Yer Blues by the Dirty Mac
Since I signed up for Netflix a few months ago, I’ve been catching up on all the essential music movies of the past. The latest DVD to hit my doorstep is the The Rolling Stones – Rock and Roll Circus. Here’s just a little portion of rock & roll history from the 1968 film…
The song: “Yer Blues”
The band: The Dirty Mac (Eric Clapton, guitar; John Lennon, vocals, guitar; Keith Richards, bass; Mitch Mitchell, drums).Not too shabby of a lineup, eh?
Ickmusic Giveaway: New Joshua Tree Deluxe Edition
I’m about to make a U2 fan – or the U2 fan in someone’s life – very happy. I have a fresh copy of the newly remastered Joshua Tree album. But not only that. This is the deluxe edition, baby, and includes a second CD of B-sides and demos from the original sessions. It’s got a beautiful hard cover booklet to go with it – and I can’t quite figure out why I’m not greedily grasping on to it, but I’m givin’ it away. Must be the Christmas spirit. It’s certainly not due to the dismal amount of comments I’ve been receiving around here lately – you slackers.
So as exhibited in a giveaway of yore – we honor U2’s roots and return to the Irish limerick contest. This one has to be good. Here are some groundrules:
- Leave a Comment below with your limerick. Be sure to include your email address (no one else can see it).
- It has to at least loosely adhere to the rules of a limerick. A rhyming scheme of AABBA. Here’s the Wikipedia entry on limericks. Or follow the steps here.
- It has to mention a member of U2: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, or Larry Mullen.
- Bonus points for working in a lyric or song name.
- UPDATED: I’ll allow 2 entries per person if you’re inspired…
- I’ll pick my favorite from the Comments in a week or so.
Leave ’em in the comments below and let her rip! Good luck!
Now for some assorted U2 goodness…
- BUY the Joshua Tree (Remastered / Expanded) (Deluxe Edition) (2CD)
- BUY the Joshua Tree (Remastered / Expanded) (Super Deluxe Edition) (2CD/DVD)
- Watch Bruce Springsteen induct U2 into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Part One | Part Two
- U2’s Official Site
Find out more about the new Joshua Tree release after the jump.
Blech! (with accompaniment courtesy of the Pogues)
This Thanksgiving, my family and I received an unwanted guest, in the form of a stomach virus. Evil shit, I tell you. If someone can tell me how it’s anatomically possible to puke motor oil, I’d like to know!
But worry not: inspired, witty, highly entertaining posts will return from my neck of the woods soon. But for now, Blech!
The Pogues – The Sick Bed of Cúchulaínn
Gimme Shelter DVD, Live Stones 1969
I’ve been a Stones fan for a long time, but it took me until yesterday to sit down and watch Gimme Shelter. What kind of Stones fan am I, then, you say? Good question, I don’t really have an answer. It’s only one of the most important rock documentaries in existence. Shame on me! And thanks Netflix.
Gimme Shelter documents the tail end of the Rolling Stones’ 1969 U.S. tour, which wrapped up with a free show at the Altamont Speedway, near San Francisco. The Stones originally were going to hold a last minute surprise show at Golden Gate Park, but when Mick Jagger let it slip during a press conference earlier in the week, the venue needed to be changed, due to overcrowding and logistical concerns.
So on Saturday, December 6th, more than 300,000 eager fans, drugged out crazies, and a boat load of Hell’s Angels descended on Altamont. What transpired is the stuff of legend.
The stage was only about four feet high, so it provided easy access to the throngs of fans. Leading up to the Stones, the lineup included Jefferson Airplane, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Crosby Stills & Nash, and others. The Hell’s Angels – whether asked or not is debatable – ended up providing security around the stage area. The “security” included knocking Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin unconscious and bashing people with pool cues. The Grateful Dead, after arriving for their set, cancelled after hearing about the ugly scene.
During the Stones set, while “Under My Thumb” played, an 18 year old black man in the crowd, Meredith Hunter, pulled a gun. Before anything could happen, Hell’s Angel Alan Passaro pounced with a knife, stabbing Hunter multiple times, stomping him, and killing him. The film captures a lot of the violence and ugliness that day (it was impossible to avoid), and it really gives the viewer a firsthand feel of the tension around the stage area.
Altamont took place only four months after Woodstock, and is considered by many to be the end of the free love / flower power era, or whatever you choose to call it. The film is most notorious for capturing the event, but don’t forget about the music. We get some great live Stones footage from Alatamont as well as an earlier Madison Square Garden gig: “Street Fighting Man”, “Satisfaction”, “Love in Vain”, “Brown Sugar”, “Sympathy for the Devil”, among others. There’s also some studio footage from Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
Stones fan or not, this is a must see for any music lover. This is an amazing and fascinating document of a legendary band in their prime, and a very unfortunate event in rock and roll history.
So as I tend to do after watching an intense film about one of my favorite bands, I spent today listening to the Stones: Beggars Banquet (1969) through Tattoo You (1981) on shuffle. I also tracked down a boot from the same 1969 U.S. tour. It’s called ‘Secret Garden’, and was recorded about a month before Altamont in Oakland. Enjoy!
The Rolling Stones
November 9th, 1969
Oakland, CAJumpin’ Jack Flash
Prodigal Son
You Gotta Move
Carol
Sympathy For The Devil
Stray Cat Blues
Love In Vain
I’m Free
Under My Thumb
Midnight Rambler
Live With Me
Little Queenie
Satisfaction
Street Fighting Man
Honky Tonk WomanIckmusic Local: Stone Devil Hill
The local music scene in New York’s Hudson Valley, by in large, consists of a myriad of cover bands, the occasional singer-songwriter, a smattering of bluesmen, a punk trio or two and a plethora of de-tuned metal-core bands. While Poughkeepsie’s Stone Devil Hill doesn’t squarely fit into any of those genres they certainly contain the sensibilities of them all combined into a very cohesive package that ranges from melodic and soaring to heavy and grooving. Their debut record …for the fallen captures the essence of the bands energy and highlights the groups strength in songwriting. Heavier tunes like the lead-off track “Down with the Captain”, “A.F.O.C”, and “Neverchange” take notes from the forefathers of heavy metal and groove with an urgency that is relentless. Lyrics ranging from political to deeply personal are delivered with the utmost passion and the slow burn of “Child Inside” and “Lost Denial” feature dual vocals reminiscent of Alice in Chains at their best. And putting the power back in the ballad the track “This Lie” is nothing short of majestic. As a teaser here is the band at their most honest and passionate…
Stone Devil Hill – 20 Years (MP3)
Buy: …for the fallen
Link: Official Site | MySpace
The Butler and the Boss – new issue of Spin
I think I’m going to have to – get this! – go to a record store and buy a music magazine. The new issue of Spin is out, with a Bruce Springsteen / Win Butler (of Arcade Fire) cover story. Spin interviewed the two of them together back in September before an E Street show at Continental Airlines Arena. Not long after, Win and his wife Règine hit the stage with Bruce in Ottawa for a couple of songs.
Check out an excerpt from the interview here.
One of the first things Bruce related to Win was his appreciation for a fan made video of Arcade Fire’s “My Body is a Cage”. It’s set cleverly and powerfully to scenes from Once Upon a Time in the West, a 1968 spaghetti western directed by Sergio Leone. Check it out…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyp34v6Lmcc 336 278]
British Sea Power
As far as cool band names go, I think British Sea Power ranks right up there as one of my favorites. British $&@ Sea Power!! Maybe it’s the imagery it evokes: 18th century-era Royal Navy 100-gun ships, cannon blasts… in fact, I was just inspired to add Mutiny on the Bounty and Master and Commander to my Netflix queue. What other movies would you guys recommend for all out sea action? Oh, The Blue Lagoon! Consider it added.
This song came on randomly during a 10k I ran a week ago. It gave me a good kick in the arse to lift me up a pesky hill, and prompted an instant replay. I had picked this EP up on a whim while cruising around eMusic – one of my necessities for discovering new music. }. They’re from Brighton, England, and apparently put on quite the live show. I look forward to seeing them if they ever make their way from Brighton to Phoenix. Right now, there are only UK dates on their itinerary.
British Sea Power – Atom – from their recently released Krankenhaus? EP
Links: Official Site
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Artwork above: Battle of Trafalgar, by J.M.W. Turner (1824)
A Day in the Life of British Sea Power: The Battle of Trafalgar took place on October 21st, 1805. Admiral Horatio Nelson commanded the British fleet from the First-Rate ship of the line HMS Victory – the flagship (I just learned all of these cool terms). The Royal Navy fleet of 27 ships took on a combined French and Spanish fleet of 33 ships. Nelson was outmanned and outgunned: on the French/Spanish side, nearly 30,000 men (!) and 2,568 guns. On the British side, 17,000 men and 2,148 guns. I never imagined that so many people were involved in one naval battle. 47,000 men? Incredible….
At 11:45am, Nelson sent out the infamous flag signal to his fleet: “England expects that every man will do his duty.” The fight was on. In the 1:00 hour, the 104-gun Victory engaged the 74 gun Redoutable. During the fight, a musket bullet fired from the Redoutable hit Admiral Nelson in the left shoulder, lodging in his spine. He died later that afternoon.
By 4:30pm, the battle was over. The British took 22 of the 33 ships facing them (many of which burned, sank, or wrecked in a storm after the battle). Casualties, though, were heavy on both sides: British casualties were 450 killed and 1,240 wounded. On the French & Spanish side, there were 3,650 killed and wounded. Read more about the battle here. Amazing stuff…
British $&# Sea Power!!
Ickmusic Live: Dire Straits at Pinkpop 1979
It’s time to bow to Sir Knopfler, as we travel back in time to Holland in the year of our Lord 1979. Apparently, these are the only four surviving recordings from the Dire Straits performance at the Pinkpop Festival in Geleen, Holland. This was the original incarnation of Dire Straits: Mark Knopfler (lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, keyboards), John Illsley (bass), and Pick Withers (drums). This show is from June 1979, the same month they released their second album, Communiqué. Their self-titled debut a year earlier raced up the charts thanks to “Sultans of Swing”, which remains that ubiquitous classic rock radio staple to this day (and a song I will never turn off – I still can’t fathom how Knopfler’s fingers can fly so fast).
With these four songs, they take a couple from their first album, and a couple from Communiqué. Click on these nice ol’ album covers to check ’em out on Amazon. By the way, has anyone picked up Knopfler’s latest album? I’ll have to put that near the top of the list…
Dire Straits, Live at Pinkpop Festival
Geleen, Holland
June 4, 1979
FM Broadcast – April 27, 2007 on the KRO Radio 2 program “Legendarisch Live”Deejay Intro
Follow Me Home
Lady Writer
Wild West End
In the Gallery
Other than Dire Straits, the 1979 Pinkpop lineup included Massada, Average White Band, The Police, Elvis Costello, Rush, and Peter Tosh.
Pete Droge’s Psychedelic Love Song
A killer love song from an underrated artist. I love the psychedelic effects, the instrumentation, the lyrics. This one just floats.
Pete Droge – Do Be True
Buy Skywatching (2003)
Visit Pete’s Official Site
Even Better Than the Real Thing
U2 in the mid to late 90’s were a rock n’ roll spectacle pure and simple. The excess of the ZooTV gave way to the pared down style (by comparison) of the Popmart tour which has been captured here in the form of the U2: Popmart Live from Mexico City DVD. Filmed at the Foro Sol Autodromo in Mexico City on December 3, 1997 and originally released on VHS in 1998, I suspect that seeing the show in this manner may even surpass the experience of having been at this show.
Beautifully shot, this show captures a beautiful moment in time. From the opening march from the back of the stadium (complete with military escort) to the final note there is more than enough material here to please every generation of U2 fan. Opening with “Mofo” into “I Will Follow” sets the tone of the show. “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” gave me the same sense of satisfaction as the Rattle & Hum performance. Especially poignant are The Edge’s solo performance of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and Bono’s dedication of the somber “One” to Michael Hutchence who had taken his life just 11 days earlier. Both stand as reminders that despite the spectacle swirling around, U2’s songwriting is the real star of the show here.
My only criticism is the fact that the show retains its 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Perhaps I’ve become spoiled with the beautiful HD/Widescreen releases of recent times (Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds “Live from Radio City” comes to mind). The sound however has been upgraded to a 5.1 surround mix in DTS which more than makes up for the lack of a widescreen picture. Also to be noted is the excellent packaging this set comes in. Overall I’d say the set is well worth the price of admission.
Buy U2: Popmart Live from Mexico City
Link: Official Site | MySpace
