REVIEW OF THE DAY: Best of Soul Train DVD

THE BEST OF SOUL TRAIN (DVD)

The American Bandstand of soul music, this long-running TV series probably meant more to the African American community than any other show. There was an obvious message: This is our music, it is great and the world's best, and this is to celebrate our culture. In guest James Brown's words, "say it loud, I'm black and proud." Over three discs, we get some truly wonderful music, from artists at the peak of their powers, including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Isley Brothers, Aretha, and the Jackson 5. Although the program stretched into this century, this set concentrates on the 70's, when for my money, the music was best.

While there many great moments here, there are several problems with the collection. First and foremost, most of the acts appearing on the show perfomed lip-synch. While this was pretty typical, it also means the moments are forced and less special. Marvin Gaye struggles and jokes with it, The Commodores are painful, and most disappointingly, The Jackson 5 just aren't special at all. But there are several magic moments as well. Bill Withers is tremendous, and Lean On Me and Use Me never sounded better. James Brown's J.B's wreck the joint, so accomplished live. Stevie Wonder does a medley of hits just at the piano, with the famous Soul Train dancers singing along to Sir Duke and Ma Cherie Amour. And hearing Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin duet on Ooo Baby Baby, with Aretha playing piano is a milestone moment in soul.

You do have to wade through the mud to get to the gems. Don Cornelius did wonderful work creating and producing the show, but we don't need so much of him hosting, all the standard intros and animation openings included. If those had been cut out, it would have made for a faster-paced, more watchable product on DVD. His interviews on the show are excellent, but the modern-day chat added as a bonus on each day is one of the most tedious Q and A's in the history of boxed sets. And the dance numbers, while a major part of the show, are cool only as historical artifacts now. Skipping chapters never felt so right. It's a pity more live performances weren't found to replace the many dull spots that would have jumped this set up to a must own.

REVIEW OF THE DAY: JACKSON BROWNE/DAVID LINDLEY

JACKSON BROWNE/DAVID LINDLEY - LOVE IS STRANGE

Back in 2006, Jackson Browne took a trip to Spain, a country he loves. This time, he was able to convince his old playing partner, multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, to come along. This was a major coup, as Lindley is not only a great player, he is Browne's most sympathetic foil, the second star of Browne's 70's heyday, as heard on the Running On Empty album and others. Keeping things simple for the trip, it was Browne and Lindley acoustic, joined by various Spanish music stars, friends of Jackson. Oh, and wisely, recording gear.

The results are this beautiful, Spanish-flavoured double-disc, Browne happily moving into the milieu, already well-versed in the sounds and even the language. It's pretty fun hearing him chat in Spanish to the crowds, relaxed and ready to integrate. The guests are featured as back-up players, percussion and such, or as much as lead vocalists, transforming Browne songs such as Take It Easy into new creatures, almost unrecognizable.

While all this is interesting, the real highlight for fans will be the stripped-down and closely-recorded highlights of Browne's catalogue, sounding fresh and powerful. Early gems such as Late For The Sky, Your Bright Baby Blues and For Everyman sound alive again. One can even gain a new appreciation for later, less popular work now that it's stripped of its rock band production, on the songs I'm Alive and Looking East. By the time Running On Empty and the Love Is Strange/Stay medley arrive, old fans will be back in the joy once felt when those records were hits.

The two key moves here are the return of Lindley, one of the very best sidemen, and the return of Browne to what he really is: not a rock star, but a singer/songwriter.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: BEATLES ON SULLIVAN DVD

THE 4 COMPLETE ED SULLIVAN SHOWS STARRING THE BEATLES

A bit of an wordy title, but it certainly describes what you're getting here.  This 2-DVD set includes the four episodes of the famous 60's variety show that The Beatles guested on.  It's the original broadcasts of the hour-long programs, from start to finish, including the vintage commercials.  Now, that alone is an interesting sociological set of artifacts, with everything from Pillsbury dough to laundry soap being hawked (addressed to the ladies, of course).  As TV shows go, Sullivan's hasn't aged well at all.  The old-fashioned variety show format is cool enough, with its parade of acts, including jugglers, acrobats, singing actresses (Mitzi Gaynor?), magicians, and comedians.  The trouble is, they largely suck, especially the stand-ups.  The bizarre Soupy Sales does a a dance parody he calls The Mouse, which apparently was big news for 20 minutes back in '65.  Borscht Belt regular Myron Cohen is literally incomprehensible.  And impressionist (and future Riddler) Frank Gorshin does the same old crap, from Sinatra to The Duke, a lesser Rich LIttle.  Only the music holds up, including numbers by Cab Calloway, Cilla Black and of course, our main attraction.

Unless you lived through it, it's impossible to relive the excitement the Beatles appearances generated.  The first show, from February 9, 1964, smashed viewership records in the U.S., and changed music and pop culture for everyone in North America.  Elvis's climb had been slower;  The Beatles went from a rumour to the most talked-about act overnight.  Anyone interested who missed the first broadcast could tune in two more weeks in a row, as the group returned with their hits She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, All My Loving and Please Please Me.  Now, most of us have seen these clips and the shots of the screaming crowds many times, but it's cool to have them all in one place, and just plain bizarre to watch the wooden Sullivan trying over and over to convince the worried parents out there what "fine young people The Beatles are, which is surely the key to their success."  Yes Ed, politeness is the number one asset for a rock band.

The fourth show is a later one, with the band returning on September 12, 1965.  Instead of the slightly nervous, highly-rehearsed group that appeared 17 months before, now The Beatles are confidant, relaxed, and total pros.  They had grown quickly, and the material showed it, as the set list includes I Feel Fine, Ticket To Ride and Help.  Paul does a solo turn on Yesterday, a huge hit single in North America only, and Ringo gets to sign his party piece, Buck Owens' Act Naturally.  It's also the single best episode of the four here, with comedian Marti Allen actually funny, and Cilla Black a fine addition.

If you don't have any memories of the 60's and the importance The Beatles held, it might be hard to understand what all the fuss was about.  Today, there's absolutely nothing shocking, and hardly even exciting about the group's performers.  However, this is exactly how it happened, and in the combined worlds of TV and music, it's hard to come up with anything more important.

REVIEW OF THE DAY

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - THE PROMISE

Betwee 1975 and 1978, Bruce Springsteen couldn't release the all-important follow-up to his breakthrough album Born To Run. Mired in a lawsuit with his former manager, the litigation forced the delay of what became Darkness On The Edge Of Town. During that time, Springsteen played as much as he could, but also started piling up songs, writing at a furious rate. Dozens were recorded, many were reworked, and most discarded for the final album. He probably would have released another in between if he could have, and now we get an idea of what that might have sounded like.

The Promise is made up of 21 tracks from that 1976-77 period (22 actually, there's a hidden one) spread over two discs. The title cut is a famous one in Bruce lore, often bootlegged. It's the direct follow-up to BTR's Thunder Road, even naming it in the lyrics. Mournful, it was okay, but a little bit gimmicky in its Part Two subject matter. And there you have it, the reason these songs were never used, or drastically altered along the way. Unlike the almost-flawless Darnness album, most of these songs are pretty good, but not quite there.

There's some well-known ones in here, including Fire, a big hit for the Pointer Sisters later. Springsteen plays it too straight on this retro-rockabilly number, and it's still missing a crucial note change in the chorus melody, that the Pointers nailed, and which actually made it a better record. Because The Night went on to become a better song in co-writer Patti Smith's hands too, although Bruce comes close here. Racing In The Streets needed a lyric overhaul and a strip-down to make it much better on Darkness than this early, full-band take. And Candy's Boy was far too soft and slow until it got speeded up and darkened as Candy's Room.

Most of the tracks have never seen the official light of day. Separately, each one has lots going for it. When you hear them collected, you get the sense that Springsteen wanted to continue to emulate great rock and roll from the past, as on the Spector-Orbison blend on Born to Run. You hear echoes (and lots of added echo) of Springsteen's beloved Top 40 radio of the mid-60's, with big horns and girl group backing vocals, and lots of up-tempo numbers to dance to. However, they sound like studio tricks at times, as the E Street Band has been turned into a jukebox bent on reclaiming a sound rather than moving forward on its own.

If indeed an album made of some of this material had come out in 76-77, it might have actually been a step back for Springsteen. While it would have been fine and fun, it might also have been judged

lightweight and too happy by critics and fans, who could have been looking for more Born To Run epics. That's exactly what Springsteen did finally deliver with Darkness, a dark and brooding rocker on fire, which fit the times.

NEXT GENERATION OF ROOTS MUSIC

Harlan Pepper - Young And Old

Psychedelic roots music?  Alt-Americana?  What the heck are these kids doing?  And yes, kids for sure, they look like babies, and the Hamilton quartet's ages can't add up to 80.  Yet here they are sounding like old souls, or at least exactly what Greg Keelor wants the music world to sound like.

Their debut disc is perfectly titled, as the band mixes classic roots sounds with a completely new take on where you can go with your imagination.  Some songs are happy hillbilly singalongs, featuring banjo, harmonica and brushed drums, while others are space jam with soaring effects-laden guitars and some synthy keyboards.  Their live show is already providing audience favourites from the album, with the kids up front chanting along to Reefer (I wonder why...) and groovin' to the good-natured humour of Great Lakes, the band's tribute to all five of 'em.  Mentored by Blackie/Junkhouse/Lee Harvey Osmond mainman Tom Wilson (his kid Thompson plays bass in the band), the group has learned if you give them both acoustic and electric, everybody has something to love.  They are all sterling players already (again, this is a group of barely-legal age members) and seem to be learning fast and furious.  Fits in perfectly with the Great Lake Swimmers/Olympic Symphonium fans out there.  Young and Old just won the group two trophies at the Hamilton Music Awards, for New Artist/Group of the Year, and Folk/Roots Recording of the Year.

HAMILTON BIG WINNER AT ANNUAL MUSIC AWARDS

With Luke Doucet, and his Album of the Year award.

Hats off to the organizers of The Hamilton Music Awards, and the music community of that strong city.  Once again, it was a fine celebration of the city's scene, in a place that begs to be discovered and honoured by the rest of the country.  This is the third time in the past four years I've been invited to attend the event, and each year I come away with a huge respect for the work being done there, so often overshadowed by the attention payed to Toronto.  And Toronto, to its shame, continues to largely ignore both the legacy, and the strong talent base there.

Yet, oddly, the musicians who either come from the area or have chosen to move there, are a good part of the backbone of today's music scene.  There's Luke Doucet, for instance, the winner of the Album of the Year.  And of course, the heart and soul of Hamilton, Tom Wilson, who has given so much through his career, from The Florida Razors to Junkhouse to Blackie and the Rodeo Kings to his latest project, Lee Harvey Osmond.  His son Thompson is part of the excellent new group Harlan Pepper.  I finally got to see this band live, what an incredible show, with these kids playing and signing roots music like they were 50-year old vets, but with an excited young audience jumping up front.  Wilson Senior played after, with Lee Harvey Osmond celebrating its second anniversary live gig.  I was lucky enough to see that very first show as well, and the energy they are putting out on stage is so positive and joyful.  And different!  Only Wilson and company could pull off this combo of raw rock and atmospheric wandering, that they call acid jazz. Joining them for the special night was old Junkhouse pal Colin Cripps, who is currently subbing for Greg Keelor at Blue Rodeo gigs, as Greg continues to care for his hearing problems.  Doucet, his partner Melissa McClelland, Harlan Pepper, Lee Harvey Osmond, Cripps, and many others who list the Hamilton area as home, are highly recognized in the country, but rarely mentioned as Hammer musicians.

My gosh, the list is so long:  celebrated blues performers Harrison Kennedy and Steve Strongman, Teenage Head, The Forgotten Rebels, Daniel Lanois, Crowbar and King Biscuit Boy, and this year's recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Skip Prokop, founder of The Paupers and Lighthouse.  I've hung with them all at the Hamilton Music Awards, and that just scratches the surface.  They are all, to a fault, wonderful people, talented musicians, and so proud of their Hamilton roots.

There's so much going on.  This year I had the pleasure of hosting the Rising Star evening, with 12 local acts, ranging from Grade 6 to University age.  Dawn and Marra, two young women writing and performing their own material, were chosen the best of the night, their excellent folk-rock songs and voices showing a promising future.  They'll get a good boost in that way, thanks to a prize package including studio time at the world-famous Grant Avenue Studios, founded by Lanois.

I always get a surprise or two at the awards, and the big one this time was sitting backstage at the awards, and finding out the guy beside me was Gaz from the British group Happy Mondays, who now lives in Burlington!  He has a new project on the way, which he describes as Beach Boys meet hip-hop, with some live shows that he promises will be more events than concerts.  Alert the British media, one of the their favourites is now in The Hammer.  Delightful fellow, by the way.

Oh, and the bars.  As a professional music reviewer, it is my sworn duty to go to clubs and taverns across this land and check out the local scene.  This is a tough job that require me to stay out late and drink local beer, and watch super live music.  I just want to say how fun I find the clubs in Hamilton, especially This Ain't Hollywood, The Corktown, The Casbah, and the West Town.  I am also happy these clubs aren't in my hometown, because I would be in serious trouble.  These are excellent music venues.

It was also great to see lots of old and newer friends, and meet new ones.  Out-of-town friends included Ralph Alfonso of Bongo Beat Records, Barb Sedun of EMI Publishing, Sarah French of Sarah French Publicity, returning Hamiltonians, musicians Dave Rave and Natasha Alexandra from NYC, music publicist Lisa Millar from Ottawa, and then there are all the great people of Hamilton I have met and can proudly call good friends now.  There are so many, consider yourself listed here.  Of course hats off to the people behind the Hamilton Music Awards, who once again invited me and cared for me so well:  Jean-Paul Gauthier, Connie Stefanson, Lynda Henriksen, Stacy and/or Tracy, and Aimee were my family for five days.

Photos are coming, and my brain is slowly clearing.

ROCK HALL SHOW ONE OF THE BETTER CELEB DVD'S

Springsteen, U2, Paul Simon, etc. - The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Concerts

A year ago, a huge, 2-night tribute was held at Madison Square Garden for The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's 25th birthday.  As opening speaker Tom Hanks makes clear, rock and roll was invented in the U.S., so this certainly is the American/Rolling Stone Magazine official version of what constitutes its finest moments..  Officially blessed and sanctioned favourites U2, Springsteen and Metallica hold court, with guests such as Mick Jagger, Fergie and Billy Joel along to cameo in the middle of their sets.

We can all argue the merits of who is and isn't in the Hall Of Fame, but the important thing here is whether the concerts make for a good DVD.  Rolling Stone trumpeted this as one of the great live shows of all time, but star power alone doesn't insure this.  Usually multi-artist formats almost always include messes and missed cues, egos and tantrums.  Technical problems (edited out) marred Stevie Wonder's set for instance, and apparently Aretha Franklin was wacky to work with.  And even editing can't make everything seem perfect.  U2's set, featuring Jagger, Fergie, and Will. I. Am falls flat.  The band can't replicate the sinister edge of Gimme Shelter, featuring Fergie and Jagger posing.  U2 just aren't set up to be somebody's backing band.  But Springsteen's crew can sure do it, as they prove with fine guest appearances by Sam Moore and John Fogerty, and on a stunning modern take on The Ghost Of Tom Joad with Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello.

Crosby, Stills and Nash sound much better than normal, with fine versions of Woodstock, Almost Cut My Hair, and in great harmony on Jackson Browne's The Pretender.  When they join Paul Simon for Here Comes The Sun, it's goose-bump beautiful.  Jeff Beck, subbing for an ailing Eric Clapton, was suburb, a real revelation.  So there are plenty of highlights, a few stomach-turners (anything with Sting), and a couple of truly amazing moments, which make this a must-own set.  Three discs, including several bonus songs not included on the original TV broadcast.