Gary Lucas-Improve The Shining Hour (2000)


 

Artist: Gary Lucas

Title: Improve The Shining Hour

Label: Knitting Factory Works

Format: CD

Catalog Number:  KFW-265

Year of Release: 2000

Country and Year of Edition: US 2000

Sell Price: $4.82

Sell Date: 3/1/25

Condition: M/M sealed

Discogs Last Sold:10/20/24 NN/VG+ $1.00

Low:  $1.00

Median: $5.26

Average: $4.90

High: $7.39

Current Low Price: $3.99

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 26

Have/Want: 103/10

Where Sold:  MIneola, NY

Time It Took To Sell:  14 years

Where and When Bought: free copy 

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B

Sad To See It Go: No

20-year career retrospective of previously unreleased material from later period Captain Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas.  Gary came in on French Horn for Ice Cream For Crow and all kinds of Doc At Radar Station guitar.  He had to switch gears when Beefheart quit music to paint.  Gary is still around and did a show recently with his long running band Gods & Monsters that was an early launchpad for Jeff Buckley.

This record of home recordings, live recordings, studio all-star one offs with Nick Cave and the recently passed David Johansen come and go in this 18-track release.  You also get peers like Peter Stampfel and Richard Barone.  Gary takes a featured live guitar solo on Ice Cream For Crow's "Flavor Bud Living" and more of the Captain comes on "Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles" on 1980 recordings. "Oat Hate" was recorded in Gary's living room 1982. 

Styles from a Hal Wilner production to an ambient closer with DJ Spooky about.  It all looks so good on paper.  Long time Boston music critic Ted Drozdowski gave this a full 5 stars.  On paper it looks like it should be that way.  A genius sharing his work.  Like Beefheart, it is a difficult sprawling listen of a great artist cleaning out his cupboard.  I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember the exact scenario of how this made it on my CD shelf without the shrink-wrap being taken off for a cursory spin.  So now I had to listen a few times on my laptop from streamland since it sold as graded mint and sealed after 25 years on the shelf.  "Breath of Bones" kicks off the closing ambient portion of album over 6 minutes with some ripping guitar before the 13 minute closer with DJ Spooky.

 Every time I listed this week start to finish, there is one great song that jumps out.  It is the "Judgement At Midnight Theme" recorded live in 1999 at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn, paired with the Blane "Judgement" with the tracks mislabeled in the 8th and 9th position. 

Better get ready for judgement!

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