BEST ONE continued from page 11
cigarettes with filters,” he says rather righteously. He loved cigars and said he could inhale “right down into my lungs” without it ever bothering him. He quit many years ago when he developed pneumonia. The only thing he loves almost
as much as motorcycles are candies. He used to buy jellybeans, put them in his desk at school, get caught, have them confiscated, then bring more back to school the next day. He loved black licorice and Bungalow chocolates. And pails of Patterkrisp, in the green pail with the picture of a happy child on it. As he talks about his love of
sweets, he pulls two candies out of his shirt pocket and holds them up as evidence that he’s still equipped. His first bike, when he was in his
early 20s, was a Whizzer − a bicycle with a motor attached. It was built by the Schwinn Bike Company.
“That little engine was so
smooth,” he says, sounding just like a teenager. “Oh, it was so nice!” He kept a stick of rosin in his
back pocket “for a little rub” on the drive belt, which would sometimes slip. He’d reach down and rub the rosin along the belt while he was riding. “It’s a wonder I didn’t get my
fingers taken off,” he says. He sold the Whizzer for about
$60. “That was a lot of money in those days.” He always liked small motors,
particularly the gasoline-powered Iron Horse engines that farmers used in order to pump water from old dug wells. And he liked Gravely tractors so much that he’d pick up old abandoned ones, restore them like new and then often give them away. He wishes he had dropped out
of school sooner and had just gone to night class to learn more about engines. But with his tremendous
Slipstream Bonnie Raitt (Redwing Records)
One of the original goddesses of
slide guitar, Bonnie Raitt has released her first studio album in seven years. “Slipstream” is a re-affirmation
HILTON’S 1942 HARLEY-DAVIDSON 45
of her chops. It also showcases the diversity she’s always had musically − as well as her maturation as a songstress. The album has a number of
ONE OF HILTON’S BSAS
facility for anything mechanical, he probably taught himself far more than any teacher could. He takes it in his stride. “When
you take something apart once,” he says, “you never forget.” On Sundays, he’d wax his bike
with Cadillac’s “Blue Coral” paste wax (he bought it by the case), and woe betide anyone who touched it and left handprints on it after that. On Saturday nights he’d wash
his bike with Fab soap and clean the castings with Harley-Davidson Gunk. “It smelled like creosote,” he
says, “and it just about took your skin off. I’d go for a ride and you could smell that gunk everywhere. It’s a wonder it didn’t kill me. It was like acid, that stuff. I shoulda wore rubber gloves. It looked like molasses. You’d paint it on and then let it sit, then spray it with the garden hose. But it made the metal castings come out so nice and bright – oh, it was nice.” Leighton likes to tell about the
recent auction at Hilton’s house – the one Hilton had lived in since he was born and where he kept his cache of motorcycle “stuff “ “Hilton never throws away
anything,” he says, “so people were continued on page 33
12 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
www.bounder.ca
different feels to it, which is understandable, given that Raitt uses two distinct bands along with various guests almost equally over the 12 songs here. Her regular band is rock solid; producer Joe Henry’s are as good. “Slipstream” is pretty much
tasteful, sweetly interpreted covers, though Raitt does write the lyrics for one song and arrangements for a couple of others. It kicks off with a funky number penned by Randall Bramlett: “Used to Rule the World”, and then slides into the late Gerry Rafferty (lead singer of Stealer’s Wheel, for those who go way back!) classic: “Right Down the Line”. It’s getting a lot of radio airplay, and you can see why. Raitt stays true to the original and adds some jazzy guitar riffs at the end to embellish an AOR (adult-oriented radio) staple, done her way. Not content to take on just one
Dylan tune, she covers two here. “A Million Miles” is six and a half minutes of pleasure. Raitt handles Dylan’s sparse lyrics with ease, layering acoustic, electric and slide on top of each other, all anchored by the stand-up bass of David Pitch and the easy drumming of Jay Bellerose. It’s probably the best track on the album, and in my opinion a better cover than “Standing in the Doorway” – from Dylan’s Time Out of Mind, itself a post-hiatus album of sorts. Granted, they are quite different songs, but with each Raitt stays true to the original while adding her own stylistic touches.
www.bounder.ca BILL MACPHERSON All of “Slipstream” is like that:
up-tempo numbers like “Down To You”, “Ain’t Gonna Let You Go” − featuring great guitar and some wicked slide − “Marriage Made In Hollywood” ( a bit weak), and the boxing as metaphor for a not-so- great relationship “Split Decision” are mixed with slower, more contemplative numbers like “You Can’t Fail Me Now”, “Not Cause I Wanted To” and the solo piano- accompanied closer, “God Only Knows”. This is Bonnie Raitt moving
forward and growing as an artist. She’s reflective, gospel-tinged at times in the slower numbers. She sings of love, relationships and the wisdom of maturity. She still wields a mean guitar though, whether slide, electric or acoustic. Always, her playing is understated but resonant. “Slipstream” showcases her
maturity and diversity with her usual understatement. Repeated listens accentuate the guitar skills and heartfelt vocals she’s honed over many years. She also looks fantastic in the liner sleeves. The extended absence seems beneficial in every way. PPP ½ stars
MUSIC REVIEW
BOUNDER MAGAZINE 13
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