CHRIS ROBINSON & THE NEW EARTH MUD
''THIS MAGNIFICENT DISTANCE''
JUNE 29 2004
65:53
1/40 Days
Chris Robinson/4:35
2/Girl on the Mountain
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/7:03
3/Mother of Stone
Chris Robinson / John Stacey/3:43
4/Train Robbers
Chris Robinson/6:40
5/Like a Tumbleweed in Eden
Chris Robinson / Paul Stacey/5:06
6/When the Cold Wind Blows at the Dark Edge of Night
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/7:57
7/...If You See California
Chris Robinson/4:42
8/The Never Empty Table
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/5:04
9/Eagles on the Highway
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/4:36
10/Surgical Glove
Chris Robinson/5:59
11/Sea of Love
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/5:22
12/Piece of Wind
Chris Robinson / John Stacey/5:06
Richard Causon /Additional Personnel, Keyboards
Audley Freed /Additional Personnel, Guitar
Ethan Johns /Additional Personnel, Drums
George Laks /Keyboards
George Reiff /Bass
Chris Robinson /Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Jeremy Stacey /Drums, Percussion
Paul Stacey /Guitar
REVIEW
by Thom Jurek
For those attracted -- as well as put off -- by the sun-drenched and shambolic hippie optimism on New Earth Mud, forget it. While This Magnificent Distance is not a pessimistic record, it is a darker one (texturally at least), and its musical polestar is a step into something murkier, more spacious and varied, and better articulated, yet less defined. This is most certainly a rock record. (What else could it be?) But as a songwriter, Robinson has grown by leaps and bounds (though he claims some of these tunes were written before New Earth Mud). His collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Stacey has borne wonderful fruit here -- as has the addition of veteran bass ace George Reiff. The opener, "40 Days," with a balls-out guitar riff and swirling organ line, is one of the most lyrically sophisticated tracks on the set. Walking a razor between the delirious metaphors of Bob Dylan and the punchy tight lines of John Lennon, it is an exhortation to the needy side of dangerous love and flight. But the sheer sonic wallop it packs makes it the obvious first single, and Black Crowes fans will flip for this one. But it is countered immediately with the dreamy psychedelia of "Girl on the Mountain," with its layered bluesy guitars and shimmering drums. The chorus rocks, but the rest of it rolls. Top-heavy crackle returns on "Mother of Bone," which will undoubtedly turn into a jamming standard live. Blues and a slippery backbeat weave acoustic guitars into the verse as well as burning distorted lead riffs into the refrain. But it's the organic percussion that splays it all open into some kind of simmering sonic drift. The beautiful Western-themed cuts, such as "Train Robbers," "Like a Tumbleweed in Eden," and the gorgeous "When the Cold Wind Blows at the Dark Edge of Night," are genre-warping textural studies in psychedelic production and poetic song structures. The music is progressive, and wonderfully intricate; it stands completely outside the mark of anything Robinson has done before. The loose country stroll of "...If You See California" is the album's most beautiful love song, and is partnered with "Eagles on the Highway," steeped in American mythic iconography. The album comes back to tough, lean rock & roll on the set's final three selections, "Surgical Glove," "Sea of Love," and the closer, "Piece of Wind." They take the gentility and moodiness of the middle section of the record and break it all down to lean, mean basics once more with brilliant instrumental interplay between Stacey and Reiff. This Magnificent Distance is a worthy and wonderfully engaging testament to Robinson's creative evolution.
BIOGRAPHY
by Rovi
Born Christopher Mark Robinson, 20 December 1966, Marietta, Georgia, USA. Best known as the vocalist for US retro rockers the Black Crowes, Robinson went solo in 2002, after over 10 years of service with his former band. He had formed the Black Crowes with his younger brother, Rich, modelling the band after classic rockers such as the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin. At the beginning of the new millennium Robinson became linked with actress Kate Hudson (best known for her role as a groupie in the 2000 movie Almost Famous, as well as being Goldie Hawn’s daughter), and shortly after their marriage on New Year’s Eve 2000, rumours began to emerge about the Black Crowes’ impending demise. Despite similar rumours circulating for years by this point, 2002 proved to be the year that it finally became fact, as the band went on hiatus.
Robinson issued his debut solo album, New Earth Mud, later the same year, which predictably, was quite similar in style and substance to the Black Crowes. Upon the album’s release, Robinson headed out on his inaugural solo tour, backed by a band comprising New Earth Mud co-writer Paul Stacey (guitar), Jeremy Stacey (drums), George Reiff (bass), and George Laks (keyboards). The live band helped Robinson complete a second album This Magnificent Distance, a more cohesive and harder rocking set than its predecessor. Following its release, Robinson put together a new band and completed a summer tour before withdrawing from the public eye. When he resurfaced in 2005, it was with the reunited Black Crowes. The following year he embarked on a low-key tour with his brother Rich Robinson.
DoWnLoAd
''THIS MAGNIFICENT DISTANCE''
JUNE 29 2004
65:53
1/40 Days
Chris Robinson/4:35
2/Girl on the Mountain
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/7:03
3/Mother of Stone
Chris Robinson / John Stacey/3:43
4/Train Robbers
Chris Robinson/6:40
5/Like a Tumbleweed in Eden
Chris Robinson / Paul Stacey/5:06
6/When the Cold Wind Blows at the Dark Edge of Night
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/7:57
7/...If You See California
Chris Robinson/4:42
8/The Never Empty Table
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/5:04
9/Eagles on the Highway
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/4:36
10/Surgical Glove
Chris Robinson/5:59
11/Sea of Love
Chris Robinson / John Stacey / Paul Stacey/5:22
12/Piece of Wind
Chris Robinson / John Stacey/5:06
Richard Causon /Additional Personnel, Keyboards
Audley Freed /Additional Personnel, Guitar
Ethan Johns /Additional Personnel, Drums
George Laks /Keyboards
George Reiff /Bass
Chris Robinson /Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Jeremy Stacey /Drums, Percussion
Paul Stacey /Guitar
REVIEW
by Thom Jurek
For those attracted -- as well as put off -- by the sun-drenched and shambolic hippie optimism on New Earth Mud, forget it. While This Magnificent Distance is not a pessimistic record, it is a darker one (texturally at least), and its musical polestar is a step into something murkier, more spacious and varied, and better articulated, yet less defined. This is most certainly a rock record. (What else could it be?) But as a songwriter, Robinson has grown by leaps and bounds (though he claims some of these tunes were written before New Earth Mud). His collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Stacey has borne wonderful fruit here -- as has the addition of veteran bass ace George Reiff. The opener, "40 Days," with a balls-out guitar riff and swirling organ line, is one of the most lyrically sophisticated tracks on the set. Walking a razor between the delirious metaphors of Bob Dylan and the punchy tight lines of John Lennon, it is an exhortation to the needy side of dangerous love and flight. But the sheer sonic wallop it packs makes it the obvious first single, and Black Crowes fans will flip for this one. But it is countered immediately with the dreamy psychedelia of "Girl on the Mountain," with its layered bluesy guitars and shimmering drums. The chorus rocks, but the rest of it rolls. Top-heavy crackle returns on "Mother of Bone," which will undoubtedly turn into a jamming standard live. Blues and a slippery backbeat weave acoustic guitars into the verse as well as burning distorted lead riffs into the refrain. But it's the organic percussion that splays it all open into some kind of simmering sonic drift. The beautiful Western-themed cuts, such as "Train Robbers," "Like a Tumbleweed in Eden," and the gorgeous "When the Cold Wind Blows at the Dark Edge of Night," are genre-warping textural studies in psychedelic production and poetic song structures. The music is progressive, and wonderfully intricate; it stands completely outside the mark of anything Robinson has done before. The loose country stroll of "...If You See California" is the album's most beautiful love song, and is partnered with "Eagles on the Highway," steeped in American mythic iconography. The album comes back to tough, lean rock & roll on the set's final three selections, "Surgical Glove," "Sea of Love," and the closer, "Piece of Wind." They take the gentility and moodiness of the middle section of the record and break it all down to lean, mean basics once more with brilliant instrumental interplay between Stacey and Reiff. This Magnificent Distance is a worthy and wonderfully engaging testament to Robinson's creative evolution.
BIOGRAPHY
by Rovi
Born Christopher Mark Robinson, 20 December 1966, Marietta, Georgia, USA. Best known as the vocalist for US retro rockers the Black Crowes, Robinson went solo in 2002, after over 10 years of service with his former band. He had formed the Black Crowes with his younger brother, Rich, modelling the band after classic rockers such as the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin. At the beginning of the new millennium Robinson became linked with actress Kate Hudson (best known for her role as a groupie in the 2000 movie Almost Famous, as well as being Goldie Hawn’s daughter), and shortly after their marriage on New Year’s Eve 2000, rumours began to emerge about the Black Crowes’ impending demise. Despite similar rumours circulating for years by this point, 2002 proved to be the year that it finally became fact, as the band went on hiatus.
Robinson issued his debut solo album, New Earth Mud, later the same year, which predictably, was quite similar in style and substance to the Black Crowes. Upon the album’s release, Robinson headed out on his inaugural solo tour, backed by a band comprising New Earth Mud co-writer Paul Stacey (guitar), Jeremy Stacey (drums), George Reiff (bass), and George Laks (keyboards). The live band helped Robinson complete a second album This Magnificent Distance, a more cohesive and harder rocking set than its predecessor. Following its release, Robinson put together a new band and completed a summer tour before withdrawing from the public eye. When he resurfaced in 2005, it was with the reunited Black Crowes. The following year he embarked on a low-key tour with his brother Rich Robinson.
DoWnLoAd
