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| CD Reviews | Feature | Reviews & Features Archive | Photo Archive | Contact | MWE3 Home |
| Email: Info@mwe3.com |
Copyright
©2000-2009 MWE3.com, Inc. |
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So after checking out the entire CD, clearly there’s plenty more
good sounds where “Lock And Key” came from. There’s
a wild unique alt-rock kind of vibe on Swim, the
Acony Records debut from Whispertown 2000. The first band signed to
Acony—the label started by singer-songwriter Gillian Welch—The
Whispertown 2000 features the twin lead, vocals of Morgan Nagler
and Vanesa Corbala. Joined here by guitarists Adrian
Wisenbaker (guitar) and Carey Wisenbaker (bass), these
gals will have you crying in your beer in no time. This ain’t
your daddy’s cowpunk. Whispertown 2000 make alternative country-tinged
folk fleshed out by some startling songs mixed in with a variant of
progressive pop sounds that will have you coming back for more. Whatever
you call it—avant blues, new traditional, sweet/sad, cowpunk—The
Whispertown 2000 is off to a solid start with Swim. 
drummer Jay Shellen, the sound is still top notch prog-rock music.
With Sherwood handling all the bass and vocals, the Circa trademark
sound continues on HQ with an array of complex Yes inspired
prog-rock. Having top players like Yes founding keyboardist Tony Kaye
on board adds to authentic prog connection, while both Haun and Schellen
clearly share a sense of musical ESP with both Sherwood and Kaye.
As if the new Circa HQ CD wasn’t enough, Sherwood also
recently released a new solo CD in 2009. Entitled At The Speed
Of Life, the CD is a true solo album in every sense
of the word. With Sherwood handling all the vocals and instruments,
At The Speed Of Life is very much in the Circa / Yes sound
style and clearly carries forth Sherwood’s reputation as one
of the leading prog-rock music makers of the new millennium. 
Tom Brislin played keyboards on the 2009 Syn CD, Big Sky.Although
this latest version of the Syn sadly and unexpectedly broke up following
some critically acclaimed East Coast gigs in late April 2009, Brislin’s
excellent keyboard work on Big Sky is a testament to his musical
genius. Based out in N.J., Brislin continues making waves with his
own band Spiraling. On time with the long awaited follow up
to the 2004 Spiraling CD, Transmitter, Brislin & Co. released
Time Travel Made Easy. Broken into two parts,
the 13 track, 2009 CD contains a wealth of catchy synth pop that often
displays it’s prog roots. Once again Brislin is joined by top
players including guitarist Marty O’Kane, here echoing
his electrifying fretboard work on the Transmitter CD. If you
like catchy, thoughtful power pop that tastefully mixes in progressive
overtones, you’ll catch a buzz from Tom Brislin and his latest
CD with Spiraling. 
release,
the 12 track Decca Records US release of Easy Come Easy Go paints
a convincing musical portrait of Marianne Faithfull in 2009.Featuring
Faithfull working alongside noted producer Hal Willner, the
single CD 12 track release features Faithfull covering Dolly Parton,
Eno, Randy Newman, Morrissey and more. Guitarists appearing including
Marc Ribot, long time Faithfull collaborator Barry Reynolds,
Keith Richards and Sean Lennon. Recording at Sear Sound
in Manhattan, Wilner and Faithfull bring their long time recording
relationship full circle. Some of the best tracks on Easy Come
Easy Go—such as the Eno cover “How Many Worlds”
and the Neko Case cover of “Hold On Hold On”—combine
for an upbeat rock bounce balanced out in the end by Faithfull’s
penchant for arty cabaret and pop soliloquy. 
As Smithereens front man Pat DiNizio puts it ‘This is
punk rock opera meets the godfathers of pop. Plain and simple.’
With the core lineup of guitarists / singers DiNizio and Jim Babjak,
along with drummer Dennis Diken, The Smithereens Play
Tommy features 13 of the key tracks from the Who’s original.
It’s all done with a definite sense of class and finesse that
keeps the sense of original in mind. With a great cover art that kind
of spoofs the Tommy phenomenon, this special 40th anniversary
of The Smithereens Play Tommy is one cool retro rock moment.
An up-and-coming force on the blues scene carrying forth the blues
into the new millennium, Dave Fields stakes his claim on the
blues with his 2009 CD All Wound Up.Like Clapton
and Green, Fields makes his bluesy rock approach appealing to the
listener thanks to his easy on the ears vocal sound and spirited electric
guitar style. Composing all the music here, Fields is backed up by
a range of top players including drummers Wes Little and Dave
Moore, Billy Gibson (harp) and many more. In addition to
his singing, guitar playing and occasional keyboard work, Fields also
plays drums on a couple tracks here. A must for fans of guitar icons
such as Clapton, Hendrix and Trower, All Wound Up is a solid
set of electrifying rockin’ blues. 
New
Order back in 1978, Durutti Column continue on into 2009 with
a new CD appropriately entitled
Love
In The Time Of Recession. With ambient guitar innovator
Vini Reilly still at the helm, Durutti Column remain one of
instrumental / vocal rock’s most diverse ensembles. Along with
Reilly’s occasional ambient vocals and wild vision of the guitar
(think a cross between Fripp and Eno), Durutti Column mainly features
Reilly’s multiplexed guitars often sounding like a sonic guitar
soundtrack backed up by some fine players including long time drummer
Bruce Mitchell. Acclaimed avant gard musical conceptualist
John Metcalf was featured on earlier Durutti Column releases.
Interesting how Reilly and Metcalf are so facile with their musical
ideas, sounds that flow like wine. Check out Metcalf’s latest
CD too. Eno and a splendid mix between Fripp and Frith are noted influences
here. Of course, coming from England what would you expect? Love
In The Time Of Recession may be one of Reilly’s best albums
to date and the CD fits neatly into the Durutti Column legacy. 
The 15 track Birth Of The "Gypsybilly" combines
vocals, Gypsy Jazz flavored sounds, Rockabilly and Country music.
Featuring the Brian Setzer rhythm section of Bernie Dresel (drums)
and John “Spazz” Hatton (bass), as well as violinist
Charlie Bisharat, Birth Of The "Gypsybilly"
is centered around the guitars and vocal of Fabrice Vignati and
the jazzy Mary Ford style vocals of singer Tracy Vignati. Overall,
the CD really captures the essence of Gypsy Jazz in the new millennium.
The occasional French vocal by Fabrice and a bunch of English language
vocals by Tracy makes way for the swing guitar groove of Fabrice,
including a couple cool guitar based instrumentals. For guitar fans
an instro highlight, “Reverie Savoyarde” features Fabrice’s
guitar working out with some great pedal steel sounds from Chris
Allen Burke. Birth Of The "Gypsybilly" is a cool
little CD for fans of swing guitar greats,, from ‘50s rocker
Scotty Moore to the 2000 sounds of Brian Setzer. 
Joe Bonamassa knows that and that’s why he keeps master
producer Kevin Shirley close to the mixing desk.
On Joe’s 2009 CD, The Ballad Of John Henry, both
guitarist and producer continue mining the progressive blues-rock
sound so successfully explored on the 2007 Bonamassa release of Sloe
Gin. Passing away back in the ‘90s, Miller would be
so proud of Joe’s John Henry cover of the original Miller
production of “Feelin’ Good” from Traffic’s third
album, Last Exit. At 31, Joe Bonamassa sounds like a seasoned
guitar veteran carrying forth the spirit of blues rock icons such
as Alvin Lee and Kim Simmonds. Bonamassa also cites early greats like
Paul Kossoff and Mick Abrahams while fundamental inspirations like
B.B. King and Danny Gatton continue to find their way into the Bonamassa
sound. With Kevin Shirley adding tasteful light and shade details
in the studio, The Ballad Of John Henry also benefits from
seasoned hands like Blondie Chaplin (rhythm guitar) and Carmine
Rojas (bass). Bonamassa is calling The Ballad Of John Henry
among his greatest achievements yet. Fans will find it hard to
argue with Joe’s estimation! 
Back
then, Paul Kantner and Grace Slick were happy espousing their futuristic
diatribes of a hippy utopia and Marty Balin was gut wrenching his
soul on Airplane tracks like “Today” and later during the
Starship era, the song “Miracles”. But even in the midst
of heady psychedelia, Airplane guitarists Jorma Kaukonen and Jack
Casady were happy as kids cooking flapjacks when it came to their
rootsy blues-rock Hot Tuna sound.
A guitar legend who’s had a stellar solo career since the Airplane
and Hot Tuna days, Jorma Kaukonen has recently been recording
for Minnesota-based Red House Records.First up was Jorma’s 2007
Red House release of Stars In My Crown, and now in 2009 he
follows with River Of Time. Produced by multi-instrumentalist
Larry Campbell and featuring top players like Levon Helm
and long time Kaukonen comrade Barry Mitterhoff, the
CD features Jorma comfortably recording in the studio. From start
to finnish, River Of Time is a centerpiece production for Kaukonen’s
one of a kind guitars and vocals. There’s plenty of Kaukonen
originals on hand along with music from his formative years including
fresh covers of Mississippi John Hurt, Merle Haggard and Rev. Gary
Davis, topped off with a fine cover of the Grateful Dead classic “Operator.”
Add in a stirring cover of “Trouble In Mind,” a couple instrumentals,
the Hot Tuna flavored “Izze’s Lullaby” and the highly
spiritual “A Walk With Friends” and you’ve got the
makings of yet another Kaukonen album classic.
teams with producer Nick Di Dia. Di Dia’s technical edge
in the studio breaths new life into Malone’s latest batch of
songs to which she adds, ‘Nick is brilliant, and we found that
we work very well together. He let the songs take us where they wanted
to go.’ Backed by a solid band including guitarist Peter Stroud,
Malone expertly mixes things up with a composite of gritty electric
guitar blues and a straight ahead rock sound that will put her in
good standing among fans of rockers like Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams
and the Stones. As Debris intends, few singer-songwriters and
guitarists mix rock, pop and blues as well as Malone. These songs
have hooks and the arrangements sizzle under the weight of Malone’s
long standing experience on the road. 
With Lynch handling all the guitars and backed up by a solid band,
including vocalist London Legrand, Let The Truth Be Known,
is a solid representation of Lynch and his myriad of rock influences.
An endorser of ESP guitars since 1986, Lynch has a remarkable grasp
on the hard rock guitar style and as a result, he should have across
the board appeal with Dokken’s hard rock crowd as well as fans
of Holdsworth, Fripp and other prog guitar legends who’ve been
known for their rock work in the past. One listen to Souls Of We and
it’s clear that Lynch is on the cutting edge of extreme hard
rock guitar. There’s few mellow moments on Let The Truth Be
Known, so put it in the CD player, brace yourself and be prepared
to be blown away by Lynch and his Souls Of We.
Featuring guitarists David Nelson (lead guitar) and Buddy
Cage (steel guitar) backing up the songs of John Dawson,
the New Riders were signed to Columbia by mogul Clive Davis and went
on to record 12 albums while selling 4 million. A revived New Riders
lineup—featuring Nelson and Cage along with a new rhythm section
and Hot Tuna guitarist Michael Falzarano—has yielded the
band’s first new studio album in twenty years. Most of the tracks
on Where I Come From were co-written by Nelson and his long
time good buddy, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. An air
of spontaneous psychedelia abounds on Where I Come From, with
Nelson and Cage recreating that magical New Riders guitar sound that
so many Deadheads tripped out to back in 1972. 
made
a huge impact on rock fans who tuned on to legends like ELP and Yes
back around 1970. When his first CD came out a couple years back,
Italian piano / pipe organ virtuoso Marco Lo Muscio was widely
acclaimed by prog-rock legends such as Steve Hackett and Rick Wakeman.
Filled with classically inspired instrumentals performed on grand
piano and pipe organ, Marco’s first solo album, New Horizons
was dedicated to the music of Steve Hackett. On his 2009 CD Dark
And Light, Marco expands on his prog keyboard vision
with a follow up CD featuring fresh transcriptions of classic compositions
by Steve Hackett, Anthony Phillips, Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson.
With the first half performed on grand piano and the second performed
on pipe organ, Marco’s original compositions include tributes
to Erik Satie and jazz piano legend Bill Evans. Marco’s multipart,
14+ minute opus, filled with daring, grand piano extrapolations, “The
Book Of Gandalf” is a definite Dark And Light highlight.
On both New Horizons and Dark And Light, Marco Lo Muscio
makes beautifully recorded, classically inspired instrumental piano
and organ music for rock fans with an open mind towards the classics.
Masterful, meditative instrumental keyboard music at it’s finest,
Dark And Light features an excellent CD booklet filled with
in depth liner notes—in both English and Italian—along with
additional liner notes from guitar legend Steve Hackett. 
Canadian guitarist Duane Andrews spent time in France and upon
his return he took up the Gypsy Jazz torch and the results sound great
on his 2008 CD, Raindrops. A popular guitarist up in
his native Canada, Andrews digs deep and delivers the goods with Raindrops.
A stellar mix of Andrews originals, traditional arrangements and
a Django cover fill up the sound stage on Raindrops. Backed
up several key players, including rhythm guitarist Steve Hussey,
and accompanied by The Atlantic String Quartet, Andrews displays
a wide range of chops and impeccable taste on an all instrumental
CD that not only sounds good but feels good as well. Track by track
notes by Andrews within the well packaged digi-pak CD design fills
in the missing pieces behind Andrews’ musette of choice. 
A CD specializing in instrumental rock mixed up with some hardcore
industrial trimming, There Is No Sound In Space is
a real existential sounding album that will blow your mind. Excellently
recorded, the CD is at once rock based and avant gard. Sudakow’s
sting sound draws on prime influences like Jean-Luc Ponty and Jerry
Goodman, while Zimmerman sounds very influenced by giants like Hendrix,
Howe and Hackett. Being all instrumental, There Is No Sound In
Space leaves plenty of room for your musical imagination to run
free and wild. Engineered by Zimmerman and composed by both artists,
There Is No Sound In Space makes an excellent choice for rock
and fusion fans and classical mavens with a penchant for rocking out.
Case in point is Geissman’s 2009 CD, Cool Man Cool.
Sure enough, the 14 track, all instrumental Cool Man Cool finds
Geissman working out on his Gibson 335 in the studio backed up by
jazz giants such as Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Patrice
Rushen, Jerry Hahn, Mike Finnigan and rock legend
Van Dyke Parks. From the colorful booklet containing
track by track credits and liner notes and pics, Geissman adds, ‘The
original idea was to try and write in different jazz or jazzy style
that I thought were cool. Then as the project developed it also became
about inviting some old friends of mine that I’ve always thought
were cool to come play. So that became the dual concept of the project—cool
music I like to play, cool people that I like to play with.’
An established recording artist and session guitarist with a track
record that includes backing up Quincy Jones, Mangione, Ringo Starr
and Burt Bacharach to name a few, Geissman sets a new standard of
guitar excellence with Cool Man Cool. 
JRCD
-
The CD cover art of the new Johnny Roth CD Vu Jah De'
is some pretty hairy stuff, but the the music inside is easy as
pie to dig into. Roth made instrumental rock guitar enthusiasts happy
with his 2003 album, Still Not Talkin’ and five years
later, Vu Jah De' carries his guitar sound forward. Roth cites
Carlton and Ritenour as big guitar influences yet one can also detect
shades of Cropper and Betts amid the all instrumental fare on Vu
Jah De'. Once again producing, engineering, mixing and playing
all the instruments, Roth does receive a bit of help on the title
track and “North Delta Heat” from his brother, drummer Barry
Roth. Even with his modest studio budget, Roth proves masterful
with plenty of chompin’ at the bit guitar instros on the boards.
Along
similar lines as The Farangs, Haavisto has also released the debut
album from Solo Adultos. Written, played and recorded by Chris
Cote and Janne Haavisto in NYC during 2005 the eleven cut Lost
Weekends is even stranger and more out there than the Farangs
CD. World Beat, surf-style guitars at times and more mix things up
in a musical brew that would impress Frank Zappa with its pure hip-hop
shock value. While fans await the next Farangs (or maybe Laika?) CD,
Haavisto keeps them happy with his 5 part electronic album entitled
Helsinki. Composed, played and recorded by Haavisto
and Miikka Paatelainen, the five part Helsinki is best
described as an all instrumental ambient style recording in the spirit
of Eno and a host of avant-gard composers. “Helsinki Parts 1
, 2 and 3” are following by various edits while track 5 features
a 5.1 DTS mix of the earlier tracks. Well worth the time for fans
of electronica, Helsinki may go over the heads of Haavisto’s
Laika fans. Last but not least from Haavisto’s MuFarang label,
Tone Hut, from Jarkka Rissanen And The Sons
Of The Dessert finds Haavisto back on drums backing up the guitars
and music of Rissanen. Recorded in 2007, the mostly instrumental
album of rootsy, folksy, ambient tracks features some of the best
players in Finland along with the vocals of Chris Cote on a few tracks.
Like all the MuFarang CD releases, Tone Hut features excellent
sound and eye-catching cover artwork.
there’s so much good time-y guitar music on Mesmerized, who
cares what they call it. The lead off cut, “Fascination,”
is a real slinky, uptempo, in the groove track. You won’t know
what decade it is, but who cares. With instro guitar played this well,
you’ll be coming back for second helpings in short order. On
Mesmerized, Soto receives top backing from key players including
Freddie Fox (on rhythm guitar), Mel Brown (bass) and
drummers who add further rhythms on top of Soto’s lead guitar,
keys and drum programming. Break out the sunscreen, hit the road and
let Soto’s guitar fuel your ride. 
Produced by Joe Henry, the Nonesuch release of The Bright
Mississippi finds Toussaint in top form performing an all instrumental,
piano-based album of 20th century, New Orleans related jazz standards
penned long ago by icons like Sidney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton, Django
Reinhardt, Leonard Feather, Duke Ellington, T. Monk and more.The
Bright Mississippi is so ebullient, so full of life, that you’ll
wonder why it took so long for Allen to make it so listeners could
get into it. An American music hero too long in the shadows of other
musical giants, Toussaint is best remembered for his excellent piano
/ production work with top players like Robbie Robertson and The Band,
Van Dyke Parks and countless other music heroes. On The Bright
Mississippi Toussaint links up with a tight band including guitarist
Marc Ribot, bassist David Piltch, percussionist Jay
Bellerose and more. Commenting on his fresh recordings of famous
classics like “West End Blues” and “St. James Infirmary”
Toussaint adds, ‘I hadn’t tackled them on my own. Tackle
is a bad word—I hadn’t caressed them on my own, except
to listen from time to time in passing. I hadn’t been through
this standard bag. I always loved those songs, but I had never been
in a setting where that is what I would do for a while. Until now.’
There’s so much sheer living joy and nostalgia in play on The
Bright Mississippi, that you’ll be covered in goose bumps
while reaching for the replay button on your CD player. Let’s
hope Katrina becomes a long forgotten bad memory and that New Orleans
never has to suffer through anything that tragic again.
Bernie released The Journey Within on the GRP label and
with Bernie devoting much of his life to music now, Reform records
has picked up his latest release. Guitar fans take note; Bernie is
stunning on Moving Forward,
That was 1980, and now 29 years late Haas is back with a new CD entitled
No Wave Au GoGo with his Downtown instro jazz trio Radio
I-Ching.
In his mystically titled outfit, Haas and company make jazz for rock
music fans. Far from mainstream jazz as you can get with still being
“jazzy”, Haas, guitarist Don Fiorino and drummer
Dee Pop take it out to the cutting edge of No Wave Jazz. Somewhere
between the avant edge that Haas honed his chops with in Martha &
The Muffins and his jazz influences, from Monk to Howard Arlen (a
definite highlight is their cover of Arlen’s “Judgment Day”)
No Wave Au GoGo is one cool round trip ticket indeed. 
The title of John Entwistle’s 1970 classic Smash Your Head
Against The Wall comes to mind when playing Marty’s Loudspeaker
album. The music is completely different, yet the sonic assault of
Friedman’s Loudspeaker will have you pinned to the wall!
(so watch yer head!) It’s mostly music to blow your roof off,
although by the time you get to the final two tracks on the CD, “Coloreas
Mi Vida” and the final cut, “Devil Take Tomorrow,”
you gain a fuller understanding of Friedman’s impeccable symphonic
instro-metal guitar chops and sheer power to blow you away. Throughout
the 11 cut CD, Friedman receives topnotch support from a range of
musicians. Also on tap from Shrapnel's Tone Center sister label during
the ‘08 / ‘09 release season are a pair of guitar instrumental
tributes to two of the greatest guitar influences ever—Carlos
Santana and Jeff Beck. Produced by guitarist Jeff Richman,
with Varney handling the executive producer role, Viva Carlos!
- A Supernatural Marathon Celebration features some of today’s
great players honoring the Santana legacy. If you haven’t heard
of these players, you’ve been sleeping! The CD features illustrious
guitar names such as Vinnie Moore, Eric Johnson, Pat
Martino, Robben Ford, Frank Gambale, Coco Montoya,
Albert Lee, Mike Stern and Eric Gales, all paying
tribute to the great Santana legacy. Producer Richman teams with his
solid band—including drummer Dave Weckl, keyboardist Peter
Wolf, and bass ace Abe Laboriel—to give each of these
guitar superstars plenty of room to move on this one of a kind Santana
tribute CD. Pretty much can be said of the 2008 Tone Center CD release
of Freeway Jam - To Beck And Back. Jeff Beck’s
perpetual influence on generation spanning guitarists, from the ‘60s
on can not be understated. Busy himself with his own ongoing legacy,
Beck is rightfully honored on Shrapnel’s tribute CD. Another
fine all instrumental jazz-rock fusion production by guitarist Jeff
Richman, To Beck And Back once again features the best and
the brightest of the guitar world including Steve Morse, Warren
Haynes, John Scofield, Chris Duarte, Adam Rogers,
Greg Howe and many more. 
On his 2008 CD, Dreams Like This, Jiosa teams
with a bunch of top players and the results make for a solid set of
breezy guitar instrumentals. The follow up to his 2002 CD, Body2Body,
2008’s Dreams Like This features a fresh round of
Jiosa originals with a definite highlight being a cover of the Bobby
Hebb 1966 song classic, “Sunny” which features Hebb
on cameo vocals. Commenting on working with an icon of ‘60s pop,
Jiosa adds, ‘Bobby Hebb, the original artist and composer of
“Sunny” came to my studio to listen to my version of his
song. He gave me an overwhelming approval and even agreed to sing
on the track!’ On Dreams Like This, Jiosa keeps his sunny
side up on an album of albums that should have across the board appeal
among guitar enthusiasts.
Most classical music lovers know Bach inside out, but chances are
they never heard it played quite this way! The Miami based group were
all classically trained at Cuba’s music conservatory, La ENA,
and it’s great that on Bach In Havana the group gets to
combine their classical training with a solid dose of high-voltage
Latin-jazz fusion. In his extensive track by track CD liner notes,
Gómez speaks highly of his love of J.S. Bach as well as the
wildly diverse music of his Cuban homeland. Classical purists may
scoff, yet the 11 track, mostly instrumental, sometimes vocal Bach
In Havana will keep you amazed, thinking cha-cha, conga and bolero
while listening to the most famous classical melodies ever written.
Bach In Havana is filled with timeless amazing classical jazz
sounds that will keep you coming back for more. 
Following
his releasing some of the great electric guitar fusion albums of the
2000’s, Scott Bradoka hasn't been resting on his laurels.
Having toured Europe with the Jeff Beck Group in the middle of the
decade, Bradoka now puts his recording career into perspective with
the 2009 triple disc release of Everything. Featuring
34 tracks spread over 2 CDs, Everything encapsulates the best
of Bradoka’s recorded output over the past fourteen years, including
studio tracks produced by guitar giants like Eric Bazilian and
Carl Verheyen. The CD's also include four new studio tracks,
2 live tracks and a pair of hip-hop remixes. Many of the tracks have
been remixed and remastered especially for this package. Accompanying
the 2 CDs is a five track DVD featuring bonus footage of Bradoka in
his studio demonstrating some of his guitars. Tying it all together
at the same time, Bradoka has also released a coffee table style hard
cover book, entitled My Collection showing over 100
guitars from his vast collection. Commenting on his book, Scott adds,
‘I have been on a 25+ year adventure of searching out guitars.
I not only collect, but I also play.’ Looking back, fans can
enjoy Everything until Bradoka returns with his next, long
awaited CD of all new music. 
to
calm the heart and soul. If that sounds like a bunch of New Age dross
to you, check out their 2009 CD The Journey Continues. Contrary
to popular opinion, New Age didn’t start with Windham Hill or
Miramar Records back in the ‘80s. Astute musicologists may point
to the early ECM releases from artists like Steve Tibbetts or even
earlier, with groups like Oregon or the Paul Winter Consort. Suffice
to say, if you were fortunate to hear guys like Tibbetts and Paul
Winter and groups like Oregon early on, you’ll love Sundad. Interestingly
enough, the group is actually comprised of guitarist John Eurell
and his son John Eurell Jr. So, hence the Son / Dad connection.
Also lending support on percussion is Chet Soares. Instrumental
acoustic guitar music at its finest, Sundad brings New Age into the
future with a hypnotic and ultimately supremely relaxing album of
meditative musical magic. 
InVitro is a real curious affair. All instrumental,
the sound is a pure sonic guitar fest in the timeless musical spirit
of Robert Fripp and even Norwegian guitar god Terje Rypdal but Pinnavaia
often replaces the shock and awe of those masters with some subtle
acoustic effects and assorted guitar atmospherics that balance out
the electric guitar onslaught. Very uniquely packaged, the silver
disc CD features modern and cutting edge guitar sounds while echoing
some familiar progressive rock edges. The upstate NY-based Pinnavaia
cites influences from Angus Young and Hendrix to shredders like Greg
Howe and Van Halen while also paying respects to guitar icons like
Allan Holdsworth and Eric Johnson. Always tasteful, yet always rocking
on the cutting edge, Test Tube Rhino are clearly on the path to bigger
and better things. Let’s hope Pinnavaia gets to fully realize
his guitar mission. 
who deserves to be heard by fans of all the above genres. Dwane made
headway with his widely acclaimed 2007 CD 2012, and now on
the 2009 release of Other Worlds he breaks new ground
with a CD that will thrill his long time fans and bring in a host
of newcomers. 
but on his 2008 CD Bob Semanchik displays a keen grasp of musical
concepts that will impress guitar fans of all persuasions. Too guitar-centric
to be simply filed under the mainstream / smooth jazz banner, the
15 track Standard Interpretations features Semanchik
in the studio backed up by Don Wallace (bass) and Sal Ranniello
(drums). A guitar lovers dream that blends jazz, pop and even
Les Paul style hot jazz, the mostly instrumental set also features
Semanchik’s skillful, subdued vocals which at times recalls a
laid back Eric Clapton style of singing. Several Semanchik originals
rub shoulders with his tasty covers of classic standard instrumentals
like “Black Orpheus,” “Take Five,” “Corcovado,”
“Here, There, Everywhere” and the set closing “Over
The Rainbow.” Whether backed up by his rhythm section or taking
center stage with his keen chord melody solos, Semanchik’s easy
going guitar style makes for a relaxing way to spend an hour. With
a wide repertoire of musical tricks up his sleeve, he can rock out
when he wants to—check out his acoustic / electric wah-wah flecked
spin on “Take Five” and his Santana flavored “Hot Rain”—but
on Standard Interpretations the sun shines on Semanchik’s
refined, jazzy guitar style. 
there’s been at least a hundred album collection best of’s
from surf rock legends, The Beach Boys, it seems like they
just keep on coming from everywhere. Just in time for Summer 2009,
Capitol Records here in the USA gives the music world Summer
Love Songs. For those keeping score, the 20 track CD
features a number of rarities including three new stereo mixes, three
tracks mixed in stereo for the first time and a previously unreleased
track called “Fallin’ In Love (a/k/a “Lady”) from
late, great Beach Boys drummer, Dennis Wilson that had come
out before, but this version is different they say. All in all, the
CD offers a romantic, summer breeze look back at the group that started
it all. The usual tracks mix things up with some surprise choices
including a new stereo mix of “Time To Get Alone” (from
1969) and a rare track written by Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson
and Al Jardine called “Our Sweet Love,” from
the 1970 Sunflower Lp. Back to the beach. 
55 of the biggest hits by the great Gary Lewis & the Playboys.
The key here is that most of these classic pop tracks from the ‘60s
are presented for the first time in their original mono mixes.The
double CD set presents all the best A & B sides in chronological
order starting with the 1965 Gary Lewis smash “This Diamond Ring.”
Who would have thought that the great Leon Russell would be
such a huge pop influence but, taking a look at the track lineup,
Russell takes song writing credits on a number of Gary’s huge
hits including “She’s Just My Style,” and “Everybody
Loves A Clown.” As the liner notes indicate, Lewis was well on
the way to becoming one of the key American pop artists of the ‘60s
when he was drafted into the Vietnam war. Like so many cheering on
the hope of peace and pop music back in the ‘60s, Lewis fell
victim to the unstoppable U.S. war machine and (unlike Elvis, say)
basically had his career terminated after getting shipped off to Vietnam.
Looking back on it all Lewis states, ‘It was a terrible time,’
although he also adds, ‘I was thrilled to be doing that. It was
really so much fun.’ With all the A & B sides presented in
glorious mono, remastered from the original tapes, along with in depth
liner notes, rare pics and sleeves and artwork, The Complete Liberty
Singles presents the definitive story behind the classic ‘60s
pop sound of music greats Gary Lewis & The Playboys. 
for Broadway and movies. Before Ann Margaret sizzled on screen with
the motion picture sound track and movie version, the Broadway production
of Bye Bye Birdie was a huge deal back then. Sony Masterworks
keeps the flame burning brightly with their 2009, 24bit CD reissue
of the Broadway version of Bye Bye Birdie. With Dick Van
Dyke, Paul Lynde and Chita Rivera reprising their
roles in the movie, this Broadway CD features Susan Watson,
age 15, covering Ann Margaret’s role with Dick Gautier serving
up a fine Conrad Birdie.In depth notes from Marc Kirkeby adds
historical details, adorned with pics, about this Original Broadway
Cast soundtrack produced by Goddard Lieberson and Teo Macero
and recorded on April 24, 1960 at the Columbia 30th Street Studio
in Manhattan. Another classic Original Broadway Cast Recording reissued
in 2009 by Masterworks Broadway, Fiddler On The Roof
was another major contribution, not only to Broadway, where it held
sway over all for years, but also to pop culture. With one great Broadway
standard after the next, the original Broadway production of Fiddler
featured the late, great Zero Mostel in the role of Tevye.
“If I Were A Rich Man,” “To Life,” “Sunrise,
Sunset,” “Matchmaker,” These are just some of the Jerry
Bock / Sheldon Harnick songs gracing the Broadway Cast
Recording album of Fiddler On The Roof, recorded at Webster
Hall in Manhattan on September 27, 1964, five days after the show
opened on Broadway during the magical year of 1964. For their 2009
CD reissue of the Fiddler soundtrack, Masterworks loads up
their set with fine digi-pak artwork and a neat CD booklet. Both Broadway
cast CD’s of Fiddler and Bye Bye Birdie remain
staples of American pop culture. Their greatness has hardly been surpassed.
MoFi’s gold disc reissues from rock legends like The Moody Blues,
Jethro Tull and even Iron Butterfly today in 2009 fetch hundreds of
dollars on trader's markets—if you can find them new! Following
the abrupt and near scandalous closing of M.S. Distribution, the original
Mobile Fidelity shuttered its doors in November 1999. In the years
since Herb Belkin’s death in 2001, a newly revived Mobile Fidelity
has once again resumed pressing gold CD and even silver disc SACD.
Backed by Music Direct in Chicago and featuring several engineers
on board from the Sebastopol days, in 2009 MoFi are once again becoming
an audiophile source to be reckoned with. High on the list of recent
Mobile Fidelity releases is a 2008 gold CD of The All Time Greatest
Hits Of Roy Orbison. Although first released on DCC—the
other California Gold CD company who were "friendly competitors"
of Herb Belkin—Mobile Fidelity’s gold CD of the 20 track,
The All Time Greatest Hits Of Roy Orbison will no doubt intrigue
audiophiles who might have missed out on DCC's limited edition gold
pressing. Of course as you’d expect from MoFi, the sound quality
of their Orbison release is first rate, although missing that excellent
booklet that came with the the DCC gold disc of the same CD. MoFi's
special limited edition package of Roy Orbison features an appealing,
oversized Lp jacket style hard back CD slip case. Keep your eyes peeled
for more gold CD audiophile releases from the company that Herb Belkin
started all those years ago. 
The
recording from the night of October 13, 2005 can now be heard on the
2009 CD release of Earthquake At The Avalon, released on the
Inakustik label, distributed stateside through MVD. Although mostly
known for his guitar chops, Coryell also sings on a few tracks here
that echo his embryonic rock approach to jazz style. On Earthquake
Coryell breaks out some classic guitars including his vintage Super
400, Les Paul and Strat guitars while Julian gleefully remembers using
the best of the old school stuff including a collection of vintage
Fenders and Music Man amps. A scintillating set of funky / jazzy blues
fusion and guitar jam pop, Earthquake At The Avalon features
in depth liner notes, including track by track notes from Julian Coryell,
pages of pics from the show and colorful artwork. Engineering expert
Niko Bolas captures Coryell and company in fine form here. 
In each issue there were loads of great rock bands on the famous Billboard
Record Reviews page, who if they were lucky were relegated to a five
star merit pick or 40 word spotlight mention. Then as if seemingly
squeezed out of the record racks, they were instant history the week
later. The advent of the CD in 1984 changed that for once and for
good. With the tens of thousands of different CDs that have come out
every year in the last 25 year you might think that there couldn’t
be that much more that could be uncovered. Well back in mother England,
Cherry Red and their stable of affiliates plow onward, just as if
they found those back issues of Billboard and Cashbox from ‘64
to ‘69 and called Sherlock Holmes to locate the masters. One
such cherry red cupcake unearthed by Steve Stanley at Cherry
Red’s Now Sounds subsidiary is a CD remaster by ‘60s
California pop band The Peppermint Trolley Company. Back in
the days when the longer your name the better, PTC released a cohesive
obscure jewel of a soft pop album called Beautiful Sun.
For pop fans who remember how great Gary Usher’s productions
were with Sagittarius, its worth noting that Chad & Jeremy guitarist
Chad Stuart helped with PTC’s studio arrangements, adding
textures not unlike Gary Usher’s work on C&J’s The
Ark. To the credit of Now Sounds, they pack their 27 cut Peppermint
Trolley Company CD reissue with a 24 page encyclopedic booklet and
no less than 16 bonus tracks, all relating to the band’s history
circa ‘68. Now, if only I could relocate some of those back issues
of Billboard again. 
Released on Verve Records in 1969, the double Lp set was a spectacular
vehicle for Havens’ incredible musical presence. For the most
part, Havens is backed by notable players like guitarist Steven
Stills, flautist Jeremy Steig and many more. Although there’s
an abundance of Havens originals, there’s also plenty of classic
covers including Richie’s now famous folk-jazz interpretations
of the Beatles, Donovan, Cohen and Dylan. Mostly recorded to tape
in the studio, later tracks on the CD are live tracks from the Santa
Monica Civic from July 12, 1968. There’s even a couple bonus
cuts including two Havens’ studio classics—the antiwar evergreen
”Handsome Johnny” and “No Opportunity Necessary, No
Experience Needed,” the later covered by Yes on 1970’s Time
And A Word. As always, Raven packs the CD with that great original
album artwork, bonus cuts and informative liner notes that brings
the Richie Havens story up to date in the 2000’s. Interestingly,
Havens continues releasing some of the best music of his career including
his 2008 CD, Nobody Left To Crown, ironically released on his
original label Verve Forecast. Also out on CD from Raven late in 2008
is a 2 on 1 CD from American pop songstress Bobbie Gentry,
entitled Ode To Billie Joe / Touch ‘em With
Love. Raven has a number of Bobbie Gentry reissues including
the compilation An American Quilt 1967 - 1974, and Ode To
Billie Joe / Touch ‘em With Love pairs her two Capitol studio
albums from 1967 and 1969 respectively. In addition to the 20 tracks
from the two studio albums, Raven fits the CD with seven bonus cuts
including three duets with Glen Campbell, the A & B sides
of her 1972 single and a 1970 Euro-only set closing Spanish version
of the Beatles’ “Here, There And Everywhere,” with
the title “En Todas Partes.” The 27 track CD features excellent
art and liner notes by Raven honcho Ian McFarlane. 
Still on Reprise 40 years later, Neil Young has become the
elder statesman of rock. While long time fans may want to invest in
the 2009 release of Neil Young Archives (1963 - 1972), others
may want to start with the 2008 CD release of Sugar Mountain
- Live At Canterbury House 1968. While the Archives is
only set to be available as a ten Blu-ray or DVD set, the more modest
Sugar Mountain Live CD is a solid investment in its
own right and it will not be part of the ten DVD set. As Young had
just left Buffalo Springfield, this performance from the night of
November 9 and 10, 1968 in Ann Arbor, MI. is filled with solo acoustic
Young versions of his classic Buffalo Springfield tracks as well as
music that would appear on Young’s late ‘68 self-titled
solo debut on Reprise. As you can readily hear on Sugar Mountain
Live, Young could literally hypnotize an audience and with absolutely
no one talking or whistling or otherwise ruining the sound, this CD
performance is pure musical theater at its finest. You can literally
hear a pin drop in the background. Back in the day when people actually
came to listen and no one cared much about sex, music was king and
in 1968 Young was our crown prince of rock. As part of the ongoing
Neil Young Archive Performance Series, the 23 track Sugar Mountain
Live CD is superbly packaged with front cover photography from
the late great Linda McCartney and, on some versions, an additional
70 minute DVD filled with DVD audio track and a colorful 5 minute
trailer video for Young’s 2009 10 DVD/BluRay archive box set.
Recorded in the years following Buddy’s tragic end, the twelve
track album was released as a mono Lp on London Records in England
in 1964. Amazingly, in 2008 the stereo masters were located and immediately
cleaned up and processed for this CD release on Rollercoaster Records.
Based in England, Rollercoaster has done a spectacular job on their
22 track CD reissue, pairing the original 12 track album with ten
more guitar-based instrumentals recorded by Tommy Allsup and friends,
including steeler Bobbi Seymour, in 2001. The original Songbook
album from ‘64 was produced and recorded by Holly producer
Norman Petty and with a host of side players like J.I. Allison
and second guitarist George Tomsco it really has that classic
“West Texas” studio sound that Holly perfected at Petty’s
studio in Clovis, N.M. Recreating his amazing guitar parts on a number
of Holly song classics, Allsup’s Buddy Holly instrumental tribute
will leave fans misty eyed and amazed, while the inclusion of the
much more recent 2001 bonus cuts are a solid tribute to Allsup’s
impeccable country rock guitar chops. This record is notable for a
number of reasons: first is the first stereo release of this album,
second has got to be the excellent CD artwork and packaging. Pictures
of Tommy with Buddy and a Vi Petty pic of Norman Petty and
Tommy are multi-panelled with later pics from 2006. A 24 page booklet
recalls the ultimate story about Buddy Holly’s lead guitarist
of choice, the great Tommy Allsup.