Bert’s Blues (R.I.P.)

This clip, recorded for an instructional folk guitar video, is a nice mid-1970s rendition of one of Jansch’s mid 1960s folk masterpieces, “Black Water Side,” later reinterpreted by Jimmy Page as “Black Mountainside” on the first Led Zeppelin album.

Saddened today to hear news of the passing of acoustic guitar genius Bert Jansch. A spiky plunker of a fingerpicker with the most magical fluid fretting touch. So glad I got to see him in person a few times, between the early 1990s (at a high school gymnasium in Waltham, Mass., of all places, accompanied by his with Pentangle pals Jacqui and John) and as recently as last year, opening for Neil Young’s “Twisted Road” solo tour.

Bert was a magical guitar player, who Jimmy Page (whose acoustic style borrowed liberally from Bert) called him “a real dreamweaver” and Neil Young referred to him as the “Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar.” My wife, who I fairly sure has harbored a thing for ol’ Bert for many years, sadly noted the loss of his lovely poetic singing voice, too.

He will surely be missed, but remembered with reverence and appreciation.

FURTHER:

• NPR’s music blog, The Record, has a nice concise write up highlighting his influence.

Who, indeed?!

Some potent questions!

What do you think? Do you think this work is endorsing or criticizing the ideals of the United States? How and why?

Find a little more context and some further thought-provoking queries about this piece of art by Barbara Kruger here.

Wilco at the Wang!

I don’t have time to write a proper review of Tuesday’s Wilco show at the Wang Theatre in Boston, but I wanted an excuse to post the cool poster from the gig. This one, by Massachusetts artist (corrected) Stephen Bowman, is perfect. So obvious, in fact, it’s amazing that it hasn’t been done before. But that’s part of the beauty of creativity isn’t it, discovering the obvious that’s yet to be realized?

A few quick notes on the show:

The set featured lots of new songs, expertly performed. Maybe it came across as a bit heavy on new material to casual fans, but for those of us who have seen Wilco live many times over the years, it’s welcome to hear a generous sampling of new stuff – presuming it’s up to par, which these tunes certainly are. Of course, hearing many of the old favorites is great, too!

Since, Nick Lowe opened the show with a solo set, the headliner’s performance was limited to 20 songs, which is quite abbreviated by Wilco standards. Bandleader Jeff Tweedy even remarked that the last time the band played Boston, they played 39 songs! (“Ain’t gonna happen,” he noted wryly, adding his view that it’s better to be able to bring Lowe along for the ride than to hear that much Wilco. Many fans would disagree, but the sentiment was sincere, and we still got our money’s worth of Wilco.) Of the 20 songs the band played Tuesday, seven were from the yet-to-be-released-but-widely-previewed (on NPR and elsewhere) new CD, The Whole Love.

Standout aspect of the 90-minute performance were:

• Guitarist Nels Cline, as always, and, increasingly, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone.

• Tweedy channeling Neil Young during his electric guitar solo on “At Least That’s What You Said.”

• The incomparable menace of “Bull Black Nova” – talk about setting a mood with sound!

• “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” emerging as one of the “classic standouts” of Wilco’s live set.

• The rockin’ climax of “One Wing.”

• The absolutely sublime rendition of “One Sunday Morning” – an understated epic in the making.

• “Handshake Drugs” taking things even higher late in the set.

• Nels going interstellar on his jazzy, Allman-esque, Skydog flights of fancy building up to a frenetic climax on “Impossible Germany.”

• “Born Alone” sporting a nuance and aggressiveness not quite captured on the new record.

It was also interesting to hear songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot that were being debuted when I first saw Wilco live 10 years ago now firmly established as much-anticipated staples of the show. I wonder which of the new songs we heard this time will be the classics a decade from now? I’m sure a few of them will be.

WILCO – Wang Theatre, Boston 9/20/11

SET LIST:



Art of Almost


I Might


Black Moon


I Am Trying to Break Your Heart


One Wing


Bull Black Nova


At Least That’s What You Said


One Sunday Morning


Shouldn’t Be Ashamed


The Whole Love


War On War


Born Alone


Handshake Drugs


Impossible Germany


Dawned On Me


A Shot in the Arm


ENCORE:

The Late Greats


I’m The Man Who Loves You


Monday


Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Indeed, Sometimes It Does ...

Hats off to Megan O’Neill’s SocialTimes Web Video blog for ID’ing this whacked-out accident scene interview from a recent Fox newscast in Phoenix ...

... and then the even better “Songify” treatment by The Gregory Brothers. Don’t cheat, you have to watch the original broadcast video first to appreciate the second one:

If you want to see the full lyrics and chords – and I know you do! – click through to the Songify version posted on YouTube.

R.I.P., R.E.M.

Today, R.E.M. announced their break up after 31 years as a band. Few seemed very shocked by the news, and many, myself included, believe it was overdue – perhaps even long overdue.

Don’t get me wrong, the boys from Athens were great in their day; industry-shaking and authentically artistic. Drawing from rock, country, folk and even punkish influences, they applied their own brand and created a unique sound that has since influenced many others. In fact, matched only by U2 and The Clash (maybe), R.E.M. was the defining rock band of the era – at least in terms of the intersection of artistic merit and commercial success – for my generation (i.e., those in college during the early to mid 1980s).

But the bottom line today is that they have not been a noteworthy or relevant band in the present tense for more than a decade. Peter Buck’s extra-band activities (with Robyn Hitchcock, Tired Pony, The Minus Five and others, as well as guesting on sessions with The Decemberists et al) have been far more interesting than his primary band’s output for quite some time.

On top of that, Michael Stipe has grown increasingly obnoxious and annoying over the years. The consensus seems to be that he was better liked (artistically) as Mr. Mumbles, when no one could understand what he was singing, and (personally) when he just kept his mouth shut. (Ever see Charlie Rose’s interview with the singer and aspiring photographer in 2007? If so, you get my drift on the latter point.)

Nevertheless, several of R.E.M.’s records (Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, Document, Automatic for the People and New Adventures in Hi-Fi) will always have a special resonance for me. And I’m very glad I got to see the band in concert a number of times – from small theaters and large clubs to arenas.

I loved Buck’s approach to guitar. He singlehandedly gave new life to Rickenbacker sales in the mid 1980s – OK, maybe Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers deserve a bit of credit for that, too. And later he made a place for mandolin in rock music not heard since The Face’s “Maggie Mae” and Zeppelin’s “The Battle of Evermore.” As an ever-dreaming indie record-store manager in Athens prior to hooking up with Stipe and forming the band, Buck was a student of rock history from ’60s’ garage bands onward. That enthusiastic scholarship served R.E.M. well, shining through in more than just the Byrds-meets-Velvet-Underground, jangle-pop of the band’s first few recordings.

Meanwhile, Mike Mills was the band’s secret weapon; underrated, but essential, not just as a bass player, but as a keyboardist, arranger and, most of all, harmony vocalist. And then there was Bill Berry, a good drummer and an important contributor to the band’s overall sound. The truth is, the band should’ve called it a day when he resigned in 1997. Nevertheless, that doesn’t diminish R.E.M.’s accomplishments at the height of their artistry, or their legacy. So while they may not really be missed, they will be fondly remembered.

Despite popular perception, not a love song.

My Favorite R.E.M. Releases:

1. Document (1987)
2. Reckoning (1984)
3. Fables of the Reconstruction (1985)
4. Automatic for the People (1992)
5. New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996)
6. Murmur (1983)
7. Life’s Rich Pageant (1986)
8. Out of Time (1991)