AC/DC "Live at Donington"  

(Epic DVD)

I picked this gem up recently in the bargain bin at Borders and it’s the best $9.99 I’ve spent all year. AC/DC rocks hard and the sound is excellent. The performance was filmed in 1991 in front of an enormous crowd at the Monsters of Rock tour of that year. They do many of the old classics like "Back in Black", "Hells Bells" and "Dirty Deeds" as well as some of the newer tunes like "Thunderstruck" and "Money Talks". Pop it in and turn your system up to eleven!

-Dave

Ryan Adams "Gold" 

(Universal LP) 2001

Roger has followed this kid since the demise of Whiskeytown closer than I and played some of Gold for me a while back. I picked up the 2 LP set in Austin last fall and it has been getting lots of play since as I have also copied it onto CD for convenience. There aren't a lot of current artists in this genre (Rock with Country Overtones Singer/Songwriters?) who impress me nearly as much as Ryan Adams. Too, this record is one of those chameleons where my favorite one day is replaced by one I missed on previous listening, e.g. “Nobody Girl” which I used to think was long and I now think is perfectly timed and brilliantly constructed.  Both hooky and stylistically varied, this is a record with instant appeal and staying power.

-Jon

Benjamin Britten "Noye's Fludde"

(Argo LP) 1961

I remember Andy playing this for me twenty five years ago, well before the Absolute Sound recommended it for sonic reasons. The story of Noah’s Ark (Noye’s Fludde translates as Noah’s Flood), it is a quaint little one-LP Chester Miracle play set to music by Benjamin Britten which elevates it from mundane to sublime. Performed by key members of the English Chamber Orchestra spicing up as first chairs An East Suffolk Children’s Orchestra, and with the animal voices sung by some 45-by-two children’s voices, this recording charms with all that is right about amateur music-making. And the recording is a masterpiece. Set to tape in 1961, it ushers you into Oxford Church for 45 minutes of involuntarily suspended disbelief. Space and dynamics are breathtaking and I swear, when I clicked on the Audio Research SDP1, I could smell the musty church basement. Unfortunately, this record is pretty hard to find these days, on LP at least. I don’t believe it’s been reissued on CD, but I can’t imagine even SACD/DVD-A could do this master tape the justice that vinyl does it. I found Scott a copy at the Milwaukee Public Library last week for fifty cents, which inspired me to pull out my copy, but he has yet to sign the right of first refusal agreement if he doesn’t like it. I really want a back-up copy now.

-Jon

Grant Lee Buffalo "Storm Hymnal, Gems from the Vault"

(Rhino CD) 2001

It’s hard to believe that someone who considers himself a serious music enthusiast (I do) could somehow manage to overlook the entire career of a great American band (I did), but “better late than never” I suppose. Grant Lee Buffalo, a trio founded by Grant Lee Phillips, left a legacy of only four releases during their all too brief career. They had the misfortune of being an L.A. based band during an era (1993-1999) when anybody who didn’t live in Seattle, own a skateboard, and sport copious amounts of flannel, had scant chance of achieving commercial success. The critics apparently loved them, but even so, it wasn’t until I stumbled upon a glowing review of this two-disc retrospective that I got my first exposure. Not exactly what I’d call a “roots” rock band, GLB doesn’t stray too far off that path. Relying heavily on acoustic instrumentation, melodic vocals, well-crafted arrangements and songwriting more prone to imagery than storytelling, this band deserved a lot more recognition than they got. The first disc of Storm Hymnal samples their four studio releases and disc two contains outtakes, “B-Sides” and other rarities. I haven’t yet decided which I like better, but this is a great starter set for the uninitiated and a “must have” for completists. The sound is consistently excellent, especially given the period during which these recordings were made and, if you count yourself among fans of Paul Westerberg, The Jayhawks, early R.E.M. or their ilk, I think you’ll probably find a lot to like here. Highly recommended and still easy to find.

-Scott

Les Claypool and the Frog Brigade "Purple Onion"

(Prawn Song CD) 2002

Somewhat adventurous recommendation #2: I can’t believe I’m recommending this, but I am. I have been indoctrinated by some friends who are huge Primus/Les Claypool fans and after being subjected to it long enough I guess it just started to sink in. I was actually dragged to see Les Claypool twice, once with Primus and the other time with The Frog Brigade and I ended up liking them way better than I expected to. Les Claypool is a super talented and rather bizarre bass player/lead singer who is the mastermind behind both groups. Les has one of those voices that makes you wonder why in the hell he decided to become a singer, yet his voice works in a weird sort of way. He will slap the frets right off a bass guitar with a style and a sound that you will never hear anywhere else. The band is also versatile enough to do excellent covers of Pink Floyd, with Les sounding eerily like a young Roger Waters. Purple Onion is a strange, hard hitting, funky kind of thing that has a groove all its own. It’s the kind of music that really gets into your head and stays there. I find myself singing "Dee’s Diner" and "David Makalaster" in my head all the time lately. As a bonus, it sounds pretty good too!

-Dave

Elmore James "The Best of Elmore James"

(Ace Reissue LP) 2003

Dave tried to guess who this was and couldn’t. Not that Dave doesn’t dig the blues, but there wasn’t Elmore’s signature slide guitar intro on every tune, enough of which, for me, is enough anyway. That’s why I like this. It’s blues leaning toward R&B with a bigger band on most cuts and Elmore is fingering, more than sliding, on the fret board. Which he does awfully well. Nearly as well as he sings. Man, can he sing. There’s not much that gets my blood pumping faster than a great blues singer and I can play this record over and over again and just keep my heart-rate up. The sound is vintage good, the kind where you don’t think about it because it lets plenty of the music come out to play. Got the vinyl in Austin at Waterloo Records and didn’t play it for five months because of the size of the Austin Record Show haul. Too bad. Five more months of this in my bloodstream could have only done me good.

-Jon

Freddie King "Texas Cannonball"

(Shelter Records LP, Capitol CD, Hi-Rez DVD-Audio) 1972

"Texas Cannonball" captures Freddie King at his absolute peak as a singer and guitar player. The album is full of powerful screams and high full-note bends that were his trademark. "Reconsider Baby," is just dripping with the blues and is one of the greatest recorded performances I have ever heard. Others like "Can't Trust Your Neighbor" and "I'd Rather Be Blind" are arranged in a way that is uniquely Freddie King and no other versions will ever resemble the tunes as performed here. If you don’t own any Freddie King, this is the one to buy. The CD sounds great, the LP even better and I haven’t yet heard the DVD-A.

-Dave

Alison Krauss & Union Station "Live"

(Rounder DVD) 2003

I was disappointed by the sound on the CD release, finding it bright and unnatural. But this DVD sounds superb, especially in DTS 5.1 surround. The performances are great, as you would expect from a band with such talented musicians as Union Station. It's great to watch Jerry Douglas work his slide guitar magic on his Dobro. Even if bluegrass is not your cup of tea, you should still be able to find things to enjoy here.

-Dave

Branford Marsalis "A Love Supreme"

(Universal DVD) 2004

Adventurous recommendation #1: This is not for everybody, maybe not even for most people. But if you like Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” you might want to pick up this DVD. If you don’t know the original Coltrane album, don’t bother with this until you know that one well and like it a lot. This live performance features Branford Marsalis, the terribly underrated saxophone playing brother of more respected trumpet player Wynton, doing all of the music from the legendary Coltrane album. The solos are totally his own, but he captures elements of the original that will be familiar to fans of the music. At times it is very aggressive jazz, enough that it caused Scott to call it cacophony and quickly exit the room. But it’s good cacophony. Best of all, because it’s a DVD it has a great widescreen picture and really nice sound combined.

-Dave

Old Crow Medicine Show "Eutaw"

(Self-Released CD) 2001

Ever since the Coen Brothers came down from the mountain and proclaimed that it was okay to like old-time country music again, a lot of American bands have figured out that they can sell more records if they just unplug the guitars, fire the drummer, and call themselves a “bluegrass” act. Old Crow Medicine Show isn’t one of those bands. We saw O.C.M.S. by accident - they were opening for Del McCoury in Chicago- and they stole the show. "Eutaw" isn’t going to get the boys at Stereophile wetting themselves over its stunning dynamics, but it sounds pretty good. The real strength of the album is the pervasive energy, emotion, and enthusiasm; the band proves it’s possible be both ‘tight’ and ‘unpolished’ at the same time. All but one of the tunes are re-workings of lost treasures of a bygone era; the delivery is anything but stale though. If Old Crow Medicine Show can’t put a smile on your face, it may be time to step up the dosage on the Prozac. (Also, check out their new eponymous major label debut….haven’t heard it yet, but soon will.)

-Scott

Charlie Parker "Best Of The Dial Years"

(Stardust Records CD) 2000

Okay, if you’re a legitimate jazz enthusiast, just move on now, there’s nothing for you here. I’m not the utterly clueless novice, but he’s the only one behind me on the road to jazz enlightenment. I have however managed to ferret out a few artists whose work, or some part of whose work, sounds pretty good to my admittedly unsophisticated ear and Bird is at the top of that list. The downside of being both ignorant and a rabid record collector is that opportunities abound to make purchase decisions that are both ill-advised and costly. After buying, I can’t tell you how many, lousy Charlie Parker records, I finally took Jon’s advice and focused on his work for the Dial and Savoy labels. This CD is an excellent mono remaster of the 1946 Dial studio sessions (with Miles Davis, John Lewis, Max Roach, and Duke Jordan) where the nascent bebop movement seems to get itself out of first gear. If you love your hi-fi rig more than your recordings, this probably isn’t going to find your sweet spot. If you’re passionate about the music, it can’t miss.

-Scott

John Prine "In Spite of Ourselves"

(Oh Boy CD) 1999

After seeing John Prine at the Riverside recently, I ordered this CD of country standard duets with female singers and have played it several times. Actually, my sweetheart tends to listen on REPEAT a lot so I've heard it several times several times. John's original, the title tune, is a quirky twosome with Iris Dement, who appears on multiple numbers here, and is the perfect partner for an unmistakably Prinean modern day, old country classic on a par with anything on the record. It's a treat to hear Prine as an interpreter and duet partner even if you wouldn't want him to reprise this concept in lieu of more of his own great writing.

-Jon

The Replacements "All Shook Down"

(Warner Brothers CD) 1990

I’ve had this on endless loop again in the car. Seems at least annually, I pull this off the shelf and play it incessantly until the addiction has cooled to where I merely love it again and then I stick it away for a little while. During the “on” periods, it invariably finds its way to a good, main listening system where it proves how enjoyable a rock recording can be sonically. Sure, true Mats fans will say this is really the first Paul Westerberg solo record, but that’s fine by me. His lyric and tune crafting are why I show up anyway. They are in full flower here to the extent that I can scarcely pick favorites. Oh, all right - "Someone Take the Wheel", "Nobody", "Happy Town" and the title tune. But that’s just for now. Next time through it may be other ones altogether.

-Jon

Pete Townshend/Ronnie Lane "Rough Mix"

(MCA/Classic Records LP) 1977/2002

While the accolade “minor masterpiece” may be overused, it’s no less fitting when describing this one-off gem that paired Pete Townshend with Faces alum Ronnie Lane. The sessions were apparently well attended by British rock royalty – appearances by Eric Clapton, John Entwistle, and Charlie Watts – but that isn’t the allure of this record; the songs are flat-out great. The record is a bit schizophrenic in that this is seemingly less a collaborative effort than a single vehicle allowing a couple of artists to share the stage, but they complement each other nicely and each make meaningful contributions when taking the supporting role. The original record sounded great, but the 2002 Classic Records 200g remaster will take your breath away. I’ve periodically enjoyed this record over the years, but since this Classic pressing came out, it hasn’t left the “heavy rotation” pile. Come in and pick up a copy and you’ll hear what I’m talking about; very highly recommended.

-Scott

Vandermark 5 "Elements of Style…Exercises in Surprise"

The Who "Tommy"

(MCA CD, LP & DVD-Audio, Geffen SACD) 1969

I have been waiting for a better sounding version of "Tommy" for years. The LPs don’t sound very good and the CD is OK. But the new SACD sounds better and is now available, while the DVD-A is due to be released on April 27th. Over the years, "Tommy" has become my favorite Who record. It’s long and usually has to be split onto two CDs, the first of which contains the best and most memorable material, although some of the same themes reappear again and again throughout the record. The original movie is also interesting, but the music is better performed here than on the film soundtrack.

Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"

(Polygram CD) 1998

I have been spinning this a lot lately and it gets better each time. The sound isn’t the greatest, but it’s good enough to enjoy. There is something about Lucinda’s voice that is hard to walk away from, for me anyway. The album starts out on a very high note with “Right In Time” and, if you skip the next two tracks, stays there until the end of the album. Other addicting songs include, “Drunken Angel” and the more mellow “Lake Charles.” But the best performance on the record is the intense “Joy” where Lucinda sounds like a woman with an axe to grind. The band is fantastic throughout the album. 

Neil Young "Heart of Gold"

(Paramount DVD) 2006

Shame on me. I’ve never been a big enough Neil Young fan. I’ve always enjoyed his tunes when they come on the radio and I even do my own unimpressive imitation of the awkward way Neil stomps his foot when he’s playing electric guitar – he looks like an uncoordinated Neanderthal - but I have never really sat down and listened to his music much at home on my hifi system.

A couple of months ago Scott walked in with a few new music DVDs, one of which was this Heart of Gold concert recorded live in Nashville. I threw it on and looked through the song menu where I spotted a bunch of tunes I was familiar with including a favorite classic, "Old Man", so I decided to start by firing that one up first. The track begins with an older, wiser and more distinguished looking Neil than I remembered, telling a charming story about the origin of this song that I’ve heard hundreds of times. As it turns out, Neil was a "rich young hippie" to use his words, and had just purchased a really nice house on a big piece of land which he was getting a tour of from the caretaker, an older gentleman named Louis Avila. Louis asked Neil how such a young man could afford such an expensive property and Neil told him that he was just really lucky. Well the song "Old Man", was written for Louis all those years ago, and Neil still lives in the same house on that same property to this day. I was riveted and the song hadn’t even started yet. Then Neil hits that cool familiar hammered intro chord on this great sounding old Martin D28 and launches into an incredible version of "Old Man". Wow, that was amazing! Then before I have a chance to recover, the next tune is underway; a captivating version of "The Needle and The Damage Done". Here, Neil is so on target vocally and his guitar playing so clean that this one is a real treat. Needless to say, as I listened to the rest I realized that the entire concert is just as good and full of other great songs new and old.

-Dave

Warren Zevon "The Wind"

(Artemis Records LP) 2003

Does knowing death waits, not patiently, on your doorstep make you a better songwriter? I don’t know. Does knowing that an artist produced his final offering with that knowledge predispose you to give it more careful consideration? It almost has to. I’m not a fan of Warren Zevon, or more correctly, I didn’t used to be. Roger has talked about what a “musician’s musician” Warren was, but not being a musician, my former take on the guy was that he was just having a pretty good time and selling some records – you know, the “Werewolf at Trader Vic’s with the Chinese menu in his hand” kind of thing – a little wacky, but nothing too substantive. That all changed when I played “The Wind”. Warren’s literal “swan song” is, quite simply, one of the most moving pieces of music I have ever heard. It is full of joy, hope, and compassion, wrapped in the extraordinary pain of a man who knows he has very little time left. We’ve all heard a lot of tragic music, from tragic figures, very little of which has been composed from the perspective of someone dying a natural death and struggling to express what that feels like. This isn’t a tortured artist drowning himself in a bottle or dulling his pain with a needle and a spoon and that distinction is what makes this recording so intensely personal, heartfelt, and above all, believable. The record was recently released on 180-gram vinyl and the sound is excellent, but I’m afraid I’d still unreservedly recommend it even if it had been pressed on a Frisbee. Be forewarned, it will both break your heart and lift your spirits and, in my book, a songwriter earns no higher compliment. 

Back to Top