ANDY SUMMERS — Charming Snakes (review)

ANDY SUMMERS — Charming Snakes album cover

Album · 1990 · Fusion

5/5 · 2023-01-30
Steve Wyzard

THE WORD IS BIG

If I had to recommend just one Andy Summers solo album as his most representative, I would unquestionably pick 1990's Charming Snakes. It's just one of those albums where everything clicks: songs/performances/production/ special guests are all at the highest level. Naturally, without any vocals, it wasn't a best-seller and passed straight into obscurity shortly after its release. Still, Charming Snakes deserves to be heard by anyone who has ever been captivated by Summers's peerless guitar playing and the extraordinary tones/textures seemingly only he can elicit.

At the time this album was dropped onto an unsuspecting public, record companies were heavily investing in "shredding" guitar virtuosi like Eric Johnson and Steve Vai. Recorded over 2 weeks in February 1990, I can't help but wonder if that environment influenced this album's production as there is very little of the haunted atmospherics that Summers is known for. While certainly NOT an exercise in heavy metal excesses, Charming Snakes is bold, brash, and "in your face". Summers contributes jagged guitar lines to "Mexico 1920", multi-guitar layers to "Rainmaker", slide guitar, banjo, and a weird solo to "Mickey Goes to Africa", and where-did-that-come-from guitar patterns to "Monk Gets Ripped" and "The Strong and the Beautiful". His amazing riffs are doubled with soprano saxophonist Bill Evans on "Innocence Falls Prey", and with trumpeter Mark Isham on "Easy on the Ice". (Don't you love these song titles?)

So you want special guests? If anyone comes close to stealing Summers's thunder, it's powerhouse drummer Chad Wackerman, whose busy fills and big sounds are everywhere. The previously mentioned Evans appears on 8 of the 11 tracks, while Isham is on 4 of the 11. Old frenemy Sting plays a funky bassline on the title track. The one and only Herbie Hancock plays on 4 of the 11 tracks, including a solo piano intro to "Big Thing". Co-producer David Hentschel adds a powerful organ to "Mickey Goes to Africa".

"Big Thing" deserves special mention as the album's stand-out track. For those who think Summers is all about pedalboard effects, you really need to hear his big riff and big solo on this epic (7:07) showpiece. On the quieter side, "Charis" offers a brief respite with a guitar/soprano sax duet. Another highlight is the gloomy and brooding "Passion of the Shadow", which has a deceptively simple 6-note line that you will never forget.

Firing on all cylinders, these frantic performances sound as if they were recorded last week. If you've ever had any interest in Andy Summers's post-pop sound world, Charming Snakes is an absolute must-listen, must-have, must-own. There were some live shows after this album's release, and it would have been fascinating to hear how some of these songs would have translated to the concert stage. While most of what the prolific Summers has recorded is worth hearing, this unforgettable album is unequivocally his most powerful compositional statement. Track down a copy and turn up the volume, preferably on a BIG sound system.