The torture never stops. Frank Zappa

Recently I bought this DVD. It shows a concert Zappa and band gave at Halloween 1982 in New York. It is around this time that I saw him play in The Netherlands for the second time. Endless guitar solos bored the hell out of me. There was just no end to them. Yes, Zappa solos are special, but not forever on end. As The torture never stops was pleasantly priced I bought it anyway and was treated to a total renewal of Zappa's appreciation by me.

The first thing I realised was what a tremendous band he has around him. Chad Wackermann (what's in a name) is a fantastic drummer, Scott Thunes a drving, propelling bass player, Ed Mann runs around like crazy behind his whatevers you can percussionionate on, Bobby Martin sings his falsetto all over the place and Steve Vai is doing his Vai-things on guitar, while Ray White sings just really, really good. And Zappa is Zappa. Concert master, master guitarist, singer and cabaret man.

Listening to the lyrics I realised something else: how the world misses this man. This person who dared to speak out against anything and everybody, whether I agree with it or not. In incredible funny, but also harsh and politically incorrect ways, Zappa lashes out against religion, organised religion. His 1981 album 'You are what you is' was the main part of this show. Listening to him sing "The meek shall inherit nothing" is just so right, so to the point. Just look around us in 2014. In another passage he shows exactly the world we are living in now, a world of intolerant religions setting agendas and scaring people off, blowing people up. "It's about power. It's about money", is basically Zappa's message. This show is in 1982!

The third thing I realised is that the playing here is so good, other worldly good. The rhythm changes, the instrumental interludes, typically Zappa and in essence much the same, but at the same time so hard and difficult to play as one. Even the drole songs, the ones with seemingly just a funny lyric are so tight and well played. An army platoon drilled to all move at the same time given the instruction. That is what this band is and still everyone is clearly having fun in the execution of Zappa's brainchilds. The nonchalance of Zappa himself totally contrasts with what he is creating on stage. The seemingly nonchalance of Zappa I should say, because this guy sees and hears everything and even comments in between. In many ways the conductor of a rock orchestra. Most likely a dictator off stage, where every single mistake was probably commented, discussed and rehearsed till perfection was reached.

As I noticed the dvd made me appreciate his music again. I've been off Zappa for some time now, with one omission: 'One size fits all', as I wrote about last year. The torture never stops pleased me the whole dvd long. And reminded me again that I didn't get to see Zappa the last time he came to Holland. Forever sorry, but I have The torture never stops making up just a little. What helps is that the Zappa antics of other movies, the clay puppets e.g., are all lacking here. It's brilliant film stage footage only, showing many great details of all the players, who all get their moments to shine. Great movie The torture never stops is.

Wo.

You can listen to 'The torture never stops' here.

Sweet summer sun. Live in Hyde Park. The Rolling Stones

For a few days in a row we are going to look at recent releases from the great of past years. Sweet summer sun is the second of these. The Beatles and The Stones right behind each other? How appropriate...

What can a poor boy do? Start saving for the European spring tour 2014! There's no doubt in my mind that The Rolling Stones will follow Australia and probably Asia with Europe. As a warm up present the band released Sweet summer sun, the double cd and dvd registration of the two shows the band played there this summer. Yes, I promised never to go to another Stones show again, never to buy the umpteenth live registration again. But I did and I'm sure that I will be at the 50 and counting tour. The Rolling Stones are too much a part of my system, it looks like it is unavoidable. The investment in Sweet summer sun is worth every penny. As I already tweeted: "I just sat there watching, inwardly singing along, with a big smile on my face the whole way"

Sweet summer sun does not offer anything new. It is a routine show but a show by simply the best rock and roll band of the last 50 years. There's no denying it. The band rocks like there is no tomorrow, playing extremely well. Even the backing troup of the band is getting on in age. The fabulous bass player Darryl Jones, concert meister Chuck Levell, the two back ground singers Lisa Fisher and Bernard Fowler, Copper blowers Bobby Keys and Tim Riece are with the band for (over) 20 years now and as much a part of The Rolling Stones as the four remaining band members and their special guest Mick Taylor are. Taylor only plays in two songs, acoustic guitar in the final song '(I can't get no) Satisfaction', but steals the show in 'Midnight rambler'. One of the best songs in this set. The Rolling Stones really let it rip here. Jagger in top form on mouth harp and Taylor soloing as if his life depends on it. (In a way it may be, as re-joining as a special guest may well take care of his pension.)

The band members make comments in between the songs or as introduction. There's no footage of that in the movie, which is o.k. The audience makes up for that perfectly, showing the party it was in Hyde Park. It would have been nice as an extra though. The extras are three songs, among which 'Paint it black', one of the Stones' best songs. The comments are telling about all four. The best one? "To me this is just work", told with the voice of a pensioner. Charlie Watts drums fantastic by the way. The other comment is "Timing is everything". And the cycle of Stones activities since the end of 2012 was flawless. Or better, the autobiography of Keith Richards: "Now they will never play again". Sure. Everything was aimed to make the world ready for a huge Stones party. And viewing Glastonbury and Hyde Park it's clear the U.K. was ready for this party. As is the rest of the world. Or "It's like coming home, if you have one".

About a year ago I wrote about the latest Stones single 'Doom and gloom'. I liked it and one year down the road I have to conclude that the song fits perfectly in this set. It is a good, decent song, with a great chorus, sung so well by Fisher and Fowler. It rocks and has soul. A late Stones classic? It seems like it. It also proves that it's time for more new songs. I keep telling it (as with the BBC album. Come on, guys. We've been waiting long enough for that.) With the exception of 'Start me up' there's nothing past 1980 in this set. Not even 'Saint of me', another modern Stones classic as far as I'm concerned. For the rest it is close to a dream set on offer.

'Sympathy for the devil' is played more traditional then it was for quite some time. Close to the 'Beggars banquet' version. Neat and clean.  The stage all red. Like hell itself. In 'Honky tonk woman' Jagger wears the dress thing he wore in 1969(!). Three out of four seem to have the same figure as then. It's Keith who's healthy and looks like a regular grandfather, though with the hair and face of a scarecrow, but his belly's up front as grandpa's go. 'Ruby Tuesday' is another song that gets a great rendition. Just a fantastic ballad. Lisa Fisher gets centre stage, 100 feet in front, in 'Gimme shelter'. Even Jagger stays away for a while. Daryl Jones shows his craft in 'Miss you', Bobby Keys gets many a solo. Keith does 'Happy', his best Stones song, period. And I can go on and on. Ronny Wood and Keith Richards weave their guitars like they do, making up the guitar sound of The Rolling Stones. Just listen the way they play in 'Miss you'. Simply the best disco rock track ever. And Jagger? What can I say. His face is older, but he's there as energetic as ever, singing great.

There are some beautiful shots in Sweet summer sun. The four guitarists in a line in 'Midnight rambler', Lisa Fisher as a bird spreading its wings walking down the aisle. Charlie smiling like he's enjoying his job. The choir starting the encore in 'You can't always get what you want'. Great shots from the audience, that is surely enjoying itself. The sky turning purple. The smiles and mischief on Keith's face. He's in his natural habitat, that's quite clear.

Let's face it. Sweet summer sun surprised me. This band is still so good. Older, a bit more rheumy, but can rock like crazy. Worth every cent. So when are the tickets going on sale?

Wo.

You can watch the trailer here.

P.s. I wrote this post on Sunday 24 November. On Monday the newspaper announced that Mick Jagger will be a great-granddad in 2014. So it will be (great-)grandads rocking. Wow.

The Pretzel logic concert. Steely Dan

This week I laid my hands on a dvd that I wasn't aware that existed: Steely Dan in concert it says on the sleeve. The pretzel logic concert on the content itself. Whichever it is, we hear and see a band in top form. A band that plays so good, that I asked myself regularly is it worthwhile to go to a show? Shouldn't someone just sit in his chair at home with the best possible audio, close his or her eyes and just enjoy? Nothing happens on stage that warrants looking, just uncanny good and skilful playing of instruments. Just like on record the notes blend so well, the songs are so enormously rich in arrangement, the way the notes and instruments blend and gel. At the same time the songs mostly swing. The rhythm section, of which specifically the drums are very prominent in the mix, always makes a body move. The bass plays these spare, well-placed notes. I just love to follow the lines played. Together with the rhythm guitar, which is extremely funky at times, the accents on the Fender Rhodes, this allows all else in the band to take off when allowed. Whether voices, i.e. three backing vocalists and Donald Fagen, horns or lead guitar, they are always intricately supported by rhythm. This is a main secret behind Steely Dan's success.

Donald Fagen and Walter Brecker are a duo for over 40 years in 2013. With a giant production, for such complex music, in the 1970s, and large hiatuses after. I was lucky to see them play live somewhere in the first half of the 00s. The music is hard to describe. It has the complexity of jazz, the free flowing melody, at times, of a great pop song, the soul of rhythm and blues and at times the fierceness of rock. The combination of all these elements make Steely Dan a unique band. Also a wonder to see this performed live. Flawless, perhaps except for the most human element in the mix: the singing of Donald Fagen. He seems out of wind at times and just a little bit too hoarse. Without it doing any damage to the performance in any way. His timing is fantastic and the interplay with the background singers just delicious. Still, Fagen seems the one mostly less at home on stage from the 13 people on stage.

Walter Brecker does duties and rhythm and lead guitarist and does both without being disturbed. Concentrated to the max, doing his thing. Most on stage get their solo moment, just like a real jazz band, but per song not within the song. Solos remain functional to the song, not improvisation. This show is 100% prepared and nothing left to surprise, nor to desire. This is Steely Dan all the way. Perhaps better than ever before, although I can't compare not having been around in round one in the 70s. The songs on offer are a selection of everything from 'Can't buy a thrill' (1972) to 'Two against nature (2000), the comeback cd.

The music on offer on this dvd is in a league of its own. Perhaps too good to be true. Just sit back, watch, listen and enjoy. It doesn't come much better in this niche of pop.

Wo.

Muddy Waters born 100 years today/Checkerboard lounge

As Muddy Waters was born 100 years ago today and I have enjoyed his music so much in the past decades, I thought to run this review again. In the near future I will relisten some of Muddy's albums and come back to you on that.

Wo.

You can listen to 'Baby please don't go' here.

Another release by The Rolling Stones. The band is really digging into its archives in the past few years. New songs are hard to come by, but fans are treated to some real goodies. (Read an overview up to this spring here.) Except the BBC sessions which are still not released for whatever reason. I had a tape somewhere in the 80ties, with great blues covers, never on record, from a radio show. And after I wrote the concept text to this DVD review, the band has even performed live for the first time in five years,

Checkerboard Lounge was Buddy Guy's blues club in southside Chicago. The date is 22 November 1981 and the audience is in for a treat. Whether they know it or not. On stage we see Muddy Waters' band working up a steam with pianist Lovey Lee singing a blues classic to a pumping grove. Exactly the way one expects a good blues outfit to do. The music is propelled forward by the stompin' rhythm. Some nice and fine soloing going on. Then the old master is called on stage, straps on his guitar, sits down on a stool and shows us how its done. An older gentleman, gracefully and with a lot of pleasure playing the songs he's been playing for 30 years. In front of him is a long row of tables and chairs empty, which is strange as the club seems to be packed. And its small and tight. Centre spot reservations?

Muddy shows the audience how slide is played his style. Pure sex, there's no other word for it. We see a sixty six year old man explode into a violent attack of his guitar neck and snares. Screamin' and howlin' in stark contrast to his further, stylish appearance.

During 'Baby please don't go' people move into the empty spots and all of a sudden it's clear who the seats are reserved for. Hardly able to get to their seats the whole Stones entourage moves in, with the exception of the rhythm section. Getting their coats off is a major challenge. It's not for long or Mick Jagger is invited on stage, at first not understanding, but a verse later he's there, desperately trying to adapt his voice to the not fitting key the songs are played in. Keith Richards and Ronny Wood follow. One of Muddy's band's guitarists leaves the stage. Where Jagger usually has a whole arena to run around in, now he has the spot he's standing in, that's it. And it's clearly hard for him to perform in, restricted and confined. Richards is just doing the blues rounds, completely happy in the back ground at some stage playing closely to the rhythm section. The drummer is packed away so far behind everything that we can't even see him most of the time. When asked by Muddy to play a solo, Keith plays this dry sounding meticulously tight solo before stepping back again. Where a blues show man I had never heard of before, Lefty Dizz, tries to grab all the attention (and playing a little sloppy at times), Richards is in the back happy and content.

If there is one political message in this dvd it is in the blatant way Muddy and Mick propagate free marijuana smoking in 'Champagne & reefer'. Quite clear that Muddy does not mind changing the law on that. I may be mistaken but he may be holding one up too.

If the anecdote is true, we may never know, but when the Stones came to Chess to record an EP in 1964, there was a man painting the walls. Muddy Waters. Although it has been denied over and over recently, it may be true as blues was not popular in the U.S. in 1964. Bands like The Rolling Stones brought it back in that year. 17 Years later they paid tribute to one of the greatest electric bluesman and my all time favourite, McKinley Morganfield, a.k.a. Muddy "Mississippi" Waters. He has the centre spot, he calls the shots, playing his music accompanied by four members of the at that time 'Greatest rock and roll band in the world'. Yes, four, as is explained below.

Checkerboard Lounge is a footnote in the Stones' history, probably a, late, highlight for Muddy and friends and great fun to watch how the Stones play with Muddy Waters and band, making music they started out with 20 years before. We see what it was, with the improvising, mistakes, one gets when everything is spontaneous or at least near so, but a monument it is, 31 years down the road. As a bonus we get to hear and see Ian Stewart play his favourite music as he replaces Lovey Lee on piano. Another treat as Stu was always in the back ground. Not so on Checkerboard lounge.

Wo.

You can order Checkerboard lounge here


or here

Checkerboard Lounge. Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones

You can listen to 'Baby please don't go' here.

Another release by The Rolling Stones. The band is really digging into its archives in the past few years. New songs are hard to come by, but fans are treated to some real goodies. (Read an overview up to this spring here.) Except the BBC sessions which are still not released for whatever reason. I had a tape somewhere in the 80ties, with great blues covers, never on record, from a radio show. And after I wrote the concept text to this DVD review, the band has even performed live for the first time in five years,

Checkerboard Lounge was Buddy Guy's blues club in southside Chicago. The date is 22 November 1981 and the audience is in for a treat. Whether they know it or not. On stage we see Muddy Waters' band working up a steam with pianist Lovey Lee singing a blues classic to a pumping grove. Exactly the way one expects a good blues outfit to do. The music is propelled forward by the stompin' rhythm. Some nice and fine soloing going on. Then the old master is called on stage, straps on his guitar, sits down on a stool and shows us how its done. An older gentleman, gracefully and with a lot of pleasure playing the songs he's been playing for 30 years. In front of him is a long row of tables and chairs empty, which is strange as the club seems to be packed. And its small and tight. Centre spot reservations?

Muddy shows the audience how slide is played his style. Pure sex, there's no other word for it. We see a sixty six year old man explode into a violent attack of his guitar neck and snares. Screamin' and howlin' in stark contrast to his further, stylish appearance.

During 'Baby please don't go' people move into the empty spots and all of a sudden it's clear who the seats are reserved for. Hardly able to get to their seats the whole Stones entourage moves in, with the exception of the rhythm section. Getting their coats off is a major challenge. It's not for long or Mick Jagger is invited on stage, at first not understanding, but a verse later he's there, desperately trying to adapt his voice to the not fitting key the songs are played in. Keith Richards and Ronny Wood follow. One of Muddy's band's guitarists leaves the stage. Where Jagger usually has a whole arena to run around in, now he has the spot he's standing in, that's it. And it's clearly hard for him to perform in, restricted and confined. Richards is just doing the blues rounds, completely happy in the back ground at some stage playing closely to the rhythm section. The drummer is packed away so far behind everything that we can't even see him most of the time. When asked by Muddy to play a solo, Keith plays this dry sounding meticulously tight solo before stepping back again. Where a blues show man I had never heard of before, Lefty Dizz, tries to grab all the attention (and playing a little sloppy at times), Richards is in the back happy and content.

If there is one political message in this dvd it is in the blatant way Muddy and Mick propagate free marijuana smoking in 'Champagne & reefer'. Quite clear that Muddy does not mind changing the law on that. I may be mistaken but he may be holding one up too.

If the anecdote is true, we may never know, but when the Stones came to Chess to record an EP in 1964, there was a man painting the walls. Muddy Waters. Although it has been denied over and over recently, it may be true as blues was not popular in the U.S. in 1964. Bands like The Rolling Stones brought it back in that year. 17 Years later they paid tribute to one of the greatest electric bluesman and my all time favourite, McKinley Morganfield, a.k.a. Muddy "Mississippi" Waters. He has the centre spot, he calls the shots, playing his music accompanied by four members of the at that time 'Greatest rock and roll band in the world'. Yes, four, as is explained below.

Checkerboard Lounge is a footnote in the Stones' history, probably a, late, highlight for Muddy and friends and great fun to watch how the Stones play with Muddy Waters and band, making music they started out with 20 years before. We see what it was, with the improvising, mistakes, one gets when everything is spontaneous or at least near so, but a monument it is, 31 years down the road. As a bonus we get to hear and see Ian Stewart play his favourite music as he replaces Lovey Lee on piano. Another treat as Stu was always in the back ground. Not so on Checkerboard lounge.

Wo.

You can order Checkerboard lounge here


or here

Thick as thieves. Larkin Poe

Je kunt hier luisteren naar 'Play on'.

Megan en Rebecca Lovell debuteerden vorig jaar, na het uiteen vallen van The Lovell Sisters (zus Jessica ging haar eigen weg), als Larkin Poe. Het duo deed dit met een viertal mini cd’s die allemaal de titel hadden van een van de seizoenen en fraai werden gebundeld in het boxje Band For All Seasons (Klik hier) Vergeleken met de behoorlijk traditionele muziek van The Lovell Sisters, liet Larkin Poe op Band For All Seasons een wat lichtvoetiger geluid horen en dat beviel me eigenlijk wel. Dat de twee zusjes Lovell nog veel meer in hun mars hebben laten ze horen op hun volgende mini-cd (de cd klokt 25 minuten) Thick As Thieves. Vergeleken met Band For All Seasons klinkt Thick As Thieves nog een stuk minder traditioneel. Megan en Rebecca Lovell zijn de afgelopen jaren opgeschoven van het maken van traditionele muziek met hier en daar wat invloeden uit de pop en rock naar het maken van veelzijdige pop- en rockmuziek met hier en daar wat traditionele invloeden. Thick As Thieves klinkt wat soulvoller dan de muziek op Spring, Summer, Autumn en Winter, maar ligt verder in het verlengde van de muziek die Larkin Poe ons vorig jaar voorschotelde. Dat betekent dat er wederom veel valt te genieten, met name van de fantastische stemmen en de continu voor kippenvel zorgende harmonieën van de zusjes Lovell en van het hier en daar opduikende muzikale vuurwerk. De purist zal misschien beweren dat Thick As Thieves vlees noch vis is, maar persoonlijk ben ik zeer onder de indruk van de razend knappe wijze waarop Megan en Rebecca Lovell uiteenlopende genres als bluegrass, folk, jazz, blues, country , rock en soul aan elkaar weten te smeden in popliedjes die zowel aanstekelijk als oorspronkelijk klinken en niet alleen qua stijl maar ook qua tempo flink variëren. De zusjes Lovell beschikken niet alleen over fantastische stemmen en kunnen prima uit de voeten op meerdere instrumenten (gitaar, mandoline, viool, dobro lap steel), maar zijn het afgelopen jaar ook flink gegroeid als songwriter (mogelijk hebben ze iets opgepikt van oude meester Elvis Costello met wie ze het afgelopen jaar toerden). Thick As Thieves staat vol met popliedjes die direct aangenaam en urgent klinken, maar stuk voor stuk ook in staat lijken om uit te groeien tot memorabele popliedjes. Megan en Rebecca zijn nog piepjong, maar schudden in een jaar tijd vijf mini-cd’s van hoog niveau uit de mouw. Dat belooft wat voor de toekomst. Voor de snelle beslisser is er tijdelijk een bonus-DVD met een Noorse concertregistratie, die laat zien en vooral horen dat de dames ook live een aardig potje kunnen spelen. Het maakt Thick As Thieves nog net wat mooier en indrukwekkender.

Erwin Zijleman

Je kunt Thick as thieves hier bestellen


of hier

  

Celebration day. Led Zeppelin

You can listen to 'Celebration day' here.

It was somewhere in 1968 that session guitarist and The Yardbirds bass and guitar player Jimmy Page found himself more or less alone in The Yardbirds with a contractual tour to go on. So he hired some musicians to play. This went so well that they changed the band's name to The New Yardbirds toured the U.S. and decided to go on under the name Led Zeppelin. Recorded an album, released ´Good times bad times´ in the spring of 1969 as a single and the rest is history. It was one big rollercoaster of rockstardom till John Bonham´s body gave out. In 2007 the band did one last gig in London´s O2 dome with Jason Bonham as drummer. Yes, John´s son. The movie was exclusively premièred in 10 Dutch theatres at the same time: Wednesday 17 October 2012 at 21.00 hours. The main hall of this theatre was packed and WoNo Magazine was there.

'Celebration day' is the title of the show Led Zeppeling played  on 10 December 2007 in a sold out O2 Arena in London and the title of the movie the band releases of the one-off event. The experience in the movie theater was near overwhelming. Larger than life the performance the band gave was captured on film and gloriously displayed. The performance itself only deserves the description near perfect. The band rocked hard. Fuelled by Jason Bonham's fantastic and extremely powerful drumming, the three original members showed the world once more and for a final time (never say never, but it certainly looks like it) that Led Zeppelin was and is one of the world's best rock outfits.

Led Zeppelin managed to stay away from a major pitfall: hiring all sorts of back ground singers, other musicians and/or bringing in guests. What you get to see is Led Zeppelin, three musicians and a singer. Just like of old John Paul Jones switches from bass to keyboards, Jimmy Page may use loads of effects and a octaver and like his dad Jason Bonham sings a little backing vocals. That's it. We saw Led Zeppelin as it is and was. Nothing else.

Led Zeppeling has at least four faces. 1. The rock fuelled blues monster (or blues filled rock monster). 2. The grove and riff driven rock monster. 3. An experimental folk band. 4. A classic hard rock band. Three of four aspects were incorporated in the show. Folk, except for the intro part of 'Stairway to heaven' wasn't present. The other three in abundance. It was hard sitting still in a theater seat, as there was enough to want to dance to. Stop starters like 'Nobody's fault but mine' or 'Trampled underfoot' just beg for moving. They groove so good.

Kicking off with first single 'Good times bad times' the setlist was near perfect. Near perfect as the leaving out of 'Immigrant song' and to a lesser degree 'Heartbreaker', is unforgivable. The very last show and no 'Immigrant song'? Sorry guys! For the rest I sat in awe. Robert Plant's voiced has aged, yes, but tremendously gracefully to a slightly deeper region. He led the band through all hits and major album tracks and left the centre stage to leave room for others. Jimmy Page showed what playing rock guitar is like. All the different styles, the bowing in 'Dazed and confused', the theramin combined with wah wah guitar sounds, he played them meticoulously. His face no longer lent itself for rock poses in 2007, his playing gave him every right to do so any way. Granddad giving the world a lesson.

Photo from screen, Wo.

If 'Celebration day' gave away one secret (in as far it ever was one if you listened to Led Zeppelin), it is how important John Paul Jones was to the band's sound. Next to being a great bass player, allowing Jimmy Page to take off half of the time, he gives colour to all the songs involving keyboards, playing bass pedals at the same time. It was a delight watching him play.

What is wrong between Page and Jones I don't know, but I seldom saw someone on stage so conciously ignoring his colleague from the first to the last second of the show. Turning his head away, turning his back, each time contact was sought by Jones. He was even excluded from the final embrace on stage. This is a stain to the movie and the show itself, but the only one. Director Dick Carruthers did a great job capturing a great rock band of the past on film in its final farewell in honour of Ahmet Ertegun, the famous Atlantic Records chief, who signed Led Zeppelin in 1969, who died in 2006.

Photo from screen, Wo.

My personal favourites came by. ´No quarter´, ´Since I been loving you´, ´Stairway´, ´Whole lotta love´ and a fantastic version of 'Kashmir'. It all ended with the song whose title says it all: ´Rock and roll´. Song by song one thing became clear to me. We were previewing a monument, a monument that people are able to watch for ever. One that will only let the legend grow. This is and was it. Led Zeppelin is huge and will remain so. The cap stone of the pyramid, sealing Led Zeppelin's career, is called ´Celebration day´. There's nothing left to add and they know it. This was it, folks. And those who happened to have been in the O2 Arena, well what can I say?

Wo.

You can make a reservation to buy Celebration day here


or here

Life: The movie. The Walkabouts

You can listen to a recorded radio show on KEXP from 2012 here,

Seattle based The Walkabouts went into something like hibernation in 2005, after the tour following their album 'Acetylene'. Singer and songwriter Chris Eckman lived in Slovenia's capitol Ljubljana while the rest of the band went back to Seattle. Eckman recorded many things, but nothing for his band. After 17 years of records the band seemed to die a silent death, just a memory of all these great albums in the nineties that were pounded out at tremendous speed. The fans were surprised by a great new album in 2011, 'Travels in the dustland' (read the review here). The band returned to great form here. 2012 came with another surprise, a tour and a dvd of the 2005 tour. Over three hours of film. A tour documentary, as non-descript as they usually come. All video's the band released in the first ten years of its recording career. Interviews with the members and a concert tour. Of course this is what it is all about when buying a dvd.

Through the years I've seen The Walkabouts many a time. There were so many great shows. One even with a small symphony orchestra on the 'Nightbirds' tour. A lot of nerves on stage that night in the Paradiso (and some very loud talking people, not willing to stop, while all this delicate music was being performed). On dvd we are presented with a show from Prague, in a small venue with the band on a surprisingly large stage for such a small venue. I suppose that this shows the tragic decline of the band's popularity in the 00s. From main stage in the club circuit, to the smaller venues. The big break did not come in the second half of the 90s, when it should have.

The Prague show presents The Walkabouts in true form. There is the light and the shade in the songs, in the tempo, in the approach to a song and in the solo performance: does Carla Torgerson or Chris Eckman sing? The beauty or the beast? The Walkabouts is a band that is able to play incredibly soft and delicate music and rock beyond full out at ear splitting levels. Both sides are presented in this Prague show. The show even ends with a Buzzcocks cover. 'Something's going wrong again' is truly punked. The documentary section shows bass player Michael Wells joining in the chorus at the end. Is it suggested that he picked the song? If so, in an indirect way. Covers are not new to the band. Remember 'Like a hurricane' any one? But then the band also released two albums filled with covers and interpretations.

One of the things that I find good to see, is the confidence of Terry Mueller. Where in the mid-90s from a distance she looked insecure and made small mistakes, in 2005 she is the band's drummer laying down the rhythms and leading the band through the songs. With the return of Michael Wells the band was back to the line-up that nearly brought them a break through. Glenn Slater plays these great keyboard parts that add to the songs' moods. Sometime like a footpath for the rest to walk on, at other times he's like the wind at storm's speed, taking over the song. Front persons Chris & Carla play guitar and share leads. Chris' solo are very Neil Young influenced, one note, within a chord. Very seldom like real solos, but fascinating and with loads of power. Just what a The Walkabouts song needs. Carla sometimes doesn't seem to pick strings at all, so intricate is her finger picking. Still we hear these beautiful melodic lines.

The dvd is very basic. Just cameras showing a band play. Nothing fancy, like The Walkabouts is. It is all about the songs. They tell the story, as every The Walkabouts song invariably does, like 'Jack Candy' about a drug dealer with a bad ending coming. The dvd does not add to the experience, but is invaluable to the true fan. We get to see the band up close, the interaction, while hearing this bunch of great songs. Life: The movie is a treat, that I truly enjoyed watching. The Walkabouts were one of my favourite if not the favourite band of the 90s. What this dvd shows is a confirmation of something that I nearly forgot in 00s, The Walkabouts is a very, very great band that should have been playing headlining festivals today, but isn't.

For people who haven't got acquanted with the band, go check them out. They are the best in folk rock. From the most delicate songs you've ever heard, to a ferocious beast and back on one album. This is what The Walkabouts offer you in a one-packet deal with great melodies. It doesn't come better people!, says,

Wo.

You can order The Walkabouts: The movie here


or here

The Rolling Stones anno 2012

Het is dit jaar 50 jaar geleden dat de band die jaren lang het predicaat “The greatest rock and roll band in the world” droeg in zijn doorbraak incarnatie bijeen kwam. Dat wil zeggen Mick Jagger (zang), Keith Richards en Brian Jones (gitaar), Bill Wyman (bas), Charlie Watts (drums) en, en dat wordt door bijna iedereen vergeten, Ian Stewart op piano. Alleen Ian mocht al heel snel geen officieel lid meer zijn van de eerste manager Andrew Oldham. Ian was te lelijk(!), maar bleef tot aan zijn dood in 1985 aan de Stones verbonden. Inmiddels krijgt Stewart van Richards in zijn biografie ‘Life’ de credit dat er zonder hem nooit een band was geweest. De ironie om te lelijk te zijn voor een band die door zijn eerste manager aan de man/vrouw werd gebracht als "de lelijkste band op aarde", heeft iets ironisch.

Dat is geschiedenis, maar waar staat de band anno 2012? Dat valt heel moeilijk aan te geven. Als bedrijf bestaat de band nog steeds, sterker er komt meer in de laatste drie jaar uit dan in de vele jaren daarvoor. Nieuwe muziek? Dat is maar de vraag of die er ooit nog zal komen. Wel beschouwt, is er in 15 jaar tijd maar één album verschenen met nieuw plaatwerk, 'A bigger bang' in 2005. M.a.w. een nieuw album pas in dit millennium. In 2001 bracht Jagger een solo album uit, 'Goddess in the doorway' en vorig jaar bracht hij nieuw werk met SuperHeavy. Dat is het. M.a.w., sindsdat WoNo Magazine bestaat, is er één recensie verschenen van een nieuw Stones album. Dat was een uitgebreide, nummer voor nummer, dat wel.

 

Zoals gezegd gaan de archieven, eindelijk, open. Na de 40th anniversary edition van het beste live album ooit, 'Get your ya-ya’s out', inclusief de voorprogramma’s van Ike & Tina Turner en BB King, verscheen in 2010 'Exile on Main Street' met bonus cd van outtakes, waarvan er sommige ronduit sensationeel zijn. Eind 2011 verscheen 'Some girls' met bonus cd. Soms lees ik in interviews rond plaatreleases: “We konden kiezen uit 20, 30, 40 nummers en dit zijn de beste”. Ja, en?, denk ik dan altijd, opscheppers of doe maar interessant. Zelden komt daar iets van naar buiten. Soms een b-kantje bij een single.

Mag ik die ook horen? Bij de Stones mag dat nu dus, 33 jaar na dato. Was de elpee 'Tattoo you' al grotendeels samengesteld uit outtakes van 'Some girls' (en veel beter, vind ik), nu dus een tweede cd van die outtakes. Helaas, deze vind ik, hoe leuk ik het ook vind om deze nummers eindelijk te kunnen horen, niet bijster interessant. Een flink aantal matige countrynummers en de geweldige rocker ‘So young’, maar dat was al een b-kant in de jaren 90. Ik kan mij niet aan de indruk onttrekken dat veel nummers leuke pastiches zijn, grappig om in de studio even mee bezig te zijn, om daarna achter gelaten te worden. ‘Claudine’ is bijvoorbeeld Jerry Lee-achtig

Wat de heruitgave wel heeft gedaan, is dat ik 'Some girls' zelf weer eens met frisse oren ben gaan luisteren. Dan valt mij op, veel meer dan toen, wat een enorme klap in het gezicht van de concurrentie de band hier uitdeelt. Uit 'Some girls' spreekt een enorme urgentie en directheid. Veel nummers zijn rauw, rocken enorm en maken de jongere bands van de opgekomen punkgeneratie heel duidelijk wie hier de baas is. Dat de band vervolgens ook nog eens een zeer succesvolle cross over maakt met de Studio 54 disco uit New York, levert de band een enorme hit op en live favoriet, 'Miss you'. 'Some girls' is dan ook veel beter dan ik toen dacht, al zal het nooit mijn echte Stones favorieten inhalen. Daarvoor ontbreekt de variatie en diepgang.

Veel interessanter zijn de dvds die de afgelopen jaren zijn verschenen. 'Ladies and gentlemen' is de registratie van een optreden met Mick Taylor. Een band zonder opsmuk, Jagger in zijn glam periode en Richards als über junkie chic, maar dat zijn ongeveer alle effecten. Er wordt muziek gemaakt en hoe. Jagger oogt ietwat onzeker. Alsof hij nog niet volledig comfortabel in zijn rol zit, misschien nog zoekende naar het uiteindelijk ongenaakbare rocksterrenomhulsel waar hij zich later mee tooide. Mick Taylor is een fantastische gitarist, maar totaal in zichzelf gekeerd. Er lijkt geen enkele interactie tussen de band en Taylor plaats te vinden. Hij speelt ieder nummer dicht met eindeloze solo’s. Hoe goed hij ook speelt, hij lijkt er niet bij te horen. Misschien, maar dat is makkelijk ca. 40 jaar later te zeggen, zien de kijker hier al waarom hij niet veel later de band zou verlaten. Dat alles daar gelaten, het is een geweldig concert, uit een tijd dat ik nog niet verder gekomen was dan tweemaal het Cocktail Trio (ook leuk, toen) en de Kilima Hawaiens (absoluut niet leuk, toen en nu).

'Some girls in Texas' is tegelijkertijd verschenen met de 'Some girls' reissue. The Stones staan in een zeer warm Fort Worth de pannen van het dak te spelen. Dat is ook te zien, want het hele dak is weg in de arena. (Terwijl ik dit schrijf, valt de sneeuw uit de hemel en staat de kachel hoog.) Veel nummers van 'Some girls' staan op de dvd/cd en het valt me op hoe goed ze live overeind bleven. Anno 2012 valt in recensies te lezen, dat dit het album is waarmee de Stones hun positie terugpakten op de punk (die in 1978 al weer zwaar op zijn retour was) en dit hun laatste relevante album is. Ook op het podium is de urgentie terug te zien. Niets opsmuk, spelen. Als live act is de band na 1978 zeker wel beter geworden, met name omdat ze meerdere ondersteunende muzikanten op het podium toelieten en fantastische achtergrond zang regelden. Over alle attributen spreek ik maar niet. Tijdens 'Some girls' gebeurt er nog niet heel veel op het podium, qua spelen des te meer. Een ontzettende strakke band knalt de hits en de nieuwe nummers er in straf tempo uit. Ronnie Wood speelt nog niet in de hem nu bekende rol als een twee eenheid met Richards, maar in de Taylor rol. Heel veel solo’s dus.

Daarnaast verschijnen er bootlegs op de Stones site. 'The Brussels affair' laat een geweldig concert horen uit 1973. Ook hier knalt de band werkelijk. In 2012 is er een concert uit 1981 in de VS verschenen, 'Hampton Park'. Als ik het goed heb, is er nu nog maar een toer na 1970 niet op dvd verschenen, 1975 – 1976, met o.a. Billy Preston op piano en orgel*. Die zou ik ook heel graag zien. Waarom?

In 1976 speelden de Stones tweemaal in het Zuiderpark stadion in Den Haag. Daar had ik heel graag heen gewild, maar dat was voor een jongen in de provincie onhaalbaar. Financieel, afstand en toestemming. In 4 MAVO werd maanden gefantaseerd over hoe we daar zouden komen, maar er was niemand die dat voor elkaar kreeg. Ik moest het doen met foto’s in de Muziek Expres en elders. Laat maar komen die dvd. Wat ook nog mist, zijn de BBC opnamen die de band inspeelde in de jaren 60. Daar zitten heel veel rock and roll covers tussen. Ergens op een heel oud cassettebandje moet ik er nog een aantal hebben staan. Het verbaast mij, dat die nog niet zijn uitgegeven. Iedere band uit die tijd heeft dat in de afgelopen twee decennia al gedaan en met succes.

Op Internet is (iemand namens) de band zeer actief. Het Twitteraccount @RollingStones probeert de fans actief aan zich te binden. Men kan verzoekjes indienen van nummers die op YouTube worden gezet in het weekend, retweet tweets van fans en coördineert tussen de officiële Twitter accounts van de (ex-)bandleden en gerelateerde muzikanten. Op een na: #Charliestoocoolfortwitter. Verder worden er foto’s uit de oude doos gepost en, natuurlijk, flink op merchandize en nieuwe (bootleg)uitgaven gewezen. Ronnie Wood is online diskjockey van The Ronnie Wood show en won vorig jaar een beste diskjockey prijs, ongetwijfeld met hulp van alle aansporingen van het Stones Twitter account aan fans om online te stemmen. #GroteAchterban, denk ik dan maar.

En nieuw werk? Zeg nooit nooit. Het zou mij niet verbazen als de band iets speciaals gaat doen om het 50 jarig bestaan te vieren, al zijn de laatste berichten in de pers niet hoopgevend. Het enige wat is aangekondigd, is een koffietafel fotoboek. Wordt ongetwijfeld vervolgd en u leest er over in WoNo Magazine. Zo niet, dan is er genoeg om met heel veel plezier telkens opnieuw af te luisteren.

Wo.

* Na het schrijven van dit artikel, maar voor de publicatie van de blog post is een bootleg uit 1975 van een concert in Los Angeles verschenen op de Stones website.

Zelf schrijven op WoNoBloG? Dat kan. Laat een reactie achter en we nemen contact op met je.