SoundBard » The Band

The SoundBard’s Top 25 Albums of 2013

Mike Mettler — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 16:05:25 +0000

Radio Free, You’re Up: Sid and Susie (a.k.a. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs) oh-so-magically dial in the ’80s at #23. Photo by Drew Reynolds.

BY MIKE METTLER

Damn the naysayers — I say the album format lives! With that vital declaration out of the way, it’s high time to cite the records that caught hold of my expert ear over the past 12 months — the full-length discs and/or LPs I consider most worthy of purchase, hi-res download, and/or dropping the needle on! Here, in reverse order, are my favorite 25 albums of 2013. Happy spinning!

This Is His Time: Willie Nile gets it in gear and cruises into sweet #16.

Light in the Darkest Corner: Cy Curnin (NOT pictured above!) sinks his teeth into #11.

Illumination Theorists: Dream Theater go forth and immersify, embracing the circle at #7.

The Holy Levitator: Surround-sound guru Steven Wilson easily soared to #1. Photo by Naki.

25. Jim James: Regions of Light and Sound of God. Mind-/soul-/ear-expanding. Amen, J-man.

24. Kings of Leon: Mechanical Bull. Cojones-shaking rawk.

23. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs: Under the Covers, Vol. 3. Sid and Susie give the ’80s a deep, loving soul kiss. Read my interview with Sid and Susie here.

22. The Rides: Can’t Get Enough. Super Session, Millennial Style: Stephen Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Barry Goldberg burn on down the crossroads.

21. Ed Kowalczyk: The Flood and the Mercy. Ex-Live frontman does what he does best — and he does it more earnest, more intense, and more direct than ever.

20. Bob Dylan: Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) — The Bootleg Series Vol. 10. When Bob painted a better masterpiece, on wax canvas.

19. Billy Talbot Band: On the Road to Spearfish. Crazy Horse bassman jams on, casting his lifeline ever deeper.

18. Devon Allman: Turquoise. Son of Gregg churns out heaps of hot blues, rock, and soul chops for days.

17. Richard X. Heyman: X. Underground roots rockin’ cauldron of pure pop perfection. D’oh boy! Read my interview with RXH here.

16. Willie Nile: American Ride. Supersongwriter drives hard ’n true right outta the garage.

15. Eric Clapton: Old Sock. The ax-master at work and at play, and best heard on 180-gram vinyl.

14. Atoms for Peace: Amok. Thom Yorke and friends continue pushing soundscape boundaries.

13. The Flaming Lips: The Terror. Underrated, unwavering exploration of strange and raw emotional chords.

12. Nektar: Time Machine. Unsung ’70s prog veterans keep on ticking forward.

11. Cy Curnin: The Horse’s Mouth. Always prescient Fixx-man spreads his wings and reaps sweet aural karma, Mama.

10. Boston: Life, Love & Hope. Smokin’ guitar and heavenly harmonies as only Tom Scholz can do.

9. Levin Minnemann Rudess: Levin Minnemann Rudess. Push-pull beyond-prog experimentation of the highest order.

8. John Fogerty: Wrote a Song for Everyone. As long as JCF can see the light beyond the Mystic Highway, our ears remain eternally blessed by his songwriting acumen. Best shared moments come with Kid Rock, Bob Seger, and My Morning Jacket.

7. Dream Theater: Dream Theater. Continually adventurous post-prog-metal giants hit new benchmark, best experienced via Richard Chycki’s expansive 5.1 surround-sound mix.

6. Rush: Clockwork Angels Tour. Power-prog trio at their live peak; hearing (and seeing) them do “Manhattan Project,” one of my all-time favorite Rush tracks, with a live string section is a continual treasure. “Imagine a time when it all began…”

5. Sound City: Real to Reel Soundtrack. Dave Grohl’s auditory love letter to an amazing recording studio, with ace collaborations galore.

4. The Band: Live at the Academy of Music 1971. Standard-setting live act carries the weight of an epic residency. If you want to be a beyond-great live band, listen and learn.

3. Steve Hackett: Genesis Revisited – Live at Hammersmith. Ace prog guitarist dances on the volcano of his stellar ’70s legacy and proffers many musical boxfuls of rewarding, top-drawer rearrangements.

2. Tedeschi Trucks Band: Made Up Mind. A supreme blend of improv interplay prowess and gutbucket roots rock, best interwoven on vinyl.

1. Steven Wilson: The Raven That Refused to Sing (and Other Stories). Wholly original, envelope-pushing, mind-blowing, mind-expanding music realized to perfection in the 96/24 LPCM Blu-ray 5.1 mix. The breadth and scope of Raven represent Steven Wilson at the height of his creative powers, where surround-sound music and mixing has reached a heretofore unheard aural apex. My full album evaluation is posted here in High Resolution Reviews.

Rock of Ages: The Band’s Robbie Robertson on Finding the Balance in Live Mixing and Playing With Bob Dylan

Mike Mettler — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 20:04:12 +0000

BY MIKE METTLER

“Everybody loved it — except me. I was so not satisfied with it. It was my fault.” That’s Robbie Robertson, telling it like it is back in August about the original mix of The Band’s acclaimed 1972 double live album, Rock of Ages (Capitol). It only took 40-plus years for Robertson to get his wish to remix — and expand — that music to his satisfaction by culling the best performances of The Band’s 4-night stand at New York’s Academy of Music on December 28-31, 1971 for a stellar five-disc box set, Live at the Academy of Music 1971 — The Rock of Ages Concerts (Capitol/UMe). Audiophiles take note: Disc 5, a DVD, is mixed in surround sound by Bob Clearmountain under Robertson’s supervision, and it gives the proper dimensionality to an important live recording that’s simply been, well, inferior for decades.

Photo by John Scheele

Robertson told me he and Clearmountain finally got what he was looking for with the mix they did for “Rockin’ Chair” (Disc 2, Track 6), which was culled from the Wednesday, December 29 set. It all came down to a matter of balance. “Not only balance in terms of accurately hearing how the music was performed,” he explains, “but in getting it to work musically as well. On that song, Richard [Manuel] is singing the lead on the verses, and then he goes up and sings a high harmony on the chorus while Levon [Helm] take over the lead. It was a very delicate balance to get it right so you can hear all of those subtleties that Garth [Hudson] is playing, and the way that the horns and Garth’s organ are weaving together. I can now hear the harmonies nice and clear. And the way that [Helm’s] kick drum and [Rick Danko’s] bass rub together on this track is just perfect.”

Photo by Ernst Hess

The complete New Year’s Eve show appears via a soundboard mix on Discs 3 and 4, the transfer supervised by Robbie’s son, Sebastian Robertson. That night’s special guest was none other than Bob Dylan. If you listen closely, right before “Like a Rolling Stone” (Disc 2, Track 16) starts, Bob asks, “We haven’t played this in, how many years, 6 years?” and then somebody else chimes in jokingly with, “16 years.” I asked Robertson who said that. “I think it was Rick [Danko],” he replied, chuckling at the recollection.

Playing with Dylan has its own unique charm. “We didn’t have time to rehearse with Bob,” admits Robertson, “but we played so much together over the years, I thought, ‘Yeah, we’ll wing it.’ When Bob came out, we didn’t even know what songs we’d do. We were figuring it out on the spot, and I can hear it in the music. But that’s part of the great fun of it all. It’s loose, and spontaneous, and as real as it gets.” And that’s how you repaint a masterpiece.

I also asked Robbie what the first album he bought was and the album he keeps going back to for repeat listening, and you can find his choices over in The Soundtrack of Our Lives.

The Band’s Robbie Robertson on Here’s Little Richard and New Orleans: Home of the Blues

Mike Mettler — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 20:01:35 +0000

MIKE METTLER: What was the first record you ever bought?
ROBBIE ROBERTSON: The first record I ever bought with my own money was Here’s Little Richard [released March 1957, on Specialty Records]. I was addicted to his song “Rip It Up.” It was the most amazing shuffle. It still is, to this day.

METTLER: Do you still have it?
ROBERTSON: No, I don’t. I wore it out. [chuckles]

METTLER: Is there one record you’d consider your favorite, the one you keep going back to?
ROBERTSON: Well, there was a favorite of mine back then called New Orleans: Home of the Blues [1961, on the Minit label]. And it was a variety of New Orleans artists, like Jesse Hill doing “Ooh Poo Pah Doo.” I was also a big fan of Huey “Piano” Smith and His Clowns back then. When I got this record, it took me inside New Orleans music in a whole new way. I became a tremendous admirer of this music that rolled around out there, and have been ever since.

METTLER: I can hear some of those touches on The Band’s Live at the Academy of Music 1971 box set, thanks to the horn section and Allen Toussaint’s spot-on horn arrangements. In fact, I can feel a New Orleans fingerprint all throughout this live collection.
ROBERTSON: When we were making this record, Dr. John was in the audience. Bobby Charles was there too. And with Allen Toussaint with us onstage, there was a lot of New Orleans in the air.

For Robertson’s take on the better mixes found on The Band’s Live at the Academy of Music 1971 box set, go to The S&V Interview.