Tuesday, March 15, 2005
The Best Albums You Never Heard
Grab on and take a ride down the New Lee Highway.
Just how to describe this offering from David Bromberg escapes me. Is it the Blues? Damned sure sounds like it. Well, at least until you really listen to the lyrics. No, wait. It's folk, that's it! Well, wait a minute.....that one sounds like bluegrass. It's musical eclecticism, and it's just plain fun. I suppose Bromberg is either a musician with a funny bone, or maybe a comic who can really play. Either way, Parrotheads, you're going to love "Wanted Dead or Alive." The album art alone will leave you smiling: Bromberg, perched atop the Empire State Building King-Kong like, under attack from a squadron of Fay Wrays. And yes, it's old, dating back to 1974, but it translates well so you don't get that feeling of having just stepped out of Rufus' time traveling phone booth.
The first four cuts, known as "Side 1" for you youngsters out there, is all studio work, while the final five cuts (Side 2) were recorded live. "The Holdup," which I understand was co-written with George Harrison, starts the album off on a high note with its humorous tale of a beer money hold up, where the robber promises to drink up all the money and come back for more. "Someone Else's Blues" is equally fun, and has outstanding instrumentation. But Side 2 is where it really takes off, with "Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair," which Bromberg still performs in concerts, and "Statesboro Blues/Church Bell Blues," an original arrangement of a classic Blues number. His "Kansas City" is as good as I've ever heard, especially with its "funky smelling women." Finally, I challenge you to avoid tapping your toe to "New Lee Highway Blues," which carries you from the Blues to some of the best Bluegrass you've heard. And why wouldn't it? Listed as contributing musicians on the album are none other than Jerry Garcia and most members of the Grateful Dead, along with a veritable "who's who" of studio players and roots musicians.
My friend Steve turned me on to this album, and I'm pleased to pass it on. It's a keeper, and available on CD. Throw it on the ol' machine and enjoy. Just watch out for those kamikaze Fay Wrays.
