Crazy: The Demo Sessions
Willie Nelson
Sugar Hill Records
Willie Nelson arrived in Nashville in 1960, a largely unknown Texas singer/songwriter with a waltzy, idiosyncratic country style and very little national success to his credit. It would be years before his dissatisfaction with the C&W establishment's modus operandi catalyzed both the "outlaw country" movement and a seriously successful solo career. He quickly penned a succession of hits for other artists, however, via a deal with music publisher Pamper Music and soon became one of Publisher's Row's hot young names.
This 15-track disc showcases a collection of hastily recorded demos Nelson made during those early, pre-solo career years, much of it for the first time. The material was discovered on a vaguely labeled reel of tape found in Sony Publishing's voluminous vaults; it's split fairly evenly between solo voice-and-guitar recordings and full-band arrangements. It's also flawless and moving in a way at which prettified versions by other vocalists and Nelson himself only hinted.
The solo tunes here evince that trademarked sense of lonely melancholy present in so much of Nelson's work in full flourish. Standout unreleased versions include the aching "Opportunity to Cry," the acerbic "What Do You Think of Her Now" (co-written and featuring harmony vocals by fellow legendary Pamper songwriter Hank Cochran) and the oft-bootlegged "Darkness on the Face of the Earth." Everything shines, however — including previously heard versions of "Undo The Right" and "I've Just Destroyed The World" — on the strength of a nakedness that reveals the magic of both Nelson's off-kilter vocal delivery and his deceptively simple style of craft.
The full-band numbers are equally engaging, if only slightly less insidious and display the influence of Western swing legend Bob Wills. "Crazy" is here, naturally and represented by the original version first heard by Patsy Cline. Other swaying numbers like "Things to Remember," "A Moment Isn't Very Long" and "Something to Think About" come off as equally timeless as well. The never-before-heard "I'm Still Here," a rollicking tune that foreshadows Junior Brown's Tex-a-billy with eerie prescience, and the untitled aural collage that closes out the disk, are mandatory for completists and the icing on a very tasty cake.
The Demo Sessions ably spotlights one of country music's most enormous talents, at a time before both his overproduced early solo albums and gritty subsequent work made him a legend. It's a compelling listen from beginning to end, and one that needs to be heard by everyone even the least bit dissatisfied by the last decade of country music. Hell, it needs to be heard by everyone who loves music. 
—Scott Harrell
Animositisomnia
Ministry
Sanctuary Records
It's been over a decade since industrial-rock phenomenon Ministry peaked with the Lollapalooza-generation Psalm 69, and the band has endured a downward slide ever since. Shifting tastes can be blamed in part, but then again, so can a couple of horrendous albums that either regurgitated a pale imitation of past glories or flirted none-too-subtly with commercial metal; and while you can safely say both of Animositisomnia, it's still the best thing Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker have ponied up since their heyday. Opening tracks "Animosity" and "Unsung" thrash and grind along with renewed vigor, as do "Lockbox" and "Impossible." But these tracks are surrounded by material that's either ho-hum ("Broken," "Stolen") or downright bad ("Piss," "The Light Pours out of Me," "Shove," and the interminable "Leper"). It might just be the fact that Ministry once did the sort of brutal redundancy present on Animositisomnia so well that everything else is destined to fall short. Or maybe these really are crappy tunes. Either way, on balance, the few highlights here are by no means worth wading through such a large amount of dreck. 1/2—Scott Harrell
One Bedroom
The Sea and Cake
Thrill Jockey
The sixth full-length from the Chicago post-rock princes is not a breakthrough but a pleasant listen. For those familiar with The Sea and Cake, you'll find on One Bedroom the same ol' sinewy rhythms, delicate guitar and keyboard touches, and Sam Prekop's soft, breathy voice. This time out, however, S&C brandishes more synth, keeping in line with the 1980s-lovin' zeitgeist. It seems that Sammy has gotten word that girls dig him and couples like to get intimate with his band playing in the background. He sounds almost too preciously sexy. (Note: I said almost.) Prekop can still seduce the most frigid of us, especially on "Shoulder Length," a song for summer with a light-as-air vocal and delicious upbeat appeal via bassist Eric Claridge and John Next-best-thing-to-Stewart-Copeland McEntire on drums. Opening track "Four Corners" is an intricately graceful track that once you endure the overlong intro boasts Archer Prewitt's mellifluous guitar sneaking under your skin and staying there. The highlight of the CD is a cover of David Bowie's "Sound and Vision," which shakes your bootie with an unobtrusive, electronic dance beat. Prekop's subtlety sounds almost ironic on the Bowie remake, considering the tune's melodramatic daddy, but the track is too good to be dismissed, nonetheless — just like the CD. 1/2—Julie Garisto
The Networks, the Circuits, the Streams, the Harmonies
Burnside Project
Bar/None
St. Petersburg native, multi-instrumentalist Gerald Hammill made a name for himself locally by fronting some of the best bands to play the stages of Club Detroit, Stone Lounge and later, The Orpheum. He did his time in ICU, Edison Shine and most recently Spacious International, always upping the ante on what makes you comfortable yet still managing to ensnare you with catchy pop flourishes. He joins Midwesterner Richard Jankovich, keyboardist Paul Searing and a slew of impressive studio vets on an album that successfully marries experimental soundscapes with indie-rock gutsiness. Each song offers surprises, an unusual trait for a CD that's both danceable and electronically dominated. Shannon McArdle of Mendoza Line contributes her tough but feminine vocals on a few tracks as well as baritone Hub Moore. Fans of The Sea and Cake and Magnetic Fields will enjoy The Networks …, as well as the many friends of local boy made good, Gerald. 1/2—Julie Garisto
This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2003.