Good Times No.3/2001 June/July

TORONTO WEBSITE 
REVIEW OF EL MOCAMBO SHOW

With two concerts in two nights, this city is Backstreet Boys crazed. Fortunately, that isn't the only source of entertainment. Outside the bar, a neon palm tree flicks on and off. Inside, Eric Andersen is confused, looking for the bathrooms, but happily he is told where to go. This isn't the first time he's been given some form of direction, but usually from great musicians. He's worked with Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed, and was being lured by Brian Epstein so he hung around with the Fabs as well. The seats are gone and it's standing room only. A television above the bar is showing The West Wing (American weekly political drama). Moments later, Andersen walks on with his acoustic guitar in hand, opening with 'Eyes Of The Immigrant' from his new album, 'Can't Relive The Past'. "It's great to be here, but what a problem I had with Customs at the border," he says. "I was going to take some of my friends over with me, but I'd probably still be there waiting." The songs are sparse and dark, in the vein of Springsteen's 'Nebraska'. And the voice is as smooth as ever. He keeps on the Customs story. "I had to give the guy $150, I'm telling you." After asking for tea and having a sip, he quips, "Ah, just like life, a bit sweet but mostly sour." 'Night Falls On Amsterdam' talks about him and Van Zandt and their experiences in said Dutch city. "We were approached at a coffee house with a large Bible full of different drugs. Townes said he wanted to buy the book. The guy started sweating and said he couldn't. Then Townes, saddened, lowered his head and said, 'I just wanted some reading material for the flight back home.'" After each song, Andersen stands up and acknowledges the crowd, many of whom haven't seen the inside of the El Mocambo in decades. The first set ends with a broken string and some harmonica work. "I brought my orchestra," he says as he places it around his neck. He does some meet-and-greet, selling and signing all the CDs he brought over. A group of fans starts a collection and give him the change to help him get back over the border. Most people stay for the second set, with has some of the old favorites like 'Violets of Dawn' and 'Fog Horn', and another story - this time about how he hooked up with Lou Reed. "He's more of a folk musician than Pete Seeger, if you use the definition of folk music because he speaks about New York." 'Blue River' is done as a tribute to Rick Danko of The Band, and more songs but a little less banter continues into the wee small hours. Bliss. 
Jason MacNeil 
Thu Mar 16 2000 16:53 
GMTa

"It's a poetic quest, kind of like summoning a memory of the future. It is also what Eric Andersen does best and that is why he still matters." 
Anthony DeCurtis, 
Rolling Stone Magazine

COUNTRY.COM
REVIEW OF RYMAN THEATER SHOW

Willie and Company Hold Townes Van Zandt Tribute at Ryman Willie Nelson anchored a four-hour tribute concert to late Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt Wednesday night at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. Only a few living country songwriters can hold a candle to Van Zandt; Nelson is one, and he had two others by his side -- Kris Kristofferson and Billy Joe Shaver. Kristofferson showcased a handful of his best songs, including "Me and Bobby McGee," "Sunday Morning Coming Down" and "Why Me," backed by a nine-piece band and special vocal guest Janie Fricke. Shaver took the spotlight for two tunes during Nelson's headlining slot, performing "Georgia on a Fast Train" (with help from Kristofferson) and "You Asked Me To." Nelson, backed by his longtime road band, largely selected songs that have been a part of his act for decades. The legendary singer touched on some 35 or 40 songs, including his biggest hits ("Always on My Mind," "City of New Orleans"), classic originals ("Night Life," "Crazy"), classic covers ("If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time," "Walking the Floor Over You"), gospel numbers ("Uncloudy Day," "Amazing Grace") and instrumentals ("Ou Es-Tu, Mon Amour?"). He mentioned the night's honoree only once; that was before launching into Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty," a No. 1 duet for Nelson and Merle Haggard in 1983. Folk singer Eric Andersen kicked off the night, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar through three songs, including "Meadowlark," a tune he co-wrote with Van Zandt and recorded for his brand new album, You Can't Relive the Past. Nashville favorite Jonell Mosser performed "I'll Be There in the Morning" and "Tower Song," both from her 1996 album, Around Townes, an entire CD of Van Zandt material. The concert was emceed by Van Zandt's widow, Jeanene, and was a fund-raiser for the W.O. Smith Nashville Community School. 

"You know the way whiskey, good Irish whiskey, real drinking man's whiskey feels when it hits your stomach and your face flushes and you catch your breath a moment before your throat closes and suddenly the world is a dimmer place. Sometimes it's a better place, definitely different place with a different perspective. You know that feeling? That's Andersen's voice - not just his singing voice, mind you, but his VOICE." Michael Patrick Harrington, 
Rockpile

THE TENNESSEAN'S WEBSITE: 
REVIEW OF RYMAN THEATER SHOW

Helplessly hoping for a bigger encore? Lots of you called and wrote to say you enjoyed Willie Nelson's tribute to singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt Wednesday night at the Ryman. The encore, Amazing Grace, was a highlight. Willie was joined on stage by Janie Fricke, local rocker Jonell Mosser, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Deana Carter, folkie Eric Andersen and others. And Willie almost was joined on stage by David Crosby and Neil Young. The two, part of the Crosby Stills Nash & Young show last night at the arena, were slated to join Willie. But the CSNY plane apparently got to Nashville too late, though Neil did surprise some folks backstage at Willie's show when he walked through to greet Mr. Nelson. 

"He still hasn't abandoned his quest for perfect words." 
Evan Brooker, 
The Globe

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
SUNDAY 2/20/00 ...

Eric AndersenYou Can't Relive The Past(Appleseed ***1/2 )With two good friends dead and gone - Texas Troubadour Townes Van Zandt and former New York Times music critic Robert Palmer - '60s folk veteran Eric Andersen communes with ghosts on You Can't Relive the Past. He reinvigorates his own music in the process: Recording for the Appleseed label out of West Chester, the 57-year-old, poetically inclined singer-songwriter reclaims his voice by immersing himself in collaborative efforts. You Can't Relive The Past is commendably daring, if not quite cohesive. The album includes four folkie, highway-haunted songs written with Van Zandt in 1986 and sung in Andersen's still-resonant baritone, and four vibrant electric blues cut in Palmer's old Mississippi Delta stomping grounds with Fat Possum recording artists James "Super Chikan" Johnson, Sam Carr and Kenny Brown. "Memory runs right by your eyes, so real and so fast," Andersen sings on the title track, cowritten with Lou Reed. But on You Can't Relive The Past, he resists nostalgia, and instead uses loss as inspiration to move ahead with wisdom and grace. (Andersen is scheduled to play the Point in Bryn Mawr on March 16)

QUICK QUOTES...

"Eric Andersen is living quite compellingly in the present, making music that tells us resonant truths about our own movement through time." 
Anthony DeCurtis 
Rolling Stone Magazine

"Memory of the Future is more adventurous than its predecesor, 1989's widely praised Ghosts Upon the Road. The best song, the title cut, breaks new stylistic ground: Half Sade, half William Burroughs. It's jazzy sleek and menacing." 
Entertainment Weekly

"Memory of the Future is a stunning, seven-years-in-the-making jewelwhich features contibutions from Jonas Fjeld, Rick Danko, Richard Thompson, Howie Epstein, Benmont Tench, and Garth Hudson." 
No Depression, 
The American Alternative Country Music Magazine

6 STAR REVIEWS AND QUOTES FROM EUROPE 

"Mesterverk! Av beherskede og intense virkemidler. En sanger og låttskriver av stort format. " (Masterpiece! Of controlled and intense means. A singer and writer of immense importance). 
Dagbladet 
(Oslo, Norwegian national daily)

"En Kommende klassiker. Utsøkt vakkert, tankevekkende og spennende musikalsk album." (The next classic. Exquisitely beautiful, thought-provoking and excitingly musical album.) 
Aftenposten 
(Oslo, Norwegian national daily)

"Holder til evig tid!" (Will stand up for all time) 
Østlendingen 
(Oslo, Norwegian national daily)

"Et fantastisk album!" (A fantastik album.) 
Drammens Tidene 
(Oslo, Norwegian national daily)

"Årets første perle!" (The year's first pearl.) 
Harstad Tidene 
(Oslo, Norwegian national daily)

"Holder til evig tid!" 
Hamar Dagblad 
(Oslo, Norwegian national daily)

"Eric Andersen's Memory of The Future and personal songwriting style in is in its own superior class." Italian Rock magazine, 
Jam Magazine (Milan)

"Memory of the Future is a small wonder." 
German Rolling Stone (Berlin) 

"Excellent. Memory of the Future shines. Recorded with scrupulous care." 
La Repubblica's Dischi (Rome) 

"Memory of the Future is distinguished work. With the sweet, whispering voice that made its mark alongside the other models of the Greenwich Village scene of Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Lou Reed." Italian Rock Magazine, 
Mucchio (Rome)

REVIEW QUOTES FROM YOU CAN'T RELIVE THE PAST

SING OUT! Spring 2000

"Beginning with a stunning opener and moving through some of the grittiest tracks he's ever recorded - including four songwriting collaborations with the late, great Townes Van Zandt and another with art rock legend Lou Reed - You Can't Relive the Past is one of the strongest sets in Eric Andersen's 35 year-long recording career". - MR

MAY-JUNE 2000 NO DEPRESSION - ERIC ANDERSEN You Can't Relive the Past

"One of the most creative and erudite lyricists of the '60s folk revival (Vanguard has re-released the cream of his early material as Violets of Dawn), Eric Andersen balanced traditional Guthrie-esque travelin' songs with a Kerouac-inspired sensitivity as well as anyone but Bob Dylan, and he sang with a gorgeous, buttery voice that connoted both intensity and warmth. He has continued to write excellent songs through the past few decades though he has never matched his early commercial success...You Can't Relive the Past is Andersen's most ambitious work in years. While it contains some lovely acoustic folk ballads (Eyes of the Immigrant echoes and expands his great early song "Thirsty Boots"), for the most part Andersen finds a densely textured blues-based sound similar in feel to Dylan's Time Out of Mind". Michael Friedman

DIRTY LINEN August/September 2000

"This sequel comes only a year later than Memory of the Future and it's just as noteworthy...The fact that a songwriter can come out with an album that is this strong after 35 years in the business is impressive." (PEC)

RELIX June 2000

"You Can't Relive the Past" is the latest album from singer/songwriter Eric Andersen. It's a compelling collection that shows the breadth of Andersen's writing...Every song on this album is a finely crafted masterpiece by one of America's most enduring and articulate writers." Mick Skidmore

THIRSTY EAR MAGAZINE June/July 2000 - ERIC ANDERSEN/You Can't Relive The Past

"You Can't Relive The Past is a radical and most welcome departure from the soft sounds he's been making for the past 25 years. Somewhere along the line Andersen stumbled upon the raw, flawed, punk-like recordings of Mississippi's Fat Possum blues label-and he was smitten. He called the label, booked recording time with the likes of soul-bluesman Super Chikan, slide guitarist and long-time R.L. Burnside sideman Kenny Brown, and drummer Sam Carr. The result is the least likely of blues/folk records...A standout that deserves mention is the title cut, with its deceptively simple lines. It's one of those catchy hummers you can't get out of your head once it enters. Andersen co-wrote it with his old pal Lou Reed, whose droll vocals help fill out the chorus: "You can't relive the past/You can't relive the past/Your future's now just gettin' up/You can't relive the past." I hope that's true: that Andersen's future holds more unexpected surprises." -Michael Koster

MUSIC MATTERS Issue 13 2000

"For here among the classic Andersen ballads - everyone as rich as one would expect them to be - are some gems of spontaneous joy...Perhaps it is as Andersen cautions that you can't relive the past, but by exploring it, in all its permutations from blues to rock to folk as he has done here, you can certainly revel in it as a springboard for the present and a prescient memory of the future." Steve Bedney

"In the last two years, Andersen has begun to reclaim his rightful spot at the top of the folksinger heap. In 1998, he returned with the well-received Memory of the Future. And his recently released You Can't Relive The Past should cinch the comeback. It is winning rave reviews." Alan Neister,

DIG MAGAZINE Eric Andersen: You Can't Relive The Past By Kyle Riordan

Reviews from England, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Norway & Germany

From England

ALOHA #4, March 2000

"Eric Andersen belongs to the big names of the Greenwich Village-folk-scene from the sixties, together with Bob Dylan and Tom Paxton. In the past thirty years he produced over twenty albums. In itself no unique accomplishment, but what does plead for him, is that he doesn't live on old successes. He still makes high quality albums. The fact is, his last album You Can't Relive The Past is a beauty again. Andersen sings his folk- and blues-songs raw and intense, with a tenor that sometimes reminds one of Tom Waits. The title of the album is also the title of the second track, a song he wrote and sang together with Lou Reed."

ROOTS TOWN MAGAZINE 9-45 Eric Andersen/ You Can't Relive The Past / Appleseed APR CD 1032(66.46) **** (Central Distribution)

"You can say what you want about Eric Andersen, but you can't say he stands still. He may belong to the crop of folkies from the sixties, he is nevertheless a paragon of evolution. Did a fair amount of Gaye/Mayfield soul creep into his previous cd Memory Of The Future (especially the title-song), this one is fairly overwhelmingly hit by the delta blues. It was a couple of songs he wrote years ago, together with Townes Van Zandt, which led to this. On the one hand he wanted to give these songs a New York City-sound and on the other hand he wanted to drench them deeply in the blues, inspired by the friendship with blues-explorer Robert Palmer. The New York sessions bring the rather well known Andersen-sound. Semi-acoustic songs, cranked up by percussion, gently sloping, with some electronic guitar at the background. This way "Eyes Of The Immigrant", "Meadowlark" and "The Road" are going like a bomb, but particularly the dulcet "Magdalena" offers a delicious aftertaste of cello, flute and clarinet. The delta songs, that's a whole different story. Sweetness is gone and gave way to spiced, solid blues with the focus on the mucky thundering, cutting, sometimes chilling to the bone electric guitar and slide-work of Super Chikan Johnson and Kenny Brown. Whereas "Stand Me Up Easy" and "Gonna Go Crazy" are still rather amenable, "Every Once In A Pale Blue Moon" Kenny's slide constantly running through razor-sharp -- and "Night Train" -- the guitars fighting like dogs for Eric's peeping bone, sorry, harp) bang with force against the eardrums. It's definitely a five-star-CD. I beg your pardon, what do you say, there are only four? Humph, indeed, minus one for the title-song: one half for the fretfulness and one half for the nose-full-of-mucus voice of Lou Reed. I have that too, but you wont hear me sing."

PLATO MANIA #33, March, 2000 Recommended: Eric Andersen You Cant Relive The Past

"Eric Andersen has been around in the music industry for a long time. His first album Today Is The Highway was brought out in 1965. In those days his name was mentioned in one and the same breath with Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton and Phil Ochs. Andersen almost had fallen into oblivion, until he gave a remarkable strong sign of life with his previous album Memory Of The Future. The same goes for You Can't Relive The Past which won't go down unnoticed in the endless stream of new releases. This is partly due to the strong songs, but also for an important part to the presence of big names on this album, like Lou Reed and Townes Van Zandt. ...You Can't Relive The Past is a remarkable and very strong singer-songwriter album."

Metro-muziek (supplement to 'De Morgen', a Belgian paper) Eric Andersen You Can't Relive the Past

"Eric Andersen is one of those characters that during the sixties, together with Bob Dylan and Tom Paxton, prowl around the folk-scene of Greenwich Village. On his new CD he remains true to his, on fields like folk, rock and blues gathered roots. What's remarkable is that he is assisted in the title-song by co-author Lou Reed. Furthermore one can listen to four, assumed to be lost, songs that Andersen wrote fifteen years ago together with Townes Van Zandt. Timeless class. (Appleseed) DIRK STEENHAUT

www.heaven.be Eric Andersen You Can't Relive the Past Appleseed

"Hodgepodge Americana with a touch of Townes Eric Andersen's latest album You Can't Relive The Past, a remarkable fast successor to Memory Of The Future (1998), got the people and things that go by as a theme. The album breathes a through-lived sadder but wiser atmosphere: Andersen looks back at his past, mourns about his deceased friends (among which Townes van Zandt and Rock journalist Robert Palmer) but concludes in the title-song -- a surprising collaboration with contemporain Lou Reed, that one should not get stuck in the past." Johan Stapel

OOR, nr. 5, March 2000 Eric Andersen You Can't Relive the Past

"This richly variegated piece of work rests on three pillars which have, on paper, little to do with each other. He writes and sings the title-song with Lou Reed. Four, almost lost, songs he has with Townes van Zandt, of which the Irish Meadowlark and The Road pure New Mexican desert-music belong to the highlights. Besides, he came down to Mississippi, where he recorded some songs with R.L.Burnside's guitarist Kenny Brown, drummer Sam Carr and chicken-freak James Super Chikan Johnson. But whether it's about Low down & dirty Fat Possum blues, or about refined chamber-folk Andersen manages to weld it to a fascinating unity, with his probing baritone and expressive lyric." Herman Van Der Horst

PLATENBLAD

"Eric Andersen is one of America's finest lyric-poet songwriters. He stands with his contemporaries Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell as one of the few remaining pioneers of the 60's singer-songwriter movement continuing to do important work". Henk Dekker

GLITTERHOUSE (CD review magazine, Germany- Summer issue)

"After Memory Of The Future, Eric Andersen presents us with yet another great album which has a few peculiarities: One half of the album was produced in New York with the help of Artie Traum, Lucy Kaplanski and others and offers typical Andersen fare: Near whispered, imploring lyrics over a desolate, euphonic sound. The other half was laid down in a two day session in Mississippi with a small blues-combo - including drummer-legend Sam Carr and the excellent slide guitar player Kenny Brown. Those tracks alone convince because the air is charged with suspense when the practical philosophy of the "old" Folkie meets with the electric Delta Groove. Additionally the title-track was composed and done with Lou Reed and four songwriting credits are shared with Townes van Zandt. Impressive." Reinhard Holstein

DAGBLADET (Norwegian national newspaper) You Can't Relive the Past

"After last year's masterful Memory of the Future, Eric Andersen has now released a new album of major significance. The title song he wrote and sang with Lou Reed and constitutes one track of the album. And equally exciting, are the 4 songs Andersen wrote with the recently departed Townes Van Zandt, in 1986. The tapes the two made were lost then suddenly reappeared last year at a friend's house in Albuquerque. Great songs performed by Eric Andersen on this blue-tinged record, which was also recorded in memory of Andersen and Van Zandt's common too-soon departed friend, Robert Palmer, one of the USA's greatest blues historians. Andersen projects himself musically in an open and inviting way, with lyrics of laid-back wisdom and poetic innovations. He's on a rootless pilgrimage in the landscape of American music traditions, from blues and rock to Waits and Dylan folk variations. A touching record. And melancholic, because neither the work's life or death is different than what Van Zandt and Andersen expressed in "The Road."- "I am dry, soon be dust, blown across these trails." A beautiful record, both musically refined and lyrically thoughtful." Fredrik Wandrup, February, 2000 5 stars.