3 Classic rock albums move from lost to found
Part of the fun of being a classic rock fan is that bands accumulate such a body of work that some of it gets buried. I've been listening to three albums by some of the biggest names in '70s and '80s rock that had been relegated to vaults, bootlegs or legal limbo for decades. Now, thanks to some spiffy new re-releases you can discover these long-lost treasures for yourself.
Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen
Nebraska stands as a singular album in Springsteen's catalog, due to its stark themes, sparse recording style and poetic depth. After his first big tour and radio hit, he entered one of his most creatively restless and personally depressive periods. Rather than swing at commercial pop, he wrote and recorded a series of demos in a bedroom that reflected where his mind was. Songs about economic hardship, inequality and murder ballads inspired by Nebraska's most famous killer formed the basis for the eventual LP of gothic Americana. However, after the full E Street Band recorded these songs in-studio, Springsteen, the band and producers eventually decided the raw intensity of Bruce's solo demos should become the actual album.
A risky gamble that paid off, Nebraska's creation become iconic enough to form the basis for a book and the boss's biopic last year. The electric sessions became the stuff of legends until just recently, thought to be lost. Now discovered, we're treated to the eight songs the E Street Band recorded, in addition to more of those bedroom demos, a new solo live recording, and the original album remastered in a box set. The Electric Nebraska is fascinating to hear now. While "Atlantic City" finds a new power in the fullness of Max Weinberg's drumming and a chorus of singers, "Johnny 99" feels overzealous by turning the tale of a desperate death row sentencing into swinging roadhouse rock. They didn't electrify all ten original songs, either, but did record a fledgling "Born in the U.S.A." as a bleary, cautionary tale that more resembles CCR's "Commotion" than the major-key radio staple we all know. It's all worth digging into, but also an example of how less is often more in the final statement.
One Hand Clapping - Paul McCartney
When you can't get enough of a band, you start to dig into bootlegs - unofficial releases and recordings distributed by fans. Some bootlegs become the stuff of legends because they contain songs not available elsewhere, or they sound particularly great despite not having major label distribution. One Hand Clapping was one such bootleg that did both, becoming a Beatles fan staple over the years. Now it's been officially released and cleaned up more, containing two discs worth of Wings, solo, Beatles and cover songs. And part of what makes it so exciting is that a third of these songs were never released as part of any Wings/McCartney albums.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios with a crew filming the sessions in hopes of a BBC special, these 1974 live recordings find the former Beatle and company three albums into their solo act. Sounding lively and impeccably recorded, the 32-year-old Paul & Linda McCartney and this short-lived iteration of Wings capture the spontaneity of a live performance with the relaxed, collaborative nature of a studio session. Some songs see McCartney goofing around like "Baby Face" at under two minutes, while "Live and Let Die" has him so riled up he's growling by the end. "Let It Be" is pared down to an accordion, leading into a fast medley of "The Long and Winding Road / Lady Madonna" to check his old band off the list. The loose, creative spirit on display throughout feels very familiar if you watched the incredible documentary The Beatles: Get Back a few years ago. If you liked that, you owe it to listen to some of the most fun live tracks any of them recorded post-Beatles.
Buckingham Nicks - Buckingham Nicks
In talking with others about this album I've realized you may be in one of two camps. If you lived through the early '70s you may have owned and heard the heck out of the songs. Otherwise, after this album went out-of-print in the early '80s you might have never known of its existence. Predating Fleetwood Mac, it hasn't been on streaming platforms or even CD in decades until now. A young Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, still a couple living together, got a modest record deal with producer Phil Olsen to record an LP at his Sound City studio. This is the result and it's comfortingly familiar even on first listen.
These 10 songs accompanied by Warren Zevon's guitarist Waddy Wachtel and other studio musicians, bear the distinctive signature of its namesake artists. Barely clocking in at over a half-hour, the album flies by and invites repeat listening. Three songs are lovely instrumentals by Buckingham on guitar, but it's those sung by Nicks (often with harmony by Buckingham as intertwined as they appear on the cover) that stand out best. It's amazing to hear how confidently she'd already found her voice at 24-years-old, commanding all the tremor and ethereal quality she'd go on to be known for. Buckingham's guitar shifts from the classical quality that made Fleetwood Mac so timeless to southern slide and electric blues easily. It's no wonder that when Mick Fleetwood heard this LP's "Frozen Love" he knew he'd found his new guitarist, who would only join on the condition that Stevie was included. In two more years, the duo's contributions gave Fleetwood Mac a second wind that lifted them to stratospheric heights.
