Musselwhite Stranger In A Strange Land

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Album Reviews VinylH Collector

by Paul Rigby

RL Burnside

First Recordings

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Fat Possum 80365-1

Rhythmic blues direct from the Delta Released as a limited edition, 180gm vinyl, these early recordings (taped by George Mitchell in 1968) reflect the genius of Robert Johnson and John Lee Hooker. The more you listen, however, the more Fred McDowell, Burnside’s direct influence, shines though in Burnside’s rhythmic style. Playing the rawest Delta blues – the sort that locals might find down their local juke joint – Burnside’s voice, and the emotion that pours from it, sucks you into his world. His playing is simply mesmerising, as he covers Skinny Woman, Jumper On The Line and Peaches. These field recordings present Burnside in the wild, his natural environment, which should please the purists no end.

Factory

Path Through The Forest

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Guerssen 046

Legendary psych singles collected with early forays A real hotchpotch of rarities collected together to form an album of sorts, the music here reflects the short life of the UK freakbeat group who only produced two – now highly collectable – singles: Path Through The Forest, released on MGM in 1968, and Try A Little Sunshine, released on CBS the following year. Combining strong power chords with psych undercurrents, the band showed considerable talent in their brief existence and remain one of a batch of “What ifs?” within the UK music history. In addition to the aforementioned A- and B-sides, this LP also features rare acetate recordings: a cover of Family’s Second Generation Woman and Fairport Convention’s Mr Lacey, plus a new mix of Path Through The Forest, with early psych effects that were rejected by MGM plugged back into the mix.

Hellhammer

Apocalyptic Raids

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Back On Black BOBV 114 LP

Rough hewn demos signposting black metal Hellhammer were one of the most interesting metal bands of the mid80s underground scene. A short-lived outfit (they

were together for around a year between 1983 and 1984) the principle members would later reform to create the peerless Celtic Frost. This album is a collection of demos that circulated around the fan circuit at the time and perfectly present their high energy, basic punk approach to metal. Packed with vim and vigour, these recordings proved to be an essential influence on the later black metal genre.

Charley Musselwhite’s Southside Blues Band Stand Back

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Pure Pleasure/Vanguard VSD 79232

Whitey sings the blues Musselwhite’s magnificent 1967 solo blues debut was made all the more startling because he was just 22 when he recorded it. Yet Stand Back belies Musselwhite’s maturity and knowledge. In some ways it was a shocking album for its time. After all, here was a white man, admittedly playing with black musicians, but taking hold of the blues genre by the scruff of its neck. Each song, however, including Strange Land and Christo Redemptor, is always credible, always believable. Featuring Musselwhite on harmonica and vocals, he was ably supported by Harvey Mandel on guitar, with both piano and organ played by Barry Goldberg, with a rhythm section of Bob Anderson on bass and Fred Below Jr on drums.

We The People Too Much Noise

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Sundazed LP 5251

Raw energy… with style If you’re into obscure American garage bands then this supergroup, containing members of The Offbeets, Nonchalonts and Trademarks, will no doubt appeal. Most successful during their mid60s time with the Challenge imprint, this 14-track compilation collects all of the band’s work for that label. Remarkably, the music has been recorded from the original analogue masters and sounds all the better for it. Too

talented to be labelled just a “garage” band, this group retained the aggression and drive that defined the sound of their contemporaries, but incorporated some notable songwriting prowess which added a little balance and nuance to their work.

Various Recovery

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Fractured FRACT 01

Cover, remix or disassembly? A sumptuous 7” box set with a sturdy pizza box-style packaging, Recovery is made up of 10 discs, each within a die-cut card sleeve. Across these, 20 avant-garde artists all choose a single song to reinterpret. Each track is an exploration: Zoviet France’s take on Motörhead’s Bomber is an unrecognisable tale of tone decay and bubbling electronica, Carter Tutti’s (ex-Throbbing Gristle) version of Pink Floyd’s Lucifer Sam is quite haunting and partly psychotic, while Barbara Morgenstern’s adaptation of New Order’s Temptation is a genuine pop gem, stripped bare with an almost Abba-esque vocal.

Vinyl Round-up

The following releases are out now, unless otherwise dated Art Ensemble Of Chicago Les Stances A Sophie (Soul Jazz) Bonnie “Prince” Billy Is It The Sea? (Domino) Jackson Browne Time The Conqueror (Inside Recordings) Johnny Cash 16 Biggest Hits (Sony Legacy US) Jolie Holland Living & The Dead (Anti-) Judas Priest British Steel (Sony Legacy US) Korn Korn (Sony Legacy US) Jenny Lewis Acid Tongue (Warner Bros; includes CD album) Oasis Dig Out Your Soul (Big Brother; limited edition box set) Okkervil River Stand Ins (Jagjaguwar) Nina Simone Remixed & Reimagined (Sony Legacy US)

Label Profile: The Vinyl Factory, UK “We’re not a record label in the traditional sense, but rather a curator and creator of collectible vinyl editions,” says The Vinyl Factory’s Sean Biffer. “These will often, though not exclusively, take the form of a box set, on which we’ll work closely with the artists themselves to make to the very highest standards, paying particular care and attention to the quality of the vinyl, artwork and print”. The company’s first release was a Primal Scream’s Beautiful Future, which contains a vinyl double album, exclusive Andrew Weatherall remix of Uptown, poster, booklet and credit sheet. The Factory firmly believes that physical products are more important than ever, so why not make them beautiful and collectible at the same time? “After all,” adds Bidder, “what better way to enjoy the music you really love, than to engage with it on every level?” Contact: www.vinylfactory.co.uk

Mind was the breakthrough. Their other four tracks are among the strongest, helped in no small measure by Bev Bivens’ distinctive tones. There, in part, is the rub for the rest of the acts, as there’s little to distinguish one from another, though each gives their best. The interesting Blackburn & Snow pop up with some alternate/ demo versions of their material, including Stranger In A Strange Land, and there are some strong songs from The Tricycle, formed by one of We Five after the latter’s short-lived career. Also earcatching is Randy Steirling, whose voice on Green Monday is a curious mix of Donovan and James Blunt, making for one of the stronger tracks. Almost 20 acts vie for attention, and their crossovers and inter-relations are detailed in compiler Alex Paleo’s detailed sleevenotes, in which a plethora of different names doesn’t help distinguish one lot from another. Nevertheless, this is a deep trawl through one company’s response to folk-rock, though you will have to search hard for undiscovered nuggets. Kingsley Abbott

Still Dead! The Grim Reaper’s Jukebox HHH Ace CDCHD 1205

Volume two of deathly dirges The question is whether or not the death count on this second collection of ghoulish examples of the death disc genre (roughly 1958-66) would exceed the first volume. Well… How many in an American football team? And did the crash include the reserves and coaches? Just as we were about to abort the calculation, ex-Ronette Estelle lifts the body count above 50 billion with The Year 2000. Rest easy, volume two wins hands down. Like its predecessor, this digs out little-known, often Bside, examples of heartbreak and tragedy providing inspiration for perverted writers. A couple of Little Caesar goodies are split by decent pop production on Ronnie Dante’s In The Rain. Then we drop into a netherworld that includes pretty dire Elvis soundalike Thomas Wayne and textbook country from Vern Stovall, by way of Joe Meek’s production of Pamela Blue’s My Friend Bobby. Unbelievably, there’s yet another outing for Leader Of The Pack. The strongest is probably the magnificently kitsch Nightmare from The Whyte Boots (writer/ producer Lori Burton), while apparently The Cadets only just managed to get through Car Crash without cracking up. It’s a bit of a car crash, rescued by a few fine records and much eyebrow-raising. Cue thunder and sobs… Kingsley Abbott

You Heard It Here First HHHH Ace CDCHD 1204

Largely unsung originals of well-known favourites Cover versions often give artists

an opportunity to reinvent a piece of music and put their own stamp on it. Soft Cell’s makeover of Gloria Jones’ relatively unheralded soul hit Tainted Love turned it into a global synth-pop anthem, but the original serves as a fine opener to this revealing compilation. Listen to Mark James’ first take on his own Suspicious Minds, however, and you’ll realise that Elvis Presley barely altered a single crotchet or quaver for his own hit. It’s the same story with Carson & Gaile’s Somethin’ Stupid or Barbie Gaye’s My Boy Lollipop: the embryonic readings were so perfect, why change anything? On the other side of the coin, Howlin’ Wolf’s Red Rooster offers a primitive growl that Sam Cooke or The Rolling Stones opted to jettison, while Johnny Darrell’s original of Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town is bogstandard country fare that lacks the emotive frailty of the Kenny Rogers hit version. And if Bill Haley’s watered-down Rock Around The Clock led to teddy boys slashing cinema seats, surely Sunny Dae’s earlier rendition would have had them setting fire to the ticket booth. Terry Staunton

Willows Songs HHHH

Finders Keepers FKR 020 CD

Get your Maypoles out, the Wicker Man cult carries on Ah, the British Isles. Finders Keepers have been good to you over the years. Their Welsh Rare Beat compilations remain essential purchases for anyone interested in golden age psych-folk, and now they turn their eyes to Ireland and the Highlands. Hooking this upon an instrumental recording of Willow’s Theme, famously pushed to erotic bursting point by Britt Ekland in The Wicker Man, and here sourced from the original master tapes, Willows Songs presents a number of traditional recordings that crop up in different form in The Wicker Man itself. It’s no surprise, then, that we have illicit sex (Gently Johnny, My Jingalo; moonlit grubbiness in among the corn rigs), fertility jigs and quite sinister vocal-anddulcimer jaunts on the children’s favourite Oranges & Lemons, complete with eerie kids “chop chop chop” outro. Whereas the Wicker Man soundtrack’s associations will always make listening to it a task where beauty makes bedfellows with dread, these recordings are largely just quite moving, especially the likes of Highland Lament, and even Willow’s Theme itself, which here loses some of its sexual charge, instead scooping you off into a flute-and-strings soundscape. Hunt down the Wicker Man OST on Trunk first, then get this to broaden the picture. Jason Draper

100 Record Collector

Albums.indd 100

10/10/2008 13:21:16