Madness "The Dangermen Sessions, Vol.1" 2005****

By now, almost every band that's been around for a while has recorded a cover album. These are rarely received with enthusiasm from fans or reviewers, so why bother? critics cite a lack of inspiration, but I think it's mostly a desire to return to the roots: every musician starts off as a fan, covering their favorite music, and finding joy in playing with like-minded comrades. By going back to the beginning, bands try to rekindle the original spark and have fun playing with each other. Whether the fans have fun listening to the result, is another matter. And yet another, whether they'll feel the urge to listen to the album repeatedly. I, for example, enjoyed listening to Deep Purple's Turning To Crime: classic tunes played with gusto by virtuoso musicians, what's not to like? But I haven't re-listened to the album since I reviewed it for this blog, and I probably won't for a long time. On the contrary, The Dangermen Sessions, vol.1 takes a trip to the (home or car) stereo rather often. Maybe because Madness bring their inherent exuberance to everything they do, and all they need is a bunch of good tunes, which in this case is a given. Most of these have been in the band's repertory from the early days when they were still known as the Invaders. Βefore recording this album they got together and performed a few secret gigs under the alias the Dangermen; the liner notes continue the charade: supposedly the (fictional) Dangermen formed in Havana in the 1960s, and have reformed after 35 years to record this album. Each member also gets a fictional identity and backstory - possibly the original idea was for the CD to be released under the Dangermen moniker but that was considered to be too uncommercial, so instead it became the 9th official LP by Madness. Although the original songs covered belong to a variety of styles, they are all performed in a rocksteady/reggae/ska beat. Because some of them, including The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On" and The Kinks' "Lola", had been reggaefied before, the band based their versions on previous covers rather than the originals. Barbara Lynn's 1962 R&B hit "You'll Lose a Good Thing" and José Feliciano ballad "Rain" also sound good in their reggae-ish arrangements, but it's the classic ska tunes that entertain the most. Some, like Max Romeo's "I Chase the Devil" or Desmond Dekker's "Israelites" are overtly familiar in their original versions; while Madness don't add a new dimension to them, their spirited performances maintain the fun factor. Then there are those old Jamaican tunes that were new to me: Prince Buster's "Girl Why Don't You?", Lord Tanamo's "Taller Than You Are", Rudy Mills's "John Jones" and Edwin Astley instrumental "Dangerman". These also stick close to the originals, and Madness do a great job of introducing them to us. Undoubtfully the most entertaining song here is Lord Melody's calypso classic "Shame & Scandal". It cracks me up every time I listen to it, and I heard it here first. Since then, I've heard countless other covers, including one in Dutch and a very bad Greek one - it's not the fault of 70's pop singer Dakis, it's just that the lyrics sound really daft translated in Greek. The album closes with a faithful roots reggae take on Bob Marley's "So Much Trouble in the World"; I guess Madness rightfully thought that a collection of (mostly) Jamaican tunes wouldn't be complete without a Marley tribute, but subject-wise it's somewhat of a downer. Not the perfect closure to a CD that's really fun to listen to. By now it's been 20 years since the release The Dangermen Sessions, Vol.1 and there hasn't been any talk of a Volume 2 follow-up. Maybe we have to wait until their inspiration dries up again (Dangermen bridged a 10-year gap between albums of original material). Lord knows, there are enough tunes that are just crying for the Madness treatment. Thinking back to all the bands that have released cover albums, it's hard to say that any of them are standouts of their respective discographies, and the same is true for this one. It nevertheless makes for a quite pleasurable listening experience, even more so than many of Madness' regular LPs. In two words: satisfaction guaranteed.

**** for Shame & Scandal, I Chase the Devil, Israelites, Rain

*** for This Is Where/ Girl Why Don't You?, Taller Than You Are, You Keep Me Hanging On, Dangerman (aka High Wire), John Jones, Lola, You'll Lose a Good Thing, So Much Trouble in the World

The Walflower Complextion "The Walflower Complextion" 1966-1967(rec) 2000 (comp)***

Now here's a CD I hadn't played for more than 10 -maybe 15- years! And it might have stayed this way, if it wasn't for Random Selection. Why? Because the way I remembered it, this was as an album of covers of contemporary British Invasion hits. There was a time when I'd buy just any 60's garage album I could find, and get a kick out of every one of them. But most of them were just too similar, and were logged in my mind as "more of the same" - and that included The Walflower Complextion. I mean why listen to their cover of "Gloria" instead of two dozen or more that I have in my collection? Truth be told, now that I'm re-listening to it, there is something different about this version: an insistent guitar motiff that runs through the whole song, and handclaps used as extra percussion; little details I hadn't noticed the first time around that make this stick out as more than another Them/Shadows of Knight copy. Other songs, too, prove that this CD was worth more than the cursory listen I initially gave it. But first a few info about the band: apparently they took their (deliberately miss-spelled) name from a face cream ad. When I saw their photos, I had to laugh, too: the complexion of these pasty redhead teens is indeed not what you'd expect from a bunch of Sudamericano youths - and with good reason; these boys were the sons of yankee officials, all going to the same expat high school in Bogotá, Colombia. Their ages vary between 14 (guitarist Fred Sampson) to 17 (his drummer brother, Richard). Pat Sinex (16) plays bass in all but two tracks, and Mark Lusk (16) is the lead singer. Chris Kyzs (16) also plays guitar on disc 1. Apparently, they made a splash at local dances, enough for Colombian label Daro Records to offer them a recording contract, and even secure them a couple of TV appearances. CD 1 of this comp contains the band's eponymous debut from 1966, featuring four Rolling Stones covers: "Tell Me", "Last Time" and ballad "Blue Turns To Grey" are well played and rather faithful, albeit rather lo-fi, covers. "Empty Heart" on the other hand is embellished with stinging guitar licks; generally the guitarwork on this album is amazing given the age of these kids. That's even more evident in the four instrumentals: their own compositions "Chris's B's", "Blue Bells", "Sapphire" and Link Wray cover "Yack, The Ripper". These instrumentals went unnoticed by me the first times I listened to this album, because I'm not really partial to instrumental music, but after re-listening this CD, I'd have to say that they show where the real strength of the band lies. Of course, by the time they recorded this, surf music was out of fashion, so the focus is more on British-style R&B. Next to the Rolling Stones covers, we get their versions of The Kinks' "Long Tall Shorty", garage folk "Open Up Your Door" (The Richard and the Young Lions) and frat rocker "Hanky Panky" (Tommy James and the Shondells). The only original vocal song ("Sapphire" does have some spoken vocal, but it counts as a surf instrumental in my book) is opener "All It Is", also released as a single. It's a nice garage folk tune with pleasant harmonies, but I prefer the harder stuff myself. Only a few months after their debut, the band produced the follow up When I'm Far From You (1967). Chris Kyzs had in the meantime left, so there's only four of them pictured on the album cover. Funnily enough, their debut's cover photo also originally featured only four members: Mark Lusk joined the band at the last minute, and his photo had to be cropped-in after the fact - and not too subtly, as is obvious by looking at it. The second LP ditches the surf music, and replaces it with some Latin-inspired tunes: "El Caiman" and "Santa Marta" are covers of contemporary cumbia hits, which would have been popular with the crowds at local dances, and "La Bamba" is of course a Ritchie Valens cover. There's only one Stones tune here ("Not Fade Away"), but this time they draw inspiration from Van Morrison's Them, including four songs from Them's repertoire: "Baby Please Don't Go", "Route 66", "Gloria", and "Out Of Sight", all of which provide the highlights on Disc Two. There are two more more, less interesting, covers (Bob Dylan's "She Belongs To Me" and a lukewarm take on The Searchers' "Needles & Pins") and two originals: folk ballad "When I'm Far From You" and instrumental "From Head To Toe" (unfortunately not on a par with the ones on the previous album). The Walflower Complextion folded soon after the release of  Far From You, but left their mark on the Bogotá rock scene - as well as leaving two whole LP's behind, something that few garage bands can boast of. According to the liner notes, Fred Sampson later joined local scenesters Los Young Beats, but he's not mentioned on the notes of the LP I have (The Exciting Sound Of Los Young Beats, to be presented here sometime) so he probably didn't record with them. Apparently he's still making music; his official website introduces him as the "platinum selling songwriter" of "I Need Your Love" fame (from Boston's 1994 Walk On album), and he has recently released a Howlin' Wolf tribute album. For my part, I'm more impressed by his guitar playing skills at such a young age. The Walflower Complextion may not have been incredibly important or original, but this CD still contains some of the best garage rock to come out of South America in the 60's. Now that I've properly listened to it, I'll be sure to play it more often.

**** for Empty Heart, Blue Bells, Sapphire, Open Up Your Door, Baby Please Don't Go, Gloria

*** for All It Is, Tell Me, Chris's B's, Last Time, Hanky Panky, Blue Turns To Grey, Long Tall Shorty, Yack The Ripper, Route 66, When I'm Far From You, Not Fade Away, La Bamba, She Belongs To Me, Santa Marta, Out Of Sight

** for El Caiman, From Head To Toe, Needles & Pins

Johnny Copeland "Bringin' It All Back Home" 1985***

Johnny Copeland was part of a long line of Texas bluesmen. He grew up in Houston's Third Ward ghetto, and apprenticed as a guitarist next to the "master of the Telecaster" Albert Collins. Who was in turn introduced to the guitar at an early age by his cousin Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins. Who learnt his craft as a child by accompanying Blind Lemon Jefferson on guitar at informal church gatherings. Blind Lemon's own teacher is not recorded - after all we are now talking about the dawn of the gramophone age. But I'm sure that if could follow that line down to its beginning, we'd inevitably arrive to Africa. So, when Copeland finally became the first American bluesman to record an album in that continent, a name like Bringin' It All Back Home made complete sense. By that time, Copeland had spent more than 3 decades playing the blues, garnering a reputation as a performer in the chitlin' circuit, but remaining unnoticed by mainstream audiences until he moved to New York and signed with folk label Rounder Records in the early 80's. I don't know what prompted him to tour the Ivory Coast, but he obviously found some kindred spirits there who introduced him to the prevailing local styles, while he in turn introduced them to electric blues. As he said in a interview at the time "I could tell the roots of the blues comes from there. They mostly understood the Delta Blues. They was expecting it to be all slow blues. But we surprised them and had the kids up dancin' on the stage. We were more uplifting than the Delta Blues they'd heard". Opener "Kasavubu" is certainly an uplifting tune, full of Afro-Cuban dance rhythms and funky sax. "The Jungle" is a more typical R&B piece, featuring some fine electric guitar. "Ngoto" is a cover of a local hit by Orchestre Poly-Rythmo of Benin, embellished with funky horns and stinging blues licks. Side 1 closes with an excerpt of "Djeli, Djeli Blues", an instrumental by the Guinean kora master Djeli Mousa Diawara. For those not familiar with the instrument, the kora is a stringed instrument that is exclusive to West Africa. It typically has 21 strings, each of which plays a different note. At the right hands, it produces gorgeous arpeggios, similar to playing flamenco on a harp - if that makes sense. As this was way before "world music" came into fashion, Copeland must have heard it for the first time during his tour of the region, and was so enchanted by its sound that he asked Djeli Mousa to be a guest at his record. For some reason, the recording was cut in two: part one fades out at the end of Side 1, while part two opens Side 2. It's then followed by "Abidjan", a funky instrumental with a rhumba beat. Back to more familiar sounds, "Bozalimalamu" and "Same Thing" are tasteful electric blues, while the album closes with an interesting reggae-ish instrumental called "Conakry", combining masterful electric guitar and some kind of African percussion that sounds like a slightly stoned woodpecker pecking on wood. All in all, Bringin' It All Back Home is mostly notable as an interesting experiment. Nowadays, there are all kinds of collaborative albums by African and Western musicians, but that all begun after the prominent Paul Simon collaboration with South African musicians on Graceland (1986). Compared to that, Bringin' It All Back Home went relatively unnoticed, and largely unheralded for its innovation. Truth be told, the mixing of styles isn't always successful; most songs are either blues with a few African instruments, or African music with jazz and funk touches. Rarely, the two styles combine to produce something genuinely new. The result is nevertheless never less than enjoyable, thanks to the musicians' playing. While the African instruments add the necessary color, Copeland's guitar is the star, while special mention must be made to the saxophonists - whether the plaudits should be directed to alto sax Koffi Assalé or tenor sax Bert McGowan (or both) I don't know; to my shame (well, not really shame, more like slight embarrassment) I can't always tell the difference between the sound of the two instruments; anyway, there's some very cool sax playing involved. Johnny Copeland would go on to gain increasing recognition, including a Grammy award for a collaborative album with his mentor Albert Collins and (then) rising star Robert Cray. Unfortunately, the congenital heart condition which he suffered from, finally claimed his life just as he hit 60. But that line we talked about, the line which started in Africa and has included so many blues giants, is still going strong: his daughter Shemekia is undeniably one of the best female blues singers and guitarists that this century has produced so far.

**** for Kasavubu, Abidjan, Conakry

*** for The Jungle, Ngote, Djeli, Djeli Blues, Bozalimalamu, Same Thing

Fleetwood Mac "Fleetwood Mac Live" 1980****

Fleetwood Mac are one of the bands I regret most having missed out seeing live; for one reason or another I was not able to see them in the few times they visited Holland in the last 15 years - and, after Christine McVie's death and Lindsey Buckingham's estrangement from the rest, it seems that I'll never get to tick that particular box. Closest I'll get to, is one of their live albums; basically Live and 1997's The Dance. Fleetwood Mac Live was the band's first live release after 13 years and about as many personnel changes. Fleetwood Mac, who had started out as a pure blues band, had lost its leader Peter Green to LSD and religious cults in 1970, and staggered aimlessly for a while, until they incorporated the American singer/songwriter duo, and real-life couple, of Buckingham/Nicks. With founding members Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John Mac Vie (bass) augmented by a trio of talented singer/songwriters (Stevie Nicks on vocals, Lindsey Buckingham guitar and vocals, and Christine Mac Vie on piano and vocals), they finally hit their stride, producing three artistically and commercially successful albums in quick succession: Fleetwood Mac (1975), the mega-selling Rumours (1977), and more experimental double LP Tusk (1979). With all those hits under their belt, the time was right to release a live album; after all this was the golden era of the double live album: Kiss Alive, Frampton Comes Alive, Cheap Trick At Budokan sold spectacularly better than their studio predecessors, and acted as springboards to unprecedented commercial success for the respective bands. Slightly less influential then these, Live captures Fleetwood Mac at their creative apogee, sports a hit-laden setlist and excellent performances. But, on the downside, it fails to convey the excitement of a real concert; there's very little between-song banter, and the recordings come from far too diverse sources: clubs, arenas, soundchecks and rehearsals. Which makes it all sound more like a collection of unrelated live recordings rather than a cohesive album. The band is really tight and professional, so the performances still sound slick (thanks presumably to a fair amount of overdubbing), albeit less glossy than the studio versions. So if you always felt that their studio albums were just a bit too clean, you might enjoy this LP better. What hit me immediately when I first listened to this, is how dominant Buckingham's guitar is, at least compared to the studio versions. I never rated him highly as an instrumentalist, but here he really lets his inner guitar hero shine: notably on Peter Green-era hard rocker "Oh Well", but also on opener "Monday Morning", and on elongated versions of "I'm So Afraid" and the punk/new wave-y "Not That Funny" from Tusk. The latter's yelps and howls are also repeated during the intro to another of his songs "Go Your Own Way", which sounds refreshingly rugged and quite different to the polished version in Rumours. "Don't Let Me Down Again" (from the couple's pre-Mac 1973 LP Buckingham Nicks) sounds fantastic re-imagined as a rowdy Southern rocker. It's fair to say that the aforementioned tracks, which feature Buckingham in lead vocals, are also the wildest and least commercial-sounding ones on this LP. Christine Mac Vie handles the more folk/blues numbers, including ballads "Over & Over", "One More Night", upbeat "Over My Head", country-ish "Say You Love Me", and of course what is arguably her best song "Don't Stop", which here also features some fine blues guitar by Buckingham. Moving on to the most pop-oriented of the band's singers, Stevie Nicks' enchanting voice is on the forefront on her ethereal hits "Dreams", "Sara", "Landslide", and a passionate performance of "Rhiannon". Additionally, she brings a new song called "Fireflies" - a rather upbeat number which, like most of the songs on Rumours, mines the rich dramatic seam provided by the interpersonal relationships within the band. Fleetwood Mac Live closes with Beach Boys cover "Farmer's Daughter", a wonderful showcase for the band's harmonies. Nicks' and McVie's vocals are amazing throughout, while Lindsey's are rougher, which of course he makes up for with his excellent guitar playing. John Mac Vie and Mick Fleetwood are the unsung heroes of the group (although they gave their names to it), but their performance here is also commendable - especially Fleetwood, his drumming on "Oh Well" is one of the album's highlights. Now, my own version of Fleetwood Mac Live is the original double CD release from 1988, but this has now been surpassed by a triple-CD Deluxe Edition featuring 15 more songs stemming from the same period, and superior remastered sound. In conclusion, there are some iconic (usually double) live classic rock albums that capture the artists' essence better than any of their studio LPs, and considered to be essential listening, e.g. The Allman Brothers' At Fillmore East, Kiss Alive!, Deep Purple's Made in Japan, Thin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous, etc. Fleetwood Mac Live doesn't quite belong in the same category, but it's a damn fine live document of the band in their prime, and well worth owning for any fan.

***** for Dreams, Rhiannon, Don't Stop

**** for Say You Love Me, Sara, Not That Funny, Landslide, Fireflies, Over My Head, Don't Let Me Down Again, Go Your Own Way, I'm So Afraid

*** for Monday Morning, Oh Well, Over & Over, Never Going Back Again, One More Night, Farmer's Daughter

The Alpha Band ''Interviews" 1976-78(rec)1988(comp)***

When I saw this LP at the bargain bin in my neighborhood record shop, I initially thought it was an album of actual interviews. There are LPs out there only containing spoken word interviews, but these usually concern more popular artists, people like The Beatles, Doors, Nirvana etc. The Alpha Band aren't really in the same league, which made me curious enough to give it another look - and sure enough, it wasn't a spoken word album at all, but a best-of compilation. Now, all I knew about The Alpha Band was that T Bone Burnett was a member, but that was enough. I mean, he's involved in so many great albums in my collection, either as a musician or -more often- as producer. Surely his own records should also be worth listening? Not that The Alpha Band was a personal vehicle for Burnett - Steven Soles has an equal share in vocals, guitar, and songwriting, while David Mansfield's playing on violin, mandolin, and other instruments is integral to the group's sound. All three of them were members of Bob Dylan's legendary Rollin' Thunder Revue. Apparently, their chemistry was so strong that they elected to keep playing together even after the tour was over. Their eponymous debut The Alpha Band (1976) was recorded and released immediately after the tour ended, and was extremely well-received - by critics and music biz insiders, at least. To my ears, it sounds like an updated take on The Band's folk rock, incorporating power pop and new wave influences - I hear similarities to Elvis Costello and Tom Petty, especially in the first tracks ("Interviews", "Cheap Perfume", "Ten Figures"). "The Dogs" and "Last Chance To Dance" are more country-oriented - the latter features some inspired violin playing, too. From the second album Spark In The Dark (1977) we get "East Of East" (co-written, same as many other Alpha Band songs, by Bobby Neuwirth), electric blues "Spark In The Dark" and Dylan cover "You Angel You". The latter is performed in a Buddy Holly-like rockabilly style, and features one Ringo Starr on drums. Adopting a more commercial sound didn't improve sales, and neither did the famous guests - which may be the reason that their next album, The Statue Makers of Hollywood (1978) was to be their last. There's a strong religious theme to this one; actually, the only song that hits the mark for me is "Mighty Man", which sports a big, Cinematic, sound, and reminds me of the better tracks on Dylan's "Christian" albums from the same period. "Back In My Baby's Arms Again" is a repentant/moralistic country ballad, and "Rich Man" an overlong piece whose only saving grace is Mansfield's mandolin playing. In general, The Alpha Band display great craft in their compositions, playing, and orchestrations. For some reason, they were never as successful as other bands with a similar sound (Doobie Brothers, America, Bread etc.) but they certainly were their equals. Burnett, Soles, and David Mansfield went out of the limelight, producing and playing on other people's records, working on soundtracks, and releasing the odd, low-key, solo album. Their legacy as The Alpha Band is well worth discovering, and this compilation is a good place to start.

**** for The Dogs, Last Chance To Dance, You Angel You, Mighty Man

*** for Interviews, Cheap Perfume, Ten Figures, East Of East, Spark In The Dark, Rich Man, Back In My Baby's Arms Again

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "Wild God" 2024****

It's been 7 years since the previous time I saw Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds play live at Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome. That concert reminded me why they're one of my favorite bands, in a way that listening to their latest albums didn't; Nick has always been a terrific performer, but his desire to connect with his audience seems to be intensified after his personal tragedy. The loss of his teenage son was recent then, and his grief more palpable. This time, I had the impression that the healing process is well under way. Onstage, he inhabited -as he did in the past- various personas: the crooner sitting on his piano, the storyteller, the actor, the manic preacher, even the rocker - with ample help, of course, from the always fantastic Bad Seeds, augmented this time with a 4-piece gospel choir and Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood. Only downside, to me, was the setlist; half of it was made up from the new album (they played 90% of it), with the other half cherry picking tracks from a deep discography of 20 or so titles.

Recent years had seen The Bad Seeds take a back seat while Cave and his current henchman Ellis drowned their albums in hazy synths. Additionally, Cave has lately often performed/recorded solo on piano, or as a duo with Ellis. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with that direction, irregardless of the quality of the songwriting; The Bad Seeds are too good a band to be underused. Here, they make a partial return, as the song structure and instrumentation follows more conventional forms. Wild God sounds like a natural progression from Push The Sky Away moving towards a more ambient sound a la Sigur Ros or Spiritualized. Final mix was done by Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev/Flaming Lips). When you know that, you can't disregard the similarities between album opener "Song of the Lake" and, say, The Lips' Yoshimi or Rev's Secret Migration - all those big, exhilarating, strings and choirs. The choir takes on an even bigger role on the uplifting title track, which is followed by the life-affirming "Joy" tracking the road from tragedy to redemption. It's the song that captures the spirit of Wild God best - Joy was initially going to be the album title, but Cave thought it might be too give the wrong impression, of one-dimentional happiness, when it's about overcoming adversity and finding joy in experiencing life in all its complexity and wonder. "Final Rescue Attempt" is closer to the piano balladry of his critically acclaimed Boatman's Call, with some judiciously applied electronic elements. "Conversion" sounds suspiciously close to something religious, but trust Cave to confuse the personal with the mystical; there's a talk of beauty, and of a girl, and love, of course, either personal or universal. Driven by the gospel choir, the song gets progressively more ecstatic with the repeated chorus of "touched by the spirit" and Cave repeatedly shouting "you're beautiful". "Cinnamon Horses" and "Long Dark Night" are a couple of gentle ballads, followed by "O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)", a poignant love song dedicated to former lover and bandmate Anita Lane, who passed away recently. The pair co-wrote "From Her To Eternity" during the early years of The Bad Seeds, and collaborated sporadically even after their separation. A recording of Anita nostalgically reminiscing about the old days renders the song even more heartbreaking. "O Wow O Wow" may not be among Cave's best compositions, but it's one of his most heartfelt and touching songs, and as great and generous epitaph as one could ever hope for. The album closes with "As the Waters Cover the Sea", a short song of openly religious nature ("As He steps from the tomb/In His rags and His wounds"... "He brings peace and good tidings to the land" etc). I guess it brings a nice closure to the album, but it's disappointingly unambivalent for Cave, more suitable for a collection of carol songs than for an album called Wild God. Musically, this is a better than average Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds LP, on a par with Push The Sky Away or No More Shall We Part - I will not compare it to their albums from the 80's/early 90's, which to me are untouchable. What's more important, though, and unexpected coming from an artist often portrayed as "dark" or "gothic", is its heart-warming message.

Right now there's also a limited transparent vinyl LP version available. I got mine from a record store in Belgium, as part of an "indie" package (I guess only available at independent record stores?) also including a Nick Cave poster and "Wild God" pin. The artwork is, as you can see, depressingly plain, somewhat inappropriately for an album that's meant to be celebrating joy. Except if the word is used ironically, as in "Joy Division".

***** for Wild God, Conversion 

**** for Song of the Lake, Joy, Final Rescue Attempt, Cinnamon Horses, Long Dark Night, O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)

*** for Frogs, As the Waters Cover the Sea

Bruce Springsteen "Chapter & Verse" 1966-2012 (rec) 2016 (comp)****

In addition to a bunch of Springsteen albums on LP and CD, I used to have a Greatest Hits CD which I sometimes listened on on my car CD player. Later I swapped it for The Essential Bruce Springsteen, as it came with an extra rarities disc. The latter was re-released in 2015 in an expanded and updated edition, albeit without the rarities. With such available choices, was there any need for another Bruce Springsteen "Best Of" in 2016? Officially, Chapter and Verse was released as a companion piece to the artist's autobiography, Born to Run. Springsteen compiled the songs humself, with the book's readers in mind, meaning this isn't a straight up Greatest Hits-kind thing - although he usually does pick the most popular tune from each album. One would nevertheless guess that anyone taking the trouble to read the 500-page autobiography of a singer must be familiar with their songs, and wouldn't need a reminder in the form of a CD. Which brings us to the real selling point of this, which is the 5 early, previously unreleased, recordings - starting with a typical 1966 garage rocker in the Byrds/Yardbirds vein called "Baby I", followed by a second track by the same band (The Castiles), a wild live cover of "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" featuring loud guitar and farfisa organ. The sound quality isn't the best, but aren't garage rock and hi-fi supposedly mutually exclusive anyway? Forward to 1970, Springsteen was fronting a band called Steel Mill, which included future E-Street Band mainstays Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt; "He's Guilty (The Judge Song)" is a hard rocker with soul tones reminiscent of Grand Funk. 1972's "The Ballad of Jesse James" (credited to The Bruce Springsteen Band) is a country/Southern rock ballad. Bruce employs a fake Southern accent here; later, he'd write many similar songs but always sing them in his normal voice. Last among the previously unheard tracks, the solo acoustic "Henry Boy" is the first one where he's immediately recognizable as himself. "Growin' Up" (1972) is another pre-fame song, but this one had been anthologized before, on 18 Tracks. From here on, we get a parade of classics including mega-rockers "Born to Run" and "Born in the U.S.A." and deep cuts like "My Father's House" (Nebraska, 1982), "Living Proof" (Lucky Town, 1992), and "Long Time Comin'" (Devils & Dust, 2005). Only one track per album is included, but that stills leaves a lot of albums unrepresented here. The CD continues with latter-day highlights "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (1995) and "The Rising" (2002), and ends with the title track from Wrecking Ball (2012), seemingly about the demolition of the old New York Giants stadium but, typically for Springsteen, really an ode to the struggles and resilience of working class America. If one is new to Springsteen and looking for a single volume compilation, they'd be better served by the more conventional Best of Bruce Springsteen. Chapter & Verse is a better proposition for old fans who'd like to add the 5 rare early tracks to their collection, or for anyone wishing to track the Boss' evolution from teenage rebel to elder statesman. Preferably while reading Born to Run. 

***** for Born to Run, Badlands, The River, Born in the U.S.A., Brilliant Disguise, The Ghost of Tom Joad, The Rising

**** for Baby I (The Castiles), You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover (The Castiles), He's Guilty (The Judge Song) (Steel Mill), Growin' Up, 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy), Wrecking Ball

*** for The Ballad of Jesse James (The Bruce Springsteen Band), Henry Boy, My Father's House, Living Proof, Long Time Comin'

The Dandy Warhols "Best of the Capitol Years 1995-2007" 2010(comp)****

A few days ago I saw the Dandys perform live, for the second time. What I remember most from the first (2001, at the Rodon Club in Athens Greece) is the sudden realization that I was older than the bands I'm listening to - mistaken though; apparently I'm 3 years younger than singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor, though probably older than some other band members. They do, in fact, still have a young-ish demeanor - after all, they're a rock'n'roll band; and they have the tunes and looks to support it. Their setlist was a mix of the alternative/psychedelic and sing-and-dance-along hits, the latter bundled together towards the end of the concert. Most of those came from "the Capitol Years" covered in this compilation. The band's decision to sign with a major label was a contentious point, as presented in Dig!. This music documentary examined the parallel careers of two underground bands of friends: The Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre; while the former go on to international success, the latter refuse to sell-out and remain a cult band with few, albeit fanatic, supporters. At least that's what we're supposed to think. Anyway, the "sellout" begins with the Dandys' first album for Capitol (and 2nd LP overall), ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down (1997). First single "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" set the standards for the band's work, not only with its upbeat rhythm and catchy hooks, but mainly because of its ironic humor, including the trademark line "I never thought you'd be a junkie because heroin is so passée". Another upbeat, danceable, number is "Every Day Should Be a Holiday", presented here in its Tony Lash Mix). "Boys Better" opens this comp with a catchy organ riff, while "Good Morning" (still in their live playlist) is less poppy, with a darker Lou Reed-like vocal, and shoegazey mix of distorted guitars and dreamy melodies. ...Come Down was followed by Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (2000), which contained mega-hit "Bohemian Like You". A Rolling Stones-like rocker duplicating the sneering humor of "Last Junkie", it got picked by Vodafone for their advertising campaign, turning the band into a household name. "Get off" has a feelgood vibe; could be about sex, drugs or just partying - not quite celebratory though, since "getting off" is compared to a "ball and chain". That album contained a lot of good songs, but this comp only offers three; the last one being an alternate edit of third single "Godless" - another tune sung with ennui and cool sax. For their third major label LP Welcome to the Monkeyhouse (2003) the Dandys tried to up the commercial ante, by employing Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes to produce, adding some disco/glam golddust. Once again the lead single is a ridiculously catchy tune with sneering lyrics, "We Used to Be Friends". Second single "The Last High"(presented here in a new edit) features guest vocalist Evan Dando and sounds like a more electronic Roxy Music. Two more songs from the album ("Scientist", "Plan A") are also presented in alternate versions, and exhibit that same cool synth pop vibe. What nevertheless becomes obvious is that the band is repeating themselves, and a slightly more electronic/less guitar-driven cannot disguise the fact that "The Last High" is similar to "Godless" is similar to "Good Morning" is similar to "Holding Me Up" from their next album Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (2005) . Likewise, the lead single from Oditorium is a re-write of "Bohemian Like You" (although this sounds less like the Rolling Stones, and more like The Primal Scream in their Rolling Stones-emulating phase), while "Smoke It" is a raucous Iggy Pop-like rocker. The comp ends with "This Is the Tide", the obligatory previously unreleased track that's supposed to lure in fans who already own all the band's album. It's not bad - not great either, just a return to their earlier garage rock sound. It becomes obvious that the band got tired of playing the game, trying again and again to give the record label the hits they kept demanding. So they left Capitol and founded their own indie label, Beat the World Records. Their next records wouldn't be short on catchy pop rock tunes, but they'd also indulge their more experimental, psychedelic, side. Best of the Capitol Years focuses on the band's more commercial period. It only presents one facet of the group, and they sometimes sound to be pursuing commercial acceptance too eagerly. It's fun to listen to and to sing along to, in any case.

***** for Get Off, Bohemian Like You, We Used to Be Friends

**** for Boys Better, Every Day Should Be a Holiday (Tony Lash Mix), Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth, Godless (Extended Outro), Scientist (Are Sound Version), The Last High (Edit)

*** for Good Morning, Plan A (Are Sound Version), Holding Me Up, All the Money or the Simple Life Honey, Smoke It, This Is the Tide