Customer Reviews

Unfinished Business

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of my favorite albums by Danny. It is a true potpourri of styles (but isn't that what Danny was all about?), and if anyone doubts that Danny was the greatest guitarist to walk on this sweet earth ... well just listen to this CD.

"Sleepwalk" had been in Danny's repertoire for many years when this was recorded, but he plays it with such feeling, such inventiveness, such utter mastery of his instrument, that if it were a painting, it would be hanging in the Louvre. This is a cut to be treasured, listened to over and over ... it grows more beautiful with each repeated listening.

"Notcho Blues" is, I think, a tribute to Roy Buchanan, Danny's elder fellow Tele player, from whom he picked up a lot of guitar. Roy has a similar sounding cut on one of his albums, except his blues stays on the tonic for the entire piece. Danny stays on the tonic for an extended period, but then moves to the subdominant and completes the blues form. This is done so dramatically and with such soul, that it will blow you away. Awesome!!

"Fingers on Fire" shows Danny's humorous side as well as demonstrating his monster technique. It is the musical equivalent of a Marx Brothers movie.

"Cherokee" is Danny's tribute to his first musical influence, Les Paul. He does an admirable job imitating Les, with the help of some overdubbing.

"Lappin' it Up" is played on a lap steel guitar, and The Charlie Christian piece is played on a big Gibson.

"Melancholy Serenade", Jackie Gleason's TV theme, is given the royal treatment. This cut shows why Danny was really one of a kind: he didn't play his guitar like most other guitarists. On this cut, he plays it as if it were a tenor saxophone. His solo is so funky, so full of soul, you can imagine Cannonball Adderly (on tenor) playing it (his lines are definitely not those of a guitarist). He could make his Tele sound like a B-3 organ, a pedal steel, a cow bell, etc.

The other songs are equally delightful. This CD is a must for any fans of Danny, of guitar, or just of plain great music.

Oh Yeah ! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yeah! The did it! Finally they did it! They released again "Unfinished business" which was the last album I didn't have from Danny Gatton! Yeah! My collection is now complete! I own everything Danny has ever recorded and published! I own the "whole story"! And what an incredibly story that has been! Danny was an amazing player, he was able to play every imaginable american music style with the best of them and probably better than the best players of each style! Jazz, rockabilly, blues, chickenpicking, surf, slide, acoustic, ballads, bluegrass everything, he could play everything with great authority and he hated to be categorized in just one of those kinds of playing because he knew he was able to play marvellous music in all those styles. Try to figure out that it happened in the nineties that Guitar Player Magazine readers voted him as the best country guitar player and he did never record a pure country album in his life! Talking about a spectacular player that could outplay every cat in the biz! But after all, he played something that was really personal out of all those influences. He play very good music not a bunch of licks taken from here or there. This album is among his best in my opinion together with "Redneck Jazz", "Redneck Jazz Explosion", "Relentless" with Joey De Francesco and few more. It's simply Danny at the top of his game. He was a living encyclopedia of american music. His '53 telecaster in his hands was able to produce some truly breathtaking rollercoaster music. He is one of the very few guys that have left me asking "How did he do that?" (to quote a very wellknown Eddie Van Halen phrase about Allan Holdsworth). I mean, "unifinished Business" is Danny at his best. And "When he's on, he's probably the best there is" (just to quote another wellknown statement, this time from Jimmy Page talking about Jeff Beck). Noone played the american music like Danny did. If you don't know Danny this one is a very good place to start. If you know Danny and you don't own this album you know what you're missing.

Danny was so good it's ridiculous. When I first heard this CD years ago, I flipped out. Words cant do justice to Danny's playing. Just listen! Awesome tone and technique. This is a must have for any guitarist, it will put you in your place quick. "Fingers on Fire" will have your jaw on the ground. "Sky King" will make you fly. They didn't call him "The Humbler" for nothing. So sad that he's gone...

Danny Gatton is a guitar genius. Everything is pristine, clean, and totally flawless. Nothing short of fantastic. Nit Pickin' & Sleepwalk are the strongest. His style on guitar cannot be outdone.

Using words to describe Gatton's playing is useless not only does he touch all bases on guitar here but he does it with sound , technique, style, tone and all adjectives you can think of to describe guitar playing. That being said he had apparently mastered blues, country and jazz in all of it's glory including rockabilly and swing. You name it he played it. He has more chops here than most players have in their lifetime. Strongly recommended.

I was fortunate enough to see Danny Gatton perform live just once, and I must say it was an experience never to be forgotten. It was in the same locale (Wheaton, MD) as the credits show on the inside cover of this CD package. Just to read the credits while this recording played on my system was a thrill all by itself.

The album itself is probably one of the best, if not the best "showcases" for Danny Gatton's prowess as a master guitarist. A wide range of styles are covered, notably jazz, rockabilly, and the unmistakable signature "Les Paul style sound on sound" riffs (listen to one of LP's albums and you would definitely hear the connection). The sound mix and overall audio quality are superbly engineered.

There are some very expensive postings offering this album in brand new condition, if you are a collector and would never break open the cellophane, GO FOR IT (might fetch more money at auction 20 years from now). If you just want to play this CD, and can find this recording in good or new condition at a fair price, however GRAB IT!!!!

This is Dannys Masterpiece! In my opinion this is the greatest guitar ablum ever. I used to think that Morse, Via and Satch were it. When I first heard this record ( yes I have the record and now the CD) it turned me on to a whole new style of guitar playing. This album shows all of Dannys ability to play so many styles better than anyone else! Nobody makes records like this anymore. Put this on and enjoy.

This CD is worth the price just to have a copy of Sky King! The transition from the sax solo to the guitar riff really knocked me out the first time I heard it. There is no one who could play like the TeleMaster.

Five stars does not do this CD justice. It is a album full of virtuoso, bravura performances. I think Danny was heard to best advantage on ballads. My personal favorite is "Sleepwalk", which is clearly untouchable. It leaves you awestruck in its beauty, perfection. The other tracks display his vast knowledge of music, his virtuosity, his tastefulness, and his full range of emotion. After Danny, it's really imposible to listen to anyone else.

All Danny Gatton albums are worth it yet the only thing I found dissapointing about this were the "bonus tracks". If you already have the copy with Georgia on My Mind, don't waste your money on this. The Quiet Village bonus is not worth buying another one as the mix of the drum track got on my nerves after a few minutes. Hope his estate is getting the benefits of this release. God knows who owns the rights to his material now.