SUPERMAN: BRAINIAC ATTACKS

Written by Hombre Divertido

In the new DVD release from Warner Brothers, Superman: Brainiac Attacks, embittered by Superman’s heroic successes and soaring popularity, Lex Luthor forms a dangerous alliance with the powerful computer/villain Brainiac. Using advanced weaponry and a special strain of kryptonite harvested from the far reaches of outer space, Luthor specifically redesigns Brainiac to defeat the man of steel. When Brainiac betrays Luthor and reveals its sinister plans for world domination, Superman must brave the mysterious Phantom Zone to find the strength to survive this deadly showdown.

Is it too late to send this to Bryan Singer?

It can be difficult to get excited about watching a straight-to-video cartoon, but Superman: Brainiac Attacks is a pleasant surprise. Pleasant in that the movie is done well, and not overly directed towards children. The story is well crafted, and the soundtrack is motion picture quality.

Tim Daly's performance as Superman and Clark Kent would make Bud Collyer proud, though it could be distracting to Wings fans. The rest of the cast is stellar as it is stacked with star power including Dana Delany as Lois Lane, Powers Booth as Lex Luthor, and Lance Henriksen as Brainiac.

With all the various incarnations of Superman between live action and animated television, as well as motion pictures and comic books, it can be challenging to keep track of the development of the characters and stories. In this outing, Superman is still struggling with telling Lois his true identity, the Fortress of Solitude is quite different than in other stories, and Lex Luthor is portrayed quite clownish. The direction of the Luthor character does not work at all, but that is one of the few parts of this endeavor that does not work.

On the other side of the character interpretation coin is the Jimmy Olsen character voiced by David Kaufman, and that of Brainiac (Henriksen). Jimmy is enjoyably involved in the story far more than other television and motion picture efforts. Brainiac comes across as confident and intensely dangerous, and the battles between he and our hero actually leave Superman looking vulnerable.

Movie Spoiler Warning:

This is a fun film for the whole family. It was nice to once again see Superman fighting for truth, justice, and the American way, rather than having sex out of wedlock, impregnating Lois, and then abandoning his child and her mother for five years as was depicted in the recent motion picture.

Recommendation: A little history on Brainiac and some extras would have made this DVD perfect, but even lacking a little more story and the bonuses we have come to expect on a DVD, this is well worth the investment of time and money.

Johnny Cash - Man In Black: Live in Denmark 1971

Written by Fantasma el Rey

“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”. His standard opening is sadly missing from this entertaining live DVD, filmed in some television studio in Denmark. Yet that takes nothing away from this solid performance by one of the greatest talents the world has known. This show in Denmark and the crowd’s reaction only prove that Johnny was loved by people all over the world; that fact is made obvious by people today, who know nothing about classic country or the other outlaws that Johnny came to run with, yet who claim Johnny as their inspiration and hero. On this disk we get a good glimpse of the Johnny Cash road show, we also get a chance to see and hear many of the regulars of his weekly television show, which include his wife June Carter, his longtime friend Carl Perkins and the Statler brothers.

The disk jumps right into “A Boy Named Sue”. No intros to Cash or the band, just Johnny jumping on stage and picking up his guitar. Johnny always puts this tune over with a smile and chuckle that makes it much more entertaining and comical. From there, Johnny moves into the solemn Kris Kristofferson-penned “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”, a look at someone reflecting on his life and feeling lost on a Sunday morning. This tune is one of my favorites. Johnny’s delivery is more believable for the life he has led, and I don’t think that any one else could have pulled this one off as well.

After a good run through my all-time favorite Cash song “I Walk The Line”, Johnny introduces, as the “originator” of Rock ’n’ Roll, Carl Perkins, who performs two of his tunes: the classic “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Matchbox”. Carl goes through his routine dancing of fancy footwork while he sings and solos. People love to see these same steps that he has been doing since the beginning of his career, playing in small honky-tonks and juke joints. As Carl sings “Matchbox”, the camera has Johnny in the shadows, getting the crowd to clap along to the song; a very interesting and cool shot.

Johnny comes back for a good version of another Kristofferson song “Me And Bobby McGee” and a short version of “Guess Things Happen That Way”, before introducing the Statler Brothers. The Statlers have two songs that showcase their four-part country harmony, which for some reason always makes me smile and think of my mother; who by the way, introduced a very young Fantasma to her wonderful world of music, which included country classics such as Mr. Cash, his family and friends and solid 1960s pop/rock as well. (Thanks, Ma.) The Statlers do sing another favorite of mine, their all-time hit “Flowers On The Wall”.

Johnny comes back once more for a rocking version of “Folsom Prison Blues”, which puts the spotlight on his longtime backing band, the legendary Tennessee Three: Marshall Grant on bass, who has been with Cash from the start, W.S. “Fluke” Holland on drums, who started his career in the Carl Perkins band and was last to join, and taking over for the beloved Luther Perkins, (no relation to Carl) Bob Wootton on guitar.

Johnny talks about his concerts at various prisons next, before introducing his wife June. As soon as she appears, you can see Johnny light up and give a truly sincere smile. One can tell that Johnny’s love for his wife is something greater than himself by his loving glances and long looks into June’s eyes as they sing together. That look is definitely more than an act. They do three numbers including the Grammy-winning “If I Were A Carpenter”, “Help Me Through The Night”, and the one that hits home for me, John Sebastian’s original “Darling Companion”.

Next, the lights go out on the band and Johnny is left in the spotlight for his then current single, and what is now his theme song, “Man In Black”, a powerful song that tells the reasons why he wears all black. This shot of Johnny and the one I mentioned early with Carl make up for the few times that the cameramen goof and we get some shots of the back of John’s head or some other off angles.

John then gives a proud introduction to Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family, then consisting of June’s mother and two sisters Anita and Helen. Their “A Song To Mama” is a moving tune about Ma Carter and the girls’ love and appreciation for her. At the point where Johnny does the spoken verse, there is an insert of Ma looking somewhat uncomfortable, yet moved to tears by the song.

After a long round of rhythmic applause from the crowd, John brings everyone back out on stage for three spiritual numbers to close the show. All three songs are entertaining and have that Johnny Cash sound to them. If I need to explain that sound here again, then you should probably stop reading and go out and get yourself an essential collection of Johnny Cash material. The song “No Need To Worry” has a chorus that says, “I found out that if you take one step/ he’ll take two” which is a Bible reference and seems to mean more knowing Johnny’s struggles throughout his life. The show ends with “Children, Go Where I Send Thee”, the song is Cash-penned and involves singing verses up to twelve, using everybody on different parts; much the way that the “Twelve Days Of Christmas” is sung.

If you recall that the opening song is “A Boy Named Sue”, then closing with a spiritual might seem a bit of an odd way to end a Johnny Cash show. Yet if one knows John’s life story, then it seems that the songs are the perfect bookends to a Cash concert. Everything that the man is and stands for is summed up in his shows, which this taping is a condensed version of. The DVD clocks in at just under an hour, but his highly entertaining and does move very well from segment to segment. All the hep kats and my “Kitten” should enjoy this one from start to finish.

Overall, this DVD is a good look at Johnny Cash just a few years before he became an outlaw to the establishment of country music, refusing to alter his sound or his vision of what they wanted his music to be. As a final note though, I do believe that the Cash well might be running a bit dry, as this DVD contains no bonus material of any kind. Besides being a solid Cash performance, it doesn’t seem to have much significance in John’s career, so it will be interesting to see what is released next. Hopefully I’m wrong, and we can keep getting quality Cash output.

So there it is and here we go… this one is for Johnny and fifty years of the best and we all know that his music will be felt for at least fifty more.

Bakithi Kumalo: Transmigration

Written by Fumo Verde

Whatever magic Bakithi Kumalo made with Paul Simon on Simon's Graceland seems lost here on Transmigration. Bakithi is a fine bass player and the musicians he has brought together are fine studio musicians too, but this CD lets one's mind wander and not along with the music. Too much like Muzak than fusion jazz, if that's what it was supposed to be.

South African born Kumalo is a fine bassist, like I said, but for a guy who played on the Zululand Tour you would think that he would try to blend the jazz coming out of South Africa with the jazz coming out of Europe, North America or South America. That doesn't happen here, and you would think with a title like Transmigration that that's what this disk was all about. Once again, I was wrong.

The first track "Twilight Fire" sounds more like that elevator song you got stuck in your head on the way to see your dentist. The bass bounces through fine as Bakithi tickles the cords and thumps around for a bit; the rest is programmed sounds that run through the piano and drum beats. At least on the second track, "Step by Step", he uses a real sax and guitar. The bass is played at some of its higher notes, making you wonder if it is being used at all. Morris Goldberg plays a mean sax, as Kumalo's bass plays opposite. After a little dueling for a few cords, the bass line drops to its normal pitch and Kumalo adds in the guitar riffs later.

The whole CD is like this with Bakithi playing most of the instruments and using programming for other parts. Chirrs Pati and Bill Smith who plays piano on “Trio”, which I liked, play certain pieces such as drums on “Seems Like Old Times” and “Make Me Smile”. Smith's piano playing comes in as the straight man at first, then playfully jumbles around with the keys for a bit before falling back into the groove. With Damon Duewhite on drums, Bakithi captures the sound of jazz from few decades ago, when Miles, the Duke, the Bird, Thelonious, and all the others were pushing the music to outer reaches.

"Your Point Being?" is the longest jam on the CD, coming in at ten minutes and thirty seconds. It’s a ripping jam that moves quickly with Pati on keyboards and percussion, Goldberg on sax, and Kumalo thumping his bass once again. Like the space shuttle revving its engines, the jam never really takes off. On "Africa", the final cut, Kumalo plays all the instruments from bass to wood flute and even the Djembe (I honestly have no idea what that is....sorry, babies, to stoned in music appreciation that day). I have to say that "Africa" is the only other track I liked on this disk and has almost nothing to do with fusion, or progressive jazz; it just has some Africa beats and instruments jamming together while Bakithi vocalizes his tribal roots.

Playing all the instruments that Kumalo plays is an accomplishment in itself, and for that he is a master musician. Transmigration has well-played music technically, but it has no soul, no spirit that keeps you listening and wanting to hear more. As background music for your lobby or reception desk area, you will get no complaints from your clients, but put it on at a party or for a drive in your car and along the way someone will fall asleep at the wheel.

this is Fumo saying, adios amigos...I’m off to Jersey to sit in humidity for the next three weeks.

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: The Complete Third and Fourth Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

In business, presentation is very important, and in the case of this set of DVDs, the first thing you notice is the presentation. Simple, colorful, comic book themed, and exciting. Excellent presentation.

The box cover contains simple side-by-side photos of George Reeves as Clark Kent and Superman. When you open the set, the insert unfolds to an exciting display of all five disks each featuring a picture of the key characters of the series (Clark, Superman, Lois, Jimmy, and Perry White.) You can’t help but be thrust into the classic era of comic books as the disks are flanked by a comic book themed layout that includes the title of each episode, the credits, and a brief synopsis.

The presentation of the show in the third and fourth season is wonderfully ahead of its time, as the producers had the foresight to film them in color. Though broadcast in black and white at the time, they were not actually televised in color until 10 years later. The story behind this and other interesting facts are revealed in one of the three special features: “Adventures of Superman: The Color Era”. Though this and the other major extra (“Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Special Effects of Adventures of Superman”) are quite brief (six minutes), they are full of interesting facts, extremely informative and entertaining, and certainly raises your anticipation of viewing the episodes. The third extra consists of excerpts from the new documentary by Bryan Singer and Kevin Burns: Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman.

When viewing the episodes in the set, you will again be amazed at how simple the production is, and yet how extremely effective it is. The color is great, and the special effects work well for the most part. George Reeves does a great job as Superman, but it was his confident Clark Kent that shows the range of this talented and underappreciated thespian. Reeves, who often looks more muscular in his classic suits than in his Superman garb, plays Kent with far more confidence and humor than recent incarnations, and it works.

Jack Larson sets the bar high as Jimmy Olsen, and no actor to date has come close to it since. His child-like innocence, subtle humor, and energy are an acting lesson in each appearance. He steals scenes one after another. The rest of the cast, including Noel Neill as Lois Lane, also establish the institution that is Superman with excellent performances, which other actors have and should continue to strive towards.

If there is any weakness here, it is the stories. Even geared towards children, these stories can be considered weak. Often the plots make little sense and the guests appear to be trying to figure them out. There are a few gems in the set, but for the most parts, it is the acting of our leads and the special effects that are the highlights here.

Recommendation: This set is a novelty, and makes for some great fun. The stories will eventually wear thin, but worth the investment. Kids will love it because it compares well to more recent super efforts. A must have for the true fan. Watch the extras first.

LOOK, UP IN THE SKY! THE AMAZING STORY OF SUPERMAN

Written by Hombre Divertido

One might be reminded of the Terrance Mann (James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams) quote: “The one constant through all the years has been baseball.”

The new documentary on Superman by Bryan Singer and Kevin Burns tells us of the consistency of the man of steel.

This 110-minute film out on DVD follows the career, if you will, of Superman from his birth at the hands of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the early 1930s, to his present-day incarnation in the Singer film Superman Returns, and it does it while being both educational and entertaining.

The reason this piece works so well is that it goes beyond Superman, and follows history and the culture of each time period. It expands upon the tragedies and triumphs of America and the world, and how said changes impacted Superman and he us.

We follow Superman from the scratch pads of Siegel and Shuster, to the pages of comic books. From the radio to the movie screen in the form of animated feature, serial, and live action film, to the television screen, and back again. We are led on our journey by the subtle narration of Kevin Spacey (Lex Luthor in the new film), and joined by comic book historians, writers, artists, publishers, industry insiders, actors from numerous if not all Superman endeavors, and pop culture icons ranging from Gene Simmons to Mark Hamill.

It is a wonderful trip as we get behind-the-scenes footage and insight into all the super ventures including those released to the public and those that never saw the light of day. The screen tests of Stockard Channing, Leslie Ann Warren, and others, for the part of Lois Lane in the 1978 feature film were particularly enjoyable to watch.

Of course the investment of time and money is not without its less than super aspects. The animated efforts of the 1960s and ‘70s are barely even acknowledged, and the DVD is quite sparse when it comes to extras. Nonetheless, the story is told well, and one can’t help but smile as some part of our respective memory is touched upon in this super tale.

Recommendation: A must have for the true Superman fan, and a great way to educate those who enjoy the theatrical and televised efforts of the past thirty years, but aren’t familiar with the Kryptonian roots.

Counting Crows: New Amsterdam

Written by Fumo Verde

I was wondering what happened to these guys. Apparently they have been touring Europe, and in doing so, they recorded this CD. During a three-day event at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam (Feb 4th-6th, 2003), Adam Duritz and his flock laid down some tracks that have endeared them to their fans for years, but here they dig deep into their souls to re-release some inner feelings that must have been stored away for ages. This CD has a sorrowful, soulful sound that brings a new darkness to these songs. August and Everything After is the only Crows CD I own; there are some sad songs, but there are some upbeat ones too. On this tour, the band kicked it down a few notches.

"Rain King" starts it out. I always liked that tune, very upbeat. Here, Duritz turns it into a slow ballad while using his piano and the sounds of the slide guitar to give it a more blues style than it had previously. Duritz slows down the tempo by allowing his voice to swim deep into the waves of the lyrics, pulling out its energy and giving it a gentile, sweet sound. This revives the song and gives a new look at old words. This is done on the next track also, "Richard Manuel Is Dead". Here, the band brings the song on strong, but a little slower than previously done. Duritz belts out the lyrics with vigor. As the guitar solo cries outs its part, the rest of the band brings it around with an almost "Grateful Dead-ish" mix that comes from the drums, bass and Hammond B-3 Organ

"Omaha" has to be my favorite song from August... and here the tempo stays the same, with Duritz again, coming on strong. The mandolin comes into play on this track and really adds light to the darkness of this song. "Miami" follows with its with pop rhythm and heavy electric guitar riffs. It still amazes me how this band can take lyrics that make you reflect on certain aspects of relationships, and drop them into a heavily filled rock guitar anthem melody and still make you feel depressed as you find yourself head banging in front of the speakers. Energy with sorrow...its the only way I can explain it. "Hazy" follows, and here Duritz goes real deep into the depression zone, with his sorrowful voice and lone piano. This little three-minute tune will tear at your heart stings. “Good Time” then follows it, and here again, the band takes the audience and the listener on an emotional roller coaster. After going deep into the blues with "Hazy", "Good Time" starts to bring you out. Still being sung with soul, and the band exploding with Hendrixesque guitar cries, "Good Time" gives you the chance to let your tear ducts dry out...for a minute.

"St. Robinson In His Cadillac Dream" brings the crowd up on its feet. One can almost dance to the groove that the Crows are laying down. Once again, the mandolin makes an appearance and creates a bluegrass tone that helps define the song and the feelings that Duritz probably had when he wrote the lyrics. "Goodnight Elizabeth" is my favorite track on this disk. It has to do with any audience that can sing the chorus without the lead vocal person even opening their mouth. The crowd here doesn't miss a beat when "Their" part comes up. Even listening to it now gives me the goose bumps.

For any Counting Crows fan, this CD is a great blend of their music that has been playing for over a decade (I think). Along with the crowd, which you can tell is totally into the show, this recording captures Adam Duritz and the Counting Crows in their true element-- live. This is one of those CDs that Fumo here, can roll one-- puff it, sit back and close his eyes, and babies, if the volume is up enough, it feels like you are there. The Counting Crows are still touring. They are also helping out Harvest U.S.A. along with the Goo Goo Dolls. Check out their website for dates and if you get a chance, go see them. I know I will.

The Cure: Lost In The Labyrinth

Written by Fantasma el Rey

The title sounds as if this DVD might have some real insight to it and the description on the back makes this seem even more so. As I gave this disk a spin, I found all that to be… well, false. I was excited about this disk as any Cure fan would be and was let down to find that for just over an hour, I sat and got no real information about one of my favorite bands. On the other hand, I am glad that I have had this chance to view it before I had any interest in paying for it.

I was so excited about this disk that I invited a fellow Cure fan to watch with me as I figured it to be an interesting film to see. Right from the start though, we were concerned that this disk had a disclaimer stating that this film contained no original music and is not endorsed by the band or anybody really affiliated with them. Not a good start but many a good documentary has been made with no consent from the subject. Yet, as this one began to get going, we quickly realized that this was going to be a train wreck.

After about fifteen minutes, any real interest was gone, and there was still forty-five minutes of filler left to go. The highlight of the film by far, was the time spent on Cure founder/vocalist Robert Smith’s involvement with Siouxsie and the Banshees. Siouxsie and company were very influential in the direction that Robert and The Cure were going, from look and stage appearance to sound as well. The only interview of interest is that with Steve Severin of the banshees and The Glove, a side project of his and Robert’s; Other than that we get to hear opinions from DJs and writers, who’s involvement with the band is never specified.

There are maybe one to two minutes of crackly recordings of a Smith interview, other than that there is nothing; no footage of the band behind the scenes or in the studio. Nothing. We get close-ups of still photos and that’s it. The history of the band could have just as easily been read online, accompanied by better pictures. The last half of The Cure’s output is rushed through and my only thought at this point, was that maybe the filmmakers were getting just as bored with this thing as my friend and I were; Just a question.

The bonus features on this disk are all right, there is a trivia game which is fun to play before the film to see how much you know already, so by the end you can find out that you are a bigger fan than you thought or that you got next to nothing out of this documentary. The discography is hands-down the best part of the DVD; it contains not only standard listings of albums and singles but also an interesting and in-depth list of bootleg albums.

Lost In The Labyrinth has a great name and that’s it; the rest of the film goes nowhere fast. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know why a promotional copy would be sent out for this one, it truly seems that to make a buck a company would need to put this one out under the radar and dupe a few people into picking it up. Really, I would have had a more informative hour sitting and talking about The Cure with my buddy and some of my other friends who are Cure fans. Hell, even the ones who aren’t would have had a more interesting point of view. So to all The Cure followers, who may happen upon my work, I say avoid this one like the plague; go out and get the video collection instead. Its more informative and way more entertaining.

Seven Falls

Written by Fumo Verde

Aloha, babies....this is Fumo with a local band called Seven Falls. Four guys pumpin' tunes straight out of Orange County, with more energy than all the cars and trucks parked on the 55, 57, and 22 freeways at rush hour. They have a sound that seems to combine the speed and quickness of Green Day with the catchy and playful lyrics of Sum 41. Combine these sounds together, and Seven Falls comes off raw and clever.

The energy can be felt in the first track, "Miss Connections". After its ripping guitar intro, the bass and drums jump in with just as much ferocity. The lyrics are simple and easy to sing along with as all of us have similar questions when it comes to relationships. Seven Falls is in touch with the thoughts and ideas of regular folks, i.e., their fans.

The energy level drops a little with "Breathe". It starts out very Green Dayish-sounding, with slowly building guitars and the singer’s voice sounding louder than the instruments that will soon over take him. "...out of state, out of mind, out of gas long ago" How many times have we all have felt like that…okay, just me, whatever. You would think due to the intro on this tune that the music would over run the singer, like it seems to do in most cases, but here the boys keep "Breathe" at the right level. They could have gone over the top, but they didn't.

"Rearview" starts off pretty raw, almost Iron Maiden-like with its dark chopping sound of bass and drums while the guitar’s high notes give off heavy metal rage. Although the song seems somewhat dark, the pure energy of the riffs and the drumbeats make you jump about and head-bang yourself into a migraine. It has that type of hard beat, but again, the lyrics come in clear, and the singer holds his range well. People who choose not to scream out their lyrics are a plus with me. Believe me, sometimes you need to scream the lyrics out, but Seven Falls opts not to on occasion. I like that.

If you want to hear more or learn more you can contact Seven Falls at either their website or their MySpace page. Here at the "Snobs" we like to support local bands and indecent films-- or at least I do.

Have a good 4th and be good citizens. Mahalo...FV.

Willie Nelson: The Complete Atlantic Sessions

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Willie Nelson. What more can I add to the biography of this country outlaw? As we all know Willie is a fellow country outlaw along with Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson; also lumped into this group is the legendary Johnny Cash, who became “too country now, for country” to quote Dale Watson, a personal favorite of mine. On these three Atlantic albums you can further see where and how this outlaw tag was placed upon Mr. Nelson. Although Willie will be the first one to have you call him just plain ol’ Willie. The three CDs are remastered and expanded versions of Nelson classics: Shotgun Willie, Phases and Stages and Live At The Texas Opry House; the set itself is a nice-looking package. The outer box, looks like it’s made of wood, the perfect place for hiding little treasures such as these CDs, while the booklet that comes with it is very informative and easy to read. Each CD is a reproduction of the original album cover, which is something that I have always found very cool and have always been drawn to.

Disk one is the masterful Shotgun Willie, which on the cover shows a smiling Willie’s face in both barrels of a shotgun, wonderful, a great in-your-face contradiction. The title track opens the disk and is a fun romp with sarcastic, witty lyrics about Shotgun Willie and other characters. “Biting on a bullet/ and pulling out all of his hair” if you listen you can catch the plucking sound of the dobro being played in the background, along with that last line. I particularly dig the horn section on this tune, very much in the Atlantic soul tradition; Honky tonk-soul, I guess it could be called.

Followed by what is now a Nelson staple “Whisky River”, which by the way, ghoulies, is not a Nelson-penned tune; sorry to burst anyone’s bubble here, but it is a song by the great and underrated Johnny Bush. The sound of the entire song is a tribute to songwriting and arrangement; you get the feel of a lazy river with ripples brushing up on the shore and a great drifting sensation. This piano-driven, honky-tonk, hardwood-floor number is an excellent choice for Willie’s vocals; he holds nothing back here. Add some bass dripping with funk and some exceptional guitar picking, and there you have it: a classic is born and delivered to the world.

“Sad Songs and Waltzes” and “Local Memory” showcase Willie’s songwriting skills. “Sad Songs” is about the state of the country music industry with lyrics that pack sting and wit. While “Local Memory” gives you a sense of locals headed back to the corner bar every night, to drink and think, or not think.

“Stay All Night” and “Bubbles In My Beer” are jump tunes written by those legends of western swing, Bob Wills and Tommy Duncan. These two solid senders are wild and will get you toe-tapping and longing to play in a jug band, while you clap along with the band. Seriously, y’all, nothing but a good time here. Shoot some rotgut whisky and you’re on your way to redneck heaven. That’s what I did, so join the fun.

The rest of the original album is rounded out by such wonderful tunes as “She’s Not For You” “So Much To Do” and “A Song For You”. This one is truly a masterpiece and sets the stage and the concept for his next album.

Phases and Stages is a concept album about a couple’s separation and their reemergence as individuals. Willie draws attention to key moments in the story by repeating the Phases and Stages theme throughout. The first five songs are from the women’s perspective, slow and contemplative. “Walking” and “(How Will I Know) I ‘m Falling In Love Again” are the two tracks that stand out most for me. The lyrics are strong and on “Walking” they made the women seem that way. While “How Will I Know” has her taking a solemn look at that sometimes sad question.
On the other side of the coin is the man’s point of view, and here one will notice that the songs are a bit more up-tempo as we see a man trying to keep moving on and deal with what he has gone done in his life. “Bloody Mary Morning” is a great country jump number with Willie’s laid-back vocals in full effect. This tune is a stomper cut from the mold of the good old-fashioned country shuffle beat. The rolling barrelhouse piano with aid from the banjo has that “flying down the highway” sound to it; a perfect compliment to the song’s lyrics. “I Still Can’t Believe Your Gone” and “It’s Not Supposed To Be That Way” has our womanizing yahoo pondering the mistakes he has made, like why “you’re supposed to know that even with women on the side I love only you” doesn’t work.

On the second half, the intros are delivered with more force and power. As a whole, this is also one of Willie’s best and from these two Atlantic studio albums one can see the path that he was on and the direction he would take once he moved to Columbia records and released Red Headed Stranger.

The third disk in the set is a romping, stomping live recording that has Willie and the band jamming though songs from his two previous albums; songs that would become staples of his live shows for years to come, such as “Whiskey River”. The live versions of some of the songs from Phases and Stages are stronger and have more of a drive live. A true treat is a medley of classics penned by Willie, including “Crazy”, and others, George Jones’ “She Thinks I Still Care”. Some bonus tracks include versions of “Shotgun Willie” and “Bloody Mary Morning” done with an electric guitar.

Each disk contain a certain amount of bonus materials, which are good to have and nice to listen and compare to the alternate versions of songs; Shotgun Willie and Live have the most interesting of this bonus material. “Shotgun” has outtakes of songs that did not make it to the original album, but that are still strong, such as the rocking “I Gotta Have Something I Ain’t Got” and the slow ballad “I’m So Ashamed”. While the bonus material for Phases and Stages consists of all alternate versions of songs from the album, which is all right but some only have slight differences. When this is done on expanded CDs, it’s a good idea but does go over better with the more hardcore fans of the artist. Don’t get me wrong here because faced with the choice I’m buying the one with as much extras as possible; I’m just a nut like that.

Overall this three-disk set is worth a good solid listen and is something that I do look forward to hearing over again a few times. Shotgun Willie and Live at the Opry are the two disks I dig the most here and would be more enjoyable to hear more than once in their entirety. This box is a must for Nelson fans and very interesting for those that want to get an example of how Willie became the outlaw that he is respected as today.

Miles Davis All Stars: Walkin' & John Coltrane: Soultrane

Written by Fumo Verde

For all my jazz lovin' katz and kittenz out there, here are two CDs, remastered and released from Prestige, that will get you in the mood to crawl into some dark, dank smoky nightclub (not in California, though) where you’ll sip on some slow gin, while some beatnik on stage pours his heart out through a brass instrument as he stands alone under a single red light. Miles Davis and John Coltrane are two masters of jazz. The way they play and the directions they go in vary greatly, but a rose by any other name is still a rose, and so is the jazz created by these two legends.

Even before Coltrane joined the Miles Davis Quintet back in 1955, Davis was known for his sound and arrangements, and how he pushed the boundaries of jazz (basically finding out that jazz really has no boundaries). Miles started off as a sideman for Eddie Randall's Blue Devils, where he met and was mentored by Clark Terry. While studying at Julliard, Miles played clubs in the city where he met people like Charlie Parker (Bird) and Coleman Hawkins. Coltrane, on the other hand, first played in a band during his enlistment with the U.S. Navy. He signed on with Dizzy Gillespie and became one of Dizzy's featured artists on his radio shows. Coltrane has been described as the best sax player in history, although he was known for being a "bop" sax player before he joined Miles in 1955. Unfortunately, neither CD has both of these greats playing together, but they are joined by other greats of the jazz sound.

On Walkin', Davis brings together his sextet that includes J.J Johnson on trombone, Lucky Thompson on tenor saxophone, Horace Silver on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. They play on the first three tracks on the disc: the title track, "Blue 'N' Boogie" and "Solar". "Walkin' " is a funked-up blues jam that the sextet gives a big band sound. The intro is played, then Miles lays down a solo followed by other solos and little jams.

Miles and his quintet, which is the sextet minus the trombone and the sax switched for an alto played by Dave Schildkraut, perform the last two tunes. Where "Walkin'" and "Blue 'N' Boogie" were up-tempo rhythms that let Miles explode with ferocity, "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Love Me or Leave Me" are toned down only a few notches. The tempos are still upbeat and jumpy, with solos around the board.



Coltrane's Soultrane begins with a Dameron-Basie composition called "Good Bait". The sax starts it off with a little bit of bop that gives me the image of a spring hootenanny at a country fair. The band is comprised Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Arthur Taylor on drums. Whereas "Good Bait" seems to have the most upbeat rhythm, "Russian Lullaby" has the quickest tempo to it. Here, Coltrane rockets his sax to new levels, racing up and down the scales as Chambers and Garland jump in and out while Taylor drives hard with quick brush strokes that fuel Coltrane's rush.

The three middle tracks are where the album's soul resides. Here, deep blues are felt, and the rhythms and melodies are played out like a streetcar named “Desire”; the sadness, pain, love and hopes are felt in "You Say You Care", "I Want to Talk About You" and "Theme for Ernie".

Both of these CDs were well worth the time I spent testing them out, if ya' know what I mean. Miles has always been a favorite of mine since my buddy BCM first introduced me back in the late 80's. I am still new to Coltrane, so for me this was a great treasure to have. Shuggi-duggi, another close music pal, turned me on to Coltrane about five years ago and I have been a fan ever since. "Soultrane" has now cemented John Coltrane into my music library right next to my other cornerstone of music, Miles Davis. If you love jazz, you'll dig on these two discs, and if you're not a big jazz fan yet, then you need to listen to these and see what jazz is all about.