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OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY: THE ESSENTIAL GARY LUCAS 1988-1996
(EVOLVER)
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This showcase for the NYC guitarist’s writing and riff ripping sprawls from artcore ("They Can’t Believe He’s Risen Again") to sweet sincerity ("I Want To Play Your Guitar") to acoustic bottleneck blues ("The Nightmare of History"). It’s evidence that Lucas, despite his past work with Captain Beefheart, Jeff Buckley, and Joan Osborne, is nobody’s sideman. It’s also proof that he’s got a sense of humor. He introduces a pure-toned live take on blues legend Freddie King’s epic instrumental "The Stumble" with "Volga Boatmen" and fashions his satire of America’s brass-buttoned leadership, "Poison I.V. League," after one of Zappa’s Ike Willis–era prog-rock commentaries. There are also a few collaborations with outlaw Brit roots-rocker Jon Langford, who whoops his way through the vocals of "Don’t Let the Bastards Wear You Down" and the protest number "It’s Happening Again." Lucas isn’t much of a singer himself, as the two tracks he warbles demonstrate. But his playing speaks volumes, whether through a calming sea of loops and delayed tones, raw distortion, or his speedy and elegant slide playing. There’s a killer version of Pink Floyd’s "Astronomy Domine," where Lucas builds a wall of feedback and then whomps on his whammy pedal, splitting the difference between Syd Barrett and Jimi Hendrix. And "Theme from Eastenders," a previously unreleased number, plays canny games with vibrato and intonation to make his guitar’s sound — which is always big and focused — shimmy. Overall, this is a very good introduction to the solo work of this underrated player and songwriter.
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