The Beatles

The most important band ever. No matter what kind of modern music you like, it just wouldn’t be the same without The Beatles. No band, set the bar higher musically, or influenced the world more profoundly. They tossed off generational anthems like it was nothing, and their mastery of recording technique has yet to be surpassed. Just saying the name of the band awakens all my senses with memory and happiness. The Beatles might be the best thing that happened in the 1960s. Here are a few of my favorite Beatles items.

- Paul Epstein

I'd Love to Turn You On #247: Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind (1997)

             The final song on Time Out Of Mind, Bob Dylan’s 30^th studio album, is the 16-minute “Highlands.”  It begins with what sounds like a world-weary sigh exhaled in unison with an opening guitar figure. The result is that the music presented feels as natural as breathing, as opposed to a contrived or constructed work. This central metaphor pretty well defines the mystery and magic of Bob Dylan. His best work feels like the musings of a naturally inquisitive and discerning mind, thus they are rewarding to the discerning and inquisitive listener. He asks and speaks for all of us. “Highands” is one of a very few songs in Dylan’s catalogue that breaks the 10-minute mark (“Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands” and “Brownsville Girl” being the other two), and as such it is given the room to breathe unlike much of Dylan’s contemporaneous work. Teetering between thoughts of mortality and alienation from modern society Dylan openly yearns for the peace and beauty of either youth or death - we’re never quite sure. Musically the song and the entire album creak with a wooden authenticity, while still betraying all the modern production flourishes of Daniel Lanois. The album is soaked in waves of reverb and Lanois takes great care in mike placement and the specific instruments used on each song. The result is the contrary sensation of someone whispering in your ear while standing on the moon. It sounds far away, yet incredibly intimate simultaneously. Lanois has taken shit for his techniques, but I am a huge fan. I feel like the albums he produced in the 80’s, 90’s and beyond are some of the very few which pay tribute to the past while pointing the way to the future. His productions are immediately recognizable and entirely magical. Time Out Of Mind might be his most consequential achievement because it threw open the door to a modern era of Bobness, an era where his albums sound great again and he seems to have comfortably shrugged off the expectations of modern record making and found a comfortable place in the timeless firmament of musical tradition.

          Leading up to Time Out Of Mind Dylan had struggled with his craft, leaning on albums of traditional covers, an unsatisfying stint with The Grateful Dead and generally weak new material (1990’s Under The Red Sky is in contention to be his worst album), yet suddenly he seemed reconnected to his lyrical and musical muse. The songs were heavy with folksy wisdom and ruminations on the natural order. Perhaps that is the greatest strength of this album; it restores Dylan’s rightful place in the tradition of great American singer/songwriter’s and lessened the incessant imperative to constantly be “the voice of a generation.” Now he was sounding like a voice for ALL generations. Take opener “Love Sick.” Dylan takes a common phrase and turns it around, exploring it from all angles “I’m sick of love…but I’m in the thick of it/This kind of love…I’m so sick of it/I’m sick of Love …I hear the clock tick…I’m sick of love…I’m love sick.” Two simple words, normally spoken together to indicate an early state of romance are tumbled around to show the complexities and pitfalls of the most fraught state of human existence. In so few words Dylan perfectly illustrates his poetic mastery. Love isn’t only beautiful… it can make you sick. Each song on Time Out Of Mind follows this template: simple, declarative language employed in the most strategic and extraordinary ways to illuminate the complexities of the human condition.


          Back to “Highlands” - Dylan ends the album with a fatalistic, but somehow hopeful sentiment: “Well, my heart’s in the Highlands at the break of day / Over the hills and far away / There’s a way to get there and I’ll figure it out somehow / But I’m already there in my mind / And that’s good enough for now.” These lyrics can be read as poetry, yet with Lanois at the dials Dylan’s musings become musical monuments as well. Time Out Of Mind is such an important album in Dylan’s discography because it succeeds so wildly on both of these fronts. After at least a decade of seemingly not caring what his music sounded like, he produced an album of compelling, relevant, modern roots-rock, and after casually tossing off lyrics for a number of years he had re-fastened his poet’s loupe and started offering his audience polished thought diamonds once again. Time Out Of Mind declared boldly that Dylan’s best days as an artist were definitively not in the past thus proving composer Edgard Varese’s bold proclamation of 1921, “The present day composers refuse to die.”

- Paul Epstein

I’d Love To Turn You On At The Movies #233 - Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998, dir. Terry Gilliam)

The first and foremost prerequisite for enjoying this movie is having read the source material. You simply have got to be acquainted with and appreciative of Hunter S. Thompson’s groundbreaking writing. Nobody excoriated the current state of American political culture in the late 60’s and early 70’s like Thompson. He spoke to the entire generation of drug taking rock and roll fanatics because he was one of them. Like so many of his generation, the double-edged sword of drug advocacy cut both ways within his life, opening avenues of incredible insight and hallucinatory description like no other, but later leaving him creatively impotent and looking like a sad reminder of past mistakes. In his glory though he captured the gestalt with razor precision and spewed his acid-tinged bile across the page with delirious abandon. It was both fun and enlightening to read of his drug-addled exploits while he dismantled conservative orthodoxy with the skill of a surgeon. Because his writing so vividly described states of chemical madness the desire to see it depicted on screen has always been on the short list of generational desires. Like other literary talismans of the era - Naked Lunch, Catch 22 or Slaughterhouse Five - the reality is often not what we saw in our mind’s eye. So to begin with, if you are not already a fan of Thompson’s work, or sympathetic to the psychedelic state of mind, turn back now! This is not some light-hearted comedic romp through goofball party time. This is a dark and disturbing trip into the politically charged wreckage left on the road leading out of the 1960s.

Based on the actual journalistic experiences of Hunter S. Thompson (played with leering glee by Johnny Depp), Fear And Loathing finds him being assigned to cover a motorcycle race in Las Vegas. He loads his crazed lawyer drug buddy Dr. Gonzo (Benecio Del Toro with a 50-pound gut) into a Cadillac convertible loaded with illegal drugs and guns and heads off across the desert to take on Sin City. The assignment itself quickly becomes secondary to the pair’s frenzied drug consumption and anti-social behavior. Much of their behavior is the cornerstone of the book and movie’s reputation, and it is actually not funny, but a super-exaggerated reaction to the hypocrisy and violence of the Nixon era. Thompson reviled middle class values and the macho, police-state culture of 20^th century America. The ugliness of Nixon, Vietnam, the war on drugs, and all that went with them was crystallized in Las Vegas and Thompson and Dr. Gonzo can only respond by outdoing the ugliness. As a result, much of the movie involves itself with the frenetic, disturbing, dangerous, often disgusting behavior of drug addled adult delinquents. The drug excess does not seem fun, but scary and sick-making; in fact Del Toro’s character spends much of his screen time vomiting, twitching, oozing and writhing like a stuck pig. This is not ribald humor it is savage satire. Thompson’s written word left many with unease while simultaneously confirming, reflecting and glorifying their youthful excesses - Gilliam’s movie does a woozy good job bringing the hallucinations to life.

Acclaimed for his work with Monty Python and then for his own movies like The Fisher King, Brazil, and 12 Monkeys, Terry Gilliam was clearly acquainted with the original material and the lifestyle it portrayed. He does a remarkable job smoothing the transition points between straight narrative and insane states of drug madness, thus putting the viewer squarely behind the rolling, red eyes of Thompson. He gets the most from his actors as well; Depp and Del Toro are both extraordinary - Depp slithering around like an anesthetically impaired iguana, mugging and dodging Del Toro’s wrecking ball of a character, who veers between utterly menacing and completely disgusting. The era was complex, ugly, and confusing, and Gilliam’s movie is equally so.

The biggest payoffs come in the few reflective scenes, when Gilliam dials back the insanity for a moment and allows Depp’s voiceover to revel in Thompson’s insightful prose. In one scene, Thompson stares out a window and reflects on the changes he has seen since the mid 60’s “We were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look west and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark, that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.” It is a poetic moment within the maelstrom of lunacy that surrounds it, and that ultimately is the power of Hunter S. Thompson’s writing and Gilliam’s movie - they both manage to find a kind of beauty within the madness that surrounds them.

- Paul Epstein

I’d Love To Turn You On At The Movies #217 - The Harder They Come (1972, dir. Perry Henzell)

            When The Harder They Come first appeared in America in 1972 it had to have been met with bewilderment. While filled with an almost intoxicating first look at real life on the Island of Jamaica and blessed with one of the best soundtracks in the history of film, the movie presents its narrative and action in such a herky-jerky fashion, and the patois of the characters is so thick, that the typical westerner would be forgiven for requiring subtitles to even follow the plot. In fact, on its first runs through America the film was indeed shown with subtitles. I had not seen The Harder They Come in at least twenty years, and I freely admit that putting subtitles on made this my most rewarding watch of this extraordinary film. My memories of the movie were as cloudy as the ganja that filled the room the first time I saw it. There were strong memories of certain scenes, but my recall of the actual plot was dim. This time, from the first scene, I found The Harder They Come to be a fully absorbing and heartbreaking tale about the grinding effect of systems on human endeavor. Our hero, Ivanhoe Martin (based on a real character) is played with elemental realism by Jimmy Cliff who brings such burning intensity to his portrayal, that one can’t help but feel he is telling his own story at some level. When his grandmother dies, Ivanhoe, an aspiring singer, is forced to leave his country home and go to the city to stay with his mother. Finding nothing but poverty and disinterest in his music, he finds ways to get by-being a bike messenger, then entering the dangerous ganja trade. When he is told to deliver a package to a music studio he tries in earnest to sell his talent to the only producer on the island who can make his dreams come true. When his song only brings him 20 dollars, his disillusionment with the music business starts coming into focus.

            Through a series of events, all of which illustrate the corrupt nature of a system that takes advantage of poverty, ignorance and innocence, Ivanhoe becomes a notorious figure and does indeed find the fame he seeks. He finds a way out of the ghetto and straight to the top. It’s just not the way he wanted to get there. As the events of Ivan’s life ultimately lead him toward a violent conclusion, we are given an amazing look into the inner workings of the Jamaican music business (hint - it’s just as corrupt as it is here), and the marijuana business, and ultimately, the machinery that keeps poor people poor. The fundamental corruption of any system is explored (much as it was later on The Wire). We can feel that Ivan’s dreams will not come true the way he expected as the events of his life tumble inexorably toward chaos. The final acts of the film capture a fateful inevitability that is reminiscent of Bonnie And Clyde. This narrative is played out against the real stars of The Harder They Come: the exotic and exciting views of actual Jamaican life, which initially thrilled Jamaican audiences, and ultimately acted as the greatest calling card the island ever received, and of course the miraculous soundtrack which, along with Bob Marley and The Wailers’ Catch A Fire turned the rest of the world on to reggae music. Throughout the movie, the songs act as a narrative device, driving and describing the action playing out on screen. Reggae legends Toots and The Maytals are responsible for two of the best scenes. In one, their classic Pressure Drop provides the perfect driver for a breathless chase scene through a crowded ghetto. For me though, the most magical scene in the movie takes place as Ivanhoe gets his first look inside the recording studio during a Toots session for the song Sweet and Dandy. Cliff stares at the scene, wide-eyed and in wonder, and we share his thrill and desire to be part of the charismatic magic Toots is laying down. It is one of the most effective scenes about the making of music that I’ve seen. So few movies get the musician side of things right. Director Perry Henzel nails it with this scene.

            Bob Dylan wrote “You’ll find out when you reach the top / You’re on the bottom.” The Harder They Come brings this axiom to life vividly. Ivanhoe Martin dreams of leaving his country boy roots and becoming famous in the big city. He makes his dream come true, and it turns out to be a nightmare. His story is a cautionary tale as well as a lesson about the harsh realities of life for those whom the chips are stacked against. Although this message is depressing, the experience of watching The Harder They Come is ultimately uplifting, because the sounds and sights unfolding are so genuinely thrilling.
                     - Paul Epstein

Otis Taylor – Hey Joe Opus Red Meat

Want to be proud of something from Colorado? Check out Colorado’s real blues legend’s new album. Recorded in Colorado at Immersive Studios and mastered by David Glasser at Airshow, this 2LP, 200 gram, 45RPM audiophile recording is an absolute showcase of everything good about our music scene. Not only is Colorado exploding with young, fresh talent, but we also have world-class engineering facilities and a legacy artist who is legitimately one of a handful of REAL blues artists left on earth. Otis Taylor is the real deal in so many different ways; he is a fiercely independent musician who makes the music in his head come out in a totally unique way. He has no precedent or antecedent. Like any of the great bluesmen, one listens to Otis and has to wonder where this came from. Hey Joe might very well be Otis’ greatest album. It is singular in his catalog. It flows like one long dream sequence. Blues, rock, jazz, trance - it all appears from a boiling stew of angst and slices of the human condition. Somehow, Otis expands the basic plot and theme of the classic song “Hey Joe” into various meditations on everything from love to hate to tranvestitism. Yes, like all of Otis Taylor’s albums it is unpredictable. Just like the various guest artists who pop up; Ron Miles sounding like Miles Davis in a Sergio Leone movie, Warren Haynes plays a couple of scorching solos, Billy Nershi picks some sweet acoustic, Langhorne Slim adds subtle vocals, but the star remains the Cumulus Nimbus of emotion and talent that is Otis Taylor. He really is unlike any other performer alive and he’s ours. And his new LP is OURS. For the time being, Twist and Shout is the only place this beautiful and collectible LP is available. I cannot recommend this album highly enough. It is a superlative listening experience, and an important addition to the blues legacy.

- Paul Epstein

Several Species Of Small Furry Thoughts - My Journey Home With Neil Young

When I first heard Neil Young’s latest album A Letter Home I was taken aback by this faint sounding bunch of covers. It was clearly Neil, and these were songs I was happy to hear him play, but the quality of the recording was so primitive. I just couldn’t get over it. Why would he do this? I had only listened to the LP at this point and there lies the crux of the problem. To fully "get" this album, one has to get the deluxe version and watch the DVD. As soon as the video comes to life, one enters a very special session where Neil Young and Jack White embark on an emotional and technological voyage together. Somehow Jack White has managed to get the world’s only working example of a “Record Your Voice” booth; a boardwalk attraction from the 1920’s that looks like a phone booth and allows any person to sing a song and leave with a hastily pressed record. The records that the booth itself produced (which also come in the deluxe version) sound even worse than the LP but are interesting artifacts. So here is this piece of ancient technology, and Neil Young decides to record a bunch of old favorite songs on it. Seems simple enough.

When you pop in the DVD however, there is a seamless mixture of black and white footage whenever Neil is in the booth, but as soon as he steps out it turns to sumptuous color footage. The audio is also much better. Neil essentially takes you through the process with him. We see that his songs are too long to fit on the little automatic records, thus they are running a line out of the booth so some editing can take place. Suddenly I realized I was loving this album. Going inside the creative process with these two great musicians is a rare and wonderful privilege. And make no mistake – Jack White’s imprint is all over this album. He joins Neil on a couple of songs, singing harmony, playing piano even playing lead guitar on one song. He is also clearly playing the role of chief engineer and producer. His deep involvement makes this an essential item for Jack White fans as much as Neil Young lovers.

As for the material; it is really hard to find fault with songs like Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain” or “If You Could Read My Mind,” Phil Ochs’ “Changes,” Tim Hardin’s “Reason To Believe,” Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind,” etc. The songs all clearly mean a lot to Neil and for the most part he plays them straight and folksy without doing much to make them modern. And the direct connection to his earlier days is really the point here. Perhaps the most poignant and important parts of the whole recording are the two spoken-word pieces he includes. They are short letters to his dead mother. He explains what he and Jack are doing; playing the songs he used to play when he lived with her on Grosvenor Ave. as a teen in Canada. In the most touching moments Neil asks his mother to talk to his father in heaven. They were divorced long before their deaths, but Neil is trying to fix things for them in the afterlife. “Remember to talk to Daddy” he pleads. This is a very important milestone in Neil Young’s career. In a totally non-commercial move he tips his hat to his heroes, his own past and tries to fill some holes in a broken heart.

- Paul Epstein

I'd Love To Turn You On #56 - Pentangle - Basket Of Light

I remember the first time I heard this album. My thought at that time was: “what the hell is this doing in the rock section?” I still find myself at a loss as to what genre of music Pentangle make, but I am still in love with the sounds of this album. Pentangle was five world-class musicians making beautiful music in keeping with the musical traditions they were schooled in themselves: traditional English folk, jazz and popular music. Guitarists and vocalists John Renbourn and Bert Jansch were already highly respected folk guitarists before Pentangle began, but by the time they released their third album Basket Of Light in 1969 they had managed to take their traditional musician’s musician reputation to a much wider audience thanks to touring, radio and vocalist Jacqui McShee’s unbelievably beautiful voice. So they were a success making non-commercial music yet they used the apparatus of rock music to become famous. I’m sure I heard about them on KFML radio or in the pages of Rolling Stone. No matter how it happened, I distinctly remember being stunned by the sophisticated musicianship and downright “adult” flavor of the album.

Beginning with the minor hit “Light Flight” the band sets the stage for a hypnotic excursion around the world of music. Folkish leanings are undercut by the complex interlocking guitar parts of Renbourn and Jansch, whose playing is always technically amazing, but maintains a light breezy touch lending all the songs a relaxed feel. The mood never goes south as they wend their way through various idioms, incorporating an avant-jazz bass break, traditional Christian hymns, medieval dirges, and a stunning take on the mysterious American R&B classic “Sally Go Round The Roses.” Originally recorded in 1963 by the unknown girl-group The Jaynetts, “Sally Go Round The Roses” is one of those magical songs that has a certain quality; indescribable, unforgettable, and unlike anything else. It is hard to imagine another group taking on such a singular achievement and succeeding, but Pentangle make the song their own, with Jacqui McShee’s soaring voice replacing the swampy mystery of the original with a clear beauty that lends a new and thrilling element to an already great song.

I love rock music. I tend to hold it above all other music. But in my heart of hearts I have always held out an understanding that there are other types of music that replace the visceral excitement and youthful energy of rock with studied virtuosity and advanced understanding of musical theory. Pentangle remarkably find an intersection between these two roads. They make easily listened to music that allows the listener to go as deep as they want. If you want to leave them in the background as a pretty accompaniment to your day, this album perfectly fits that bill. However if you want an audiophile experience with the highest level of musicianship imaginable Basket Of Light is a never-ending source of joy.

--- Paul Epstein

Several Species of Small Furry Thoughts

George Harrison – Early Takes Volume 1

I loved the Martin Scorcese PBS special Living In The Material World and I assumed this was going to be kind of a soundtrack to the movie with hits, a couple of rarities, maybe some annoying snippets of talking from the movie. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Early Takes Volume 1 is an enormously important piece of the George Harrison puzzle. With years and reflection time has proven George to be as important a Beatle as John and Paul with his understated and underestimated guitar work and more than few of the Beatles’ greatest songs bearing his name as the author. Early Takes collects songs from throughout his post-Beatles career (frustratingly devoid of meaningful liner notes, so pinpointing who is playing and when is almost impossible) and presents them as stripped down demo versions. These are not throwaways however. Each song captures a warm intimate moment with Harrison giving his all to the performance. His vocals are passionate and lend added depth to classic songs like “Run of the Mill,” I’d Have You Anytime” or “Behind That Locked Door” from his epic All Things Must Pass album. Removed from the context of Phil Spector’s overbearing production, these songs share a poetic fluidity and direct emotional resonance with Dylan’s work of the period. Speaking of the bard, there is a solo take of “Mama You Been On My Mind” which George co-wrote with Dylan. It is followed by a touching version of The Everly Brothers’ weeper “Let it Be Me,” which clearly had a special place in George’s heart. I found this collection to be completely wonderful to listen to and an essential part of my understanding of the quiet Beatle. The Volume 1 part gives me great hope that there might be more of the same.

O’Brien Party Of 7 – Reincarnation: The Songs Of Roger Miller

What O’Brien’s you ask? Why our very own O’Briens. Musical siblings Tim and Mollie O’Brien bring along various husbands and children and take on one of America’s greatest songwriters, Roger Miller. When I looked over the songs the first thing I noticed was, with the exception of “King Of The Road,” these were not Roger Miller’s most famous songs. That’s good, because Miller wrote so many fantastic songs, people need to be exposed to more than “Chug-a-lug” and  “Dang Me.” Miller’s greatest talent was never being predictable. He never wrote a line that went the way you expected it to go yet he managed to put his finger on as many universal truths as just about any popular songwriter in American history. He was funny and poignant, and often at the same time. The various O’Briens bring the familial warmth and collective talent that the material deserves. Mollie has one of the clearest and most naturally appealing voices in music and Tim has a tremendous ability to make every song his own. His melodic mandolin playing and spot-on arranging abilities never fail. He has done for Roger Miller what he did for Dylan on his Red On Blonde tribute record. Breathing new life into historically important material is a daunting and difficult task, and doing it with such obvious joie de vivre an even taller order, but Colorado’s own O’Briens pull it off beautifully.

Janet Feder – Songs With Words

It’s not a surprise that Janet Feder’s musicianship is stunning - a completely original amalgam of traditional technique and avant-leaning accents. She can be favorably compared to Derek Bailey or John Fahey. It isn’t a surprise that her album Songs With Words is an audiophile’s dream: it is recorded in surround, using the Sonoma Super Audio system. Her albums always sound good, and she is a perfectionist in the live setting as well. It is not a surprise that Songs With Words is a musically powerful work of art; Janet Feder is nothing if not thoughtful and receptive. The surprise comes in her beautifully evocative voice, which is debuted on her new album.  Janet usually inhabits the rarified world of instrumental guitar geniuses with her contemplative, classically informed compositions, but on Songs With Words, she ventures into the vocal realm to great effect. Most startling is her rendition of Dylan’s “Blowing In The Wind” which she takes in new musical directions while keeping the emotional destination intact. What a challenge! Take one of the most recognized and lionized songs in modern music and turn it on its ear, making it your own - a tall order that Ms. Feder pulls off with relaxed aplomb.

Janet’s guitar playing remains a wonder. Her prepared, percussive style is the perfect blend of searching for and then finding home. She explores the outer reaches of sonic possibility yet never loses the thread of melody and beauty. It is so rare to find an artist who achieves this level of technical brilliance on her instrument and can still bring you to your knees with the emotional impact of her performing abilities. Songs With Words does just that: it lifts the mind and then holds the heart in that elevated space.

 - by Paul Epstein

I'd Love To Turn You On - At the Movies #37 - Bird (1988, dir. Clint Eastwood)

Movies about music and musicians are a dicey proposition at best. So many of them fall flat. I mean, how often have you watched one and said to yourself  “gee there’s so and so pretending they are so and so.” In other words it is hard to suspend disbelief when you are watching something with so much sub-context. We all have such strong impressions of musicians and what they must be like outside of the spotlight that depictions of them often feel wrong or off somehow. The music side of it complicates things further when an actor clearly is not a player and their fingering or the way they hold the instrument looks phony. Of course nothing is worse than the director just not getting the musician and whitewashing the facts of his or her life to make them more palatable for the masses. Clint Eastwood’s Bird avoids all these pitfalls and in the process captures the era beautifully and presents Forest Whittaker as one of the greatest actors of his generation.

Charlie “Yardbird” Parker was a complicated man; sublimely talented and highly intelligent he was also tortured by feelings of inadequacy, driven to suicide attempts by crippling bouts of depression and victimized by the twin assaults of racism and drug addiction. He was introduced to heroin as a teenager and the junkie life defined his fate for the rest of his life. Eastwood’s movie focuses on all the right stuff. First and foremost it completely gets the music right. Forest Whittaker clearly studied Parker as his body language and handling of the saxophone are spot-on. After only a few minutes my disbelief was suspended and I felt as though I was watching Charlie Parker himself, not an actor portraying him. The soundtrack utilizes original Parker recordings mixed with modern musicians, which give them both authenticity and modern production values. Thus it all sounds correct, and of the times. One really gets a feeling for Parker’s ability to solo and improvise, and how his unique style built upon his influences and revolutionized all jazz soloists who followed him. Most specifically, Parker’s profound influence on a young Red Rodney (real name: Robert Chudnick) played with wide-eyed innocence by Michael Zelniker is explored to great effect. Rodney comes to Bird as an acolyte, desperate to just be near the man, but ends up playing with him and following him down the road of heroin addiction. The other major relationships explored are those with his long suffering wife Chan Parker and fellow bebop pioneer Dizzy Gillespie. Parker was irresistible because of his overwhelming talent, but at the same time he was unreliable in every way. He was often too stoned or drunk to play, he womanized constantly and he hurt all those closest to him. Gillespie (played by Samuel E. Wright) is his friend, mentor and champion yet he recognized Parker’s tragic flaws and didn’t make excuses for them. In one pivotal scene the two men stand by the ocean discussing their fate and Gillespie tells Parker “If they kill me (white society) it won’t be because I helped them do it.” He is referring to Parker’s own self-destructive behavior, which he can’t seem to curtail and rightly predicts Parker’s sad fate. Dizzy loves to play with Bird, but sees him as the tragic mess he is. Diane Venora plays Chan Parker as a very modern woman who is trapped by her love for a guy she can clearly see is no good for her. Yet, they marry (her white, he black and all that went with that in our society in the mid 20^th century), have children, and try to forge some sort of domestic happiness. It is heartbreaking to watch, because it is so clear that he is not up to the task. He can’t keep his instrument out of hock, so how is he supposed to provide for a wife and kids?

The real power of Eastwood’s accomplishment comes in the constant juxtaposition of Parker’s golden talent with the clay and mud of his day-to-day life: he was hounded by police trying to shake down a junkie, he was disapproved of for fraternizing with white women and he was constantly out of work because of his unreliability. But then, Eastwood shows many scenes of Parker onstage, using his horn to soothe the savage beast that raged within his soul. Jumping around in Bird’s history, Eastwood manages to keep the thread of time clear even as we go from scenes of a young Parker learning his trade and being humiliated by his inadequacies, to a man at the height of his powers, knocking the jazz world on its ear with his mind-blowing improvisations, to a washed up has-been who doesn’t understand the new world of showboating rock and rollers, all in no particular order. Unstuck in time, the movie weaves a majestic tapestry that gives one a sympathetic understanding of Parker’s brief 34-year life. The greatness of his talent is clear, the depth of his junkie depravity is clear and by the end of the movie these two factors merge to offer a startlingly honest and compelling portrait of one of the greatest musicians who ever graced a stage. Bird is that rare artistic accomplishment that makes one confront the uncomfortable truths that surround the creative process. Often the angels that give one his inspiration come hand-in-hand with the devils that rob him of his talent.

- Paul Epstein

I'd Love To Turn You On #52 - Ten Years After - Cricklewood Green

Released in 1970, less than a year after their triumphant and star-making performance at Woodstock, Cricklewood Green is Ten Years After’s most sophisticated album with their most interesting songs and very memorable production by Andy Johns. One of the more misunderstood groups of the late 60’s, Ten Years After are contemporaries of and similar to Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Mountain. Like those bands, leader Alvin Lee and his band occupy that wonderful space that falls between psychedelic experimentation, blues reverence and crunchy proto-metal. Cricklewood Green showcases this better than any of their albums (and they made plenty).

Kicking off with a one-two punch of road songs, “Sugar On The Road” and the frenetic “Working On The Road,” the tone is set for a high-energy ensemble affair that showcases each member of the band as a whole while never letting the focus slip away from Alvin Lee’s charismatic abilities on guitar. “50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain” might actually be my favorite song on the album as it really utilizes the atmospheric production that Johns brings to the table to shroud an amazing Lee solo in clouds of heavy day-glow fog.

In the original liner notes for the album Alvin Lee talks about the “layered” approach to recording, “thus giving separation to the varying frequencies as opposed to each instrument.” Andy Johns creates a thick, soupy broth of a sound that colors the air with chugging Hammond Organ, a drum/bass attack that might give Cream a run for its money and, of course, Alvin Lee’s hyper vocals and Guinness-book-of world-records blinding lead guitar style. If you are unfamiliar with Lee’s brand of guitar work, fasten your seatbelt. Lee’s speed and clarity were unmatched in rock music. Certainly Jimmy Page played with more experimental panache, and Clapton had such fabulous taste and succinct phrasing, but Alvin Lee plays faster and with more balls than anyone else. He’s on a par with John McLaughlin in the notes-per-minute category. If you doubt it, listen to his solos on “Year 3,000 Blues” whereby he brings together country-picking, blues chords and cosmic lyrics to create an absolute psych masterpiece.

The centerpiece of the album however is the seven and a half minute “Love Like A Man” which pretty much is the ultimate expression of the Alvin Lee ethic; tough, ballsy blues-rock with a macho swagger and a very cool 60’s feel. “Love Like A Man” is the classic slow-burn opening with a plodding wood-block rhythm and killer guitar riff, which works its way to a climax whereby Alvin busts out with the monster solo for about two solid minutes of firecracker notes before he returns to the memorable opening riff at double time, embellished by the rest of the band playing their asses off.

After the anthemic wonder of “Love Like A Man” it is hard to imagine what they could follow it up with, yet they produce another masterpiece. “Circles” showcases the acoustic, ballad side of Lee’s talent with a real-world look at existentialism surrounded by roiling acoustic guitars, melodic lead bass and a blanket of warm Hammond organ. The album closes with the sci-fi epic “As The Sun Still Burns Away” which finds Andy Johns panning the band back and forth between the channels with deep space special effects while Alvin solos like an acid-fried monk on Mars.

Cricklewood Green is a very special album in my cosmology. When I moved from New York City to Denver in 1968, I really felt disconnected for a little while. I took solace in rock music. Certain albums became touchstones. In fact, certain buying trips to record stores with my brother Alan became touchstones. It was on a vacation back to New York City when we bought Cricklewood Green. Everything about it seemed exotic and incredible to me. I studied the cover, I read the liner notes, I listened to it over and over and made every note of this album part of my DNA. When I listened to it to write this review, it immediately took me back to that place: where a rock album could completely change my life. It is still a great album and one of my favorites.

- Paul Epstein

Several Species Of Small Furry Thoughts - Harry, Barry and Larry

       In my role as a member of the board of The Colorado Music Hall Of Fame I spend a good amount of time thinking about Colorado music and the people involved in its creation and promotion. Thus, I am proud to promote the next fundraising event for the hall. On February 12, we will honor and induct musician, historian, teacher and purveyor of The Denver Folklore Center Harry Tuft, and one of the most important rock promoters of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, Barry Fey. Both of these guys have made an indelible mark on both Colorado, but also on the bigger world of music. Harry has done so much to champion and nurture folk music over the years. His store has been a touchstone for thousands of traveling musicians and he is a living repository of musical knowledge and wisdom. He’s also a really nice guy. Barry, on the other hand has made his reputation as one tough bastard, a guy who would do anything to get the show, book the tour, grab the gate. He entered a business that barely existed in the early 60’s, and over the next couple of decades he, along with a few other guys, pioneered a huge industry and put Colorado on the map as a concert location. These guys are both legends, and it will be fun and appropriate to see them inducted.

The event is something that shouldn’t be missed. The ticket price benefits the Hall Of Fame, and for your money you get an amazing spread from Pasta Jays and music from the likes of Rob Drabkin, Otis Taylor and Firefall. The place will be lousy with Colorado music type people and it is a really good time. Check the details here, and see you there.

I just got back from a funeral. This has been happening a lot lately. I’m really getting tired of it. This was a guy many people in the Denver music/arts community knew: Lawrence Epstein. He was someone I’d been friendly with since junior high (they call it middle school now). He was a fellow public school teacher, a lover of music, a great guitar player, and one of the most inquisitive and alert people I’ve ever met. He was never there when you expected him, but he remained in my life for over 30 years and always showed up at an unexpected time with an unbelievable story and an incredible zeal for living. I used to say to him: “Tell me something wild that happened to you recently so I can live vicariously.” He always obliged. In recent times darkness started to descend on him. He thought the best was over and he didn’t have anything to look forward to anymore. I saw him a few weeks ago and he was still energized - but not about living unfortunately. He took his own life a few days ago and his funeral this morning was filled with hundreds of hipsters, tripsters, students and family in spite of a raging snowstorm. The room was heavy with grief, and not surprisingly, some laughter.

So farewell Lawrence, Awrence, Lonely Lonely Lars, Larry, Bolt-savage Nazi Hunter, Schwa and all the other wonderful people you were. I’ll miss all of them.

Paul Epstein

Get ready for Record Store Day

Each Record Store Day has gotten bigger than the last, and it feels like this week’s Black Friday version is shaping up to be a whopper. All the usual rules will apply; first come, first served, no holding of products, only one per item per customer etc. There aren’t as many products as April, but there are way more than last year’s Black Friday. Here are a couple of the highlights;

-Phish-Party Time and The White Tape-two full length LPs by Colorado favorite Phish. Last April, the 7” they put out was one of the hottest items and the first to sell out.

-Pete Townshend-The Quadrophenia Demos 1- A sweet 10” with 6 demo versions of Quadrophenia songs, including one that didn’t make the final album.

-Tom Petty-Kiss My Amps Live- 7 live tracks from the 2010 tour on a 12”

-The Beatles-Singles Box Set-very nice package –individually numbered with 4 singles, a poster, and a 45 adapter.

-Pink Floyd-The Wall-singles Box set-this is the coolest package of the day-3 singles and “another brick in the wall” box to house it all.

-Janis Joplin-Move Over-7” box set w/6 unreleased tracks!!-a bonanza for collectors

-John Lennon-Imagine-40^th anniversary box-w/ Original LP, Sessions LP on white vinyl, poster and 2 postcards-beautiful.

-Iron & Wine-Morning Becomes Eclectic 12”-nice 11 song radio session.

-Syd Barrett-Octopus-Stunning Tin filled with a colored vinyl 7” and a whole book of Mick Rock photos

-Bob Dylan-Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?-awesome box set w/ 4 mono singles in picture sleeves.

-Kings Of Leon-Massive box set with their first three lps and a fourth lp of rarities-very nice!

-Nirvana-Nevermind-The Singles-numbered-five 10” singles-a collector’s dream.

This is just a small sampling. There will be close to a hundred unique pieces on offer. Avoid the malls-go local! Besides you won’t find this stuff at the malls.

-Paul Epstein

For a complete list of what items Twist & Shout will carry check out our site here: 

 http://www.twistandshout.com/Category.cfm?CategoryID=322

Several Species of Small Furry Thoughts - Furthur, Europe ’72 and an interview with David Glasser

Lots of Dead activity this month! Furthur played three sold out shows at Red Rocks last weekend and once again proved that they are the band to see when you want a hit of Dead energy. All three shows were outstanding with their own personality and highlights. The first night was made memorable by a three-song segment featuring special guest Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, who really shone on the Pigpen obscurity “The Stranger.” The second night featured a monster second set that included most of the great late-60’s psych classics such as “Dark Star,” “St. Stephen,” “The Eleven,” “Morning Dew” and a great and timely cover of Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse.” The third night was surprisingly high energy with bone-shaking versions of “Shakedown Street,” “Help On The Way,” “Slipknot” and “Franklin’s Tower” that had the audience going nuts. It is really amazing that Phil Lesh and Bob Weir are still playing such long, satisfying shows at their ages. Things are played at a somewhat more leisurely pace, and even with John Kadlecik getting better and better, one is always aware of Jerry’s absence. His guitar and voice were so singular and his musical presence drove the band tempo-wise and spiritually. It is still a pleasure to see this band, and the things that always shine through are Bob Weir and Phil Lesh’s completely unique and awe-inspiring playing style, and the time-defying greatness of their original material. There is no bass player like Phil Lesh - he just leaves everyone else in the dust - even at the age of 70! His tone, attack and note articulation sound more like a guitar player’s and his melodic sense moves the band forward.

The big archival news in the Grateful Dead world is the unprecedented Europe ’72 - The Complete Recordings box set. Containing all 22 shows of this greatest of all Dead tours, there’s not a dud show in the bunch; in fact there are very few dud songs. The band never played tighter or more inspired than on this tour. They also never toured behind such an abundance of great new material. They were playing many the songs from Weir’s then-new Ace album, Garcia’s first solo album plus about a dozen new Grateful Dead songs (“Ramble On Rose,” He’s Gone,” “Tennessee Jed,” Mr. Charlie,” Chinatown Shuffle,” etc.) and fresh covers (“Sing Me Back Home,” “You Win Again,”) and when combining them with some of their longer, jammier songs from the past (“Dark Star,” “The Other One,” “Truckin’,” “Lovelight”) they offered up an exciting marathon show every night of the tour. To add to the special nature of the tour was the fact that they were playing many beautiful, historic concert venues on a continent that was new to the band members and rich with historic and cultural significance to their hippie sensibilities. They were also dragging around a recording truck to every venue to insure their ability to pay for the whole trip. Remarkably, the recordings are outstanding, even by modern standards. There is a full, rich warmth to the sound that just reflects the warmth on stage. The huge, deluxe “steamer trunk” box set is sold out, but there is a superb new compilation called, appropriately enough, Europe ’72 Volume 2 that is out now on Rhino Records. It is packed with great moments from the tour including memorable takes on “Playin’ In The Band,” a huge Pigpen-led “Good Lovin’,” a great early version of “Sugaree” and a “Dark Star” that goes to outer space and back in 30 minutes. It is a wonderful keepsake, and we have it on sale for only $10.99. It’s the cheapest way you’re going to get into this tour. 

Because I was so blown away by the sound of these recordings, I thought it would be cool if we could ask Boulder resident David Glasser of Air Show Mastering some questions about the process of mastering this gigantic project. A Grammy Award winner, Glasser is one of the hidden gems of the Colorado music scene. Air Show has worked on countless albums you’ve heard of and continues to be one of the premier mastering facilities in the country. The Grateful Dead are legendary for their attention to detail when it comes to the sound and packaging of their releases, so their choice of Glasser is no accident. Glasser, as usual, was generous with his time and thoughtful in his answers.

Questions for David Glasser at Airshow Mastering regarding the Mastering of The Grateful Dead’s entire Europe ’72 tour.

Briefly explain the process of mastering.

• Mastering is simply the step - the last in the creative studio process - where the final adjustments and tweaks are made. It's akin to what a colorist does in the film world - making sure that the sound matches the vision of the producer and artist, and presenting the mixes in the best possible light. Usually that involves adjusting the song levels and overall level of the disc and using tools like EQ and compression to shape the sound (does it need to be brighter? punchier? less muddy? etc).

How is mastering an archival recording different than mastering a new, technically modern recording?

• Often archival recordings already exist in an aesthetic context that listeners are familiar with. This was certainly the case with the Europe 72 project. The 1972 LP is an iconic album - both the songs, and the sound. There are also several other official releases of E72 material, plus audience and soundboard tapes that have circulated for decades. So before starting I gathered together the original Europe 72, Steppin' Out, and Rockin' the Rhein, plus the first show that was mixed for this project. To my horror and dismay, they all sounded quite different! Jeffrey Norman and I discussed this at length and we agreed that the approach to this release was a "live-r," less "polished" presentation. We wanted to showcase the Dead as they sounded onstage at these shows. 

What is unique about mastering The Grateful Dead as opposed to other bands?

• Probably the fact that often they don't function as a typical rhythm section + soloists and singers like much popular music does. At any time, any one of the players could be driving the music, and it's constantly shifting. Phil's bass is another lead instrument along with the two guitarists. As a result, the music is often more dynamic. More like a jazz band - think Bitches Brew by Miles Davis. The goal is to mix and master so you can "see" into the music.

Describe your history with the recordings of The Grateful Dead. What was your first job mastering their recordings?

• My first Grateful Dead project was mastering the DVD release of The Grateful Dead Movie. Jeffrey Norman was looking for a place to master his surround mixes; "Dr." Don Pearson introduced us after visiting the studio with acoustician Sam Berkow. The Grateful Dead Movie was a huge project. I think there were 12 hours of music when you added up the stereo mix, the bonus material and the two surround versions. It took us two long weeks. After that Jeffrey returned with the Truckin' Up To Buffalo and the Rockin' The Cradle DVDs. There have been several others, for which I am forever grateful, pun intended. I've been listening to the Dead, and attending shows, since 1970.

Describe the process of working with The Grateful Dead organization. Who do you work with? How exacting are they? Does the record label (Rhino) get involved on your end at all?

• Working with the Grateful Dead's production team is an absolute pleasure. I wish all of my clients were this easy to work with. My contacts are Producer/Archivist David Lemieux and engineer Jeffrey Norman. Everyone has very high and exacting standards, but nobody is breathing down each other’s throat. The communication is very open. I think everyone really respects the creative process and everyone's contribution. Rhino is definitely involved in the tail end of my mastering work, as that's where we send the final masters.

Were there specific challenges involved with a project this large? 

• The challenges were chiefly organizational - how to keep track of so much material and insure quality and constancy from beginning to end.  We modified our in-house database for more efficient searching within the E72 project, and we designed a workflow that covered every aspect of our involvement with the project: from receiving Jeffrey's mixes, to naming files, to cross checking show-to-show, to sending references for approval, and creating the final masters for Rhino.

Did each show have a unique personality to you?

• Absolutely! The shows in the great concert halls like the Concertgebouw and Paris' Olympia Theater have a very open warm sound and I think the players were hearing the nice acoustics and hearing each other very well; it's reflected in the playing. The halls definitely influenced the playing. The Bickershaw show, which was an outdoor festival, sounds much different - the musicians are reacting to the cold weather and perhaps playing more deliberately. But the results are great - the “Dark Star/Other One” sequence was a standout, and is included in the Europe ‘72 Volume 2 release.

How about the individual personalities of the musicians in the band? 

• It's cool how the band can transform itself from song to song. When Pigpen steps out front, his blues and R & B attitude can change the whole vibe. And Bobby's country songs really inspire Garcia's Don Rich-style picking.

Did you gain a greater appreciation for, or did you have any revelations about the individual talents in the band?

• One of the cool things about listening to multiple versions of the same songs is that the personalities do come across. You can hear that Garcia is constantly exploring ways to express a solo, and his solos during this era are really well constructed, and they usually have a well-formed arc to them. As I worked on each show, I always referenced other versions of several songs to make sure the sound was consistent (or appropriately consistent). It's clear that the Dead were very well rehearsed, and the performances and even some of the solos of the first set type of songs were often identical over several nights. As the tour progressed, you can hear them refining arrangements. Bob Weir's playing is especially impressive. I think many people think his distinctive leads were played by Garcia - I know I used to!

Did you learn anything about what makes the Grateful Dead unique in the world of Rock from this project?

• I think we've all long appreciated that the Grateful Dead cut a wide swath through the landscape of American music. It sounds utterly natural to hear them go from a Marty Robbins cowboy song to a Bobby Blue Bland rave-up, to a jam Coltrane would admire, to a gorgeous Merle Haggard ballad, and end on Chuck Berry. What other band can do this?

Do you think the fact that the band was playing in small, largely opera-worthy venues on that tour made a difference in the way the band played and the way the recordings ultimately came out?

• I was fortunate to have seen the Dead in December 1971 in a concert hall setting, and in March 1972 in a mid-size theater (on my birthday!). I've always thought those kind of halls were the perfect size for this kind of music - large enough to get the energy flowing, and small enough for the band to play off the vibe of the hall and the crowd. I think that the Europe 72 recordings are a confirmation of this (though the larger gigs like Bickershaw really kick-ass).

Can you point to a couple of musical highlights of the tour? Where would you send a novice? Where would you send a hard-core fan?

• I think that David Lemieux did a great job in choosing the songs for the Europe ‘72 Volume 2 set. That and the original Europe ‘72 are a good starting point. Outside of those, I especially like “Dark Star” from the second Copenhagen show; “Two Souls in Communion” from Amsterdam, anything from the two Paris shows, and the first and last Lyceum shows. The Beat Club TV broadcast is also pretty cool, and the Aarhus concert, in a tiny 300 seat room has a nice intimate feel that you don't often hear.


-Paul Epstein