announcing they had a new album coming out. With the news coming hot on the heels of their most recent studio release, Similar Skin, fans were puzzled by what it all meant and quickly grew anxious and excited for clues about the release. Knowing the album was recorded in just one day, and at Abbey Road Studios no less, was all icing on the proverbial cake.
Now, as Spring beats back winter and May approaches, the album is here… and we Umphreaks can dig in with the hope of passing the time until we’re spending Memorial Day Weekend at Three Sisters Park, where we’ll get 5 sets of Umphrey’s McGee!
The track listing for The London Session is absolutely mind blowing, the perfect selection of tunes for the task. I’ll break each down below…
The album kicks off with ‘Bad Friday,’ a track which made it’s debut on New Years Eve 2013 at the Fillmore in Denver, CO and has quickly became a crowd favorite. With stunning guitar work intertwining the mesmerizing vocal harmonies, this track is the perfect pick as the first to grace us from an album recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VC7rqS5uvQ
“Rocker Part 2” has been in Umphrey’s McGee’s live rotation since New Years Eve of 2007 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, but this is the first time their live classic has received any studio treatment. The heavy prog-rock feel at the front end of the song is sure to bring memories flooding back from live performances attended over the years. Listening to “Rocker Part 2” alone in the comfort of your own home, it’s tempting to throw your arms in the air after Jake’s sensational guitar solo leading into Chris’ drum break down mid track.
After being released on their most recent studio album ‘Similar Skin,’ it was interesting to see how they would alter ‘No Diablo’ for ‘The London Sessions.’ Listening to both versions of ‘No Diablo’ back to back it’s safe to say they “took it a little easy” in Abbey Road Studios. The new version has more of an acoustic vibe that softens the instrumentation and really magnifies the lyrics to help bring out the vocal harmonies that ‘Similar Skin’ didn’t capture as strongly.
https://youtu.be/mgUh3SzJl3Q
‘Cut The Cable’ is another song that was featured on the previous Umphrey’s studio album, and as before Umphrey’s took it a little slower this time around. Having originally been a semi-bluegrassy tune, it was a bit jarring to hear the prog-rock version ‘Similar Skin’ had brought us. Abbey Road seems to of had been the perfect place to slow it down a bit and bring us back to the familiar acoustic version we were introduced to years ago with 30db.
To call “Glory” a crowd favorite would be a massive understatement. Having been played over 250 times since 2002, it’s only release has been off of the now out of print ‘Local Band Does OKlahoma’ live release from 2003. Joel’s piano intro is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine, and it’s clear that Abbey Road allowed for the space necessary for this song to breathe – I can’t imagine any other studio doing ‘Glory’ the same justice.
https://youtu.be/qrxGDkjhu-U
Next up is “Plunger”, a track you might need a good pair of headphones for if you want to really appreciate the difference between this release and it’s debut on Umphrey’s McGee’s third studio album ‘Anchor Drops.’ This rendition does bring a brighter sound and clearer direction, and the inclusion of “Plunger” is a welcome throwback to their earlier studio releases.
Having made it’s live debut in 2012, “Comma Later” fits nicely on ‘The London Sessions.’ With a Steely Dan like jazz feel, the track flows with the same intensity as it does in the live setting. Good headphones are highly recommended here as well, and with your eyes closed you can really focus in on each instrument and vocal track happening in the historic room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esBi1yu68m4
“Eat” was introduced into Umphrey’s live rotation in 2006 and was included on their 2007 ‘Live At The Murat’ album. The heavy metal riff starts out familiar for what has generally been known as a purely instrumental track, but soon we hear Jake professing his love for eating something sweet, it is in fact such a treat…. these lyrics SEEM to be improvised, and whether they were or not, it was a welcome surprise to those not expecting to hear Jake’s metal voice.
A trip to Abbey Road Studios wouldn’t be complete without peppering in a Beatles Cover. ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ is one of the Fab Four’s heavier songs, meaning it fit in well with the vibe of an Umphrey’s album. It is also a song Umphrey’s has managed to master performing live over the last nine years, making it the perfect choice for a single day of recording. I feel Umphrey’s McGee found a way to make it their own without sacrificing the integrity of the original recording, and it’s one of my favorites from the album without a doubt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GjqnXNkkcM
With old and new tracks alike, as well as some interesting new renditions of previously recorded tunes and a cover, ‘The London Sessions’ is an album that touches upon a wide variety of what Umphrey’s McGee is about – forever changing, altering and bringing something new to their fans. This might be the band’s most diverse album yet in that respect, which is incredible considering they released something so recently in Similar Skin.
The London Session is a different kind of release though, coming off almost as a live set of music – and really, what more could us Umphreaks ask for? ‘The London Sessions’ truly is a masterpiece and to have an albums worth of songs in one recording session proves these guys are a powerhouse capable of just about anything.
Click here to grab your copy of The London Sessions now!
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