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Music

Teamwork – Beatles Style!

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The Disney + three-part Beatles documentary, Get Back by Peter Jackson is out and has immediately established itself as one of the most exciting and essential music documentaries ever. Going back in the time machine and watching what looks like brand-new footage of the world’s most successful band collaborating on some of their best-known songs is both nostalgic and fascinating. The music press has been rightfully gaga about the project, with youtube ablaze with internet music personalities weighing in on what makes it great.

One of my business friends commented, “I think we could all learn something from how the Beatles collaborate!” He added, “No ego, just focusing on getting the job done well. And this was done while having what looked like a ton of fun!”

I published some of the many exciting details about the Jackson film and why we’re talking today about a re-edit of a movie over fifty years old. Today, I want to explore my friend’s question and see if we can learn how the Beatles worked together, as shown in Get Back.

What Beatles Teamworking Looks Like

  • Know the Goal – Know Your Role – Get to Work.
  • Iterate, then, Iterate Again!
  • Have Fun – Be Silly – Eat Lunch – Have Tea.

Know the Goal – Know Your Role – Get to Work!

It was interesting to see the Beatles show up for work every day (like the rest of us), grab some toast and jam, and then get to the business of making great songs. Working together, as long as they had created many hit songs, they knew where they were going and intuitively understood what each brought to the table. Developing this type of maturity is not easy for teams and typically is only forged through time. The Beatles had that time – Gladwell’s 10,000 hours – and as a result, much of Get Back shows the Beatles getting work done effectively.

The Beatles also put in a full day. These days were not always the most efficient, but nearly all days showed the boys focused, engaged, and moving the song forward. The Beatles rarely lost sight of the goal yet allowed enough space for magic. From the film’s perspective, simply spending time together is the minimum requirement for these most remarkable organic moments to occur (like when Paul starts up with Get Back out of nowhere). As convenient (and fashionable these days) as it might be to put “write Get Back” on everyone’s schedule on Tuesday from 10:00 – 11:30, that’s not how it worked for the most extraordinary musical creators ever.

Iterate, then, Iterate Again!

What becomes obvious watching Get Beck is that all these songs are repeatedly played – almost nauseatingly so. But, each new go at the tune would bring in another minor change, a unique detail added to the song. The next time, with this new version in tow, the lads would add another change layer. That process of iteration is how the Beatles worked.

Ringo would try a new tempo or drum pattern. Paul would change lyrics so they would be “More singable.” John would play the bass, or George would play the bass part on his guitar while Paul was playing the piano. Each refinement, learned by playing it through, makes the song a little bit better. We see Get Back go from a riff with mumbled lyrics to the music we all know today, courtesy of about 20 iterations (that we saw in the film).

Interestingly, the boys never seem to come unglued with this process. They stay focused on the work, knowing they’ll know when they have it right despite an unclear vision of where the song will end. Iteration is a skill created via discipline with a process and understanding “good enough” when it happens. I think we can all learn from this. Seek input from team members, build it in, then go again (and again) and make it better.

We can also learn how adding someone to the band as talented as Billy Preston can instantly change everything. The Beatles were in the doldrums until Preston stopped in. George brings Preston into the studio to say “Hi!” The piano and organ player is invited to sit in and stick around the remainder of the session, instantly adding indelible keyboard parts to many songs. Where would the music Get Back be without Preston’s great solo?

I was iterating output and iterating the team. Beatles approved.

Have Fun – Be Silly. Have Lunch!

The most frequent comment about Get Back versus Let it Be films is how happy and friendly the Beatles are in Get Back. The original Let it Be was a downer and wrongly focused on group tension as the film’s spine. Paul, in particular, was edited in unflattering ways and came across as a villain breaking up the Beatles. History has proven that wasn’t true, and Get Back clarifies the bigger story of the Beatles making great music and their process.

While the new film maintains the infamous argument with George saying to a very opinioned Paul, “I’ll play what you want or won’t play at all!” it also provides an abundance of good moments that occurred between them. Tensions notwithstanding, it was pretty awesome being a Beatle. They got along, could get things done, and did all while having fun together. No surprise, as the Beatles were friends who grew up together since their early teens and survived an unprecedented career arc. English civility is nearly always maintained, exemplified by the daily break for tea and lunch. The Beatles don’t seem to understand the American concept of a working lunch!

For the Beatles, music was their main connector and the passion they all shared. Because they knew hundreds of songs between them, it was not uncommon to see them spontaneously launch into one of those songs between the work of polishing up a new tune. In these light moments, the viewer sees this deep musical connection and sparks of genius that illustrate why they were the Beatles. They had something profoundly creative between them, which was still working perfectly well in 1969. This is not the band unhinged and falling apart seen in Let it Be, but a cohesive team who would regroup a month later to record Abbey Road, their final album with many career highlights.

One also must mention that the Beatles shared a great sense of humor and silliness. Fans were familiar with this Beatles’ dimension from the film “Hard Days Night,” their interviews, and annual Christmas messages. They were genuinely funny people, each in their way. Get Back, however, brings their humor to another level as a bit of fun is palpable nearly every day in the studio. And this is reassuring. Even with some genuine management tensions between them then, the Beatles in 1969, as they would prove with Abbey Road, were still capable of being at the top of the music game. Shouldn’t that be joyous and full of fun? Yes, and it appears it was (for the most part).

Conclusion

Business today, in my experience, is a collaborative team sport that involves creativity. Now with remote work, we all needed to collaborate more. If this new work-from-anywhere model gets some roots, it will be because we are more mature and skilled team members concerning collaboration and teamwork and getting things done. So maybe we can learn a few tips from a very mature and successful team, the Beatles.

Making time to get together as a team repeatedly, as the Beatles did, will help us better understand roles and goals amongst ourselves, allowing us to start quicker and be more efficient over time. The Beatles didn’t rush greatness, so maybe neither should we.

Iterating on work, over and over, with an eye on the best outcome (without being oversensitive to your idea of losing out) is also something the Beatles did. Also, mixing up the team might be just what we need. And if Billy Preston is the one who wants to join your team, the answer is a big “yes!”

Finally, wasting time and having fun, the Beatles showed us, seems to be part of a great outcome with established teams. So is civility, such as taking breaks for coffee, tea, and lunch. Perhaps teams should embrace these practices rather than eschew them in favor of “tighter schedules.” Clearly, in viewing Get Back, this worked for the Beatles.

I would also add one other insight I was reminded of watching Get Back, and that is this: If you want to get results like the Beatles, you might want to start with the actual Beatles. I remembered the line from the film Social Network, “If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you would have invented Facebook!” Same sentiment. The rarest snowflakes are John, Paul, George, and Ringo (George Martin, Billy Preston, Glyn Johns, and others). Put them together, let them be themselves, and you get something that we’re still talking about fifty years later.

Beatles Forever!

Frampton Comes Alive – The 70’s on a Platter

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Where were you when you first heard Frampton Comes Alive?

Seems like a ridiculous question. Not for me. I remember it like it was yesterday. Especially the first song I heard, “Lines on My Face.”

I was a junior in high school and had stopped off at my friend Scott Cummings’ house after school. Nothing unusual here. He lived close to the high school and had a fully stocked kitchen of snacks and sodas. So, it was a regular stop.

Plus, his mom was “cool!” Sometimes she’d crank her stereo with artists we liked. Very cool, mom. It was the 70’s. They were around then.

Scott’s mom invited us to the family room to chat about the day and check out her new Peter Frampton album. At this point, “Frampton Comes Alive” wasn’t a “thing.” In February of 1976, it had just come out (released in January). FCA had not yet become the biggest-selling live album of all time.

While I was familiar with the song “I Don’t Need No Doctor” by Humble Pie, I didn’t know Frampton’s former band performed that. Nor did I know that Frampton’s riff drove that song that had become an FM staple.

The truth was, despite being a big music person, I knew little of Frampton. Nor did anyone else. His four solo studio albums never caught fire despite growing an enthusiastic fan base.

My friend John Dannan was one of those fans. John was always trying to get me to listen to Frampton, thinking I’d appreciate his fluid playing because I was a guitar player. I heard a few cuts in John’s car, but they never grabbed me for whatever reason.

So what was I to make of this new double “live” album I was about to hear? I looked at the jacket. A slightly out-of-focus cover photo by Richard Aaron of  Frampton with his three pickups, black Les Paul. Cool. The band, pictured on the inner jacket, which included “Bob Mayo on the keyboards, Bob Mayo!”  looked solid.

OK, looks good. Let’s give it a spin. Maybe Dannan was right. Plus, listening to this album would be better than pretending to do homework I wasn’t going to do.

Mrs. Cummings put on side four.

There are two tracks on side four of FCA, the first being the ballad “Lines On My Face” and the second the set-closing crowd-pleaser, “Do You Feel Like We Do.”

I was unfamiliar with both songs.

The first thing you hear on side four when the needle hits the vinyl is the fully engaged Winterland crowd of seeming Frampton fanatics. Before you hear the opening notes of the chord that opens Lines, you hear the fans.

I would later learn the crowd was a distinctive feature of FCA. This crowd responds to every lyric, every musical twist, and most famously, every nuance of Frampton’s talk box device during “Do You Feel Like We Do.” Never had a rock and roll crowd been so front and center alongside the music on a live album.

Sure on “The Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore East,” you can hear the crowd clapping along during “You Don’t Love Me” and famously shouting out, “play all night!” during “Whipping Post.” Conversely, on “The Who Live at Leads,” you barely hear the crowd. There’s hardly any audience interaction on that one. FYI – those were the two best live albums at that time.

The audience mix on FCA is unusually prominent compared to them. Later live albums, like “Cheap Trick Live at Buddahkan,” would take this mixing to the extreme where the audience overpowers the performance.

Part of the appeal of FCA was they got the audience/band mix precise, and it sounded fresh. Like you were there.

Keep in mind this FCA mix came out concurrent with new stereo systems that could exploit these subtleties of sound. The Cummings’  stereo, with some terrific KLH monitors, provided perfect sound.

Back to the music.

Frampton had been honing his catalog of original material through years of marathon touring. He learned what worked and what didn’t. So FCA is a bit of a “greatest hits” set list (despite not having hits). Little did I know that “Lines on My Face,” the song I was about to hear, was one of Frampton’s absolute best songs that his band had become super tight, delivering with excellent dynamics and spontaneity.

As I lay on the carpet, after hearing the crowd, I listened to the guitar lines to “Lines on My Face.” A few in the audience cheer. The band enters, and then a solo.

“A solo to start a song?” I thought.

And what a solo. The first run was so fluid and technically perfect. Then the bends. Perfect vibrato. Another lightning-fast run.

“Oh my god,” I thought, “who is this guitar player?” How could I not know this guy? That solo, which seemed like a throwaway improvisation, was terrific. Plus, I had not heard much about this type of Major 7 jam. It wasn’t on Fillmore East or Lived at Leeds.

Then, Frampton comes in with the lyrics, “Lines on my head…” the crowd nearly erupts, presumably as the super fans recognize the song. The song continues.

Then another melodic solo. Good grief, the band interplay between the bass player and drummer perfectly complements Les Paul’s lines. The tom-tom accents, the higher octave bass runs, all the time leaving space for everything to be heard. These are good musicians. Frampton concludes with another incredible flourish of notes, greeted by a very appropriate smattering of applause for the solo.

Frampton sings, “There’s so many people, my family and friends.” The crowd, hanging on every word, applauds again.

The audience is fully engaged.

What the hell am I listening to? Who is this Frampton guy? Where did he come from? Who does concerts like this, anyway I want to be there, watching this.

Wait! I sort of am there – perhaps that’s why I am so sucked in.

Meanwhile, the song dramatically turns to the minor key. Like David Gilmore does years later in “Comfortably Numb,” Frampton delivers an incredible overdriven emotional solo that builds and builds with trills and double stops to close it out. When he finishes, the crowd approves.

The band regroups, and Frampton goes back to primary mode.

The song ends.

Wow. I mean, really, wow. That was something.

It still is, as I’ve listened to “Lines on My Face” thousands of times through the years. I’ve also seen him play it live, a real showcase for his guitar playing.

FCA was the high watermark for Peter Frampton, and despite going on to win Grammy’s and tour with others, it will always be FCA for which he is most remembered.

Perspective

Nostalgia is a messy business, as it’s still primarily self-referential and, I dare say, a bit romanticized. So take this with some salt.

As I look back on “Lines on My Face,” I think about innocence most.

When I first heard that song, it might have been during one of my last golden moments of pure innocence. The purity in Frampton’s sound on that song that blended his clarion voice, his virtuoso guitar, and the unabashed audience participation, all with that classic Major 7/minor chord tension, was in complete sync with where I was at that moment. As a teen high schooler, I was between a major and minor and would love crowds approval.

As a guitar player, I could honestly “hear” all the notes and nuance behind the music, feeling what was behind them. The song spoke to me. For that day, it seemed to do so uniquely.

It was an “all is right in the world” moment that, if we’re lucky, we get to experience a few times in our lives. If we’re doubly fortunate, that moment is tagged to something like a song that we can revisit again and again.

“Lines on My Face” is that for me.

Funny. I was hoping for a soda and some snacks, and instead got a moment of transcendence.

Wrecking Crew – Edited

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Denny Tedesco, son of studio guitarist Tommy Tedesco, has made the best film ever about the Los Angeles studio scene in the 1960s and 1970s. The Wrecking Crew will be released in selected theaters and available for streaming on March 13. This release comes after many years of limited showings due to music royalty issues for the 100+ songs referenced in the film. A recent round of funding from Kickstarter has finally allowed Tedesco to release his movie through Magnolia Pictures.

The Wrecking Crew is a part valentine from a son to his father and part nostalgic look back at the LA recording studio music scene. Phil Spector, the Beach Boys, and many other LA-based artists/producers were cranking out a new type of hit song that, unbeknownst to the public, fueled the contributions of these unsung musicians (including Tedesco). These new, younger studio musicians who favored casual clothes to the suits of their predecessors were said to be “wrecking the business.” Hence the label, The Wrecking Crew.

This film works because the senior Tedesco was a real deal. He played on thousands of gigs. He was an amazingly versatile player who could read music and whose professionalism put him in the orbit of many significant artists, musicians, and recording sessions. Younger Tedesco does not need to overstate anything about his father’s accomplishments as they speak for themselves.

In addition to playing on such notable guitar-heavy tracks as “The Bonanza Theme” and “The Batman Theme,” Mr. Tedesco further endeared himself to thousands of young guitarists in the 1970s through his Studio Log column in Guitar Player magazine. Each month he would recount the gig, the music, and how much he earned, all with his great sense of humor that comes through vividly in the film.

But it was his connection with other studio musicians that provided the real narrative for the film. His peers, specifically drummer Hal Blaine and bassist Carol Kaye, obviously enjoyed working with him.

The Wrecking Crew is about the songs and the stories of the musicians who made them. The anecdotes about the bass line for “The Beat Goes On”  and “Good Vibrations” or the opening lick to Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” and the kick drum count-in to “A Taste of Honey” are fascinating. These are shared by the musicians themselves, often illustrating them with their instruments.

What also comes through is the camaraderie between these musicians. Some of the best parts of the film are the musicians sitting around a table reminiscing and yucking it up with each other after all these years. This natural and genuine affinity is impossible to stage.

The talking heads assembled in the film are impressive. Record company founders like Herb Alpert and Lou Adler bring some gravitas to the business side of things while providing a sense of how much luck and improvisation were involved in these early days. They had no idea this music would have the longevity it did, going on to become the soundtrack to a generation. For many of these musicians, it was simply another gig.

Because of the length of this project took in coming to release, some of the key players (including Tedesco in 1997) have passed on. So, have some talking heads like Dick Clark, who is here in full voice and health. The silver lining to the delayed release is that Denny Tedesco has added the original release (2008) with some more recollections from other musicians not included in the previous edit. With all the extras, this should be a terrific DVD.

This DVD is a must-have alongside Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002), Respect Yourself – The Stax Records Story (2007), and Muscle Shoals (2013), which also deal with studio musicians’ contributions to popular music. Of those three, this is my favorite.

Sadly, home studios, software, and loops have replaced the Wrecking Crew generation, where musicianship and songwriting were front and center. Now anyone with a computer can slap together a song. Heck, they can even do it on their phone.

The days of the Wrecking Crew were when LA, with unheralded thanks to these great songwriters and musicians, could compete for the toe to toe with the Beatles and Motown.

I’m sure Tommy Tedesco would be proud of what his son has accomplished in paying proper respect after all these years.

Tears for Fears

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Coming off three worldwide hits and constant MTV rotation, Tears for Fears entered the studio with lofty expectations and a blank checkbook. These were the days when the Eagles would spend weeks, and tens of thousands of dollars, tweaking the kick drum sound on a song as lame as “Heartache Tonight.” Studio excesses were the orange M & M’s for the day’s top artists. But as Steely Dan proved with Gaucho, time and money don’t replace inspiration. Making an excellent record was not just a matter of getting the right musicians, unlimited blow, and a famous studio. It also had to do with having great songs.

While nothing on “Sowing the Seeds of Love” comes close to being as catchy as “Everybody Wants To Rule the World” (what did?), it does take their music further than it had ever been before. It also achieves that rarest of musical feats: something that can be taken as a whole. Seeds work like an elaborate song cycle. Not as hypnotic as Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” or cerebral as the Who’s “Tommy”  “Seeds of Love” is equally artful. Seeds have terrific moments of song craft, singing, lyrical inventiveness, stellar musicianship, and show-off production. The CD itself sounds fantastic. The engineering is superb.

There are many collaborators on Seeds, most notably Oleta Adams. Plucked from a bar in Kansas City during a TFF tour, Oleta brings the soul to the proceedings through her husky voice and Pentecostal give-me-a-hallelujah piano. The call and response between her and Roland, reworked in concert to include songs like Believe, would highlight their tour that year. Adams was a real find, earning a Grammy nomination while building a successful solo career.

As he was apt to do all through the 80s, Phil Collins cameos and turns in a solid performance trying to recreate In the Air Tonight’s dramatic drum entrance yet again. It’s nowhere near as good – try Against All Odds – that’s almost as good.

Co-writing 5 of the eight songs on the CD (with Orzabal), much credit should be given to pianist Nicky Holland for the feel of the record. A flair for subtle melodies and a skilled right hand on the acoustic piano is on display here (and on her two under-appreciated solo CDs). “Advice for the Young at Heart” and “Famous Last Words” show how this lovely touch elevates the song beyond pop into something more lush and spacious.

The rhythm section was stellar. Peter Gabriel drummer Manu Katche never sounded better than on “Badman’s Song.” Talk about a kick drum sound – check that out – the Eagles could have learned a thing or two from that track. Pino Paladino plays, as always, great bass. Many of these songs started as jams between Katche, Paladino, Hopkins, and Orzabal. This makes sense as their interplay is fluid and dynamic. Trumpeter Jon Hassell adds some nice color to “Standing on the Corner of the Third World.” The Holland/Orzabal compositions on Seeds take TFF sonically beyond anything on Chair or The Hurting regarding scope and execution.

The seeds title track is quite a number. An everything-but-the-kitchen-sink production – and blatant homage to the Beatles – brilliantly captures psychedelia and optimism, allowing us to smell the patchouli practically. At the same time, Roland sings proudly, “I love a Sunflower!” Nothing so groovy has been produced since (except for some World Party and Austin Powers). A song that is derivative, respectful, and original simultaneously. Try that sometime.

The real star of the show is Roland Orzabal. His vocals, songs, and, one would suppose, his vision made the record what it is. Curt Smith’s contributions are less evident here – besides his lovely tenor on “Advice for the Young at Heart.”  In interviews, it seems there was lots of collaboration between Smith and Orzabal on this record. Those comparisons to Andrew Ridgley were mean and ungrounded. Orzabal and Smith share production credits on the form. Plus, Smith plays a terrific bass guitar.

After this record, Smith, and Orzabal took a break from each other. Two “Orzabal only” Tears for Fears projects, “Elemental” and “Raoul and the Kings of Spain,” came. Both are terrific records and worth seeking out. But neither has the confidence and grandeur found in Seeds. It’s simply a beautiful record.

“Kick out the Style, bring back the Jam!”

Baked Potato Super Live

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For many music fans, the late seventies and eighties were the golden age for music and musicians. Music had become a huge money-making industry thanks to the perfect storm of MTV and baby boomers having cash to spend on albums and CDs. Michael Jackson’s Thriller, released in 1982, was the blend of something artistically satisfying and commercially successful. Not only did Thriller go on to sell more records than any in history (until the Eagle’s Greatest Hits), but it also took home a then-record 8 Grammy Awards.

What made this so?

A big part of it concerned what developed in the LA music scene. With the shift from NY-based Brill Building pop stars to Topanga Canyon Singer-Songwriters, LA became the pop music hub. Warner Brothers, Capitol, A & M, Epic, and even Motown were all LA’s headquarters. The companies pumped money into their studios, giving them the latest equipment. Artists wanted to record in LA. Sunshine and great studios! There was also access to great musicians.

Studio musicians in the 1960s were a critical and often uncredited part of the music scene. Few knew who the Wrecking Crew or Funk Brothers were. The records companies knew those folks well, employing them as much as possible – they were hitmakers.

Bands like the Byrds were offended when, with the ink drying on their first record contract, they learned that the Wrecking Crew would be playing the instruments on their songs. Then, the royalty checks started showing up – which occurred more often than not when the Wrecking Crew was involved!

As pop music moved away from a hit-single business to an album business, the band itself became more important. As a result, musicians within bands became better players. And, like Led Zepplin, the band comprises two former studio musicians.

The Wrecking Crew weren’t getting gigs as bands like the Eagles insisted on playing their instruments. During this drought, a new crop of studio players emerged on the scene. Playing jingles and film scores instead of pop singles, these players were more musical than their predecessors. Bands like Steely Dan abandoned their groups to tap this inventory of great old and new players. The music became better. By the time Thriller came along, the studio scene was vibrant again.

Look at all the Grammy winners for Album of the Year in the ’80s; all of them, including the two wins for “bands” ( Toto and U2), have studio musicians collaborating. Most are complete studio creations without a band, often with different musicians on each track (like Thriller).

Jeff Porcaro, drummer of Toto, and Steve Lukather, their guitarist, might have been the busiest session musicians of the eighties. Jeff’s rock-solid grooves and Steve’s just-perfect overdriven guitar solos were the in-demand cats for the time. They were so engaged and regularly turned down work – with BIG name artists. Plus, they had their band, which was busy selling records and winning Grammy Awards.

Against this backdrop, we come to the CD Baked Potato Super Live, attributed to the Greg Mathieson Project. The “Project” was an ongoing Sunday night gig at the small North Hollywood jazz club, the Baked Potato. For years, this gig had been a well-known secret for music fans. This was where you catch studio giants like Larry Carlton, Abe Laboriel, Jimmy Johnson, Carlos Vega, Lenny Castro, and Jeff Porcaro (or their substitutes) every week. Released from the confines of their studio gigs, you could find them “blowing” and letting it all hangout. For a music fan, you couldn’t hear this playing anywhere else. You had to get there early to get a seat. Los Angelinos would eagerly look in the back of the Sunday Calendar section to see who was playing that Sunday night.

In 1981 Carlton had left and handed over the guitar duties to then-24-year-old guitarist Steve Lukather. Quite a set of coattails to ride in on. Replacing a legend like Carlton made Luke nervous. It wasn’t a huge problem because he was on fire at the time. His solos were everywhere. Please take a look at his session list, it is staggering. Artists as diverse as Olivia Newton-John and the Tubes were topping the charts with his trademark solo guitar breaks that blended power and melody. 

When Super Live was recorded, he was also at work with the soon-to-be Grammy winner Toto IV. In many ways, while well underway, his career was just getting started. Worldwide hits, Rosanna and Africa, were yet to come. His lead vocals and songwriting, which produced the number 10 song, I Won’t Hold You Back, were still in the future. For Luke, this was the perfect crossroads of high expectations being met with confidence (and a ton of talent).

If you are looking for a disc that captures the energy and enthusiasm of players who can’t believe they are doing what they are doing, this is where to go. Fun pours off the CD. Jeff Porcaro never sounded looser or better. Luke’s tone, a single 12 Dumble through a tube screamer and space echo, is fantastic. All you need to do is listen to the opening track, Bomp Me, to hear what a special disc this is.

Porcaro’s endless bass-drum triplets, Luke’s chorus-infused rhythm followed by a whammy bar solo that makes your jaw drop. You can hear the delight pouring through the strings with Luke able to play more than the twelve bars he’d be allotted in a session. Oh, that’s just the first track.

While not all the tracks capture the energy of Bomp me, they do show a band grooving hard. The interplay, nuance, and dynamics are always at play. These are players who not only can play but know how to complement each other.

Pops Popswell (from the Crusaders) was a regular for many of these gigs captured here on bass. Mathieson provides an excellent grounding for the band with his compositions and keyboard work (Hammond work in particular).

The show is about high-school friends Porcaro and Lukather, however. If you are a fan of either, this disc is a must-have. Luke’s solos are clinics for anyone wanting to play melodic, soulful, and fast lead guitar. For someone like me who would play the fade out of I Keep Forgetting over and over to hear Porcaro’s triplet (check it out, it’s incredible), this is Jeff I can’t do without. They groove more profoundly than the San Andreas Fault. If you listen carefully, you can hear his smiling face. For me, this is a desert island disc.

In 25 years, I have never grown tired of listening to Luke’s solo on Home or Jeff, and Pop’s interplay on I Don’t Know. It’s a rare snapshot from an era that’s gone. It’s just a unique combination of super-talented musicians at an excellent time for music, having fun playing together. Wasn’t that the whole point of playing anyway?

You will have to hunt this down as it is not in print. It’s worth it.

Steve Winwood

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When Island Records founder Chris Blackwell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was sure to make a “special thanks to Steve Winwood, whose association with the label gave us credibility with many artists that made us successful.”

Steve Winwood equals credibility. He is the real deal—a musician’s musician. Steve is an artist who can go into the studio and create music all by himself – as he did with his million-selling Arc of a Diver.

Not only does he play all the instruments (drums, guitars, keyboards, mandolin, and of course, his voice), but he is also a master of one of the most challenging instruments to play; the Hammond B3 Organ. For those unfamiliar, the Hammond has three keyboards. One for each hand and one for the left foot for the bass line. Most Hammond players in rock don’t even bother with the foot keyboard; it’s too hard to play. I would like to see one of the other notable one-person bands in rock, Paul McCartney, Todd Rundgren, Pete Townshend, or Prince, have a go at the B3. The point is the man is talented.

Winwood is also a gifted songwriter. Give me Some Lovin’ with the Spencer Davis Group, Can’t Find My Way Home with Blind Faith, Low Spark of High Heel Boys with Traffic, While You See a Chance, Higher Love, and Roll With It as a solo artist.  His songs have covered the full range of rock, from familiar pop tunes to jazzy jams, from ethereal ballads to his most recent Latin-flavored compositions. He has won Grammy,  been a sideman for Hendrix and Clapton, and performed for the Queen. No wonder he is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The music machine producing the Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga doesn’t have room for an artist like Steve Winwood (and others like him). His two most recent releases, About Time, and Nine Lives, are mature, original works by an artist in full possession of his powers. It is some of the best pieces of his career. If you were a fan of Traffic and Blind Faith, you would like these collections where players stretch out a bit.  Steve’s mastery of the Hammond is on full display. While neither may be considered a five-star CD independently, you get very close when the best of both are combined.

The opening track on About Time, Different Light, introduces us to Steve’s new rhythmic sound and critical collaborator, guitarist Jose Neto – the constant on both records. Neto brings something unique to the Winwood party – his nylon string sound and solid rhythmic focus that blends chords with arpeggios that compliment the Hammond.  Cigano (for the Gypsies) may be the best example of this collaboration, with its excellent samba middle break and a terrific solo by Neto against B3 Leslie-flavored swells. The Timmy Thomas remake Why Can’t We Live Together (redone by Sade as well) is timely in its lyrical content while showing the versatility of former Santana drummer Wilfredo Reyes Jr. who injects a Latin feel with timbales and congas through the entire CD (Domingo Morning a showcase for congas). With Sylvia’s eleven-minute CD closer, the band plays in a way that shows the group’s formidable chops. Great composition, with a great Hammond and an excellent slow-build solo by Neto that crescendos in sync with Reyes’ drums and the rest of the band. This is the kind of song you’d hear on WNEW through headphones in the seventies. Put it next to Low Spark in the slow loose jam category. Classic in concert – check it out on the DVD Sound Stage- Steve Winwood in Concert. Awesome!

Oh, and every solo line by Winwood on the Hammond is hummable and melodic.

Nine Lives is a more polished affair. The engineering and sound of the CD are remarkable. You have to listen to it. The songs are primarily over five minutes, but there are fewer solos, with rhythmic interludes taking up some of the solo Time.  There is a Latin flavor (Hungry Man), some folk (I’m Not Drowning), Steve playing lead guitar (We’re All Looking), and a guest appearance by Eric Clapton (Dirty City). While Clapton’s playing is fiery, Winwood’s rhythm guitar dominates that track. It’s a real show stopper when they trade Stratocaster solos on the recent tour (some of this captured on the DVD Live at Madison Square Garden). One forgets just how good Steve is on guitar. It is the ballads (Fly and Bristol Shore). However, that is extraordinary. This is where it all comes together, Neto’s nylon sound, the Hammond, the rhythmic complexity created by the band (Incognito’s drummer Richard Bailey infuses each song with complex poly-rhythms and tasty fills), and Winwood’s instantly recognizable angelic tenor. A great effort here.

In these days of pop stars who can’t play instruments or write songs, we should all join Chris Blackwell and give a special thanks to Steve Winwood – who does both exceptionally well.