2012 remaster of a Christmas classic with two Thanksgiving bonuses
Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas did as much to define the Peanuts gang as it did to capture what Charles Schulz wrote in his strip. In the same way that the television special literally animated the characters, Guaraldi’s music provided an emotional soundtrack to which they moved and danced, fleshing out a whole new dimension of the characters’ personalities. Every song on the soundtrack, even the traditional tunes adapted by Guaraldi, quickly become sense memories of the special, and a few, such as “Linus and Lucy,†“Skating†and “Christmas is Coming†were indelibly wed to their animated sequences. Like the television special, the soundtrack is a perennial. It’s been reissued on CD twice before, initially in 1988, and as recently as 2006, the latter being the subject of mastering mistakes, changes from the original album and much heated discussion.
San Francisco jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi would have been remembered in the popular music conscience for his 1962 hit “Cast Your Fate to the Wind,†had he not redefined his legacy three years later with the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas. The animated special’s annual broadcast turned Guaraldi’s score, particularly the instrumental “Linus and Lucy,†into an indelible musical signature. The two bouts of popular acclaim obscured the rest of Guaraldi’s career, which began in the 1950s backing Cal Tjader, blossomed into his own trio and first struck pay dirt with his tribute, Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus. It was from this latter album that the Guaraldi original “Cast Your Fate to the Wind†sprung onto the airwaves as the B-side of his cover of Luiz Bonfa’s “Samba de Orfeu.†Though the latter isn’t included here, another of the film’s themes, “Manha de Carnaval,†shows off Guaraldi’s interest in Latin rhythms, as well as the contemplative side of his playing.
Brazillian music played an on-going role in Guaraldi’s repertoire, as he covered the bossa nova “Outra Vez,†and collaborated with guitarist Bola Sete on the gentle “Star Song,†the rush-hour “Ginza†and a live recording of “El Matador.†The latter shows how easily Guaraldi transitioned back and forth from straight to swing time, much as he does in “Linus and Lucy,†his left hand beating out boogie-woogie as his right hand picks out melodies. 1964’s “Treat Street†attempted to follow-up on the commercial success of 1962, but the swinging, Latin-tinged single failed to click with fickle radio programmers and record buyers. It wouldn’t be until the 1965 Peanuts breakthrough that Guaraldi’s music would again seep into the broad public’s consciousness. Even then, it didn’t make a mark on the singles chart, though the soundtrack albums have been perennial sellers.
Soulful album of singer-songwriter folk, country and rock
“Singer-songwriter†usually labels someone who sings their own songs, but in Jimmy LaFave’s case, it describes someone who’s as talented at originating material as he is in lending his voice to others’ songs. His first studio album in five years balances eight new songs with five covers, three of the latter selected from the catalog of Bob Dylan. Perhaps the most surprising reinterpretation is his resurrection of John Waite’s “Missing You†from its 1980s chart-topping power-ballad origin. As a writer of emotionally-laden songs, LaFave could hear the finely-tuned angst of Waite’s lyric, and reconstruct it into rootsy rock ‘n’ roll. The production’s guitar adds a touch of Southern soul, and the emotional choke in LaFave’s voice mates perfectly with the song’s mood.
The Dylan covers “Red RiverShore,†the oft-covered “Tomorrow is a Long Time,†and Empire Burlesque’s “I’ll Remember You.†LaFave adds something special to each, reading the first in slow reflection, and warming the latter from the chilly production of its original version. The album’s fifth cover is Bruce Springsteen’s recently released (though earlier written) “Land ofHopes and Dreams.†LaFave strips the song of its E Street bombast to better reveal the tender heart of its inverted allusions to the gospel-folk classic “This Train.†LaFave uses the covers as a launching point for his original songs, weaving a continuous thread through expectation, melancholy, sadness and second chances.
Three years before his untimely passing in 2002, Waylon Jennings spent a few days laying down what would be his last studio performances. Recorded in his friend (and steel guitarist) Robbie Turner’s home studio, the tapes featured Jennings and his guitar working out new music and revisiting older tunes. Jennings no longer had the full vocal power of his earlier years, but his phrasing, tone and low baritone notes were intact; he sounds physically weakened in spots, but still mentally charged. Shortly after the sessions, Jennings moved back to Phoenix, and the tapes sat unfinished until last year, when Turner gathered select players to add instrumental backings to the performances. The result closely captures the flavor of Jennings’ earlier recordings, skillfully weaving the players around Jennings and his guitar into a final mix that feels whole.
By utilizing players who’d worked with Jennings before, Turner was able to craft backings that are sympathetic to the singer and his sound. As with Johnny Cash’s American Recordings, there’s an unmistakable specter of mortality coloring the songs and performances. The title track is unapologetic, summing up Jennings’ last stand with the hook line “if I can’t go down rockin’, ain’t gonna go down at all.†There’s also a fired-up early run-through of “Never Say Die,†which would become the title of Jennings last live set in 2000. Earlier songs take on added poignancy, such as a version of “I Do Believe†that’s sung wearily, as if struggling to balance the hear-and-now with a here-after that was closing in. Similarly, “Belle of the Ball†is rendered more wistful and nostalgic here than as originally heard on 1977’s Ol’ Waylon.
CONTEST! Win a promotional version of this release, including a short DVD documentary. Tell us your favorite Waylon song in a comment on this entry. We’ll select a winner at random from all those who respond in the next week.
Lo-fi country blues
