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Eric Sorensen:
July, 2001
Further
Observations from a Jangly Music Fan
This may seem like an odd way to open a column about jangly
music, but those who recognize Marshall Crenshaw’s contribution
to pop music (jangly and otherwise) will appreciate this mention
that Marshall opened his solo acoustic show at the Birchmere
with a rousing version of the MC5 60s hit “Kick Out The
Jams!” Marshall is fond of his Detroit roots; during
a previous engagement at the Birchmere, he treated the audience
to a full-band electric version of “Journey To The Center
Of The Mind.” Keep those covers coming, Mr. Crenshaw!
I am happy to report that Washington, D.C.’s very amicable
ambassadors of jangly folk-rock, Pete and Maura Kennedy (who
have four previous studio albums), are enjoying a great deal
of sales success and are going to press several thousand more
copies of their live album, Positively Live! (released on
their own label). For those who haven’t yet discovered
the Kennedys’ infectious brand of coffeehouse pop, I
encourage you to visit their website - www.Kennedysmusic.com
My jangle-guitarist friend in Germany, Horst-Peter Schmidt,
reports that there is an excellent new book about the Byrds,
Byrd members and the late 60s/early 70s country/rock scene
that is entitled “Here Tonight.” The book (note,
it is published in German) is available through www.starclustermusic.com.
Indie releases from some of my favorite indie catalog sources
are worthy of mention this month. Pop Rules!!! Is Jeremy Morris’
(AKA Jeremy) latest release, and it is his best work to date.
Twelve-string riffs in the style of the Byrds, the Beatles,
the Searchers and the Who abound on this twenty-track disc.
It can be ordered through www.jamrecords.com.
The pseudo-60s/power pop band, the Shags (who sound quite
a bit like the Knack), have released an excellent CD-EP Via
Satellite; the disc is available exclusively through Kool
Kat Records at kkatmusic@aol.com.
Ray Paul and Permanent Press Records have released a winner
with the William Pears’ sophomore disc, Big Bang! Many
of the melodic songs are either jangly or strummy; “Good
Old Sun” and the chiming “Oh No” are standout
tunes.
Another cool indie label, Paisley Pop Records, has released
a limited edition pressing of Bobby Sutliff material, entitled
All Sorts. Sutliff, who teamed with Tim Lee in one of the
80s most popular indie bands - the Windbreakers, shines on
the twelve tracks on this disc. Bobby showcases his new Danelectro
12-string guitar on many of the tracks - notably the Byrds-inspired
“Wild Mountain Thyme” and Bob Dylan’s “Series
Of Dreams.” This disc is available through www.paisleypop.com
The mastermind behind Paisley Pop Records, Jim Huie, sent
me a 1994 compilation, Popfest, which he was involved with.
Jim was the Executive Producer of the 18-song assortment,
and he knew that the jangly, strummy tunes (“Paperboy”
by the Salamanders and “Wheels Turn Slow” by Roy
Stein) would catch my attention.
After I discovered Jamie Rounds’ CD-EP on MP3 and mentioned
it in last month’s column, Jamie was kind enough to send
me a copy of his full-length disc, Ten Great Car Tunes.
Jamie has Nashville and Los Angeles credits in his resume
that include stints with the Steve Earle Band, Walter Egan
and John Fogerty’s touring band. Jamie’s songs have
been featured in movie, theatre and TV productions, and “A
Little Too Soon To Tell” was recently recorded by Graham
Nash and Charlie Gracie. Jamie is pictured on the disc with
a fireglow Rickenbacker 360/12-string guitar, and several
of the tunes feature a Byrdsian sound (“Shadow Of Love”
and “Tears Don’t Care”). The disc also features
a cool live acoustic version of the Jefferson Airplane’s
“Embryonic Journey” and a hidden track - a wonderful
harmony-drenched cover of the Beach Boys’ “Kiss
Me Baby.” Jamie’s work reminds me of Rickenbacker-totin’
Ted Holden’s early 90s solo/group efforts. You can learn
more about Jamie’s music (including two covers of Byrds
songs for a movie) by visiting his website at www.jamierounds.com
I owe further thanks to MP3 for exposing me to the work of
Paul Thornton and Les Fradkin. Thornton and Fradkin teamed
up in the early '70s as the Godz and opened for the likes
of Brewer & Shipley and Roger McGuinn; the Godzology anthology
of their material is superb. The disc opens with “I Know
My Rider” and it jangles throughout. The combination
of vocals and compressor-enhanced Rickenbacker riffs makes
much of their material sound a lot like 12-string guru Roger
McGuinn.
Do
you miss the sweet melodic jangle of the Gin Blossoms as much
as I do? Former lead singer Robin Wilson now fronts the band
the Gas Giants, and a recent side-project has yielded a terrific
Gin Blossoms-derivative album entitled The Poppin’ Wheelies.
Tommy Keene even lends a hand on one of the tracks - a remake
of Keenes’ “Places That Are Gone.” You can
find this nifty disc at www.cdbaby.com,
another excellent source of indie discs.
One
of my favorite pop artists, Walter Clevenger, has lent his
production hand to the debut disc by the Scarlet Crush, Worth
Waiting For. The disc features melodic pop/rock that is reminiscent
of Wanderlust, Crowded House and Colony. Favorite tracks include
“She’s The One,” “Something To Say,”
“Mother Theresa” and the chiming “The Truth
About You.” This album truly was worth waiting for …
but Walter, how about another helping of your own excellently-crafted
pop/rock?
As
a lifelong Byrds/Gene Clark fan, I was also delighted to learn
that Parasol Records will soon be releasing a Velvet Crush
collection of rarities and non-LP singles, A Single Odessey,
which will include VC’s version of Gene Clark’s
“Elevator Operator.” I can’t wait to hear their
cover of this 1967 classic!
Speaking
of the Velvet Crush, Australia’s Pyramidiacs are back
with one heck of a new album, entitled Nobody’s Fools.
The talented Michael Carpenter joins the band on this album,
and several tracks (“You And Your Sister,” “Bye
Bye” and “Afterthought”) sound quite a bit
like the Velvet Crush and their Brit cousins, Teenage Fanclub.
The Rickenbackers on this album are mostly crunchy (like the
Kwyet Kings), but they chime on the aforementioned tracks.
I had the recent good fortune to interview pop virtuoso David
Grahame and to receive each of his new discs - One Brick Short
and The Power Station Sessions 1982-1986. The interview
and reviews of each of
these superb discs appear in the latest update to the website.
To acquire a copy of either of these discs or David’s
previously released material, contact Dog Turner Records at
cut1ie@aol.com.
There
are plenty of other discs in my “to be played” stack.
I think I’ll save them for discussion in next month’s
column. Until then, jangle on! __________________________________________________
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