THE BEATLES Sgt. Pepper ' s Lonely Hearts Club Band Deluxe Edition
( Capitol)
We ' ll admit it, we ' ve been Beatle ' d out. Despite the fresh mash-ups from the Love album and the outtakes from the ' 90s Anthology compilations, the Beatles have become the most over-analyzed and overplayed artists in recorded music history. Only Sinatra, Elvis and Dylan have come close. Wisely, the surviving Beatles have kept their catalog free of second-rate live recordings as a peace offering to fans. Sure they ' ve been repackaged to death for new generations of fans peeling back the layers of the glass onion. With the 50th Anniversary Deluxe remix and reissue of Sgt. Pepper ' s, we ' ve been reawakened to the greatness of the Beatles again. Leave it to second generation Beatle producer Giles Martin, Abbey Road engineer Sam Okell and modern studio technology to re-kindle the flame. Going back to the Beatle CD reissues in the late ' 80s to the repackaging of the early 2000s, Beatle masters have seemingly been manipulated by lots of compression and tons of high end frequencies, at least to these ears. Fortunately, Giles Martin had access to the first generation of original 4-track tapes that were later bounced to an additional 4- tracks to fit every layer of Sgt. Pepper ' s psychedelic soundscapes. On the Deluxe edition, the stereo mix of Sgt. Pepper ' s has been finally given it ' s due on the album ' s 50th birthday. Realistically, Sgt. Pepper ' s Lonely Hearts Club Band wasn ' t the Beatle ' s finest moment. It was a benchmark moment where the band became reclusive studio boffins leaving the hysteria of Beatlemania behind. Unfortunately the hippy sentiment of the Summer of Love still weighs down Sgt. Pepper ' s. Granted the bar for the Fab Four is so high, we can quibble about these things. George
32 illinoisentertainer. com june 2017
Harrison ' s " Within You, Without You " though groundbreaking in it nods to Indian / world music and his obsession with the sitar, sounds like LSD-induced psycho-babble. Where Pepper really shines is Paul McCartney-penned title track and its end-of-album reprise that jumps out of the speakers like never before – buoyed by Macca ' s amazing bass guitar and Ringo ' s now head-splitting bass drum. Beatles ' 67 have been truly transformed to Beatles ' 17 like never before. The separation of guitars and harmonies on " Getting Better ", " Lovely Rita " are amazing. All the classic Pepper / Beatle(" A Day In The Life," " With A Little Help From My Friends ") tracks are transformed when listening on headphones, and even notable playing them on an iPhone. Disc 2 shows how Pepper songs(" She Leaving Home," " When I ' m Sixty-Four ") were built from the demo stage to the final versions, guided by the Fabs producer, George Martin. 2017 stereo mixes of " Penny Lane " and " Strawberry Fields, Forever " are just stunning.
Sgt. Pepper ' s Deluxe Edition is not just notable for it ' s dramatic sonic improvements, it ' s a signpost that The White Album and Abbey Road anniversary editions will be even more impressive.
- John Vernon
9
HOOPS Routines
( Fat Possum)
Born in a solo teenage bedroom and nurtured by three cassettes and 2016 ' s self-titled EP, Indiana-based trio Hoops firmly announces its arrival as a sonic presence to be reckoned with on fulllength debut Routines. From opening cut to closer, Hoops deliver shimmering, gleaming guitar-driven psych-pop at its best – think perhaps Foals crossed with Real Estate – featuring songs that lyrically get to the point quickly and succinctly, and driven by instrumentation that sounds larger than it actually is without overkill. This is more than likely the result of the band being comprised of three multi-instrumental singer / songwriters who willingly shift roles throughout this recording just as they continually shift their positions on stage. Nearing mid-point, Hoops is already one of this listener’ s favored“ discoveries” of the year, making them a“ must-see” on their first-ever headlining U. S. tour now underway. One more thing: the name comes from the name comes from the clear plastic dome“ hoop houses” used by nurseries like the one the band’ s founder used to work at and not its home state’ s obsession with basketball. Sorry Hoosiers. Appearing 6 / 3 at Do Division, Chicago.
--David C. Eldredge
7
VARIOUS ARTISTS The Stax Series
( Volt / Rhino)
The 60th birthday of Stax Records is being celebrated with a year-long run of reissues. Each entry in the Stax Classics series spotlights one of the label’ s classic soul artists. The first wave from Soulsville, USA includes heavy-hitters Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave, and Booker T. & the MG’ s. The budget-priced discs include 12 songs apiece, representing eachartist’ s best-loved singles. The comet of Redding’ s brief career set the bar for every soul provider that followed him. His disc is represented by soul-baring hits like“ I’ ve Been Loving You Too Long,” the infectious dance groove of“ Mr. Pitiful,” a gritty romp through the Rolling Stones’“ Satisfaction,” and the self-penned“ Respect” that would become Aretha Franklin’ s signature song. The disc begins with Redding’ s chart-topping posthumous single from January 1968,“( Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” Carla Thomas’ title as the Queen of Memphis Soul was secured in the earliest days of Stax with“ Cause I Love You,” a duet with her father Rufus Thomas. Key single“ B-A-B-Y” was penned by the Isaac Hayes / Dave Porter team that found major pop success with Stax labelmates Sam & Dave. Thomas’“ Tramp” represents the potent duet partnership that was cut short by Redding’ s untimely death in 1967. The disc dedicated to Double Dynamite duo Sam & Dave is packed with pop-soul energy. Any one of the tracks including“ You Don’ t Know Like I Know,”“ Hold On! I’ m A Comin’,”“ I Thank You,”“ Soothe Me,”“ I Can’ t Stand Up for Falling Down,” and # 2 single“ Soul Man” would have earned the pair a place in the pantheon of soul. Booker T & the MG’ s serve as the house band throughout these discs, and their own CD packs thrills aplenty. The collection features Hammond M3 organ showcase“ Green Onions,” in addition to“ Hip Hug- Her” and a blissful instrumental cover of the Young Rascal’ s“ Groovin’.”“ Time is Tight” earned new time in the spotlight when it was covered by both the Clash and the Blues Brothers in 1980. Memphis-based writer and Replacements biographer Bob Mehr provides a knowledgeable Stax fan’ s perspective with new liner notes for the series.
– Jeff Elbel
7
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH The Original Soundtrack Recording From The Nicholas Roeg Film
( Universal)
Forty years after the 1976 release of director Nicolas Roeg’ s tragic sci-fi film The Man Who Fell to Earth, its fascinating soundtrack is being released for the first time. It has been long enough since I’ ve seen the movie that my lone memory of the soundtrack was hearing the rollicking“ Hello Mary Lou” during the risqué scene between alien Thomas Jerome Newton and an aging Mary-Lou romping in a hotel room while firing a pistol filled with blanks. David Bowie fans unfamiliar with the film may gaze at their hero ' on the cover in his guise as Newton and be disappointed to learn there are no actual Bowie performances here, but really, they should delve deeply into this adventurous and worthwhile set. The material on the vinyl platters alternates between avant-garde compositions by Stomu Yamash’ ta and twanging pop fare by“ Papa” John Phillips. The combined effect is suitably jarring and other-worldly, while also providing emotional weight to one of the serially-daring Bowie’ s most daring projects of all. Yamash’ ta’ s gentle but unsettling“ Poker Dice” layers tinkling chimes, shimmering bells, piano and distant percussion. Once a xylophone melody develops, underpinned by a moody bass guitar, the material is too structured to be defined as ambient. Nonetheless, it’ s meditative and hypnotic.“ 33 1 / 3” suggests John Cage and the traditional music of Yamash’ ta’ s native Japan, blending ocean sounds with drumsticks pulled across prepared strings and bells that increase from relaxed pace to frenzied tempo. The song climaxes with thundering tympani before pairing relentless handdrumming with sweeping electronic sounds. Phillips’“ Jazz II” weaves harp, R & B horns, and a rhythm section into a groove suggesting the influence of Marvin Gaye’ s classic soul-music score for 1972’ s Trouble Man. With Phillips’ rootsy vocal, other songs like the country-pop saloon crooner“ Boys from the South” and“ Rhumba Boogie” hew closer to the sound of The Mamas & the Papas. Recentlydeparted Rolling Stone Mick Taylor features on tracks including“ America.” In addition to two vinyl LPs, the box contains two CDs with expanded scores including orchestral versions of“ Venus” and“ Mars” from Gustav Holst’ s The Planets. Also included is a large movie poster. An album-
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