Record Reviews

DAVID CROSBY ~ LIVE AT THE MATRIX, DECEMBER 1970 KEYHOLE 9024 (Barcode: 5291012902429) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1970 Released: 2014 This is an archival album by the iconic American singer / songwriter David CrosbyFind albums by this artist recorded at the legendary Matrix club in San Francisco shortly before Crosby released his debut solo album. Recorded in a tight quartet setting with three members of the Grateful DeadFind albums by this artist: guitarist Jerry GarciaFind albums by this artist, bassist Phil LeshFind albums by this artist and drummer Mickey HartFind albums by this artist, the album presents eight songs, some of which are Blues standards and other are his originals which appear on the above mentioned debut album. Crosby sings the lead vocals and plays guitar. The recording quality is acceptable, but far from being up to par with formal album releases. The music is a Psychedelic, blues soaked Rock, typical of the time and the place, which reflects the talents of the four musicians involved and the extensive jamming and long guitar improvisations, which were more characteristic of the Grateful Dead than of Crosby´s more concise and beautifully lyrical songs. Nevertheless the album presents the brilliant songwriting Crosby so wonderfully weaves and his heartfelt vocal delivery, in a raw environment devoid of studio trickery, i.e. WYHIWYG (What you hear is what you get). As all recordings of this kind, this album is of primary interest to either the devoted fans of Crosby and his music or connoisseurs of the West Cost Psychedelia of the time. In spite of the far from perfect sound and the somewhat incidental set list, there is still a lot of great music here, which is definitely worth being discovered. Side Note Obiterdictum Ltd, a company based in Cyprus (oh well you know the story… copyright laws and legal issues) releases mostly live recorded radio broadcasts from the 1960s on and offers an amazing source of music which was never officially released by some of the best Classic Rock and Jazz artists. The catalogue offers five hundred releases, which is an absolute treasure chest of music history, often appearing for the first time. Although the sound quality and sometimes also music quality range from absolutely brilliant to pretty poor, most of the material is surely listenable, especially after being remastered recently, and more importantly offers music which is not available elsewhere. The company releases the albums under several sub-labels: Air CutsFind albums on this label, EchoesFind albums on this label, Hi HatFind albums on this label, HotspurFind albums on this label, InterferenceFind albums on this label, KeyholeFind albums on this label, KlondikeFind albums on this label, Live On VinylFind albums on this label, London CallingFind albums on this label, OrbitFind albums on this label, Rox VoxFind albums on this label and Sound StageFind albums on this label. There is no ironclad logic as to what material appears on which label, except perhaps some internal considerations by the Obiterdictum owners. Approach with caution, but keep in mind that some of these releases are absolutely brilliant!

Updated: 15/05/2019Posted: 10/07/2018

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

GRAHAM NASH ~ SONGS FOR BEGINNERS ATLANTIC 081227977078 (Barcode: 081227977078) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2011 This is the debut solo album by British singer / songwriter Graham NashFind albums by this artist, one of the 20th Century Classic Rock icons, who is still active today. After a glorious career in the UK as a member of the legendary group The HolliesFind albums by this artist, Nash moved to the USA to join David CrosbyFind albums by this artist and Stephen StillsFind albums by this artist (and later Neil YoungFind albums by this artist) to form one of the most influential Classic Rock bands in history: Crosby, Stills & NashFind albums by this artist (and Crosby, Stills, Nash & YoungFind albums by this artist). Nash was decisively the catalyst and bonding element of these bands, with his British Cultural background, lyricism and superb feel of vocal harmony, as well as his personal manners and attitude, which was often in complete contrast to his American partners. This album was recorded in wake of the success of the CSN&Y debut album "Déjà VuFind albums with this title" released in 1970, which prompted all four members of the band to release solo albums, all of which were superb pieces of musical ingenuity. In retrospect, however, this album and David Crosby´s "If I Could Only Remember My NameFind albums with this title" stand out as icons of the era. The album presents eleven original songs, all written (music and lyrics) by Nash, except for one which was co-written with the British guitarist Terry ReidFind albums by this artist, an old friend and partner. Nash is supported by a formidable team of musicians, which includes vocalist Rita CoolidgeFind albums by this artist, Jerry GarciaFind albums by this artist, David Crosby and Dave MasonFind albums by this artist on guitars, Neil Young on piano, Bobby KeysFind albums by this artist on saxophone, bassist Calvin SamuelsFind albums by this artist and Phil LeshFind albums by this artist, drummers John BarbataFind albums by this artist and Dallas TaylorFind albums by this artist and numerous others. The songs exemplify not only his exceptional harmonic and melodic qualities but also his social awareness, which is strongly present in the fabric of the lyrics, many of which would become an integral part of the protest songs sung by the young generation in the early 1970s, when lyrics were meaningful and could move mountains. In retrospect this album is one of the absolute top achievements of the Classic Rock era, and remains completely relevant today, not losing an iota of its splendor and power over time. Almost half a Century after this music was created, it is still fresh, moving and exceedingly beautiful. How sad that nobody makes music like this any more…

Updated: 09/09/2018Posted: 09/09/2018

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend