|
NRBQ
on Edisun
|
MARCO IACOBINI
& SPACES
on Spaces Web
|
WILSON PHILLIPS
on Columbia
|
NOVEMBER
/ DECEMBER 2004
MUSIC & RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
ALCHEMY
RECORDS - Described as minimalist guitar music, Things Behind
The Sun, the fifth solo album from Jon Durant is
actually a soaring progressive masterpiece of full blown symphonic
guitar excursions. Assisted by the great Tony Levin (electric
upright bass) and Vinnie Sabatino (drums), Durant achieves
a stellar mix of jazzy rock and ECM style musical moods on Things
Behind The Sun. Recorded in between Durant’s production and
film score work, Things Behind The Sun offers a superbly recorded
round of futuristic, groundbreaking guitar techniques with Durant
masterfully performing on guitars, cloud guitar, duduk guitar and
guitar synth. An artist currently being produced by Jon Durant, his
his older brother Kingsley Durant, recorded and released his
2004 CD Away From The Water on Alchemy Records. Compared
to Jon Durant’s electronic soundscapes, Kingsley’s Away
From The Water favors acoustic guitar instrumentals (with the
occasional vocal and electric guitar) in the spirit of Michael Hedges,
Pat Metheny and Eric Johnson, who Durant covers on “When The
Sun Meets The Sky”. With assistance from Jon Durant, Vinny Sabatino
and Viktor Krauss on acoustic bass Away From The Water
is a most atmospheric acoustic guitar sojourn. www.alchemyrecords.com
BOLERO RECORDS -Few guitarists playing and recording today have
been so successful at merging Spanish guitar, New Age flamenco and
syncopated World Beat jazz as tastefully as California based Armik.
A favorite among flamenco guitar watchers, Armik is on quite a roll
this year having released Romantic Dreams late in 2003, Piano
Nights in early 2004 and now Armik reaches new heights with the
Bolero Records release of his fifth instrumental Bolero CD,
Treasures. In line with the radiant CD cover
art, the music on Treasures is quite spirited and—with
every musical variation and daredevil flamenco guitar lick, distinctively
authentic. Compared to many nouveau flamenco guitarists today, Armik
rocks and on Treasures, Armik continues to refine state of
the art nouveau flamenco guitar. In addition to fine track by track
liner notes, state of the art CD mastering from Bernie Grundman neatly
caps off Armik’s most persuasive album to date. www.bolero-records.com
BULLSEYE - Produced by Jaimie Vernon & Him Hoek
for Bullseye Records of Canada, It Was 40 Years Ago
Today: A Tribute To The Beatles collects 50 covers of Fab
Four history as interpreted by a number of well known Beatles worshipers
as well as some promising newcomers. Hits right off from the first
25 covers on disc 1—Andrew Gold pulls off an astoundingly
true to life cover of “Lady Madonna” and a cover of “Norwegian
Wood” by Cats & Dogs that sounds more inspired by
“I Am The Walrus”. Disc 2 kicks off with a suitably majestic
cover of “Here Comes The Sun” by Dave Rave & The
Wretches and oozes sheer retro Beatlemania with a reconstructed
rave-up of “She’s Leaving Home” by Steve Barton,
a bluesy projection of “Eleanor Rigby” by the ever great
Al Kooper, a power pop rave-up of “Oh! Darling” by
Phil Vincent, a Lou Reed inspired reading of “Happiness
Is A Warm Gun” by Jim Basnight and a truly fab revamp
called “Golden Slumbers Medley” by Brian Gagnon.
Those and many other high quality pop goodies here make it of interest
to casual listeners and diehard Beatles disciples. With a cool spoof
of The Beatles (white album) cover art and insightful booklet
giving track by track anecdotes on the song origins, the two CD track
set serves as a valuable history lesson behind the greatest pop of
a lifetime and a fine A&R primer on the 50 gifted groups participating.
Bullseye hits their mark with the living nostalgia of It Was 40
Years Ago Today. www.bullseyecanada.com
COLLECTOR’S CHOICE - You could hardly go anywhere in early
1971 without hearing that great Brewer & Shipley folk-rock
classic “One Toke Over The Line” on FM radio. What the folk-rock
duo couldn’t do on a late ‘60s A&M release, they straightened
out and flew right by on a pair of albums they made for Kama Sutra
Records in the early ‘70s. Played extensively on FM radio,
the second Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley album on Kama
Sutra, Tarkio spawned the radical “One Toke”
and a classic title track, “Tarkio Road”, while their very
first Kama Sutra album, Weeds boasted memorable covers
of “Witchi-Tai-To” and “All Along The Watchtower”.
Released as a 20 track two-on-one CD on Collector’s Choice,
Weeds and Tarkio featured a number of ace backing musicians
including Nick Gravenites, Mike Bloomfield, Nicky
Hopkins and Jerry Garcia to name a few. That said, it’s
really Brewer & Shipley’s great folk-rock anthems and harmonies
that make them so special. Find out how great they were on the essential
CD reissue of Weeds & Tarkio. www.brewerandshipley.com
An amazing relic from the early ‘70s, the self titled Space
Opera from the group Space Opera was released
by Epic Records in Canada in 1972. Over the years the pop classic
has gained a following and thankfully Collector’s Choice
reissued the album in 2004 with original art, photos and complete
lyrics. Comparable to the finest pop / rock albums from that magical
dawn of the ‘70s period, Space Opera not only had a cool folk-rock
thing down pat, but they could also rock out and—featuring the
guitars of —evoke some majestic, experimental guitar-based jazz-rock
sounds as evidenced by both the album’s brilliant 7+ minute instrumental
entitled “Guitar Suite” and the mesmerizing guitar orchestrations
of the CD closer “Over And Over”. Sounding clearly influenced
by the soaring vocal harmonies and jangly guitar sounds of ‘70s
Byrds, America and especially CSN&Y, the Space Opera album
remains a unique, vital rock album ripe for rediscovery.
www.ccmusic.com
COLUMBIA
RECORDS -
Don’t forget that these gorgeous female voice were conceived
of by some of the greatest singers and songwriters in American music
history. Of course, we’re talking about the lush harmonies of
Wilson Phillips, whose appropriately titled album California
was released on Columbia during the summer of 2004. Although
John Phillips, father of Chyna Phillips can’t be
here today, Brian Wilson, father of Wendy and Carnie
Wilson, mercifully provides his Beach Boy harmonies and piano
on a set closing cover of “In My Room”. Further covers of
Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Brown, The Byrds, The Youngbloods,
Eagles and of course, The Beach Boys places the final touches from
this vivid pop postcard from the West Coast. Produced by the ubiquitous
pop pundit Peter Asher (of Peter & Gordon), the CD features
the best in the west including guitarists David Rolfe and Dean
Parks, drummer Russ Kunkel and keyboardist Roger Manning.
www.wilsonphillipsonline.com
CONCORD RECORDS - One of America’s greatest beautiful music
and soundtrack composers Henry Mancini, might have passed away
back in June of 1994, yet his music lives on eternally. Mancini’s
history making music is once again paid tribute to on a superbly produced
2004 Concord Records release entitled Ultimate Mancini.
Released in time for the composer’s 80th birthday—and
the the 37 cent Mancini postage stamp adorning the CD cover art—the
17 track CD features new Mancini covers with key contributions from
his daughter Monica Mancini (vocals), the “Ultimate Mancini
Orchestra” with studio performance highlights by Stevie Wonder
(amazing harmonic on “Moon River”), Take 6, Gary
Burton, Tom Scott blazing away on “Peter Gunn”
and more. From his liner notes Steely Dan founder Donald Fagen
writes, “Henry Mancini composed the soundtrack for my adolescence.
Ultimate Mancini collects some of his most gorgeous pieces,
newly recorded and lovingly produced.” Newcomers and long time
fans looking to check out the real deal owe it to themselves to check
out the 2004 RCA / BMG Heritage CD release of Midnight,
Moonlight & Magic: The Very Best Of Henry Mancini.
Excellent liner notes by Didier Deutsch adds some fitting
commentary on Mancini’s legacy, yet it’s the music—all
original Mancini recordings—that does the speaking here. 23 of
Mancini’s most illustrious film scores tracks—including
the ‘60s originals of “The Pink Panther Theme”, “Moon
River”, “Peter Gunn”, “Charade”, “Mr.
Lucky”, “Dreamsville” and more are all collected under
one roof on this essential Mancini retrospective. www.henrymancini.com
COOKING VINYL - B.J. Cole may be one of England’s
great pedal steel guitarists, but his 2004 album, Trouble In
Paradise is as far from typical country twang as you
can get. Cole has earned his reputation as one of England’s most
versatile steelers and over the years he’s worked with talents
as diverse as Sting, John Cale and Spiritualized. Assisted by a range
of hip electronica and DJ / chill artists such as Luke Vibert,
singer Laura B. and Groove Armada, Cole’s latest
mix of vocal and instrumental tracks is a mighty strange groove indeed.
Described as a sound that blends house music with bluegrass (especially
evident on the track “Surf Acid Hoedown”), Trouble showcases
Cole’s pedal steel guitar expertise in some of the wildest settings
ever imagined for the time honored twangy pedal sound. According to
B.J., “many of the sounds on the album (saxes, piano, organ,
etc) are generated from the pedal steel using a MIDI pickup and interface
triggering synthesizers.” Imagine if Bowie and Eno traveled back
into the time tunnel to produce Martin Denny in Hawaii...well you
get the idea. Co-produced by Cole’s long time collaborator on
his other solo albums, (Transparent Music, Heart Of The Moment
and Stop The Panic) Guy Jackson, and released on
the U.K. based Cooking Vinyl, Trouble In Paradise pushes
the pedal steel envelope deep into the musical twilight zone. A fascinating,
unearthly experience from start to finish, Trouble In Paradise
spotlights exemplary artwork and Cole’s notes puts his groovy,
psychedelic hoe-down into fitting perspective. www.bjcole.co.uk
DIAMOND SOUND PRODUCTIONS - The new age craze of the ‘90s
may have subsided a bit in the harsh afterburn of the brutal double
0’s, yet the latest from California guitarist Michael Diamond
brings you right back the essence of the therapeutic, ambient sound
of cosmic music. Spotlighting Diamond’s work on guitars and guitar
synth, the album is further enhanced by New Age kingpin Steven
Halpern, who adds in ‘harmonious soundwaves.’ In the
spirit of Halpern’s best work, Atlantis Rising is
a glorious, meditative sound excursion combining the intricate elements
of today’s music technology with the healing music of the ages.
While the CD is quite meditative, Diamond also points out, “the
last song on the album is an acknowledgment of my two main influences
as a guitarist—Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana. The soaring lead
guitar is inspired by Carlos and the psychedelic middle section with
the backwards guitars is a nod to Jimi.” Atlantis Rising is
a great album to space out with or simply meditate to and yes, Jimi
would approve. www.mdiamondsound.com
EDISUN / REDEYE - Celebrating 35 years of music making, NRBQ
return with, Dummy, their new CD release on their
self-owned Edisun imprint. Still featuring founding members
Terry Adams (keyboards, vocals), Joey Spampinato (bass,
vocals) and Tom Ardolino (since 1974 on drums), the group is
completed by Joey’s brother, Johnny Spampinato (guitar).
Since they started up in 1967, NRBQ have been praised by greats like
Hendrix, McCartney, Costello and R.E.M. as well as being a source
of inspiration for gifted pop bands like Barenaked Ladies and They
Might Be Giants. Cult heroes renowned for their wide variety of recordings
crisscrossing rock, pop, jazz, blues, R&B, country and rockabilly,
NRBQ remain one of the hardest-working enigmas of the mainstream music
business. Hopefully that will change yet again with the 2004 release
of Dummy. Kicking off with a socially satirical title track,
Dummy lights on an astonishing range of pop based goodies—including
a Beatles style backburner, “Call Of The Wild”—topped
off by classic ventriloquist dummy cover art. Tying into the 2004
release of Dummy is the first NRBQ DVD release, on Music
Video Distributors, entitled One In A Million.
Described as “a representative slice of NRBQ in their prime”,
the DVD revisits a 1989 live performance (featuring guitarist “Big
Al” Anderson) along with an NRBQ slide show, a 2004 video
for the title track to Dummy as well as extensive liner notes
from Creem magazine editor Dave DiMartino. www.nrbq.com
EEL PIE - Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey continue
to beat the bootleggers to the punch on the latest round of live
double CD sets from The Who. Chronicling their 2004 tour,
The Who Encore Series 2004 offers a good testament of
the band, now in their fifth decade together. Offering live covers
of their most enduring classics from “The Kids Are Alright”,
“Substitute and more all the way to live versions of both the
band’s first two studio recordings in over 20 years, “Old
Red Wine” and “Real Good Looking Boy”, the Encore
Series 2004 sound quality is excellent. While retaining the sparse
look and packaging of a bootleg, the CD is actually a benefit series
with all profits going to benefit charities supported by The Who.
Check out Townshend’s web site for the entire scoop on this action
packed live in concert series of vintage Who music.
www.eelpie.com
FAVORED NATIONS - Steve Vai’s label released one of their
first forays into the spy/surf realm with the 2004 release of Instromania
by the excellent South Florida’s instrumental surf-rock
band The Dillengers. Guitarist Rick Rossano and his
merry band hit the mainline pumped on a set of high octane instrumentals
that’s more Dick Dale than Duane Eddy, but that’s where
the fun starts. Unique originals like the springy shoot the curl vibes
of “Astrosurfin” and way over the top rockin’ covers
of huge instro names like Morricone, Lordan, Eddy and Wray fuel a
fire that threatens out of control yet always stays on course. And
where else might you find an soundtrack ditty that merges the time
honored “Mr. Moto” with the theme from “The Munsters”.
Kick your shoes off and sit a spell. www.thedillengers.com
FUEL 2000 - Leslie West and Corky Laing were half
of Mountain during their early ‘70s heyday. America’s answer
to Cream, the band featured West and Laing under the music guidance
of the late, great Felix Pappalardi. A 2004 release on Fuel
2000, Eruption combines two vintage live
concerts from NYC (disc 1, 1985) and on disc 2 live in Belgium (2003).
Hearing West and Laing reclaim classic tracks from Mountain Climbing,
Nantucket Sleighride and even West’s ‘69 Mountain
CD makes for a noteworthy Deja Vu experience. West’s huge
stage presence and characteristic humor, powerhouse vocals and NYC-style
guitar projections are as apparent in 2003 as they were 35 years ago.
Expert notes from Greg Russo puts a fitting finish on a welcome
addition to the Mountain discography and legend.
www.fuel2000.com / www.crossfirepublications.com
JAMIE / GUYDEN - Guitar pioneer Duane Eddy is living history
when it comes to instrumental guitar, so it’s quite fascinating
to discover a rare CD of his entitled Songs Of Our Heritage,
featuring the guitar hero playing an album of American folk music
standards dating back to the 1860 American civil war. Hearing Eddy
performing classic American folk tunes like “Streets Of Laredo”,
“Wayfaring Stranger” and “Scarlet Ribbons”—assisted
by top players like Al Casey (bass), Jim Horn (flute)
and Larry Knechtel (vibraphone)—will be a real ear-opener
for those who are only familiar with Eddy’s classic guitar instro
rock sound. Like the original album notes by Lee Hazelwood pointed
out, these are the songs that Eddy loved the most and all the guitars,
as well as Spanish guitar and banjo are performed by Eddy. Locating
the original three track master tapes for the first time after 40+
years, Jamie / Guyden has revamped the classic eleven track
1960 Lp on their 2004 CD reissue, and adding in eight alternate take
bonus tracks, historic liner notes, original notes and a full color
poster that came with the original Lp. www.jamguy.com
JAZZAND - Recorded in November 2000, Samba de Novembro finds
guitarist Rick Stone in the company of key players including
drummer Matt Wilson. Stone wrote track by track liner notes
for this 2004 release. One of the finest straight-ahead jazz guitarists
on the current NYC scene, the Brooklyn-based Stone is in top form
on his instrumental CD, which mixes a number of Stone originals with
classic covers of Rogers & Hart, Kenny Wheeler, Bill Evans and
Thelonious Monk. A fine player in the spirit of giants like Wes Montgomery
and Kenny Burrell, Stone was also inspired by guitar legends such
as Attila Zoller and Ted Dunbar and he fittingly devotes the CD’s
final track, “In Loving Memory” to them. www.rickstone.com
KALO - Several earlier albums from Connecticut based guitarist
Michael Coppola (Enter The Hydra - 2000 and Return
Of The Hydra - 2001) made references to creatures of Greek mythology
and he continues in that orb with his 17 track 2004 CD, Solo
Acoustic Monster Guitar. Recording in a solo guitar
setting, Coppola flexes his monster fingerstyle guitar chops—on
both steel and nylon string acoustic guitars—on a collection
of rock, jazz, country and classical acoustic guitar instrumentals
that shows off his impressive fretboard dexterity and wide breadth
of musical influences. Key to Coppola’s sound are his four unique
sounding nine string acoustic guitars, built by famed luthier James
DeCava. Referred to in guitar circles as the “Hydra”, the
guitar enables Coppola to achieve the wide sweeping chords and phrasing
used by jazz keyboardists. Regarding the tracks featured on Monster
Guitar, it’s all over the map. A pair of Hendrix covers (“Little
Wing” and “The Wind Cries Mary”) mix things up nicely
with further covers of The Beatles (“Blackbird”), Duane
Eddy (“40 Miles Of Bad Road”), Eric Johnson (“Cliffs
Of Dover”), Mozart (“Rondo Alla Turca”) and more. Commenting
on his guitar influences, Coppola adds, “40 Miles Of Bad Road”
and “Tiger Rag” were arrangements I took from Albert Lee
and put on solo guitar. “The Beaumont Rag” was from Doc
Watson, “Black MT Rag” from Chet, and “Night Train”
from Oscar Peterson”. Also From the liner notes, Coppola proclaims,
“This is a live acoustic guitar recording made without the use
of overdubs, loops or delays.” Apparent after listening to Monster
Guitar is Coppola’s supreme mastery of the 9 string acoustic
guitar as well as his immense respect for the classic music he so
skillfully covers here. www.9string.com
KOCH - Jingle-jangle pure power pop played to perfection, Action
Pact is the latest CD from Toronto rockers Sloan. Relocating
to L.A. for the 2004 recording and picking up on producer Tom Rothrock,
the quartet pull out all the stops on Action Pact.
Comparisons to ‘70s pop icons Cheap Trick and Badfinger aside,
there’s some memorable, original tracks on the 14 track CD. In
the words of guitarist Patrick Pentland, “It used to be
about four guys equally represented but this time, it wasn’t
so much about expressing yourself as trying to put together a fun
rock record” with the band’s other guitarist Jay Ferguson
adding, “The funny thing is upbeat, but underneath it, there’s
a darkness.” www.kochent.com
MAGIC RECORDS - Before The Beatles, (BtB) few Englishmen were
able to make much of a dent on the American pop chart. One did however.
His name was Joe Meek, England’s late, great producer
/ music Svengali who crafted an instrumental classic for it’s
time called “Telstar”, which miraculously rode into the
number two slot on the American pop charts (and everywhere else on
Earth) during Christmas of 1962. The world was a great place back
then and few songs were able to capture that sense of zealous wonder
at the dawn of the ‘60s as well as “Telstar” did. The
Tornados were Meek prodigies and armed with Joe’s studio
and compositional finesse, the song, as recorded by The Tornados,
redefined instrumental music world-wide, a fact underscored by a 2003
CD tribute to the song on Magic Records entitled Telstarmania.
Kicking off with the Tornados original, Meek-produced version,
the CD goes about the honor of compiling and sequencing 22 different
versions of “Telstar” as recorded since 1962 by instro icons
like The Shadows (who covered it on their 1981 classic Hits Up
Your Street), a second fabulous 1975 rerecording of the song by
The Tornados, as well as more versions by The Ventures, The
Challengers, The Spotnicks and a whole slew of unknown instro bands.
A song for the ages, the instrumental wonder of “Telstar”
linked continents (and worlds, no doubt in Joe Meek’s mind) and
the magic lives on yet. www.magic-records.com
MAGNATUDE - In the years following his stint in the heavy metal
band Testament, guitarist Alex Skolnick turned his attention
to jazz improvisation. Fronting a power jazz fusion trio called Attention
Deficit and releasing two critically acclaimed instrumental albums
with Michael Manring and Tim Alexander on Magna Carta, Skolnick has
also gained a following with his own trio and his latest release on
Magnatude, Transformation continues his penchant
for reworking hard rock tunes from Pink Floyd (“Money”),
Deep Purple (“Highway Star”) and more as vintage sounding
jazz fusion tracks. Furthering Skolnick’s impeccable, jazzy guitar
workouts, Nathan Peck (double bass) and Matt Zebroski (drums)
egg on the guitarist into a musical terrain that owes more to Grant
Green and Wes Montgomery than Deep Purple, Judas Priest or even Joe
Satriani for that matter. www.magnacarta.net
MARC KLOCK - Assisted by fusion icons like Mahavishnu violin maven
Jerry Goodman and Phil Chen (bassist on Jeff Beck’s
Blow By Blow), guitar wiz Marc Klock unleashed his latest
CD Tentacle Dreams in 2004. Echoing the feel
of the guitar greats who came before him, including Holdsworth, McLaughlin
and Jeff Beck, Klock taps into the vintage fusion sound, while also
crafting a sonic guitar fusion hybrid for the new millennium. Recorded
at Klock’s Fusion Studio in L.A., Tentacle Dreams was
produced and mixed by Klock and the attention to detail and sonic
layering is most apparent—from mastering to pressing. Klock and
Goodman share the soundstage, egging each other on with daredevil
pyrotechnics in the finest Mahavishnu Orchestra spirit. Klock knows
when to plow underneath with his cutting edge rhythm work, but he
also knows when it’s time to cut loose with a scintillating guitar
solo. If you like your fusion hot and heavy, with guitar work that
thrills, pick up on Tentacle Dreams. www.marcklock.com
MULTIPHASE - One of the most eclectic guitarists working today,
S.F.-based Carl Weingarten chronicles high points from his
many fine solo albums on the 66+ minute, 16 track Hand In The
Sand - A Collection 1990-2004. Commenting on his 2004
retrospective Carl adds, “This compilation serves as a personal
mile marker. No journey is made without stopping to consult the map.”
Spanning tracks featured on a number of Weingarten CDs released between
1990-2004, the compilation features a number of key players including
Brian Knave (drums), Michael Manring (bass, ebow), Robert
Powell (pedal steel) and Barry Cleveland (percussion).
From start to finish, the CD maintains a steady, interesting flow
and to cap things off, there’s a new exclusive track, entitled
“Holographic Blues”, as well as two tracks from Carl’s
upcoming Spring 2005 album Local Journeys. A modern master
of the dobro, ebow, as well as classical and slide guitars, Weingarten
has been compared, throughout his career, to greats like Robert Fripp,
Leo Kottke and Ry Cooder and in the spirit of those legendary fretboard
masters Hand In The Sand covers a wide range of phenomenal
guitar visions. www.mphase.com
OKIEMOTION - One of the best kept secrets from the state of Oklahoma,
guitar ace Terry Ware released his best album yet in 2004.
The all instrumental 12 track Ridin’ The Reverb Range
finds Ware reviving the instro guitar field made famous by The
Ventures, The Shadows, Booker T & The MG's, Frank Zappa and more
recently by Los Straitjackets. With track titles like “Galactic
Orphan (Meek’s Shadow)” and “Bob Goes To Spy School”,
Ware keeps the spirits high and he even sums up fine covers of the
Davie Allan classic “Chopper / Fender Bender” while
offering his own instro take on the Dusty Springfield chestnut “You
Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”. Featuring a range of originals,
the CD establishes Ware right up there America’s finest spy/surf
guitar practitioners. www.cdbaby.com/cd/tware2
PALM RECORDS - Featuring a roster of talent and releases that
spotlight the classic guitar sounds of Hawaii, Palm Records is
one of the top record labels from the 50th state. A 2003 various artists
compilation on Palm, Slack Key Guitar Volume 2, assembles
fourteen tracks from ten modern slack key guitarists including Sonny
Lim, Bryan Kessler, Ken Emerson and Charles Michael
Brotman. As the CD liner notes point out, the CD was recorded
on the Big Island of Hawaii, the very place where Mexican and Spanish
cowboys introduced the Hawaiians to the guitar back in the 1800’s.
All Palm Records CD releases feature attractive cover art and the
gorgeous sound quality can’t be beat. In addition to Palm’s
Slack Key Guitar series, they also feature a number of releases
from Kohala, a Hawaiian ensemble that mixes island sounds with gentle
jazz instrumentals featuring acoustic, classical and slack key guitars.
www.palmrecords.com
PARASOL - I really feel for those younger up and coming pop pundits.
Imagine having to compete with all time classic rock classics like
Odessey & Oracle and Pet Sounds featuring a singer
that can hold an album’s worth of attention such as Colin Blunstone
or Brian and Carl Wilson. Well once and a while some upstart with
undaunted courage and prodigal talent steps forth to stake his claim.
In this case, Kevin Tihista lays his cards on the table with
the wildly successful Wake Up Captain from his band,
Kevin Tihista’s Red Terror. Like Zombies founder Rod Argent
and Brian Wilson, Tihista is a multi-talented singer-songwriter and
arranger who is well versed on a range of instruments, in this case
guitars and keyboards. The instrumentation is richly recorded and
the vivid production on Wake Up Captain is a modern reminder
of Beatles producer George Martin’s fabled ‘60s studio work.
A range of fine players and talented back-up singers help Tihista
succeed in his effort to consummate a modern pop album that clearly
has it’s heart and soul in the 1960’s. Oh and extra points
for that amazing CD cover art. www.kevintihista.com
POP COLLECTIVE / NEW SURF - Music director for the Brian Wilson
band, vocalist/guitarist Jeff Foskett released a 2004 CD compilation
on Pop Collective. Backed up by informative track by track
liner notes, Stars In The Sand collects 14 Foskett
classics including the lead off “Living Alone” (co-written
by Robert Lamm), “Cool And Gone” a pair of Foskett
covers written by Marshall Crenshaw (also featuring Marshall
on guitar), a cover of the Neal Sedaka classic “Laughter In The
Rain” and a Foskett version of “I Live For The Sun”,
written by Richard Henn for his group The Sunrays. Few artists are
capable of summoning of the best spirit of West Coast Beach Boys style
pop as brilliantly as Jeff Foskett and all the proof you need comes
together on Stars In The Sand. www.popcollective.com
RAINBOW QUARTZ - NYC based Rainbow Quartz continues
releasing way cool retro flavored modern pop album. Recent titles
by Myracle Brah as an example, RQ follow through with the 2004 CD
entitled Take Me Take Me by Spain’s premier
psych-pop ensemble The Zinedines. With hand on the pulse of
Beatles inspired ‘60s sounds and another on the brave new world
of a diminishing planet, the quartet boasts stellar songwriting and
musicianship from all including singer-songwriter Manuel Martinez
and his brother / guitarist Miguel Martinez, the band makes
a first class statement regarding the true internationality and timelessness
of catchy, evergreen pop played with vision and hindsight. www.thezinedines.com
/ www.rainbowquartz.com
RICH ROGER - Currently teaching guitar in Connecticut, Long
Island native Rich Roger found time in 2004 to release a fine
CD of superbly recorded electric guitar instrumentals. Fusing blues,
Latin, rock, celtic, classical and shredding oriental flavors, Roger,
in this trio setting, comes across as a vital recruit from the guitar
thought of Malmsteen, Marty Friedman and Jason Becker, yet there’s
also some quite unique in Roger’s lucid phrasing and crystal
clear guitar tone. A hard rock style instro guitar fusion album brimming
with presence and depth, Fire In The Rain shoots and
scores. www.richroger.com
SILENT PLANET - For the past 40+ years Brian Wilson’s
music has been covered by numerous fans and fellow musicians alike
and the story continues on the 2004 CD release of Making God
SMiLE: An Artist’s Tribute To The Songs Of Beach Boy Brian Wilson.
Even for the most jaded or fanatical Wilson fan, there will be
something of interest here with highlights including Rick Altizer
covering “Surf’s Up”, Doug Powell with an
effective “Til I Die”, Phil Keaggy contributing a
true to life vision of “Good Vibrations”, Dolour with
“This Whole World” and more. Released by North Carolina-based
Silent Planet Records—who did a great job with their 2004
compilation by Wilson guitarist Jeff Foskett—Making
God SMiLE features a booklet full of personal Wilson / Beach Boys
accolades by each of the 17 artists here + colorful artwork spoofing
the planned, smiles and grins 1967 Lp jacket artwork of Smile.
www.silentplanetrecords.com
SIX FIVE MUSIC - Guitarist Steve Greenbaum covers a
wide range of instrumental guitar-based sounds on the ten track Taking
A Turn—all of it providing some fine musical scenery.
Greenbaum cites the cerebral instrumental guitar sound of Pat Metheny
and finger style guitarists like Adrian Legg as influences and you
can hear a similar self-confidence and musical density in Greenbaum’s
acoustic and electric work. The best tracks here, such as “The
Road Calls” feature Greenbaum’s evocative double tracked
guitars backed by the sparse yet effective percussion from Eddie
Hartness, while other tracks feature full band support from a
number of players including Rick Schmidt (bass, violin). Superbly
recorded with Greenbaum’s guitar sound mixed front and center,
Taking A Turn thrives on a variety of intuitive, guitar-based
sound images. www.stevegreenbaummusic.com
SKYVISION - A graduate of the G.I.T. in L.A., guitar ace Dave
Odegaard takes the guitar scene by storm on Second Attention.
An impressive mix of weighty progressive rock and heavy guitar
ballads, the all instrumental CD pairs Odegaard’s electric guitar
with the bass and drums of Wade Biery and John Cardoso.
According to the guitarist, “What I went for was a reckless abandon
attitude towards playing.” Odegaard’s free-spirited guitar
work is reminiscent of the flashy, innovative metal-rock work of Steve
Vai and even the melodic, pulsating, instrumental techo-rock of Jan
Hammer. Loaded with an abundance of sonic surprises, Second Attention
is a fine showcase for Odegaard’s formidable fretboard expertise.
www.daveodegaard.com
SONY LEGACY - Released by Columbia Records on August
19, 1969—the day after their appearance at the 1969 Woodstock
Music & Arts Fair, the debut, self-titled album from Santana
remains a watershed moment in the development of American rock
music. The original six man Santana lineup—including guitar great
Carlos Santana, Gregg Rolie (keyboards) and Michael
Shrieve (drums)—has forever been considered the definitive
lineup of the band. The story of the original Santana lineup and their
fabled ‘69 debut album is retold on a 2004 reissue on Sony Music
entitled Santana: Legacy Edition. Most long time
fans are familiar with the original Santana album, although
the 2004 double CD Legacy Edition sheds new light on this history
making release, adding in an additional CD of bonus tracks from the
original—though never released—January 1969 sessions and
the group’s entire seven song, 42 minute set from the ‘69
Woodstock Festival. Quite a revelation for long time Santana fans
who might have thought they knew everything about one of the true
classics from 1969, the 25 track Santana: Legacy Edition is
complete with an impressive booklet filled with rare photos, extensive
discography information and 2004 liner notes by Hal Miller.
www.legacyrecordings.com/santana
Another classic artist, originally signed to Columbia at the tail
end of the ‘60s, Texas blues rocker and electric / slide guitar
ace Johnny Winter is given the deluxe treatment with the 2004
reissue of Second Winter: Legacy Edition. Released
in October 1969 as a double Lp—a three sided set with one side
blank!—Second Winter was an action-packed follow up to
Winter’s classic 1969 self-titled Columbia debut. An overnight
success and one of the early American blues-rock classics, Second
Winter packed a powerful punch. Kicking off with Winter’s
blistering cover of the Percy Mayfield classic, “Memory Pain”,
Legacy’s 2004 reissue of Second Winter: Legacy Edition is
filled out with a pair of bonus tracks and a second bonus, nine track
CD featuring a previously unreleased Winter concert live at the Royal
Albert Hall in London on April 17, 1970 spotlighting the Second
Winter lineup of Edgar Winter (sax, keyboards), Tommy
Shannon (bass) and John Turner (drums). www.legacyrecordings.com/johnnywinter
SOUND CITY - While the latest pop bands continue to wonder
just how it all started, it’s worth noting the release of a freshly
unearthed musical salute to Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson.
Recorded nearly 35 years ago (!), Smile For Me - A Symphonic
Salute To Brian Wilson was produced, arranged and conducted
by the late great Gary Usher. with sessions commencing at Hollywood’s
A&M studios on January 5th, 1970. Featuring orchestral renditions
of some of the greatest music of the 20th Century, Smile For Me
offers further proof of Wilson’s musical greatness as depicted
and interpreted by Usher’s studio production wizardry. Usher,
of course, wrote a variety of classics with Wilson, including “In
My Room”, one of the ten Wilson classics feted here. While he
sadly passed away at the dawn of the ‘90s, Gary Usher would be
immensely proud of this 2004 CD release on Sound City Entertainment.
Liner notes by Usher confidant Joey Stec offers a timely reminder
of Usher’s Wilsonian vision while additional notes from
Steve Stanley further itemizes the 1970 SFM sessions,
also listing all the great musicians taking part in this rare and
beautiful album. www.soundcityent.com
SPACES
WEB - Back in the ‘70s, Italy was at the forefront of the
‘70s European jazz rock renaissance. Groups like Perigeo, Tony
Esposito and Sensations Fix changed the worldwide perception of musical
cultures. More in the spirit of these times, Italian guitarist Marco
Iacobini joins forces with Lorenzo Gentile (drums) and
Alfredo Paixao (bass/keys) for a 2004 instrumental jazz rock
album by their power trio Spaces. 
Guitarist Marco Iacobini cuts loose on a round
of high energy instrumental rock fusion tracks echoing the work of
his mentor Steve Lukather. The Spaces album is well played, features
intense, dazzling lead guitar lines and is superbly recorded as well.
In the words of Iacobini, “The music reflects a collection of
ideas I’d been working on at the time. And with the help of my
band, each composition developed into a unique statement of texture,
emotion and style.” The guitarist puts his Ibanez RG custom guitar
to excellent use while also explaining, “the body is of American
basswood with quilted maple top, attached to a maple neck fitted with
any Brazilian rosewood fretboard, electronics by DiMarzio.” Fans
of Lukather will be mighty impressed by Marco’s fleet fingers
approach to jazz-rock while also adding in further influences like
Jeff Beck, Eddy Van-Halen, Larry Carlton and Yngwie Malmsteen. www.spacesweb.com
SUPERSATURATED RECORDS - Back in the mid ‘80s, guitarist
Barry Cleveland released his debut album, Mythos, on
Larry Fast’s Audion Records. Both Mythos and his 1989
album Voluntary Dreaming were critically acclaimed for their
cutting edge approach to New Age-based electronic music and both were
filled with Cleveland skillful work on acoustic / electric guitars
and synth / samplers. In the ‘90s Cleveland began writing for
music magazines and he also scored with his book, Joe Meek’s
Bold Techniques, published by MixBooks (artistpro.com) in the
Fall of 2001. Also a member of the S.F. Bay area improvisational quintet
Cloud Chamber, Cleveland released his latest studio masterpiece,
Volcano, in 2004. A colorful, instrumental mix
of African rhythms, jazz, ambient and World Music, Volanco features
Cleveland’s guitar work backed up by notable players including
Cloud Chamber bassist Michael Manring (bass). Interestingly,
Cleveland has simultaneously released a double CD retrospective entitled
Memory & Imagination, pairing
the best tracks from his two ‘80s albums with previously unreleased
material based on guitar and percussion loops, almost entirely played
by Cleveland.
Otherworldly, mystical and panoramic are just a few adjectives
which best describe Cleveland’s flawless approach to ambient,
guitar-based electronic instrumental music. www.barrycleveland.com
33RD STREET -Minimalist guitar music perfect for that late
night stretch of open road on I-95, Long Drive Home
establishes Tennessee-based Ralph E. Hayes as the latest
proponent of guitar noir. The place where Duane Eddy meets David Gilmour,
the 11 track CD mixes various elements including ambient-chill, surf
guitar and lounge. Hayes composed and performed the entire set and
commenting on his choice of guitars the guitarist adds, “After
hearing the Telecaster twang of Pete Anderson, I began to personalize
my Strat so that it had the twang of the Tele with the rock sound
of the Strat. I also incorporated the Fender Deluxe Reverb into my
system because it’s such a clean-sounding amp, and it’s
all tube so it has that great big warm sound.". www.33rdstreet.com
THUNDERATION -Men Of Steel have got it covered on Live:
Men Of Steel - The Art Of The Steel String Guitar. Recorded
live on 2/26/03 at the Star Cinema in Stayton, Oregon, the 51 minute
CD features an expansive palette of steel string acoustic guitar instrumentals
performed by a quartet of guitarists including Don Ross (from
Toronto), Tony McManus (of Edinburgh, Scotland), Beppe Gambetta
(of Genova, Italy) and Dan Crary (Oregon, USA). Between
them, these four players combine a wealth of guitar-based expertise.
Whether performing originals like the Don Ross-penned “Loaded.
Leather. Moonroof” (described as Pat Metheny meets ZZ Top), the
Celtic style “Bagpipe Tunes For Guitar” (featuring McManus)
or any of the tracks here, there’s plenty of well crafted sounds
to admire. The CD’s lone vocal track—a cover of the Hudie
Ledbetter classic, “The Titanic”—featuring Ross, rounds
out a sublime live CD of acoustic guitar excellence. www.thunderation.com
URBAN ISLAND -Milwaukee native Daryl Stuermer grew up
listening to Mike Bloomfield, B.B. King and later Howard Roberts,
George Benson and fusion fretboard kings like McLaughlin and Coryell.
Forming the band Sweetbottom in 1973, he went to be the guitar sound
of Jean Luc Ponty and George Duke back in the ‘70s before landing
a late ‘70s / early ‘80s role with Genesis. Stuermer played
on the debut solo album from Phil Collins back in 1981 and in 2004
is currently playing on what Collins calls his ‘first final farewell
tour.’ Also in 2004 Stuermer released his fifth solo recording
and fourth CD since starting up his Urban Island imprint. The
9 track Retrofit finds Stuermer backed up by a fine
lineup of players including Kostia on keyboards, John Calarco
(drums) and Eric Hervey (bass). A mellow, upbeat, instrumental
smooth jazz vibe prevails with Stuermer’s fine guitar touch vividly
echoing his solo work as well as his work with Collins in a variety
of accomplished, guitar-based instrumental settings. Among the best
tracks here is an instrumental version of a song co-written with Collins
back in 1994 entitled “The Least You Can Do.” www.darylstuermer.com
VARESE VINTAGE - Before they struck gold with their early ‘68
album classic Odessey And Oracle, The Zombies were primarily
known as a singles band. The group’s first label, Decca, apparently
underestimated the greatness within the group, but now forty years
later, eighteen classic Zombies sides are recalled on a 2004 self-titled
Zombies compilation on L.A.-based Varese.
Accurately described as a collection of hits and misses originally
recorded on the Decca / Parrot line between 1964 through early ‘67,
the Zombies CD accurately portrays Rod Argent, Chris
White, Colin Blunstone & Co. as pop visionaries worthy
of icon status. Anyone doubting that, should check out their great
February ‘66 single “Is This The Dream” b/w “”Don’t
Go Away”. Rare stereo and mono mixes—including a stereo
mix of “She’s Not There” and Zombies soundtrack sides—are
put into perspective with informative liner notes and vintage photos.
http://members.aol.com/bocad/zom.htm
WSM - The great WSM axis of Rhino and Warner Bros.
continues turning out box sets and new sounds from music greats and
with that in mind, in 2004 the label reissued nine solo albums from
NYC singer-songwriter legend Paul Simon. Released individually
and as part of a 9 CD box set entitled Paul Simon: The Studio
Recordings 1972-2000, the spotlight series serves as
a weighty compendium of Simon’s songwriting genius. Combined,
The Studio Recordings 1972-2000 yields six never before released
Simon songs, while individually each CD is enhanced by original artwork,
attractive digi-pak design and a generous helping of bonus cuts, acoustic
demos, outtakes, soundtrack sides and various works in progress. Following
his groundbreaking ‘60s and 1970 work with Simon & Garfunkel,
Simon went on to a star-studded solo career, kicking things off with
his perennially popular self-titled debut, Paul Simon (1972).
Filling out the retrospective set are There Goes Rhymin’
Simon (1973), Still Crazy After All These Years (1975),
One Trick Pony (1980), Hearts And Bones (1983),
Graceland (1986), Rhythm Of The Saints (1986),
Songs From The Capeman (1997) topped off by Simon’s
most recent solo effort, You’re The One (2000).
Put together these albums are a textbook lesson in crafting tasty,
timeless pop songs ripe for rediscovery for generations to come. One
can wait with baited breath for the upcoming studio album from the
recently reunited Simon & Garfunkel. www.rhino.com
YEP ROC - Brothers Travis Good and Dallas Good (guitars,
vocals) join forces with Sean Dean (bass) and
Mike Belitsky (drums) for the fifth Sadies release and
second on Yep Roc. A host of genres including spaghetti western
style instrumentals to a songs that merge the psychedelic country
bluegrass twang of Gram Parsons and Clarence White-era Byrds with
startling acumen on Favorite Colours. An assortment of guests
join the the fun including popmeister Robin Hitchcock, various
members of Calexico, Elevator and the Good’s parents. The instrumental
tracks really stand out on the 13 track, 32 minute CD with a definite
highlights being the Pink Floyd inspired instrumental, “A Burning
Snowman” and the British Invasion / Kinks aura of the set closer,
“Why Would Anybody Live Here?” www.thesadies.net
Attention Artists and Record Companies: Have your CD reviewed
in www.mwe3.com and 20th Century Guitar. Send to CD Reviews Editor
Robert Silverstein, P.O. Box 630249, Little Neck, N.Y. 11363-0249
e-mail: rss54@mwe3.com
