Brian Davison’s every which way is a monster album and, as far as I know, is under most people’s radar (at least it wasn’t on mine). Ken Golden, a consummate authority on progressive music who has reissued and produced an extensive catalog of new progressive albums as well as unearthing some rare and desirable obscurities, tipped me to it. Ken mentioned the album on http://avshowroomsforums.com, a new gear and music forum organized by a couple of long-time audio hands. Knowing Ken’s taste and sensibilities, I bought it based on the strength of his recommendation.... Read More
Yuri Grishin- “The British Recording History”
Yuri Grishin’s name should be familiar to some readers; he is the polymath who assembled the extensive labelographies of Island, Vertigo, Harvest and Charisma in a series entitled “The Famous British Collectable Record Labels. ” Those books–which include images of the releases, catalog numbers, details about cover art, mastering, matrix information and details on sleeves, variations in different countries, along with “inside” interviews—provide an invaluable resource to collectors, are now out of print and are themselves collectible. Grishin... Read More
New Skynyrd Documentary: Gone with the Wind
Not long after writing a retrospective on Lynyrd Skynyrd, I happened on this film documentary– Gone with the Wind– about the band. Without knowing much about the film, I was thoroughly surprised by its depth and the care that went into making it; not just talking heads, or jarring, badly filmed footage of concert excerpts, it tells the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd from the earliest days, and includes interviews with some of the surviving members. Drummer Burns, who is featured in a number of interview clips, died earlier this year. The film benefits from some pretty candid... Read More
Captain Beyond –self-titled
Not exactly under the radar, or forgotten, but Captain Beyond is a record that delivers far more than it promises- by a group of musicians assembled from members of other, more famous bands. This is unapologetically a hard rock album, but one that deftly moves into “progressive” territory by combining jazz and long form compositions that were a signature of label mates, the Allman Brothers. Unlike the Allmans, this album sounds more like a mix of UK and LA, thanks in part to the lead vocals of Rod Evans (who sang on the first three Deep Purple albums) and the guitar work... Read More
The Art of Recording: A Conversation with Brooks Arthur
The Art of Recording: A Conversation with Brooks Arthur Janis and Brooks at the board-Between the Lines sessions, courtesy Peter Cunningham Brooks Arthur still dreams of the little studio he owned in Blauvelt, New York in the early ‘70s; a converted gas station on a suburban highway next to an all-night diner in “upstate” New York. 914 Studios (pronounced: “nine-one–four,” the telephone area code there at the time) may have been one of the best sounding rooms Arthur recorded in. He ought to know: a songwriter and performer with ties to the Brill Building era, Arthur... Read More
Rebecca Davis on Hooker ‘n Heat
The recent exploration of Canned Heat here on TheVinylPress generated some real enthusiasm among readers, one of whom turned out to be Rebecca Davis, the author of “Blind Owl Blues,” an authoritative biography of Alan Wilson. Several readers had asked for a follow up piece on “Hooker ‘n Heat” (which I mentioned only in passing). Rebecca and I also had started to correspond. Who better, I thought, to write about this album than the biographer of Alan Wilson? The album came together in part because of the “Blind Owl’s” love for John Lee Hooker. It not only helped... Read More
Hooker ‘n Heat by Rebecca Davis
Hooker ‘n Heat by Rebecca Davis Known for their musical dedication to primal electric blues, 1960s stalwarts Canned Heat are also noteworthy for their support of actual blues men. In various settings, they frequently provided musical backing – and commercial connections – for the elders who had inspired them artistically. Canned Heat founder Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson had started his recording career this way, accompanying Delta legend Son House on his 1965 “comeback” for Columbia. Guitarist Henry Vestine had been involved in the rediscovery of Skip James, and... Read More
LYNYRD SKYNYRD: Revisited
Given the current cultural antipathy toward symbols of the “old South,” I admit to a moment’s pause before diving into a piece about Lynyrd Skynyrd. In popular culture, the band is often associated with the glory of the South and, perhaps unfairly, some of the pejoratives. Is it possible to enjoy the band without endorsing any negative symbolism? I don’t know about others, but I can. I’m not making any sort of cultural statement here. I just really dig their music– they were originals – superb players and well worth exploring beyond the stereotypes. Back in the... Read More
Canned Heat: In Depth
I’m very pleased to publish three interrelated articles about Canned Heat, a blues band with a roster of incredible talent, and deep and significant roots in the rediscovery of the blues in the early ‘60s: a band that played the Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock and is still “on the road” after 50 years. So much of what the band did in the late ‘60s is now taken for granted: driving rock boogie, the mix of country or rural blues with rock, a serious effort to preserve the elements of long forgotten blues motifs (including many eclectic and more obscure blues styles that were... Read More
Essential “Heat”: Canned Heat: Four Albums; Conversation with Skip Taylor; Sidebar: Rediscovering the Blues
Introduction I’m fascinated by that “turning point” in popular music in the mid- ‘60s, when mainstream music was transformed from sonic pablum to electric rock, folk and blues. Of course, the Beatles (and others from the first British invasion) had a huge, irreversible influence, but other things were stirring Stateside, including a reconnection with rural blues. No band had more involvement in this transformation than Canned Heat. Members of Canned Heat were deep blues enthusiasts involved directly or indirectly in the rediscovery, with others, of such legendary, forgotten... Read More
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