Charlie Parr Louisiana Red Crack the Sky Butch Thompson & Pat
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the highly successful Aqualung album better. Parr’s “tours” consist of sleeping The 19 tracks range from Blind Blake’s with the progressive rock classic, Thick in highway rest stops, cooking meals on “Poker Woman” to James P. Johnson’s As A Brick. It was written as a spoof his mini-van’s exhaust manifold, and “You Can’t Lose A Broken Heart,” sev- in response to the critical reception playing his music each night with serious eral Carr classics, and a variety of tunes of Aqualung, which was proclaimed passion. Talk about commitment. by Thompson’s mentor, Little Brother a concept album (it was not), and a He employs a wood-bodied National Crack the Sky Montgomery. parody of prog rock bands like Yes and resonator, a Fraulini 12-string guitar Ostrich Donohue plays like he has Southern Genesis. And Thick As A Brick remains made by Todd Cambio, and a Kevin Aluminum Cat Recordings soil under his fingernails, despite the fact the only album in history to reach #1 Enoch fretless banjo. The album was Crack the Sky never gives up. Their that he hails from St. Paul, Minnesota. on the Billboard charts containing only cut live to tape with no tracking, Parr music is by turns funky, industrial, His fingerpicking interweaves with the one song. playing in a trio with Mikkel Beckmen crunchy, and occasionally just weird. And piano lines, offering counterpoint and At 43 minutes, the album centers on washboard and Dave Hundreiser on their lyrics are cynical, biting, goofy, and syncopation. He plays a masterful slide, on a poem by a fictional eight-year- harmonica. And they used all first or guaranteed to make you smile – or cringe evoking the era in his tone and stylings. old boy named Gerald Bostock whose second takes. on occasion when you disagree with The result is a set of soulful blues and parents lied about his age. The album The album opens with “Jimmy Bell,” some of chief songwriter John Palumbo’s rollicking jazz tunes. uses newspaper articles continuing the a lengthy, rousing foot-stomper. He fin- observations. “If I Had You” is a standout, blending story, phony local journalism, and self- gerpicks the ethereal folk song “Badger” Going all the way back to their brilliant Thompson’s clarinet with Donohue’s deprecating humor about the band. This on his National while “Rattlesnake” is debut record in 1975, the band has had a fingerpicking. The duo’s original, “That elaborate prog-rock parody, complete a charging slide jam. “Jesus Is A Hobo” way to make guitars sound different and D Strain,” is a romp, highlighted by hot with acoustic and electric instruments, features Emily Parr adding harmony downright cool. Guitarists Palumbo, jazz guitar riffs. time-signature changes and tempo vocals. Rick Witkowski, and Bobby Hird make it Donohue employees a National shifts, is an amazing piece of music in its Barnswallow feels both timeless and funky on “The Box” and “Happy Happy Resophonic Style O and his own Martin own right. It’s a masterful concoction of out of time. It’s the sound of a modern- Happy.” The occasional jazz chord mixes OM-30DB Signature Model, both offer- epic rock, jazz, folk, and classical influ- day country blues troubadour living as with ninth chords that would have made ing a fine blend of vintage sound and ences, as well as surreal British humor. he sees fit and singing as he lives. – MD Jimmy Nolen smile. The latter song also modern-day clarity. Who says they don’t To celebrate the 40th anniversary of features a solo that is the perfect mix of build them like they used to? – MD the album, EMI has released a CD and inside and outside playing, gracefully DVD version of the album enclosed in darting in and out of the punchy horns. a hardback book in newspaper form. Two of the soloists trade licks on “Your The CD contains a remix by producer/ House Is On Fire” before they meld into guitarist Steven Wilson, while the DVD one harmonized solo. That song, like offers three mixes, including one in Louisiana Red several on this album, evolves into a feel surround sound, and the original mix. When My Mama Was Living that can only be called industrialized John Hartford It also comes with a 100-page book Labor Records funk. It’s not something new for the Aero-Plain/Morning Bugle: The with the original newspaper material, Bluesman Louisiana Red passed away band. That first record, almost 40 years Complete Warner Bros. Collection interviews, an article by Dom Lawson, in February 2012. His sudden departure old now, had a great song called “She’s Real Gone Music tour mementos, and lots of wacky band at 79 left a legacy of great recordings A Dancer” that ended with what can Glory be! It’s about time John Hart- photos. and a legend that loomed large. He best be described as a funky freakout, as ford’s 1971 masterpiece Aereo-Plain is Martin Barre plays guitar like an was the archetype wayfaring bluesman if it had been programmed by musical re-released. And Real Gone has done it expert throughout, allowing his skill with a voice that conveyed a tough and robots. That feel is apparent on parts of right, adding outtakes and his follow- and craft on the instrument to act as a troubled life, along with a wicked slide this record too. up album, 1972’s Morning Bugle, to the conduit for Anderson’s inspired concepts and harmonica playing style. Red earned Other guitar highlights include package. and ideas. It’s a picaresque journey with 14 nominations and two awards from the “Holding My Breath” with its stunning Hartford may be best known as the twists and turns and dazzling imagery. Memphis Blues Foundation plus a W.C. rock sound, the spooky Middle Eastern- double-Grammy-winning composer Amazingly, Anderson was 25 when he Handy Award in 1983. He was a highly flavored soloing on “Under The Hood,” of 1967’s “Gentle On My Mind,” which wrote Thick As A Brick, and 40 years later respected performer who recorded for and the West Coast sound of “Pole Danc- Glen Campbell, Elvis, and Dean Martin it stands the test of time. – OJ a handful of labels including Checkers, ing In Hollywood.” all sang to the top. But as the ’60s turned Earwig, Roulette, Bluestown, Ruf, and Any time this band makes an appear- into the ’70s, Hartford’s sense of humor 1972’s Louisiana Red Sings the Blues for ance, it’s worth listening to, but Ostrich took charge and he combined his love Atco. His regional R&B hits include “I’m might be their best effort since their ’70s of bluegrass with a wry wit. After four Too Poor To Die” and “Red’s Dream” classics. – JH albums with RCA, he moved to Warner from the early ’60s. Bros. and was offered free rein to let loose. When My Mama Was Living features Aereo-Plain was an all-round tour de Charlie Parr unreleased sessions from the ’70s with force. Hartford’s prodigious banjo pick- Barnswallow a little help from Peg Leg Sam and Lefty ing was backed by a stellar band roster Self-distributed Dizz. Red feels every note and shares that’s still downright unbelievable 40 Charlie Parr’s blues are the real deal. the raw pain of a troubled existence years on: Tut Taylor on Dobro, Vassar It’s like the difference between acid- through eight originals, while adding Butch Thompson Clements on fiddle, Norman Blake on washed, stone-tumbled blue jeans and his own unique thumbprint to songs & Pat Donohue guitar and mandolin, and Earl Scruggs’ the Levis you wore in yourself doing by Fred McDowell, Gary Davis, Kent Vicksburg Blues son, Randy, on bass. Amazing. honest-to-goodness chores. There’s no Cooper, and Slim Harpo. The 16 tracks Red House Hartford’s song are rooted in tradi- attempt here to sound retro, no revival- are full of the cold, grim, and dark Here’s a glorious step back in time. tional music but touched by his quirk. He ist “save the blues” mentality. These are subject matter that hardcore blues fans Pianist/clarinetist Butch Thompson and blended old and new to create something lived-in, slept-in blues. worship. It’s jam-packed with earnest, guitarman Pat Donohue pay homage unique: color him as the Cheap Suit Parr hails from the Spam capital of downhome shouts, growls, and howls to the olden-day blues duos like Leroy Serenaders of bluegrass. The result was a the world, Austin, Minnesota, where that can only come from someone who Carr and Scrapper Blackwell. With cult following for this long out-of-print, he grew up sans TV but with his dad’s has lived the life. The exceptions are stellar musicianship, warm sound, and hard-to-find classic. record collection that included Charley moving performances of “King Bee,” beautiful recording quality, this is a small The album is book-ended by “Turn Patton, Woody Guthrie, and Leadbelly. “Got A Girl With A Dog Won’t Bark,” masterpiece. Your Radio On,” a glorious evocation of Said dad thoughtfully traded a perfectly and “Little Suzie Jane” where Red takes The two are “Prairie Home Com- old-time gospel and the wonders of the fine Johnson 9-horsepower outboard a lighter approach. panion” radio regulars. Donohue has air waves arriving from afar. The song motor for a guitar to provide his son These are the kinds of blues you listen one Grammy to his name and is a Na- sets the tone for all that follows.