I saw online recently someone’s list of the 20 greatest rock guitar solos. Some of them I could agree with but most of them were not what I would have chosen. I spent some time thinking about this and even consulted a few friends. Some of the picks are on most lists and some are a bit obscure. Here it is, the list of my favorite studio rock guitar solos (it goes to eleven!).
- “Stairway to Heaven”, Led Zeppelin. I know this song has been played to death over the years but when it comes on the radio I listen to it every time. It is a masterwork of songwriting and song structure. The way it builds as it unfolds over its seven minutes never loses its appeal. And it is capped off by one of the great solos in rock. Jimmy Page using his Fender Telecaster got this solo down in three takes. John Bonham is in lockstep on the drums as Page’s solo finally climaxes into its screaming finale.[1]Perfection.
- “Smoke on the Water”, Deep Purple. From their smash album “Machine Head” this is another classic rock warhorse. But they’re warhorses for a reason. I remember listening to this song on a transistor radio outside my house in the early seventies. It was on AM radio. There was actually rock and popular music on the AM band in those days. The AM version of the song cut the first half of Ritchie Blackmore’s solo . On the album we get the solo in its entirety. With Jon Lord pumping out the main riff on his B3 organ (connected to a Marshall stack and not the usual Lesley speaker) Blackmore unleashes one of the best known solos in rock.
- “Brothers in Arms”, Dire Straits. From the album of the same, name Mark Knofler creates one of the most restrained guitar solos you will ever hear. By this time he has started using a Gibson Les Paul to get this fat sound (as opposed to the cleaner sound he was known for on his Fender Stratocaster). Knofler’s slow guitar lines hover like the mist on those mountains in the song.
- “Key to the Highway”, Derek and the Dominoes. Let’s get two rock gods for the price of one song. Eric Clapton’s 1970 masterpiece Layla and Other Love Songs featured Duane Allman on many of the tracks. The most famous being the title cut but this one, a blues cover, really lets Clapton and Allman stretch out. The song fades in because, as rumor has it, the band started jamming and the engineer ran into the control room to get the tape rolling. Between the verses the two go back and forth between Allman’s slide and Clapton’s leads. At one point in the song you can hear Clapton yell out as Duane’s solo hits one of its many high points. Almost ten minutes of guitar playing bliss.
- “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-VI)”, Pink Floyd. When it comes to the best David Gilmore solos most people go with “Comfortably Numb” or “Money”. For my pick I turn to my favorite Floyd album “Wish You Were Here” and its opening 12 minute track. That signature four-note riff and the masterful pentatonic solo that follows, I never get tired of it.
- “Cortez The Killer”, Neil Young and Crazy Horse. There are many great Neil solos to choose from dating all the way to Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere (“Down by the River”, “Cowgirl in the Sand”). Certainly the case can be made for “Like A Hurricane”. But there’s a special place for this tune off of 1975’s “Zuma” which was Young’s return to that early Crazy Horse sound. The song opens with Neil’s guitar drifting lightly like those Spanish galleons on the water. His playing becomes more impassioned as the story of Cortez and Montezuma unfolds. It’s perfectly nuanced. No overplaying, just a mournful wandering up and down the fretboard.
- “Almost Cut My Hair”, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. One of the only songs on “Déjà Vu” that was cut live in the studio with the whole band. Another guitar hero two-fer with Neil Young and Stephen Stills dueling between the verses of this great David Crosby song. The final break before the last verse sounds like Stills’ guitar is crash landing. Crosby’s vocal is probably the best of his career, certainly in the studio. You can hear him whooping in the background as Stills and Young go at it. The other interesting thing about this song is that it is probably the only band track without any harmony vocals.
- “Out There”, Dinosaur Jr. From the 1992 album “Where You Been”. Guitarist J Mascis is the alt rock Slash. I could have picked any one of the songs from this record but this opening shred-fest sets the stage for what is to come. This is one of the great guitar albums.
- “November Rain”, Guns N’ Roses. Speaking of Slash there is this song from “Use Your Illusion I and II”. I actually liked this album more that “Appetite for Destruction” which I know is sacrilegious to hardcore GNR fans. Slash really gets more room on longer songs like “Civil War” and “Estranged”. His distinctive Les Paul tone is front and center on this track and his solo sections just soar.
- “Dear Mr. Fantasy”, Traffic. Steve Winwood is such a talented singer and keyboard player that his guitar playing is sometimes overlooked. This song is all you need to hear to believe that Winwood is one of the rock’s great guitar players. That break at the end of the up tempo section is incredible.
- “Rocky Mountain Way”, Joe Walsh. I remember the first time I heard this song on the radio. The slide guitar part in the intro cuts through the mix like a sharp knife. And then there is that incredible slide solo coming out of the talk box section at the end. Walsh is one of the top slide players of all time.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Music – “The New Abnormal”, The Strokes. This New York City band was all the rage in 2001 when they released their debut album “Is This It”. They’ve been on and off the radar since then. The new album continues with a sound to me like parts Velvet Underground and Television, two other seminal NYC bands from the seventies. Lead singer Julian Casablancas sports a too cool for school vibe that the critics fawn over. I don’t get the hype but I like the album. Rick Rubin produced it which gives the record some serious street cred.
Books – “The Glass Hotel”, Emily St. John Mandel. I became a fan with her last book “Station Eleven” which interesting enough is about a global flu pandemic which wipes out most of the world’s population. Mandel’s latest centers on a woman named Vincent who is working as a bartender in a remote luxury hotel in northern Vancouver with her brother Paul. It is there that she crosses paths with a Bernie Madoff-like character named Jon Alkaitis (who owns the hotel). Soon Vincent gets involved with him. The story is told from multiple perspectives of the characters who lives are ultimately impacted, and changed forever, by the Jon’s Ponzi scheme. It’s a familiar story but Mandel’s writing make it seem new again.
Streaming – “Modern Love” (Amazon Prime). This series is based on the New York Times column that runs in the Sunday Styles section. I was never a fan of the column. It seemed too dark. The show was great. Each episode features a different story with different actors. The cast is also terrific with Anne Hathaway (what an episode that was!), Tina Fey, Dev Patel, John Slattery and many others. The final episode has a clever twist. Highly recommended.
[1] I would argue that Bonham’s playing is an integral part of making this a classic solo. Those tom rolls are the best ever recorded.
As this virus lockdown (stay at home order) goes on I’ve been thinking about song lyrics that relate to the effect this is having on our everyday lives. The list follows. No commentary necessary, I’ll let them stand on their own. Stay safe and well my friends.
“I’ve seen the lights go out on Broadway…”
Billy Joel, “Miami 2017”
“But the subways are empty and so are the cafes.”
Neil Young, “Ambulance Blues”
“Now all them things that seemed so important, well mister they vanished right up into the air.”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
“Don’t it always seem to go you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”
Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi”
“Stuck inside these four walls, sent inside forever, never seeing no one nice again… “
Wings, “Band on the Run”
“I’m on the pavement thinking about the government… “
Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues”
“It’s just that demon life has got you in its sway.”
Rolling Stones, “Sway”
“I can’t believe the news today, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away.”
U2, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
“And in attempts to understand a thing so simple and so huge.”
Jackson Browne, “Before the Deluge”
“It’s the end of the world as we know it…”
REM, “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
“How come Jesus gets industrial disease?”
Dire Straits, “Industrial Disease”
When I find myself in times of trouble mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
The Beatles, “Let It Be”
Someday soon we all will be together if the fates allow. Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow.
Judy Garland, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
ARTS ROUNDUP
Podcast: “Here’s The Thing” with Alec Baldwin. Not sure how I stumbled on this but I’m glad I did. Baldwin is a well prepared and enthusiastic interviewer. You can tell he is fan of his subjects’ work and he has a great voice for a podcast. I’ve listened to interviews of Cameron Crowe (cool story about casting Sean Penn in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”), Jann Wenner (his friendship with Mick Jagger), concert promoter Ron Delsener and broadway star Kelli o’Hara.
Books: “After Henry”, Joan Didion. This is her book of essays from the late 1980’s. Some of these essays are so densely packed with insights that I got to the end of one and re-read it immediately. Her long piece on the Central Park Jogger case that closes the book is a must read for anyone who has lived or worked in New York City.
Streaming: “Echo In The Canyon”. Jakob Dylan made this combination documentary and concert film as a tribute to the late 1960’s artist enclave in LA’s Laurel Canyon. The focus in on artists like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys and The Mama’s and the Papa’s. Interview subjects include Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Graham Nash and Eric Clapton. The movie also features the last filmed interview with Tom Petty. The concert performances are covers of the popular songs from the era. Performers include Dylan, Beck and Fiona Apple. The knockout performance is the cover of the Mamas and the Papas “Go Where You Want To Go” with Dylan and Jade Castrinos. Castrinos’s performance is absolutely mind blowing. You can find it on YouTube but watch this movie. For everyone who is a fan of the Southern California sound.
Music: “Caretakers”, Pete Yorn. One of my fondest musical memories is the summer of 2001 driving in my car listening to Pete Yorn’s debut “musicforthemorningafter”. Almost 20 years later Yorn is still putting out strong pop/rock records and “Caretakers” is one of his best in recent years. In his weaker moments PY’s songs can meander in search of a hook. Not here. All the songs build quickly to catchy choruses and bridges. The full band sound is sometimes pleasantly dense with Yorn’s layered vocals just peeking out above the mix. Good stuff.
In the late 60’s musicians who were booked into small concert halls like the Fillmore East in NYC would play two shows a night. The first show started at 8:00 and the second show at midnight. This was also de rigueur at places like the much smaller Bottom Line down in the Village. It was occasionally the setup at other area venues like the Capital Theatre in Passaic, NJ and The Academy of Music (later the Palladium) also in NYC. The early show had to be over by around 11:00 so the theatre could be cleared and the audience for the midnight show could get in and settled. At the Fillmore there were usually two to three acts on the bill so timing for the first show sets was reasonably strict. The midnight shows were more open ended. Clearly just the presence of the second show starting at midnight indicated there were no local curfews to deal with. Because of this the midnight shows were sometimes more desired because the bands could stretch out their sets. This was the era of bands playing songs with long, improvised instrumental sections.[1]As I came of age in the early to mid 70’s I had the opportunity to attend a few of these midnight shows.
My first midnight show was in 1974 when I was 15 years old. One of my close friends[2] got tickets to see Gregg Allman‘s midnight show at the Capital Theatre in Passaic, NJ. His older brother, also attending, would drive us (we were sophomores in high school). Somehow my parents didn’t put up much resistance to this middle of the night sojourn to one of New Jersey’s more blighted cities. Later I saw a couple of midnight shows at The Bottom Line. In November 1979 my college roommate and I drove up to NYC to see J.D. Souther[3]. I also saw Warren Zevon there in 1982. The Bottom Line was set up like a night club with small round tables (first come first serve) and they served food and drinks at the tables. It was a small place that seated around 400.[4] However, the midnight show that makes the others pale in comparison was my adventure in November 1976 seeing Neil Young and Crazy Horse at the Palladium in New York City
The actual date of the show, November 20, 1976, is burned in my memory. It is probably the best concert I ever attended. It is the perfect example of seeing the artist at the right time in their career. Neil had emerged from his “Doom Trilogy” phase of 1973-74 with the release of “Zuma” in the fall of 1975. This album, a set of electric guitar based songs, reunited him with his band Crazy Horse. Young and the band toured Europe and Japan in early 1976 and the shows were said to be legendary with Neil lighting up the stage with some of his most ferocious guitar playing ever. After a side project and tour with Stephen Stills that summer[5] Young returned with Crazy Horse for a November tour of the U.S There were three shows booked for the Palladium in late November. They sold out quickly and a fourth show was added for midnight on the last night. I was the one who got the four tickets for this midnight show. I don’t remember how I came into these tickets but I’m sure my father was involved. I was in my first semester freshman year at college so I must have sent my dad on a trip to Ticketron when I heard about the show. Brief digression… my father was a wholesale furniture salesman who spent most of his time driving around the New York metropolitan area visiting furniture stores. On many occasions, upon hearing of a show I was interested in, I would ask him to stop by the local Ticketron or box office and try to buy me tickets. My father was a really good sport. There he was in jacket and tie, between appointments, standing in line with other teenaged music lunatics like me waiting to buy me tickets to a concert. Picture it, a middle aged man leaning into some hippy behind the counter, “four tickets to Neil Young and Crazy Horse please.”
The show was on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. My college gave us the whole week off so I got home that Friday. The story of our trip to the show in New York City is almost as memorable as the concert itself. I invited two of my close friends to the show, let’s call them John and Dennis. I still had one ticket left when the first problem emerged. None of our parents would let us take the car to New York City after midnight. Normally for a show in the city we would just take the bus but for a midnight show mass transit (schedules and the sketchiness of the bus terminal/subway) was not an option. So with one ticket available and in search of transportation we went to a party that Saturday night given by a girl we went to high school with. We were all back from our first few months at college so it was a celebratory affair. We got to the party around 9:00 and immediately began working the crowd for a Neil Young fan with a car. The ticket being free to whoever volunteered for this assignment. We finally found our man. We’ll call him Tommy. He was a huge Neil fan and his car was available for the trip. Next problem: Tommy was so drunk he could barely stand up. Solution to next problem: one of us would drive Tommy’s car. Now none of us had a lot of experience driving in New York City but Dennis stepped up and took the keys. The only drawback to this was that Dennis was a notoriously bad driver. He drove too fast and wasn’t very attentive to his surroundings. This issue was counterbalanced by the fact that John and I (Tommy was obviously excluded from these deliberations) wanted no part of driving in the city. With only about an hour until showtime off we went. We went through the Lincoln Tunnel which dumped us out on 34th Street on the west side. The Palladium was on 14th Street on the east side. Not too far. I was in the front passenger seat navigating and holding on for dear life as Dennis sped south through the lights on one of the avenues. We got to the theatre a little for before midnight. Now we had to find a place to park. We circled the block looking for street parking. As we drove along 15th street we called out to Dennis that he had just passed a spot. Being a one way street this meant we had to go around the block again and would probably lose the spot. Dennis had a solution for this: a U-turn onto the sidewalk and back around into the spot (living up to his driving reputation). What it lacked in legality it more than made up for it in practicality. Parking spot secured we decamped for the show. Tommy, now conscious, emerged from the backseat screamed “Neil Young” and staggered off in the other direction. We quickly retrieved him and guided him into the theatre and our seats.
Our seats were 12th row, left side, first four seat off the middle aisle. Soon after midnight the lights dimmed and my adrenaline redlined. Out walked Neil, acoustic guitar strapped on, harmonica around his neck. The acoustic set started with “The Old Laughing Lady” from his first album and wound its way through favorites and unreleased songs before ending with “Sugar Mountain”. After a short intermission the lights dimmed again and Neil was back with the “Horse”. Now sporting his black Gibson Les Paul (“Old Black”) the electric set was mind-blowing. Young soloed like a man possessed, distorted guitar lines wafting out over the crowd. The highlights included “Cortez The Killer”, “Down By The River” and the as yet unreleased “Like A Hurricane”. After an encore Neil and the band left the stage. Lights up. Show over. Not so fast. Here comes Young back on stage with his acoustic guitar to treat us with one more song, “Tell Me Why” from “After The Gold Rush”. It was a magical night.
I don’t remember much about the ride back but we had to return to the party to retrieve our cars. We got back there sometime after 3:00 in the morning and the party was still going on. Tommy by this time was back into shape for driving. The rest of us went into the party to see who was still there. I ran into a friend I had seen earlier in the evening when looking for a driver who, not knowing about the concert, asked “Hey where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you all night.” I’d been on a journey to see one of the legends of rock and roll but it was too late to recount it now. It was also too late to go home so I followed Dennis to his house. I crashed there until returning home later that Sunday, exhausted but still exhilarated from the night before.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Books – “The Night Fire” by Michael Connelly. This is the second book to feature Connelly’s long running character Detective Harry Bosch and his young collaborator, Detective Renee Ballard. Connelly hits his stride with this Bosch/Ballard entry which is a definite step up from their debut in “Dark Sacred Night” (2018). Bosch enlists Ballard’s help on a cold case involving one of Harry’s mentors. Meanwhile Ballard is working an arson/homicide on her midnight shift. There is also an appearance by Bosch’s half brother the lawyer Mickey Haller who enlists Harry’s help on one of his cases. Gradually it all comes together in this compelling and cleverly plotted tale from one of the masters of the genre.
Film – “Little Women”. I wasn’t very familiar with the story haven’t not read the book or seen earlier movie versions. This adaptation of the March sisters’ saga is a star filled epic directed by Greta Gerwig. I thought it was really well done; beautifully filmed with authentic period costumes. The great cast extends to the supporting roles (e.g., Tracy Letts as the newspaper editor who publishes Jo March’s stories). It is out of the theatres now but still worth streaming.
Streaming – “Justified” (Amazon). I just finished the first season of this FX series that centers on US Marshall Raylan Givens played by Timothy Oliphant. Givens is reassigned from the Miami office after a controversial shooting of a drug kingpin. His new post is Lexington, Kentucky which is in the vicinity of his rural hometown. He returns to find criminal boyhood friends, old loves and his outlaw father. A bit of a throwback, Givens is fast with his gun, soft-spoken but with a definite swagger (and a very cool hat). Thanks to my brother-in-law Bill for turning me to this series. Check it out.
[1] The recording for one of the most famous live albums, The Allman Brothers, “At Fillmore East” were taken mostly from the second (midnight) shows from their three night stand in March 1971.
[2] This was the same friend who would score Led Zeppelin tickets a year later.
[3] Touring behind his hit album “You’re Only Lonely”.
[4] There were some classis shows through the years at The Bottom Line most notably Bruce Springsteen’s five night, ten show stand in August 1975 just before “Born To Run” was released.
[5] I went to see the Stills/Young Band in early July at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. Not long after this show Young abandoned the tour leaving Stills to cancel the remaining dates.
In August I was rehearsing with my band at a rehearsal studio on the west side of midtown Manhattan. We were getting set up and I needed some help with microphones so I went down the hall to the main desk to ask someone to come by the studio. As I was walking down the hall I passed three guys on their way out of the studio. One of them looked familiar. He was a little on the short side with salt and pepper hair kind of standing straight up. I stopped him and said, “Excuse me but are you Willie Nile?” He turned to me and said yes he was. I told him it was great to meet him and that I was a fan of his music. We chatted for a minute. He and his bandmates were playing in New York City later in the fall[1].
One of the great things about New York City is the occasional celebrity sighting[2]. Willie Nile is a New York-based musician who had a couple of really cool albums in the early eighties before legal troubles derailed his career but more about this later.
I was sort of excited about meeting Nile. I mentioned it to my bandmates when I got back to the studio and was greeted with quizzical looks. Who? I said, “You know, Vagabond Moon?” Still nothing so I let it go. Now the back-story here is that I never really owned a Willie Nile album but had taped his first two albums from a friend. So somebody had turned me on to Nile, I just couldn’t remember who it was.
When I got home later I texted my friend, who I grew up with, about my meeting Willie Nile. Again, who? I said “Didn’t I borrow these albums from you?” No. Next I tried friend #2. Good college buddy. We were in a band together and shared our love of music. It had to be him. Guess who I met? Response: Sounds vaguely familiar. Clearly not him. Who loaned me these albums? I suspended my search and started thinking about the career of Willie Nile.
Nile broke on the scene in 1980 with his debut “Vagabond Moon”. The title track was an FM hit. Another track from that album that was a personal favorite was “It’s All Over”. It was a jangly sound with Nile’s cracked tenor laid over the top. He quickly followed this album with “Golden Down”. I don’t remember how well it charted but I liked it more than VM especially the title track and, one of the great rock ballads, “Shoulders”.
Then that was it for ten years until Nile reappeared in 1991 with “Places I Have Never Been”. Ten years is an eternity in the music business, even back then. It was a solid album but the momentum had been broken. Grunge was taking over the world in the early nineties and Nile, though still offering up quality music, seemed out of step. Like emerging from a time machine to find a different world. How fragile is the pursuit of success.
Nile continued to record and tour, though on a much smaller scale than his early eighties heyday. Now in his early seventies he is still active on the music scene. You could replace his name, and this story, with many other talented bands or artists who through bad fortune or the whims of the music business never got beyond cult status. Artists like Marti Jones, Elliot Murphy and Graham Parker come to mind. In the end though I continue to enjoy the music of these mostly obscure artists as much as the name brand stars. And if anyone of you loaned me those Willie Nile albums I thank you.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Music – The Black Keys, “El Camino”. I revisited this 2011 album recently. I had forgotten how strong this record was beyond its hits “Lonely Boy” and “Gold On The Ceiling”. Dan Auerbach’s writing and Patrick Carney’s propulsive drumming offering up solid album cuts like “Dead and Gone” and “Sister”. No filler on this one.
Television – “Country Music”. This is the latest Ken Burns PBS series. Burns and his narrator Peter Coyote could make a nine-part series on plumbing compelling television. You don’t have to be a country fan to enjoy this series. The episode on Hank Williams is a fascinating look at this talented and tragic artist. I really liked the Johnny Cash episode too. The quality is high throughout with extended vignettes of performers like George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. Catch the reruns if you missed it.
Books – “Thirteen” by Steve Cavanagh. This is a taut courtroom drama featuring the attorney (and ex-con man) Eddie Flynn who is defending actor Bobby Solomon who is accused of murdering his wife and bodyguard. It looks bad for Bobby. There’s a clever twist lurking almost immediately as the chapters alternate between Flynn’s perspective and that of a guy named Joshua Kane who is trying to get on the jury by any means. Clever stuff.
[1]November 22ndat The Mercury Lounge and November 23rdat Cutting Room.
[2]In 2016 I ran into Nils Lofgren on the Upper East Side. We had about a five minute conversation and he was very gracious and just a nice guy.
“Edwards stepped back from the music scene in 2014, launching a coffee house in Stittsville, Ottawa called Quitters… She insists that she is not leaving music but just taking a break.”[1] Well it’s 2019 and the Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards is still missing from the music scene.
I remember hearing “One More Song The Radio Won’t Like” on the radio in 2003 the year Edward’s first album “Failer” burst onto the scene. The songwriting was filled with stories of lawless boyfriends (“Six O’Clock News”), adultery (“Westby) and doomed relationships (“Hockey Skates). Her songs could also be delicate and simple (“Mercury”). These were subjects not normally covered by female singer songwriters, and certainly not so directly.
An early appearance on David Letterman boosted her visibility.[2]Edward’s second album “Back to Me” came in 2005 and continued the themes of the first album with songs like “In State” and “What Are You Waiting For”. Towards the second half of the album a sense of melancholy began to creep in with songs like “Copied Keys” and “Somewhere Else”.
I went to see Edwards on this tour with my wife and my good friend “Concert Pete” at the Canal Room in New York City. Edwards’ first two albums were greatly enhanced by her guitarist (and husband) Colin Cripps. Cripps added subtle textures and crunchy guitar lines to the studio and live versions of the songs. One of the things I really liked about Edwards’ recording were her use of space. Many of her songs feature extended instrumental codas. The music was as important as the lyrics in creating the feeling of the song. Cripps was to Edwards what Mike Campbell was to Tom Petty. It was hard to imagine one without the other. On the EP “Live at the Bowery Ballroom” Cripps’ solos at the end of “National Steel” and “Hockey Skates” unfold slowly and seem to hang in the air like heat lightning on a summer night.[3] In concert Edwards would also roll out some interesting covers like AC/DC’s “Money Talks” (also on the EP) or Neil Young’s “Unknown Legend” (her tribute to a fellow Canadian).
“Asking For Flowers” followed in 2008 and though critically acclaimed I found this record didn’t click for me like the earlier two. It was a darker record despite some brief injections of humor like “I Get The Dough, You Get The Glory” about the hockey player Marty McSorley. This was also the first album to feature session players instead of her touring band. Pete and I saw her again on this tour at Irving Plaza and I got the sense that something had changed.
The critical reception was again strong for the 2012 release “Voyageur” but by then I had pretty much stopped following Edwards. Produced with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Cripps was gone by now (they divorced in 2011), and the players were mostly session musicians and guest vocalists.
Then came the announcement in 2014 that Edwards was “taking a break” from music.[4]What happened? Despite being the critics darling she was still playing relatively small halls and commercial success was elusive. Couple that with the endless cycle of touring, recovering and writing the next record and maybe something had to give. The music business was just starting to embrace streaming and touring was the only way to make money. Maybe she saw the future and decided to call time out.
Perhaps the Eagles captured it best with this line from their 1975 song “After The Thrill Is Gone”:
“What can you do when your dreams come true and it’s not quite like you planned?”
Edwards’ web site says she is writing songs for the long awaited fifth album. Let’s hope so. There was some real magic on those first two albums and the live EP.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Televison – “Sneaky Pete” Season 2 (Amazon). Marius Josipovic’s (Giovanni Ribisi) impersonation of his former cellmate Pete Murphy takes a turn for the worse in the second season of this crime drama. Two hired thugs who are looking for the $11 million that Pete’s mother Maggie stole three years ago kidnap Marius. The money belongs to a Montenegro gangster named Luka. Luka is a very bad man who has given Marius 48 hours to come up with the money or he will kill him and Pete’s family. The problem for Marius is that he has no idea where to find Maggie. Meanwhile the aftermath of the crimes from Season 1 are still playing out for Marius’ adopted family.
Books – “Dark Matter”, Matt Crouch. Equal parts science fiction, thriller and love story this novel poses the question: What if alternate versions of our lives are playing out in a multiverse? That is the premise of this engrossing novel (I read it in less than a week). Coming out of a Chicago bar one night Jason Desson is kidnapped into an alternate version of his life and now must figure out a way to get back to his wife and son in his old life. Soon to be a movie. Highly recommended.
Music – Amazon Echo. Admittedly I am, again, a late adopter of technology. The Echo is a smart speaker that connects to Alexa (digital assistant). It is linked to Amazon Music and can even access Spotify. I never really had the desire for these kinds of devices until my son gave me one recently. You can’t beat the convenience: “Alexa play John Coltrane” and voila The Trane’s sax fills the air. It is also useful for the occasional recipe. I’m sure Amazon is spying on us but it seems a small price to pay.
[1]Source: Wikipedia
[2]Letterman was a big supporter of new artists.
[3]Also check out Cripp’s closing guitar break on “12 Bellevue” from “Failer”. It rips.
[4]Check out this YouTube interview done in her coffee shop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdNCHQV2Ub4
Paste Magazine had an article recently on the 30 best albums of 1979. Reading through the list I had forgotten what an incredible year it was for popular music. I have very fond memories of music that year and some of my favorites made the list.
“Rickie Lee Jones” (#27). From the funky bohemian image on the cover to the earworm hit “Chuck E’s In Love” we were drawn into an album of incredible breadth and emotion. From the heartbreaking “Last Chance Texaco” to the sly comedown of “Weasel and the White Boy’s Cool” this was an artist emerging fully formed.
Graham Parker and the Rumour, “Squeezing Out Sparks” (#23) As I mentioned in a previous post, I had a great cassette bootleg from the 1979 “Sparks” tour. This album doesn’t have a bad song on it. As Parker sneers and the Rumour roars behind him they churn out instant classics like “Local Girls”, “Passion Is No Ordinary Word” and the deeply moving abortion song “You Can’t Be Too Strong”. This is another example of an artist who should have seen bigger success.
Fleetwood Mac, “Tusk” (#11) I really thought that this was a great follow up to the multi-platinum Rumours. Instead of trying to produce another Rumours they (mostly Lindsey Buckingham now fired writer/vocalist guitarist) came up with a double album of quirky, sometimes lo-fi, but catchy tunes. The double album format gave all three songwriters enough room to stretch out. A much better follow up than the Eagles‘ “Long Run” in which the band disappeared down the rabbit hole in pursuit of the perfect follow to “Hotel California”.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse, “Rust Never Sleeps” (#8) This was Young’s 70’s peak after a string of strong, though sometimes strange, albums. Rust was mostly a live recording[1]. The acoustic side was recorded at the Boarding House in San Francisco in the May 1978. Side Two, the electric songs, was recorded on tour with Crazy Horse in the fall of 1978. The electric side is partly a response to the punk movement and the Horse could be as primitive as any of the CBGB bands. Some of the songs (“Pocahontas”, “Ride My Llama” and “Powderfinger”) were written earlier in the decade. Along with songs like “Thrasher” this album was also a high water mark for Young’s songwriting.
Elvis Costello, “Armed Forces” (#7) “Oh I just don’t know where to begin…” and so starts the opener “Accidents Will Happen”. Along with this one, my favorites include the mercenary anthem “Oliver’s Army”, “Party Girl” (Costello’s work play on full display) and the emotional “(“What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”. The album also included a promo EP excerpt of live tracks from “Hollywood High” that had “Accidents” (solo piano version), “Alison” and “Watching The Detectives”. He and Graham Parker were running on parallel tracks in 1979 that would soon diverge. Costello continued his prolific ways putting out albums at a pace not seen since Elton John in the 70’s.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Damn The Torpedoes” (#2). The band broke big on this their third album. Producer Jimmy Iovine and engineer Shelly Yakus gave the Heartbreakers a sound that jumped from your speakers. And then there were the songs. From the drum break intro to the opener “Refugee” Side One might be one of the best in rock and roll. The “Big Jangle”, as Petty called this sound, would dominate their next two albums.
Doobie Brothers, “Minute by Minute” was not on the list probably because it was technically not a 1979 album. It was released in December 1978 and was all over the radio during 1979. Singer/songwriter/keyboardist Michael McDonald, who joined the band in 1975, was already emerging as the new sound of the Doobie Brothers taking them farther from their boogie rock roots. McDonald carries this album leading off with the near perfect trifecta of “Here To Love You”, the mega-hit “What a Fool Believes” and the title song. Ironically this commercial peak was the beginning of the end. Internal strife and road weariness resulted in the band dissolving in 1981.
Postscript: Last month an old friend of mine passed away. I met Pete in 1994 when we both worked on Wall Street but our friendship over the years was centered on music, mostly live music. Pete and I went to numerous shows in NYC, so much so that he was known affectionately around my house as “Concert Pete”. Pete loved music, his dog Otis and Dewey Beach (Delaware). I always liked his priorities. Rest in peace my friend.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Books – “Dark Sacred Night”, Michael Connelly. Connelly’s latest novel combines his long-standing character semi-retired detective Harry Bosch and his newest character LAPD detective Renee Ballard (who had her debut in “The Late Show” in 2017). The center of the story has Bosch and Ballard collaborating on a cold case that Harry has been working. Much of the book is filled with vignettes of smaller cases Ballard works during her midnight shift (punishment for a sexual harassment case she brought against another officer) and a drug case Harry is working in the Valley. It is a very long, busy and quite engrossing novel except for the end, which seemed rushed and a little contrived. Not really Connelly’s style.
Music – I made my annual sojourn to Vintage Vinyl Records in Fords, NJ a few weeks ago. This is supermarket-sized store that stocks vinyl of most musical categories though they are known for their thrash/metal/hardcore section. Nevertheless there are also ample offerings of classic rock, new rock and jazz on newly issued vinyl. There is also a large used section with some high quality vinyl. There are also a fair amount of bootlegs, both vinyl and CD. It can be a bit overwhelming if you don’t have a game plan going in. Some of my purchases will be reviewed in coming posts. This place is definitely worth the trip if you are in the NYC metro area.
Streaming – I have been revisiting the first season of “West Wing” on Netflix. Looking back this was groundbreaking television. The ensemble cast has terrific chemistry and soars with Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue. The pilot episode includes a storyline where White House speechwriter Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) “accidentally” sleeps with a prostitute and takes her pager by mistake. He then tries to explain it to his increasingly horrified co-workers. Hilarious. The show’s themes (e.g., hate crimes and controversial Supreme Court nominees) are still relevant today.
[1]With the crowd noise edited out.
There’s a series on Amazon called “classic albums” that are one-hour documentaries about the making of some of the most iconic albums of the classic rock era. I caught one by accident one afternoon about Deep Purple’s “Machine Head” album. It was quite good with all the band members providing their recollections of their time in Switzerland in December 1971 recording this record.
There are some really cool albums in this series[1]and I’ve been meaning to watch more of them. Last week I watched the show on the making of Led Zeppelin’s fourth album. The album was recorded in December 1970 at Headley Grange, an estate size home in the English countryside. According to the documentary the band completed the principal recording in six days, which is pretty amazing considering the material. Now completing the overdubs and mixing took much longer (guitarist Jimmy Page mixed the album twice) and the album wasn’t released until November 1971.
The other thing that delayed the release was the album cover. The band, somewhat in reaction to the press critics of the band, and there were many, decided to release the album without a title. Not only that but the Led Zeppelin name would also not appear on the cover or the album itself.[2] . The only identifying marks provided, inside the gatefold and on the album label, were four symbols (one for each member of the band).[3] Their record company thought this was completely nuts (“professional suicide” was their manager’s reaction). But Led Zeppelin was at the peak of their powers and had the weight to defy the record company. They had faith that their fans would figure it out. [4]
Fans and critics immediately began calling the album Led Zeppelin IV (or SOZO the symbol attributed to Jimmy Page). Though this was the most extreme example there have been other instances where fans and critics have come up with a name for an album other than it’s official title (or lack of title in this case). Here are a couple of examples from my record collection:
The Beatles, “The Beatles”. This 1968 double album with its all white cover and the band’s name in raised white letters on the bottom left was almost quickly dubbed “The White Album”. Through the years others got in the game of color-coding their album names. Prince released his “Black Album”. Weezer has made a career of different color album covers.
Jackson Browne, “Jackson Browne”. The singer-songwriter’s first album cover featured his name and his silkscreened image imposed over a canvas wine sack. At the bottom of the wine sack image were the words “Saturate Before Using”. Everyone thought, incorrectly, that this was the name of album. This moniker became such a given when referring to the record that eventually it became the official name of the album with subsequent pressings listing the name on the spine of the CD.
In recent times, with the Internet and the advent of social media, more bands and artists have released records without a title and/or their names. In 1971 though this was a groundbreaking move from a band that broke a lot of ground during their time.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Books – “IQ” by Joe Ide. I bought this book by mistake while ordering something from Amazon on my phone. One day it just appeared on my Kindle. Call it a happy accident. The book’s featured character is Isaiah Quintabe (IQ) a highly intelligent, high school dropout from East Long Beach, California who takes on cases for people in his neighborhood (thefts, lost daughters…). In this first book of the series Isaiah, along with his sidekick Dodson, are hired by a successful L.A. rapper to figure out who is trying to kill him. The story flashes back to provide the backstory about how Isaiah came to his profession as “unofficial” private eye. Isaiah is part Sherlock Holmes part Travis McGee and the dialogue is crackling and feels authentic. I will be visiting with IQ again soon.
Music – Bob Mould, “Sunshine Rock”. If you like his post-Husker Du output, particularly the rocking stuff, this record is for you. Mould’s skill of crafting catchy melodies over his buzzing guitar has been a constant throughout his career. This is another offering of well-constructed, catchy tunes that you will want to hear again and again.
Podcast – Malcolm Gladwell, “Broken Record”. This is a new podcast from the author and columnist that features interviews with artists and others from the music industry. It’s an eclectic lineup of episodes and I chose the one with producer Rick Rubin. Gladwell discusses Rubin’s work with Tom Petty on the 1994 “Wildflowers” album. Gladwell is an enthusiastic and well-prepared interviewer and the Zen-like Rubin is well spoken and thoughtful. I’m looking forward to the next installment of this series later this year.
[1]Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours”, Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and Tom Petty’s “Damn The Torpedoes” to name a few.
[2]The catalogue number was also omitted from the album cover spine.
[3]Foreshadowing Prince’s decision to become known only by a symbol for part of his career.
[4]Led Zeppelin went with the no title/no band name approach again with the cover of their next album “Houses of the Holy”. The record company this time was allowed to put a wrapper on the album with the title and band’s name. The CD release had the title and band’s name on it.
Throughout our musical journeys there have been points where an artist or a band changes the way we think about music. I call those moments game changers. We’ve all heard the story of journalist/producer Jon Landau seeing Bruce Springsteen for the first time and realizing how Bruce would be the game changer for rock music in the seventies and eighties. There is also a scene in the Eagles documentary, “History of the Eagles”, where producer Glyn Johns is producing the band’s first album in London. He isn’t seeing anything special about them until one day in the studio the band is warming up for the session by singing an a cappella version of “Seven Bridges Road” around one microphone. Hearing their soaring, locked in harmonies Johns has his game changer moment. The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964 was a game changing moment for an entire generation. For some people it was the songwriting of Bob Dylan. A few years ago I wrote an essay on musical crushes. All the game changers were crushes but not all crushes were game changers. What follows are the artists and bands that were my game changers.
Jackson Browne, “Late For The Sky”. It is hard even today forty plus years later to really describe the impact this album had on me in the summer of 1975. This was an example of a piece of music coming along at exactly the right time in your life to create the maximum impression. His voice and those songs were something I had never experienced before. I loved the sound of the album with its dense, even murky, production with only Browne’s voice and David Lindley’s guitars (and violin) rising out of the mix. This record, along with its predecessor “For Everyman”, are in my opinion the peak of Browne’s songwriting. That someone could write songs like this changed my outlook on music forever.
Little Feat, “Waiting For Columbus”. A few years later in 1978 when I was in college a guy I worked with in the library was touting this band’s new live album. I picked it up never having heard a note of their music. I can still remember dropping the needle on side one in the sitting room of my college dorm. What unfolded over the four sides of this album was something I had never heard before. Rock/funk/R&B all mixed up into the crazy gumbo that was Little Feat in the seventies. Lowell George’s soulful singing and piercing slide guitar laid on top of the polyrhythmic sound coming from the rest of the band. The game changer for me was the eclectic, almost sideways, songwriting of Lowell George[1]. From the hilarious last verse of “Dixie Chicken” to the geographic wordplay of “Willin’” or surrealism of “Sailing Shoes”. When was the last time you heard the word onomatopoetry used in a song (“Down Below The Borderline”)? Alas George died in June of 1979 and we lost one of the great songwriters of the modern rock era.
REM, “Reckoning”. In the summer of 1984, having recently picked up their first album “Murmur, I went to see REM at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. My first impression was that the band rocked much harder live than on “Murmur”, which was almost an acoustic album. The set showcased songs from their new album, “Reckoning”, with older songs as well as a number of really cool covers (e.g., Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale” and the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreaming”). Seeing them live was a completely different experience. I quickly picked up the new album the next week. I couldn’t get enough of this Athens, Georgia band. This album stayed on my turntable for months. I just kept flipping it over whenever I got home. REM really changed the way I thought about how a guitar band could sound, how harmonies were constructed and also about how to cover songs as interpretations not just copies of the original.
Yes, “Close To The Edge”. In the early seventies I owned this record for a while before listening to it. It was actually on an 8-track tape (that doomed seventies format). I got it as part of a get ten records for a penny teaser offer from the Columbia House Record Club (“Buy just four more in the next two years at regular club prices!”). Anyway one day I got around to listening to “Close To The Edge”. I think I was listening to it on headphones. As the title song unfolded over 18 minutes I was transfixed. Most long songs I had heard usually involved long guitar solos. This was something else altogether. It was like a symphonic piece with recurring themes over multiple movements. The lyrics were impenetrable but it didn’t matter. The melodies were soaring and each member of the band was a virtuoso on their instrument. “Close To The Edge” changed the way I thought about how you could construct longer pieces of music. I still listen to this album regularly today – on vinyl.
In looking back at this essay I see that these artists were from early in my life. Perhaps game changers come earlier when they can have maximum impact, when we are more impressionable, or open, to them. Maybe later after years of listening to all kinds of music it’s harder to get turned around by an artist.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Books – “The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey”, Rowan Ricardo Phillips. Phillips chronicles the 2017 tennis season and the amazing resurgence of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. When I say season I mean the entire season. Phillips touches on just about every tournament. The extended vignettes on players like David Goffin (#7 in the world) and bad boy Nick Kyrgios are especially insightful. It’s the best tennis book I’ve read since David Foster Wallace’s “String Theory”.
Film – “Bohemian Rhapsody”. By now most of you have probably seen this movie and know that Rami Malek is sensational as Freddie Mercury. You forget how many great songs Queen had. I wasn’t aware that everyone in the band contributed to the writing of those songs. Their Live Aid set is still one of the most amazing performances in rock history.
Music – Phoebe Bridgers, “Stranger In The Alps”. The second album from Bridgers is worth checking out if just for the song “Scott Street” (see the YouTube live version here).
[1]Lowell George and Jackson Browne were close friends.
The great electric guitarists tended to favor one make of guitar over all others. They may have used others in the studio but live they became known for their trademark choice of guitar and any deviation was very noticeable. Say a name and you associate a particular make and model of guitar with them. Not surprisingly most of the choices are between the Gibsons (usually the Les Paul) and Fenders (usually the Stratocaster) but there are a few exceptions. Here are a few of the greats and their guitars.
Jimmy Page – Strictly a Gibson man. The Les Paul and his custom SG-style double neck (for “Stairway to Heaven” and a couple of others).
Jeff Beck – He started with the Les Paul but moved to Stratocasters on his second solo album in the seventies and has used them since. I always think of that iconic cover photo on his “Wired” album.
Neil Young – Electrics of choice for Young are the Les Paul (“Old Black”) and the Gretsch White Falcon. The exception was 1973 when he played a Gibson Flying V (“Time Fades Away” winter tour) and a Fender Telecaster (“Tonight’s The Night” fall tour). You could write a book about what was going on with Neil Young in 1973.
Eric Clapton – Similar to Jeff Beck EC started out playing the Les Paul in the Yardbirds and Cream. Sometime in the early seventies between his time with Delaney and Bonnie and Derek and the Dominoes he moved to the Stratocaster. It’s been his axe of choice ever since.
Duane Allman – Another Les Paul man except when he played slide and then he used a Gibson SG.
Keith Richards – Keith’s is a bit of an exception favoring multiple models of guitars for his unique 5-string open tuning riffs. Though I always think of him with his Fender Telecaster on songs like “Gimme Shelter” or “Brown Sugar”.
Bruce Springsteen – Fender Telecaster. Full stop.
Pete Townshend – Another great player who never settled for just one type of guitar. Townshend favored the Gibson SG during the heyday of “Tommy” but through the years he’s played Les Pauls and Fenders.
Mark Knopfler – It was exclusively the Fender Stratocaster for the Dire Straits front man until their “Brothers in Arms” album when he starts mixing in the Les Paul. The Gibson is featured on the beautifully understated title track.
David Gilmour – Generally a Fender man, The Pink Floyd guitarist plays a wide selection of guitars but the classic Floyd solos (“Money”, “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”, “Comfortably Numb”) were played on his favorite “black” Stratocaster.
Jimi Hendrix – Right-handed white Stratocaster turned upside down for this left-handed guitar legend.
Lowell George – Only a Stratocaster for this distinctive slide guitar player from the band Little Feat.
Bonnie Raitt – Another great slide player that favored the Stratocaster. Very understated, reminds me of Lowell George’s style and tone.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Books – “The Feral Detective” by Jonathan Lethem is not your typical detective story. It takes place in early 2017. Phoebe Siegler travels from New York to Los Angeles to hire Charles Heist to find the daughter of her close friend, narrates the story. Phoebe, who is going through her own existential crisis, is quite the character. If this novel ever gets made into a movie Heist would be played by Jaoquin Phoenix. Surreal doesn’t begin to describe their journey to find the lost girl. It took me a while to decide to read this book but I’m glad I did.
Streaming – “Bruce Springsteen on Broadway” (Netflix). The day after Springsteen wrapped his 14-month run on Broadway this recording of a July 2018 show was released on Netflix. Not exactly the live experience but it still works, on the small screen (sometimes better because of the various camera angles and way cheaper).
Music – “Songs for Judy”, Neil Young. This is a compilation of the songs from Young’s acoustic sets during his November 1976 US tour with Crazy Horse. The record was compiled by journalist /filmmaker Cameron Crowe and photographer Joel Bernstein (who recorded all the shows that November). There are songs from almost every show including two from the late show on November 20th at the Palladium that I attended. About a third of the songs were unreleased at the time.
Lead guitarists get all the glory but the rhythm guitar players deserve their due. In no particular order here are some of the greats.
Jimmy Page – Along with his titanic riffs and explosive lead guitar, Led Zeppelin’s leader was an incredible rhythm guitarist. In the live setting Page’s rhythm playing was as compelling as his lead breaks. Later studio albums showcase this skill in songs like “Kashmir”, “The Rain Song” and “Achilles Last Stand” as Page layers tracks of luscious chords.
David Crosby – Crosby doesn’t always turn up on the lists of great rhythm guitarists but Cros’ has game. Known for his intricate acoustic songs he is also rock solid with the electric guitar. Listen to live versions of “Long Time Gone” and “Southern Man” on the CSNY “4 Way Street” album and studio version of “Almost Cut My Hair” on “Déjà Vu” for examples of his rhythm guitar chops. Crosby’s guitar rings like a bell and resonates with harmonics.
Pete Townshend – Townshend was holding down the center with his windmill power chords while The Who’s supposed rhythm section (drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle) were constantly soloing. Examples of Pete’s groundbreaking rhythm playing include “Won’t Get Fooled Again” from “Who’s Next” and “The Real Me” on “Quadrophenia”. And let’s not forget the acoustic strumfest of “Pinball Wizard” on “Tommy”.
Keith Richards – Keith has done his share of lead guitar playing throughout the Stones career but it was his iconic riffs and his signature open tunings that was the sound of the Stones golden age in the 70’s. The list is too long but my faves include the live “Midnight Rambler” on “Get Your Ya Ya’s Out” and just about anything on “Sticky Fingers”.
Peter Buck – Buck’s tirelessly creative chording and riffs were a big part of the R.E.M. sound. This can be heard on tunes like the riff-driven “Driver 8” (“Fables of the Reconstruction“), the orchestral jangle of “Harborcoat” (“Reckoning“) and the quasi-heavy metal of “Begin The Begin” (“Lifes Rich Pageant“[1]),. R.E.M. was a much heavier, rocking outfit live than they were on record, mostly due to Buck’s electric guitar playing.
The Edge – I’m not sure what the Edge is playing but it certainly isn’t lead guitar. Another lone guitarist but unlike Townshend he is creating a sonic landscape around U2’s locked in rhythm section of Larry Mullins Jr. (drums) and Adam Clayton (bass). The Edge’s unique approach to chord structure and his use of space (less is more) can be heard on songs like “Where The Streets Have No Name” (ringing high position chording) and “With Or Without You” (dramatic mid-song entrance).
ARTS ROUNDUP
Watching: “Little Drummer Girl” (AMC) – This three part television series is based on the 1983 novel by John Le Carre. Martin Kurtz (Michael Shannon) is the head of a group of Israeli intelligence operatives (spies) including Gadi Becker (Alexander Skarsgård). They come up with an elaborate scheme involving an amateur English actress named Charmian “Charlie” Ross (Florence Pugh) infiltrating a Palestinian terrorist cell in Europe. It’s a very complex and slowly unfolding story. Typical Le Carre.[2]
Reading: “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls” by Peter Biskind – My brother-in-law Bill strongly recommended this book. What stood out for me in this very detailed tale of the new cinema of the 1970’s was the directors’ ruthless obsession with their craft. The subtitle of the book is “How the Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll Generation Saved Hollywood”. I don’t know about rock and roll but there’s plenty of the former, but that was the 70’s. I also made a list of all the great movies from that era that I never saw like “The Last Picture Show” and “McCabe and Mrs. Miller”.
Listening: Rickie Lee Jones, “The Magazine” – I kind of lost touch with RLJ between her 1983 EP “Girl At Her Volcano” and 1989’s “Flying Cowboys”. The one album between those two was “The Magazine” released in 1984. Standout songs include “It Must Be Love”, “The Real End” and “Runaround”. Put it all together and Jones put out a solid body of work in the first ten years of her career.
[1]One of my all time favorite albums.
[2]Also recommended is “The Night Manager” (Amazon), the 2016’s six-part series based on another Le Carre novel.