Composing Outside The Beatles: Lennon and McCartney, 1973-1980, DVD

John Lennon and Paul McCartney after the Beatles? There were those who faithfully followed the careers and bought the releases of both; those who decided either John or Paul were more to their taste and stuck with them; then there were those who dabbled but found for whatever reason that neither was at the consistent level of the Beatles days. I was in the latter camp in those years. So there are gaps in my knowledge of the careers and total music output of either during this period.

For diehard fans and for those like me who don't know the whole story Composing Outside the Beatles: Lennon and McCartney 1973-1980 (Pride DVD142) gives a cogent summation of that era, their records, the alignments and realignments, the ups and downs of their personal-musical lives, the erratic quality of some of the music. All that is covered on this hour-and-a-half documentary. The talking heads of band members, music industry people and music journalists intersperse with concert footage and music videos to give you a pretty decent overview.

Neither quite rise to the heights of their Beatles days. Paul especially went further into a pop banality in search of success; John sometimes found it difficult to lock into a cohesive direction. All is thoroughly examined in this program.

It's not a history that is often rehearsed in a totality. This DVD does a good job supplying that lack. Recommended for all who want to get the wider picture of those days.

Jeff Buckley, Gary Lucas, Songs to No One, 1991-1992

Rehearsal tapes, live soundboard captures, live broadcast tapes... these with any other musicians might be second thoughts, "also did this," leftovers. With artists the caliber of Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas, Songs to No One, 1991-1992 (Evolver-Knitting Factory Records EVL 2008-2) that is so much not the case. Some are duets with the two, some involve the entire Gods and Monsters band, all are supercharged evidence of an incredibly fruitful union that we can now only appreciate on tape with Jeff's tragic passing. While it lasted though it was the best sort of collaboration, each bringing to the music something that completed what the other put forward. Jeff's rangy, dramatic, lucidly moody vocals and compositional elements; Gary's orchestral psychedelics, inimitable guitar sounds and musico-structural wisdom.

I hesitate to wax hyperbolic unless it is warranted. In this case it is. This is a classic, folks. It has all the makings of it. Instrumental profundity, vocal perfection, songs that don't go away but haunt you long after every listen. Jeff was a haunting, haunted cat. Gary was his best foil, grounding and spacing the song format with keen ears and eminently appropriate guitaristic counterpoint that equally haunts. The combination is rather uncanny. But do not take my word for it.

Singers, guitarists, avid listeners take note. THIS is an album you need to absorb. I will leave it at that.

AOMusic, "....and Love Rages On!": Music for Another New World

Some CDs come in the mail and you open them up and ask yourself, "what the hell is it?" Very few get the kind of "what the hell is it?" reiteration as they are first playing on my music system. AOMusic's ...And Love Rages On (AO Music 0907) got that reaction from me. So what is it, then? It's various children's choirs and vocalists from over the world and quasi-world-ethnic percussion and strings joined with various world musicians, etc. doing some very unique sounding music. It's too good to be new age. It's not jazz, not pop, not anything but a sort of new world music. The ensemble Dead Can Dance is about as close as I can come to the "sort of like" category, but it is not the same exactly, either.

It is very captivating. Richard Gannaway (vocals & string instruments), Jay Oliver (keyboards, synths, samples) and Miriam Stockley (vocals) are the people behind the music. This is their third album. I will not try to describe the music further. It's very beautiful. Try to hear some of it it and you'll see what I mean.

Slivovitz, "Bani Ahead": A Crack Jazz-Rock Outfit from Napoli in Their Second Outing

Today a very cool effort from the Napoli jazz-rock-fuze combo Slivovitz, Bani Ahead (Moon June 039). This has compositional-arranged goodness and solos with bite, in a Zorn-Zappa meets a mid-eastern mode, Slivovitz-style. It's a seven-man band: D. Angarano, bass guitar, D. Di Perri, harmonica, M Giannini, electric guitar, S. Rainone, drums, C. Riccardi, trumpet, P. Santangelo, tenor and soprano, R. Villari, violin.

This second album for the band comes through as only something a very seasoned, well rehearsed and well-gigged band could do. They are tight and musically integrated. This is all-original music penned by various band members. The music is strong, driving and unique, with the minor mode predominating, and front line voicings in deft counterpoint with the leveraged rhythm team. Solos are strong and set off the arranged material nicely.

It's a definite corker of an album! Like the other Moon June recording artists Moraine (whose new album I reviewed on this site yesterday), Slivovitz come up with another new way to be new. There is lots of excellent music to be had on Bani Ahead. Grab a copy or get more info on the Moon June site listed in the link section.

Steve Howe's Remedy Live, Well-Captured on DVD Release

Steve Howe with Yes over the years defined a way to play in a largely conceived, almost orchestral prog context. He could be flashy but mostly he was distinctive in sound and very musical in the parts he developed for himself. The Steve Howe of his own group Remedy continues and extends that legacy in ways that go beyond Yes while still keeping to the initial impetus and sound he made such an important part of the overall ambiance.

Steve Howe's Remedy Live (MVD Visual 5252D) presents Howe and company in an extended concert footage DVD. It features his five-piece outfit (with his two sons on keys and drums, respectively) running through the repertoire of originals and some classic Yes numbers in 2004. The DVD also features a short solo acoustic set and good footage of Howe and band members in rehearsal and talking about the tour.

The sound is offered in the 5:1 option or as conventional stereo and it is very good.

It's certainly a disk that Steve Howe fans will appreciate. And it will give you some good ensemble and guitar work to get with if you have not followed Howe's career in any detail.

It's a thorough gas and a prog rock document of some importance. Give it a spin and dig on some fine sounds.

Moraine, Metamorphic Rock: The Band in Good Form Live at NEARFest, 2010

Moraine's first album showed the world they were a very smart prog/fuze outfit that offered a sound alternative to the usual ways of being new. Dennis Rea's torrid guitar styling led the way for a kind of great adventure in electric sound that drove home the idea that Moraine had an original vision and were well on their way to putting it forward for the world to dig.

Their subsequent 2010 appearance at NEARFest was well-captured and we now have what they played there on the new CD Metamorphic Rock (Moon June 040). This is especially strong as a all-band effort, with solid compositions by Dennis Rea and other band members and some interesting adaptations of traditional and contemporary world music. The instrumentation of electric guitar, baritone-winds, violin, eight-string bass, and drums is used to excellent effect in ways that make for an even more identifiable sound this time out.

The music generally is more sonorous and less edgy in this go-round, but no less original. It shows once again that Moraine is a band to follow closely in the years to come. And it's a terrific listen as well! Very much recommended.

Fractale, "Suranne": Horn-Centered Prog EP

French saxologist Julian Julien and his bandmates in Fractale have put together a live EP offering called Suranne (A Bout de Son). It's a guitarless, bassless grouping of three saxes, two trumpets, one tuba and drums. Occasionally there's a synthesizer sound in there as well.

They achieve an interesting, composition-arrangement based prog rock/jazz rock that manages to achieve a drive and density one usually associates with the guitars and electric bass configuration. It has a King Crimson, Zappa, Magma sort of feel to it, though there is a distinctively original sound in the end. Improvisation is minimalized in favor of an ensemble presentation.

It's different. It remains to be heard where they would go beyond this 27-minute EP. A promising beginning! Hear some samples at myspace.com/groupefractale.