Guitarist/ Singer Song-writer Willie Nile. (courtesy of Willie Nile )
Nile paid his dues during the 1970s, and was signed by major label Arista. Promoted with comparisons to Dylan and Springsteen, his debut, Willie Nile, came in 1980. The Who’s Pete Townshend heard it, and Nile opened some dates for the Who on their 1980 tour. Niles next album, Golden Down, appeared in 1981.
Following these early flashes of brilliance, Nile promptly disappeared from sight, reportedly due to legal problems with record companies. He resurfaced in 1991 on Columbia Records with the lauded, Places I Have Never Been, though the album had limited chart impact. After a 5-song EP, his next studio album arrived in 1999 on his own label, River House Records, after which he disappeared once again until Streets of New York.
It’s good to have him back. He’s full of energy, spitfire, and solid ideas, on House of a Thousand Guitars. On the album’s title song, a litany of Niles’ influences can be heard—from Robert Johnson to Jimi Hendrix; Hank Williams to the Rolling Stones; all set against a backdrop of pounding drums and blistering guitars.
On another upbeat number Run, we learn a bit about what’s drives Nile—“I’ve got the pulse of the universe pounding through my veins/I’ve got the sound of the stratosphere beatin’ in my brain…Everybody’s looking for the safe way out/Not me, no, no, I want to scream and shout.”.
Along with sturdy melodies, the album is also bolstered by imaginative guitar work, exemplified by the charming ballads Give Me Tomorrow, and Her Love Falls Like Rain. The rough and ready My Magdalena features a chord progression so simple and hypnotic you wonder why it hasn’t been used before.
The piano also plays a prominent role on songs such as the poignant Touch Me, the tender intro to The Midnight Rose (which quickly evolves into a substantive rocker), and the reflective When the Last Light Goes Out on Broadway, which would sound right at home on Streets of New York.—Nile truly has a love affair with New York City.
Worth mentioning is that Nile relies on a songwriting partner for many songs. He’s assisted by drummer Frankie Lee, on eight of this album’s twelve compositions, and it’s difficult to know who’s responsible for what. While Nile’s talents are obvious, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen comparisons are a bit lofty since song-writing is much of what distinguishes these icons.
Nonetheless, Nile is surely responsible for making the music come alive. House of a Thousand Guitars doesn’t quite reach the level of Streets of New York—magnum opus’s don’t come every time out. It’s surely a strong follow-up and shows that “Streets of New York” was no fluke.
David Gonzales writes on music and lives and works in the San Francisco Bay area.
