This CD would be a desert island disc for me just for "Me and My Guitar" but this re-packaging also throws in "The First Nashville Guitar Quartet" as a delightful bonus. I will admit that this album first came along at a pivotal time for me, when I began to feel my own division of music into "classical" and "popular" as being a straightjacket and frankly, a ridiculous leftover from a biased education. However, it has remained a favourite of mine because of the incredible virtuosity of the playing, the musicality of virtually every note, and the deep feeling that embues each selection. (I will be reviewing the original vinyl LP version, but will mention a bit about the second LP at the end.)
The album gets off to a flying start with Cascade. What a rush it is, as Chet demonstrates cascading melodies as well as chords, at breakneck speed. This great song is such a tour de force for the classical guitar that you might miss the two rhtythm guitars (Paul Yandell and Mark Casstevens, no less), bass, drums, clavinet, and piano accompanying. If you were not a Chet-head yet, you should be after this one!
As if to make up for outshining them, West Memphis Serenade begins with a swinging boogie-ish start for the band, after which Chet enters with a simple but beautiful melody on his resonator guitar. Lest you worry that there is too much emphasis on the strings, and too little on the guitar, you might like to know that Chet is playing the "strings" (string synth).
Long Long Ago is an old song that generations of guitarists have plowed through in the early stages of learning. For this version, Chet plays the melody simply adding only the most tasteful turns of phrase and short embellishments to his resonator guitar. The magic is the web of harmony that Lenny Breau spins around this simple melody, whose biggest change is to drop an octave into the bass.
Then comes All Thumbs! Probably my favourite of all of Chet's performances, this terrific song was written by Mark Casstevens, one of Nashville's top multi-instrument session men. (I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Casstevens, a very kind and modest gentleman. I will be reviewing his wonderful CD "Inventions" in the near future.) I find it hard to say much about this great song, but perhaps you will understand if I tell you that it took me over a decade to get it right, and then to be able to play it up to speed. Oh yeah, and then to get the nerve to play it on stage with Tommy Emmanuel! Let's just say that this is a great up-tempo rag-type tune that races along with gusto and joie de vivre. My only "complaint" is that I do not think that it needs the strings and drums, because the guitar along is more than enough. (Still, as a great producer, Chet knew what sold.)
Vincent is another standout, Chet's solo take on the Don McLean song that meant so much to him. This performance is Chet's most moving for many people, myself included. Solo fingerstyle rarely captures a song this emotionally complex and keeps the level of emotion, perhaps even deepening it. Chet pulls out all the technical stops to get to the heart of the song, playing the melody in harmonics, subtle cascades, and even reaching over with his right hand to grab a bass notes while his left hand is busy up the neck. Such a touching song has to be heard. (NB: Don McLean's name is mis-spelled on the LP and on the photo of its back cover on the CD. It is also mis-spelled in the comment at the bottom of p. 200 of the book "Chet Atkins in Three Dimensions" just before the transcription of this powerful song. This transcription alone is worth the price of that book, but there are about 20 more and some great stories too.)
Chet sings the title song Me and My Guitar, which was written by James Taylor. He sings this ode to his "mostly wood" companion in his homey voice with just a hint of sentiment, saving that mostly for the varied and tasteful guitar fills and solos. This is an up-tempo ballad that threatens to break out into swing, but Chet keeps finding interesting side trips until we finally get swinging into the outro - a section that I imagine continuing far longer in the studio after the tape fades out.
Stuttin' is the perfect name for this next song, written by Jerry Reed. It is the third great guitar solo on the album (ignoring, as I do, the strings and percussion on All Thumbs). Chet always seems to add an extra bit of oomph to his interpretations of Jerry Reed's songs, and this is no exception. The phrasing is masterful as his control and varied touch on his electric nylon string guitar. Another gem with a killer groove.
Even with all of the different styles so far, we have hardly left Nashville at all. Until now. A swirling intro on Chet's electric guitar (with phase shifter) signals something a bit different, and what emerges is Cole Porter's You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To. It begins with a swinging boom-chick version of the melody, followed by a great Latin variation, before returning to the boom-chick and a suitably swirly wrap up. Porter would be proud.
David's Dance is a slighly nautical-sounding guitar song, accompanied by strings (actually a synthesizer) and drums. This one sounds like a hornpipe put through the Nashville works, but still retaining its identity. The arrangement is very effective as the synth fills the spaces and dances around the guitar, and the drums mark time until setting off changes of sections. In short, a very tight arrangement concealed under a very easy-going surface.
Chet keeps up the dance theme with Song For Anna, which is a mid-tempo waltz. Although this is a full band arrangement, it would also be a nice, fairly simple guitar solo. This one has understated charm.
Chet ends the album with a duet with John Knowles on a tune they co-wrote: My Little Waltz. A much slower waltz than the previous, Chet plays increasingly ornate versions of the melody, as John's guitars provide a background that alternately imitates the melody, fills in its gaps, and does a perfect imitation of an Italian mandolin. Chet's resonator guitar is the ideal colour for this tune, which sounds to me like an encore. And what a great show it was!
The First Nashville Guitar Quartet was an ensemble the Chet got together for this album, comprised of Chet, John Knowles, Liona Boyd, and John Pell. The album consists of eleven excellent arrangements of classical movements (Rodrigo Concerto, Brandenberg), marches (Bound for Boston, Washington Post March), popular songs (You Needed Me, Someday My Prince Will Come), and more. This album is a lot of fun. There is a great deal of fine playing on it, and lots to learn about playing in an ensemble of this size. I enjoyed it when I bought it the first time, and as a free bonus it adds even more value to this fantastic CD.
The only problem at all with this CD is its RARITY. For whatever benighted reason, it was not released by RCA (who recorded it) but it did come out on "One-Way Records" under the imprint of BMG Special Products. Currently in Canada it sells for close to $100! In the USA it is still pricey, but more like $33.
So wherever you are, buy this truly magnificent CD here (brand new):
To find great transcriptions of some of these songs, check out these terrific books, Chet Atkins in Three Dimensions Vols. 1 & 2. They are top-notch musically and great reads too.
| USA - Vol 1 | USA - Vol 2 |
|---|---|
| Canada - Vol 1 | Canada - Vol 2 |