• Acoustic,  Laid Back,  Pop

    Citizen Cope: More than it Seems

    cope

    This tune is kicking me in the pants right now. Citizen Cope has that satisfying blend of soul and a rootsy acoustic vibe that I’m enjoying more and more with each listen. “More Than It Seems” just plain grooves, in a slow, pleading sort of way.

    Memphis born, and reared in Texas and Washington DC, Cope now calls Brooklyn home. His third official release, Every Waking Moment, was just released on September 12th. Like many folks, “Sideways”, a Cope tune that Carlos Santana chose for his Shaman album a few years ago, first turned me on to the man. But whether you’ve heard of Citizen Cope or not, listen to this tune, and watch the video below. Like me, you may itch to hear more…

    Citizen Cope: More Than It Seems (mp3) – from his Sept. 12th release, Every Waking Moment

    Nice little vignette of Cope tunes and interview clips (in WMP high bandwidth)…..
    cope


    Citizen Cope Links
    : Official | MySpace | eCard

  • Rock

    Drivin’ All Night: Heart and Soul, Part Three

    bruce

    There’s a reason this concert’s nickname is Heart and Soul. “Heart and Soul” is an important component of “Drive All Night”, probably my favorite Bruce ballad of all time. “HEEEAAAAARRRRT and SOUUUL / HEAAAAAARRRRT and SOUUUL”. It’s an intimate, heartfelt, and very powerful tune, and that’s just the studio version. Just wait til you hear this live version. Once you’re catching your breath after hearing “Drive All Night”, they’re diving right iinto a breathtaking “Backstreets”. No mercy, I tell ya.

    Enjoy the final part of the show. Who out there agrees with me on ‘Drive All Night”? Is this not the best version you’ve ever heard? What’d y’all think of the show?

    Bruce Springsteen & the E. Street Band
    November 5th, 1980
    Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

    Part 3 of 3: “Heart & Soul”

    You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
    Drive All Night
    Backstreets *
    Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) *
    I’m a Rocker
    Jungleland
    Detroit Medley

    Bonus Tracks: (from The River Tour)
    On Top of Old Smokey
    The Price You Pay

    * short cut-outs during these 2 tracks (one on each)

    Part One | Part Two

    And finally, one last time, if you don’t own The River, you really should…buy this album!

    the river

    Now, look ahead to October 1st, Boss fans… Bruce and the Seeger Sessions Band are ready to take Europe by storm. It might behoof you to subscribe to my Bruce posts if you haven’t already. I’m ready to rev it up….

  • Irish

    Kila’s Celtic Soundscapes

    kila

    I thought I’d pass along a nice one I heard on Larry Kirwan’s Sirius radio show Celtic Crush. Saturday mornings are great at the House of Ickmusic. A morning paper, highly caffeinated Colombian coffee, the almost 3 year old bouncing around the room, all to the accompaniment of quality Irish music courtesy of Larry K. Kirwan is also the singer of Black 47, a popular NYC-based Irish band.

    So he dug this one up a few weeks ago, and I just found it on eMusic. I have no earthly idea what the song is about, not knowing Gaelic (you Irish are welcome to offer a translation in the comments), but music is zee universal language, as we all know. Listen to the grooves throughout the song, traditional Irish instruments used in ways that are new to my ears. It’s a nine minute tune, but worth listening to all the way through, since the second half of the song is when the song really takes flight. Real nice stuff. This one is the opening track from their 2003 release, Luna Park.

    Kila: Glanfaidh Mé (mp3) – from Luna Park

    Kila’s Official Site.

    Related: My St. Patty’s Day 2006 post, with details about traditional Irish instruments.

  • Rock

    Heart and Soul, Part Two

    bruce

    Happy Monday, folks. This should start the week off right. It’s part two of Heart & Soul, with the Boss and band ripping into mostly material from The River. My favorite parts in this section are “Here She Comes” into an amazing version of “I Wanna Marry You”. I’ve always loved this song, and to hear Bruce’s intensity and passion in the vocals here makes the song so much better. And for someone who is partial to sides 3 and 4 of The River, you don’t get better than great live versions of “Wreck on the Highway”, “Stolen Car”, “Point Blank”, “Crush on You” and “Ramrod.”

    Enjoy part two of this great show. Part three is coming up in a couple of days.

    Bruce Springsteen & the E. Street Band
    November 5th, 1980
    Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

    Part 2 of 3: “Heart & Soul”

    Thunder Road
    No Money Down +
    Cadillac Ranch
    Hungry Heart
    Fire
    Candy’s Room
    Sherry Darling
    Here She Comes
    I Wanna Marry You
    The Ties That Bind
    Stolen Car
    Wreck on the Highway
    Point Blank +
    Crush on You
    Ramrod

    Download all of part 2 in a RAR file.

    + A few annoying snaps and crackles on these two tracks. Sorry for the imperfections, but hey still worth postin’!

    CD ARTWORK :: Reader Paul in the UK created some artwork for the CD covers. Get the front and back.

    Buy This Album!
    the river

  • Rock

    Happy Birthday Boss: Heart and Soul, Part One

    bruce

    Ickmusic sends out a happy 57th birthday to the Boss today. We have a week to go until the Seeger Sessions tour resumes in Italy for a nice little European tour (lucky bastards). So to mark the occasion, let’s celebrate by going back to 1980, and listening to a great show from the River tour as they descended upon ASU.

    This is a 3 parter (and 3 discs), so stay tuned this week for parts two and three. Part 3 , by the way, has THE best version of “Drive All Night” I have ever heard.

    Enjoy!

    Bruce Springsteen & the E. Street Band
    November 5th, 1980
    Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

    Part 1 of 3: “Heart & Soul”

    Born to Run
    Prove it All Night
    Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
    Darkness on the Edge of Town
    Independence Day
    Factory
    Jackson Cage
    Two Hearts
    The Promised Land (sorry, cuts out for about 2 seconds part way thru. bad, i know.)
    Out in the Street
    Racing in the Street
    The River
    Badlands

    Download all of part 1 in a RAR file.

    Buy This Album!
    the river

    Completely Unrelated: Check out Willie Nelson’s stash.

  • Country,  Laid Back

    Lovin Him Was Easier – Rosanne sings Kris

    rosanne cash

    ‘Tis a good thing to hear a well written, beautifully sung song. The words of Kris Kristofferson and the voice of Rosanne Cash come together quite nicely in “Lovin’ Him Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)”. The song (“Lovin’ HER” was the original) first appeared on Kristofferson’s 1971 album The Silver Tongued Devil & I, and has since been covered by the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare, and even Tina Turner.

    Just a nice song that’s prompted me to pick up this tribute to Kristofferson.

    Rosanne Cash: Lovin’ Him Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again) [mp3]

    Buy The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson

    kris

    Buy Rosanne Cash’s new album:

    black cadillac

  • Rock

    Tattoo You Side 2

    tattoo you

    I had a nice “terrestrial radio” moment today. Since I signed up for Sirius Satellite Radio almost a year and a half ago, my non-satellite radio moments are pretty much limited to the parking garage at work (because I lose my signal). So it was a nice surprise when I turned on Phoenix station KDKB (tag line: “Everything that Rocks”), just when they fired up side 2 of the Stones’ Tattoo You uninterrupted. It was perfect: “Worried About You” started when I turned on my car; “Tops”, “Heaven”, “Ain’t No Use in Crying” took me all the way to the freeway exit, and “Waiting on a Friend” finished when I was pulling into my neighborhood. Magic I tell you.

    This was the album that was out when the Stones entered my consciousness in 1981, thanks to my older brother. It wasn’t until a few years later that I began to unearth the wonder found in the Stones catalog. What a musical discovery: Tattoo You, Exile on Main Street, Sticky Fingers, the two Hot Rocks albums, It’s Only Rock and Roll, Black and Blue, Some Girls, Emotional Rescue, Beggars Banquet. Those albums were my introduction to the Stones.

    Hearing side two of Tattoo You reminded me about the timeless quality of their music. People can joke all they want about the sixty something Stones touring today, but the fact is their music is as fresh and relevant as ever.

    Side one of Tattoo You gives you the driving rock of “Start Me Up”, “Hang Fire”, and “Little T&A”. But when side two hits, it’s time to mellow out, sit back, and take in some down tempo classics from the Glimmer Twins.

    Just like I discovered the music of the Stones in my mid teens, so too will countless teenagers today. Never close yourself off from the great music of the past based solely on today’s stereotypes. There would be no Killers, Strokes, Hives and all the other darlings of today’s music scene without the Rolling Stones.

    And as far as the perfect tune to listen to after breaking it off with your sweetie, you don’t get any better than “Waiting on a Friend”… “Dont need a whore / dont need no booze / Dont need a virgin priest / But I need someone I can cry to / I need someone to protect…”. And a Sonny Rollins saxophone solo to boot? Sheesh….

    And here’s the Video for “Worried About You”….

  • Rock

    Sunday Video: Crimson and Clover

    This is the first in a series of Sunday night videos (we’ll see if we make it past week one). Tonight, “Crimson and Clover”, by Tommy James and the Shondells….

    And because I’ve had a decades long crush on Joan Jett, we have to hear her version too…

  • Blues,  Miscellaneous,  Prince,  Rock

    Whole Lotta Love in Copenhagen

    prince

    Today, we have rockin’ Prince, and we have blues Prince. Coming from a 2002 aftershow in Copenhagen, Denmark, the man is all over his guitar here. May I recommend that you turn this m$%#@er up loud, and enjoy?

    Prince:
    Whole Lotta Love (mp3) (Led Zep cover)
    The Question of U (mp3)

    Live from a Copenhagen aftershow, October 26, 2002 (Hit n’ Run Tour).

    Buy the newly released Ultimate Prince.

    The Prince Forum: Ickmusic’s new Prince forum is up & running. For you Prince freaks, get on over and register. It’s worth your while, trust me.

  • Pop

    The Cars Unlocked

    null

    For you Cars fans out there, mark October 17th on your calendars. The Cars Unlocked, a live CD/DVD, will be released. Judging by the trailer and the live “Shake It Up” video below, we’ve got some vintage 80’s moments. Bikini clad 80’s chicks on top of their boyfriends’ shoulders, what more could we possibly ask for?

    Click on the pic for a quality live video of “Shake It Up” and “Let the Good Times Roll” (in Quicktime – get Low Bandwidth here):

    Also, The Cars: My Best Friend’s Girl – Live Audio (Play in Quicktime | Play in Windows Media Player)

    “You Might Think” you know The Cars, but it’s time to say “Hello Again.” On October 17, Docurama will release The Cars Unlocked, the definitive live document of one of the most popular and influential rock groups of our time. Unlocked includes a live DVD with over twenty never before seen performances, interspersed with intimate interview footage, backstage antics, soundcheck rehearsals and more. Unlocked also includes a bonus CD, the multi-platinum group’s first-ever live album, with fourteen additional, direct-from-the-soundboard songs. The Cars Unlocked is produced by the group’s lead singer/songwriter Ric Ocasek.

    The Cars Unlocked comes packaged in a gorgeous, embossed case and includes a 28-page, hardbound booklet, designed by Ocasek, with dozens of newly unearthed photos. “This is the most comprehensive look at The Cars ever released on any format,” says Ocasek. “I’ve been sifting through our video and audio archives for a long time, and think I’ve put together a really personal, inside look at the group.”

    This is gonna be cool.

    Order The Cars Unlocked (released Oct. 17)
    Official Site of the DVD