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Long heralded as one of the most innovative, yet most under appreciated electric blues guitarists, George "Buddy" Guy is finally getting his due.
The man who has pumped gas, farmed as a sharecropper and has taken home 4 Grammy Awards will bring his unique style of the blues to the Michigan Theater on Sunday, November 15, 1998 at 7:30 p.m. Opening acts will be the Blind Boys of Alabama and special guest Billy Boy Arnold. Tickets are $20 and $25 and are available at the Michigan Theater box office and Ticketmaster outlets. All seats are reserved.
It has taken Guy almost 40 years to garner the recognition he deserves, but since his "rediscovery" by Eric Clapton in 1991, he has been stealing shows from and appearing with such guitar luminaries as Clapton, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Jimmy Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt and many, many more. Before his new-found praise, Guy made history with Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Otis Rush and Guitar Slim to name a few. His early work also was an influential force to such latter day legends as Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Mark Knopfler and was a special force for one of the kings of blues guitar, Stevie Ray Vaughan.
It doesn't take much to realize the appeal of Guy's sound and his stylings. One listen to his ground breaking licks on a Howlin' Wolf or Koko Taylor track and the listener is amazed, thrilled and forever hooked. For the expert or the novice, one of Guy's best efforts was when he partnered with singer-harmonica player Junior Wells on the classic album Hoodoo Man Blues, arguably one of the greatest blues albums ever produced.
Regardless of your level of appreciation or enthusiasm, Buddy Guy is a living legend and has been building that reputation for over 62 years. His authenticity is absolute and his performance should not be missed.
Remember Men At Work? Alright, let me introduce them to you and dust off those cobwebs, for those of you who cannot remember them.
They began their life in Melbourne, Australia in 1979 as a small band of four: the acoustic duo of Colin Hay and Ron Strykert, Jerry Speiser on the drums and Greg Ham on the sax/flute. After several months, bass player John Rees, joined the band. At the end of 1980, having played to sell-out crowds in Melbourne, the band decided to travel overseas. Having simultaneously released their first new single, "Who Can It Be Now?", 1982 saw Men At Work climb to No.1 on the Billboard, having entered in the 60s.
Nothing could stop them now. Following the success of their multiplatinum debut album, Business As Usual (released 1982), came their second, Cargo (1983 release, tripleplatinum). Within a 12 month period, the band had released five top 10 singles (including "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive", "Overkill" and "It's A Mistake"). 1982 was a great year for the band, their remarkable success earning them the Grammy for Best New Artist and the 'International LP of the Year' Juno award in Canada.
1983 saw the band heading their separate ways after a
tremendously successful 4 years. Rees and Speiser left the band in 1984, while the others took time off to create their own distinct music. By the end of 1984, they were back Colin Hay and Greg Ham of Men at Work
together again and released Two Hearts, and went on tour of Australia, Japan, Europe and the Caribbean. With sales at record levels of 12 million, the band members decided to pursue their individual music careers. Colin Hay and Greg Ham went on to do several solo shows, and sometimes performed together.
Finally, the hibernation was over in 1996, when Colin and Greg decided to renew the old Men At Work magic. With the release of their new album, Brazil, the Men At Work are touring the US for the first time in over a decade.
In the words of the band, "The performance captured on this CD (Brazil) are from some of the most exciting and powerful shows the band has ever done....We'd never heard 100,000 people clapping in time, let alone singing along in tune, but it is an experience that can only make you want to give your absolute best in return..."
And so, Brazil was released. Marking their return as a band to live performance, Brazil is a collection of the greatest hits from their previous albums (including "Overkill", "Catch a Star", "Down Under" and "Helpless Automation") and features a new recording "The Longest Night".
(Men at Work perform Brazil with Howard Jones sharing the bill, and Let's Go Bowling opening at the Majestic Theatre, Detroit, on Nov. 14th. Be there.)
Cake
Prolonging the Magic
Capricorn Records
Sacramento-based Cake's third album, Prolonging The Magic, reminds me of the Chicago Cubs' most recent season. When these guys are on they're great, when they're not they suck. For those of you unfamiliar with Cake, this is the band that sings "Going The Distance", and the smooth remake of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive".
Prolonging The Magic has some incredibly catchy tunes that will remain etched in your brain for days on end. This is kind of like pop music's version of crack cocaine. Consider yourself warned! The third cut, "Never There", is currently receiving heavy airplay. It sounds like a cross between Devo and Madness, and the horns are reminiscent of the Squeeze album Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti. Cake's quirky lyrics evoke comparisons with Vermont gods, Phish, although Cake's sound is more groovy and poppy.
Other winners on this album include "Sheep Go To Heaven"and "Satan Is My Motor". If you can figure out what these two songs are about, then please give me a call. Marshall's advice: Buy the CD, pick out your four favorite songs, ignore the rest. Happy listening.
John Hammond
Long as I Have You
Pointblank Records
John Hammond, who recently opened for B.B. King last Sunday night at Hill Auditorium, has been on the road promoting his latest album, Long as I Have You. Hammond, who is the son of legendary talent scout, John Hammond Sr. (who discovered such folks as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Ray Vaughan), has long been a student of traditional acoustic blues. Having been recording for 35 years, with an album for almost everyone of those years, John Hammond has had time to fine tune his craft.
On his latest record, Hammond runs through a song book of classic blues tunes, written by such legends as Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Rogers, T-Bone Walker, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter. Each song is performed with Hammond's voice soun ding as authentic to a classic blues singer as is possible for a modern performer. In paying homage to the great blues singers of the past, Hammond has taken great care to replicate their subtle voice mannerisms. With the subdued yet tight backing band, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, John gives up all instrumental duties for the first 12 tracks, concentrating solely on the vocals.
With the first 12 tracks of the album being strong though not exceptional, the real highlights of the album are the last three tracks. Produced by songwriter J.J. Cale (who wrote the Eric Clapton hits "After Midnight" and "Cocaine"), the last three songs feature Hammond with his acoustic guitar, harmonica and voice, and Chaz Leary on percussion. The duo run through "Untrue Blues", "Tell Me Mama" and "Homeless Blues" in a stripped down, simple, and very energetic manner.
Overall, Long as I Have You is a great modern day presentation
of traditional blues. John Hammond's voice has matured over the
years to a great mellow wail, that conjours up memories of the
legends that inspired him, and many others. 
Beck
Mutations
DGC
Okay, I'll be brief (especially since I'm running out of space here). This is the best album I have heard this year, and one of the best that has come out in a while.
After two strong yet uneven major releases in Mellow Gold and Odelay, Beck Hansen's latest, Mutations, is what could be called his most serious effort. The lyrics on the album lean more towards the cryptic/poetic than the silly/absurd that is more prevalent in his earlier works.
His music has grown as well, and is by far his most creative. With a mashing of styles, from speed-metal to blues, jazz, psychedelic rock, bluegrass and Caribbean music, the instrumentations are diverse and, well trippy. It is very much like a combination of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' technical skill, with the edge of the Beastie Boys. The album takes creative leaps reminiscent of the Beatles' Sgt. Peppers and White Album, while retaining Beck's unique, stoned voice and stylings.
Daring and surreal, Mutations is the most creative and interesting album to be released in a while. The progress of Beck has culminated into something great.
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