This Weeks Best Guitar Cds - Week of 12/28/2010

Image via WikipediaMotorhead - The World Is Yours (Classic Rock Magazine Edition)

  Ah...Motorhead. They seem to be tarred with same brush with which critics paint AC/DC,accusing them of releasing the same album over and over again. I think,perhaps,these critics aren't listening,for I find far more subtlety and nuance in their approach than critics would have you believe. Then again,Lemmy and the lads are clearly not doing this for any critical acclaim. This time around it's guitarist Philip Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee joining Mr. Kilmister in what is,I think,one of the better lineups in a band that has had several great players pass through the ranks. So...what,exactly,is a "Classic Rock Magazine" edition? It's a limited edition UK version that comes with  (you guessed it) a "special edition" of said magazine along with a poster and pin. Not a memorabilia collector? Have no fear,the regular domestic version comes out in late January.This year sees the bands 35 anniversary and Lemmy turns 65. That means they could keep going for another 20 years or this could be your last chance to see these guys. Don't miss it if they come anywhere near your town. Hey, Arizona folks,Motorhead will be stopping by the Marque Theater in Tempe on 03/10/2011,so don't miss it!


Plenty more Cd reviews below...

Hey,where's "This Weeks Best Guitar Cds" article?



Here's a recent photo of me with some of my collection.Clearly,I am not a well man.

  Something depressing happened this week. Not a single new Cd was released this week that I can get excited about. Sure there's some reissue vinyl that looks cool,but really,the point of doing this each week was to let everybody know about cool new guitar related stuff,not reissues. I own roughly 3000 Cds and about the same number in vinyl. The blog name Guitar Omnivore wasn't chosen lightly,I'm truly interested in all kinds of guitar music.The problem has always been finding enough money to afford the music,not the other way around. The "Weeks Best" will return next week,with new stuff from Mr. Big,among others.

   I'm going to use this as an excuse to highlight a few of my favorites from this year that predate the start of this blog.

Lucien Dubuis Trio and Marc Ribot - Ultimate Cosmos

   I've mentioned it before but Marc Ribot is arguably having the best year of his career to date. Here,he's in snarky avant-garde funk/rock mode.

Steve Tibbetts - Natural Causes
   Nobody,but nobody sounds like Steve Tibbetts. He has been described as a Zen-guitarist,and while that would sound pretentious and absurd on anybody else,for Tibbetts,that's just about right. This is his first album to focus on acoustic guitar in a long time and I believe it's his first time using acoustic piano. Brilliant,beautiful stuff.

 
Ralph Towner and Paolo Fresu - Chiaroscuro
  A solo album AND a new Oregon album in the same year? An embarrassment of riches for the Towner fan. Here,with Paolo Fresu,he is in the rarely heard guitar and trumpet duo format. Ethereal and elegant,as one would expect, but not your typical ECM fare.



The Nels Cline Singers - Initiate
 So,what guitarist also associated with the avant-garde is having year to rival Marc Ribot's? Nels Cline! If you're a Cline fan,chances are you've got this already. If you're a Wilco fan,looking for a place to jump in and check out his solo work,this is a good way to go. In case you're not in on the joke,the "singers" are an instrumental trio.




Related articles

• MR. BIG Frontman Eric Martin - "I Think We All Had Lost A Little Respect For Each Other" (bravewords.com)
• R.I.P. Captain Beefheart: get the stink onto your work (wklondon.typepad.com)
• Yuka Honda turning 50 -- Floored by Four w/ Mike Watt & her spouse Nels Cline playing 2nd gig ever, Cibo Matto show too (brooklynvegan.com)
• Marc Ribot Makes Classical Musician Case for Haitian Guitarist Frantz Casseus (spinner.com)
• Scott Amendola on Tour (avantmusicnews.com)

 

This Weeks Best Guitar Cds - Week of 12/14/2010

Image via WikipediaJefferson Airplane - Collectors Choice Live

  This week sees a treasure trove of early Jefferson Airplane issues from the Collectors Choice label. Could the members of Jefferson Airplane possibly have foreseen how apt the airplane in flight metaphor would be to their career? The titles of the Cd's are some what self explanatory. The Airplane put out a good,if not great, first album (Takes Off) with singer Signe Anderson. The first Cd is the farewell concert to Signe and is the first official live release from her time with the band. With Grace Slick's entrance into the band already long planned,the Airplane debuted with Slick the very next night. It's remarkable to hear how instant the change in chemistry was. Next up,we have a two disc set from November 25th and 27th of 1966 that is subtitled "We have Ignition". This set really shows how quickly the band was growing. The band has started to introduce material from Slick (White Rabbit) and soon to be released Surrealistic Pillow album. Last up in line is a two Cd set from 1968 that documents the Airplanes return to the Matrix club of their early days. These four releases are a real treat for fans of not just Jefferson Airplane,but guitarist Jorma Kaukonen. Dig in!










More Cd reviews below....

This Weeks Best Guitar Cds - Week of 12/07/2010

Image via WikipediaEric Johnson - Up Close

   EJ fans are used to having to wait years in between releases due to his perfectionist nature so it's no surprise it's been about five years since the last new album. Since it was close to nine years in between Venus Isle and Bloom, it would seem he's really picking up the pace! I,for one,wish he would loosen up a couple of notches and put out more of his music,even if it was less "perfect" than he would normally allow.  Luckily,this Cd is full of his usual high standard of playing. Although there are some of the unnecessary vocals he insists on including,the guitar is front and center through out.



More Cd reviews below...