Album Reviews

The late Arthur Alexander's story is reminiscent of Roy Orbison's. Like Orbison, Alexander passed away on his way to a resurrected career, though Orbison got to see his rebound while Alexander didn't. He'd quit the music business and was driving a bus whenElektra A&R exec Danny Khan saw Alexander perform in 1991 at New York's Bottom Line in one of the clubs famous "A bunch of song writers sitting around singing" shows and convinced him to go back into the studio.

Reunited with his 1960's collaborators, Alexander and friends crafted the acclaimed 1993 album Lonely Just Like Me (Elektra/Nonesuch 9 61475-2.

Tragically, while on tour promoting the resulting comeback album, Alexander got sick and died.

The album, exuding an early '60s vibe that mixed breathtakingly melodic, commercially crafted Brill Building songwriting chops with Southern charm and disarming puppy dog vulnerability features veteran Muscle Shoals musicians including Reggie Young, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham and Donnie Fritts, who collaborates with Alexander on some of the newer tunes.

A fitting collaboration since Alexander helped found Muscle Shoals's legendary Fame Recording Studio, where, in 1961, Alexander recorded his first hit, 'You Better Move On,' and where most of the above named musicians found their fame and perhaps some fortune.

About half of the music on this new Hacktone release comes from that Nonesuch CD. The rest consists of a live performance on the NPR radio show 'Fresh Air' four hotel room demos and a live performance of 'Anna,' which Alexander wrote and The Beatles covered on their first album. The Rolling Stones were early fans and covered 'You Better Move On' and he's been covered by Elvis, among other others. Of course based on an interview during the 'Fresh Air' concert guess who didn't see the money?

It's difficult to believe that fifteen years has passed since the release of the 'comeback album' and fourteen since Alexander passed away. Now and forever is a good time for a reissue of the Nonesuch album, though the additional live tracks add a great deal of dimensionality and completeness to the album and to Alexander's legacy. Surely you'll hear Alexander influenced Ry Cooder's musical soul.

Gentle, melancholic, unerringly melodic and filled with sharp hooks and clean, economical wordplay, the mid-tempo music of Arthur Alexander has a timeless, difficult to pigeonhole quality, yet at the same time, all of it strongly evokes the early 1960's for reasons that are easier to feel than to explain. Clearly though, both Jagger/Richards and Lennon/McCartney were strongly influenced by Alexander's writing.

Funky, bluesy, oddly 'white' and pop-tinged, the timeless music of Arthur Alexander has been returned to service by Hacktown and we thank them for it. The superb Muscle Shoal Fame Studio Sound remains intact on this reissue and you will be as thrilled with the sound as you will by the music. I promise you'll be glad you bought and discovered this gem.