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Michael Hedges - Watching My Life Go By Audio CD

A fair review of the Michael Hedges "Watching My Life Go By" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Michael Hedges reviews here, or go back to the Michael Hedges tabs.

Michael Hedges Band: Michael Hedges
Title: Watching My Life Go By
Rating:
Release Date: 2008-10-22
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Face Yourself 2: I'm Coming Home 3: Woman of the World 4: Watching My Life Go By 5: I Want You 6: Streamlined Man 7: Out on the Parkway 8: Holiday 9: All Along the Watchtower 10: Running Blind

From Zappa to Hedges..."Shut up and play your guitar"
I was hooked from the 1st listen of "Ritual Dance" off a compilation album. First things first, I absolutely love Hedges' guitar playing. That said, this is not what I love about him. When he sings or breaks out his whistle-thingys I start to check out. Not that his voice is bad, it's just. . . thin. It reminds me of the guy who got his guitar smashed in Animal House by Belushi. A little too sing-songy Medieval balladeering stuff.

Leave it. Get "Beyond Boundaries" and you're done. If you must the other CDs (Breakfast in the Fields & Aerial Boundaries) have some good stuff. Check the reviews. Past those I'm gun shy after getting this. Only paid $4 used so it was worth a chance, but I don't think it'll get ripped into my Ipod.
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learn how to listen.
Having seen him live several times, there's no doubt -- he was an amazing composer and performer, he took the acoustic guitar to its limits, and he died too soon. I think it's easy to hyperbolize Michael Hedges. I'd classify Watching My Life Go By as one of his "difficult" albums. Earnest? Yes. Accomplished? Check. The title track: urgent, brief, effective.

Watching My Life Go By has its lulls, but if you want Michael Hedges to be single sided (a virtuoso acoustic guitarist), then fine -- stick to Aerial Boundaries and Breakfast In The Field. If you can let him be a person, explore further and wider. Taproot is a sensational album. Torched is a suggestion of what was to come. Road To Return -- well, even I have difficulty with that one (only Hedges album I've ever sold). He dared to grow on tape. That means something. .


disappointing
Hedges was a world class acoustic guitarist. . but you'd never know it from this album. His biggest "hit" (a cover of "All Along the Watchtower") is on here. . . but even that's not as good as it's hyped. The lyrics are fine, but on top of the substandard vocals is the demo quality production (I seem to remember "recorded in his living room" from the liner notes?). To top it all off, the electric guitar parts sound terrible and out of place on this album.


Good music, but not the best Hedges
His guitar skills were particularly breathtaking; while technically mind-boggling, their greater power was in the utter fluency with which two hands and a six-string communicated the treasures of the man's heart. With every song he wrote, every instrument he played, every sound he ever recorded, Michael Hedges showed us what a pure, true, and beautiful musical talent he possessed. I love dearly the music he left us before moving on. Unfortunately, I come not to praise Michael, but to criticize him. Enjoyable though this recording is, I disagree with the until now unanimous five-star rating.

There's no denying that Hedges' voice was something special: a little raw but a lot beautiful, strong but vulnerable, with a passion learned from Neil Young. Unfortunately, that influence also led him to greatly simplify the guitar parts while singing; and an affinity for unusual metaphor sometimes abused gorgeous melodies with awkward lyrics. Sometimes, melody won out, as in an e. e. cummings' love poem turned into one of the most heart-breakingly beautiful songs I've ever heard, "i carry your heart" from "Taproot". On the other hand, this approach nearly ruined "The Road To Return" for me.

This album is somewhere between those two extremes. The guitar parts weave a characteristic fabric of strumming, tapping, knocking, and harmonics; but they're also less rich than usual. This leaves more room for the vocals, but it doesn't fill the sonic space so adeptly as in the instrumentals on "Breakfast in the Field" or "Aerial Boundaries". Lyrics, though thoughtful and well-formed, occasionally venture into uncomfortable territory that might alienate some listeners. Of the three tracks that I consider essential Hedges -- the title track, "Woman of the World", and a cover of Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" -- the latter two sound warmer and more energized on "Live on the Double Planet". Ultimately, "Watching My Life Go By" suffers primarily by comparison: though there's some good music here, it's not, by a long shot, Hedges' best.


Hedges singing....an honest and refreshing voice!
I was astounded by his incredible performance and command of the acoustic guitar, and his two handed tap method, finger picking style, and 'wacca wacca' style, and how he integrated them all. I first got into Michael Hedges with the title song "Aerial Boundaries", of the LP/CD of the same name, in the late 1980s. Of course, I purchased all the Lp's(at the time, that is), and came across this one. I didn't know he sang. . . . and gave it a listen. I think I put it on the shelf for a week after the first listen. It digested quite well, and on the second listen, I was hooked. I not only loved Hedges' guitar work, but now I loved his voice: so clear, honest, and refreshing. He sings with an honesty that borders on trust. In subsequent years, I have been happy to enjoy his work on both solo acoustic guitar, and his singing whilst accompanying with his unique guitar styles, flute, keyboards, and even harmonica.

Sadly, Michael Hedges is no longer with us, but he is with us still.

Check him out. . . . not only this recording, but others.

Others musicians of note on this recording are the ever present friend and compadre of Michael Hedges, Michael Manring on bass guitar, and Bobby Mcferrin shows up on "The Streamlined Man", one of my favorite tunes on the recording.

--JZ.


You can see a complete list of all Michael Hedges discography, or go back to the Michael Hedges tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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