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"The Essential Robert Gordon" |
| reviewed by DC Larson |
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Wise men throughout world history have counseled grimly that good
things all come to finishes. Maybe. But maybe not. It is the standard for overview collections to loom in the wake of someone's concluded career. But as 1970s upstart Robert has established with contemporary live and studio work, he's just now getting his second wind. (Doubters, should there be any, are advised to check his recent reunion touring with Chris Spedding as well as the "Satisfied Mind" and "It's Now Or Never" studio discs. To borrow a phrase: Too Tough To Die.) Sure, Robert's early Private Stock and RCA vinyl is indispensable; those seminal slabs are richly sampled here. But his finest efforts doubtless lie ahead and not behind. So let's call this merely 'the story so far,' and enjoy the ride. Besides, this really isn't a traditional best of release. The pre-released/unreleased ratio is about 60/40. So while this strictly limited, 1000-copy CD offers a chance to revisit cuts from Gordon LPs passed (standards "Red Hot, "RockBilly Boogie" and "Drivin' Wheel" are at hand) lucky listeners encounter unreleased live material. So we glimpse onstage turns with Link Wray ("Hot Dog, That Made Her Mad" and "Don't"), Danny Gatton ("The Way I Walk" and "Love My Baby") and Chris Spedding (8 concert samplings, including the never-on-Gordon-studio-disc "Little Sister," "The Wanderer," and "Playing For Keeps". Regardless of circumstance, though, the music remains as loud, strapping and uncompromising as only good rock'n'roll can be -- and Robert's name has become synonymous with good rock'n'roll. Know that here can be found the unstoppable, insurrectionary blast of a defiant spirit stalking fun on its own terms and according to its own reckless definition. It's a Kicks thing. Squares wouldn't understand. The people at Ar-Gee wisely surrounded these flat-out declarations of nervy jubilance with appropriately first-rate packaging. The fat booklet is replete with lyrics and offers page after page of rare color and b/w photos from across-the-years. Onstage action shots, press clippings, candid moments, posters. Even ticket stubs. By all means, appreciate the past. But get set for one hell of a future, too. Because even wise men miss, now and then. ------------------------------------------------- David "DC" Larson is the CD Review Editor for Rockabilly Magazine. His freelance pieces on music have appeared in Goldmine, Rock&Rap Confidential, No Depression, and Blue Suede News. |