John Mayer Trio - Try (2005)

Neither his breakthrough CD, Room For Squares (2001), nor its followup, Heavier Things (2003), provided any indication that John Mayer was capable of playing top-notch, blues-rock guitar so, to fans of those pop-oriented, singer-songwriter releases, the discovery may have come across as quite of a shock. When Mayer appeared on albums alongside all stars such as Eric Clapton, B. B. King, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, and Buddy Guy and announced that he wanted to change his musical direction many of us were stunned. Fortunately for us his roll of the dice proved to be a winner.

On Try! Mayer's band included studio stalwarts Steve Jordan on drums and Pino Palladino, who later replaced John Entwhistle in The Who, on bass.

The set includes reworkings of a couple of Mayer's earlier songs ("Daughters" and Something's Missing"), a hot version of the Ray Charles classic, "I Got A Woman," a Jimi Hendrix tune, "Wait Until Tomorrow," and a few new originals including the great title track that is credited to the entire trio.

As a guitarist Mayer is quite tasteful. He can jam with the best of them but he knows when to reign it in. His solos are never so long that you're looking at your watch wondering when the excess will come to an end.

Mayer's rough, gravely, voice was never fully suited to the kind of pop music he sang on his first two albums. It always seemed out of place, but here his vocals suit his songs very well.

Try! easily proves that Mayer is not just a pop artist recording lightweight fare that appeals mostly to women. I was never a true fan before but this transitional, live album is his Rubber Soul, a set of music that had early skeptics sitting up and paying attention.

Comments

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Read more

The Case For The Beatles' "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"

Image
Yes, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" from Abbey Road (1969) is pure "granny music," as John Lennon called it, but that was part of Paul McCartney's intended joke. Here we have this silly sounding, almost kiddie-like arrangement, combined with the most perverted and darkest lyrics that a Beatle ever wrote for the group. As most people know, the track tells the tale of Maxwell Edison, a serial killer. I was 16 when the song came out and I immediately got the joke and the incongruity of it all.  Maybe the absurdity of marrying the goofy arrangement with the sinister lyrics is why McCartney mentions pataphysical science in the song's first verse. As it turns out - according to Oxford Reference - Pataphysics is   "the science of imaginary solutions"   invented by French writer Alfred Jarry (1873–1907). Was "Maxwell" a parody as well, and does it really belong on a record inten...
Read more

Why Do 45 RPM Records Have Big Holes?

Image
Today we're going to find out why 45 RPM records have much larger holes than 78s and 33s. Believe it or not I often wondered about this burning question when I was collecting hundreds of these little seven inch gems back the 1960s. According to several websites, including Answerbag , the reason for the large hole used by 45s was simple. It was difficult for the old 78s, with their smaller holes, to find their way onto jukebox spindles. The large hole effectively eliminated that problem. Strangely, seven inch 45s were often pressed with the smaller holes used for LPs in many countries outside the United States, especially in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Overseas the inserts (commonly know as spiders) were manufactured into the large holes at the factories but they could be punched out if desired. The Beatles' British single of "Love Me Do," pictured here, is a typical example. Why were the spiders built into English 45s? I was unable to fi...
Read more

It's Real Life: An Alternate History Of The Beatles - A Short Story, Radio Play And Full Length Novel By Paul Levinson (2022 and 2024)

Image
In a July 2023 blog post I discussed an alternate history of the most famous rock band of all time. It's Real Life: An Alternate History Of The Beatles was written in 2022 as a short story and radio play by Professor Paul Levinson of Fordham University. Since then, the author has expanded it into a full length novel that includes his original story as chapter one. Below my original post you'll find a link to a fascinating  podcast where Levinson discussed his book with NBC's Chuck Todd followed by an  intriguing  email question and answer session that Levinson graciously gave to Bloggerhythms. _______________________________________ In 2005, novelist, playwright and rock musician, Larry Kirwan - best known as the leader of New York City's renowned Celtic-rock band, Black 47  - used his vivid imagination to write  Liverpool Fantasy , a novel about what could have happened to each of the four Beatles if they hadn't hit the ...
Read more

John Mayer - Where The Light Is: Live In Los Angeles (2008)

Image
Where The Light Is: Live In Los Angeles is a unique live album from John Mayer. It was recorded on December 8, 2007 at The Nokia Theater - since renamed The Peacock Theater - and released in the summer of 2008. It's a double CD that runs for more than two hours. The gig was split into three separate sets highlighting the different bands Mayer employed to show off his multiple musical personas. He opened with a brief, five-song, all acoustic set featuring two guitarists from his touring band. Songs included nice versions of "Neon," "Daughters," and a very cool cover of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin" that was released as a single and went double platinum in Australia and gold in the United Kingdom. The second set of seven blues-oriented songs was performed by The John Mayer Trio featuring Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan on drums. Their moment in the sun isn't quite as satisfying as their earlier, critically acclaimed...
Read more