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The real-time reports continue...
Steel Pulse
Still pounding through my reggae albums and have yet to get tired of the genre. I got lucky about a year or so ago and managed to win two free tickets to see Steel Pulse perform at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore, MD (which happens to be rather close to my house). I first found out about this band a couple years ago when I bought the book about the making of Bob Marley's 'Exodus', which is an excellent book if you're interested abou what was going on in and around Jamaica around the time of the home invasion/shooting of Mr. Marley (which is what caused him to go into exodus in London and gave life to both 'Exodus' and 'Kaya'). The book talked a lot about some of the bands in both Jamaica and England, in particular Steel Pulse and Aswad, though a number of other groups were mentioned.
The only Steel Pulse albums I have are compilations--'Smash Hits', which I highly recommend, and 'Ultimate Collection'--but these guys are hotter than hot if you get a chance to see 'em live. Sadly, these guys seem to be past their heyday of releasing albums, but they do a lot of humanitarian work outside of thier lives as musicians.
Pembroke Pines, Fl.
5/22/77 courtesy Charlie Miller. A nice, nice show. I'm on Franklin's right now. It would sure be nice if the first handful of Dick's Picks were expanded and remastered, no? Go for it Dead.net!
Numero 19
5/23/72 Lyceum Theatre London, England First of the final four. Five Pigpen songs. After five days away from the stage they're fired up. Very few tunes with segues - I wonder how long this show was? What a room! Listening as they exact the dynamics in the transition from China Cat to I Know You Rider. The tension is palpable - very serious, yet so sweet. They're just exactly where they want to be. After a trio of short tunes by each of the protagonists, a heart-wrenching Stranger by Pig & Co. kills us. Playin' and five more tunes follow before they pause to refresh. Whew!!!
5/23/63 Dexter Gordon "Our Man In Paris" 50 years and counting.
Grinderman 2
The revenge of Grinderman! Just kidding, these "bad seeds" put together a pretty vicious sonic onslaught that, when I first listened to this album, I didn't particularly case for. But, at that time (and in my defense), I was rather unfamiliar with the work of Nick Cave as a whole. Sometimes you don't "get" a record the first time you listen to it, and this, for me, was one of those records. And now I dig it.
Also, speaking of Nick Cave and those Bad Seeds, has anyone gotten a chance to listen to the new record, "Push Away the Sky"? Pretty good stuff! I got mine on wax, and it comes with a bonus 7" with two exclusive songs, but I haven't gotten a chance to give 'em a listen yet.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79SdU3ZQ_U0
Midnight Moonlight
If you ever feel lonesome
And you're down in San Antone
Beg, steal or borrow two nickels or a dime
To call me on the phone
And I'll meet you at Alamo Mission
We can say our prayers
The Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mother
Will heal us as we kneel there
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
If you ever feel sorrow
For things you might have done
With no hope for tomorrow
In the setting of the sun
And the ocean is howling
Of things that might have been
That last good morning sunrise
Will be the brightest you've ever seen
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
If you ever feel lonesome
And you're down in San Antone
Beg, steal or borrow two nickels or a dime
To call me on the phone
And I'll meet you at Alamo Mission
We can say our prayers
The Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mother
Will heal us as we kneel there
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
If you ever feel sorrow
For things you might have done
With no hope for tomorrow
In the setting of the sun
And the ocean is howling
Of things that might have been
That last good morning sunrise
Will be the brightest you've ever seen
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
In the moonlight, in the midnight
In the moonlight, midnight moonlight
XO-----------------------------(-----@
Hunter at My Father's Place, 1978
always one of my favorite tapes, as he's in rare form.
Some of us being a little slow, I just connected the iPad to the boom box, and this version sounds a lot better than the beat-up cassette!
Numero 22
5/26/72 Lyceum Theatre London, England El final. Try it, you'll like it. At intermission I listened to Miles "'58 Sessions" 5/26/58 (it's his birthday, too - he'da been 87) The second set of the Lyceum is some amazing mierda, y'all!! On pitch to boot - oooeee!!! Thank you PTB!
20 Reggae Classics, Vol. 1
There are four. Soulful, danceable tunes that are eternal - they'll give you a lickle smile ev'ry time. Yes I!
Frank Zappa and the Ensemble Modern
1993's "The Yellow Shark." As much as I love Zappa's crazy, zany, and often hilarious studio records, his live orchestral pieces are devastatingly amazing to those with a palette for music that's more than a little ambitious, daring, and downright creative. My copy is actually one of the few remaining original ZFT (Zappa Family Trust) copies before all the rights to Frank's work got bought up by Warner after Ryko collapsed like a flan in the cupboard. I'm truly glad his music is back where it belongs: with the family. Gail Zappa (or gz for short) has done a wonderful job with keeping Frank's memory alive and well with the numerous Vault releases that have come out since his unfortunate death; I just hope his music can find new fans and fanatics amongst this newest, youngest generation of music consumers.
I, for one, will make sure my daughter is given a steady diet of the 'Dead (who she seems to love), Zappa, and all the greats!
Sea Level
Very recent two-fer reissue of "Cats On the Coast" & "On the Edge" (1977/1978) Spectacular sound! Randall Bramblett played on these records and he's touring now. A curiosity, no?
I just saw on Hittinthenote release info for the 40th anni of Bros & Sistas - take a look at the fourth offering, very nice and a bargain, too.
Don't forget to listen to 5/31/69 - one of the best of the year!!!
Salud.
cake or Dead?
always nice to see an Izzard quote here Parkas4Kids.good lad! or lass!
That new John Fogerty album
I keep telling myself that I won't get sucked into another "duets" album, or another "tribute" album, and then I get sucked in anyway. This one is kind of a hybrid of the two, so there's my excuse. And also kind of a self-tribute album, isn't it? Fogerty plays Fogerty, with guest stars? Throwing yourself a fabulous birthday party, so to speak (Happy Birthday, John Fogerty, 3 days late)?
It's hard to beat the songs, though, and these "covers" for the most part sound great.
David Gans @ Mystic Hot Springs ~ ...
Who Killed Uncle John?
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGURWAkJP18
beautiful.....thanks, David
Psychedelic Sunday
Q107 in Toronto. Anything and everything from 65 to 75. Last 3 tunes
Santana- Soul Sacrifice
Lighthouse- One Fine Morning
Supertramp- Hide In Your Shell
Jethro Tull
The 40th anniversary edition of "Aqualung" to be precise. I recently came across a beautiful little windfall of free vinyl a couple weeks back--one of the houses in my 'hood had a bunch of old LPs on the front lawn (among other stuff that failed to catch my eye) with a sign that said "Free, Please Take!". Which I did and came home with a nice armful of nigh-mint condition records (not the sleeves, though). Amongst my haul was 2 Tull LPs, "Aqualung" and "A Passion Play." I snagged the 40th anniversary edition from the library but haven't listened to the actual record yet.
I should list the haul in its entirety in that new "vinyl fanatics" thread. And I should get back to listening to them when I have the time. To see these records, you'd think they were brand new!
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http://www.dead.net/features/gdhour
To Wednesdays~
Clink,
ahhhhhhh
Pink Floyd: The Gilmour Era
It took me about 30 years, but I've come to love the music of Pink Floyd. The quirkyness of their early Barrett days, the murkiness that led to "The Dark Side of the Moon" and their subsequent superstardom, and even up to their demise in the mid '90s. When you think about it, the band had a lot of staying power in spite of all the inner turmoil, and they came darn close to celebrating 30 years together before they finally retired the floating pig.
David Gilmour is without a doubt amongst my Top 10 Guitarists of All Time, but I feel like he was a bit in over his head taking over the band after Roger left. To me, Mr. Waters is an underappreciated songwriter, and while Dave got to hang around with the core member of the band for a LONG TIME, I don't think he ever fully understood what the character of Pink Floyd was all about. He was, after all, primarily a blues guitarist, and "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" and "The Division Bell" have a distinct blues feel to them. For Pink Floyd, anyway.
Don't get me wrong, they're solid records, and better than "The Final Cut," but they have a hard time bookending the band's overall catalogue. Personally, I almost prefer their earlier albums where the band was more prog and less rock, where they like to experiment with various sounds and how it all came together. "Meddle" doesn't get enough credit for its sheer grandeur. I just love those Side 2-long jams!
The Who
Listening to "Live at Hull 1970," which, if what I'm reading is correct, was recorded two or three days after the legendary "Live at Leeds" album. I love this band, and I have since childhood. My mom actually got to meet the original members of the band back in the late '60s when they played Louisiana, and she has all their autographs. She's been a fan for YEARS.
I used to have "Live at Leeds," which legitimately earned its title of "Best Live Album of All Time," and "Live at Hull 1970" captures that same level of energy that was heard at Leeds a few days prior. Where I feel this album falls a tad short is it provides a complete performance of 'Tommy' from beginning to end. The more I go back and listen to the Who's catalogue, the more I realize that Pete wrote a lot of great songs, a lot of really good songs, and a lot of songs that are just good. 'Tommy', while epic as one of the first "rock operas," has a lot of "good" songs that strive for greatness and, as a collective, come close to achieving said greatness, but make for a slightly awkward and rather disjointed live show as a whole. And the show concert gets off to a slow start, taking three or four songs to build up steam.
Regardless, this is yet another powerhouse performance from one of the greatest bands on the planet. Probably not an essential show for the average fan, but collector's will want to get their hands on this one, especially those who crave any and every live performance they can get their hot little hands on. This was released previously, though, on the super deluxe edition of "Live at Leeds"; it's discs three and 4our, I believe. I guess someone decided it needed its own release (though I would disagree)....
Serge Gainsbourg
So I was in the record store over the weekend (an actual "record" store; this place only carries CDs for local artists) and came across something that caught my eye: "1 2 3" by Serge Gainsbourg. The name rang slightly as something I've heard before, but what really caught my attention is the following description: "A collection of Serge Gainsbourg's legendary first three albums, originally released in 1958 (Du Chant à la une!), 1959 (N° 2), and 1961 (L'Étonnant Serge Gainsbourg), and all hailing from a time when Gainsbourg was still just another struggling chansonnier. In fact, success initially eluded the young Gainsbourg, but early classics like "Le Poinçonneur des Lilas," and "La Chanson de Prévert," give listeners a taste of the immense talent that was still lurking in the shadows of a smoky cabaret. Bonus CD of the albums!" The 12" 45 RPM LPs themselves are on 180 gram high-quality vinyl, though I have yet to play them on my turntable.
The bonus CD does indeed contain all 3 albums, and they are absolutely magnificent albums. I'm a huge jazz fan and have been since I was a kid, and Gainsbourg's early work is very reminiscent of that music. If you can find this one and you're into that style of music, get this release. I can't speak a lick of French much less understand the language, but the music itself is out of this world!
Jason Isbell
Southeastern
On first blush, more singer-songwriterly than his previous albums. Isbell was always going to be the George Harrison songwriter in Drive-By Truckers, I think, so busting out of the band is looking like a pretty good career move for him and for us.
gogd 6/12/76 Boston Music Hall
Mission In The Rain
Jerry in sweet voice - possibly the best Mission the Dead ever did...
36 years ago today!
(Hey GDean, did you get your ticket yet for Bobby, Zimmy and MMJ yet? Sounds like heaven for you!)
Jazz to Dead
A day of eclecticity - it's a word? No se.
Duke Ellington "The OK Ellington" 6/12/30
Anita O'Day "Anita" 6/12/55
Oscar Pettiford "Deep Passion" 6/12/56 (This one grows on you)
Dinah Shore "Dinah Sings, Previn Plays" 6/12/59 What?
Grant Green "Solid" 6/12/64 Hot, hot, hot!!!
Grateful Dead Boston Music Hall 6/12/76 (the savory snippet from the Road Trips)
Music from the gang
At Tri this evening. Hanging out with Bobby and company...
Delta Moon (Blues)
Neon Jesus
"Glow on, neon Jesus. Shine a light on me"
The Beach Boys
Listening to the 'Cabin Essence' 45 that came with an issue of MOJO a couple years back. It was released as a promo prior to the long-awaited release of 'SMiLE'. I've since converted the little 7" record into digital format to play on my iPod, and it sounds quite lovely. "Cabin Essence" is the A-side, and "Wonderful" is the B-side.
I used to hate this band, but I was just a kid, and my folks LOVED 'em. Now that I'm a little bit older, I've found that many of the bands of my parents' generation (and the generation before) top a LOT fo the bands of my generation.
my kids...
...playing in their bedroom. Getting along for the moment...but it will pass.
Ahhhh Parkas...kids are always listening aren't they? Young and impressionable they are. I always hated my Father's choice of music when i was young. Elton John, Doobies, MeatLoaf, Guess Who...but like you I find myself listening and enjoying the music that was subliminally entrenched in my head for all those years. I'm testing that with my own kids. My wife and I do not have the same taste in music, and she usually wins the battle these days. I'm aiming for adulthood.
Kind of Blue
Do you like Miles? A good place to hear this one is Hanalei, Hi.
All Blues.
Denver 12-12-90
Have you listened to this show yet? Jerry was ALIVE and in the flow like he was in the early 70's... The China > Rider (for me) is the best I've ever heard! Then a sweet LL Rain and the mind blowing Aiko > Dark Star > Terrapin! The Dark Star is also my all-time favorite and the most jazzy "together" version I've ever heard! Does not space out there too too far - is more like a Jazz ballad! Mostly for me, I feel the Heart and Soul of Jerry and the Boys radiantly alive and this set moves me to tears every time I listen to it. Give it a listen for yourself! You will not be disappointed! And would love to hear your feedback too.
http://archive.org/details/gd1990-12-12.sbd-set2.gems.87372.sbeok.flac16
Anna, that AmericanaramA gig
It definitely WOULD be heaven for me. A middle-age-guy lame excuse: none of the tour stops are within my general 150 mile-radius cut-off for daytripping to shows, and the only potential road trip that I came up with just doesn't appeal to me. Oh well...not happy am I.
stones sticky fingers and...
the sound of new gray hairs smugly telling the brown ones to "make room". My son just got his driver's license today........oh boy.
Lindsey Buckingham
It's the man from Fleetwood Mac who's neither Mick Fleetwood nor John McVie! His DIY album, "Seeds We Sow," displays yet again the softer side of FM's wild guitarist. I like this album because, while it's a nice oiece of soft rock to which one can relax, it really showcases Buckingham's skill and versatility as a guitarist. Sure, it's a tad guitar-heavy, but it *is* the man's weapon of choice.
Oh, and he played ALL the instruments on the record, not just guitar. How's THAT for versatility?
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I've sang to and with my Dad just about everyGrateful Dead song ever written.
But...
This was the last one,
the last one I sang to him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=rT0rhVhXnNA&NR=1
The ending in this fits.
He has been my Master Teacher
and
Our suffering has been un-measurable
yet
Our love has been at every ending...
it's like a full-house Aces and 8's.
Kentucky in Hanale'i
6/18/74 I've got a combo of Road Trips & Miller in the unit - so far so good.
Essential '74 Dead.
Sigur Rós
A buddy of mine bought the new album, "Kveikur," on vinyl from Amazon, and, thanks to AutoRip, had no use for the download code included with the record and sent it to me. This is my first experience listening to these guys, though I have a number of fans who are raving fans. Just never got around to giving 'em a listen, I guess.
They're Icelandic, and not a lick of their lyrics are in English, but whatever. I dig their sound; they remind me a lot of Switzerland's Dungen and the U.K.'s Durutti Column. They play very spacey, ambient, post-psychedelic rock, which I dig. I mean, if you can stomach the Legendary Pink Dots, grooving to these guys is a cake walk.
Of course, I say all this assuming no one here has ever listened to Sigur Rós before....
Marshall Chapman
Blaze of Glory
I'm always happy to find someone new to like, even if she ain't that new or young at all. And always encouraged to know that there's more good music in the world than I'll ever get a chance to hear. But as a kid who grew up listening to and loving the Beatles, the most popular band of all time, it's always a head-scratcher to me that I can't find the music I love among what currently passes as "popular music."
Not that I necessarily want the music I love to be "popular" (when, in fact, there's a lot of pleasure in having these folks all to ourselves, getting a chance to see them in clubs and theatres instead of fighting the arena crowds), just wishing more success for the artists whose music I love...
I'm using this little gem of an album as a set break in my May '77 immersion, a palate-cleanser. Now back to the GOGD.
From Jamaica to Hawai'i
Jolly vacation time is winding down so I've got Bunny Wailer's "Rock 'n Groove" rolling along. I had it converted from LP to CD - it ain't perfect but when you've got some of the hardest grooves ever laid down by both Sly & Robbie and the Radics, you can't lose.
I know it's just one thing, but with marye's approval, I could vine it. ?
Next up? Marley, Isaacs, Studio One - Lord have mercy, music hits with 0 pain.
Deadicated
Suicide
"The Second Album + the First Rehearsal Tapes."
These guys were punk before punk was punk. And they'll still be punk long after punk stops being punk (which, I believe, will be next Friday). I can't think of another team of musicians that is more of the antithesis of "popular music" than Martin Rev and Alan Vega. At their core, these guys are artists, just a voice adrift in the dull pulsings of a cheap keyboard and an old drum machine.
I don't recommend this band for the casual music listener. It took me a couple years to *like* these guys, so imagine how long it took for me to start singing their praises. Bottom line: forget everything you think you know about music, because it doesn't apply here. To call them abrasive would be an understatement.
Wilco
Solid Sound 6/21/13, the "covers" show. Pretty fun setlist, running the gamut from the Beatles to the Replacements, the Modern Lovers to Cheap Trick, Television ("Marquee Moon") to Blue Oyster Cult, Neil Young to Daft Punk. "Waterloo Sunset" (Kinks) to "Waterloo" (ABBA). And yes, the Dead. And Pavement, Thin Lizzy, Big Star, Dylan and the Stones. Have I left anyone out? Yo La Tengo, Count Five, Velvet Underground. And much more, or at least a little more...
Pixies/Frank Black/Frank Black & the Catholics/Black Francis
Been on a bit of a Frank Black Francis trip of late. I seem to fall into and out of love with this guy every few years, and this is apparently the year I fall back in love with his music. The current playlist looks a little something like this:- "Come on Pilgrim" (Pixies)
- "Wave of Mutilation: The Best of Pixies" (Pixies)
- "Teenager of the Year" (Frank Black)
- "Show Me Your Tears" (Frank Black & the Catholics)
- "93-03" (Frank Black/FB&tC)
- "Live Sessions (iTunes Exclusive)" (Frank Black)
- "Bluefinger" (Black Francis)
- "The Seus" (Black Francis)
Speaking of the Pixies, now that Kim Deal has parted ways with the group, they apparently have a new song the released just this morning, "Bagboy": http://pixiesmusic.com/new/.
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
- "Let Love In"- "Nocturama" (copied to MP3 from the vinyl record)
- "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"
- "Push the Sky Away"
- "Mermaids" digital EP