Seize the Rainbow

• Artist: Sonny Sharrock Band
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1987 05
• Type: Instrumental, Contains explicit content
• Genre: Jazz

Review

The follow-up to Sonny Sharrock's entirely solo comeback album, Guitar, Seize the Rainbow puts the guitarist at the helm of a rock-styled power trio featuring bassist Melvin Gibbs and Abe Speller and Pheeroan akLaff on drums (producer Bill Laswell also plays bass on one cut). The overall sound of the album is surprisingly straightforward, heavy metal-tinged jazz-rock, though the caliber and taste of the musicians makes it something far more than what rock guitar virtuosos of the period were recording. Still, there isn't too much way-out craziness, aside from some of Sharrock's trademark slide-guitar explorations on the spiritual title track and the riff-driven rockers "Dick Dogs" and "Sheraserhead's Hightop Sneakers." For the most part, Sharrock's playing on Seize the Rainbow is more concerned with melodic themes and traditional single-note solo lines than textural experiments. Fortunately, his tone is still gloriously skronky, and his playing is no less passionate. Bill Laswell's production is bright and immediate, and the rhythm section's agility breathes a spark into the straight-up rock rhythms they're often asked to play. Even if it isn't quite as evocative as the solo sound paintings of Guitar, Seize the Rainbow does place Sharrock's playing in one of its most accessible settings, and it's perhaps the best starting point for rock fans wondering what the fuss is about. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Dick Dogs	Sonny Sharrock	Sonny Sharrock	(5:14)
My Song	Sonny Sharrock	Sonny Sharrock	(6:29)
Fourteen	Sonny Sharrock	Sonny Sharrock	(10:00)
J.D. Schaa	Sonny Sharrock	Sonny Sharrock	(5:37)
Seize the Rainbow	Sonny Sharrock	Sonny Sharrock	(4:34)
The Past Adventures of Zydeco Honey Cup	Sonny Sharrock	Sonny Sharrock	(8:24)
Sheraserhead's Hightop Sneakers	Sonny Sharrock	Sonny Sharrock	(4:08)

Credits

Robert Musso (Assistant Producer), Sonny Sharrock (Guitar), Bill Laswell (6-String Bass), Robert Musso (Mixing), Michael Knuth (Coordination), Abe Speller (Drums), Nicky Skopelitis (Assistant Producer), Robert Musso (Engineer), Melvin Gibbs (Bass), Howie Weinberg (Mastering), Sonny Sharrock (Producer), Bill Laswell (Producer), Pheeroan akLaff (Drums), Thi-Linh Le (Artwork)