46 illinoisentertainer. com july 2017
Continued from page 44 book I Me Mine with characteristic wry humor.“ I have suffered for this book; now it’ s your turn.” Spouse Olivia Harrison explains the irony of the tome’ s title in her updated introduction, with a reminder that her spiritually-questing husband sought to release the idea of ego and possession in recognition of shared spiritual unity. She also describes the combination of irreverent humor and overflowing goodwill that produced the book, noting that the late Beatle’ s words and music remain a source of treasured comfort since his passing in 2001. This updated version of the original 1980 publication has been substantially expanded to cover the full range of Harrison’ s life and career. 59 additional song lyrics are included for a total of 141. More than 600 pages are packed with photos and reproductions of hand-written lyrics. Harrison’ s anecdotes are included for each song. Lengthier passages of conversation with Beatle associate Derek Taylor include thoughts on the Beatles, the phenomena of“ My Sweet Lord,” gardening, time in India, Monty Python, meeting Ravi Shankar, motor racing, and so on.
Jeff Elbel
8
RIDE Weather Diaries
( Self)
When our rock heroes reform to make new music after decades, fans must remember the odds of success are exceedingly low. There are exceptions to this rule( The Church, The Soft Boys, Dinosaur Jr), but Ride is mostly roadkill on the highway of failed creative reunions, and Weather Diaries is stuck on a bloody tire ridin ' on down that road.
Kudos to co-writers / founders Andy Bell and Mark Gardner for aiming higher and not resting on psychedelic cliches of the past. Considered one the best of the shoegaze pioneering bands of the late ' 80s powered by 1990 ' s amazing Nowhere, their newest music could have been made by a band 20 years younger with plenty of post-Brexit political fodder to support the lyrics. Unfortunately this fabled reunion album is a largely melodic underperformer full of rich harmonies that go mostly nowhere. There are exceptions. " Lannoy Point " meshes old Ride psychedelics with a pulsing synth track, regal harmonies and plenty of Theresa May venom. " All I Want " is a driving electro-rocker with sampled vocals and a yearning for Labour Party sensibility.
Bonus points to Ride for risking their necks making new music and not just sucking the life out of a reunion tour, unlike say, The Stone Roses, who ' ve rationed 2 singles to the fans over a 6-year reunion. Longtime fans will likely find enough here to be satisfied, but Weather Diaries won ' t impress your kid. Appearing 7 / 16 at Pitchfork, Chicago
– John Vernon
5
\ U2 The Joshua Tree, 30th Anniversary Edition
( Island)
This year marks the 30th anniversary of U2’ s The Joshua Tree. The Irish rockers’ ongoing tour is its first retrospective trip, featuring performances of the full album. Also timed to celebrate the band’ s“ desert songs” are a batch of reissues including a lavish Super Deluxe vinyl boxset.
Many fans who have all but worn out the digital groove on their 30-year-old CDs will be attracted to the Deluxe set for the bonus disc alone. The two-disc package includes a 17-song set drawn from the first of two nights in September 1987 at Madison Square Garden. The recording is clear and full, the band is fighting fit, and the crowd is buzzing. Nine of The Joshua Tree’ s 11 songs are featured, alongside earlier cuts like“ Pride( In the Name of Love),” the most like-minded single from prior album The Unforgettable Fire. Other key tracks include“ Sunday Bloody Sunday” from War and“ I Will Follow” from Boy. Taken together, the songs played during this show were the ones that established U2 on the international stage. Fresh fare like“ Where the Streets Have No Name” and“ I Still Haven’ t Found What I’ m Looking For” presented U2 as a band with big dreams and a message, and with its sights set on changing the world through music. The Super Deluxe vinyl box is an immersive and impressive affair for serious fans, from the monolithic, foilembossed box to the anti-static sleeves for seven 180-gram platters. The Joshua Tree and Live at Madison Square Garden programs are split onto two LPs each. Another LP includes familiar b-sides such as“ Spanish Eyes,”“ Silver and Gold” and“ Sweetest Thing.” Presented together, the b-sides form a companion album to The Joshua Tree in a similar way that Zooropa echoed the tone of Achtung Baby. One disc features remixes by band associates, including Steve Lillywhite’ s 2017 Record Store Day version of“ Red Hill Mining Town” with stately brass by The Arklow Silver Band. Brian Eno crafts the brief“ One Tree Hill Reprise” as a hymnal soundscape. Daniel Lanois’ remix of“ Running to Stand Still” fits alongside the sonic experiments of his recent album Flesh and Machine album. Bono’ s voice is familiar, but the trappings are more spectral and lonely than ever. The effect is a fusion of The Joshua Tree and the more ambient brushes of The Unforgettable Fire.