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Dylan visits John Lennon’s newly widowed wife Yoko Ono in New York City. (1981)

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day,
Nothing gold can stay. (Robert Frost)

The Felice Brothers are amongst the cream of the many roots/rock outfits to emerge in recent years. Simone Felice, one of the three brothers in the group has now started his own band – The Duke and The King, with Robert “Chicken” Burke -  a George Clinton sideman. On their MySpace Duke describe themselves as a cross between Marvin Gaye and James Taylor; Smokey Robinson and Paul Simon; Sly and The Family Stone. Nothing Gold Can Stay, Duke & King’s debut effort is a gem of an album containing beautiful songs born out of pain and rebirth.

Halfway through the recording Simone’s partner lost the baby they were expecting and his loss is reflected in the album title (from a Robert Frost poem) and then in the songs which reflect on good times past with a sense of joy, loss, regret and hard won wisdom. The joys of life are precious, fragile and fading. There is also an understated, but crucial, thread of hope.

The best is saved for last with the brilliant One More American Song. This song tells the story of John the King of the Bottle Tops, the quiet kid at school who got messed up in the army and now spends his life pushing shopping carts. The short journey there (ten tracks) is filled with heart rending and beautiful songs. To use a cliche – it’s pretty much all killer with no filler.

Beautiful, heart rending, dramatic, reflective. An album to be savoured.

(4/5)

Simone Felice MySpace page

The Duke & The King MySpace page

“Union Street” download

D.A. Pennebaker’s Dylan Film Don’t Look Back is released on DVD. It includes an alternative version of the Subterranean Homesick Blues video and four new soundtracks. (2000)

Due for release on January 11th. Click below to listen to the entire album in advance

A VH1 channel poll of 700 music industry experts selects Dylan’s Like A Rolling Stone as the fourth greatest rock song of all time. (2000)

Dylan flies from London to Rome, Italy, where he meets up with folk singer Odetta. During his stay in Italy he writes two new songs, Girl From The North Country and Boots Of Spanish Leather. (1963)

Although I already own a number of Miles albums, box sets and reissues I still couldn’t resist splashing out on the Complete Columbia Album Collection. Jazzwise have posted this excellent review which underlines all the reasons which make it a purchase I don’t regret.