Heartbreakers Friday
I ask you, what better way to kick off a weekend than with vintage Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers? Here’s a nice little set from early 1980 during a two night stand at the Hammersmith-Odeon in London town.
It’s nice to hear such great quality footage of a young and vibrant Tom Petty. He and the Heartbreakers still put on an amazing show, mind you, and every music lover should make it a point to see them live at least once – but this Tom Petty: the young, angry smartass – this is the live Tom Petty to behold.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
March 7th, 1980
Hammersmith-Odeon, London
FM Broadcast (KBFH)Anything that’s Rock n Roll
Even The Losers
I Need to Know
Don’t do me Like That
Cry To Me
Refugee
American Girl
Breakdown
Too Much Ain’t Enough
ShoutYouTubin’ Petty
- Check out this 1980 footage of Petty and the boys working through Eddie Cochran’s “Sometin’ Else”.
- Singing “Listen to Her Heart” in 1978.
- Weird Al “interviews” Tom Petty.
- Finally, a man named Mark, who is missing both arms, plays “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” with his feet. I hate feet as a rule, but this is pretty cool.
Jesse Malin and the Boss – Broken Radio
I just picked up Jesse Malin‘s latest album, ‘Glitter in the Gutter‘. I haven’t spent a lot of time listening to Jesse in the past, but I’ve heard good things about him, and he’s played gigs with Marah, a Philly band I really like. And the kicker is that Bruce Springsteen makes an appearance on the record, singing along with Jesse on a tune called “Broken Radio”.
So to start off, I’ll admit that for me, Jesse Malin will be an acquired taste. I listened to “Broken Radio” for the first time a few days ago. My first impression of Malin’s voice was that I was listening to Ryan Adams try to sing while someone was plugging his nose and squeezing his nuts. As I said, it may be an acquired taste. It got a bit better over the next few listens, though.
Jesse Malin showed up at the Tribute to Bruce a few weeks ago in New York City. I had caught the YouTube performance of him singing “Hungry Heart” with Ronnie Spector. And, um, wow. You can judge for yourself.
In Bruce news, he showed up over the weekend at a Brian Wilson show in Red Bank, NJ. He joined Brian in singing a great tune: “Love and Mercy” (and some guitar on “Barbara Ann”). Thanks Thierry for the heads up.
SoI ‘ll check in again here on this album when I digest it a little more. I have a feeling it’ll grow on me. But check out “Broken Radio”, see whatcha think…
Jesse Malin w/ Bruce Springsteen –
Broken Radio(mp3)Jesse’s Official Site | MySpace
Forecast for Tuesday: Sky Blue Sky
Kevin Nealon, far right, has apparently donned hipster eyewear and joined wilco!For my favorite artists, I’m still a “have it / hold it” kind of guy when it comes to new albums. I have the need and desire to venture out to my local record store (can I still call it that?), pay my money down, and walk out with the new CD in hand.
Wilco is one of those artists for me. I’ve even shown some restraint in this digital age of album leaks and streaming previews, and avoided listening to their new album, Sky Blue Sky. I’ve only heard “What Light” and “Side With the Seeds”.
Like a lot of you, I like the butterflies in my stomach when I finally get through the plastic wrap, pull off those annoying little tabs, extract the CD, and insert it into my car’s CD player. Weird to think, but even CD’s feel old school these days, much like albums did when CD’s took over my life in the late 80’s.
So yeah, I’m a bit excited to listen to Sky Blue Sky all the way through. So if you can’t make it to the local record store, and you want that CD in hand, go ahead and pick ’em up here.
Buy the Expanded Edition (CD/DVD):
Buy the CD:
Sunday Video: The Blower’s Daughter
This song is 4-5 years old, but I just discovered its brilliance. Damien Rice sings “The Blower’s Daughter”…
Happy Mom’s Day, now listen to George Michael
Photo of England’s Lake District taken by Nicolas Masse. See his Flickr site.A Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, including my beautiful wife and amazing mother, Myra. My own mom gave me the year off, as she’s currently traveling across England’s Lake District – on foot. She has my dad – the hiking fiend – to thank for that. My crazy pops hiked the John Muir Trail by himself, for crying out loud. My dad the sixty-something has a way of making this thirty- something feel very very lazy.
So I did the obligatory “mother” search in iTunes to see what I could post on this fine day, but nothing jumped out. I don’t think “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother” fits the occasion.
So instead, I’ll go with random stream of consciousness. I guess it’s the recent George Michael coverage. His older albums, especially ‘Faith‘ and ‘Listen Without Prejudice‘, really hold up to the test of time, in my opinion. These two songs from ‘Listen‘ prove my point…
George Michael:
Freedom ’90(mp3)George Michael:
Waiting for that Day(mp3)Buy:
Neville Brothers live at the Vienna Jazz Festival
I had the good fortune to see the Neville Brothers a couple of weekends ago here in Arizona. That same weekend, Jazz Fest was kicking off in New Orleans. The Neville Brothers were once staples of the Jazz Fest scene, but this was the second consecutive year that they were no-shows. Some have attributed it to Aaron Neville’s asthma. He allegedly says that the climate aggravates it.
Today, Hidden Track passed along a link on the Time-Picayune site regarding the Funky Meters return to New Orleans (Art Neville, the eldest brother, is a member of both the Meters and the Neville Brothers). The article also mentions the continued absence of the Neville Brothers in New Orleans. The criticism catches fire in the comments section. Some of the residents of New Orleans apparently harbor some serious resentment toward the Nevilles, accusing Art of bashing post-Katrina New Orleans, and going as far as calling them traitors and exploiters of their home town.
I don’t know the guys personally, but I find it hard to believe that the Nevilles have anything but love for their home town of New Orleans. Aaron just buried his wife of 50 years there in January, for crying out loud. On this their thirtieth anniversary, I’m sure the Nevilles will be planning a triumphant return to the Big Easy.
But it was interesting to see any negativity directed toward the Nevilles, especially from their home town folks. I would think their lifetime of devotion and dedication to the city would set that issue straight.
So let’s go back to last summer’s Vienna Jazz Festival, and take in a great sounding set by the Brothers.
The Neville Brothers
July 7th, 2006
Vienna Jazz Festival, Austria1. Can’t Stop the Funk
2. Fever
3. Besame Mucho
4. A Change is Gonna Come
5. Bird on a Wire
6. Please Don’t Leave Me
7. Talkin’ Bout New Orleans
8. Foxy Lady
9. Big Chief
10.Louisiana 19271. Tell It Like It Is
2. Charlie
3. Yellow Moon
4. Shake Your Tamborine
5. Amazing Grace
6. Neville-ismSwitchin to Glide
The song playing on the clock radio when it goes off at 6:15 every morning can make or break the day for me. This morning, Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” was playing.
I hate “Fat Bottomed Girls”.
So it was imperative to throw on another tune very quickly, and de-program the “song in my head”.
What better weekend song than “This Beat Goes On / Switchin’ to Glide”? Released on the Kings’ 1980 debut album ‘The Kings Are Here‘, the tune hit it big on rock radio, but the Kings ended up being put out to pasture in one hit wonder land.
The Kings –
This Beat Goes On / Switchin’ to Glide(mp3)Odds and Ends
N’Awlins: Check out these amazing photos from the just wrapped-up Jazz Fest in New Orleans, which I plan to attend next year for the very first time. Who’s in? Hidden Track has the hot pics here. Photos courtesy of Danfun. Great fargin’ photos, Dan!
This is what it’s like in the Dream Factory: For some old school Prince goodness, head over to Gonzo’s place for a trip to The Dream Factory.
Ain’t that a bitch: Need more of a Prince fix? Head over to Horse Latitudes for a cool remix of “Bob George”.
Jefitoblog’s Latest Bootleg City: Jefito’s keepin’ it real with some classic ’77 Van Halen. The real Van Halen!
Save Internet Radio: New Orleans musicians unite to keep internet radio alive.
Charlie Rose Interviews Online: Over 4,000 hours of quality Charlie Rose interviews are archived in video format online, including this hour long interview with the Boss.
A Tasty Prince Aftershow at 3121 Jazz Cuisine
Fresh news out of the purple camp today, as Prince announced at a press conference that he will be setting up shop in London later this summer for 21 dates. These are the announced gigs, he’s also hinted at a healthy smattering of his infamous club aftershows. All I have to say about this is… BUGGER! BUGGER ! BUGGER! You Brits are in for something special.He also said he’d be mixing up the set list nightly, and even inviting Amy Winehouse out to perform with him. Apparently, he’s quite taken by the sexy soulful sot (as am I). After these dates, he’s taking some time off to study the good book. Doesn’t he know that the third commandment is “Thou Shalt Go On Tour for Pete’s Sake(th)??”
So speaking of aftershows, the first glimpse into one of the 3121 Jazz Cuisine aftershows has surfaced. Prince and his band usually hit the main stage at his 3121 club around midnight and play a 90 minute set or so. Not long after that, the band will occasionaly set up inside 3121 Jazz Cuisine, which is Prince’s own fancy shmancy restaurant. It’s an intimate affair (so I’ve heard), and only a lucky few are allowed in (for a fee). There’s also an adjoining room where people can look into the main room from afar (for a fee too – the man knows how to make money). Maybe someone who has attended can offer some insight into the experience.
This was Prince’s first night back at the Rio after his Super Bowl performance, so he was undoubtedly riding a high. His hits were covered during the main set earlier in the evening. As his aftershows tend to be, especially his recent ones, plenty of cover tunes are played, and the spotlight is handed over to others. In this case, Shelby and Sheila E. feature prominently, but the man gets his licks in too.
Check out the unbelievably sick groove they lay down with Billy Cobham’s “Stratus”. He also plays “Wasted Kisses”, a rarely played tune off his less than popular 1998 album, ‘New Power Soul‘. And you get your old school soul & funk, as they pull out the Rufus, Wild Cherry, Sly, and the Ohio Players. And a Coltrane cover to boot? *sigh* Enjoy, Europe.
Bugger.
- Prince’s Official Site.
- Buy: 3121
Local IckMusic: What Laura Says Thinks and Feels
As a married pops of two living in the sticks outside of Phoenix, my days of spending five out of every seven nights bar-hopping and band-watching have come to an end. So my knowledge of the local music scene is pretty much limited to the local press and the occasional night out.
Today, a columnist for the Phoenix New Times posted about a cool local band on his blog. The title of his piece is ‘Annals of Bad Band Names’, and he has a valid point in this case: the band’s name is What Laura Says Thinks and Feels. They may have a good story behind the name, so I won’t judge. And after hearing these tunes, I was willing to overlook the silly name, because this stuff is infectious… a retro feel but completely unique at the same time. Folky, trippy, Brit-poppy, Brian Wilson-y.
Add your -y’s in the comments.
What Laura Says Thinks and Feels – Couldn’t Lose Myself If I Tried (mp3)
The New Times post has another tune you can listen to.
Their MySpace has three other tunes, including a nice soft one called “Dot Dot Dot” (reminds me of Kings of Convenience). And of course it’s excellent karma to support an unsigned band, so go to their CD Baby page and pick up their album. Or get it on iTunes. After listening to these songs, I think a lot of you will.
