 |
| Apparently the pools in Granada are unfiltered... |
 |
| Alhambra's upside down scorecards are confusing |
Game One:
G(100pts), W(87pts), K(81pts), J(72pts) & Si(56pts)
Game Two:
Si(97pts), J(83pts), G(79pts), K(76pts) & W(64pts)
Final Tally:
G (179pts)
K (157pts)
J (155pts)
Si (153pts)
W (151pts)
G was declared victor for this week.
Notes:
- so tired...
- W expressed disappointment when Galactic's great album was replaced.
- G strategically (duh!) overspent to acquire the "top" three colours.
- Great fiddle tunes from CCD and all W could hear was Looney Tunes. All Si could hear was Beverley Hillbillies. So Sad.
- Funny comments about feeling like being on hold with CRA when Taxman started playing. We wished muzak was this good.
- Possibly first time Sticky Fingers was listened to, in its entirety, by some participants.
- next week Si would like to hear Lee Scratch Perry and the Upsetter's Super Ape (1976)
Music Features (with notes from AllMusic.Com)
 |
| cool, steady and easy |
Galactic: Coolin' Off (1996)
After listening to Galactic's 1996 debut release, Coolin' Off, it's hard to believe that the band isn't comprised of seasoned funk veterans. Instead of showing off their instrumental chops at every given opportunity, the members of Galactic play as an ensemble, who know when to step back and let their soulful music groove and breath on its own. Vocalist Theryl de Clouet is only featured on a few of the album's tracks ("Something's Wrong With This Picture," "Everybody Wants Some -- Part 3," etc.), but his voice often steals the show when it's featured. The majority of Coolin' Off consists of funky instrumentals with a sound straight out of the '70s, but the band knows how to mix it up and avoid monotony. The opening "Go Go" is a good example of Galactic's sound: a prominent bassline is merged with horns and wah-wah guitar, while an organ creates a memorable melody. Other groove-oriented tracks include "Funky Bird," "Stax Jam," "Doo Rag," and "Church." Coolin' Off is an excellent debut from a band that is destined for great things.
 |
| folk festival champions |
Carolina Chocolate Drops: Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind (2006)
The 14 uncredited (read: traditional) songs on the record touch on ancient blues and country, but to align what the CCD do with either of those branches would be an error. Songs like "Ol' Corn Likker" and "Black-Eyed Daisy" evoke a time and place far removed not only from the present but from contemporary notions of what those genres signify. When the trio plays "Dixie," you're listening not to a patriotic rebel anthem but a yearning, mournful moan. And the purity of Giddens' solo a cappella vocal on "Little Margaret" (note from G: traditional also known as Maddy Groves) belongs to an era when music was not something to be sold but something from the soul. The Carolina Chocolate Drops have stated that they are on a mission to keep this tradition alive, and that they do. But they do so not from the staid position of lecturers on ethnomusicology or as strident sociopolitical posturers but as musicians truly in love with this disappearing slice of Americana, more specifically a little known slice of black Americana. That they do it with zeal as well as respect, and that they have the talent to back up their knowledge, is why it works on its own merits, not merely as a historical study.
 |
| Dr John, aka "The Night Tripper" kinda looks like Sir Paul in this photo |
Dr. John: Dr. John's Gumbo (1972)
Dr. John's Gumbo bridged the gap between post-hippie rock and early rock & roll, blues, and R&B, offering a selection of classic New Orleans R&B, including "Tipitina" and "Junko Partner," updated with a gritty, funky beat. There aren't as many psychedelic flourishes as there were on his first two albums, but the ones that are present enhance his sweeping vision of American roots music. And that sly fusion of styles makes Dr. John's Gumbo one of Dr. John's finest albums.
 |
| I would ride this elevator day and night |
Soulive: Rubber Soulive (2010)
Recording predominantly instrumental soul-jazz Beatles' covers isn't a unique concept; both George Benson and Booker T. & the MG's attempted a similar concept to varying degrees of success in the early '70s. But Soulive strips the sound down to a three-piece organ combo and swings its way through 11 Beatles tunes, including rockers such as "Help" and "Day Tripper," jazzing them up without losing the hummable melodies that makes this timeless music still resonate...
The solos are generally kept short, sharp, and tight, unlike other jazz covers that use a song's melody as a jumping-off place for lengthy improvisation that often strays too far from the tunefulness of the source material. Rather, the trio keeps the Beatles' songwriting abilities foremost in the presentation, although when they do wander off the page on short jams -- as in "Taxman" -- but it's never for long. Like the Liverpool lads who intuitively meshed together, Soulive's members interlock to yield results greater than the sum of its parts on this successful tribute that combines the Beatles sense of excitement, imagination. and musical exploration with a funky, down-home R&B/jazz groove.
 |
| I love it when the singing stops and the jazz begins |
The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers (1971)
Pieced together from outtakes and much-labored-over songs, Sticky Fingers manages to have a loose, ramshackle ambience that belies both its origins and the dark undercurrents of the songs. It's a weary, drug-laden album -- well over half the songs explicitly mention drug use, while the others merely allude to it -- that never fades away, but it barely keeps afloat. Apart from the classic opener, "Brown Sugar" (a gleeful tune about slavery, interracial sex, and lost virginity, not necessarily in that order), the long workout "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and the mean-spirited "Bitch," Sticky Fingers is a slow, bluesy affair, with a few country touches thrown in for good measure. The laid-back tone of the album gives ample room for new lead guitarist Mick Taylor to stretch out, particularly on the extended coda of "Can't You Hear Me Knocking." But the key to the album isn't the instrumental interplay -- although that is terrific -- it's the utter weariness of the songs. "Wild Horses" is their first non-ironic stab at a country song, and it is a beautiful, heart-tugging masterpiece. Similarly, "I Got the Blues" is a ravished, late-night classic that ranks among their very best blues. "Sister Morphine" is a horrifying overdose tale, and "Moonlight Mile," with Paul Buckmaster's grandiose strings, is a perfect closure: sad, yearning, drug-addled, and beautiful. With its offhand mixture of decadence, roots music, and outright malevolence, Sticky Fingers set the tone for the rest of the decade for the Stones.
No comments:
Post a Comment