THE RACONTEURS

CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY

In the current phony, auto-tuned sea of garbage that some refer to as popular music, listeners looking for a good rock record almost need to retain the services of private investigators to aid them in their search. I was considering putting these guys on the case.



If you're concerned about this sorry state of affairs, look no further than "Consolers of the Lonely". Last year's follow up to "Broken Boy Soldiers" saw The Raconteurs turning the brilliant trick of topping that album.

Brendan Benson and Jack White pool their talents in what sounds like an extremely democratic songwriting collective. Reaffirming the power of a good band working toward putting only their best efforts into the finished product, this is nothing short of superb.

Flying the flag for the glory days when bands still made excellent full length discs, the musicians do anything but phone it in. Real electricity flows freely through every track and the two lead voices provide variety in each selection. I realize that the music business is not going to retreat from aggressive marketing, but in this instance the group neatly sidestepped hype and won the prize in the "surprise release" sweepstakes.



Super solid live, great in the studio.



Breathing new life into epic narrative pieces , "Carolina Drama" is a the perfect example of a band living up to its name.



One of the finest releases of 2008. Proof positive that the rock revolution will not be silenced by corporate bullshit and elevator music for the lobotomized. Can't wait for the next one.

WILCO

SKY BLUE SKY

Have you noticed how dispensable most new music is? Not entirely memorable or really even worth more than one spin? Dreadful?

Take heart gentle reader, there are still writers and performers who manage to escape the bounds of mediocrity and produce work of lasting merit. One sparkling example is Jeff Tweedy and the ever changing group of musicians that comprise Wilco.

"Sky Blue Sky" is a subtle, extremely spotless sounding effort, released around this time in 2007. I bought it straight away, having followed the band since their second album. It took some time to digest, though it quickly went into a regular listening rotation. No wild shifts or overt experimentation involved, with understated music to match the lyrical subject matter. If you like layered guitar work, you're going to find it here. Tweedy pulls off one of the best compositions he's ever contributed with "Impossible Germany". Three different lead parts share space right through to the delicate ending. This clip has a bonus ending, featuring a quick explanation of what prompted the song's lyrics.



Nodding to back to the first album, the title track has an ersatz country feel, complete with heavy foot on the high hat pedal, eat shit bass, sighing background guitar figures and a lyric that suggests the author passed through a fairly dark period. What it all means is purely subjective. Tweedy's vocal has an element of what Neil Young left uncorrected in "Mellow My Mind" from Tonight's the Night. Only in places, though. It's a really effective way of conveying the emotional weight of the words.

There are a couple ofl Wilcoesque diversions into madness within songs ("Side With the Seeds", "Walken") and the playing is first rate throughout. Understated and quietly beautiful, songs like "Please Be Patient With Me" and "On and On and On", which closes the album, mine territory that is borderline confessional and poetic all at once. Nothing comes across as overly heavy. Guitars are up front (always a plus) and you can detect the Byrds of "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" period in the mix. I have been listening to this a lot lately, ramping up for their next release (Wilco -The Album), due out next month. Have a listen, it's streaming here http://wilcoworld.net/discs/thealbum/

Tweedy is an exceptional song writer and his vision has often morphed into assumption of full control. Sounds like he's allowed some space for collaboration on this record, at least from a musical standpoint. The results couldn't be better. If you want to listen to something that will stand up twenty years from now, this is it.

HAWKWIND

SPACE RITUAL

Hawkwind's double live album is a bit cacophonous, with no shortage of futuristic noises to support tales of exploring the cold expanses of the universe. Slap on your glitter, ingest psychedelics and enjoy the light show.

Not on my list of all-time wonderfulness, though it is a killer excuse to put up this video of one of their better tunes, featuring an apple-cheeked Ian Kilmister on vocals. Seeing and hearing Lemmy actually singing here will be a revalation to those only familiar with the whiskey-voiced, growling style which defined his Motorhead recordings.

Strangely, "Silver Machine" is nowhere to be found on this record.


Hawkwind - Silver Machine - 1972 (TOTP) by newcanadian

WORLD PARTY

BANG!

One man band Karl Wallinger's World Party was part manifesto and pure, mid sixties influenced pop. "Bang!" is no exception. Nothing wrong with good melodies. This one got swept away in the grunge parade that was holding up musical traffic on just about every street in the early 90's.. Certainly not a complaint, though British invasion styled sounds were finding their way back into fashion, soon to be reanimated in the form of Britpop.

Wallinger went back to excellent stylistic sources in crafting his tunes, so you'll have fun picking out his favorite bands in the mix. The entire LP is pretty easy on the ear, as is most all of his work.

"Is It Like Today?" would be the best known selection from this disc and it's of the finest that he ever wrote.



"Kingdom Come" and "Sooner or Later" claim honorable mention.

Fans of The Who will either be annoyed or scream, "Shit! Did you hear that?!?" upon listening to "Sunshine".

An underlying ecological message dominates the lyrics, though I was too busy tossing empties off the balcony to notice when I first played this back in 1993. I soon learned to "go green" and bring the bottles back in exchange for cash.

(rest)

Seriously, this is a fine album from a very under-appreciated talent.

IRON MAIDEN

KILLERS

Second release from this powerhouse UK metal group and it is uniformly excellent. What would you expect to hear when gingerly applying the needle to a record by a band named for an 18th century torture device?

Songs about clouds, adopting puppies and love, of course.

Right.

Bassist Steve Harris single handedly takes care of the writing chores here, with all tunes but two dating from the first album. Despite the gothic horror image they projected, no effort is made to embrace themes of chopping up your relatives or selling your soul to the Evil One. The lyrics are fairly conventional and sit comfortably atop inventive structures with scorching twin guitar arrangements, courtesy of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. Exceptional playing is the rule. Humble opinion time: Murray is in a class of his own and does not get nearly enough credit for his fretwork.

I burned through my cassette copy of this in high school, listening so frequently to what remains my favorite Maiden set to this day. Kicking off with rolling drums that lock into an insistent pattern, the short instrumental "The Ides of March" gives way to "Wrathchild" ,which is a definite highlight.



When you listen, there's a great live energy retained in these tracks. Production legend Martin Birch certainly captured the best performances and allows them to breathe without sanding off all of the natural dynamics.



Vocalist Paul Di' Anno brings an intense edge to the material, while remaining melodic. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a great example of this style, as he's not merely screaming every syllable. Some singers in this genre fall into that trap with mixed results. Di ' Anno would be bounced from the lineup before the next studio project, though.

Always the "thinking person's metal band", this music has not stale dated since it first appeared in early 1981. "Killers" sounds as if it could have been recorded last week. Crank it up!

How about that happy, un-dead chap dispatching his latest victim with a hatchet? That's "Eddie", the ingenious cartoon mascot who has graced every one of their LP covers. Not just a pretty face, his skeletal mug is the image most closely associated with Iron Maiden.

He's available to do children's parties, too.

T REX

ELECTRIC WARRIOR

Much bigger deal in the UK than he was in North America, Marc Bolan would find a huge audience with "Electric Warrior". Blessed with a face that drove teenage girls wild, he would also be associated with Britain's burgeoning glam-rock scene in the early seventies. Nearly forty years on, separating the music he produced from the glitter reveals a decent song writer who had excellent melodic sensibility. This album saw him strike a balance between the acoustic based material that he had steeped himself in through the late sixties and a newfound move toward amplification.

Stylistically, the song structures owed a lot to 50's rock and roll with the lyrics mixing hippie themes and raw sexuality. Bolan's voice was unique, to say the least, with a prominent quavery delivery that was quintessentially English. These factors may be why you don't hear these tunes in heavy rotation on classic rock stations, save for "(Bang a Gong) Get It On", which is a few steps ahead of its time from a production standpoint.

Top of the Pops, Christmas 1971. The guy miming along on piano had a few hits of his own...



Aside from this, there are quite a few standout tracks. "Cosmic Dancer" has a haunting melody and a fantastic string arrangement, while "Jeepster" is just a pure blast of tribal energy. I used to drink with a Brit who was a teenager when all of this was happening and he told me about a dance that was popular with his crowd at that time. Essentially, you only moved the upper half of your body, feet rooted in place with arms at your sides, as you violently bobbed and thrashed your torso, narrowly missing cracking heads with your partner.

Crazy kids.



Unfairly labeled as bubblegum due to Bolan's poster boy visage, this is actually a very fine record. Tony Visconti's polished production was in line with the work he did with David Bowie, who was also a friend and contemporary. T-Rex were a great live act and these songs were given a heavier treatment on stage. I would highly recommend checking out "Born to Boogie", mainly for the concert footage shot at Wembley stadium in 1972 by first time director Ringo Starr. It's a great document.

Here's a taste.



Shifting trends saw a decline in the popularity of T Rex, though Marc Bolan would continue to record and tour. He was killed in a road accident just shy of his 30th birthday in 1977. Underrated in many ways, he would, sadly, only find renewed interest in his work after his untimely passing. "Electric Warrior" stands as his best album.

RADIOHEAD

KID A

Everythiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeng, Everythiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeng,
in its right plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace, in its riiiiiight plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace...

Be careful of this record! Once lodged in your cerebrum, ambient pieces will spider-web throughout your brain until it is completely saturated. Some parts you could almost whistle, though the moods stirred by these songs probably won't allow that.

Back in the fall of 2000, I tuned in to a radio broadcast of this remarkable set the week before it was released. In a slightly altered state, anticipation ran high as I braced myself for what the whole thing would sound like.

Stunning noises emanated from the speaker grills.

Exploring the capabilities of synthetic music isn't a new development. When it is done with this much imagination, the listener is drawn in and can't help but take notice. This direction pissed off more than a few people, too. Coming on the heels of releases that embraced guitar oriented arrangements, Kid A doesn't feature any until the fourth song in.

Difficult and beautiful, the layers are there to be peeled away, reconstructed and poured over. The lyrics are inscrutable, with any attempts at interpretation rendered futile. Soundscapes are as icy and bleak as the artwork that graces the cover and booklet. Just listen to those desolate synths in "Everything In its Right Place" and "Kid A". Day 13 of being abandoned in the tundra would have these selections playing over and over as a soundtrack.

Freeform jazz experiments color "The National Anthem" which is anchored by a killer fuzzed bass riff.



Much of this album is so sonically brilliant that it suggests images to accompany the music. "Treefingers" represents the long shadow of a dying, grey fall afternoon as branches are slowly stripped of their leaves by autumn winds. Perfectly suited to the season in which it was originally unleashed, it leads straight away into my absolute favorite track, "Optimistic". Guitar based and somewhat out of place amongst the other selections, it rumbles and stutters, only barely managing to break free of the claustrophobic atmosphere created.

Words really don't do justice to the damage that these songs have inflicted on my nervous system. One of the most challenging sets to be let loose in modern times, "Kid A" gave me hope that there were still individuals in the game with ideas that were far afield of contemporary trends.



Now, was all of this new? Not really. Thom Yorke and his partners in crime were absorbing some extremely complex records, spanning a number of different genres. Open minds will have heard these artists and you can certainly spot some influences in places. Out of the chaos, they managed to fashion completely original compositions with writing that manages to achieve fairly lofty ambitions.

Hard to top.

PETE TOWNSHEND

SCOOP

Found this in excellent condition on vinyl at a local indie shop about two weeks ago. My original copy was destroyed years ago at a party, hosted by my youngest sister, that got way out of hand (as in, the house suffered tons of damage) That infamous evening cost me quite a few really amazing albums, actually. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

"Scoop" is a very entertaining collection of demos from Townshend's back pocket, taken from various writing sessions for several Who and solo albums. It differs from similar releases for a number of reasons:

1) Wholly different arrangements of songs.

2) Sound quality is first rate.

3) You will listen to it more than once. (really)

Even the casual fan will find themselves enjoying this, mainly because the material is so strong. Who aficionados have a treasure trove of blueprints to dissect and trace exactly what contributions the other members made to these remarkable tunes. They do stand up quite nicely without augmentation.

I tried to get my son to hold open the gatefold sleeve for a quick picture, though he wasn't in a cooperative mood.



Another great aspect of these discs is listening to Townshend mature both as a writer and multi instrumentalist. He handles all of the parts with flair and his vocal take puts a much different spin on things. You'll hear some of these selections almost as if it's for the first time. Glad to have this one back in my collection.

Here's a sample, with a few words from the maestro himself.



"Recorded on a 24-track in my studio at our country place. This song was written for my first solo album EMPTY GLASS. I first put the lyric together at the same time as 'And I Moved' for submission to Bette Midler. Neither song ever reached her. It didn't seem to impress the producer Chris Thomas, maybe it was ahead of its time. It sounds a little behind it now, but I still think it's great. The electro-pop sound was all done in a single pass (performance) on a Yamaha home organ with the bass pedals, drum machine, upper and lower keyboards and arpeggio units all laid onto separate trucks. Modern home organs are really very complex computer synthesizers that are a damn sight easier to 'programme' than the so called real thing. I love 'em and will buy more as soon as I get enough space"

"Bargain" from a 2000 show.

STEELY DAN

PRETZEL LOGIC

Damn you Fagen and Becker! There are very few perfect creations kicking around the planet, though "Pretzel Logic" holds down a spot in the top ten. Bending genres to make them do their bidding, they stretch the brain of the listener as straight blues morphs into jazz-rock with perfect harmonies and a decorative, muted horn arrangement. Precisely why I return to these songs so often. Welcome to the studio craft of Steely Dan.

How about the rest of this LP?

Magnificent.

Why do they show the credits at the end of a movie? Because they are lengthy and have no plot. Seeing that this is a low budget review of an excellent album, here is a "for whom without this would be just two guys with mind blowing songs" list:

Michael Omartian - keyboards
David Paich - keyboards
Timothy B. Schmit - bass, vocals
Wilton Felder - bass
Chuck Rainey - bass
Denny Dias - guitar
Jeff Baxter - guitar
Ben Benay - guitar
Dean Parks - guitar
Plas Johnson - saxophone
Jerome Richardson - saxophone
Ernie Watts - saxophone
Lew McCreary - horn
Ollie Mitchell - trumpet
Jim Hodder - drums
Jim Gordon - drums
Jeff Porcaro - drums

Subsequent releases would see the session player checklist mushroom to epic proportions. What I would give just to have been emptying ashtrays in the studio at that time.

Everything about this disc is pleasing to the ear, with not one clunker in the pack. You can almost picture everyone scrubbing up and putting the gloves on to do the mixes. Melodies flow effortlessly ("Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Any Major Dude") with sharp lyrics around every corner ("Night by Night")

"It's a beggars life said the Queen of Spain but don't tell it to a poor man..."

Scintillating grooves are part of the package, "Parker's Band" boasting one of the finest in the set. Their lone choice of cover song is so inspired that it could be bottled and would fly off the shelves. Taking Duke Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" and planting a pedal steel solo in it is just one of the many fun games played here. Curiously, "Barrytown" adopts the exact vocal melody of "Tell Me What You See" , a knock off track from "Help!". Inside jokes appear all over the place, with the lyrics making veiled reference to cult members standing on the corner with flowers in their hands. If you know about the "Moonies", then you are in and it all makes perfect, twisted sense.

Deserving of every superlative, this classic would initiate a cycle of crafting studio masterpieces with hired guns and staying away from live performance for nearly twenty years.

NEIL YOUNG

FORK IN THE ROAD

Love the cover photo. Looks like he's trying to signal you to call the police without tipping off the people who are holding him at gunpoint.

Could be that he's channeling this guy.



Regardless of the wrapper, Neil seems to be on track with what he's done for many years: Making music spontaneously, delving into characters and causes quite earnestly and then doing a 180 degree turn down the next path that inspires him to write. Master of the "musical snapshot", he leads the assembled musicians through a series of short blasts celebrating his long love affair with automobiles.

In this case, his revamped 1959 Lincoln Continental, designed to run on an alternative electric power source (the Lincvolt project) serves as the impetus for the bulk of material.

Some songs are lyrically austere ("Cough Up the Bucks") though despite throwing a few wild punches, he connects more than he misses. "Fork in the Road" displays the wry humor that lurks beneath so many of his songs and his guitar (trusty "Old Black") is up front, distorted and matches the rant.

Neil Young - Fork In The Road


Not wanting to jump in without a serious evaluation, I have listened to this quite a bit in the past week. Anyone who is disappointed in what they're hearing obviously hasn't taken in many Neil Young albums. He's been doing this for a long time and his audience has often been slow to keep up. Interested in capturing things on the fly, the finished product is sometimes rough hewn but that doesn't mean it has any less merit than some sterile, overblown production that took five years to squeeze out and puts you to sleep.

Really decent sketches here and though it has a couple of repetitive tunes, it's pretty enjoyable overall. Longtime collaborator Ben Keith provides his usual stellar work on pedal steel ("Light a Candle" is excellent), guitar and keyboards, while the rest of the crew has been with him on and off for years. Young' has earned his place among the top writers to emerge from the sixties who still have something to offer. Plus, it's always great to hear a familiar voice raised at a time when we're being bombarded with so much phony noise masquerading as music.

ZZ TOP

TRES HOMBRES

Tres bien! Gillette poster boys "Zed Zed" Top outdo themselves with an almost spotless half hour of heavy blues. Years before Frank Beard was replaced by a machine, he was free to rock the kit with gut-bucket shuffles and tasty fills. This is where the trio really sharpened their sound, marrying classic blues riffs with clever arrangements and lyrics. Opening with the stellar one-two punch of "Waitin' For the Bus" and "Jesus Just left Chicago" the pace is set and never drags. Headphone fanatics have a virtual Billy Gibbons symphony with plenty of dirt under the fingernails playing across the stereo spectrum.

One of the best in the business, Gibbons overlays an impressive and tasteful series of guitar tracks that are expertly supported by Hill and Beard.



My own proper introduction to the group involved a massive herbal jazz cigarette and a mind blowing car ride with "ZZ Top's First Album" and this gem as the soundtrack. "Eliminator" had just come out around this time and following my epiphany with the earlier (and far superior) stuff, I decided that wine was a hell of a lot better than grape juice.

Lots of FM favorites sprinkled throughout the disc ("Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers", "La Grange") and they make sure not to wear out their welcome, keeping the the material short and sweet. WARNING: Look for a vinyl copy of this (and all other pre-eighties ZZ Top) because someone thought it would be great to give the older LPs an "updated" sound for re-release on CD. This means horrible sounding drums, boosted in the mix with far too much reverb and guitars that lack the presence they had on the original analog versions.

Apparently, if some fine southern gentlemen ask you to step into a metal cage that's tied to the back of a pick up truck, you really shouldn't do it.

DEEP PURPLE

FIREBALL

Second studio release from the Mach II lineup of Deep Purple and they waste no time in grabbing the listener with the explosive title track. Perfect example of dynamics in action, with Ian Gillan's shredding vocal topping a speedy riff that everyone clings to until the breakdowns with jazzy, lightning drum flourishes. Glover and Lord both take solos as the band roars back into the main theme, going out on a high note. Definitely one of the best things that they ever did.



Picked up my copy of this years ago for two dollars. The gatefold cover is well worn but the record itself is in great shape (no scratches, very little surface noise). The version I have has the remarkable "Strange Kind of Woman" in place of "Demon's Eye".



Stretching things out on stage was a specialty for these guys so the live versions of this generally eclipse the one on the album. "Anyone's Daughter" is a bit of a shaggy dog tale that wouldn't have sounded out of place on "Bringing It All Back Home". Dylanesque and like nothing else they had done before or since, Lord's piano carries the tune and Blackmore's fills are exceptional. Very Un-Purple-like.

Second side opens with the splashy vehicle that would be employed in their live sets to showcase Ian Paice ("The Mule"). One of rock's finest drummers, he is steady and inventive throughout this disc. Overall, this LP is a perfect soundtrack for knocking back a few beers (like most classic albums). Personally, I would swap "Fools" for "Demon's Eye", though you can have the best of both worlds by purchasing the reissue on CD, which gives you all the tracks from these sessions with bonus material.

This incarnation of the group was one of the strongest live acts of the early seventies.

KISS

ALIVE II

The Backstory:

1977 saw the original quartet at the height of their fame, riding high on the massive success of big albums and the merchandising of anything featuring those iconic grease-painted faces. Determined to squeeze another golden egg out of the band, plans were set to record one of their shows at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. The bulk of this was rejected for release so a second effort was made by taping a late summer, three night stay at the LA Forum. Selecting the best performances from both attempts, "Alive II" would be issued as a two record set with the fourth side consisting of five new studio cuts.

This was filmed a week after the LA shows.



The Challenge:

One of my best friends recently suggested that I dust off my vinyl copy of "Alive II", go straight to side four and concentrate only on those songs. Many years have passed since I had last listened to these tunes, so it was a serious journey into the time machine.

What a blast!

Straight ahead, tons of guitar and plenty of hooks. No prizes awarded for being lyricists of consequence but they never claimed to be anything other than a big rock spectacle. As the last note of the Dave Clark Five cover ("Any Way You Want It") echoed, I dropped the needle and proceeded to spin it again.

Ace's "Rocket Ride" gets the most stars here, with a heavily phased riff that's more fun than a dozen beer. "Larger Than Life" claims second prize (love that drum sound) while the rest just brought back a ton of good memories. Great players who knew how to deliver an instant classic when they were on their game.

Very pleasant surprise.

After that, I re-enlisted in the Kiss Army and cranked the rest of the album.

GREATEST LIVING SONGWRITERS

Chuck Clarke and Lyle Rogers!

Hard to believe that it's been 22 years since "Ishtar" was released to an indifferent public and savage reviews. I sat in a mostly empty theatre and almost filled my Depends laughing at this brilliant movie. People walked out. It must be tough when you go through life without a sense of humor.

One of my favorite films as it is beautifully strange on so many levels. Paul Williams wrote the songs performed by the hapless duo. Misunderstood and ahead of its time.



Similar movies in this genre? "The Pick of Destiny", "A Mighty Wind" and "This Is Spinal Tap" are a few that instantly come to mind.

JOHN ALLAN CAMERON

LORD OF THE DANCE

Disclaimer: This has absolutely nothing to do with that marionette Michael Flatley, feet flailing about at 100 mph with 1000 other people on stage, copying his every move. Some day his legs will just detach and fly off, killing several unfortunate geriatrics with front row seats.

All that they wanted was a nice evening out.

John Allan Cameron garnered the respect of his peers as a first rate musician and story teller. Few would have the sheer guts that it must have taken to carve out his career path. Here was a young man from Cape Breton, who donned a kilt in the sixties and walked out on stage to present traditional Scottish fare to an unsuspecting public. Best of all was that he played arrangements of Celtic music on a 12 string acoustic guitar. Fiddle tunes (strathspeys in 4/4 time, reels in 2/2), folk ballads that were hundreds of years old, jigs and everything in between was served up in a way that captivated listeners.

Born with a gift to entertain, he was a truly innovative soul and tenaciously brought the music that he grew up with to a much wider audience. He has often been named as the "Godfather of East Coast Music", bravely cutting a path that many fine musicians from the region have followed.

"Lord of the Dance" was his fourth record and is a great place to start for those who haven't heard his music. Within the grooves you'll find folk, pop, traditional, Gaelic, bagpipes, fiddle and a host of top notch players who compliment but never overpower the man himself.

Highlights include the title song, "Streets of London", "Robbie's Song for Jesus" and the expertly picked "Trip to Mabou Ridge" which is authentic Scottish music, designed to pack everyone into the kitchen and start the party.

Why the kitchen? You don't have to walk as far to grab the next beer.

I must state that while I grew up with this music all around me, I really didn't appreciate a note of it until much later in life. Each in their own time.

John Allan Cameron took his final bows in the fall of 2006, leaving a wonderful legacy and far too many who miss him dearly.



Here's an audio clip of John Allan playing with a handful of talented musicians who were lovingly called "The Cape Breton Symphony"

EAGLES

EAGLES

First album from the group, recorded in England with the ubiquitous Glyn Johns in the producers chair. Before Henley and Frey became the dominant decision makers and writers, Eagles Mach I was a fairly democratic setup. The lineup was filled out by master multi-instrumentalist Bernie Leadon and bass player/singer Randy Meisner. These guys didn't invent the country rock genre, though they certainly achieved more commercial success with it than their contemporaries.

Boasting vocal power to spare, the original quartet were all excellent singers in their own right. Their harmonies were as flawless as their instrumental contributions . Sticking to well crafted songs, the emphasis was on delivering a polished end product without pointed social messages or issues that reflected the times. In terms of longevity, this has allowed much of their output to retain freshness and avoid the date stamps associated with most early seventies fare.

Critics took them to task for not being animated enough in performance. It isn't the type of material with which you would associate an excessive light show and people flying through the air. Reproducing these songs live required a laid back approach with a focus on the individual parts that were crucial to the overall sound.

"Take It Easy" , "Witchy Woman" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling" have since become radio staples. You know them.

Here they are in 1973, with Leadon taking them through "Train Leaves Here This Morning" ,which he wrote with Gene Clark.



Giving Earl Scruggs a run for his money on "Earlybird"



Finally, a guy who rarely took leads (Meisner), but should have more often.



"Eagles" is an interesting album, capturing a style that they would soon abandon in favor of a more rock oriented path. I enjoy the record solely for the fact that it is a genuinely balanced presentation. Two very ambitious lieutenants would soon begin to vie for complete control of the operation, leaving Leadon and Meisner to play diminished roles before they finally bowed out.

JAMES GANG

THIRDS

Last "James Gang" studio extravaganza to feature Joe Walsh and it definitely has its moments. "Walk Away" grabs honors as the track that stands miles above everything else on the album. Walsh outdoes himself, with slide and wah-wahed mania all coming together to create organized chaos toward the end. Brilliant template for his later solo work.



"Midnight Man" and "Things I Could Be" are both respectable tunes with some nice layered harmonies.

The rest of the set is all over the map. Considering that these guys were best known as a power trio, some of the material probably left huge cartoon question marks hovering over the heads of fans that were poised to hear "Funk #49", part two.

String scores, brass arrangements , gospel singers and country-fried pedal steel all find their way into the mix. Stretching themselves in quite a few directions, the approach works well in places ("Again") though Walsh's fine playing is downplayed more than it should be.

"Yadig?" is sublime

Still worthy of investigation. If you find a vinyl copy at a bargain price, pick it up and prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS

THE LAST DJ

Artists rarely release records this strong in the autumn of their career, though Petty did just that with "The Last DJ". A loose lyrical concept ties the first few songs together as themes of rampant greed and crass commercial interest destroying music are explored with very little subtlety. I agree with all of the sentiments expressed.

The title track says it best.

Mediocrity is exactly what our current culture is celebrating. Just watch any of the karaoke contests on TV. Hour long commercials interrupted by bad lounge singers. The whole thing reeks. Occasionally, a pretty flower pushes its way through the cracks of a sidewalk in the middle of the city. Decent music, too, will always make its way to an audience. Eventually.

"Joe" is a scathing rant against all the distasteful aspects of the music business. The cynicism is rooted in reality, though. It has to be galling to be a craftsman in a disposable world. That's what truly fuels most of the finger pointing songs here.

Balanced by his ear for great melodies, the album also has its share of of softer material. "Dreamville" visits a place in the distant past lyrically with a full on moment from side two of Abbey Road in the middle, replete with orchestra and slow, distinct tom fills, giving the impression that Ringo himself dropped by to add his two cents. It's a fantastic song.

Equally good are "You and Me" and "Have Love Will Travel".

Mike Campbell is one of the most underrated guitarists in the business. Indeed, the Heartbreakers are comprised of musicians of the highest calibre. Who wouldn't want a genius like Benmont Tench in their band? They make it look so easy.

Tom Petty has put thousands of hours into his craft and it shows. He's resisted the temptation to turn his fans upside down and shake out their pockets when they come to his concerts, fought the record companies on price gouging and has maintained a pretty high standard as a writer. "The Last DJ" is no exception.

"And the lonely DJ's digging a ditch, trying to keep the flames from the temple."

THE BEATLES REMASTERED

FRESH CUTS!

September 9, 2009 promises to be expensive for Beatles fans. All twelve original UK releases (plus the US version of Magical Mystery Tour) have finally been digitally remastered and will be released on that date, along with all of the singles and a ten disc collection titled "The Beatles in Mono".

A crew of engineers at London’s Abbey Road Studios have spent four years working on the remasters using new technology and vintage equipment in an effort to preserve “the authenticity and integrity of the original analog recordings” and ensure “the highest fidelity the catalog has seen since its original release in 1987.”

Track listings and artwork will match the original UK releases. Expanded booklets will include original and newly written liner notes with rare photos. For a limited time, each of the albums will be “embedded” with a brief documentary about its making.

Any collector of sixties rock albums will tell you that The Beatles titles on CD are sonically inferior to the original vinyl releases. Depending on which country you lived in when the albums first appeared, there are also countless variations in the mixes, song titles and covers. Throw in mono, stereo and "electronically reprocessed for stereo"( where a mono master had the high and low end panned to opposite sides of the spectrum to create the illusion of stereo) versions and you'd need a separate room just to store Beatles LPs.

On a personal note, I am one of those sick (or really healthy if you're a muso) individuals who has multiple vinyl copies of just about everything they did. I may have to stand up at a meeting someday and tell everyone present that it's been 47 days since my last visit to a record shop and that I have five copies of "Let It Be" alone-The Box (with book), gatefold on Red Apple, gatefold on Apple, non-gatefold on Apple, and Capitol reissue. I promise that I won't buy any more...

I've said too much.

Nice to see that EMI is finally giving this treasured catalogue the treatment that it deserves.

Now, enjoy what you won't hear on these sets.