Gilby Clarke on the streets of Bakersfield
I recently ran across a handful of live Gilby Clarke songs and I thought I’d share them. Gilby, as I’m sure you recall, is probably best known for the three years he spent as a hired gun, so to speak, with Guns N’ Roses.
He had a career before Guns, though, and has had one since. Last year he released a self-titled “best of” collection, which I know I
told you about. Since then, he’s been working on different projects, including a tribute to Led Zeppelin organized by former Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali. Next week, he’s playing two shows in Green Bay, Wis., before going to Tokyo to perform at the ESP Musical Academy. (Check Gilby’s
Web site for more show information.)
The songs from tonight’s post came to me with the information that they were recorded Nov. 9 last year. Looking over Gilby’s show dates listed on his site, I think this might actually be from Nov. 8. He did a solo show that night at a club called Fishlips in Bakersfield, Calif. Bakersfield, if you didn’t know, is midway between Los Angeles and Fresno, and is also just over the Tehachapi Mountains from where I grew up. I remember it as a redneck oil town, but apparently things change, because it’s now one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. And Gilby Clarke's playing there (which is more than I can say for Miami...).
Anyway, here’s Gilby doing a couple of his own songs and a couple of covers. That’s his 13-year-old daughter Frankie handling vocals on “American Idiot.”
It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (Rolling Stones cover).mp3 Cure Me or Kill Me.mp3Tijuana Jail.mp3 American Idiot (Green Day cover).mp3 It’s So Easy (Guns N’ Roses cover).mp3Labels: covers, live music, rock
Send In MOAR Clowns
Two back-to-back clown posts. Hmm.
Tonight’s music is a little different from my usual. It comes – as a lot of stuff has lately – from the MySpace. I got an “add” request a couple of days ago from someone named Pic. The profile didn’t look like the usual Internet hookers who nonstop spam me, so I checked it out.
It turns out Pic is a musician from California. He describes his music as “progressive / indie / rap.” That translates to rhyming over snyth’d out beats and trippy sound effects. I don’t listen to enough hip-hop to tell you if he sounds like anyone you would know, but I can tell you I’ve got no problem listening to his flow. I can also say he describes his sound as “birds, bees, and all things sinister.”
Right now Pic is unsigned, working on his soon-to-be-released debut,
Welcome to the Clown Show. (See how the clown thing makes sense now?) There is no bio information on his
MySpace space, but I encourage you visit him there. You can stream or download some tracks in addition to the ones I’m posting up tonight.
Pow Wow.mp3 Systematik.mp3Labels: hip-hop, indie, new stuff
Funeral for a Clown
While the rest of the world readies itself for SXSW, here in
la Habana del norte, we’re going to have a little festival fun of our own.
The Kryptonite Metal Rock Festival will happen this Friday, Feb. 29, at
Tobacco Road (626 S. Miami Ave., 305-374-1198). More than 30 bands are scheduled to appear on four stages in and around Miami’s oldest bar. The party starts at roughly 8:00 pm, so it’s going to happen quick and dirty. If you’re in this area, you won’t want to miss a rare heavy rock event.
A couple of the bands appearing are Boy Prostitute, about whom I blogged
last week, and recent additions to my ever-growing MySpace friends list, Funeral for a Clown.
FFAC is a quartet formed in Miami in 2005. They describe their sound as a “mixture of rock, electronic, and industrial elements (that) sounds aggressive, (but) produces an enjoyable dance beat that most listeners can enjoy.”
The band was in the process of recording its debut album when internal problems led to the dismissal of their original vocalist and their drummer. They quickly found replacements, but again had to fire their singer. Eventually, current vocalist Mike Debuc was brought on board, and the line-up seems complete. Debuc, bassist Noly, guitarist Alex, and drummer EleckttrusS are remixing and reworking the album, tentatively titled
Here Comes the Clown and plan to release it soon.
For more FFAC info and shows beyond the Kryptonite Fest, see the band’s
MySpace page. There is also a
MySpace for KryptFest, where you can see a full listing of scheduled bands. I have another commitment Friday that I’m going to try to ditch early so I can make it out to see at least some of the bands.
These two songs are demos that are from Funeral for a Clown’s MySpace space.
Evilution.mp3 Wheelchair.mp3Labels: local stuff, metal, upcoming shows
VU workout in The Gymnasium
I just got my hands on this supposedly new Velvet Underground boot, a recording from a 1967 show at the Gymnasium in New York. As far as where this recording has been for 40 years, your guess is as good as mine.
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I’ll confess that I’m pretty much a casual fan of VU. I’ve listened a lot more to solo Lou Reed than I have to the Velvets. But I am aware of their place in rock history, which is why I grabbed this recording when I saw it. Also, it was advertised as “rocking like a mother fucker,” which didn’t hurt as far as selling me on giving it a listen.
One forum I looked at referred to this set as a “holy grail” for VU fans. There was a guy on
ebay with 100 green vinyl copies of this album that he is selling for somewhere in the area of $40 (21£) each. There’s a part of me that’s a little skeptical about this. It seems strange to me that these recordings would just now be surfacing. And I literally mean “just now”: This started circulating last week.
Assuming this is legit, the big prizes on this boot are the previously unreleased “I’m Not a Young Man Anymore” and a 19-minute version of “Sister Ray.” Reportedly, this recording is also the only one from 1967 as well as the last known recording from the John Cale era. On top of all that, the sound quality is pretty good for as old as it is.
On the
Warhol Stars Web site, Chris Stein of Blondie remembered a Velvets performance at the Gymnasium: “By that time the rest of The Velvets had arrived. After a while they started to play and they were like awesomely powerful. I had never expected to experience anything like that before... I was really disappointed that they didn't have Nico, because we thought she was the lead singer, but I distinctly remember the violin and their doing 'Venus in Furs' because a couple of people in dark outfits got up and started doing a slow dance with a chain in between them... There were maybe thirty people there. It was very late, but it was a memorable experience...”
The site where I got this recording (
Thanks to the OP ) urged readers to share this piece of rock and roll history. So, I’m either passing along a great moment in rock, or I’m helping perpetuate a major hoax. It could turn out this is a Velvet Underground tribute band from Illinois.
I’m Not a Young Man Anymore.mp3 Guess I’m Falling in Love.mp3I’m Waiting for the Man.mp3 Run Run Run.mp3 Sister Ray.mp3Labels: classic rock, live music
Not Enough Junkie Business
I was listening to the radio the other day when a Johnny Thunders song came on. (Sirius Satellite Radio, of course – like government radio would play Johnny Thunders.) Hearing that song made me think I ought to post some of his music. There’s not enough junkie business in the blogosphere these days.
Then while checking Wikipedia for some bio info to sort of fill in the gaps of my post, I saw something interesting that I had not known before: The circumstances surrounding Johnny’s death. I had always assumed it was drug-related. The official story seems to indicate it
was drug related. But Johnny’s
Wiki page references a couple of sources that tell a different story. Apparently there are those, including Dee Dee Ramone, who believe Johnny was murdered. Here’s the cut-and-paste from Wiki:
Many rumors surround Thunders’ death at the St. Peter House in New Orleans, La., in April 1991. He apparently died of drug-related causes, but it has been speculated that it was the result of foul play. According to the autobiography “Lobotomy: Surviving The Ramones,” Dee Dee Ramone took a call in New York the [day after Thunders’ death] from Stevie Klasson, Johnny's rhythm guitar player. “They told me that Johnny had gotten mixed up with some bastards... who ripped him off for his methadone supply. They had given him LSD and then murdered him. He had gotten a pretty large supply of methadone in England, so he could travel and stay away from those creeps - the drug dealers, Thunders imitators, and losers like that.”
What is known for certain is that Johnny's room (No. 37) was ransacked and most of his possessions were missing (passport, makeup, clothes). Rigor mortis had set in with his body positioned in an unnatural state, described by eyewitnesses as “like a pretzel,” underneath a coffee table. Friends and acquaintances acknowledge he had not been using heroin for some time, relying on his methadone prescriptions. The police did not open a criminal investigation.
An autopsy was conducted by the New Orleans coroner, but served only to compound the mysteries. According to Thunders’ biographer, Nina Antonia, as posted on the Jungle Records Web site , the level of drugs found in his system was not fatal. And according to the book “Rock Bottom: Dark Moments in Music Babylon” by Pamela Des Barres, who interviewed Thunders’ sister Marion, the autopsy confirmed evidence of advanced leukemia, which would explain the decline in Thunders’ appearance in the final year of his life. This also sheds light on the interview in Lech Kowalski’s documentary “Born To Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie,” where Thunders’ sister Mary-Ann’s husband says, “Only Johnny knew how sick he really was.”
In a 1994 Melody Maker interview, Thunders’ manager Mick Webster described the efforts of his family: “We keep asking the New Orleans police to re-investigate, but they haven’t been particularly friendly. They seemed to think that this was just another junkie who had wandered into town and died. They simply weren’t interested.”
Fascinating stuff and another rock and roll mystery that seems unlikely to ever be solved.
Tonight’s music comes from the 1993 compilation
Chinese Rocks: The Ultimate Thunders Live Collection.
Little Bit of Whore.mp3 Too Much Junkie Business.mp3Chinese Rocks.mp3 In Cold Blood.mp3Labels: live albums, punk
Texas Style
Every now and then I’ll see a hit here at my little blog from someone looking for Tracy Conover. I can’t hardly blame you; Tracy is awesome and a fantastic musician. Unfortunately, all the links on that old post went to a host I no longer use, so they’re all dead.
Since I’m such a fan of Tracy Conover, I want to help spread the word about her music, so I thought I should repost some of those songs. And, because I’m a fan of Texas blues –
and such a damn nice guy – I thought I’d also toss in some previously unposted music.
For the story as to how I met Tracy Conover, check out the
original post. Her Wiki page has a very brief bio: “Conover started singing and writing songs at age 14. By 17 years old, (she) moved to Lake Tahoe where she majored in music. In 1987, Tracy returned to Texas studying voice, jazz, and classical guitar in Denton. In 1991 she moved to Austin where she played frequently and learned from many great players.” (Check out
Tracy’s MySpace for info on how to get her new album,
Retrospective 1991-2006.)
Very concise, if nothing else.
One of the guitarists Tracy hepped me to is a guy named Chris Duarte. I saw Chris play at a small bar just outside of Houston and was blown away. His commercial success seems to have been limited, but his skill as a guitarist was given the stamp of approval from Guitar Player magazine when, in 1995, readers voted him fourth in the “Best Blues Guitarist” category behind Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and B.B. King. (
Chris Duarte’s MySpace)
I’m reasonably sure Stevie Ray and Jimmy Vaughan need no introduction. To round out my selection of Texas axe-slingers, I pulled a couple of songs from the 1990 album
Family Style. The Vaughan brothers recorded this album in early 1990, following up on Stevie’s longtime plans to work with his older brother. Unfortunately, this would be his last studio work. Stevie Ray Vaughan died Aug. 27, 1990, in a helicopter crash.
Family Style was released the following month.
April 2010 edit: OK, Blogger. I unlinked the songs at your first request. If you or whoever made the second complaint is too fucking stupid to realize that, well, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe if I remove all mention of the songs you / whoever can figure it out.
Labels: blues, guitar heroes, rock
How I got a Boy Prostitute today
Up in the northeast part of Miami, just inside Little Haiti, and not too far from where I used to live, sits what is probably the only independent record store in the city.
Sweat Records first opened in March 2005, which was before I came to Miami. They were forced to close after their quarters on NW 23rd Street were pounded by the hurricanes that year (which I arrived just in time for). Owner Lauren Reskin took up temporary residence in the back of Churchill’s Pub, Miami’s only real rock club, which is also in Little Haiti. November last year, the space next door to Churchill’s became available, and Lauren promptly moved in.
I knew peripherally about all of this as it was going on, but because Sweat Records is at the opposite end of Miami from where I live, I hadn’t had a chance to visit. Oddly enough, it was a blog entry about coffee that finally got me over there.
The other day, I was tooling around the Internet when I ran across the
Meatless Miami blog. Now, I am far from a vegetarian; in fact, I had a big juicy burger to go with my beers at lunch today. So never mind what I was doing on that blog. Anyway, an entry there mentioned the coffee bar inside Sweat Records and boasted that the coffee is “Definitely our specialty and [our] best-seller is our dark, velvety espresso, which is meticulously prepared in true Italian fashion (seriously, we had to take classes on this!).”
It was the “dark, velvety espresso” that finally got me to Sweat Records. But it’ll be the music that brings me back. Sweat is no mega-store (a big plus), but they offer a nice selection of new and old CDs and LPs. Most important, though, they offer a selection of local music. I was pretty overwhelmed as I shuffled through the rows of disks. I hate when I pick something up that looks good only to have it turn out to suck. And I’ve been lead astray in the past by well-meaning clerks and salespeople. Usually I’ll trust my own judgment and I’m OK more than half of the time.
This is where Boy Prostitute comes in. When I saw their self-titled disk, I figured I could safely pick it up. I guessed by the band name and the fact that I’d seen them advertised playing alongside bands such as Johnny Sexfuk and the Fleshrockets that I could trust my judgment here.
Good call. Boy Prostitute shows heavy influence from the Ramones, with the hooks of Green Day. I listened to the CD three times on my way home and loved it. I tried to find some information about the band, but really all I learned is that when you Google “Boy Prostitute,” you can get to some weird Internet places. On their
MySpace space, I found a short blurb about the band, but not much other info:
“Boy Prostitute started in 2005 in an English pub called Churchill’s, located in Little Haiti, Miami. ... Matt Touchstone, Michael Midnight, Josh X-mas, and Chris Timebomb Critic are Boy Prostitute. We came to rock – bottom line. We know the world sucks, so keep the politics to yourselves. We don’t like Bush either. Everyone should shave down there. We are anti-racists, though we make fun of everyone. We are anti-homophobic, but agree that bestiality is just sick. Boy Prostitute rolls off your tongue like the finest caviar, bitch. So take heed all you haters and hotties: We want your money, but most of all we want your blood....”
Boy Prostitute’s next scheduled show is March 22, opening for The Unseen at
Studio A in Miami.
You’re Going Home in an Ambulance.mp3 I Want to Kill You but I Don’t Want to go to Jail.mp3Boy Prostitute.mp3 Buy your own Boy Prostitute.
Labels: local stuff, punk
I'm Crying in My Beer
Here it is Valentine’s Day and I’m finding myself single. On the plus side, there’s no candy, flowers, or jewelry I have to buy. No cards or waiting for a table at a restaurant because I forgot to make reservations. Instead, it’s a Thursday like any other Thursday here in Apt. 104.
On the downside, there’s always the crying in your beer over loves lost. Sloppy on a wobbly stool in a bar named Pretty Pat’s, philosophizing with the bartender who might look good enough to try to take home after you have a few more. The bar’s old enough that there is a coin-fed jukebox against the wall, beside the pool cues. The jukebox holds 45s that haven’t been changed in about 20 years, but that’s all right. You’re single, it’s Valentine’s Day, and there’s nothing that sounds better than George Jones or Hank Sr. They knew heartbreak and you know heartbreak. You drop in 50 cents and punch up E1.
For me, it’s a fine line distinguishing a good “Tear in My Beer” song from just another sad song. Pop music is overloaded with slow, sad songs, but if I’m going to cry in my beer, I need a good, slow, twangy country song. It’s got to be about cheatin’, broken hearts, and somebody-done-somebody-wrong. And it’s got to be country. As much as I love rock music, when it comes to sitting up on a barstool, getting drunk, and feeling sorry for yourself, it’s got to be country music.
It seems like the best country songs are found in jukeboxes in small, ugly bars. Or maybe that’s just the best place to hear them. I’ve got a woefully small collection of country music, but I gathered a few of my best “crying in your beer” songs with which to wish you Happy Valentine’s Day.
Broke, Lovesick & Driftin’.mp3 Hank IIIThe Bottle Let Me Down.mp3 Merle HaggardEx in Texas.mp3 Moe BandyI’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (live).mp3 Hank Sr.If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me, Her Memory Will.mp3 George JonesPardon Me, I’ve Got Someone to Kill.mp3 Johnny PaycheckLabels: alt.country, holiday
Billion Dollar Bonus
I’ve noticed a lot of hits from people searching for Amy Winehouse, since her near sweep at the Grammys on Sunday night. I suppose I could be a whore and post more Amy; I think I have another live show or two stacked away somewhere. But a more favorable ploy is to promise to post more soon and see if I can get people to keep coming back and, I hope, checking out the other stuff here.
That being my decision, I was pretty happy to get my hands on a couple of Alice Cooper disks the other day. The first is the bonus reissue edition of
Billion Dollar Babies and the other is Alice’s first official live album,
The Alice Cooper Show.
I used to have the vinyl version of
The Alice Cooper Show, but I’ve bitched about my vinyl issues before and won’t get into that again. I hope to sometime in the not-too-distant future spotlight a couple of tracks from that album, which is one of my favorite live disks. Tonight, though, I want to get into some of the bonus material from
Billion Dollar Babies.
Billion Dollar Babies was originally released in March 1973. AllMusic.com called the album, “probably the original Alice Cooper group's finest and strongest.” It included the hits “Elected,” “No More Mister Nice Guy,” and the title track. The album itself peaked at Number One on the Billboard charts.
The bonus disk in the re-release package includes 11 tracks recorded in Houston on the 1973 Billion Dollar Babies tour. There are also three previously unreleased songs: “Coal Black Model T,” “Son of a Billion Dollar Babies,” and “Slick Black Limousine.” “Coal Black Model T” is an early version of “Limousine.” “Limousine” was released in the UK as a free flexi-disc in NME magazine, and “Son” was an outtake that had been previously unreleased.
Billion Dollar Babies (live).mp3No More Mr. Nice Guy (live).mp3I Love the Dead (live).mp3Slick Black Limousine.mp3Labels: classic rock, live albums, outtakes
2008 Grammys
The Grammy Awards air tonight on CBS, live from Los Angeles. There was a lot of concern about whether the show, like the Golden Globes, would be a bust because of the writer’s strike. Apparently those in charge decided since the show is about music, they don’t need writers. Whatever.
I’ll probably tune in. A lot of years I don’t, but this year I’m interested in seeing how the White Stripes and Amy Winehouse fair. The White Stripes are up for four awards, including Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Song (“Icky Thump”), but, unfortunately, are not scheduled to appear or perform.
Amy Winehouse is slated to perform via satellite after Visa issues, then her decision not to fly to the States after all. She’s up for six Grammys, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year (“Rehab”).
Some other interesting performances: The Foo Fighters will perform with 20 unsigned musicians as part of an orchestra. Three of these musicians will vie to be a featured instrumentalist during the performance of “The Pretender.” Arranging and conducting will be Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones.
It may also be entertaining to see Rihanna onstage with the reunited Time. Morris Day. Jimmy Jam. Terry Lewis. Very cool stuff. Oh-ee-oh-ee-oh.
And of course, John Fogerty is going to make his Grammy debut tonight, somewhere in the area of 40 years after CCR’s first album was released. He’ll perform alongside Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard as part of a “Cornerstone of Rock” segment. “When I was a young guy, none of the people I liked got Grammys. That's just the way it was,” Fogerty said at a Grammy week event Wednesday night. “They honored a lot of great people, but they just weren't in my musical universe. Then something changed 15, 20 years ago, where they started kind of getting a little hipper, honoring rock and pop and even rap. It seems to be not just reserved for old, gray white men anymore, kind of like our politics.”
Love is a Losing Game (acoustic).mp3 Amy Winehouse, AOL Sessions
Rehab (acoustic).mp3 Amy Winehouse, AOL Sessions
Icky Thump (live).mp3 White Stripes, live MSG; July 4, 2007
Effect and Cause (live).mp3 White Stripes, live, unknown date.
Gunslinger.mp3 John FogertyProud Mary (live).mp3 John Fogerty, live World Café; Oct. 26, 2007
Jungle Love.mp3 The TimeWhile I’m here, I may as well weigh in with my guesses as to who’s going to win some of the bigger categories:
-Record of the Year: “Rehab”
-Album of the Year: Graduation, Kanye West (Kanye beats Amy? Sort of a toss-up, but I think her personal issues are going to keep voters from allowing her to sweep.)
-Song of the Year: Amy comes back to win this one with “Rehab.”
-Best New Artist: Feist. Amy Winehouse is nominated, but she’s not really new. I don’t even know who the hell the other nominees are.
-Best Pop Performance: who cares.
-Best Pop Album: toss-up between Amy Winehouse and Paul McCartney. Probably Amy.
-Best Rock Performance: C’mon – do you even read this blog? I’m not rooting against the White Stripes for anything.
-Best Hard Rock Performance: QotSA over not just Ozzy, but the Foo Fighters. Although the Foos
are performing. Hmmm....
-Best Rock Album: The Boss for
Magic. He and John Fogerty are both way over-due, but it’s Springsteen in a photo finish.
-Best Alternative Album: Icky Thump. Duh.
Not to slight the rap and R&B categories, but I don’t listen to enough of either anymore to even make a half-assed guess. Probably whatever Jay-Z and/or Timbaland are involved in.
Labels: Amy Winehouse, classic rock, current events, hip-hop, live music, White Stripes
Rude Boy
Let’s open things tonight with a little history lesson about the Rude Boys.
The term “rude boys” originated in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1960s. They were juvenile delinquents and criminals who took influence from American gangster movies, dressing stylishly in suits, and wearing thin ties and pork pie hats. As Jamaicans immigrated to the United Kingdom during the 1960s, Jamaican “rude boy” music and fashion became a strong influence on the skinhead subculture.
During the 1970’s 2-Tone ska revival in England, the terms “rude boy” and “rude girl” were often used to describe fans of that genre. This revised use of the term continued with the late 80’s third-wave ska movement. In these two contexts, the term “rude boy” became separated from its past.
The 1980 Clash film / semi-documentary “Rude Boy” plays more on the ska context than the term’s historical context. The Clash was, of course, a seminal punk band, but it goes without saying that they also drew very heavily on Jamaican-inspired music.
“Rude Boy,” which was released on DVD in 2006, features a great deal of live footage, with the band performing songs from their first two albums. The action footage of the band is largely what drives the movie; the plot itself is somewhat convoluted. On one of the DVD extras, Ray Grange, who stars as “Ray,” admits the film was incoherent and complains about playing a character named after him but who wasn’t really a reflection of him. Neither did the Clash really care for the movie, distributing buttons saying, "I don't want Rude Boy Clash Film."
Tonight’s music comes from “Rude Boy.” I don’t remember where I got this stuff – if it was ripped from the DVD or what. As far as I can tell, there is no soundtrack album, but I could be wrong about that.
Rudie Can’t Fail (demo).mp3 Garageland (demo).mp3Good Times Roll (outtake).mp3 No Reason (outtake).mp3 All You Young Cunts (outtake).mp3 Stay Free (outtake).mp3Labels: movies, punk, the Clash
Ratt 'n' Roll
What do you good people think about some hair metal tonight? It’s been months since I posted any; probably since my record player / computer connections went tits up.
I recently found this Ratt EP that was originally issued in 1983. Reportedly it is out-of-print, but thanks to modern science, nothing is too hard to stumble across. That’s the same logic that states that, somewhere on the Internet, a nude picture exists of each one of us.
Moving on.
The
Ratt EP was released independently on Time Coast Records in August 1983. Up until that time, Ratt had been bouncing around the Southern California area, playing bars and clubs, gaining and losing members, and waiting for their break. The EP began to draw attention to the band from outside of So Cal. It contained the song that would help them break, “You Think You're Tough," along with a cover of “Walkin' the Dog.” Ratt's version of the Rufus Thomas hit was a nod to Aerosmith, who had included the song on
their first album. The EP was a success, selling more than a million copies.
On Amazon, “Jessica” wrote a classic review of this album:
I sing the praises of this underrated EP all the time. Ratt's first record is a clumsy masterpiece of treble squall. The rare 1982 Time Coast, NOT the Atlantic remastered sanitized version, is the one truly acceptable version. It is the sound that mapped the Sunset Strip epicenter before it exploded into a moneymaking machine. “Sweet Cheater”, the opening track, is a starved, hectic dirge, barely three minutes long. One of the classic side one, track ones de metal.
Muddy production never sounded so good, and Stephen Pearcy – who is no one’s favorite frontman – for the first and last time in his life, sounds awesome. Dig the neighing guitar duel that closes “U Got It”, and the original version of “Back For More”, with Warren’s 12-string break. Can you even get this record on CD? I have the vinyl (enshrined) and the lamer Atlantic version cassette (half melted and sandy), but I fantasize that some hair head will re-release the Time Coast label version on CD, complete with the original super sexy black and white photo of the young men of Ratt on the back cover.
Awesome stuff.
Sweet Cheater.mp3 Back For More.mp3Walkin’ the Dog.mp3Labels: hair metal
U23D
I took the advice offered the other day by Heather at the
I Am Fuel, You Are Friends blog, and went this past weekend to see
“U23D” at my local IMAX theater. Absolutely amazing.
I can whole-heartedly recommend this movie to any fan of U2, and not even hesitantly to any fan of live rock music. First, the sound quality is amazing. I got a seat far enough back so as not to have to strain my neck. To my left was a guy about my age and his youngish son. At one point there is, in the movie, a yell from someone in the audience. This guy and I both looked over at his son, who we thought had yelled. That’s how crisp and clear the sound is. Three-dimensional sound, if there is such a thing.
As far as the 3D aspect of the picture, it’s somewhat needless, but still notable. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to see things swinging out across the crowd or look down a 100-foot crevice. A couple of times Bono reaches toward the camera, but not enough to cause you to duck or want to push his hand away. What is incredible, though, is the IMAX clarity of the picture. It’s as crisp and as large as the sound and puts you on the stage.
I’ve had bad experiences the two times I’ve been to see U2 play live, but this IMAX experience was altogether awesome. The sound, the picture, the music. Even the crowd was almost as into it as a real concert, wearing U2 T-shirts and cheering both when the band came on stage and after the final song.
If you’ve got an IMAX near you, go see this. Do not
even wait to see this one on DVD, no matter how HD your TV is.
Today’s music is from U2’s 1992 “One” single, which came from the
Achtung Baby album. Supposedly this version is the UK release, so I’m not sure what I’m doing with it, but I’m glad I got it. U2’s version of “Satellite of Love” didn’t see release anywhere else that I am aware of. There’s also a remix of “Night and Day,” a Cole Porter standard U2 recorded for the
Red, Hot, + Blue album.
Satellite of Love (Lou Reed cover).mp3 Night and Day (Steel String Remix).mp3Labels: classic rock, covers, movies, U2
Blues Calendar Blues - Lightnin' Hopkins
I’ve mentioned in these pages a couple of times how I came to learn about Texas blues. Briefly, I was schooled by a
white woman, which on its face seems odd, but she knew her stuff – and she could play an awesome guitar.
One of the progenitors of Texas blues was Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins, who is this month’s featured artist on my blues calendar. From the calendar’s notes:
From a family of musicians, Hopkins (1912-1982) played at fairs and frolics, dives and bars, on the streets and in buses. But it was earlier, long before he recorded with Thunder Smith and took a complimentary nickname, that Hopkins shared a stage – if you can call a truck bed a stage – with his greatest influence, “Blind” Lemon Jefferson. Hopkins was right when he saw 23-year-old Jefferson perform at a picnic: “That man was picking that guitar, and I just felt it was in me.” Bold enough to try playing along on a guitar he’d built himself, the boy was invited onstage.
The number and variety of stages from which Lightnin’ Hopkins sent out his largely improvised music exceeded that of any other traditional blues player. After a raft of recordings made in the forties and fifties, he lapsed into obscurity until the fold music movement drew him into a different spotlight, which he shared with the likes of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and the Grateful Dead.
The notes also suggest the short documentary “The Blues According to Lightnin’ Hopkins,” a 1969 film directed by Les Blank.
The
Handbook of Texas Online has a short biography of Hopkins, who was born in Centerville, Texas, and died in Houston. In 2002, the town of Crockett, Texas, erected a statue in Hopkins’ honor. It stands in Lightnin’ Hopkins Park.
Let Me Play With Your Poodle.mp3 Lightnin’s Boogie.mp3Jake Head Boogie.mp3 Lonesome Dog Boogie.mp3Labels: blues
Music from My Mailbox
As I pull open the lid on the Licorice Pizza mailbox, it dawns on me that I’ve got to find some way to make this less burdensome and easier to read. The “mailbox” posts seem a little busy and unorganized, at least to me. So I’m going to try simplifying things, giving you some music, a
very brief description of what/who the band is, then giving you a link to their respective site. That way, if you’re interested, you can explore more on your own. And I’m not bogging things down so much.
Moving on.
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The Epochs“On Feb. 19, Brooklyn's The Epochs will release their self-titled debut LP through The Rebel Group. For brothers Ryan and Hays Holladay, the craft of songwriting has always been closely linked with the recording process. Along with drummer Kotchy and bassist Kevin Smith, The Epochs (pronounced ‘ee-poks’) have created a sprawling record that cuts no corners in production quality or arrangement.”
Opposite Sides.mp3band Web site~~~~~
From Leaf to Feather“Three original L.A natives plus one S.F songbird that migrated south for the winter, all carving a path through this pumpkin called Los Angeles.”
Albeit.mp3band MySpace~~~~~
The Lonely H“Port Angeles, Wash., natives The Lonely H have embarked on a three-month jaunt that will take them across the US, including a stop at this year's SXSW. The band is touring in support of
Hair, their latest release available now via The Control Group. The Lonely H's infectious harmonies paired with their classic rock sound come alive on stage.”
The Meal.mp3band MySpace~~~~~
Louis XIV“Louis XIV have kicked off their US tour with Editors and Hot Hot Heat, gearing up for the Jan. 29 release of their new album,
Slick Dogs And Ponies.”
Guilt by Association.mp3band Web Site~~~~~
Say Hi“
The Wishes And The Glitch is the fifth release from Say Hi principle Eric Elbogen (yes, this is the former Say Hi To Your Mom). It doesn’t take too many spins to hear that something very different is happening on his latest effort. The barrage of indiepop songs that fills
Wishes' 36 minutes is musically richer than anything Elbogen has done before.”
Northwestern Girls.mp3band Web Site~~~~~
Sir Salvatore“Underdog indie rockers. We recently released our second EP,
Continental Breakfast.”
Townies.mp3band Web Site~~~~~
Wild Sweet Orange“Sounds like: Songs that are to be used to attract mates, to keep track of offspring, and to locate prey.”
Wrestle With God.mp3band MySpaceLabels: indie, new stuff
I recently ran across a handful of live Gilby Clarke songs and I thought I’d share them. Gilby, as I’m sure you recall, is probably best known for the three years he spent as a hired gun, so to speak, with Guns N’ Roses. 
Anyway, here’s Gilby doing a couple of his own songs and a couple of covers. That’s his 13-year-old daughter Frankie handling vocals on “American Idiot.”
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