Jayhawks getting together for new album!

Former Jayhawks members Gary Louris and Mark Olson are reuniting for a new album, due out September, according to an Associated Press report. Titled Ready For The Flood, the album marks the first time the pair have written together in more than 10 years. Read the entire article here.

Gator Country Live - The Music of Molly Hatchet lives on!

Music has a strange and powerful energy. Good songs and bands and the fans who listen to them never go away. They might seem to disappear for a year or five or 10 or 20, but they'll never bow out. Enter Gator Country...

Gator Country was formed in 2005 after it was suggested that some original Molly Hatchet members put the band back together. Although Molly Hatchet was, and still is, performing under the name, the current group counts only one original member, guitarist Dave Hlubek, in its lineup. Several key pieces of the puzzle were missing. So, former Hatchet members - guitarist Steve Holland, vocalist Jimmy Farrar, drummer Bruce Crump and bassist Riff West - came back together a few years after performing at a 1999 tribute for Danny Joe Brown, Hatchet's original singer who was suffering complications from diabetes, and finally lost the battle March 10, 2005.

To flesh out the guitar department, they brought original Hatchet member Duane Roland back into the mix along with guitarist Linni Disse, and after some jamming, it was apparent that the musical chemistry here and the band's back catalog were too strong to ignore. Although this band was in many ways more "Molly Hatchet" than Molly Hatchet, the members couldn't use the name. Taking their cue from one of Hatchet's most popular songs, they decided to call themselves Gator Country and play the music that they helped create. In a tragic turn, Roland died June 19, 2006, from natural causes. The band members soldiered on, bringing in long-time friend and ex-UFO guitarist Paul Chapman, who stepped in the following month and has remained a member.

It's this lineup of Holland, Crump, Farrar, West, Chapman and Disse that's featured on the band's first full release, Gator Country Live, recorded in Eastlake, Ohio, Sept. 1, 2007, before an enthusiastic crowd. The sound is good, the band is tight and the set couldn't be better, from "Bounty Hunter" and "Gator Country" to "Beatin' The Odds" and, of course, "Flirtin' With Disaster." Many of the songs were originally sung by Danny Joe Brown, whose gritty, street-tough vocals gave them a sound all their own, but Farrar has a voice that's equally powerful and does a fine job putting his stamp on every tune. And he has a genuine respect for the Hatchet history and its members, as he gives a touching tribute to Brown and Roland, before kicking into a powerful performance of "Dreams I'll Never See," an Allman Brothers' chestnut that Hatchet covered on their self-titled 1978 debut. Holland took the original riff - a dreamy, waltz-like groove - and sped it up into a 4/4 rock riff. The song became something of a signature tune for the band, something that Farrar acknowledges on this recording, and an opportunity for the three guitarists to strut their six-string stuff. They also throw in a smokin' cover of "Long Tall Sally" and close the show with the anthemic "Boogie No More." It's an excellent set of Southern Rock that's sure to get your foot stompin'.

The disc concludes with a cover of Bad Company's "Oh Atlanta," which features the band's last studio recording with Roland. It's a poignant ending for a group of musicians and friends who've seen their share of tragedy, but know that the music and the memories of those who've departed too early never really die.

Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same gets 180-gram vinyl box treatment

Led Zeppelin's 1976 live album, The Song Remains The Same, is being reissued on by Rhino Records as a 4-LP set, pressed on 180-gram vinyl. The records will be released July 22 and include six additional songs not available on the original 2-LP issue: "Black Dog," "Over The Hills And Far Away," "Misty Mountain Hop," "The Ocean," "Heartbreaker" and "Since I've Been Loving You."

Bad Company reuniting for one summer show!

Good news for Bad Company fans. Billboard reports that three of the four original members - vocalist Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke, along with Rodgers' solo band bassist Lynn Sorenson - are getting together for one show Aug. 8, at Seminole Hard Rock & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Read the whole story at Bad Company Plots One-Off Reunion.

Moonbound - Confession and Release

I've been enjoying the first solo release from producer/bassist/singer-songwriter Fabio Trentini, whose project falls under the moniker "Moonbound." The 12-song disc, titled Confession and Release on Unsung Records, is a pop-rock mix in the style of Crowded House, Howard Jones and XTC - parts even sound like Emitt Rhodes to my ears - with a bit of an edge.

Trentini builds songs with layers of sounds from instruments ranging from Minimoogs and pedal-steel guitars to ukeleles and talking drums, and Trentini plays many of the instruments himself. Other sounds come courtesy of guest musicans including percussionist and King Crimsonite Pat Mastelotto and "touch guitarist" Markus Reuter.

Although the tunes are multi-layered, the arrangements are subtle and serve the songs, instead of overwhelming them. And Trentini's melodies stick in your head. My favorite tracks are the lush, power-poppish numbers including "Nina," "Future After You" and "My Life Ain't Worth Being Lived Without You." This is a solid first effort. Cool album art, too. Check it out!

Technorati Tags: Moonbound, Pop rock music, Crowded House, Howard Jones, XTC

10 Great "Lost" Neil Young Songs

Neil Young is one of the greatest and most prolific rock songwriters of the 20th century. His string of albums in the late '60s through the 1970s, in particular, are loaded with so many fantastic songs and "deep cuts" that it's something of a misnomer to call any of Young's tunes "lost." Nevertheless, I've picked 10 songs that don't get much hype but have remained personal favorites since I first heard them.

1. "Emperor Of Wyoming" (from Neil Young, 1969): The first track off Young's first solo release is a bucolic instrumental, with a lovely country-western lilt. It's a musical march across the mountains and high plains of the Cowboy State.

2. "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" (from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969): Young's second album brought his on-and-off-again backing band Crazy Horse into the mix and made him a solo star. "Cowgirl In The Sand," "Down By The River" and "Cinnamon Girl" get all the attention, but the title track is a wonderful and quirky burst of country-rock longing.

3. "Birds" (from After The Gold Rush, 1970): A beautiful and fragile song about lost love with a very young Nils Lofgren at the piano.

4. "Country Girl" (from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Déjà Vu, 1970): A hauntingly orchestrated masterpiece of saloon music.

5. "Journey Through The Past" (from Time Fades Away, 1973): Heartfelt tribute to Young's Canada home from a very overlooked live album, and marks a point where Young was composing more and more on the piano.

6. "Ambulance Blues" (from On The Beach, 1974): My favorite Young song of all from my favorite Young album. Enigmatic and as atmospheric as they come - the dropped guitar tuning lends the tune a muddy earthiness that sounds timeless.

7. "Mellow My Mind" (from Tonight's The Night, 1975): Features Young's bleakest vocals on his bleakest (and maybe greatest) album ever. Listen to the strain as he sings "I've been down the road and I've come back/Lonesome whistle on a railroad track." Incredible.

8. "Hey Babe" (from American Stars 'N Bars, 1976): A sweet, gentle country-folk tune that dances around the ears as soft and comfortable as an old flannel shirt.

9. "Four Strong Winds" (from Comes A Time, 1978): This definitive cover of Ian and Sylvia Tyson's "Four Strong Winds" has become something of a second national anthem in Canada. "Think I'll go out to Alberta..."

10. "Thrasher" (from Rust Never Sleeps, 1979): One of Young's greatest works addresses the changes he was going through, the changes the world was going through and his reactions to contemporaries stuck in neutral. There's some terrific acoustic guitar playing, too.

Technorati Tags: Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, After The Gold Rush, On The Beach, Rust Never Sleeps

The 50 Greatest Blues Artists

The roots of the blues extend deep, deep into the soil of the Mississippi Delta, Texas, the Piedmont and up to Chicago. The influence of the blues on American music is inestimable, and the greatest blues artists and their classic recordings are as timeless as the blues itself.

Here are 50 of the most influential blues artists (in no particular order) and songs featuring some of their greatest performances.

Albert King: southpaw blues slinger who played a right-handed Flying V guitar upside down. His sweet tone was hugely influential on a new crop of blues guitarists, appearing on albums with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Gary Moore. Recommended: “I’ll Be Doggone,” “Born Under A Bad Sign,” “Crosscut Saw” and “Laundromat Blues.”

Duane Allman: could have been the greatest player of his generation. In his short 24 years, Allman mastered the bottleneck slide and helped rewrite the book of Southern blues with The Allman Brothers Band. Recommended: “Loan Me A Dime,” “Whipping Post,” “Layla,” “Dreams” and “Statesboro Blues.”

Roy Buchanan: one of many tragic figures in the blues world. Buchanan coaxed notes from his Telecaster like pleas for better days. His gorgeous solos, creativity and speed had a huge impact on Jeff Beck. Recommended: “Roy’s Bluz,” “The Messiah Will Come Again,” “Story Of Isaac,” “After Hours” and “Thank You Lord.”

B.B. King: The master of using one note to say it all, King is the most important blues guitarist of the last half of the 20th century and the most durable. A tireless performer who managed to ride every musical tide of the past five decades and stay on top. Recommended: “The Thrill Is Gone,” “How Blue Can You Get,” “Five Long Years” and “Everyday I Have The Blues.”

Mike Bloomfield first found fame with Paul Butterfield’s band and helped turn a generation of white musicians onto the blues. Bloomfield could play circles around nearly everyone, on slide or otherwise, and his education came directly from blues legends such as Muddy Waters and Big Joe Williams. Recommended: “East-West,” “Albert’s Shuffle,” “Screamin’” and “Shake Your Moneymaker.”

Blind Blake’s pianistic guitar approach mixes ragtime with blues for a “raggin’” romp across the strings. Blake was a tremendously skilled guitarist — a master of alternating bass and treble picking. Recommended: “Diddy Wah Diddy,” “Blind Blake’s Breakdown” and “West Coast Blues.”

Stevie Ray Vaughan resurrected the blues in the 1980s with his soulful playing and tremendous guitar chops. The blues world is still awaiting his successor. Recommended: “Pride And Joy,” “The Sky Is Crying,” “Texas Flood,” “Rude Mood” and “Scuttle Buttin’.”

Blind Lemon Jefferson: Texas songster who struck it big in the 1920s. His moaning vocals, tricky rhythms and lead picking made him perhaps the most influential of the early Lone Star bluesmen. His “Matchbox Blues” was covered by The Beatles and Carl Perkins, among others. Recommended: “Hot Dogs,” “Rabbit Foot’s Blues,” “Matchbox Blues” and “Black Snake Moan.”

Blind Willie Johnson possessed a voice of raw emotion and frightening intensity that could shake a tree from its roots. Johnson’s music is a mix of heartfelt gospel and guttural blues played on the guitar with a bottleneck slide. “Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed” was reworked by Led Zeppelin into “In My Time Of Dying.” Recommended: “Nobody’s Fault But Mine,” “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground” and “God Moves On The Water.”

Charlie Patton: one of the great country/blues voices to emerge from the Delta. Patton’s guitar work often blends blues and Hawaiian guitar sounds using a metal “slide” to create a steely, whining drone. The song would become a blues staple, covered by Howlin’ Wolf and Cream, among others. Recommended: “Spoonful Blues,” “Pony Blues,” “Shake It And Break It” and “Down The Dirt Road Blues.”

Peter Green: For a time in the late ’60s, Green and Fleetwood Mac were on top of the British blues scene, and Green was touted by some as the greatest white blues guitarist of all. His playing is soulful and lyrical with a savage edge. Recommended: “Black Magic Woman,” “Shake Your Moneymaker,” “Oh Well” and “Albatross.”

T-Bone Walker: one of the early masters of electric guitar. Walker worked with Blind Lemon Jefferson in Dallas and developed into a first-rate player and soloist. His playing was a major influence on Freddie King and others. “Stormy Monday,” “Mean Old World,” “Strollin’ With Bones” and “I’m Still In Love With You.”

Robert Johnson: Arguably the most influential blues guitarist in history, Johnson lived to be only 27, but his stature is as large as the tales surrounding his life and mysterious death. Recommended: “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Come On In My Kitchen,” “Hellhound On My Trail,” “Cross Road Blues” and “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom.”

Buddy Guy: The most recognizable proponent of Chicago blues alive, Guy has been lauded commercially and by his peers. Eric Clapton has called him the greatest guitar player alive. He’s also one of the greatest performers. Recommended: “Rememberin’ Stevie,” “Just Playing My Axe” and “Stone Crazy.”

Otis Rush: one of the great voices in the blues. His impassioned vocals and falsetto delivery match his singing guitar sound. Recommended: “My Love Will Never Die,” “Double Trouble,” “Three Times A Fool” and “I Can’t Quit You Baby.”

Johnny Winter: high-energy blues with rock ’n’ roll attitude. Winter is also a stinging slide guitar player. His later work with Muddy Waters earned the musicians two Grammy® Awards. Recommended: “Dallas,” “Leland Mississippi Blues,” “Highway 61 Revisited” and “Rock & Roll.”

Elmore James: the man on slide guitar. James took Robert Johnson’s “Dust My Broom” and made it his own and the signature song of the slide guitar. He was also a gifted singer. His songs have been covered so many times it’s easy to forget who wrote them. Recommended: “Dust My Broom,” “Sky Is Crying,” “Done Somebody Wrong” and “Shake Your Moneymaker.”

Son House: a master of the bottleneck whose influence extends from Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters. Was friends and traveled with fellow blues aces Charlie Patton and Willie Brown. Recommended: “Preachin’ Blues,” “Levee Camp Moan,” “John The Revelator,” “Death Letter” and “Downhearted Blues.”

John Lee Hooker: Making do with the very minimum, Hooker could take one or two chords and hypnotize listeners with his repetitive vamping on a theme. Recommended: “Boom Boom,” “Boogie Chillun’,” “I’m In The Mood,” “Crawlin’ King Snake” and “Burning Hell.”

Muddy Waters: the sound of Chicago blues filtered through Clarksdale, Miss., and Robert Johnson. The raw stomp of “Mannish Boy” is the blues. Recommended: “Mannish Boy,” “I Can’t Be Satisfied” and “(I’m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man.”

Howlin’ Wolf: The term blues giant describes Howlin’ Wolf to a tee. A monster in the Chicago blues scene, Wolf combined an imposing physical presence with a deep, gravelly growl that could sound lonely one moment and scare the hell out of you the next. Recommended: “Moanin’ At Midnight,” “Smokestack Lightning” and “How Many More Years.”

Lonnie Johnson: highly regarded guitarist whose skills transcended genres. Johnson played the blues but also recorded with the likes of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. At home on the six-, nine- and 12-string guitar. Recommended: “Man Killing Broad,” “Got The Blues For The West End” and “Tomorrow The Night.”

Lightnin’ Hopkins: Texas bluesman who spent his youth helping Blind Lemon Jefferson travel from town to town and learning the blues by watching Jefferson play. Hopkins’ career took off when he was rediscovered in the 1950s. Recommended: “Big Mama Jump,” “Penitentiary Blues,” “Airplane Blues,” “Cryin’ Shame” and “You Treat Po’ Lightnin’ Wrong.”

Albert Collins: A proponent of the T-Bone Walker–guitar style, Collins created his own guitar sound by adding echo for a cool ringing effect and played in a minor tuning. (Cousin of Lightnin’ Hopkins). Recommended: “Ice Pick,” “Frosty,” “Jawing” and “If Trouble Was Money.”

Mance Lipscomb: played in relative obscurity until being “discovered” in the 1960s. A fine rhythmic player carrying on the Texas blues tradition of Blind Lemon Jefferson. Recommended: “Blues In G,” “Mance’s Blues,” “Sugar Babe” and “What You Gonna Do When Death Comes Creepin’ At Your Room?”

Freddie King: A double dose of blues and soul, King used thumb and fingerpicks and a magic touch to play his brand of urban blues. His phrasing and energy were big influences on Eric Clapton. Recommended: “Hideaway,” “I Love The Woman,” “King-A-Ling” and “Tore Down.”

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown first came to attention when he took the stage at a Houston nightclub when T-Bone Walker got sick during a performance. Brown grabbed Walker’s guitar and began playing his own tune — “Gatemouth Boogie.” The rest is history. Recommended: “Swingin’ The Gate,” “Depression Blues,” “Chicken Shift” and “Okie Dokie Stomp.”

Eric Clapton: In The Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, and as a solo artist, Clapton blazed his way across the music world with searing blues-based guitar. The only triple-inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Recommended: “Bell Bottom Blues,” “Motherless Children,” “Crossroads,” “White Room,” “Blues Power” and “Have You Ever Loved A Woman.”

Jimi Hendrix: As if turning the guitar world on its head with his wild blend of rock and psych playing wasn’t enough, Hendrix was also an awesome blues guitarist. Recommended: “Red House,” “Once I Had A Woman,” “Born Under A Bad Sign” and “Voodoo Child.”

Bukka White relied on a chugging rhythmic guitar style and improvisatory lyrics — lyrics that White said fell out of the sky. Also a highly skilled slide player who taught his cousin, B.B. King, the finer points of playing blues guitar. Recommended: “Shake ’Em On Down” (compare to Led Zeppelin’s “Hats Off To Roy Harper”), “Parchman Farm Blues” and “Fixin’ To Die Blues.”

Blind Willie McTell was an accomplished guitarist at a young age and on the 12-string had few peers. McTell could even read and write music in braille. He combined the blues with ragtime and gospel to etch his own sound. Recommended: “Boll Weevil,” “Statesboro Blues,” “Georgia Rag” and “Brokedown Engine.”

Skip James: Using strange, open guitar tunings, dark lyrical themes and a falsetto voice, James produced some of the scariest blues numbers in the repertoire. His less bleak “I’m So Glad” has been covered by many. Recommended: “Devil Got My Woman” and “Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues.”

Mississippi Fred McDowell: A Tennessee-born slide guitar wizard, McDowell’s intensity in his playing and singing was a major influence on Bonnie Raitt. Recommended: “Baby Please Don’t Go,” “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” and “Kokomo Blues.”

Reverend Gary Davis: incredible ragtime-style picker who influenced a slew of new white blues players in the ’60s including the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, Jorma Kaukonen, Ry Cooder, and Dave Van Ronk. Recommended: “Cincinnati Flow Rag,” “Twelve Gates To The City,” “Samson And Delilah” and “Death Don’t Have No Mercy.”

Big Bill Broonzy: another Mississippi guitarist who ventured north to Chicago. A tremendously facile player who picked with clarity and whose timing was flawless. Recommended: “Key To The Highway” and “Shuffle Rag.”

Mississippi John Hurt: a smooth fingerpicker whose gentle approach belies his skill with the six-string. His songs are like a warm breeze on a summer night. Recommended: “Candy Man,” “I’m Satisfied,” “Avalon Blues,” “Nobody’s Dirty Business” and “Spanish Fandango.”

Tommy Johnson: Delta bluesman whose style has been dubbed the “Jacksonville Sound” (Johnson was from Jacksonville, Miss.). Johnson is one of the greatest blues singers to come from Mississippi, with a voice that can wander to the edges of yodeling. Recommended: “Cool Drink Of Water Blues,” “Maggie Campbell Blues,” “Big Road Blues” and “Canned Heat Blues.”

Lead Belly: The stuff of legend, this Southern bluesman was found in prison, claiming a repertoire of 500 songs, then was recorded by John and Alan Lomax. It would be Lead Belly’s post-clink days when he found his richly deserved audience. Recommended: “Alberta,” “The Midnight Special,” “Rock Island Line” and “Cottonfields.”

Willie Dixon: What blues warhorse didn’t Dixon write? One of the greatest composers in the blues genre. His songs have been covered by everyone. Recommended: “Wang Dang Doodle,” “Back Door Man,” “I Ain’t Superstitious,” “Bring It On Home,” “Built For Comfort,” “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” “I (Just) Want To Make Love To You” and “You Shook Me.”

John Mayall: the most important figure in British blues. Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor all came through Mayall’s blues camp and went on to bigger things. Recommended: “Have You Heard,” “Double Crossing Time,” “Blues City Shake Down” and “Sitting In The Rain.”

Robert Nighthawk: Arkansas bluesman whose vocals and guitar playing could send a chill up your spine. Worked with John Lee Hooker and Jimmie Rodgers in the 1930s. Recommended: “Feel So Bad,” “Sweet Black Angel,” “Nighthawk Boogie” and “Bricks In My Pillow.”

Janis Joplin: The greatest white female blues singer. Armed with a 200-horsepower voice filtered though 100-proof alchohol and teetering at the edge of oblivion. Recommended: “Down On Me” and “Kozmic Blues.”

Woody Guthrie’s songs mirrored the plight of all Americans — the very essence of the blues. His talking-style blues would be refined and taken to new heights by Bob Dylan. Recommended: “Deportee,” “Talking Dust Bowl Blues” and “Ballad Of Harriet Tubman.”

Ma Rainey: tremendously influential singer whose repertoire extended from the blues to jazz and folk. Recommended: “Blues Oh Blues,” “Yonder Come The Blues” and “See See Rider.”

Jimmie Rodgers: Established the blues as a base for country music and helped kick a new genre into gear. Recommended: “Blue Yodel,” “Brakeman’s Blues,” “Mississippi Moon” and “Waiting For A Train.”

Earl Hooker: Overshadowed by cousin John Lee Hooker, Earl was a highly skilled guitarist playing in the Chicago style. Hooker used a wah-wah pedal to make his own slide guitar sound. This underappreciated musician is today championed by Ronnie Earl. Recommended: “Blues Guitar,” “Country & Western,” “Guitar Rag” and “Off The Hook.”

Bessie Smith: perhaps the greatest blues singer of them all. Smith was influenced by Ma Rainey but carved her own path with a surety of rhythm and phrasing that still carries weight today. Recommended: “Blue Blues,” “Don’t Fish In My Sea,” “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” and “’Tain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do.”

Sonny Boy Williamson: the King of the harmonica and also skilled on guitar and drums. His mouth harp playing influenced everyone from Snooky Pryor to Paul Butterfield. Recommended: “One Way Out,” “Bring It On Home,” “All My Love In Vain” and “Don’t Start Me To Talkin’.”

W.C. Handy: Often touted as the Father of the Blues, Handy’s compositions “Memphis Blues” and “St. Louis Blues” were the earliest “hits” in what would become the blues genre. Recommended: “Joe Turner Blues,” “Harlem Blues” and “Ole Miss.”

Otis Spann: Spann made his name as keyboardist for Muddy Waters during Waters’ great run in the 1950s, but he also recorded with other greats including Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, and early Fleetwood Mac. Recommended: “Marie” and “Cryin’ Time.”

From Goldmine Magazine, April 24, 2006

Technorati Tags: blues music, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Woody Guthrie

Rick Danko - Times Like These album review

Without question, bassist/vocalist Rick Danko had one of the most expressive voices in rock music. It could be joyful or mournful, sometimes sounding as if it would shatter like glass, as on the heartachingly beautiful "It Makes No Difference," from The Band's 1975 release Northern Lights-Southern Cross. His singing on The Band's landmark debut, Music From Big Pink, in many ways defined the sound of the group - not easy in a band that also featured the formidable singing talents of Richard Manuel and Levon Helm.

Although Danko's name will be forever associated with The Band, he went on to a fruitful solo career. Times Like These was Danko's last solo record, released posthumously in 1999 and recently reissued by Woodstock Records. It includes songs from an earlier, unfinished solo project up to his final live performance shortly before his death.

The 10 songs are an even mix of Danko originals and covers. The album has an old-timey feel to it, like a group of friends playing together in an old barn without a care in the world. Of course, when your friends include fellow Band-ers Helm and Garth Hudson along with Joe Walsh and Tom Pacheco, among others, you're gonna get something worth recording.

There's also a feeling of optimism running throughout the recording, with tunes such as the title track, "You Can Go Home" and "People Of Conscience" providing a lens into Danko's personal feelings about people helping others and making the world a better place.

Gentle covers of the Grateful Dead's "Ripple" and Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" are balanced by a joyous take on the Fats Domino/Dave Bartholomew number "Let The Four Winds Blow" and a foot-stomping "All Our Past Times," which Danko wrote with Eric Clapton in the '70s.

One of Danko's most famous songs is "This Wheel's On Fire," a tune he co-wrote with Bob Dylan for Big Pink. Here it's treated almost as an instrumental, with Hudson's accordion spinning it into the realm of something akin to Hungarian folk music.

Times Like These doesn't quite scale the heights of Danko's 1977 self-titled solo debut, but it's a welcoming window into the musical light that shone around one of music's most singular talents.

Technorati Tags: Rick Danko, The Band, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Bob Dylan, Joe Walsh, Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton

Shawn Phillips - Contribution and Second Contribution Revisited

Over the weekend I listened to two of my favorite records for the first time in many months. The albums in question are Shawn Phillips' phenomenal Contribution and Second Contribution. Phillips is an incredibly skilled songwriter and musician who never quite got his due. If you've never heard him, I'd recommend Second Contribution as the starting point. It's a brilliant mix of many musical styles and features some fantastic lyrics.

In 2006, I had the opportunity to chat with Phillips about making those two albums and an unreleased album that would have completed the Contribution trilogy. You can read it here.

Technorati Tags: shawn phillips

5 Great Forgotten Rock Albums - Fastway, Thin Lizzy, Nazareth, Angel, The James Gang

1. Fastway - Fastway (1983)

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Now playing: Fastway - Feel Me, Touch Me (Do Anything You Want)
via FoxyTunes

This album was supposed to bring UFO bassist Pete Way, Motorhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke, and Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley together into the latest supergroup, but Way soon bailed on the band, leaving Clarke, Shirley, and a teen-aged singer named David King to complete the record with session bassist Mick Feat. King (now of Flogging Molly) sings his lungs out, and Clarke's riffs and Shirley's booming drums never stop. The energy is palpable on every song, from the buzz of "Easy Living" and "Feel Me, Touch Me (Do Anything You Want)" to the grandiose "Heft" and "We Become One." This is a near perfect hard-rock/metal album.

2. Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation (1977)

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Now playing: Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
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Paired down to the trio of Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham and Brian Downey, Ireland's Thin Lizzy unleashed a nine-song assault equal parts tranquil ("Southbound" and "Downtown Sundown") and street-tough ("Soldier Of Fortune" and "Opium Trail"). And check out Downey's amazing drumming on the frenetic title track!

3. Nazareth - No Mean City (1978)

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Now playing: Nazareth - May The Sunshine
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Released three years and four albums after the breakthrough Hair Of The Dog album, No Mean City sees Nazareth entering the twin-guitar zone for the first time, as new member Zal Cleminson joins Manny Charlton for a hard-charging set of overdriven blues rockers. Vocalist Dan McCafferty, as always, sings in his primal growl on "Just To Get Into It" and "Claim To Fame," while backing off a step on "Star," the album's lone ballad. "May The Sunshine" is a splendid acoustic-drenched sing-along, but it's the menacing title track, in two parts, that steals the show. And then there's the amazing cover art...

4. Angel - Angel (1975)

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Now playing: Angel - Mariner
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The debut album from one of rock's most unfairly lambasted acts is also Angel's best. Critics could never get past the band's image. What so many forget or never got is that Angel wrote good songs, had good guitar riffs and one of the most underappreciated singers in Frank Dimino. The dude had pipes. Opening with the powerful "Tower," Angel alternate between straight-ahead rock ("Rock & Rollers," "Sunday Morning" and "On & On") and the mysterious and brooding ("Mariner" and "Broken Dreams"), ending with the band's own "Angel (Theme)." Keyboardist Gregg Giuffria's layers of sounds and textures frame perfectly guitarist Punky Meadows' playing. If you don't like this record, you're just wrong.

5. The James Gang - Thirds (1971)

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Now playing: Joe Walsh - Midnight Man
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It's unfortunate that a band as great as The James Gang are known largely for two songs - "Walk Away" and "Funk #49." Granted, those are excellent tunes, but there's so much more to the JG, as evidenced on this album. More experimental than anything they had done previously, guitarist Joe Walsh, bassist Dale Peters and drummer Jim Fox branch out on this last album together. "Yadig?" is a gentle keyboard vamp that sounds more like late-night jazz with some nifty brush work by Fox; "Dreamin' In The Country" is a Poco-esque country rocker with pedal steel guitar; "It's All The Same" is an atmospheric ballad bolstered by horns and strings; while the multi-layered guitars on "Midnight Man" and the phenomenal solo on "White Man/Black Man" demonstrate why Walsh is such a highly regarded player.

Technorati Tags: rock music, fastway, thin lizzy, nazareth, angel, james gang, joe walsh, ufo, pete way, motorhead, gregg giuffria, Ireland, phil lynott, flogging molly

Good To Be Bad - Best Whitesnake album ever?

If you haven't heard the new Whitesnake album, Good To Be Bad, you need to. Who would have guessed that 30 years into the fold, Whitesnake (aka David Coverdale and latest backing members) would release the best album of the band's career. Coverdale's voice has never sounded better, and songs such as "Best Years" and "A Fool In Love" are vintage blues-rock with an attitude. "Can You Hear The Wind Blow," particularly, is a monster track, with a nasty guitar riff and rhythm.

Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach make a great guitar duo, laying down the grooves and solos but never let their playing get in the way of the songs. The material rings out with '80's rock-chismo but never sounds dated. Rather, the songs are a testament to Coverdale's deep experience in the biz and knowing how to put together a song that sticks in the memory long after listening. If MTV were still in the business of playing music videos, they'd have their broadcasting hands full with this album. One can imagine songs such as "Summer Rain," "All I Want, All I Need" and "All For Love" visually adorned with a hot model draped over some barely street-legal sports car. Ah, the good old days!

Cool MP3 Music Download Site

I recently came across Lala, a new approach to digital music. What sets this site apart is that users can preview entire songs and albums before purchasing, either to listen online exclusively or to download. Although far from complete, their catalog is one of the most robust I've seen.

Molly Hatchet Interview - Molly Hatchet & Flirtin' With Disaster

I recently spoke with original Molly Hatchet bassist Banner Thomas about the band's first two albums, Molly Hatchet and Flirtin' With Disaster. Read the interview at Goldmine magazine.

Rock music album review - MSG: Schenker-Barden - In The Midst Of Beauty

MSG: Schenker-Barden - In The Midst Of Beauty

A blast from classic rock music's past - that's what you'll hear on the Michael Schenker Group's latest album, In The Midst Of Beauty. Guitar great Schenker recruited original MSG band members Gary Barden (vocals), Neil Murray (bass), Don Airey (keyboards) and Simon Phillips (drums) to add some familiar punch to the new songs. The 12 songs here run the gamut of emotions, and include some of the strongest material of Schenker's solo career.

From the opening chug of "City Lights" to the melodic drive of "Ride On My Way," Schenker and crew fire on all cylinders. The guitar riffs don’t get any more Schenker-esque than on "End Of The Line," "Come Closer," or "Na Na,” and his gift for melodic soloing comes through in every song.

But make no mistake, this isn't just the Michael Schenker show: It's a group effort in the best sense, with the instruments and vocals given space to blossom. Hearing Murray's booming bass, Airey's organ lines and Phillips' grooves (such as the slinky shuffle of “Wings Of Emotion”) in the mix only serve to give the songs added depth.

Barden puts his stamp across the album. There's a subtle power in his voice, and his command of vocal nuance comes through in spades on songs such as "The Cross Of Crosses," "Come Closer" and the fantastic "Summerdays," with its Deep Purple-ish "Child In Time"-like opening giving way to a gritty Barden vocal. Speaking of Purple, check out "A Night To Remember," with its heavy organ riffing reminiscent of "Smoke On The Water" or the snake-like intro of "I Want You," with Schenker and Airey harmonizing on guitar and organ. Powerful stuff.

Welcome back MSG, Mark 1!

The Essential Rory Gallagher album review

Rory Gallagher - The Essential Rory Gallagher

One of the pleasures of assembling a collection of "greatest" or "essential" tracks for an artist like Rory Gallagher is the unbounded, subjective freedom for picking songs. After all, Gallagher got scant if any radio play, but he had a huge following thanks to his incredible live shows and uncompromising approach to music.

The Essential Rory Gallagher, a two-disc set of Gallagher greats, is a case in point. This 28-song collection includes just eight of the 24 tracks from 2005's Big Guns: The Very Best Of Rory Gallagher. So, the question begs, what's better - the "essential" tracks or the "very best" tunes? For my money, The Essential... is the better collection and more representative of Rory's total recorded output, with songs represented from more than a dozen albums.

Gallagher was a master of electric and acoustic blues, and it's the electric side that takes precedence here. Tracks such as "Laundromat," "Brute Force & Ignorance," "Cradle Rock" and "Bullfrog Blues" demonstrate his fierce blues-rock side, while the racing jazz of "They Don't Make Them Like You Anymore," the plaintive acoustic strumming of "Wheels Within Wheels" and the nimble fingerpicking on the instrumental "Lonesome Highway" showcase yet other sides of Gallagher's musicianship.

A few deep tracks show up as well, including the menacing shuffle "Loanshark Blues," the power-chord-drenched "Philby" and the muscular "Continental Op" - three songs that should send Gallagher completists back to the Top Priority and Defender albums for another listen. And check out "Edged In Blue," with its sublime intro and warm guitar tone far from the steely sound Gallagher often coaxed from his trusty Fender Stratocaster.

Gallagher was in his element performing live, and we're treated to five in-concert tracks, including the momentous "Brute Force & Ignorance" from Stage Struck and "Tattoo'd Lady" from Irish Tour. I would have argued for a live version of the Chuck Berry-on-steroids' "Shin Kicker" to be included, too, but that's minor quibbling.

If you know the name but not the music, this retrospective is truly an essential listen.