What's that?? Yes!!! It's a new batch of Catfish John W.'s Notorious CD Reviews
John J. Wood
Hello, everybody!!!:-):-)
After nearly six months, it's time for a batch of them 'ol CD Reviews you
knew and loathed so much...;-)
I will take up where I left off, rating and rapping about each CD in terms
od PERFORMANCE, SOUND QUALITY and PACKAGING.
To those in rec.music.dylan: you will know why I included this edition of the
CD Reviews in this newsgroup....;-)
CD's reviewed:
Neil Young - FREEDOM
Bob Dylan - OH MERCY
Bo Diddley - BO DIDDLEY/GO BO DIDDLEY
Talking Heads - TALKING HEADS '77
1. Neil Young - FREEDOM, Reprise, DDD, 9 25899-2, 61+ Minutes
I'll make this plain and simple: this is Neil Young's flat-out
best effort since 1979's RUST NEVER SLEEPS. After going through
the 1980's as popular music's chemeleon (from the synthesizer music of
TRANS to the rockabilly of the Shocking Pinks to the country of OLD
WAYS to another Crazy Horse period to the overkilled blues of the
Bluenotes), Neil Young decided to be good old Neil Young. Best of all,
Young assembled a batch of songs full of gems and with the exception of
one number, "Someday", has assembled his most consistent and enjoyable
album of the 1980's.
The all-digital CD opens with a live version of "Rockin' In The
Free World", recorded at Jones Beach (the same show where Bruce Springsteen
joined him for "Down By The River"), fresh off his successful solo acoustic
tour. This is a song of urgency, about a drug-addicted mother whose life
of her's and her child's is filled with gloom and adversity ("Now she puts the
kid away/And she's gone to get a hit/She hates her life/And what she's done
to it", "That's one more kid/That will never go to school/Never get to fall
in love/Never get to be cool"). This song is obviously promoted in the
same way as RUST NEVER SLEEPS's "Hey Hey My My" as they are represented in
acoustic and electric versions.
"Crime Of The City (Sixty To Zero Part 1)" was one of the songs
performed at Young's acoustic shows. On FREEDOM, this is a gem,
worthy of succeeding such lengthy classics as "Like A Hurricane". The brass
section here play softly and never falters to overkill the way ths horns
did on THIS NOTE'S FOR YOU. Young speaks of a city which is full of
oppression ("They paint my car like a target/I take my orders from fools/
Meanwhile some kid blows my head off/Well I play by their rules"). The
simulated pedal steel sounds offer bliss to the main character of the song,
and Neil admits that the adversity drives him on ("Well I keep getting younger/
My life's been funny that way/Before I ever learned to talk/I forgot what to
say").
"Don't Cry" starts off with Rick Rosas' sturdy bass line and a beat
which sounds more modern, but during the song breaks, Young lets loose with
one of his feedback-laden Crazy Horse-type solos, which puts the song in
a frenzy. Next is a beautiful duet with Linda Ronstadt, "Hangin On A Limb",
with the only accompaniment being Neil's acoustic guitar. Both harmonize
beautifully, reminding me of Neil's duets with Nicolette Larson on the
underrated COMES A TIME. Even Neil seems to acknowledge that he's glad
he's musically home again ("And though their love was hangin' on a limb,
she taught him how to dance and start again").
The western-tinged "Eldorado" keeps up with the variety quotent of
FREEDOM, yet the song and sound is unmistakenly Neil. The first half
closes with the blissful "The Ways Of Love", with Linda Ronstadt taking backing
vocals.
The second half starts with the only dud, "Someday". It opens with
a cheesy synthesizer line that sounds more at home on a Madonna record.
The song is also very Springsteenesque in that Neil sings like The Boss, and
has a saxbreak a la Clarence Clemons. Lyrically, it's not too bad, and Neil
takes a stab at the Alaska pipeline. Musically, "Someday" is truly out of
place here, and I've already started programming the CD around the song.
Neil them makes up for this blunder by delivering a great Crazy Horse-
style cover of, of all things, "On Broadway". Before he gets to the last line
of each verse, Young cranks out a furious display of feedback guitar. After
the famous "But they're dead wrong/I know they are/'cause they can play this
here guitar", Neil cranks out some wailing guitar molten lava: I'm sure that
neither the songwriting team of Leiber-Stroller nor George Benson NEVER
intended "On Broadway" to be like this!! Young also takes a poke at
crack and how that is predominant in New York ("Give me
that crack/Give me some of that crack/Give me that crack") and lets out
a fearful scream at the song's end.
Things mellow out a bit with the lovely "Wrecking Ball", with Neil's
simple piano backed up by a tasteful bass line (by Rick Rosas).
I will admit that "No More" has become a personal favorite of mine.
Here, Neil seems to admit that he has lost his touch as an artist, no
matter how hard he tries to regain ("Where did the magic go/I searched high
and low/I can't find it no more/I can't get it back"). Musically, it has
the feel similar to "Cortez The Killer" as the energy level is carefully
paced. The powerful two "D" chords, then Neil singing "No More" is truly
a powerful effect. This is another song Neil honed out on his acoustic
tour. To my ears, this is a really great song and is one of Neil's best songs
of the 1980's.
"Too Far Gone" was another song performed on the acoustic tour, and
here, Neil reminisces while he seems to be in love ("We had drugs and we
had booze/But we still had something to lose/And by dawn I wanted to marry
you"). Musically, Ben Keith's too-brief pedal steel and Neil's guitar
solo are like welcoming home old friends. FREEDOM ends with a rock-out
nearly-heavy-metal version of "Rockin' In The Free World". Neil speaks
of the same themes (with one added verse, and the other verses a bit
different, lyrically) while churning out some downright angry rock & roll.
For my money, I easily prefer the acoustic version, but I can't think
of a Neil fan nor a hard rock fan who won't like this.
OK, I've blabbered on a LOT about this, but it's downright refreshing
to see a veteran artist find his roots and able to break new ground
simultaneously. The all-digital recording captures the music in full. Neil's
feedback solo on "Don't Cry" is brilliantly captured, with the fuzz sounding
like your speakers are shredding. A truly excellent and a clean, grungy
recording, all Neil Young-style.
A nice packaging job as well. All the lyrics and musician credits
are included, as well as a nice fold-out black-and-white picture of Young
holding his acoustic guitar with a edgy look, as if it's telling you this
is going to be serious.
I've said enough. This is a CD where you don't have to be a Neil
Young fan to enjoy it. And at 61 minutes, all you have to do is program all
the tracks except "Someday", and you have Neil's best effort in a decade.
PERFORMANCE: 9 SOUND QUALITY: 9.5 PACKAGING: 8
2. Bob Dylan - OH MERCY, Columbia, AAD, CK 45281, 39 Minutes
1989 has been a good year for Bob Dylan. Another year of successful
shows with G.E. Smith and company, and now we have OH MERCY, which is Dylan's
best effort since 1984's INFIDELS.
For this effort, Zimmy enlisted the help of successful producer
Daniel Lanois (U2's The Joshua Tree, Robbie Robertson's solo effort), and
a group of New Orleans musicians, including a portion of the Neville Brothers
(guitarist Brian Stoltz, Cyril Neville on percussion, and superb drummer
Willie Green), and guitarist Mason Ruffner.
OH MERCY opens with the brooding rocker, "Political World", where
both musical and lyrical foundations are established. Lanois' dobro is
tasteful here. Zimmy almost gets light-hearted with the enjoyable
"Where Teardrops Fall", augmented by a nice saxophone solo by John Hart.
Next is a really nice rocker, the CCR-esque "Everything Is Broken". Dylan
is in full command with the lyrics here, as he talks about how many
things in life are flawed using his own sarcastic wit. Dylan's famous
harmonica gets some prestine treatment: thanks to Lanois' great
feel for musical reach. The percussion here also stands out on CD.
Next is the gospelish "Ring Them Bells", where Dylan shines
with some very impassioned singing (or "dylanizing" if you will). That
singing takes a song which actually meanders and keeps its focus. And folks
say that Dylan can't do it anymore!! "Man In The Long Black Coat" is
a chilling number, with a "cricket" type of noise in the backdrop augmenting
Dylan's passioned voice, his harmonica, and Lanois' dobro. "Man In The
Long Black Coat" may be Dylan's best song of OH MERCY: if/when another
compilation is made, omitting this gem would be a crime.
"Most Of The Time" reveals the flaws of the Lanois/Dylan collaboration.
Musically, this just sounds too much like U2, with no original musical
ground broken. It's too bad because Dylan's pensive mood really could
have made this a nice song, but the lyrics and the music seem to fight each
other and never jell.
However, things are restored with another gem, "What Good Am I",
which finds Dylan almost seeming to question his own abilities and
accomplishments. Musically, this really had a sweet "Just Like A Woman BLONDE
ON BLONDE feel without having to resort to any nostalgia. As it is, the
songs, as a whole, are too good for that. "Desease Of Conceit" has that
CCR-ish feel again, but so far, the song has yet to really do it
for me, but it's not of the low caliber as the majority of Dylan's poorest
efforts (KNOCKED OUT LOADED, for example). "What Was It You Wanted" is another
curious tune. I interpret this as Dylan asking his audience, "is this the music
you want from me". OH MERCY ends on a nice note with "Shooting Star", which is
in a way, ironic, since Dylan has always been a star, but his career has
had some incredibly high points and some plummeting lows.
However, OH MERCY is an album where Dylan didn't have to rest on
his laurels, as DOWN IN THE GROOVE, KNOCKED OUT LOADED and SELF PORTRAIT
apparently did. With Daniel Lanois, Dylan has found a producer who understands
Dylan's feel for his music, yet Lanois is not afraid to incorporate new,
modern, fresh ideas to Duylan's music. The combination doesn't always work,
but when it does, especially on "Man In The Long Black Coat", "What Good Am I",
"Political World" and "Everything Is Broken", Dylan creates music that
keeps up with his rich musical legacy, yet is up-to-date with the changing
times of today.
Lanois also has a nice mix on this CD, but if I did have a complaint,
it almost sounds a bit too trebly at spots, and I think a little more
bass wouldn't have hurt. Still, Dylan's harmonica has a clarity that
doesn't sound as grating as usual, but that feel that has always marked
his harmonica is as prevalent as always. The percussion benefits in the
mix very well, particularly Willie Green's pulsating drums.
My big complaint here is the packaging, which is as every bit as
half-assed as DOWN IN THE GROOVE. Only musician credits are listed. No
liner notes, no listing of where the songs were recorded (although my
guess is New Orleans). The cover by Trotsky is very interesting, as is
the nice photo of Dylan in the back, but a set of lyrics, more pictures
and any other information would have been nice. What's say about this
is that OH MERCY is far superior to DOWN IN THE GROOVE in terms of
songs and overall coherency. Oh well, I guess you can't have everything.
PERFORMANCE: 8 SOUND QUALITY: 8.5 PACKAGING: 4
3. Bo Diddley, BO DIDDLEY/GO BO DIDDLEY, Chess/MCA, AAD, CHD-5904, 63+ Minutes
Nowadays, Bo Diddley is seen on that great Bo Diddley/Bo Jackson
NIKE commercial (yes, it's a sell-out, but the commercial is very well done).
However, most rock & roll archivists acknowledge Bo Diddley as one of
rock & roll's founders. This great Twofer CD by MCA gives 24 reasons why.
The song titles of these two Bo Diddley albums say it all:
"Bo Diddley", "I'm A Man", "Before You Accuse Me", "Who Do You Love",
"Crackin' Up", "Little Girl", "The Clock Strikes Twelve", and seventeen
other blasts of pure rock & roll.
Jerome Green's maracas (Jerome was Bo's favorite to pick on: great
example is "Bring It To Jerome") is well intact on CD, as is the
unmistakenable drum beat that has influenced so many musicians from Buddy
Holly, The Rolling Stones to the Grateful Dead, George Thorogood and U2.
BO DIDDLEY is Diddley's debut album, and Bo played and sang with
the shimmering confidence and fiestiness that marks Bo Diddley. The ring
of Bo's square-box guitar, Jerome's miracas. This all seems to be simplistic,
yet, in all actuality, it is a sound that travels eons and remains fully
intact today. GO BO DIDDLEY was released in 1958, and it is interesting to
see and hear how Bo's legendary sound evolved over the course of three
years, yet remain faithful to its roots.
On CD, you can hear plenty of hiss and crackles, but sound quality
is not the issue here. The important part is that the FEEL of these
gems are fully restored, so you can start dancing and bopping to this
CD without worrying about prestine sound.
Chess/MCA did a nice job packaging this CD. Each session is listed,
with any additional sidemen and recording dates mentioned. More pictures
and lyrics are nice, but analyzing lyrics is not important here. This is
a CD that's made to crank out on your stereo. Two CD pages' worth of
liner notes is a nice, loving touch to this gem. All this at some
nice prices (around $12). If you are a hard-core "old" rock & roller and
appreciate its roots, your CD collection isn't complete without this.
PERFORMANCE: 9.5 SOUND QUALITY: 6 PACKAGING: 8
4. Talking Heads, TALKING HEADS '77, Sire, AAD, 6036-2, 39+ Minutes
Back in the mid-late 70's, Talking Heads were one of the main bands
at the famous New York punk club, CBGB's. Since then, the band has
gone on to bigger and better things, but I can't think of a better CD for
tracing the band's roots. Although they were labeled "new wave" at the
time, in all actuality, Talking Heads were producing quirky, yet innovative
rock & roll.
Among TALKING HEADS '77's standouts are the classic "Psycho Killer",
the imaginative "Don't Worry About The Government", the rocking "Pulled Up"
and the offbeat "First Weel/Last Week...Carefree".
On CD, the punkish rock & roll feel is preserved, along with a
nice clarity that you just couldn't get on vinyl. Yes, background noise
and tape hiss is present, but the digital transfer is very good considering
this album was well-recorded with a harder edge.
David Byrne's first set of lyrics helped established the band's
quirky reputation. A great example is "Don't Worry About The Government"
("I see the states across this big nation/I see the laws made in Washington
D.C./I thik of the ones I consider my favorites/I think of the people that
are working for me"). However, that quirkiness sould lead to silliness,
as "Who Is It" demonstrated (4 "Who is it"s, 4 "What is it"s, "Watch out now
baby/Because I am in love with you"). The band had yet to polish its
hard lyrical edges, but Byrne's lyrics, as they would throughout his
career, always commanded attention.
Musically, this is straight ahead rock & roll. Sometimes, the
music seems to be in a holding pattern, as if the band wanted to branch
out but couldn't (they would as their career progressed successfully).
However, Talking Heads fans, as well as modern rock and rock & roll
fans will enjoy this as much as they did back in 1977.
A nice 12-page booklet contains the lyrics, musician credits (bassist
Tina Weymouth is listed as Martina) and just about everything that was on
the original LP, in addition to a page's worth of liner notes.
PERFORMANCE: 7.5 SOUND QUALITY: 7 PACKAGING: 7
Ah!! Any comments and etc. are welcomes, as always. :-) I don't know when
the next batch will be, but it WILL be a helluva lot shorter than 6 months.
Enjoy...:-)
Catfish John W.
"I see a girl in the night, with a baby in her hand..."
John J. Wood
Sorry, folks, I made one mistake in the CD Reviews. Dylan's OH MERCY is
an ADD disc, not AAD. My humble apologies....:-}
Catfish John W.
"There was music in the cafes at night, a revolution in the air..."