, Skip Spencer in 1999, Spencer Dryden in 2005, Joey Covington in 2013, along with Paul Katner and Signe Toly Anderson- who both died on the same day in January 2016. 

RIP, Marty.

Uriah Heep- Living the Dream album review

 
Uriah Heep
Living the Dream

Rating: ****

Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of UK rock band Uriah Heep. For 2018, the band have released their 25th studio album. The album, Living the Dream, is the band's first album since 2014's Outsider. While I gave it a positive review years ago, Outsider has not aged as well as their other music from the 21st century. Even when it came out, I felt that Outsider was missing something that Wake the Sleeper and Into the Wild had. With Living the Dream, this is an all around great album from the guys in Heep. Compared to Outsider, Living the Dream is a more inspired effort and is a well-welcomed new entry to the band's very 'eavy, very 'umble discography. 

The album opens with the blazing "Grazed by Heaven," which also serves as the lead single for the album. Right off the bat, the band are all in fine form- firing on all cylinders on this keyboard-driven rocker. Looking down the tracking list, Living the Dream has a little bit of everything a fan would want from in a Heep album. You want more keyboard-riddled rockers? Check out "It's All Been Said" and the title track. The former has a "July Morning" feel to it while the latter features those sensational Heep vocal harmonies. Heep's vocal harmonies have been a key ingredient to the band's sound since the beginning. Many of the songs on the album rely on them to some extent, some more than others. When it comes to haunting "Knocking at My Door," the harmonies are accompanied by drummer Russell Gilbrook pounding away at the skins.

The songwriting here is also top-notch. While not necessarily a concept album, the songs on Living the Dream deal with magical and mystical themes- which a majority of their earlier work relies on. Take the chorus from the aforementioned title track for example:

"I've got the sun and the moon on one hand/The star as they're falling down in the other" sings Bernie Shaw. "You can rely on me to show you the way"

More magic and mysticism can be found on the story song "Waters Flowin'." Lyrically, the song tells the tale of an encounter with a Pied Piper-esque character. From its prog folk approach to its heavenly vocal harmonies, "Waters Flowin'" is one my personal favorites from the album. If slower tunes aren't your thing, Heep should keep you happy with some fine hard rockers in the form of fast paced "Goodbye to Innocence"and  the hypnotic "Falling Under Your Spell." Both tunes utilize in what I like to call the Heep shuffle- that walking trot sound which can be found Heep classic such as "Look at Yourself" and "Easy Livin'." However of the album's ten songs, "Rocks In The Road" is my personal favorite. It's an eight minute epic, as it transitions from standard rock tune to an all out instrumental battle.

From beginning to end, Living the Dream is an impressive effort from Uriah Heep. The band have always been a fine line between keyboard-driven hard rock and progressive rock. With Outsider, I think the band leaned more towards the hard rock side. With Living the Dream, the band found that balance again between hard rock and progressive rock- which is what makes Heep stand out among their peers. If this ends up being the last album they make, this is a great way to go out: very 'eavy and very 'umble. 

Paul McCartney- Egypt Station album review

 

Paul McCartney

Egypt Station

Rating: *** 1/2 (or *** 3/4)

Nearly five decades after the Beatles’ split, Paul McCartney has had quite the career. Whether it be with his band Wings or by himself, the man has delivered a somewhat consistent discography. When it comes to his latest album, Egypt Station, it’s another solid effort from Sir Paul. Not only is this McCartney’s first album since 2013’s New, it’s also his first album on Capitol Records since 2005’s Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. While it isn’t a perfect album, there’s something for everyone here on Egypt Station.

            The album follows a traveling theme, as seen on the album’s cover. From time to time, you’ll hear some atmospheric tracks that make you feel like you’re at a station of some sort. The album opens with the piano driven lead single “I Don’t Know,” which sets the mood of the album nicely. Lyrically, the song fits the travel and transportation theme going on, as McCartney wonders where his life is headed. McCartney’s voice here, as well as the rest of the album, sounds worn and tired at times. At 76 years old, McCartney isn’t getting any younger. Like his peers, it shouldn’t matter what his voice sounds like if the songwriting is good- which in this case it is. From there on, Egypt Station is a splendid road trip with Sir Paul as he delivers some fine pop tunes here. The second lead single, “Come On to Me,” sounds like a lost cut from the Ram album as it’s a nifty bopping rock tune. Musically, McCartney’s backing band is in fine form throughout the album and “Come On to Me” is the go-to track to prove that.

Like New before it, McCartney uses nostalgia effectively here- with several of the songs here sounding like ones from earlier in his career. While some listeners might see this as lack of creativity, McCartney is able to pull this off. For example, “Happy With You” has a “Mother Nature’s Son” vibe to it given it’s laid back approach while “Who Cares” sounds like a rocker Wings could’ve churned out in the 1970s. While the album has this loose theme of travel, there’s quite the number of love songs here. This includes songs such as “Confidante” and “Hand in Hand.” The former tells the sweet tale of an old flame while the latter is semi-autobiographical as McCartney sings about “walking through life and making our plans.” At 76, McCartney has been performing for six decades. Now being married to wife Nancy Shevell since 2011, the song could be seen as McCartney thinking out the rest of life and growing old with Nancy.

            If Egypt Station were a road trip, it would have a few speed bumps along the way. At 57 minutes, Egypt Station is a fairly long album. While they aren’t bad, “Do It Now” and “Caesar Rock” didn’t need to be on this album. The former is simply plain while the latter is somewhat of a mess. Then there’s “Fuh You,” another one of the singles from the album. Co-written with producer Ryan Tedder, it’s one of the album’s weakest songs. While it is catchy, the song’s chorus of “I just want it fuh you” is cringe-worthy alone as it sounds like McCartney is saying something dirtier. Despite its weak spots, the album manages to save the best for last with “Despite Repeated Warnings.” The mini-epic tells the story of a sea captain’s blind leadership as he decides to sail near an iceberg. Lyrically, the song is symbolic of politicians- most notably President Donald Trump. At some seven minutes long, it is an epic that has to be heard.

            Egypt Station is another fine album from Paul McCartney. I’m a little surprised by how much this has grown on me. It isn’t a perfect album, though. There is some filler here that could’ve been cut easily. Comparing this to New, I personally prefer New over Egypt Station. However, this doesn’t mean Egypt Station should be looked over. If you liked New or any of Paul’s other albums in the 2000s, you’ll probably enjoy this.