New Music: The Rolling Stones, The Fixx, The Legion of Decency

Terrific releases from The Rolling Stones, The Fixx and The Legion of Decency make for a pretty stellar crop of music library essential titles to add to any music lover's collection. 

Artist: The Rolling Stones

Title: Licked Live In NYC (Mercury Studios)

You might like if you enjoy: The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards 

Tell me more: Originally released in 2003 as an HBO special and as part of the Four Flicks package, The Rolling Stones' outstanding Licked Live In NYC has been fully restored and remastered with bonus material that shines a light on the legendary band's 40th Anniversary Tour; the legendary tour included 117 shows and was noteworthy for including the group's first-ever concert in Hong Kong. This title captures the Stones' Madison Square Garden show staged in January 2003; standout versions performed by the band include a fiery "Start Me Up," the melodic Mick Jagger track "Don't Stop," lively "Happy" featuring Keith Richards on lead vocals, magic "Gimme Shelter" (with Lisa Fischer trading vocals with Jagger), rowdy "You Got Me Rocking" and "Honky Tonk Woman" (the latter with guest Sheryl Crow) and fiery "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" and "Brown Sugar." The DVD+2CD version (reviewed in this column) looks and sounds terrific; it includes previously-unreleased performances of "Start Me Up," "Tumbling Dice," "Gimme Shelter" and "Sympathy For The Devil," along with three bonus performances from Amsterdam and rehearsal footage. Licked Live In NYC is also available via SD Blu-ray+2CD (wit includes the additional 51-minute documentary "Tip Of The Tongue"), as a standalone 2CD and 3LP. Information: rollingstones.com.  

Artist: The Fixx

Title: Every Five Seconds (BFD)

You might like if you enjoy: Simple Minds, U2, David Bowie

Tell me more: Before the release of Every Five Seconds on June 3, it had been a full decade since The Fixx had issued a new studio album (2012's wonderful Beautiful Friction). The great news for fans of top-tier alternative rock is that the quintet's latest effort builds on a marvelous discography stretching back to their 1982 debut Shuttered Room. Lead singer Cy Curnin's voice is still a wonder, and it is amazing that the band's long-time lineup is fully intact (lead guitarist Jamie West-Oram, bassist Dan K. Brown, keyboardist Rupert Greenall, drummer Adam Woods). The top-tier material includes the topical rocker "A Life Survived," funk-tinged "Closer," thought-provoking sortie "Wake Up," luxurious "Suspended In Make Believe," dazzling "Spell" and the ambitious styles-defying "Lonely As A Lighthouse" — the latter showcasing West-Oram's amazing fret work. Information: TheFixx.com.

Artist: The Legion of Decency

Title: Deep Lines Among The Shallows (Legion Recordings)

You might like if you enjoy: Dawes, Old 97's, Rhett Miller

Tell me more: Deep Lines Among The Shallows is the wonderful full-length album from Inland Empire-based The Legion of Decency. An album of immense depth, warmth and undeniable beauty, singer-songwriter-guitarist Michael Tamony's rich Americana guided soundscape is bolstered by a talented cast of players and singers who bring the mix of literate and poetic originals fully to life. Compelling songs on Side A include the poignant opener "Sometimes," the genuinely affecting "Grandma's Sound," rollicking "We Are Giant" and immersive title track. The countrified "I Do," lovely "Julietta," and reflective closer "Shine a Light" are among the wonderful cuts on Side B of the album. Information: TheLegionOfDecency.com.  

Robert Kinsler

The Fixx soars in Coach House return

Cy Curnin, pictured here performing at The Coach House in July 2012, led the Fixx in a magnificent return to the venue on July 19, 2013. Photo: Bob Steshetz

Although it has been 30 years since the release of their trailblazing Reach the Beach album, the Fixx is one of the few groups to emerge in the 1980s whose artistry remains fully intact.
The evidence played itself out in brilliant fashion when the British rock quintet performed a flawless 18-song set before a capacity crowd at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on Friday night, July 19.

Featuring songs from 1983's Reach the Beach and 2012's sterling Beautiful Friction (and a few choice hits off 1982's Shuttered Room and 1984's Phantoms), this was a concert that provided plenty of opportunities for nostalgia seekers to sing and clap along, but it was also a night for more discerning listeners to join the band for an even more abounding experience celebrating the musical and lyrical layers that have long separated The Fixx from both their contemporaries and any number of musical descendants.

Like several of their fellow early '80s pioneers (U2 and R.E.M. immediately come to mind),  time has been kind to the band's sound. Confident in their latest songs, the Fixx opened with a powerful string of cuts pulled from last year's Beautiful Friction.  The opener "Anyone Else" found Rupert Greenall's keyboard textures coating Cy Curnin's outstanding vocal delivery while the third offering, "Take a Risk," proved to be a potent riff rocker with Jamie West-Oram's masterful fret work featured. The performance of Beautiful Friction's title track was nuanced with the full band playing the lush arrangement before a more fiery and forceful take on their "What God."

The Fixx didn't take a by-the-numbers approach when playing their classics that came later; "Less Cities, More Moving People" boasted some of the richly-ornate keyboard-meets-guitar layers that are a trademark of the outfit. But then that approach was foreshadowed on "Outside" back in 1983, played this night with Curnin still fully in command of a falsetto that brought chills with its beauty.

An infectious "One Thing Leads to Another," haunting "Stand or Fall" and extended "Saved by Zero" filled the regular set with additional highlights. Throughout the night, Curnin was ever a personable and engaging frontman.

A strong encore found the Fixx playing a funk-tinged  "Deeper and Deeper," an explosive "Shaman" (another gem off Beautiful Friction) and ultimately a charged "Red Skies" where the joyful audience sang with almost as much power as the outstanding cast of players on the stage in front of them. 

The memorable night left me hoping that I would get to see the Fixx again soon, and that the group (which also features an outstanding rhythm section courtesy of bassist Dan K. Brown and drummer Adam Woods) will release new music soon. A concert DVD release would be nice too.

Here is a video featuring the Fixx performing "Red Skies" at The Coach House. The audio quality is very good: