New album: Live Versions
Artist: Tame Impala
Label: Modular Recordings
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Originally released on vinyl as a limited edition on Record Store Day, “Live Versions” is the first concert platter from Tame Impala.
In its studio incarnation Tame Impala is the home recording project of Kevin Parker. In the tradition of Pete Townshend and Todd Rundgren, Parker has a knack for doing everything himself - including writing the songs and performing all the parts. The band Parker has amassed for live Tame Impala performances has masterfully transformed his hermit project into a dazzling psychedelic rock machine.
Sticking to lead vocals and guitar, Parker leads the band through nine tracks culled from their studio albums “Lonerism” and “Innerspeaker.” The compressed, analog-heavy textures that make Tame Impala studio albums so alluring is brilliantly recreated in this live setting. For Parker — a self-confessed control freak — it must be satisfying to hear his creations presented with such authenticity.
Odds are Parker will continue to record Tame Impala’s studio albums on his own, but if he decided to take this live unit into a studio the results would no doubt be provocative. Not only is this a great live album, it’s a great Tame Impala primer for the uninitiated.
Classic album: The Very Baddest
Artist: ZZ Top
Label: Rhino/Warner Bros.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
The two-disc “Very Baddest” isn’t the first ZZ Top compilation, but it might be the best.
Those hits from the “Eliminator” album (“Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” “Give Me All Your Lovin’”) that made them mainstream stars are here, but the real meat of the ZZ Top catalog are the tunes recorded prior. Aside from the Allman Brothers, no rock band was as successful at fusing blues into the rock form while still maintaining the guttural blues flavor. Much of the Top’s early catalog (“Just Got Paid Today,” “Blue Jean Blues,” “I Heard It On The X”) have in fact been covered by dyed-in-the-wool blues artists.
The only thing keeping “The Very Baddest” from being a five-star release is the inclusion of tracks from 1987’s “Afterburner,” the ultra-slick follow-up to “Eliminator.” Whereas the “Eliminator” songs had just a pinch of synthesizers sprinkled in for seasoning, the keyboard quotient was ramped up to levels on “Afterburner” tracks such as “Velcro Fly” and “Sleeping Bag.” Billy Gibbon’s barbed-wire guitar still cuts through the techno-goo on these few tracks, but the drum/bass interplay of Dusty Hill and Frank Beard is greatly missed on these highly processed tunes.
To be fair, the compilers at Rhino had no choice but to include those handful of “Afterburner” songs because, well, they were hits. Thankfully, 95 percent of the songs on “The Very Baddest” have aged like a fine wine. It’s heartening to hear recent ZZ Top tunes such as “Mescalero” and “Fearless Boogie” fit in nicely with tried and true fare such as “Cheap Sunglasses” and “Pearl Necklace.” Most of the albums in the ZZ Top cannon are recommended, but if you’re looking for a good career overview on a budget, the two-disc “The Very Baddest” is the way to go.
Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Tuesday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com.