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Album Review: Clutch, Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1

Posted in Reviews on November 25th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

Clutch Weathermaker Vault Series Vol 1

For those Clutch fans who’ve followed along over the last year-plus as the band has made their way toward building up their ‘Weathermaker Vault Series’ — the first one to be unveiled was Cactus-via-WillieDixon‘s “Evil” in June 2019 — through their own Weathermaker Music label, the collection Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1, should be a welcome advent. At very least convenient. In addition to the singles themselves, it includes odds and ends like “Run, John Barleycorn, Run” from the Maryland lifer-rockers’ 2014 split with reggae-informed buddies Lionize, and “Algo Ha Cambiado,” a cover of influential ’70s-era Argentinian outfit Pappo’s Blues that appeared in a jammier take as part of 2009’s Strange Cousins From the West (discussed here and here), as well as sundry other reduxes and covers.

It is, accordingly, a fan-piece. Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1 should probably not be anyone’s starting point with Clutch. The band have a wide catalog of full-lengths to choose from, and which one makes the best entry to their work is an argument — a fun argument! — for another time. These 10 songs put together as a respectable 38-minute LP are best approached for what they are, and that’s a niche offering for the previously-indoctrinated.

There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. As they approach 30 years since first getting together, the four-piece of vocalist Neil Fallon, guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster are no strangers when it comes to this kind of thing. Various limited live offerings through the years have surfaced, as well as countless promo discs and collections like 2003’s Slow Hole to China: Rare and Unreleased, 2005’s Pitchfork & Lost Needles, 2015’s La Curandera and of course the massive 2020 limited box set, The Obelisk, that brought together all their Weathermaker material — this compilation aside — under one banner. It may be the first of its kind — and it may not be the last; hence ‘vol. 1’ — but even though the method of releasing singles and David Brodsky-directed videos over the course of a year and a half is new to the band, it’s an engagement with multimedia-focused attention spans in a way that fits with what they’ve done before.

Beginning with the recently-unveiled revisit to “Passive Restraints” from the 1992 Earache Records EP of the same name that features a guest appearance from vocalist Randy Blythe of Lamb of GodWeathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1 wants nothing for an initial kick of energy. The nature of an outing like this is to be somewhat disjointed as tracks from various sessions are cobbled together, and Clutch have always been a band who bring out different sounds and vibes working with different producers, and while J. Robbins might be the unifying factor here in having helmed several of the songs, there are still shifts both in sound and style as the band spans their long career arc. Clutch don’t hide from them.

Clutch (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Instead, they back “Passive Restraints” with a newer take on one of their most successful singles, “Electric Worry.” The song that originally appeared on 2007’s From Beale Street to Oblivion (reissue reviewed here) is among Clutch‘s most landmark hooks, and while the single version had the unfortunate timing of being roughly concurrent with the death of former organist Mick Schauer, who played on that album and that track, the Weathermaker Vault “Electric Worry” does well in capturing a sense of the band’s live performance of it. Likewise that the later, speeded up redo for “Spacegrass.” It’s almost painful to hear Maines‘ holy-of-holies bassline played at anything other than a glacial pace, and the total presentation throughout is almost too clean for its own good in comparison to the danker edge with which that “Whenever it feels right” hook was delivered some 25 years ago, but again, that was 25 years ago, and Clutch take nothing away from what was by giving a reinterpretation to their own material.

The only other album track on Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1 is “Smoke Banshee,” originally on 2001’s Pure Rock Fury and it’s the best of the three. That LP has been maligned by some for its rougher-edged production — I’ll argue the “noise factor” is part of its appeal — but there’s no debating the success they bring in terms of fullness of sound in this version of “Smoke Banshee.” If they’re testing the waters for a full-re-recording or full-album live runthrough to mark the record’s 20th anniversary next year, “Smoke Banshee” shows that material might indeed be ripe for a revamp. And I like Pure Rock Fury. A lot.

ZZ Top‘s “Precious and Grace” feels like it might be included to let anyone who didn’t know know that Fallon cribbed the “Good god almighty…” lyric on Elephant Riders‘ “Eight Times Over Miss October” from the Texan outfit, and fair enough, and the Creedence Clearwater Revival cut “Fortunate Son” that presumably closes side A could hardly be a more fitting Clutch song if they wrote it. “Run, John Barleycorn, Run” is another among the slew of quality hooks early on, sat comfortably between “Electric Worry” and “Evil,” and quite possibly the best choice Clutch made as regards Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1 was to put “Willie Nelson” last, since invariably that’s the song that would be stuck in the listener’s head when the LP is over anyway. There’s just no escape from that chorus, and the re-recording — it originally appeared on Slow Hole to China and in a different version on the 2004 High Times compilation, High Volume — absolutely nails it.

That, obviously, is spoken as a fan of the band, but if the point hasn’t yet be made, that’s who inevitably will be most concerned with Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1 anyhow. It’s for the kind of Clutch listener who’s hoping they announce a holiday-timed ‘Doom Saloon’ live stream to take the place of the usual tour. Clutch have discussed the possibility of recording a new album this winter, but since they they can’t play live as they otherwise invariably would, Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1 is an opportunity in the meantime for followers to step forward and show support to the band and the work they’ve put in not only across this year, but for nearly three decades. If you made it this far reading, you probably know that already.

Clutch, “Willie Nelson” official video

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Clutch Releasing Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1 Nov. 27

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 19th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

Clutch fans, you know what this is. Slow Hole to China. Lost Needles. That La Curandera vinyl. The sundry live records from the earlier ’10s. This is the kind of Clutch offering that comes out as a fan-piece, and if you don’t pick it up, you only get pissed off later at not having done so. You know exactly how it is. You see it at the merch table and you’re like, “Eh, I already bought five shirts, I’ll get it next time,” and then it’s gone and out of print and you feel like a sap. It’s why you bought that deluxe Earth Rocker even though you had the regular one. And you were right to do that.

So, after watching Clutch produce kickass videos for the ‘Weathermaker Vault Series’ over the last year-plus, you know what to do with Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1. They’ve even put that Pappo’s Blues cover on there.

You can’t lose:

clutch weathermaker vault series vol 1

CLUTCH SET TO RELEASE “THE WEATHERMAKER VAULT SERIES VOL. I” NOVEMBER 27TH

Clutch will be releasing The Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. I November 27th.

In the summer of 2019, Weathermaker Music began to release digital-only Clutch covers and re-recorded songs from their vast catalog as a way to stay active and give fans a regular dose of Clutch every six or so weeks. The campaign is called The Weathermaker Vault Series, and it has been successful so far with the digital release of 9 singles. Weathermaker Music is now releasing a ten-track physical album on CD and 12″ vinyl as The Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. I. The album will contain one unreleased track, a Spanish language cover version of “Algo Ha Cambiado,” a hard-rocking shuffle written by the legendary blues-rock guitarist Norberto Napolitano affectionately known as Pappo of the pioneering Argentinean blues metal band Pappos Blues. The CD and the digital album version will be released on November 27th. A 12″ colored vinyl (Opaque White) LP version will be available in the new year.

“This Clutch release is unique in that we chose to record some of our favorite songs by artists that have provided us with inspiration over the years as well as re-record some Clutch Classics,” states drummer Jean-Paul Gaster. “Hitting the studio this way was great to keep our recording chops up as well as celebrate some music that has meant so much to us as fans and musicians.”

The Weathermaker Vault Series Vol.I Track Listing:

01. Passive Restraints
02. Electric Worry
03. Run, John Barleycorn, Run
04. Evil
05. Fortunate Son
06. Algo Ha Cambiado
07. Spacegrass
08. Precious And Grace
09. Smoke Banshee
10. Willie Nelson

CLUTCH:
Neil Fallon – Vocals/Guitar
Tim Sult – Guitar
Dan Maines – Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster – Drums/Percussion

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Clutch, “Willie Nelson” official video

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