Guitar in the Space Age!


Guitar in the Space Age! is an album by Bill Frisell featuring interpretations of songs and instrumentals from the 1960s which was released on the OKeh label in 2014.

Backgrpund

Jeff Simon in The Buffalo News' quoted Frisell as stating "after playing for more than 50 years, it just feels right to once again play some of the music which shaped my consciousness during my formative years, even to play some of it for the first time … and maybe get it right. Guitar in the Space Age! isn’t really an exercise in nostalgia but about a recommitment to keep learning, to firm up the foundation and showcase one of the best bands I ever had."

Reception

In his review for Allmusic, Thom Jurek notes that "Guitar in the Space Age! is a joyous recording. Far from an exercise in mere nostalgia, it reveals new reasons as to why these tunes are eternal. Frisell and his collaborators understood exactly what they were going for, and it sounds like they had a hell of a great time getting there". The Guardian's John Fordham observed "This is an old-school electric guitar fan’s album, played by one of the most creative guitar fans in the world". PopMatters Associate Music Editor John Garratt was less enthusiastic and said "Guitar in the Space Age! is professionally executed place holding. I’m not saying you have to be a baby boomer to enjoy it, but you probably need to be one in order to rank it as one of Frisell’s top five recordings"
Interviewed by Chip Stern in 2014 for billfrisell.com, Frisell said of fellow band-member Greg Leisz: "Playing with Greg has never felt to me like lead/rhythm. It's always been this kind of effortless conversation... where we don't have to hold anything back. It never feels like we get in each other's way. You see, I like to pretend that I'm a singer. That's so much of the way I think on the instrument, trying to mimic a voice. And Greg has played with so many singers, so he's just a master accompanist, super supportive, but in the most spontaneous, in the moment, unpredictable kind of way. Maybe that's why it works. We have this deep bond, but we've never really had to talk about it or plan anything or arrange anything. I don't want to jinx it."

Track listing

  1. "Pipeline" – 7:06
  2. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" – 2:40
  3. "Messin' with the Kid" – 2:59
  4. "Surfer Girl" – 4:14
  5. "Rumble" – 4:56
  6. "The Shortest Day" – 4:57
  7. "Rebel Rouser" – 3:39
  8. "Baja" – 3:37
  9. "Cannonball Rag" – 2:56
  10. "Tired of Waiting for You" – 6:02
  11. "Reflections from the Moon" – 3:21
  12. "Bryant's Boogie" – 3:09
  13. "Lift Off" – 2:17
  14. "Telstar" – 3:15

    Personnel