Anarchy In The Music City! The Other Side of Nashville's Musical Pioneers

Since the early 1960s, Nashville has been known worldwide as the "Music City" for its robust country and gospel music industries. For over 40 years now, Nashville has also been home to a thriving hotbed of rock, blues, rap, and Americana music. "The Other Side of Nashville" has grown from a few makeshift bands playing original songs and scraping for gigs into an internationally-respected scene that has attracted creative immigrants from across the globe.

Anarchy In The Music City! is an oral history of the origins and evolution of Nashville's alternative music scene as told by the pioneers that made the music. Using artist interviews culled from the pages of Rev. Keith A. Gordon's critically-acclaimed book The Other Side of Nashville, this illustrated volume includes conversations with both well-known music-makers like Jason & the Scorchers, Webb Wilder, Tony Gerber, David Olney, and Chagall Guevara as well as regional cult rockers like Tommy Womack, the Dusters, Donna Frost, and Aashid Himons, among many others.  

The “Reverend of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Rev. Gordon has been writing about rock and blues music for 50 years. A former contributor to the All Music Guide books and website, and the former Blues Expert for About.com, Rev. Gordon has written or edited 25 previous music-related books and eBooks, including Blues Deluxe: The Joe Bonamassa Buying Guide, Planet of Sound, The Other Side of Nashville, and Scorched Earth: A Jason & the Scorchers Scrapbook.

Buy an autographed copy for $14.99 directly from the Reverend:

 

Prefer to buy from Amazon.com? Here's a link to the print version of Anarchy In The Music City! (also available as a Kindle eBook)

Anarchy In The Music City! The Other Side of Nashville's Musical Pioneers

Since the early 1960s, Nashville has been known worldwide as the "Music City" for its robust country and gospel music industries. For over 40 years now, Nashville has also been home to a thriving hotbed of rock, blues, rap, and Americana music. "The Other Side of Nashville" has grown from a few makeshift bands playing original songs and scraping for gigs into an internationally-respected scene that has attracted creative immigrants from across the globe.

Anarchy In The Music City! is an oral history of the origins and evolution of Nashville's alternative music scene as told by the pioneers that made the music. Using artist interviews culled from the pages of Rev. Keith A. Gordon's critically-acclaimed book The Other Side of Nashville, this illustrated volume includes conversations with both well-known music-makers like Jason & the Scorchers, Webb Wilder, Tony Gerber, David Olney, and Chagall Guevara as well as regional cult rockers like Tommy Womack, the Dusters, Donna Frost, and Aashid Himons, among many others.  

The “Reverend of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Rev. Gordon has been writing about rock and blues music for 50 years. A former contributor to the All Music Guide books and website, and the former Blues Expert for About.com, Rev. Gordon has written or edited 25 previous music-related books and eBooks, including Blues Deluxe: The Joe Bonamassa Buying Guide, Planet of Sound, The Other Side of Nashville, and Scorched Earth: A Jason & the Scorchers Scrapbook. 

Buy an autographed copy for $14.99 directly from the Reverend:

 

Prefer to buy from Amazon.com? Here's a link to the print version of Anarchy In The Music City! (also available as a Kindle eBook) 

CD Review: Landslide Records 40th Anniversary (2021)

It’s a tough road for any independent record label these days, which makes it all the more impressive when one beats the odds and makes a go of it in spite of the obstacles and trials inherent in recording and releasing music for a dwindling audience of record buyers. Landslide Records was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1981 by Matthew Rothschild at the urging of his friend Col. Bruce Hampton, who told him that “we would all be riding around in limousines.” Rothschild launched the label and released as his first title Outside Looking Out by Hampton and his band the Late Bronze Age. According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, positive early reviews raised expectations for the album which, Rothschild later confessed, “probably sold two copies in every state.”

Considering that Hampton was the evil genius behind the Hampton Grease Band, whose surreal 1971 experimental jazz-rock album Music To Eat was reportedly one of the worst-selling releases in the history of Columbia Records, Rothschild should have thought twice before taking his musician friend’s advice. Luckily, he forged right ahead with Landslide Records and, undaunted by the lack of success with Outside Looking Out, would move forward with a singular vision and great taste in music to make Landslide Records into the champion of American music. Four decades after their first album release, the label is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the release of a two-disc compilation featuring some of the best artists and music from across its storied history.  

Landslide Records 40th Anniversary

The first disc of Landslide Records 40th Anniversary opens with bluesman Tinsley Ellis’s incendiary “Drivin’ Woman,” a swingin’ little sucker from 1986 that fuses Southern grit and Chicago-styled urban sophistication into a rompin’, stompin’ musical thrill ride. Ellis’s flamethrower guitar licks and gruff, whiskey-soaked vocals are matched by the gleeful sound of Dave Cotton’s bleating sax and a rock solid rhythmic foundation. It’s a great way to pull the listener in, followed by the equally charming “Phone Don’t Ring” by the Bluesbusters. A veritable roots ‘n’ blues supergroup, the band features the talents of Little Feat’s Paul Barrere, Catfish Hodge (a longtime fave of mine), and Terry ‘T’ Lavitz of the Dixie Dregs. A bluesy, soulful tune featuring Barrere’s underrated vocals and Hodge’s distinctive fretwork, it’s another treasure from the mid-‘80s.

Both of the aforementioned outfits feature on another pair of songs dating earlier, from 1983, with Ellis and his band the Heartfixers kicking out the jams with a little help from singer/harmonica player ‘Chicago Bob’ Nelson. Covering the Chicago blues classic “Walking Thru the Park,” Ellis and the Heartfixers rock ‘n’ roll like a trailer park in a typhoon. The Bluesbusters’ romp through Hodge’s “Elmo’s Blues” features the Detroit bluesman on the microphone while Barrere tears up the strings. Much of the rest of the first disc follows a similar vein, offering choice cuts by folks like legendary juke-joint pianist Piano Red; guitarist Damon Fowler and his blues-infused Southern rock sound; and Mike Mattison’s sorely overlooked roots-rock outfit Scrapomatic, which combines Delta blues with Southern-fried soul, and even a bit of funky New Orleans in creating a unique and exhilarating sound.

Hard Luck Blues

The late Tom Gray’s beloved band Delta Moon is represented by “Coolest Fools,” a languid rocker with deep blues roots and a pop-rock heart fueled by Gray’s and Mark Johnson’s stellar guitar playing. Late blues guitarist Sean Costello is remembered with a live take of “Motor Head Baby,” the on-stage setting a perfect showcase for the underrated fretburner’s immense talents. Nashville’s own Webb Wilder has recorded several albums for Landslide over 40 years, and his “Dance For Daddy” offers up the sort of livewire roots-rock and twang that had built the great man’s legend. Nappy Brown is an underrated R&B vocalist in a field dominated by great singers, and his performance of “Hard Luck Blues,” backed by Ellis and the Heartfixers, is a thing of pure joy.

Disc two of Landslide Records 40th Anniversary offers a more eclectic mix of styles, ranging from the improvised jazz vibes of David Earle Johnson and the jazzy fretwork of a young Derek Trucks to Widespread Panic’s modernized Southern rock sound and Col. Bruce Hampton’s eclectic, and electrifying avant-garde noisemaking with his band the Late Stone Age. One of the earliest tracks on the set is from Tom Gray’s band the Brains, their rare 1982 track “Dancing Under Streetlights” the perfect fusion of synth-pop and guitar rock. Scrapomatic frontman Mike Mattison’s solo effort “Midnight In Harlem” is a wonderful old-school soul ballad with gorgeous instrumentation while his band’s “Night Trains” is a greasy slab o’ funk with plenty of Paul Olsen’s imaginative guitarplay.

Webb Wilder checks back in with the spry “The Nail Right On the Head,” featuring his infectious vocals, a strong melody, and the talented George Bradfute’s six string skills while Jan Smith’s upbeat “Woman Your Guitar” is a charming blend of country and rock, Smith’s lofty vocals and nimble fretwork backed by an all-star band that includes guitarist Johnny Hiland and bassist Byron House. Curlew’s “Panther Burn” is a slice of avant-garde jazz by a little-known band that nevertheless can boast of a roster that includes saxophonist George Cartright, bassist Bill Laswell, and guitarist Nicky Scopelitis. Americana artist Gary Bennett delivers an upbeat honky-tonk rave-up with “Human Condition,” featuring guitarist Kenny Vaughan, pedal steel maestro Lloyd Green, and Marty Stuart on mandolin. There’s plenty of other fine music to be heard across the two discs, including tracks from talented folks like Jim Quick, the Cigar Store Indians, Geoff Achison, the Lost Continentals, Paul McCandless, and probably a few that I’ve forgotten.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

If you know nothing about the Landslide Records label, this budget-priced anniversary set offers plenty of reasons to discover why the plucky lil’ indie imprint has successfully carried the torch for authentic American music for four decades now. There are plenty of gems to be found among the 33 songs on the two discs, which provide over two hours of consistently enjoyable listening and, if you’re intrigued by an artist or three, you can dig into their individual catalogs with reckless abandon. Yes, it’s a celebration of 40 years of great music – a milestone by any standard, but Landslide Records 40th Anniversary set is also a great introduction to a label (and artists) worth your time to hear. Grade: A (Landslide Records, released October 29th, 2021)

Buy the CD from Amazon: Landslide Records 40th Anniversary 

Short Rounds: The Burrito Brothers, Richie Owens & the Farm Bureau, Jon Savage's 1969-1971, Webb Wilder, Lucinda Williams & X (2020

New album releases in 150 words or less…

The Burrito Brothers – The Notorious Burrito Brothers (The Store For Music)
Whether “flying” or not, the Burrito Brothers have consistently evolved as a band since Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman first tried to fuse country and rock into “Cosmic American Music” back in 1969. This newest incarnation follows in their footsteps, the Chris James-led, Nashville-based outfit acquitting themselves nicely with The Notorious Burrito Brothers, the band blending country, rock, and soul with the all-important twang provided by Tony Paoletta’s weeping steel guitar and Bob Hatter’s elegant fretwork. Although James’ voice strains at times, he knocks the Dan Penn classic “Dark End of the Street” out of the park with a soulful reading. The ballads are gorgeous, but it’s honky-tonk jams like “Do Right Man” and “Gravity” that are the band’s bread ‘n’ butter, showcasing their instrumental virtuosity and country-rock mastery. Forget about questions of “authenticity”; these guys are the real deal, cranking out poop-punting tunes in the true Burrito Brothers tradition. Grade: B+   BUY!

Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau – Reconstruction (Kleartone Records)
Nashville’s Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau have quietly made some of the best Americana music of the past 20 years, the talented singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist forging an inspired blend of roots-rock and twangy country for albums like In Farm We Trust and Tennessee. Owens’ brilliant Reconstruction is a paean to the classic rock he grew up with and, although he wears his influences well, Owens brings an unbridled enthusiasm and energy to these 11 original tunes that transcends mere mimicry or adulation. The performances are rich with melody and the band’s skilled instrumentation is simply gorgeous, but it’s with tunes like the insightful, guitar-driven country-rock of “Welcome To America” or the hauntingly-beautiful “Stay In My Memories” that Owens showcases formidable lyrical skills as impressive as the musical accompaniment. With a talent equal to current hipster faves like Jason Isbell or Lukas Nelson, Owens is an artist worth discovering. Grade: A+   BUY!

Various Artists – Jon Savage’s 1969-1971: Rock Dreams On 45 (Ace Records U.K.)
British music journalist Jon Savage has curated several of these bespoke sets for Ace Records, each compilation album collecting pop/rock tunes from a single year, documenting both the hits and the obscurities. With Rock Dreams On 45, Savage moves beyond K-Tel and into the FM radio era where bands uncomfortably straddled the line between AM pop and FM street cred. This heady two-disc combo offers up 43 über-cool tunes from both well-known rockers like Jethro Tull, Free, the Kinks, the James Gang, Procol Harum, Mott the Hoople, and Velvet Underground, with a song selection that often eschews the hits in favor of the art. More obscure outfits like Steamhammer, the Idle Race, Kaleidoscope, Blossom Toes, Man, and the Flamin’ Groovies fill out a dream playlist of vintage hard rock and blues. Rock Dreams on 45 is the perfect introduction to the often-exhilarating dawn of the classic rock era; highly recommended. Grade: A+   BUY!

Webb Wilder – Night Without Love (Landslide Records)
Americana legend Webb Wilder’s Night Without Love is a concept album, exploring both the wonder and woe of love and romance. Wilder tackles the heady subject matter with his usual aplomb, his trademark blend of roots-rock, country, and R&B (rhythm and blues) literally built for this sort of artistic exercise. The Big Man doesn’t disappoint, his deep, twangy vocals perfectly suited for tunes like the yearning title track (penned by long-time friend R.S. Field) or the lyrical poetry of “Illusion of You” while a cover of Los Lobos “Be Still” is performed beautifully. Wilder’s original “The Big Deal” is as heartfelt a love song as you’ll hear, Wilder’s earnest vocals accompanied by multi-instrumentalist George Bradfute’s gorgeous strings while a honky-tonk cover of Chip Taylor’s “Holdin’ On To Myself” will have you crying in your beer. Overall, Night Without Love is a perfect showcase for Wilder’s enormous talents and unbridled enthusiasm. Grade: A+   BUY!

Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels (Highway 20 Records)
Lucinda Williams has built her reputation as a talented singer/songwriter plumbing the depths of country, folk, and rock music with highly-personal lyrics. With Goods Souls Better Angels she strolls along the muddy Mississippi with as bluesy an album as you’ll hear in 2020. Backed by her road-tested touring band – including stellar guitarist Stuart Mathis – Williams belts out these 12 tunes with the brass of Koko Taylor and the finesse of Etta James. Sure, there’s some twang to be heard in the grooves of songs like “Bad News Blues” or “Big Rotator” but when Williams cuts loose on tracks like “Bone of Contention” or “Down Past the Bottom,” she’s howlin’ like The Wolf, her bruised vocals pouring out emotion like a thunderstorm. Many blues artists try their entire lives and fail to capture the grief and anger that Williams channels through Good Souls Better Angels, the singer’s most powerful album yet. Grade: A   BUY!

X – Alphabetland (Fat Possum Records)
The opening notes of Alphabetland, punk legends X’s first album in 25+ years will have you thinking that it’s 1980 all over again. When Exene Cervenka’s distinctive vox jump in and guitarist Billy Zoom hits a nasty razorblade chord, you’re sure of it. Alphabetland offers the band’s original line-up of Cervenka, Zoom, singer/bassist John Doe, and drummer D.J. Bonebrake, reunited for the first time since 1985’s Ain’t Love Grand! and it sounds like it was recorded in a time warp. Each song provides the sort of short, sharp shock that was the band’s trademark on LPs like Los Angeles and Wild Gift, but with contemporary lyrics. The band’s reckless musical chemistry remains intact, X’s magical blend of raging punk, roots-rock, and rockabilly as fresh and startling as it was 40 years ago. Don’t call it a “comeback,” but rather a continuation, Alphabetland an inspired collection of timeless rock ‘n’ roll. Grade: A+   BUY!


Previously on That Devil Music.com:
Short Rounds, April 2020: Datura4, Dream Syndicate, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, Bryan Ferry, Game Theory & Supersuckers

Short Rounds, March 2020: The Bluefields, Dave Clark Five, Marshall Crenshaw, Gwil Owen, Gary Moore & Watermelon Slim

Short Rounds, February 2020: Beach Slang, The Bar-Kays, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Delaney & Bonnie, Mott the Hoople & Television Personalities

Short Rounds, January 2020: The Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dana Gillespie, Manfred Mann, Mick Ronson & An A-Squared Compilation

Archive Review: Webb Wilder's About Time (2006)

It’s been nearly nine years since Webb Wilder last came ’round these parts with a new phonograph recording and we’ve all been that much poorer for his absence. Heck, during the great one’s hiatus we’ve suffered through nu-metal, modern rock, Britney Spears, boy bands, and Geo. Bush – a veritable cultural famine of Biblical proportions. You don’t have to tie up that noose and throw it over the rafters just yet, bunkie, ’cause our year is about to get a whole lot “wilder” and this scribe can only exclaim that it's “about time!”

Rounding up his “A” Team of veteran players, musical monsters like guitarist George Bradfute, bassist Tom Comet, and drummer Jimmy Lester, Webb Wilder has again hooked up with his long-time partner in crime, the “Ionizer,” R.S. Field to record About Time. As comeback albums go, it’s really like ol’ Webb never left; you can’t really call these grooves a “return to form” because Wilder has never abandoned his pure, untarnished vision of rock ‘n’ roll with a touch of country and blues. Sure, Wilder spices up the brew now and then with some fine brasswork courtesy of Dennis Taylor and Steve Herrman, the band sounding like some R&B revue of old. Overall, old time fans of the “last full-grown man” won't be disappointed by the track selection found on About Time.

Webb Wilder’s About Time

For those of you unfamiliar with Webb Wilder, or those who only know him through his XM satellite radio program, About Time will hit you like that first kiss in the backseat of your daddy’s jalopy. The songs on About Time stand as tall as the singer, a fine combination of roots-rock and Southern-fried influences. “Scattergun,” for instance, is a somber, Marty Robbins-styled old west tale of tragedy while “Battle of the Bands” is a ’50s-flavored rockabilly rave-up with rollicking horns and swinging rhythms. “I Just Had To Laugh” is a typical, old-school Field/Wilder lyrical collaboration about the trials of romance, offering plenty of clever wordplay, Wilder’s magnificent baritone, and some mesmerizing fretwork from Bradfute.

“Miss Missy From Ol’ Hong Kong” is a roadhouse rocker with Steve Conn channeling the spirit of a young Jerry Lee on the ivories. As Wilder speaks of Missy’s many attributes, the rest of the band teeters on the edge, blowing the roof off the mutha with instrumental interplay as tight as a fist and honed to a surgical-edge by 1,001 nights spent performing on the road. Wilder reworks Tommy Overstreet’s early ’70s country classic “If You're Looking For A Fool” with a heartbreaking, bittersweet tone that is punctuated by Bradfute’s sadly weeping guitar. Kevin Gordon’s excellent “Jimmy Reed Is the King of Rock and Roll” is provided a bluesy, ethereal reading that brings to mind John Campbell’s voodoo king, knee deep in the swamp, howling at the moon while Hank’s ghost-driven Cadillac careens around a corner, down Broadway, and away from the Ryman.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

There’s more, but you’re just going to have to pick up a copy of About Time for yourself and discover the mystery, the madness, and the magic of the man called Wilder. Giants standing proudly above lesser talents, Webb Wilder and the Nashvegans deliver a tonic for these troubled days and times in About Time. Welcome back, boys! (Landslide Records, released April 24, 2006)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™, 2006

The Rev's Favorite Archive and Reissue Albums of 2018

The Reverend listens to a heck of a lot of music over the course of any single year – a half-dozen albums a day, typically – and I spend way too much money on CDs and vinyl records each month. Or maybe I don’t spend enough, who’s to judge? A lot of that spending goes towards archival releases and, along with the handful of promotional albums I get for review, an inordinate amount of time is spent each day listening and groovin’ to archival releases and album reissues.

There’s a lot of great vintage music from the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s being made available again on vinyl these days, or on CD for the first time, and the follow dozen selections aren’t necessarily the “best” of 2018 but rather those that were my favorite releases for the year, as well as another ten “honorable mention” discs that fell just short. Any of these albums would make a great addition to your music library. Check out the Rev’s lists of favorite rock ‘n’ roll and blues music albums from 2018 while you’re here!

Big Star – Live at Lafayette’s Music Room (Omnivore Recordings)
Sounding more like a pretty good audience bootleg than a sterile soundboard recording, Big Star’s Live At Lafayette’s Music Room still does an admirable job of capturing the band’s live dynamic and preserving it for modern ears. Representing an undeniable invaluable addition to the band’s canon, Live At Lafayette’s Music Room is an entertaining collection for those of us too young to have seen Big Star in the band’s prime.   BUY!

The Damnation of Adam Blessing – The Damnation of Adam Blessing (Exit Stencil Records, vinyl reissue)
The heavy, psych-drenched guitar rock and molten sludge riffs of the self-titled 1969 debut album by Cleveland, Ohio’s The Damnation of Adam Blessing was easily five years ahead of its time. The band’s complex, textured, and highly-amplified hard rock sound reminds of Blue Cheer while beating Black Sabbath to the gates of doom with guitarists Bob Kalamasz’s blistering leads and Jim Quinn’s thick rhythmic designs. One of the great overlooked bands of the era finally gets the reissue treatment (Exit Stencil also reissued the band’s sophomore album, Second Damnation, this year).   BUY!

Guadalcanal Diary – At Your Birthday Party (Omnivore Recordings)
Guadalcanal Diary was often overshadowed by upstarts like Pylon or R.E.M. but, truth is, they were a damn fine studio outfit and even better live rock band. Taken from a pair of January 1998 reunion shows in Atlanta, At Your Birthday Party was originally released independently by the band. Omnivore’s reissue puts the album back in print after almost 20 years, providing wider distribution for this entertaining disc. Like the college rock radio playlist of your misspent youth, At Your Birthday Party is a very fine present, indeed.   BUY!

Moby Grape – 20 Granite Creek (WEA International)
Yeah, it’s a Japanese import and hard to find (check Amazon), but this long-overdue CD reissue of the legendary Moby Grape’s 1971 “reunion” album 20 Granite Creek is a throwback to the band’s critically-acclaimed self-titled debut of four years earlier and, by most estimations, second only to that 1967 debut album in terms of performance and song quality. With the enigmatic Skip Spence back in the fold, albeit temporarily, longtime Grape members Peter Lewis, Jerry Miller, James Mosley, and Don Stevenson, along with new guy Gordon Stevens, played like their career depended on it…and in many ways, it did, as it was the band’s final studio work for over a decade.   BUY!

Permanent Green Light – Hallucinations (Omnivore Recordings)
At the end of his legendary “Paisley Underground” band the Three O’Clock, Michael Quercio went looking for new rock ‘n’ roll cheap thrills. He formed obscure psych-rockers Permanent Green Light, which released a handful of singles and a full-length album, building a loyal West Coast following before breaking up. Hallucinations compiles sixteen of the band’s best performances, including three previously-unreleased demos, all of which rocks with an urgency, creativity, and honesty directly in opposition to most ‘90s era bands. Hallucinations is an exceptional collection of guitar-rock from one of the best bands you never heard.   BUY!

The Posies – Dear 23 (Omnivore Recordings)
One of the great overlooked bands of the ‘90s, avowed Big Star acolytes the Posies took Alex Chilton’s ‘60s-bred power-pop sensibilities and blew the sound up large for the grunge decade. This approach left the band woefully out-of-date at the time, but their music became timeless as a result. The album’s British Invasion influences and charming songwriting on Dear 23 – courtesy of the band’s Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow – is ready-made for the tuneless 21st century, its original ten tracks wonderfully melodic, with the duo’s gorgeous vocal harmonies, and whip-smart, insightful lyrics.   BUY!

Bob Seger & the Last Heard – Heavy Music (Abkco Records)
Bob Seger & the Last Heard were one of the legendary rock singer’s earliest bands. Signed to the Cameo-Parkway label, they released five singles, ten songs total circa 1966-67, all of which are collected on CD for the first time with Heavy Music. An artist in search of a sound (hint: he’d glimpse it a couple years later with “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man”), Seger checks several then-contemporary cultural boxes with these long out-of-print 45s. There are only ten tracks on Heavy Music, but each one is a slab of raw, energetic, prime-grade rock ‘n’ roll from the early Motor City scene.   BUY!

Phil Seymour – Prince of Power Pop (Big Beat Records)
Phil Seymour was an integral part of power-pop legends the Dwight Twilley Band, singing and co-writing with longtime friend Twilley. Breaking up after Shelter Records crashed and burned after just two albums, Seymour launched a modestly successful solo career mining much the same ‘60s-influenced pop-rock musical territory as his former band. Prince of Power Pop is a fine tho’ incomplete career retrospective, its main selling point the inclusion of eleven previously-unreleased tracks recorded in 1980 with Seymour’s touring band, all of ‘em red-hot and ready to rock, and all displaying the man’s enormous talents.   BUY!

Various Artists – Rockers OST (MVD Audio, vinyl reissue)
Reissued on red, green, and yellow-splashed vinyl that looks simply glorious spinning on your turntable, this soundtrack to the 1978 semi-documentary film Rockers provides a brief but toothsome history of reggae music with songs by legends like Junior Murvin, Peter Tosh, the Maytones, Bunny Wailer, Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, and others. Featuring fourteen burning tracks, Rockers is “must have” LP for any serious reggae collection.   BUY!

Various Artists – Ska Authentic (Studio One)
Released nearly 55 years ago, Studio One’s wonderful Ska Authentic provides a snapshot of Jamaica’s homegrown music scene in the early 1960s, preserving long-lost tracks by legends like the Skatalites, Toots & the Maytals, and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Echoing the American R&B heard on transistor radios in Jamaica circa 1955-65, these songs are dance-oriented with foot-shuffling rhythms with blasts of soulful horns. Studio One’s Ska Authentic captures the island’s sounds with all their fresh naiveté and energy, taking the listener back in time to a more innocent age.   BUY!

Webb Wilder & the Beatnecks – Powerful Stuff! (Landslide Records)
If you don’t have a good time listening to a Webb Wilder album, then you’ve probably assumed room temperature. Sure, Powerful Stuff! is an “odds ‘n’ sods” collection culled from Wilder’s archives, but the material is delivered with every bit the same level of energy and commitment as anything that Webb has previously put on record. For those of us who became fans with Wilder’s It Came From Nashville LP, Powerful Stuff! is yet another welcome addition to the (slowly-growing) Webb Wilder canon. As the man says, “work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need ‘em.” Amen...   BUY!

Frank Zappa – Chunga’s Revenge (Zappa Records, vinyl reissue)
If the preceding Zappa/Mothers albums – Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh – served as an artistic catharsis necessary for Zappa to move on from his original vision for the Mothers and towards “phase two,” Chunga’s Revenge reveals his pure joy in playing with a new and, arguably, more highly-skilled cast of musicians. The addition of two talented vocalists in Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan to the band added a new dimension to the musical possibilities, freeing Zappa from the microphone and allowed him to develop the innovative and influential guitar style that is a large part of his enduring legacy. Chunga’s Revenge represented the dawn of a new era and the beginning of Zappa’s “solo career” in earnest.   BUY!

Honorable Mention: Brinsley Schwarz’s Live Favourites; Gene Clark’s Gene Clark Sings For You; Chris Hillman’s The Asylum Years; Moloch’s Moloch [vinyl reissue]; Mothers of Invention’s Burnt Weeny Sandwich [vinyl reissue];  Chris Squire’s Fish Out of Water; Stray’s Live at the Marquee; The Who’s Live at the Fillmore East 1968; Steve Wynn’s Kerosene Man and Dazzling Display. The ATO Records CD and vinyl reissues of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s first five, Australia-only indie releases stand in a category entirely their own...

CD Review: Webb Wilder and the Beatneck's Powerful Stuff! (2018)

Back in the mid-1980s, Webb Wilder (née John McMurry) burst onto the Nashville rock scene like a revelation. Sure, we local fans enjoyed bands like Afrikan Dreamland, the White Animals, and Jason & the Nashville Scorchers which pursued their own individual muse, but the musical immigrant from Hattiesburg, Mississippi brought with him a love of British Invasion rock, 1950s-era rockabilly and blues, and classic 1960s-era country music. Wilder created a unique musical hybrid that helped define the “Americana” genre that would follow a decade later representing, as he did, the influence and resulting confluence of nearly every native musical style.

Launching his lengthy career with 1986’s It Came From Nashville, Wilder and his talented, often underrated bands – primarily the Beatnecks and the NashVegans – toured relentlessly and delivered five groundbreaking albums over the following ten years, including a pair of bona fide classics in 1991’s Doo Dad and 1996’s Acres of Suede. Sadly, Wilder was a man both ahead of and behind the times, and after failing to achieve much more than a cult following during the time of grunge and hair metal, he virtually disappeared for nearly a decade, popping back up as a DJ for Sirius XM radio’s “Outlaw Country” channel – an appropriate forum for a quick-witted, humorous, and glib talker like Webb (whom I’ve known and interviewed many times since his arrival in the Music City).

When Wilder reappeared with 2005’s About Time album, he showed that he still had plenty of gas in the tank, and he’s since almost doubled the number of titles in his catalog. Powerful Stuff! could be seen as a “stopgap” measure between studio albums, but it’s really a look back at the artist’s past, a carefully-curated collection of previously-unreleased studio outtakes and live performances that should thrill any longtime WW fan. Scatted among these sixteen exhilarating tracks are a handful of original songs that beg the question of their obscurity along with a number of electrifying cover tunes that not only prove Wilder’s skill as an interpreter of classic rock, blues, and R&B material but also serves to properly earn the singer revered status as a “songster” like so many Mississippi artists of yore.

Webb Wilder’s Powerful Stuff!

Slapping a Webb Wilder album on whatever twin-speaker rig you might own is like finding the “Trademark of Quality” stamp – you’re guaranteed a good time every time! Even a hodge-podge collection like Powerful Stuff! has more than enough cheap thrills to get you through your hectic day. The disc kicks off with the rollicking “Make That Move,” a vintage ‘90s locomotive rocker originally done by Levi & the Rockats, an early ‘80s rockabilly outfit that obviously made an impression on a young WW. The song receives the full treatment from the “Last of the Full Grown Men” here, complete with mile-a-minute rhythms, studio-distorted vocals, and wiry guitarplay. The 1960s-styled, pop-leaning “New Day” is a psych-drenched Wilder original recorded in ’93 but lost in the studio until now. The trippy, swirling fretwork of guitarist Donny “The Twangler” Roberts perfectly complements Wilder’s melodic vocals while the rest of the band creates a miasmic din of clashing instrumentation.

The blustery “Lost In the Shuffle” is one of longtime Wilder friend, producer, and compatriot R.S. “Bobby” Field’s many songs recorded by the singer. Why this one was never released I can’t figure out, even with an abacus and a slide-rule…the song’s bluesy undercurrents support a surprisingly deft R&B delivery, with the legendary Al Kooper adding his inspired keyboards, the talented Jim Hoke blowing his sax, and Field providing some tasty six-string flourishes. The song stands up with anything that Webb has recorded over his lengthy career, and that’s saying something. Field’s “Animal Lover,” a 1988 studio track that takes Wilder out of his comfort zone, veers dangerously close to ‘80s-era new wave pop territory with a bouncy melody and an unusual chorus, Webb straining his vocals to match the song’s wordy albeit erudite story-telling lyrics. The dueling guitars of Wilder and Roberts anchor the song firmly on rock ‘n’ roll planet earth.

Nutbush City Limits

As much fun as the long-lost studio tracks may be, Powerful Stuff! offers plenty of crackerjack live performances by the talented Beatnecks. The album’s title track was captured at Mountain Stage show in 1988; Webb and the Beatnecks wisely shelved the track after the Fabulous Thunderbirds picked it up and scored a hit, even naming their 1989 album for the song. Featured in the mondo-successful Tom Cruise movie Cocktail, “Powerful Stuff” was the first single released from a soundtrack album that sold better than ten million flapjacks around the globe. Webb’s reading of the song is less bluesy, but offers up shards of stinging, vibrant guitar and Wilder’s awestruck vocals. It takes cajones to cover Ike & Tina Turner, but Wilder does just that with a raucous live take of the classic “Nutbush City Limits,” delivering the panache that Bob Seger promised (but failed) by hewing closer to the original with a ramshackle arrangement, shotgun vocals, and a recklessly-rocking soundtrack delivered with punkish intensity.

Wilder covers fellow underrated Nashville rocker Steve Forbert’s “Catbird Seat,” a twangy lyrics-heavy tale that mixes a rockabilly rhythm and a classic country heart with fretwork as sharp as concertina wire and Wilder’s machinegun vocal delivery. The Cajun country of Doug Kershaw’s “Hey Mae” is close to Wilder’s heart, and with this performance – captured live at the world-famous Exit/In club in Nashville – Webb displays another facet of his talents. With backing vocal harmonies from the band that offers a sort of “call and response,” Wilder leads his troops through a rowdy performance that is equal parts Bo Diddley and Charlie Feathers. Ditto for his cover of Johnny Paycheck’s “Revenooer Man,” which is provided an inspired Webb performance complete with lively chicken-pickin’ and a choogling rhythm; by comparison, the Field song “Dead and Starting to Cool” is a somber tale of romantic heartbreak with Webb’s deep baritone vocals, menacing guitar riffs, and ominous rhythms. Powerful Stuff! closes out with Little Richard’s classic “Lucille,” Wilder and the Beatnecks finding a deep rhythmic groove for Webb’s free-flowing vocals to ride atop, the band rocking with joyous abandon.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

As I alluded to above, if you don’t have a good time playing a Webb Wilder album, then you’ve probably assumed room temperature. Sure, Powerful Stuff! is an “odds ‘n’ sods” collection culled from Wilder’s archives, but the material is delivered with every bit the same level of energy and commitment as anything that Webb has previously put on record. For those of us who became fans with Wilder’s It Came From Nashville LP, Powerful Stuff! is yet another welcome addition to the (slowly-growing) Webb Wilder canon. As the man says, “work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need ‘em.” Amen… Grade: A (Landslide Records, released April 27, 2018)

Previously on That Devil Music:
Webb Wilder’s Mississippi Mōderne CD review
Webb Wilder’s It Came From Nashville CD review

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Webb Wilder’s Powerful Stuff!

New Music Monthly: April 2018 Releases

April showers bring May flowers and all that hogwash...here in the frozen tundra of WNY, we'd be satisfied if the temperature would get above freezing for more than a day or two at a time. Oh well, maybe in July...but while we're waiting for our tulips to bloom, April brings another bounty of great music, including the long-anticipated CD release of King Gizard & the Lizard Wizard's Gumboot Soup album, as well as new music from King Tuff, John Prine, bluesman Ian Siegal, King Crimson, and the Melvins as well as reissues and archive releases by Doug Sahm, Steve Wynn, reggae legends the Gladiators, and the magnificent Webb Wilder!

If we wrote about it here on the site, 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!

APRIL 6
Eels - The Deconstruction   BUY!
King Crimson - Live In Vienna, December 1st, 2016   BUY!
Manic Street Preachers - Resistance Is Futile   BUY!
Ian Siegal - All the Rage   BUY!
Wye Oak - The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs   BUY!

APRIL 13
Sandy Bull - Steel Tears   BUY!
The Damned - Evil Spirits  BUY!
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Gumboot Soup   BUY!
King Tuff - The Other   BUY!
John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness   BUY!
Doug Sahm - Live From Austin, TX [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Sir Douglas Quintet - Live From Austin, TX [vinyl reissue]   BUY!

APRIL 20
A Perfect Circle - Eat the Elephant  BUY!
Marcia Ball - Shine Bright   BUY!
Black Stone Cherry - Family Tree   BUY!
Gladiators - Serious Thing [reissue]   BUY!
Gladiators - Symbol of Reality [reissue]   BUY!
Lord Huron - Vide Noir   BUY!
Melvins - Pinkus Abortion Technician   BUY!
Tangerine Dream - Quantum Gate/Quantum Key   BUY!

APRIL 27
Humble Pie - Office Bootleg Box Set, Vol. 2   BUY!
Okkervil River - In the Rainbow Rain   BUY!
Tom Rush - Voices   BUY!
Chris Squire - Fish Out of Water [deluxe box set]   BUY!
Webb Wilder & the Beatnecks - Powerful Stuff!   BUY!
Steve Wynn - Dazzling Display [reissue]   BUY!
Steve Wynn - Kerosene Man [reissue]   BUY!

 

Album of the Month: Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks' Powerful Stuff! Nashville's favorite son (and an old pal of the Reverend's) gets a long overdue odds 'n' sods collection of studio and live tracks dating from 1985 through 1993 and featuring special guests like Al Kooper. Check it out!

CD Preview: Webb Wilder’s Powerful Stuff!

Americana legend and Nashville’s favorite son Webb Wilder has been making great music for better than 30 years with a dozen studio and live albums to his credit. With his band of various ne’er-do-wells the Beatnecks, Wilder has cranked out a heady, unique blend of roots-rock, rockabilly, blues, and country music that owes as much to the British Invasion as it does the Delta blues. It’s a sound that could only be pulled off by the big man from Mississippi.

Wilder’s last album was 2015’s critically-acclaimed Mississippi Mōderne, of which the Reverend wrote “in the hands of a lesser artist, this ramshackle mix of garage-rock, blues, and old-school country music would sink like an over-inflated soufflé, and the album’s often over-the-top lyrics would lack in sincerity coming from a singer without Wilder’s charismatic personality. Backed by the grizzled veterans that comprise the Beatnecks, though, Wilder delivers a powerful and entertaining collection…” Mississippi Mōderne was Wilder’s first studio effort in six years and only his second since 2005’s excellent About Time, so none of us thought that we’d hear from him again anytime soon.

On April 27th, 2018 however, Landslide Records will release Wilder’s odds ‘n’ sods collection Powerful Stuff! A sixteen-song album comprised of previously-unreleased studio and live tracks dating from 1985 to 1993, the album primarily features the original Beatnecks band of Wilder on vocals and guitar, guitarist Donny “The Twangler” Roberts, bassist Denny “Cletus” Blakely, and drummer Jimmy Lester.

Much of the material on Powerful Stuff! was produced by Wilder’s longtime friend and collaborator R.S. “Bobby” Field and special guests include keyboardist Al Kooper, noted guitarist David Grisman, and bassist Willie Weeks. Powerful Stuff! features seven studio tracks and nine live performances including original material written by Wilder and Field and raucous covers of songs by Ike & Tina Turner (“Nutbush City Limits”), fellow Nashvillian Steve Forbert (“Catbird Seat”), Cajun fiddle legend Doug Kershaw (“Hey Mae”), and Little Richard (“Lucille”). Among the originals, “Powerful Stuff” was originally recorded by Wilder and the Beatnecks but remained unreleased after the Fabulous Thunderbirds had a hit with the song; it’s presented here as a rowdy live version. 
 
If you’re in the Music City at the end of the month, Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks will perform at the official CD release party for Powerful Stuff! on Sunday, April 29th at Nashville’s Exit/In, a venue where several of the tracks on the new CD were originally recorded live in 1986. The current Beatnecks lineup includes Webb Wilder, drummer Jimmy Lester, bassist Tom Comet, and guitarist Bob Williams. Check out the album’s tracklist below and then order your copy from Amazon.com!

Webb Wilder's Powerful Stuff! track list:

1. Make That Move
2. New Day
3. No Great Shakes
4. Lost In The Shuffle
5. Powerful Stuff *
6. Ain’t That A Lot Of Love
7. Wild About You Baby *
8. Animal Lover
9. Nutbush City Limits *
10. High Rollin’
11. Catbird Seat *
12. Hey Mae *
13. Revenooer Man *
14. Is This All There Is? *
15. Dead and Starting To Cool *
16. Lucille *

* live tracks

Also on That Devil Music.com: Webb Wilder’s Mississippi Mōderne CD review 

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks’ Powerful Stuff!

Archive Review: Webb Wilder's It Came From Nashville (2006)

Brothers and sisters, I want to share the good word about Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks and their magnificent debut It Came From Nashville! This will make the third time since 1987 that the Reverend has reviewed this particular album. Not surprisingly, in a corporate music world dominated by airheaded, lip-syncing Barbie dolls and angry male fashion models with out-of-tune guitars, It Came From Nashville holds up remarkably well. In fact, much like fine wine, this version – the album's third incarnation (vinyl, CD w/bonus tracks, CD w/more bonus tracks) – has only gotten better with age.

For you poor souls who have never experienced the greatness of the man known to legions as "WW," this is where it all began, a humble introduction to a Wilder world. Roaring into the Music City like a drunken tornado sometime during the mid-80s, WW quickly assembled a top-notch musical hit squad, a finely-tuned machine of rock 'n' roll salvation helmed by the man behind the throne, Bobby Field. Although a vinyl recording is a poor substitute for the magnificence that is WW in person, It Came From Nashville did a pretty doggoned good job of capturing the spirit – the zeitgeist, if you will – of the man from Mississippi. Wilder, Fields and crew masterfully mixed roots-rock, country, and blues with elements of psychdelica, swamp rock and surf music. Imagine Hank Williams, Robert Johnson and Screamin' Jay Hawkins sharing a beer at the crossroads in a midnight jam session and you'd come close to the sound of It Came From Nashville.

Friends, Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks hit Nashville like a double-shot of whiskey with a six-pack chaser. Along with Jason & the Nashville Scorchers, WW and his posse allowed a bunch of cornpone punk rockers to break loose and embrace the reckless country soul of their ancestors. After eighteen years, the songs on It Came From Nashville still rock like a house afire! From "How Long Can She Last," Field's ode to youthful indiscretion, to the original album-closing instrumental rave-up "Ruff Rider," these songs are muscular, electric and 100% high-octane rock 'n' roll. An inspired cover of Steve Earle's "Devil's Right Hand" showcases both Wilder's sense of humor and his deep, friendly baritone in this tragic tale. "One Taste Of The Bait" speaks of the dangers of love while "Is This All There Is?" is a kiss-off to failed romance on par with Dylan's "Positively 4th Street."

The original CD reissue bonus tracks are included here, a motley bunch of spirited covers that illustrate Wilder's range and tastes. From a raucous rendition of Johnny Cash's "Rock 'n Roll Ruby" to a swinging reading of Steve Forbert's "Samson And Delilah's Beauty Shop," these are all keepers. Fields' instrumental "Cactus Planet" provides a rollicking good time while "Dance For Daddy" is a down-and-dirty, leering rocker with scrappy guitarwork. The six new live tracks included here were culled from a vintage 1986 Nashville performance at the world-famous Exit/Inn and include rarities like the rockabilly-flavored "Hole In My Pocket" and an early version of fan favorite "Rocket To Nowhere."

If It Came From Nashville introduced the world to its rock 'n' roll savior, the album also marked Bobby Field's emergence as a songwriter of some skill and knowledge. These songs have held up so well over time because they are rooted in the deep tradition of rock, blues and country that was forged by pioneers like Elvis, Hank and Chuck. Unfortunately, the world has turned so much that these men have mostly been lost in the haze of pre-fab pop stars and soft drink advertising. Even a prophet like WW is without honor in his own country, although a loyal cult of followers continues to keep the flame burning. Rescued from the abyss of obscurity, It Came From Nashville is an important document of a time when giants roamed this planet and men were unashamed to follow the Webb Wilder Credo:

"Word hard…rock hard…eat hard…sleep hard…grow big…wear glasses if you need 'em."

Amen...

# # #

Review republished from the Reverend's The Other Side of Nashville book

Related content: Webb Wilder - Mississippi Mōderne CD review

The Reverend's Favorite CDs of 2015

Real rock ‘n’ roll music may have been on the ropes in 2015, but many blues and blues-rock musicians continue to thrive and survive, with some veteran artists releasing the best work of (often) lengthy careers. Looking at the Billboard “Hot 100” singles, there’s not a single legit rocker among songs by Adele, Justin Bieber, and Drake; over on the trade magazine’s Top 200 albums list, you won’t find but one rock band in the first 20 spots, a Beatles’ CD reissue…

Yes, ‘tis a dire time commercially for rock ‘n’ roll, although there is still a great amount of it being recorded and released these days, usually by smaller indie labels. Blues music and its related sub-genres is growing in popularity but, like Rodney Dangerfield, it gets no respect in spite of the fact that the blues is the root influence of rock and country music alike. No matter, ‘cause around That Devil Music World HQ, we don’t care about labels or vintage – witness our list of the Rev’s fave reissue and archive albums for 2015 – we just want to listen to great music! 

The Reverend’s list below of favorite CDs for the year isn’t necessarily a roll call of “the best” of 2015 – although several of these titles would certainly qualify on their merit – but rather those discs that spent the most time bouncing off your humble critic’s eardrums over the past few months. Forget about those other publications’ lists and their predictable choices…you can’t go wrong cueing up any of these fine albums when you need to satisfy your rock ‘n’ blues fix… 

Gary Clark Jr. – The Story of Sonny Boy Slim
Gary Clark Jr. once again defied expectations with his sophomore effort, the album’s throwback musical vibe owing a debt of gratitude to Jimi Hendrix, Arthur Lee, and Sly Stone as Clark gets his soul groove on in a big way. The Story of Sonny Boy Slim isn’t, strictly speaking, a blues album – at least not as your grand-pappy would recognize it. Instead, it’s an entertaining, masterful, fluid collection of blues, soul, and funk guaranteed to send traditionalists into an apoplectic frenzy while the rest of us dance to the music. (Warner Brothers Records)

Shemekia Copeland – Outskirts of Love
Shemekia Copeland is one of the best singers performing today, regardless of musical genre. That the daughter of legendary Texas guitarslinger Johnny Copeland could sing the blues was pre-ordained; that Copeland’s so damn good singing in other styles is pure joy. Copeland’s Outskirts of Love marks her return to Alligator Records, but she’s not singing the same old song, the album featuring a rich blend of blues, soul, and roots-rock that will astound the casual listener while rewarding Copeland’s long-time fans. (Alligator Records)

Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen – Love & Life
Guitarist Ted Drozdowski fronts the Scissormen, one of the leanest, meanest, bad-ass gang of juke-joint blues noisemakers to roll down the highway on four fiery, alcohol-fueled wheels in as long as the Rev can remember. Ted’s gruff, soulful vocals, erudite songwriting chops, and greasy six-string pyrotechnics, combined with the band’s percussive din, make the Scissormen natural heirs to the Delta and Hill Country blues traditions. Love & Life is the second Scissormen studio album, each song featuring an aggressive, primal sound that straddles the fence between traditional country-blues and highly-amped blues-rock. You won’t find a tastier slab o’ off-highway juke-joint blues than Love & Life anywhere these days… (Dolly Sez Woof Recordings)
Read the Reverend's review...

Steve Earle & the Dukes – Terraplane
Blues music is the father to the entirety of American music, and in few places is this tradition stronger than in the state of Texas. Steve Earle’s Terraplane represents the latest fraternization between blues and country, a long and respected tradition that began, perhaps, with Blind Lemon Jefferson and runs in a line through Sam Hopkins to Bill Neely to Townes Van Zandt and beyond to Earle and even his son Justin. Terraplane offers up all that the singer’s fans have come to expect – whipsmart lyrics and storytelling; the singer’s immense charisma; and well-constructed, skillfully-performed, often adventuresome music. Earle has always drawn from the whole spice rack of Americana in creating his own unique musical gumbo; this time around he just throws a bit more blues flavor into the pot. No matter what you want to call it, Terraplane is one damn fine collection of roots ‘n’ blues music. (New West Records)
Read the Reverend's review... 

Billy Gibbons – Perfectamundo
ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons’ first-ever solo LP grows on you, kind of like kudzu – on first listen, my impressions were along the line of “what the hell was he thinking?” Two, three spins down the road and my interest was piqued, and by the fifth or sixth time putting Perfectamundo on the box, I found myself grinning in spite of myself. Gibbons expands his musical palette here, allowing his guitar greater freedom to soar into new territory while exploring different tones and textures with his lyrics and singing. Perfectamundo is an engaging, and entertaining – if surprising – solo debut from one of rock music’s legendary guitarists. (Concord Records)
Read the Reverend's review...

Graveyard – Innocence & Decadence
Sweden’s Graveyard began life in 2006 as a loud, sludge-rock doom metal outfit, but during the ensuing years the band’s musical inspiration has swerved more towards Cream and Peter Green’s original Fleetwood Mack and away from Sabbath. The new direction looks good on them, as Innocence & Decadence – Graveyard’s third album for Nuclear Blast Records (and fourth LP overall) – offers up a breakneck mix of hard rock and metallic blues that makes full use of leather-lunged frontman Joakim Nilsson’s Robert Plant-styled vox and guitarist’s Jonatan Larocca Ramm’s seemingly bottomless trick bag of tasty licks, leaden riffs, and screaming notes. Innocence & Decadence belongs in this year’s Top Ten, if only for the breathtaking “The Apple & The Tree,” which offers Nilsson’s vocals dancing on the razor blade of Ramm’s Mark Knopfler-influenced fretwork. (Nuclear Blast Records)

The Pretty Things – The Sweet Pretty Things (Are In Bed By Now, of Course…)
Although a stalwart Pretty Things fan, the Reverend’s expectations for The Sweet Pretty Things (Are In Bed By Now, of Course…) were not such that I was looking for the ‘Second Coming’. Still, the band’s first studio LP since 2007’s Balboa Island (not too shabby itself, in retrospect) features the core members in original singer Phil May and guitarist Dick Taylor, along with long-time guitarist Frank Holland (on board since 1999’s ...Rage Before Beauty). The result is an entertaining, energetic mix of guitar-driven garage-rock, psychedelic-rock, and blues-rock that blows away bands half the aggregate age of the Pretties. May’s old-school British R&B croon still has plenty of punch, and Taylor’s reckless fretwork cuts deep through the imaginative, musically-rich arrangements here. The new songs are instrumentally impressive, while a cover of the Byrds’ “Renaissance Fair” will have you reaching for the bong like it’s 1968 all over again. The Pretty Things are proof that rock ‘n’ roll is the fountain of youth, The Sweet Pretty Things… a tonic for what ails ya! (Repertoire Records)

Keith Richards – Crosseyed Heart
More than a decade since the last Rolling Stones studio album (2005’s A Bigger Bang) and nearly a quarter-century since his previous solo effort (1992’s Main Offender), guitarist Keith Richards managed to leave listeners gob-smacked with Crosseyed Heart. The performances sound spontaneous – not like an unformed, meandering jam – but rather like a well-seasoned veteran band stumbling into the studio, laying down the session, and then heading out to the local watering hole for some liquid refreshment. Richards scratches the various musical itches that have plagued him for years now, experimenting with reggae (a brilliant cover of Gregory Isaacs’ “Love Overdue” mixing Island rhythms and doo-wop sentimentality), folk-blues (a spirited cover of Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene”), boogie-blues (the original “Blues In The Morning”) and, of course, rock ‘n’ roll. Although an altogether more laid-back effort than previous solo albums, Crosseyed Heart nevertheless lives up to Richards’ legend, displaying why Keef is rock music’s most notorious – and revered – guitarist. (Republic Records)      

Walter Trout – Battle Scars
Beloved blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout almost died in 2014 and, after receiving a liver transplant, he spent much of 2015 recuperating from his dance with the Reaper. At some point, Trout entered the studio with a brace of new songs, resulting in Battle Scars. The album is Trout’s Inferno, a tale of redemption and rebirth that doesn’t shy away from reality but rings loudly with hope…it’s also the best album, in all facets, that Walter Trout has ever recorded, full of emotion and insight. (Provogue Records)

Webb Wilder – Mississippi Mōderne
I don’t believe that Webb Wilder has every made a bad record – only good and great – and the Rev has heard every single one of ‘em! Still, Mississippi Mōderne is, perhaps, the best album Wilder’s made since It Came From Nashville. In the hands of a lesser artist, this ramshackle mix of garage-rock, blues, and old-school country music would sink like an over-inflated soufflé, and the album’s often over-the-top lyrics would lack in sincerity coming from a singer without Wilder’s charismatic personality. Backed by the grizzled veterans that comprise the Beatnecks, though, Wilder delivers a powerful and entertaining collection in Mississippi Mōderne. (Landslide Records)
Read the Reverend's reviews...

Honorable Mention: I received a copy of Dan Baird & Homemade Sin’s Get Loud album late in the year or else it probably would have squeezed its way onto the list above. Nashville bands Snakehips and the Great Affairs both released rockin’ LPs this past year. They’re doing some fine work over at Alive Natural Sound Recordings, and both Datura4’s Demon Blues and Dirty Streets’ White Horse are worthy of inclusion here…plus, you can buy Alive’s releases through the Bomp Records store and often get vinyl/CD bundles for a price that won’t cripple you financially.

Other good stuff you may want to check out – albums by Barrence Whitfield & the Savages, British blues-rock band King King, the always eerie metallic Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, and the debut album by the Arcs.