R.I.P. 2020

Another year, another unfortunate list of deaths in rock'n'roll. This being the year of the pandemic, many of these are COVID-19 related. I think I speak for everyone when I say I can't wait to turn the page on this accursed year. But not before taking a minute to bid farewell to those who have given us the gift of music and who have departed our world sometime in 2020.

Thanks for the Music,

Little Richard (rock'n'roll pioneer)

Peter Green (guitarist, Fleetwood Mac founder)

Pete Way (bassist), Paul Chapman (guitarist) (UFO)

Eddie Van Halen (guitarist), Mat Stone (bassist) (Van Halen) 

Ken Hensley (keyboardist), Lee Kerslake (drummer) (Uriah Heep)

Toots Hibbert (reggae singer), Hux Brown (guitarist) (Toots & the Maytals)

Martin Birch (producer of Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple etc)

Steve Martin Caro (singer), Tom Finn (bass) (The Left Banke)

Judy Dyble (singer, Fairport Convention/Trader Horne)

Adam Schlesinger (Singer, Fountains of Wayne)

Dave Greenfield (Keyboardist, The Stranglers)

David Roback (Rain Parade, Mazzy Star)

Leslie West (Singer/guitarist, Mountain)

Andy Gill (guitarist, Gang of Four )

John Prine (folk singer/songwriter)

Florian Schneider (Kraftwerk)

Trini Lopez (folk singer)

Bill Withers (soul singer)

Neil Peart (drummer, Rush)

Ivan Král (Patti Smith Group)

Phil May (singer, Pretty Things)

Kenny Rogers (pop/country singer)

Charlie Daniels (country singer, fiddler)

Emitt Rhodes (singer/songwriter)

Jerry Slick (The Great Society)

Betty Wright (soul singer)

Moon Martin (singer)

Jorge Santana (latin rock guitarist)

Mory Kanté (African singer)

Manu Dibango (jazz/funk saxophonist)

Spencer Davis (guitarist, Spencer Davis Group)

Gordon Haskell (The Fleur de Lys, King Crimson)

Chris Darrow (Kaleidoscope, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)

Charlie Baty (guitarist, Little Charlie & the Nightcats)

Neil Landon (singer, The Ivy League/Fat Mattress)

Walter Lure (guitarist, The Heartbreakers)

Steve Weber (The Holy Modal Rounders)

Christophe (French singer)

Juliette Gréco (French singer)

Johnny Nash (Jamaican singer)

Brian Locking (The Shadows)

Sweet Pea Atkinson (Was (Not Was))

Brian Howe (singer, Bad Company)

Steve Priest (bassist, The Sweet)

Bruce Williamson (The Temptations)

Ronald Bell (Kool & the Gang)

Tommy DeVito (The Four Seasons)

Joe Payne (bassist, Divine Heresy)

Marty Grebb (Keyboardist, The Buckinghams)

Reed Mullin (drummer, Corrosion Of Conformity)

Bo Winberg, Bob Lander (members of The Spotnicks)

Simeon Coxe (electronic music pioneer, Silver Apples)

Bonnie Pointer (soul singer, The Pointer Sisters)

Lyle Mays (pianist, Pat Metheny Group)

Joseph Shabalala (Ladysmith Black Mambazo)

Paul English (drummer, Willie Nelson's band)

Justin Townes Earle (singer/songwriter) 

Jan Savage (guitarist, The Seeds)

Bob Nave (The Lemon Pipers)

Jacob Thiele  (The Faint)

Keith Tippett (jazz/prog pianist)

Henry Gray (Blues pianist)

Mike Somerville (Head East)

Simon Posthuma (The Fool)

Barbara Martin (The Supremes)

Keith Olsen (The Music Machine)

Phil Phillips (R&B singer)

Jason Rainey (Sacred Reich)

Bob Andy (reggae singer)

Alan Merrill (Arrows)

Bunny Lee (reggae producer)

Hutch Davie (songwriter and arranger)

Steve Farmer (guitarist, The Amboy Dukes)

Bill Rieflin (drummer, King Crimson/R.E.M)

Patrick Gibson (The Gibson Brothers, disco band)

Matthew Seligman (The Soft Boys, Thompson Twins)

Dieter Horns (bassist, Lucifer's Friend)

Al Rex (bassist, Bill Haley & His Comets)

Paul Matters (briefly AC/DC drummer)

Bones Hillman (bassist, Midnight Oil)

Hamilton Bohannon (disco singer)

Jerry Jeff Walker (country singer)

Ian Whitcomb (singer)

Chad Stuart (Chad & Jeremy)

Millie Small (Jamaican singer)

Joey Image (drummer, Misfits)

Vera Lynn (yes, the W.W.II singer)

Viola Smith (pre-W.W.II jazz drummer)

Pete Carr (Muscle Shoals studio bassist)

Tim Smith (Cardiacs, The Sea Nymphs)

Steve Holland (Molly Hatchet)

Tony Costanza (Machine Head)

Clay Anthony (bassist, Junkyard)

Frankie Banali (drummer, Quiet Riot, W.A.S.P.)

Jack Sherman (orig. Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist)

Alto Reed (sax, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band)

Wayne Fontana (Singer, The Mindbenders)

Mark Wirtz (rock producer,A Teenage Opera)

Bobby Comstock (rockabilly singer)

Per "Pelle" Alsing (drummer, Roxette)

Martin Griffin (Hawkwind)

Robert Parker (R&B singer)

Scott Taylor (Then Jerico)

Bobby Lewis (R&B singer)

Gerry McGhee (Brighton Rock)

Ian Mitchell (Bay City Rollers)

Tommy Hancock (country singer)

Lorraine Chandler (soul singer)

Jose Padilla (Ibiza DJ)

Roy Head (rock'n'roll singer)

Dave Munden (The Tremeloes)

Tony Lewis (singer, The Outfield)

Eric Pacheco (Babylon A.D.)

Jason Slater (Third Eye Blind)

Charley Pride (country singer)

Be Bop Deluxe "Modern Music" 1976***

Music encyclopedias often use the (sounds pretentious, doesn't it?) term Art Rock interchangeably with Prog or Avant Garde. According to the most established definition "art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an artistic statement, opting for a more experimental and conceptual outlook on music". So the various musicologists lump everyone from The Velvets to Floyd to Radiohead, even some Beatles albums, under this category. While I couldn't give you any kind of definition, I tend to apply that label more narrowly, to music that abides to pop rock formulas while incorporating more challenging compositional and instrumental elements. Since that's also quite generic, maybe some examples would help with the categorization: Kate Bush, Roxy Music, Supertramp=>Art Rock. Genesis, Yes, King Crimson=>Prog. Can, Zappa, Eno=>Avant Garde. 

The term may be somewhat nebulous still, but it does come handy when you try to describe bands like Be Bop Deluxe: Despite the fact that Modern Music has elements of Glam, Prog and even nascent New Wave, it doesn't fit in any of these categories, so "Art Rock" will have to do. Most of the songs stick to a radio-friendly 3-4 minute duration, even though Side 2 merges a few songs together, possibly inspired by The Beatles' Abbey Road. There's an overall full sound, the band playing together with no single instrument dominating - which isn't necessarily an advantage when you have a guitarist like Bill Nelson, a rare case of a virtuoso who doesn't keep stealing the spotlight. His playing throughout is excellent, I wouldn't mind hearing more of it. The album opens with "Orphans Of Babylon", an upbeat and melodic slice of pop followed by the more theatrical, Cockney Rebel-like, "Twilight Capers". Lead single "Kiss Of Light" has a quasi-exotic beat, catchy chorus and nice guitar licks. "Bird Charmer's Destiny" is a short piano-and-vocal interlude setting the mood for a pretty ballad called "The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow". "Bring Back The Spark" is the album's first bona fide rocker with a fantastic guitar coda. Side 2 opens with a bit of radio noise and song snippets before settling into the "Modern Music" suite, a rather pessimistic piece inspired by Nelson's experiences touring the USA. Of the 6 songs comprising it, the same-titled track is easily the most memorable, while funk jazz "Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids" also stands out as it gives the album an unexpected Zappa-esque flavour. The LP closes with 3 songs reminiscent of the band's glam beginnings, the Bowie-like "Down On Terminal Street", hard rocking "Forbidden Lovers" and acoustic "Make The Music Magic". When one looks at the album's components, it's difficult to find a fault: stylish cover, well-crafted songs, intelligent lyrics, excellent playing and high quality production - by John Leckie who'd go on to produce seminal Brit rock classics by Radiohead and Stone Roses (did I mention that Art Rock is considered an almost exclusively UK phenomenon?). Yet as a whole I feel it fails to ignite, being too "brainy" and low on truly memorable hooks for the pop charts, and too restrained to qualify as truly progressive/experimental.

**** for Twilight Capers, Kiss Of Light, Bring Back The Spark, Modern Music

*** for Orphans Of Babylon, The Bird Charmer's Destiny, The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow, Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone)/Honeymoon On Mars/Lost In The Neon World/Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids/Modern Music (Reprise), Forbidden Lovers, Down On Terminal Street, Make The Music Magic

2020 end-of-the-year retrospectives

I don't usually buy new albums the year they come out (well, at least not anymore). The reason is a combination of having too much stuff to listen to anyway, and of being able to get everything for less than half price if i wait a bit: A few weeks ago, I bought last years' Raconteurs, Lana Del Ray, Fontaines DC, The Who etc. Each cost me between €4.97-6.99. One of a few new albums I bought in 2020 was Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. I came across their second LP on beautiful blue vinyl for a reasonable price at my neighborhood record shop, and couldn't resist. It features here, lower than I would have expected: No.26 on Uncut's list, No.75 for MOJO. My opinion: If you like 80's indie (The Smiths, Go-Betweens, early REM) rush and get yourself a copy. Regarding the rest of this year's albums, I have some idea from the sample CD's from magazines and -much less- youtube and streaming services, so I'll comment on some of the choices. Unsurprisingly, Bob Dylan tops both lists. During the year, every single verse of his latest album has been analyzed as if it was a literary masterpiece - which is, of course, a valid attitude for the latest offering by a Nobel Prize winner. From a purely musical perspective, the album presents the familiar mix of folk and blues expertly played by his stellar band. Nothing innovative and nothing offensive either, at least for those of us who have gotten used (and even like) his hoarse voice. Other albums that got my attention this year were: Rose City Band (with traces of 60's West Coast psychedelia and 70's Kraut Rock, but timeless really). Also Jarv Is, who got good reviews everywhere: the track included on the Uncut CD ("Sometimes I Am Pharaoh") reminded me of the experimental albums he's been making lately ("hmmm...interesting") but the one on MOJO ("House Music All Night Long") showed all the qualities I loved about Pulp without being a copy of his former self. Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace I'm ambivalent about: I love the man's voice and songs, and I welcome the chance to hear them in different guises, but this solo piano thing? That's for Nina Simone. Bring back the Bad Seeds, please! I first heard Fontaines D.C. on last year's samplers and they won me over. Nevertheless, after listening to their debut from start to finish I'd have to say they're very promising but not quite great yet, an opinion reinforced by the songs in this year's samplers: an Oasis-meets-Pogues ballad ("No") and a typically rollicking post punk rocker ("I Was Not Born") from their second LP. Two world music legends whom we lost to Covid-19 (Toots Hibbert and Tony Allen) are here to show us they were high class to the very end, while we even encounter not one or two, but three groups from Mali: Tamikrest, Afel Bocoum, and Songhoy Blues. The latter keep getting better and better. Could the next saviors of rock come from Africa? Khruangbin mix world music elements with rock and electronica. My friend Anastasia tried to get me into them before, but instrumental music loses my attention after a while. It seems this time around they included more vocal numbers, which did the trick for me. Bananagun are a kindred spirit, mixing world music with folk and psychedelia. They just released their debut LP, and fans of Khruangbin and Devendra Barnhart should check them out. Anything Elvis Costello and Paul Weller do is bound to get the British press' praises, so they made the lists too. Finally, just like the previous year, there is a number of interesting female singer-songwriters (Laura Marling, Phoebe Bridgers, Frazey Ford, Fiona Apple, and more). But how many new Joni Mitchells and Suzanne Vegas do we need? Whatever happened to female rockers? 

 

THE BEST OF 2020, MOJO 75. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Sideways To New Italy 74. U.S. Girls - Heavy Light 73. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Reunions 72. Wire - 10:20 71. Field Music - Making a New World 70. Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess 69. The Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain 68. The Homesick - The Big Exercise 67. Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown 66. Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman 65. Beck - Hyperspace 64. The Lemon Twigs - Songs for the General Public 63. Car Seat Headrest - Making A Door Less Open 62. Ren Harvieu - Revel In The Drama 61. Chris Forsyth & Garcia Peoples - Peoples Motel Band 60. Doves - The Universal Want 59. Baxter Dury - The Night Chancers 58. Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club 57. Songhoy Blues - Optimisme 56. The Magnetic Fields - Quickies 55. Tim Burgess - I Love The New Sky 54. The Waterboys - Good Luck, Seeker 53. Nadine Shah - Kitchen Sink 52. SAULT - Untitled (Rise) 51. Don Bryant - You Make Me Feel 50. Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension 49. Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas 48. Nadia Reid - Out of My Province 47. Tricky - Fall to Pieces 46. Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets - Live at the Roundhouse 45. Bruce Springsteen - Letter To You 44. Pearl Jam - Gigaton 43. Blake Mills - Mutable Set 42. Bill Fay - Countless Branches 41. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush 40. Thurston Moore - By the Fire 39. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III 38. Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels 37. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia 36. Drive-By Truckers - The Unraveling 35. Rose City Band - Summerlong 34. Maria McKee - La Vita Nuova 33. The Necks - Three 32. Coriky - Coriky 31. Taylor Swift -  folklore 30. Sam Lee - Old Wow 29. Thundercat - It Is What It Is 28. Shirley Collins - Heart's Ease 27. Stephen Malkmus - Traditional Techniques 26. Khruangbin - Mordechai 25. Sparks - A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip 24. Moses Boyd - Dark Matter 23. Shabaka and the Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History 22. Leonard Cohen - Thanks for the Dance 21. Mark Lanegan - Straight Songs Of Sorrow 20. Nubya Garcia - Source 19. SAULT - UNTITLED (Black Is) 18. Toots & The Maytals - Got to Be Tough 17. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter 16. Nick Cave - Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace 15. Frazey Ford - U kin B the Sun 14. Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela - Rejoice 13. Moses Sumney - græ 12. Idles - Ultra Mono 11. Paul Weller - On Sunset 10. The Flaming Lips - American Head 9. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher 8. Run the Jewels - RTJ4 7. JARV IS... - Beyond the Pale 6. Cornershop - England is a Garden 5. Fleet Foxes - Shore 4. Bill Callahan - Gold Record 3. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death 2. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters 1. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

THE BEST OF 2020, UNCUT 75. Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song 74. Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown 73. Doves - The Universal Want 72. Tamikrest - Tamotaït 71. Andy Bell - The View From Halfway Down 70. Bill Fay - Countless Branches 69. Honey Harper - Starmaker 68. Steve Earle & The Dukes - Ghosts of West Virginia 67. Matt Berry - Phantom Birds 66. Six Organs of Admittance - Companion Rises 65. Garcia Peoples - Nightcap At Wits' End 64. Nadine Shah - Kitchen Sink 63. H.C. McEntire - Eno Axis 62. Aoife Nessa Frances - Land of No Junction 61. Elvis Costello - Hey Clockface 60. Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas 59. Julianna Barwick - Healing Is a Miracle 58. BC Camplight - Shortly After Takeoff 57. Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela - Rejoice 56. The Lemon Twigs - Songs for the General Public 55. Khruangbin - Mordechai 54. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately 53. Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension 52. Hen Ogledd - Free Humans 51. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III 50. Margo Price - That's How Rumors Get Started 49. Gwenifer Raymond - Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain 48. The Necks - Three 47. Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club 46. Roger Eno & Brian Eno - Mixing Colours 45. Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was 44. Eddie Chacon - Pleasure, Joy and Happiness 43. Sarah Davachi - Cantus, Descant 42. Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine 41. Keeley Forsyth - Debris 40. Brigid Dawson and The Mothers Network - Ballet of Apes 39. The Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain 38. Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman 37. Sparks - A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip 36. Destroyer - Have We Met 35. Shabaka and the Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History 34. Rose City Band - Summerlong 33. Bananagun - The True Story of Bananagun 32. The Flaming Lips - American Head 31. Afel Bocoum - Lindé 30. Cornershop - England is a Garden 29. Songhoy Blues - Optimisme 28. Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels 27. Kevin Morby - Sundowner 26. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Sideways To New Italy 25. Nubya Garcia - Source 24. Moses Sumney - græ 23. Paul Weller - On Sunset 22. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters 21. James Elkington - Ever-Roving Eye 19. Brigid Mae Power - Head Above The Water 18. Frazey Ford - U kin B the Sun 17. SAULT - UNTITLED (Black Is) 16. Stephen Malkmus - Traditional Techniques 15. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death 14. Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers 13. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush 12. Moses Boyd - Dark Matter 11. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Reunions 10. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter 9. Shirley Collins - Heart's Ease 8. JARV IS... - Beyond the Pale 7. Bill Callahan - Gold Record 6. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud 5. Thundercat - It Is What It Is 4. Drive-By Truckers - The New OK 3. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher 2. Fleet Foxes - Shore 1. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

CLASSIC ROCK, as always, lives in a time of its own - a time when bands like Blue Oyster Cult, Wishbone Ash and Deep Purple are still relevant. AC/DC make No.1 - their newest album actually got great reviews everywhere, so I'm guessing it wasn't included in other lists because its late appearance (mid-November). Is it really that good? Having heard some of it, it sounds like it's just the umpteenth AC/DC record. I think the reviews have less to do with the music itself, and more with the celebration of one band's triumph in the face of adversity: a year ago, their singer was deaf (and temporarily replaced by Ax'l Rose, of all people!), drummer was under house arrest, and guitarist Malcolm Young dead - which he still is, but apparently after leaving behind an abundance of recorded ideas for riffs. Yet Angus & Co. soldier on, how can you not acknowledge that? Unlikely as this return was, another one is plain unbelievable. Granted, no one except Classic Rock noticed it, but Cherie Curry is back, 42 years after leaving The Runaways. Where has she been all this time? Cryogenically preserved, judging by her looks. The appearance of many Southern rock bands in this list is no surprise, but the fact that Jason Isbell and Drive-By Truckers feature highly in the other lists too must be a sign of the genre's regeneration. I was also happy to see Blues Pills and Fantastic Negrito make the Top 50, as it was CR that introduced them to me. Metal dinosaurs like Ozzy and Metallica are, of course, here too - as well as icons like Dylan and Springsteen. Surprises include the high placing of Nick Mason's Live at the Roundhouse and Fish's Weltschmerz. Especially in Mason's case: on the one hand it's nice to hear these early and rarely performed Pink Floyd songs, on the other hand just who is this guy substituting for Syd Barrett and David Gilmour? Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet? Are you serious? Well, seeing is believing, check the clip below...

THE BEST OF 2020, CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE 50 BRITISH LION The Burning 49 GREEN DAY Father Of All Motherfuckers 48 THE LEMON TWIGS Songs For The General Public 47 CATS IN SPACE Atlantis 46 BROTHERS OSBORNE Skeletons 45 BON JOVI 2020 44 THE OUTLAWS Dixie 43 BLUES PILLS Holy Moly 42 COREY TAYLOR CMFT 41 SONGHOY BLUES Optimisme 40 LOW CUT CONNIE Private Lives 39 GINGER WILDHEART Headzapoppin 38 THOSE DAMN CROWS Point Of No Return 37 FIONA APPLE Fetch The Bolt Cutters 36 GREG DULLI Random Desire 35 BLACK STONE CHERRY The Human Condition MASCOT 34 FM Synchronized 33 STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES Ghosts Of West Virginia 32 JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD Even In Exile 31WISHBONE ASH Coat Of Arms 30 CHERIE CURRIE Blvds of Splendor 29 STARBENDERS Love Potions 28 THE ALLMAN BETTS BAND Bless Your Heart 27 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS The New OK 26 BIFFY CLYRO A Celebration Of Endings 25 STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Perdida R24 THE TEXAS GENTLEMEN Floor It!!! 23 ALL THEM WITCHES Nothing As The Ideal 22 TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN Pressure 21 THE DIRTY KNOBS Wreckless  20 THE CADILLAC THREE Country  19 THE PRETENDERS Hate For  Sale 18 METALLICA S&M2 17 JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT 16 OZZY OSBOURNE Ordinary Man 15 LARKIN POE Self Made 14 MASSIVE WAGONS House Of Noise 13 FANTASTIC NEGRITO Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? 12 BOB DYLAN Rough And Rowdy Ways 11 BOB MOULD Blue Hearts  10 BLUE ÖYSTER CULT The Symbol Remains 9 THE STRUTS Strange Days 8 H.E.A.T H.e.a.t II FRONTIERS 7 PEARL JAM Gigaton 6 NICK MASON’S SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS Live At The Roundhouse 5 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Letter To You 4 JOE BONAMASSA Royal Tea 3 DEEP PURPLE Whoosh 2 FISH Weltschmerz 1 AC/DC Power Up

Neil Young "Time Fades Away" 1973****

A few years ago, UNCUT Magazine published a list called 50 Greatest Lost Albums, and this is the album that topped it on No.1. It remains the only Neil Young LP never to have seen a CD release (Journey Through The Past was a soundtrack/compilation), only a recent limited vinyl reissue. The reason why was never apparent to me: while not on a par with  his classic albums of that era, it did contain some good songs and performances. Reading the relevant  article on Uncut helps understand his frame of mind and partly explains the reasons behind his dissatisfaction with it. Most of the songs started life during rehearsals for the follow-up to his hugely successful Harvest LP. Today Young is an established artist who can release anything he fancies, but at 27 years old the record company pressure to deliver a Harvest clone must have felt overwhelming. Adding to the stress, he had just signed on to undertake the biggest tour of the time, in terms of length as well as venue sizes. He was working with the Stray Gators, a bunch of studio, mostly country-oriented, musicians who had accompanied him in Harvest but were never actually a real band. Maybe it was the wish to have a friend with him on the tour, or possibly he was worried because of his bad physical condition (he was still recovering from spinal surgery) and wanted to have another electric guitarist along as a backup. Anyway, he contacted Danny Whitten, his pal from Crazy Horse, and asked him to join his band. Whitten was Crazy Horse's main singer, guitarist and songwriter, but was fired by them due to his heroin addiction. He assured Young that he was finally clean, so the latter decided to give him another chance and flew him over to Broken Arrow ranch to join the rehearsals. Unfortunately, though, Whitten proved to be far from clean, was unable to learn his guitar parts and generally a complete mess. So Young gave him $50 and sent him back to L.A. Only a few hours later, Whitten was dead from a pills-and-alcohol overdose. That left Young devastated by sorrow and guilt for his friend's death, suffering from back pain, under pressure to deliver the follow-up to a masterpiece, and about to embark on the biggest tour ever attempted until then. On top of that, the musicians made constant demands for more money, exhibiting their discontent at every opportunity. Audiences were indifferent to his new songs, and during the last leg of the tour he even caught a throat infection that affected his singing ability, causing him to appeal to former bandmates David Crosby and Graham Nash to help on the vocal department. He also had to draft in CSN&Y's John Barbata on drums, because the original drummer couldn't cut it live. None of that helped his mood, or his performance. At the end of it, he was completely drained and utterly miserable. Returning to the ranch to finish the album with the now estranged Stray Gators was impossible, but he owed record company an LP. A number of shows were recorded with the intention of releasing a live album to commemorate what was expected to be a triumphant tour. There was now no way that would happen, so at the end they chose some of the new songs road-tested during the concerts, and released them as the Time Fades Away LP. The eponymous opener is highly reminiscent of Dylan circa 1965-66, a raucous folk rocker with whiny vocals, harmonica and clunky piano by Jack Nietzche. Young accompanies himself on piano and occasional harmonica on "Journey Through The Past", "The Bridge" and "Love In Mind" (the latter being the only track not recorded during this tour, but from a previous live date). Here he does remind us of The Harvest troubadour, specifically his naked and emotional performance on the Whitten-inspired "The Needle And The Damage Done". "Don't Be Denied" is another acoustic number, this time with a fuller sound. Ben Keith's pedal steel, Nietzsche's piano, and the whole band on backing vocals remind us of Harvest's mellow country sound, although Young's lead vocal is rawer. On the sarcastic "L.A.", ominous "Yonder Stands the Sinner" and long-winding "Last Dance", The Stray Gators seem to function like a substitute Crazy Horse, approaching that band's elemental hard rock. One wonders if a healthy Whitten really was the missing ingredient that could have transformed these songs. David Crosby and Graham Nash join in on guitar and harmonies on the latter two tunes. As you can imagine, the album didn't go down well with fans of the artists' mellow country rock sound. It stalled around the 20th position in the charts, a far cry from Harvest's No.1 but still respectable. Young hated it. He's called it "the worst record I ever made" but also added that "as a documentary of what was happening to me, it was a great record" - an ambivalent sentiment that explains his odd choices: on the one hand he refused to correct the sound using overdubs and other post production tricks. On the other he keeps it out of print, and has been quoted saying that he deliberately chose the "shittiest material possible" for the cover, hoping it'd disintegrate fast and people would throw it away. Apparently, post production is still an impossibility: the album was mastered down from 16-track directly to stereo with a console called compumix, there are no original master tapes to go back to. Seeing as it has been repeatedly bypassed during recent reworkings of Young's catalogue, chances are there will never be a wide re-release. Which is a pity, because -despite the artist's own opinion- the album's rugged, dark, uncompromising, sound has gradually acquired many fans. Critics consider it the first installment of his "ditch trilogy", followed by On the Beach (1974) and culminating on Tonight's the Night (1975)- a trio of haunted albums from a period of despair, loss and inner turmoil. Interestingly, as of last year, Time Fades Away isn't the only document from that fraught tour. Young retrospectively released another live album called Tuscaloosa, featuring more or less the same band (minus the CS&N contingent). The tracklisting mixes some of his new "difficult" songs with hits from Harvest and After The Goldrush. The fact that original recordings from that tour apparently still exist makes one wonder whether Time Fades Away really can't be recreated/improved upon or whether Neil Young's denial to revisit it is another of the man's peculiarities.

**** for Time Fades Away, Journey Through The Past, Yonder Stands The Sinner, L.A., Don't Be Denied, 

*** for Love In Mind, The Bridge, Last Dance

Mojo Nixon "Whereabouts Unknown" 1995****

I didn't know what to expect from this CD. I used to have some tracks with him and Skid Roper on 80's compilations, most of which I sold during the Great Vinyl Purge. I liked them OK but not enough to seek their individual albums. Then I came across a 2nd hand copy of this CD and decided to buy it, if only out of curiosity to hear Mojo's cover of a Smiths song. It proved better than expected: there isn't a single dud in the whole album, and while the lyrics are purely satirical the band seriously rocks. The music is nothing original, of course, but since when is rock'n'roll only about originality? There are elements of psychobilly, blues, punk and country with Mojo's gruff voice halfway between a leering punk and a classic blues shouter. I guess his closest musical cousins are Reverend Horton Heat. Opener "Gotta Be Free" is a garage/R&B stomper, while "Not As Much As Football" is a strange kind of love song (he loves his girlfriend more than a whole lot of things, just not as much as football). Like other songs here, it has an infectious chorus that makes you want to sing along, and wild rockabilly rhythm you want to dance to. The next two songs ("Mr. Correct" and "Buck Up & Stop Your Whinin'") are pure electric blues, followed by a bonafide protest song: straight country "My Free Will Just Ain't Willin'" it's about the first Iraq War, and while it was released after its end, it fits perfectly the second Iraq invasion that lay in the near future. Even the quip "I ain't gonna be George Bush's whore": another president, same name. "Girlfriend In A Coma" is a rockabilly riot, with Mojo lampooning Morrissey ("that fruitcake from The Smiths") just like he did in former albums with other pop stars ("Debbie Gibson is Pregnant with My Two-headed Love Child" and "Don Henley Must Die"). "Pleasurelegience" is a gospel tune praising drinking and fornication instead of The Lord, and "Don't Ask Me Why I Drink" a great punkabilly rocker. "My T.V. Is Watchin' Me" (mid-tempo) and "Take A Look In My Eyes" (turbo-charged) are Cramps-like psychobilly, and "Tie My Pecker To My Leg" a filthy country barn-burner written with Country Dick Montana from Cow-punkers Beat Farmers. "You Can't Kill Me" is a country rocker set to the tune of the hymn "Amazing Grace", and the album closes with folk ballad "If I Can Dream". The great thing about this album is that, while the jokes get less funny with repeated listens, the music is so upbeat and fun that you just don't get tired of it. At least I know I haven't.

**** for Not As Much As Football, My Free Will Just Ain't Willin', Girlfriend In A Coma, Don't Ask Me Why I Drink, Tie My Pecker To My Leg

*** for Gotta Be Free, Mr. Correct (Don't Tell Me What To Do), Buck Up & Stop Your Whinin', The Pleasurelegience, My T.V. Is Watchin' Me, Take A Look In My Eyes, You Can't Kill Me

** for If I Can Dream