Customer Reviews

Paean to Wilson

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I bought this the day that it was released and instantly thought, "it's going to take something truly astounding to surpass this recording as my best for the year". I didn't want to post that back in January so waited until now (mid-December) to affirm that thought.

The depth and breadth of this recording allows much room to wax poetic here but I'll just say that every person I've played this for has fallen in love with it (and bought their own copies, I don't make copies of whole albums, 3 tracks max). I think that the content of Vini's last few releases are a tad lackluster, but this one is easily on par with 'The Return of' and 'LC'.

It's a must-have for someone who may have given up some time ago, and/or for someone completely unfamiliar with Durutti Column. My mother is in her mid-60's and has been listening to this since February, my niece is now 3 and will go from wild banshee to attentive sloth by the second track especially if it's on the laptop with the media player's psychedelic screen going!

Bravo, Vini...Bravo!

I was quite surprised when I heard this because, due to the fast rate that DC has been releasing music on the Kooky label over the past five years, I was expecting anything but a standout. As it turns out I regard this recording as highly as I do The Guitar and Other Machines and Obey the Time (released in 1988 and 1990). The music on Paean to Wilson has much more sense of performance than in recent releases. The album as a whole relies much less on thoughtful gimmicks. For example, the recycling of Vini's own guitar chords and lyrics - now a trademark for DC - is less prevalent. Although drummer Bruce Mitchell's presence is very subtle, the nature of the music makes a 'whole band' feeling come across pretty easily. Each track is strong; there's plenty of powerfully melodic hooks; there's just the right cohesive sense of diversity. The press cites the experience as elegiac, yet it's not that way any more than usual for a Durutti Column release. I would say this one's just more focused (and purposeful given the tribute to Vini's friend Mr. Wilson). There are live and sampled vocals spread around (including lots of airtime from the late Marvin Gaye and Tony Wilson himself), yet this is largely an instrumental album. And a emotionally moving one at that. Although it's not as big a deal as people (including Vini himself) have made it out to be, Vin doesn't sing at all here as he has before. Yes, DC knows how to have its own tradition, yet I don't see how any gesture could be surprising because they have always been gloriously anarchistic at the same time. Overall, Paean to Wilson doesn't differ that much from DC's whole oeuvre, in fact it's quite in line with what came before. What's nice is that it became such a heavy musical stroke amongst all of it.