Blues, jazz and country - according to Robert Crumb

The finest musical gift I received on Monday was a beautifully designed book - R Crumb’s Heroes Of Blues, Jazz & Country (Abrams, New York, £10.95/$19.95).

Counter-cultural cartoonist/illustrator Robert Crumb applied his unique talent to drawing/painting portraits of a couple of hundred pre-rock musicians, originally for a series of collectable cards. The cards have been lovingly collated in the book and the artwork complemented by brief biographies.

An already desirable package is completed by a splendid sampler CD from the Yazoo vaults, with tracks by 21 of the musicians, from Skip James to King Oliver, Dock Boggs to Blind Willie McTell.

A lovely piece of art – it’ll be cherished.



Gerry Smith

ABBA: giants among pygmies

Is pop music for grown-ups?

It depends.

Most pop – 95%? - isn’t: it's too trite, too shallow, too dumb. Disposable. Entertainment, not art. Shake yer ass. Sing along. But forget in five minutes.

Some pop IS music for grown-ups. None more so than the great ABBA songbook – a couple of dozen beautifully crafted songs, perfectly executed - unique harmonies, especially the two girls, one mezzo, one soprano; suitably outstanding production.

OK, at their peak, ABBA looked cheesy. Serious music buffs scoffed. Not any more – a quarter of a century on, their music sounds better than ever. It appeals to anyone with the ability to smile.

Last night’s ITV profile, in which supreme ABBA videos and revealing interviews with the quartet were foolishly inter-cut with superfluous talking heads, was a perfect example of great music transcending its milieu.

ABBA were giants among pygmies: most pop music is lightweight trash; ABBA rose above it to produce transcendant music.



Gerry Smith

Best of 2006 (3)

Happy Xmas/winter solstice/holidays to all readers. I’ll be back next Wednesday, 27 December - Gerry Smith


Thanks (again) to Mike Ollier for the second part of his list of the best of 2006:

1. Gigs of the year…

I did manage to get to a good load of gigs this year (compensating for the lack of albums bought), starting the first week with..

· Chuck Prophet ~ All Saints Church, Newcastle. Just Chuck, a Gibson Harmony, an Echoplex and a crowd in a never-to-be-repeated gig.

· Jackie Leven ~ The Cluny, Newcastle. Great songs, great voice, great stories, great guy.

· Tandy ~ Lakeside Lounge, NYC. My favourite band, on their home turf, a great venue in the East Village with a great selection of beers. Oh, and a photobooth!!

· The Pirates ~ Borderline, London. OK, they may be pushing 70 but they rocked big time ~ Britain's own rock n roll heroes from the 60s would put many a band half their age to shame.

Honourable mentions should go to Alejandra Escovedo, Peter Donegan (Lonnie's son) and The Caffrey Brothers and Richard Thompson.


2. BEST gig of the year (though not music): Jerry Sadowitz @ the Soho Theatre in London. Never has the tag line "Not For The Easily Offended" meant it so much!! Glaswegian potty-mouthed comedian/magician in fine form - until the 7th of January. This is magic/comedy most definitely for grown-ups. I justify its inclusion here because the tape being played whilst the venue was filling up included Warren Zevon and Tom Waits, amongst others.



Mike Ollier

Best of 2006 (2)

Thanks to Mike Ollier for his two-part list of the best of 2006 (to be continued):

1. Albums of the year…
I haven't actually bought a lot of "new" albums this year, but here goes…
· Bob Dylan ~ Modern Times. Well, obviously!
· Bruce Springsteen ~ Seeger Sessions. Despite Mr Smith's views I found it engaging and a whole load of fun!
· Tom Waits ~ Bawlers, Brawlers and Bastards. Genius? I think so.
· The Yayhoos ~ Put The Hammer Down. Faces-type rock n roll fun from NYC and Dan Baird and Eric Amble
· Rob Love ~ Ghost Flight. The Alabama 3 leader with a downbeat jazz-inflected Dylan-esque blues/country/gospel/soul album.
· Gurf Morlix ~ Cut & Shoot. Has there ever been a better named guitarist? A full on country album from Lucinda Williams' ex-guitar player.


2. Re-issue/caught-up-with albums of the year…
· Frankie Miller ~ Long Way From Home. Unreleased projects from the early 90s, that voice…
· Various ~ Nuggets. Reissue of the Lenny Kaye compiled Garage Rock compilation.
· Lucinda Williams ~ Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Her 1998 masterpiece with outtakes and a live radio session added.


3. Definitely Not album of the year
· Meatloaf ~ Bat Out Of Hell Part 7 (or is it 8? 9?). "In the land of the pig the butcher is king?" Eh? Surely in the land of the pig the butcher would be given a right going over. I heard this whilst browsing in a shop, as I did this one...
· The Beatles ~ Love. An abortion. Fair enuff, I'm not actually a Beatles fan but this sounds like Beatles on 45 to me. I would have to say that the actual production sounded fantastic, but I agree with Noel Gallagher (there's a first) who, when asked about it, said "What's the point?"


4. DVD of the year
· Ronnie Lane & the Passing Show. An extended edition of a affectionate BBC Four documentary of the life story of one of the great unsung heroes of acoustic music.

Mike Ollier






What are YOUR top albums/gigs of 2006? I - and Music for Grown-Ups readers - would love to know….

Gerry Smith

Sampling new music: Chris Ward and Simon Stewart

With its focus on celebrating an eclectic range of more or less well-known musicians, Music for Grown-Ups doesn’t normally cover up-and-coming musos.

But, in the spirit of the winter Solstice, here are sound samples sent by readers from two musos you’ll probably never have heard of, but might decide to investigate further.

Thanks to Martin Grant for recommending Chris Ward, who gigs in Donegal, Martin’s ancestral home:

www.pringlesunsung.com/submissions/view/533

And to Simon Stewart, who says: “I am a singer/songwriter very much inspired by the musicians that you cite (especially Dylan and Cole Porter; and Tom Waits!). I thought you may be interested in hearing my songs.

“Longman Records is releasing my debut album in June 2007. I thought I'd let you know in advance. The album is produced by label founder Richard Durrant (an excellent concert guitarist).

“Longman are currently offering two of my songs as free downloads at:

www.longman-records.com/

“There are also a further two available for purchase.”

Best of 2006 (1)

Thanks to Ed Stofko for kicking off the series with his list of the best albums of 2006:

“As the year winds down here is a list of my Best of 2006, in no particular order:

Jim Lauderdale - Super Country Hits Vol 1.
Watermelon Slim and the Workers
Kris Kristofferson - Live on Austin City Limits.
Dr. John - Mercenary.
Patti Staton - His Hands.
Dave Alvin - West of the West.
Bob Dylan - Modern Times.
Jerry Lee Lewis - Last Man Standing.
Bonnie Bramlett - Roots, Blues and Jazz.
The Black Keys - Magic Potion.


“Honorable Mentions:

Willie Nelson - You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker.
Willie Nelson - The Complete Atlantic Sessions.
Eric Burdon - Soul Of A Man.
BR549 - Dog Days.
The Hacienda Brothers - What's Wrong With Right.”



What are YOUR top albums/gigs of 2006? I - and many Music for Grown-Ups readers - would love to know….



Gerry Smith

The Doors – a fitting tribute

Though the Doors were an immensely influential rock band, they go in and out of fashion. Most of the time, they’re the favourites of ageing hippies and a few younger retro fans, but, periodically, they re-enter the poprock mainstream.

The Doors’ incandescent catalogue is about to get another wider airing with an impressive series of releases.

Perception, a (second) box set of the six Doors albums, with bonus material, has already sold out – even before becoming visible in the UK, even in the biggest retail outlets.

The double disc sampler, Legacy – The Absolute Best, looks like a worthwhile second best for disappointed fans outside the USA; the 33 remastered tracks include nine which were omitted from the preferred previous compilation, The Best Of The Doors, even from the 2CD European version.

A new coffee table book, The Doors By The Doors, edited by Ben Fong-Torres (Hyperion) looks very tempting, too.

And there are rumours of a new DVD box set: watch Music for Grown-Ups for details.

If you have yet to catch up on The Doors, the recommended albums are the first, The Doors, and the last, LA Woman.



Gerry Smith

Major release from the vaults of John Lee Hooker, blues master

While always open to new blues singers, I tend towards the view that the genre peaked from about 1945 to 1965, and then died a long, lingering death. So most of the blues releases which are vital to me are reissues of material up to fifty years old.

Highlight of 2006’s blues releases has to be the sumptuous new repackaging of the catalogue of one of the blues masters, John Lee Hooker.

His (messy, confusing, mammoth) catalogue gets a long-awaited career-spanning retrospective in Hooker, a new 4CD box, which tracks the great man all the way from his late 1940s raw solo material, through his 1960s success, decline in the 1970s and his late-career blossoming, when middle-aged rock stars from Van the Man to Clapton were queuing up to pay tribute.

Hooker: highly recommended.


Gerry Smith

Satanic Stones - maybe, but rather less than majestic

Grappling with how many tracks from a few weaker Rolling Stones albums to add to my iTunes collection, I’ve been listening carefully to Their Satanic Majesties Request, for the first time in a quarter of a century.

Yes, the psychedelic extravaganza has a few strong songs – notably She’s A Rainbow and 2000 Light Years From Home - but most of it sounds even weaker than it did on release in 1967 – ill-conceived, indulgent, crying out for a strong producer with the power to say “No!”.

Checking out critical approval for my rejection of most tracks, I re-read Acid Reign, a long article praising the album by Dave DiMartino, in 2003’s MOJO Special Edition, marking the band’s 40th Anniversary.

Now I’m all for contrarian views on music. But I just can’t believe that DiMartino was being entirely serious: “one of the strongest albums in the band’s catalogue, and maybe even one of the strongest albums of the ‘60s… throughout, an absolute delight… “

After several listens, my own considered reaction to Satanic Majesties echoes that of Keefe, quoted near the end of the article – “a load of crap.”

With Satanic Majesties, the Stones made the strategic error of following the Beatles, and recorded their weakest album of all.

No coincidence, I’d say.




Gerry Smith

Jackie Leven – take 2

Following last week’s championing of Jackie Leven by Mike Ollier, I pulled from the Music for Grown-Ups Archive this appreciation by another smitten reader, Alan Ewart:



Jackie Leven for beginners

Alan Ewart writes:

Jackie Leven grew up in a Scotland of dying coalfields and a declining textile industry. His unique body of work has traces of the different musics he heard as a child - jazz and blues at home, Protestant hymns at school, and the folk songs of his native Fife. They all add substance to his powerfully evocative song writing.

Leven's first album, Control, in the early '70s, was released under the pseudonym John St. Field. In the late '70s, he moved south, to Dorset, forming the outstanding rock band, Doll By Doll. They made five strong albums between 1978 and 1982 - Remember, Gypsy Blood, Doll By Doll, Grand Passion and A Last Flick of the Golden Wrench - though the last album was never released. Tired of trying to make a breakthrough in the days of punk and disco, Doll By Doll disbanded in 1982.

Jackie Leven went solo, but in 1983 he was attacked in a North London street, and was left with severe damage to his larynx. Unable to sing or even speak, Leven turned to drink and drugs. In 1985, he turned his experience to positive use by founding the Core Trust, a treatment centre for addicts, focussing on alternative therapies for beating addiction.

Leven resumed his career in the mid-'90s, with a string of superbly crafted albums. His songs draw richly on his own experiences and he frequently alludes to the darker side of life. He sings about death from heroin (Poortoun), the perils of drink (Classic Northern Diversions) and violence (Extremely Violent Man). At the heart of his attraction as a musician is the contrast between his often dark subject matter and the beauty of his singing and playing.

These dark songs are only a part of his work, however. If I had to categorise Jackie Leven's music, I would describe it as Celtic Soul. Many of his songs (Your Winter Days, Ancient Misty Morning) draw pictures of lyrical beauty (in the way of Van Morrison). Others tell of love lost (Exit Wound). He frequently draws American and Russian poetry into his work (last year's Shining Brother, Shining Sister). His respect for the written word led to collaboration with poet Robert Bly and writer Ian Rankin. In fact, Rankin has written a short story, Jackie Even Said, which they will perform together at this month's Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.

Go and buy an album (my favourites are Fairy Tales for Hardmen, Defending Ancient Springs, and Shining Brother, Shining Sister). Better still, get out and see this rewarding musician, live. Jackie Leven's shows are always entertaining, offering well-crafted songs, unusual guitar playing and hilarious storytelling: most definitely music for grown-ups!

Jackie Leven is a friendly, accessible man. I recently sent him CDR copies of a couple of his shows I'd recorded. By return of post, he sent me a signed copy of his self-written fan magazine (The Haunted Valley) and a letter of thanks. Annual subscription to the magazine is only £14 and the price includes an exclusive fan club-only CD: how's that for value?

If you are interested in seeing him live, he will be performing at a Leven internet list-organised charity event on the weekend of 18/19/20 June 2004: a midsummer party in Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Activities Centre, Manor Farm Country Park, Bursledon, Hants. Accommodation is available in log cabins in the forest. It will be a great weekend (and very reasonably priced).

Two cheers for theJazz, new digital radio station

TheJazz is a new digital radio station launching in the UK on Christmas Day. It claims it will play music from across the jazz spectrum, including bebop, swing, cool jazz, trad, blues, and modern jazz. Artists featured on the station are set to include Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong, Weather Report, Branford Marsalis, Denys Baptiste, Jamie Cullum, Diana Krall and Madeleine Peyroux.

The new station will be broadcast on DAB digital radio, online at theJazz.com and on Sky and ntl:Telewest. So it’s a global, rather than a national, resource. The station’s PR says it will be engaging existing jazz fans and new listeners by asking the question ‘What is Jazz?’ Listeners will be asked to vote online for their top three jazz tracks – with results broadcast over the Easter weekend, in theJazz 500, a countdown of the UK listeners’ all-time greatest jazz music.

Promising. So why does it raise only two cheers in this parish? Well, because it’s being launched alongside Classic FM. And, fair enough, “Classic FM has taken classical music into the mainstream”, so theJazz might well succeed in its stated aim of “making jazz a part of everyday life in the UK”

The trouble is, I never listen to Classic FM, vastly preferring the original, less popular, classic music station, BBC Radio 3 – my station of choice.

I don’t like Classic FM’s narrower range of music. Or its focus on “soothing”, “beautiful” music. Or its programming of bite-sized chunks of music, the catchy hum-along bits instead of complete works. Or its middlebrow, mainstream tone. Or the relentless adverts (which tell you all you need to know about the audience for any media outlet).

Will I listen to theJazz? I’d like to think so. I’ll certainly give it a fair hearing over Christmas. But if, as feared, it turns out to be a Jamie Cullum/Kenny G jazz-lite station, with token coverage of the serious end of the jazz canon, then I’ll have stopped listening well before the New Year. I might end up applauding it, as I do Classic FM, for taking great music to new listeners, while ignoring it completely for personal listening.



Gerry Smith

Dylan, Stones, Jackie Leven and The Pirates

Thanks to Mike Ollier:

“A big thanx for putting that Dylan/Stones link up... great. And Bob smiled! Or perhaps he had wind? Now then, if we could get a video of both Van Morrison and Bob smiling together, wow that would be great!

“Your comments about why we should read other views about Dylan/Beatles etc is pertinent: I subscribe to UNCUT and I'm about sick of lists, Q&A from readers, stupid top 100s etc ~ it's called lazy journalism, in my book. They can't be arsed to pay someone or research something themselves. And when it comes to Xmas, the lists just hit the roof ~ reviews of the "best of the year" that I've already paid for previously...

“Saw Jackie Leven last night... exceptional artist ~ better 'celtic soul' than Van has mustered for many a year. Catch him (if you haven't already); not only is he a great singer, a great guitarist and a great performer... he is also very, very funny. His albums are superb and beautifully packaged and the man is a joy to speak with.

“Finally off back to London next weekend... Fopp an obvious stop! The Pirates @ The Borderline on Saturday evening. Oh yes!”


(And Mike isn’t the first correspondent on Music for Grown-Ups to speak so highly, unprompted, of Jackie Leven… - Gerry Smith)

Best ever value for grown-up music buyers

The way you read it in the press, music retailing is all bad news at the moment - those High St shops which have survived the triple onslaught of downloading, Internet retailing, and supermarket discounting (and many haven’t) – are having to cut prices still further.

From where I stand, this is excellent news. It’s a jungle out there, and there are phenomenal bargains about.

Recent purchases include:

* The Very Best of Elvis Costello 2CD, £3.97 at Woolworths

* The Hour Of Bewilderbeast, by Badly Drawn Boy, £6.99 at Borders

* Leaders Of The Free World, by Elbow, £3 at Fopp.

Total: under £14. Ten years ago that lot would have cost me £40-50.

Viva competition!


Gerry Smith

Dylan/Stones’ Like A Rolling Stone: rock’s highest peak

Thanks to Gerhard Bonhoffer for alerting me to the video clip from You Tube of Dylan as a guest of the Rolling Stones at a gig in Brazil, on the band’s Bridges To Babylon tour.

The sight of the Poet Laureate of Rock n Roll duetting with Sir Jack Flash, the greatest rock performer of them all, fronting rock’s best live band, on the best rock song ever written, brought tears to my eyes. Almost seven minutes of uncontrollable joy: a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even on a computer screen.

Is this video clip the highest peak of rock music? I think so.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTqEW2em0u4



Gerry Smith

Live Licks from the Rolling Stones

The Live Licks double album from the Rolling Stones garnered lukewarm-to-poor reviews on release a couple of years ago, and it’s now retailing at a giveaway £5.

Despite the omens, it’s a surprisingly strong album and an absolute must-have at that price. CD1 has the usual stadium crowd-pleasers, but CD2 consists entirely of semi-rarities.

If you’re a Stones fan, you need Live Licks. It comes in two different sleeves – on one the rock chick animation is wearing a bikini; on the other, she’s discarded the top half. Ooooh, those saucy Stones - still rebels after all these years.



Gerry Smith