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W PageContents: Warsaw, Rick Wakeman, Ween, Paul Westerberg, The White Stripes, Wilco, Stevie Wonder, Steve WynnWarsaw can be found on the Joy Division pageRick WakemanThe Six Wives Of Henry VIII(1973)As a history major, keyboard enthusiast and prog-rock fan, it's hardly surprising that I am exceedingly fond of Rick Wakeman's classical-prog fusion on his solo debut The Six Wives Of Henry VIII. I'm usually not too enamoured with instrumental music, but this album is a good demonstration of how to construct it so that it holds my attention. There are full band arrangements on every track except 'Jane Seymour', with Wakeman's former band The Strawbs and various members of Yes all providing backing. Wakeman is arguably the finest keyboard player in rock, and he has an extensive range of textures at his fingertips. The inside photograph shows Wakeman surrounded by a grand piano, Hammond organ, electric piano, and pairs of Moogs and Mellotrons, while he also employs a harpsichord, ARP and Church organ. Recorded at the height of prog, the taste and production values are naturally pretty high; even the gimmicky practice of doubling the organ lines of 'Jane Seymour' with synthesiser works really well. Wakeman devised the concept for The Six Wives Of Henry VIII after he read a book about Henry VIII in an airport. Its six tracks represents Henry's six wives, with Wakeman attempting to express the musical character of each in a song. This concept occasionally seems a little tenuous, although there are certainly tangible reference points; Henry's flirtatious wives 'Anne Boelyn' and 'Catherine Howard' both have moments of exuberance in their themes, before ending mournfully as Henry had them beheaded. 'Anne Boelyn' ends with a musical quotation from the hymn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Has Ended'. 'Jane Seymour', who died after giving birth to Henry's only son, has a sorrowful theme, while 'Catherine Parr', a favourite wife who outlived Henry, ends the album on a triumphant note. If you have trouble remembering which wife is which, there is a pattern: Divorced, Executed, Died, Divorced, Executed, Lived. Incidentally, Henry VIII executing/divorcing his wives for bearing the wrong sort of baby (i.e. girls) and/or for barrenness is ludicrous when (a) it's the male that determines the gender of the baby and (b) the man was by all accounts riddled with syphilis. If nothing else, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII has an educational back sleeve that profiles each of the wives. Even if the concept is a little dubious, and even so it's a fun idea, the individual tracks work well. 'Catherine of Aragon' is a nice concise opener, while 'Anne Boelyn' launches into ragtime. 'Catherine Howard' and 'Catherine Parr' both have memorable central themes; the former mournful, and the latter bombastic. 'Jane Seymour' breaks the mould most significantly with an organ dominated performance. 'Anne of Cleves' is the least interesting piece, which seems appropriate as she seems to be the least interesting wife. Wakeman isn't about to be mentioned in the same breath as Bach and Mozart, or even gain admission into the classical canon, but does possess enough melodic flair to make these pieces work. Furthermore, his virtuosity and showmanship are almost unsurpassed, while the various other instrumentalists are also exemplary. It's a little difficult to take my rating too seriously, as there are an intimidating amount of Wakeman albums on the marketplace and this is one of only two I own, but I find The Six Wives Of Henry VIII highly entertaining. 
 No Earthly Connection(1976)The year before punk rock broke it was evident that progressive rock was collapsing under its own weight. The Six Wives Of Henry VIII was acceptable, as Wakeman stuck to his speciality of creating pseudo-classical music on his plethora of keyboards. Any genre, however, where a keyboard player is able to get label support to create records like this concept album, based on the role that music plays "in our pre-earth, human and after life", is in serious trouble. Wakeman's showmanship on the keyboards was an important component of Yes, but it was left to Anderson to provide the themes and lyrics. As ridiculous as his words often were on paper ("Shining flying purple wolfhounds come down from the sky and stand there/To rearrange your liver with a solid mental grace."), they always sounded convincing delivered in his high-pitched mystical voice with the majesty of Yes behind him. On No Earthly Connection, Wakeman writes all of the lyrics singlehandedly, before laying them at the mercy of someone he met on the street. Mr. Ashley Holt performs the lead vocals here, and it's difficult to believe that one of Wakeman's cousins couldn't have done a better job. Between them, the stupid concept and overwrought vocals ensure that this album is dead on arrival. If it wasn't for those, No Earthly Connection actually wouldn't be too bad at all. Musically, Wakeman's pretentions are controlled by his label's insistence that he employ a full rock band, and the English Rock Ensemble do a satisfactory job. The horn section adds some extra interest, although it's Wakeman's plethora of keyboards that are the main focus of interest, whether it's the flatulation of synthesisers that opens and closes the 'Music Reincarnate' suite or his tinkling honky-tonk piano and funky clavinet. Some of Wakeman's classical derived melodies are quite elegant, and there's a pervasive sense of drama that the incompetent vocals and clumsy lyrics fail to expoit properly. With expressive singing and conceptual guidance from an Anderson or a Gabriel this album could have worked out, but in its finished form it just isn't convincing at all. It's exactly the kind of thing that Yes fans don't want the band's detractors to find out about.
Ween have their own pagePaul Westerberg can be found on The Replacements pageThe White Stripes have their own pageStevie WonderTalking Book(1972)I wrote these Wonder reviews a long time ago, and since then I've picked up his other major seventies albums and developed much more appreciation for his work, so these are pretty out of date and he's due a rewritten page all to himself sometime soon. Unlike every other reviewer on the web I'm not a particular Stevie Wonder fan. He has created some brilliant pieces of music, such as 'Superwoman' and 'Livin' For The City', but much of his catalogue, while not without merit, often teeters towards sentimentality or blandness. Talking Book is wonderfully performed, but many of the songs are too weak to be saved. For your convenience I've divided the songs into three categories. Worthy Songs: 'Superstition': classic funk. 'Blame It On The Sun': beautiful melody, nice synths, and not too cheesy compared to other songs here. 'Lookin' For Another Pure Love': another nice ballad, with a lovely Jeff Beck guitar solo. 'I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)': if I ever get married I plan to play this at my wedding. Fair Songs: 'You and I': pushing the sentimental boundary a bit far, but Stevie's synths sound really cool. 'Tuesday Heartbreak': shallow lyrics but redeemed by a nice groove. Unworthy Songs: 'You Are The Sunshine of my Life': along with 'I Just Called To Say I Love You', this established Stevie as the lame balladeer from the supermarket soundtrack. 'Maybe Your Baby': way too long, and way too grating. 'You've Got It Bad Girl': another irritating ballad. 'Big Brother': gets kudos for attempting to be politically conscious, but it lacks the passion or sophistication to pull it off. The best moments on Talking Book are magical, and if you are can endure Wonder's soppy moods you will probably enjoy it more than I did.
Postscript: I think this album is overrated, but it deserves better than a 3. Rewritten review pending. Innervisions(1973)Despite a comparative aversion to Stevie Wonder, I have to admit that Innervisions is a masterpiece. One mark of a great album is that every track is significant, which is certainly true for Innervisions. I used to think that 'Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing' was tedious, until I witnessed a random instrumental performance of it at University. This led me to resolve that 'Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing''s inferiority was only comparative to the other brilliant material on Innervisions; judged on its own merits it is a great tune. Significantly, eight out of the nine songs on Innervisions were included on Wonder's recent box set. There is a political theme to most of the songs, which adds weight to the album and virtually eradicates Wonder's omnipresent hokeyness. Innervisions also covers Wonder's stylistic gamut effectively, from raging funk to contemplative ballads. As on Talking Book Wonder's performances are superb: sometimes his synthesisers are too predictably clean to be interesting, but his drumming and vocals are wonderful. On Innervisions, he has material to match his performance abilities. 'Living For The City' is Wonder's single greatest work, with a wonderful funk groove and poignant lyrics. 'Visions' shimmers with lovely acoustic guitar work, while 'All In Love is Fair' features Wonder's refined balladry devoid of sentimentality. 'Golden Lady' and 'He's Misstra Know-It-All' canter behind confident piano grooves, while 'Higher Ground' and 'Jesus Children of America' are punchier. It is almost worth the price of Innervisions to acquire the essential 'Living For The City', but the rest of the album approaches the same level. Wonder's musical talent is undeniable; on Innervisions he grasped a lyrical depth to match it.
Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I(1984)Wonder's talent was best demonstrated in the years between 1971 and 1982, which are conveniently packaged in this two CD collection. The man has written some wondrous songs such as 'Superwoman', 'Isn't She Lovely' and the funk showcase 'Superstition'. Most of all, it is astounding that Wonder single-handedly wrote, performed and produced the seven and a half minute classic 'Livin' For The City'. Wonder also wrote four new songs for Musiquarium which are up to the standard of the rest of the collection. 'Frontline' is an aggressive take on Vietnam (although a lengthy guitar solo is strangely buried in the mix), 'Ribbon in the Sky' is a nice if sentimental ballad, 'That Girl' is a catchy pop song, and 'Do I Do' is a funk epic featuring trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. With the advent of the CD era, a more generous package could have been offered; Musiquarium has only 16 songs, which only just miss all fitting onto one CD. Considering that there are probably heaps of great Stevie Wonder songs where these came from, a longer set would be more appropriate. 'I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)' and 'Happy Birthday' are two obvious omissions. Remember that I'm not a particular Stevie Wonder fan, so I don't enjoy Musiquarium as much as a dedicated follower would.
Postscript: I take my original review back; Wonder is a musical genius, and this compilation is wonderful. I'm still not too keen on 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life', but everything else is top notch. And my comment about not putting on more songs is way out of line: it would spoil the continuity of the compilation (the four original LP sides were seperated around different themes). Steve WynnHere Come The Miracles(2001)I never would have discovered this record without the help of Guy Peters, who kindly sent a copy all the way from Belgium to New Zealand for me. While Steve Wynn's former band The Dream Syndicate garnered critical acclaim with their 1982 debut The Days Of Wine And Roses, they petered out into cult status. When the band broke up frontman Steve Wynn continued in a similar vein, with a respectable but low profile solo career. Almost twenty years after The Days Of Wine And Roses, with little fanfare, Wynn has unleashed a sprawling double set that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street. Set in L.A. and recorded quickly in Arizona, the geographic identity is key; not only does the record have a sun-baked atmosphere that's simultaneously paranoid and lethargic (and occasionally hopeful), but it's full of reference points in the titles ('Topanga Canyon Freaks', Southern California Line', 'Death Valley Rain', 'Sunset To The Sea') and lyrics. Here Comes The Miracles is constructed around classic rock textures; it's all nice warm organic guitars, organs and Fender Rhodes. Neil Young's a good reference point, while there's a touch of Lou Reed in Wynn's vocal delivery, as he jumps into spoken delivery on some of the more intense moments. Sonically it could have been made in the late 1960s, but it also has a grungy tang that dates it much later; it's a little bit too gritty and nasty to have been made in the sixties. There's nothing particularly original about the recording, but it's attractively warm and organic, while it has enough edginess and attitude to give it identity and make it a major work in its own right. Mostly it's rock oriented, ranging from moodiness in the epic 'Good And Bad' and 'Sustain' to nastier rockers like 'Smash Myself To Bits' and 'Crawling Misanthropic Blues'. There's also pop gorgeousness on the delicate 'Morningside Heights', which is a gentle piano pop song that still dovetails neatly into the rest of the record. Despite the relatively negative tone of the record it's book-ended by two quasi-spiritual statements; the opening title track, and the closing 'There Will Come A Day', which closes the record on an uplifting note, tying the loose ends of the record together and following another great rock tradition of the 'My Back Pages' ripoff (see also 'Born to Run', or Neil Young's 'Country Home'). Sometimes I feel like I'm overstating Here Comes The Miracles' case, given its semi-obscurity and lack of innovation, but the deciding factor is that I can't think of another double album in the rock lexicon where there's not one dispensable track.
Feedback: from Guy Peters
Just came across your review of Wynn's Here Come the Miracles! I'm really glad you like it that much. I also think you nailed it down really well. It's not innovative or anything, but you'd probably agree with me that Wynn may be a classic, but very consistent songwriter... He usually has fine lyrics, and some of the arrangements work really well. I saw him twice during the HCTM-tour with that band, and both concerts were stunning, 2hour+ shows with loads of guitar duels, etc... Also saw him twice last year and the shows were good, but not that spectacular... maybe also because the latest album (Static Transmission) can''t really live up to HCTM. Anyway, good job done and like i said, i'm glad you like it. It's one of the few 21st century albums I''d give a "10" to as well... |
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Written 2001-2007, Graham Fyfe
