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![John York: West Coast Revelation
[Crimson Dirt Machine]
(2007/2008)
Most notable as a latter day member of The Byrds, multi-instrumentalist John York is also a solo artist who most recently recorded a new disc of songs as part of an ambitious project entitled West Coast Revelation. Out of the 22 song set, four tracks so far have been digitally released on Crimson Dirt Machine, a new label formed by legendary record producer/songwriter (and now filmmaker) Kim Fowley. West Coast Revelation is a collaboration between York and Fowley, with Fowley having co-written and co-produced the new project with York.
Even if York isn’t the only “last pure voice of the Silver Sixties to make it through,” as noted on his official myspace page, he’s at least one of the few left standing. “Angels and Trucks,” “Earth Is Getting Warmer,” “Flower Girls,” and “Psychedelic” are a relatively accessible offering from the somewhat esoteric York. By York’s (or maybe Fowley’s) own description, West Coast Revelation “puts you right into Laurel Canyon, Malibu and the Sunset Strip….the love-ins, the drug culture, San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park.”
Catchy and melodic, “Angels and Trucks” is the strongest, most contemporary cut of the four and a viable contender for radio-play. Its structure is disciplined and tight; yet like the other three tracks, “Angels and Trucks” has a deceptively loose feel. A natural lead vocal delivery, female vocal harmonies, and an organic guitar arrangement that showcases York’s ability to play rhythm and single-note patterns under one shell where all the strings interweave beautifully as one give “Angels and Trucks” an exemplary sound for what real acoustic rock should be in its unpretentious glory.
The more things change, the more they come full circle into today’s world. If one accepts the notion of timelessness, the ecological “Earth Is Getting Warmer” is more relevant today than ever. York brings forward the consciousness, idealism, and awareness from an era he helped define; and in 2008, it’s now impossible to ignore the universal law of cause-and-effect, especially as York sings “Beware, little children, falling fast asleep…. The earth is getting warmer; it must be judgment day.” Where “Earth Is Getting Warmer” takes an undiluted look back through time and space is in the music; but for an audience who grew up one or two generations later, the sound might be less confined to the ‘60s and more emblematic of any simpler time, the ‘70s included, regardless of what era the music most evokes.
Unlike “Angels and Trucks” and “Earth Is Getting Warmer,” “Flower Girls” and “Psychedelic” don’t use drums as their wheels. Both tracks make sole use of electric guitar amid York’s attenuated vocal performance. Lyrically, “Flower Girls” is especially affecting. Lines such as “The flower girls are all grown up; their blonde hair has turned to grey” and “Now that you have daughters of your own, you will know the pain of beauty almost grown” are poignant reminders that looks are ephemeral and loveliness a constant that remains on the inside, seen through the vantage point of the soul, just as York intones in the line “All the flower girls are still alive in a dream of yesterday.”
With much of the so-called modern acoustic-folk-rock by younger artists of today being homogenized and contrived, York’s own brand of the style is an example of distinctiveness, integrity, and where it all began. For fans of the ‘60s singer-songwriter/folk-rock era or aficionados of acoustic/folk-rock music in general, keep an eye out for the full release of West Coast Revelation in the future. Judging from the four songs, the record is bound to be more gratifying now than it would have been 40 years ago.
-- Greg Debonne
Visit John York - West Coast Revelation online:
http://www.myspace.com/johnyorkwestcoastrevelation](JohnYork_files/shapeimage_4.png)
