Al Stewart, Uncorked (Live With Dave Nachmanoff)

Al Stewart’s first all-acoustic live recording since 1992’s Rhymes In Rooms is a little like reconnecting with an old friend. Although not entirely unexpected, it’s still a welcome reminder of just how fine a talent the one-time “Year Of The Cat” hit-maker really is. Especially when left alone in a room to do his thing unadorned by the strings and over-production of some of those records made back when Stewart filled arenas, rather than the smaller, folkier venues where he was recorded here. On Uncorked, Stewart and his musical counterpart Dave Nachmanoff are simply two guys with their acoustic guitars — but together they create a surprisingly big noise. The smaller arrangements sound every bit as rich and full here, in a small setting, as on their studio counterparts, thanks to both a marvelously clear and crisp recording, and even more to just how well the two jell together as guitarists. And that is really the most delightful surprise here. Although Stewart is known primarily for his songwriting talents, this is as much of a showcase for the guitar as it is for the rich wordplay of his songs. The main disappointment is that once Stewart and Nachmanoff really get going, it’s not often clear just who is playing which part because they blend so well together. “Last Days of The Century,” for example, is at first propelled by what I presume to be Nachmanoff playing the bass part, with Stewart  (again presumably) playing lead. Before long though, the two of them are ferociously trading solos in a blinding blur with all the deftness of Beck and Page in the Yardbirds, causing the audience to break into spontaneous applause at various points. On “News from Spain,” Nachmanoff plays Rick Wakeman’s piano solo from the studio version — an “unenviable task” Stewart jokes — on guitar, and totally nails it. But lest...

Poco, Live At Columbia Studios Hollywood 9/30/71

Just released in The States (on Collector’s Choice label), a live CD from the band Poco, Live At Columbia Studios Hollywood 9/30/71. Poco first made their reputation as a live act—it’s no accident that their 1971 live album, Deliverin’, was the band’s biggest seller until 1978’s ‘Legend’. The discovery of this crystal-clear recording from 1971, then, is cause for rejoicing for Poco fans; it was actually recorded a year later than ‘Deliverin” was, with the high-flying line-up of Richie Furay,Timothy B. Schmit, George Grantham, Rusty Young and (making his first live appearance with the band) Paul Cotton, and boasts a set list that departs significantly from the one on the previous live album. Live At Columbia Studios Hollywood 9/30/71 includes ‘Introduction—I Guess You Made It; A Man Like Me; Ol’ Forgiver; Hear That Music; Hurry Up; You Are the One; Bad Weather; Medley: Hard Luck/Child’s Claim to Fame/Pickin’ up the Pieces; Hoedown; What a Day; Railroad Days; What If I Should Say I Love You; Just for You and Me’, and C’Mon’. One hour of great country rock… 16...