The classic rock “supergroup” Black Country Communion was always destined to break bigger in the U.K. and across Europe than in the United States – less trend-mongering, more respect for music traditions, and so on – but that hasn’t stopped the band from steamrolling itself to notoriety and a modicum of stateside success. On the eve of the release of BCC’s Afterglow, their third studio effort in as many years, apparent discord had begun to surface as singer, songwriter, and bassist Glenn Hughes (Trapeze, Deep Purple) fretted publically over the future of the band in light of guitarist Joe Bonamassa’s crushing, never-ending solo roadwork. Hughes wants to be part of a touring band like ye olde Purple and other monsters of the ‘70s, while Bonamassa is satisfied with a few BCC side dates to compliment his busy schedule.
Black Country Communion’s Afterglow
Soap opera drama aside, it’s quite obvious from the eleven jams on Afterglow that something is amiss with the band’s world-beating sound. Don’t get me wrong – Hughes and Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham, and keyboardist Derek Sherinian, along with producer and unofficial “fifth man” Kevin “Caveman” Shirley, are still one of the biggest-sounding, blustery, and bad-ass outfits on the rock ‘n’ roll highway today. But Hughes shouldered the lion’s share of the songwriting chores for this go-around while Bonamassa was traveling, and it shows in the final product. While Hughes may be an accomplished and skilled wordsmith in his own right, what made BCC so special in the first place was the creative tension between Hughes’ hard rock, soul, and funk tendencies and Bonamassa’s blues-infused rock ‘n’ roll fretburning.
As a result, Afterglow finds the material a slight bit fatigued, down a notch, perhaps, from the first two ground-breaking, earth-shaking albums. Not that you could tell from the all-in, full-blast instrumental assault here, BCC still delivering hurricane-strength thrills and chills for the listener who appreciates 1970s-era Sturm und Drang. There’s always been an air of Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin in the BCC sound, mainly through Bonamassa’s wiry fretwork and Bonham’s propulsive percussion and Afterglow offers up plenty of the musical chemistry that made the outfit special in the first place, songs like “Big Train,” with its staccato rhythmic intro and subsequent fluid groove atop which Hughes’ vocals soar godlike astride Bonamassa’s subtle six-string flourishes and Sherinian’s underlying keyboards. “Confessor” neatly ties a bow on a the classic rock decade, evoking memories of Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Scorpions, and even a bit of former Hughes bandmate David Coverdale’s Whitesnake.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
The lone Bonamassa vocal here, on the growling, howling “Cry Freedom,” mixes up some taut, Joe Walsh-styled guitar-wrangling (more James Gang than solo) with a measure of six-string stomp ‘n’ stammer reminiscent of Dust Bowl, while the album-closing “Crawl” is a sly bit of Zeppelinesque blues-funk with larger-than-life instrumentation and an overall impact like a sledge hammer to your medulla oblongata. Overall, with Afterglow, Black Country Communion delivers almost everything you could want from the band on a silver platter. Considering their haste at music-making and the fractured pace of the individual members’ careers, however, maybe they should take 2013 off and come raging back in 2014 with new fire and commitment (and Joe, take a day off every now and then, will ya?!). Grade: B (J&R Adventures, released October 30, 2012)
Glenn Hughesis a contradiction – the talented singer, songwriter, and
musician remains a relatively obscure figure in America, in spite of his status
as a bona fide rock ‘n’ roll legend. Although you may not have heard of Hughes,
or maybe remember his name only vaguely, chances are that if you’re a fan of ye
olde “classic rock,” you’ve probably heard the “voice of rock” upon a time.
Hughes’ tenure with bands such as Trapeze, Deep Purple, and Black
Sabbath during the 1970s and ‘80s has long been the stuff of myth, while
collaborations with like-minded musicians like Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, singer Joe
Lynn Turner, and guitarist Pat Thrall have only added to his legacy. Throw in a
moderately successful solo career (especially in Europe) that has yielded almost
two-dozen recordings, and add Hughes’ role as an integral part of the classic
rock supergroup Black Country Communion, and the question becomes not “who is
Glenn Hughes” but, rather, “why haven’t you heard of Glenn Hughes?”
Glenn
Hughes: The Autobiography
With better than 40 years of rock ‘n’ roll
history behind him, Hughes has some stories to tell, and tell them he does in
Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography. Unlike similar celebrity rock bios that either
shovel mud on somebody else (Keith, I’m thinking of you) or mindlessly revel in
behavioral excesses (ahem, Mutley Crew…), the punches that Hughes throws are
almost exclusively thrown at himself. Glenn has been a bad boy through the
years, and the decades of soul-seeking and struggling with addiction he reveals
in these pages aren’t shared as thinly-veiled boasts but rather as cautionary
tales.
Although Hughes’ longtime struggle with cocaine is certainly
no secret to many in the industry, the extent to which it threatened to derail
his career is shocking in its extremity. That Hughes managed to come out the
other side of decades of abuse with his musical gifts and sense of humor intact
is not only amazing, but downright encouraging. Aside from the obvious sincerity
that shines from the pages of Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography, Hughes’
conversational style and the way he frames his story conveys a friendliness and
down-to-earth personality that the average reader can relate with. Personally,
I’ve spoken with Hughes on occasion, and have always been struck at the ease in
which he engages you…it’s like meeting an old friend on the street and coming
away thinking “what a hell of a guy!”
As for the dirt in Glenn
Hughes: The Autobiography, there’s little of it, really, although Hughes comes
embarrassingly clean on a number of high-profile sexual and romantic liaisons,
and offers the truth, from his perspective, of a number of high and low points
throughout his storied career, most of the self-professed lows involving drugs
of one sort or another. The bio begins with a brief overview of his childhood
and teen years, and touches upon his early musical efforts. Hughes’ first band
of note, the vastly-underrated Trapeze, is covered to some extent, leading up to
the unexpected break that would launch his career into the stratosphere – his
recruitment as a member of Deep Purple.
Joining Deep Purple
Joining
Deep Purple in 1973 was a huge advance for the young singer and bass player’s
career. Purple was already one of a handful of jet-setting, globe-spanning
superstar rock bands at the time, and Purple’s choice to bring in Hughes and
vocalist David Coverdale to replace Ian Gilliam and Roger Glover had the band’s
longtime fans wondering. Hughes contributed bass and vocals to three of the
band’s mid-to-late 1970s studio albums, and a handful of live discs, and he goes
into detail on his time with the band, his relationships with both old members
like Jon Lord and Ian Paice as well as newcomers like Coverdale and, later,
Tommy Bolin. For a Purple fan, Hughes’ memories of his time with the band –
positive and negative – provide priceless inside info.
After the
break-up of Deep Purple, Hughes would be involved with a number of various
projects, some more successful, creatively and/or commercially, than others.
There would be a short-lived Trapeze reunion, a pair of well-regarded albums
made with former Pat Travers guitarist Pat Thrall (Hughes/Thrall); an
unsatisfying collaboration with blues-rock guitarist Gary Moore; and a number of
projects with Tony Iommi, some better than others, that would culminate in the
ill-conceived Iommi solo work cum Black Sabbath album-in-name-only Seventh Star.
Some of these projects Hughes touches upon only fleetingly, others he offers
more detail, but often they are just presented as an interesting aspect of the
overall narrative flow.
Also only briefly addressed is Hughes’
seemingly secret career as a studio gun for hire. Although Hughes’ career is
indelibly marked by high-profile band memberships and musical collaborations, he
has also often lent his talents to a lengthy list of other artists’ recordings.
Among Hughes’ session credits are those one would expect – guest appearances on
albums by Purple alumni like Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Tommy Bolin – the not
entirely unexpected, such as singing with Pat Travers or Ken Hensley (Uriah
Heep), and the surprisingly diverse, including sessions with the KLF, Motley
Crue, Ryo Okumoto, and Quiet Riot, among many others. One gets the sense that
Hughes brought his unique voice to many of these sessions not for monetary gain
(although there probably was some) but rather because of the immense joy he has
in the music.
Play Me Out
Given short-shrift by Glenn
Hughes: The Autobiography is the artist’s lengthy and, at times, brilliant solo
career, which began in 1977 has since resulted in a number of solid albums of
Hughes’ trademark funk-infused rock ‘n’ soul music. Although Hughes touches upon
a few of the milestones of his solo work, including his 1977 debut Play Me Out,
he concentrates mostly on his post-sobriety recordings of the 21st century,
which include such gems as 2003’s Songs In the Key of Rock, 2005’s Soul Mover,
and 2006’s Music For the Divine.
A little more insight is provided
Hughes’ role in the formation of Black Country Communion with blues-rock
guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham, and keyboardist Derek Sherinian.
Hughes has seemingly found a new creative spark playing alongside these three
talented musicians, and the overwhelming European acceptance of the band’s
blues, rock, and soul hybrid sound has added another interesting chapter to
Hughes’ still-ongoing story. Two studio albums and a live CD and DVD into the
career of a band that’s only a couple of years old, only stateside dominance as
eluded Black Country Communion so far.
Glenn Hughes: The
Autobiography is constructed as a sort of oral history, with Hughes’
recollections punctuated by commentary from family (including his wife and
parents), friends like Rob Halford (Judas Priest) and Tom Morello, and former
bandmates like Coverdale, Thrall, and Iommi. Woven throughout Hughes’ tales of
famous musicians and various girlfriends, however, is that of his struggle in
the face of overwhelming addiction, including the self-deceit, the rationalized
relapses, and the final moment of clarity where Hughes heard the voice of God
(not literally, tho’ maybe…I’m not revealing any spoilers!) that led to his
current sobriety and obvious joy of life.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
Overall, Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography tells an amazing and
engaging story – that of the rock star brought down to earth and subsequently
resurrected to enjoy a second (third?) chapter of his career. One aspect of
the book seemingly overlooked by others who have reviewed it is the
perspective of the various people who have offered their comments on Hughes.
Without exception, they all seem genuinely relieved that Hughes has found
peace with himself, their comments displaying a fondness for the man and an
appreciation of his talents…for Glenn Hughes is living proof that a nice guy
can finish first… (Jawbone Press, published November 1st, 2011)
Review originally published by Blurt magazine, 2012
Talk about a wealth of choices, the month of September has it all – blues-rock (Walter Trout, Tommy Castro), indie rock (Mogwai, Ted Leo), hard rock (Living Colour, Foo Fighters), and classic reissues (Bash & Pop, Chris Bell, Frank Zappa & the Mothers) – as well as a fitting goodbye to an old friend with Gregg Allman's final album, and much, more more! There are five Fridays in September, meaning more new releases, so no matter your taste in music, there's something for you here. If we wrote about it, there'll be a link to it in the album title, if you want an album, hit the 'Buy!' link to get it from Amazon.com...it's just that damn easy! Your purchase puts money in the Reverend's pocket that he'll use to buy more music to write about in a never-ending loop of rock 'n' roll ecstasy!
SEPTEMBER 22 Black Country Communion - BCCIVBUY! Michael Bloomfield - Live at McCabe's Guitar WorkshopBUY! Flamin' Groovies - Fantastic PlasticBUY! The Killers - Wonderful WonderfulBUY! Lee 'Scratch' Perry & Subatomic Sound System - Super Ape Returns to ConquerBUY! Roadcase Royale - First Things First (w/Nancy Wilson of Heart) BUY! Leon Russell - On A Distant ShoreBUY! Brian Wilson - Playback: The Brian Wilson AnthologyBUY!
Album of the Month: Gregg Allman's Southern Blood, the final album from the rock 'n' blues legend. Produced by Don Was in historic Muscle Shoals, Alabama this is Allman's first studio album since 2011's award-winning Low Country Blues. The acclaimed vocalist chose to record some of his favorite songs for Southern Blood, including material by blues giant Willie Dixon, Lowell George (Little Feat), Jackson Browne, Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter (Grateful Dead), and the legendary songwriting team of Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn. We hate to see him go, but Allman left us a great gift in the form of one more album to cap off almost 50 years of great music!
