Colma (album)
Encyclopedia
Colma is the fourth studio album by guitarist Buckethead
. It was released on March 24, 1998, on CyberOctave records. The album was recorded for Buckethead's mother because she was sick with colon cancer, and he wanted to make an album which she would enjoy listening to while recovering.
The title of the album makes reference to the small town of Colma
near San Francisco, California
, where the dead population outnumber the living by thousands to one.
Berklee College of Music
alumnus Teri Untalan appeared as a guest musician on two tracks of the album. In a 2009 interview, she recalled Buckethead as being "an odd one, an elusive character."
Colma is listed in the German National Library
's catalog.
writes that Colmas melodies are "geometric and mathematical-sounding, almost like Bach or modern classical music." Andy Gill of The Independent
describes the mood of the album as "reflective" saying, "[Buckethead uses] the dry, neutral tone favoured by jazz guitarists on a series of discreet instrumentals."
Furthermore, Gill describes the tracks "Ghost" and "Hills of Eternity" as being "ruminative, sluggish pieces sprinkled with limpid droplets of guitar." He also thought the title-track, "Colma", closed the album "like the twinkle of a long-dead star." Reviewer Jeff Clutterbuck of The Daily Vault considers "Watching the Boats With My Dad" to be an authentic, emotional track writing that "[It] is so wistful and flows so gently, you have to believe it was inspired by a real moment." On the other hand, "Big Sur Moon" offers a change of style in guitar playing showcasing Buckethead's consistent quick rhythmic ability on acoustic guitar.
in California
, is played solely on an acoustic guitar with a delay pedal effect. While being a member of Guns N' Roses
from 2000 to 2004, Buckethead included the song to the band's setlist as part of his solo.
Buckethead
Brian Carroll , better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist and multi instrumentalist who has worked within several genres of music. He has released 34 studio albums, four special releases and one EP. He has performed on over 50 more albums by other artists...
. It was released on March 24, 1998, on CyberOctave records. The album was recorded for Buckethead's mother because she was sick with colon cancer, and he wanted to make an album which she would enjoy listening to while recovering.
The title of the album makes reference to the small town of Colma
Colma, California
Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,792 at the 2010 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924....
near San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where the dead population outnumber the living by thousands to one.
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
alumnus Teri Untalan appeared as a guest musician on two tracks of the album. In a 2009 interview, she recalled Buckethead as being "an odd one, an elusive character."
Colma is listed in the German National Library
German National Library
The German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...
's catalog.
Composition
In contrast to Buckethead's earlier and subsequent albums Colma is an acoustic album. Most of the tracks are composed on acoustic guitar. Additionally, Colma mostly contains simple bass guitar, lead guitar, and drum playing parts. James Lien of CMJ New Music MonthlyCMJ New Music Monthly
CMJ New Music Monthly was a monthly music magazine with interviews, reviews, and special features. Each issue included a compact disc with 15 to 24 songs by well established bands, unsigned bands, and everything in between...
writes that Colmas melodies are "geometric and mathematical-sounding, almost like Bach or modern classical music." Andy Gill of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
describes the mood of the album as "reflective" saying, "[Buckethead uses] the dry, neutral tone favoured by jazz guitarists on a series of discreet instrumentals."
Furthermore, Gill describes the tracks "Ghost" and "Hills of Eternity" as being "ruminative, sluggish pieces sprinkled with limpid droplets of guitar." He also thought the title-track, "Colma", closed the album "like the twinkle of a long-dead star." Reviewer Jeff Clutterbuck of The Daily Vault considers "Watching the Boats With My Dad" to be an authentic, emotional track writing that "[It] is so wistful and flows so gently, you have to believe it was inspired by a real moment." On the other hand, "Big Sur Moon" offers a change of style in guitar playing showcasing Buckethead's consistent quick rhythmic ability on acoustic guitar.
Track listing
Big Sur Moon
"Big Sur Moon", named after the region of Big SurBig Sur
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, is played solely on an acoustic guitar with a delay pedal effect. While being a member of Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
from 2000 to 2004, Buckethead included the song to the band's setlist as part of his solo.
Reception
The piece has been described as a surf-rock ditty, a cool solo guitar piece with waves of delayed, fast-picked acoustic hammering technique, being fun, simultaneously soothing and energetic. Jeff Clutterbuck wrote for The Daily Vault: "Hearing Buckethead pull off the blisteringly fast acoustic piece "Big Sur Moon" is just as astounding as his electric solos anywhere else."Personnel
Performers- BucketheadBucketheadBrian Carroll , better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist and multi instrumentalist who has worked within several genres of music. He has released 34 studio albums, four special releases and one EP. He has performed on over 50 more albums by other artists...
— guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s and bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. - BrainBryan MantiaBryan "Brain" Mantia is a contemporary rock drummer. He has played with bands like Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis and Godflesh, and with other popular performers such as Tom Waits, Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins and Buckethead...
— drumDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
s and loops. - DJ DiskDJ DiskDJ Disk is a San Francisco Bay Area turntablist of Panamanian, Colombian, and Nicaraguan descent. Born Luis Quintanilla on October 7, 1970, in San Francisco, Disk began scratching and mixing vinyl at a young age...
— scratches on "Machete," "Hills of Eternity," and "Lone Sal Bug." - Bill LaswellBill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
— bass on "Machete". - Terry Untalan — celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
on "Wondering" and "Lone Sal Bug."
Production
- Recorded and mixed by Xtrack at Embalming Plant, Oakland, CA.
- Track 6 recorded and mixed by Robert Musso at Orange Music, West Orange, New Jersey.
- Produced by Buckethead and Xtrack. Track 6 produced by Bill Laswell and Buckethead.