Springtime In New York. The Bootleg Series, vol. 16, 1980 - 1985. Bob Dylan

Being a Bob Dylan fan ever since 'Desire', having back-paddled since the mid-1980 and immensely enriched by the 'Biograph' and later 'The Bootleg Series', it is not difficult to state that the 1980s is not my favourite Dylan decade. Like with many of my other all time favourites and music in general, the 80s were rather bleak for Dylan. Because I had money to spend and bought the albums 'Shot of Love', 'I and I' and 'Empire Burlesque' without much question at the time, I can't remember when I played them last. The latter two sound totally outdated and did so very fast. So, 1980 - 1985? I was thinking to pass it by, not to mention the loads of euros charged for music that ought to be redundant.

Ever since the original bootleg release in 1991, Dylan fans know that a new release in the series is the moment to start paying attention. No, I do not own them all, but have scored another one, the two cd version recently. And once again I'm sort of blown away by what I'm hearing. How is it possible that this version of 'Angelina' does not open which ever album of the three? Why is it that some 'I and I' tracks come alive for the first time. Where is that soul coming from all of a sudden, from the sterile sounding 'Empire Burlesque'? Don't ask me, I do not have the answer.

It is said that Bob Dylan has kept his best tracks for himself; ever since he started to somehow dislike his fans and the world, if not himself, as it seems to me, I might add. Who knows? It is a mystery though that some of these great tracks or alternate versions remained on the shelf. 'Biograph' already showed a little of this, but 'The Bootleg Series' have started to really show what we have been missing before. The good thing is, it is all reaching us anyway and in star quality.

Springtime In New York is no exception to what we already know. Dylan had much more songs on his sleeve than he was willing to let on at the time. Songs full of warmth, soul and groove. Mostly singing with a great voice, already on his way to what we've been hearing the last two decades, yes. As always his timing is impeccable, creating tension in relaxed sounding songs. I can understand people, although quite often, in my world, the women, can't handle this voice. For those who do, the party really starts here.

Many songs in this selection are alternate versions of songs already known, even from a bootleg series' album, a few are outtakes that were not known to me. Including a few true treasures. Everything is looser, as if more fun was had by all, including Dylan. The result is a large dose of soul entering the songs. In part because of the backing vocals but also, most certainly, because the musicians were allowed to do their thing. What made it to the latter two albums, was all stylised and sterilised, drawn into a corset, that was to tight to breathe. Fun strictly not allowed. Here the combination of the reggae tandem Robertson-Shakespeare with Dire Straits and Dylan c.s. works a miracle. Nothing is overdone.

I will not take you down individual songs but wanted to share my general feelings on the two cds. It should be enough to get my drift. The five cd version comes with many of the covers the musicians played in the studio. Who knows, if it ever gets a cheap discount version I'll get it anyway. For now this is enough.

Wout de Natris

The hits of The Kinks, 1965 - 1969, part 1

The Kinks. This band is one of my favourites from a very young age. That started with 'Dandy' and the cause was my cousin Tineke who played the hit singles for me. She also went out to buy a single for me for fl 0,59 cents, later fl 0,95, at a discount in Rotterdam. Why these great singles were so cheap and why Ter Meulen had 100s and 100s of them in store for that price?, I have no clue. The other big bands certainly were not among these discount singles. From the 60s to the 70s and 80s, I remained a fan. Only with the last few albums, until the semi-live one 'To The Bone' from 1996 that is, I had the idea the wind was out of the band.

Today I focus on the first five years of the Dutch Top 40, in which The Kinks scored so many hits. I'm about to take you on a singles tour of The Kinks, in a few episodes, in which I hope to do right to the classic hits of Ray and Dave Davies, Pete Quaife/John Dalton and Mick Avery. Not to forget producer Shel Talmy.

Of course it all started with that first single, 'You Really Got Me'. With me having no clue at the time, but this is one of the most original first hit singles of any band. The riff is classic, the guitar solo the near wildest ('Louie Louie') ever at the time. The impact must have been beyond huge and I have no room for it in this series. I have to start with the band's second hit single, that was still in the charts, at the start of 1965.

All Day And All Of The Night (1965, 17)

Of course, I can hear you say, this is just a rip off from that first single. In a way that is certainly true. But somehow I have always liked All Day And All Of The Night better, from the moment I first got to know it and don't ask me when that was, I just don't know. Somewhere. The song is more melodic and showing more of what the band is capable of. A little less effect and more action. The little hints hidden behind the main riff are hints at subtlety. The tambourine, the rock and roll piano, the background vocals. But everything comes down, when all is said and done, to that killer riff. There's no other word for it. Dave Davies would go on to play many great solos but here, and on 'You Really Got Me', is the playbook for a whole generation of guitarists. From hard rock to punk and punkrock, where would they be without this riff? The brothers were 20 and 17 when they recorded their second hit song. Youthful exuberance? Certainly. The next thing I would like to point to is the incredible dry sound of the drums. Mick Avery* is batting away here but caught in a unique way. And there's the vocal melody. It is simply better than the first single's. But, there's hardly ever a second that trumps the first and that is why 'You Really Got Me' has got its unique position in rock's history and rightly so. I'm going to play this one once again though. One of the best (rock) songs of the 60s, period.

* He's not. According to Wikipedia, who cites one Doug Hinman, the signifying drum sound was played by Bobby Graham. This is totally new to me.

Tired Of Waiting For You (1965, 18)

What the xxxx?, whatever people were thinking on an occasion like this at the time in 1965 can be filled in here. The question certainly must have been asked by everyone who was expecting a 'You Really Got Me' part three. They did not get it and had to wait until the end of the year for that final incarnation. In the mean time, people who did open their ears heard a song that had some of that toughness but also a much stronger pop vibe. The softer intro's riff sounded the bell for a pop single. Tired Of Waiting For You does not have that unique star quality. What it does have is that pop spark that makes you not forget the song once you've heard it. It has that wanting to sing along vibe to it. Including a soft romantic interlude as well until it's time to underscore that tired part. Not a lot of backing vocals here (an ooh or so), the band is present though. There's no really stopping the rhythm tandem here, waiting to be let out of the cage and then off they go. It makes Tired of Waiting For You an in between single. A surprise but certainly entertaining enough to keep the band in the spotlight. The Kinks' highest scoring hit single in the U.S. (with 'Come Dancing')

Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy (1965, 28)

1965 party song. That is the right description for the third single on this list. The kind you can see people dancing to in movies from the time, girls dressed in wide-striped, tight dresses. Not a big hit here, the question is, correctly or not? I'm a bit biased of course and I can't judge the time as I wasn't around musically yet. What I hear now in 2022 (and years before of course) is a fun song. This is one tough kind of a pop song alright. The rhythm is pumped, Avery is going at it alright (yes, he is) and Quaife playing a great running bass part. The handclaps propel the song even more. The only thing I can think of that the song is too loud for a true pop hit. For the rest? Try not to sing along here. My fancy is tickled for the whole of 2.16 the single lasts. The Kinks single at the time were all done within 2.25 easily. All excess waste was down by the wayside. Ev'rybody's Going To Be Happy is a great pop-rock single and so much better than I thought over 30 years ago when I first heard the song on a compilation record.

Set Me Free (1965, 12)

Set Me Free is a sentimental song sung by someone who may not want to be set free. Musically it is a soft version of the band's first two singles. The riff is there, mixed into the background, making way for Ray Davies' melancholy singing. He's pining alright. The oohs in the background are the first of a staple for The Kinks. Because of this mix the single hangs somewhere in between as well. At the same time Ray Davies is practising here for great things to come. There's no denying that here we are hearing the first inklings of what he would prove capable of in the years to come. Never my favourite Set Me Free is, but certainly alright.

See My Friend (1965, 26)

We are still in 1965 and another, minor hit single. The first song still has to make it to the top 10, let alone higher. It is 1965 but there is a hint at psychedelia here. Something The Kinks would eschew like the plague in the years to come when everybody was going at it. The drone in the guitar certainly is sounding Indian. The fact that the song ends with a solo leading it past the 2.30 minutes is also telling. The song has another kind of longing. They see friends playing across the river and "she is gone". See what happens when she does what you ask her?, I can't help thinking. This longing is what gives the single its quality. It is a different sort of pop music. Mick Avery's (who knows?) power is contained much better, in the mix. Shoved backwards in other words. He's battering away as always but less noticeable. See My Friend is an interesting song, while being nice as well. A good combination.

A Well Respected Man (1965, 8)

A Well Respected Man is my oldest The Kinks single, because my cousin gave it to me, together with several others in the early 70s. Does she still feel sorry over it? I never asked her. I had no idea about the song at the time. In fact, I did not really like the song much when I got to know it. I thought it to be somewhat simple. It is special though, in at least two ways. The first is that it is the band's first top 10 hit over here. It is also the first song in which Ray Davies is giving his view on English society. Showing us a peak into the life of a commuter, someone working at a bank or the government, "working so conservatively". While in the background things are going on, listen to the song yourself to find out what. The song really sounds different, gone is the dominant electric guitar and in comes the acoustic as the dominant instrument, while an electric is played in a way a piano could have done. In the U.K. the single was not released. Too different. Now who was wrong here?!

Till The End Of The Day (1965, 4)

"Baby, I feel good", and you can believe me, each time I hear this song. Only slightly behind the two big first singles. The huge riff is back and more varied than ever before. The piano is back, the big oohs and a more subtle guitar solo as well. On piano it's Nicky Hopkins but on drums a Clem Cattini, according to Wikipedia*. Now what does that tell of all the previous singles as this sounds so early The Kinks drums? The prominent tambourine in Mick Avery though. This song is fantastic in many, many ways. It has a great drive and pace. It shows the better players the band had become in one year time. There are far more subtle hints in the music, despite this being a proto-punkrock and roller. From the opening riff it is clear that nothing can go wrong here and it doesn't. The song is like a rollercoaster ride whooshing from peak to peak without stopping for a second until the final meters before having to get out or taking the ride once again, which comes totally recommended where this single is concerned. Ray Davies' then wife Rasa is singing background as well. And yes, every once in a while, when I listen real closely I can hear a young woman's voice in there. The The Kinks highlight for 1965, as 'All Day And All Of The Night' is from 1964 really.

* I started backtracking here.

Wout de Natris

The Great Awakening. Shearwater

From travelling through Latin America to track and record birds, captured in Jonathan Maiburg's first books, 'A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life' and 'Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey', to Shearwater's first record in six years, is a smaller step than may seem at first glance. Meiburg brought not so much the silence as the majestic surroundings of the forest to The Great Awakening. Gone is the rock, gone are the prominent guitars, and prominent instruments in general, all replaced by the great surroundings of music, like a whole, massive work of music. The wide spaces in the sound mix, creating a special layer of attention for all that is in that mix.

It makes The Great Awakening a majestic album, one in which everything is huge, while obtrusiveness is all but banned from the music. If anything, the music is spellbinding, mesmerising. Anyone not caught by the music somewhere, by the furthest stretch, in the second song, is immune to Shearwater's music.

In 2016 'Jet Plane And Oxbow' was released. After giving the album a very positive review, I immediately bought the LP at the time but also noticed the album sort of fell out of grace after a while. The album did not stick. This was no real surprise, I thought, as the albums before it never got to that (top level) stage even. This resulted in me not sitting in the front row for a new Shearwater release. And here is The Great Awakening and I'm listening to it for I can't recall how many times.

Yes, this is a "soft" album. Yet, so many things are happening. You can find so many sounds on the album, isolated pieces of music, snippets from one instrument or another, soft tribal rhythms. All with one common denominator, Jonathan Meiburg's voice up front, part of the music, but sing-whispering his lyrics straight at you. Thus an integral co-creator of the atmosphere of the album, part of the mysterious music, adding to the experience I am already intensely undergoing.

Meiburg made the album together with co-producer Dan Duszynski of Loma. (To make things more confusing, the are both in Loma, together with Emily Cross and recorded two albums since 2016.) Some older Shearwater band mates from the past came by to deliver contributions. The result is a beautiful album, that is able to modestly rock, with the relatively busy and contradictorily called 'Empty Orchestra'. The song is an outlier though, while still fitting the wide sounds created by keyboards/synths. ELO without the pop and rock combination in combination, with a modern take on the hit songs of U2 and Simple Minds of the mid 80s. Expect more restful moments and bird song next.

There's more than enough to enjoy on The Great Awakening and to discover. Now I will just have to be patient and discover how the album fares a few months from now. In the mean time, do not hesitate to try the album for your self. Do not let me keep you up.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order The Great Awakening here:

https://shearwater.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-awakening-2022

Paragons. Constant Smiles

De Amerikaanse band Constant Smiles kleurde de herfstdagen van 2021 fraai en sfeervol in en verraste met melodieuze songs die zich stuk voor stuk als een warme deken om je heen slaan.

Constant Smiles, de band rond de Amerikaanse muzikant Ben Jones, maakte al meer dan vijftien albums, maar met het deze week verschenen Paragons zet de band een reuzenstap. Paragons is een warm en stemmig album dat perfect kleurt bij herfstbladeren. Ben Jones laat zich inspireren door de zweverige gitaarmuziek uit de jaren 90, maar kan ook uit de voeten met de alt-country uit dit decennium, met de folkrock van een aantal decennia eerder en met de stekelige maar ook onweerstaanbare popsongs van The Go-Betweens. Paragons is een heerlijk maar ook interessant herfstalbum, dat de continue glimlach uit de bandnaam heel snel op je gezicht tovert.

Paragons van Constant Smiles viel me in eerste instantie vooral op door de hoes van het album. Het is een tijdloze albumhoes en het is er bovendien een die perfect past bij het huidige jaargetijde. Uit nieuwsgierigheid heb ik vervolgens ook maar even naar het album zelf geluisterd en dat bleek een zeer aangename verrassing. De muziek van de band uit Brooklyn, New York, klinkt immers al even tijdloos en kleurt bovendien prachtig bij de vallende herfstbladeren. 

Ik had nog nooit van Constant Smiles gehoord en omdat op muziekencyclopedie Allmusic.com alleen het deze week verschenen Paragons is te vinden, ging ik even uit van een debuutalbum. Op Spotify staan echter nog drie albums van de Amerikaanse band en op de bandcamp pagina van de band staan er nog veel meer. Constant Smiles is met ruim vijftien albums op haar naam inmiddels een gelouterde band, maar met Paragons moet de band maar eens een stap naar een breder publiek gaan zetten. Dat is zeker geen kansloze missie, want in muzikaal opzicht heeft de band op Paragons een flinke stap gezet. 

Constant Smiles is de band rond de Amerikaanse muzikant Ben Jones, die overigens zijn naam is vergeten te vermelden op de bandcamp pagina van het album. Deze Ben Jones deed in het verleden zo ongeveer alles zelf, maar omdat Constant Smiles een contract heeft getekend bij het Sacred Bones label, kon de Amerikaanse muzikant voor Paragons een beroep doen op huisproducer Ben Greenberg en een aantal bevriende gastmuzikanten. 

Ik heb natuurlijk ook even geluisterd naar het oudere werk van de band rond Ben Jones, maar dat is een stuk gruiziger en lo-fi dan het prachtig klinkende Paragons. Het nieuwe album van Constant Smiles klinkt zoals gezegd tijdloos. Bij eerste beluistering van het album had ik vooral associaties met de wat zweverigere gitaarbands uit de jaren 90 als Yo La Tengo, Luna en al hun soortgenoten, maar Ben Jones gaat op Paragons ook verder terug in de tijd en kan zijn sfeervolle songs ook voorzien van invloeden uit de jaren 60, 70 en 80. 

Uit de eerste twee decennia neemt de Amerikaanse muzikant vooral invloeden uit de folk(rock) en psychedelica mee, maar uit de jaren 80 hoor ik ook wel wat invloeden van de Australische band The Go-Betweens en van de Nieuw-Zeelandse gitaarbands die tegelijkertijd opdoken. Mooi vergelijkingsmateriaal dus. 

De songs van Constant Smiles zijn bijzonder sfeervol door de mooie en warme gitaarlijnen en door de wat dromerige zang, maar de songs op Paragons zijn ook zeer melodieus, waardoor ze zich makkelijk en zo nu en dan zelfs genadeloos opdringen. In een aantal songs schuift Constant Smiles wat op richting de folkrock uit de jaren 70, maar het klinkt geen moment oubollig of belegen. 

Paragons bevat naast een intro, een outro en een interlude, tien uitstekende popliedjes, die zich op een kille herfstavond als een warme deken om je heen slaan. Het zijn popliedjes die makkelijk verleiden, maar er valt gelukkig ook genoeg bijzonders te ontdekken in de songs van Ben Jones en zijn medemuzikanten. Door het oppikken van dit album heb ik er opeens een interessante band met een flink uit de kluiten gewassen oeuvre bij, maar Paragons steekt er voorlopig nog wel wat bovenuit.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt Paragons hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://constantsmiles.bandcamp.com/album/paragons-2

.NoWordsNeedeD, 16-06-2022

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V3O5kgwH2w

 

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