ERIC JOHNSON
Souvenir
(Vortexan Music)
Eric Johnson's fans are a devoted lot, arguably the most tenacious of those of any current guitar god. Guys like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Steve Morse certainly pack clubs to the rafters with acolytes, but Johnson's a horse of a different color. It wasn't for nothing that his debut CD in 1986 was named Tones, as he's the player with the golden ears as well as fingers. Johnson is the man who can hear the difference a brand of battery makes in his effects. He's also a capable singer who happened to meld his pipes and his guitar brilliantly on the aforementioned Tones. It set the bar awfully high, with Hendrixian wizardry, ethereal textures, and tones. Killer tones. 1990's Ah Via Musicom was a fine CD as well, though Johnson produced it himself, and it stepped squarely into guitar hero territory. Venus Isle (1996) was a mess of overambitious sonic hoo-ha and wide-eyed poetry.

Johnson produces music at a maddeningly slow pace as he perfects his sounds, and when he's not playing or recording with his "blues" outfit Alien Love Child he's taken to issuing music from his unreleased and/or rare back catalog. 1998 saw the release of Seven Worlds, an album-length demo from the late 70s, as well as Electromagnets, the eponymous fusion album from 1975 that was a prized collector's item in vinyl form.

Souvenir is a new compilation that, like Seven Worlds, is an official release of material that's been widely circulated among tape collectors. Some of the material dates back to the early 70s. All of it demonstrates a remarkably well-formed and consistent creative voice, for better or for worse.

"Get to Go" is part slip-sliding JJ Cale blues, part subtle, airy pop. It's one of those songs Johnson does sometimes that sounds like he's trying to shake the criticism that his music is soulless. Ditto for the chugging "Hard Times." "Space of Clouds," though compared to Pink Floyd in the liner notes, sounds like a musical interlude from Musicom. Feedback wails and slinky bass sound great, though certainly familiar. "Forever Yours" and "I'm Finding You," the latter of which features the gorgeous tenor of Johnson's former bassist Rob Alexander, are a pair of the sort of acoustic ballads Johnson can pull off when his songwriting doesn't become over-earnest. "Climbing From the Inside" takes the ballad formula one step sideways with mild jazz inflections. If Johnson is trying to find soul, jazz is where he may have more luck than he's had with blues.

For Johnson fans, the real nugget here is the much sought-after romp through the Beatles' "Paperback Writer." Say what you will about whether the song needs an extended guitar solo, Johnson clearly has a ball layering vocals and knocking out the pristine signature lick. "Virginia" is also a treat, a Musicom-era outtake with a sweet vocal melody and cavernous guitars. The riff is a tad clunky, which is probably why it wasn't released previously, but this song could be re-inserted into Johnson's set list and work well to this day. The rest of the songs include pleasant acoustic instrumentals, such as the country and/or western-flavored "Dusty" and "Paladin," as well as the ominous "Fanfare One," which could easily have worked as an introduction to Musicom. It was recorded in 1973.

For a collection that spans such a broad time span, Souvenir is remarkably consistent. It works well enough to be more than a bone to throw to the hungry Eric Johnson fans. Heck, it's better than Venus Isle. Brian Briscoe

For fans of: Wes Montgomery, Jimi Hendrix, Chet Atkins