Devil's Kitchen

Chapman has long had a fascination, not just with American music, but the American South and West. So an album explicitly inspired by the country should come as no surprise. The joy is how much it highlights his fabulous guitar picking. “Sweet Little Friend from Georgia” and “Coming of the Roads” might seem relatively straightforward, but the more epic “Swamp” and “Gaddo’s Lake” delve into decidedly complex territory; in fact, the impressionistic “Swamp” is probably the record’s centerpiece. As an instrumental portrait of the southern states it’s loving, very finely honed, and played in a way that reminds you that Chapman is one of the best, and most undervalued, guitarists around. Even if “Jumping Geordie” has its origins on the other side of the Atlantic, it still fits in. For longtime fans, “Indian Annie’s Kitchen” brings back some memories of “Kodak Ghosts,” and throughout small touchstones of blues, country, and jazz slip by.

Echo & The Bunnymen - Crystal Days: 1979-1999 (2001) {4CD Box Set, Warner Archives–Rhino 8122-74263-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks) +CUE+LOG -> 2.04 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 723 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 77 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1979-99, 2001 Warner Archives / Rhino | 8122-74263-2
Rock / Indie Rock / Alternative / Neo-Psychedelia / Post-Punk / New Wave

The answer is a resounding yes – Echo & the Bunnymen's Crystal Days: 1979-1999, a four-disc set boasting a great built-in book with a biography and track-by-track commentary, is worth every penny. Through 71 tracks, it does an excellent job by catering to the longtime fan and merely curious, running through all the hits and selecting standout album tracks, rarities, and unreleased curiosities, all worthwhile. The very fact that compilation producer Andy Zax was driven to put this project into motion after realizing he just had to find a way to get stellar B-sides like the Velvets-meets-Byrds heaven of "Angels and Devils" and the Peel Session version of the experimental "No Hands" into circulation tells you right off that you're in good hands.

The concept of TALKING WITH THE BLUES is based on a view of the various US states as blues regions. Even casual blues listeners are familiar with the fact that there is Chicago Blues or Mississippi Blues and the gripping social history of the music is very much marked by its geography. But there is much more that just those two places and to this day blues music stays committed to local styles. Moreover, many US states are endowed with a unique cultural identity grown out of the prevailing social, historical and ethnic realities. Reflections of these specific identities are also expressed in the blues.