Issue 97

The Replacements – Dead Man’s Pop

1989 found the Replacements either on the verge of a major commercial breakthrough or possible self implosion. Their new album Don’t Tell a Soul had just been released, and was a surprise commercial hit. “I’ll Be You” became their only song to ever chart, landing at number one on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart—how could things possibly get any better—or perhaps be any worse? Paul Westerberg was completely beside himself.

They’d spent months at Bearsville Studios in New York working on Don’t Tell a Soul, but were growing tired of constantly battling original producer Tony Berg. And Paul Westerberg was completely dissatisfied with the sound. A change of venue and producers was definitely in order, and the ’Mats relocated to LA’s Cherokee Studio under the helm of rising producer Matt Wallace. Wallace’s tapes had a spare but punchy sound that imbued much of the proceedings with a “live in the studio” kind of feel. The band responded with a superb effort musically, one that sounded much more like they were about to abandon their confrontational approach to the music business and embrace the stardom that had always eluded them. However—even though Matt Wallace had the record mixed and essentially in the can, the powers at Sire Records decided that they needed to bring in a more bankable producer to create the final mix. Someone with a more radio-friendly ear that would deliver the slick, polished sheen that would sell lots of records. Chris Lord-Alge was designated for the task; known for compressing the hell out most everything he mixed for luminaries like Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, his house sound sold albums. From Sire’s point of view—mission accomplished.

Paul Westerberg was pissed. The album didn’t sound anything like Matt Wallace’s tapes, and Westerberg was quite vocal to the music press about his disdain for the album’s sound, sounding to him “like everything else on the radio.” Although the Replacements soldiered on for a couple of more years, by 1991, the dream was over. The ’Mats had quite the history of absconding with their original tapes (actually tossing the classic Twin Tone label tapes from their first three albums into the Mississippi!), and no one really had any idea what had happened to Matt Wallace’s tapes of the Don’t Tell a Soul sessions. Until, almost miraculously, they were discovered in Slim Dunlap’s basement decades later. Slim’s wife called Replacements biographer Bob Mehr and asked him to come pick them up!

And so we have Dead Man’s Pop—the working title for Don’t Tell a Soul, and presented here as a four-CD/one LP boxed set. Only two of the seventy-one tracks found in the set have ever seen the light of day. Among the treasure trove discovered was Matt Wallace’s original mix, and while a bit rough, it served as the template for what’s been delivered as the ultimate version of the album on the first CD and 180 gram LP. Matt Wallace was contacted about the project, and was totally stoked to remaster and remix the tapes to restore his original vision for the album, along with the inclusion of demos and outtakes from the sessions. A second CD contains the original Bearsville recordings; while understandably inferior to the Wallace tapes, they’re still an instructional listen, nonetheless. And none other than Tom Waits—who apparently was a big fan—dropped in and guested on a selection of tunes, where he and Westerberg just basically got really blasted and cranked out the jam. Two discs contain a 1989 concert at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that finds the ’Mats in very good sound, indeed—sounding much more polished and professional than most anyone generally ever gives them credit for. All in all, for Replacements completists, the set is the perfect collection of oddities and curiosities, and the perfectly realized version of Don’t Tell a Soul we’ve all been waiting for.

All my listening was done through Roon with Tidal’s 24/96 MQA version, which sounded truly superb. Matt Wallace’s remix of the album is an absolute revelation, and the sequencing of the songs has been restored from Lord-Alge’s bastardization to their original order. The ’Mats had mellowed and matured by this point, with most of Paul Westerberg’s songs taking on more of a “jangly guitars” kind of sound as opposed to the raucous days of the early Twin Tone records. The sound of the new mix is remarkably even; incredible, considering that the Lord-Alge version of Don’t Tell a Soul is definitely the most maligned Replacements album ever. And the liner notes are adapted from biographer Bob Mehr’s excellent book Trouble Boys; if you haven’t read the book, order one now—it’s an essential read for all ’Mats fans. This outstanding set is very highly recommended!

Rhino Records, 4 CDs/LP (download/streaming from Amazon, Tidal, Qobuz, Google Play Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer)

Elbow – Giants of All Sizes

Manchester band Elbow are pop darlings in their native England, with each of their last two albums having shot to number one on the charts; that includes their latest release, Giants of All Sizes. Which is their eighth studio album over a twenty-year period, and has me asking: how is it that I’m totally unfamiliar with their body of work, which falls somewhere in the prog/alt pop/dream pop spectrum. Witness the sprawling seven-minute opening track “Dexter & Sinister,” in which singer and bandleader Guy Garvey opines in his velvety voice that “loss is a part of a life this long…with the heaviest heart jackhammering within me…and I don’t know Jesus anymore.” The song—and the album, in general—laments the current state of an increasingly divisive and inhospitable England in the age of Brexit. It’s a glorious song, with quirky meter changes and an almost grindingly propulsive beat that suddenly gives way to an atmospheric, wordless coda sung by guest vocalist Jesca Hoop that wouldn’t sound too out of place on a Pink Floyd album. And that’s only the first song!

This is Elbow’s most overtly political album ever; in “White Noise, White Heat” Garvey sings “the white noise of the lies, the white heat of injustice has taken my eyes; I just want to get high.” We might want to think the current age of Trumpian madness is restricted to our side of the pond, but longing for a simpler, less complicated existence is an almost universal truth across diverse cultures and great distances. When Garvey sings in the chorus of “Empires” that “empires crumble all the time…pay it no mind…you just happened to witness mine,” he’s referencing his own struggles as well as the bigger picture. Yes, there’s a definite philosophical/political undercurrent here, but Giants of All Sizes is also filled with remarkably good pop songs with often proggy accompaniments that makes for a seriously enjoyable listen.

I did all my listening via Roon with Tidal’s 24/88 MQA version of this album; the sound quality was superb throughout. This was an eye-opening exposure for me to the genius of Guy Garvey and Elbow, and hearing Giants of All Sizes has only increased my desire to dig more deeply into their available catalog. Prior to recording this record, Guy Garvey grappled very hard with the passing of his father and the mourning period involved; the 2017 bombing in hometown Manchester and its aftermath; and what Garvey describes as the “absolute cultural disaster” in the wake of Brexit. Despite having all that on a very full plate, both he and Elbow have crafted an excellent album that satisfies both musically and emotionally. Very highly recommended.

Polydor Records, CD/LP (download/streaming from Amazon, Tidal, Qobuz, Google Play Music, Deezer)

Kanye West – Jesus is King

I saw a recent online article about upcoming trends that are most definitely going to happen. Among them was “Most Likely to Start His Own Religion”, which will feature Kanye West as the new Yeezus. It most definitely has happened; he appeared a week or so ago with his “Sunday Service” tour at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church here in Atlanta. From what I could tell from the local news coverage, it was a highly orchestrated publicity stop and photo op for his new album, Jesus is King. Where Kanye delivered not only his reaffirmation of his embrace of Christianity, but also an exclusive opportunity for the 600 or so onlookers to aquire some high-dollar Jesus is King merch afterwards in the church lobby. I expect Kanye will replace the “Jesus” part with “Yeezus” in his not-too-distant messianic future.

Are people really taking this seriously? I was raised in the backwoods of rural North Georgia, only a generation apart from snake-handling, fanatical religious evangelicals. As a kid, my family once attended a large-scale family reunion in South Carolina, where at some point, someone broke out the rattlesnakes—and three people were bitten. Of course, the logic of the “true believers” is that, if bitten—and you live—well, then, you’re obviously right with God. Otherwise…you get the picture. Later on, in my late teens, I also had the experience of attending a full-blown frenzy of an event starring The Mighty Clouds of Joy at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in downtown Atlanta; think, James Brown’s performance in The Blues Brothers. Kanye has perhaps a shred of the charisma of James Brown! My hands-on experience with religious fundamentalism makes it personally hard for me to place much faith in Kanye’s track record of sincerity in his approach to just about anything, especially religion. Even if he’s only singing about it.

Kanye’s struggles with bipolarism are widely documented; I saw another online article where the author—who is also bipolar—set forth a deep connection between bipolarism and religious fervor. If God rains down his (financial) blessings on the West/Kardasian compound, I expect that will probably be close enough to redemption for Ye. You pays your money, and you gets what you pay for—I can choose from fourteen over-the-air channels and get a close (maybe even gold-plated!) approximation of the Yeezus on my TV screen. I’d pass on this one.

Getting Out Our Dreams II/Def Jam Recordings, CD/LP (download/streaming from Amazon, Tidal, Qobuz, Google Play Music)

Matthew Snow – Iridescence

Iridescence is bassist and composer Matthew Snow’s self-produced debut as a leader, although he’s been a fixture on the New York jazz scene for the last seven years. He composed all the tunes here, and they’re played in a bit of a twist from the typical straight-ahead style, eschewing the seemingly mandatory inclusion of a piano or tenor sax to anchor the proceedings. Instead, going for a sextet built around Daisuke Abe on guitar, Joe Doubleday playing vibes, David Gibson on trombone, Clay Lyons on alto sax, Wayne Smith playing drums, and, of course, Matt Snow’s acoustic bass. Snow very generously gives all the players plenty of room to stretch out, and he mostly avoids the spotlight, allowing the contributions of the sidemen to shine throughout. While Iridescence mostly consists of traditional hard-bop fare, a few ballads are thrown in for good measure.

You get the impression that these guys have played together for some time, and know each other very well. The playing on Iridescence is of a very high caliber throughout, seamlessly flowing back and forth from group choruses to individual solos. The spotlight is generally focused on either trombonist David Gibson, who solos to spectacular effect on both the moody ballad “Brood” and the album’s closer, “Venus.” Clay Lyons’ alto sax takes the fore on the excellent “Jealousy”, which is also one of the few tunes where Matthew Snow steps into the spotlight with a brief solo. And Joe Doubleday’s vibes are heavily featured on almost every tune—more about that in just a moment.

I fully understand that these are tough times for musicians of any genre, and that all the traditional music distribution modes have gone by the wayside now that streaming is becoming the norm. Playing gigs, and maybe selling their CDs are the only sure ways of making any kind of sustainable income in the current age. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the musicians here still work day jobs; following their passion for music after hours. I really do feel for these guys, especially jazz musicians.

That said, this is one of the most poorly mixed and/or recorded jazz outings I’ve heard in a really long time. A couple of things probably happened here; it was probably produced on a shoestring budget, and the recording equipment and studio (if any) seem to have been makeshift. Nothing wrong with recording an album in your own home (ask Rudy Van Gelder about that!), but it’s great to have someone onboard who has a really good sense for what good recorded sound should be. Example: I mentioned about Joe Doubleday’s vibes being so prominently featured on Iridescence; they literally occupy the entire right channel for the entire recording. He can’t help but get the spotlight—there’s no one else there to share it with him. And on the first three tunes—and two others later in the set—everyone else on the record (save for Matthew Snow) is in the left channel. Far left. Matthew Snow’s bass is firmly anchored in the middle of the soundstage, but it’s almost a ghost effect; only in a couple of tunes, the aforementioned “Brood” and “Jealousy” can you even hear his fingers plucking the strings. The recording has plenty of bass, but it has an almost phantom quality—you’d virtually never know Matthew Snow was occupying a position in the soundfield.

The first three tunes are so heavily balanced to the far left side that I was just about to give up on Iridescence. When suddenly, on track four, “Brood”, David Gibson’s remarkably good trombone sound emerges squarely from the center—and the overall sound becomes glorious! This happens again on Gibson’s solo on the closing tune, as well as Clay Lyon’s fabulous alto turn on “Jealousy”. Those three songs alone give a completely different impression of this recording, and I was listening on the new Magneplanar LRS loudspeakers, which give most recordings about as much of a “you are there” sound as literally possible.

I really don’t mean to be hard on these guys; in artistic terms of the group effort and the quality of playing, Iridescence is a smashing success. With a more experienced hand at the controls, it could have been a complete triumph. I actually ripped the CD using dB Poweramp, and converted the sound to mono; it sounded not at all unlike a classic wide-mono Blue Note session from the sixties. And much less distracting; oh, for what might have been! This album doesn’t actually drop until later this month, so try looking for it in a few weeks.

Self produced, CD (download/streaming from Amazon, CD Baby, Apple Music)

Guillaume Muller – Sketches of Sound

Guillaume Muller, born and raised in Paris, began playing guitar as a teen; eventually he followed his dream to Boston, enrolling in the prestigious Berklee College of Music. After graduating in 2015, he then moved to New York, where he’s been playing and teaching for the last four years. Regularly playing with the NYU Jazz Orchestra and the NYU Wayne Shorter Ensemble. And performing at iconic NYC venues like The Blue Note, Minton’s, and Bar Lunatico, and even performing live on WBGO—The Jazz Source of New York. Oh, and by the way, he also completed his Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from NYU Steinhardt—yeah, I’d say he’s been pretty busy!

The sessions for Sketches of Sound were held at the James L. Dolan Studios in NYC earlier this year, and the tapes were recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tyler McDiarmid. The quintet consists of Nino Wenger on alto sax, Jim Funnell plays piano, Gui Duvgnau on acoustic bass, and Josh Bailey on drums, rounded out by Guillaume Muller’s outstanding contribution on guitar. These guys are all crack musicians, and they’re all given plenty of room to solo and stretch out. Of the seven tunes included here, six are self-penned by Muller, with the seventh being a very clever reworking of the classic Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz standard “Alone Together”. Nearly unrecognizable from any other recorded version of the tune I’ve heard, I had to hit the replay button repeatedly on my disc player to make sure I was listening to the correct track! Despite most of the tunes being originals, they all have a ring of familiarity to them that makes them very accessible.

Sketches of Sound is Muller’s debut CD as a leader, and it’s an absolutely textbook example of a self-produced recording that not only includes magnificent performances from all the players, but is offered in audiophile-quality sound as well. Listening through the Magneplanar LRS’s, I was absolutely blown away by the stunning realism of the stereo image. And the overall quality of the recording is staggeringly good; each of the players occupies a very real and palpable position in the soundstage—they’re literally right there in the room with you. All of the instruments are incredibly dynamic; the drums are especially percussive, and the cymbals just absolutely shimmer. This is perhaps the finest jazz combo recording I’ve had the pleasure to audition so far this year!

If this disc is any indication of Guillaume Muller’s talents, he has a very bright future ahead of him. Check out Sketches of Sound, if you get the chance—it comes very highly recommended!

Self produced, CD (download/streaming from Bandcamp, Tidal, Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play Music, Pandora, You Tube, Deezer)

For over 70 years, the Audio Engineering Society has been at the forefront making the latest technical information for sound recording, reinforcement, processing, and enhancement available to audio engineers and producers around the world. AES convention events have been showcases for the latest equipment and a forum for industry luminaries to share their experience and discuss where the industry was heading in the future. AES New York 2019 has kept to this format and taken it in a new direction, with its recognition and inclusion of Hip-Hop and EDM, the realities and labyrinths concerning finance for audio entrepreneurs, the ever increasing technical merge between audio and video, and some of the latest innovations to hit the market.

Kicking things off with a keynote address from Hip Hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash, AES New York surprisingly appeared to have even more attendees than last year, in spite of sporting fewer exhibitors and symposium events. Grandmaster Flash ironically demonstrated how imagination and innovation ultimately trump gear limitations by looping and creating breaks using bare bones old school equipment: a pair of turntables, vinyl records, and a crayon.

Symposiums covered a variety of topics, ranging from the loudness wars, sampling for hip hop, new technology standards, and other changes in the audio industry. The overall theme, whether intentional or not, seemed to be a look towards the future.

While it is impossible for one person to attend all of the symposiums and demos, here are a few of the significant highlights from the 147^th AES, Day 2:

Mix With the Masters 

Hailing from Paris, France, Mix With the Masters has been producing impressive educational videos on audio engineering and production, featuring such industry legends as Al Schmitt, Sylvia Massy, Tchad Blake, Eddie Kramer, Bernie Grudman, Hans Zimmer, Timbaland, and many others. Additionally, they host live workshops and a special annual one week seminar at Studio La Fabrique in France.

Multiple Grammy Award winning engineer Michael Brauer (Coldplay’s, Viva La Vida and Parachutes; John Mayer’s, Continuum and Battle Studies), gave an uplifting and enlightening presentation on some of the creative tools that the mixing engineer has at his or her disposal to contribute to the music – some with potentially radical results.

Michael Brauer

Brauer stressed the need for getting emotionally involved with the music in order to find the elements that best communicated to an audience. Far too often, the foundational elements can be obscured by “ear candy” or overemphasis on a drum sound or reverb at the expense of a groove or melody. The proliferation of plug ins and infinitesimal sound processing choices often tempt engineers into becoming distracted by support elements, which he likened to building a mix on quicksand. Whether the foundation was a guitar hook, a vocal line, or a drum groove, Brauer was emphatic about locating it and cited a number of helpful techniques to accomplish that task.

Some of these tips included:

• Starting the mix at the loudest or most complex part of the song, rather than at the beginning. In this way, the maximum loudness levels can be established and the song’s most climactic, emotionally impactful moments could set the tone for the rest of the song;
• Deleting or focusing on specific percussion instruments that could change the groove and dynamics of a song in different sections;
• Manual use of the console as another tool for the engineer to inject emotional participation into the music, such as using faders for exaggerated tremolo, mute switches, and other real time improvisations.

Brauer’s overriding message was that if we were approaching the music like musicians, we would just flow with it and not think of the scales or technical details and be in the moment of the performance. Translation: Engineering should not be about watching a screen and calculations, but be fun and no different in its approach to music.

Tom Lord-Alge (Rolling Stones, U2, P!nk, Oasis) gave an informative and humorous presentation as he attempted to contain his expletives while describing the initial hurdles he faced when mixing Blink 182’s “Adam’s Song” some 20 years ago and how he approached the remix today. His Pro Tools shortcut tips for drum replacement triggers and the use of guitar processors for drum sounds demonstrated his wide open, “whatever sounds good” mixing methodology.

Tom Lord-Alge

Funding Your Dream

One of the most welcomed symposiums was headed by attorney Heather Rafter of the boutique law firm RafterMarsh, a transatlantic legal specialist in the digital and audio technology industry. Other panelists included Phil Dudderidge of Focusrite, Ethan Jacks of Mediabridge Capital, Mark Ethier of iZotope, and mastering engineer Piper Payne.

From Left to Right: Phil Dudderidge, Piper Payne, Mark Ethier, and Ethan Jacks.

Rafter, who was lead counsel for Digidesign and Avid for over a decade, presented a well crafted overview of the financing landscape for entrepreneurs in the audio equipment and digital products industries. Providing examples for the pros and cons of venture capital, crowdfunding, debt finance, Mergers and Acquisitions, and other strategies, the Funding Your Dream symposium provided some much needed information for exhibitors and engineers alike. The panel additionally covered many of the unforeseen financial risks that both investors and entrepreneurs face without a solid business plan, and also how the Chinese tariff controversy can affect hardware manufacturing dependent businesses.

Given the breakthrough software and hardware design innovations being introduced annually in the industry, the advice from the panelists on IP protection was especially timely.

John Lennon Educational Tour Bus

With live renditions of Beatles tunes being performed by Instagram sensation Blac Rabbit, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus exhibit was at the opposite end of the financial spectrum: totally not-for-profit professional mobile audio and video facilities, all installed into two (2) buses – one in the US and one in Europe – entirely for the benefit of inner city school kids, colleges, and Boys’ and Girls’ community clubs to learn how to create music and videos.

Launched in 2008 and supported 100% by Yoko Ono, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus earned her a NAMM Music for Life award. Sporting top notch gear donated from Yamaha, Audio-Technica, Avid, Focusrite, Mackie, and numerous others, the Bus is a marvel of engineering design. The front portion houses the main control room, with video monitors, patch bays, and all of the processing gear to accompany the mixing console. The middle section, which is isolated by front and rear sliding doors, is a soundproofed compartment with keyboards, digital drums, and a vocal booth. The rear compartment, in addition to providing sleeping accommodations for the full time 2 person crew, provides an additional soundproof section and a uniquely designed drapery that allows for green screen video to deploy digital background effects. The mobile studio has also been hired by professional artists, such as Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, Wyclef Jean, John Legend, and Bob Weir, to name a few.

The John Lennon Educational Bus tour included a music video of an original song written, performed, recorded, mixed, shot, and edited by a group of high schoolers. A very impressive piece of work, it showed that the dream was alive and the next generation of original music held promise for the future.

Meyer Sound

Hadestown, Moulin Rouge, Les Miserables, The Lion King…these are just a few of the many Broadway and international theatrical productions that have chosen Meyer Sound for their audio systems, along with countless live concert artists, such as Metallica, Marc Anthony, Journey, and many others.

Starting in 1979, John Meyer’s UM-1 monitor first turned heads as a part of the Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound. Over successive decades and multiple patents, Meyer Sound has become synonymous with premier theater and concert sound systems around the world.

The AES Meyer Sound demo, hosted by Daniel Rivera, showcased Meyer’s new digitally powered loudspeakers and subwoofers, which all sported decreased weight, increased frequency and phase response, more SPL, and significantly reduced prices.

Starting with Holly Cole’s single vocal and acoustic bass arrangement for “I Can See Clearly Now” and increasing on the loudness and instrumentation spectrum to Livingston Taylor’s “Isn’t She Lovely”, Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow”, AC/DC’s “House of Jazz”, and Sofi Tukker’s “Batshit”, Meyer’s new UPQ-D1, Ultra X-40 and 750 LFC, reproduced the music with larger than life fidelity, crystalline clarity and gut punch low end impact for bass and kick drums. The 11 rigging point options and added bang for the buck features for a roughly 23% lower price, as in the case of the Ultra X-40 vs. its predecessor, the UPA-1P, make Meyer’s new entries sure bet winners for future sound reinforcement installations and touring equipment.

Steve Jordan 

One of the most eagerly anticipated speakers was Steve Jordan, producer/multi instrumentalist percussionist extraordinaire. He regaled the audience with stories of some of the many famous records he’s worked on by Keith Richards, Stevie Wonder, and others, and spoke about how the sound of certain records made at specific recording studios is what first captured his imagination.

 

Steve Jordan

For example, Ringo’s cymbal sound from Abbey Road first caught Jordan’s attention as a child. When he finally had the opportunity to cut tracks there, his drums were recorded and miked as per the current standard, and he said he was disappointed. He finally decided to listen to the drums with all of the close mics turned off and found that long lost magic sound by leaving the room mics alone.

When asked about his experiences with Chuck Berry for the Hail, Hail Rock and Roll! documentary, Jordan, a longtime fan of Berry’s drummer Fred Below, explained that Keith Richards had originally decided on Rolling Stones’ drummer Charlie Watts. Serendipitously, Berry saw a video recording of Jordan drumming in the Fred Below “swing against straight 8ths style” at the post celebration jam after the first Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. He then declared he wanted THAT drummer, whoever he was, since Jordan was not visible on camera.

Humorously, Jordan arrived in Jamaica for rehearsals and Berry mistook him, with his then fashionable dreadlocks, for a reggae drummer, and fired him on sight. Richards subsequently convinced Berry that Jordan was an American and indeed the drummer on the video, and the rest was history.

He also recalled a conversation with Geoff Emerick, who was puzzled as to why classical musicians embraced digital sound so readily, in spite of its lack of analog warmth. Jordan, a classically trained symphonic percussionist, explained it was a craving for the silence and the lack of analog hiss during silent portions within the music. Emerick’s reply was a nonchalant, “Hmm, never thought of that.” Jordan laughed at the irony of his explaining something about sound to one of the best audio engineers in the world.

Jordan’s final words resonated with the overall unstated theme of the AES convention: support recording studios, keep playing and learning, make timeless sounding records no matter what gear you use, and the music will change lives. The music of the future should be just as timeless and meaningful as the great records of the past.

AES NYC 2019 offered many other discussions and exhibitions but this was just a small sampling of the incredible diversity of coverage and detail the organizers have considered worthwhile.

On March 9 and 10, 1981, Beck went on a stage in the UK for the first time since 1974, pre Blow by Blow. Appearing with the There and Back band, Jeff was pleased with the warm and listening reception he got from the audiences at the Hammersmith Odeon. If Beck felt the British public had lost him, and there was some early truth to that, the feeling was pleasantly dispelled by the applause that greeted him. Beck was visibly surprised by the greeting and the band played two of the best shows they had performed, in an earlier Japan tour or the UK. On the second night, the band was joined by an old friend.

At the March 10 show, a familiar figure came out on stage with a Les Paul strung around his neck. Jimmy Page joined Jeff Beck on stage for the first time since 1967 and jammed on “Going Down.” If there ever was a feud it was over now. Six months previous Page had lost his gifted drummer and friend John Bonham and the band had decided to not go on as Led Zeppelin without that key member. Page joining Beck on stage ended a months’ long retreat from the public by Page and was a catharsis for Jimmy. Beck’s band appeared to be set for the next level or another tour, but once again Beck retreated to his beloved garage and he traded his guitar for a hot rod.

Five years would go by with Jeff doing an occasional appearance, including a reunion of the Yardbirds for an anniversary concert at London’s Marquee club in 1983. He did some recording on Stanley Clarke’s Time Exposure and appeared on stage for the first time with Page and Clapton at an ARMS charity event at the Royal Albert Hall attended by Prince Charles and his new wife Diana. But basically he was building cars and rebuilding engines, honestly his first love.

Neat story. In March 1984, Jeff saw Spinal Tap with his bassman Mo Foster at a screening in London’s Electric Cinema. The film made fun of the whole life style of the super star rock band and the rock establishment was not amused. Steve Perry from Aerosmith said he took it “real personal.”

The guitar player being portrayed by Christopher Guest was an obvious caricature of Jeff Beck. Mad and rooster-haired, obsessed with guitars and cars, the reference was apparent. Foster relates that Beck got the reference and laughed his ass off. “He was on the floor throughout the film, just laughing his head off at the Nigel Tufnel character. Actually, I’ve never heard someone laugh that much. He was literally peeing himself”. Wake up Perry. It’s a joke. Beck’s sense of humor was well known to friends and band mates alike, even when it was obvious he was the target. I think that has to be said with all the hype about what a nicker he could be.

In 1985, he released a completely forgettable album Flash that even Beck admitted was “a sad time” for him. It was a shameless dance album of the ’80s Eye of the Tiger/Beverly Hills Cop variety with Beck gracing the cover in an ’80s monkey suit. The album does sport the return of Rod Stewart on vocals and Carmine Appice on drums, and one song won Jeff his first Grammy. But let’s face it, by 1985 the Grammys were wearing pajamas and suspenders and becoming the marketing joke that continues to this day.

Another 4 years go by and we have a great lineup of Tony Hymas back on keys and Terry Bozzio of Zappa fame on the drums for Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop. No bass! And one of the greatest album covers in rock history (see above), especially given Jeff’s love for the garage. Beck is back in a soiled t-shirt, jeans, and grease under his nails for this one and wins another Grammy. From that album here is “Slingshot.”

Yup.

In 1993, Beck released a tribute album to Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, Crazy Legs. Vincent’s band was one of Jeff’s first loves, particularly Cliff Gallup the Blue Caps’ guitarist. Crazy Legs is a straight up rockabilly album and every song sounds as though Beck was having the time of his life. Recorded with the Big Town Playboys and Mike Sanchez on great vocals, get yer duck tail on with “Red Blue Jeans and a Ponytail.” Check the final chord.

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Who Else! was Jeff Beck’s next release in 1999 and featured the first release with Beck original material since Guitar Shop ten years earlier. Beck really hammered the techno world with this recording. The album also featured the return of Hymas on keys, Steve Alexander on drums, and Randy Hope Taylor on bass. Old buddy Jan Hammer returns and wrote “Even Odds” and played keys on that cut. Jennifer Batten joins the band on guitar here after touring with Michael Jackson for ten years.

Jeff always benefited when Hymas and he collaborated. Tony was a gifted songwriter and he and Beck wrote “Brush with the Blues,” which would become a show staple for years.

The dude’s tone is ridiculous..scrumptious…a cocaine bagel.

The Who Else! band returned on You Had It Coming in 2001, minus Hymas on keys and, in fact, no keys at all. Andy Wright, who produced acts as diverse as the Eurythmics and Luciano Pavarotti, produced here and co-wrote six songs. “Dirty Mind” won Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 2002 Grammys, which is crazy correct but I like Beck’s version of Muddy Waters “Rollin and Tumbin.” Yep, been done by every bar band in America but the humor and technique will rattle yer strut.

That’s Imogen Heap on vocals.

In 2003 Jeff left off Batten, Alexander, and Hope-Taylor. Only two instrumentalists were featured, Beck and Steve Barney on drums, and a host of vocalists along with a long list of people who engineered/mixed/produced each track. There are some great rockers here like “Grease Monkey” and “Hot Rod Honeymoon” but I love “Pay Me No Mind” for some of the most unadorned Beck soloing since Crazy Legs. With Me One on vocals (who also co-wrote this):

I have no confirmation on this, but that pic on the album cover looks suspiciously like that yellow monster that Beck made when he was a kid.

Sorry, can’t rock without bass. Dassit. But you can still astound, like “Why O Lord Oh Why” written by our old friend Tony Hymas.

Emotion and Commotion, released in April 2010, was a blend of a few Beck originals and covers like “Over the Rainbow” and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell On You.”  I love this whole album. “Hammerhead” won Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 2011, as did Jeff’s cover of Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. I was playing the latter when my wife Diana came through my man cave where I write and stopped in her tracks.

“Who is THAT?” She sat down and listened and made me play it two more times. So yer gonna listen to it too.

Vinnie Colauita on some of the kit tracks and Tal Wilkenfeld on bass (!!) started a Beck stage presence for some years after. Joss Stone’s vocal on “There’s No Other Me” is an experience.

Loud Hailer sent up in July 2016 pretty much brings us up to date. This is just a great rock album. It’s always a treat to hear Jeff kickin’ basic guitar with a minimum of effects with all tracks guitar, vocals, bass, and drums. I love this album for how un-produced it is. Just a great band doing their thing. Carmen Vandenberger joins Beck on guitar, Davide Sollazzi on the kit, and Giovanni Pallotti on bass.

“Scared For The Children” is a great song and “Shame” is a return to Beck’s doo-wap sense. But dig “O I L (Can’t Get Enough of That Sticky Stuff).” Here is a live version.

Rosie Bones on that vocal.

Hear the throwback to Blow by Blow on that rhythm guitar lick? Yeah you did.

Jeff Beck did a lot of live stuff and it’s all out there, thank the Lord. But I’ll only touch on one.

Les Paul died in August 2009 and in June 2010 Beck put together a band to honor Les on what would have been his 95^th birthday. Recorded live at the Iridium in NY, where Les Paul played every week until his death, this album just wants to make you laugh and cry. So who doesn’t want that? Players included Imelda May, Gary US Bonds, David Higham, Brian Setzer, and Trombone Shorty. If you do not know who any of those folks are you are in for a treat; go get their stuff.

But before you do, go out and buy Jeff Beck’s Rock and Roll Party. Just…just go out and do it. I’ll leave you with a couple of clips. Here’s Imelada May and “Bye Bye Blues.”

And because you gotta check the old school bass player in the cut “Train Kept A Rollin.” Hilarious.

Wow. I can’t believe you lasted this long. But, there is so much to Jeff Beck, so much that people don’t understand or haven’t listened to, these columns had to cover as much as possible. He’s a master and a blaster. An innovator, a rock icon, and can still pull out the Gallup licks. Coolness personified.

I’ve mentioned this before but a LOT of this material came from the great bio of Beck, Hot Wired Guitar The Life of Jeff Beck by Martin Power. If you lasted this long you are a devotee, and I’m telling you I barely scratched the surface of this guy, his history and times he went through. Have fun. Buy the book.

With her raw, unabashed voice and truthful lyrics, Melissa Etheridge has inspired three decades of fans to be true to themselves and rock out while doing so. She was born in Leavenworth, KS, in 1961, and by her teens she was playing country songs at local venues. But, while country has always flavored her music, that tradition wasn’t enough to contain what she had to say.

She headed to Boston for a music degree at Berklee College of Music but had so much success gigging around town that staying in school seemed counterproductive. Instead, she moved to LA in pursuit of a recording contract. She found plenty of venues, particularly in LA’s vibrant lesbian bar scene, and it didn’t take long before she’d signed with Island Records. And a supplemental job composing songs for movies was also important in her development as a songwriter.

By the time she released her debut album, Melissa Etheridge (1988), her underground fandom was already bubbling over. Soon her popularity swelled so far into the mainstream that she was invited to perform at the 1989 Grammy Awards. And the critics were impressed to boot.

“The Late September Dogs,” while not released as a single, may be the finest song on Melissa Etheridge. Yes, it’s a heartbreak song, but the richness of the metaphors in the lyrics make it far from standard fare. Etheridge writes about something we’ve all experienced, even if we can’t articulate it: When there’s a traumatic, unwanted change in our lives, the very air around us seems different.

Etheridge’s second album, Brave and Crazy (1989), produced two successful singles, “No Souvenirs” and “You Can Sleep While I Drive.” It also shows her knack for collaboration, bringing together a fine line-up of session musicians.

But the album’s special surprise is the harmonica player on the seven-minute album finale, “Royal Station 4/16.” It’s some Irish guy named Bono. Maybe you’ve heard of him. His lonesome solo blends well with Etheridge’s cracking, bluesy voice and the percussive train-like strumming of her 12-string guitar.

While she might have a firm handle on the blues, Etheridge always keeps her sense of humor at the ready. Combine that with a willingness to broach taboo topics, and it’s no wonder more and more people turned to her to represent and reflect their own lives in song.

For example, on the album Never Enough (1992), “Meet Me in the Back” is an up-tempo, light-hearted number with pleading lyrics from the point of view of someone who just wants to get laid. Specifically, a woman. In a way, this is one of Etheridge’s most feminist songs because it expresses the kind of thing women weren’t supposed to talk about.

Given the goal of this column to shine a light on lesser-known tracks, we’ll just skip right over Yes I Am (1993), a huge commercial success that brought Etheridge’s name into every household that didn’t already know it. And even while it was groundbreaking for being the first bestselling pop album by an out lesbian, some in the LGBT community criticized it for not having enough specifically gay lyrics. You just can’t win.

Yes I Am was followed with Your Little Secret (1995). After the soul-rousing hits of the previous album, Etheridge showed her more atmospheric side in tracks like “Shriner’s Park.” Her country roots are on proud display here, in a song that practically turns the word “wistful” into musical language.

Another aspect of Etheridge’s songwriting and persona that has appealed to and inspired fans is her willingness to analyze herself for the public benefit. While the primary single from the album Breakdown (1999) was the heart-wrenching “Scarecrow,” dedicated to slain gay teen Matthew Shepard, she focuses on herself in “Mama I’m Strange.”

Etheridge’s ability to turn her idiosyncrasies into a source of fierce pride may be the single most important factor in her success. And don’t overlook the tinges of humor, like the faux-Theramin electronic swoops and blips that open this song, as if it were about a space alien rather than a very human girl from Kansas.

But sometimes, even for the most self-aware people, life just gets too hard to bear. Etheridge wrote the album Skin (2001) after splitting up with her romantic partner of 12 years, Julie Cypher. It’s an album that’s all about pain. And while some of the songs are of the more analytical type, Etheridge also turned to a fine old tradition to get her through: the good ol’ hard-drivin’ heartache song. This is “Lover Please,” which opens the album:

A whole different kind of heartache was in store for Etheridge, but she couldn’t know she was about to be diagnosed with breast cancer when she released Lucky in 2004. At the time of its writing, she —like the rest of America — was trying to normalize after the world-shaking trauma of 9/11. “Tuesday Morning” is her answer in song.

Specifically, Etheridge’s song is a tribute to PR executive Mark Bingham, her friend, who died on United Airlines Flight 93 that morning. Maybe the best thing about this song is its anger and defiance, both in the march-like tempo and in the lyrics focused on how Bingham, who was gay, died heroically but had to live with limited civil rights.

Normally I stick with album tracks in this column, but Etheridge’s live tribute to Janice Joplin (with help from Joss Stone) in 2005 is so spectacular that I can’t leave it out. Etheridge had clearly just been in treatment for her cancer, but she sang with a fervor that defied the specter of death. If you know of a more astonishing example of one musician channeling another’s spirit, please let me know! (Etheridge starts at 2:29.)

Melissa Etheridge is still at the height of her musical powers, and she seems to have no interest in resting on her laurels or sinking into a greatest-hits twilight. The two-time Grammy winner released The Medicine Show in 2019, and she’s currently touring to support it.

The new album is chock full of outspoken, enraged political opinion, prompting some critics to complain that it’s “wearing” to listen to the whole thing. But we no longer live in the era of the album, so take it one song at a time if you need to. This, for example, is the heavy-rock “Shaking,” and it’s a good place to start:

Header image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Angela George.

[ Part 1 of John Seetoo’s interview with Tony Visconti appeared in Copper #96.]

John Seetoo: In a previous interview with mastering engineer Steve Hoffman (Copper #36 and #37), he extolled the aural virtues of analog and even cited a preference for editing analog tape vs. digital in the box. Conversely, Alan Parsons has emphatically stated that after countless hours of using razors to take out a single note on a 2” multitrack tape, he is perfectly fine never to come near tape ever again for any editing. Having produced hit records in both analog and digital, where do you see yourself between those camps?

Tony Visconti: Oh, this tricky question! The answer has changed as each decade brought innovating technical quality into the audio world. When digital recording first came out it sounded terrible. We didn’t have 6 terabyte drives back then. Computer programs were unstable and a crash could bring a session to a rapid end. It was wise not to give up your analog equipment in the early days of digital. I have mastered analog editing, even on 24-track tape (that is actually easier than editing on 2-channel tape). But Alan Parsons is right. After you redo an analog tape three times you are destroying a one-off thing, a master tape, there are no copies. What I like to do is record on analog multi-track tape, do all the right things like gently saturate the tape and as soon as a take is agreed upon as a master, it goes right into Pro Tools at a high sampling rate. I typically record at 96 kHz, 32-bit floating. That is so close to the sound of analog tape and it perfectly preserves the gently saturated sound you get from tape. I just have to state that the medium, digital or analog, will not turn your music into a hit record. Your brain has to do that and thankfully it is still an organic analog human organ.

J.S.: I’ve read some of your past interviews where you mentioned some pet peeves of yours in the recording studio, such as tempo drift and mics that overemphasized dental problems with certain  vocalists. In the current digital recording arena, are these still issues, and have new ones cropped up since that can throw cold water on the creative momentum, or at least be a constant annoyance in the studio?

T.V.: Digital recording just gets better and better. I have lovely external analog gear that colors the sound according to taste and the digital recording preserves it forever and you can make endless clones in case the hard drive crashes (which it will). Sibilance is still a major problem but it is easier to deal with in the digital world. Conversely, lisping, the opposite of sibilance, is a lot easier to deal with. There are applications to get rid of sibilance called de-essers. But I prefer to do it by hand, taking every es as a separate issue. Conversely, I take every lisped es and bring it up in volume by hand. I like to do this, but I also have some assistants who can do it quite well and give my eyes a break from staring at a screen.

I don’t see a downside to recording digitally. Let’s face it, thousands and thousands of professionals have made the switch to digital, it can’t be as bad as naysayers say it is. We all love tape recording, but the truth is no new machines have been made for decades, the ones in use are constantly being refurbished. And at this time there is only one tape manufacturer in the world. Still, when my client can afford tape I’m right there with them. I love the sound.

J.S.: Congratulations on your new solo record, It’s a Selfie. What can you tell us about it? How did it come about, and what was the process for you as the primary artist as well as the producer? What were some of the challenges for you? Did you have to take off the producer hat when cutting tracks and then put it back on for playback? Who else was involved with engineering while you were playing? The announced credits at the end for your guests was a nice touch.

T.V.: Thank you. It’s A Selfie is a result of 10 years of songwriting (there are loads of discards) I felt compelled to do. I started out as a performer and songwriter many years ago and my publisher advised me to become a record producer instead. That didn’t go too badly, right? I have been working with some very big artists in recent years, David Bowie, Damon Albarn, and Perry Farrell. They were very demanding albums I loved making, but I had to put my album on hold. I originally intended to re-record with session musicians but I tweaked the demos to a point that they sounded finished! Even if I had the time it would have been exhausting to re-record every one of the eleven songs on the album. I just mixed them as well as I could, but, you know, lots of artists today make records by themselves, so I’m not out of step. I have started the next album and before I dress up the demos too much I intend to work with other musicians this time around.

J.S.: On your song, “Hey Shout It Out”, you mention “my brothers D.B.” and “M.B.”. David Bowie and Marc Bolan? Can you tell us about that song?

T.V.: The three big influences in my recording career have been Denny Cordell (brother D.C.), Marc Bolan (brother M.B.), and David Bowie (brother D.B.). We should mention those who helped you to get where you did, helped you when you needed it, helped you through lean times, etc. I also dropped a few more names in the outro: Kristeen Young, two school teachers, Dr. Israel Silberman, and James Flanagan. When I perform this live I’m going to ask audience members to ‘shout it out.’

J.S.: In “Your Mama”, you reminisce about your family and growing up, but that you seem disconnected from those NY roots. Do you feel more at home in London rather than NY?

T.V.: Well, I loved being raised in Brooklyn, with so many different ethnic groups, exposed to so many influences at an early age. Few other cities provide those experiences. But Brooklyn was limiting in those days. The cool people lived in Greenwich Village, The West Side, and the up and coming East Village. I had to get out. I first rented an apartment on W. 88^th Street and my career changed for the better. That opened more doors that eventually led to London. I still love visiting Brooklyn but the neighborhood I grew up in is completely different. I know parts of Brooklyn are considered very cool but I’m just not a Williamsburg or Greenpoint person. Even Bay Ridge and Downtown, where I grew up, are full of young Hipsters now. They own it.

London is my second city and where I actually developed as an adult. I know the streets almost as well as a taxi driver. I’m bilingual (I speak and spell London) and feel very much at home there. Some neighborhoods haven’t changed at all since the ’70s and some are very much improved. My studio on Dean Street still exists under new ownership and we are great friends. I use Dean Street studios a lot, as well as Visconti Studio in Kingston University. I’m also a member of the Groucho Club, the least snooty bar, restaurant, hotel club in London. It is very chill.

J.S.: As you hail originally from Brooklyn, what is your opinion of the Brooklyn music scene? In addition to hip-hop, there’s been alternative music from TV on the Radio and the late Sharon Jones and her band, the Dap-Kings, who were one of the first to put the area on the radar. Since then, bands like Sleigh Bells, Grizzly Bear, and a slew of others have gotten international attention. Where do you see this trend heading, and why?

T.V.: I’m very impressed by Brooklyn based bands. The bands are made up from people who weren’t necessarily born there, but the recent ‘immigration’ of musicians from other cities in the USA, and even from other countries, is a great phenomenon that is undeniably healthy. I have a favorite recording studio in Brooklyn too, Atomic Sound.

J.S.: You incorporate some diverse sounds and approaches into It’s a Selfie and even do some rap on, “The Eighth Year” and “A Marriage”. Were these fresh experiments? Have you been stealthily introducing these elements into your previous projects, and if so, can you name some examples?

T.V.: I just love all kinds of music, that’s all. I try to experiment and the little bit of rapping came quite naturally. I’m even doing some Tuvan throat singing in, “Are You Awake”.  I’m a fan of Hip Hop. David Bowie and I were very taken in by Lamar’s, To Pimp A Butterfly. My sound design is always in the records I make for other artists. For myself I tried to do different things that only apply to me. I do a lot of hybridism, taking elements from unlikely styles and merging them together. There is a lot of that on It’s A Selfie. David and I would often do that together.

J.S.: Are there any musical genres in which you have yet to work where you think you would be able to bring something unique to the table from your experience?

T.V.: I’d like to do some experimental music with Classical musicians and singers. As I can write orchestrations, I’d like to use the expertise of virtuosi to express some of my music ideas beyond the world of Rock, Pop, Art Rock, genres that can only go so far. I’ve thought of writing large orchestral pieces, a symphony for instance. But it would take a lot of time off from producing to do that. It can happen!

J.S.: Are there any musical artists with whom you have never worked that you think would yield a great record from a collaboration?

T.V.: I really like PJ Harvey. She has been approached. I think I can collaborate with Paul McCartney and make a kick ass record with him.

J.S.: What is your desert island recording setup for instruments, recording format, and mics?

T.V.: As this is the last question and the most complicated to answer, I might give this one a pass. I’d have to have everything Eventide Audio makes for a start. But a desert island has to have a source of electricity, so let’s start with solar panels….

It’s A Selfie is available on Spotify.

Header image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Menage a moi.