Steve Forbert: “Alive On Arrival/Jackrabbit Slim” (2013 re-issue) CD Review

Last September Steve Forbert released a new album, titled OverWith You. He toured in support of that album, and I was lucky enough to get to see him perform. While he focused on his new record, he of course played some of his older material, a lot of which is now being re-released on an excellent two-disc set. This special re-issue of Steve Forbert’s Alive On Arrival/Jackrabbit Slim contains his first two albums in their entirety, plus lots of bonus tracks.

Disc 1: Alive On Arrival

The first disc contains Alive On Arrival, Steve Forbert’s first album, originally released in 1978. It’s a pretty amazing debut album. Every track is strong, and each is different, from the catchy folk tune “Thinkin’” to the rock tune “You Cannot Win If You Do Not Play,” both of those featuring some nice work on harmonica. I love the vulnerability in Steve Forbert’s voice. There is a great combination of rough and sweet qualities, a bit like Rod Stewart, particularly on a song like “Settle Down.” (He reminds me of Rod Stewart on “House Of Cards” also, one of the bonus tracks.)

He can also write a good lyric, and create or evoke a very specific mood. Take “Steve Forbert’s Midsummer Night’s Toast” for example, with lines like “Here’s to people living lives that they regret/Work your fingers to the bone and sink in debt.” And yet with lines like that, there is this kindness to the song. And check out these lines from “It Isn’t Gonna Be That Way”: “If I were a god, I’d give you a clue/This minute would crack and I could go through.” There’s clearly no fluff here, and yet it’s a fun album.

Alive On Arrival opens with “Goin’ Down To Laurel,” one of his most well-known tunes. This song has such a great feel, but it’s the lyrics that really make me love it. “She is a fool for loving me/But she’s in love/And love’s a funny state of mind.” Right from the start, there is something endearing about him, about the way he presents himself and his material. It’s strange to look at his picture on this record, for he looks so ridiculously young, sometimes a surprise when listening to his music.

On a song like “What Kinda Guy” he goes for it with the gusto of Springsteen, yet with some of the humor of Jonathan Richman. As in the way he plays with language on this song on lines like, “What kinda guy am I really am?” This song is a lot of fun. Also a lot of fun is “Big City Cat,” a pop tune featuring David Sanborn on alto saxophone. He shows his sense of humor on this one too, with these lyrics: “There’s a man in the hall/It’s some kind of lunatic/He’s following me/He’s down by the john, so I can’t take a pee/I’m supposed to be happy.”

And between those two songs he puts the serious “It Isn’t Gonna Be That Way,” a kind of pretty song with a certain sadness, in which he sings about things that aren’t going to happen. “You think you can live and dream your own fate/You think you can wish and walk through the gate/Oh, it isn’t gonna be that way.” It’s always sad to hear or realize that the ideal state isn’t going to happen. This is one of my personal favorites on this album.

In “Grand Central Station, March 18, 1977,” he sings about playing at the train station, and creates that mood and atmosphere for the listener by presenting the song with vocals, guitar and harmonica rather than adding other instruments. He sings, “Well, think what you will, laugh if you like/It don’t make no difference to me/I’ll open my case, and I might catch a coin/But all ears may listen for free.” This song brings me back to Harvard Square and other stops on the red line in Boston, where all the folksingers would play.

Bonus Tracks

This disc has five bonus tracks. My favorite is probably “It’s Been A Long Time,” with its catchy country rhythm. I fell for this song immediately. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “The summer was kind/And we were kids in the heat/And the moon was a high moon/Hey, it rose in the twilight/It’s been a long time.” Though I have to laugh and marvel when he sings, “I look around, I’m getting older/I’m 23 now.”

“Song For The South (Time’s Gonna Take Me Back)” also has something of a country feel, and it’s a sweet love song. He’s in the city, singing about the girl he’s longing to see. I love the way he describes her: “She’s been living with a brain full of sunset fire too long.” This track also features a nice harmonica section.

For some reason it’s that “chit chat chat” line that makes me really dig “Steve Forbert’s Moon River.” Seriously – every time I listen to it, that part delights me. The first CD ends with “Lonesome Cowboy Bill’s Song, another catchy little gem. This line sticks out for me: “I waited for love/I guess I wasted my time.”

Disc Two: Jackrabbit Slim

Steve Forbert’s second album, Jackrabbit Slim, contains what is probably his biggest hit, “Romeo’s Tune.” He also certainly does some different stuff on this album, including adding a bit of a reggae feel to “Complications,” a song about all the common troubles folks have. The presence of horns on a song like “The Sweet Love That You Give (Sure Goes A Long, Long Way)” gives it quite a different sound from what had come before on the first album. His vocal delivery on that song is different as well, with a sort of urgency and power.  But he also gives us a sweet, straight-forward love song in “I’m In Love With You,” a tune which is helped by some nice backing vocals.

Jackrabbit Slim opens with what is still possibly Steve Forbert’s most famous composition, “Romeo’s Tune.” It’s such a wonderful song – a love song, as you’d guess from the title. There is a lot to love about this song. One thing I especially like is Bobby Ogdin’s work on piano – it is greatly responsible for the delightful feel of this song. But of course there are also great lyrics, like “Meet me in the middle of the night/Let me hear you say everything’s all right/Let me smell the moon in your perfume.” If you’re not familiar with this song, you definitely owe it to yourself to check it out.

This disc also includes a live version of “Romeo’s Tune” in the bonus tracks. It was recorded in New York in 1979.

“Say Goodbye To Little Jo” is another of my favorites from this album. This one, like “I’m In Love With You,” is helped by those great backing vocals.  But it also has a catchy groove. It’s a song urging someone to let a woman go, and it pulls no punches. Check out lines like, “You’ve shown so much of your hate/She’s seen so much of your greed/She’s taken shit for so long, yes, yes/That you ain’t got nothin' she needs.” And if that’s not clear enough, Steve sings the line, “She doesn’t love you anymore” several times at the end.

“Make It All So Real” interestingly fades in with horn, but then has a loose country feel, with the piano sort of responding to the vocals. The piano delivers this song’s catchy hook. “Make It All So Real” is a song about a singer, urging him to “Sing your song, make it hurt/Sing the tears, sing the pain/Make it all so real.”  Meanwhile the singer’s girlfriend in the back is looking into another man’s eyes.  “The crowd was stomping and cheering/She was breaking his heart.” The horn returns for a lead part in the instrumental section, which is really nice.

There is an alternate version of this song in the bonus tracks. That version is slightly longer, and doesn’t have that fade-in at the beginning. There are no horns in this version, and so it has even more of a country feel, especially with the slide guitar featured prominently in place of the horn. I think I actually prefer this version.

Bonus Tracks

This disc has seven bonus tracks, totaling more than a half hour of extra music. The first, “The Oil Song,” has this pleasant, happy country folk feel, yet is about oil spills in the ocean. In the chorus, Steve sings, “Don’t buy it at the station, you can have it now for free/Just come on down to the shoreline where the water used to be.” This is an excellent song, definitely one of my favorites from this singer/songwriter.

“Oh, Camille” is also a really good song, in which he addresses a woman in Italy – “Oh, Camille, read all about it in my letter/Oh, Camille, ain’t got no jokes to tell, just lots of books to read/Wild hearts and traffic sounds/All pounding everywhere."

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Goin’ Down To Laurel
2. Steve Forbert’s Midsummer Night’s Toast
3. Thinkin’
4. What Kinda Guy?
5. It Isn’t Gonna Be That Way
6. Big City Cat
7. Grand Central Station, March 18, 1977
8. Tonight I feel So Far Away From Home
9. Settle Down
10. You Cannot Win If You Do Not Play
11. It’s Been A Long Time
12. House Of Cards
13. Song For The South (Time’s Gonna Take Me Back)
14. Steve Forbert’s Moon River
15. Lonesome Cowboy Bill’s Song

Disc 2

1. Romeo’s Tune
2. The Sweet Love That You Give (Sure Goes A Long, Long Way)
3. I’m In Love With You
4. Say Goodbye To Little Jo
5. Wait
6. Make It All So Real
7. Baby
8. Complications 
9. Sadly Sorta Like A Soap Opera
10. January 23-30, 1978
11. The Oil Song
12. Make It All So Real (alternate version)
13. Witch Blues
14. Oh, Camille
15. Smoky Windows
16. Poor Boy
17. Romeo’s Tune (live version)

This special two-disc set is scheduled to be released on March 26, 2013 through Blue Corn Music.

Grateful Dead: “Dick’s Picks Volume Twenty-Four” (2013 re-issue) CD Review

Dick’s Picks Volume Twenty-Four contains most of the concert the Grateful Dead performed on March 23, 1974 at the Cow Palace.  This show is important in Grateful Dead history because this was the night the Grateful Dead first played “Cassidy” and “Scarlet Begonias,” songs that would quickly become audience favorites. It’s also important because this was the show where the band introduced the Wall of Sound, its impressive new sound system designed by Owsley "Bear" Stanley. Bear, by the way, contributes some liner notes about the sound system for this CD. Those notes were written in December of 2001, for the original release of this volume. (Bear died in 2011.) The liner notes also include photos of the Wall of Sound, and a chart showing the distribution of channels and speakers. The band only used the Wall of Sound in 1974.

The Grateful Dead were known for doing nice, long concerts, and at this time the shows were particularly long. Even though this two-disc set contains two and a half hours of music, it is still missing ten songs from this show. But what these discs contain is pretty magnificent, particularly the first half of the second set.

Disc One

The first disc set contains most of the first set from that night. The band opens with “U.S. Blues.” This version has lots of energy, which they keep up by going into a Chuck Berry rock and roll tune, “Promised Land.” They also do a sweet version of “Brown-Eyed Women,” after which you hear someone shouting for “St. Stephen.” In the first set? Unlikely.

Bob goes into “Black-Throated Wind,” a song included on his 1972 “solo” album, Ace. “You’ve done better by me than I’ve done by you.” Bob turns in a really good vocal performance. This is a song he always seems enthused about singing.

And then we get the band’s first performance of “Scarlet Begonias,” a song I love, and one that would be included on From The Mars Hotel later that year. And there’s a nice jam at the end, the first of the night. Phil responds to something, saying he can’t wear “that thing” while his glasses are on. I’d love to know what he’s talking about. They then go into a fun (and somewhat goofy) rendition of “Beat It On Down The Line.”

At the beginning of “Deal,” Bobby says, “You can sure tell the ones that won their tickets over the radio.” And then we get the band’s first concert performance of “Cassidy,” a song that was introduced on Ace in 1972. This is one of my favorites, in large part due to John Barlow’s lyrics, which are wonderful. This is an interesting version that seems to end abruptly.

The band does a cool version of “China Cat Sunflower,” and there is a nice energy to the jam, which has something of an “Uncle John’s Band” feel for a few moments toward the end before it slides into “I Know You Rider.”

They end the first set with the entire “Weather Report Suite,” a song they played only in 1973 and 1974. (Later they’d perform only the third part, “Let It Grow.”) This version boasts a seriously excellent jam.

(The songs missing from the first set are “Mexicali Blues,” “Tennessee Jed,” “It Must Have Been The Roses” and “El Paso.”)

Disc Two

The second set opens with “Playing In The Band.” There are some vocal microphone troubles at the beginning of the song. So they actually stop, and mess around while the problem is fixed. It doesn’t take long, and Bob says, “A thousand pardons, folks.” And they start again.  “Playing” basically always means a good jam. But in 1974, it means Holy moly! This is where the band gets loose, and it doesn’t take them long to get into some interesting territory.

And then suddenly we’re into the sweet land of “Uncle John’s Band.” “Well, the first days are the hardest days, don’t you worry anymore.” A couple of lyric flubs don’t much mar this nice rendition. The jam is pretty, and for a moment Phil seems to want to lead the band back into “Playing.”

Where they go is into a powerful and moving “Morning Dew.” I found myself holding perfectly still during this song’s quieter moments, so rapt was I in Jerry’s performance. It leads back into “Uncle John’s Band.” “What I want to know is how does the song go.” And the jam gets wild once more, leading back to “Playing In The Band.” What a great set of music.

Of course, there’s still plenty more after that, including a really good “Wharf Rat” and a fun “Sugar Magnolia” to end this disc.  (The songs missing from the second set are “Ship Of Fools,” “Ramble On Rose,” “Me And My Uncle,” “Around And Around” and “Casey Jones.” Also missing is the encore, “One More Saturday Night.”)

CD Track List

CD One

1. U.S. Blues
2. Promised Land
3. Brown-Eyed Women
4. Black-Throated Wind
5. Scarlet Begonias
6. Beat It On Down The Line
7. Deal
8. Cassidy
9. China Cat Sunflower >
10. I Know You Rider
11. Weather Report Suite

CD Two

1. Playing In The Band >
2. Uncle John’s Band >
3. Morning Dew >
4. Uncle John’s Band >
5. Playing In The Band
6. Big River
7. Bertha
8. Wharf Rat >
9. Sugar Magnolia 

Dick’s Picks Volume Twenty-Four is scheduled to be released on April 2, 2013 through Real Gone Music.

Sexmob: “Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti” (2013) CD Review

Sexmob’s new studio album, the band’s first in seven years, is titled Cinema, Circus, & Spaghetti: Sexmob Plays Fellini: The Music Of Nino Rota. And, as you most likely surmised, it contains music from several of Federico Fellini’s films. This music really works on its own. Each track, each piece, is a living creature with its own ideas and desires. You can imagine it taking on physical form and joining you in your room late at night, drinking your liquor and trying on your coat, maybe waking you by knocking something over or teasing your cat, or by sliding into bed beside you and running its many fingers over your legs.

All of the music was recorded in one day, like those great old jazz records were. That’s pretty impressive, but the music itself is even more impressive, and at times truly exciting. The compositions are excellent, of course, but it’s also the way this band approaches the material that really makes me love this album. These guys can play the hell out of a tune, and it’s clear that they themselves are really into this music. By the way, the title comes from something Fellini once said: “My films, like my life, are summed up in circus, spaghetti, sex and cinema.”

I’ve seen some of Fellini’s films, but not all. I don’t think familiarity with his films is at all necessary to enjoy this fantastic album. You don’t even necessarily need to have a deep appreciation of jazz. You just need to be open to great music. If you let it, this album will give you the feeling that you yourself are part of a Fellini film, which is what everyone wants. Enjoy.

The album opens with “Amacord,” which begins with some percussion. And then around a minute in, it becomes this deliciously slow jazz piece. I love how surprising this track can be, even eliciting laughter at odd moments.

Sometimes this music cries out to you, teases you, like at moments in “Il Teatrino Delle Suore.” At other times, it seduces you. I love that bass line at the beginning of “La Strada.” It’s seriously cool; then the track gets quite loose. They revisit that bass line in “Zamparo,” also from La Strada.

“Volpina” has something like a Bo Diddley beat once it gets going, which is surprising and wonderful – there is something of a New Orleans flavor here. The song has an excellent build, and then it suddenly gets intense and deliciously chaotic. There is a great flow to the way the music is presented, for with the following track, “Paparazzo,” from chaos emerges a familiar jazz beat. There is also a crazy, insistent drum solo toward the end of that tune.

The first time I saw Fellini’s piece from Spirits Of The Dead, it was very late at night at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. As I recall, it came after a triple feature, just an additional, unannounced treat (it was just Fellini’s short, not the entire film). I was basically blown away by it, the perfect ending to an excellent night at the cinema. Sexmob’s take on the music brings me right back to that great night. There is something hypnotizing and alluring about this music. It’s seductive and haunting.

Probably my favorite piece in this collection is “Nadia Gray,” which comes on fast and furious, with a great intensity. I love it – the urgency of the horns, and also the playfulness of certain moments. And it has a drum solo, which I always appreciate. You’re going to want to listen to this one loud.

And then “The Grand Hotel” starts right where “Nadia Gray” left off, which is interesting, as the pieces are from two different films. They work perfectly together. Then after a while it becomes quieter, tiptoeing about, but certainly still up to some mischief. 

“Gelsomina” is a short track with just bass. The next track, “I Vitelloni,” begins with bass (so again, clearly a lot of thought was put into the ordering of these tracks). This one has a fantastic groove, with that great vibrant horn singing over it. This is another personal favorite of mine. It becomes quite playful, right to its final note.

CD Track List

1. Amacord
2. Il Teatrino Delle Suore
3. La Strada
4. Volpina
5. Paparazzo
6. Toby Dammit’s Last Act
7. La Dolce Vita
8. Zamparo
9. Nadia Gray
10. The Grand Hotel
11. Gelsomina
12. I Vitelloni

Musicians

Sexmob is Steven Bernstein on slide trumpet, hybrid trumpet and alto horn; Briggan Krauss on alto saxophone and baritone saxophone; Tony Scherr on electric bass; and Kenny Wollesen on drums, gongs, log drum, waterphone and vibraphone.

Cinema Circus & Spaghetti: Sexmob Plays Fellini: The Music Of Nino Rota is scheduled to be released on March 19, 2013 through The Royal Potato Family. By the way, this album has made me excited to revisit the Fellini films that I own.

Fanny: “Fanny” (1970/2013) CD Review

Fanny is a band I had not heard of, and I have to admit that it was the band’s name that got me curious - that coupled with the fact that they’re an all-girl band from the late 1960s, early 1970s, a period that greatly interests me. Their first album, self-titled, was originally released in 1970 on Reprise, and includes mostly original tunes. The Cream cover comes as an odd surprise.

It’s interesting, because at first they come off as kind of harmless fluff, but as you get deeper into the album, and as you listen more, you can really hear the true raw souls of rock in their voices and playing.

Take a song like “Conversation With A Cop” for example. On the one hand, yes, it’s a bit on the cheesy side. It begins, “Good morning/I suppose you’re here to issue me a warning/And to ask me what I’m doing out alone/You’re suspicious that I’m not asleep at home.” And then she sings, “I’m just looking for some place to walk my dog.” A bit silly, right? But when you think about it, the song is really about the suspicious, distrusting attitude of the authorities when someone is doing anything different, anything unexpected, and of course it also has a bit of a feminist bent, which is totally effective.

There is something about this band that could be seen as a pre-punk brashness. Plus, these girls can really play (check out the nice work on keys on “Candlelighter Man”). And they really rock on a track like “Changing Horses.” Check out the funky bass line to kick off “Shade Me,” a pretty cool tune. Also, they’ve got the vocal chops for a variety of material. This is an album I’ve enjoyed more each time I’ve listened to it.

By the way, the liner notes for the CD are by three of the band’s members.

The album opens with “Come And Hold Me,” which is somewhat fun, harmless, catchy pop. It has a good groove, particularly in the instrumental section. The lyrics start, “Come on and see me, baby/Sleepy time in the wintertime/Sleepy time in the wintertime/Come and hold me.” This track was written by guitarist June Millington and bass-player Jean Millington.

“I Just Realized” is a rock tune with a kind of good slow groove. This one features some nice touches on keys, as well as some cool stuff on guitar. The girls are not trying to be sweet here, as on the first track, but letting it rip vocally at moments, like on the lines, “You’re making it hard, you’re making it hard for me/And now you say that you won’t tell me where or when/I just realized I’ve been had again.”

As I mentioned, Fanny covers “Badge” on this album. I’ve always been a big Cream fan. I got to see Jack Bruce perform once, and he was fantastic. As the story goes, the song’s title comes from Eric Clapton misreading the word “Bridge” on George Harrison's notes for the song. These girls do a good job with the song, and are fairly faithful to the original. Their version is a little more fun, a little lighter than the original. I dig it.

“Changing Horses” oddly starts as a bit of fooling around in the studio, with some loose playing on keyboard, and some banter. That lasts for the first minute or so. Then the song kicks in as a full-fledged, straight-ahead rock number. They really belt it out, giving an impressive vocal performance. This is an earnest rock song, nothing half-assed here, and it’s one I enjoy more and more with each spin.

My favorite track on this album, however, is “Take A Message To The Captain.”  I love the feel of this one, in large part due to the catchy work on keys. This song also features good vocal performances, their voices working well together. It opens with these lines, “There’s a ship that sails tomorrow/I was due to be on board/There’s a life to be discovered/And a world to be explored/I had decided not to join them/Thought I’d stay at home with you/But I’ve gone and thought it over/And there’s something I must do.”  Certain moments in the lead guitar part seem influenced by George Harrison. This song is really a little gem, and it works to raise your spirits. “Take A Message To The Captain” was written by pianist/organist Nickey Barclay.

CD Track List

1. Come And Hold Me
2. I Just Realized
3. Candlelighter Man
4. Conversation with A Cop
5. Badge
6. Changing Horses
7. Bitter Wine
8. Take A Message To The Captain
9. It Takes A Lot Of Good Lovin’
10. Shade Me
11. Seven Roads

Fanny was released on February 26, 2013 through Real Gone Music.