PHIL CODY
''MAD DOG SESSIONS''
2002
71:06
1 Orphan Train (Acoustic Version) 3:11
2 Ghost of a Fear 3:09
3 Six Diamond Baguettes 2:55
4 Joe's Neck of the Woods 3:50
5 Texas Roadkill Suite 4:25
6 French Postcards 5:34
7 After Dinner Song 2:40
8 Splendid Isolation 3:47
9 1984 2:56
10 I Was a Stepping Stone 2:37
11 Spent It All 3:19
12 Will Roses Grow Wild? 2:48
13 Tonight I Walked Out a Stranger 4:23
14 I Am a Thief 4:05
15 Patchouli Oil 2:50
16 She Chases Rainbows 6:10
17 Jack, Jolly, and the Jamboree 4:22
18 Hopin' 2:52
19 Final Jig 0:42
20 Viva las Vegas 5:07
REVIEW
By Charlie Ricci
What a pleasure it is to listen to Mad Dog Sessions, folk-rocker Phil Cody’s third CD recorded in 1996, mixed and mastered in 2002, and released on Tiny Head Records to a world that should demand this music be played in heavy rotation on every adult alternative and college radio station in America.
While not blessed with the greatest set of pipes, Cody’s voice nevertheless fits in nicely with his songs and his singing should offend no one. The band functions mostly as an ensemble but there are a few notable solos throughout and everyone playing on the sessions turns in a professional job. Standout performances include Duncan Aldrich’s sax solo on “I Am A Thief” and lots of electric organ and piano by Rami Jaffe, keyboard player for The Wallflowers.
Cody wrote seventeen of the twenty songs on this album. The disc was culled down from a total of 34 songs he and the band recorded over a three-day period. Clocking in at 71:50, a CD of this length would qualify as a double album in the days of the long lost LP. At a time when too many artists fill an entire CD because they can, and include stuff they should leave on the cutting room floor, Mad Dog Sessions is a wonder. You may be thinking that this is too much Cody at one sitting but rest assured he can justify releasing every one of these tracks. No two arrangements sound the same, not an easy feat with a work of this length. His eclecticism is the hallmark of this album.
But the real stars of this album, and the primary focus of any folk-rock work, are Cody’s lyrics. With songs that are alternately humorous and sad, Cody succeeds at setting the proper mood for each song.
The disc opens with Woody Guthrie style social commentary on the historically accurate banjo and harmonica piece "Orphan Train," continues with the upbeat country song "Joe’s Neck of the Woods," and moves on to "Six Diamond Baguettes," about a broken love affair, that is the CD’s best rocker. On "1984" he reminisces about his childhood without getting maudlin or syrupy. There is even little electronic music on the introduction and fade of "I Was A Stepping Stone." A little psychedelic organ and similar lyrical sensibilities decorate "She Chases Rainbows."
Even Cody's taste in cover songs is impeccable. He sings Warren Zevon’s "Splendid Isolation," a splendidly serious song about the protagonist’s demand for solitude in a very busy world, that ironically is my favorite track on the disc. Then he shows us another side of himself closing the CD with a slowed down and mostly acoustic version of Elvis Presley’s "Viva Las Vegas."
I originally wrote a variation of this review in 2002. Unfortuntately since then Cody seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. His website is gone and has been reduced to a confusing MySpace page where you will find no mention of Mad Dog Sessions. Most traces of this CD seem to have vanished with Cody. It can not be found on Amazon and is not even mentioned in his biography in the All Music Guide.If you can find this disc you must give it a listen.
BIOGRAPHY
by Erik Hage
Cincinnati-born Phil Cody, a longtime California resident, produces a smart, raw folk-rock blend that calls to mind Peter Case and Pete Droge. He released his debut album, The Sons of Intemperance Offering, in 1996 on Interscope Records. Most of the project was recorded live in the studio. In the years after its release, he hit the road, sharing the stage with artists such as Steve Earle, Golden Smog, Warren Zevon, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Cody was still on Interscope when he made 2000's Big Slow Mover, a compelling folk-rock/country amalgam full of sonic touches such as funk grooves and loops. It was co-produced by Ethan Johns and the Wallflowers' Rami Jaffe and featured guest appearances by Joe Henry and Emmylou Harris (on a great version of Townes Van Zandt's "If I Needed You"). However, the growing, changing label passed on it; so armed with a new Mac computer and a strong unreleased album, Cody went D.I.Y., starting his own label, Tiny Head Records.
''MAD DOG SESSIONS''
2002
71:06
1 Orphan Train (Acoustic Version) 3:11
2 Ghost of a Fear 3:09
3 Six Diamond Baguettes 2:55
4 Joe's Neck of the Woods 3:50
5 Texas Roadkill Suite 4:25
6 French Postcards 5:34
7 After Dinner Song 2:40
8 Splendid Isolation 3:47
9 1984 2:56
10 I Was a Stepping Stone 2:37
11 Spent It All 3:19
12 Will Roses Grow Wild? 2:48
13 Tonight I Walked Out a Stranger 4:23
14 I Am a Thief 4:05
15 Patchouli Oil 2:50
16 She Chases Rainbows 6:10
17 Jack, Jolly, and the Jamboree 4:22
18 Hopin' 2:52
19 Final Jig 0:42
20 Viva las Vegas 5:07
REVIEW
By Charlie Ricci
What a pleasure it is to listen to Mad Dog Sessions, folk-rocker Phil Cody’s third CD recorded in 1996, mixed and mastered in 2002, and released on Tiny Head Records to a world that should demand this music be played in heavy rotation on every adult alternative and college radio station in America.
While not blessed with the greatest set of pipes, Cody’s voice nevertheless fits in nicely with his songs and his singing should offend no one. The band functions mostly as an ensemble but there are a few notable solos throughout and everyone playing on the sessions turns in a professional job. Standout performances include Duncan Aldrich’s sax solo on “I Am A Thief” and lots of electric organ and piano by Rami Jaffe, keyboard player for The Wallflowers.
Cody wrote seventeen of the twenty songs on this album. The disc was culled down from a total of 34 songs he and the band recorded over a three-day period. Clocking in at 71:50, a CD of this length would qualify as a double album in the days of the long lost LP. At a time when too many artists fill an entire CD because they can, and include stuff they should leave on the cutting room floor, Mad Dog Sessions is a wonder. You may be thinking that this is too much Cody at one sitting but rest assured he can justify releasing every one of these tracks. No two arrangements sound the same, not an easy feat with a work of this length. His eclecticism is the hallmark of this album.
But the real stars of this album, and the primary focus of any folk-rock work, are Cody’s lyrics. With songs that are alternately humorous and sad, Cody succeeds at setting the proper mood for each song.
The disc opens with Woody Guthrie style social commentary on the historically accurate banjo and harmonica piece "Orphan Train," continues with the upbeat country song "Joe’s Neck of the Woods," and moves on to "Six Diamond Baguettes," about a broken love affair, that is the CD’s best rocker. On "1984" he reminisces about his childhood without getting maudlin or syrupy. There is even little electronic music on the introduction and fade of "I Was A Stepping Stone." A little psychedelic organ and similar lyrical sensibilities decorate "She Chases Rainbows."
Even Cody's taste in cover songs is impeccable. He sings Warren Zevon’s "Splendid Isolation," a splendidly serious song about the protagonist’s demand for solitude in a very busy world, that ironically is my favorite track on the disc. Then he shows us another side of himself closing the CD with a slowed down and mostly acoustic version of Elvis Presley’s "Viva Las Vegas."
I originally wrote a variation of this review in 2002. Unfortuntately since then Cody seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. His website is gone and has been reduced to a confusing MySpace page where you will find no mention of Mad Dog Sessions. Most traces of this CD seem to have vanished with Cody. It can not be found on Amazon and is not even mentioned in his biography in the All Music Guide.If you can find this disc you must give it a listen.
BIOGRAPHY
by Erik Hage
Cincinnati-born Phil Cody, a longtime California resident, produces a smart, raw folk-rock blend that calls to mind Peter Case and Pete Droge. He released his debut album, The Sons of Intemperance Offering, in 1996 on Interscope Records. Most of the project was recorded live in the studio. In the years after its release, he hit the road, sharing the stage with artists such as Steve Earle, Golden Smog, Warren Zevon, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Cody was still on Interscope when he made 2000's Big Slow Mover, a compelling folk-rock/country amalgam full of sonic touches such as funk grooves and loops. It was co-produced by Ethan Johns and the Wallflowers' Rami Jaffe and featured guest appearances by Joe Henry and Emmylou Harris (on a great version of Townes Van Zandt's "If I Needed You"). However, the growing, changing label passed on it; so armed with a new Mac computer and a strong unreleased album, Cody went D.I.Y., starting his own label, Tiny Head Records.
1 comment :
Hey, this is good stuff! The alt-country/roots-rock/singer-songwriter field is pretty crowded, but Phil's tunes shine through.
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