Review: David Axelrod: "The Edge"

Sun Nov 27, 05:53 PM by

For everyone not up on the huge-ass hip hop producer who sampled this guy game, David Axelrod may not be a name you are familiar with. However, as this compilation proves, you should be. Your Axelrod game should be up because Axelrod is name-dropped by artists and tastemakers that hail from extremely diverse musical backgrounds. (Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones, and DJ Shadow, just to name a few…)
The Edge consists of selections of Axelrod’s work between the years of 1966-1970, while employed by Capitol Records. It was during this period that Axelrod admits that he grew out of his “golden-boy” phase, to create an aesthetic in his music that was as unique as it was derivative of primarily black music from the late 1950’s through the mid-sixties.

This compilation was curated by Stones Throw/Now-Again Records mainstay Ethan “Egon” Alapatt, (whose credits also include production of the sublime Funky 16 Corners as well as the Stark Reality reissues.) For this, Egon made sure that The Edge has a streamlined, no-frills feel to it, and generally steers clear of the “muddled with distorted guitar solos” sound that some of Axelrod’s later work is characterized by. What we get instead is a collection of Axelrod’s rumbling, cinematic-sounding and largely drum-propelled work and production. (During this period, Axelrod founded and headed the Black Music Division of Capitol Records, which undoubtedly influenced his own sound…)

The Edge delivers ten of Axelrod’s most compelling productions drawn from his three solo LPs for Capitol, surrounded by seven of the hundreds of Capitol releases where Axelrod is credited as writer and producer. If you’re not convinced to go buy this record by my boring-ass, dry review, go see if you can (ahem,) ‘stream’ Lou Rawls’ “Lifetime Monologue” or Axelrod’s “House of Mirrors” and hear for yourself.

One thing I really like about this record is the liner notes, which are well written, and thoughtfully presented. They read like a biography; but, I like that shit because I’m a nerd. (Has great photos for illiterates, too!) Although none of the tracks disappoint, there are a few that outshine: David McCallum’s “House of Mirrors,” and Axelrod’s “Human Abstract” are fine examples of this. They seem to posses a transcendent quality: A clash of multi-instrumentalization that builds itself to a driving force that most composers can only aspire to. These truly are works that can definitely be appreciated by a varied audience. The crate-digger at the back of the bus with the iPod and the 53 year old suit in the Lexus will be nodding their heads to the same pulsating Axelrod creation if this record gets its just due.

David Axelrod: The Human Abstract

Lou Rawls: Lifetime Monologue

Now go buy it, here.

If you’re awesome, buy it here.

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