blickstein@orphan.DEC (Dave Blickstein) (08/05/84)
Album review: The Introduction, The Steve Morse Band.
This album is a must for serious Dregs fans. While this album is very
distinguishable from most dregs albums, the musical personality of Steve
Morse clearly is clearly identified.
This band is a trio, consisting of Morse, Rod Morgenstein (ex-dregs drummer),
and Jerry Peek on bass. T Lavitz (ex-Dregs keyboardist) makes a guest
appearance on one song. Albert Lee also makes a guest appearance. Jerry Peek
is clearly rising star. With only 3 pieces, the bass plays a very prominent
role. Peeks gets several solos and in several places is responsible for the
melody. He is consistently fresh, interesting, and "right". He clearly is the
newest in a small club of bass virtuoso.
What can you say about Steve Morse? He didn't win the guitar player magazine
overall best polls for the past several years for nothing. His playing is (as
always) inspired all the way through. With the absence of a violin and
keyboards his compositions don't have that "electronic chamber music" quality
that was the basis of the Dregs. However, this album is typically eclectic,
with all the various dregs styles (rock, country, classical, fusion, and
of course, some stuff that just defies categorization). This album is also
more "guitaristic" in approach meaning that the compositions tend to focus
on the guitar.
Tracks of particular interest: Huron River Blues (the never-before recorded
concert show-stopper), General Lee (duet with Albert Lee), The Introduction
(title track that they use to open concerts), and Cruise Missile (this albums
entry in the "bump tune" category).
Dregs fans will cherish this long-awaited continuance of Dregs legacy.
I highly recommend this album to guitar players and in general musicians
not familiar with the Dregs. Morse is that rare combination of composer
and virtuoso and I'd like to think that any musician is going to appreciate
that.
Dave Blickstein
P.S. I welcome all direct correspondence on Dregs music. I'd appreciate the
opportunity to share thoughts, knowledge and possibly music.
(UUCP) {decvax, ucbvax, allegra}!decwrl!rhea!orphan!blickstein
(ARPA) decwrl!rhea!orphan!blickstein@Berkeley
decwrl!rhea!orphan!blickstein@SU-Shasta