Eric Johnson
Souvenir
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Souvenir finds Texas guitarist Eric Johnson raiding his tape vault for songs, live tapes, demos, scratch tracks, work sketches and other versions of unfinished pieces that had been building up over the years of his career. The CD is a collection of pieces from over the last twenty-five years - some left entirely as they were, some have been remixed, and still others were finished that were not complete. Souvenir offers an opportunity for the listener to hear between the notes and to read bwteen the words. Johnson elaborates, "I find that in all its humble aspects, there are some fun and interesting moments presented in these recordings. Some of this music is special to me for sentimental reasons. These songs are personal souvenirs, and I am glad to be able to share them with you." The album features the instrumental tracks "Space Of Clouds", "Paladin", "Fanfare One", "A Memory I Have" and "Dusty". Rock, total running time, 40:18
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In Review
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'Beyond Inspiration'
Review Featured In Virtuosityone.com
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| Heavy Metal/Shred | |
By: Andy Craven
li Jon Roth is one of the biggest influences on the rock/metal community. His
soulful guitar work that first came to prominance in the Scorpions and then his own band Electric Sun followed by his own recent solo explorations have earned the man
the status of Cult God. If you haven`t delved into any of Uli`s work then amend that
now. This influence on a legion of guitarists has now been paid tribute to by Lion
Music. Utilising artists from the labels roster such as James Byrd, Petrossi Dushan,
Torben Enveldson and Alex Masi these artists cover a variety of music from Uli`s
career.
Chris Steberl kicks off the album with his version of Electric Sun. Sticking closely
to the original in arrangement the track is given a more modern edge with a dirtier
guitar tone than the original. A more funked up verse paves way for the chorus which
sees Sterberl wailing in true Uli fashion. The solo section sees the energy pile up
with double bass drumming over which Steberl throws in some Uli-isms and some
arpeggio sections. A solid enough opener.
Joop Walters then gives his version of perhaps the ultimate Uli track, Sails Of
Charon. Yngwie Malmsteen covered this track exceptionally well on his Inspiration
album and gave it a slightly different arrangement. Walters however sticks very
closely to the original. Lance King provides vocals and does a very faithful Klaus
Meine impression. If you enjoyed the original then you will like this, I do prefer
Yngwie`s version however.
Lars Eric Mattson is up next with the Hendrixy ballad I`ll Be Loving You Always.
Vocals are provided by Condition Red`s Ella Grusner, and the female vocals really do
work well on this track. Lars` solo on this track is quite superb like a hybrid of
Uli and Pink Floyd`s Dave Gilmour, some really nice melodies. Another good working
with classy vocals.
Tony Hernando covers Firewind. An up-tempo rocker that is given a very Euro Power
Metal treatment here. The solos are pretty cool but are marred slighty by a muddy
mix in places.
Dark Lady from Virgin Killer is next covered by Rolf Munkes (Empire). A great riff
fueled rocker with great energy. The original solo is nicely recreated then updated
with some more fluid lead work than the original. A good version.
Things slow down for Petrossi Dushan`s version of Yellow Raven. This extremely
melodic ballad that shows the Iron Mask guitarist bear his soul with a fine version.
Alf Wemmerlind (Mister Kite) provides some very fine vocals, made better by the fact
that he is not trying to recreate Klaus Meine`s vocals. The track gains intensity
(if not tempo) for the grandiose outro instrumental ride out, a highlight.
Danish axeman Torben Enveldson then picks up the tempo with Burning Wheels Turning
from Uli`s Earthquake album. The track like the original has a very quirky vocal
line, Lance King`s interpretation of Uli`s unique vocals here is very good, adding
his own elements. The solo stays pretty faithful to the original, but it is given a
slight update, as well as Enveldson`s more processed tone adding a more modern
slant. The extended middly section gives the track a chance to breathe before the
main theme kicks in once again. Another very good interpretation.
James Byrd kicks in hard with Still So Many Lives Away, joined by fellow Byrd
vocalist Michael Flatters. This is one track I was very excited about as soon as the
cd arrived, luckily the track does not disappoint in the slightest. Byrd`s extremely
pure tone is prevalent throughout with some tasty harmonisations of the original
lines. James` guitar tone was big on the last Byrd release Anthem but here it is
super thick yet with stunning clarity. The energy level is very high on this track,
excellent backing by Ian Haughland (drums) and Weine Johansson (bass). Michael
Flatter is his usual self - superb, further illustrating that he is one of the best
new singers on the rock scene. But not only do we have excellent bass, drums, vocals
and guitar but some extremely tasty keyboard orchestrations by Byrd. Uli`s influence
on Byrd is well known, yet James has not seen this as an excuse to ape Uli note for
note. Instead Byrd serves up a revamped solo and guitar lines that whislt staying
true to the original add a new sound to the track that updates it and brings an
original element to the tune - just listen to that phrasing, vibrato and tone -
glorious! This is the best example on the album of how to cover a track, by using
the original and then revamping it to make it your own. Simply stunning!
Cyril Archard (Taboo Voodoo) has the unenviable task of following James Byrd with
I`ll Be There. This track is one of my favourites from Beyond The Astral Skies and
its a good version, the drums are a little high in the mix for me, but the band does
a good job of recreating the quirky arrangement of the original. This track is well
known amongst Uli fans as having one of his best solos ever. Archard does a good job
of recreating it although he is a little buried in the mix. Jean Marc Layani throws
in some good keyboard solos over which Archard trades licks with. A good track
though slightly let down by the production.
Indian Dawn (from Firewind) is next covered by Thorbjorn Englund (Winterlong) is
next, another riff fueled rocker. The track has been given a heavier treatment than
the original but it works, that riff sounds bigger than ever. Lance King (Empire)
once again supplies vocals and does a good job. Englund throws in a good wah
drenched solo that is not something you would hear on Winterlong albums before
coming in with a good alternate picked pattern which leads into the majestic outro,
Recommended.
Takara`s Neil Grusky supplies the guitar for the cover of the Virgin Killer opener
Pictured Life. Its a very good version with a more updated sound thanks to modern
production values, vocals by Torgny Stjanfelt (Condition Red) are also worthy of
praise. Grusky does a good job of recreating Uli`s leads and I am impressed.
Its instrumental time with Return covered by William Stravato and Alex Masi. This is
a very melodic track with good perfomances given a slight jazz fusion quality.
Excellent solos throughout and Masi throws in some very tasty licks.
Eric Sands gives us his rendition of Polar Nights, another Uli classic. Sticking
fairly closely to the original in terms of performance and production. We get the
urgent drive of the original version along with a cool wah drenched solo, a good
performance.
Paganini Paraphrase ends the album performed by Paul Nelson. To my ears this sound
identical to the original - so much so I though it was on first listen! The tone,
the notes its all there. Its not the most inspired cut on the album but is a nice
metal guitar version of classical favourites.
Overall Beyond Inspiration is a generally good quality package. There are no real
duff moments, some artists obviously just wanted to cover the track as per the
original which is cool, but the highlights are those that use the original as a
basis and build on them - in the process breathing new life into the original. Byrd
has the stand out performance of the album simply because of where he took the
track...in short, if you are a fan of Uli Roth or the artists featured then get this
album.
Hot Spots: Still So Many Lives Away, Yellow Raven, Indian Dawn.
Rating: 82%
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