As October is flying by, I’m beginning to catch up on some of this year’s album releases that I’ve missed. Before you know it, we’ll be flipping the calendar to November and putting up the Christmas tree. At the top of my stack was the latest effort from Pat Guadagno, a collection of covers from a special year in music, simply titled 1964.
Via press release:
In 1964, the World’s Fair came to Queens, Cassius Clay Became the Greatest, The Beatles came to America, and Ed Sullivan commanded the Magnavox on Sunday Night. Vocalist and guitarist Pat Guadagno’s sixth album, 1964, collects glorious songs recorded in that magical year in folk, pop, and show music. He reimagines songs from Lennon & McCartney to Lerner & Lowe, Dylan and Paxton to Beach Boys.
“I tried to produce this new album,” Guadagno says, “with the innocent ears of the child who first heard these songs. We listened to music with different ears in adolescence. The magic came through the speaker(s) without reference or perspective. Each song meant something different to everyone, and what we saw with eyes closed could not be captured in a video. I included some of the songs that reached me in ways I could never describe. There is no message or theme—only an homage to the year magic happened and a musical renaissance ensued.”
It’s a cool concept that makes 1964 feel more like a time capsule from an alternate timeline…a glimpse of our past that isn’t actually our past, y’know? It’s one of the simplest, most beautiful, things about music – that a single song could mean a million different things to a million different people. In turn, there are a million different stories circulating around the world, many of which we’ll never hear. Guadagno’s latest effort highlights that phenomenon and pays tribute to the meaning of song as a celebration of what it can mean to someone. There’s no way to ever hear those millions of stories about specific songs as they float throughout the ether. Thankfully, 1964 shares some of Guadagno’s stories with us.
Slick concept aside, 1964 is more of what we’ve come to expect from Guadagno – technically proficient, harmonious, and executed flawlessly. He’s a wizard with an acoustic guitar in hand, hitting notes so clean and clear that they echo within us long after the song has ended. Resting on that strong foundation is a soulful voice that teeters between soothing, rich, and powerful. It’s what ties the entire experience together. 1964 highlights the very nature of Guadagno’s music – balanced but potent, like a good gin and tonic on Friday night.
There’s a glowing quality to 1964 that shows us how special these songs are to Guadagno. His cover of House of the Rising Sun was haunting. I Only Want to Be With You, along with And I Love Her, were also personal favorites of mine. It’s a fresh spin on a collection of songs that helped sew the very fabric of Americana. It’s “the good old days.” It’s road trip music. It’s something to play on Sunday morning when you’re cooking breakfast and dancing in the kitchen. 1964 reminds me of the very essence of nostalgia. Guadagno has rekindled that spirit of Americana in an album that evokes equal parts smoky bar and Key West sunset. If you’re into folk/Americana music, I recommend you give the troubadour from the Jersey Shore a shot. Listen on Apple Music, Amazon Music, or Spotify!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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