| Elko | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | January 24, 2006 | |||
| Genre | Progressive Bluegrass, Bluegrass, Americana, Jam band | |||
| Length | 2:05:50 | |||
| Label | Sugar Hill | |||
| Railroad Earth chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Elko is a double live album by the American progressive bluegrass band Railroad Earth. It was released in 2006 by Sugar Hill Records. It is the band's first official live album, and fourth album overall. Elko highlights the improvisational focus of the band's live performances, as noted by Allmusic: "The question of whether or not Railroad Earth can jam, if it was really in doubt, is swiftly answered on [this] 126-minute collection of 12 songs, five of which run over ten minutes each." [1]
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording is longer than the capacity of the medium. Recording artists often think of double albums as comprising a single piece artistically; however, there are exceptions such as John Lennon's Some Time in New York City and Pink Floyd's Ummagumma and OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Another example of this approach is Works Volume 1 by Emerson Lake and Palmer, where side one featured Keith Emerson, side two Greg Lake, side three Carl Palmer, and side four was by the entire group.
Railroad Earth is a bluegrass-influenced American band formed in Stillwater, New Jersey in 2001. The band's music combines elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, rock, country, jazz, Celtic and other Americana influences. Recognized as "carrying on the tradition of improvisational, genre-spanning music laid forth by the Grateful Dead," Railroad Earth is known for lyrical songwriting and extensive live improvisation. The band takes its name from the Jack Kerouac prose poem "October in the Railroad Earth." The band also has a song of the same name.
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians. Sometimes musical ideas in improvisation are spontaneous, but may be based on chord changes in classical music and many other kinds of music. One definition is a "performance given extempore without planning or preparation." Another definition is to "play or sing (music) extemporaneously, by inventing variations on a melody or creating new melodies, rhythms and harmonies." Encyclopædia Britannica defines it as "the extemporaneous composition or free performance of a musical passage, usually in a manner conforming to certain stylistic norms but unfettered by the prescriptive features of a specific musical text. Improvisation is often done within a pre-existing harmonic framework or chord progression. Improvisation is a major part of some types of 20th-century music, such as blues, jazz, and jazz fusion, in which instrumental performers improvise solos, melody lines and accompaniment parts.
Contents
The album was recorded during the band's spring 2005 tour. [2] It marks the first official release of the songs "The Hunting Song," "Old Man and the Land," "Elko" and "Warhead Boogie," which had previously only been available on fan-traded live show audience recordings. With the success of Elko, Railroad Earth began releasing complete concert recordings via Nugs.net, following the model established by The Grateful Dead and Phish.
Phish is an American rock band that was founded at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the primary lead vocalist. The band was formed by Anastasio, Gordon, Fishman and guitarist Jeff Holdsworth, who were joined by McConnell in 1985. Holdsworth departed the band in 1986, and the quartet lineup has remained in place since then.
