I’m wrapping up another year of music with a slew of new releases, highlighted by a couple of “just in time for the holidays” top flight (one not so much) reissues! Be sure to support the local record shop of your choosing.
Purling Hiss
Weirdon, Drag City Music
This Philadelphia based trio delight in swirling groove arrangements propelled by fuzz laden guitars and an underpinning of psychedelic pop. Front man guitarist/singer/songwriter Mike Polizze is a one man wrecking band, alternately introducing elements of grunge, folk, and all out assault guitar with equal ease.
Much like last year’s Water on Mars, Weirdon conjures up the best of 1990s independent rock without miring in the self absorbed excesses that too often marked that era. Dazzling numbers such as “Forcefield of Solitude” and “Where’s Sweetboy?” are reminiscent of primo Sonic Youth or Husker Du but when the band dials it down, as in the folksy “Reptili-a-genda” they bring to mind a mix of Paul Westerberg and various periods of Beck. None of which adequately describes the sheer bullishness of Weirdon or the complex ways in which is weaves together obvious influences into a sound that is entirely its own. ****
Twin Peaks
Wild Onion, Grand Jury Music
At times, the introduction of this quartet, whose members have yet to reach their 20th birthdays, sounds more like prison break than an album. Played with a wild abandon and arrogance (in a good way) that is rarely heard these days, Wild Onion is a fresh blast of high octane energy with songs ranging from the swagger of “Telephone” to the more reflective “Strange World” to the endearing soul/pop of “Strawberry Smoothie.”
Co-produced by the shrewd team of R. Andrew Humphrey and Colin Croom the sound is clear, bright, and joyous, augmented with wonderfully ragged vocal harmonies, pounding drums, and sweet as honey arrangements. The overall affect is a glittering example of a multi-dimensional band just feeling their oats while getting some sense of how good they can be. It’s as strong a debut as I’ve heard this year, and a shining example of the virtues of youthful innocence. ****
The Hollies
50 at Fifty, Parlaphone/Rhino
In celebration of the Hollies’ 1964 album debut (their first single was released in late 1963) the usually reliable Rhino Records has put together what should have been the lavish and meticulously researched boxed set the band so richly deserves. Unfortunately 50 at Fifty is a missed opportunity; sure the music is grand – with this many tracks by one of England’s great groups it would be nigh impossible to go wrong – but the unimaginative sequencing and lack of deep cuts leaves this collection sounding perfunctory at best.
Longtime Hollies fans will likely nitpick with a few omissions (no “Long Dark Road”?) and the inclusion of a lone new song, the schmaltzy “Skylarks” adds nothing to the band’s glorious resume, but it’s the packaging, or rather lack of, that really disappoints. A slim 12 page booklet fleshed out with middling photos and liner notes that go no further than song writing credits, is a slap in the face to the band (whose individual names aren’t even mentioned!) and their fans. No tidbits on the many session musicians The Hollies employed, no chart status, no anecdotal recollections of their glory years from those who were there. It’s just maddening.
Those new to The Hollies would be better served by seeking out the fine 30th Anniversary Collection or the EMI 3×10 Anthology. As a last resort you can download this release and visit the bands website for the historical background. As a long time devotee to Manchester’s greatest band I’ll give the music four stars: But shame on Rhino for failing to do the boys right. **
Dave Mason
Future’s Past, Barham Productions
Available at his shows or via his website this nine song collection is a fine reintroduction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, as well as a nifty compliment to his current Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam tour. Four reworked takes of early material (highlighted by a jaunty “You Can All Join In”) mixed in with others showcasing the width and depth of his talents.
“How Do I Get To Heaven?” fulfills a promise to his Traffic mate Jim Capaldi by finishing the song Capaldi had begun just prior to his passing; it’s a moving tribute to a fine musician and friend, while “Good 2 U” reminds us that new love can happen at any time. Having finally regained control to the publishing rights of his classic songs Mason has again embraced his legacy. Bully for him and a bonus for us. ****
The Flaming Lips
With a Little Help From Our Fwends, Warner Brothers
Having already retuned Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King, the Flaming Lips now take on the most iconic album of them all.
Armed with a bevy of guests, Wayne Coyne and company deconstruct what might be the most famous rock album ever, but one wishes they hadn’t. With its restless and fuzzed out sound With a Little Help… is a jumbled mess, not unlike listening to the fab four while under the influence of all the wrong substances. Coyne is desperately trying to recreate that sense of the unexpected but in doing so he totally misses the mark.
Fwends is not an homage to the original but rather a tepid and dull mockery of it. The inclusion of such names as Miley Cyrus (seriously?) and Tegan and Sara might raise a few eyebrows but neither seems to have much to do. The uneven nature of Fwends gives it a patchwork feel (and Sgt. Pepper’s was nothing if not seamless) and adds little to The Lips reputation.
I get what the band is trying to do and I am not one of those who considers any work of art sacred beyond reconstruction. But Fwends comes across as a joke gone wrong, making me question what I saw in this band in the first place. Time to go give The Soft Bulletin or Yoshima Battles The Pink Robots another listen so I can fall in love with these guys all over again. **
Jesse Winchester
A Reasonable Amount of Trouble, Appleseed Music
Few musicians infused their personalities into their music as succinctly as did the late Jesse Winchester. Cordial, humble, honest, and with a sense of wit as dry as the Sahara, Winchester always came across as the sort you’d like to spend an afternoon with.
While his 1970 Robbie Robertson produced debut remains his best known effort, the years that followed were no less artistically rewarding. And while his move to Canada to avoid the draft prevented his touring the US, Winchester’s tunes became favorites for other more well known names; Jimmy Buffett (who contributes the liner notes to this release), Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello and Wilson Pickett are among the many who recorded his songs. But his versions were the definitive ones, making this posthumous effort a bittersweet affair.
Never the most prolific of writers – Winchester would go years between recordings – herein he revisits songs from his early days while adding a few new ones (along with a trio of late 1950s numbers). Despite his health issues the mood is jubilant, almost playful, as Winchester and his entourage of long time friends straddle the course of his career.
Most of the new songs were written and recorded after he survived an earlier bout with esophagus cancer, giving the material the veneer of a man grateful for his new lease on life. And while that illness certainly wore down the smooth edges of his voice the courser texture of his late period singing beautifully suits such songs as the rootsy “A Little Louisiana” or the bounce along romance of “All That We Have Is Now.” His cover of the Del Vikings “Whispering Bells” is fleshed out with doo wop harmonies, a sax solo that is perfect for the era it evokes. Only the Cajun ditty “Never Forget to Boogie” falls flat but given the circumstance we can forgive a misfiring or two.
It’s a real shame Jesse Winchester spent his most creative years in exile and an even greater one that he left us just as his creative spark seemed to be returning. But I’m obliged for the music he did give us; A Reasonable Amount of Trouble is by no means a masterpiece but it’s a solid enough work by an artist who deserved sales to match his standing. If nothing else it might inspire a few wise readers of this magazine to delve into his catalog and the rich rewards to be found. ***1/2
Rory Gallagher
Irish Tour ’74
40th Anniversary Deluxe Boxed Set, Sony Music UK
Quite simply one of the greatest live albums of all time, leaving me again wondering why Gallagher never became the superstar his talent warranted. This 40th anniversary has all the goods, including the full show (the original 2 LP set cut a few tracks), sound checks, a live DVD, and meticulously researched liner notes. They’ve even generously tossed in a pair of Belfast shows from the week previous to this one.
The sound is expertly remastered-Gallagher’s stunning guitar and gut bucket vocals have never sounded better-while his core band of drummer Rod De’Ath, bassist Gerald McAvoy, and keyboardist Lou Martin are at their peak. This was a time when virtually no performers-Irish or not-dared to tour the strife torn island, but Gallagher bucked the odds and was rewarded with what are now seen as his finest gigs.
Highlights include a dramatic take on Muddy Waters’ “I Wonder Who” and an acoustic rendering of Tony Joe White’s “As the Crow Flies” that crackles with energy. “Too Much Alcohol” has a prophetic twinge – Gallagher passed away from complications owing to liver transplant surgery in 1995, at age 47 – and while the 12 minute marathon of “Walk On Hot Coals” remains his authoritative moment, there’s simply too much greatness here to absorb at once: Which is why this seven disc set seems not the least bit excessive, but the mere tip of the iceberg. *****
Shelby Lynne
I Am Shelby Lynne-Deluxe Edition, Rounder Records
When Shelby Lynne released her sixth album, few country fans could have been prepared for what was in store. It sounded nothing like her previous efforts while establishing Lynne as a genuine star: So much so that I Am Shelby Lynne earned her a new artist Grammy, despite her having spent more than a decade as a recording artist. Fifteen years late, Rounder Records, to whom Lynne is currently signed, has repackaged and expanded I Am into a deluxe and most welcome offering.
Six previously unheard tracks are added to the original ten (which is sweet enough) but what really makes this worth having is the bonus DVD, a fiery 90 minute live show that literally rocks the house. This impeccably filmed and recorded performance, from April 2000, features Lynne fronting her six piece band, sliding easily from soul to pop to take no prisoners rock. A stunning version of John Lennon’s acerbic “Mother” sits comfortably near a mournful remake of Glen Campbell’s by way of Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman.”
The performance is emotionally stunning, musically delirious, and nothing short of breathtaking. Its inclusion makes an already brilliant reissue even better and more than justifies this deluxe reissue of her breakthrough masterpiece. *****