New releases of note: McCartney, Keneally, the Doors
Mike Keneally, Scambot (Exowax) ew York City
4 stars
There really aren’t too many geniuses operating within the framework of what we might loosely consider “pop” music, but Mike Keneally is clearly one of them. You might know him as former guitarist with Frank Zappa, or as the guy who transcribed some of Steve Vai’s most ambitious compositions for piano, then performed them all on that instrument, or maybe even as the guy currently touring as guitarist for the Adult Swim cartoon band Dethklok. All of these guises reveal a little bit of just who Keneally is, but to get the whole picture at once, you’ll need to spend some time with the man’s solo work. “Scambot" is perhaps his finest collection yet. The songs operate as a narrative, but I won’t go into that here – it’s the music itself that immediately grabs the imagination. Keneally is a master of several instruments, but his pure brilliance is as composer. His melodies are delightfully skewed; his orchestrations and arrangements odd and inventive, but still pop; his harmonies are consistently surprising, occasionally Zappa-esque, and always incredibly smart. Keneally dedicated “Scambot" to “anyone who still listens to entire albums with their headphones on.” If this is you, you owe it to yourself to get your grubby little mitts on “Scambot” post-haste. Check here. And watch this.
The Doors, Live In New York (Rhino)
3 and ½ stars
Six discs, documenting all four shows – two per day – that the Doors played inside N
Paul McCartney, Good Evening New York City (MPL/Hear Music)
4 stars
If you were there as Paul McCartney opened New York’s Citi Field this past summer – at the same time, celebrating his old band’s performance at the same venue, when it was known as Shea Stadium – “Good Evening New York City” is a must-have keepsake. If, like most of us who couldn’t afford the considerable ticket expenditure to see Sir Paul in action, you weren’t there, all the more reason to grab this 2-CD/1-DVD memento, which I purchased at Starbucks for $16, since Hear Music has an exclusive with the cofee shop chain. You can drop more $ for the deluxe edition, which has an extra DVD of bonus material, including McCartney and band’s full show atop the Ed Sullivan Theatre publicizing the Citi Field appearance. But really, this version will do the trick. Paul was in remarkably fine voice for a man of 68 years, his bass playing was stellar, the song selection was mostly fantastic, and the band proves itself to be most likely the finest of Macca’s post-Beatles career. Sure, we could’ve done without another live version of ‘Hey Jude,” but McCartney makes up for it by tackling “A Day In the Life, “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “Paperback Writer,” “Helter Skelter,” and a pair of tunes from his recent release as the Fireman, “Highway” and “Sing the Changes”. A beautiful collection from a still vibrant McCartney.
