|
JOHN BLAKELEY
& RON NAGLE
on O.I.E.
|
LINO
on Splash Entertainment
|
JEREMY SPENCER
on Bluestown Records
|
WINTER
2007
MUSIC & RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
ADDISON
AVENUE - In the spirit of those classic early ‘60s Ventures
album, the latest CD from Shig & Buzz takes you up to guitar heaven
for a sonic treat. Written and produced by multi-instrumentalist Shig
Komiyama—with assistance from guitarist Peter Miller—the
16 track studio CD was recorded in the late ‘90s but finally
released in 2006 by California-based Addison Avenue Music. The label
reissued a deluxe edition of the Shig And The Buzz Double Diamonds
CD a couple years ago, and in the spirit of that classic CD, Sonic
Traveler is a great introduction to their rocking, surf-crazed
guitar sound. www.addisonavenuemusic.com
BGO RECORDS - Purists may scoff at it’s commercial veneer,
yet the music Wes Montgomery made on his two ’67 / ’68
albums for CTI / A&M records, A Day In The Life
and Down Here On The Ground offered the coolest
definitions of the day pop as played by the jazz masters. Paired together
on a newly remastered 20 track CD, both albums combine here to put
Montgomery’s unique instrumental guitar take of ‘60s pop
music into focus. Hearing Wes playing covers of The Beatles, Bacharach,
Lalo Schiffrin backed up by strings, flutes, horns and more remains
a sublime pop/jazz experience that has never been bettered. He passed
away at 45 after making his last album 1968’s Road Song,
yet as this 20 track CD indicates, Wes leaves a towering influence
till today. U.K. based BGO pack their set with original 1967
liners from both albums and new 2005 notes. Also out on BGO in 2006
is a cool 30 track double CD set from Shadows related Marvin, Welch
& Farrar, pairing two studio albums, their self-titled debut
and 1972’s Second Opinion, with several
bonus tracks. While Hank Marvin is renowned as a guitar instrumentalist,
not many in the U.S. know of his abilities as a singer-songwriter.
In between breaking up in 1969 and reforming in 1973, Hank joined
forces with Bruce Welch and soon to be Shadow John Farrar
for a pair of excellent singer-songwriter albums that also feature
Hanks excellent guitar work. BGO’s double CD features in depth
liner notes and an track annotation. www.bgo-records.com
BEACHWOOD - There is a valid point behind the great melodic music
The Rolling Stones made in the 1960’s. With the inventive musical
glue of Brian Jones in the band, Jagger and Richards always managed
to come up with tuneful pop confections that could seduce your senses
or blow you off a cliff. On All Wood And Stones,
singing guitarists John Batdorf and James Lee Stanley
serve up a tasty acoustic brew of ‘60s Stones’ favorites
like “Ruby Tuesday, “Back Street Girl,” “Last
Time” and eight more classics. With the duo supported by bass
and light percussion these songs come alive in an acoustic setting.
Combining inventive arrangements and vocals with a fine studio sound,
Batdorf & Stanley do justice to songs that helped shape the musical
intellect of the ‘60s. www.allwoodandstones.com
BLUE NOTE - Any time jazz guitar great Pat Martino releases
a new album is a great time for jazz guitar fans. On the ten track
Remember: A Tribute To Wes Montgomery, Pat pays
respect to the great guitar legend Wes Montgomery. Kicking off with
one of the great Wes originals, “Four On Six,” Martino receives
like-minded support from top players like pianist David Kikoski,
John Pattitucci (bass) and Scott Allan Robinson (drums).
Martino recalls meeting Wes as a youngster; ‘My father introduced
me to him at a club. My dad offered to buy him a drink so Wes ordered
an orange juice. I remember Wes as very warm and a gentleman to the
max. There was an aura about him.’ The music on Remember
sounds great and Martino’s first hand knowledge and respect for
Wes’ timeless jazz guitar sound is given a new lease on life.
www.bluenote.com
BLUESTOWN - After Peter Green left Danny Kirwan and Jeremy
Spencer holding the bag when it came to the creative element of
Fleetwood Mac, it seemed all was lost. The resulting album from 1970,
Kiln House was one of the greatest pop albums of that year
and it proved that Mac didn’t even need Green to make a brilliant
album. It was too cool to last. Spencer split and let Kirwan live
out the bands final greatness, at least for some early fans. So here
we are 36 years later in 2006 and Spencer reappears with a solid laid
back pop album very much in the spirit (okay, a little tamer) of Kiln
House. Recorded for the Norwegian label, Bluestown, Precious
Little features Jeremy summoning up a dozen Spencer
originals and covers backed by a laid back group of Norwegian blues
players, obviously chuffed to be jamming with the master. Featuring
that famous voice and Spencer rocking out on his Fender Tele and PRS
guitars, Precious Little rocks and rolls and is a most welcome
comeback album. www.bluestownrecords.com
CBUJ - More a compilation than a brand new album, the 2006 release
of Flying Under The Radar is nevertheless a cool showcase from
one of the rockinest bands in the U.S. today. Consisting of new tracks
and various cuts from the band’s three recent studio albums,
Flying Under The Radar is kick-ass country style roots rock
at it’s best. There’s some choice cover tunes on the album
including cuts made famous by music icons Roger Miller and Hank Williams—along
with smokin’ covers of “Big Boss Man” and “Midnight
Special”—yet there’s plenty of original rockers to
show these guys are making history of their own. Backed up by the
rhythm section of Fred Young (drums) and Anthony Kenney
(bass)—along with rhythm guitarists Richard Young and
Doug Phelps—lead guitarist Greg Martin continues
to proves why he’s one of the hottest guitarists on the planet.
www.kentuckyheadhunters.com
CAPITOL - The 30th anniversary edition of Fly Like An Eagle
is a cool deal for long time fans of guitar ace Steve Miller
and his Steve Miller Band. Ever since his breakthrough with albums
like 1968’s Children Of The Future and Sailor, Miller
has defined just about every genre of modern music, from rock and
pop to blues and folk and on the 1976 release of Fly Like An Eagle—his
follow up to the 1973 release of The Joker—he was in rare
form. Fly Like An Eagle spawned a host of FM radio hits and
Capitol’s 30 anniversary salutes the original 12 track CD with
three bonus tracks (including the original 1973 demo of “Fly
Like An Eagle,”) remastered in stereo and 5.1 surround sound.
What makes this reissue special is a the inclusion of a second disc,
a DVD featuring a complete live performance of Steve Miller Band from
September 2005, with live interviews great liner notes from Joel
Selvin that brings the entire 30th anniversary story up to date.
www.stevemillerband.com
CASTLE MUSIC - Sandwiched in between Pete Townshend’s guitar
playing and song writing as the three coolest things in The Who was
the miracle known as Keith Moon. Moonie died way too soon,
in 1978, yet he was able to record and release one great solo album,
back in 1975. A star-studded affair, Two Sides Of The Moon found
the late, great Who drumming legend singing the music of his heroes,
John Lennon, Brian Wilson, Harry Nilsson, Ricky Nelson, The Knickerbockers
and more. Kicking off with a Moon version of “Crazy Like A Fox,”—penned
by Spirit guitarist Al Stahely—the original ten track
album featured a slew of music icons including Ringo Starr,
Joe Walsh, Jesse Ed Davis, Dick Dale, Steve
Cropper, Spencer Davis, John Sebastian, Flo &
Eddie and much more. Way underrated by Who fans and music historians
who still write it off as a novelty, Both Sides Of The Moon is
now a 50 track, 2006 double CD reissue on Castle, combining the original
album with outakes, single cuts, a host of rare studio sessions and
some well scripted liner notes aptly describing how it all went down
in L.A. thirty years ago. www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com
CHRONICLES - Debuting the first James Gang album back in
1969, Joe Walsh moved on to become one of the most renowned
guitarist / composers in the world. Early fans were sold immediately
on Joe’s trippy approach to rock and his guitar extrapolations
were light years ahead of many players of the era. Joe Walsh The
Definitive Collection on Geffen / Chronicles
culls 15 favorites spanning 1970-1991 and, clocking in at 75+ minutes,
offers a good sampling of early hits from the 1970 album The James
Gang and Joe’s big time solo hits ending with the title track
form 1991’s Ordinary Average Guy. Chronicles’ Definitive
series continues with the 2006 release of A Decade Of Steely
Dan: The Definitive Collection. The 16 track CD spotlights
all the band’s Top 20 hits like “Do It Again” and “Reeling
In The Years,” a bunch of album favorites and vintage photos.
The inclusion of a track from the band’s 2003 album, Everything
Must Go, brings the Steely Dan story up to date. The greatest
New Zealand band ever, Split Enz is features on a 2006 20th
Century Masters Millennium Collection, The Best Of Split Enz.
While early fans still swear by their early Phil Manzanera produced
classics, there’s no denying the impact on the pop scene that
the later period Enz created. Great sound a cool cover art but with
11 cuts, clocking in at 39+ minutes, this Split Enz confection isn’t
close to definitive. Another 2006 Millennium best of comes from Squeeze
entitled Singles, 45’s And Under, with
early favorites like “Cool For Cats.” www.universalchronicles.com
COLUMBIA LEGACY - Taking folk music and infusing it with pop,
psychedelia and jazz defines the sound of The Byrds. Back in
1990, Columbia released the Byrds famous black box 4 CD set, later
revamping Byrds studio albums in 1996 and now in 2006 they upgrade
the black box with a new 4 CD Byrds box set called There Is
A Season. Housed in an eye-catching red box, with
99 tracks spread over 4 CDs, the box is furthered with a 5th disc,
a DVD, with ten vintage b&w video clips of the original 5 piece
band with Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman,
Gene Clark and Michael Clark from the heyday of the
‘60s. Every incarnation of the band is given equal footing over
the CDs and the 55 page booklet from the ‘90 box set is nearly
doubled in size and scope here with loads of incredible pictures including
a shot of the original 5 piece at the ‘91 rock and roll hall
of fame ceremony and a great pic of the 5 walking in from of Radio
City Music Hall. Produced by Bob Irwin and Roger McGuinn and featuring
the most extensive liner notes on The Byrds yet, There Is A Season
is the ultimate tribute to the greatest folk-rock group of all
time. Commenting on the box set’s new emphasis on the chemistry
Gene Clark brought to the lineup Chris Hillman adds, “Full
Circle” is one of my favorites and I'm so glad they included
it on the set. This box set is so much better then the first one they
put out in the early nineties and one of the reasons is there's more
of Gene's songs. I think Sony did an incredible job on the Box Set.”
Commenting on the Radio City picture on the back of the booklet art,
“I can't remember which street we walking on in that photo. That
was our first trip to New York and we hadn’t gotten “our
wings.” www.thebyrds.com
DYLAN MOON - He may be only 12 years old yet Dylan Moon is
already making waves in the guitar world. 20th Century Guitar was
sent a CD ep of Dylan’s music and one can already hear potential
greatness. After checking out his soaring instrumental guitar track
“Sea Of Colors,” it’s a safe prediction that Dylan
is going through to a bright future as a guitar hero. Influences such
as David Gilmour and Steve Howe can be heard in his soaring guitar
tracks. Check out Dylan Moon’s web site and check out the future
of progressive guitar instrumental music. www.dylanmoon.com
EAGLE VISION - One man, one guitar was how the late jazz guitar
giant Joe Pass liked it best. Eagle Vision do a solid for Joe’s
large fan base with their latest DVD release; Norman Granz’
Jazz In Montreux Presents Joe Pass ‘75. Eagle
have a number of artists in their Jazz In Montreux series including
Count Basie and Oscar Peterson, yet for guitar fans Joe’s DVD
is the one the check out. Joe serves up classy solo covers of favorites
including “Manha De Carnaval,” “Nuages,” and “You
Are The Sunshine Of My Life,” with a highlight being two versions
of a haunting track called “Montreux Changes.” 16 tracks
filmed on two days at the ‘75 Swiss music festival, Joe Pass
‘75 is a timeless reminder of Joe’s legendary fretboard
finesse.
Put together as a charity event in the U.K. by Procol Harum founder
Gary Brooker along with Paul Carrack, Andy Fairweather
Low and Mike Rutherford, this recently filmed live Eagle
CD also benefits from great showcase sets by Eric Clapton,
Ringo Starr, Roger Taylor and folk-jazzer Katie Melua.
Backed up by a first rate band, Clapton in particular just seems to
get better as he ages and he picks out some choice nuggetts for the
live DVD including “Lay Down Sally” and “Willie &
The Hand Jive.” There’s even a set by American soul music
favorites The Drifters and their big hit “Under The Boardwalk.”
Filmed at the historic Wintershall Estate in Surrey England, the beautiful
night air and serene estate setting seems to bring out the best in
these U.K. rock legends. www.eaglerockent.com
EPIC LEGACY - Two incipient albums no self-respected prog-fan
can live without remain the first albums from Roy Wood, Jeff
Lynne and Bev Bevan a/k/a Electric Light Orchestra.
Although the band’s original U.K. debut Lp was simply called
The Electric Light Orchestra, it subsequently came out in the
U.S. several months later with a silly name, No Answer followed
shortly thereafter by the better served ELO2. Looking
on that historic period in music history Jeff Lynne has written some
reflective notes for each 2006 reissue on Epic Legacy. From the first
ELO album, Lynne recalls, “I think it was during the Message
From The Country recording sessions with The Move that I came
up with “10538 Overture” and Roy became brilliant on the
cello. That magic combination was all we could have wished for and
we loved it and played it back eight thousand times. It became the
first ELO song ever.” Wood soon left the group after ELO 1
and of course the rest is music history, although the music on
that first ELO album is as brilliant as The Move at their zenith on
Looking On and Shazam. Bonus tracks, alternate takes
cool liner notes by Lynne make these two classic remasters. Sony’s
acquisition of the ELO back catalog continues with more remastered
and expanded editions of the group’s mid ‘70s albums. Released
smack dab in the middle of the ‘70s—11/14/75 on Jet / UA
Records—Face The Music was such a bona fide pop
classic that it almost completely vindicated Jeff Lynne for
splitting from early ELO mentor Roy Wood. Lynne’s over
the top pop gems worked wonders on Face The Music—an album
also remembered for it’s cool electric chair cover art. The original
8 track Lp is enhanced on this 2006 CD reissue with 4 bonus tracks
as are 2006 CD Legacy remasters of On The Third Day (from
1973 w/4 bonus tracks) and A New World Record (1976
+6 bonus tracks). www.ftmusic.com
GILLAZILLA - A modern master of the acoustic steel string guitar,
Richard Gilewitz follows in the lineage of guitar heroes such
as John Fahey, Ry Cooder and Leo Kottke. Featuring Gilewitz live in
Oregon on August 20th, 2005, the event coincided with an event planned
by Breedlove guitars and several Breedlove artists and the California
Guitar Trio attended that night. Mandolin wizard Radim Zenkl helps
out a few tracks but the 13 track Live CD is pure Gilewitz
from start to finish. Fans of the acoustic guitar owe it to themselves
to check out Gilewitz as there’s few players these days who can
match Gilewitz when it comes to combining sonic dexterity, guitar
ambiance and humorous between the songs spoken word interludes. www.richardgilewitz.com
HEP JAZZ - Some great jazz albums were recorded in a day. Following
on that tradition, the 2006 CD from guitarist John Hart is
a fitting showcase for his role as both guitarist and band leader.
The combination of electric guitar and vibraphone in the jazz format
is rare but, as this top jazz release proves, when done right can
leave the listener in a state of suspended sonic bliss. Recording
an album of unique jazz standards for the U.K. based Hep Cat label
in a studio in western New Jersey, Hart and vibe master Joe Locke
connect on disc on a majority of tracks here. Paired with the rhythm
section of Bill Moring (bass) and Tim Horner (drums),
Hart and Locke execute some brilliant mainstream fusion jazz maneuvers
with the added zing of Hart’s authentic and inventive guitar
improvisations and soloing. www.hepjazz.com
INSIDE OUT MUSIC - When he’s not putting out straight ahead
acoustic, classical or trio CD/DVD, Steve Hackett can be counted on
to release wildly eclectic prog-rock albums. It’s true Hackett
was way ahead of the pack back in the days of early Genesis and his
solo albums never got the wide acclaim they deserve. In the spirit
of 2003’s To Watch The Storms, the 2006 release of Wild
Orchids, features Hackett supported by a great band including
long time keyboardist / rhythm guitarist Roger King and drummer
Gary O’Toole. For Wild Orchids, Hackett sought
out to marry the elaborate orchestrations on his 2005 classical work,
Metamorpheus with the driving rock and instrumental sounds
on To Watch The Storms. One of the leading progressive rock
guitarists always in search of new forms of musical expression Hackett
adds, “I love the combination of different styles and schools—bringing
the club and the cathedral together.” Hackett’s classical
guitar inclinations can be heard on a 2006 CD release on Camino
Records entitled Live Archive 83. Interesting liner notes
tell the tale of Hackett’s first ever ‘unplugged’ solo
acoustic tour with this show featuring an incomplete bootleg of his
November 4, 1983 show in Edinburgh. Great sound and classical guitar
performance, 83 also features flutist John Hackett.
www.stevehackett.com
/ www.insideoutmusic.com
The follow up to 2005’s Octane album, Spock’s
Beard return in 2006 with a ninth album simply called Spock’s
Beard. The third SB album to feature drummer Nick
D’Virgilio on lead vocals, the disc furthers the group’s
solid reputation as America’s leading progressive rock band.
Although the band is still smarting from the departure of original
lead vocalist Neal Morse, this lineup gets better with each release.
With guitarist Alan Morse, keyboard great Ryo Okumoto and
bass man Dave Meros in full force, Spock’s Beard are tighter
now than ever and the CD blends the band’s patented prog sound
with a harder rocking, more straight ahead sound this time. With their
self-titled 2006 platter, Spock’s Beard proves that a great sounding
prog-rock CD can still kick some proverbial ass. www.spocksbeard.com
LEGACY - With Legacy’s takeover of the BMG catalog going
full blast, they have reissued new Jefferson Airplane related
titles. The Worst Of Jefferson Airplane features a newly
expanded reissue of the band’s classic best of along with new
liner notes. 2006 marks the 40th anniversary of the first Airplane
album and Worst Of... combines tracks from their first six
RCA albums—from the ‘66 release of Jefferson Airplane
Takes Off to their all-time classic from ‘69 Volunteers.
Likewise for the Airplane offshoot band Hot Tuna, remasterd
here with Keep On Truckin’: The Best Of Hot Tuna.
Guitarists Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady were key
components to the Airplane lineup and at the dawn of the ‘70s
they veered off on their own with Hot Tuna, the best of which is now
remember on Keep On Truckin’. Moving on from the acoustic
blues on their 1970 self-titled debut to a more rocking sound on their
later period ‘70s album, Hot Tuna are captured at the best on
Legacy’s 14 track best of. After nearly two dozen albums, Hot
Tuna—both acoustic and electric—still kick out the jams
live in concert. www.sonybmg.com
Growing up in his native England, Jeff Beck was a huge
Hank Marvin fan. Even though he cut his teeth in the greatest ‘60s
rock band of all time, The Yardbirds, Beck had a strong love of instrumental
music. Fittingly, among the highlights of his first album following
the Yardbirds break-up, Truth, are several cool
instrumentals including his signature song “Beck’s Bolero”
(written by Jimmy Page -a session w/ Keith Moon, John
Paul Jones and Jimmy Page) as well as a very Mickey
Most inspired Fuzak instrumental of Paul Mauriat’s “Love
Is Blue,” (featured as a bonus cut with Beck’s guitar singing
the love lorn lyrics.) Another instrumental here is a stately Beck
version of “Greensleeves.” With the ‘68 release of
Truth and the follow up, Beck-Ola (featuring
2 instrumentals) featuring Rod Stewart on vocals, both albums
were huge favorites during the late ‘60s era. These 2006 Epic
/ Legacy expanded edition remasters of Truth and Beck-Ola
both include key liner notes and bonus cuts, with another highlight
including a bonus take on Beck-Ola of Beck and Stewart covering
a lesser known Hank Marvin vocal classic, “Throw Down
A Line.” www.legacyrecordings.com
NONESUCH - Recording an album of solo jazz guitar and acoustic
piano can be a sonic challenge, the dynamic acoustics so accentuated
that it could all but wreck havoc on all but the most sophisticated
stereo setups. Thankfully the the hands of guitarist Pat Metheny
and keyboardist Brad Mehldau, it sounds great with all the
acoustic dynamics in check. Commenting on how the pair were meant
to record Metheny Mehlduau, the guitarist states,
“We met each other a few times and it was almost unspoken that
that was on the agenda. From the first note of the first take of the
first tune we played, we both could just play pretty much full out.
It seemed like we had always played together.” Metheny keeps
his legacy in tact as a master of guitar ambiance while their debut
duo CD also offers a cool intro to Mehldau’s impressive piano
chops. www.nonesuch.com
NOT LAME - One of the great bands to come out during the second
half of the ‘60s, Buffalo Springfield are paid a rare
tribute with the 2006 release of Five Way Street - A Tribute
To Buffalo Springfield. Over 21 tracks, lesser known
pop bands with names like Byrds Of A Feather and The Retros
shake it up with bigger names like Western Electric, George
Usher and The Kennedys on an album that stays true to it’s
roots. West Coast pop favorite Jeff Larson covers a rare track
from Last Time Around by Stephen Stills entitled “Questions”—a
song that ushered in his CSN&Y. Commenting on working on
the project Larson comments, “When I was approached to be part
of the Springfield tribute I jumped at the chance. Stephen Stills
has always been an influence and "Questions" is such a gem
of a track. I was mainly influenced by bands and songwriters who came
after and brought some of the Springfield's sound and vibe to their
own music. In digging back into their catalog, I'm amazed at the impact
and how short yet prolific it all was.” Not Lame are renowned
for their honorary a&r work in the pop field (check out their
Jeff Lynne tribute) and complete with cool 16 page booklet packed
with info, Five Way Street pays some solid respect to the Springfield
legacy. www.notlame.com
O.I.E. - A CD that was long overdue for release—having been
recorded just over a couple years ago, and much anticipated for final
release by privileged few lucky enough to have heard the unmixed original—Tan
Mantis was finally released September 2006 by O.I.E.
Records—thanks to mwe3.com founder Robert Silverstein,
acting here as the album’s executive coordinator. Guitarist John
Blakeley and keyboardist Ron Nagle have been musical pals
for decades now. Blakeley co-wrote and played guitar on the classic
Endless Summer soundtrack and in the spirit of that ‘64
classic, their latest joint collaboration Tan Mantis re-ignites
that classic California surf-rock sound with more than a nod to Duane
Eddy meets Pat Metheny. Blakeley, not in the best of health these
days is still a California guitar legend well worth checking out.
Before many of today's guitar instrumental groups even heard a surf
record, Blakeley was making guitar history out on the coast writing
and recording "The Endless Summer" as a member of The Sandals.
Nagle, having worked with numerous West Coast groups in the ‘60s,
is also in rare form here, enhancing Blakeley’s well sculpted
guitar-centric sounds. Tan Mantis tracks such as “Inuendo”
and “Maruca” are up there with some of the best guitar instrumentals
ever written. www.duncanst.com
PEAK / CONCORD - A master of light and shade when it comes to
smooth jazz, Lee Ritenour employs a range of vintage guitars
to great effect on his 2006 CD. Ritenour’s love of Brazilian
music and the smooth fretboard work of his idol, Wes Montgomery come
into play on Smoke ‘N’ Mirrors. With
Rit by a number of L.A. session greats, including Dave Grusin,
drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (one of eight percussionists), guitarist
Wesley Ritenour and more, Smoke ‘N’ Mirrors
embraces both smooth jazz vocals and World Beat guitar instrumentals,
with Rit drawing deep into the well on future classics like his title
track and a cover of “Spellbinder,” by late great Gabor
Szabo. www.leeritenour.com
PURE MUSIC - Recorded live on November 18th and 19th, 2005, Live
@ The Fat Cat features NYC guitarist Sheryl Bailey
live in concert before a packed house at one of the city’s most
prestigious jazz clubs. Backed up by Gary Versace (Hammond
B-3) and Ian Froman (drums), Bailey makes a solid impression
on her fifth solo CD performing tracks from her earlier CDs’
The Power Of 3 and Bull’s Eye! as well as an uptempo
ode to jazz great Cedar Walton and a moody waltz dedicated to John
Abercrombie. A fine showcase for Sheryl’s wide ranging
musical influences and jazz guitar expertise, the nine track Live
@ The Fat Cat is a treat for lovers of instrumental guitar jazz.
www.sherylbailey.com
RAVEN RECORDS - Aussie imprint Raven continues as the preeminent
reissue label downunder with a fresh batch of 2006 remasters. First
up is a double 2 on 1 CD from guitar ace Ry Cooder, pairing
The Border (1982) with Alamo Bay (1985).
As Cooder has stated, ‘A movie soundtrack is probably the last
refuge of abstract music.’ Recorded in the wake of his work as
slide guitarist with Taj Mahal, Captain Beefheart and the Stones,
both soundtracks follow in the footsteps of Ry’s “patchwork
of Americana” titles like Paris Texas and Crossroads.
Also on Raven is a 2006 compilation from country rock guitarist
/ vocalist Glen Campbell, who covers the best of Jimmy Webb
on Glen Campbell Sings The Best Of Jimmy Webb 1967-1992.
Campbell will be forever remembered for covering Webb classics
like “Galveston,” “Wichita Lineman” and “By
The Time I Get To Phoenix” but as this 24 track CD proves,
Campbell’s later period Webb covers—including tracks from
Glen’s 1992 album Wings Of Victory—underscore their
long standing friendship. Long renowned for top song writing skills,
Dwight Twilley is remastered on Twilley / Scuba Divers—a
22 track 2006 two on one CD from Raven. Never before released on CD,
both albums combine Dwight’s Beatle-esque flair with Southern
Rockabilly influences and offer further evidence of Twilley’s
standing as a true innovator of power pop. Lastly, Raven’s 2006
CD from songstress Bobbie Gentry combines 22 tracks from her
two 1968 albums, The Delta Sweete and Local Gentry,
along with three bonus tracks. Kicking off with “Okolona
River Bottom Band,” Raven’s 26 track CD features a number
of Gentry originals along with three Beatles covers. Each of these
classy Raven remasters feature colorful artwork and in depth liner
notes. www.ravenrecords.co.au
RHINO - In a year that saw the debut of color TV for so many in
suburbia, The Monkees exploded on the scene in 1966 in a pre-fab
fireball of Monkee mania. Having their own half hour weekly TV show,
the band had a built in apparatus to sway the masses. With a volley
of huge radio hits, the band delivered with great singing from each
member giving fresh impressions of top pop tunes from the greatest
tunesmiths of the era such as Boyce & Hart, Goffin-King, Neil
Diamond as well as the band’s guitarist and song writing ace
Mike Nesmith. Rhino honors the 40th birthday of The Monkees with
double CD set remasters of the band’s first two albums. Kicking
off the series both The Monkees and More
Of The Monkees are offered in both stereo and mono mixes on
separate CD’s, with each one bolstered by different bonus cuts
and 28 page CD booklets. www.rhino.com
SM - The latest release from U.K. based guitarist, Stuart McCallum
covers a staggering range of guitar-based instrumental sounds. The
7 track Echo Architect gives rise to a new breed of spatial
fusion guitar extrapolations in the spirit of Silent Way-era
Miles as well as echoing the sound of McCallum’s musical associates
such as Kenny Wheeler and John Surman. Like Wheeler, McCallum makes
sure his solos and lead lines are rich in both melody, phasing and
ambiance making Echo Architect a solid choice for adventurous
guitar jazzers. www.cdbaby.com/cd/mccallum
SANCTUARY - Although there was a double CD compilation of The
Nazz a few years ago called Open Our Eyes, Sanctuary now
follows up with separate CD reissues of the group’s first two
albums. The formative years of the group’s lead guitarist and
songwriter, Todd Rundgren, The Nazz split after two albums,
the self-titled Nazz and their follow up Nazz
Nazz. The ten track Nazz debut is further fleshed
out on Sanctuary’s 22 track 2006 CD, with ten additional bonus
tracks including demo tracks, mono singles and more, while Nazz
Nazz is now a 42 track double CD with the second disc featuring
rare tracks from the band’s aborted third and final album Fungo
Bat, released without Rundgren’s approval in 1970
as Nazz III—ironically at the same time as Rundgren’s
solo debut on Bearsville Runt. The first two Nazz albums are
long considered pop masterpieces and now combined with the rare Todd
vocal tracks from the Fungo Bat sessions on the double Nazz
Nazz, both compilations put forth the most comprehensive retrospectives
yet from The Nazz. www.sanctuaryrecords.com
SPIRITWOOD - Minnesota-based guitarist Bill Bulinski is
a master of diverse guitar sounds. Early in 2006 he released a rockin’
CD of surf-flecked rock instrumentals with his group The Greaseballs,
entitled Tombstone Wax. Bulinski follows his
Greaseballs recording with a completely different type of sound. Bare
Naked Guitar is a solo guitar CD featuring 20 original
Celtic inspired tracks featuring acoustic guitar. A sublime album
filled with rustic and pastoral guitar instrumentals in the best spirit
of John Renbourn and Stefan Grossman, Bare Naked Guitar is
a celebration of ancient sounds filled with compelling guitar melodies
and arrangements. From rocking out with The Greaseballs to his sublime
solo acoustic work, Bulinski has both ends of the guitar spectrum
covered. www.spiritwoodmusic.com
SPLASH / LINO MUSIC - Released in Summer 2006, Miami Jam
is a a fabulous guitar CD from guitarist Lino, who knocked
guitar lovers for a loop with his 2004 album Return To Avalon.
Featuring Lino in the studio backed up by excellent sidemen, Miami
Jam follows up with a bunch of dramatic guitar tracks with roots
in both melodic instrumental New Age and guitar jazz. “Chardonnay
Afternoon” features a striking melody and Lino’s cover of
the Mason Williams evergreen, “Classical Gas” does justice
to the original. Borrowing from jazz, classical and Latin flavored
music, Lino never fails to amaze with a striking palette of original
guitar sounds. www.linomusic.com
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
