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Album of the Week: Music From Big Pink

Dusty Wright — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Album of the Week: Music From Big Pink Dusty Wright September 14, 2018 - 10:00

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The Band - Music from Big Pink (Capitol)

Can you imagine the shock waves that this album caused upon its release in 1968? At the height of the psychedelic rock era? Some critics have suggested that it spawned the "Americana" music movement. George Harrison and Eric Clapton even cited The Band and this album as steering their future careers via their/its "roots" sound. In fact, Clapton was so knocked out by them, he wanted to join them.

"I was given an acetate of Big Pink back in England and it shook me to the core," he said during a press conference at the Toronto International Film Festival to promote his doc, Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars.

"I was in Cream at the time with already the notion that it wasn't going in the right direction, and I thought, well this is what it is. I knew who (guitarist) Robbie Robertson was but I didn't realize that was their group. I thought they just appeared. I thought they were all from the Mississippi Delta."

Clapton even went as far as traveling to Woodstock to "jam" with The Band, but alas they were quite happy with Robbie on lead guitar. Clapton was so inspired that he wold quit Cream and begin his own solo career odyssey.

As far as debut albums, it doesn't get much better than this for any act. Certainly helps to have had the opportunity to tour, play and record with Bob Dylan prior to recording this masterpiece. The opening track, the epic and ragged love ballad "Tears of Rage," co-written by Dylan and Richard Manuel, sets the tone for what is to follow. It's easy to get lost in the ramshackle vibe and synergy that was created by Robbie Robertston (guitar), Rick Danko (bass, vocals), Richard Manuel (keyboards, vocals), Levon Helm (drums, vocals) and Garth Hudson (keyboards and accordion). John Simon's production has so much breathe that you feel like you're literally sitting in the middle of the studio. The new remix and remastering adds additional subtle tonal hues that draw the listener in. Their inter-band harmony vocals have never sounded more ragged or more beautiful. The interweaving of the keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums from song to song hangs together like master paintings inside a national art gallery.

Can you imagine what it must have been like hearing any of these songs on the radio back in the day? Robbie Roberston's beloved classic "The Weight" — a traveling song about Robbie visiting the Martin guitar factory in “Nazareth” Pennsylvania and written on a Martin guitar — has stood the test of time as one of the greatest songs ever committed to vinyl. And the album closes with two majestic Dylan tracks -- "This Wheel's on Fire" by Dylan and Danko and another Dylan timeless classic, the redemptive gospel-fueled ballad "I Shall Be Released." These two tracks, along with others on The Band’s debut, were born during The Basement Tapes rehearsals and recordings that gave birth to this majestic album.

It was no happy accident that Music from Big Pink would usher in a new sound. Moreover, it would be the first of many extraordinary albums they would record and share with the world. With the release of this remixed and remastered two-LP set on 180-gram 45 r.p.m. vinyl, Capitol may usher in a whole new generation of singer-songwriters, musicians, and bands to follow suit. Music should be inspirational, and music this well conceived and executed should continue to inspire and inform musicians and listeners alike.

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Album of the Week: Lilies

Dusty Wright — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 13:50:10 +0000

Album of the Week: Lilies Dusty Wright November 20, 2017 - 08:50

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Melanie De Biasio - Lilies (Pias America)

As I mentioned back in June, Miss Melanie De Biasio truly transcends description and/or refuses to be boxed into any one musical genre. Her latest nine-track album Lilies was released last month. This captivating Belgian artist incorporates jazz, classical, nufolk, even electronica into her musically rich vocabulary to create her truly unique and atmospheric sound; imagine Nina Simone meets Talk Talk.

Like the video above for her smoldering ballad "Your Freedom Is The End of Me," the tension she creates with minimum accompaniment of voice, bass, drums and piano is so dynamic on this track as well as the slow-burning, 6:41 long "All My Words," and the spoken-word poetry of "And My Heart Goes On," that I can't help but wonder if she might be paying homage to the early Roxy Music classic "In Every Dreamhome A Heartache". Moreover, the finger snaps and naked vocal brilliance of "Sitting In The Stairwell" might suggest she consider collaborating with the reclusive Mark Hollis from Talk Talk. Clearly that pairing could yield gold. And speaking of that precious metal, check out her percolating, hypnotic electronica-infused single -- "Gold Junkies" -- one of my favorite tracks from this new album.

These meditative ballads and tone poems are meant to nourish your soul. Find a quiet space, slip on a pair of headphones and let the music envelope you.

Album of the Week: Severed

Dusty Wright — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 21:25:14 +0000

Album of the Week: Severed Dusty Wright April 10, 2017 - 17:25

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Curse of Lono - Severed (Submarine Cat Records)

I've been a wit bit tardy on my vinyl reviews as of late, being so busy with my own music project, but this album Severed is so worthwhile even with the wait. Curse of Lono (no, not the Hunter S. Thompson novel) have crafted some very compelling gothic Americana on their debut full-length slab o' vinyl. Hailing from the UK they have taken up where leader Felix Bechtolsheimer formerly of Hey Negrita left off. The video above for the song "Pick Up The Pieces" is just the tip of the iceberg, as they say. A tom-tom primal Bo Diddy groove monster of a song it is, but just one of ten nuggets, five on each side, 38 minutes tight. This is the way music was meant to be heard. Get up and flip the disc over. Repeat. The Curse of Lono has descended upon my turntable and infected my whole home. Welcome to the my nightmare. Where's Hunter when you need him cuz I need my home exorcised.

Album of the Week: Describes Things As They Are

Dusty Wright — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 00:47:51 +0000

Album of the Week: Describes Things As They Are Dusty Wright March 3, 2017 - 19:47

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Beauty Pill - Describes Things As They Are (Butterscotch)

Remember the first time you heard a band that didn't cop to anyone else's style or music vibe before? I can namecheck Patti Smith and the Talking Heads as bands that made that immediate impact on my ears and brain. Couldn't shake them out of my brain. Well, it's happened again. Heard a song on random shuffle on a Spotify playlist and bam!... I was hooked. Beauty Pill's tune "Afrikaner Barista" got lodged in my cranium and simply couldn't shake it loose. Nor did I want to. So I tracked down the publicist, begged for the album that the song was released on, sadly to no avail, and bought the album anyway.

Describes Things As They Are (Butterscotch Records) is/was worth every damn penny, my friends. Like the Heads filtered through TV on The Radio, with a dash of the sonic flourishes of The Flaming Lips, but still unique, compelling, sonically engaging, hook-ey and melodically memorable. I'm slow to even know about them, but that's what makes this art-rock effort even more profound for me. (Okay, it was released in the spring of 2015.) I was NOT influenced by a review, critics peer pressure, or a hipster friend crowing about them. I was able to fall in love with them on my own. And that's why I hail this band. Then I read about them and learned that this was their first album was released 11 years ago. That they are a Washington, D.C.-based outfit and that they are not afraid to attach pointed politcal perspectives in their music.

Frontman Chad Clark’s lyrics are way smart snapshots into a beat poet's chanting dreamscape world of words that sometimes should not make sense together, but do. Moreover, it helps that you can Google the political references on the opening track "Drapetomania!" so that they do:

"It's not Natalya Estermirova / No Tupamaros / It's a well-lit nowhere / See you tomorrow."

One of my favorite lyric couplets is in the song "Ann The Word" sung my keyboardist Jean Cook:

"The ocean floor won't ask you any questions / It just sighs and welcomes you down."

This is rare beauty, an album that keeps on giving, an album that you will keep flipping over and over again, taking in all 4 sides as you continue to marvel at its beauty.

My Year In Vinyl, 2016

Dusty Wright — Sat, 31 Dec 2016 13:55:02 +0000

My Year In Vinyl, 2016 Dusty Wright December 31, 2016 - 08:55

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Happy New Year! It's been a tumultuous year for me and for many of us of a certain age. I lost a brother. The world lost a slew of pop culture -- Carrie Fisher, Alan Richman, Craig Sager, John Glenn -- and music icons -- Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, et al. One comfort for me was music and my rediscovery of vinyl. The warm, comforting sound of analog became my daily meditative fix. Quite literarily. Seeking out vinyl "nuggets" became a quest to help me deal with my own pain and depression. Chasing down albums that I owned thirty years, abadonded at the advent of those shiny new things called compact discs. Restorative analog power reigned o'er me. One of my chief caveats: I would not purchase anything on vinyl that I already owned on compact disc. Well, that rule didn't last long as I found comfort in such ancient vinyl relics as The Who's Quadrophenia, Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsies, Neil Young's After the Goldrush, Joni Mitchell's Hissing of Summer Lawns, The Beatles' Yesterday and Today, and plenty more.

In no order other than it was chicken soup for my soul, I present my favorite music of 2016. Yes, some of it is old, some of it new, but all of these albums I now play on my turntable.

Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog (A&M) "Say Hello 2 Heaven"... Back in 1991, a Seattle superband recorded one of hard rock's finest albums as an homage to Mother Love Bone's deceased lead singer, Andrew Wood. (Some might say that it was a bridge to Pearl Jam.) And now twenty-five years later, it was finally released on vinyl. Featuring members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, this rockin' double album is amazing, start to finish; not one lame song. I happened to catch them live at Madison Square Garden last month. The ever-charismatic Chris Cornell's vocals were extraordinary live, uncaged by the time away from this material. And Pearl Jam's Mike McCready is a beast on the lead guitar, one of the finest touring guitarists on the planet. While it was announced that the band would only perform five dates, one hopes they launch a major tour in 2017.

Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again (Interscope) This British-based singer-songwriter's new album, Love & Hate, is fantastic, and the single "Black Man in a White World" should be nominated for a "single of the year" on somebody's year-end awards show, but his timeless vibe on his 2012 debut album really struck a very deep chord in me. A latter-day Bill Withers/Terry Callier filtered through a modern music prism; throwback but thrown forward. Soulful folk and blues all stirred together. A timeless classic that was probably too sophisticated for most American radio stations, when it was first released.

Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage, Acts 1-3 & Hot Rats (Zappa) Reissued on vinyl and pressed from their original mixes; the genius of Mr. Zappa must be heard on vinyl to truly be appreciated. The jazz-rock fusion-fury of Hot Rats is a lesson in band communion. The sprawling insantiy of the rock opera Joe's Garage offers all that Zappa does so well -- satire, scatalogical humor, various musical genres, and exceptional musicianship. [Steve wishes to add that Zappa's solo on "Watermelon in Easter Hay" is proof that he made room for beauty in his often-confrontational art.] And while it does sag ever so slightly, taken in its entirity it is stunning nonetheless.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (Harvest) I actually didn't buy my favorite Pink Floyd album on vinyl until I finally caught guitarist David Gilmour at Radio City Music Hall on a Sunday night in April. It was hands-down my favorite live show of 2016. Yes, I have a serious man-crush on his lead-guitar heroics. And yes, the songs ain't too shabby either. But this album is the pinnacle of their storied career. The seeming simplicity of the songs reveal so much on every listen. And then there is David's four notes on his Fender Stratocaster on "Welcome to the Machine" that have become one of the most memorable musical mantras ever.

Syd Arthur - Apricity (Harvest) - This young Canterbury-based prog band enlisted the aid of uber-producer Jason Faulkner for its third album. I saw the group open for Jake Bugg at Terminal 5 in New York. Very impressive chops and catchy tunes. Don't let the prog genre turn you off -- they are quite melodic and catchy.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - No More Shall We Part (Mute) Yes, the new album Skeleton Key is a haunting and accolade-worthy effort, his answer to losing his teenage son, but this album released in 2001 is his masterpiece. Top to bottom, his best songs played by his best band ever. Tragic, and even more haunting than his new album, this album exposes Cave's pathos like never before. Listen to the emotive majesty of "God Is in the House" and try not to be moved. An album I played when I needed to sit and reflect on my life.

New Order - Lost Sirens (Warner Bros.) Released in 2013, this compilation grabbed leftover tracks from the Waiting for the Sirens' Call album and the last sessions of this Manchester quartet to feature their original bassist, Peter Hook, This quickly became one of my go-to albums this fall. I rank it right up there with Power, Corruption & LIes. I always preferred Bernard Sumner's guitar-forward tracks.

Crowded House - Temple of Low Men & Woodface (Capitol) Reissued on vinyl, all the titles are fantastic, but the two mentioned are essential. Guitars and melodic alt-pop rock never sounded better (except for perhaps their U.K.-based rivals XTC). Woodface might be the Brother's Finn crowning achievement. So many memorable songs, beautiful harmonies, smart lyrics, and sumptuous melodies. Some may prefer the darker tone and textures of Temple of Low Men; "Into Temptation" is still my favorite track by this New Zealand outfit. But I say, pick up both. You're certain to spend quality time with each of them.

And so I shall ring in the new year, having had the courage to sit through Kenneth Lonergan's brilliant and Oscar-worthy film Manchester By The Sea and contemplate my own place in my life's little rollercoaster ride. And I am not ashamed that I let the music soothe me. And I know that it will continue to soothe me as my life unfolds in 2017.

Album of the Week: Hot Rats!

Dusty Wright — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 18:41:24 +0000

Album of the Week: Hot Rats! Dusty Wright December 5, 2016 - 13:41

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With vinyl being a hot music commodity and back in vogue, it would seem inevitable that one of the music giants of the vinyl era would get remastered and re-released. Frank Zappa remains one of the those musical geniuses where his impact was missed by a deservedly larger fanbase while he roamed planet Earth. With a must-see documentary -- Eat That Question: Frank Zappa In His Own Words (Sony Pictures Classic) -- currently in theaters and on demand, hopefully some of his genius will be discovered by a new generation of fans. Certainly the above-titled masterpiece Hot Rats, reissued by Zappa Records in August on 180gram vinyl cut directly from the original analog master tapes by Bernie Grundman, remains one of his cornerstone releases in his immense and musically varied catalog.

Which brings us to the album itself... an album that I've purchased a few years after its initial vinyl release back in 1969 on Bizarre/Reprise Records and since then on numerous compact disc overhauls to its current version lovingly and faithfully rereleased by his estate. Leaning more towards the rock side of jazz-rock fusion, this juggernaut effort was released the same year as Miles Davis' masterpiece Bitches Brew. Moreover, this was Zappa's first solo album after The Mothers and on it he unleashed the full fury of his electric guitar chops. Joined by Ian Underwood on piano, organ, clarinet, and saxophone, this 6 track record has some of his most beloved instrumentals including the playful "Peaches En Regalia" which features Shuggie Otis on bass and Ron Selico on drums. And the mad horn and zany clarinet driven "Son of Mr. Green Jeans" featuring Paul Humphrey on drums and Max Bennett on bass.

The center piece track for me, and most fans, is "Willie The Pimp" featuring the only vocals on the album by mad genius Captain Beefheart. Certainly Beefheart's Howlin' Wolf yelps and Sugar Cane Harris' electric violin intro and outro riff provide sonic magic, but it's really Zappa's epic and majestic soloing that inspires the listener. For me, its sheer git-heavy audaciousness is rivaled only by Funkadelic lead guitarist Eddie Hazel on "Maggot Brain" released two years later. This nine minute plus tune never grows stale or tired.

If you've never listened to Zappa before, you may want to start here. You won't be disappointed. Now hold your Bic lighters high and sway back and forth.

Albums of the Week

Dusty Wright — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:48:05 +0000

Albums of the Week Dusty Wright August 1, 2016 - 01:48

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My summer has been filled with deep loss. My younger brother David succumbed to major injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on June 1st. Along with the comfort and love from my family and friends, music was a necessary daily elixir. Many nights I would listen to vinyl in my mother's home, albums I'd left there years ago, or a handful of new/used pieces I picked up at one of my favorite Akron, OH vinyl shops.The ritual of cleaning each piece, placing it on the turntable, dropping the needle, studying the album art, reading the liner notes... it was a much-needed distraction. Here are three new pieces that have aided me in my latest life's journey.

Nick Cave - Push The Sky Away (Bad Seed Ltd)

Mr. Cave lost his teenage son in a tragic accident last July and is set to release Skeleton Key in September, his first new music since said tragedy. In the interim, something about his 15th album released in 2013 offered me a very deep and satisfying comfort. And while I do miss Bad Seeds guitarist Blixa Bargeld's noise bursts and long-time musical foil Mick Harvey's numerous contributions, the stark arrangements by Cave and Warren Ellis -- his partner in music soundtracks -- offer an eerie, atmospheric quality that permeates one's soul. This is an album where the listener can "feel" the tension in the grooves. The songs "Higgs Boson Blues" (Stephen Hawking warns that the Higgs boson, or "god particle," could end the universe one day) and "Jubilee Street" are both long, ruminative centerpiece tracks that define each side. When my darkness finally subsides, "I am transforming / I am vibrating / I am an embryo eating dark oxygen / I am glowing / I am flying / Look at me..."

Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - Closer To It (RCA)

... and when my gloom finally lifts, I know that "Happiness is Just Around the Bend." That song and this album were played non-stop when I was a teenager. If those musical memories are truly comforting, so be it. The jazz vibe is soaring and fierce, Mr. Auger's band firing on all cylinders. UK-based Auger even handles his own vocals. Wonderful covers of the Gene McDaniels's classic "Compared to What" and Marvin Gaye's juggernaut "Inner City Blues" help to nourish my recovery. Yes, they harken back to a time of innocence, when death and darkness seemed so very distant and the future offered nothing but unbridled optimism.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits (Geffen)

Say what you will about Mr. Petty once domination of FM radio, but he remains one of American's greatest rockers. True that formulaic FM rock programmers over-saturated his music on the radio during the '70s and '80s, yet his music has aged incredibly well and he remains one of my favorite songwriters. This first-time-on vinyl, double LP 180 gram collection could have easily been a triple LP set. Petty has always been deft in his cover selection and on this comp he tackles the Thunderclap Newman tune "Something in the Air," a song that I hold in very high regard. TN's Hollywood Dreams is a much-coveted album worthy of any collection, vinyl or otherwise. And if the sing-along rock anthems "American Girl" or "Free Fallin'" aren't on your top 50 rock songs playlist, then you are not a true rock 'n' roll fan. Petty's simple, evocative jangle rock songs are as American as apple pie.

Summer Vinyl!

Dusty Wright — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 06:42:56 +0000

Summer Vinyl! Dusty Wright July 3, 2016 - 02:42

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So this summer I've fallen back in love with vinyl, thanks in part to CC editor Steve Holtje giving me a satchel of essential albums this past winter, thus forcing me to buy a new turntable. It seems like only yesterday when vinyl ruled my world -- when Tower Records was part of my weekly Saturday routine. When vinyl was both King and Queen, and when analog music was so much easier on the ears and a much more enjoyable listening experience. (And one had to actually participate in said experience by flipping the album over after one side was finished playing.) Now I get to replace most of the vinyl I sold or gave away with either 180 gram, remastered versions or pristine used copies found in thrift shops or on the numerous Facebook vinyl user groups I've recently joined. Please indulge me as I "wax" poetic about three new items I recently added to my collection:

Robert Kidney - Jagleg (Exit Stencil)

This record was a long time coming, but well worth the wait; a solo outing by the brilliant band leader Robert Kidney of the equally brilliant NE Ohio juggernaut blues outfit 15-60-75 aka The Numbers Band, now in their 46th year of playing and recording. This glorious effort was recorded live with only two edits by Tony Maimone at Studio G in Brooklyn. It's like you're sitting in the same room with Robert and his acoustic guitar, ingesting his anguished angle on life. Raw and visceral, emotional and deeply satisfying, this is an album only a man who has lived the blues could produce. If you loved the American Recordings by Johnny Cash, then you must purchase this gem as well.

Van Morrison - ...It's Too Late To Stop Now... Volume 1 (Legacy reissue)

Major props to Sony's archive label Legacy. They constantly raise the bar in music perfection with their reissue campaigns. Hard not to buy in on one of the greatest live albums ever released -- Van Morrison's must-own It's Too Late to Stop Now -- back in print for the first time in 25 years. This double album was compiled from Van's epic 1973 summer concert tour and featured performances captured in London and Los Angeles. It has been said that his eleven-piece band, The Caledonia Soul Orchestra, which included horn and string sections, pushed Van to his live performing peak. Worth it alone for the Irish Bard's stunning ten-minute-plus rendition of "Cypress Avenue" from his masterwork Astral Weeks. It sounds so good on vinyl, it's damn near criminal.

Humble Pie - Smokin' (A&M)

For many Humble Pie fanatics, Rockin' The Fillmore remains the band's pinnacle achievement. For me, their fifth studio LP remains my favorite. This boogie-rock classic happened to be their biggest seller, too. Guitarist Clem Clempson was left with the daunting task of replacing the brilliant axe meister Peter Frampton, who would solidify his solo mega-stardom with Frampton Comes Alive! For me and my friends, "Hot 'n' Nasty" and "30 Days in the Hole" became minor anthems back in the "heady" days of the early '70s. Former Small Faces vocalist/guitarist Steve Marriot was in fine vocal form throughout, although he collapsed of exhaustion after producing this juggernaut. Stephen Stills played organ on "Road Runner G Jam" and added backround vocals on "Hot 'n' Nasty." My newest slab o' vinyl -- a sealed first edition! -- arrived this past week from friend and Facebook vinyl peddler extraordinaire Sal Nunziato.

If you still have a turntable, please spend some of your music time listening to vinyl. You'll be so very glad you did. And if you're interested in unloading any of your vinyl, do let me know.