The Hellecasters: Essential Listening Volume 1
Hightone HCD-8146
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 If you're not a rabid
guitar buff, you've probably never heard of the Hellecasters, but to serious six-string
students, the group consists of almost god-like beings. John Jorgenson, Jerry Donahue, and
Will Ray are all seasoned professional musicians who are so closely associated with the
Telecaster, that Fender has actually dedicated signature models of the Tele to each of
them.
Jorgenson has probably been the most visible of the three,
having won the Academy of Country Music award for Guitarist of the Year three times. He
was a founding member of the Desert Rose Band and he has appeared on albums by just about
everybody: Elton John, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, the Byrds, Roy Orbison, John
Prine, Rodney Crowell, and Michael Nesmith, just to name a few.
Donahue is so well regarded among guitarists that Guitar
Shop magazine simply describes him as a "freak of nature." Danny Gatton, a
master of the Telecaster himself, once called him "the string-bending king of the
planet." You have undoubtedly heard him on the records of Joan Armatrading, George
Harrison, Elton John, Robert Plant, Roy Orbison, the Proclaimers, Gerry Rafferty, and many
others. When Richard Thompson left Fairport Convention, Donohue was the man who filled the
position.
Even in this exalted company, Ray stands out. His playing
style is unorthodox to say the least -- among his "tricks" are his mastery of
B-Benders and his use of ring slides on both hands. Play any of his solos on this album
for the finest guitar player you know and watch his eyes bug out as he exclaims, "How
did he do that?" The California Country Music Association voted him Guitarist of the
Year in 1992. He has appeared on records by Carlene Carter, Tom Jones, Steve Earle, Joe
Walsh, Thomas Dolby, and Solomon Burke.
Okay, all that technique and (obviously) instrumental
mastery is the kind of stuff that excites guitar fanatics, but why should anyone else
care? That's the beauty of this disc -- it's packed with rollicking, fun music. If you
heard this music on the radio, all you'd think was that it was really good stuff -- you
wouldn't even know it was packed with unbelievable instrumental chops until you looked
around and saw all of the guitarists in the room staring at their hands and asking
themselves, if that's guitar playing, what have I been doing?
But it's not any one of the guitarists that astonishes,
ultimately. Solos blend together seamlessly in a blur of bent notes, fast runs, and
flawlessly articulated pizacatti as the players interweave styles and hand the lead back
and forth until songs are impossible to follow as anything other than single solos for
guitar, six hands.
Essential Listening Volume 1 collects the
"best" of the Hellecasters' three recordings and it’s a varied mix of songs
running the gamut from jazzy to soulful -- all leavened with a heavy dose of Telecaster
twang, of course. The jaunty "Ghosts of 42nd Street" features one of Ray's
astonishing solos that combines extremely fast playing, two-handed slide work, and lots of
bent tones -- his melody line twists and turns like a water snake on Vaseline -- but it's
not his flash that'll put a smile on your face, it's the tune's irrepressibly upbeat
strut.
Donahue's "Valley of the Pharaohs" is another
song that defies description. Despite the title, it owes a lot more to Nashville than to
ancient Memphis with its clear, chiming tones and meandering melody. It's an audio trip
down a cascading river, full of fast descents, quick turns, and rapid riffles, punctuated
by lazy pools of relative calm.
The sound is crisp and clear, with gobs of tonal color. If
you're a guitar nut and want to concentrate on an individual guitarist or simply easily
identify one from the other, Hightone has certainly given you a recording that lets you
hear all the little sonic details. If you aren't, well, Essential Listening's great
sound will still knock your socks off.
I loved this album. It's upbeat and tuneful -- full
of the good ol' positive energy that infuses great music making. Whether you're a
guitarist or not, the music and music making here will amaze and delight you.
...Wes Phillips
wes@onhifi.com
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