Music Reviews – Zachary Mule

NINEFINGER: BETWEEN EVERYTHING ELSE

(SELF-RELEASED EP; 2023)

Ninefinger is a hard rockin’ band from North Hollywood (that’s a mythical place in a made-up country called “California,” I believe) that actually has twenty-nine fingers (20 belonging to guitarist Joshua Picard and drummer Buddah, the other nine adorn the hands of vocalist Mike Whinny); if you count Ian Shea (the band’s touring bassist), the finger count jumps up to thirty-nine. Though the band will not divulge how Whinny actually became the band’s namesake, I am convinced that it was an unfortunate Lego mishap… prove me wrong! The trio (quartet-in-the-making?) splash in the same pool as classic hard rock acts like Black Sabbath and newer (though no less classic) artists like Stone Temple Pilots (Mike sounds like nothing if not the second coming of Scott Weiland) and Soundgarden. Now, that’s some pretty heady comparisons to bandy about and some pretty big shoes to try to fill but, in this case, the comparisons are apt and the band is definitely up to the task of filling those shoes (no mention of a wonky toe count, so that makes it easier).

NINEFINGER (BUDDAH, JOSHUA PICARD, MIKE WHINNY) (uncredited photo)

Ninefinger’s recent four-song EP, BETWEEN EVERYTHING ELSE, kicks of with a swirling, grungy piece called “Breeze.” It’s a mid-tempo number that somehow manages to rage like a category 5 twister. When Mike sings “Maybe the winds will change/Maybe the winds still remain/Maybe the winds stay the same/Either way, I’m freezin’,” you just wanna grab a coat, hunker down and pray for the storm to pass. Picard has a beefy, fuzzed-out, “heavy strings” approach to playing (the master of that sound, Tony Iommi, would definitely approve) which almost makes his actual bass guitar parts unnecessary. That sound is on display throughout the four tracks here, but may be best exemplified on “Can’t Catch Her.” Buddah’s pummeling drum sound on “Breeze” is replaced here by a more nuanced thrashing, with the snare giving a satisfying crack beneath Joshua’s monster riffs. “Stop Trying” comes closest to an epic Sabbath/Soundgarden mash-up (something that you may not have known that you needed – nay, craved – until the second that Whinny’s vocals assail your aural sensibilities). The stifling heaviness of the tune nearly crushes you beneath its weight, matched only by the doom and gloom admonitions to “Stop trying to save the world.” Caught somewhere between the controlling, masochistic overtones of Stone Temple Pilots’ “Sex Type Thing” and the violent, possessive obsessions of the main character in the twisted Netflix series, YOU, “Threw It All Away” is the Nirvana song that all of Kurd Cobain’s fawning fans wish he could have written… in your face, forceful and visceral to the point of becoming uncomfortable. It’s almost like witnessing something so horrible that you know you’ll have nightmare images of the thing until the moment you stop breathing, but you still can’t turn away. There is an unfettered anger and an unspoken threat of violence in Mike Whinny’s lyrics and in his voice that, coupled with the thunderous (and infinitely catchy) backing from Josh and Buddah, would have anyone in his vicinity looking over their shoulder, waiting for the inevitable hammer blow to drive home the point. This tune would have fit in perfectly on any mid-to-late ‘90s Alternative or Extreme radio programming, nestled comfortably between STP and Soundgarden.

BETWEEN EVERYTHING ELSE is a raging slab of perfection that hits on cylinders (even if it is only a four-banger),leaving these ears straining for more. When can we expect a full-length, boys?

AVA TOTON: CHARM SCHOOL DROPOUT

(SELF-RELEASED EP; 2022)

So, what were you doing when you were twelve years old? I started my twelfth year as a seventh grader and ended it as an eighth grader… worrying more about what was for lunch and what was on television that night than anything else; I was just getting into rock and roll. Ava Toton, at twelve, was writing and releasing her second (!) EP of hard rock, a destructive sonic force called CHARM SCHOOL DROPOUT. The set features three blistering rockers, in the same basic vein as the Runaways (probably the most apt comparison, though they were four and five years older when they recorded their first album, with a lot of help from Kim Fowley and a bunch of other writers). I even find vocal comparisons to Cherie Currie… if Cherie had started smoking two packs a day and slamming a fifth of Tennessee bourbon at the age of five. Obviously, the point I’m trying to make here is that Ava has a husky voice that definitely suits the style of music that she plays.

The title track is a snotty, punky number that puts the listener on notice: This isn’t the type of girl that’s gonna play nice with the other, poppier kids. “I’m not like you/I’m gonna scream and shout/Won’t play by your rules/I’m a charm school dropout.” And, this doesn’t sound like someone PLAYING at being snarky and self-determined; it sounds like someone who knows what she wants to do and how she’s going to accomplish it. “I Told You So” is more straight-ahead hard rock, as Ava and her band (bassist and producer Jacob Light and drummer Gideon Berger) eschew the punkier sound without giving up the attitude. Ava has a beefy guitar style (bolstered by Light’s bass) that echoes back to the early and mid-1970s. And, that ain’t a knock! Some of the best and purest guitar rock was produced during those years. The track also features a moody middle section that leads into a short solo that puts an exclamation point on the tune. The next song, “Wake Up the Neighborhood,” offers a snarling vocal and displays a band going full-out, particularly Ava’s guitar and solo and Gideon’s drums. As the title implies, it’s a song about “partying like a rockstar.” I’m not sure how the now-thirteen-year-old parties but… she certainly sings the song with conviction. The final track is called “Take Me With You,” an acoustic number with accompaniment from Jacob on piano and Yoed Nir on strings. It’s an oddly appealing song about aliens and a need to be elsewhere because things are just too strange here on the home planet. Ava’s voice seems a bit strained at times, but not enough to distract from the overall vibe of the piece.

CHARM SCHOOL DROPOUT is more mature and focused than a lot of records by people a lot older than Ava Toton (I’m looking at you, Motley Crue!) and it is definitely worth checking out. You can do so at avatoton.com, where you can learn more about Ava and her music and get your very own (CD or digital) copy.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Audio | Darren Tracy | October 6, 2022 | Acoustic Music Ava Toton Classic Rock EP Gideon Berger Hard Rock Jacob Light Music Punk Rock Rock and Roll Self-Released Streaming Audio Yoed Nir

BILL EVANS: YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING

(CRAFT RECORDINGS/CONCORD MUSIC GROUP; 2021)

As you may be aware (as am I… painfully!), I don’t write a lot about Jazz. As such, this may very well be the first ever heavy metal Jazz review. So, let’s drop the needle on this thing and see what happens.

BILL EVANS (photo credit: ARNOLD NEWMAN)

YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING is widely considered to be pianist Bill Evans’ magnum opus. Evans most often worked in a trio situation and this album is no different: Bill is joined by bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Eliot Zigmund, each adding – sometimes by subtraction – just the precise amount of notes that the individual pieces of music required to work. Evans, Zigmund and Gomez entered Hollywood’s Capitol Studios at the end of August, 1977 to begin work on the seven tracks with producers Helen Keane and Tommy LiPuma. With the album ready to go, LiPuma left Warner Brothers and, rather than offer up YOU MUST BELIEVE… to the masses and wait for it to run its productive course, Keane (who also managed Evans) opted to hold it for the end of the very lucrative new contract that had just been signed. The album was shelved in favor of NEW CONVERSATIONS, AFFINITY and WE WILL MEET AGAIN before finally seeing the light of day in February, 1981… five months after Bill Evans’ death.

BILL EVANS (EDDIE GOMEZ, ELIOT ZIGMUND, BILL EVANS) (photo credit: PHIL BRAY)

Evans wrote “B Minor Waltz (For Ellaine)” for his common law wife, Ellaine Schultz, who committed suicide in 1973. The piece is mostly Bill’s piano with backing from Gomez and minimal use of cymbals from Zigmund. Intricate and inspiring, it sets the mood perfectly for the rest of the album. Michael Legrand’s “You Must Believe In Spring” sees Bill stepping back in the midsection, allowing Eddie to solo as Eliot offers a few brash strokes before falling into a nice groove with Gomez. Evans comes charging back to finish the number, evoking the sound and feel of spring showers; the light touch at the end comes like the sun peeking out of the clouds as the rain subsides.

BILL EVANS (photo credit: BRIAN MCMILLEN)

“Gary’s Theme,” was written and recorded by Gary McFarland, a recurring signature on his 1969 album, AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL (AN ACCOUNT OF ITS DISAPPEARANCE). Its another pastoral piece, with Evans’ deft, airy playing giving as much weight to the notes not played as to the ones played. Written years earlier for his brother, “We Will Meet Again (For Harry),” Bill would re-record it in 1979, following his brother’s suicide (it seems odd, in retrospect, that the second version saw release before the original). Here, Evans offers a more forceful approach to his playing and, again, Gomez and Zigmund command the middle section.

BILL EVANS (BILL EVANS, EDDIE GOMEZ, ELIOT ZIGMUND) (photo credit: A FORSTER)

With “Peacocks,” you can almost hear the birds strutting in their finery with every note of Evans’ playing. Eddie offers beauiful – though minimal – support while Eliot colors the sound with light brushes and splashes, making the Jimmy Rowles tune a definite highlight. Even though Zigmund is virtually nonexistent on Sergio Mihanovich’>s “Sometime Ago,” it might just be the most Rock ‘n’ Roll song that ANY Bill Evans Trio ever recorded. The tune is bright and happy, just like a spring day; it’s exuberant, just like a child enjoying the sun and the warmth after a long, dreary winter.

The album ends with “Suicide Is Painless,” better known as “The Theme From MASH.” At the beginning, it seems as though Evans is turning the bouncy Johnny Mandel piece into a dirge, but after a few seconds, the spry, jaunty tune we’re all familiar with comes to the fore. This is perhaps the only time that the trio played as such; obviously, the piano still leads the charge, but Eddie Gomez absolutely lets loose on bass and Eliot Zigmund’s playing is some of the most straight-forward on the whole record. The track is the second longest on the album… just under six minutes, but it seems to end about 20 minutes too soon. I wonder what sorts of improvisations these three talented musicians would have offered up over an extended piece. Though Bill Evans wasn’t around to see the release of his masterpiece, we can be thankful that it wasn’t lost in the shuffle that was (and is) a part of the record industry. As for me, I’m thankful that labels like Craft Recordings exist to breathe new life into classic releases like YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews | Darren Tracy | September 28, 2022 | Acoustic Music Bill Evans Bill Evans Trio Eddie Gomez Eliot Zigmund Helen Keane Instrumental Music Jazz Music Reissue Tommy LiPuma Vinyl

FINGERPRINTS: WHERE THE BEAT GOES ON

(BLACKBERRY WAY RECORDS; 2022)

You may not know this, but Fingerprints were a big deal… a VERY big deal. The Minneapolis five-piece formed in the mid-1970s and, after a few line-up changes, emerged as one of the first three bands signed by the soon-to-be heavily influential Twin/Tone Records (original home to such punk and post-punk bands as the Replacements, Pere Ubu, Babes In Toyland, the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum and the Mekons). Fingerprints released three seven inch records (FINGERPRINTS, DOWN and SMILES FOR SALE) between 1978 and 1979 and appeared on the legendary BIG HITS OF MID-AMERICA, VOLUME 3 compilation album. Between April, 1978’s DOWN and September’s SMILES FOR SALE, guitarist Robb Henry exited the band. His replacement, Jeff Waryan and the rest of the group – Mark Throne (vocals and saxophone), Steve Fjelstad (bass), Kevin Glynn (drums) and Mike Owens (guitar and vocals) entered Blackberry Way Studios (founded by members Owens, Glynn and Fjelstad) to record their debut full-length in 1979. The album was nearly completed when the band broke up and the project shelved. Now, more than forty years later, Owens and Blackberry Way Records have gussied up 24 tracks – including most of the tunes from the original Twin/Tone releases – and given us WHERE THE BEAT GOES ON, featuring both recorded versions of the band. To say that this collection is anything less than essential is like saying that Prince was an “okay” guitar player.

FINGERPRINTS, circa 1978 (Kevin Glynn, Steve Fjelstad, Robb Henry, Mike Owens, Mark Throne) (publicity photo)

“Don’t Wanna Talk” kicks things off in a very ‘80s lo-fi Minneapolis Rock and Roll fashion. Fjelstad’s rumbling bass and Glynn’s unexpected and decidedly heavy drum sound underpins a simple but incredibly catchy guitar part that leads to some very nice interplay between Owens, Waryan and Throne’s sax. And, so, we’re off to a great start. Next up is one of seven tracks to feature Robb Henry, “(Now I Wanna Be a) Space Girl,” the lead track to the first Fingerprints 7” record released on Twin/Tone. It’s really hard to describe the beauty of the song without making a couple of oxymoronic observations: First, there’s a very non-guitary guitar running throughout; second, the sound is very post-punk before punk was pre-anything else; finally, the guys were in and out in an economically Ramones-tight fashion (less than three minutes). “Prisoners” features some nice backing vocals to bolster the enigmatic vocals of songwriter Mike Owens and a little piano-noodling from guest Harvey Ginsberg. There’s an actual guitar solo (and a right tasty one it is, too) which I’m going to attribute to Jeff Waryan, although Owens could more than hold his own in that department. The overall sound of this one is a bit of envelope pushing, ala the Replacements or Husker Du. “Boogada Bigadus (Big Reggie’s Theme)” is a little slice of meaningless surf music that is absolutely fraught with meaning. The instrumental again offers some wicked guitar and a Throne sax part that fades in and out of the mix and, all of this in a mere 2:10! Link Wray or Dick Dale woulda been proud… heck, maybe they were! The title track to the group’s final Twin/Tone 7”, “Smiles For Sale” features a more out-front screaming sax along with another cool guitar riff that punctuates one of the weirdest vocal performances ever (from Mark Throne or any other presumably human entity). At this point, everything is starting to take on a certain random simplicity and odd sameness in its brilliance… just like most of the great punk records of the era. Owens adds piano to his instrumental repertoire to the next track, as a simple, jangly guitar riff and massive drums punctuate “Illusions of Love,” a bizarre little ditty that forms an odd one-two punch with the like-minded “A Place In My Heart.” This one’s an oddly sentimental song that could be about jealousy, murder, an unhealthy obsession or a late night booty call… maybe all of the above. Throne’s vocals take on an eerie, otherworldly quality that is not unappealing. “Kind Affection,” featuring a cool Jeff Waryan vocal (he also wrote the thing) is one of the catchiest tunes in the first third of this collection and another in a series of the band’s odd take on love and its many shades. Once again, there are some great guitar parts that caress the listener’s ears while Kevin Glynn’s drumming threatens the sanctity of said listener’s eardrums. What’s more Rock and Roll than that, right?

FINGERPRINTS, circa 1978 (Kevin Glynn, Robb Henry, Mike Owens, Steve Fjelstad, Mark Throne) (publicity photo)

All manic drums, frenzied guitars and unhinged vocals (plus Mark making an appearance on the piano), “Uptown” might be a retelling of a secret liaison, a secret life or a tragic death. This band seems to have excelled at open-ended, ambiguous lyrical narratives. I like that! They were also good at delivering a memorable riff, a simple but effective backbeat, completely upbeat melody and vocal delivery for a rather maudlin subject. Such is the case with “Down,” an absolutely hummable tune that bores into your earholes and takes up residence in that little corner of your brain that – for better or worse – continually hits replay on the last catchy tune you heard. This one first made an appearance on the Twin/Tone double album BIG HITS OF MID-AMERICA, VOLUME 3. “Whose Side Are You On” offers a jackhammer guitar and drum sound, more great interplay between guitar and sax, a rumbling bass and an actual solo from Waryan, who wrote and sings the piece . Even a seemingly pedestrian song like “Hey Johnny” has something unique and unexpected to offer. In this case, more inventive six-string work (thanks to Mike Owens and Robb Henry) with an actual dual lead part that turns into a trio with the addition of Throne’s sax mimicking the twin guitars. Apparently giving the creators of SEINFELD the seed of an idea, “Nothing To Say” has a great riff, a great melody, and minimal lyrics (which fit the title perfectly). Just for kicks, Mike adds some organ to the mix. And all in a concise little package at just over 1:20. This song about nothing was originally released on SMILES FOR SALE. “Shake ‘n’ Roll” may be the truest punk song of the collection, with a snotty guitar solo courtesy of Owens and an indiscriminate use of the splash cymbal. Simply stated, it is pure fun for pure punks. A meaty psuedo-metal guitar intro leads into a moody “Young Love,” the oldest track here, predating Robb Henry’s coming. With another dose of ambiguity, the track could be about a stalker or a child molester or… Donny Osmond. Whatever the subject matter, the tune is creepy beyond belief! Mark Throne’s vocals sound particularly sinister over the grinding rhythm guitar (by Throne himself), Owens’ wah-wah laced leads and monstrous drums. It’s one of the longest tracks here, clocking in at nearly three-and-a-half minutes. A kind of Middle Eastern vibe is elicited from guest sax players Lynn Seacord and Peter Napoleon Barbeau and the tablas of Gary Waryan on “We Can’t Get In.” That rumbling bass and those forceful drums propel the swirling, mid-tempo number along at a Speed Metal pace. Dichotomous? Indeed. But, then, that’s what these Fingerprints were so good at!

FINGERPRINTS, circa 1978 (Robb Henry, Steve Fjelstad, Mark Throne, Kevin Glynn, Mike Owens) (publicity photo

A circular rhythm and repeating guitar lines drive “You Have To Push Them Over,” an instrumental from SMILES FOR SALE. There’s a lot going on here, with a slide guitar diving in before a nifty piano solo (compliments of the returning Harvey Ginsberg); a great kind of frantic guitar solo from Mike makes an appearance, joined by the return of the piano and the saxes of Barbeau and Seacord throwing down a few forceful notes just before the number ends. Robb Henry is back again for “Wasted On You.” This one has sort of an early U2 vibe with a very un-Edge like solo. All-in-all, it sounds very ominous… in the best possible way – I mean, “I was waiting for the world to die.” How much more ominous can you get? Mike Kearney adds some atmospheric sax, as well. “Must Be Me” has a nice, pedestrian chuga-chuga guitar riff that’s double timed by a steady, racing bass groove and imaginative lead guitar and another solid solo from Owens. Waryan’s vocals are nice and gritty and, all the while, Ginsberg’s piano hammers away just below the surface What a great little dose of power pop! Speaking of which, “Burn Those Bridges” is a very Who-sian piece in both depth and scope, with Townshendesque guitars (by Owens and Henry) and a lyrical bent to match. This is a solid effort from all involved, if a little weak on the backing vocals. Glynn’s drumwork on “Will You Be the One” features some absolutely massive fills (in fact, the drum parts are almost all heavy, muscular fills!). It’s one of the few songs to feature a sustained Mark Throne sax solo, who also delivers what may be is best vocal performance here, evoking Bowie. And, I shouldn’t have to mention it this far into a review, but the guitars are once again absolutely fantastic! “Made In the Shade” pumps the brakes, slowing down the tempo, which makes the Bowie comparison even more evident. Steve and Kevin find a nice pocket that allows the guitars (Robb and Mike, finishing off this set together), keys and voice to shine on what is a really nice tune. There’s an oddly pleasing little sax part that comes out of the woodwork toward the end of the four minute plus (!) track from the band’s debut EP. Next is “Back On the Street,” another four minute rocker. While I like the shorter, punkier stuff, I find myself wondering where those songs could have gone if they would have been fleshed out and extended like these two. This one offers a cool riff and a couple of really great guitar solos, the last one being somewhat diminished… lost in an overly long fade. The final track, “Half Past Zero,” almost seems like an afterthought or a simple work in progress. Another possibility is that it’s a demo that never really sparked anything creatively past the repeating riff. I know the guys have been playing around a bit lately and I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing a more fleshed-out version with vocals and solos and such.

FINGERPRINTS, circa 1979 (Mark Throne, Steve Fjelstad, Kevin Glynn, Jeff Waryan, Mike Owens) (publicity photo)

So, there you have it… what is, I believe, the entire recorded output of one of the most influential bands that you’ve never heard of. Fingerprints were there at the cusp of that great Minneapolis Rock scene of the early ‘80s but, unfortunately, didn’t stick around to grab some of the spotlight that shone so brightly on other groups like the Replacements, Soul Asylum or Husker Du. Ah, what could have been! WHERE THE BEAT GOES ON is available on CD and digitally here or at your favorite music dispensary.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews | Darren Tracy | May 20, 2022 | Alternative Rock Blackberry Way Records Blackberry Way Studios Compilation Fingerprints Garage Rock Gary Waryan Hard Rock Harvey Ginsberg Jeff Waryan Kevin Glynn Lynn Seacord Mark Throne Michael Owens Mike Kearney Minneapolis Music New Wave Music Peter Napoleon Barbeau Pop Music Pop Rock Post-Punk Music Power Pop Punk Rock Robb Henry Rock and Roll Steve Fjelstad Twin/Tone Records

THE BEATLES: GET BACK

(DISNEY PICTURES/APPLE CORPS LTD/WINGNUT FILMS (468 minutes; Rated PG-13); 2021)

You can’t really argue that GET BACK, the new three-part documentary directed by Peter Jackson about a pivotal month in the life of the Beatles during their last year together, isn’t THE cultural media event of Fall 2021. It’s been talked about for months, Paul McCartney himself did an NPR interview in which he discussed it, and it aroused the emotions of Beatle fans everywhere when the pandemic caused the project to morph from an intended theatrical film to a much longer documentary to be streamed exclusively on Disney+, the company’s streaming service, for three nights over the Thanksgiving holiday. Speculation in advance was intense, as one contingent of fans feared it would “whitewash” the long-discussed tensions of the Fab Four in their final days (which the previous LET IT BE documentary certainly left one with knowledge of), and another contingent waited for validation of long held beliefs: that Yoko broke up the Beatles, that Paul was a dictatorial tyrant in those last days, that George Harrison had simply had enough and stormed out in anger, and that the lads were simply incapable of working together creatively anymore after the many pressures of being the most successful and influential rock band in history.

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (John Lennon, Peter Jackson) (publicity still)

Well, then. New Zealand’s legendary director Jackson, never having been shy about tackling enormous, “impossible” projects (remember that LORD OF THE RINGS thing?) has a mega documentary for YOU! And guess what? You can put everything you thought you knew about the Beatles’ final days aside, and marvel at the intimate scope and cumulative effect of this roughly eight-hour saga and the many revelations it contains. First, some clarity: This is not really a film about the “final days” of the Fabs. What we have here is a cinema diary of just over three weeks from January 1969, when the band was working on a planned project that became LET IT BE, intended to be a film, album and concert that would capture their intention to “get back” to a more youthful, spontaneous atmosphere that’d harken back to… well, when they were more youthful and spontaneous. A look at the ACTUAL last days of the Beatles would focus on the ABBEY ROAD recording, the massive tensions created by Allen Klein being hired to manage their financial affairs (a pivotal decision supported by all but McCartney, who fought it tooth and nail and had to sue the other three to put an end to Klein’s shady practices), and John Lennon’s increasing desire to be with Yoko and do his own thing instead of being wrapped up in the monstrous machine that was THE BEATLES. You see all the seeds of this stuff in Jackson’s doc: Klein is introduced in the latter half of it, Yoko is seen at John’s side throughout most of the footage, and songs that later appeared on ABBEY ROAD are indeed rehearsed and talked about in many segments. But no, this is NOT an investigation of what broke up the Beatles. Jackson was given access to 60+ hours of unseen video and roughly 150 hours of unheard audio, and from this massive trove, he culled together a day-by-day record of what John, Paul, George and Ringo were doing during those fabled days first at Twickenham Studio (where they were under pressure to get stuff done before the movie THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN was to take over the place, starring Ringo and Peter Sellers), and later at #3 Saville Row, home to the Beatles’ own Apple Records label. The band had a reasonably interesting project in mind; you can’t fault their intentions, and all seemed eager to dive in and work after a fairly long break following the White Album. But things did NOT go smoothly, and we see quite clearly that they were in over their heads, unable to figure out WHERE to stage a live performance, WHICH songs to record and HOW to carry on efficiently without a “daddy figure” (as McCartney refers to Brian Epstein, who’d previously sheltered the boys to some extent from the worst tensions brought on by fame and industry pressures). Jackson had an absolutely daunting task here: All this footage has been buried in a vault for half a century, and the Beatles clearly had NO taste for delving into a pile o’ stuff that would, rumor had it, show them in their worst moments, unable to cooperate with each other long enough to simply record a new album and go on about the business of being the world’s biggest band.

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison) (publicity still)

Except, that is not what happened. The story was WAY more complex than that, and not nearly so bleak. This amazing documentary allows us to travel back in time and be “flies on the wall” at the daily recording sessions, where the four lads discuss various songs and impulses, jam spontaneously, and gradually shape the compositions that would eventually become the songs most of us know like the back of our hands by now. Repeated segments showing the evolution of songs such as “Get Back,” “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Two of Us” are fascinating, and from a songwriting point of view, the insight into the process is invaluable. You may get sick of some of the repetition, but I’m pretty sure most committed Beatles fans won’t mind at all. To see how “Get Back” evolved from being a “protest song” about immigrants to a more aesthetically vague pop/rock tune that the boys agreed should be the next single, is captivating. And “Two of Us” has layers of resonance about the close relationship between Paul and John, both in the actual lyrics of the song (“You and I have memories/Longer than the road that stretches/Out ahead… “) and in the discussions we are privy to about the arrangement, in terms of whether it should be a simple acoustic song or something more sonically dense, with many scenes showing the two most famous songwriters working closely together to try to get it right. They ALL want to do that, and these things take TIME. Plain and simple. We see them getting impatient, making fun of themselves, and trying various things over and over. It could and does get tedious at times. The infamous exchange between Paul and George where the latter mutters that he’ll “play anything you want, or I won’t play at all if it will please you… ” that was a focal point in LET IT BE, occurs here with much greater context, that primarily being that Paul was trying to be the taskmaster and keep the group focused, not only on specific arrangements but on getting things DONE in a timely manner. With the full backdrop of the proceedings on display here, it’s pretty reasonable, and George’s impatience is understandable, not because McCartney was a jerk, but because “it’s all too much” at times. Plain and simple.

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon) (publicity still)

George, of course, does walk out for a while; every essay about this documentary has talked about that. In 1969, Harrison was truly coming into his own as a songwriter, and there are two pivotal scenes that deal with this. A remarkable private conversation between Paul and John is captured on audio. John declares, “It’s like George said, he didn’t get enough satisfaction anymore because of the compromise he had to make to be together… it’s a festering wound that we’ve allowed to… and yesterday we allowed it to go even deeper, and we didn’t give him any bandages.” Paul is listening, clearly, and responds: “Yeah, we treat him a bit like that. See, because he knows what we’re on about. But I do think that he’s right. That’s why I think we’ve got the problem now, the four of us. You go one way, George one way, and me another… “

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon) (photo credit LINDA MCCARTNEY/APPLE CORPS LTD)

The revelatory conversation continues with John openly stating he’s intimidated at times by Paul’s insistence on certain arrangements, and how he’s sometimes given up speaking out in favor of his own thing. He admits that “sometimes you’re right” to Paul, but that other times he has disagreed with the final results. In the context of all we know about the Beatles, this is just groundbreaking, to have this inside look at a tension-packed time. Meanwhile, we’re all aware of what was coming next for George Harrison. He was writing tons of new songs, including numbers like “All Things Must Pass,” “Isn’t It a Pity” and a little tune called “Something.” A much talked-about scene shows George struggling with the line to follow “Something in the way she moves/Attracts me like… ” Lennon comically suggests singing anything at all until a good fit is found. “Attracts me like a cauliflower,” he suggests, and a different scene shows George singing “attracts me like a pomegranate.” This is all pretty amusing, but when you step back for a moment and realize you’re seeing one of the greatest songs ever written in its infancy, a song that was obviously one of the highlights of the Beatles’ soon-to-be final studio album, ABBEY ROAD, you can’t help but be totally caught up in George’s place in music history right here. There’s a separate conversation between John and George where the latter tells John he’s written about “20 new songs” and that it would take ten more Beatle albums to get them all out there at the current rate of “two George songs per album.” George suggests he may just have to do a solo album, something which at first surprises John, and then seems to turn a light bulb on in his head. We all know what actually happened, and it’s simply another revelatory moment. So is seeing George being the pragmatic one through most of this documentary. While the others are brainstorming ludicrous ideas like doing a performance at an ancient historical site in Libya, or taking a selected group of fans on a large ship across the ocean to be the audience for whatever they’re gonna do, George wryly declares “We can’t even get Fender to send us a free amp.” This documentary will almost certainly increase your respect for George Harrison and his importance to the Beatles…

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Billy Preston, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison, Yoko Ono) (photo courtesy: THE BEATLES)

Does the film show Paul McCartney as a raging egomaniac? No, because they ALL clearly were. Remember, they were already the most famous group in the world with endless expectations heaped upon them everywhere. We get to see various members reading their own press at the time, richly entertaining, including George reading a bit about him and John coming to physical blows, an event that did NOT actually happen. Paul is definitely shown paying the most attention to specific song arrangements, and the reality of trying to meet their deadlines, but he is about collaboration all the way. It’s amazing to see him and John working together closely; you really WANT them to figure everything out and keep making remarkable music. Songs that never became official Beatle songs are given bits of time, such as McCartney’s “Teddy Boy” and “Another Day” and Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” and “Child of Nature,” which would in a couple of years morph into “Jealous Guy.” And wow, is there some fun seeing early versions of ABBEY ROAD tracks like “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” (showing Beatles road manager Mal Evans banging a device gleefully), “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” and “Polythene Pam” enter the picture. Everything is a question mark in this film: WHAT songs will they record? WHAT songs will they play for whatever live concert they are going to do? How can they possibly deliver when they feel they only have maybe half a dozen songs with fully developed arrangements?

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison) (photo courtesy DISNEY PICTURES)

But what is NOT yet truly a question: Are the Beatles going to break up? NO, that is not yet obvious. There are no “fights” in the conventional sense here; the lads are having a good time, they clown around, they crack jokes. It’s surprising in particular to see how good-humored Lennon is most of the time. He’s happy to have Yoko around (SHE, by the way, is almost continually a gentle presence, never intrusive, and even defended by Paul in a couple of scenes (“they just wanna be together, you know… “). With remarkable foresight, Paul declares in one scene, “Wouldn’t it be funny if in 50 years people say, ‘Oh, Yoko broke up the Beatles because she sat on an amplifier?'” So there’s plenty of myth smashing in GET BACK. When this footage was being shot by original LET IT BE director Michael Lindsay-Hogg (looking more youthful than you’d think and probably a bit in over his head), there were still several possible futures for the Beatles. That is crucial, because this film is NOT a breakup film. It’s about ambition, mega fame, the ups and downs of collaboration, artistic egos stretched to the limit, and problem solving on a grand scale. Watch the happy look on John Lennon’s face when keyboardist Billy Preston enters the scene and shows effortlessly that he can spruce up the arrangements on some of these new songs. “You’re IN the band!” Lennon tells him. Watch a fetching Linda Eastman and her energetic young daughter Heather, respectively, holding hands with Paul and taking photos (Linda and Paul were two months away from their fabled wedding at the time of this footage) and dancing around the studio gleefully, exuberant as a young girl could be. And watch, for the first time, the legendary “rooftop concert” in its entirety, the Beatles’ final live appearance, which of course was filmed on top of Savile Row, to the delight of some on the street below and the consternation of many others, including the British bobbies, who amusingly try to shut things down because of complaints. People on the street are interviewed and shown in effective cross cuts as the Beatles play, reflecting a reasonable cross section of opinions. This is music history, folks. But it’s told in a fresh, fascinating manner that changes what we thought we knew about the Beatles. And Peter Jackson wisely avoids any present-day interviews… he stated his desire to avoid that sort of thing. Nope, this is time capsule stuff, our unique opportunity to experience what the Beatles were going through in January of 1969.

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison) (photo courtesy: APPLE CORPS LIMITED)

It’s amazing, honestly. What was to follow was the group throwing up their hands in despair at their inability to complete the planned album (in a still controversial move, the whole thing was handed over to Phil Spector, resulting in an album that almost no one would be completely happy with), a stunning decision to record a brand-new studio album that would give George Martin one more chance to fully produce the band, George Harrison a chance to show he’d finally equalled the others in songwriting prowess, and give McCartney a chance to spearhead perhaps the greatest medley ever featured on a rock album; a furious legal battle over Allen Klein and the failure of the other three Beatles to stop McCartney from releasing his debut solo album BEFORE the release of LET IT BE (the accompanying press at the time appeared to show McCartney “officially” announcing the end of the Beatles, even though that isn’t quite accurate), a disbelieving fan kingdom unwilling to believe it was “the end,” and of course, lots and lots of nasty comments and bad feelings. But that was what would FOLLOW the events in GET BACK. It is NOT what we see on screen, which is in fact an energetic, lively, mostly upbeat look at an intense collaborative period by four of the most famous musicians in history and their handlers, all trying to respond to the immense pressure of gargantuan fame. GET BACK really is a treat, if sometimes a patience-testing experience, that will be richly rewarding for dedicated Beatles fans. You won’t forget it if you watch it with focus and attention. There are scenes that are simply stunning in what they tell us, all these years later. And it’s invaluable as a detailed look at the creative process itself. Sure, it’s a pain to have to find a way to get Disney+ in order to watch this thing. But do it. Really. There has never been a documentary as insightful and surprising, in musical terms, as THE BEATLES: GET BACK. We owe Peter Jackson a debt of gratitude for pulling this off, and let’s be happy for Paul, Ringo and the wives of John and George, for seeing a critical record set straight at last.

UPDATE: Since this review was written, a DVD of the film was scheduled for release in February 2022. Apparently, a few copies managed to make it into the hands of some lucky fans, though once Amazon’s stock was depleted, the Disney Company pulled the package from its schedule and in April announced that the title has been delayed indefinitely due to “authoring challenges.” It now appears that the DVD and Blu-Ray editions will be released, at least in the UK, on July 26. The three-part docuseries is still streaming at Disney+.

DVD/Blu-Ray HEY, MA! WATCH THIS Movies Music Reviews Streaming Video Television | Kevin Renick | May 16, 2022 | Allan Klein Billy Preston Blues Rock Brian Epstein British Invasion Music Classic Rock Documentary George Harrison George Martin Glyn Johns John Lennon LET IT BE Linda McCartney Live Music Michael Lindsay-Hogg Movie Music Paul McCartney Peter Jackson Pop Music Psychedelic Rock Ringo Starr Rock and Roll Rooftop Concert Television Series The Beatles THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN Twickenham Studio Yoko Ono

TARANOYA: BECOMING

(SOUND AS LANGUAGE; 2021)

I have been writing about ambient music for many years, as it is the still under-appreciated genre I MOST find myself able to get immersed in. From those heady early days decades ago when Brian Eno contextualized a new sound that could function as either foreground or background and that would serve as “a tint, an atmosphere,” as he put it, rather than something you had to experience in a traditional listening mode, to the myriad of variations the genre sprouted in the modern age (Ambient Jazz, Ambient Classical, Ethno-Ambient, Dark Ambient, space music, et cetera ad nauseum), I’ve been riveted by the endless universe of sound that the misleading term “ambient” can encompass. I honestly can’t think of another musical banner, excepting maybe “indie rock” or “art rock,” that will accommodate so many types of music. It’s because of how the music is supposed to FUNCTION for the average listener, the fact that it needs to be workable as background music, but also to reward close listening, that helps it to live up to Eno’s definition.

Imagine my delight, then, to come across the Iranian born, Portland-based female composer/vocalist/producer Taranoya (Taraneh Schmidt), whose new release
BECOMING is just about the most enthralling thing I have heard this year. It’s all dreamy, drifty, ethereal soft vocals, most of it essentially wordless although there ARE some intended lyrics, floating through beds of gentle droney synthesizer. Reference points don’t immediately come to mind… some of Liz Fraser’s aesthetic on the Cocteau Twins’ VICTORIALAND disc in particular would be one door in. I also was reminded here and there of a Kranky label artist named Jessica Bailiff, as well as scattered tracks from other ambient artists who’ve utilized feather-soft female vocals in the background. But what we have here is an entire album’s worth of this sumptuous sound, and it’s pretty singular in my view. And singularly PRETTY, without ever being vacuous or saccharine. That’s no mean feat, and it speaks wonders for Taranoya’s soulful, deeply contemplative vibe. I am almost shocked at how blissfully haunting this recording is, and how it manages to avoid nearly every cliche of the genre. Releases in this sonic terrain can sink rather rapidly if the lyrics are too upfront and take you out of the dreamy web you want to get stuck in, or if the instrumentation veers too much into the “new age” realm. Without wanting to irritate fans of new age (and I have some records that would fall under that banner myself), I am experienced enough with this kind of stuff to be able to tell the difference between New Age and Ambient, something that connoisseurs used to argue about on the net, back when these things were viewed as more consequential. What many of us viewed as new age seldom stood up to late-night scrutiny, as it aims for the lightest and most undemanding of moods while being generally quite restricted in its ambition, with some exceptions. Taranoya’s BECOMING, my friends, is very definitely AMBIENT music, and that’s a compliment. It’s lush, lulling, pastoral dream music conjured by a woman who seems to intuitively know that heading right for your subconscious, the place you inhabit when your intellect is turned off, makes for a far more satisfying sound experience than adhering to the parameters of the more typical offerings in this ballpark.

I personally LOVE music that appeals to a sort of “half asleep” state, and has a quality of being totally removed from mundane or stress-induced concerns, the kind we all battle daily. “Accidents” is eight minutes of beautiful keyboard drone that invites you to get comfy, serves you a fruit-infused beverage like nothing you’ve imbibed before, and then puts you at rapt attention as your charming host murmurs things to you that you can’t quite hear but you don’t care… her voice hypnotizes you and pulls you right into a place you would be happy to just never leave. “Heavenly” is an overused adjective in the ambient world, but… this IS heavenly, mes amis. What Taranoya’s voice does between 4:27 and about 4:43 on this track may be the single most beautiful moment I’ve experienced in a piece of music this year. The whole track is a wonder, really. A little bit of spoken word at the end adds to the feeling you’re in a partial dream state sitting in a cushioned chair at the airport or something. “You’re Only Breaking Down” is an even longer track, commencing with a Cocteaus-style flourish before Taranoya goes full feminine vocal allure in the middle of the mix. It’s like hearing your favorite cat purring happily, with neither one of you inclined to move even a smidge from where you’re currently located. And I was awestruck by the artist’s discipline to keep the keyboard sounds so subtly in the background, never showing off for even a moment. The dream state rules here, aesthetically. Works for me!

“Thinking About You” does get a shade more familiar initially, with the main synthesizer being not too far removed from the odd Tangerine Dream release or even early Pink Floyd. But from about the two-minute mark on, the sort of “otherly” ambient strangeness we fans always hope for kicks in, and Taranoya proves once again she’ll opt for originality and the sonic multi-verse over any formula or “non-genre” tenets. I was fully spellbound by the time this track was over, and knew I’d be a fan of this gal from here on out.

On “Let the Air,” the vocals are the most “conventional”; you can just about hear some actual words and there’s a touch more normalcy if that’s what you prefer (love the ending, though). And “Do I Return” has what is clearly a piano, not some obscure synth setting stumbled across in the wee hours of the morning when otherliness rules in the studio. It’s still very pretty. But the long track “Wake Me Up Rush” returns to the killer combo of Taranoya’s ethereal voice and the airy synth settings she tends to favor, with a low-frequency drone entering stage left at about the four-minute mark that adds some unexpected gripping energy. Subtle variety in a tapestry of sound that is uniformly lulling, is what makes this set something of an ambient classic, ethno-femme division (“fembient”? “womenbient”? What moniker should we give, exactly, to characterize the sub-genre of ambient where a deeply compassionate and yes, angelic female presence, is at the center of the sound? And is that even worth pursuing?). I’m in love with this music, and I thank this spellbinding artist for truly forging some new territory on BECOMING. Taranoya strikes deep… into your life it will creep, if you decide to check this out and float away among the clouds of bliss that this very visionary and wondrous artist has to offer.

(BECOMING is currently available as a limited edition of 100 cassettes, as well as the obligatory digital download)

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Kevin Renick | December 19, 2021 | Ambient Music Cassette Only Release Digital Drone Music Experimental Music Limited Edition Music Streaming Video Taranoya

MICK FLEETWOOD AND FRIENDS CELEBRATE THE MUSIC OF PETER GREEN AND THE EARLY YEARS OF FLEETWOOD MAC

(BMG MUSIC GROUP; 2021)

A majority of people in the good ol’ United States of… believe that Fleetwood Mac began with (maybe even started BY) Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham; most of the rest of the world knows that the Mac had been around for at least 70 years before the Buckingham/Nicks tandem joined in 1974 or so. Actually, Peter Green left John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers in 1967, taking drummer Mick Fleetwood with him to form what was originally called Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac; Bluesbreakers bassist John McVie would follow later that year. Drug use and a mental collapse led to Green exiting the group in 1970 and the game of musical chairs (so to speak) with guitarists began. Now, Mister Fleetwood is never one to forget upon which side his toast is buttered and, more importantly, who made it possible for him to pay for not only the bread and the butter, but also the knife to spread the butter and the house in which he sits at the table buttering that toast. That incredibly confusing run-on sentence is just a bored writers way of saying that Mick Fleetwood gives credit where credit is due and pays tribute to those who have made his lifestyle possible. So it was, that on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, Fleetwood and his hand-picked, suitably impressive “house band” (alongside an equally impressive lineup of friends) took the stage of London’s legendary Palladium to celebrate the music of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. As it turned out, the very next day, England was put on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The performance has been released in several formats: The video documentary has been making the rounds on various streaming platforms, as well as being released on Blu-Ray in a package that includes two CDs and a deluxe package that also features four slabs of vinyl; of course, the double CD and four LP versions are available separately, too.

MICK FLEETWOOD (photo credits: ROSS HALFIN, OLIVER HALFIN, KAZUYO HORIE)

Things get off to a fine start with “Rollin’ Man,” from the Mac’s second album, MISTER WONDERFUL. It features Mick’s specially chosen musicians – Andy Fairwether-Low, Jonny Lang and Rick Vito on guitars with David Bronze on bass and musical director Ricky Peterson on keyboards; Vito takes the vocals, as he did during his short time as a member of the Mac. Lang takes over the vocal duties on “Homework,” an Otis Rush tune played live in the earliest days of the band, while the final member of the group, the Who’s Zak Starkey joins in, keeping the beat alongside Fleetwood on drums for most of the evening. If there were any questions regarding the Blues pedigree of the original Fleetwood Mac, these opening salvos should dispel them. The first “friend” makes quite a splash as Billy Gibbons (yeah, one of the beards from ZZ Top) tackles “Doctor Brown” as only he can. As hot as the backing band was on the first two numbers, they somehow seem even more energized here.

CHRISTINE MCVIE (photo credits: ROSS HALFIN, OLIVER HALFIN, KAZUYO HORIE)

While I can find no indication that Fleetwood Mac ever recorded or even played the Otis Rush track “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” in a live setting, I’m sure that Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie played it many times during their respective tenures in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. That somehow makes it the perfect tune for Mayall to join the festivities, supplying both vocals and keyboards. Mick introduces his former boss with, “Please give a grand, grand welcome to our mentor, Mister John Mayall,” as the band rips into a killer version of the tune. If you are unfamiliar with the music of John Mayall, first of all… WHY? And, second, the man sprang from the womb (in 1933, making him 83 years old when this concert took place!) wailing the Blues! Steven Tyler late of some band called Aerosmith delivers his version of “Rattlesnake Shake,” one of Peter Green’s and the Mac’s best known early songs (from THEN PLAY ON) in his inimitable over-the-top fashion. Tyler sticks around to add flavor and harmonica to “Stop Messin’ ‘Round,” the third of five tracks from MISTER WONDERFUL, the album that introduced Christine McVie (then, as now, “Perfect”) to the world of Fleetwood Mac. Since the group’s ascension to the Pop Rock hierarchy, we’ve known Ms McVie as the gruff balladeer, in contrast to Stevie Nicks’ wispy, ethereal flights of fancy; here, she shows that she can hold her own with just about anybody, belting out the Blues that the early band was known for.

RICK VITO (photo credits: ROSS HALFIN, OLIVER HALFIN, KAZUYO HORIE)

Not one to ignore a good thing, Fleetwood keeps Christine around for “Looking For Somebody” from the group’s first album. The memorable drum intro leads into a re-imagined version of the song with McVie trading vocal leads with Rick Vito. “Sandy Mary” comes with a strange pedigree: Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac had been performing the tune live at least as early as 1969, with the song appearing on various records of rather dubious origins. It wouldn’t see an official release until LIVE AT THE BBC in 1995. Jonny Lang’s soulful vocals make the song hard to forget. Vito takes over on vocals for “Love That Burns,” a slow-burning Blues number with a great slide lead and organ solo. It’s hard to imagine the rest of the album being as good as this side.

PETE TOWNSHEND (photo credits: ROSS HALFIN, OLIVER HALFIN, KAZUYO HORIE)

Next to the stage is one of the Gallagher brothers, Noel, whom (along with his equally distasteful brother, Liam) I dislike on general principals, though I must admit to liking some of their band’s earlier stuff. Noel actually acquits himself quite nicely on the stripped-down acoustic Blues of “The World Keep On Turning.” He hangs around for a more rocking “Like Crying,” a Danny Kirwan song from THEN PLAY ON. Overall, Mister Gallagher has taken steps with this performance to – if not endear – overcome my disdain for his earlier abhorrent behavior. He may be inching closer to gaining a certain respectability but… nope! I still don’t like the guy. Vito, Lang, and Fleetwood take center stage on Chester Burnett’s “No Place To Go,” a song that appeared on the first Fleetwood Mac album. A rolling kind of rhythm underpins some nice slide guitar (maybe it’s a dobro… credits on this thing are somewhat lacking) and some impassioned “church meetin’” vocals from Rick and Jonny. Pete Townshend makes a magnificent Who sound on “Station Man,” a great track from the first album after Peter Green’s departure from the band, KILN HOUSE. It seems that Townshend’s presence has re-energized the band, as they’re hitting on all cylinders throughout the Danny Kirwan/Jeremy Spencer/John McVie barn-burner. This may be my favorite single track up to the midway point of the set.

DAVID GILMOUR (photo credits: ROSS HALFIN, OLIVER HALFIN, KAZUYO HORIE)

Neil Finn, one of the newest members (and current co-winner of the guitarist musical chair game) of Fleetwood Mac, performs a nice version of the 1969 single, “Man of the World.” His voice isn’t unappealing and his guitar work is a thing of simplistic beauty. Just when you think that the song is gonna go on too long, it ends at just the right time; such a tune should never outstay its welcome. Billy Gibbons and Steven Tyler return for one of the Mac’s most well known tracks, “Oh, Well (Part One).” The pair trade vocals, with Billy playing his usual crunchy-mean guitar and Steven wailing (as one does) intermittently on the harmonica. The band finds a heavy groove to fall into before it smooths out for “Oh, Well (Part Two),” featuring one David Gilmour on guitar. By the reception, I must assume that a fine time was had by all.

ZAK STARKEY, RICK VITO, JONNY LANG (photo credits ROSS HALFIN, OLIVER HALFIN, KAZUYO HORIE)

Jonny Lang proves he is a bonafide practitioner of the Rhythm and Blues that set Fleetwood Mac off on their fifty-plus year journey with a Gospel-tinged version of Little Willie John’s “Need Your Love So Bad.” The vocals, the guitars (including a solo that would make BB King weep) and Ricky Peterson’s almost mournful Hammond organ all but scream the Blues. Rick Vito steps to the mic again for “Black Magic Woman,” possibly the greatest hit that Santana ever had. This version, obviously, owes more to the Mac’s original version than it does to the cover by Carlos and his boys. Fleetwood and Zak Starkey on drums and Dave Bronze’s work on the bass prove to be a formidable rhythm section, especially on the extended jam that ends the tune. The special guests are great – and a great tribute to Peter Green – but the power and passion of Mick’s hand-chosen band is monster and not to be slighted.

MICK FLEETWOOD, JEREMY SPENCER (photo credits: ROSS HALFIN, OLIVER HALFIN, KAZUYO HORIE)

Jeremy Spencer, a founding member of Fleetwood Mac (he stayed with the band through 1970’s KILN HOUSE album) is joined by former Rolling Stone bassist Bill Wyman on a couple of Elmore James tunes. Mick introduces Wyman before adding, “The last time I shared the stage with this dear friend of mine was 50 years ago,” as an introduction to Spencer. First is a killer version of “The Sky Is Crying,” which Jeremy sang during the early band’s live set. With Mick holding down the drum stool and Bill laying down a solid bassline, Spencer’s somewhat reedy voice and brilliant slide work are allowed to soar over the rock-steady band. Things slow to a near-stroll pace for “I Can’t Hold Out,” with an even more impressive slide lead from Jeremy. Obviously, having another original Mac on board was a surprising treat for the ticket holders and he did not disappoint. The presence of a Stone was equally impressive, as was his playing.

Metallica’s Kirk Hammett straps on Peter Green’s beloved 1959 Les Paul for another well-known tune, “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown),” though probably a large percentage of America will credit the song to Judas Priest, who famously covered it on their 1979 live record, UNLEASHED IN THE EAST. The tune proves that Kirk has a little bit more to him than just “loud, fast rules.” ZZ Top’s Mister Gibbons joins the fray once more on vocals and guitar. David Gilmour returns, this time on pedal steel, for what can only be described as a lilting, stately take on one of the original group’s biggest hits, “Albatross.” Elmore James’ “Shake Your Money Maker” closes the show, with a free-for-all that sees the entire cast return to the stage. The highlighted musicians and singers include Rick Vito, Ricky Peterson, Steven Tyler, Andy Fairweather-Low and John Mayall.

PETER GREEN, circa 1969 (photo credit: GETTY IMAGES)

Amid a haze of psychedelic drug use and mental collapse – diagnosed as schizophrenia – Peter Green walked away from the band he founded in 1970. His body of music during the course of those three-plus years as the group’s primary songwriter, vocalist and guitarist is quite staggering. The legendary BB King once said of Green’s playing, “He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.” Peter’s near fifty-year career as a professional musician began in 1961 and didn’t officially end until his death on July 25, 2020 at the age of 73, just five short months after this monumental tribute. The show and the music are particularly bittersweet as he was unable to attend what must have been one of the proudest moments of his life.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Darren Tracy | August 15, 2021 | Andy Fairweather-Low Bill Wyman Billy Gibbons Blues Rock Christine McVie Dave Bronze David Gilmour DVD/Blu-Ray Fleetwood Mac Jeremy Spencer John Mayall Jonny Lang Kirk Hammett Live Recording London Palladium Mick Fleetwood Neil Finn Pete Townshend Peter Green Pop Music Rhythm and Blues Rick Vito Ricky Peterson Rock and Roll Steven Tyler Streaming Video Tribute Concert Vinyl Zak Starkey

LYKANTROPI: TALES TO BE TOLD

(DESPOTZ RECORDS; 2020)

Clearly I have GOT to get myself to Scandinavia. I’ve known that for a while, but it was mostly based on my passion for a few Norwegian acts specifically. But the more I hear of bands influenced by the apparently endless deep forests of Finland and especially Sweden, the more I want to see that influence for myself. Apparently those endless woods make musicians of the region want to write brooding, proggy song cycles about life, love, hours contemplating the meaning of it all, and yes, “tales to be told” in music. That’s the title of this brand-new album by Lykantropi, a group sewing up good reviews and a fast-growing fan base due to their ‘70s rock evoking brand of psych, which is delivered in a perfectly comfortable ensemble guitar, flute and mixed-gender vocals. You need know NOTHING about Nordic spells or landscapes to appreciate this stuff. But it helps if you like Jethro Tull, Blue Oyster Cult, the Moody Blues and yep, even prog kings Yes, since the sounds on TALES TO BE TOLD bring all of those legends to mind.

LYKANTROPI (OLA RUI NYGARD, MARTIN OSTLUND, TOMAS ERIKSSON, MY SHAOLIN, ELIAS HAKANSSON, IA OBERG) (publicity photo)

Martin Ostlund and My Shaolin trade off on male-female lead vocals and often combine for strong harmonies that will remind you of lots of stuff you grew up on in the ‘70s. That’s no slight; it’s a brisk and invigorating sound when combined with the thoroughly confident guitar riffing on tracks like “Coming Your Way,” “Mother of Envy” and “Axis of Margaret,” which is a good solid tune to sample if you’re in a hurry. On “Coming… ,” the repeated simple chorus of “Close your eyes before it’s too late” tends to stick in your mind, and as much as I’d like to ask the band specifically what they MEAN with that lyric, I’ll just take it at face value. The sturdy and melodic title track and the showcase tune “Kom ta mig ut,” which has a striking accompanying video. show a band that is impressively disciplined, one that has obviously heard a few Yes and Genesis albums, yet they rarely indulge in guitar solos or anything at all that could be called “ponderous.” They seem to be purveyors of a surging sonic current that moves forward, but always provides just the right framework for the two vocalists to be heard over, and for the atmosphere to envelop the listener. I really like the accessible arrangement on “Mother of Envy” and the expansive but breathing normally space of “Varlden gar vidare,” which yes, is sung in Swedish but it doesn’t matter. It’s the whole landscape of the piece that draws you in, not individual lyrics. The instrumental work here is exemplary, with Lo Oberg’s flute work deserving special mention. If you want lyrics you understand to sink your teeth into, go with “Coming Your Way” or “Spell On Me,” which made me listen a few times to catch the lyric “”The only time I feel all right is when I’m by your side,” and its slight variation. Others can discuss if the Kinks tune “All Day and All of the Night” and the similar lyric may have been in the heads of the songwriters, but it’s more likely that this universal expression of love and existential angst gripped the pens of Lykantropi’s songwriters same as it does for us Yankee types. Even if they do have better forests and more precise language skills over in Scandi-land.

TALES TO BE TOLD isn’t all that groundbreaking; you’ve heard this sort of psych-y, proggy idiom before. But it’s unquestionably more self-assured and sincere than the umpteen generations of American bands that have been trafficking in this sound since the halcyon era of the ‘70s. And I’ll take the Swedish focused cool and inter-band solidarity we get here over any number of second-rate progsters garnering column inches elsewhere. Three or four albums in, Lykantropi seem to know what they’re doing, and they have the lineup and dedication they need to stay in this for the long run. Give ’em a listen, and then listen again. If, like me, you have all the reference points in you already, the sense of familiarity will be welcome and even a bit emotional.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Kevin Renick | March 17, 2021 | Folk Metal Lo Oberg Lykantropi Martin Ostlund My Shaolin Progressive Folk Metal Rock and Roll Streaming Video Sweden

JON ANDERSON: SONG OF SEVEN; CHRIS SQUIRE: FISH OUT OF WATER

(ESOTERIC RECORDINGS/CHERRY RED RECORDS; 2020; 2018)

When Jon Anderson and Chris Squire first formed Yes in 1968 in London, they talked about their vision for a new style of music: melodic, layered and poppy like some of the major groups they loved – The Beatles, Byrds and Simon and Garfunkel among them – but perhaps more expansive somehow, more dynamically rich. I seriously doubt they had anything like CLOSE TO THE EDGE in mind back then, as that sort of leap only became possible with the incredible level of musicianship brought to the group by Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, et al. But yeah, they were thinking big. And their flair for melodic, commercially appealing classic rock was always present in their sound, no matter how Topographically expansive it got. These two solo reissues (we’re rather tardy getting a review up for Squire, but hey, it allows us to do this informative combo piece right now!) are terrific illustrations of the kind of diverse sonic stylin’ each musician felt free to do outside their mother group. They’re filled with craftsmanship, imaginative arrangements and an obvious love for romantic yet far-reaching pop rock ‘n roll.

JON ANDERSON, circa 1980 (uncredited photo)

SONG OF SEVEN was NOT Anderson’s solo debut; he’d already released the ethereal and somewhat esoteric OLIAS OF SUNHILLOW during a Yes break when all five members made solo albums. That album was sort of what you might have expected from ol’ Jon at the time… cosmic, spacey, drifty. Not so with SoS, though. What are fans of epic Yes to make of Jon singing lines like “Don’t forget I always want you by my side/Baby, by my side/Oh yeah, yeah, yeah… ”? Is this really the same guy that wrote “Dawn of the light lying between a silence and sold sources/Chased amid fusions of wonder…” etcetera? One and the same, yeah, yeah, yeah. Jon seemed to at least partially rebel against his “out there” image on some of the tracks here. He wanted to get straight to the “Heart of the Matter,” the title of the most conventional rocking song here. If not for that instantly recognizable high voice, this could be the kind of mainstream rocker, complete with breezy backing vocals, that any number of today’s more formulaic male artists might serve up. It’s upbeat to the max, and our hero even talks about getting his baby in the “back seat of my car,” which is sort of beyond belief if you stop to think about it. This ain’t Yes by a long shot! “Everybody Loves You” sounds a bit like Trevor Rabin-era Yes, with a normal chorus (“Everybody loves you/But I just love you a little bit more”) and an airy, sweet arrangement. The real gems, though, are “Take Your Time” and “Days.” The former is contemplative and relaxed as Anderson warns against rushing around too much and losing sight of the simple pleasures of love and enjoying each day. It’s short and agreeably low-key, making for one of his most enjoyable solo songs ever as a result. And there’s a nice keyboard bit and some fetching bass also, courtesy of John Giblin. Then comes the gorgeous “Days,” a Yes song in all but execution. It’s up there with “Wonderous Stories,” a recitation of nature imagery and the art of soaking up the beauty to be seen all around you, perhaps on a perfect spring day. There is no one better than Jon Anderson at this type of thing; you can just see him standing outside watching swallows circling, young deer sauntering through ferns in the mist, the aroma from the garden filling your nostrils… “The days are blessings,” he sings, and who would challenge the sentiment? Beautiful, and it’s followed by a harp solo, perfectly executed. This leads into some lush strings and the title epic, which is in a whole nother league from the earlier trifles I mentioned. In a piece that crosses the 11-minute mark (arguably a few minutes too long), with lyrics about how “everywhere you look you release parts of your senses/And everywhere there’s purpose and answers to all your dreams” as well as the line “starlight… telling me there’s something else to cling onto,” you get the trippy Jon most of us have come to cherish (or not)… he builds and cycles ever upward towards some lofty realization of the meaning of it all. There’s also a dazzling Clem Clemson guitar solo or two that sound like Steve Howe a bit, and some childlike voices joining in. This stuff isn’t for everyone, mind. Anderson’s core music requires you to lose your cynicism to fully enjoy it. But at least two thirds of this record is truly winning, and shows our prog hero loosening up quite a bit and demonstrating he can let his hair down when he wants. Sure, Anderson can be cloying here and there but damn, this guy loves music and life, and with his staggering body of work he’s earned the right to do whatever the hell he wants. And on this record he wants to just sing odes to the beauty and ultimate goodness of it all, including gettin’ down with your baby (and perhaps BABIES). You got a problem with that, head elsewhere, pal… This reissue does NOT offer much in the way of extras, though, just a couple of US single edits of “Some Are Born” and “Heart of the Matter.”

JON ANDERSON and CHRIS SQUIRE with Yes, 1977 (photo credit: RICHARD DREW/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Chris Squire’s 1975 opus, FISH OUT OF WATER was his only major solo release, and as such earned plenty of attention. It’s a solid, compelling five-song disc showcasing both his legendary bass playing skills and his thin but pleasingly sincere vocals (Squire’s ability to serve up harmonies that perfectly complimented Jon Anderson made for part of that trademark Yes vocal sound). “Hold Out Your Hand” was a fairly popular single, balancing Squire’s fluid bass runs, some Wakeman-style organ (from Barry Ross and Wakeman’s replacement/predecessor, Patrick Moraz) and a bracing melody and arrangement. “You By My Side” is more pedestrian; a Yes veteran shouldn’t be writing stuff like “You know I love ya/I can’t be without ya/When I’m alone, I still feel this way about ya.” T’aint “Roundabout,” that’s for sure. To be fair, some lush orchestration later in the song improves things, and there is no doubting Squire’s melodic flair. As on Anderson’s disc, Squire also has an 11-minute opus for us after that, and it’s a doozy. “Silently Falling” opens with a gorgeous bit of old-fashioned classicism, with keyboards, flute and the like. Squire sings with a kind of achingly romantic tenderness, and his bass surges underneath the whole thing in that familiar Yes manner. Indeed, this whole thing sounds like Yes although without Anderson’s mystical tendencies. There’s a long keyboard-driven section that rocks but gets a tad repetitious, although you won’t mind if this aspect of the Yes sound is your thing. But Squire’s band cooks up a storm, that’s for sure. About halfway through, there’s a nice quiet passage, then a different section where Squire mostly sings “silently falling” over and over. You can picture him being lost in the majesty of the proceedings here, and it’s indeed substantial in that prog rocky way. “Lucky Seven” adds a bit of funk, introducing horns (not all that transcendent in my view), a nice Bill Bruford performance on percussion, and a decent string arrangement. Squire again sings mostly in a low key manner, which helps, since the music here isn’t always subtle. “Safe (Canon Song)” is the 15-minute magnum opus that rounds out the record, and it’s the most meaty and adventurous Squire solo track to date. Let me just say that the first minute and a half of this song struck me, when I first heard it long ago, as among the most beautiful passages on any rock record ever. The strings and piano are simply gorgeous and Squire’s plaintive vocal, opening with the phrase “When your savior lets you down… ” achieves an understated perfection. The music swells and flows, revealing the kind of powerful sense of purpose that Squire brought to many a Yes album. I simply love the verse where he sings “When you’re faced with all those doubts/Have no fear/When the changes come about/I’ll be here/I’ll be waiting beside you/To shelter your heart/Like a ship in a harbor… You will be, safe with me.” There is something so transcendent about this part of the song; it may well be the most soaringly romantic moment on any Yes solo album so far. It’s followed, then, by a particular series of notes that is repeated over and over on different instruments, including the string section. Squire plays one of his patented bass riffs to contrast with this semi-classical arrangement, squeezing out multiple variations of the same two or three ideas. Kudos to fine keyboard work by Moraz, Rose and Andrew Pryce Jackman as well. The piece lumbers along, taking no prisoners, and your own patience level will determine if you’re still digging it by the 10-minute mark or so. Myself, I am in awe of the sheer moxie it took to arrange this densely orchestrated beast, especially since Squire began it with such delicate beauty, and then gleefully allowed it to become this gargantuan epic of sonic razzle dazzle. It’s musically rich, and it helped FISH OUT OF WATER become one of the most popular Yes solo albums, one that still holds up nicely.

CHRIS SQUIRE, 1975 (photo credit: LAURENCE BERNES)

Disc 2 of this reissue includes the one-off Squire and Alan White collaboration “Run With the Fox,” which turned up on one of those Yes box sets sometime back. It’s a charming but unlikely Christmas song, full of seasonal exuberance and whimsy. Appearing with it is the seldom previously heard instrumental version called “Return of the Fox,” the B side of the original 1981 single. Although interesting if you like this sort of thing, it doesn’t really add much in terms of enjoyment. But the track with Squire’s vocal is undeniably a charming little ditty. You also get edited single versions of “Lucky Seven” and “Silently Falling,” although that latter piece is substantial enough that cutting it down to single size is a bit of an aesthetic insult. Still, Squire at least gave us one classic solo album before he died, to go with all the masterful, groundbreaking Yes compositions he had such a huge role in helping to create. Any true Yes fan probably should have this in their collection if they don’t already.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews | Kevin Renick | December 30, 2020 | Acoustic Music Alan White Andrew Pryce Jackman Barry Ross Bill Bruford Chris Squire Classic Rock Clem Clemson English Folk Music Expanded Edition John Giblin Jon Anderson Music Patrick Moraz Pop Music Progressive Folk Rock Progressive Rock Reissue Rock and Roll Yes

PRETENDERS: HATE FOR SALE

(BMG MUSIC GROUP; 2020)

When I heard that there was new music coming from Chrissie Hynde and Pretenders, I must admit I was pretty happy! HATE FOR SALE was released this past July, their first album of new music since 2016’s ALONE. There are a couple of new faces in the band’s studio make-up (a couple have been part of the group’s live line-up for quite awhile): James Walbourne on guitar and keyboards, Nick Wilkinson on bass, Stephen Street on keyboards and percussion, plus the studio return of original drummer Martin Chambers, who hadn’t recorded with the band since LOOSE SCREW in 2002. Of course, the linchpin, the main star, band architect and leader, Chrissie Hynde, sounds incredible; her songwriting, guitar work and readily recognizable harmonica blasts are feisty and ready to rock. Her voice, it almost goes without saying, is wonderful.

HATE FOR SALE isn’t very long… just a little over 30 minutes, but you certainly get your money’s worth with every song. Those songs flow well as the band moves flawlessly from one to another. Though I really do like all ten tracks here, I think my favorites are “Turf Accountant Daddy” and “Didn’t Want To Be This Lonely,” which just rock with reckless abandon. There’s an interesting kinda Reggae thing called “Lightning Man” which moves directly into “Turf Accountant Daddy” that manages to mix things up a bit. The record ends with a nice little tune, a beautiful piano ballad called “Crying In Public,” an emotional side that we rarely see from Chrissie.

PRETENDERS (James Walbourne, Nick Wilkinson, Martin Chambers, Chrissie Hynde) (uncredited photo)

Martin Chambers sounds great throughout and I’m so glad he’s back, but this is obviously Chrissie’s album and she makes the most of it. She’s been in the business for over five decades and I have certainly enjoyed her work. Having lost track of what Ms Hynde and her band had been up to in recent years, I was curious when I heard they had new music out. I was totally happy and surprised when I finally got to hear it. I’ve seen the group in concert a couple of times, once right after their debut album came out in the States, opening for the Who and once on a package tour with ZZ Top and Stray Cats. Both good shows (though they were nearly “Who’d” off the stage during the first one!) and I’ve always liked their music, but this new one, HATE FOR SALE, has become one of my favorites of this year. Stephen Street did an excellent job producing and mixing, giving the music a very clean sound. The entire record hits you right in the gut… in the best way possible! Pretenders were scheduled to tour with Journey earlier this year but, like countless others, those plans were put on hold due to the pandemic. So, even though we didn’t get live Pretenders this year, we did get an absolutely incredible record from them. For that and for decades of musical brilliance, I say, “Thank you, Chrissie Hynde!”

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Bill Winer | December 28, 2020 | Alternative Rock Blues Rock Chrissie Hynde Classic Rock Hard Rock James Walbourne Martin Chambers Music Nick Wilkinson Pop Rock Pretenders Punk Rock Rock and Roll Stephen Street Streaming Video

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