Peter Gelling "Bluestime"

Now I know I have a tendency to become a little colourful and unrestrained in my reviews, I do get enthusiastic about good albums, and in my excitement I want to tell everyone about what is available. I have been asked why my reviews are largely positive and the honest answer is that, if an album's crap, or if I just can't listen to it for whatever reasons, I won't write about it. I refuse to write bad things about somebody's pride and joy. A bad review can ravage an artist, and I never want to be the cause of damaging a musicians career or earning power. It's a tough enough industry anyway, and I'm in the business of supporting Australian artists to the best of my modest ability, so I leave the nasty stuff to others. Now having said all that, I can tell you that the album in this review, is perhaps the finest blues album I've ever heard from an Australian artist, and it even beats many international albums in my opinion.

Peter Gelling was a complete unknown to me up until a few short weeks ago, much to my embarrassment. In a phone conversation with Glenn Nelson of Highway 49 fame in Melbourne, Glenn happened to mention that he'd just heard a very good album from an Adelaide Muso, and he gave me a contact number for Peter. I phoned Peter and he came to my house the next day and kindly gave me a copy of his album. We had a bit of a yarn and after he left, I cranked the volume and sat back to listen, and what was coming from my speakers, absolutely blew me away. I could not believe how good this CD was. I've played it a million times already, and when I've worn it out, I'll go and get another copy, and another, I never want to be without this outstanding album, it is just that good.

Peter, being a multi-instrumentalist, plays most of the instruments on the album, but he does use a couple of 'guest' musicians on some tunes, and he also wrote ten of the album's eleven tunes. Peter doesn't sing a lot so he's enlisted Robert Susz from The Mighty Reapers and Wayne Jury from Bridie King to help out in that department, Robert Susz of course, first rose to distinction as vocalist in the Dynamic Hepnotics.

Peter Gelling was the Founder and Musical Director of the blues band Blind Freddie, performing since 1987, and has had more than 20 years experience, he's even released his own series of blues guitar instruction books. Some of the artists Blind Freddie supported are; Albert King, Junior Wells, Canned Heat, Little Charlie and The Nightcats, John Hammond, Maria Muldaur and Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers. Peter has also worked with Wendy Saddington, Margaret Roadknight, The Foreday Riders, The Mighty Reapers, and many more. This accumulated knowledge and experience is obvious when listening to Peter's solo debut CD which incidentally, was recorded partially in Adelaide, and partly in Sydney.

The album's title track, Bluestime, a harmonica lead instrumental sets the pace for the album as it roars along as bold as brass, before heading into one of the most extraordinary recordings I've ever heard, Echoes is another instrumental tune, but Peter has wound the music around some dialogue from the late, great Howlin' Wolf and a lady called Margie Evans. The Howlin' Wolf dialogue is from the MCA Box Set released a couple of years ago with over 70 of the Wolf's tunes and a few short spoken stories from his life. Peter obtained permission from Howlin' Wolf's estate to use some of this dialogue and the end result, is nothing short of spectacular. Sounding as though this was how it was meant to be, it's a hauntingly exquisite work of art, and when Margie Evans begins her piece, shivers will run up your spine, the anguish, and the pride of the woman, will touch your heart. Another superb tune is My Only True Friend Is The Blues, a slow blues song with strong vocals from Wayne Jury, nice Hammond Organ strains throughout, and glorious guitar. Movin' South is an upbeat, vibrant little instrumental which will have your foot tapping non-stop. Peter next lets us know that he has a sense of humour with Blues Singing Dog, which sees a Blue Cattle Dog singing harmonies with Peter's harmonica, I kid you not. Very cleverly done, Peter told me that the mutt demanded his fee in dog biscuits, and why not, he's also on the front cover of the liner.

It's difficult to fault this album, good song follows good song, the gorgeous instrumental Blues For Otto almost had this old cynic weeping. I'm not sure who 'Otto' is, but I bless him for inspiring Peter to write that tune. Watch Your Step and Worried Mind conclude the Peter Gelling originals. The latter tune there could have been my theme song with it's woe-is-me attitude, majestic stuff. And the final tune, penned by James Oden, is Goin' Down Slow, which Peter treats lovingly, is slow blues at their very finest.

I cannot say enough good things about this CD which I regard as an authentic masterpiece. On a scale of one to ten, I would give it a twelve, there is not a weak point anywhere in my opinion, hence my bald statement, the very best Australian album I've ever heard.

Available in town at The Muses, and Blue Beat Records, or directly from Empire Records, by phoning (03) 9417 7707.