• Acoustic,  Laid Back

    Citizen Cope – D’Artagnan’s Theme

    I’ve been meaning to post this song for a while now. And it’s Michael’s great Alice Smith post that spurred me into action. Alice had been opening up for Citizen Cope on his recent tour.

    Cope is the pseudonym of Clarence Greenwood, and I’ve been enjoying his last couple of albums – 2004’s The Clarence Greenwood Recordings and last year’s Every Waking Moment – for a while now. They truly surprise me, as they seem to get better and better the more I listen. It was one of those iTunes shuffle moments when this song came up, and made me stop what I was doing to enjoy the laid back, semi-sad vibe.

    D’Artagnan refers to Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d’Artagnan, one of the the fictionalized Three Musketeers. I can’t quite figure out who the protagonist is, but the lyrics evoke an outlaw type who has no time for the woman he’s singing to.

    Well I don’t know how else to say it
    In a different way
    But why don’t you just fade away
    ‘Cause there’s a battle going on
    Down south of Babylon
    So why don’t you just fade away

    The tune is a breeze on the acoustic guitar. C-F-G. Impress your family and friends!

    This one comes from The Clarence Greenwood Recordings….

    Buy: The Clarence Greenwood Recordings | Every Waking Moment

    Citizen Cope’s Official Site

  • Bruce Springsteen

    Springsteen’s Magic to be released on Vinyl a Week Earlier than the CD (Sept. 25th)

    It looks like I’ll be putting my new turntable to good use on September 25th!

    From this article on Billboard:

    In an unusual move, Bruce Springsteen’s new album, “Magic,” is expected to be released on vinyl a week before its CD version hits stores. The vinyl is due Sept. 25 via Columbia, while the CD will arrive Oct. 2. A handful of major releases have appeared on vinyl prior to CD; Pearl Jam released its 1994 album, “Vitalogy,” on vinyl two weeks early, prompting a premature No. 55 debut on The Billboard 200.

  • Country

    Steve Earle Album Cover and Letterman Appearance

    A week before the Boss drops his Magic on us, Steve Earle’s new album, Washington Square Serenade, will be released (Sept. 25th).

    Steve will be appearing on Letterman Thursday night (Aug. 23rd) to perform “City of Immigrants” from the new record. Look for some YouTube action here soon after. [UPDATE: Video is here.]

    Preorder Washington Square Serenade.

    You can hear “City of Immigrants” over on Steve’s new MySpace page.

  • R&B,  Soul

    Second Listen: Dreaming…

    Alice Smith

    There’s just something about Alice Smith. I’ll admit it, I dug this one out of the pile of CD’s marked “Must Listen To Again” and I’m kicking myself for having slept on it for so long. With comparisons ranging from Patty LaBelle to Fiona Apple to Billie Holiday the one common factor is the presence of soul. There is something so honest in her phrasing and delivery, no smoke, no mirrors. It’s almost as if you are sitting in the corner of the vocal booth, just soaking in every corner of her four-octave voice. I’ve packed this post with two of my favorite tracks. Here’s just a little lyrical taste of “Dream”…

    When I wake up in the morning time
    I like to see you sleeping by my side
    I think about the nights we had before
    Wanna give you this and more
    Let you know I truly adore you

    I’ll tell ya, she had me at “Let you know I truly adore you”. I’m a fan, give a listen and you will be too.

    Alice SmithDream (MP3)

    Alice SmithSecrets (MP3)

    Buy: For Lovers, Dreamers & Me | Alice Smith - For Lovers, Dreamers & Me

    Links: Official Site | MySpace

  • Bruce Springsteen

    The Boss Live at the Roxy, 1978 (Part One)

    My wife made me watch David Hasselhoff sing on America’s Got Talent, and now I feel sick to my stomach. I thought she loved me.

    This must be rectified now. We need live Boss, and we need it now. I am getting seriously geeked about the new boss album and E Street tour coming up in a matter of weeks. This show here, this has to be my favorite Boss show of all time. You’ll feel the energy from the second Bruce takes the mic to apologize to those who got shut out after waiting in line all day: “I wasn’t trying to turn this into no private party, ’cause I don’t play no parties no more…except my own. [crowd cheers wildly] So give me a little slap back on this microphone… One…we gonna do some rock n’ roll for you...” ZOWWW! They don’t call him Boss for nothing, as you’ll hear with this show.

    The show goes on for well over three hours, so this is going to be a three parter. I’ll have 2 and 3 up soon. But let’s get started with this. You Bruce fanatics, you probably have this show. But if you don’t, God are you in for a treat. I recommend downloading it all, queuing it up on your iPod or iTunes, and listening to it straight through. Certainly string the intro and “Rave On” together to see how this show kicks off. It’s amazing.

    Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
    The Roxy, Hollywood, California
    July 7th, 1978

    Part One

    Intro
    Rave On
    Badlands
    Spirit in the Night
    Darkness on the Edge of Town
    Candy’s Room
    For You
    Point Blank
    The Promised Land
    Prove It All Night
    Racing Intro
    Racing in the Street
    Thunder Road
    Outro

    Come back soon for parts 2 and 3.

  • Giveaway,  Jazz

    Ickmusic Giveaway: Miles Davis Quintet on Monterey Jazz Festival Records

    It’s a giveaway frenzy here lately, so I have no choice but to once again bestow quality goods upon you people. The latest item will make any jazz fan happy. Even those who aren’t into jazz know a cool motherf**er when they see one, and Miles Davis was just that.

    Well the Monterey Jazz Festival has launched their own label, aptly named Monterey Jazz Festival Records, and their first wave of CD’s were released today. They launched into their live archives, and are debuting with releases from Sarah Vaughan, Thelonius Monk, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles. Future releases will also feature contemporary artists, projects and special events recorded at the festival.

    So leave a comment down below, folks, and have your chance to win this CD. Did anyone out there ever have the honor to see Miles play live? What’s your favorite Miles Davis album? Are you down with electric Miles?

    Speaking of cool mofos, check out his quintet circa 1963: Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, George Coleman. Sheesh…

    Miles Davis Quintet – Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival

    (September 20, 1963)

    Miles Davis – trumpet
    George Coleman – tenor sax
    Herbie Hancock – piano
    Ron Carter – bass
    Tony Williams – drums

    1. Waiting for Miles
    2. Autumn Leaves (streaming Quicktime)
    3. So What
    4. Stella by Starlight
    5. Walkin’
    6. The Theme

    Some other streaming goodies:

    Louis Armstrong – Mack the Knife
    Thelonius Monk – Rhythm-a-Ning
    Dizzy Gillespie – Poor Joe
    Sarah Vaughan – Round Midnight

    Monterey Jazz Festival Records: Official Site | MySpace

    Visit Concord Music Group’s Online Store to purchase.

    Good luck!

  • Bruce Springsteen

    Springsteen’s Magic – the cover?

    Here’s an unconfirmed, but possible cover to Bruce’s new album, due out October 2nd.

    Bruce and non-Bruce fans: thoughts? Cool cover? Badass Bruce? Grumpy Bruce?

    I vote gritty, badass Boss. Sort of the 21st century version of Darkness-era Bruce. It could be the real deal, or it could be that someone combined a new Boss pic and some Photoshop skills. We’ll see…

    Update: Amazon has it up on their site. It’s looking like the real deal: Magic

  • Reggae

    Remembering Joseph Hill and Culture


    Joseph Hill, January 22, 1949 – August 19, 2006

    I have to thank my wife for the infusion of more reggae into my life. She’s an island girl (Seychelles), and has grown up loving reggae. One of the great groups she has introduced me to is Culture. They are reggae legends, but I never was too familiar with them until I met her.

    Today turned into reggae day for us. We watched Countryman earlier this afternoon. It’s a 1982 film about the adventures of a peaceful rastafarian fisherman. It has an awesome soundtrack of great reggae tunes. So naturally it put us into the reggae mood. So we put on Culture for the rest of the day. In cruising around the web checking out the Wikipedias and the YouTubes, I came to discover that Joseph Hill, lead singer of the group, passed away exactly one year ago today (August 19th). It was after a gig in Germany a year ago that Hill collapsed. It was later attributed to liver failure.

    Hill formed Culture in Jamaica in 1976 with his cousin Albert Walker and Kenneth Dayes. They soon joined up with producer Joe Gibbs and engineer Errol Thompson, who would help Culture record a string of classic reggae albums, starting with 1977’s Two Sevens Clash. They also worked with some premier musicians of the day, including Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.

    Let’s remember Joseph Hill today with some classic Culture tunes, one of the true pioneers of roots reggae.

    CultureI’m Not Ashamed (mp3) – extended version, from Two Sevens Clash: The 30th Anniversary Edition

    CultureJah Rastafari (mp3) – from International Herb

    CultureThis Train (mp3) – from Cumbolo

    CultureWhy Worry About Them (mp3) – from Wings of a Dove

    Culture on Culture

    Here’s a video of Culture performing “Jah Rastafari” in my wife’s home country of Seychelles…

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AG58Lc9m_I 336 278]

  • Giveaway,  World

    Ickmusic Giveaway: Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars DVD

    My wife and I just got done watching the newly released DVD Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars. As far as the horrifying subject matter that forms the backdrop of this documentary – which is the decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone – I feel much the way I felt after watching Hotel Rwanda: enraged and ashamed at the atrocities that occur, yet filled with awe and admiration for the people who rise above it all to help others. In Hotel Rwanda, it was Paul Rusesabagina who sheltered and ultimately saved over a thousand fellow Rwandans in his Kigali hotel, the Hôtel des Mille Collines. In this inspiring DVD, it’s Reuben Koroma, “Franco” Langba, “Black Nature”, and their fellow members of Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars who use the power of music to overcome their traumatic pasts, and to help others through theirs as well.

    The film follows the All Stars from the refugee camps of Guinea – where thousands of Sierra Leone’s people fled to escape the violence in their home country – to their return to Sierra Leone in 2004. There, they recorded an album, and have since toured the world. They are in the midst of a U.S. tour as we speak, so do yourself a big favor and rent/buy this DVD, buy their album, and go see them live if they’re coming to your area. My wife and I will be seeing them here in Scottsdale on February 17th.

    Here’s the trailer on YouTube. You can view higher quality trailers on this Quicktime link or this Windows Media Player link.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSgY6n_ek_g 336 278]

    GIVEAWAY: To celebrate the August 14th release of this amazing film, I have a copy of the DVD available to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment below to be entered. I’ll pick out a winner in a few days.

    Now for some important links:

  • Electronic

    Ickmusic Live: The Human League, 1980

    Dropping back into the early new wave scene, we go to a June 1980 show featuring the original lineup of the Human League. The founding members were Philip Oakey, Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh, and Philip Adrian Wright (who ran films and slide shows onstage, but was still credited as a full band member). Oakey remains today as the only original member of the still functioning Human League. Ware and Marsh left the group in late 1980 and went on to form Heaven 17.

    I’m no aficionado of science fiction or video games, but the name Human League comes from the game Starforce: Alpha Centauri, one of the first sci-fi games.

    So the sound quality of this show is not superb, in fact some would argue that it’s shitty, but I still like to listen to shows like this as sort of a historical document – a piece of music history. So Human Leaguers – behold!

    The Human League
    June 10th, 1980
    VPRO Radio, Amsterdam

    Intro
    Dreams Of Leaving
    Almost Medieval
    A Crow and a Baby
    Perfect Day
    Marianne
    Empire State Human
    Rock ‘N Roll

    Check the Human League out on The Human League.

    MORE ELECTRO GOODNESS – As an early electronic music bonus, Radio Free Wohlman has an entire podcast “transmission” dedicated to the Kraftwerk family tree. Check the post out here. An hour full of Kraftwerk history. Well worth your while, friends.