Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: John Wesley Harding (vocals, acoustic, electric & 12 string guitars, E-bow, keymonica, piano, Leslie piano, organ, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, bass, cymbal, sleigh bells, tubular bells, triangle, percussion, samples); Bruce Springsteen (vocals, acoustic guitar); Kelly Hogan (vocals); Scott McCaughey (various instruments, piano, background vocals); Kurt Bloch (12 string guitar); Chris von Sneidern (E-bow, bass, background vocals); Chuck Prophet (guitar); Robert Lloyd (mandolin, accordion, Hammond organ, organ); Carrie Bradley (violin); Peter Straus, Jim Sangster (bass); Steve Bowman, Mike Musburger (drums); Allison Faith Levy (background vocals); The Glass Armonica Orchestra of Hastings and St. Leonards. | | Producers: John Wesley Harding, Chris von Sneidern. | | Engineers: John Wesley Harding, Chris von Sneidern. | | Recorded at: Ordophon-upon-Avon, San Francisco, California; Low Beat West, Seattle, Washington; McCabes, Santa Monica, California. Originally released on Zero Hour (1210). | | Digitally remastered by Paul "The Gaul" Stubblebine. | | Personnel: John Wesley Harding (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, strings, piano, organ, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, 12-string bass, cymbals, triangle, tubular bells, percussion, bells, sleigh bell, sampler); Bruce Springsteen (vocals, acoustic guitar); Kelly Hogan (vocals, background vocals); Chuck Prophet (guitar, electric guitar, percussion); Kurt Bloch (guitar, 12-string bass); CVS (electric guitar, E-bow, shaker, percussion, background vocals); Robert Lloyd (mandolin, piano, organ); Carrie Bradley (violin); Scott McCaughey (piano, background vocals); Mike Musburger, Steve Bowman (drums); Alison Faith Levy (background vocals). | | Audio Mixer: Chris Sneidren. | | Recording information: Low Beat, Seattle, WA (06/18/1994-??/??/1997); McCabes, Santa Monica, CA (06/18/1994-??/??/1997); Ordophon-Upon-Avon, San Francisco, CA (06/18/1994-??/??/1997). | | Photographers: Trudy Fisher; Sheila Sachs; Jim Newberry. | | Arranger: Chris Sneidren. | | Billed as John Wesley Harding and the Gangsta Folk, Dare seems to be an attempt to recast the singer/songwriter in a different light, incorporating elements of electronica to earn more street cred. The Gangsta Folk are in truth not a band, but rather Harding handling multiple instruments (often of the more exotic variety like e-bow, moogs, and mellotron), along with a few guests like Scott McCaughey, Robert Lloyd, Kelly Hogan, and pop purist Chris von Schneidern. And while the experimentation is implemented quite well -- especially in the lighter-and-match-strike percussion loop of "Burn" -- Harding's craft remains untouched. His acid-tongued, always-clever phrasing, folky leanings, and strong sense of melody show him to be one of the finest (and unfairly overlooked) songwriters of the '90s. ~ Chris Woodstra | | Sounding every bit like the bastard child of Elvis Costello and Aimee Mann, it's John Wesley Harding in full remastered form and glory. His quick wit, sly phrasing, and high melodies run rampant through Awake: The New Edition, which includes five extra tracks over the original, the last being a duet with Bruce Springsteen on "Wreck on the Highway." Harding is an original, through and through, in all respects. Have you ever heard anyone fashion a groove out of a lighter flick and match strike? He does just that on none other than "Burn," in which he tells his friend: "Make sure it's me up on the funeral pyre/Make sure the house band's playing 'Light My Fire.'" He's original, perhaps even a little odd, but never off the mark. He calls it like he sees it and his fans love him for it. For some reason, though, his fans are limited, as he's never really gotten the attention he deserves. Maybe Harding is too smart for the masses. He wouldn't be the first to suffer from such a syndrome and likely won't be the last. With 19 tracks to choose from, Awake: The New Edition is a fine entry into the world of Wes. Fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride. ~ Kelly McCartney |
Musical Guests | | Scott McCaughey | | Kelly Hogan | | Bruce Springsteen | | Robert Lloyd | | Chuck Prophet | | Chris Von Sneidern |
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