Authentic "One Man Bands?" (1 Viewer)

[Rachael B]

Todd sounds like a one man chior on A Capella. It's a silly way to describe the album but somewhat apt.

 

[TonyD]

ah, gotchya

 

[Paul Padilla]

Granted. But they shouldn't be dismissed out of hand.

 

[TonyD]

thanks for the info paul.
always learning.

 

[Henry Gale]

Just found a review of Fogerty's NEXT album.

"True to its title, John Fogerty's Revival evokes the swamp pop, rockabilly stomp and guitar chomp of his Creedence Clearwater Revival heyday.

The solo album, due Sept. 25, marks his first new material for Fantasy Records, now part of Concord Music Group, after his 30-year feud with the label over his CCR catalog.

Among the dozen tracks are the twangy Broken Down Cowboy, spiritual The River Is Waiting, the wry Creedence Song and a pair of blistering attacks on the Bush administration, Long Dark Night and I Can't Take It No More, with a lyrical reference to an early hit: "Your daddy wrote a check and there you are, another fortunate son.""

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Very true, it is also an instrument that is very hard to fake even with today's pitch correcters. If the emotion isn't there, no amount of processing will fix it.

 

[mcintosh]

One of my favorite artists of all time, has played, and written all the arrangements for all his music at various times, whether live or in the studio, was definitely "Stevie Wonder."

Has not done anything really in the last few years, but definitely could run the show himself.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Stevie put out an album less than two years ago...

 

[mcintosh]

Alright, I do remember, and I stand corrected. But, what I really was discussing was his ability to play all instruments and be a one man band himself.

Is that not what this thread is about?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Sure. You just indicated that he hadn't made an album in a while and I said he did. Not sure what the problem is...

 

[ScottLloyd]

No one has mentioned the great Jason Falkner???

He's a power pop/pop kinda guy.

Here's the info from AllMusic:


Biography by John Bush

A one-time member of the West Coast neo-psychedelic bands the Three O'Clock and Jellyfish, Jason Falkner went out on his own by 1996, playing jagged power pop with impeccable arrangements, a clue to both his classically trained childhood and additional time spent working on the first LP by another classical popster, Eric Matthews. Born in Los Angeles in 1968, Falkner grew up listening to West Coast pop bands like Love and Crosby, Stills & Nash but later began taking piano lessons in preparation for a classical career. Pop music regained control of his life when he discovered his sister's punk/new wave collection, and Falkner began playing the guitar, later appearing in several bands from his high school. Not long after graduation, Falkner joined the Three O'Clock, leaders of the Los Angeles Paisley Underground scene, for their major-label debut (but sixth LP overall), 1988's Vermillion. Though solid, the album was unfortunately their last, and the band broke up soon after.

Less than a year later, Falkner was convinced by an old friend, Roger Manning, to move up to San Francisco to join his new band Jellyfish with brother Chris and Andy Sturmer. Though the group gained recognition in alternative circles and released a pleasing debut album, Falkner was unhappy with his role in the band, that of guitarist (and not much else), so he left the band after the one album. Vowing to never play in another band again, he bent the promise not long after by joining the loose collective known as the Grays, four musicians who hated the confines of most groups and thus decided to do everything in their power to avoid the pitfalls. Being such a laid-back band, however, resulted in the release of just one album, 1994's Ro Sham Bo. Again on the dole, Falkner worked with Eric Matthews on the 1996 LP It's Heavy in Here, and finally got what he had been looking for all the time: a solo deal. Through Elektra Records, he released his acclaimed debut Presents Author Unknown, also in 1996. The following year, he played on Matthews' second album, The Lateness of the Hour, and in early 1999 issued his own sophomore effort, Can You Still Feel? It was followed in 2001 by Necessity: The 4-Track Years, a collection of home recordings, and Bedtime with the Beatles, a covers album featuring instrumental lullabies of Fab Four favorites.



His first album "Presents Author Unknown" and a 4.5 star rating:

Review by James Chrispell

You may remember Jason Falkner from helping out buddy Eric Matthews craft a tasty bit of pop music in 1995. Well, he's done it again, only all by himself this time. Writing, producing, singing, and playing nearly everything except the occasional guitar overdub (and strings), Jason has released a one-man pop tour de force. Hooks abound and won't let you down. The more you listen, the more you'll find yourself humming along. Standout tracks include "I Go Astray" and "Don't Show Me Heaven," but all are worthy of a listen. It's good ol' pop music. Better still, it's good music.

His second "Can You Still Feel" was given four stars:

Review by John Bush

Jason Falkner's second album is another set of pop gems given his own wildly inventive production support — besides playing each of the instruments heard (except for a few strings and reeds), Falkner also co-produced the record with Nigel Godrich. Sweeping pop epics like "Author Unknown" and "Holiday" are quite solid — even while sounding quite similar to songs from the debut album — but the highlight proves to be the bitter-toned downtempo number "I Already Know," which reveals a bridge complete with a heart-wrenching jagged guitar line. There's a (barely) perceptible drop in the songwriting quality from his practically flawless debut, but Can You Still Feel? is overall a worthy follow-up.




I've seen these in .50 and $1 bins way too many times.