Continued from page 32 the album , occasionally relieved by Gary Louris of the Jayhawks . Jason Victor of the Dream Syndicate and Steve Wynn ’ s band the Miracle 3 shines as well on songs like “ The Searcher ,” his art-punk guitar stoking the memory of earlier Sweet albums featuring Television guitarist Richard Lloyd . Sweetly singing slide guitar is provided on songs like “ Come Correct ” by Val McCallum of Jackson Browne ’ s band , as Sweet sings about resisting the negative energy of someone bent upon dragging him into a dark headspace . All of this power-pop royalty and the bevy of cherrypicked songs make Sweet ’ s 12th album a lush feast for the ears , and one of his finest . Appearing 7 / 13 , 7 / 14 City Winery , Chicago
– Jeff Elbel
8
SADIE & THE STARK Ghosts
( Self )
On “ Ghosts ,” a six-song EP follow-up to the 2016 debut EP Witches , Chicago ’ s Sadie and The Stark continues to be a band that reaches listeners on a visceral level . Of the six tracks , “ Wait For Me , Sansa ,” “ Rip ” and “ Crawl ” employ the most aggressive guitar-bass-drums instrumentation that draws upon an elemental post-punk style to boost the raw and powerful vocal delivery of Sadie Rogers . It ’ s as if Shirley Manson were fronting Joy Division . “ Riders ” and “ Wild In The Caves ,” with its Native American-like wails of “ Woah ! Woah !”, highlight Rogers ’ considerably powerful vocal style backed by more subtle instrumentation . But “ Vampire Love Song ” --featuring pedal steel guitar and a folksy rhythm and melody--might be the most surprising and interesting in lyrical content with Rogers singing : “ Crush my soul , rip my skin off / after all , this is the end of the world .” Appearing 7 / 16 at Quenchers , Chicago
– Jason Scales
7
GEORGE HARRISON The Vinyl Collection
( Universal )
IMe Mine - The Extended Edition
( Genesis )
The " quiet Beatle " would have been 74 this year . The Vinyl Collection gathers all of the former Beatle ’ s solo records beginning with 1968 ’ s Wonderwall Music and concluding with 2002 ’ s posthumous release Brainwashed . In addition to a dozen studio albums , the set includes 1992 ’ s Live in Japan and two 12 ” picture-disc singles taken from 1987 ’ s Cloud Nine . Harrison may only have gotten a track or two on most Beatles albums , but the consistency of his solo output suggests that he may have been somewhat unjustly restrained by his gifted bandmates Mssrs . Lennon and McCartney . Presentation of the albums is faithful to the original releases , including the heavy cardstock box for the chart-topping 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass and its poster of copiouslybearded and silhouetted George in the entryway of his home . All albums were remastered for vinyl from original stereo master tapes . For this review , comparison was made between the original pressing of Cloud Nine and the fresh master . The sound of songs including “ Devil ’ s Radio ,” # 1 single “ Got My Mind Set on You ” and the Magical Mystery Tour callback “ When We Was Fab ” is faithful overall . Although benefitting from a bit more fullness in the lower midrange that helps Ringo Starr ’ s drums to sing on the latter , the new masters don ’ t suffer from over-compression or other dramatic changes . Similarly reverent treatment is evident throughout the other catalog entries reviewed . All Things Must Pass includes a bevy of essential tracks , including the country-folk “ Behind That Locked Door ,” shimmering worldwide hit “ My Sweet Lord ,” rocker “ What is Life ” and more . Phil Spector ’ s famed wall of sound towers on “ Let it Down .” Wonderwall Music is well worth rediscovering by those who have never heard it in this format , with its explorations of traditional Indian music sounds in tracks like “ Microbes ” and “ In the Park ” featured alongside the whimsical music-hall pastiche “ Drilling a Home .” Ample gems are scattered among Harrison ’ s less-heralded records , including the winsome “ Crackerbox Palace ” from 1976 ’ s Thirty Three & 1 / 3 , soft-rocker “ Blow Away ” from 1979 ’ s self-titled release , and fond memorial to John Lennon “ All Those Years Ago ” from 1981 ’ s Somewhere in England . The Wilbury-esque “ Any Road ” and ukulele shanty “ Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea ” both appear on Brainwashed . Written “ Somewhere in England ,” George Harrison concludes the foreword to his
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44 illinoisentertainer . com july 2017