The Beatles White Album and historical revisionism - A Quick Diversion....

                                                         The not-quite naked TRUTH!

Perhaps there is a thin line between speaking ones own truth - putting your heart on the line - and being an insufferable grump! The secret probably lies somewhere in the sense of humor department. Most of my “kvetching” is meant in a lighthearted way. Nobody could ever mistake me as an authority on pretty much anything! I've been wrong plenty of times. A continuing reality, in fact. I'm more often just groping around for my own conclusions. I'm not in a hurry, therefore, to use this space as a slag-fest for any un-vented spleen that needs purging. Mostly. But I have to own my reactions and I'm fine with all that. So, if I can't hear the value in late-period Rush it doesn't mean I'm an authority on that subject. I've since read how some listeners really like those albums. Good for them! Maybe someday I'll hear the music differently – I reserve the right to change my mind! Case in point......

For all the times I spent listening to the Beatles White Album, last night I gained a new appreciation for it. There's a fascinating narrative that unfolds on the first side of the album. Imagine that many of the original listeners were kids - quite a few who got a first hearing after finding their copy under the Christmas tree that December morning of 1968 (original release was in late November 1968). Considering who the audience was - in some ways it's a bit of a kids' album. There are references to children and childlike singalongs. The two opening tracks actually share a theme - both are earnest calls to isolated people. In the case of Back in the USSR, the audience is a whole country separated from the west because of political reasons. The song is a reaching out - mostly by celebrating the women, in a Beach Boys “California Girls” kind of way. The next track, Dear Prudence, is focused on one person....the shy meditating lady who refused to leave her hut in India. Lennon finds a sincere voice in encouraging someone to "come out to play" as a child would to a friend. Both songs represent a genuine warmth and welcoming vibe. The rest of side one meanders from a witty nod to Beatles invented characters in Glass Onion to the sing along tracks Ob-la-Di Ob-la-Da and Bungalow Bill. Yet, the childlike refrain of the latter has a dark edge - what did you KILL Bungalow Bill? This is clearly the era of “hey hey LBJ how many kids did you KILL today”? And despite the wacky Wild Honey Pie, side one wraps up with reminding listeners to love one another even in dark times (While my guitar gently weeps). Yet it's Lennon's oddly titled last track - “Happiness is a Warm Gun” - illustrating the tensions of 1968. It is both a sad comment on the horrible violence of that year AND an unfortunately chilling foretelling of Lennon's own fate at the hands (or gunpoint) of his murderer's gun....though the gun in the song was meant as a metaphor for something similarly sinister – Lennon's increasing dependence on heroin.

Now all this is hardly the stuff of kids entertainment...but when one considers the prevalent nature of gun violence all around in the reality of those times – the Vietnam War coverage on the TV news showed the grim realities in ways wars hadn't been shown before or since. The earth can be a heck of a place to raise your kids! How rapidly the optimism sobers during the course of one LP side. Yet, the general effect of the album as a whole is informal and at times quite intimate, even vulnerable - Lennon's Julia is clearly the greatest example of this aesthetic. Side Two features more of the dialog between Lennon (the realist) and McCartney (the idealist). McCartney's tunes exhibit a spirit of prevailing over tough times with humor – Lennon's tunes are more direct confrontations with reality. Yet Lennon dares to be vulnerable in his disclosures – the childlike wonder of “Julia” or the shockingly forthright declarations of “Yer Blues”. McCartney might bellow “Why Don't We Do It in the Road?” (who doesn't love this track?) but Lennon bares his soul, not to mention his fragile state of mind. It is astounding to consider the wide range of emotional content in John Lennon's offerings. Perhaps the most dramatic saved for the end of the album with the one-two punch of “Revolution 9” followed by “Good Night”. It certainly was a stroke of genius to have the two tracks programmed next to each other as the closing pieces. But it was also a genius move to have Ringo deliver the vocal to “Good Night”. It makes better sense for the listener to hear this Beatles lullabye from good old Ringo, but it was John Lennon who wrote it for his son Julian. Lennon was a troubled person – no question about that. Yet, he clearly had a depth of feeling evident in his work – wearing his heart on his sleeve more than McCartney at that time.

There are many other reasons to illustrate why The Beatles - a/k/a The White Album – is a masterful song cycle. The dour, yet earnest offerings from George Harrison – the wacky humor amidst the cultural turmoil of the times. It is interesting to note that the Beatles spent months recording, recording, recording tracks for the record yet mixed and programmed the whole shebang in, what – ONE marathon 48 hour mixing session due to a deadline? For both mono and stereo? That could explain why there are many rough edges left in on the finished product. No matter the reason, the White Album is NOT a sonic marvel. It is a funky, progressive, multi-faceted sonic carnival - though not a pretty one. Apparently it was such a pain to cut to vinyl – Capitol Records in the USA compressed the crap out of the tapes they were sent just to normalize the levels between tracks. As the story goes, George Harrison personally intervened and forced the first batch of production lacquers to get thrown out in favor of less compressed re-cuts. Now, some of those early pre-George pressings DO exist, but they're apparently pretty nasty sounding. They're rare as hell, but you won't find me spending hundreds of dollars just to hear crappy sound.

Even still, the Harrison-approved cuttings from Capitol still aren't that great. Those would be the discs found in the numbered jackets like this.

The original US Apple labels have a dark background. My copy was pressed at the Capitol factory in Scranton, PA - easy to tell when you see the triangle with “IAM” in the deadwax area. Collectors get excited about numbers on sleeves, but not me. It's nice to have an “original” pressing. But they don't sound good. Not like the UK counterparts......

Here's a later pressing from the UK that still had most of the original cutting plates used. The sides, in order, feature -1 / -2 / -1 / -1 . So still all tube cut I think? It is easy to hear how much better the mastering is here from fresh tapes. Beats the original US pressings by a mile – no contest. Now, despite how many copies of the UK were made it is important to remember how frequently and with what prevailing equipment these early copies were played. So finding mint copies of these early UK cuttings are tough and increasingly expensive.

The good news is – many other countries got UK metal parts to press their own records from. Strangely, I have a Philippines pressing of the White Album – with Parlophone labels instead of Apple – made mostly from UK -1 metal stampers. The UK metal sourced copies are easy to spot because there are no clear “bands” between tracks. The vinyl surface looks like one big track with no divisions visible. This was also the case with the UK Sgt Pepper album – no visual divisions between songs on the vinyl to be seen. US cut albums had visual distinctions – easy to spot where each track was.

Because my Philippines copy of the White Album was pressed from UK metal – it sounds quite similar to the UK pressed copy I have. But neither are something I reach for to just throw on the turntable for casual listening. Yet, the first copy I ever owned (and played often) was the 1978 US white vinyl pressing.

And I played this thing a LOT. But even when new, it was not a sonic marvel. These get listed on ebay often enough, but they're not rare nor are they sought after by audiophiles like the 1978 UK white vinyl. That is supposed to be the bees knees – if you have the $200 to spend on one now. Not me! But over the years I picked up a few different versions to find a general play-copy. Now, I recently watched that Parlogram guy on youtube give his White Album countdown and it was fascinating! I was surprised to hear him extol the virtues of the German DMM pressing. I'd passed up copies of those things many times in record stores figuring they wouldn't be so hot, but he loves that one. It made me remember a little blurb I read on the inside cover of the 1995 Capitol “C 1” reissue I bought – that the discs were direct metal cut. So I had to play them again.

Compared to the UK -1 cutting the 1995 Capitol DMM sounded kinda thin. So much for that. Then I pulled out my 1971-era Apple pressing from Winchester Virginia USA. Its easy to spot pressings from that factory since there is a little gun-like drawing – a line connected to a triangle – in the deadwax areas. I actually got this years ago because it was clean and had all the stuff in the jacket – pictures and poster – and didn't cost me a lot of money.

Now, comparing the sound between all these pressings – including the UK pressing – HERE IS THE WINNER! The sound of the music had the most musicality to it. Good bass presence without a muddy sound. Plenty of highs in the right places. Now, the EQ choices did render the vocals a bit different – not as transparent as on the UK cutting. But the overall musicality of the album SHONE THROUGH LIKE NO OTHER COPY did. When I want to hear the Beatles White Album – I'm reaching for this. It was the only pressing that made me want to turn the volume UP because I was digging the music. And since there are plenty of these around – I don't feel precious about it. Just throw it on and enjoy. No white gloves needed to handle this puppy. Certainly this mastering was given some frequency boosting, but in a way that suits the music overall. To hear what a flat transfer of the master tape sounds like, most folks know by now – the original CD issue is where to get that. And there was only ONE mastering of this from 1987 no matter how it was packaged. Mine came in a longbox (long gone) and looks like this:

The Parlogram guy gives this mastering the thumbs up too. And its common enough to find and cheap. Doesn't have to look like mine – many were sold in those “fat boy” double CD cases. And that was the same mastering until 2009 – when this appeared as part of the deluxe re-mastering of the whole catalog:

HOWEVER – the 2009 “remaster” was tampered with and not just in the EQ department. Various little anomalies were tweaked - “fixed” if you like. So that essentially renders the 2009 closer to a remix. Elements that made the original album funky and awkward were smoothed out. Play “Happiness is a Warm Gun” from any source made before 2009. Then listen to the 2009 remaster. All kinds of little “errors” have disappeared. Which ruins the whole intent of the Beatles in the first place. Here's my pitch / theory:

Beatles albums – both mono and stereo – were mixed to sound “professional” from Please Please Me up through Rubber Soul. Mono mixes were given more time since that was the format most listeners heard in those days. So the mono was the main mix approved by the band from early on. Stereo mixes were done quickly without much input from the band.

This starts to change with Revolver as stereo becomes more common in households. However, even Sgt. Pepper was given more attention in its mono mix – really THE mix approved by the band. All of this information has come to light in recent years due to the research done by many Beatles scholars. Those of us who grew up in the 70s only knew the stereo Beatles albums. The difference between the mono and stereo mixes of Sgt Pepper blew my mind when I heard the mono in the late 80s. The mono mix had all kinds of rough edges kept in while the stereo sounded “professional” - just like all the other records to that point. So, for many listeners who bought the mono albums when released, the aesthetic difference between the mono Pepper and the stereo White Album was a LOT closer than the stereo Pepper mix and the stereo White Album. (Still with me?)

In other words, the rough and wacky vibe of the White Album is fairly jarring to listeners who didn't hear the progression on earlier releases in their mono mixes which represent the group's aesthetic at that time. It isn't a polished, “professional” piece of work in that sense. But it IS personal, intimate and experimental in an artistic way. At least in its original form. I have to acknowledge how fun and exciting it was to discover the UK mono mix of the White Album when I heard that by the mid-1990s. All those subtle differences make for entertaining listening for those familiar with the stereo. The mono mix got wider distribution in the mono CD box and vinyl collections from 2015. But I tracked down a 1982 UK mono reissue long before that:

Considering how the Beatles started to fracture during the White Album sessions and nearly breaking up during the Get Back project, it makes sense that they sought to bring a polished final effort to their listeners – what came to be Abbey Road. The Let It Be album notwithstanding, Abbey Road is the true end to the Beatles recording career and the return to a “professional” and updated sound. Abbey Road provides a “what if” as well – had the group managed to stay together where would the aesthetic land? Would there ever be wacky, humorous, experimental adventures like Revolver, Pepper and the White Album ever again? Or would they have settled into the mature pop-rock professionalism which made Abbey Road so accessible to a widening fan base as it continues to do?

Maybe this is why I like my Beatles music to remain as it was intended by the group – as released when they were functioning. The story makes better sense and the music is still timeless with no need to update for modern listeners. Future generations ought to have the opportunity to ponder the mysteries with the best and most accurate evidence available. And only THEN can the true value of the art be understood and appreciated.

Surrendered Lovers - Part Two / 2023 Roundup

 PLAY THIS SONG OVER AND OVER FOR 2024 PEOPLE!!!!!!!

Time to appreciate the good in life before the MONSTERS of the ID come knocking again next year – not like they ever go away, but still. Tis the season for Thoughtful and Thankful – and maybe the oddball reflection to get things rolling...........

Aerosmith Rocks

When I was about six or seven years old I got into Aerosmith – this record in particular. Let's be honest – this is when Aerosmith was a smokin' great band – what a record! But as a kid - Steven Tyler’s face just freaked me out. He was a kind of ugly I hadn't encountered yet. And there were all these little pictures on the inner sleeve of Tyler where he looks like he’s got puke all over his face – what is up with THAT, man?! Did he think that was good to put on the inner sleeve? He was funky looking enough – I'm still traumatized! You wouldn't find me crossing the street to shake his hand even if the opportunity arose. No thanks! Hasn't stopped me from taking my Quadraphonic SQ album out for a spin once in awhile though. Great mix in quad! The last album of theirs I bought was Night in the Ruts and that ought to tell you everything. 

From Rush to Mush

Speaking of another guy I hope I never meet - there is a new Geddy Lee autobiography in the pipeline and he apparently admits that the later period RUSH albums sucked big time! Of course, I had to find this out myself when I saw a pile of them on CD at the Salvation Army about a year ago. For a buck a pop I wanted to hear it for myself. All I can say is – this Terry Brown producer guy must have been the one with the vision because once he was out of the producer's chair it all went wrong. To be fair – I really liked Grace Under Pressure and saw them on that tour. Still great then. Totally lost the plot after that though. Or maybe they didn't know where to take it from that point. Certainly keyboard-driven, pastel colored pop music wasn't their thing. You know its bad when The Outfield's records rock harder than yours. Maybe they didn't care? Seems more likely – and probably deluded themselves they were still “cutting edge”. Uh-huh!

Loyal Neil Peart fans most likely kept them from being totally abandoned. Not like any of this matters......sometimes its a matter of clearing the air. And don't get me started on Darryl Hall...................

Its better to cut to the chase. Life is too short to make excuses for lameness or flat-out doooshbaggery. Even though I also have no desire to run into Bob Dylan ever – I can at least give him credit for really NOT giving a shit when he just didn't. The whole Self Portrait album is such a colossal middle finger it ranks as an art statement all its own in that way. If you're gonna suck – go ALL OUT! That I can respect, at least. And he's had a late-period run of good albums too, so Dylan crushes Rush in that regard.

The La's

What is more frustrating is when an artist can't recapture the spirit / circumstances to follow up a great debut album. After many years I finally got my own copy of The La's album – on cassette. That's how I remember the record and I wanted to hear it that way. Everybody in the world knows their story. It was good to re-connect with that music. Lee Mavers, man. What a trip that guy put people on. Too bad he couldn't make peace with that one great thing he did. Sometimes one statement is all a person has got in them. If even that one moment gets the chance to be appreciated – its a miracle indeed. Anyone fortunate enough to enjoy a sustained time in music or the arts is lucky, though success can offer plenty of downsides too.

Despite all this popular music focus at the top here, I'm still digging into the classical bag frequently. I dug out the only tolerable version of Bruckner's 3^rd symphony earlier in the year – in the car no less. I got through a lot of his symphonies that way years ago. Bruckner can be good driving music. I even scored a sealed mono Bruckner 4^th this year – too bad the sonics were kinda pinched and squashed on this record, but I still dug the music anyway.

This was the first symphony by a non-obvious composer to really grab me as I started out on a purposeful journey into serious music.

In the same pile of scores as the Bruckner 4^th I found a nice DG box set of the Scott Joplin opera Treemonisha. There was even a cool clipping from the New York Times about the performance on Broadway in the mid 1970s. This was an important score for me since I'd remembered it being mentioned in the Rahsaan Roland Kirk biography. Rahsaan had gone to see one of those performances, apparently. I need to give it another spin soon. Sometimes I get little care packages from the universe with Rahsaan's intergalactic address on them. It's always appreciated.

Speaking of Rahsaan – it was this past year that the tapes of the Rahsaan / Zappa summit in Boston 1969 were set free on the internet.  A totally unexpected mindblast – even if the tape got a little warbly toward the end........who cares??? What a MIRACLE to be able to hear the evidence of that fateful meeting.

Here it is: https://soundcloud.com/user-100188942/frank-zappa-the-mothers-with-rahsaan-roland-kirk-at-the-boston-globe-jazz-festival-1-31-69

And further speaking of Rahsaan – the great Mocean Worker has a track on his new album featuring the vocal talents of Rahsaan via some tasty sampling. Give some support to a genuine link to the great master and just download this record to play at office parties, strip joints – for real.   Right here:  https://moceanworker.bandcamp.com/album/boombox

I also snagged some unusual symphonies from a composer William Alwyn. 

So far I spun the first symphony and it took me to far out places I want to visit again soon. I haven't done any research on this composer, but I sure like this symphony. Getting immersed in great orchestral music for an extended duration is a pleasure to savor in these barf-o-matic times we've got. It's a much preferred version of reality than what actually exists on this planet for sure. Goes to show there are serious treasures to be had for $1 STILL! I'm not even looking seriously most of the time anymore. My bank account would be far emptier than it is if that were the case.

I only went to a genuine record store once this past year and I snagged a nice copy of Soft Machine's BUNDLES for $10. Alan Holdsworth is in fine form on this platter. So too drummer John Marshall who chases Holdsworth down with everything he's got over the course of the record. There's fab footage of this version of the Softs at Montreaux in '76 or '75. I'm sure you all know this stuff already. 

In the download-only category I bit on an obscure French movie soundtrack a few months ago courtesy of a review from an official music reviewer dude I follow on social media. His description got my attention and so - $8 later I was hearing for myself how outrageous this music was. It did NOT disappoint:

https://finderskeepersrecords.bandcamp.com/album/l-enfant-assassin-des-mouches

Jean Claude Vannier - L’Enfant Assassin Des Mouches . What I didn't expect to hear were some killer riffs that wouldn't have been out of place on a Black Sabbath record. This got played mostly in the car too – made the trip back and forth to work that much more psychedelic! Fun music indeed. The Finders Keepers label from the UK sure looks interesting – I could get lost in those releases pretty easily. I keep mulling over those deals that pop up on Bandcamp – like download the whole catalog for $200 or something. Gads – that hits me where I live for sure! That would be an interesting way to spend a year or so. Not sure I have the gumption for it, but can't say I'm not tempted. Hmmmmmm.

There's only so many dowloads I can handle before I get lost which I reckon could happen so easily. And when it comes to physical media I like to save my listening for stuff that's really compelling. So it was I bit the bullet and plunked down for the Days of the Underground box set from Hawkwind.

I'm a shameless fan of the Robert Calvert era stuff so the opportunity to hear those albums in surround sound was too great a lure. I still have some box sets from more famous bands that I have yet to crack open – but this would not wait!! Some folks said the live stuff had been issued before, but I hadn't heard those shows and the demo stuff was new to me too. In short – a no-brainer. Totally thrilling stuff! Fab surround mixes – a very worthwhile investment.

And it got me listening more to the quad / surround setup as well – more on that in future entries. To round off this one, I can't go without mentioning a jazz eureka experience courtesy of a record I'd had for probably a few years. Actually it started with a different record entirely – Keith Jarrett's In the Light. 

That being a double album it took me two nights to play through the whole thing and I was quite relieved to read Jarrett's own summation on the Brass Quintet piece – something along the lines of “possibly unplayable”. It's a bit rough going on that one. The rest isn't so bad, but more in the tradition of through-composed music than jazz. Still a rewarding experience – yet different enough to the next Keith Jarrett record – another one I'd had sitting around probably as long as In the Light ….. The Survivor's Suite. This was a whole different thing entirely!

I had such an intense reaction to this music on first listen – it got me thinking in visual terms and I wasn't on anything stronger than coffee that night! It was so good I kept thinking “why haven't I played this before??”. Well, the cover art is boring as hell so that probably put me off. Don't let it put you off – this is some really stunning music. I'm still not entirely sure what I mean when I say “visual terms” when it comes to this music. It just felt like I broke through some internal barrier that was never breached before until I heard this record. If that sounds weirdly mysterious – well, that's the funny thing - it was and STILL IS to me. And what else do we want out of this whole adventure? It's all still unfolding. Here's hoping greed and myopic ambition doesn't ruin those adventures for future generations. There's so much to celebrate when it comes to the best of humanity's creative impulses. But here we all are on borrowed time......til we meet once more, gentle peoplefolk. Keep a light in the window for real now!

Art Claims Surrendered Lovers To Itself - Part One

 

Back in 2018, I had an opportunity to attend a concert in New York City given by the master of the Hindustandi Slide Guitar – Debashish Battachyra. I had picked up a CD of his that dated to the early 1990s because it looked so amazing:

I found the music placed me in a contemplative frame of mind and gave me a sense of well-being at a time in my life that was more tumultuous than I may have realized consciously. Having discovered his social media page, I began following his current activities and was surprised to see an announcement of a show in Manhattan that looked like I could get to. I'm pretty sure I was able to order a ticket online and drove the 60 some odd miles south on a weeknight in Oct to catch the show. It was held in an auditorium in a college on the upper west side of Manhattan and battling traffic proved challenging – including finding parking.

I got there so early I found myself waiting and wondering if the concert was going to happen at all – nobody was there or seemed to know about it. Gradually, attendees and performers arrived, yet the modest auditorium did not fill to the capacity it should have. With all the stress of getting there after a long day at work I had developed a headache and general sense of discomfort that goes with such stress. I also hadn't had much to eat which didn't help matters. Yet, as the music began I had the most amazing experience – my pain and discomfort from the day's stresses was LIFTED and by the time the performance concluded I was pain free and feeling FANTASTIC! The musicians included Debashish, his brother Subashish on tabla and daughter Anandi on vocals. Having been gifted a literally HEALING performance, I made sure to purchase two discs that night after the show:

Subashish's album is more modern in the sense of being reflective of the kinds of production qualities found in modern music today. Highly orchestrated, dramatic and in some ways cinematic in its presentation. The focus feels more on composition than instrumental virtuosity. The scope and depth of the music continues to be a source of fascination with each listen.

Anandi's album features a more streamlined approach with some refreshingly stripped down arrangements where the voice and instruments are featured and really shine! Her compositional approach is engaging and memorable. I can easily recall the pieces in my mind's ear in between spins of the disc itself. Both approaches are different enough from each other – and from the Hindustani Slide music – to provide enjoyable contrasting sonic experiences.

Since then I'd been on the lookout for a new release from Debashish himself. My patience was rewarded with a new recording titled The Sound of the Soul. From his Bandcamp page I chose the signed CD option (with the download available in FLAC format as well). The disc arrived within the week and features a warm and glowing word of recommendation from the great John McLaughlin on the inside panel of the disc cover. I can only echo the sentiment from such an esteemed admirer – the disc is essential listening for guitar music enthusiasts. I hope to hear this brilliant musician perform in person again. For now, the recordings sustain me and create a sense of well-being and hope for a troubled world.

It seems like 2022 was a year of unexpected musical miracles and a prime example was the release of the first Jeff Cotton solo album. It was surprising enough to see him surface on social media and in interviews the year before, but a whole album of music was a total shock! Although the absence of a drum kit drummer is notable in the sound, the overall music is so full of adventure, joy, musical surprises and that slinky slide guitar we all know and love – it's a feast for the ears regardless! I hope he releases more music as he has promised to do since I've had so much enjoyment from this first album. Maybe the Beefheart die-hards are the main target audience, but Cotton's music has a universal appeal that can't be denied. And he sure can sing too – not just Ella Guru!

Bringing the focus back to some classical musings – I was inspired to dig out the ONE version of Bruckner's 3^rd Symphony I found most tolerable if not enjoyable. The CD pictured above was purchased in a fit of desperation since other versions of his 3^rd really turned me off. For the life of me I can't recall why I took a chance on this one. Either it was a random purchase or I found a recommendation online. My money is on the former reason. Considering that the recording – of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra led by Hartmut Haenschen in 1991 – is fairly strident and brash yet still somehow suitable to the music, I can only imagine why other versions turned me off. If I recall, one of the tricky problems associated with Bruckner's music is how he would revise things so some recordings feature older scores while others feature revised scores. Or some such confusion. It had been awhile since I buckled in for the Bruckner 3^rd challenge and at least this version felt right. Listening to more of my classical CDs is likely to be a going thing since life's a bit tricky having classical LP spinning time in the house. No matter – I may be tempted to pull out that Bruckner cycle in that Jochum box I have sitting around to compare the 3^rd with. Still, I'm not parting with the Hartmut miracle disc. I'm so looking forward to exploring more classical vibrations in times ahead!

I'll wrap up part one here with a proper vinyl issue released last year of, essentially, the last official album put out by Robbie Basho in his lifetime – Bouquet. I was very interested in this new edition since the only other official release was on cassette back in the early 80s and the transfers I'd heard from internet sources were quite underwhelming to say he least. With the new vinyl reissue, the sound is superb. I'm not sure what the source was, but the result is on par with the vast majority of the items in Robbie Basho's catalog. The proceedings, musically, are a fascinating composite of several “bags” Basho had explored up to that point while pulling the most accessible elements together in one place. There are a number of vocal tracks mixed in with familiar themes from earlier albums. The liner notes included – composed by Glen Jones – address the notion that Robbie Basho was looking to find a wider audience for his art, even beyond the frustratingly broken promises of being connected to the Windham Hill roster. Yet, being a cassette only release was not the hip-culture move in those days that it is today. And with limited distribution it would have remained an obscure item were it not for the steadily growing interest in Robbie Basho's music over the last 20 – 30 years. As Glen Jones points out, if there is any cause for pause in this essential listening experience, it rises from a slightly overenthusiastic desire on the part of the artist to court the favor of his listeners, not unlike his fervent paeans to the various muses heard so earnestly in earlier releases. Still, Basho's raw visionary talent overtakes any awkwardly expressed devotion to an invisible “beloved” - it's not impossible to be even somewhat swept away in the river of sincerity that is very obviously the source of the inspiration. Quite simply, the new LP is the BEST version of Robbie Basho's last complete expression and is therefore essential for far more than the diehard devotees.

This concludes part ONE of a series …........ part TWO of which is already in the pipeline. Listen on, up and beyond!

Will Truth and Beauty Save the World?

 

Not a subjective “truth” - the real truth. And, to be clear, that which is beautiful is what uplifts humanity. To put these ideas front, top and center is always a matter of vigilant urgency and perhaps moreso under the current climate of world unrest. It may be worth proposing that war, as a means to subjugate a peaceful nation that poses no threat to a neighbor, is an abomination to all those who value truth and beauty. For those of us not on the front lines of the immediate conflict, being vocal about supporting the defenders of democratic values – not to mention truth and beauty – may seem insignificant. However, watching silently as the bullies run roughshod over the weak is never a noble option. Any sentient being with a conscience – and access to the truth – can easily understand the dangers of autocracy and totalitarianism. Although flawed in a variety of ways as an ongoing experiment – United States style democracy is still a valid export. Movements contrary to the ideals put forward in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution are just as destructive and pernicious now as they ever have been at any point in history. Universal Human Rights are exactly as described and it is the job of any modern government to uphold those rights or be vanquished.

Witnessing the unfolding of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is among the saddest and most frustrating world events I have ever had to live through. As I write, the war is relatively “new” and alarmingly concerning – especially to those like myself who lived through the Cold War and all its attendant paranoias. Plenty of governments around the world are headed up by madmen, true enough. Just how bereft of sanity Putin may be is NOT something I want to think about for too long – or to have it proved in the most destructive of ways. Yet, no need to consider the severity of his affliction – the evidence is already visible. So, in the grand scheme of heavy-duty shit to think about, music and culture may appear to be diversions for the fortunate. Fair enough. Yet, it is the duty of those who have the ability to take a stand for truth and beauty through the humanities, which has ever been my take on it and the purpose of making any small contribution to that end. In the spirit of all that – I was quite moved by the new Pink Floyd song - a collaboration with talented singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk from the Ukranian band Boom Box. Listen here:

A stirring statement indeed. I've been a longtime fan of Gilmour and company (maybe a bit more than Roger Waters as a solo entity, certainly). Considering how much of the Pink Floyd catalog is imbued with the topic of the destructiveness of war – the new offering is entirely within the aesthetic of the band's output. From a musical point of view, Floyd fans are treated to wonderful extended Gilmour soloing and plenty of Nick Mason's tom-tom work (one of the strengths of the song in my opinion). What a different world we have today from the one of Pink Floyd's humble beginnings..... 

1967 is so far away. It is difficult to imagine how a sense of idealism could be evident at a difficult point in world history even then. Cold War, Vietnam War, environmental ruination, social unrest and violent reactionaries acted out on a confrontational stage – culminating perhaps in the following year. Although times were bad then too, a sense of idealism did counteract the doom and gloom – however naive it may have been in retrospect. Did that shred of hope really evaporate in 1968? Flower Power might not have transformed the world, but it did represent hope in the face of doom.

For reasons I can't recall, I threw my Uruguay copy of Sgt Pepper on the turntable recently. I sang along with the songs to my little son as I puttered around the house and was struck by the idealism of the music. It reminded me of an excellent documentary from 1987 appropriately titled “It Was Twenty Years Ago Today”. 

This film has long been off utoob, but can be viewed in its entirety at the great Diggers website here:   https://www.diggers.org/it_was_twenty.htm

In one place you get to see Allen Ginsberg, Abbie Hoffman, Ed Sanders and leading figures of the international emergent counterculture – particularly the Diggers. I'll also recommend perusing the other parts of the Diggers site. Fascinating stuff!

1987 is further in time from us now than folks were from 1967 in that year. Yet, it seems like the world changed more in those 20 years than it has from 1987 to our time. This may or may not be entirely true, but hedging on the possibility that it IS true I'll put the blame on what Ed Sanders roughly termed “The Creeping Meatball”. To get a working definition of what that is, a little extra reading is necessary so I'll hand you over to Ed circa 1968 for a few minutes. Curiously, he has a few things to say about Beauty and Art versus BS as well. Take it away Ed:

Interview with Ed Sanders - Issue 57, July 4-18, 1968 - Fifth Estate Magazine

We all know how the rest of 1968 played out and I'll tie in to 1987 to suggest that the Creeping Meatball won, for the time being. However, I'll also make the observation that the present era is undefined with no clear outcome of how much the Creeping (or Galloping) Meatball may or may not prevail, ultimately. If Ed was pissed off at the LBJ / Nixon axis of crud in his time, we have a whole new cast of villains to contend with now. But what, if anything, represents hope today? I'm not done looking. Before we abandon 1987 though I'll pause to consider a few noteworthy vibrations......

1987 might not go down in music history as a particularly watershed year, but I can recommend a few noteworthy moments. The first one didn't even hit me until many years later – in the mid 2000s actually.

MEAT PUPPETS – MIRAGE

By the time I got around to grabbing this CD used, 1987 had long passed. I found it cheap and bought it because I'd always wanted to hear what the Meat Puppets sounded like and figured I'd give them a go. It is worth explaining that I totally missed their inclusion on Nirvana's Unplugged appearance in 1994 since I wasn't a Nirvana fan. Plus, despite all the advertising done by SST I never managed to hear the Meat Puppets anywhere. This was ultimately a good thing for me since I had nothing to go on, except the notion that they were a heavy rock SST type act. MIRAGE threw me for such a loop when I heard it the first time I totally dismissed both it and the Meat Puppets in one fell swoop. MIRAGE sported the big sonic turn-off for me: electric, programmed drum tracks. The band is just guitar, bass, drums and they can't even be bothered to record REAL drums in that format? What the hell!?!

Of course, I later discovered the idea of using drum tracks / triggers, etc....was an aesthetic choice – what was considered “industry standard” at the time (think: BON JOVI). I also eventually discovered a full MIRAGE-era concert recording from 1987 where the band rips through the whole album live (real drums of course) and it's a corker! So..........gradually I found myself re-evaluating the whole notion of live drums – or ANY drums for that matter and realizing – it's all an illusion anyway. The kooky nature of the recording of MIRAGE gives it the unique feel that it has and it works. The Meat Puppets had nothing to prove on record as far as being a kick-ass live band. Records are for radio. Live music is for the fans. So anyway, thanks to Derek Bostrom for yanking me out of my snobby “real drums only” mentality – and I'm being serious here!

For lots and lots of great, free live Meat Puppets shows, check out this cool online archive:

https://archive.org/details/MeatPuppets?&sort=-week&page=2

And as for MIRAGE, oddly enough it is the album that got me to love the Meat Puppets. It's probably a good thing that I never saw them live back in those days. Hearing the fun Live in Montana 1988 release made me realize I could have easily never gone to college and followed them around the country Grateful Dead-style. And that would have been a horrible waste of time, however fun!

Speaking of the Dead and 1987, it dawned on me that this was the big comeback year for those guys with the In the Dark album and Touch of Grey in heavy rotation on MTV. The one and only time I ever saw the Grateful Dead was in July 1987 at Giants Stadium with Bob Dylan. I thought the Dylan segments of the show were lackluster – but the Dead were on top form! They might have been past their peak, but I'm glad I went. Come to think of it, that show was the last stadium rock concert I ever went to. By that point I was more excited to see up and coming acts in small venues. Witnessing the Dead Milkmen playing a community center in Poughkeepsie NY in 1986 was an eye-opening experience for me! Way more fun than watching a classic rock band in a stadium.

Who I didn't get to see in 1987 or 1988 was Husker Du – the band I thought was poised to break through and change music in the right direction. Funny though – I didn't get their last studio album Warehouse: Songs and Stories at the time. So it, like the Meat Puppets album, is not tied in to my memories of that year, strangely enough. What 1987 showed me was a direction out of my childhood. I had discovered an identity totally away from the friends I had as a kid and with one year of high school left, I was ready to move on to a whole new direction in my life. I consider myself fortunate to have lived during a time of peace and relative calm, even though I saw economic changes swirling rapidly around me – the family business was in trouble due to the emergent globalization taking place. Lets not forget it was Republican Nixon who opened China to trade before we pin it all on Clinton and NAFTA. I saw the whole thing changing during the Reagan years long before Clinton. The shoe industry in the United States must have been among the first to move overseas and my family felt the hit long before many others. So much for Reaganomics! Bah!

Before I get too stuck on 1987 it is worth remembering there is LOTS of great new music happening right now as well as new releases of older vibrations....

For example:

Time Outtakes – a wonderful alternate-takes LP from the classic Dave Brubeck Quartet. I have no idea if this material was ever issued on CD before, but this is essential listening. I found this new-ish release fairly cheaply online – beautifully restored from the original tapes by expert New York engineer Scott Petito (also bass man for The Fugs!). Can't say enough positive things about this release. Happy to hear more recordings from the old Columbia church studio on 30th street in New York City (now demolished, alas). Cheers to Petito for preserving the unique drum sound of that studio which captured Joe Morello's artistry behind the kit in dramatic fashion. Now THERE'S some great natural drum sounds for ya!!

Robbie Basho – Songs of the Great Mystery

A new release of “lost” album material from Robbie Basho. These recordings were available as a download for awhile, but the music is presented to better effect on this fine release from Real Gone Music. As troubled as he was, Basho managed to create some beautiful, healing music that remains a totally authentic expression of his vision and artistry. Excellent liner notes from Glen Jones as well. Highly recommended.

Maki Asakawa

 This is a compilation double LP made up of choice tracks from the sweep of this fascinating singer's career. Although the singing is all in Japanese, the aesthetic of the music reflect the artist's interest in American Jazz and progressive music. The years span mainly across the 1970s and the music is imbued with the sensibilities of that decade. For those of us who have heard all the great hit music of that decade from the English singing artists, international acts can be a welcome sonic diversion. The liner notes don't add much to the history of who Maki Asakawa was – she was a fairly private person despite her public singing career. In the end, its the music that matters and this 2 LP set is an inexpensive introduction for the curious.

For new NEW music – the following are recent acquisitions....

Ryley Walker – Course in Fable

Of all the artists I latched onto in the last several years, Walker has been among those I've stuck with. This most recent release builds on the more experimental jazz-rock songcraft developed on his 2018 offering Deafman's Glance. Listening to his breakthrough album from years ago Primrose Green it is easy to hear that Walker is more comfortable with his current explorations – he has grown considerably as an artist. It's been a rewarding journey as a listener so far and if his bandcamp activity is any indication of where he's going there will be lots more to look forward to. Hooray!

Gwenifer Raymond – Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain

This was a tough record to find for a reasonable price. Of all online sources, Target was the cheapest – go figure. Raymond is a ferocious guitarist in the advanced American Primitive tradition. The goth vibe is pretty thick here as well, but it's the adventurous music that is the real selling point. I'd bet she's great to see in a live setting!

Jake Xerxes Fussell – Good and Green Again

I admit to being persuaded by a bit of online advertising from Paradise of Bachelors here, but I liked the clips I heard so why not? The music is a different take on the Americana genre – the guitar work is stately and thoughtful with a down-home, no-frills vocal approach on top. It's a calm, slightly wistful record. I found the vinyl record sounded way better than the download. Not sure what accounts for that or if it was my imagination, but this is a record I can throw on anytime. Still digging through it's many layers of enjoyment........

NRBQ – Dragnet

The most recent LP from the legendary band. A short and sweet record with some excellent new songs from Scott Ligon, Casey McDonough and company. Side two kinda runs out of steam, but for $12 I know I got a great deal! And the John Perrin song is way better than one might predict! It will be great to see this talented version of the Q live again!

Lilly Hiatt – Lately

Yes – you know its a new era when a new cassette-only release hits the mailbox. I couldn't resist. The price was right and I was intrigued to hear what John Hiatt's daughter might cook up. The only odd thing about this great new release is some guitar effects found on the second track - the warbling nature of the effect was kinda distracting in the cassette format. Something just didn't sound right so I preferred to listen to the download of this title. Still, I think it's fun to have purchased a new pre-recorded cassette of a new release. Lilly Hiatt is a fantastic artist by the way.....check out this compelling video performance here:

From the long-awaited category.............The Pineapples – Incommunicado

Wow! A great new offering from the ONLY modern rock band that matters. The Pineapples keep getting better with every new release and so far Incommunicado is the group's high-water mark.

But wait – what about Classical music? What happened to that? Still happening friends........

Lately I've been on a Debussy La Mer – a thon of sorts. Comparing many different versions of this beautiful piece:

Yet, the big AHA moment of recent listening happened when I took this MFSL copy of Carmina Burana out for a spin.

It's a real shame that the first few minutes of this piece have been used for every violent video game commercial ever produced because the rest of the work is so much better and fascinating than the opening (and closing) famous minutes can suggest. Maybe it's now in the “warhorse” category for most folks, but not for me. I will also swear on a stack o'hundreds the second movement was a direct influence on the Moody Blues Days of Future Passed. I was totally surprised to enjoy this piece as much as I did. It will come out for more spins in the future.

There's more music to consider and more positive vibrations to send out to the universe. With any luck - better days ahead through the dark times. In the words of the great Joel Dorn - "Keep a light in the window...."