Music Reviews - G
G3 - Live in Tokyo (2005 DVD)
Review added July 14/07.
As a guitarist, it's hard to resist the appeal of G3: Satch, the master himself; number one student Steve Vai; and a lucky third member chosen from the pantheon of rock guitarists. The 2005 set promises to be particularly tasty, with Dream Theater prog metal guitar whiz John Petrucci filling out the trio.
We're left with no doubt concerning who the real stars of this production are: while Satriani and Vai get lengthy sets, Petrucci's solo set is just two songs (albeit still running 18 minutes in total length). Which is really too bad, since his set is frankly the high point of the DVD. In truth, I would almost buy Live in Tokyo for the sake of his "Glasgow Kiss" alone. As expected for anyone ranking a spot in the G3 limelight, John shows amazing speed and dexterity, but it is his musicality that is particularly noteworthy. That opening track, in particular, is sumptious and stunning, and the sheer complexity of the follow-up "Damage Control" leaves us in awe.
Petrucci's musicality stands in stark contrast to Vai's set. Vai dedicates himself to originality (weirdness?), but try as I might, I can't hear musicality in most of what he does here. The entertainment value can be had from cheese factor (not least bassist Billy Sheehan's clothing), Steve's facial expressions, and so on, but for the most part, beauty simply does not factor into the equation.
Joe is Joe and sets things back on track, although his set is markedly less original than Petrucci's. But plenty tasty for those looking for some well-executed bluesy fretwork.
As always, the climax of the G3 DVD is the concluding G3 jam. Sadly, here we are let down the hardest: Petrucci's guitar is missing from the main mix - we can barely pick up his playing via (what I assume are) the onstage monitors when Vai and Satriani aren't drowning him out. A real shame, because the view and the faint sound indicates he played a blisteringly good jam.
The all-too-short Petrucci set makes me glad I own this DVD, and it's always great to watch Satch. But this show would have been better had Vai made some effort to keep his playing in the realm of music, and had there been proper production on the closing jam.
3 stars.
Genesis - Abacab (1981)
Review by Derek Hale added Nov 3/07.
The year 1981 was a banner one for the rock music enthusiast, as several seminal albums were either released or ruled the charts during those 12 months. Such classics as Journey's Escape, Foreigner's 4 album, Styx's Paradise Theater, Pat Benetar's Precious Time, and Van Halen's Fair Warning all were released during 1981. The progressive rock trio Genesis also showed up that year with a new album, a self-produced collection titled Abacab. The album--whose strange title came from the shorthand the band used to describe the different sections of the album's title track--solidified a subtle trend begun following the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett from the band in 1977. Shorter song lengths, more personal lyrics, and less instrumental experimentation began to rule the day. In the eyes of many long-time Genesis fans, the band was beginning to "sell out."
Despite the misgivings of hardcore Genesis fans who longed for the days of "Supper's Ready" and "The Musical Box," Abacab contained many elements that were startling at the time and exciting in retrospect. Abacab contains some of the earliest examples of Phil Collins' signature "squished" drum sound. Keyboardist Tony Banks began experimenting with many strange sounds generated by the Prophet Five synthesizer. Even the Earth, Wind & Fire horn section showed up on one song ("No Reply at All"). Engineer Hugh Padgham mixed the whole thing together for maximum classic rock appeal and the blueprint for what would become the mid-80s American infatuation with Genesis/Phil Collins was put into place.
The album begins with the title track, a rambling seven-minute rocker full of obtuse lyrics about holes in windowpanes and waking up finding oneself covered in cellophane. The song's verse section does feature an interesting call-and-response lick between Mike Rutherford's guitar and Banks' keyboards; and the middle section ("you want it, you got it") contains some fiery playing from all three members. However, the song's ending is a a bit overlong and the jungle sounds are, in retrospect, a bit hokey. Subsequent live versions of the song fared much better than the studio version.
"No Reply at All" is up next, and any remaining ties to Genesis' stodgy British prog-rock past are effectively blown out of the water. The aforementioned Earth, Wind & Fire horns provide this tune with a hip (urban?!?) feel--a style that would become commonplace on Collins' 1980s solo albums. The track also features Collins' energetic drumming, Banks' hand-over-hand keyboard technique, and a devilishly clever bass line by Rutherford (one of the highlights of the album). Another notable moment comes during the breakdown section where Collins sings "maybe deep down inside I'm tryin' for no one else but me..." Banks moves away from his keyboards to the acoustic piano to accompany Collins' heartfelt, lover's lament vocal. A really nice moment on a song that still holds up very well today.
Although "Me and Sarah Jane" provided the album's most obvious nod to their prog roots, the song actually straddles Genesis' past and their future quite nicely. Banks' trademark complex chord changes are anchored at times by a steady drum machine pattern. Commenting on Abacab's third track Banks said, "I poured all my flowery, beautiful stuff into one song, and for the rest of the album kept thinking, 'Really keep it simple.' 'Me And Sarah Jane' was probably the last time within Genesis that I wrote a song which goes through loads of chord changes." (Genesis: Chapter and Verse, pg. 234). The lyrics for "Me And Sarah Jane" speak of tragedy and heartbreak with Collins providing an outstanding vocal. "Me And Sarah Jane" stands as one of Banks' finest Genesis moments.
The band takes a bit of a left turn with the fourth track, "Keep it Dark." Rutherford's repetitive guitar riff seems to stay the same and Collins' drums rarely stray from a standard 4/4 time. However, the vocal melody ventures all over the place. The lyrics are of the vaguely anti-war sort with odes to a "world full of people, their hearts full of joy" and "cities of light, with no fear of war."
Collins steps directly to the forefront on the album's sixth track, the 7 1/2 minute "Dodo/Lurker." Collins delivers a powerful and angry vocal with obtuse lyrics that seem to be talking about ecological concerns. In addition, Collins' drum track careens the band very near funk territory. A Genesis-ized funk, to be sure, but funk nonetheless. The song changes character near the end during the "Lurker" section ("Meanwhile lurking by a stone in the mud...") after which Banks delivers an almost comedic melody that changes the mood of the song considerably.
The album's seventh track is the exceedingly odd "Who Dunnit?" The song offers a mishmash of undulating keyboard weirdness from Banks, highly processed drums, and a nonsense lyric delivered by Collins. Summing up his thoughts on the track Banks commented, "I've always loved this track and virtually everyone else, it seems to me, hates it. There's something about it that appeals to me, the fact that it managed to provoke such strong emotion in people." (Genesis: Chapter and Verse, pp. 234-235). Coming off of the weirdness of "Who Dunnit?" is the quiet power of "Man on the Corner." The song contains some of the same elements found in "Me And Sarah Jane," such as a drum sample to establish the tempo, Banks' keyboards setting a plaintive mood, and Collins delivering a heartfelt vocal about a "lonely man there on the corner." The highlight of the song comes midway through, when Collins' drums come crashing into the track providing a tremendous amount of intensity.
The album goes a bit awry with the eighth song, "Like it or Not." Considered on its own merits the song is a good one, a tune that could find a home on a mid-1980s Phil Collins solo album (or, since the song was written by Mike Rutherford, a Mike + the Mechanics record). On a Genesis album, however, the song sounds out of place. Surely "Like it or Not" is the kind of song that glass-eating Genesis fans had in mind when they heaped scorn on the mid-80s incarnation of the band.
Abacab closes with "Another Record," a song originally written during the sessions for Genesis' Duke album. The song includes more of Collins' signature drum sound and a humorous lyric about a washed up rock 'n' roller who has "nowhere to go." The lyrics dovetail nicely with those found in the song "Duchess" from the Duke album. One can picture how "Another Record" would fit into side one of that album.
Abacab provided Genesis with the definitive break from their prog-rock past. The history of the band can largely be discussed in terms of pre- Abacab and post-Abacab output. Banks summed up his feelings about the album thusly, "Often I'd play something which I would normally have gone on to develop into a really long piece, but Mike or Phil would stop me and say, 'No, that's great. Just leave it like it is.' It helped me focus more on the good bits." (Genesis: Chapter and Verse, pg. 235). In the end, Banks' estimation of Abacab is probably accurate. It is an album with a lot of "good bits" sandwiched in between some not-so-good bits.
3 1/2 stars.
