SHAWN LANE REMEMBERED VOL 1 - LION MUSIC
"Remembered" is a fitting tribute to one of the world's most underrated and inspirational guitar treasures. Sadly Shawn passed away last year leaving behind him work that continues to inspire artists, his work should never be forgotten and his "Powers Of Ten" album is something I will always hold in high regards, especially the sad but beautiful track called 'Epilogue (For Lisa') which is reproduced here by Rusty Cooley. Other artists paying tribute to Shawn include Alex Masi, Dave Martone, George Bellas, Lars Eric Mattsson, Joop Wolters amongst others and as tribute albums goes this works quite well with tracks covered or inspired by Shawn's music such as the George Bellas track 'Always Remembered', a stunning display of neo-classical virtuosity that is played with tons of feeling in respect to Lane. " I wrote an original composition titled "Always Remembered"" says Bellas "It is an extremely melodic and rich in it's harmonic contents with a smoky jazzy ballad vibe. I wrote it specifically with Shawn in mind.
Another track written in memory to Lane is Francesco Fareri's - Colours Of Tomorrow' a cool jazzy piece, with catchy guitars, the feeling of this track is lush, Fareri captures something that Lane may well have performed and this is a glorious fitting track, "I've recorded the song called 'Colors of Tomorrow' with Alex Giuliani on drums and Daniele Amatori on bass and it was a great moment and experience to work for the Shawn Lane Tribute" says Francesco about the track. Italian keyboard virtuoso Mistheria also pays his respects with his special track called 'The Life Of A Miracle' "It's just me", the man says "I composed, arranged, recorded and mixed whole song. that's all! Sometime I like do something alone, I get more inspiration and feeling.", indeed this track is classical based filled with beautiful playing, a very sad piece but very inspiring and fitting for the tribute that almost bought my friend Angela to tears when she heard it, beautiful captivating track which really sums up how beautiful, melodic and inspiring Shawn's music is. Also inspiring is Alex Masi's track which he wrote especially for the tribute and is called 'And The Wind Cries Shawn', "I didn't think I could match or even less surpass his delivery" says Masi "so why bother?...instead for the first volume I decided to record a sort of "lament" to Shawn...it's a very "Jeff Beck oriented" guitar/keyboard slow thing called "...and the wind cries shawn" to paraphrase Hendrix (whom Shawn loved)".
Over the years Shawn released numerous projects with Joans Hellborgh which I always admired, but surprisingly many AOR fans may not realise that Shawn played on Jimi Jamison's solo album "When Love Comes Down" as well as playing on albums with Jen Johnasson, Michael Shreive etc, and thus you can hear many AOR/melodic textures in tracks like 'No Temo Da Laranja Doce' restructured here by guitarists Goncalo Pereira, as is the jazzy and melodic 'Five Lanes', another track written especially for tribute and performed with amazing flare Lars Eric Mattsson.
"Remembered" is a brilliant tribute to Lane, may his music move and inspire you for years to come.
85/100
Nicky Baldrian
Various Artists - Shawn Lane Remembered Vol. I Lion Music
In early September 2003, acclaimed guitarist, Shawn Lane developed severe
breathing problems and had to undergo various medical tests while preparing
for a new album with Swedish bassist Jonas Hellborg and Ginger Baker. He was
expected to have to remain on medical oxygen for the remainder of his life,
but passed away on Friday September 26, 2003. He was 40 years old.
Now, Lion Music have put together Volume 1 of a tribute album. In 1978, a
15-year old guitar prodigy named Shawn Lane was hired by famed Southern
boogie meisters Black Oak Arkansas. After the demise of Boa and subsequent
project, The Streets, Shawn came back to public notice, as many others did,
via a Mike Varney / Shrapnel compilation album, 1985s' 'U.S. Metal IV'. He
subsequently released solo material as well as with bands like Powers Of Ten
and musicians like the Swedish bass player Jonas Hellborg and drummer Jeff
Sipe, numerous solo sessions including my favourite, Michael Shrieve's Two
Doors album.
When this project was mooted, so many people came forward, wanting to pay
tribute that it necessitated a two record release. In an interesting twist,
the musicians have written new material inspired by Shawn, rather than
simply repeating his own music. Amongst the highlights are Alex Masi's "The
Wind Cries Shawn", Tony Smotherman's "Moonlane Sonata (Intro)" and, best of
all, Joop Wolters "Changing Lanes", which has me heading off to track down
his solo album.
Obviously, the enjoyment you take from this will depend on your passion for
instrumental, fusion and flash guitars. If you do, then you'll find this
not only a worthy tribute to Shawn, but a fascinating stand alone album.
Track Listing:
1. And The Wind Cries Shawn--Alex Masi (3: 59
2. T-Zone Rhythm--Patrik Carlsson (4: 42)
3. Shamans--Stephan Forte (4:30)
4. Mr. Musique--Craig Erickson (7:44)
5. Mike Crow's Mailbox of Doom (6:10)
6. Gray Pianos Flying--Charly Sahona (3:10)
7. Always Remembered--George Bellas (3:35)
8. No Tempo De Laranja Doce--Goncalo Pereira (4:01)
9. Epilogue For Liza--Rusty Cooley (2:44)
10. Delusion--Marcel Coenen (5:26)
11. Moonlane Sonata (Intro) (5:43)
12. Colors Of Tomorrow--Francesco Fareri (4:52)
13. Changing Lanes--Joop Wolters (3:12)
14. Five Lanes--Lars Eric Mattson (3:26)
15. The Life Of A Miracle--Mistheria (3:15)
http://www.shawnlane.com
***The home of classic, metal, AOR, folk & progressive rock -
http://www.getreadytorock.com
Stuart Hamilton
VARIOUS - SHAWN LANE REMEMBERED - VOL. I (C+) Lion Music, 2004
15 tracks, RT: 66:36
[ http://www.shawnlane.com/ ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
In the interest of full disclosure I should probably say I'm not the
greatest fan of "tribute" discs -- I think there are just far too many
of them and most of the time they are a rather hit-and-miss affair.
Having said that, you know where I'm coming from when I review them.
This disc is the first of a two-part tribute to the late guitarist and
consists of 15 tracks featuring some well known shred style players
along with some newcomers paying respects to the master. Don't get me
wrong, there is some great playing to be found here and like the Jimi
Hendrix tribute, the contributions are sincere and well intentioned. I
think I would have preferred more cover versions of Lane's songs
rather than some of the compositions that were used, as some of it
sounds more like Greg Howe and Joey Tafolla than what Shawn was doing.
Still, you have some real gems to investigate -- one of my favorites
being Charly Sahona's version of "Gray Pianos Flying," a real scorcher
that makes me want to check out more of this guy's playing.
Interesting enough, Alex Masi and Rusty Cooley opt for quieter, more
sensitive reflections on Shawn's genius, with Masi opening the CD with
the atmospheric "...And The Wind Cries Shawn" and Rusty covering the
beautiful "Epilogue For Liza." Another excellent piece is Joop
Wolters' "Changing Lanes" -- nice fusion. I don't know how many
average music lovers will be interested in this type of thing, I would
venture to guess the appeal will largely be towards shred guitarists
looking for some inspiration; I would recommend this to them and to
Shawn Lane completists but to me a better tribute would be to buy
Shawn's albums and fully appreciate what he gave to the world of
music... - Neal Woodall (MysticX10@msn.com)
=====
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/detritus/
Various Artists: Shawn Lane Remembered Vol. 1
Lion Records has been delivering fine tribute records for the last few years but 2004 has brought forth a number of especially promising outings, including this collection dedicated to the memory of the late Shawn Lane. Rather than merely cover Lane songs, the 15 artists here focus on providing originals that capture or speak to Lane’s spirit. In some ways, that seems more reasonable for a tribute––no performer has to go toe-to-toe with the master and no listener has to suffer through a butchering of his favorite classic.
Best stuff? Alex Masi’s “The Wind Cries Shawn” displays Masi’s ability to deliver fluid lines and also makes you wonder why, after all these years, the man hasn’t received wider acclaim for his licks. Rusty Cooley’s “Epilogue For Liza” and Tony Smotherman’s “Moonlane Sonata (Intro)” make for fine introductions to both players, while Joop Wolters blows nearly everyone out of the water with “Changing Lanes.” (While I’ve never been a huge fan of Wolters’ work that track did it for me completely.)
But those are a handful of the best tracks here. Others, from the likes of Patrik Carlsson, Stephan Forte, Craig Erickson and Dave Martone rock beyond compare. Definitely worth tracking down. Definitely worth cherishing.
Track Listing:
1. And The Wind Cries Shawn––Alex Masi (3: 59
2. T-Zone Rhythm––Patrik Carlsson (4: 42)
3. Shamans––Stephan Forte (4:30)
4. Mr. Musique––Craig Erickson (7:44)
5. Mike Crow’s Mailbox of Doom (6:10)
6. Gray Pianos Flying––Charly Sahona (3:10)
7. Always Remembered––George Bellas (3:35)
8. No Tempo De Laranja Doce––Goncalo Pereira (4:01)
9. Epilogue For Liza––Rusty Cooley (2:44)
10. Delusion––Marcel Coenen (5:26)
11. Moonlane Sonata (Intro) (5:43)
12. Colors Of Tomorrow––Francesco Fareri (4:52)
13. Changing Lanes––Joop Wolters (3:12)
14. Five Lanes––Lars Eric Mattson (3:26)
15. The Life Of A Miracle––Mistheria (3:15)
Total Time: 60:10
Added: June 27th 2004
Reviewer: Jedd Beaudoin
Score: 
www.seaoftranquility.org
|
|
