Album: Gazelle
Year: 1997
. . .
Unlike the first Super 5 Thor album, Ford, which had started as a bunch of guitar and vocal tracks recorded by Scott Oliver and Manny Diez with the bass & drums overdubbed later on, the second album, 1997’s Gazelle was a little bui more thought through. A little bit, as this time everybody played the basic tracks in the same studio, with Scott & Manny joined by Ron Woods on bass, and the mysterious Alisa on the drums.
That said, the experimental, low fi ethos that had marked Ford was still in place for these sessions. For example, they learned the songs, and then they recorded them in a single take, with maybe some overdubs here and there — including some by once and future Miss Alans producer Tracy Chisolm — with the goal being more about feel than perfection.
And nowhere does that goal get fulfilled better than the title track, “Gazelle,” which features of with some nice tom work from Alisa — clearly Maureen Tucker was an influence on them — which perfectly underscores the rhythm guitar work from Scott & Manny proving that all of those years listening to White Light / White Heat hadn’t gone to waste, as they chugga chugga chugga right along, with just the right amount of noise and distortion.
Also reminiscent of the Velvets: the really cool swirling organ part overdubbed by Manny that basically anchors the entire song, weaving in and out of the guitar.
And over all of this is a single lyric: “Gaaa-zellllllllle” chanted over and over and over by Scott, maybe Manny and definitely Alisa, who once again gets a backing vocals credit. According to Scott, the song was inspired by an accordion player who came down for the sessions. And while the song she played on didn’t make the record, at least she did. Kinda.
That said, it’s entirely possible that song might be on the third Super 5 Thor album — which I think is called Tokyo Gardens (yay!) — which Scott told me that he’s been working on in the middle of all of the other things he’s been working on. Though maybe not, because he characterizes it as being based on things he and Manny have occasionally recorded this century for Super 5 Thor. I’ve heard some of this stuff — way back in 2009, he sent me some tracks — and I’m really looking forward to hearing the full thing.
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“Gazelle”
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