From an Old Guitar: Rare and Unreleased Recordings

by Dave Alvin

Overview

One thing that's obvious about Dave Alvin if you've followed his career at all is that the man loves music. He's a fan as much as an artist, and the joy derived from the simple act of playing and singing a song that moves him is palpable and infectious. He also loves musicians who feel the same way he does, and his best recordings are full of moments where the interplay between Alvin and his partners is taut and just short of electric. From an Old Guitar: Rare and Unreleased Recordings presents 16 tracks from Alvin's personal archives, 13 of them covers, and according to his liner notes, most of them were recorded for no other reason than he and some friends went into the studio, got to playing, and walked out with some magic preserved for the ages. The fact none of these made their way to an album before is a bit puzzling, considering all the material comes in somewhere between very good and excellent, but Alvin held on to them for a reason, one that's obvious when you give this a listen. There are no dates given for the recordings (the presence of the late Chris Gaffney on three songs confirms some of this dates back before 2008, at least), which makes the time frame hard to establish. But the strength of Alvin's guitar playing and the cool, muscular passion of his vocals remains consistent throughout (the bemused tone of the bluesy take on Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" and the road-worn longing he brings to Don Williams' "Amanda" show just how much he's learned to do with his range). The five-and-a-half-minute jam on "Variations on Earl Hooker's Guitar Rhumba" is the sound of a roomful of musicians having a blast that's just as satisfying for an observer as for a participant. Alvin chooses great material (the songwriters include Willie Dixon, Mickey Newbury, Peter Case, and Doug Sahm) as well as excellent pickers (along with former Blasters bandmates John Bazz, Bill Bateman, and Gene Taylor, the roster includes Greg Leisz, Bill Frisell, Cindy Cashdollar, and Don Heffington), and he has the modesty and wisdom to let them have their fair share of the spotlight even when he's the leader of the gig. Though it was stitched together from outtakes and covers, From an Old Guitar is a fully satisfying album filled with the spirit and vigor that has made Dave Alvin one of the enduring heroes of the Americana music community. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	11/20/2020
Label:	Yep Roc
UPC:	0634457276925

Tracks

1. Link of Chain
2. Highway 61 Revisited
3. (Variations on Earl Hooker's) Guitar Rumba
4. Amanda
5. Albuquerque
6. Mobile Blue
7. Perdido Street Blues
8. On the Way Downtown
9. Inside
10. Krazy and Ignatz
11. Peace
12. Man Walks Among Us
13. Beautiful City 'Cross the River
14. Dynamite Woman
15. Who's Been Here
16. Signal Hill Blues

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dave Alvin   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Wah Wah Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric),National Steel Guitar
Jack Rudy   Harmonica
Gregory Boaz   Bass
Chris Miller   Slide Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Bob Glaub   Bass
Bill Bateman   Drums
Bobby Lloyd Hicks   Drums
Bill Frisell   Guitar
Dave Roe   Bass
Chris Gaffney   Piano,Vocals,Accordion
Chuck Mead   Guitar (Acoustic)
Skip Edwards   Accordion
Greg Leisz   Pedal Steel,Lap Steel Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
John Bazz   Bass (Acoustic)
Don Heffington   Drums,Jaw Harp,Percussion
Gene Taylor   Piano
David J. Carpenter   Bass (Acoustic)
Joe Terry   Piano
Rick Shea   Mandolin,Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Steel),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Lisa Pankratz   Drums
Mike Daly   Guitar (Steel)
Wyman Reese   Piano
Danny Ott   Dobro,Slide Guitar,Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Electric)
Dale Spalding   Harmonica
Steve Mugalian   Drums,Percussion
Amy Farris   Violin
Christy McWilson   Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Cindy Cashdollar   Dobro
David Jackson   Bass
Cindy Wasserman   Vocal Harmony
Brantley Kearns   Fiddle
Brad Fordham   Bass

Technical Credits

Craig Parker Adams   Engineer,Mastering,Mixing
Joshua Case   Composer
Nathan Golub   Design,Package Layout
Chip Duden   Photography
Bo Carter   Composer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Bob McDill   Composer
Bill Morrissey   Composer
Dave Roe   Producer
Chris Smither   Composer
Chuck Mead   Producer
Earl Hooker   Composer
Doug Sahm   Composer
Peter Case   Composer
Lil Hardin   Composer
Link Davis   Composer
Mark Linett   Engineer
Mickey Newbury   Composer
Dave Alvin   Composer,Producer,Liner Notes
Paul Gannon   Engineer
Marty Robbins   Composer
Willie Dixon   Composer