When I heard that the 30th anniversary of the release of The Jam's classic "Sound Affects" would be marked by the release of a special deluxe edition, I was thrilled.
The 1980 set has always been my favorite record by my favorite band The Jam. When my mom said she'd get it for me for Christmas this year I reminded her that she bought it for me the first time 'round, too.
In November 1980, headed out on our annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to see friends in Vermont, we stopped at Zig Zag Records on Avenue U in Brooklyn because the new Jam record was out. (Yes, even if they didn't always get my musical passions, my parents have always indulged them.)
OK, and then I felt old -- really, really old -- thinking about my first year of high school and the records that defined that experience for me ("Sound Affects," The Clash's "London Calling," "The Specials" and Stiff Little Fingers' "Nobody's Heroes" and "Hanx!" among them).
But oddly, it's the 10th anniversary deluxe edition of Idlewild's "100 Broken Windows" that really has me shaking my head.
Although I can't say this gritty pop record changed my world the way "Sound Affects" did, i certainly played the shiznit out of it over the years and I still love it today.
At first I thought the 10th anniversary part must be a mistake. It can't be that long, can it?
Then I realized just how much my life has changed in those 10 years and I can barely remember the me that bought "100 Broken Windows" the first time.
Since then, I got married, I bought a house, I got some dogs, we had kids and right around the time the record came out, I started working at OnMilwaukee.com, which has turned out to be my longest-lasting job.
I'm happy to say that during all that stuff, "Sound Affects" and "100 Broken Windows" were always in heavy rotation in my life.
When I get these reissues -- out only in the UK so far -- and play them over and over and over again, I'll feel like I'm spending time with some great old friends; you know, the kind of friends that are with you as your life follows its twisty turny path.
NOTE: In related news, we just got word that Idlewild has been forced to cancel its U.S. tour. Guitarist Rod Jones broke his collarbone in an accident. The band was scheduled to play a handful of dates in support of its latest record, "Post Electric Blues."
"Myself and the rest of the band are absolutely gutted that we won't be able to do these shows at this time," Jones said in a statement.
"I know this is a disappointment to some of you who have been patiently waiting for five years to see us there and it is a feeling we share with you as a band. Again I'd like to extend my sincere and heartfelt apologies and hope to see you some time in the near future."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
