Many moons ago, a customer had been hanging around the shop, browsing on a slow day, and he participated in a discussion the staff was having about favorites to pass the time. Top 5 movies, favorite drummers, etc.. When we got to favorite guitarists, the obvious names were tossed around, and the customer said, "Harvey Mandel."
Some of us knew the name as the guy who was almost in the Rolling Stones. But none of us had heard any music.
Cut to present day and after years of seeing his albums at record shows, in record shops and on line, I finally took home his 1968 debut, "Cristo Redentor" and gave it a spin.
Most cite Mandel as a blues guitarist, having played with Canned Heat, John Mayall and Charlie Musselwhite, but "Cristo Redentor" is defintiely not your run of the mill blues recording. It stopped me in my tracks, quite frankly.
This record plays like its own genre, falling in out of jazz, psychedelia, classical, R&B and of course, the blues. How I've managed to ignore it for all these years is just testament to how much music there is to still discover.
"Cristo Redentor" is best taken whole, so in addition to the the two tracks posted, there is the full album below, if you are feeling adventurous.
Of course, many of you might already know the joys of "Cristo Redentor," in which case, why didn't you tell me sooner?
10 comments:
Most likely none of us suggested it since we expected you already knew about it. Be glad you finally gave it a spin!
Cristo Redentor is one I play now and again, but probably not as often as it merits. It has a unique sound and the playing and production are excellent.
- Paul in DK
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I remember hearing this album towards the end of '68.....I was 14 and had a group of friends that would get together and create reel to reel "mixes" to play while we'd be getting ready in the locker room for basketball practice...every couple weeks, we'd play each other music that we'd just gotten or, had been listening to lately (in my case, i was listening to a lot of my Dad's old 'Race Records', since most stereo turntables still played 78's). It seemed we were ALWAYS trying to out-do each other.....and as much as we all enjoyed Blind Boy Fuller singing "Sweet Honey Hole", or that 'new guy' (Gram Parsons) in the Byrds that 'turned them into shit kickers - there was one guy that ALWAYS had something "odd" and Jim was 'that guy' and i have to thank him (and the rest of the boys & girls at our listening parties).....
Now......as far as your comment about 'burning all your Todd records'.....no need for any 'fake news' here!
Thanks again, Sal~
GMB
What Paul in DK said. Plus, after calling Allen a hack, you're lucky anyone talks to you! ;-)
I only learned about him after ths Stones possibility. Def a criminally under appreciated, genre defying (probably why he's not as well known as he should be) guitarist.
"Cristo Redentor" is great but, like all lesser known artists of that time, Mandel's solo albums vary widely in quality, usually depending on what label they were released on. Think of Jeremy Spencer, Andy Fraser or Jess Roden, and how they chased that elusive hit.
Howie Mandell, Harvey Korman, Harvey Mandell.
I blame the name.
Too bad, cuz that's damn good. Who knew? (Apart from lots of people, apparently).
Hopeless in Hudson
I think the compilation Harvey Mandel – The Mercury Years, which collects his first three releases is very solid. The number of great artists that never quite broke through in the late 60s and 70s is truly amazing. Maybe it is an age thing, but I can't believe that dynamic exists with current music.
In my opinion the definitive version of Cristo Redentor is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eiW5jucP3k Charlie Musselwhite
Close second :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LTzAd0no0g Canned Heat
F.Paquet
Cristo Redentor is interesting - though not as good as the original version by Donald Byrd which is sublime.
For the record, I agree Donald Byrd owns "Cristo Redentor." My post was really more about the Mandel album as a whole.
Charlie Musselwhite also does a great version of Cristo.
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