September 2006
Ray Charles & the Count Basie Orchestra - “Ray Sings, Basie Swings”
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Ray Sings, Basie Swings Ray Charles and Count Basie |
There’s an old saying that applies to “Ray Sings, Basie Swings” – It ain’t nice to fool with Mother Nature. Not only have the cuts on this posthumous offering appeared in more definitive versions on Brother Ray’s other albums, the performances owe more to technology than talent. Brother Ray’s vocals are powerful, vibrant -- and old, having been recorded at a live gig with his touring band in 1973. The recently discovered tapes also featured a performance by the Count Basie Orchestra. Only Charles’ vocals were deemed salvageable, but someone in the marketing department had a warped idea – why not bring the current Basie bunch back into the studio and have them lay down a new music alongside Ray’s vocals? Great idea. Too bad many of the classics re-recorded here seem to have been changed just for the sake of change. A few songs swing harder than Jose Canseco at a flat fastball, but most roll over and play dead.
Despite an organ riff worthy of Jimmy Smith, the gussied up version of “I Can’t Stop Loving’ You” is sabotaged by an bouncy arrangement that drains the song of it’s emotion and makes Ray sound like Joe Piscopo imitating Frank Sinatra. “Cryin’ Time,” served well in its original weepy country western format, is transformed into a sluggish, hushed Vegas lounge ballad that’s immediately forgettable. Three of the four final feature the most adventurous and sadly, failed arrangements. “Feel So Bad,” a bluesy, bass heavy stomper popularized by Elvis Presley gets homogenized in the translation, and it’s not helped by Ray’s stuttering rap that gets lost toward the end. Never a swinging tune to begin with, “The Long and Winding Road” is interminable. Ray gives it his all – you can practically see him swaying at the keyboard – but he’s let down by an intrusive arrangement and a blitzkrieg of horns that blare at all the wrong times. The primary offender on the CD is a growling, hurried version of Melanie’s impish “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma.” The Raylettes are on hand to warble haughtily in French and try to take the weight off Ray, whose enthusiastic scats, raps, and ad-libs can’t conceal the trite arrangement.
“Ray Sings, Basie Swings” is not without its high points. Basie Band Director Billy Hughes should have used the punchy charts on “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” as his template, and he’s adept at creating a creating an appropriately carefree Vegas style atmosphere for “Let the Good Times Roll.” The emotive strings on “Georgia on My Mind” are missing, but it’s still too great a song to be ruined by a big band. The unexpected highlight of the album is “Every Saturday Night.” For once the orchestra drops its veneer of sophistication and gets down, dirty, and on the same funky plane as Ray.
Producers Gregg Field, Joe Adams and Joe Burke have created a pretty monster in “Ray Sings, Basie Swings,” it’s still a monster. The orchestra can’t cut loose because they have to fit their arrangements around a ghost. Only on “Every Saturday Night” do they really rise to the occasion. Otherwise while Ray soars, the orchestra bores, filling the empty spaces with standard riffs. If Ray were alive he’d say with distaste, “Look what they’ve done to my songs, ma.”
2 out of 5 stars
Reviewed for Coffeerooms by Mike Jefferson - Talk about it here
| Track listing- | |
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1. Oh What A Beautiful Morning 2. Let The Good Times Roll 3. How Long Has This Been Going On? 4. Every Saturday Night 5. I Can't Stop Loving You 6. Cryin' Time |
7. Busted 8. Come Live With Me 9. Feel So Bad 10. The Long And Winding Road 11. Look What They've Done To My Song 12. Georgia On My Mind |
Posted September 28, 2006 Permalink
Straight Outta Lynwood - Take 1
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Straight Outta Lynwood Weird Al Yankovic |
Weird Al Yankovic. "WAY" is way funny as usual and in great form on “Straight Outta Lynwood", his new DualDisc on Volcano Entertainment.
DualDisc is weird too. DVD on one side and audio CD on the other. Warnings in fine print say that the audio side is "non-standard" -- huh? -- and that it may not play in "some" CD players. Read that as meaning yours.
Sure enough. It wouldn't play in my old standby Sony portable CD player (from day 2 in CD history; excellent player but very picky) and in my computer drives one CD-ROM drive refused altogether and the other too three tries to figure out that it was a CD. Once done, though, it played flawlessly.
I didn't even try the DVD side. Another reviewer will cover that. So to hell with "DualDisc". Cute jewel box, but also an odd size. Wait, wait; this is about Weird Al's record. Screw the DualDisc. On to the good stuff.
Again as usual, the polka medley is a mashup-de-mashup from the man who may actually have weirdly invented the form. This one, to me, isn't as end-to-end engaging as some of his real masterworks, like "Polkas On 45" (on "...in 3-D") or the brain twisting "The Alternative Polka" ("Bad Hair Day")
Love the "originals" too. Al and the boys have some major fun with Brian Wilson & Van Dyke Parks "Smile" in Pancreas, but in "I'll Sue Ya" absolutely nails "Rage Against the Machine" for actually doing "Living Colour" – and manages to go to a slightly different place -- not between RAtM and Living Colour so much as a new point on a triangle of styles with fun power-guitar musicianship, hip-hop credence if not actual street cred but all with some real cultural irony. And very, very funny too. Maybe Living Colour should sue RAtM for not always getting at the truth of what either of them were doing. (IMhO, of course.)
And oh yeah, oh yeah, this is like so coool, man, except that I feel so revealed! I am profiled and defiled. Not. Talk about nails and nailing stuff and stuff; "White & Nerdy" detonates a small explosive in the seating area of Chamillionaire's 'tude about The Man's 'tude about Chamillionaire and his bad rap for noise polution. Huh? No really. Got warrants in every city 'cept Minneapolis.
Can't find a song I don't like here. As usual. Simultaneously laughing my ass off and being dazzled by the musicality.
Reviewed for Coffeerooms by Dr Mike - Talk about it here
| Disc: 1 1. White & Nerdy 2. Pancreas 3. Canadian Idiot 4. I'll Sue Ya' 5. Polkarama! 6. Virus Alert 7. Confessions Part III 8. Weasel Stomping Day 9. Close But No Cigar 10. Do I Creep You Out 11. Trapped In The Drive-Thru 12. Don't Download This Song |
Disc: 2 1. Don't Download This Song 2. I'll Sue Ya' 3. Virus Alert 4. Close But No Cigar 5. Pancreas 6. Weasel Stomping Day |
Posted September 27, 2006 Permalink
Solomon Burke - “Nashville”
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Solomon Burke The King of Rock and Soul - NASHVILLE Featuring Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless And Patty Griffin |
Solomon Burke has long expressed admiration for country crooners like Gene Autry and Charlie Pride. His earliest recordings, “Down in the Valley” and “Just out of Reach” were a mixture of gospel and country. Still, the idea of matching the gravel-throated R & B singer with country stalwarts Dolly Parton, Gillian Welch, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris and Patty Loveless seems like a recipe for a sonic train wreck. Happily “Nashville” is a country album in name only – and it works. Instead of going “Hee Haw” style, drowning Burke in pedal steel, the arrangements are a blend of gospel/R& B/and roots music that play off of Burke’s still affecting, soulful voice. The lead track, Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I got to Memphis,” is sparse and laid back, with producer Buddy Miller (acoustic guitar) and Byron House (upright bass) providing an atmospheric, bluesy backdrop that wraps around Burke’s deep growl like molasses. Another classic performance is Patty Griffin’s “Up to the Mountain” a spiritual and heartfelt ballad accentuated Tom Howard’s gentle string arrangement.
Burke tackles the more upbeat material with mixed results. Funk meets bluegrass successfully in “Millionaire” a leering, languid piece punctuated by short spurts of fiddle from Sam Bush and easy-going rhymes like “She’s my treasure, so very rare, she makes me a millionaire” that Burke delivers with a smile. Conversely, “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger” a tale of infidelity, taps into Burke’s dark side.
Burke’s version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Ain’t Got You” is a wild, fun, hay ride. Originally arranged with a percussive Bo-Diddley shave and a haircut beat, Burke’s fiddle dominated version has the steady syncopation of a friendly freight train. When percussionist Brady Blade and drummer Bryan Owings pick up the beat, Burke sputters, spurts and testifies, sounding like an agitated Walter Brennan. He starts to run out of breath mid-way, and the arrangement threatens to unravel, but Burke enjoys every minute, as evidenced by his comments at the end of the song and the laughter that follows – “Ya’ll gone hog crazy? What the heck is goin’ on in this place here? You found religion?” Burke’s duet with Patty Loveless on “You’re the Kind of Trouble,” a full out country boogie, is the most successful guest appearance on the CD. Loveless not only holds her own, singing with the rascally confidence the song requires, but unlike the other guest artists, she actually sounds as if she’s having fun. When Burke says to Loveless “They say I ain’t a wild one, but if they only knew, you’re the kind of trouble I could get into,” you believe him.
Two other guest appearances fall flatter than a hush puppy. Emmylou Harris, last heard whining with Mark Knopfler on “All the Roadrunning” and desecrating Tony Joe White’s “Heroines” album, keeps her streak in tact on ‘Nashville” with “We’re Gonna Hold On.” Harris goes from breathless to flat in her opening line, unable to find the right key to sing in. Always larger than life, Dolly Parton dominates rather than shares her duet with Burke on her self-penned tune, “Tomorrow is Forever.” What Harris’ and Parton’s songs lack the most is what Loveless and Burke have in abundance -- chemistry.
Burke refers to himself by the presumptuous title of “the King of Rock and Soul.” Elvis is in no position to argue, and any man who has sired 21 children and is a Bishop in the House of God for All People should probably be called the King of something. With “Nashville,” Burke can certainly lay a claim to musical royalty. “Nashville” has its rough spots, but is well worth a king’s ransom to own.
3 ½ stars out of 5
Reviewed for Coffeerooms by Mike Jefferson - Talk about it here
| Track listing- | |
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1. That's How I Got To Memphis 2. Seems Like You're Gonna Take Me Back 3. Tomorrow Is Forever (with Dolly Parton) 4. Ain't Got You 5. Valley Of Tears (with Gillian Welch) 6.Honey Where's The Money Gone 7. Atta Way To Go |
8. Millionaire 9. Up The Mountain (with Patty Griffin) 10. Does My Ring Burn Your Finger 11. Vicious Circle 12. We're Gonna Hold On (with Emmylou Harris) 13. You're The Kind Of Trouble (with Patty Loveless) 14. 'Til I Get It Right |
Posted September 26, 2006 Permalink
A Barrel of Monkees
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The Monkees Originally released in 1966 Reissued by Rhino |
It's tough to criticize the Monkees. We all know them as a manufactured group, an assembly of cute boys put together by Columbia pictures for a TV show about a zany rock band, a rock 'n' roll "boy band" from a time when such things were slightly less frowned upon. As such, and not knowing much of their catalog beyond the hit singles, I naively plunged into these four discs hoping perhaps I might discover the unappreciated gems of a misunderstood band. Sadly, history has it mostly right. The liner notes of these two collections make little argument to the contrary. For their first two albums, the Monkees were essentially puppets of a studio, which can hardly be held against them. No one ever claimed otherwise. It's right there in their theme song(naturally, the first song on the first album), "We're too busy singin to put anybody down".
That said, these albums are not without their pleasures. Unfortunately, I found it hardly worth the digging, as most of these could be found on a greatest hits compilation. The self-titled first album is little more than a couple of fun singles ("Last Train to Clarksville", "Theme from the Monkees") surrounded by filler tracks mostly written by in house songwriters, lesser material tossed off for an untested group of actors to sing. At this point, the music was still considered secondary to the television program, so the somewhat careless quality of much of the songwriting is understandable.
Luckily, the Monkees struck gold with "Last Train to Clarksville", selling 4 million copies of the album and earning enough respect from the studio to shift focus to the music. Thus, the second album "More of the Monkees" fares considerably better, being blessed with better singles AND filler from a more varied selection of songwriters, notably the addition of Neil Diamond, who contributed "I'm a Believer" and "Look Out(Here Comes Tomorrow", to the first albums established regulars Goffin/King and Boyce/Hart. Still, there are a few duds and the inescapable "fake band" vibe makes it hard to take any of it very seriously. Thats beside the point, of course. Don't try to take it seriously, and there's much fun to be had here, if only a little inconsistent.
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More of the Monkees 1967’s MORE OF THE MONKEES |
Which is all to say that there is little to recommend these 2-disc deluxe editions, with stereo and mono mixes of both albums, to anyone but the most avid Monkees collector. The numerous out-takes and alternate mixes are generally a lot more of a bland thing, with the occasional amusing curiosity(Davy and Mickey making eachother giggle and riffing on "I'm Gonna Buy Me a Dog" is fun once or twice.) Personally, I'll stick to the "The Best of".
Reviewed for Coffeerooms by G.Mazz - Talk about it here
Two sets: One disk is stereo original album plus many bonus; second disk is original mono mix of same, plus many DIFFERENT bonus tracks.
| The Monkees Originally released in 1966 |
Disc One ("THE MONKEES" stereo version)
1. "(Theme From) The Monkees"
2. "Saturday's Child"
3. "I Wanna Be Free"
4. "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day"
5. "Papa Gene's Blues"
6. "Take A Giant Step"
7. "Last Train To Clarksville"
8. "This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day"
9. "Let's Dance On"
10. "I'll Be True To You"
11. "Sweet Young Thing"
12. "Gonna Buy Me A Dog
Bonus Tracks:
13. "(Theme From) The Monkees" - Second recorded version
14. "The Kind Of Girl I Could Love" - alternate mix *
15. "I Don't Think You Know Me" - version one with Micky's vocal
16. "So Goes Love"
17. "Papa Gene's Blues" - alternate mix *
18. "I Can't Get Her Off My Mind" - version one
19. "(I Prithee) Do Not Ask For Love" - Davy's vocal *
20. "Gonna Buy Me A Dog" - version one backing track *
21. Monkees Radio Spot *
Disc Two - ("THE MONKEES" -- )Original Mono Album)
1. "(Theme From) The Monkees"
2. "Saturday's Child"
3. "I Wanna Be Free"
4. "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day"
5. "Papa Gene's Blues"
6. "Take A Giant Step"
7. "Last Train To Clarksville"
8. "This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day"
9. "Let's Dance On"
10. "I'll Be True To You"
11. "Sweet Young Thing"
12. "Gonna Buy Me A Dog"
Bonus Tracks:
13. "Kellogg's Jingle"
14. "All The King's Horses"
15. "You Just May Be The One" - TV version
16. "I Wanna Be Free" - Fast version
17. "I Don't Think You Know Me" - version one with Michael's Vocal
18. "I Won't Be The Same Without Her" - 1966 mono mix *
19. "Propinquity (I've Just Begun To Care)" - demo version *
20. "(Theme From) The Monkees" - TV version
* = previously unissued recording
| More of the Monkees 1967’s MORE OF THE MONKEES |
1. "She"
2. "When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)"
3. "Mary, Mary"
4. "Hold On Girl"
5. "Your Auntie Grizelda"
6. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"
7. "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)"
8. "The Kind Of Girl I Could Love"
9. "The Day We Fall In Love"
10. "Sometime In The Morning"
11. "Laugh"
12. "I'm A Believer"
Bonus Tracks:
13. "Apples, Peaches, Bananas And Pears"
14. "Ladies Aid Society" - 1966 mono mix *
15. "I'll Spend My Life With You" - version one
16. "I Don't Think You Know Me" - Peter's vocal version
17. "Through The Looking Glass" - version one
18. "Don't Listen To Linda" - version one
19. "Kicking Stones"
20. "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" - with Peter's narration
21. "I'm A Believer" - alternate mix with different lead vocals
22. "Mr. Webster" - version one
Disc Two "MORE OF THE MONKEES" Original Mono Album
1. "She"
2. "When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door)"
3. "Mary, Mary"
4. "Hold On Girl"
5. "Your Auntie Grizelda"
6. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"
7. "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)"
8. "The Kind Of Girl I Could Love"
9. "The Day We Fall In Love"
10. "Sometime In The Morning"
11. "Laugh"
12. "I'm A Believer"
Bonus Tracks:
13. "Valleri" - first recorded version
14. "Words" - first recorded version
15. "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" - TV version
16. "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet" - first recorded version
17. "Tear Drop City" - alternate mix *
18. "Of You" - original mono mix
19. "Hold On Girl" - first recorded version
20. "(I Prithee) Do Not Ask For Love" - Micky's vocal
Posted September 18, 2006 Permalink
