Month: May 2005

England’s Pretty Things are probably best known to American audiences as the answer to the trivia question, “Who was the Rolling Stones’ original bassist?” (The Pretty Things’ lead guitarist, Dick Taylor.) This 25-song, career-spanning retrospective fleshes out the rest of the story of this criminally overlooked, great band.

Their beginnings as a Stones-ish R&B band inspired by Bo Diddley (whose song “Pretty Thing” gave them their name) are illustrated on blues covers such as Bo’s “Road Runner” and Snooky Pryor’s “Judgement Day,” sounding a bit like the Yardbirds’ arrangement of “I’m A Man.” This is about as raw and anticipatory of punk that any ’60s British blues band got, with Taylor’s rough-and-tumble leads and Phil May’s Jaggeresque vocal delivery. “You Don’t Believe Me,” from 1965’s Get The Picture?, was co-written by Jimmy Page, who was such a fan that he later signed them to Zeppelin’s Swan Song label. Another devotee, David Bowie, covered their “Don’t Bring Me Down” and “Rosalyn” (both included here) on his Pin Ups album.

Taylor is at his in-your-face best on “Come See Me,” which also features what sounds like fuzz bass – but the whole band sounds as though all VU meters were in the red on the early recordings. The group soon began expanding its blues base, venturing into garage rock like “L.S.D.” and “Progress,” the lilting pop ballad “The Sun,” the Floydish psychedelia of “Defecting Grey,” and the pre-prog rock of “Balloon Burning.” The latter pair of tunes comes from the Things’ 1968 rock opera, S.F. Sorrow. And while Frank Zappa fans will remember his “I Was A Teenage Malt Shop” as probably the first “rock opera,” S.F. Sorrow is cited as inspiring Pete Townshend’s Tommy.

The evolution of the Pretty Things encompassed more stylistic turns than any band this side of the Beatles or Spinal Tap. It’s startling to get to the last track, 1974’s “Singapore Silk Torpedo,” and then rewind 19 years to “Rosalyn.” At long last there’s a CD that illustrates the band’s varied and colorful history.

The Blasters were one of the greatest American rock bands ever. I’m also of the opinion that their lead guitarist and main songwriter, Dave Alvin, is one of today’s finest writers. That started with some great songs he penned with the Blasters in the early ’80s. As one look at this DVD will show you, he’s also grown tremendously as a guitarist.

This is a recording of a concert the fellas did to wrap up their “reunion” tour in 2003. They recorded the DVD in their home area at the Galaxy Theatre in Orange County, California. The original lineup is featured here. That means Dave’s brother, Phil, is sweating, grimacing, and smiling through 18 great tunes. It also means the nasty rhythm section of Bill Bateman (drums), John Bazz (bass), and the wonderful Gene Taylor (keyboards) is propelling this band to new heights on pretty much every performance. And guiding things along is Dave Alvin and his Strat, whose playing has grown tremendously through the years.

There’s some nice extras on the DVD that show the Blasters back in the ’80s. While he was certainly a fine roots-rock guitarist, his playing stayed simple and fit the songs.

In this concert, he dips, dives, and takes off on solo excursions that might seem more fitting on a jam band album. Check out the classic “American Music.” A great solo for a great song. He’s not afraid to stretch things out a bit, which wouldn’t have happened in the old days. As long as we’re talking old days, we should mention Dave left the first time around, feeling somewhat constricted. He has said that minor chords and long solos were frowned upon. That apparently has been worked out. Although the beginning of one of my favorites, “Trouble Bound,” lets the old animosity rear its ugly head. If you read lips, you can see Dave telling Phil to “Shut up” as he tries to start the song. Once the tune kicks in, though, it’s all smiles as the band cooks.

There’s help from some friends here, too. Chicago bluesman Billy Boy Arnold joins the band for a couple of tunes, including a blistering version of his classic “I Ain’t Got You.” Rockabilly legend Sonny Burgess rocks with the boys through a couple of tunes, and members of doo-wop bands the Calvanes and the Medallions shine on several songs.

From a musical standpoint, this is what’s great about the DVD. A great band, putting on one hell of a show for lots of their fans. Throw in great interviews, old clips, and great sound and camera shots, and you get more than your money’s worth. Dave says he’d be happy to do other reunion gigs in the future, but just in case, pick this one up. Rock and roll like it should be.

Martin guitars are revered, collected, and played by performers, singers, songwriters and by legions of avid collectors and enthusiasts.

If there has been a hallmark for Martin guitars over the years, it is that the guitars were plainly adorned. No expense was spared on achieving the best sound, but no extra expense was deemed necessary simply to make the guitar look nicer. Those 40-45 series guitars were comparatively rare and unusual until the 1970s. Nowdays it seems everyone is making fancy guitars, and Martin is no exception. Neither has any expense been spared for many custom instruments.

This book features more than 100 of Martin’s most desirable guitars, including instruments belonging to Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Joan Baez, Sting, and Eric Clapton. We also get a look at Martin’s one millionth instrument, the fanciest Martin ever made.

Author Dick Boak is the head of artist relations and publicity at C.F. Martin and Co., collaborating with artists in the design of their Limited Edition and Signature Models. A prolific artist, luthier and musician in his own right, he is a founder of the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans, and has organized numerous national instrument-making symposiums. Here he enthusiastically outlines his experiences as liaison in these collaborations.

Many players prefer a more plain guitar, and most still associate Martin with unadorned instruments or, at the most, with herringbone trim. However, others appreciate the beauty of pearl-trimmed and otherwise festooned guitars as art objects as well as instruments you can play. This book is for the latter, though the former will also be rather interested, as well.

If you didn’t know better, you’d swear after hearing the first few bars of “Nancy Sinatra,” the opening song on the Bottle Rockets’ Brand New Year, that you were listening to an unearthed early recording from ZZ Top.

The Bottle Rockets have an uncanny ability to create the kind of raunchy electric guitar wall of crunch that conjures up images of rockin’ dudes with long beards. But on subsequent cuts on their latest CD, the Bottle Rockets reveal the true depth and breadth of their talent.

The sound of multiple layers of fully cranked electric guitars has a primal effect on the human psyche. The Bottle Rockets tap into this primitive power. Whether the songs are about cultural icons, the evils of the modern world (“Helpless”), or the importance of saving the beer in times of stress (“The Bar’s on Fire”), they have a raw rock and roll energy that can’t be denied.

Chief songwriter Brian Henneman brings a hypercritical sensibility to bear on all matter of subjects both sacred and profane. My favorite song on Brand New Year is “White Boy Blues,” a tribute to the archetypical vintage guitar owner. Ouch!

Despite their raw power and big-boned strength, the songs on Brand New Year represent highly polished studio efforts.

And if you’d like to hear what the Bottle Rockets sound like when they relax, their new Leftovers CD will fit the bill. Populated by more acoustic guitar and even an occasional mandolin and fiddle, they let their hair let down so you can see their acoustic and old-time country roots.

At only slightly more than 31 minutes and only eight songs, Leftovers is short but sweet. The opening cut, “Get Down River,” feels like an old traditional number rather than a Henneman original. Its waltz rhythm, coupled with lyrics lamenting the annual spring flood, conjures up images of broken old levees and tenement shacks. My favorite song on the album, “My Own Cadillac,” features Henneman playing a “drunk Firebird.” It sort of lurches along rhythmically, with a surly edge that feels as if Hank William’s ghost was hovering over the drum kit.

If you like your music nice and neat, the Bottle Rockets probably won’t float your boat. But if you can cotton to music that lets its rough side show, the Bottle Rockets should be on your short list of new bands worth paying attention to.

Yes, Bernie Williams plays center field for my beloved New York Yankees. And while many revel in the fact they were defeated in the World Series, Bernie can take solace in the fact that he has released a pretty good record, and is a very fine guitarist.

For those not familiar, Bernie grew up in Puerto Rico, playing ball, and playing guitar. And, as one listen will show you, he’s got the guitar chops. More importantly, for this record he’s also got a lot of talent as a composer. “La Salsa En Mi” comes across at first as some sort of weird, off-kilter “La Bamba.” But by the time it’s through, it’s taken you through lots of twists and turns, complete with some tasty acoustic soloing by Bernie and Bela Fleck on banjo. “Desvelado” is a fine Latin piece with a melody that sticks in your mind like glue, and it features Bernie on electric for one of the few times on the record. Again, he’s got the chops. It’s fairly obvious he’s a fan of folks like Larry Carlton, who like to burn and show some soul at the same time. The funky “Stranded On the Bridge” gives Bernie another chance to plug in. His chordal work and leads shine. There are some nice covers, too. “Samba Novo,” the Baden Powell tune, is a piece played by Bernie solo, and it’s as nice a piece of guitar music as you’ll hear for awhile. Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes” has always had a gorgeous melody, and it’s handled beautifully. There are one or two clinkers. His cover of “Dust In the Wind” seems out of place. Or maybe it’s just my general dislike of that song. Either way, it’s a distraction. Williams’s “Enter the Bond” starts with a horrible dance rhythm track, but features some fine, soulful acoustic soloing that helps redeem it somewhat.

And you might be thinking, “He wouldn’t have had the chance to make this album without his sports fame.” Maybe so, but he’s up to the challenge. The CD is enhanced, and can be viewed in your computer. In interviews, players like Fleck and legendary bassist Lee Sklar point to Bernie’s talents. And Paul McCartney has already signed him to a publishing contract.

It’s easy to see why all this has happened to Bernie. He’s definitely talented enough to carry himself in the music world.

It’s hard not to be skeptical over every “reunion” that comes along when you’ve got Toad The Wet Sprocket reuniting after all these years – five to be exact. If that’s a reunion, then ZZ Top reunites every time they put out an album.

That skepticism can turn into fear when the group in question is as legendary and shrouded in mythology as the Yardbirds – fear that they’ll only succeed in sullying their reputation and our memories with a substandard imitation designed to milk the last consumer buck out of their laurels.

And in the case of this heralded British band, it’s been 35 years since their last recording; is it remotely possible that they can summon up their trademark frenetic energy and freight-train rhythmic punch? And what lead guitarist could possibly step into the slot vacated by Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page?

A tall order, needless to say.

But Birdland is an impressive comeback and a pleasant surprise on many levels. The surviving members onboard are drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja, who prove beyond a shadow of doubt that they were, and still are, two of the best at their respective instruments – and even hotter as a team. American John Idan handles bass and lead vocals, with Alan Glen on harmonica and backup vocals – hat-swapping replacements for original bassist Paul Samwell-Smith and singer/harpist Keith Relf.

I saw Idan in London in ’89 as part of the Topham-McCarty Blues Band, when McCarty teamed with the lead guitarist who preceded Clapton, Top Topham, and I didn’t notice his vocals as being especially similar to Relf’s. He definitely leans toward that style here, but avoids sounding like a mimic. In the process, he comes off well, while also illustrating how underrated a singer/frontman Relf really was.

And for the answer to the $64,000 question: stepping up to the plate on lead is former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Gypie Mayo, whose blues roots and over-the-top daring are the perfect combination. From the opening cut, “I’m Not Talking” (which originally featured Beck), Gypie stakes his claim as nobody’s clone, though he is obviously relishing the chance to flex his Yardbirds chops.

The 15-song set is divided roughly in half between new originals and re-tooled Yardbirds favorites, most of the latter featuring additional guest guitarists.

This is where my “reunion” alarm went off a second time, since the usual suspects are too often trotted out (Slash, Skunk, Lukather – hired guns in search of a band) to prop up a lackluster project, and sometimes smother the band they’re supposedly guesting with.

Thank goodness the aforementioned trio, along with label head Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Brian May are respectful of their surroundings without being (in most cases) too reverent. Beck himself guests, but chose to do so on a new tune, adding gritty slide to “My Blind Life.”

Most of the covers hold up fairly well alongside the original versions, but, needless to say, it’ll be a cold day before anyone ups the ante on the Yardbirds 1965 take on “Train Kept A-Rollin’” or their ’66 hit “Shapes of Things.” (Satch does some nice gnat-note buzzing on the former here, with Vai nearly reconstructing Beck’s psychedelic onslaught on the latter.)

The best cameos are Brian May’s dynamic solo on “Mister, You’re a Better Man Than I” and Steve Lukather’s whammy-infested “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago.” The most lackluster is Goo Goo Doll Johnny Rzeznik’s oomph-less vocal on “For Your Love.”

The CD’s first original track, “Crying Out for Love,” shows Gypie’s lyrical side and features another nod to the Yardbirds past in the chanting chorus. On “Please Don’t Tell Me ‘Bout the News” Mayo’s tone is a fitting vintage snarl, with a 12-bar shift in the middle that allows him to swing a bit before building to a crescendo for the rave-up near the end. Middle Eastern influences inhabit “Mystery of Being,” and the set closes with “An Original Man,” written for Relf, who was electrocuted in 1976 while recording at home.

The real tests, of course, aren’t whether or not this CD pleases lifelong Yardbirds fans like me, but if it can cross over to a generation that wasn’t alive during the group’s heyday, and if the band can live up to its rep live.

If they can approximate the energy and inventiveness on this disc, I can’t imagine a kid walking out of one of their concerts and not getting what all the hubbub was about.

Tom Principato is one of those guitarists who has been around for a long time. He’s on the fringe of lots of stuff, has played with tons of great guitarists, and makes pretty darn good records. Oh yeah, and don’t forget the instructional books he’s done.

So, this DVD is a lot of fun for fans of Tom and guitar. It collects a whole bunch of videos involving Tom. Now, some of these were obviously shot on home video by family or friends, and some of them a long time ago. So, the quality is not always great, either from a picture standpoint, or an audio standpoint. That said, it’s still well worth a look.

A lot of the videos are of Tom and his bands playing live around his home base of Virginia. An incendiary “Give Me All the Love You’ve Got” shows off his chops and the feel of the DVD. “Stranger’s Eyes” is a fine tune recorded in 1996 that lets Tom show off his ballad side. “In Orbit” is a shuffle with great jazzy licks that you don’t usually hear blues guitarists incorporate in their solos.

While the cuts with Tom and the boys are fine, it’s the videos with guest appearances that will draw the attention of most guitarists. There’s a clip of Tom and Albert Lee doing “I’m On Fire,” from the German music show “Ohne-Filter,” that just cooks. Tom’s rock and roll soloing and Albert’s normal great mix of jazz, country, and the blues propel this one. You gotta check out the two guitarists trading fours. There’s a lot of smiles going around, and for good reason. There’s also a cut from 1984 featuring Tom with Danny Gatton. It’s fun to watch, even though it’s a bit out of sync. Just a second or two, but enough to occasionally drive you crazy.

A certifiable highlight is “Cross Cut Saw,” recorded in 1994 with Little Jimmy King sitting in. King pushes Tom and the whole band to incredible heights with his great playing and great guitar sound. It’s one of those truly magical musical moments. Little Jimmy was a fine player that was lost to us at a way-too-young age.

In all, this is a lot of fun. While not someone the average Joe knows, Tom kind of represents a lot of guys out there who’ve been playing great for a lot of years, but for whatever reason aren’t “famous.” This chronicles that career, all the way back to a great version of “Frosty” cut in 1976. And, again, like much of the DVD, the sound isn’t great, but it’ll do.