MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY - JOHNNY CASH - BOOTLEG VOL. 2

JOHNNY CASH - BOOTLEG VOL. 2:  FROM MEMPHIS TO HOLLYWOOD

Quite wisely, the Johnny Cash people at Sony are following the same format as they did for Dylan.  Cash's vast estate of tapes, discovered and now handled by son John Carter, are being rolled in the double-disc format, full of rare cuts, unreleased gems, radio shows and demo recordings.  This time, the set includes some of his earliest work from the 1950's, and a parcel of neat gems from the 60's, after his move to L.A.

Disc one starts with my kind of treasure, a full radio show from 1955, Cash's first time hosting his own 15 minute weekly segment, along with the Tennessee Two, Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant on guitar and bass.  Cash sounds nervous, especially reading the sponsor's ads, and repeatedly asking for requests by mail.  But the four cuts are classic, especially his early self-written gospel number, Belshazzar.  Released once before on a 2005 expensive edition of a boxed set as bonus cuts, it's good to have this available widely.

Then the new finds appear.  From the tapes stored in his Hendersonville, Tennessee archives come the original demos for the classic Sun Records songs of the 50's, including the seminal I Walk The Line, plus favourites Get Rhythm, Train Of Love and more.  This is just Cash alone, a without the boom-chicka-boom trademark sound of his early Sun hits, and we get to hear him as a true balladeer, steeped in the grand traditions, in love with country, gospel, Western, folk and 19th century music.  With his band and Sun adding the rockabilly, a true original was born, as important a figure as label mate Elvis.  Rounding out disc one are a bunch of rare Sun demos, available only on European collector's pressings and the like.

The second disc is the Hollywood stuff, and that's a lot better than it sounds. Cash moved to Los Angeles when he signed to Columbia, and remained with the label until the mid-80's.  Unlike Elvis, when Johnny went to La-La Land, he didn't lose a step, and in fact only became bigger in the '60's.  He even tried movies, and we get some unreleased material that was written for, and dropped from films, songs of a quality that would have changed Presley's Hollywood debacle for sure.  Many of the 60's singles had unique b-sides that have never been on albums, so to get them collected here is great, as many are top-drawer.  As for the unreleased stuff, well, who knew Johnny had recorded a duet with Lorne "Ringo" Greene?  Yup, singing and speaking, it's a treat, one of the best tracks here.  As with the Dylan bootleg series, you come away from this set with an even greater appreciation for Johnny Cash's career, and some new favourite tracks.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: TOM PETTY - DAMN THE TORPEDOES DELUXE

TOM PETTY - DAMN THE TORPEDOES DELUXE EDITION

Petty's breakthrough album from 1979 still rocks.  Even though it includes the unabashed pop hits Don't Do Me Like That and Refugee, it was at a rare time when you could still be cool and be popular.  It's a fine line, and Petty has managed it much of his career.  It's also a rare record, especially these days, where big hits don't overshadow everything else on the album.  Equally strong are Here Comes My Girl, Shadow Of A Doubt, and the beloved Even The Losers.  As we discover in the good liner notes, he didn't even have the killer second line "get lucky sometimes" until he stepped up to the mic to record the song.  Sometimes perspiration causes inspiration.

For those with just the Petty Greatest Hits from the olden days, do yourself a favour and pick this up, because there's much to love, including 9 bonus tracks.  B-sides Casa Dega and It's Rainin' Again are long-familiar b-sides, the first a good one, the second barely a song, more an idea.  More importantly are two never-before released session out-takes, Nowhere and Surrender, either good enough to be on the album, and surprisingly, they were never called apon until now.  There's a great little trio of live tunes too, Shadow Of A Doubt, Don't Do Me Like That and a cover of Eddie Cochran's Somethin' Else.  The Heartbreakers have always been a smokin' band, I've seen them a couple of times, and these tracks have the excitement of a band breaking big in front of your eyes.

Now, my review copy isn't CD, I got a vinyl one, specifically to get back in the mood, but let me tell ya, if you want to groove on some needle grooves, this is one to do it to.  The 180-gram pressing is rich and warm and loud and makes you wonder why you fell for that CD crap in the first place.  Quit bugging me, I am enjoying living in 1979 again.  I'm so thin!

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: ROLLING STONES - STONES IN EXILE

THE ROLLING STONES - STONES IN EXILE (DVD)

I missed writing about this last fall when it came out, as the companion documentary to the reissue of the Stones' classic album Exile On Main Street, so I'll step a few months to correct that here.  Made with the cooperation and participation of the band, current and former members included, it's an attempt to explain and describe the near-legendary circumstances surrounding the landmark album.  Since there's been an entire mythology that's been built up around the sessions, held largely at Keith's house in the south of France, the movie spends much of the time demystifying the months leading up to Exile's 1972 release.

It seems we know most of the story, and it's not really that glamorous.  In a nutshell, the Stones are having serious money problems, thanks to rip-off deals with Allen Klein, Andrew Loog Oldham, Decca, you name it.  Then the British government hit them with the nefarious 93% tax rate, and they basically skipped town.  They couldn't find a studio, so they recorded in Keith's villa, made some amazing music, Keith found easy access to hard drugs, things got heavy, and they left 9 months later with half the album, which then got finished in L.A.  The end.

Of course, it's a fascinating story, and doesn't really need any more rumours, theories or tall tales.  The doc does the important job of describing what it was like, through the eyes of Jagger, Richards, Wyman and Watts, Mick Taylor, horn man Bobby Keyes, Anita Pallenberg, plus several others there on a daily basis.  While there's precious little actual film footage of the house and the sessions, the director and editor do a fabulous job of using the ample still photography and sources such as the controversial, still-unreleased tour film Cocksucker Blues, from that period.  The new interviews are no-bullshit, with Mick actually answering questions and giving insights, and Wyman and Watts accurately describing what a drag it was working in a dank, hot basement, and spending hours waiting for either Keith or Mick to show.

There's lots of fun moments, including Mick and Charlie returning to Olympic Studios in L.A. recently, bantering like two old British war vets.  And geez, Charlie looks old.  Mick, however, looks timeless.  Bobby Keyes, with his Texan drawl, is a valuable source, telling us "hell yes, there were drugs, and scantily-clad women.  This is rock'n'roll!"  What none of them can answer is why it all came together so perfectly on this album, now widely considered the band's best.  It doesn't matter, it just matters that it does exist, and we know have as accurate a picture as we're going to get.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: COWBOY JUNKIES - DEMONS

COWBOY JUNKIES - DEMONS

Cowboy Junkies appear in The Top 100 Canadian Albums at #62 - The Trinity Session

This is the second release in the band's ongoing Nomads series, a cycle that will see the Junkies release four discs in roughly 18 months, volumes 3 and 4 to appear later this year. First, some facts about the Nomads releases: There is in fact, no thematic connection between the four releases, at least not musically. It's just that the group had a surplus of songs, now own their own label, and wanted to present themselves a time-based challenge. Also, they received four paintings from an artist friend that they wanted to use as album covers. So they picked four topics, and started last year with Renmin Park, songs about Michael Timmins' three-month stay in China.

Demons is a collection of cover versions of a great friend of the band's, U.S. cult figure Vic Chestnutt. As Michael Timmins explains on the group's website, they had long discussed a collaborative album, but when Chestnutt died last year, it became obvious they should delve into his large, and largely unheard catalogue. Timmins felt the group could bring their "Northern" perspective to the songs. You don't have to be a devotee of Chestnutt's work to appreciate the album, and it's almost better if you aren't. Discovering these moody, quirky songs is half the fun, and hearing them from a solid band with a unique sound is an especially good way. Chestnutt fans might question the interpretations, and the loss of Chestnutt's distinctive style, but the Junkies have their own, and their own audience, and the material works well for them.

The songs allow the band to sink back into their trademark murkiness to a point, with Margo Timmins slightly buried in the mix, along with the drums and bass, and other elements like the splash of the cymbals and ambience of the strings filling more of the listening space. Also, the group's natural languid and laid-back style put a strong focus on the words, certainly a strong point in Chestnutt's work. Also, you know you have a song that works for Cowboy Junkies with a line like "crows flying around my head". These songs may be highly personal to Chestnutt, but at the same time, when it's a labour of love for the band, it's moving in a new way. Don't think of it as a tribute disc, or part of a greater series, the album stands on its own as an examination of one artists' craft, and his Demons.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MAE MOORE - FOLKLORE

MAE MOORE - FOLKLORE

Mae Moore, where ya been? Ten years is a long time between discs, especially for somebody with lots of chart hits, Juno nominations and even a cut on the Top Gun soundtrack. It seems Mae's been enjoying a quiet life as a landscape painter, and organic farmer in B.C.'s Gulf Islands. A committed environmentalist, she's taken the back-to-the-land job very seriously, but recently became ready to re-enter the music scene.

While her way with melodies, and mellow voice gave her access to the pop market in the '90's, in truth she started as a folkie and returns comfortably to that larger genre title. Of course, that doesn't mean the music is any less accessable, and Moore's jazzier arrangements only help make her approachable from any number of vantage points. Horns and strings are gently used on several cuts, and even a good old Joni Mitchell dulcimer. The Mitchell comparisons are plenty actually, from the painting to the soprano sax, to the folk-meets-jazz, even the vocal range, and it must be mentioned, because you're going to think it anyway. But that does a disservice to the quality of material, the great vibe, and the satisfaction of hearing this style done so well.

Moore is operating from the landscape painter's perspective, with the natural world featuring prominantly across the disc. When Constellations Align is a song of a lover's devotion under The Milky Way, the heavens the only thing big enough to dwarf two hearts. Having lived on both coasts, Moore bravely and successfully tackles that ultimate naturalist writers' topic on Oh, Canada. Where many have tried and come up with trite results, Moore succeeds with lines such as "In a landscape so wild/I am beguiled/With all the beauty that I see".

Mae Moore is taking the Via Train across Canada in March, stopping off at clubs from Victoria to P.E.I. to launch the Folklore album. For those with a desire to see her paintings, some are included in the liner notes, plus there's a companion coffee table book with 19 of her works, and a download for the album.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: SEAN MCCANN - SON OF A SAILOR

SEAN MCCANN - SON OF A SAILOR

For 18 years, Sean McCann has lived in a bit of anonymity, despite the fact he's been an integral part of Atlantic Canada's biggest band. You might not even recognize his name, but you surely know him as a member of Great Big Sea, and you'd probably know his face if you saw him. But Alan Doyle has grabbed the larger share of individual fame, as the more outspoken member of the group, and even starring in the movie Robin Hood with his buddy Russell Crowe. McCann has been there from the start, sharing in the singing, songwriting and band-leading. Now, after all those years of comparitive quiet, he has emerged with two solo albums in less than a year.

So what's caused this sudden burst of solo work? No, there's no trouble in the Great Big Sea camp. They're still touring like crazy. It's all hands on deck, always, when it comes to Great Big Sea. It's actually been all that touring work that has caused McCann to do even more work. With a schedule of over a hundred shows a year, including some far-flung territories in North America, that means hours and hours on the tour bus. McCann has found the best way to pass that time is to write. And write. Now, with three writers in the band already, he simply has too much material to offer. So what to do? Last year's Lullabies For Bloodshot Eyes celebrated new fatherhood, obviously a personal release for him. Now comes Son Of A Sailor. While it's not as directly personal, there are some personal tunes here, including the title track, as indeed he is the son of a sailor, and grandson too. No surprise, given Great Big Sea's long career of telling those kind of Newfoundland stories.

GBS fans will want to know if McCann's solo work is like that of the band's, and the quick answer is yes, you'll certainly recognize his style of writing and singing and the instruments here. They are what you'd expect, fiddle, whistles, bouzuki, all those little touches on top of guitars and such. But what isn't here is the more raucous and fun side of the group. This is a more gentle, folk-oriented disc, a songwriter, ballad kind of album. What you get is a group of poignant tales: some personal, but mostly an opportunity to peer into the lives of others, characters for which McCann shows empathy. There's the Newfoundland fishery, of course, and those folks. We hear about soldiers at wartime, and a loving couple who's marriage lasts many years, and we get the start and the finish. It's actually inspired by his grandparents. That song features a duet vocal with Jeen O'Brien, the Toronto singer who has worked with the band and Hawksley Workman before. Other guests include, surprise, the whole Great Big Sea bunch, all over the album, plus Kelly Russell from the beloved Newfoundland group Figgy Duff, and Boyd MacNeil of the Barra MacNeils.

Now I should mention it's not all quiet, there are some uptempo tunes, but those ones are strumming sing-alongs, not the fist-pumpers Great Big Sea can do. So there's enough tempo-switching to make it an enjoyable listen all through. To answer that obvious question, yes...if you like the Great Big Sea sound, you'll like this album, and you're also going to be introduced to a new side of Sean McCann, and get a better understanding about what makes his band tick. In many ways, he provides much of the heart of the group.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: PETER ELKAS - REPEAT OFFENDER

PETER ELKAS - REPEAT OFFENDER

When a disc's opening track includes background vocals that go "shoo-bop-shoo-bop", I know I'm gonna love it.  Elkas, ex-Local Rabbit and a member in good standing of The Joel Plaskett Emergency, has delivered a smooth soul tour-de-force on his third solo disc.  This is a disc that takes you directly to that warm spot in your heart, the place where you hold your deep abiding love of music.  For anyone who remembers 70's vinyl and radio, this is as glorious as grabbing a favourite 45 with a Hot Wax/Invictus label, or playing that Boz Scaggs album for the first time in years.  If you're the new breed of vinyl buyer, yes, this is EXACTLY what they sounded like in the day, with all the polish and care the songs deserved.

Of course, it is today, and Elkas made much of the music in his basement, but it still has the great horn riffs, the infectious rhythms, the spot-on backing vocals.  While soul is certainly felt throughout, it's really pop song craft that's celebrated, with a little bit of this and a little bit of that, no clear homage.  Really, there's nothing here that screams retro either, it's just returning to a high-water mark for track-making.  But there's no ignoring Elkas's goal:  the ten-track disc is divided into Side 1 and 2 even on the CD, and New Scotland Records (Plaskett's boutique label) is focused on vinyl.

Side 2's lead track, Melody, is a lesson in how a gem is put together.  It starts off a capella, except for a cymbal beating, and then a chunky rhythm guitar, bass and electric piano join.  By the first bridge, strings come in, and at the chorus, the sweet backing vocals arrive.  Second verse, same as the first, as Curtis Mayfield nods approval, and the Funk Brothers claim kinship.  A fuzzy guitar solo leads to some call-and-response with the singers, who may or may not be The Temptations.  Rinse, wash, repeat, fade out.  Five minutes of bliss.  Each track is worthy of such dissection.  Special kudos go to Elkas's vocals as well, heart-tugging and awesome.  <3 <3 <3.