• 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

  • cover of tattoo you by the Rolling Stones
    Rock

    Tattoo You Side 2

    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

  • Electronic

    Great Thunderball!

    cinescope

    Looking ahead to October’s releases, ESL Music (Thievery Corporation’s label) will be releasing Thunderball’s latest, Cinescope. Washington DC’s Sid Barcelona and Steve Raskin are the force behind Thunderball. They excel at drum and bass, breakbeats, dub, and downtempo – all with a classic 70’s cinematic feel behind it.

    They recruited Afrikaa Bambaataa for a couple of tracks, and Roots for another, so the boys have their connections. They spend their time performing DJ sets at various clubs, and also have a 8-piece band they pull together from time to time.

    If you’re like me, once in a while you like to mix it up a little. This album puts that different little spin on things. Some tracks, you feel like you’re inside a blaxploitation film, others, you’re envisioning sexy young vixens dancing around you in a red, velvety, smoky lounge (like “Chicachiquita” below). Well, I guess I try to picture that with anything I listen to. * Excuse me, what’s that honey?? Haha! You know I’m only kidding! Okay, I’ll rephrase!! Jeez…. Ahem… right, so songs like “Chicachiquita” will elicit thoughts of your husband or wife or significant other dancing seductively around you in a red velvety lounge.

    Official Site | Buy Thunderball’s Music

  • Funk,  Soul

    A Closer Look at Nino

    null

    Having had time to sit back and take in Nino Moschella’s LP, The Fix, I can report back to you that yes – we have a funky white boy on our hands (takes one to know one). Yes, the man channels Innervisions-era Stevie Wonder. Yes, the man channels Prince. Yes, the man records out of a home studio not far Fresno, California.

    The Ickmusic Seal of Approval is hereby affixed – dingggg! – on to The Fix.

    Nino Moschella: Didn’t You See Her (mp3)

    Related: Nino Knows Funky | Nino’s MySpace page | His Official Site | His Ubiquity Records profile

    Purchase The Fix:
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  • Acoustic,  Punk

    Joe Strummer Acoustic in 1999

    It’s necessary here on Ickmusic to periodically post about the late great Joe Strummer. Today, my friends, a treat. This is an afternoon in-store appearance in Portland, Oregon back in November of 1999. Joe’s first Mescaleros album, Rock Art & the X Ray Style, had just been released weeks earlier. From Black Market Clash, a cool site covering all of the Clash / Joe Strummer bootlegs….

    The acoustic session is awesome as Joe plays ad lib with funny and made up lyrics ad lib. The sound is excellent also. A direct to DAT mono recording, Joe played in front of around 100 people with a punk circle singing behind Joe and a drummer named Matthew from the local band “Roe” seated with his hands on his legs and stamping on the stage. 4.30pm.

    Not sure which store this short set takes place in (maybe someone out there wants to fill me in? – ed. It’s music Millennium), but the vibe sure is loose and relaxed, and like the blurb above says, the sound is pristine. Take a listen to the late, the great, the incomparable Joe Strummer.

    Joe Strummer
    November 2, 1999
    Portland, Oregon USA

    Download the ZIP (mp3s)

    Junco Partner
    Talk
    X-Ray Style
    Island Hopping
    The Road to Rock and Roll
    Trash City

    Buy Rock Art & the X-Ray Style :

    rock art
  • Acoustic

    Rollin into Tennessee

    aaron schroeder

    Interspersed between all of the quality live Prince, Bruce, Clash, Joe Ely, etc. etc. that I’ve been listening to lately, I’ve come across some fine little nuggets courtesy of emails from the artists themselves.

    Aaron Schroeder, a talented songwriter, guitar-man, and vocalist from Kennewick, Washington, put together his own CD, Southern Heart in Western Skin, and he’s only 22 damn years old (yeah, I’m starting to get cranky and bitter).

    One track that most certainly caught my ear is “Rollin’ Tennessee.” It’s got that driving beat fueled by acoustic guitar and piano. It’s got a good theme: pleading for your baby to join you on that movin’ train. I’m a sucker for those.

    Aaron Schroeder: Rollin’ Tennessee (mp3)

    You can support a young, independent, and very talented musician by going to his MySpace page and picking up this CD for $7.00.

    ===============

    GASP! Speaking of MySpace… I – uh – now have a MySpace page. I thought it would be cool to network with some of the cool up and coming musicians (and fellow bloggers) out there. As of now, I have no friends! MySpace hurts my ego…. SLAM! So if you’re a MySpacer, hit me up, or send me an Add, or whatever the kids are saying these days.

    http://www.myspace.com/ickmusic