Zeitgeist Reviews -HAWKWIND, GOTEKI, GIB GUILBEAU, JOHN ALCORN

CD OF THE WEEK

HAWKWIND - Spaced Out in London

Not another Hawkwind live album? Yup, 'fraid so. But, wait! Don't run away. For this is slightly different. An 'only available direct from the band' souvenir of their 2002 Xmas Party, this is actually remarkably good.

Unlike some of the dire shop releases of late, this has an excellent sound, documents a great performance (I know 'cause I was there), and even features the inestimable Mr Arthur Brown, who was guesting with Hawkwind at the time.

Kicking off (and ending) with "Earth Calling", we're treated to a rampaging "Aerospaceage Inferno", a powerful "Out Of The Shadows", a couple of Arthur numbers, a fabulous take on "Assassins Of Allah", a song I had been tiring of, and the usual array of classics. Even "Master Of The Universe" sounds revitalised. The fleshed out line-up of Dave Brock: vocals, guitar, keyboards, Alan Davey: vocals, bass guitar, synths, Richard Chadwick: drums, Huw Lloyd Langton: vocals, lead guitar, Tim Blake: synthesisers, keyboards and Arthur Brown: vocals, brought a fullness to the Hawkwind sound, the 3 piece lineup of recent years has failed to match.

The band was on fire that night, unlike the shows I caught this week (April 2004), and if you are a Hawkwind fan, this is essential. Even for those whose spacerock inclinations take them elsewhere (which makes no sense, as spacerock = Hawkwind), you should buy this, even if it is slightly overpriced.

Full tracklisting is;

1. Earth Calling
2. Aerospaceage Inferno
3. Angels of Death
4. Out of the Shadows
5. Time Captives
6. Master of the Universe
7. The Gremlin Song
8. Time And Confusion
9. Hurry On Sundown
10.Lighthouse
11.The Watcher
12.Assassins Of Allah
13.Do That
14.Earth Calling

http://www.hawkwind.com/

HAWKWIND

Skin Deep

JOHN ALCORN

GIB GUILBEAU

GOTEKI

JOHN ALCORN – Quiet Night - The Intimate Rodgers and Hart

Quiet Night is John's first collection of jazz standards, comprised entirely of songs from the songbook of Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart. Following its release, the 2004 National Jazz Awards selection committee in Canada nominated John for Best Jazz Vocalist. John has been working on the Toronto music scene since the mid-1990s making a name for himself with
his renditions of jazz standards performed at hundreds of clubs and events around the city. You can tell that he has reached a point where he knows and understands his voice, utilising it perfectly as an instrument.

If you were looking for names from the past to use as a template, then the closest is probably Mel Tormé. He ably copes with all the changes and nuances moving easily from the
swaggering Sinatra sounds to the sensuous bossa nova. Whilst some of the material is well known it’s the lesser known material that shines brightly. Look to "My Heart Stood Still" and standout track, "This Can't Be Love", a fabulous duet with fellow Canadian jazz singer, Molly Johnson. More, please!

It should only be a metter of time before John gets snapped up, especially with the recent upsurge in interest led by the likes of Michael Buble and Jamie Cullum. He has it all, the voice, the look and the attitude. A fabulous release.

http://www.johnalcorn.com/

GIB GUILBEAU - Songs I Like

Gib Guilbeau was a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers' line up that also included Sneaky Pete, Chris Ethridge, drummer Gene Parsons and Joel Scott-Hill. Prior to that he was in Swampwater, the classic country rockers who recorded two albums and were the tour band for Linda Ronstadt.

This CD contains 24 brand new recordings with Sneaky Pete Kleinow (Flying Burrito Brothers), Eric White (Kentucky Colonels) and Wayne Moore (Nashville West) amongst others. 11 of the songs are brand new and 13 are new versions of songs he has recorded with The Flying Burrito Brothers or as Cajun Gib and Gene with some having been recorded by other artists like the Gosdin Bros.

As befits someone of that pedigree the performances are exemplary and the songs are uniformly excellent. Among the many (many) highlights are "Walk On The Water", "A Woman's Disgrace" and "I Can't Believe It's Me", where the melodies and songs fully mesh to provide a near perfect example of country. It's definitely more country than it is rock, and Gibs voice now has a lived in quality that only adds to the overall feel.

Gib is also involved with California One Internet Radio at http://www.californiaoneradio.com/
They play artists from around the world, mostly new artists that are not being heard on AM & FM radio, and also some of the older established artists that also are not getting any air play. They play everything Country, Country-Rock, Blues, R&B, Folk, Folk-Rock, Bluegrass, Pop, Latin etc.

www.gibguilbeau.com

GOTEKI - Goteki O/S: Corrupted Files

The artists formerly known as Sneaky Bat Machine present a remix of their album "Goteki O/S". Now, not having heard that release, this is no place to make comparisons, although it might be fun listening to the voices in my head and pretending they were the original versions.

It's all very 1980s, which explains the presence of Sigue Sigue Sputnik amongst the reworked and remanipulated versions on offer. The other mixers including Icon Of Coil, Echo Imago, Glis, Yendri, Seize, Chaos Engine, Deathboy and Goteki themselves.

There are lots of minimal 80's synth sounds, mixed up with 90's beats, with mechanical vocal parts. There's plenty of dancefloor sounds, with gothic overtones, especially "Steam Virus". There is even a nasty, down and dirty drum n' bass assault with "Ninjagrrl", oddly the freshest sounding track, despite harking back to the mid-nineties. Another highlight is the Carol Masters remix of "Autoloader" which throbs away over a jazz horn riff like something which should be highly illegal.

Despite the influx of sound manipulators the whole thing hangs together as a whole, and bears repeated plays. A good one.

http://www.goteki.com
http://www.wasp-factory.com/