The Time Between

River is one of the best albums of the 70’s period (that’s full stop for you brits). We all know his history – missed Zeppelin by a whisker, Superlungs, etc, and a bunch of undistinguished solo albums and then River. Maybe it’s the chemistry between him and David Lindley but great songs, great playing and it feels like a whole. Seriously funky (for white guys). Crystal clear production – it’s like they’re in your living room even on a crappy stereo. And his voice is a revelation. You can’t see him playing the Robert Plant role but he soars on this record. Whether it’s the rockier stuff or the softer acoustic stuff (which my wife thinks sounds like Paul Simon for some reason). I saw him live a couple of times during this period and he never managed to create this sound or feel live. A shame. It should have been a smash and on everyone’s album of the year but it laid around and made little impact when it came out – and it isn’t one of those records that’s been revived by Mojo (yet) – or (as far as I know) Terry has recreated in the live environment (as so many are doing these days). Pick it up somewhere, It’s worth at least 40 minutes of your time.

I arrived in Ann Arbor in 1980 not knowing much about it except that Commander Cody and the Stooges came from there. I went to chase a girl (of course) and ended up meeting my wife there – so it was a pretty productive time. I knew something was up when I was walking down a street my first day and these two guys came over carrying guitars and said something like “you look cool, you should come and see The Detroit Puppets tonite at the Sure Thing in Ypsilanti”. We then had a long chat – and an education for me – on the musical significance of the area (I was way more familiar with Detroit for obvious reasons). Unfortunately I never got to see these guys (no car) that night and only saw them later when they opened up for us (I was in a band called the Flexibles) at the 2nd Chance and they were great. A drummer and two dan electros through some crappy amps. No bass. They were the white stripes way before Jack White got the idea. The best part was they would scream “we are the Detroit puppets’ throughout every song and break. You couldn’t see these guys and forget them.


Anyway Ann Arbor was great. A cool, small town with friendly folks, great music – lots of blues (lots), some country, some great rockabilly (George Bedard is a God), and a lot of what would be called ‘indie’ music (that’s where we fit). We had a great time. Until we fell apart and went our separate ways (too many shared girlfriends amongst other diversions). But I got to see some great music and enjoy the mid-west for the first time. It was cold however – growing up in the UK it never got that cold. Arriving in Michigan in February was another thing. I wouldn’t leave the house without having a car all nicely warmed up and ready to jump into outside the house. I discovered two things. One that you can have fun in -80 degree weather (with the wind chill) and two, that down is your friend. Haven’t been back for a while. Must do that.

Chic were to the 70’s what Cream were to the 60’s. By far the most influential trio of the past 30 years Nile, Bernard and Tony were THE power trio casually bringing new sounds and rhythms to the world – they were truly a global phenomenon. They provided the soundtrack for the disco years, the architecture of rap, the foundation of Brit pop-soul, they were the blueprint for a huge amount of popular music of the past few decades (hello David Bowie) – and yet people dismiss them as “some disco band’ like it was something terrible, a blight on the landscape. Disco – before every white act tried it – had a purity of vision much like the purity of vision of early punk or rockabilly. It was about escape, about the beat, about movement. It took guitar, bass and drums to another place. And while it was deceptively simple (a straight 4/4 beat) it left so much room for the bass and in Chic’s case Nile’s fab guitar – he reinvented the Strat for me. And it also had soul. Listen to At Last I Am Free – either by Chic or Robert Wyatt and tell me it’s not a soul song. It was aspirational – look at the clothes they’re wearing on Risque, listen to the name dropping of fashion icons (Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci indeed). It was about a new, black middle class. Nile was the guy who carried Jimi’s guitar around NYC, who hooked up with o ne of the best rhythm sections ever (really these guys were monsters – and I love the MG’s and Motown guys who were great no doubt but….these check these guys out – is there a more danceable bass line than Good Times EVER?). Listen to Savoir Faire and you’ll hear some brilliant Nile – it’s a shame he didn’t solo more – but that’s his beauty; it’s all rhythm and space. Listen to the Diana album – try and find the long version of I’m Coming Out for a sampling of what Tony Thompson had to offer (there’s a reason he was Zeppelin’s drummer at Live Aid). But please don’t pass them by, don’t put them in the same bucket as the Bee Gees, these guys were (are) significant.

What new insight can I bring to the guy who’s been dissected and ripped apart by every writer covering American – or any kind of - music? Not much. I can just say if you haven’t heard him, or have been put off by the worship, give him another chance. He’ll pay you back a million times over. Forgetting the hype, and the Cosmic American Music stuff, and forgetting the poor little rich kid upbringing (no wonder he killed himself – who could live through that and come out straight on the other side) and focus on the voice and the songs. And don’t go for the Burritos (much as I love them) just put on Grievous Angel and hear something pure for once. It’s not about Elvis’s backup band (although they are spectacular and have never sounded better). It’s about the songs and the voice. There’s a bunch of Gram stuff out there where he struggles to stay on key but on GA he’s all there. And while Emmylou is terrific it’s all about Gram. It’s country soul. It’s white man’s blues. It’s pure. The thing about Gram is that while the songs live on (how many more tribute concerts do we really need?) his versions are definitive (even the covers – who has done Love Hurts better?). You can see all the way into the guys heart when you hear these songs. And where did these songs come from - $1000 wedding, Brass Buttons, She. Las Vegas (thank you Ric Grech – did anyone else see him in tiny folk clubs in Leicester in the 70’s – often with, I believe, his then girlfriend Claire Hammill? He’d just turn up places for about three months one summer singing Gram songs – then he disappeared and we lost him. Very sad), Gram had a hand in so many classics that still sound amazing. Timeless, brilliant stuff. I can understand why Chris Hillman feels neglected I have to say – he was in three seminal bands – The Byrds, The Burritos, and Manassas (probably the best thing Stephen Stills ever did) – not to mention The Desert Rose Band. He wrote some brilliant songs (Time Between for one – from which we stole our name) and in lots of ways was the driving force that brought Country and Rock together. Brilliant guy, long term player, amazing career, huge influence – and he’s still doing it. But Gram was his partner and equal – and it was Gram who created an industry because of what he did in a three year period. Shooting star indeed.


Ian Matthews

I don’t know why but I missed Ian (Iain?) Matthews. I loved Book Song by the Fairports (I still think it’s the prototype for the Gram/Emmylou sound) and I guess that brought me back to him when I rediscovered the Fairports recently. So I just got a bunch of his solo albums, the Plainsong album and the Matthews Southern Comfort one too. And…..they’re OK. He had the looks no doubt, and the bands – Andy Roberts, Red Rhodes, BJ Cole – all great players. But there’s a reason he’s second tier. A bit like Gene Clark (I know I’m too tough on Gene really). A great pop voice trying to do songs that require a much more emotional delivery. A great example would be his version of Tried So Hard (I know it’s a Gene Clark song – a great song too). But listen the Ian’s version. Perfunctory would be a good way to describe it. And that’s the case with most of his solo albums – terrific songs done in a not too exciting way). I would however say the MSC album is very good – and yes the version of Woodstock deserved its #1 spot in the UK charts. It’s a nice sounding album – great harmonies, good songs, nice production. And the Plainsong album is pretty decent too – it should have been great. A British folk/rock supergroup. The problem is they were competing with real supergroups like CSN&Y – who just did this stuff so much better. Plainsong I think works as it’s a very English album (even tho’ they’re doing very American songs) – and Ian has a good English folk voice (way better than the finger in the ear, Martin Carthy-like voice so familiar to anyone who went to a folk club in a pub in the 70’s in England at least). Again the musicianship is terrific and tasteful. Maybe that’s the problem – it’s all a little too tasteful and he never let’s go. What he could do tho’ was pick songs. His solo albums are a smorgasbord of songs that ended up on all the most tasteful albums of the 70’s and early 80’s. Anyway all worth a listen so check them out – but don’t expect too much.

Traffic

Traffic are probably my favorite group ever – and that’s saying something. They had the groovy hit singles (Hole In My Shoe, Paper Sun. Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush (great one that), etc), they had the rockers (Dear Mr Fantasy), the quiet, getting away in the country stuff (John Barleycorn) and the soul/R&B influenced prog-rock (Low Spark). They had it all. They were a band you could grow with. Who could take you to new places without having to completely reinvent themselves. Obviously having Steve Winwood – who must have the best white soul voice on the planet. Actually forget the white. He has one of the best voices period. If you get the chance listen to a live show at the Fillmore – it’s on Wolfgangs Vault and it’s 1970 I think. It’s a three piece (Winwood, Capaldi, and Wood) doing a bunch of Barleycorn stuff. Unbelievable amount of noise coming from these guys. They were all terrific musicians. Or listen to Welcome to the Canteen – sure it sounds like it was recorded on a cassette player but the long workouts are significantly funky and the songs are just great. I never saw them around this time. I saw them around the Low Spark era. And what a band there too. Mussel Shoals came to Loughborough. Brilliant stuff. Not much more to say except if you haven’t heard them you need to (just think without Winwood there would be no Paul Weller today).


Poco
I was a huge Poco fan in my youth but they’re probably the only band from that time who I listen to now and go “what was I thinking?” Sure Pickin up the Pieces and Deliverin’ are fine albums but from there where did they go. Sure every album had at least one good song (Bad Weather from “From the Inside” for example) but for the most part they lacked soul, the productions were thin and the lyrics were pretty awful. And they were kind of faceless. I saw them once in the UK – opening for America (thank goodness things have progressed somewhat) and they never really had it. You can hear it in Buffalo Springfield. Richie Furay was always the lightweight – although who wouldn’t be in that crowd. Nice guy. Probably too nice. Great pedigree but there’s so many others to listen to.

Jerry Garcia
A few years ago I went to the Pedal Steel Convention in St Louis. 3 days of brilliant playing, nice people and a lot of hokey stuff – it got a little too Hee Haw-y sometimes. The house band – who started at 10AM and went until midnight - backed every PSG player you’ve ever heard of and tons you haven’t. Each performer would then play 3 songs and be gone. They’d do a fiddle tune, a weepy, and something clever (like a Bach fugue) to show off the other side of the instrument. I had the pleasure of meeting Neil Flanz there – who’d been working in a call center after leaving Gram Parsons. Such a shame. Really nice guy. And Bobby Black from Commander Cody – another nice guy. Anyway what I wanted to say was – all the younger guys there (under 55 say) started to play PSG because of one guy – Jerry. For me it was his work on Candyman on American Beauty and I’m sure we all have our faves. To be honest compared to say, Doug Jernigan, Jerry wasn’t such great a player but he had more reach than any other player. He could get to a generation of long haired guys who heard that lonesome moan and just wanted to get one of those damn things. Which is what I did a few years ago. A portable instrument it’s not. I hate breaking the damn thing down. But what a sound when you put it back together again. I still struggle with it, trying to get just that right tone but when you get something right there’s nothing like it. So from all of us who started because of you. Thanks Jerry.