Peter Laughner ［5LP+BOOK］＜Black/White Vinyl＞

構成数 : 6枚
合計収録時間 : 00:00:00
Liner Note Authors: Lester Bangs; Frank Mauceri. Recording information: Bay Village (01/1977/02/1977); Bay Village (03/23/1973); Bay Village (05/11/1974); Bay Village (06/21/1977); Bay Village (06/24/1973); Bay Village (08/1976/09/1976); Bay Village (09/20/1972); Bay Village (10/11/1974); Bay Village (11/15/1972); Bay Village (12/05/1976); Bay Village (12/15/1976); Bay Village (1975); Bay Village (1976). Photographers: Roberta Bayley; Janet Macoska; Cynthia Black; Anastasia Pantsios; Mike Sands; Tom Losh; George Heinz; Bradly Field. For decades, Peter Laughner has been a fascinating enigma to the handful of music fans who know who he was. He was a guitarist, songwriter, and rock writer who was a crucially important figure in the Cleveland music scene of the early to mid-'70s; among many other things, he was a member of the fabled pre-punk band Rocket from the Tombs, as well as the first line-up of Pere Ubu. But it would be many years before the significance of the Cleveland scene of the '70s would be fully acknowledged by music historians, and Laughner died in 1977 at the age of 24, when his work was only just beginning to be heard outside Ohio. He barely made any studio recordings in his lifetime, and he never released a solo project. But the scraps of demos and live recordings that have been recovered prove that Laughner was a major talent who vanished before he could be given his proper hearing. The 1995 collection Take the Guitar Player for a Ride (sadly out of print) was the first attempt to make a case for Laughner's many gifts, but with the 2019 box set Peter Laughner, the archivists at Smog Veil Records have created a loving and suitably ambitious release that not only affirms Laughner's remarkable talent, but presents a rich, compelling picture of a career that was strikingly eclectic and satisfying, despite his early passing. Laughner has been closely associated with the Midwestern proto-punk scene, but Peter Laughner makes the point that he had other interests, as well. This box set portrays Laughner as a man who loved Robert Johnson, Lowell George, John Sebastian, Jesse Winchester, and Van Morrison the same way he loved Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and Television, and while he dug fierce rock & roll, he had room in his heart for any music that expressed passion and adventure; his low-key acoustic recordings are just as compelling as his full electric workouts, sometimes even more so. Laughner was a remarkable songwriter, and numbers like "Cinderella Backstreet," "(Going To) China," "Dear Richard," and "Amphetamine" (the latter was interpolated into Wilco's "Misunderstood") reveal an unusual maturity and depth despite his youth. But in his covers, he shows that the same thinking that made him a fine tunesmith allowed him to uncover overlooked elements in the work of others, and his between-song comments point to his deep knowledge and affection for so much of the rock pantheon. Peter Laughner doesn't seem concerned with the notion of what he could have done had he lived past 24; instead, these five LPs (or CDs) revel in what he did create, and if Laughner's career was cut tragically short, these tapes document a span of five years in which he created enough smart, exciting, and heartfelt music to last a lifetime. The quality of the audio is variable throughout this set, especially since most of it was recorded on amateur gear, but much of it is quite good, and the producers and mastering team have done heroic work in preserving and restoring the tapes. The beautiful hardback book that accompanies the set is full of photos and historical notes, as well as a portfolio of his writings as a rock critic; Laughner's writing style was clearly beholden to Lester Bangs, but at his best, he channeled Bangs just as well as he channeled Lou Reed, and his belief in rock & roll is up front at all times. Take the Guitar Player for a Ride is useful for those looking for a concise introduction to the man's music, but Peter Laughner aims