Steve Earle at Tradewinds, Part 1
I haven’t posted about my favorite left-wing Tennessee via Mexico via East Texas outlaw in a while. Steve Earle hasn’t been quiet lately though. He’s a modern-day renaissance man: musician, poet, protester, playwright, you name it. He jokes that he has to keep himself that busy to keep him sober. He wasn’t doing so good there for a while (in the late 80’s and early 90’s). Well, since he got sober, and inspiration took over, Steve has been hitting us hard with some great albums: I Feel Alright, Train a Comin’, El Corazon, Jerusalem, among others. In ’98, Steve was on tour supporting one of my personal favorites, El Corazon (a tour that didn’t bring him to Phoenix, so I flew my butt to Montrose, Colorado to see him – well, actually my brother flew me).
This is a special show, folks. The locale is Tradewinds in Sea Bright, New Jersey. It’s February 6, 1998, and a certain someone is lurking in the audience watching this great show. I’ll give you part one here. In part two later this week, this certain someone hits the stage with Mr. Earle to fully complete roof tearage off the sucker.
Steve Earle & the Dukes
February 6, 1998
Sea Bright, NJPart One [ZIP] ♦ [Part two here]
Christmas In Washington
Here I Am
Taneytown
Hardcore Troubador
My Old Friend The Blues
Someday
If You Fall
Mystery Train Part II
You Know The Rest
Windfall (Son Volt cover)
Copperhead Road
Telephone Road
More Than I Can Do
Now She’s Gone
Ft. Worth Blues
I Feel Alright
Poison LoversIn recent Steve Earle news, he signed with New West Records recently. I’m looking forward to good things in ’07 from ol’ Steve.
Ist
This is IST from the UK. They mass-mailed the music blogging community with their latest single, and I’m biting. The reasoning is this: if someone sends me a song called “I am Jesus (and You’re Not)”, well, I’m going to post it.
Ist: I am Jesus (and You’re Not) [mp3]
Listen Here:
[audio:ist.mp3]Harlem Shufflin
I’ve always loved the Stones version of “Harlem Shuffle” (and the video above, particularly the fine female dancing with Mick – rarrrr – feel like I’m 16 again). Silly thing is, I don’t think I had heard another version of it until recently (courtesy again of Sirius). It turned out to be the original version too, performed by Bob & Earl. The twosome, Bob Relf and Earl Nelson, wrote and recorded the song in 1963. It was later performed by the Righteous Brothers, Johnny & Edgar Winter, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and of course the Stones on 1986’s Dirty Work.
So check out the original version. It’s interesting to note the similarities between the original and the Stones versions. You’ll notice Mick Jagger borrowed a lot of the same tones, groans, and moans from the Bob & Earl version.
I’ve still a looong way to go with my Booker T. & the M.G.’s education. As one of the tightest rhythm sections you could shake stick at, they were the Stax label’s house band for many years back in the 60’s. This 2003 release took a look at some of their unreleased sessions between 1965 and 1968. One of them is their own take on “Harlem Shuffle”.
Download the album on eMusic or buy the disc on Amazon.
Old School Friday
I’m not going to knock Diddy for this one. If I was standing next to Jessica Biel, I’d probably gaze at her golden globes too. Well done Diddy! What a great segue into another Old School Friday!
Schooly D:
Am I Black Enough for You?(mp3) – from 1989’s album of the same name, this was Schoolly D’s fourth release. With songs like “Black”, “Black Is…”, “Education of a Black Man”, “Black Education”, “Black Jesus”, and “Black Power”, um, yeah, I’d call it afrocentric.
Slick Rick:
The Moment I Feared(mp3) – Ricky Walters, aka Slick Rick, left Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew in the late 80’s to embark on a very successful solo career (even with a two year prison term in the midst of it all). This one comes from his 89 debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.
Whistle:
Barbara’s Bedroom(mp3) – Who remembers Whistle? “We’re Only Buggin”, anyone? This album was on regular rotation in, what 86, 87, I think?The Sleepy Jackson
Luke Steele. If that isn’t a name destined for show biz, I don’t know what is. Luke is the main man in The Sleepy Jackson from Perth, Australia, one of the most isolated big cities on God’s green earth (The most, maybe?). He’s a man of many instruments influenced by George Harrison, Walt Disney, and Woody Guthrie. Since ’99, he has released two full albums, 2006’s Personality (One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird), and 2003’s Lovers, which this song comes from.
The Sleepy Jackson:
Rain Falls for Wind(mp3) – from Lovers.Here’s The Sleepy Jackson Official Site | MySpace
Site Note: So I just added this feature that allows people to see a preview of a web site just by hovering your mouse over a link. Pretty cool in my opinion. I showed my buddy Jim at work, and he looked at me like I was crazy, and said, “Dude, uh, Safari 2.0?!!”. I guess Safari on Macintosh has this as an option in their browser. Mac snob.
But anyways, I think it’s cool. What do you think? Your results will determine whether it stays or goes. Does it annoy the crap out of you? Or are you okay with it? Do tell. No comments mean you indeed do not give 2 shits either way, and I’m OK with that.
Selections from the Mansion of Fun: Rota and Faure
David Johansen has a cool thing going with his weekly radio show on Sirius Disorder. It’s David Johansen’s Mansion of Fun, and it’s really exposed me to some great music from the past that I would never hear elsewhere. He keeps a steady rotation going of old 60’s Motown, latin jazz, garage rock, classical, opera, really old stuff from the first half of the 20th century, and on and on. His musical tastes cover the wide spectrum that I too am attracted to.
So I thought it wouldn’t hurt to throw a few into the ring that I’ve recently enjoyed. The first couple come from Nino Rota. Oh, you’ve heard his work… Four words: Theme from the Godfather. He’s an Italian composer who provided music for a bunch of films (including several Fellini films). He passed away in 1979, but his music remains, including these two from a movie entitled Giulietta Degli Spiriti, a 1965 Fellini film. Certainly a classic Italian vibe to it. It’s not for everyone (hipsters beware!), but if you’re like me, and you like a wide variety of music piping through your ears, then you just may enjoy it.
Nino Rota: Rosa Aurata, La Ballerina del Circo Snap
Gabriel Faure Now if you’re ready to feel like you’re in a 19th century cathedral mass, listen to this. Written by French composer Gabriel Faure in 1865, this is a work for mixed chorus and organ inspired by 17th century dramatist Jean Racine (the lyrics come from a prayer written by Racine).
Gabriel Faure:Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11 – my version comes from this CD, which I got off eMusic
Listen to Lanois
I finally picked up my first Daniel Lanois solo album. Every time I’ve heard his solo stuff I’ve been drawn to it: spare, atmospheric, and rich. Lanois, of course, is the producer extraordinaire behind U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, and scores of other artists. From 1988 to 2001, he set up shop in Kingsway Studios on Esplanade Avenue in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Here’s a taste from Shine, his 2003 release. Bono joins him on this one. It was written during the All You Can’t Leave Behind sessions.
Daniel Lanois:
Falling At Your Feet(mp3)Daniel Lanois’ Official Site.
Buy Shine…….
Prince wins a Golden Globe
Congrats to Prince for a successful night at the Golden Globes, where he won the category of Best Original Song…
The award was given out very early in the show, and not only did I miss it, but so did Prince. He was on the way there, stuck in traffic. He was acknowledged later in the show and stood up and bowed from his table.
The winning tune is “The Song of the Heart” from the movie Happy Feet. Before tonight, I had listened to the song all the way through about 1.75 total times. Not that crazy about it to tell you the truth. But who knows, it may grow on me.
You can judge for yourself here…
The Clash rage at the US Festival
Joe Strummer was not happy when he hit the stage at the US Festival in 1983. There’s different stories about what was pissing him off so much. But the gist of it was that the Clash were upset when they heard that Van Halen took a million dollars to headline the third and final night of the festival. The Clash, by contrast, refused to go on stage until US Festival organizer Steve Wozniak (of Apple Computer) agreed to donate a large sum of money to charity. There was even a backstage shouting match between Joe Strummer and David Lee Roth, if you can believe that. Oh to be a fly on the wall on that day.
Well, what resulted was a very spirited set, with Joe Strummer taking some time between songs to rant and rave against consumerism and the American way. This is also guitarist Mick Jones’ last performance with the Clash.
RIP Joe Strummer: 1952-2002
The Clash / “Clash Calling”
Saturday, May 28th, 1983
Glen Helen Regional Park
San Bernardino, CA
US Festival ’83* The only imperfection of this show is that “London Calling” cuts out about half way through and jumps about halfway into “This is Radio Clash”. Don’t worry, you’ll get over it quickly.
London Calling / This Is Radio Clash
Somebody Got Murdered
Rock the Casbah
The Guns Of Brixton
Know Your Rights
Koka Kola
Hate and War
Armagideon Time
Sound of the Sinners
Safe European Home
Police on My Back
Brand New Cadillac
I Fought the Law
I’m So Bored with the USA
Train In Vain
The Magnificent Seven
Straight to Hell
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
ClampdownWhen the Saints Go Marching In
Seeger Sessions Style.
Bruce.
Marc Anthony Thompson.
Patti Scialfa.Beautiful…
(and congrats to the New Orleans Saints…take it all the way!)
The Pride of New Orleans – for a great Anderson Cooper interview with lower Ninth Ward resident Herbert Gettridge, click that link.
