Chet Atkins / Les Paul - Chester & Lester CD

Chester & Lester songs A surprise best-seller when it was first released, this mostly improvised pairing of singer/keyboardist/producer Al Kooper with two major guitar heroes of the day sounds fascinating all these years later precisely because of the distance of time--nobody makes records like this any more. The material runs the gamut from folk pop (covers of Donovan and Dylan), to blues ("Albert's Shuffle," "You Don't Love Me"), to heady jams ("His Holy Modal Majesty"), to big-band jazz ("Harvey's Tune"). All the tunes make effective templates for the kind off-the-cuff music-making that in less capable hands might have resulted in simple noodling. In fact, although Bloomfield and Stills don't play together on any of the cuts (Bloomfield played on one side of the original LP, Stills on the other), all three principals get off lots of good licks and producer Kooper has some interesting tricks up his sleeve, as in the over-the-top phasing he lavishes on "You Don't Love Me." The only real disappointment here is that Stills, a far better singer than Kooper, never opens his mouth. Those familiar with the Live Adventures album these two recorded at the Fillmore West know how brilliant they could be on stage, and here's another gem, recorded at the Fillmore East this time and featuring 'One Way Out,' 'It's My Own Fault' (with Bloomfield trading licks with Johnny Winter...Johnny was signed to Columbia after this gig!). Newly remastered & now with 4 bonus tracks, 'Albert's Shuffle' (2002 Remix w/o Horns), 'Season of the Witch.' (2002 Remix w/o Horns), 'Blues For Nothing' (Studio Outtake) & 'Fat Grey Cloud' Previously Unreleased Live Track). Features 12-page booklet with unpublished photos from the recording session, new liner notes by Al Kooper & the Rolling Stone Hall Of Fame review by David Fricke. 60 scintillating minutes! 13 tracks. Colunbia/Legacy. 2003. Includes liner notes by Al Kooper, Michael Thomas. Includes liner notes by Michael Thomas. Full performer name: Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper/Steve Stills. Personnel: Mike Bloomfield (electric guitar); Al Kooper (vocals, 12-string & electric guitars, piano, organ, ondioline); Steve Stills (electric guitar); Barry Goldberg (electric piano); Harvey Brooks (bass); Eddie Hoh (drums). Personnel: Mike Bloomfield (electric guitar); Al Kooper (piano, organ, ondioline, vocals, 12-string & electric guitars); Steve Stills (electric guitar); Barry Goldberg (electric piano); Harvey Brooks (bass); Eddie Hoh (drums). Reissue producer: Bob Irwin.

Chester & Lester buy CD music Those who find the pairing of '70s rock god Robert Plant with contemporary bluegrass queen Alison Krauss unlikely have probably not been paying attention to Plant's latter-day work, which is full of intimate, acoustic-flavored balladry. While the organic-sounding, low-key Plant/Krauss collaboration, RAISING SAND, is a far cry from Led Zeppelin's stadium rock, it offers up some hauntingly moody textures that should appeal to "Battle of Evermore" admirers. Consisting mostly of sagely chosen cover tunes, the album finds Plant and Krauss bringing their warm-but-eerie harmonies to everything from Townes Van Zandt's nihilistic folk poetry ("Nothin'") to the crumbled beauty of latter-day Tom Waits ("Trampled Rose"). Determined not to rest on their laurels or cater to expectations, the 59-year-old icon and his junior partner craft a subtle and intriguing sound built on their shared love of folk forms and gift for interpretation, bringing to light esoteric gems by late Byrds visionary Gene Clark and the Everly Brothers along the way as well.

Chester & Lester album for sale Louisiana slide master Sonny Landreth takes his time between releases -- his last studio disc of original material was five years prior to this -- but when they arrive, the wait seems justified. For the debut album on his own Landfall records, Landreth calls in marquee name guitarists Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, and Vince Gill to bolster the visibility factor. Rather than focusing on guitar duals, Landreth wrote songs that incorporate their styles, and occasional vocals, organically into the material. There are plenty of stunning solos of course, but they are integrated into the tunes that stand up just fine without the six-string fireworks. The album's title is a double entendre as "reach" is a body of water and also describes Landreth inviting his guests to be part of the project. The water theme appears in a few post-Katrina songs like the scathing "Blue Tarp Blues ("Air Force One had a heck of a view, lookin' down on the patchwork of the blue tarp blues") and others such as the bluesy "Storm of Worry," featuring Clapton's trademarked licks. Dr. John pays a house call on "Howlin' Moon," bringing his New Orleans piano and backing vocals to a second line burner that shifts into harder-edged rock but maintains its inherent Crescent City vibe. Jimmy Buffett, who sings backing vocals on the track, is virtually inaudible. The lovely ballad "Let it Fly" slows down the mood and sounds somewhat like something that Landreth's old boss John Hiatt might write. Ford sings and plays on "Way Past Long," a terrific meeting of the minds where both contribute guitar and vocals to a funky stomper that is a true collaboration and one of this album's many highlights. Guitar freaks will salivate over the raging instrumentals "Uberesso" and "The Milky Way Home" the latter where Landreth trades riffs with Eric Johnson, whose own style complements that of the headliner. At just over 45 minutes, it's over too quickly, but there isn't a wasted note here. The songs are some of Landreth's most heartfelt, his singing is emotional and understated, the production (Landreth with Tony Daigle, who also engineered) perfectly captures these performances in their swampy glory and the playing, by everyone, is inspired. The guest guitarists do their jobs well, but this would be a strong project even without them, and is surely one of Landreth's finest sets to date. ~ Hal Horowitz Recording information: British Grove Studio, London, England; Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Germany; Dockside Studios, Maurice, LA; La Louisianne Studio, Lafayette, LA; Olympic Studios, London, England; Saucer Sound, Austin, TX; Soundstage Studio, Nashville, TN; The Music Shed, New Orleans, LA; Zircon Skye Production, Ojai. Photographer: Jack Spencer. Personnel: Sonny Landreth (vocals, guitar); Vince Gill (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Robben Ford (vocals, guitar); Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler (guitar, background vocals); Eric Johnson (guitar); Sam Broussard (acoustic guitar); Dr. John (piano, background vocals); Steve Conn (organ, keyboards); Brian Brignac, Tony Daigle (percussion); Jimmy Buffett, Nadirah Shakoor (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Sonny Landreth; Tony Daigle.

Chester & Lester CD music Anyone with even a passing interest in classic fusion and progressive jazz will want to own TRIO OF DOOM. Comprising three giants of the genre--guitarist John McLaughlin, drummer Tony Williams, and bassist Jaco Pastorius--Trio of Doom recorded both a studio session and a live set in 1979, and this 10-track disc contains selections from each, including Pastorius's "Continuum," McLaughlin's "Dark Prince," and Williams's "Drum Improvisation." Needless to say the playing is superb, and the energy--complex, knotted, and consistently pushing toward astral heights--is dazzling. Recording information: CBS Studios, NY (03/03/1979/03/08/1979); Karl Marx Theater, Havana, Cuba (03/03/1979/03/08/1979). Photographers: Don Hunstein; David Gahr. Personnel: Jaco Pastorius (bass guitar); Tony Williams (drums); John McLaughlin (guitar); Tony Ruption Williams (drums). Liner Note Authors: John McLaughlin; Bill Milkowski.

Chester & Lester buy CD music Released in celebration of Les Paul's 90th birthday, AMERICAN MADE WORLD PLAYED pays tribute to the master guitarist and inventor who changed the face of jazz, country, blues, and rock with his recording and guitar-design innovations. While the lineup here is stellar and includes vocalists Sting, Joss Stone, and Mick Hucknall (Simply Red), and guitarists Joe Perry (Aerosmith) and Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), among others, the album is at its best when it allows Paul to shine in an instrumental setting, as on the slinky rendition of Duke Ellington's "Caravan" and the funky "69 Freedom Special." Recording information: Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; East Side Sound, New York, NY; Il Palagio, Italy; Instructo Corporation Studios, Mahwah, NJ; London, England; Sailor Studios; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA. Photographer: Gene Martin. Arranger: Kenneth Cummings. Personnel: Les Paul (guitar); Les Paul; Johnny Rzeznik (vocals, guitar); Alsou, Noah Hunt (vocals); Kenny Olsen, Jeff Beck (guitar); Jim Feeley, Jim Feeling (trumpet); Dave King , Dave King (trombone); Kenneth Cummings (horns, background vocals); Marc Urselli (piano, bass guitar, programming, drum programming); Lou Forestieri (Clavinet, organ); Joseph Wooten, Future Man, Jed Leiber, Louise Forestier (keyboards); Abraham Laboriel, Sr., Will Lee , Billy Peterson (bass guitar); Gordon Knudson, Adam "LDB" Polatov, Gordy Knudsen (drums); Robert Cutarella (drum programming); Elaine Caswell (background vocals); Peter Frampton, Richie Sambora (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Steve Miller , Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy (vocals, guitar); Edgar Winter (vocals, saxophone); Beth Hart (vocals, background vocals); Joss Stone, Mick Hucknall, Sam Cooke, Sting (vocals); Kenny Wayne Shepherd (guitar, slide guitar); Barry Goldstein (guitar, bass programming); Hiram Bullock (guitar, background vocals); Eric Clapton, Joe Perry , Keith Richards, Neal Schon, Rick Derringer, Steve Lukather, Fran Cathcart (guitar); Louis Cortelezzi (saxophone); Greg Mathieson (organ, keyboards); Brian Mitchell (keyboards); Abe Laboriel, Jr., Kenny Aronoff (drums, percussion); Shawn Pelton, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Daniel Moreno (percussion); Luke Ebbin (background vocals). Liner Note Author: Steve Miller .

Chester & Lester songs The inventor of the famous Les Paul guitar talks candidly about his life and achievements in this documentary. Guitar wizard, inventor, architect of rock 'n' roll...the legendary Les Paul tells his own rags-to-riches story in this feature-length documentary shot in HD. From his hometown in Waukesha to Chicago, Nashville, Hollywood and the National Inventors Hall of Fame, follow the life and times of this irrepressible superstar. Featuring a wall-to-wall soundtrack of greatest hits, this American Masters feature-length documentary also includes interviews with B. B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Tony Bennett, Jeff Beck, Merle Haggard, Steve Miller and many more.