The Time Between

Rusty Dean


I was looking for some Clarence White – actually I really wanted to find Muleskinner (haven’t heard that for 20+ years but my remembrance of the version of Muleskinner Blues with Clarence’s playing on it has taken on mythical proportions) – when I found this,. Evidently it’s Clarence with Gary Barlow (I think). It’s very straight country and to be honest doesn’t much to the Clarence legacy. It’s a fine record in many ways – classic hard country - but so many others have done this better – much better.

Roy Buchanan

There’s really only two songs you need to hear from Roy – The Messiah Will Come Again and Sweet Dreams. This guy was a tone master. Beautiful telecaster sounds. There’s a great bit on Messiah where you can hear him flipping the tone switch from the neck pickup to the bridge and he just gets THAT sound. I don’t think anyone’s come close since him. I can get pretty close to playing some of this stuff (until he throws these little shards of notes into the mix) but I can’t get close to the tone and feeling. Absolutely beautiful stuff. I saw him in the UK in the 70’s. The bill was Arthur Brown (Mr Hellfire himself), Roy and Family – doing one of their last gigs. Great stuff.

Beechwood Sparks

I never heard this when it came out (10 years ago?) but I loved the look and the idea (the reviews and photos of them made me think they could be really interesting but I never got round to listening to them). So now here I am and….they’re OK. Just OK. The singer’s voice is an acquired taste (it’s not very strong – and there’s a lack of feeling there somehow) and they’re a little closer to America than the Burritos. They sound like a bunch of just OK musicians really, really wanting to be a classic LA 1967 band – 12 strings, lap steel and attempts at Byrds-ian harmonies are made but don’t quite get there. I’ve talked about a number of English bands trying to sound like their heroes. Here’s an American band doing the same. Not sure what happened to them – probably got day jobs. Great attempt at this type of thing. I sure hope they at least got laid.

Bottle Rockets

Here’s another one that’s interesting. They sound like an American band wanting to be Dave Edmunds (while Dave, obviously, wanted to be American). Talk about recursive.
Nicely played. Pretty Wilco first album-esque. Must have been great in a small, sweaty bar.

Bryan McClean

OK. I’m a huge Love fan. I even drove past the Castle recently (it’s close to my house and where Love lived before they made Forever Changes – the best LA record ever – maybe the best album in the rock genre made too). Anyway I just found a solo album of Bryan’s. It’s weird I have to say. It has his versions of Orange Skies, Old Man and Alone Again Or. I always thought Love’s styling was all Arthur’s but listening to this I’m completely confused. Listen to Old Man. It’s either the best Arthur impersonation ever or Bryan came up with this style. On Barber John – which I’ve never heard Arthur do it sounds like the lost FC track – including the little weird rupa-dup-dupa type stuff that I always thought was pure Arthur. The little guitar riffs (it’s just Bryan solo) sound like Love too. I’m totally confused. I always thought that Arthur threw out the band and tried to make FC with studio guys – and then realized he needed them after all. Maybe it’s the chemistry – Arthur never got close again and you have to ask why. Was it the mix of him and Bryan? It’s changed the way I think about Love I have to say. It’s a nice record. Well worth checking out.

The Bunch

Here we go. A bunch of Brits – Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Simon Nichols – basically all the Fairports – playing straight ahead country and rock and roll standard.s. Crazy Arms, That’ll be the day (very Linda Ronstadt), Don’t be Cruel and the Locomotion (pretty good version actually). My favorite track is learning the game (I should check out who did the original version) – but then it’s hard not to be wooed by Sandy. Won’t set the world on fire but it’s fun – and they obviously had a great time making it

Clover.

I loved Clover. I saw them in the UK just as punk broke and felt sorry for them. They were unbelievable musicians, had great songs (it was around the time of the Unavailable album), played on the first Costello record, and had the looks – and the hair (especially John McPhee – I sure hope he’s not bald now). This was right before I cut off all mine too. A great mix of rock and soul. I just found their first two albums and have to say they haven’t aged well. Poor production and just OK songs. Again you can see how they influenced a bunch of people (list to range war by the Brinsleys which even includes the line “where clover play”). The first album does have a nice version of stealin on it I have to say. It’s kind of the blueprint for where they went – and where Huey Lewis went too. The second album (Forty Niner) is better produced but still on the thin side – how come so much stuff from this period sounds this bad – when some stuff hasn’t dated and still sounds great. These albums sound like a 4-track demos – terrible drum sounds, guitar sounds like they were played through the worst, cheapest amps, and vocals with no presence. Didn’t they have reverb in the studios these guys worked in? Now I would say if the songs were great the production wouldn’t as important but the songs aren’t great either – there are exceptions Mr Moon is pretty good – the Brinsley’s didn’t just borrow from these guys they stole everything. Unbelievable if you put this song onto Silver Pistol you wouldn’t know it was two different bands. Alex Call has a great voice I have to say – and I’m glad he wrote 545-6543 Jenny Jenny (or whatever the number is) as he didn’t make any money with these guys. Now I need to find there two 70’s albums.

Cochise

Another set of brits who wanted to be yanks. OK production (finally) and BJ Cole on pedal steel. Interesting stuff. Starts with an OK version of who do you love. Love hearts sounds like an outtake from Ride’s Carnival of Light (I know it came afterwards). Almost Floyd-y. And strange images sounds like Radiohead – no really. It’s a nice record – the vocals are a little strained at times. It does sound like there’s a couple of guys fighting for the vision of the band – one singer obviously wanted a more standard rock direction the other guy

John Stewart – California Bloodlines
Now I never did get John. I used to get the magazine named after one of his songs (Omaha Rainbow) and Zigzag used to rave about this album but for some reason I never got there. Maybe I needed to be older or something as it now resonates more. Sure it’s pretty MOR in lots of ways – his baritone doesn’t have the fragility or soul of some of my favorite singers and the arrangements definitely don’t rock. But there’s a maturity and timelessness to the imagery that’s finally roped me in. It’s not groundbreaking stuff but it’s solid – but there’s something missing I think that keeps it from being the classic that a number of people seem to think it is. It lacks real personality I think – something some of his peers had in spades (Mike Nesmith for example – and even Rick Nelson). Maybe as I listen more it’ll continue to grow on me.
Flaming Groovies.
I give my brother credit here – he was a big fan of these guys and I just didn’t get it at the time. I was turned off by their too obvious (in my book) homage to bands like the Charlatans (the Dan Hicks guys not the UK version). They were just too retro for me in 1976 – and I was too busy listening to Poco (who I thought were a lot more real – what was I thinking?). Now however they sound like the perfect amalgam of the Stones and The Byrds. It’s a great record. The title track is a classic. In fact I played it on the radio recently (thanks to my friend Kevan who let’s me sit in on his Saturday AM show on KTUH – a college station in Honolulu). I didn’t get the chance to do the credits (it was the last song I played that day before handing it over to the next guy). While we were cleaning up the phone didn’t stop ringing and Kevan got a bunch of emails after the show asking who it was. It’s not often a song has that kind of impact – especially in sleepy Honolulu. The rest of the album isn’t up to the same standard but it’s still pretty good. They do Gene Clark almost as well as he did!

The McGarrigles and The Roches
I only put these together because they’re both girl groups, came out around the same time (at least that’s how I remember it) and are both equally fab. Very different but both helped reinvent the role of women in rock I think. Kate and Anna fit nicely into the Americana label and their first album is a classic - songs like Heart like a wheel and especially “talk to me of Mendocino” are beautiful songs – just beautiful songs that have survived many attempts to cover them – but the originals are still by far the best. It’s hard to describe the way these women sing – and their harmonies. Old timey indeed but emotional and modern too. Obviously they spawned a musical dynasty but I don’t think anyone in their family has surpassed what they achieved here. The Roches were a little different. More offbeat. More non-traditional. And more New York. They fit into a more folk music based traditional with weird little arty bits thrown in. The Married Men was the song I wanted to hear again – it’s about prostitutes and their relationship to their clients. It’s knowing, really well put together and very funny. The McGarrigles are so musical and the Roches sound so natural (I guess all being sisters helped here) – hard to believe Bob Fripp produced the album. They’re both great records and worth checking out.
Meal Ticket
I’d almost forgot about these guys – Ray Flacke had been always been on my radar especially after he moved to Nashville. They’re a little like the Brinsleys – not as soulful – but trying really hard to be a classic American country rock band. More piano, great playing but one of the vocalists sounds like he’s trying to be too much like John Hartford - Code of the Road sounds like something off Aereoplane (more about that later). It’s kind of like why I have such a hard time with Lyle Lovett. He sounds exactly like Jesse Winchester (check it out if you don’t believe me). Unfortunately they have that English disease – just working too hard to sound like their heroes. Some places they sound too much like Tumbleweed Connection – that’s the 2nd time I’ve mentioned that record. I guess it’s more influential than I originally thought (although it was the first album I actually bought – I was a singles guy before that).
Gene Clark
If I look at the original Byrds Gene always came fourth. He may have written Feel a whole lot better – the primer for everyone from The Flaming Groovies to Teenage Fanclub to REM – but I never enjoyed him as much as Chris Hillman (the Byrds, The Burritos AND Manassas – hard not to make the argument that Chris was the most influential figure in 60’s music. Just amazing what he’s done). David Crosby had his high points too (if I could only remember my name is such a great record. Beautifully recorded and timeless. A real masterpiece). McGuinn we all know about – and Michael Clark was a drummer so he doesn’t count (only joking). But Gene I struggle with. Maybe he was just too tragically talented but I just haven’t been able to connect with him the way I have with the rest of the band. Sure I love some of his records – the Fantastic Journey of Dillard and Clark is brilliant I think – but I don’t go back to his stuff that much. I’m really being picky here I know – and comparisons are pretty odious when you’re looking at this stellar group. When people talk about talented groups today there’s noone with that kind of talent – and the ability to change the face of modern music in the way they did – for many reasons. Anyway I’m listening to Roadmaster – and it’s pretty darn good. It’s a pretty darn good Gene Clark album. One question I have though. The version of Here Tonight sounds exactly like the version on the Burritos “blue” album with a different lead vocal – it’s definitely Sneaky Pete there. Were they just lazy and put the same song version on both records? For some reason I think they may have both been on A&M so maybe that made it easier.
Cat Mother and the All night newsboys
I used to have this album and have good memories of it. Listening to it now I have to say I must have been listening to a different record. Various Americana styles – old timey and gospelly, with pretty terrible singing throughout. Obviously recorded under the influence it does sound like it was a hoot to make. It definitely has it’s moments but its no surprise that they weren’t more popular. They remind me of a cross between the lovin spoonful and Kaleidoscope.

Brinsley Schwarz. I always loved these guys (and still think Nick Lowe is a genius) and being able to hear their first few albums (Silver Pistol is terrific all the way through) is great – what’s almost better is the live stuff. My favorite is the Greasy Truckers album – this includes some hard to listen to Hawkwind and Man but also a full Brinsley’s set. It’s soulful and rocking. It’s not hard to hear their influences – Clover (listen to Harvest off the first Clover album for the Brinsley’s blueprint sound) and the Band (especially lyrically Nick seemed to be trying for the gothic Americana feel that Robbie Robertson did so well – interesting given their English upbringing. Elton John did something similar on Tumbleweed Connection) but they have their own style and sound. There’s also a great live set from Cardiff in 1974 – which has more cover songs on it. Very soulful – for Brits.

Another English band that I had the pleasure of seeing numerous times years ago was the Kursaal Flyers. Their Choc’s Away album is flawed but has some great songs on it – and great playing (the pedal steel and guitarist are particular good). They go from faux country to faux 50’s rocking doo wop to English music hall. They were a pretty funny looking band – Paul Shuttleworth seemed to model himself George Cole spiv character in the St. Trinians movies. Definitely worth checking out. This album was before their big hit single “little does she know” and shows. Great as some of these songs are it would be hard to imagine them in the charts.
Obviously this was all pre-punk stuff – and both of these bands had all but disappeared by ’76 – the year Punk broke - and were amongst the many bands who were destroyed by the three chords wonders. Only Nick Lowe managed to make the change from pubrocker to punk royalty – producing the Damned’s first album – and having the first single (So It Goes) on Stiff.

McDonald and Giles
As a youth I remember gazing at the groovy clothes and gorgeous women on the cover of this album and marveling at how cool life could be. I never bought the record as these guys were in King Crimson – and prog was not for me. What a fool I was. It’s a great record – it has the same summery feel as Wildwood by Paul Weller. You hear it and you’re in the middle of an English summer (well the one day when it’s not raining). It’s a terrifically atmospheric record – with great moody songs (and Steve Winwood on a couple of tracks) and it sounds totally fresh today. If you hear this without knowing it’s pedigree you’d think it was a new band – like Midlake for example. Well worth checking out – and look at the cover and tell me you aren’t jealous! Nice to see this in the Mojo best Island disks list too. I guess it’s prime for re-discovery.

There’s a number of albums I’ve heard recently that I never heard the first time around and am finally catching up with – Mason Proffit – for one. I have to say most of them are disappointing. Maybe because they don’t have the familiarity of the stuff I grew up with or maybe because they’re just not that good? Sure the playing and singing is generally terrific – but the tunes just don’t make it. Maybe there’s a reason I never heard this stuff then.