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MUSIC HISTORY:
JAZZ / ROCK / BLUES / ETC.
Reviews, News, Commentaries
and Music Biographies by Randy
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Stephen Stills in 1969.
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News
(January 2005)
The Return of Stephen Stills
Long Anticipated Solo Stills CD Finally Approaches Release
A deal has apparently been made with the independent label Pyramid Records for the release of the first new Stephen Stills CD in fourteen years, Captain Manyhands. Pyramid has the disc slated for release in the first quarter of 2005. The CD -- nearly ten years in the making -- is alleged to contain contributions from Herbie Hancock and Graham Nash, and is also reported to contain a mixture of new and previously unreleased archival material.
Stills has been without a record contract since Crosby, Stills & Nash collectively left Atlantic Records in 1997. Save for the one-off deal for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1999 release Looking Forward -- which was released on the Warner Brothers subsidiary Reprise -- each member of CSN has gone on to sign individually with different independent record labels.
The last two solo Stills releases, 1991's Stills Alone, and 1984's Right By You are both currently out of print.
Copyright © 2005 Lark Publishing, Inc. (Randy). All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
ADDENDUM: Since the publication of the above article, the above-referenced CD -- retitled Man Alive -- was subsequently released in August of 2005.
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News
(June 2003)
Neil Young To Re-Issue Four Albums
Long Awaited First-Time-On-CD Releases
Include Classic 'On The Beach'
Four of the proverbial "missing six" Neil Young albums that have never been released on compact disc will hit stores on August 19th, including the staggering On the Beach (1974), regarded by many critics as well as fans to be Young's finest all-time effort. Also set for release are American Stars 'n' Bars (1977), Hawks & Doves (1980), and Re-ac-tor (1981). There is no word from Young on why these albums are finally being released, nor was there any explanation concerning why they hadn't been issued previously with the rest of the Neil Young catalog.
Many have surmised that Young's noted distaste for the digital medium was a factor in holding back what became known among Young fans as "the missing six" (which also includes the negligible soundtrack to Young's 1972 film, Journey Through The Past, and the rough but engaging live album from 1973, Time Fades Away). Problems with transferring the master tapes for Time Fades Away to digital have hindered that album from being reissued with the other four, and Journey Through the Past seems an unlikely candidate for reissue at all, since it was essentially made up of previously released material by Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, and Young himself. The four reissued albums have all been remastered with all original artwork restored.
Copyright ©2003 Lark Publishing, Inc. (Randy). All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
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Opinion
Wilco's Cover of Steely Dan Falls (Completely) Flat
While the following should be prefaced with the simple fact that I rarely enjoy cover material in regards to studio efforts by any given artist (with the occasional exception), as well as the fact that I have generally attempted to avert being unnecessarily nasty or harsh when writing CD or concert reviews over the years, I thought special merit should be granted to the notably energy-depleted band Wilco for their typically listless, sodden cover version of Steely Dan's "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" (from the soundtrack of the 2000 film, Me, Myself and Irene), which I had the disappointment of hearing for the first time this morning.
Rarely has a song as astutely arranged and composed as this been saddled with a recording that contains such leaden drumming, uninspired vocals, and generally unfocused and uninteresting playing. While aware of the prospect that the bands' intention may very well be to sound as if they are suffering from (a) poorly scheduled late night/early morning recording sessions, (b) perpetual exhaustion, (c) insomnia, (d) valium addiction, or (e) severe brain damage, I'd have to say that overall Wilco's version was wholly unmemorable (as with most of their original material for that matter, the approach to which seems to suffer from all of the above). Certainly the idea may have been to place a new spin on the song, but if that’s the case, it was a resounding failure. Obviously the "Wilco as rock's new savior" perspective requires far too much of a suspension of taste to be subscribed to at my house. But then, who in the realm of music could top or even hope to compete with the immaculately played and produced original to start with?
Copyright © 2003 Lark Publishing, Inc. (Randy). All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
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The enigmatic cover for Young's On The Beach (1974).
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