tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744444020349998004.post8037046971116580385..comments2024-03-20T18:37:49.933-04:00Comments on The Duff Guide to Ska: Shots in the Dark: The Toasters' "New York Fever"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744444020349998004.post-67569565947511112292013-11-24T11:41:34.643-05:002013-11-24T11:41:34.643-05:00New York Fever is the first Toasters' album I ...New York Fever is the first Toasters' album I own, really wonderful music and really big step from their previous albums which define Toasters' music on their next albums from then on. And to add as sidenote, I feel that the song "Plougshares Into Guns" is lyrically similar in theme with Bim Skala Bim's song "Not In Anger", I think both were written around same time and critical about Gulf War and how about American government more care about weapons than their own citizen, even both has the word kingdome come in the lyrics!M Yassernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744444020349998004.post-82706653549085654682013-06-18T08:17:09.890-04:002013-06-18T08:17:09.890-04:00Thanks for your kind comments, Adam! Thanks for your kind comments, Adam! Steve from Moonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14074565580429334218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744444020349998004.post-20728072437258665432013-06-18T01:36:27.794-04:002013-06-18T01:36:27.794-04:00Excellent, excellent piece. Love how this review i...Excellent, excellent piece. Love how this review is a story of transition within the Toasters' career as well as a story of transition within NYC. This could be a book!Adam Lhttp://readjunk.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744444020349998004.post-49302707622583199292013-06-12T15:20:10.764-04:002013-06-12T15:20:10.764-04:00@ John Dugan: Thanks so much for filling in some o...@ John Dugan: Thanks so much for filling in some of the blanks here. I had become an active fan of The Toasters around 1988, but, as you know, in those pre-internet times it was so hard to get information about bands. For example, the only way that I knew that the Unity Two had broken away from the band was that I had been invited to some sort of event where they were playing--and I knew that The Toasters had a gig at the same time/night (plus the "Shirley" video might have been getting some air time on Ralph McDaniels' Video Music Box show). <br /><br />I REALLY appreciate your comments on Greg Grinell's, Steve LaForge's, Erik Storkman's, and your own contributions to the sound and direction of The Toasters. As you know, I came to Moon in 1991, so only really knew the "New York Fever" band and the various iterations that followed.<br /><br />I may do a "Thrill Me Up" write-up at some point in the near future and would definitely appreciate talking to/interviewing you about that version of The Toasters and everything that went in to creating that amazing album.Steve from Moonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14074565580429334218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744444020349998004.post-91102185029163595452013-06-12T15:09:41.671-04:002013-06-12T15:09:41.671-04:00@Jon V.: Thanks! You write such good reviews--get ...@Jon V.: Thanks! You write such good reviews--get going again! I love reading your work!Steve from Moonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14074565580429334218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744444020349998004.post-81558292346505394242013-06-12T14:03:39.359-04:002013-06-12T14:03:39.359-04:00Steve, maybe the best article on the early/middle ...Steve, maybe the best article on the early/middle period of the band. You're one of the few people who understood how the leaving of the Unity Two at that moment put us in such a distress over our direction (made even worse when they lured Greg Grinell away to help with their song writing). Greg was very important to the sound of the band in writing and playing bass & trumpet. You also didn't mention Steve LaForge who along with Bucket was the main driving force in the early Toasters not only musically but in business and the personality of the group. He was a great counterbalance for Rob which made the band much stronger. ....and you failed to mention me since I was the one who constantly was pushing to "Americanize" the ska sound making it harder, faster, and more aggressive then what had happened before. One of those ideas was the big sounding "power in the pocket" horn section featuring the tenor sax & t-bone combination. As for "Night Train" I was the one who brought it into the band when Erick joined and I wrote the "East Side Beat" intro (lifted from an old jazz riff and Herbie Mann's "Comin' Home Baby"), Erick rearranged it for more of a t-bone solo for "New York Fever". The best rendition of this might be the live version on "This Gun For Hire". Steve's exit along with mine after "This Gun" probably contributed to the uncertainty in the band around '91/'92 but Bucket with his absolute determination and grit moved on and by the time "New York Fever" came out they were at the top of their game again!!!John Duganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06023820422050403699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744444020349998004.post-66754838767841537322013-06-12T13:03:38.966-04:002013-06-12T13:03:38.966-04:00Wow Steve, this was awesome! Thanks so much for wr...Wow Steve, this was awesome! Thanks so much for writing so an in-depth piece. The online ska community needs more essays like this (perhaps if I find the motivation I'll try something similar)<br /><br />Oh, and don't be hard on "Roseanne", it's one of the most memorable Toasters tracks ever recorded, even my friends who have long since left the scene behind can immediately call it to mind!Jonnoreply@blogger.com