Dave Alvin: Public Domain - Songs From
the Wild Land
(Hightone Records HCD 8122. Dave Alvin, prod.; Mark
Linnett, eng.; Joe Gastwirt, mastering eng. DDD. TT: 61:10)
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 Dave Alvin,
lead guitarist for the Blasters and a student of all forms of American music, has released
his own tribute to what Greil Marcus has dubbed "the old weird America" -- the
strange, dark subconscious of the country as revealed through its folk songs.
Alvin writes in his liner notes, "Our folk songs live
in the wild land of our heart. They aren’t relics from an idealized, sentimental
past…. They’re hard, sad, rowdy, tender and joyous images of who we were, where
we come from, who we’ve become and who we still are. A lot of what is good, and bad,
about us is in these songs. They are in the public domain. They belong to nobody. They
belong to all of us."
Alvin starts off with "Shenandoah," and that sad,
haunting ballad announces right away what this recording is all about: fidelity. Gravel
voiced and grave, he sings as if from a tomb, and his respect for the material borders on
reverence -- but Alvin does not hesitate to make the song his own with his bold electric
guitar arpeggios rising over ringing string band chords. His tasty guitar solo is a
minimalist’s hymn to the landscape.
The song also announces the sonic pleasures that await
within Public Domain -- this is a rock/folk album that sounds phenomenally
lifelike. Alvin’s affection for folk is obviously not feigned -- it’s clear he
loves these songs -- but he definitely approaches them with a rocker’s ear for
dynamics and rhythm. Public Domain rocks! Make no mistake about that, but it is
uncompressed and uncluttered. Instruments sound like the real things, whether they are
acoustic fiddles or plugged-in Fenders. Electric bass and organ give Public Domain
a surprisingly deep foundation too -- this ‘un will work those woofers good.
The band’s amazing -- virtuosic and comfortable with
blues, bluegrass, or ballads, never shying away from rocking flat out with a solid
backbeat or country breakdown. Rick Shea augments Alvin on electric and acoustic guitars
and adds mandolin, pedal steel and background vocals. Bobby Lloyd Hicks on drums, Joe
Terry on keyboards, accordion and harmonium, and Gregory Boaz on acoustic and electric
bass complete the basic lineup -- but several other musicians add a extra lick or two on
various tracks. If you get a chance to hear Alvin and the Guilty Men, you should jump at
it, but if you can’t hear ‘em live, this record’s a pretty damn close
substitute.
Alvin has chosen wisely from his source material. He
wanders over a wide range of styles, from the mournful plaint of "Delia" to the
rockabilly strut of "East Virginia Blues." And when confronted with a choice of
versions -- as he was with virtually every song here -- Alvin seems drawn to the darker,
quirkier interpretations. His "Railroad Bill" isn’t a loveable scamp or
champion of the people (as he appears in some accounts); he’s a train-robber, nothing
more. And I’m not sure there’s a cowboy song with less braggadocio than
Alvin’s "Texas Rangers": "And when the day had ended and the Indians
had fled/ we loaded up our rifles and counted up our dead/ … Sixteen of the bravest
Rangers that had ever roamed the West/ Were buried by their comrades with arrows in their
chests."
But the album’s not a bummer -- it’s a
celebration. Alvin obviously loves this stuff -- he isn’t turning in a musicology
project here, he’s having a ball. And so do we -- you just can’t help but grin
when confronted with a band having such a great time. From start to finish, Public
Domain is a joyful romp through America’s musical attic, and we’re lucky
that Dave Alvin invited us to sample its treasures. Alvin’s love letter to the true
American music is a howling success. If you have any interest in great music making, you
owe it to yourself to get this record and listen to it often. It’s good for what ails
ya.
...Wes Phillips
wes@onhifi.com
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