Grow Fins

Like Dylan, there isn’t much that can be said about Townes Van Zandt that hasn’t been said already. Yet he was and remains unfamiliar to most lovers of the singer/songwriter genre. A Texas legend, Van Zandt’s songs were the personification of his life and lifestyle. An habitual traveller, substance abuser, gambler and manic depressive, Van Zandt lived from song to song with little care or attention to his career, his health or his family. He died young at 53 and left a concise but impressive body of work, the best of which in my opinion rivals the poetry and eloquence of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. The eponymous 3rd album is probably his finest studio album and was to a certain extent an attempt to re-market some of his earliest material which, though among the best he’d written was never satisfactory to him in it’s earlier recordings. 4 songs on this album originally appeared on his debut album, For the Sake of the Song but were re-arranged and recorded anew for this release. These songs are compelling and relentless in their ability to just enter your head and refuse to ever leave. Though I only discovered this album less than a year ago, I now count it amongst my favourites of all time.

Second full length expands on her style with the addition of hamonies and multi-instrumental accompaniment. Songs are beautiful but more conventional in sound than Pirates Gospel. Still this is a fine recording showcasing an undeniable talent. Meandering melodies encase smooth throaty lyrics and vocalising that at times borders on yodeling but to superb and soulful effect. If you liked Pirates Gospel, you will very likely enjoy To Be Still. I am a big fan of Alela Diane. Though some songs were better than others, Pirates Gospel was unique, fresh and interesting and evoked traditional folk sensibilities. At least three tracks were so outstanding that the mediocrity of the remainder of the album was totally forgiveable. To Be Still has a more country feel to the songs. There are more harmonies which accent the renditions wonderfully and there is a higher proportion of good songs compared with Pirates Gospel.

Sample or buy Pirates Gospel here. Standout tracks are Tired Feet and Pirates Gospel. Rifle, Foreign Tongue and Can You Blame the Sky are also excellent.

This is a very interesting album. It might have sounded better if the true identity of the recording artist remained a mystery. For whatever reason, Paul McCartney has decided to unmask his alter ego and hopefully, it won’t work against him. Now I’ve never been a big McCartney fan and my Beatles dalliances remain safely tucked away in my adolescent musical explorations. However, one cannot but acknowledge the undeniable talent and originality of this half of the Lennon-McCartney composing behemoth.

The Fireman first emerged with the 1998 release titled Rushes – a very notable electronic/ambient effort from the McCartney/Youth team-up – and now a difficult to find collectible. Played today, it’s still relevant as an example of its genre and no doubt, few would have guessed or cared that it was in fact a former Beatle collaboration. Why he has decided to resurrect the Fireman pseudonym with the release late last year of Electric Arguments is anyone’s guess but my theory is that as an astute businessman, McCartney realises that his creative output is very much constrained by his brand and the audience that would consume it. As one of the most famous faces of music in our time, he’s in a tight spot. If he decides to pursue his creative ideas and releases something inconsistent with his existing catalog, he will inevitably alienate himself from his loyal fan base. Furthermore, he would probably not draw sufficient attention from new audiences to offset such alienation. So his only option is to release alternative work through a handy pseudonym.

This is a good album and, unlike Rushes, there is something for everyone. The opener, ‘Nothing Too Much, Just Out of Sight’ is a blistering gospel blues incantation as penetrating as anything by Muddy Waters or Son of Dave. The subsequent tracks are a range of innovative well produced pieces and melodic electronic numbers not foreign to the McCartney songbook. The packaging (on the Little India release anyway) is beautiful – a nondescript crimson outer sleeve betraying the author’s true identity (this could have been more subtle) and a coated gate-fold inner package with a transparent decal on the cellophane inner wrapper and finally within, a substantial book in colour containing some decent impromptu studio photographs of the man himself and his co-author Youth, as well as some (presumably) original paintings by Paul. I rate this album 4 out of 5 stars – a worthy listen and testament to the boundless talent of this pop music icon. The fact that something this good can come out of a pop musician well past his prime is proof once again that one is never too old to rock ‘n roll. [J.Smith]



Rushes, the first Fireman release is now only available as an MP3 download from Amazon. Get it here…