I had heard of these guys for quite a few years but just never bought anything. On a whim purchased this partly because of Tony Levin. Just the first 30 seconds made me think, 'Oh my God this is gonna be good.'And it is. I've purchased everything the've made, have seen them 3 times and am just in awe seeing and hearing them live. Buy this
February 28, 2005 |  | Beethoven and Mussorsky to Duke Ellington and Queen... |  |
Funny thing about these three California dudes is that one is from Belgium, another is from Japan and I don't even know where the third guy is from. Tony Levin (from Brookline, MA) appears on 7 songs. Very cool acoustic mix covering Beethoven and Mussorsky to Duke Ellington and Queen.
December 10, 2004 | | Rocks the West? Uh...yeah, whatever. | |
I must admit that the tone of steel string acoustics whining through the melody of a tune is akin to the sound of cats meowing or someone urinating on concrete. But, just to be fair, I gave this cd a couple of runs and in the end I wouldn't recommend this to anyone into instrumental guitar music. Three nebbish wankers doing up Mussorgsky like a supermarket greeting card. So what. And they attempt to grab some `street cred' by doing Bohemian Rhapsody. Ish! Someone should turn these frigid chaps on to some Francis Albert or Bing or Miles to clue them in on how a melody should really be interpreted. This was the pastiest reading of Freddie Mercury I've ever heard. And for God's sake doesn't one of them own any other instrument besides an Ovation steel string? Their tone is so tinny and flaccid. Whenever one of them started to furiously tremolo pick like some goofy spazz-wad it confirmed my belief that Purgatory can indeed be suffered here on earth. Fripp-like polyrhythms between axe slingers has been done, Middle Eastern melodies behind Tony Levin's rubbery bass has been done and guitar arrangements of classical works has been done. Trust me you've heard this all before.
October 25, 2004I never heard of this group before last night the Ann Arbor Folk Festival. There was one group there that completely COMPLETELY brought down the house, the California Guitar Trio. Three guys with guitars playing instrumental music that was a combination of classical, rock, and....SURF. But get this...they played the ENTIRE back end of the 4th movement of Beethoven's 9th...on three guitars....including the bit at the end where it goes to warp speed and there is an entire chorus on stage. (It's on this album too.)
It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen live, because once the audience recognized what CGT were going to do, and yet couldn't imagine how it could be done, they got completely breathless in anticipation. When they hit those last notes the crowd stood up and cheered, 1500 people. In a folk music concert!
I immediately acquired this album to try to re-live this experience. On listening I miss the thrill that came from the live performance, but enjoyed it regardless. When you listen, close your eyes and concentrate. It's not just some studio trick, it's just three cool guys playing amazing guitar. LIVE! January 26, 2003
| | | Amazing talent, guitar quality, & variety | |
CGT's "Rocks the West" is not a rock album but an innovative smorgasbord of classical (Beethoven's Symphony #9), rock (Bohemian Rhapsody and Mirsirlou), country/southern/Spanish (Caravan) and jazzy/experimental (most of the rest of the album). Two of my favorites are Bohemian Rhapsody and Misirlou. Bohemian Rhapsody is true to the melody the Queen version, but really highlights its compositional brilliance as it branches into complimentary guitar pieces and great bass-lines. Misirlou is a fast-paced old Ventures tune that rocks without losing any intricate guitar work. The cut after Misirlou is Rokudan, which abruptly changes the mood into a simple, hauntingly beautiful Japanese-sounding tune. Unfortunately it's less than 2 minutes long! I also like the new-agey meditative Puntra Patri, although they speed it up too much near the end. Most of the cuts work for me, but some sound weird and experimental. I usually skip past Blue-eyed Monkey because it sounds like creaking doors in a haunted house, although the cheering fans on the album apparently disagree with my assessment. Likewise, the percussion solo in Caravan is certainly innovative, but "squeaky" and not well mixed. My other grumble is that some songs mix too many different styles and techniques. Pictures at an Exhibition, for example, sounds like a talented but confusing combination of Beethoven, jazz fusion, the Ventures, and a church hymn! The abrupt change of styles within and between songs can be a bit disconcerting. However, every cut has excellent studio-quality sound, even though this is a live album recorded at various venues. CGT is not only about talented guitar work, but amazing guitar tone. Just as a good golfer selects the right club to play each hole, CGT selects high-end fabulous sounding guitars that fit perfectly with each song. Despite my grumbles, this cd is worth a spin to hear these skilled, versatile musicians and high-end guitars.
March 13, 2002More reviews at Amazon.com ...
