King Crimson - "Park West, Chicago, Illinois, August 7, 2008 "

King Crimson
"Park West, Chicago, Illinois, August 7, 2008 "
Discipline Global Mobile Records
Released Aug. 20, 2008 as part of the King Crimson Collector's Club

I didn't even know King Crimson was still together - the last I heard from them was about 5 years ago, and I was decidedly unimpressed.

But apparently Robert Fripp has reconvened this mighty prog band with longtime bandmates Adrian Belew and Tony Levin (returning after a decadelong absence) and the dual drum attack of Pat Mastelotto and Gavin Harrison (splitting his time with Porcupine Tree). The group was supposed to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, but apparently busy schedules prevented a tour from happening.

So until this new/old King Crimson hits the road, we're left with this live set from last year, one of a handful of warm-up gigs the band played last August after reforming.

The set draws mostly on Crimson's '80s and '90s work - like "Indiscipline" and "Dinosaur", material that featured Levin, with a few choice cuts from the '70s ("Red", "Larks Tongues in Aspic Pt. 2") and '00s ("Level Five," "The Construkction of Light") thrown in.

The band still feels a bit loose, especially on "Red" - this was only the fourth gig of the brief tour. But Levin's return is immediately felt, from his funky bass playing on "Sleepless" to his occasional backup vocals.

The addition of Gavin Harrison also boosts the sound. Mastelotto is used to working with two drummers, he got his start in Crimson as part of the "double trio" of the '90s working with fellow drummer Bill Bruford, and Harrison's nimble playing balances his heavier hand. And the pair craft some interesting drum duets throughout the set.

But the most refreshing aspect of this show is that Crimson has retreated from the ultra-heavy abstract nu-metal of their most recent releases. This band still makes a mighty racket, but Levin and Harrison keep the sound from turning into complete sludge.

Now if they can find some time to release a new album and hit the road again...

Phish - "Joy"

Phish
"Joy"
JEMP Records
Released Aug. 25, 2009

Breaking up must have done Phish some good, because their reunion album is the most focused release in over a decade.

Credit must go to Steve Lillywhite, who produced that previous disc, 1996's "Billy Breathes." He keeps the songs tight and polished, from the bright melodies of "Light" to the bluesy guitar work of "Stealing From the Faulty Plan." Apart from a throwaway barrelhouse blues jam the album is uniformly strong.

How the material will translate to a live setting is another question - Phish is known for releasing bad albums filled with material that is great live, so what happens when the band actually releases a good one? The 15-minute "Time Turns Elastic" is the obvious candidate for "live favorite" - an eclectic prog-rock jam that nods to the Who and Yes and feels the most like Phish's early work.

Although I own several of their early albums, I'm not a Phish fan by any stretch of the imagination. It is exciting to hear something new from the band that actually captures my interest though. Maybe I'll give them a chance live the next time they come through the Valley.

Except that would mean having to deal with their fans. Ugh.

Roger Waters - "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking"

Roger Waters
"The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking"
Columbia Records
Released 1984

I first encountered "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking" when I was in high school - a devoted Pink Floyd fan, I eagerly picked up bassist Roger Waters first solo album (second if you count his experimental soundtrack to "The Body" - third if you count Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut").

And I hated it. Formless, nearly incomprehensible, it sounded kind of like Pink Floyd, but there was nothing that immediately appealed to the 14-year-old whose knowledge of Floyd didn't extend much beyond "The Wall" and "Dark Side of the Moon." The tour was pretty freakin' awesome though.

I revisited the album a few years ago, and was pleasantly surprised.

Now I see the genius in this semi-autobiographical concept album, which acts as the dream diary of a man going through a midlife crisis. The songs are little more than vignettes documenting the various dreams - travelling across Europe, sexual encounters, escape, divorce and death.

The music is a hodgepodge of motifs from "The Wall" and "The Final Cut" (the three albums were concieved simultaneously in the late '70s) held together by a recurring melody. David Sanborn adds stunning saxophone throughout the disc - the finest playing I've heard from the veteran smooth jazz sessioneer.

But the musical star of "Pros and Cons" is Eric Clapton, who fills the spacey recording with tasty riffs and solos. It's refreshing to hear his fluid, bluesy playing outside of his subpar solo work, from countrified dobro work on "Go Fishing" to a showcase solo on "Sexual Revolution."

The only misstep is the title track, - the most radio-friendly song on the album and the only one that doesn't fit musically or lyrically with the rest. But it also contains one of Waters' finest lyrical moments - the climactic "Every Stranger's Eyes."

What a difference 25 years makes.

Genesis - "Test Pressing"

Genesis
"Test Pressing"
Bootleg
Recorded Feb. 24-25, 1973

Guess I'm on a bit of a Phil Collins kick.

Ostensibly, this bootleg is taken from a test pressing for Genesis's 1973 "Live" album.

One story is that "Live" was originally a double album and that test pressings were made before the record company decided to trim it down to a single LP. Another is that these recordings were supposed to air on King Biscuit Flower Hour and were later trimmed into the official release. It is also speculated that it was a promo LP sent to Dutch radio stations several months before "Live" was released (as the above image might indicate).

Whatever the origin, this is one of those "Holy Grail" bootlegs that had attained mythic status before the Internet and file-sharing killed the bootleg black market (thankfully). Now it is relatively easy to find through online bootleg-sharing websites.

Listening to it, it is obviously sourced from a vinyl LP - there are occasional pops throughout, although nothing particularly distracting - which gives credence to its fabled origin. And the performances are definitely the same as the official release.

In fact there are only two notable differences between "Test Pressing" and "Live":

1) It includes longer stories introducing the songs.
2) It includes "Suppers Ready."

So owners of "Live" already have 3/4s of this boot. But that last quarter makes all the difference.
There wasn't an official live release of Peter Gabriel singing "Supper's Ready" until the Genesis "Archives" box set of the late '90s, and non-audience bootleg versions were equally scarce.

And this is a tremendous performance of the epic track, complete with an hilarious introduction about worms.

Why Genesis never released the full version is unknown - why they never released this additional track as a CD bonus is equally puzzling - indeed, whether the complete tapes still exist is a mystery.

But thank goodness for the tape traders who unearthed this gem and have brought it to light.

There are several different versions of this recording floating around in trading circles. All have the same basic tracks, but are sourced from different recordings of the LPs so there are differences in sound quality, especially tape hiss.

Brand X - "Unorthodox Behaviour"

Brand X
"Unorthodox Behaviour"
Passport Records
Released 1976

Here lies proof that while Phil Collins can't dance, he can play the drums.

Brand X was a fusion side project Collins formed during Genesis's '70s heyday, also featuring guitarist John Goodsall, bassist Percy Jones and keyboardist Robin Lumley. While they never reached the success of groups like Mahavishnu Orchestra or Return to Forever, the group released a handful of instrumental albums before disbanding in the early '80s.

The group's debut, "Unorthodox Behaviour" is an excellent showcase for Collins's intricate drumming, especially on the opening "Nuclear Burn," where the interplay between him and Jones quickly overshadows Goodsall's moody yet also impressive picking, who shows off his chops later on "Smacks of Euphoric Hysteria". Lumley takes the center on "Euthanasia Waltz," both adding atmospherics and tasteful synth solos.

Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of "Unorthodox Behaviour" is that it isn't dominated by one player. The members don't spend any time showing off their chops either, making the result more democratic sounding than fellow fusion bands like Weather Report.

But this laid-back approach to soloing makes the album less dynamic than fellow 'late-'70s-famous-drummer-centered-fusion-band-from-Britain' - Bruford.

Collins would only stick around for two more Brand X albums before Genesis's success and his blossoming solo career would take up his spare time, but his brief tenure with Brand X is a wonderful introduction to his massive talents behind the drumkit.

Whitesnake - "Live... In the Heart of the City"

Whitesnake
"Live... In the Heart of the City"
Geffen Records
Originally released 1980

It was never more than a second tier hard rock band before "Here I Go Again," but Whitesnake was much more than a hairsprayed cock-rockers that Coverdale eventually hired to top the charts. Before becoming a hair-metal joke and Tawny Kitaen's biggest career boost, Whitesnake was a blues-rock workhorse, cranking out dependable if not remarkable albums since the mid '70s.

"Live... In the Heart of the City" draws from two shows recorded in 1978 and 1980 and captures the band at its pre-MTV peak. Most of the songs won't be familiar to American audiences - only "Fool For Your Loving" ever got significant airplay, and that only after it was rerecorded in the late '80s.

But the album showcases the band's stellar blues rock, thanks to guitarists Bernie Marsden and Mickey Moody, who soars on the 10-minute "Love Hunter" (both guitarists would later be fired before the band's commercial successes) and the amazing pipes of singer David Coverdale. Songs like "Walking in the Shadow of the Blues," "Trouble" and "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" are excellent examples of Whitesnake's early sound.

There are hints of the sleazy rock to come, however, on songs like "Sweet Talker." But those moments are quickly forgiven during the raging finale, as Coverdale leads the band through "Mistreated," a hit he recorded with his previous band, Deep Purple. In fact, fellow Purple alums Ian Paice and Jon Lord are also in this incarnation of Whitesnake (they would also leave before Whitesnake's 1987 breakthrough/sellout album).

This isn't a revelatory live album, but it does offer some pleasure, compared to Whitesnake's later work. But it proves that the band could have been much more respectable than it eventually became.

Which is a pity.

Booker T. Jones - "Potato Hole"

Booker T. Jones
"Potato Hole"
Anti-Records
Released April 21, 2009

Booker T. is back and he's still funky. But don't expect the Stax soul of "Green Onions" on this legendary organist's first solo album in 30 years.

Don't expect Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn of the MGs either. For "Potato Hole" the Memphis legend is backed by redneck rockers Drive-By Truckers, with the legendary Neil Young, who has used Booker T. and the MG's as his backup band on recent tours, adding distinctive guitar work throughout the disc.

The result is hard-hitting, funky organ jams with Booker T. leading the Truckers through seven originals plus two off-the-wall covers, Outkast's "Hey Ya" and Tom Waits's "Get Behind the Mule." If it weren't for the Truckers' grungy wall of sound and Young's jarring solos, this would probably be hailed as a great organ jazz record.

"Pound It Out" captures the seeming divergent musical styles as Jones plays a laid back groove over a wall of fuzzed-out power chords. With Young's distorted guitar duelling with Jones's B3 over a wall of noise,"Native New Yorker" sounds like an instrumental Crazy Horse track - the melody wouldn't seem out of place on Young's "Greendale" album. The Truckers' composition "Space City" brings the album to a gentle close.

"Potato Hole" was an excellent return for the 65-year-old Jones, but it doesn't seem like it will spark a complete career renaissance. He is still busy with the MG's, touring and acting as the house band for special musical events, not to mention the occasional Neil Young tour. So if you have the opportunity to catch this legend performing his solo material jump on it. You won't be disappointed by this funky organ phenom.

Wilco - "Wilco (The Album)"

Wilco
"Wilco (The Album)"
Nonesuch Records
Released June 30, 2009

Son Volt may be back and at the peak of their musical game, but Wilco has never left.

Or descended from their peak. Eight albums in 15 years and not a dud in the pile.

"Wilco (The Album)" is the latest from this idiosyncratic Chicago band and in many ways it is the summation of all of the bands restless musical experiments. Snatches of previous masterpieces like "Summerteeth," "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and "Being There" peek out between songs like the dissonant "Bull Black Nova" and the bright "Sunny Feeling." Even the twang of Wilco's debut "A.M." returns with occasional pedal steel guitar throughout the disc.

There are also heavy nods back to '60s pop, from the George Harrison vamp on "You Never Know" to the muted Nick Drake sound of "Solitaire."

Which makes the playful title, "Wilco (The Album)," all the more appropriate - this is Wilco, in album form. Wilco isn't an alt-country band experimenting with the aesthetic of albums like "Pet Sounds" or "OK Computer." Wilco is an eclectic band that incorporates a multitude of styles into its ambitious pop sound.

Every other musical left turn, every "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," every "Summerteeth," was just the band circling inward to this central point.

Son Volt - "American Central Dust"

Son Volt
"American Central Dust"
Rounder Records
Released July 7, 2009

Son Volt should not be making an album this good in 2009.

The alt-country outfit, which rose from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo along with the more successful band Wilco, broke up in 1999 as singer Jay Farrar launched a solo career. When his solo career foundered, Farrar revived Son Volt in name only - none of the original band members returned.

Maybe it was purely a financial decision for Farrar to reboot the Son Volt name, but after three albums, Son Volt 2.0 is proving to be an upgrade.

The retooled lineup, which launched in 2005 with the magnificent "Okemah and the Melody of Riot" has surprisingly proven more consistent than its original incarnation. The band continued to expand Farrar's sonic palette and added a noticeably political voice, especially on "Okemah's" follow-up, "The Search".

"American Central Dust" finds Farrar retreating from the more expansive sound of "The Search." harking back to Son Volt's 1995 debut, "Trace." Filled wth mournful fiddles and pedal steel, the album carries the melancholy of Farrar's finest work, but without the reckless rock and roll to balance the mood. The only time the tempo really picks up is on the album-closing singalong, "Jukebox of Steel."

Instead the album carries a campfire intimacy on tracks like "Pushed Too Far" and "Dust of Daylight." "Sultana" tells the tale of America's first naval disaster, the 1865 sinking of a river transport ship which Farrar refers to as the "Titanic of the Mississippi."

But Farrar still maintains the political edge of Son Volt's more recent work, especially on the environmental anthem "When the Wheels Don't Move."

"American Central Dust" isn't Son Volt's best outing, but its damn close.

Next I'll look at Farrar's former partner in crime from Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy, and see how "Wilco (The Album)" stands up.

The Bad Shepherds - "Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera!"

The Bad Shepherds
"Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera!"
Self-released
2009

For years we have seen "punk rock tribute" and "bluegrass tribute" compilations. Most aren't worth the money even for laughs. Which makes the Bad Shepherds a surprise.

Conceived by British comic Adrian Edmondson (Vyvyan from the Young Ones) and former Fairport Convention guitarist Maartin Allcock, the Bad Shepherds take classic British punk songs and give them a Celtic lilt.

The results are mostly positive, and in a couple cases, astonishing. The simplicity and populist qualities of punk rock aren't terribly different from folk music at their core, so the songs translate effectively to acoustic instruments. Squeeze's "Up the Junction," which features a soaring pipe solo from Troy Donockey is revelatory, and The Jam's "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" also shines. Unfortunately "God Save the Queen" and the Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" fall flat.

Allcock's folk background assures that the instrumentals are treated respectfully and the band shows its prowess on the album's lone tune set, the title track. Allcock even throws a nod to his former band on "Teenage Kicks" when the band briefly quotes Fairport's instrumental standard "Dirty Linen."

The Bad Shepherds could be played for a joke - Edmondson has parodied metal in the past as the lead singer of Bad News - but what shines through "Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera!" is his love of punk and folk music. By treating the Bad Shepherds as a serious project he succeeded in paying tribute to both.

Bigelf - "Cheat the Gallows"

Bigelf
"Cheat the Gallows"
Custard Records
Released 2008

In continuing to recap Dream Theater's excellent Progressive Nation concert I saw on Saturday, here is my latest musical discovery from the show.

Bigelf is a schizophrenic, psychedelic, stoner rock band from LA - blending doom metal sludge with classic prog and Beatle-esque pop - in addition to nods to at least a half dozen bands from the early '70s.

Singer Damon Fox looks like Ian Anderson, sporting a footlong beard, top hat and cape while playing twin organs - the only thing missing was the flute and his voice is reminiscent of eccentric British rocker Roy Wood.

Indeed, much of the album is a game of "name that musical allusion," it's entirely possible there isn't an original musical idea on "Cheat the Gallows," (even the Beatles-meets-metal concept was done 20 years ago by King's X) yet it all sounds fresh when mixed together by these stoner-rock upstarts.

"Cheat the Gallows" is one of the most fun albums I've heard in quite a while, from the stomping "Blackball," which builds on a driving mellotron riff that harks back to King Crimson's first album, to "The Evils of Rock and Roll," which somehow musically marries "Black Sabbath" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" before building to a Keith Emerson-esque organ solo. "The Game" sounds like a lost T-Rex track while "Superstar" wouldn't sound out of place on a KISS album.

What's makes it all work is that Bigelf takes music that took itself too seriously in 1970 and makes it fun without making it funny. This isn't metal to bang your head, or prog to ponder the complexity of the time signatures, it's over-the-top rock and roll that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Dream Theater - "Black Clouds and Silver Linings"

Dream Theater
"Black Clouds and Silver Linings"
Roadrunner Records
Released June 23, 2009

In which prog superstars Dream Theater channel their inner Rush fanboy. Sure, there is plenty of crunch, speed and blinding solos, but the shadow of the Canadian arena rockers looms large over most of Dream Theater's new CD, from the Hugh Syme album cover to the guitar riffs and drum runs on "The Best of Times." Indeed, the final track, the epic "Count of Tuscany," almost shamelessly steals from Rush.

The disc is also Dream Theater's most mainstream offering in over 10 years, from the power ballad "Wither" to the previously mentioned "The Best of Times," a tribute to Portnoy's father, who passed away during the recording sessions.

That's not to say Dream Theater has hidden its speed metal side - the opening "A Nightmare to Remember" is one of the band's heaviest tracks, and is marred only by drummer Mike Portnoy's cookie monster vocals at the end.

In fact "Black Clouds" is probably the most "Dream Theater-esque" album they have put out in quite a while - the prog virtuosity is balanced well with the heaviness throughout the disc and the result is as strong as 2000's "Scenes From a Memory" or Dream Theater's 1992 breakthrough "Images and Words".

"The Shattered Fortress" concludes Portnoy's 12-step suite, five songs, one from each of Dream Theater's last five albums, examining Portnoy's recovery from alcoholism, with plenty of musical allusions to previous songs in the cycle.

The only real flaw is the cookie monster vocals, but they are only used in a couple of small places on the album. (Thankfully!) An aside: Can someone explain the whole cookie monster vocal thing to me? Please?

The album is also available in a three-cd version, which has a disc of instrumental versions of all of the songs, and another disc of cover tunes from inspirational bands, including Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow ("Stargazer") and King Crimson ("Larks Tongues in Aspic Pt. II").