Kevin Bryan's latest record review
Dick Dale, “Live on the Santa Monica Pier” (Retroworld) - This majestic live offering captures legendary surf guitarist Dick Dale in his natural element as he regales his enthusiastic Californian audience with the cream of his illustrious back catalogue. These visceral mid nineties recordings find Dale in typically fiery form, with the left handed musician wielding his trusty Fender Stratocaster upside down as he launches into the trailblazing instrumental workouts which had helped to make his name during the pre Beatles era, including “Miserlou,” “Shake’n’Stomp” and “Let’s Go Trippin’,” which the late John Peel adopted as the theme tune for his RadioFour show, “Home Truths.”
The Liminanas, “Malamore” (Because Music) - Marie and Lionel Liminanas wear their impeccable musical influences proudly on their collective sleeves as the gifted Gallic duo unveil “Malamore,” their fourth and arguably their finest album to date. Echoes of the Velvet Underground, Serge Gainsbourg and sixties psychedelia peremeate the proceedings and the French combo were also able to enlist the services of bassist Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order fame to supply the rhythmic backbone for one of the package’s standout tracks, the dreamlike “Garden Of Love.”
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Hide AdJanine Jansen / Antonio Pappano, “Brahms : Violin Concerto, Bartok: Violin Concerto No.1” (Decca Classics) - This fine new Decca CD captures the fruits of a richly rewarding new collaboration between violinist Janine Jansen and highly regarded BritishItalian conductor Antonio Pappano. The rousing Brahms masterwork has been assembled from three live performances which Jansen and her trusty Stradivarius gave in Rome last year, contrasting beautifully with Bartok’s lyrical and folk influenced creation, which is actually structured much more like a rhapsody than an orthodox violin concerto.