Old music made new again: My favorite reissues of 2014

In my last post I listed my favorite music from 2014.

Everybody and their dog compiles annual best-of lists, and I’m no exception. My son, daughter-in-law, and a few friends do the same.

Many of these pet-and-owner combos also make annual lists of favorite repackaged music – reissues, music recorded years ago, but reconfigured or spruced up and sold again for one reason or another.

There are several general types of reissues:  First, since the dawn of the CD era, in the late 1980s, every year has produced a crop of albums that originally appeared on vinyl and are being reissued in digital format (often remastered from the original source tapes). Another type of reissue: Increasingly, the annual reissues include box sets – artist retrospectives or deluxe editions of significant recordings on the anniversaries of their original release. And the last several years have seen an increase in archival releases of concerts that are years or decades old. In most cases these concerts have never been released, although a few have seen release in limited form.

Well, 2014 was a significant year for each kind of reissued, repackaged music. Here are the ones that I really liked:

 “The Album Collection Vol. 1: 1973-84,” Bruce Springsteen: Bruce’s first seven albums, from “Greetings from Asbury Park” through “Born in the USA.” These are the records that established Springsteen as a rock legend and made him a superstar. All are freshly remastered, allowing fans to hear instruments and arrangements with new clarity. Not quite as significant as the Beatles complete albums in mono, but these are a big deal.

“Carter Barron Amphitheater, Washington D.C. July 17, 1976,” The Band: This concert was recorded not long before The Band called it quits. But Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm and the others still played with passion and precision, even if they couldn’t stand to be near each other. Do we need another live recording by the The Band, which gave us “Rock of Ages,” one of the great live albums of the rock era? Sure, why not? Not only is this a good performance, but it’s just the five of them, without the added horn section from “Rock of Ages.” That makes it  a different experience. 

“The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings,” The Allman Brothers Band: “Live at Fillmore East,” released in 1971, might be the greatest live album ever in rock music. It’s a stunning showcase for the Allman Brothers’ blend of blues, jazz and improvisation. This six-disc set consists of all the concerts that make up the source material of that landmark album, four shows from two nights in March. As a bonus, one disc consists of the June 1971 closing show at the Fillmore. As such, these complete, unedited performances don’t maintain the breath-taking brilliance of the original live album, but for the Allman Brothers fan, there are six hours of live performance here from the band’s creative peak, with plenty of improvisational magic. Not long afterward, leader Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley were both dead, and the band was in decline, destined to break up. But by the late 1980s they had reformed, replaced the fallen members, and were riding another creative peak. Performances from this era are documented in “Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theater 1992,” a surprisingly strong two-disc set. Together, these two archival releases present almost eight hours of performance by one of the greatest live bands ever, from two different (but strong) eras.  

“The Basement Tapes Raw: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11,” Bob Dylan: The original tapes from the legendary sessions recorded in 1967 by Dylan and The Band were discovered recently, restored, and released in two configurations: a six-disc complete set and a two-disc “raw” version. The Basement Tapes weren’t intended for release, but found their way to the public first as a bootleg in 1969. Then 16 of the recordings were officially released in 1975 by Columbia Records (albeit with overdubs).  These are the unadorned original recordings, restored to pristine sound and digitized. Not only are they historic, but they are a great listen.

Led Zeppelin remasters (I, II, III, IV and “Houses of the Holy”): Like the Springsteen box set, these are the albums on which a band’s legendary reputation is based. Fresh remasters of Led Zep’s first five albums make it possible to hear this music anew, even though repeated listenings might have dulled the music’s power and robbed it of its surprises. Each album comes with an extra disc. The debut album’s extra is a 1969 concert, but the others consist of alternate versions, instrumental tracks, extras, and such. Still, it’s essential listening.

“Performs Trouble No More Live at Town Hall, July 31, 2003,” John Mellencamp: I like Mellencamp’s populist take on heartland rock, but I’m not a huge fan of all his work. Nonetheless, I was bowled over by 2003's “Trouble No More,” in which he covered old blues, country and folk songs with simple, bracing arrangements. This is a live recording of that album, with a couple Mellencamp hits thrown in for good measure.

“Live in Nashville 1995,” Steve Earle: In which the alt-country hard-core troubadour performs songs from “Train A Comin’,” his 1995 album that signaled a comeback from drug addiction and prison. Earle is backed up by an all-star roster of acoustic pickers such as Norman Blake, Pete Rowan, and Roy Huskey, with guest appearances by Emmylou Harris and Bill Monroe. Beautiful and badass at the same time.

Worth further study: I haven’t heard any of the several “From the Vault” series of 1970s and 1980s concerts by The Rolling Stones. But I imagine before another year passes, I will.

The best of 2014

This is where I share my list of the top CDs of 2014.

But let’s get one thing straight, right from the start: I’m not a critic, I’m a music fan. I know what I like. I also like to think that sometimes I can tell good music from the other kind. And I buy and listen to a lot of CDs every year. More than my wife would prefer, perhaps. But it’s still just a small fraction of the music that is issued. And I buy music based on what I know about an artist or what I learn from trusted sources. I don’t buy everything that I expect to be “important.”

So this is my list of 2014 albums that I liked best. That usually means that I want to hear them again and again.

“Bad Self Portraits,” Lake Street Dive: I’ve liked this four-piece, uncategorizable Boston band since I first heard them on Prairie Home Companion a few years ago. They blend jazz, pop, R&B, an a couple other genres on original songs and well-picked covers. Check them out on YouTube, especially their street-corner cover of the Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back.”  On this, their second full-length, the focus is on original songs, Rachael Price’s amazing voice, a bracing sense of fun, and an amazingly wide range of supporting vocals, instrumental arrangements, and stylistic influences. They’re just fun to listen to. And they’re even better live in person, as I discovered when I saw them in Boulder last spring.

“The River and the Thread,” Rosanne Cash: Since her father’s death in 2003, Johnny’s daughter has spent several albums making eloquent and deeply felt music that articulates the emotional and musical legacy she inherited (and sometimes struggles with). This collection draws inspiration from a trip back to the South to restore her father’s boyhood home. Like most of Rosanne’s 11 other albums, it is tasteful, literate, heartfelt and well-crafted, and tends to gain depth and resonance with repeated listening.

“High Hopes,” Bruce Springsteen: Since “The Rising” in 2002, Springsteen has been on a creative comeback, with a handful of albums that were both relevant and a compelling listen, if not exactly classic Boss. “High Hopes,” made with guitarist Tom Morello, consists of outtakes and covers (sometime Bruce covers his own song catalog). There’s no grand theme, but it somehow holds together, and is the best-sounding and most listenable Springsteen album since “The Rising.”

“Lazaretto,” Jack White: The former White Stripes’ guitarist and singer’s new album works better than 2012’s “Blunderbuss,” in my opinion. White’s voice and electric blues riffs remind me of Led Zeppelin everythime I put this disc on, and that’s a good thing. But at the same time, it manages to sound completely up to date.

The Haden Triplets: These sisters, whose tight harmonies could only be created by siblings, are daughters of Charlie Haden, a true giant among jazz bass players who died in 2014. There’s no jazz here, though. Petra, Rachel and Tanya sing traditional country, gospel and folk. The choice of songs and vocal arrangements are impeccable, but what sets this album apart for me is the presence of Ry Cooder, who produced it and leads the band, including his son Joachim on drums. 

“Common Ground: Dave and Phil Alvin Play and Sing the songs of Big Bill Broonzy:” Dave and Phil Alvin were the guitarist and singer, respectively, for the Blasters, who came out of the 1980s Los Angeles punk rock scene playing high-energy original music influenced by pre-Beatles rock ‘n’ roll, blues, rockabilly, and R&B. The Blasters broke up by the mid-80s, but Dave Alvin has had a sterling solo career writing, recording and playing roots music. The Blasters reunited in 2002-03 for several shows and a pair of live albums, and now the Alvin brothers got back together to pay tribute to Big Bill Broonzy (1893-1958), who in the course of a 30-year career progressed from acoustic Delta blues to uptown jump blues. Broonzy was a supremely talented singer and guitarist who played a wide variety of styles and settings. The Alvin brothers  capture some of the variety of Broonzy’s music and have made a highly listenable and fun album in the process.

Other albums I really liked:

• “Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone,” Lucinda Williams
• “Reasonable Amount of Trouble,” Jesse Winchester
• “Standing in the Breach,” Jackson Browne
•  “Carter Girl,” Carlene Carter
•  “Terms of My Surrender,” John Hiatt
• “Live,” Gary Clark Jr.
•  “American Middle Class,” Angaleena Presley
• “Songs,” John Fullbright
• “Somewhere Else,” Lydia Loveless

Other lists:

Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2014-20141201

Mojo: http://www.mojo4music.com/17483/50-best-albums-2014-final-score/

Spin: http://www.spin.com/articles/50-best-albums-2014-so-far/

Paste: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/12/the-50-best-albums-of-2014.html

The best music you may not have heard yet

Photo by Pamela Littky

Any fan of pop, rock, folk, country or Celtic music who hasn’t heard of Richard Thompson should fix that situation as soon as possible.

In my humble opinion, of course.

Thompson is an obscure cult artist, but perhaps one of the best-known of the lot. He has become the poster child for artists who have spent years or decades creating a wonderful body of work, but don’t have even a small fraction of the name recognition of Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen or Prince.

Over a career that has lasted nearly five decades, Thompson has made between 40 and 50 albums, either by himself, with former wife Linda, or with British folk-rock band Fairport Convention. His extensive body of songs and recordings compares favorably to those of Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Paul Simon. But at concerts he cracks dry jokes about how poorly some of his albums have sold. He was named the 19^th best guitarist ever in a list compiled by Rolling Stone Magazine.

His songs are recorded by other artists such as David Byrne, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello, and bluegrass senior statesman Del McCoury. These cover versions get much more attention than Thompson’s own (although Thompson’s versions are arguably every bit as good).

Although mass popularity has eluded him, Thompson has received recognition for his musical accomplishments. He’s received a lifetime achievement award from the BBC, named Office of the Order of the British Empire, honorary doctorates, and more.  No Grammy let, but he has been nominated.

At age 65, he still writes new music and releases albums every couple years. He tours almost constantly. 

Describing Richard Thompson and his music is no easy feat. He’s a native Londoner who has lived in Los Angeles for the last 30 years. He’s a Sufi Muslim, and close listening reveals how his faith sometimes informs his music. The building blocks of his music come not from the blues, like so many others in the rock and folk rock idioms, but from traditional Scottish and British bagpipe and fiddle tunes, airs and ballads. A listener might also pick up smatterings of 1930s jazz, Middle Eastern, and African sources as well as country-and-western twang.

But his songs are no dry lesson in ethnic musicology. They are a distinctive, highly personal blend of all the sources listed above. Thompson’s lyrics can be tender or cutting, full of dry humor, sly humor, dark humor, sarcasm, desperation, and longing.

Then there’s the guitar playing. It is like none other. For my money, rating him as the 19^th best player ever is under-valuing his prowess. Thompson is equally skilled and daring on electric and acoustic guitar. He never shows off; every note, chord, arpeggio, harmonic, and bent string is played in the service of the song. On electric, he can shift from playing fills and chords during a verse into a screaming solo that pushes the bounds of improvisation. Imagine the ghost of Jimi Hendrix playing a bagpipe, distorted, through an amplifier, and you’re approaching the effect of a vintage Thompson electric solo.

When Thompson picks his acoustic guitar, you catch yourself looking for whoever is playing the second or third instruments. But it’s him, solo.

I bought my first Richard Thompson album when I was 21 years old or so. FYI, that was a bit more than 30 years ago. The first time I listened, it sounded too … different and I put it back on the pile. I tried to sell it at the local used record shop, but nobody would pay a quarter for it. A year later, I pulled it off the shelf one rainy day, put it on the platter, and my ears were opened.

But enough. Just listen:

Vincent Black Lightning:

Can’t Win (electric guitar, with band):

Dimming of the Day with Linda, 1982:

 

Sources:

Allmusic.com: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/richard-thompson-mn0000359016

Richard Thompson website: http://richardthompson-music.com/