Eldon Whitford, David self-proclaimed "world fusion" Vinopal  Dan Erlewine band do more than simply Cibson 's Fabulous throw together players and in- Flat-Top Guitars struments from East and West. Gibson acoustics rarely re- *Jawbox, For Your Own Spe- Salif Keita. They rebuild at the sub-molec- ceive the attention they deserve rla1 Sweetheart, Atlantic: Take *Fa&, Harley & Kramer, Ego- ular level, pureeing the varied by collectors, but this book ang Of Four's harsh textures mantacs, Shimmy-Disc [Box melodic, rhythmic, and har- should change that. Starting with d objectified structures, fil- 1187, New York, MY 101161; Acid- monic idioms into tuneful, Gibson's Depression-era L-series indie "supergroup" blends fey somewhat new-agey composi- guitars and continuing through Syd Barrett/ tions. Leader Matthew Montfort the company's current custom and ensemble Nick Drake conjures lovely Asian zither-like models, the book details the de- 1 fragility with inflections with a scalloped- velopment of almost every Gib- son flat-top ever produced. buoyant, swirl- fretboard guitar. The photos of players with *Lotion, Full Isaac, Spin Art their Gibsons show that these [Box 1798, New Vork, NV 10156- guitars have been many musi- 1798): Grease me up, Scotty! As cians' instruments of choice. If produced by Kurt Ralske, Ultra les. A rainbow of you own a Gibson acoustic or 1 c- Vivid Scene's medium-fi neo- are thinking of getting one, this trippy period psychedelic brainiac, Lotion I book is an indispensable guide tones cut with a oozes buckets of groovy, play- to some of America's underrat- dash of '90s noise. fully off-kilter tones. ed treasures. GPI Books. ÑC *Duane Jarvis, DJ.'s Front *Ricardo Iznaola, Virtuoso Dan Erlewine - Porch, Medium Cool (254.1 Nicol- Romantic Music, IGW (Box Guitar Player Repair Guide, precision of Helmet, add fresh let Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 462072, Aurora, CO 800461: Even 2nd Edition harmonic ideas and unconven- 55404): While Jarvis, a veteran casual classical listeners will onal tones, and you'll proba- Dan's updated bible features of the Divinyls, Odds, and have heard these virtuosic 1y have something like this over 100 additional pages, with Michelle Shocked's band, Chopin, Liszt, and Ravel war- expanded coverage of fretting, overpowering, cliche-free doesn't quite attain the dizzy horses-but probably never on acoustic repairs, and factory set- ouch-rock. altitudes of the Gram Parsons/ guitar. The Cuban-born Col- ups for Fender, Gibson, and Mar- *Leni Stem, Like One, Lip- Clarence White-era Byrds, his oradan has both the guts to cre- tin. Also new are a ten-step Strat (Vogelsangerstrasse 193, strong songs and solid playing ate solo guitar transcriptionsof tweak, more pro stuff (including Koln, Germany): Stern's are a welcome echo of that ex- devilishly difficult piano reper- the tech specs on the guitars of k-free solos always seem to alted era. Winning and unpre- toire and the skill to pull them Stevie Ray, Jeff Beck, Albert ow organically from her har- tentious. off successfully, not to mention Collins, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, onically imaginative tunes. A *Joshua Breakstone Quartet, his own virtuosic, neo-Roman- and John Mooney), a larger fin- se study in the interactive ishing section, and tons of photos Walk Don't Run, Evidence (1100 tic Ten Concert Etudes. roperties of composition and and diagrams. You'll find a com- E. Hector St., Ste- 392, Con- *Ron Jackson, A Guitar improvisation, arts Leni prac- plete listing of tools, vintage deal- shohocken, PA 19428): Perverse Thing, Muse [I60 W. 71st St., ers, luthier schools, books, and ces with remarkable original- or what') Breakstone, a model New York, NY t00231: Go Wes, organizations. There's even a ~y and understatement. of jazz guitar taste and re- young man! An impressive de- transcription of ''Walkin' Blues" in *Ournou Sangare, KO Sira, straint, records a set of tunes but from yet another twenty- World Circuif (disk by Rounder, case you get the urge to snap a associated with the Ventures. something guitarist bent on re- string or two while waiting for the 1 Camp St., Cambridge, MA But Joshua and Nokie share lit- viving Montgomery's muse. metal-flake to dry on that old 1401: Sublime Malian vocalist tle besides their songbook-no Jackson offers a further tip of D'Angelico. $22.95 from GPI ngare spins her heartbreak- twang here, just elegant, Grant the thumb with cool originals Books. -AT ingly beautiful melodies over Green-influenced soloing, but in the 01' Indianapolis vein. 'iterlocking webs of guitar, with a rounder, more pillowy *Badbkas, Babkas, Songlines lecfric bass, and indigenous tone. Lovely neo-retro stuff. [Box 421, 810 W. Broadway, [ringed instruments. Checks in -Ancient Future, Asian Fu- Vancouver, B.C., Canada): If Legends On Video amewhere between tradition- sion, Narada Equinox (1845 N. there really is such a thing as 1 Malian music and the sleek Newly formed Vestapol Films Farwell Ave., Milwaukee, Wl rock-bop phrasing, Babkas gui- makes a fabulously auspicious iternational stylings of, say, 53202): Northern California's tarist Brad Schoeppach's got it. debut with three hour-longvideos

116 GUITAR PLAYER April 1994