Les Paul - Les Paul Friends (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

Decent record, but where's Les?

Craig Weatherby | Waltham, MA USA | 08/31/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"An inoffensive listen, but a missed opportunity. That said, projects like this rarely achieve this level of consistent (if only mediocre) quality .. most cuts are respectable, some are solid B+ grade, and there are few clinkers.

Highlights include:

--The Sting/Stone cut is, surprisingly, quite good.

--Jeff Beck on "Ain't That Good News"

--A cover of Al Kooper's great "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know. Unfortunately, the vocal by Hucknall (who has a much strong voice, but no sense of phrasing or emotion) doesn't match Kooper's and he screws up the lyrics, and the guitar lead by Joe Perry is short and unremarkable. Was he on valium?

--Buddy Guy On "Schoolgirl"

--The 3 Sam Cooke cuts--especially Beck on "Ain't That Good News"--mostly because they feature his original, overdubbed vocals

My problems are several:

1) The music (mostly blues-rock, with vocals dominant, rather than guitar solos) bears no apparent stylistic or sonic relation to Les.

2) From a truth-in-billing standpoint, many of the billed star guests cannot be heard, since most cuts feature a ridiculous 3-5 guitarists, with only one soloist. And in most such cases, you can't tell which of the several players on a cut play the solo...most of which, incredibly for a tribute to one of the most creative, musical guitarists around, are either facile but empty, or just plain unremarkable.

3) Most of the chosen guests bear no stylisitic connection to Les. It is hard to understand why the slick, faceless likes of Neal Schon and Richie Sambora are here. Among the guest guitarists, only Jeff Beck sounds anything like Les (but he always was the most Les-like rock star guitarist).

3) Les solos (audibly, at least--hard to tell who's playing on some cuts) on only two cuts: "Caravan" (very brief) and "Ain't That Good News" (I think). Incredibly, they cut out his solo on his old hit "How High the Moon," which is a severely truncated (two minute-long) hip-hop-ish re-mix with an out-of-place R&B-melisma new vocal. And it's not like, despite serious infirmities in his hands, he can't play anymore...he still plays jazz clubs in NYC!!!

4) There is almost nothing in the way of collaboration between Les and the guest stars. The cut with Jeff Back is the one exception.

I can understand why the producers felt a need to feature high-profile rock-blues players, but they should have squeezed in people with some kind of connection to Les.

Names that come to mind include Van Halen and Jimmy Page (who, unlike most of these Fender-playing guys, usually plays a Les Paul Gibson). It's incredible that the CD didn't include Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny, who, like Les, are expert jazz players who transcened the genre and experiment with electronics."

Where Is He???

Thomas D. Ryan | New York | 09/16/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This disk could have been so good. Les Paul is older than Methuselah, and cooler than Elvis, so a tribute/duet album featuring his playing is a conceptually brilliant idea that could have rocked the music world.

I don't want to kick this off sounding like a curmudgeon, so let me say straight off that this is a very interesting CD release. It is one of the best things we've heard with Les Paul's name on it since Gibson started to mass-market his solid body guitar design, or at least since the 60's. That being said, some golden opportunities were missed here. You would think that a record featuring Les Paul would truly feature Les Paul, but it is almost impossible to discern whether or not he's even playing on some of these tracks. Furthermore, it would have made stylistic sense to rely on guitarists whose careers are associated with the Les Paul guitar, but this doesn't happen. Instead, we hear a lot of Fender guitars (Eric Clapton) played by a strange variety of performers (Neil Schon? Richie Sambora?? Please.) Where is Jimmy Page? Why not ask Dickey Betts to pair up? Plenty of people have appeared on Santana records in the past few years, so why couldn't Carlos return the sentiment and contribute his own classic Les Paul sound?

There is some great music on here, but not much that any old fans of Les Paul would recognize. Sting and Joss Stone do a great job singing "Love Sneakin' Up On You" as a duet, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Edgar Winter's syncopated take on "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" is cool, but this owes more to the drum rhythm than the guitar playing. Two tracks feature vocals by the (very) late Sam Cooke (!!!!), and the vocals on both are so incredibly good that they completely distract from the album's alleged purpose. These two songs alone completely justify the purchase price of this disk, but just where is Les Paul?

Some tracks are just flat out terrible. A hip-hop rendition of Paul's signature tune, "How High the Moon" is particularly horrible, with completely irrelevant vocals by someone named Alsou, accompanied by a rhythmic production that completely `pulverizes' the song's subtle chord changes. Worse, they edit out the guitar solo, making Paul's presence virtually useless! And what about Peter Frampton? If you'll recall, the abysmal single that effectively (and deservedly) ended his tenure as a superstar was called "I'm In You." So then, out of 400 billion possible songs, why does he choose to cover Atlanta Rhythm Section's bland and dated "So Into You"? What is up with this "In(to) you" thing? Is it a fetish or something?

I don't deny that Les Paul's image could use a bit of updating, but are hoary rock and roll standards the way to do it? Even if this were okay, wouldn't it have been a good idea to actually let Les play most of the solos? It is his name on the album, and judging by his regular appearances at New York's Iridium, he can still play like the hell out of his guitar. Here, he seems like a no-show at his own party. So much could have gone right but ultimately, Les Paul seems to have been treated as an afterthought by the album's production staff, and that's too bad, because any guy older than Methuselah and cooler than Elvis deserves better. B Tom Ryan"

Les would have been better off using the Monday Trio

TPSALES | 09/17/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The tunes on this CD are strong but Les is hard to pick out. He would have been better off recording cuts and having these artists accompany him or just use the Monday trio.

I would spend money on the Capitol recordings if you really want to hear Les at his best."

This cd rocks...all killer no filler....

L. A Cirillo | North of the Stars...South of the Sun | 11/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...this is one of the best tribute cds I have ever heard. The cover songs in some instances outdue the originals. Neal Schon and Beth Hart rock very hard and good. I think they give Led Zep a run for their money during Zep's prime. I really think everyone played/sang beautifully. even the mellower electronica moments are good too. Frampton shocked me how good that song was...then a Wings and U2 cover that were marvelous....

Also alot of the negative criticism is without foundation. The cd I purchased had a sticker quoting Rolling Stone mag that this is an excellent "rock and r&b cd"(which it is).

Les Paul has several instances where he is centerstage, and other times where he and the guest are blending styles. Also the supporting backup band kicks arse...

every performer shines on this release. simply beautiful...the following review from indie-music.com says it all:

http://www.indie-music.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4418Artist: Les Paul

CD: Les Paul and Friends

Quote: "The energy and quality you'll hear from start to finish on this CD is remarkable."

By Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck

"Les Paul is 90 years old now. It is amazing that the man is still rockin' after all these years. The only other person I can think of that performed at that age is Andreas Segovia - another great guitar player.

"Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy, Steve Miller, and Keith Richards are a few of the legends that join the man that made it all happen for them. Paul is the first electronic wizard of the electric guitar. His innovations in sound and recording have changed music's performing and recording methods forever. This is his tribute from a few of the people that became famous because of his work.

"Les Paul & Friends is an incredible album. It is in fact one of the very best recordings of 2005. Paul plays on every track. I was stunned when I heard the quality and sound of this album. Each performer digs deep to give their very best on each track. There is no doubt each contributor felt inspired to be in the presence of such an icon.

"Some of the snippets from Les and Mary Paul's show are at the beginning of some of the tracks, which makes it more interesting and gives listeners a chance to hear a piece of history. Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle," redone by Miller with the help of Paul, is a great remake of the classic rock track. Prior to the track, there is an actual recording of Miller singing as a little boy and Paul commenting on how he was going to go places. He was right on the money.

"Paul performs his well-covered tune "Caravan." He sounds bright and crisp for a 90 year old, bringing the classic track into modern times. Sam Cooke's incredible vocals make an appearance on the soulful "Somebody Ease My Troublin'' Mind," while Eric Clapton and Paul add some blistering blues-rock riffs. It is the most memorable track on the album. Everyone will have their own favorites I am sure, and there certainly are enough great songs to choose from, 16 to be exact, so take your pick.

"Ritchie Sambora does a killer job with "Let Me Roll It." His vocals are so impassioned and right on; he never sounded better. "Rock & Roll Hootchie Koo" matches the old guard Edgar Winter with the young buck Kenny Wayne Shepherd. They prove to be a lethal combination, as Winter sounds magnificent while Shepherd does his usual astounding string bending to give the song yet another rebirth.

"The energy and quality you will hear from start to finish on this CD is remarkable. When I first heard about it, my anticipation began immediately. I never felt let down once listening to this. The combination of familiar rock, blues, and pop tracks will surely attract a wide range of listeners.

"This album is all about Les Paul and the great artists that followed his example. It is a thrilling recording that will most definitely sell a truckload of copies, and I would not be surprised if it gets a Grammy nomination."

"

Strings missing?

D. Hartley | Seattle, WA USA | 11/23/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Labelled as "A Tribute To The Father Of The Electric Guitar, Les Paul...", this collection is a real hit and miss affair. Assembling an impressive list of rock god pluckers like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Rick Derringer, Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Peter Frampton, Billy Gibbons, Neal Schon, etc. to pay homage to the inventor of the solid-body Humbuckered icon looks great on paper but suffers in execution. The song selection is strictly bar band (do we NEED Steve Miller to "update" that tired old FM chestnut "Fly Like An Eagle"...younger listeners will probably say "Hey-isn't that the song from that car commercial?"). Some of the bedfellows are a bit odd (Joe Perry and Mick Hucknall doing a Blood Sweat & Tears cover-who booked these sessions?!) Peter Frampton's cover of "So Into You" may arguably be the best of the lot, and Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora tears through a decent rendition of "Let Me Roll It". The most burning question about this collection is-where's The Man? Aside from a short, multi-tracked solo performance of "Caravan", there is little discernable presence of the 90 year old Paul himself (even though he is credited playing guitar on every track). I hope that, in lieu of any evident thematic coherence, at least all the artists are brandishing Les Paul guitars? Likely too "loud" for his traditonal fans and probably too "cross-genre" for rock purists (a guitar-less, meandering club mix of "How High The Moon" threatens to shut down the whole project)."

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