A new George Harrison album dropped last week called “Early Takes, Volume 1″ and, for the first time, you can hear the demo versions of some great Harrison songs. ”My Sweet Lord” is clean and clear and vibrant. ”All Things Must Pass” still has the genuine sting of reality and acceptance that came to define the ultimate end of his life.
The year was 1987, and I was sitting in the cafeteria of a hospital in Princeton having a snack while waiting for my mother to come down and tell me if there had been any update with the family member I had been visiting. Hospitals seemed to be a dark and gloomy place for me and I had a companion with me that brought me a bit of cheer in the form of a Walkman and a copy of the 1986 album Licensed to Ill on cassette. I loved looking at the cover of the tape and thinking about the circumstances that would cause a plane to crumple like that. I must have listened to that album half a dozen times when I was sitting in that hospital. Now I am sad to have learned that one of the founding members of The Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch (known as MCA), passed away on Friday at the age of 47, possibly related to the cancer he was treating since 2009.
I am crazy wild about Warren Haynes. He’s a SuperGenius guitarist and composer and performer and he’s one of the greatest guys in the world. How do I know the character of the man? I follow his career. I watch his interviews. You can’t hide from his goodness. Mean people try to mask who they really are and they are never successful. Good people are open and welcoming and unpretentious. Warren Haynes is one of the good guys. Warren has a new Blues album that dropped this week — Warren Haynes Band Live at the Moody Theatre — and it is a rip-your-throat-out Blues album that is packed with a ferocious, and pleasing, energy.
Jack White’s first solo album, Blunderbuss, dropped today — and thanks to iTunes streaming the album for free the past week — I’ve been able to immerse myself in the music from start to finish many times a day. The album is a fascination. It’s ’70s Rock? Alternative Pop? Blues? Ragtime? Yes, Blunderbuss is all that and more.
