04.24.06 (MusicPortal.com) T BONE BURNETT T Bone has emerged from a self-imposed 14-year hiatus as a recording artist to release two highly-anticipated collections of music simultaneously on May 16th: "The True False Identity," his first album of new original songs since 1992, and "20/20: The Essential T Bone Burnett," a 40-song retrospective spanning Burnett's entire career of music-making. Burnett says of his extended break: "After the last record (1992's "The Criminal Under My Own Hat"), I felt I could write some new songs and go around the track again, but I didn't feel that I would get anywhere. The road had become too difficult. Music had come completely apart for me. But more importantly, I didn't have anything I wanted to say. It all seemed pointless, so I decided to explore some of the other ideas that were coming my way. I needed freedom. I needed time to find another way into playing music again." It is no coincidence that T Bone Burnett is releasing both a retrospective and a new album on the same day. In his revelatory liner notes for 20/20, he has written: "This is the way I wanted to close the book on these songs from a dead man, and open the book on the new life I am beginning after forty years of wandering in the desert." An enigmatic sentiment coming from a man whose solo work has always been filled with droll humor, sardonic wordplay and keen cultural observations. But, for T Bone Burnett, the past is prologue and The True False Identity is the fulfillment of an artistic vision that's been forming in the back of his brain for decades. As Burnett explains, the aim of "The True False Identity" is to "erase the nonexistent line between comedy and tragedy. In the theater, you hear laughter and gasps at the same moment. Some people are amused by the same thing other people are appalled by." As he continues: "The tragedy and the comedy is that reality has been devoured by image management. Today, you can say anything you want and you can do anything you want. Then, you can say you didn't say it or didn't do it, and no one will remember or know the difference or believe anything other than what he or she wants to believe." The musical genesis of "The True False Identity" has its roots in the records T Bone Burnett and his musicians immersed themselves in while recording. Burnett acted as DJ for those sessions, spinning records and videos between takes. "We were listening to Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, The Carter Family, and a lot of Haitian music," he says, "so the axis this music turns on is some kind of line drawn from New Orleans through Mississippi and Tennessee to Haiti."
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04.21.06 (MusicPortal.com) The early Seventies was the age of the great guitar heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Toni Iommi. It was also the era of Ritchie Blackmore and his extravagant stage show and unusual style, which helped to make Deep Purple one of the most important Hard Rock acts of their generation. When Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1975, the heir to his throne was TOMMY BOLIN, a young guitarist who had the world at his feet and a promising future at the tender age of 23. However, Bolin's career was to last merely a brief seven years. When he died on December 4, 1976, he was only 25 years old. Similarly to Jimi Hendrix, Bolin's reputation has continued to grow beyond his death. At the same time, his solo albums, "Teaser" and "Private Eyes," which arrived at the stores shortly before and after Deep Purple's "Come Taste The Band" were popular as well. SPV Recordings has put together a 10-song Tommy Bolin retrospective entitled "Whips And Roses" featuring previously unreleased tracks slated for release next week on April 25th, which testify to the Bolin's amazing talent as a guitarist, vocalist and composer. All tracks on "Whips And Roses" are either alternative versions of familiar material or previously unreleased songs from studio sessions that were believed to have been lost. The title track of his solo debut, 'Teaser,' or 'Savannah Woman' and 'Dreamer' come in haunting versions on "Whips And Roses," attesting to Bolin's unbelievably light style. 'Flying Fingers' with almost 16 minutes playing time proves this guitar hero's amazing diversity. "Tommy today would be better than Jimi Hendrix, if both were still alive," claims producer Greg Hampton, who worked on Whips And Roses together with Bolin's brother Johnnie. "The way he moves almost without transition from a Latin feeling to a funky style on 'Flying Fingers,' the way he combines a powerful style with sensitivity is simply ingenious. Tommy was amazingly spontaneous, yet more proficient than any other guitarist of his age." The songs 'Cookoo' and 'Just Don't Fall Down' are previously unreleased outtakes from unknown studio recordings, while 'Wild Dogs,' also originally from "Teaser," really lives up to its title. Following a stunning show with Jeff Beck in Miami/Florida on December 3, 1976, Tommy Bolin lost consciousness at his hotel. He was already dead by the time the paramedics arrived the next morning. A drug overdose, together with alcohol, was diagnosed as the cause of death. But his short musical journey left music fans with a taste of just how great he was, and how he would have changed the course of modern music had he lived. Thirty years later his fans are still shocked by his early passing, "Whips And Roses" keeping the memory of Tommy Bolin alive. A second collection, "Whips And Roses 2," is also on track to be released by the end of the year by SPV. Producer Greg Hampton, who is already finishing "Whips And Roses 2," says: "There will be more surprises," he promises, adding: "Tommy Bolin fans had better brace themselves for a shocker." "Whips And Roses" Track Listing: 1. Teaser (4:50) • 2. Fandango (6:12) • 3. Wild Dogs (8:19) • 4. Cookoo (4:57) • 5. Savannah Woman (3:31) • 6. Marching Powder (5:55) • 7. Flyin' Fingers (15:54) • 8. Dreamer (5:20) • 9. Just Don't Fall Down (10:47) • 10. Blowin Your Cookies (12:09)
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[Blues News: March 2006]
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