Album Review: Phil Alvin – Un “Sung Stories”
With the departure of Dave Alvin in 1986, it looked the Blasters were finished. So it was no surprise that guitarist Phil Alvin took the opportunity to record and release his first solo album, Un “Sung Stories”. But Alvin’s solo debut found him traveling far from the straight-ahead rockabilly sounds of the Blasters.
On three of the album’s ten cuts, the singer-guitarist is backed by Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra; those recordings represent Sun Ra’s final recordings with his longtime band. (The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Lee Allen are featured on one track, the New Orleans-flavored “Someone Stole Gabriel’s Horn.”)
The Arkestra plays it relatively straight when backing Alvin; “The Old Man of the Mountain” presages the jazz revival sound that Jimbo Mathus would explore a full decade later with the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Sun Ra himself is most evident playing piano on the jazz age classic “Brother Can You Spare a Dime.”
Half of the album’s cuts – interspersed with the Sun Ra tracks – are astoundingly stark in arrangement. “Death in the Morning” is a gospel-flavored number with vocal chorus, spare guitar and occasional snare drum. “Daddy Rollin’ Stone” comes closest to the sound of the Blasters, but even it is a model of seething restraint. “Collins Cave” features Appalachian fiddle, Alvin’s emotive vocal and little else.
Alvin reactivated the Blasters later in ‘86 without his brother, and the band continues to present day. Against that backdrop, this album seems lost in time. A kind of potted history lesson in album form, Un “Sung Stories” is deliberately eclectic, and on its original release likely confused fans who appreciated the Blasters’ highly charged musical attack. But as a window into the music that informed Alvin’s sensibility – and with the understanding that comes with hindsight – it makes perfect sense.
In 1986, the CD format was on the rise, but Slash, Alvin’s label at the time, chose to release the album on LP and cassette only. Wounded Bird issued a CD version (now out of print) in 2012, but a new reissue of Un “Sung Stories” marks its CD debut in the U.K.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.