SMALL FACES - “ALL OR NOTHING”  DVD

SMALL FACES - “ALL OR NOTHING”  DVD
By Rick Zeigler

The same people who have been putting out the Jazz Icons series of DVDs (previously reviewed here and picked as part of the top 20 releases of the last decade) have now begun to turn their attention to the British Invasion. And, not surprisingly, they have begun to put together some superb offerings. All Or Nothing is one of four DVDs in their first set documenting British groups from the sixties. The other three feature Dusty Springfield, Gerry & The Pacemakers, and Herman’s Hermits. The Springfield DVD is also great, but the latter two groups, although purveyors of numerous hits in the mid-sixties, were never really standout live performers, with the DVDs suffering accordingly.  The same is certainly not true for the Small Faces and this DVD. In fact, almost the reverse is true. The group, while huge in England, never toured the U.S. and had only one stateside hit to their name (“Itchycoo Park”).  As is evident from this DVD, however, they were one of the most dynamic and riveting live acts of their time. The band was led by guitarist-singer-songwriter Steve Marriott (later of Humble Pie) and bassist-singer-songwriter Ronnie Lane, and also consisted of drummer Kenny Jones and keyboardist Ian McLagan (the latter three went on to become The Faces when Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood joined after Marriott left the band). Small Faces took their moniker because “face” meant sharp-dresser, and the band were all into the clothes-horse culture of the sixties mods, along with the fact that none of the band stood over 5’6” tall. Their sound was largely an amalgam of melodic, Beatle-esque pop combined with the grittier sounds of Stax and sixties soul and R & B. Marriott’s voice was a perfect vehicle for this, oozing both grit and sweetness (somewhat akin to Steve Winwood’s voice in his “I’m A Man” days). As with the Jazz Icons series, the “talking heads” portion of the DVD is minimal, with almost all of the running time given to 27 complete, archival performances (most live, some lip-synched). Watching these, it is apparent that America largely missed out on a great band. Songs like “All Or Nothing,” with its sweet verse and soul-shouting chorus resolving into a delicate guitar-line, is simply one of the best songs of the decade (it was their first #1 in England). “Tin Soldier” was a multi-part, brilliantly written epic. “I Can’t Make It” and “My Way Of Giving” were excellent white-soul songs, while “Here Comes The Nice,” “Itchycoo Park,” and a variety of selections form their Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake LP document their take on psychedelia. But it is the band’s live dynamism that makes All Or Nothing so compelling. Simply put, Marriott was one of the best front men of his time. Careening around the stage with both charisma and nonchalance, he seems a natural-born performer. Dancing up to the mic, legs and feet moving flawlessly along the floor, arms flailing on the guitar, and with a look that screamed “rock star” before the term had even been coined, you simply can’t take your eyes off of him. One clip even shows Pete Townsend and Keith Moon looking on, with Moon seeming to be having the time of his life. Speaking as one old enough to have grown up through the sixties and also one who paid close attention to the music scene at the time, this DVD was a revelation to me given the Small Faces’ relatively low profile among the British Invasion bands. Simply put, they were one of the best bands of the sixties, as All Or Nothing so ably documents.

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JOHNNY CASH - “American VI: Ain’t No Grave”

JOHNNY CASH - “American VI: Ain’t No Grave”
By Rick Zeigler

The last in the series of “American” recordings helmed by Rick Rubin, one might expect Ain’t No Grave to be something of a barrel-scraping exercise, exhuming the last bits of Cash that could be marketed to the public after his death in 2003. The recorded evidence makes it clear that this is far from the case. Indeed, American VI ranks right up there with the best of the Rubin/Cash ventures. Some of this is certainly due to the superb musical accompaniment, which in addition to Cash’s own acoustic guitar, includes heavy contributions from the Avett Brothers as well as members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers. But it is also due to the fine combination of light and dark moods present on the album. Starting off with the title song, a death-defiant traditional folk number, Cash’s gravelly vocals sit beautifully over layered acoustics and a slow, plodding beat. “Redemption Day” is a Sheryl Crow song that Cash makes his own, with a much more foreboding tone than the original. “For The Good Times, “ penned by Kris Kristofferson, takes a much lighter, but no less affecting approach. This is then followed by the one Cash original, “I Corinthians 5:55,” obviously focusing on the religious theme of the title. As the album progresses, there are more musings about death, but as it moves towards its conclusion, the songs turn away from the dark side of the subject to embrace the “glory” inherent in the inevitable (at least for religious believers). Indeed, the final song, Queen Lili’uokali’s traditional Hawaiian ode, “Aloha Oe,” is the perfect send-off, as it focuses on the singer’s uplifting “goodbye” to his audience “until we meet again”.

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CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG - “IRM”

CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG - “IRM”
By Rick Zeigler

Written, arranged, and produced almost exclusively by Beck, IRM harkens back to a time when uber-producers and songwriters-for-hire put their weight behind an artist whose job was to interpret the material placed before them. Very common throughout the forties, fifties and sixties, this practice quickly waned after the Beatles and Dylan established the idea that performers should basically be doing their own, self-penned material. While this is, of course, largely to the good, there is still something to be said for an artist with a distinctive voice being a “muse” for others. The evidence is here that such an approach can still work beautifully. Gainsbourg, daughter of music icon Serge Gainsbourg, has been known primarily for her acting, although she did release a solid album, 5:55, a few years back (and infamously performed on her daddy’s song, “Lemon Incest” way back in 1984).  On IRM, whose title (and title song) was inspired by a brain hemorrhage suffered by Gainsbourg after a water skiing accident (IRM is the acronym used by the French for MRI—magnetic resonance imaging), the focus is largely on hushed, downcast musings, occasionally sung in French. Gainsbourg’s breathy, at times almost whisper of a voice, is a perfect vehicle for such musings, and Beck has written a great set of songs that capture this mood. Indeed, the album is quite reminiscent of Beck’s Sea Change, right down to the grand string arrangements that pop up throughout. But Beck definitely stays out of the forefront (save for a duet on “Heaven Can Wait”), allowing Gainsbourg’s compelling, yet detached, approach to the songs carry the day. Not everything is slow and sad, as the title song purveys an ominous feel over a driving bassline and various sound effects, and “Trick” rides a pounding tom-tom flourish to yield an almost tribal-dance like effect, leavened by light as air “who-hoo” hooks.  As each song moves by, linked by mood and sound to the others, the album works best when listened to as a whole. All in all, this may be Beck’s best album since the aforementioned Sea Change.

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BAND OF SKULLS — “BABY DARLING DOLL FACE HONEY”

BAND OF SKULLS — “BABY DARLING DOLL FACE HONEY”
By Rick Zeigler

The debut album by this UK trio is a wonderful roller-coaster ride, which contains boozy, bluesy hard-rock stomps as well as pastoral folk offerings. The band pulls both styles off with equal aplomb, greatly enabled by the dual vocals of Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson. “Light Of The Morning” kicks things off with blues-drenched power chords and a strutting melody. “Death By Diamonds And Pearls” is a powerful hard-rocker with a great fuzzed-out guitar solo. “I Know What I Am” has the two vocalists trading off licks, and then combining their lungpower for a tour-de-force chorus. As the album progresses, the band begins to incorporate more of their folkier leanings. After their power-chord laden crunchers, to encounter a song with just female vocals and an acoustic guitar (“”Honest”) is a wonderful change-up, reminding this listener of Black Sabbath’s (and Black Mountain’s) more acoustic moments. And as the album progresses, the power chord and folk strands begin to be increasingly interwoven (“Patterns,” “Dull Gold Heart,” “Cold Fame”) to great effect. Make no mistake, however, this band loves its hard-charging rockers, and they are never far away, even when accompanied by the dreamiest of melodies (“Impossible”). Further, Marsden’s guitar work shows plenty of flash but no indulgence, as when he rips off psychedelic solos both slow and fast (“Blood”). All in all, a fantastic debut. 

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