Doug Collette, Author at Glide Magazine

Bruce Springsteen: The Promise

Doug Collette January 12, 2011 No Comments

The Promise consists of material Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded in 1977 and 1978 in the process of preparing Darkness on the Edge of Town. In his essay in the accompanying booklet, Springsteen tries to explain why he’s gone to such lengths in revisiting this album but he ultimately misses the point in describing the significance of the most musically and emotionally pure work he’s ever recorded (this side of Tunnel of Love).

Gov’t Mule: Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 12/30-12/31/10

Doug Collette January 11, 2011 No Comments

There was a Mule Marathon at the Beacon Theatre on December 30th and 31st during which evenings Warren Haynes and co. celebrated not just the turn of the years but the history of their band. The first night in particular illustrated why The Mule has developed such a staunch following over its sixteen year career. Perhaps buoyed by the thought of the impending semi-hiatus in 2011 (postcards for Mountain Jam festival on the seats of the venue), the quartet played loose and free but with a clarity and purpose.

Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings

Doug Collette January 5, 2011 No Comments

The Original Mono Recordings of Bob Dylan are almost as much of a revelation as those of The Beatles, albeit for different reasons. The Bard from Minnesota never took recording as seriously as the Liverpool quartet, but his music lends itself better to the vintage recording technique. A fifteen-track collection culled from his first eight albums illustrates why.

Jimi Hendrix: West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology

Doug Collette December 16, 2010 No Comments

The four CDs and one DVD in West Coast Seattle Boy seek to dispel the shadows cast over the late guitarist’s legacy by the spate of questionable releases that flooded the marketplace in the wake of his untimely death in 1970. Containing more than a few extended and/or complete recordings that previously appeared in truncated form, this box set also compiles, in rough chronological order, a plethora of song sketches and unfinished master takes that presents what is perhaps the most accurate portrait to date of Jimi Hendrix’ working methods in the recording studio.

Bob Dylan: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9)

Doug Collette December 15, 2010 No Comments

Of all the extraordinary aspects of Bob Dylan’s flair for composing early in his career, the prolific nature of his writing may be the most awe-inspiring. As demonstrated by The Witmark Demos, Dylan’s output reached and remained at a prodigious level not just in terms of quantity, but in the scope of the writing.

Raisin’ Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter: by Mary Lou Sullivan

Doug Collette December 9, 2010 No Comments

Mary Lou Sullivan artfully interweaves excerpts from a series of interviews for her biography of Johnny Winter. In doing so she depicts the albino Texan bluesman’s career in such matter of fact terms, she almost but not quite undercuts the implicit sensationalism of the book’s subtitle.

The Allman Brothers Band : Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA 11/18-11/20/10

Doug Collette December 3, 2010 No Comments

The Allman Brothers concluded their short autumn tour of theatres with three sold out shows at The Orpheum in Boston that simultaneously re-affirmed their own passion for their music and justified the loyalty of their fan base.

Soulive: Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, VT 10/29 & 10/30/10

Doug Collette November 11, 2010 No Comments

The best moments of Soulive’s last visit to Vermont, in April of ‘08 occurred when the core trio had the stage to themselves and ripped it up without interruption for over thirty minutes, reminding what a powerful band they’d become in their (close to a) decade together. The high points of the Halloween run at Higher Ground exceeded even that altitude.

Robin Trower, Lou Reed, The Guess Who

Doug Collette November 10, 2010 No Comments

In terms of musical culture, the Roman calendar could not accurately document when the 70's turned into the 80's. The explosion of experimentalism that ran through rock, jazz and pop during the latter part of the 60's morphed into strange and not always so wonderful things in the two ensuing decades. Still, there were those artists who confronted that stance, often in marked contrast to their previous efforts, offering work that’s still worth listening to (and reissuing on compact disc) today.

Charlie Hunter: Public Domain

Doug Collette November 8, 2010 No Comments

Public Domain (Spire Artists) is the follow-up to Charlie Hunter’s first such album, 2000’s Solo 8-String Guitar, now long out of print on disc from Contra Punto Records (though still available as a download). As indicated by its title, this new work consists of largely familiar tunes, all of which have been around long enough for their copyrights to expire (as stipulated by law, after seventy years). In doing justice to the material in his own imitable fashion, however, Hunter insures the songs will retain their indelible mark on contemporary culture.

Doug Collette

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