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1. Not Really The Blues.
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To purchase this CD Distributed by MGM
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This CD has just been reissued through Bombora. Nice to see one that didn't get away.
REVIEWS FOR NOT REALLY THE BLUES.
REVIEW FROM GRAEME DAVEY, APRIL 2004.
Not Really the Blues...more like bliss!
Dean Thomas has produced a fine collection of dirty swamp cowboy
twang that demonstrates years of devotion to six taught steel wires on
an old wooden box…and I like it. 'Bad News Blues’ and
'Recipe #2' are cool club grooves worthy of a track on Eric
Clapton-unplugged. The ultimate question arises on track eight [which
is selected for 'endless - repeat' on my CD player].
'Are You Tough Enough' with it's haunting swamp thump and syncopated
lead drift reaches down into the souls of mankind, posing
ethical and rational heart felt inescapable decisions. The spirit of
The Beatles' George Harrison lifts the emotional cry of the
chorus… Truly excellent.
Graeme Davey.
REVIEW FROM RHYTHMS MAGAZINE, FEB 2004.
As the album title suggests, this may not really be a blues music
release. However, the Sydney-made CD’s semi-acoustic content is
individual and creative. It may not be particularly derivative of any
other specific genre either, though elements of blues, country, world
and jazz are intertwined. A singer-songwriter with polished guitar
picking skills, Thomas plays acoustic and National guitars and sings
like Eric Clapton doing JJ Cale. Doug Weaver adds some spice to the 34
minute set on electric and acoustic guitars, Dobro and some vocals.
Other instruments featured include bass guitar, drums, congas, tuba and
didgeridoo. Although the eleven songs aren’t crafted in a way
that calls for inspired comping and soloing, the players are sensitive
to the material and they all blend into a cool, laidback groove.
The title track, very much in the mould of Muddly Waters’
‘I can’t be Satisfied’ is probably the bluesiest cut
on the CD. ‘World Blues’, ‘Recipe for the
Blues’ and its instrumental reprise ‘Recipe #2’ are
in a similar bag while the haunting ‘Tough Enough’ and 'Man
of the Run’ – a tale of early convict days – get down
to business with a solid backbeat. On ‘Yin Yang’ the band
picks up the pace and stretches out, but Thomas’s songs mainly
rely on their strong lyrical content for much of their appeal.
Producers Thomas and Weaver shoot for a smooth, easy listening sound
with subtle dynamics, slotting in nicely for a late-night chill-out.
Not Really the Blues...bringing it’s own original,
Aussie-flavoured contribution to the local blues and roots scene.
Al Hensley.
REVIEW FROM GUITARIST AUSTRALIA, APRIL 2005.
The title of this album is very apt. Really The Blues probably wouldn't bring such a smile to your face.
Overall the album is exceptionally well-balanced, with some extremely
tasty acoustic chops and noodles seasoned expertly with some electric
leads and served up with Thomas' highly diverse vocal. The
humour, both lyrically and musically, makes for a listening experience
that is light hearted at times and mesmerising at others.
From the Tuba's bouncy goose-step in I tried So Hard to the brooding
Are You Tough Enough, via the languidly despondent Woman I love, Thomas
invites us along a road which, although familiar in places, is
definitely somewhere we haven't been.
Thomas' delight in the guitar is
contagious and his mastery over its dynamic range, perfectly coupled
with his vocal work, makes for an effortless and relaxed feel.
The compositions are sparkling and original, while still giving nods to a diverse range of masters.
Gun Arvidssen.
NOT REALLY THE BLUES
All songs by Dean Thomas except Recipe #2 by Dean Thomas and Doug Weaver.
c Dean Thomas, 2003. All rights reserved. Produced and arranged by Doug
Weaver and Dean Thomas, 2003. Recorded at Doug Weaver Studios. Mastered
by Tim Greig at Sonamax, Glebe.
THE PLAYERS
Dean Thomas, Accoustic Guitars, National Guitar and Vocals
Doug Weaver. Electric Guitars, Dobro, Accoustic Guitar and Vocals
Marshall McAdam Bass Guitar
Mal Wakeford, Drums, Congas.
Carolyn "Cazzbo" Johns, Tuba
Lee Noonan, Didgeridoo.
DEAN'S NOTES ON THE SONGS
1. Not Really The Blues.
This is one of the first songs I wrote in the blues vein. It's about a guy whose girlfriend has left him. But he's not going to commit suicide or anything. This one's saying, ok its over but it's not really the blues. Being oppressed, not having anywhere to live, no money, no hope, no food for the kids. That's...really, the blues.
2. Man On The Run.
The song is about an escaped convict in the early days. He's hoping
the Aboriginals will find him before the troopers do, take him in and
let him live with them. And it's based on a true story. The Colonial
tale is juxtaposed by the modern blues setting.
3. World Blues.
This one's for Bob Brozman, who knows a thing or two about World
Blues. I used to play it a bit slower but when Doug set it up at this
pace, I knew it had something. Something I could feel in the back of my
hand. It's loosely based around a bluesy riff, with different musical
scales playing over it. Doug got Lee Noonan to bring his Didgeriedoo to
the studio but the didge was pitched in F and the song is in the key of
D. Somehow they got it to work.
4. I Tried So Hard.
Dean Thomas, Acoustic Guitar and Vocal. Carolyn (Cazzbo) Johns, Tuba. Marshall McAdam, Bass. Mal Wakeford, Drums.
A major influence for me has been Taj Mahal. His record, De Old
Folks At Home, was a true revelation. Later on I discovered Mississippi
John Hurt, a real old folk from home. This song, based on Railroad Bill, is my homage to them.
When Carolyn Johns came in and put her Tuba part down it sort of blew
everything else out of the water. I had to change my approach to the
guitar and vocal to get in the groove and jazz it up a bit.
5. Woman I Love.
I wrote this in Beirut on the day civil war was officially declared
between the Arabs and the Israelis. I was working on one of the 88
ships stuck in Beirut Harbour. It was a very weird situation, being in
a city at war and I certainly felt a long way from my normal comfort
zone. Carolyn is also playing Tuba on this track which, as it's in the
key of E, was apparently not easy. She played beautifully off my vocal
and guitar parts and Doug's rhythm part.
6. Recipe For The Blues.
Men and women. Women and men. It'll never work. (Who said that?) In
this song I'm pushing an old Gibson Jazz box and I think you can really
feel the weight of the strings in the solos. The highlight for me on
this track is Doug Weaver's sublime electric guitar playing.
7. Long Last Look.
The book that really got me when I was eighteen was On The Road.
I've been hooked on Kerouac and Co. ever since. The sad thing is, On
The Road took so long to get published that by the time it came out,
Jack was already, ''...sick to death of the whole thing.'' This one's
for Jack, Neil and Caroline.
8. Tough Enough.
Bob Brozman and Skip Sail have stayed with me on their last couple of tours. One morning, after they'd headed off to Queensland I picked up my guitars and found they'd been left in some weird tunings. I started trying to play something on my National, which was tuned to D minor, and this song just came out the box. It's about the way pollution and population are having a detrimental effect on the world. My friend Groove used to say, ''It's ok if you shit in the river. But when millions also shit in the river, you've got a problem.''
9. Yin Yang.
A lot of blues songs are about juxtapositions. Up and down, lost and
found, you know. Once I lived the life of a millionaire‚ Then I
began to fall so low. It made me think of the Yin and the Yang idea of
balance.
10. Bad News Blues.
This is a song I first recorded with Russ Shipton in the UK when we
had a duo called Two Bit Band. It's gone from being a fairly raucous
blues track to more of a country blues. Doug and I did this one in
about two takes, live in the studio.
11. Recipe #2.
An instrumental version of Recipe For The Blues. Just so you can hear Doug's great guitar playing without any distractions.