• Friday Five

    The Friday Five: October 14, 2011

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

    The Five:

    “Come See About Me” by Tedeschi Trucks Band (from Revelator, 2011)

    “Mary Ann” by Bob Dylan (from Dylan, 1973)

    “Get Up to Get Down” by Brass Construction (from Phat Trax: The Best of Old School, Volume 1, 1997)

    “(He’s) Seventeen” by The Supremes (from The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 2: 1962, 2005)

    “Nasty” by Janet Jackson (from Control, 1986)

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: August 19, 2011

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

    The Five:

    “Look Sharp!” by Joe Jackson (from Look Sharp!, 1979)

    Why are you yelling at me, Joe Jackson?

    “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” by Bob Dylan (from MTV Unplugged, 1995)

    Indeed.

    “Wake Up Everybody (live in studio performance)” by John Legend & The Roots (from Wake Up!, 2010)

    Why do these album titles keep yelling at me? Look Sharp! Wake Up!

    “Team” by Bon Iver (from For Emma, Forever Ago, 2008)

    I still fail to see what everyone loves about Bon Iver.

    “Girl” by The Beatles (from Rubber Soul, 1965)

    Sweet finish to summer’s penultimate Friday Five.

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Rock

    I Shall Be Released from The Last Waltz

    The Last Waltz – best concert film of all time? Certainly right up there. When I stumble upon it on TV, like I did tonight, there’s no way I can turn away.

    Thanksgiving 1976. The Band. Bob Dylan. Van Morrison. Neil Young. Dr. John. Joni Mitchell. Muddy Waters. Eric Clapton. Neil Diamond. Ronnie Wood. Ringo Starr. Ronnie Hawkins. Paul Butterfield.

    Still such a thrill to watch.  Here’s the last song of the show, as Dylan leads The Band and all the guests in his own tune, “I Shall Be Released”…

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: November 27, 2009

    https://ickmusic.com/pics/FridayFive03.png

    Friday Five : ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

    Editor’s Note: My tryptophan-addled brain completely failed to realize that it was Friday until just about an hour ago, despite the fact that I’m working! Here’s a ‘live’ five for you to enjoy this weekend!

    The Five:

    Sunny Day Real Estate – “Pheurton Skeurto” (from Sunny Day Real Estate, 1994)

    A quiet island in a stormy sea, “Pheurton Skeurto” is a jaunty sea shanty with impossible lyrics and one of my favorite tracks on the seminal emo band’s self-titled debut.

    The Beatles – “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” (mp3) (from Help!, 1965)

    Lennon’s attempts at incorporating the folk influences of the day (specifically Bob Dylan) provide us with one of the most beautiful tunes in The Beatles catalog.

    Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch – “Good Vibrations” (from Music for the People, 1991)

    Occasionally the shuffle button betrays me. This could be one of those occasions.

    Bush – “Machinehead” (from Sixteen Stone, 1994)

    I’m going to go on record here and say that I never disliked Bush, but I never liked them all that much either. Of all their post-grunge (lite) tunes, this one was always a favorite.

    Anthrax – “I’m the Man (Def Uncensored version)” (mp3) (from I’m the Man, 1987)

    I’m so bad, I should be in detention.

    What’s keeping you going on this Black Friday?

  • Rock

    Bob and Tom on the 4th of July (Part Two)

    As promised, here’s the second part of this nice collection of tunes from the July 4th, Dylan/Petty show way back in old ’86. An interesting note about “Rainy Day Women” – Howie Epstein plays slide guitar, and Mr. Tom moves over to bass. The last few songs of the night are missing from this collection for some reason (all Bob tunes) – I won’t torture you with what’s missing, I’ll focus on the positive – and that is, the rest of this killer set!

    On a Petty side note, did you all hear about the Mudcrutch album and mini-tour? Mudcrutch was Petty’s pre-Heartbreakers band in the early-mid 70’s. They were the house band at Dub’s Diner in Gainesville, Florida before they moved out to Hollywood (into the great wide open). They only released one single, “Depot Street”, in 1975 (on Shelter Records). On April 12th, the original members (Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Danny Roberts, Benmont Tench and Randall Marsh) will kick off a tour in the non-pretentious little enclave of Malibu, California. An album will follow on April 29th. You can check out the tour dates here (all California, for now). You can check out and pre-order the new album by clicking on the cover…

    Enjoy, and make sure to check out Part One if you haven’t already.

    Bob Dylan with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
    Buffalo, NY
    July 4th, 1986

    Part 2

    1. I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know
    2. Band Of The Hand
    3. When The Night Comes Falling
    4. Lonesome Town
    5. Ballad Of A Thin Man
    6. Bye Bye Johnny
    7. Even the Losers
    8. Spike
    9. Refugee
    10. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
    11. Seeing The Real You At Last
    12. Across The Borderline
    13. Thank God (Mt. View, CA 8/05/86)

  • Rock n' Folk

    Freedom! Bob and Tom on the 4th of July (Part 1)

    Tom Petty and Bob Dylan-RS 478/479 (July 17, 1986) - photo by Aaron Rapoport

    It would be most fitting to post this 4th of July show on Independence Day, but given that this is my first post on my new host (Hostmonster), and we’ve got a new theme and some new banners, I’m feeling free and refreshed, so here goes.

    3 cheers to Michael for the awesome banners! Michael is indeed the sh-t.

    This show comes from a great tour that took place over the summer of 1986: Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I was in the midst of my high school years, and there were two things consuming my life at the time (besides my studies, of course): Prince and girls. So while I was busy gallivanting about on this particular 4th of July – probably drinking Old Style beer on a Lake Michigan beach (while the girls drank White Mountain or Seagram’s wine coolers) – Bob, Tom & the boys were on the shores of another great lake, playing their hearts out in Buffalo, New York.

    Here comes a two-parter. I’ll hit you with part deux in a few days. For now, take in some of the show….

    Bob Dylan with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
    Buffalo, NY
    July 4th, 1986

    Part 1:

    1. So Long Good Luck & Goodbye
    2. Positively Fourth Street
    3. Clean-Cut Kid
    4. Emotionally Yours
    5. Trust Yourself
    6. We Had It All
    7. Masters Of War
    8. Straight Into Darkness
    9. One Of These Days
    10. The Waiting
    11. Breakdown
    12. To Ramona
    13. One Too Many Mornings
    14. A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall

  • Laid Back

    Simple Twist of Fate, Jerry-Style

    Jerry Garcia Band

    Regardless of your general palate for the Grateful Dead, it’s pretty hard to listen to this version of the Bob Dylan-penned “Simple Twist of Fate” and not be moved. Whether it’s Garcia’s pleading and perfect vocal, or his crisp and cascading guitar solos, this performance is simply gorgeous.

    The Jerry Garcia Band was Jerry’s opportunity to let loose and play some of his favorite music outside of the Dead “scene”, from Dylan to Motown to gospel. And in my opinion, it got no better than this…

    Jerry Garcia BandSimple Twist of Fate (mp3)

    Buy: Jerry Garcia Band