More about: Alex Gough
Chosen as the Irish artist releases his own live LP
"BONUS FEATURES," Irish musician Alex Gough tells Gigwise, "was my way of showcasing the side of me as an artist that might not be immediately obvious when you listen to my music. Before anything, I’m a musician: a drummer."
Released on Friday 29 January, live album BONUS FEATURES is a kaleidoscopic run-through of Gough's many talents: as a drummer, as a rapper and as a beats maker. "The live versions of the tracks and the little jams on the record show another dimension to my music and shine light on the side of me that you don’t see unless you come to a gig. In a year with no gigs, it was the perfect way to let people see all that."
Himself a fan of live albums and their ability to present artists as three dimensional, Gough here chooses five game-changing live albums so as to mark the release of his own. Get out your notes app and jot these down:
R+R=NOW - Collagically Speaking
One of my favourite live albums from one my favourite “supergroups”. A lot of my favourite musicians - Robert Glasper, Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, Terrace Martin to name a few - are all part of R + R = NOW. Collagically Speaking was a huge influence in the kind of tone I was after for BONUS FEATURES. The snippets of talking and chatting between takes, commenting on what they just played etc, gives it such a good live, natural feel which I really like. Supported by top tier musicianship and and musicality, this is a great album with some amazing pieces of music.
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis Live! (US Release)
A classic live album from one of the greats. I’ve always admired old funk and soul rhythm sections, Curtis Mayfield’s band being one of them. A masterclass in groove and feel. And of course, Curtis Mayfield himself is an amazing musician and frontman. This record is a collection of live recordings from gigs across the US, mostly from one gig with a couple of extras at the end. Their performance and sound is fascinating. There’s also little spoken word interludes across the album which are titled “raps" which I love. He speaks a lot of wisdom, a man of music and words. A phenomenal live album.
Nirvana - Unplugged In New York
I grew up with this CD in the car. I got very into Nirvana at one point in my early teens and I've always been fond of them since then. The reason I love this live album is because of the pure and raw energy throughout the whole gig. The offset between Kurt Cobain’s vocal and the really soft, more chilled instrumental is such an interesting change of tone from their studio records. There’s something so enigmatic about the record: every time I think about it or hear it, there's such a specific air around it. It’s like some made up fantasy that I can’t quite place. There’s an enchantment to it as an album. Everytime I hear it I think of how sick the set was with all the flowers. A must-listenlive album.
Herbie Hancock - Thrust
Yeah, this is two albums but they are only 4 tracks each and I couldn’t decide which so I picked both as one. I know these are technically a studio album but I mean, I think its correct to assume the records were captured from live takes of Herbie and The Headhunters in the room. The reworking of 'Watermelon Man' on The Headhunters is in my daily rotation ever since I discovered the album. From 1973 and 1974 respectively, these albums were defining moments of the jazz-fusion/jazz-funk wave. I remember the first time I heard Thrust and I couldn’t wrap my head around 'Palm Grease' at all, but that made me fall more in love with it, I was determined to figure it out, which I did. Two great albums and two heavy influences on my music.
Jay-Z - Unplugged
One of the slickest fully live albums of all time in my opinion. It’s one of two MTV Unplugged albums I have in my list and for good reason. That historical series is an amazing time capsule with some crazy performances, Jay-Z’s being one of my favourites. And as a massive bonus, He is backed by one of my favourite bands and rhythm sections - The Roots. Not to mention, Questlove, one of my drumming heroes holding down the groove. The drumming on 'Jigga What, Jigga Who'? Ridiculous. The album is packed with amazingly cool grooves that bring a whole new element to Jay-Z's classics. Also, the crowd add so much to some tracks. Calls and responses that artists, like me, aspire to recreate and there’s loads of them right on this album and all live in the room. And the sound the produce from the stage is absolutely crazy. Honourable mention to that transition between 'Hard Knock Life' and 'Ain’t No' too.
BONUS FEATURES (Live At The Clinic) is out now.
More about: Alex Gough
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