Stumbling through one of those "dollar" stores yesterday I came across a CD treasure that cost me just a buck.
It's called "Adios Amigo: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander," and features Narrows alums Graham Parker, Roger McGuinn, Marshall Crenshaw, along with Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Frank Black, John Prine, Nick Lowe and others.
It came out in 1994, not long after Arthur Alexander's death, and was releaseed by Razor & Tie.
Great stuff!
I've never heard Robert Plant sing with a steel guitar, for one thing.
Who was Arthur Alexander? According to the CD's booklet, he was the guy who made the music the Beatles wanted to imitate, even covering Alexander's "Anna," with John Lennon doing a very cool lead vocal. Our guy Roger McGuinn does "Anna" on the CD, sounding like a cross between the Byrds and the Beatles.
Arthur was a guy out of Alabama who couldn't play an instrument, but would come up with melodies and lyrics in his head, and have them transcribed by musician friends--Greg Trooper's producer, Dan Penn, was one of them.
Unfortunately, Arthur, despite recording a number of charted records, never got the money or recognition he deserved. "I first heard the song 'Anna' on The Early Beatles album and loved it," Roger McGuinn is quoted as saying in the CD booklet. "It was clear that Arthur was a strong influence on John Lennon's singing, not just in that song, but in many others that The Beatles performed."
Arthur Alexander was on his way to a comeback when he died in the early 1990s.
So keep your eyes open when you go into those dollar stores. You might just find gold.
No comments:
Post a Comment