Year: 2006

The great stuff continues to flow from Duke Robillard. The man makes great solo records, produces records, and makes special appearances, always adding great parts to records for friends everywhere. Here is more of the same. Yes, he gets equal billing, and deservedly so, with Jay Geils, and Gerry Beaudoin. But you gotta wonder, when does this man rest?

If you want to characterize this set, just say relaxed, bluesy swing. It’s no surprise that Duke shines playing this stuff. And Gerry shows off his considerable chops to a little larger audience here so they can see his talents. But, for a lot of folks, the surprise might be the playing of Jay Geils. He is synonymous with the rock band fronted by Peter Wolf that scored lots of hits, and called itself by his first initial and last name. Their rep was that of a party band, mixing rock and raucous R&B. Here, Geils lets his musical passion for jazz shine through. Usually setting the pace by taking the first solo, or laying down the melody, Geils’ playing is nothing short of fabulous. He shows a wonderful sense of swing and a glorious feel for the bluesy jazz that dominates the set.

The title of this record fits everything that you’ll hear in the grooves(yes, I know they’re not grooves on CDs, but, I’m old, so give me a break). There’s also a fabulous live video of the boys that plays when you put the disc in your computer. A fine bonus. It is indeed a new guitar summit, and one I hope we hear lots more from. Nothing earth shattering, but as solid and fun a performance as you’re likely to hear this year.

Not all great pickers and songwriters live in Nashville, L.A., or New York. Some reside in far off places such as Las Cruses, New Mexico. Steven Smith is a case in point. His fourth solo release, Hard Road, features more of his vocal abilities than his previous release, but still includes enough great picking to appease fans of his prodigious instrumental talents.

Joined by an impressive musical cast including Jim Hurst, George Rhee, and Bob Hull on guitar, Missy Raines and Elijah Copeland on bass, Wayne Shrubsall on banjo, Fred Bugbee on percussion, Robin Russell, Jane Horton, Bruce Johnson, and Sally Barnes on backing vocals, Steve plays mandolin, mandola, guitar and mandocello. Two original tunes join songs by Lennon and McCartney, John Phillips, Phil Rosenthal, Radney Foster, and five traditional classics. Smith’s version of the traditional “Poor Man” opens the disc, showcasing his virtuosic guitar playing and fine singing. The last song, Foster’s “Went For A Ride,” demonstrates Smith’s ability to create a memorable and personal rendition of a song that has already been recorded very well by its author. He’s got a little guitar lick that will drive you crazy trying to get it down. On originals like the title song, Smith conjures up a performance that will be difficult to improve upon, regardless of who attempts to cover it.

Twenty years ago, no one would have imagined technology advancing to the point where small labels and individual artists could produce recordings whose quality would rival the majors. But as is evident from Hard Road, if you have the talent, you can easily find the resources to make a great-sounding CD, even in the wilds of New Mexico.

Is Gurf his real name? I don’t know. What I do know is he’s produced excellent records in the past few years for other artists, and in the past couple has started putting together some pretty good ones of his own.

Once upon a time, country music radio sounded this good. What’s really surprising is Gurf played the lion’s share of the instruments on the record. Despite that, each tune has a great feel, and the collection works really well. At times, it’s almost like one person playing every instrument and singing.

There are fine tunes here. The honky-tonk of “Yesterday She Didn’t” shows off Gurf’s stringed versatility, with fine steel and six-string work. Lyrically, “Were You Lyin’ Down?” is tough to beat. The singer is stood up, and comically wonders where his date is. All set against a great country feel. Same with “Your Sister,” in which our singer informs his lost love he’s “…gonna have to sleep with your sister.” Very funny, and with a craftsman’s feel.

“Without You” is a honky-tonker with twangy fills that would make Don Rich proud. “Me and You” has its fine love lyric set to a loping country feel that lets Gurf play nasty steel and twangy lead.

Morlix is an obvious master of his craft. As a player, he’s right on the money. He has written a batch of songs here that should make the folks in Nashville ashamed of what they put on the radio. As a singer, he’s got a bit of the old guys mixed with some eccentricities. It sounds like his words get trapped halfway down his throat before he gets them to come out.

If you love country music, but are a little fed up with some of the stuff on the radio, look no further.

I ran into a guitarist and fellow Faces fan recently and mentioned the new boxed set, and he marveled, “Isn’t Woody amazing on there?” I agreed. But if I’d run into a bassist, he probably would have said the same about Ronnie Lane; a drummer would have commented similarly about Kenny Jones, a keyboardist about Ian McLagan, a singer about Rod Stewart. No arguments here. But it’s difficult to think of the bandmates individually, because the Faces weren’t five entities, they were one – a band, in the truest sense of the word, with everything that term conjures up.

David Fricke concludes his liner notes to the package by saying, “They were the greatest rock and roll party band that ever stumbled and strummed across the face of the earth. The Faces could play it all – blues, soul, funk, country, boogie – and they played it like the world was their bar stool, and it was never closing time.” That, I would disagree with – as gangs of Beatles, Yardbirds, and Stones fans would – unless the “party” emphasis was the main criterion. Even then, the Stones would be strong contenders. The advantage the Faces have over them is that they didn’t hang around and wear out their welcome; they existed from 1969 to ’75, and, as this box amply illustrates, cranked out an abundance of consistently high-quality music in that span.

They were famous for the stumbling and drinking, but as photographer Tom Wright points out (in a letter reprinted from an issue of Discoveries magazine), they were not, as some have termed them, sloppy. They had a grungy quality, sometimes resembling reckless abandon, but they were a tight unit with talent to spare. You try handling the push/pull syncopated rhythm of “Miss Judy’s Farm.” (It’s kind of like focusing on the sandiness of Stewart’s voice and ignoring what a capable vocalist and stylist he is).

Hair-splitting aside, this set is any Faces fan’s dream come true, not to mention a great introduction to kids who think the Black Crowes actually invented their sound. McLagan produced the set, which includes 31 unreleased cuts among its 67 tracks, many of them live. From a version of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Evil” at their first rehearsals in 1969, the Faces already had an original sound and innate arranging skills, transforming the blues into something uniquely their own. This ability would serve them well over the years, whether covering Eddie Cochran (“Cut Across Shorty”), Motown (the Temptations’ “I’m Losing You” and “I Wish It Would Rain”), or Lennon and McCartney (“Jealous Guy” and “Maybe I’m Amazed,” with Ronnie Lane on lead vocal). If they’d only been a cover band, they would have been the gold standard, but the four vocalists were excellent songwriters, and even drummer Jones joined in some collaborations. More than 75 percent of the material here was penned by the Faces, usually co-written, in every conceivable combination.

With the group’s ability to rock out a given, one of the strengths the set illuminates is the boys’ singular way with a ballad – be it Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel” or Lane’s acoustic “Richmond.” And for his part, Ron Wood indeed proves he’s one of rock’s most underrated guitarists throughout – whether he’s rocking hard, supplying sensitive fills, soloing, playing slide, or crunching rhythm – but, more important, one-fifth of a great band.

Alright, here’s the deal. I haven’t played in a band for about three years. It became a deal of the “day job” getting in the way. But I just got some gigs with some old playing buddies, and was doing some woodshedding. “Oh, yeah,” I thought to myself after a few days of practice, “I can play!” Then I heard Classic Scotty – a display of guitar playing both intimidating and inspiring at the same time.

I’ve always been impressed by Anderson’s chops, but this record is another thing altogether. It may be the most perfect guitar album I’ve heard in years.

Scotty combines every form of country with jazz, rock, and anything else you can think of. “Going Down This Road Feeling Bad” starts things off with some Atkins picking guaranteed to have Chet smiling in heaven. By the time he’s done with this wonderful cut, it has covered the history of the mixture of country and jazz and displays some insane chops. Single lines and double-stops that bounce everywhere.

If “Honey Fingers” doesn’t bring to mind Jimmy Bryant, you ain’t heard Jimmy Bryant. What’s really fun, though, is the way Scotty keeps things personal and unique. The mix of country and jazz overflows on this uptempo gem.

The tour de force is an incredible rendition of the old Animals classic, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” The solos and the arrangement are extraordinarily clever. The feel is almost Blue Note at times. There are several solos, all imaginative, and all classic. But check out how he plays around the changes at the end. This is easily my guitar song of the year – so far!

If ballads are your deal, the beautiful tones and sounds Scotty coaxes out of his Tele on “16 Candles” and “Cold, Cold Heart” will satisfy you. Check out the harmonics on the latter. The playing is beyond description. The cover of the Beatles “All My Loving” is yet another highlight. It starts as a solo statement of melody, delivered Chet and Merle style. Then it flies into bebop heaven. Scotty even puts his own flourishes on the melody that actually add to the already excellent original.

Blues your deal? You’ve probably never heard a version of “Milk Cow Blues” you’ll like as much. You want some ideas to spice up your blues playing? Give this one a listen. Oh yeah, did I mention the cover of “La Grange?” The arrangement doesn’t change much from the Z.Z. Top original, but the playing sure does. Scotty weaves blazing jazz and rock licks with killer bends to really jazz up this classic.

The oddest cut on the disc is also one of the best. I never thought I’d hear this kind of player cover Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” but to say it works would be an incredible understatement. It’s jazzy, it’s funky, it’s rocky, and monster fingerpicked riffs add a touch of country.

One other thing I love about this record is its length. For some time now it seems every disc I get is longer than 70 minutes. Invariably, there’s some waste. Not here. It’s 40 minutes of pure guitar heaven. If you pick up only one CD this year, make it this one. “Virtuoso” is an overused term, but it fits Scotty Anderson.

Rory Gallagher’s mention brings a certain vision: denim jeans and a flannel shirt. An old Strat with very little finish left. High-spirited yet authentic blues and rock. Consummate musicianship. A CD box set also brings a certain vision: packaging the music parts into a greater whole.

Both are represented clearly in this new offering. Gallagher, the Irish troubadour-turned-working-class guitar hero, is fully represented on four live CDs. Three are previously released, the fourth only in bootleg form. And that’s where the packaging comes in.

The box (and unlike some box sets there really is a box) is filled with unpublished photos and an excellent booklet with extensive and complete notes about Gallagher and crew. They document a guitar-playing songwriter who charted his own path until a his death at age 46. Gallagher also assumed complete creative control of his music, produced all his recordings, and generally set the tone and direction for his career. He fronted one of the first power trios, Taste, in the 1960s, broke out as a solo artist in ’71 and got radio airplay on album-friendly stations, then became a big draw on college campuses across the U.S. His following in Europe was even larger, and he recorded and toured regularly until the late ’80s, when health problems forced a cutback.

Firmly grounded in the blues, but also informed by a jazz sensibility, Gallagher performed mainly his own compositions, which took the form of revved-up rockers mixed with slower 12-bar fare. Even so, Gallagher was proficient in acoustic, electric, and bottleneck guitar as well as mandolin, harmonica, and even saxophone. It’s a shame he left us before the “unplugged” trend, as he would have been a true force as a solo acoustic performer.

Indeed, Gallagher became known for the one electric guitar he was to use for his entire career, a late-’50s Fender Stratocaster with a rosewood fingerboard. The guitar lost nearly all of its finish over the decades of studio and road work, as Gallagher used it for nearly every live performance and recording session. No switching guitars in concert – he simply re-tuned the Strat to an open key and took off.

While he was occasionally spotted with a Telecaster, it was the prized Strat, that was the main axe. His amp selection was just as simple – a tube amp by Fender, Vox, or occasionally Marshall, and nothing but a cord between guitar and amp.

The music in this set captures Gallagher at his best and can be broken into four distinct periods. First is the original Rory Gallagher Live from ’73, which has Gallagher in his trio format. Another great packaging trick is employed in the form of previously unreleased bonus tracks, two on this CD. Several covers spice up the works, but it’s the encore number “Bullfrog Blues” that best defines the Gallagher sound and fury and also features brief bass and drum solos. Gallagher uses the Strat, mandolin, and Dobro to full effect on this CD, and shows that a trio can be as much of a band as one could need. But when a second live album was recorded only a couple of years later, a keyboard player had been added to the mix. Whether the electric piano improved the overall sound is debatable, but the energy on Irish Tour ’74 is compelling, either because Gallagher had returned home or because it was one of those special nights, the tracks here burn.

Irish Tour ’74 captured Rory doing what he does best, with a bevy of original numbers, the standout being a power ballad, “A Million Miles Away.” It’s a tour de force number about sitting in a bar but dreaming of being somewhere else, and features Gallagher’s patented volume swells, squawking lead-position Strat solos, and pinched harmonics.

The third CD is Gallagher’s original 1980 release, Stage Struck . Overall, this is a more straightforward rock record than the previous live offerings, which tended to mix tempo and instruments. CD number four is the new and aptly titled Meeting with the G-Man which was recorded in 1993 and, while bootlegged with dubious quality, is previously unreleased. The performance is surprisingly strong, coming as it did two years before Gallagher’s death, and song selection is more varied and with more covers. Gallagher’s production dropped off sharply in the ’80s, so there were few new originals. He even covers “La Bamba” and the Beatles’ “Revolution.” Sound quality is excellent, and the performance is energetic.
Again, packaging is a key in re-releases. In this case the original album covers are used for each CD and each mini-album has a slip case featuring one of Rory’s well-used amps. With Live in Europe it’s an old Vox AC-30, Irish Tour has a tweed Twin, Stage Struck features old Marshall combo, and G-Man shows the battle-scarred Strat. There are also two photo cards of Gallagher.

Another mark of the box set is sound quality, and this set delivers with a three original discs fully remastered and the final disc with excellent sound. At present, this box set is only available by import. This may have as much to do with Gallagher’s overseas following as its comparative lack in the U.S.

The live Gallagher was certainly a force, but his studio work is much more diverse and deserves equal scrutiny. One can hope that a complete retrospective is in the works. He didn’t have hits, he wasn’t the most popular, and lots of people never really heard his music, but Gallagher was a musician and performer of the highest caliber and he may yet get his day in the sun as more about his life and music is presented to a new generation.

When asked to name the two most influential mandolin players of the last twenty years most mandolin aficionados will say Sam Bush and David Grisman. Although they have shared the same stage and often jammed together, they’ve never released any joint studio recordings playing together. Hold On, We’re Strummin’ rectifies this serious oversight.

Recorded at Grisman’s Dawg Studios during April 2001, except for four tunes, Hold On, We’re Strummin’ consists entirely of new material composed especially for this release. Titles like “Crusher and Hoss,” named after their two primary signature mandolins, and “Hartford’s Reel,” dedicated to the memory of their friend, the late John Hartford, indicate the personal and intimate nature of the music on Hold On, We’re Strummin’. Besides their regular vintage Gibson F-5 mandolins Grisman and Bush play mandocello, octave mandolin, National steel-bodied mandolin, fiddle, octave mandola, banjo-mandolin, and even (sigh) banjo. Jack Lawrence and Dave Nunally on guitar, Jim Kerwin and Sam Bush on bass, and Hal Blaine on drums join the party.

Extensive liner notes by the fine jazz mandolin player Don Stiernberg and spirited Stax-Volt inspired graphics make a package that successfully foreshadows the eclectic yet erudite music within. As usual with Acoustic Disc CDs the sonics are first-rate throughout. Engineers Larry Cumings and Dave Dennison bring out the best from all the acoustic instruments used here, even the difficult ones to record like a National mandolin. I applaud their decision not to add artificial reverberation to enhance the warmth or space of the recording venue. The real sound of acoustic instruments recorded in natural way rules.

Several years ago David and Sam played together during a memorial service for Charles Sawtelle at the Boulder Theater. During their dual solos I couldn’t help but think “I sure would love to hear a whole CD of these two playing together.” Now my wish is a reality. As Charles Sawtelle would have said, “You need this CD.” Yup, you do.

Chet Atkins has a deserved reputation as a great guitar player and all-around nice guy. So it’s a pleasure to see a book that is part biography and part history of his personal guitars.

Atkins was no guitar collector. He owned a number of nice instruments over the years, but they were his tools of the trade. They weren’t babied, but rather used – some for decades – and their scars come not from abuse but from the touring trail and the studio log. So his D’Angelico Excel was modified over the years with pickups, switches, even a vibrola tailpiece!

There’s an assortment of archtops featured, many of them Gibsons, and a variety of flat-tops from the ornate to the sublime. Many of the guitars were used for album covers and these are included where appropriate. One would guess after reading the book that Atkins had about 50 guitars. And the point isn’t how many because the book isn’t about just guitars but about Chet and his guitars.

The narrative, recorded before his death, is told by Atkins in the first person. He recalls how he came to own the guitars, where they were used on recordings and at live shows, and he reminisces about other players and cohorts. Atkins has many stories, and they come alive in this book. The reader learns about Atkins’ involvement with Gretsch in the ’50s, which resulted in a line of guitars bearing his name, and again in the ’80s with Gibson to produce an electric archtop. It turns out that Chet prefers to set up his own guitars and likes to tinker with them and customize them to his taste.

One of the most telling photos in the book is one of Chet’s workbench. Here, one finds the true “tools” of the master: strobe tuner, files, saws, sanders, boxes of amp tubes, soldering iron, drill bits, screws and hardware… and a quart of Quaker State motor oil! At last, the secret to that smooth Atkins picking style is finally revealed! No wonder there are never any squeaks on his fretboard!

This book was previously available only as a limited (and expensive) edition. Here’s a version that everyone can afford.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s dec. ’03 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.