R2OK!

Cherskiy

“Yes, I’m back – and we’re going to rock and roll!” – four months was a long time without Bob at the weekend but he’s back with a vengeance following his treatment for cancer. Sounding refreshed, revitalised and eager to play more of his wonderful selections of music from the 1950s right through to the present day, it was like he’d never been away….

What better track to open up the show with than Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”, taken here from their recently-released “Mothership” best of collection, spanning two CDs. A frenetic, rollercoaster ride indeed.
The middle hour featured music and conversation with Dion diMucci but Bob couldn’t resist playing “And The Night Stood Still” from his 1989 album “Yo Frankie” at this early stage of the show. Listening to this ‘live’ on Saturday evening, I was mentally kicking myself as I couldn’t believe I’d never heard it before. One part Springsteen, one part Joe Jackson, one part – well, name any of the famous singer-songwriters from the 70s or 80s and mix them up and you’ll get something approaching Dion – someone who makes a simple song sound great. On reflection there’s nothing particular spectacular about this track, just that it’s really well executed and performed.
With a name like Alabama 3, you’d expect this outfit to come from, well, Alabama. Try nearer to home, though – Brixton! Another band I’ve not heard before, they manage to combine a country-rock sound with one that should by rights hail from the 1970s with “Middle Of The Road”, from their recent release “MOR”. It’s good but in the final analysis, nothing spectacular and yet there’s enough here to chip away at your subconscious.
Ryan Bingham is another artist I’d never previously encountered, though his vocals sound oddly familiar. “Other Side” is taken from his October 2007 CD “Mescalito”, which if the rest is anything like this track, will be full of laid back country-rock like this. Bob mentioned that he’s actually a rodeo star, this being his debut album – and that track is not due for release until next year.
Acoustic music was never going to be neglected for long by Bob on his return, Levon Helm’s album “Dirt Farmer” (which is going great guns at present on the US Americana chart – and is being plugged like hell by Fish Records in the UK) being mined for “The Mountain”. Wisely, the arrangements and backing seem to be scaled right back to allow Levon’s gravelly yet strangely welcoming vocals centre stage. Not that they need much to help them, mind you – if you’re a fan of bluegrass and roots this should be required listening.
“Anthology No.1” by The Band was the source of “Chest Fever” – the link to the previous track being that Levon Helm was of course “the voice” of The Band - plus their drummer (and occasional mandolin player). Bob also felt an affinity with Levon as the latter has also recently recovered from cancer treatment.
The aforementioned Fish Records promote acoustic, roots and country-rock from musicians around the world – one of the albums plugged in their latest newsletter that I received via e-mail was Kim Richey’s “Chinese Boxes”, so I was interested to see the track “I Will Follow” listed on Bob’s playlist for tonight. ‘Wow’ was my immediate reaction to this girl’s sweetly delivered lyrics – so delightful that I’ll have to obtain the album before the turn of the year.
Almost Nick Drake-sound-alike Jose Gonzales was up next – same quiet though earnest style, with just a sparse acoustic guitar for company. I should like this but I don’t – can’t quite put my finger on why it is, though.
Porcupine Tree’s “Fear Of A Blank Planet” is more like an EP – a six track album? “My Ashes” proves that quality does not lie in quantity, though – the harmonies are wonderful whilst the backing remains wisely understated. Twenty years ago this would have been labelled as a ‘concept album’. One of the tracks is seventeen minutes long, so it’s a bit unfair to call it an EP, I suppose….
Another Fish Records plug recently was for Perry Keyes recent album “The Last Ghost Train Home”, from which Bob lifted “The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw”. I’ve found in recent years that Australians can be just as good as Americans at the whole blue-collar stuff – this track could almost be lifted straight from a Springsteen album in terms of content, lyrics and laconic delivery. Great stuff.
BB was interested to hear my thoughts re the collaboration between Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, namely their recently released “Raising Sand” album. Bob played their cover of Rowland Salley’s “Killing The Blues” from this CD tonight, and with such a stellar pair, it was unlikely that I was going to be disappointed. It’s Bob’s favourite track on the album, and I can see why. Both artists complement each other even though they’re clearly coming in from different angles, whilst the accompaniment is so sparse and laid back that it’s almost an irrelevance – at least until the mid-section break where the guitars get a chance to shine. If anything, Alison’s voice seems a little drowned out by Robert’s, although that might just be down to the quality of “Listen Again” – but she does come through more strongly towards the end.

The middle hour was largely devoted to the work of Dion diMucci, both as a solo artist and with his band The Belmonts, Bob choosing a track from the latter partnership to kick off with, the classic “I Wonder Why” being taken from “The Fabulous Dion And The Belmonts” album. Bob selected various tracks and combined them with conversation with Dion – unfortunately due to time pressures this week, I didn’t get time to listen to this particular hour.

After the 1970-vintage “Bob’s On” jingle courtesy of Mark Bolan and “Bolan At The Beeb”, Bob played T-Rex’s “Ride A White Swan” from the same album. Despite these being BBC recordings, it’s quite amazing to hear just how close to the contemporary releases they are – until the applause at the end of the track!
Continuing the BBC theme, Bob went on to play “It Suits Me Well”, taken from Sandy Denny’s “Live At The BBC” – but this sounds much more ‘live’ and spontaneous – and therefore intimate. Accompanied only by a piano, that’s all that’s really needed here.
Julie Fowlis sings in Gaelic – not surprisingly, since she hails from North Uist in the Outer Hebrides and had a previous career as part of the Gaelic group Dochas. Don’t let that put you off, though, since her album “Cuilidh” (which means a treasury or hiding place) is still very accessible even if you’re not particularly sure what she’s singing about. “Ille Dhuinn, ‘S Toigh Leam Thu” might have an incomprehensible title (and Bob didn’t even try to pronounce it!) but the song isn’t. A brief snatch of piano and her gorgeous vocals cosset you straight away. I’ve always thought Gaelic lends itself beautifully to song, and this track provides ample evidence. If you’ve ever listened to a conversation between two Gaelic speakers, you’ll know what I mean by this. I missed seeing Julie Fowlis playing live by one week back in September when I was staying up in Durness near Cape Wrath – she was due to perform in the “Northern Lights” festival the weekend after I left – grrr!
When Hold Steady’s “First Night” kicked off, I tried to rack my brains thinking about who the track reminded me of. “Boys And Girls In America” seems to be one of those songs that you think you’ve heard before but can’t quite work out where or when. Slow paced yet with drawling vocals from lead Craig Finn, it’s a grower, with sumptuous if not completely coherent backing.

In the end, it was a pity I didn't have enough time to listen to the whole of the middle hour or the final twenty minutes this week - and I was doing so well last Sunday! Hopefully I'll be able to devote more time this coming week.... but it's great to have Bob back! Very Happy

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Author: “To the Ends of the Earth: A Snapshot of Aviation in North-Eastern Siberia, Summer 1992”
(Free to read via Kindle Unlimited)

Barkingbiker · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2313 Location: Lincolnshire

Great review Cherskiy, super to have Bob back and be able to read your in depth analysis of the show again. I thought the interview of Dion was fascinating and never realised before, just how much he had contributed to popular music. I am looking forward to tonite's show, but will definitely not be listen to it all live this week, I will be catching most of it on listen again as and when I can.

BB Twisted Evil

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Old Bikers Never Die, our leathers just get tighter!

Cherskiy · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 4:22 pm Post subject:

Thanks, BB - I might even get a chance to listen to some of the Dion interview later this evening although I've got three new CDs to try to listen to over the weekend, too!
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Author: “To the Ends of the Earth: A Snapshot of Aviation in North-Eastern Siberia, Summer 1992”
(Free to read via Kindle Unlimited)

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Great review, Cherskiy. Yes, those ten words at the start were most welcome, especially given the earache and drivel that had preceded the eleven o'clock news.

I didn't manage to catch all of the show but he sounded as if he'd never been away.

Porcupine Tree's album is one of those old-fashioned concept prog-heavy-rock things, and really a case of a band trying just a bit too hard to be clever. Earlier album In Absentia is probably their best - more wheat, less chaff.
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Ron

iwarburton · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland

I don't regularly listen to Bob Harris but am so pleased that he's managed to get back on air after his cancer treatment.

Such a detailed and careful review is a great help to us all--many thanks.

Ian.

Cherskiy · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 8:46 pm Post subject:

Thanks, everyone - haven't started this week's yet but will get around to it before the weekend.... Smile

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Author: “To the Ends of the Earth: A Snapshot of Aviation in North-Eastern Siberia, Summer 1992”
(Free to read via Kindle Unlimited)