4Play

July 4, 2007

The Police – The Police – A&M
Hits packages come and go, much like the Police themselves. But with the standard-bearers for 80s rock back together on the road, you could do worse than go back down the road with “Roxanne” and the rest. These songs have stood the test of time, from early material like “Next to You” to practically the entire “Synchronicity” album (except, thankfully, Andy Summers’s obnoxious and bizarre “Mother”). In addition to the expected hits, you’ll find tunes like “Canary in a Coalmine,” “Walking on the Moon,” “Invisible Sun” and more. There are 28 tracks all told, making this more than a hits or best of collection, yet perhaps less than definitive. The true fan will probably already have all these tunes, either from the individual albums or box set. Completists will want “Message in a Box,” the 4-CD set that contains even rare B-sides and soundtrack tunes, but those who haven’t yet traded in their vinyl albums for the CDs may just grab this set and go.


Nick Lowe – At My Age – Yep Rock
Ontime pub rock mainstay with Brinsley Schwarz, punk pleaser with Rockpile, and composer of some of rock’s best songs – “Half a Boy and Half a Man, and “Cruel to Be Kind” for example – Nick Lowe has gained a bit of maturity with the years, though not so much as to ever become staid. Still, anyone expecting “Switchboard Susan” or “Big Kick, Plain Scrap” is going to be disappointed. Indeed, the entire affair is downright laid back, whether Lowe is bemoaning the fact that “Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day” or that “Love’s Got a Lot to Answer For.” He’s always been a traditional rocker, but the last few years have seen Lowe gravitate toward traditional country. He’s still mining that territory as well as more folk-based material. “Feel Again” boasts a string section along with a mournful sax, “Long Limbed Girl” is an uptempo shuffle. “Hope for Us All” is one of a number that feature a horn section. It doesn’t matter whether they are Lowe originals or well-chosen covers. Lowe makes them all of a piece on this likeable, rootsy outing.


Various Artists – Freeway Jam, To Beck and Back – Tone Center
Guitarist and arranger Jeff Richman has done interesting things with these fusion guitar outings, honoring Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Mahavishnu, even Steely Dan. But “Freeway Jam,” potentially the best of the bunch, is instead perhaps the biggest disappointment. Jeff Beck was the first rock guitar god to cross over into jazz territory, on the groundbreaking “Blow By Blow.” Before that, he’d led the Yardbirds and his own rough- and ready - Jeff Beck Group. But these performances lack the fiery edge that has always marked Beck’s best playing. “Led Boots” and “Blue Wind” from the dazzling “Wired” LP here are subdued outings for Adam Rogers and Greg Howe, respectively. Much of the problem lies not in the guitarists – Mike Stern, Eric Johnson and John Scofield are among the players – but the arrangements, which eschew the complex intensity of the originals for more straightforward playing. Only Deep Purple’s Steve Morse, onetime fusion great with the Dixie Dregs, pumps things up. His take on the title track channels some of Beck’s aggression along with his own pyrotechnics.

Knight Area – Under a New Sign – Laser’s Edge
Gentlemen, start your lighters. The new hope on the prog horizon is here, and on its second album, Holland’s Knight Area proves itself an enjoyable band. Not necessarily a groundbreaking one, as you can hear influences all over the place: early Marillion and Camel in the synthesizer lines; metallic outfits such as Queensryche or Savatage in the contrasts between loud and soft passages, often in the same song; third-generation outfits such as Enchant or Magellan in the vocals. But it’s the way the group puts together all these elements into a cohesive whole that makes it stand apart. Delicate instrumental passages morphing into loud, syncopated hooks, soaring vocals – this band has it all. As the album is so consistently excellent, it’s nearly impossible to cite specific tunes that stand out, but the opening “A Different Man,” the crunching “Mastermind” with its flanged bass intro, and the gentle “Courteous Love” are top-notch. The ‘70s may be over, but as long as bands like Knight Area remember the trills, frills and thrills of mellotrons and cosmic lyrics, there will be something for fans of Yes and ELP to turn to besides “Brain Salad Surgery.”