RAY MANZAREK / ROY ROGERS
''TRANSLUCENT BLUES''
MAY 24 2011
58:52
1/Hurricane
Jim Carroll / Ray Manzarek/4:27
2/River of Madness
David Gionfriddo / Stephen Gordon / Roy Rogers / Warren Zevon/7:09
3/Game of Skill
Noah James / Ray Manzarek/4:00
4/Fives and Ones
David Gionfriddo / Stephen Gordon / Roy Rogers/4:02
5/Kick
Ray Manzarek / Michael McClure/4:48
6/Tension
Jim Carroll / Ray Manzarek/6:18
7/Blues In My Shoes
Roy Rogers/4:51
8/New Dodge City Blues
Ray Manzarek / Scott Richardson/4:45
9/Greenhouse Blues
Michael C. Ford / Ray Manzarek / Roy Rogers/4:55
10/Those Hits Just Keep On Comin'
Roy Rogers/3:31
11/As You Leave/4:24
12/An Organ, a Guitar and a Chicken Wing/5:42
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
The previous collaboration of blues guitarist Roy Rogers and Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek on 2008's acoustic and instrumental Ballads Before the Rain now seems like a dress rehearsal for this full-blown, plugged-in band set with vocals and elaborate lyrics. Despite being released on the Blind Pig label and including the word "blues" in its title, this is a rootsy rock album with a strong emphasis on poetry but less so on blues, which remains an undercurrent snaking through the material. Lyrics are contributed by the late Jim Carroll (his "Hurricane" connects Katrina's effect on New Orleans with biblical references), beat-era wordsmith Michael McClure (who has worked with Manzarek before), and Michael C. Ford (a poet friend of Jim Morrison) among others. Not surprisingly there is plenty of classic Doors' sound as Manzarek's instantly recognizable keyboards jump out of the mix on songs such as "Game of Skill," a distant musical cousin to "Love Her Madly." Between the presence of the poets as songwriting foils and Rogers' swampy slide lines (similar to those of Robby Krieger), it's hard not to think this is an effort to continue the Doors' legacy. There's nothing wrong with that, especially when songs as powerful as the easygoing boogie of "Fives and Ones" (perhaps a reference to the Doors' "Five to One") and the jazzy, sax-enhanced shuffle of "Greenhouse Blues" are the results. Neither Manzarek nor Rogers are particularly compelling singers, but they are convincing, even when navigating the choppy waters of some tricky, occasionally clunky wordplay. Much of this sounds like a better follow-up to the Doors' post-Morrison legacy than either the well meaning yet disappointing Other Voices or Full Circle from the early '70s. Production duties are handled by both headliners, and while the sound is clean and sharp, it's a bit too glossy for music that would have been harder hitting if presented with a rougher edge. Two instrumentals close the disc with Rogers' sweet, noir-ish ballad "As You Leave" -- seeming like something made for a '60s film soundtrack -- and the straight-ahead blues/jazz shuffle of Manzarek's "An Organ, A Guitar and a Chicken Wing," somewhat of a tribute to the Jimmy Smith/Booker T. & the MG's style of playing.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bradley Torreano
One of the most influential keyboard players in the history of rock music, Doors member Ray Manzarek was born on February 12, 1939. Born to Polish immigrants in Chicago, IL, he grew up admiring the boogie-woogie piano players that became popular in the '50s. After dropping out of U.C.L.A.'s law program, he reconsidered going to graduate school, eventually going back under their prestigious film program. It was in this environment that Manzarek helped form the Doors. Being one of the most influential rock bands in America, they would go on to release several albums before the untimely death of lead singer Jim Morrison in July of 1971. Devastating the band, they attempted two albums without Morrison featuring Manzarek on vocals, but fan support was low and the band slowly fell apart. In 1973, he released his first solo album, The Golden Scarab, and began to tour again. 1974's The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now It's out of Control came next, but Manzarek was itching to work with a band again and eventually started Ray Manzarek's Nite City. They released an eponymous album in 1976 and Golden Days Diamond Nights in 1977, but they failed to capitalize on the success of the original Doors and fell apart again. It was soon after that that the punk movement became a driving force in Los Angeles, and the band X contacted Manzarek about working with them in a production capacity. The end result was Los Angeles, one of the all-time most important punk albums. Reinvigorated, he began work on Carmina Burana, a high concept solo album about opera and minstrels that was released in 1983. Unfortunately, the effort was viewed as too pretentious and he quietly faded away for almost ten years. When Oliver Stone's film biography The Doors was released in 1991, Manzarek came out of semi-retirement to voice his displeasure in how the band was portrayed by the controversial filmmaker. In 1993, he released an album of Michael McClure's beat poetry over his keyboard playing, Love Lion, to a warm reception. The duo toured the country with the act, while Manzarek worked on his autobiography and a Doors tribute album. Both eventually came out, and he has continually voiced his desire to make a musical based on the career of his former band. At the turn of the century, he released an album with British musician/actor Darryl Read and saw his son score a major-label record deal with his band A.I. Although he has made some challenging and interesting music since that time, including the soundtrack to the film Love Her Madly in 2006, his huge influence over the world of rock will forever associate him with the Doors, and luckily Manzarek seems completely comfortable with that legacy.
DoWnLoAd
''TRANSLUCENT BLUES''
MAY 24 2011
58:52
1/Hurricane
Jim Carroll / Ray Manzarek/4:27
2/River of Madness
David Gionfriddo / Stephen Gordon / Roy Rogers / Warren Zevon/7:09
3/Game of Skill
Noah James / Ray Manzarek/4:00
4/Fives and Ones
David Gionfriddo / Stephen Gordon / Roy Rogers/4:02
5/Kick
Ray Manzarek / Michael McClure/4:48
6/Tension
Jim Carroll / Ray Manzarek/6:18
7/Blues In My Shoes
Roy Rogers/4:51
8/New Dodge City Blues
Ray Manzarek / Scott Richardson/4:45
9/Greenhouse Blues
Michael C. Ford / Ray Manzarek / Roy Rogers/4:55
10/Those Hits Just Keep On Comin'
Roy Rogers/3:31
11/As You Leave/4:24
12/An Organ, a Guitar and a Chicken Wing/5:42
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz
The previous collaboration of blues guitarist Roy Rogers and Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek on 2008's acoustic and instrumental Ballads Before the Rain now seems like a dress rehearsal for this full-blown, plugged-in band set with vocals and elaborate lyrics. Despite being released on the Blind Pig label and including the word "blues" in its title, this is a rootsy rock album with a strong emphasis on poetry but less so on blues, which remains an undercurrent snaking through the material. Lyrics are contributed by the late Jim Carroll (his "Hurricane" connects Katrina's effect on New Orleans with biblical references), beat-era wordsmith Michael McClure (who has worked with Manzarek before), and Michael C. Ford (a poet friend of Jim Morrison) among others. Not surprisingly there is plenty of classic Doors' sound as Manzarek's instantly recognizable keyboards jump out of the mix on songs such as "Game of Skill," a distant musical cousin to "Love Her Madly." Between the presence of the poets as songwriting foils and Rogers' swampy slide lines (similar to those of Robby Krieger), it's hard not to think this is an effort to continue the Doors' legacy. There's nothing wrong with that, especially when songs as powerful as the easygoing boogie of "Fives and Ones" (perhaps a reference to the Doors' "Five to One") and the jazzy, sax-enhanced shuffle of "Greenhouse Blues" are the results. Neither Manzarek nor Rogers are particularly compelling singers, but they are convincing, even when navigating the choppy waters of some tricky, occasionally clunky wordplay. Much of this sounds like a better follow-up to the Doors' post-Morrison legacy than either the well meaning yet disappointing Other Voices or Full Circle from the early '70s. Production duties are handled by both headliners, and while the sound is clean and sharp, it's a bit too glossy for music that would have been harder hitting if presented with a rougher edge. Two instrumentals close the disc with Rogers' sweet, noir-ish ballad "As You Leave" -- seeming like something made for a '60s film soundtrack -- and the straight-ahead blues/jazz shuffle of Manzarek's "An Organ, A Guitar and a Chicken Wing," somewhat of a tribute to the Jimmy Smith/Booker T. & the MG's style of playing.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bradley Torreano
One of the most influential keyboard players in the history of rock music, Doors member Ray Manzarek was born on February 12, 1939. Born to Polish immigrants in Chicago, IL, he grew up admiring the boogie-woogie piano players that became popular in the '50s. After dropping out of U.C.L.A.'s law program, he reconsidered going to graduate school, eventually going back under their prestigious film program. It was in this environment that Manzarek helped form the Doors. Being one of the most influential rock bands in America, they would go on to release several albums before the untimely death of lead singer Jim Morrison in July of 1971. Devastating the band, they attempted two albums without Morrison featuring Manzarek on vocals, but fan support was low and the band slowly fell apart. In 1973, he released his first solo album, The Golden Scarab, and began to tour again. 1974's The Whole Thing Started With Rock & Roll Now It's out of Control came next, but Manzarek was itching to work with a band again and eventually started Ray Manzarek's Nite City. They released an eponymous album in 1976 and Golden Days Diamond Nights in 1977, but they failed to capitalize on the success of the original Doors and fell apart again. It was soon after that that the punk movement became a driving force in Los Angeles, and the band X contacted Manzarek about working with them in a production capacity. The end result was Los Angeles, one of the all-time most important punk albums. Reinvigorated, he began work on Carmina Burana, a high concept solo album about opera and minstrels that was released in 1983. Unfortunately, the effort was viewed as too pretentious and he quietly faded away for almost ten years. When Oliver Stone's film biography The Doors was released in 1991, Manzarek came out of semi-retirement to voice his displeasure in how the band was portrayed by the controversial filmmaker. In 1993, he released an album of Michael McClure's beat poetry over his keyboard playing, Love Lion, to a warm reception. The duo toured the country with the act, while Manzarek worked on his autobiography and a Doors tribute album. Both eventually came out, and he has continually voiced his desire to make a musical based on the career of his former band. At the turn of the century, he released an album with British musician/actor Darryl Read and saw his son score a major-label record deal with his band A.I. Although he has made some challenging and interesting music since that time, including the soundtrack to the film Love Her Madly in 2006, his huge influence over the world of rock will forever associate him with the Doors, and luckily Manzarek seems completely comfortable with that legacy.
DoWnLoAd
