Dave Alvin Guilty Men - Out in California (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Why isn't this guy a star?

david favrot | Oakland, CA USA | 05/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"in a just universe, we'd already be a little tired of dave alvin and the guilty men: the stadium shows, the pepsi commercials, the halftime gigs at the nba finals... but it's not a just universe, and dave and the lads are playing bars and clubs like the venues at which this live set was taped. the music is a gumbo of rockabilly, r & b, country and folk. the band kicks back for a fiddle-flavored "abilene," but it also channels chuck berry as it tears through "american music." this release is rowdier than "interstate city," alvin's previous live album, and the arrangements are busier, but it's all good."

+ 1/2 Stars...Alvin Is a First-Rate Songwriter

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 07/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dave Alvin has released only two studio albums since his last live album (1996's equally enjoyable Interstate City), but Alvin said in a local newspaper interview before an Omaha appearance that his favorite thing to do is to play before a live audience. "There are things that happen when we play live--intense musical things that are just about impossible to capture in the studio for whatever reason." This live album is full of raw energy and touches all the bases of Alvin's career to date. There are songs from his days with The Blasters ("Little Honey," "American Music"), X ("Fourth of July"), and his solo career through 2000's Grammy-winning Public Domain (a seven-minute version of "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down"). Alvin performs four songs from 1991's Blue Blvd: "Andersonville," "Blue Boulevard," "Wanda and Duane" and "Haley's Comet," the latter a touching portrait of fleeting fame. The title refers to Bill Haley, but the song's theme is universal. Alvin's world-weary voice is perfectly suited to these songs and the Guilty Men provide excellent support, including his long-time rhythm section of bassist Gregory Boaz and drummer Bobby Lloyd Hicks who have been with Alvin since his last live album. [Note: "Out In California" is the only track repeated between the two live albums.]Alvin rounds out the album with some rock chestnuts (Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love") and obscure R&B (the slighlty racy "All 'Round Man"). An unlisted bonus track is an abbreviated version of "Free Bird," which some joker requests but Alvin takes up as a challenge ("You think we don't know it?" he asks. "You think we can't play it?")--it's a fitting ending to a magical set. This is 76 minutes of American music. As other reviewers have said, if talent were the only barometer by which musical greatness were measured Dave Alvin would be among the elite. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"

Fine electric and acoustic live performances

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 07/26/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a full-time road warrior, it's no surprise that Alvin's confluence of music, philosophy and work ethic is captured so vividly on these live recordings. Steeped in rock, blues, folk, and country, Alvin's decidedly non-Hollywood California viewpoint is born from the grit of a working man's life, and fueled by the endless miles in between countless road gigs.These thirteen titles are drawn from Alvin's earliest work with the Blasters and X, solo albums (including a generous helping from his 1991 debut), recent public domain recordings, and a newly penned saga, "Highway 99." Highlights include "Blue Boulevard," Alvin's riveting homage to an influential, music-loving cousin, and a smokin' piano and guitar-driven cover of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love." An acoustic cover of Bo Carter's "All 'Round Man" and an electric stab at Little Walter's "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" show off two sides of Alvin's blues. Grace notes invoke Link Wray, Bruce Channel, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.Whether fronting the Guilty Men in electric club performances, or a smaller acoustic group at a Pasadena church, Alvin puts across his lyrics with incredible conviction. The spontaneity of live performance reveals additional details of his songs, as if their studio incarnations were drawn as maps to the road ahead."

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Men: A True Working Band

N. Banche | San Marcos, CA United States | 05/25/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My first thoughts on the opening notes of this CD were, "Only the most confident musicians would open a show with the sound of tuning instruments"! "How can they get away with that"? "Are they really that good"? THEY ARE! The songs found here aren't about California dreaming. This isn't Hotel California! It is a culmination of many things found on the road in California, as the dream fades and reality sets in. Hot asphalt, cold beer, little diners, love, loss, dysfunctional relationships, and hope. Not one song on this CD was cleverly thought up by a song writer staring out the window of a luxury tour bus. Dave drives his own van. He lived them before he wrote them. The title track will lift you right off your feet with smokin guitar, and lyrics that compare California mountains to a woman lying naked on a bed. Haley's Comet is also a rocker, but a sad story all the same. The idea that an original American Rock n Roll hero could be forgotten to the point he's not even recognizable. Little Honey is a classic Blasters tune reformatted with guitar licks that will make the listener hang on every note; Mr. Thorogood included. Abilene is the story of too many girls who run away to California, only to end up alone in Hollywood. Don't let your deal go down offers a glimpse into one of the tougher drinking establishments several hundred years ago. Highway 99 is the type of straight ahead country that used to come out of Bakersfield, and actually get played. This is a great song, but it does sound an awful lot like Out in California. With the exception of All around Man, which is a fun loving blues romp full of sexual inuendo, the songs are very much grounded in the hard realities of life. Who would have thought that long after The Beach Boys sang Surfin USA, Some guy from Downey would come along and write a song about a couple fighting in a dark apartment on the Fourth of July? The show begins to wind down with the classic Blaster's tune, American Music. This song not only rocks, but it is also another solid reminder of why the USA is the greatest country on Earth. The last highlight to note falls midway through the final track, when some guy much like myself, shouts out, "Free Bird"! Leonard Skynard is then graciously played by the fabulous Guilty Men! Dave Alvin is a true gentleman, and an American Song writing treasure. Buy it!"

You'll feel like Bob Uecker...

The Dawg | Lancaster, Pa United States | 05/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...parked right there in the FRONT row! Great sound, great performances, and a great opportunity for Dave Alvin fans to relive that small club atmosphere. You can almost smell the cigarette smoke and feel the waitress bump up against you as she sits another cold one on your table. This one's for the fans, I'm sure, and now we gotta get The Blasters to issue a live album from that recent five-gig stand, and all will be well in the universe. The intro to and the performance of BLUE BLVD. is worth the cost of this record alone. And AMERICAN MUSIC? Fuhgeddaboudit! Did I mention the killer combination of LITTLE HONEY and WHO DO YOU LOVE? As this record ended and I was left with the silence of the room around me, I just shook my head from side to side, smiled broadly, and said to no one in particular, but to one incredibly gifted and enduring guitarist and singer and songwriter...thanks Dave. P.S. That picture of you and the band on the inside?...yikes!!!"

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