The Grateful Dead / Europe '72 Vol. 2 (2011)

This sequel to the Dead’s triple-live long player Europe ‘72 is another chapter in the GD saga, and another commercial release of treasured vault material from a band with enough vault material to keep the CDs rolling out for at least another 50 years. If you’re not a bootleg collector, then this release (especially when taken after digesting the aforementioned predecessor) is a good cross-section of the Dead’s set first overseas tour. While the sound quality is excellent and the sequencing is even good, I prefer to listen to the 'original' Europe '72 for reasons I feel hard pressed to explain. Admittedly, I once had an embarrassingly large collection of Dead tapes so none of this material is new on me. I guess over the years, so many vault releases down the road, I've moved on from the knee-jerk reaction of, "wow, this sounds great compared to my supposed 2nd gen copy!" When I turn on a CD like this, I just hear a good quality rip of some shows that I've long been familiar with on tapes. So please don't be put off by my lukewarm reception, because the Dead were always better in 1972 and this is no exception. In fact, if you're totally new to the Dead, then I recommend you start here because the tracks represent what they did best: country, blues, and mind bending instrumental psychedelia. You don’t have to be a Deadhead to enjoy the record, either, it should appeal to a wide audience, at least a wide audience of classic rock listeners. None of these tracks appear on the predecessor, and all of them are welcome additions to the document. Notably, a '72 “Dark Star” finally sees the light of day. Gems from the first the first disc showcase the band’s transition into the short-song format introduced in 1971, cuts that demonstrate the band’s willingness to shed the ‘inaccessible’ label while proving that they hadn’t lost their any of their improvisational prowess. Also included are two Pigpen tunes, “Chinatown Shuffle” and “Next Time You See Me,” as well as a handful of other live staples. Pig's numbers were always my favorites, and 1972 was his last tour. Before I get too nostalgic, take a look at that cover. See? Ice cream kid is back! 

Joe Lovano Nonet / On This Day... Live at the Vanguard (2003)

I was blown away because the sound of Lovano's nonet is HUGE! You feel the energy like you're right there in the club. It's the only band I’ve ever heard that can outstrip Mingus Big Band in terms of drive, presence or versatility. The all-star lineup nails taut grooves like Lovano’s opener "At the Vanguard" just as easily as they work the softer side of classic ballads like "Laura" or “After the Rain.” The latter is a tasteful and well executed cover of Coltrane’s moody, noir classic. It uniquely captures all the longing and patiently developed beauty of the original, never echoing Coltrane’s interpretation too closely. Moving to a tune that Coltrane himself once covered, the band shifts gears with Tadd Dameron’s “Good Bait” in a dangerously crowded and hard swinging arrangement that gets the crowd roaring. In the middle, there’s a jumping solo from baritone Scott Robinson that recalls the work of Gerry Mulligan but goes a few steps farther in its wild inventiveness. The mark of a masterful improviser is that if you listen to the same solo repeatedly, its spontaneity and spark will hold up each time, and it will still surprise you. Soloing on this disc fits that bill. Everyone shines, and it seems they all get a turn, too, punctuated by loud and brassy figures blown by the whole group. Lovano is in top form, and so is alto Steve Slagle. Somewhat hidden by the impressive reeds and brass, the rhythm section of John Hicks and Lewis Nash offer the record’s hidden treasure. Nash’s endlessly creative fills and sharp interjections of percussive voice prod the arrangements with stimulating energy, while Hicks interplays with soloists and comps reflectively on the piano. The album is in regular rotation at my house, sometimes two or three times in a row. Thanks, Joe.

10,000 Maniacs / MTV Unplugged (1993)

I first heard 10,000 Maniacs when I was young and a new kid named Dane moved in down the block. His parents were younger than mine and instead of having record collections laden with albums by the Beatles and Stones, they had a closet filled with cassette tapes of newer, different music that I had never heard. One afternoon we walked in the house and his mom was listening to the recently recorded 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged. The song was "Hey Jack Kerouac" and I was hooked. Dane made fun of me for complementing his mom's wimpy acoustic music, although neither of us had any idea who Jack Kerouac was.

The Maniacs' studio output is superb, but the Unplugged set does a fine job of capturing the group's grown-up essence on disc. Some of what they do here, mostly the cuts from Our Time in Eden, are not a whole lot different than their studio counterparts. But other arrangements are a major departure from the jangly, danceable college rock we're all familiar with. I think it's a change which works well, and one which reflects the mature polish of band's final studio album. A dark mood pervades the disc that is better suited to expressing the songs' lyrical content. The occasion has a heavy atmosphere, inspiring a bittersweet feeling somewhere between a graduation and a funeral. That inertia could stem from Merchant's impending departure, marking an end to the band and the era. Either way, the theme of farewell is underscored by a solemn but joyful delivery, as well as the audience's gratuitous appreciation between tracks which seems to say thank you and goodbye all at once.

The group is supported by a modest orchestra of vocalists, strings, and winds, plus the mandolin, pipe organ, and slide guitar. This diverse ensemble is arranged with a nod to sparse utility, never overpowering Merchant's vocals or overpowering the songs themselves. Sophisticated contours of the Maniacs' trademark folk-pop hybrid are brought to the fore and the best qualities of the songwriting - interplay between melody and lyrics, vocalist and instrumentation - are laid before listeners with stark new contrasts of impact and subtlety. Each song has different instrumentation so listening to the whole album is very engaging and never monotonous. Songs like "Hey Jack Kerouac" and "Because the Night" are rendered with fresh enthusiasm and a rich new aural textures. "Eat for Two" is finally given a musical treatment that is appropriate for its lyrics. The performances are patient and relaxed, allowing the music plenty of space to bloom. For a recording of a taped television appearance, the audio quality is surprisingly good, too. 

For writing on other Maniacal topics, I recommend Don Ignacio's 10,000 Maniacs page.
To purchase this album on the format of your choice, try hitting up a seller at Discogs.com