Reviewed this month: Return to Forever: Live at Montreux 2008, Black Label Society: Skullage CD/DVD, Motley Crue: A Visual History 1983–2005, By the Time We Got to Woodstock: The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Revolution of 1969
Return to Forever: Live at Montreux 2008
Now thirty some years later, RTF reunited for a tour that coincided with the release of their anthology, which brings us to this offering. Available both in DVD and Blu-ray formats, this is a beautifully recorded concert from their 2008 appearance at the Montreux Festival. We hear Di Meola wielding his classic Les Paul as well as his new PRS Prism signature model, a beautiful tiger-top PRS and some nice acoustics. While the fire of youth may be spent, the wisdom of experience lingers and a fine performance is what we get. Al can still burn it up, and the whole band appears to be digging on the fact they get to play their old tunes once again. The sound and picture on the Blu-ray are perfection, with ideal camera angles and cuts that enhance the viewing experience rather than detract from it. It’s a pure pleasure to hear and see these masters at work together. —PS
List $14.98 DVD
List $24.98 Blu-ray
eaglerockent.com
Black Label Society: Skullage CD/DVD
The DVD provides a well-rounded retrospective of the band in several formats. It shows off Zakk playing a solo version of “Spoke in the Wheel,” full band renditions of various live songs, a batch of the band’s most popular music videos and never-before-seen footage from Zakk’s “Slightly Amped” acoustic performances with Nick Catanese on their “Blessed Hellride” promotional tour. While this all stacks up as the meat and potatoes of the DVD, some of the coolest footage features Zakk at home in L.A. The BLS front man gives an MTV Cribs-esque tour of his house, including the coveted guitar room where many of his legendary Gibson guitars and Marshall amps and cabs from the “Wall of Doom” reside when not on tour. A personal favorite of the collection has to be the one-off paint job on a Les Paul by none other than the prince of darkness, Ozzy Osbourne. Another gearhead moment occurs when Zakk is shown working on a George Metropoulos Marshall Plexi replica kit on the kitchen table. Also, in between some beer swilling and weightlifting, Zakk opens up about the lyrical concepts on some of BLS’ more poignant songs. And to show that some things, when done by certain people, can still be labeled metal, he shows off his eclectic Barbie collection—rivaling his guitars in number and personal value.
Fair warning, for those who don’t like beer chugging, vulgar language and pick squeals galore, this package may not be your type of brew. But for those who can stomach it, Skullage offers BLS fans—new and old—a chance to own a cross section of the band’s best recorded songs, stunning live performances and never-before-seen footage of Zakk having some downtime at home. —CK
List $24.98
eaglerockent.com
Books
Motley Crue: A Visual History 1983–2005
With his latest book, legendary rock photographer Neil Zlozower celebrates the band that defined rock 'n' roll decadence. Accompanied by first-person accounts from managers, clothing designers, Nikki Sixx’s tech, the band’s head of security and others within the band’s inner pentagram, the 232- page book offers a glimpse into the business of rock imagery, not to mention debauchery.
Picking up in 1983, the band’s Too Fast For Love years are missing, but the Crüe that is probably tattooed on your brain—the big hair, Road Warrior, Warlock bass, Shout at the Devil-era Crüe—is preserved in all its glory and evolves into more of a wicked circus as you turn the pages. The photographs comprise Zlozower’s performance shots, studio sessions with the band (including the infamous “blood session”) and behind-thescenes candids. Whether posing in straitjackets, kicking back in the studio between takes, or strutting on a stage with full-on‘80s rock rigging, Crüe embodied their image with unquestionable authority, and Zlozower was there with the right angle or access to get the shot. The degree to which the photo selection was kept somewhat family- friendly is the only thing some Crüe fans will question. You just know there are shots in Zlozower’s Crüe stash that could’ve been filed under “Caligula” just as easily.
This book isn’t about that, though—despite the inevitable shots of a few ‘T’s and, unfortunately, Tommy’s ‘A.’ Rather, this book documents a rock 'n' roll image that was carefully crafted in an attempt to keep up with a band that pushed limits, flirted with death enough times to actually experience it, and wrote an anthem that is played in every strip club in America every single night. —JC
List $35
chroniclebooks.com
By the Time We Got to Woodstock: The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Revolution of 1969
By the Time We Got to Woodstock is half memoir, half documentary. He describes the experience of being a part of the “counterculture,” but includes a great deal of background on the political and social events through which rock’n’roll percolated. Through recollections, news reports, interviews then and now, and writings of some of the monumental personalities of the day, he tells the story of the pivotal year when the hippies’ utopian dream went down in flames.
It’s a fascinating tale, and well worth reading, however sometimes the language is a bit over-the-top and sensational. Ah, but so were the times! —GDP
List $19.99
backbeatbooks.com
Create, layer, and jam with the BOSS RC-1 Loop Station and BIC cable! Enter the I Love Pedals giveaway now and come back daily to increase your odds!
Boss RC-1 Loop Station Looper Pedal
The RC-1 Loop Station is the most intuitive looper pedal from BOSS. Its compact layout provides all the essential functions—record, playback, overdub, and undo/redo—encouraging instant creativity right out of the box.
The BIC 10-A cable from BOSS delivers uncompromising performance that faithfully transfers every nuance of tone and adds a vibrant touch with color options inspired by the brand's most iconic compact pedals.
The National New Yorker lived at the forefront of the emerging electric guitar industry, and in Memphis Minnie’s hands, it came alive.
This National electric is just the tip of the iceberg of electric guitar history.
On a summer day in 1897, a girl named Lizzie Douglas was born on a farm in the middle of nowhere in Mississippi, the first of 13 siblings. When she was seven, her family moved closer to Memphis, Tennessee, and little Lizzie took up the banjo. Banjo led to guitar, guitar led to gigs, and gigs led to dreams. She was a prodigious talent, and “Kid” Douglas ran away from home to play for tips on Beale Street when she was just a teenager. She began touring around the South, adopted the moniker Memphis Minnie, and eventually joined the circus for a few years.
(Are you not totally intrigued by the story of this incredible woman? Why did she run away from home? Why did she fall in love with the guitar? We haven’t even touched on how remarkable her songwriting is. This is a singular pioneer of guitar history, and we beseech you to read Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues by Beth and Paul Garon.)
Following the end of World War I, Hawaiian music enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity. On their travels around the U.S., musicians like Sol Ho’opi’i became fans of Louis Armstrong and the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, leading to a great cross-pollination of Hawaiian music with jazz and blues. This potent combination proved popular and drew ever-larger audiences, which created a significant problem: How on earth would an audience of thousands hear the sound from a wimpy little acoustic guitar?
This art deco pickguard offers just a bit of pizzazz to an otherwise demure instrument.
In the late 1920s, George Beauchamp, John and Rudy Dopyera, Adolph Rickenbacker, and John Dopyera’s nephew Paul Barth endeavored to answer that question with a mechanically amplified guitar. Working together under Beauchamp and John Dopyera’s National String Instrument Corporation, they designed the first resonator guitar, which, like a Victrola, used a cone-shaped resonator built into the guitar to amplify the sound. It was definitely louder, but not quite loud enough—especially for the Hawaiian slide musicians. With the guitars laid on their laps, much of the sound projected straight up at the ceiling instead of toward the audience.
Barth and Beauchamp tackled this problem in the 1930s by designing a magnetic pickup, and Rickenbacker installed it in the first commercially successful electric instrument: a lap-steel guitar known affectionately as the “Frying Pan” due to its distinctive shape. Suddenly, any stringed instrument could be as loud as your amplifier allowed, setting off a flurry of innovation. Electric guitars were born!
“At the time it was positively futuristic, with its lack of f-holes and way-cool art deco design on the pickup.”
By this time, Memphis Minnie was a bona fide star. She recorded for Columbia, Vocalion, and Decca Records. Her song “Bumble Bee,” featuring her driving guitar technique, became hugely popular and earned her a new nickname: the Queen of Country Blues. She was officially royalty, and her subjects needed to hear her game-changing playing. This is where she crossed paths with our old pals over at National.
National and other companies began adding pickups to so-called Spanish guitars, which they naturally called “Electric Spanish.” (This term was famously abbreviated ES by the Gibson Guitar Corporation and used as a prefix on a wide variety of models.) In 1935, National made its first Electric Spanish guitar, renamed the New Yorker three years later. By today’s standards, it’s modestly appointed. At the time it was positively futuristic, with its lack of f-holes and way-cool art deco design on the pickup.
There’s buckle rash and the finish on the back of the neck is rubbed clean off in spots, but that just goes to show how well-loved this guitar has been.
Memphis Minnie had finally found an axe fit for a Queen. She was among the first blues guitarists to go electric, and the New Yorker fueled her already-upward trajectory. She recorded over 200 songs in her 25-year career, cementing her and the National New Yorker’s place in musical history.
Our National New Yorker was made in 1939 and shows perfect play wear as far as we’re concerned. Sure, there’s buckle rash and the finish on the back of the neck is rubbed clean off in spots, but structurally, this guitar is in great shape. It’s easy to imagine this guitar was lovingly wiped down each time it was put back in the case.
There’s magic in this guitar, y’all. Every time we pick it up, we can feel Memphis Minnie’s spirit enter the room. This guitar sounds fearless. It’s a survivor. This is a guitar that could inspire you to run away and join the circus, transcend genre and gender, and leave your own mark on music history. As a guitar store, watching guitars pass from musician to musician gives us a beautiful physical reminder of how history moves through generations. We can’t wait to see who joins this guitar’s remarkable legacy.
SOURCES: blackpast.org, nps.gov, worldmusic.net, historylink.org, Memphis Music Hall of Fame, “Memphis Minnie’s ‘Scientific Sound’: Afro-Sonic Modernity and the Jukebox Era of the Blues” from American Quarterly, “The History of the Development of Electric Stringed Musical Instruments” by Stephen Errede, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL.
In our third installment with Santa Cruz Guitar Company founder Richard Hoover, the master luthier shows PG's John Bohlinger how his team of builders assemble and construct guitars like a chef preparing food pairings. Hoover explains that the finer details like binding, headstock size and shape, internal bracing, and adhesives are critical players in shaping an instrument's sound. Finally, Richard explains how SCGC uses every inch of wood for making acoustic guitars or outside ventures like surfboards and art.
Featuring torrefied solid Sitka Spruce tops, mahogany neck, back, and sides, and Fishman Presys VT EQ System, these guitars are designed to deliver quality tone and playability at an affordable price point.
Cort Guitars, acclaimed for creating instruments that exceed in value and quality, introduces the Essence Series. This stunning set of acoustic guitars is designed for musicians looking for the quintessential classic acoustic guitar with fabulous tone all at an exceptional price point. The Essence Series features two distinct body shapes: The Grand Auditorium and the OM Cutaway. Whatever the flavor, the Essence Series has the style to suit.
The Essence-GA-4 is the perfect Grand Auditorium acoustic. Wider than a dreadnought, the Essence-GA-4 features a deep body with a narrower waist and a width of 1 ¾” (45mm) at the nut. The result is an instrument that is ideal for any number of playing styles: Picking… strumming… the Essence GA-4 is completely up for the task.
The Essence-OM-4 features a shallower body creating a closer connection to the player allowing for ease of use on stage. With its 1 11/16’th (43mm) nut width, this Orchestra Model is great for fingerpickers or singer/guitarists looking for better body contact for an overall better playing experience.
Both acoustics are topped with a torrefied solid Sitka Spruce top using Cort’s ATV process. The ATV process or “Aged to Vintage”, “ages” the Spruce top to give it the big and open tone of older, highly-sought-after acoustics. To further enhance those vintage tones, the tops bracing is also made of torrefied spruce. The mahogany neck, back, and sides create a warm, robust midrange and bright highs. A rosewood fingerboard and bridge add for a more balanced sound and sustain. The result is amazing tone at first strum. 18:1 Vintage Open Gear Tuners on the mahogany headstock offer precise tuning with vintage styling. The herringbone rosette & purfling accentuates the aesthetics of these instruments adding to their appeal. Both acoustics come in two choices of finish. Natural Semi-Gloss allows the Sitka spruce’s natural beauty to shine through and classic Black Top Semi-Gloss.
A Fishman® Presys VT EQ System is installed inside the body versus other systems that cut into the body to be installed. This means the instrument keeps its natural resonance and acoustic flair. The Presys VT EQ System keeps it simple with only Volume and Tone controls resulting in a true, crisp acoustic sound. Lastly, Elixir® Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze Light .012-.053 Acoustic Strings round out these acoustics. This Number 1 acoustic guitar string delivers consistent performance and extended tone life with phosphor bronze sparkle and warmth. The Essence Series takes all these elements, combines them, and exceeds in playability, looks, and affordability.
Street Price: $449.00
For more information, please visit cortguitars.com.