just passing this along . . .note : Bob Dylan, Neil Young and others may be in here somewhere !
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 9 DVD Box Set
Time Life proudly presents the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Live, a 9 DVD collection featuring rare, one-of-a-kind performances from the induction ceremonies of the Rock Hall Of Fame, shot during the last 24 years. You'll see the biggest names in rock 'n' roll perform in intimate settings, and jam in combinations not seen anywhere else. Additionally, each DVD features exclusive induction speeches by rock royalty, from heartfelt tributes to hilarious zingers. Plus, each DVD has over an hour of bonus material, including rare, behind-the-scenes material and rehersal footage. Some highlights include:
Bruce Springsteen and Bono share a microphone on U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."
The original 3 members of Cream take the stage for the first time in 25 years to play a 3 song set of the group's biggest hits.
Mick Jagger and Tina Turner perform a sultry duet of the Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman."
This is the first time ever these performances have been available on home video! With 125 exclusive performances, over 24 hours of classic rock entertainment, and over 9 hours of bonus material, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Live is a comprehensive collection sure to exceed the expectations of any rock 'n' roll fan!
Expected to ship on 2009-9-11
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame- Light My Fire
Includes performances by Mick Jagger with Bruce Springsteen, Cream, The Doors with Eddie Vedder, Santana with Peter Green and more!
Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and The Rock Hall Jam Band: I Saw Her Standing There, 1988
Cream: Sunshine Of Your Love, 1993
Roy Orbison with Bruce Springsteen and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Oh, Pretty Woman, 1987
John Fogerty & Friends: Green River, 1993
The Doors with Eddie Vedder: Light My Fire, 1993
Crosby, Stills & Nash with Tom Petty: For What It’s Worth, 1997
Jefferson Airplane: Volunteers, 1996
Santana with Peter Green: Black Magic Woman, 1998
Crosby, Stills & Nash with James Taylor and Emmylou Harris: Teach Your Children, 1997
Jackson Browne: Running On Empty, 2004
The Band with Eric Clapton: The Weight, 1994
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: The Promised Land, 1999
Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood and Dhani Harrison: Handle With Care, 2004
Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison and Prince: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, 2004
Paul McCartney and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Let It Be, 1999
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame- Sweet Emotion
Includes performances by Crosby, Stills & Nash, James Taylor, Aerosmith with Kid Rock, AC/DC and more!
Jackson Browne And Melissa Etheridge: Wake Up Little Susie, 1995
Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and The Rock Hall Jam Band: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, 1988
Mick Jagger, Tina Turner and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Honky Tonk Women, 1989
James Taylor: Woodstock (A Tribute To Joni Mitchell), 1997
Crosby, Stills & Nash: Wooden Ships, 1997
R.E.M. with Eddie Vedder: Man on the Moon, 2007
Aerosmith with Kid Rock: Sweet Emotion, 2001
ZZ Top: La Grange, 2004
ZZ Top: Tush, 2004
AC/DC: Highway To Hell, 2003
Metallica: Master Of Puppets, 2009
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, 1999
U2: Pride (In The Name Of Love), 2005
The Rock Hall Jam Band: All Along The Watchtower (A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix), 1992
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame- Start Me Up
Includes performances by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, the Righteous Brothers and more!
The Who and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Won’t Get Fooled Again, 1990
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers: American Girl, 2002
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Sweet Home Alabama, 2006 The Righteous Brothers: You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, 2003
The Byrds with Don Henley and Jackson Browne: Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season), 1991
The Mamas & The Papas: California Dreamin’, 1998
Cream: Born Under A Bad Sign, 1993
Traffic: Dear Mr. Fantasy, 2004
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham: Landslide, 1998
Fleetwood Mac: Say You Love Me, 1998
Queen with Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins: Tie Your Mother Down, 2001
Billy Joel: Only The Good Die Young, 1999
Mick Jagger and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Start Me Up, 1989
John Mellencamp: Pink Houses, 2008
U2 with Bruce Springsteen: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, 2005
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame- Feelin' Alright
Includes performances by Tina Turner, Little Richard, Dave Mason, Jeff Beck with Jimmy Page and more!
Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Roll Over Beethoven, 1986
Little Richard: Tutti-Frutti, 1995
Bo Diddley with Robbie Roberston and Eric Clapton: Bo Diddley, 2005
Eric Clapton with Robbie Robertson: Farther On Up The Road, 2000
Little Richard: (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay, 1989
Tina Turner and The Rock Hall Jam Band: River Deep—Mountain High, 1989
Etta James: At Last, 1993
The Isley Brothers and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Shout , 1992
Chubby Checker and The Rock Hall Jam Band: The Twist, 1986
The Ronettes: Be My Baby, 2007
Little Richard, Mick Jagger and The Rock Hall Jam Band: I Can’t Turn You Loose (A Tribute To Otis Redding), 1989
Joan Jett, John Mellencamp,John Fogerty and Billy Joel: Glad All Over (A Tribute To The Dave Clark Five) 2008
The Rascals: People Got To Be Free, 1997
Dave Mason and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Feelin’ Alright, 2004
James Taylor and The Rock Hall Jam Band: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), 2000
Jeff Beck with Jimmy Page: Beck’s Bolero, 2009
Kid Rock and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Sweet Little Rock and Roller, 2004
Chuck Berry with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Johnny B. Goode, 1995
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame- Whole Lotta Shakin'
Includes performances by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Lee Hooker with Bonnie Raitt, John Fogerty & Friends and more!
Billy Joel and The Rock Hall Jam Band: What’d I Say (A Tribute To Ray Charles), 1999
Johnny Cash and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Big River, 1992
Ben E. King And The Rock Hall Jam Band: Stand By Me, 1988
Jerry Lee Lewis: Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On, 2005
Ruth Brown with Bonnie Raitt: Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean, 1993
John Lee Hooker with Bonnie Raitt: I’m In The Mood, 1991
Buddy Guy with B. B. King and Eric Clapton: Let Me Love You Baby, 2005
Billy Joel with Bonnie Raitt: Runaway (A Tribute To Del Shannon), 1999
Paul McCartney and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Blue Suede Shoes, 1999
John Fogerty & Friends: Born On The Bayou, 1993
The Doors with Eddie Vedder: Break On Through, 1993
Bruce Springsteen & The E Steet Band: Backstreets, 1999
Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ron Wood, Joe Perry, Flea, and Metallica: The Train Kept A-Rollin’, 2009
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame- I'll Take You There
Includes performances by The O'Jays, The Staple Singers, Aretha Franklin, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and more!
Percy Sledge: When A Man Loves A Woman, 2005
The O’Jays: Love Train, 2005
Jerry Butler: Only The Strong Survive (A Tribute To Gamble & Huff), 2008
Solomon Burke: Cry To Me, 2001
Martha & The Vandellas: Dancing In The Street, 1995
The Four Tops and The Rock Hall Jam Band: I Can’t Help Myself, 1990
Booker T. & The MG’s and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Green Onions, 1992
Isaac Hayes: Theme From Shaft, 2002
The Staple Singers: I’ll Take You There, 1999
Aretha Franklin: Don’t Play That Song (A Tribute To Ahmet Ertegun), 2007
Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) (A Tribute To Ahmet Ertegun), 2007
Al Green: Take Me To The River, 1995
Parliament-Funkadelic: Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up the Funk), 1997
Wilson Pickett with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: In The Midnight Hour, 1999
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame- Come Together
Includes performances by Blondie, Bruce Springsteen with Axl Rose, Green Day, Patti Smith Group and more!
Green Day: Blitzkrieg Bop, 2002
Blondie: Call Me, 2006
Elvis Costello & The Imposters: (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, 2003
Bruce Springsteen and Axl Rose: Come Together (A Tribute To John Lennon), 1994
The Doors with Eddie Vedder: Roadhouse Blues, 1993
John Fogerty & Friends: Who’ll Stop The Rain, 1993
Cream: Crossroads, 1993
Jackson Browne: The Pretender, 2004
Patti Smith Group: Because The Night, 2007
Patti Smith Group: People Have The Power, 2002
Jonny Lang and Jeff Beck: Be-Bop-A-Lula (A Tribute to Gene Vincent), 1999
Jeff Beck: People Get Ready (A Tribute To Rod Stewart), 1994
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame- Message of Love
Includes performances by James Taylor, John Mellencamp, The Pretenders, The Bee Gees and more!
The Who and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Substitute, 1990
The Who and The Rock Hall Jam Band: Pinball Wizard, 1990
Melissa Etheridge: Piece Of My Heart (A Tribute To Janis Joplin), 1995
James Taylor: Fire And Rain, 2000
Bee Gees: Massachusetts, 1997
Bee Gees: You Should Be Dancing, 1997
John Mellencamp: Small Town, 2008
Bonnie Raitt with Melissa Etheridge and Bruce Hornsby: Thing Called Love, 2000
The Pretenders: Message Of Love, 2005
The Pretenders: My City Was Gone, 2005
The Pretenders: Precious, 2005
Metallica: Iron Man (A Tribute To Black Sabbath), 2006
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Free Bird, 2006
Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame- The Concert
Includes performances by Eric Burdon and Bon Jovi, James Brown, The Allman Brothers Band with Sheryl Crow, Al Green and more!
John Mellencamp: R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.
Eric Burdon and Bon Jovi: It’s My Life
Aretha Franklin: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
Lou Reed and Soul Asylum: Sweet Jane
The Allman Brothers Band with Sheryl Crow: Midnight Rider
The Kinks: All Day And All Of The Night
Ann and Nancy Wilson: The Battle Of Evermore
John Fogerty with Booker T. & The MG'’s: Fortunate Son
James Brown: I Got You (I Feel Good)
Al Green: Tired Of Being Alone
Al Green: A Change Is Gonna Come
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wallflowers Concert Review: Lowell Summer Music Series
Just got back from the concert by Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers. This new line-up is probably the best he's had, especially in guitarist Stuart Mathis.
The Lowell Summer Music Festival is a very enjoyable concert series, with concerts performed at an outdoor park west of Boston. Starting last year, the festival began booking bigger acts, and continued charging reasonable prices. Luckily, tonight we had good weather. By the time we arrived a couple of hours before the concert, the lawn was already pretty crowded.
The Wallflowers hit the stage after 8:30, and put on a strong show from the get-go. Jakob was center stage, sporting a large white Stetson, much to the dismay of some of the women in the crowd. Early on, Jakob featured Mathis on an extended slide guitar solo during "5th Avenue Heartache", which seemed to amaze everyone, including Dylan. The Wallflowers better-known songs were doled out sparingly throughout the concert. Dylan and his band kept things interesting by changing textures, with Jakob switching back and forth between electric to acoustic guitars, Mathias alternating between lead and slide, and keyboardist Bill Appleberry on electric piano and organ.
While the Wallflowers (thankfully) still play lots of songs from their best selling album "Bringing Down The Horse" - including a ska-influenced arrangement of "God Don't Make Lonely Girls" - they opened with "Sleepwalker" from their under-appreciated album "Breach", plus played more recent songs like "The Beautiful Side Of Somewhere", which were all loved by the crowd.
After the opening string of songs, Jakob addressed the crowd in an hysterical, deadpan style. He seemed to legitimately enjoy the audience just sitting and listening to the music, and kidded the security staff to keep on their toes, as things were going to get "crazy". Also enjoyable was Dylan singling out people in the crowd who - for some reason or another - were bothersome. Most were along the line of people taking too many pictures, but my favorite was when Jakob focused on a man in the audience who was standing up, while just about everyone else was not. Jakob said that he used to stand behind people like him at concerts, then chastised him for needlessly blocking the view of others.
Jakob also made a very dry reference to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, saying he didn't really understand it, but believed in celebrating anniversaries. Of course the entire festival, which took place in nearby Bethel, New York, was called "Woodstock" in order the connect it to Bob Dylan, where he and his family lived (Jakob was in utero at the time). Jakob's parents avoided the festival, and originally planned to leave for the United Kingdom forty years ago tonight, to headline a different rock festival at the Isle Of Wight. (One of Jakob's brothers had an accident, so the departure was delayed.)
Dylan also made an oblique comment about Lowell itself. It seems that something unfortunate may have happened while the band was out to dinner the previous night. Jakob did say, hopefully, that he had heard that Lowell was trying to improve as a town. It was refreshing to hear an artist be so honest, yet hopeful.
Near the end of the show, The Wallflowers played their hits "One Headlight" and "Three Marlenas" (which seems to be a personal favorite of Jakob's). The main set ended with a couple of rockers, including an intense "Shy Of The Moon". Of course, the band came back for an encore, including the closing "The Difference".
As the show ended, I wondered - why don't The Wallflowers rock out more? The crowd actually DID go a little "crazy" at the end. Jakob has a great band, and hopefully their next album will be a scorcher. I also had another thought - Jakob Dylan seemed the most comfortable I've ever seen him on stage. Maybe he no longer feels the need to prove himself. Maybe he's just enjoying this new band. Whatever the reason, The Wallflowers 90-plus minute show was a great addition to the wonderful history of the Lowell Summer Music Series.
SET LIST taken from an official Wallflowers forum:
Sleepwalker
Back to California
Here He Comes
6th Avenue Heartache
How Good it can Get
The Beautiful Side of Somewhere
Closer to You
God Says Nothing Back
Up From Under
Empire in my Mind
God Don't Make Lonely Girls
One Headlight
Three Marlenas
Shy of the Moon
Nearly Beloved
Encores:
Everything I Need
The Difference
P.S. The M.C. said that he were working on getting the Allman Brothers to play down the street at the Tsongas Arena soon.
The Lowell Summer Music Festival is a very enjoyable concert series, with concerts performed at an outdoor park west of Boston. Starting last year, the festival began booking bigger acts, and continued charging reasonable prices. Luckily, tonight we had good weather. By the time we arrived a couple of hours before the concert, the lawn was already pretty crowded.
The Wallflowers hit the stage after 8:30, and put on a strong show from the get-go. Jakob was center stage, sporting a large white Stetson, much to the dismay of some of the women in the crowd. Early on, Jakob featured Mathis on an extended slide guitar solo during "5th Avenue Heartache", which seemed to amaze everyone, including Dylan. The Wallflowers better-known songs were doled out sparingly throughout the concert. Dylan and his band kept things interesting by changing textures, with Jakob switching back and forth between electric to acoustic guitars, Mathias alternating between lead and slide, and keyboardist Bill Appleberry on electric piano and organ.
While the Wallflowers (thankfully) still play lots of songs from their best selling album "Bringing Down The Horse" - including a ska-influenced arrangement of "God Don't Make Lonely Girls" - they opened with "Sleepwalker" from their under-appreciated album "Breach", plus played more recent songs like "The Beautiful Side Of Somewhere", which were all loved by the crowd.
After the opening string of songs, Jakob addressed the crowd in an hysterical, deadpan style. He seemed to legitimately enjoy the audience just sitting and listening to the music, and kidded the security staff to keep on their toes, as things were going to get "crazy". Also enjoyable was Dylan singling out people in the crowd who - for some reason or another - were bothersome. Most were along the line of people taking too many pictures, but my favorite was when Jakob focused on a man in the audience who was standing up, while just about everyone else was not. Jakob said that he used to stand behind people like him at concerts, then chastised him for needlessly blocking the view of others.
Jakob also made a very dry reference to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, saying he didn't really understand it, but believed in celebrating anniversaries. Of course the entire festival, which took place in nearby Bethel, New York, was called "Woodstock" in order the connect it to Bob Dylan, where he and his family lived (Jakob was in utero at the time). Jakob's parents avoided the festival, and originally planned to leave for the United Kingdom forty years ago tonight, to headline a different rock festival at the Isle Of Wight. (One of Jakob's brothers had an accident, so the departure was delayed.)
Dylan also made an oblique comment about Lowell itself. It seems that something unfortunate may have happened while the band was out to dinner the previous night. Jakob did say, hopefully, that he had heard that Lowell was trying to improve as a town. It was refreshing to hear an artist be so honest, yet hopeful.
Near the end of the show, The Wallflowers played their hits "One Headlight" and "Three Marlenas" (which seems to be a personal favorite of Jakob's). The main set ended with a couple of rockers, including an intense "Shy Of The Moon". Of course, the band came back for an encore, including the closing "The Difference".
As the show ended, I wondered - why don't The Wallflowers rock out more? The crowd actually DID go a little "crazy" at the end. Jakob has a great band, and hopefully their next album will be a scorcher. I also had another thought - Jakob Dylan seemed the most comfortable I've ever seen him on stage. Maybe he no longer feels the need to prove himself. Maybe he's just enjoying this new band. Whatever the reason, The Wallflowers 90-plus minute show was a great addition to the wonderful history of the Lowell Summer Music Series.
SET LIST taken from an official Wallflowers forum:
Sleepwalker
Back to California
Here He Comes
6th Avenue Heartache
How Good it can Get
The Beautiful Side of Somewhere
Closer to You
God Says Nothing Back
Up From Under
Empire in my Mind
God Don't Make Lonely Girls
One Headlight
Three Marlenas
Shy of the Moon
Nearly Beloved
Encores:
Everything I Need
The Difference
P.S. The M.C. said that he were working on getting the Allman Brothers to play down the street at the Tsongas Arena soon.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
33 1/3 Books We'd Like To See
A few weeks ago, the webite for the "33 1/3" book series had a contest to "make your own hypothetical 33 1/3 cover" . . .I was too busy to make the deadline, but here was a list of possibilites that I thought of (Yes, some are tasteless, and even more are obscure but that seemed to be the point) . . .So, better late than never, here you go . .
The Band/Stage Freight by Carly Simon
Beach Boys/Pet Sounds by Eric Burdon
Beach Boys/Smile by Charlie Chaplin
The Beatles/Please Please Me by Pete Best
The Beatles/Let It Be . . . Naked by Phil Spector
Jeff Beck/Blow By Blow by Howard Cosell
David Bowie/Station To Station by David Letterman
David Bowie/Low by Nick Lowe
The Byrds/Younger Than Yesterday by Benjamin Button
Johnny Cash/At San Quentin by Merle Haggard
The Clash/Give 'Em Enough Rope by Ian Curtis
Phil Collins/Hello, I Must Be Going by Groucho Marx
Elvis Costello/Kojak Variety by Telly Sevalas
Bob Dylan/Blood On The Tracks by Jakob Dylan
Bob Dylan/John Wesley Harding by John Wesley Harding
Bob Dylan/Unplugged by Pete Seeger
Bob Dylan/"Love & Theft"by Junichi Saga
Bob Dylan and The Band/The Basement Tapes by Joe The Plumber
Bob Dylan/30th Anniversary Celebration by Sinead O'Connor
ELO/Essential by Randy Newman
John Fogerty/Centerfield by Saul Zaentz
Grateful Dead/American Beauty by Kevin Spacey
George Harrison/Wonderwall Music by Noel Gallagher
George Harrison/Living In The Material World by Madonna
George Harrison/Brainwashed by Patty Hearst
Jimi Hendrix Experience/Are You Experienced? by Susan Boyle
Robyn Hitchcock/Ole Tarantula by Bob Dylan
Robyn Hitchcock/Gotta Let This Hen Out by Terry Edwards
Robyn Hitchcock/Eye by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Hot Tuna/Burgers by Ronald McDonald
Elton John/Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Buddy Ebsen
The Kinks/A Soap Opera by Mick Fleetwood
The Kinks/Face To Face by Stu Kimball
The Kinks/Percy by Robyn Hitchcock (or Robert Plant)
Led Zeppelin/Led Zeppelin I by Jeff Beck
Led Zeppelin/Led Zeppelin II by Willie Dixon
Willie Nelson/Red Headed Stranger by Danny Bonaduce
Harry Nilsson/Pussycats by Garfield
Roy Orbison/Black and White Night by David Lynch
Tom Petty/Damn The Torpedoes by Dave Farragut
Pink Floyd/Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Deborah Harry *
Pink Floyd/Wish You Were Here by Syd Barrett
Elvis Presley/Moody Blue by Denny Laine
Queen/A Night At The Opera by Harpo Marx
Queen/A Day At The Races by Chico Marx
Rolling Stones/Sticky Fingers by Bernie Madoff
Rolling Stones/Let It Bleed by G.G. Allin
The Rutles/Tragical History Tour by George Martin
Paul Simon/Hearts and Bones by Art Garfunkel
Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music by Bob Dylan
Soft Boys/Underwater Moonlight by Jacques Cousteau
Bruce Springsteen/The River by Joaquin Phoenix
Bruce Springsteen/Ghost Of Tom Joad by John Steinbeck
Rod Stewart/Every Picture Tells A Story by Annie Leibovitz
Talking Heads/More Songs About Buildings and Food by Francis Ford Coppola
Talking Heads/Fear Of Music by Syd Barrett
U2/Boy by Michael Jackson
Velvet Underground/Loaded by Paul Westerberg
Rick Wakeman/Six Wives Of Henry VIII by Larry King
Wallflowers/Bringing Down The Horse by Neil Young
White Stripes/de Stijl by Stuart Sutcliffe
The Who/Face Dances by Jim Carey
The Who/My Generation by Paul Weller
The Who/Quadrophenia by Edward Vedder
The Who/Sell Out by David Caruso
Wings/Venus and Mars by John Gray
Neil Young/On The Beach by Brian Wilson
Neil Young/After The Gold Rush by Charlie Chaplin
Neil Young/Rust Never Sleeps by Mark Mothersbough
Neil Young/Sleeps With Angles by Kurt Cobain
* Think of Deborah Harry's pre-Blondie band
The Band/Stage Freight by Carly Simon
Beach Boys/Pet Sounds by Eric Burdon
Beach Boys/Smile by Charlie Chaplin
The Beatles/Please Please Me by Pete Best
The Beatles/Let It Be . . . Naked by Phil Spector
Jeff Beck/Blow By Blow by Howard Cosell
David Bowie/Station To Station by David Letterman
David Bowie/Low by Nick Lowe
The Byrds/Younger Than Yesterday by Benjamin Button
Johnny Cash/At San Quentin by Merle Haggard
The Clash/Give 'Em Enough Rope by Ian Curtis
Phil Collins/Hello, I Must Be Going by Groucho Marx
Elvis Costello/Kojak Variety by Telly Sevalas
Bob Dylan/Blood On The Tracks by Jakob Dylan
Bob Dylan/John Wesley Harding by John Wesley Harding
Bob Dylan/Unplugged by Pete Seeger
Bob Dylan/"Love & Theft"by Junichi Saga
Bob Dylan and The Band/The Basement Tapes by Joe The Plumber
Bob Dylan/30th Anniversary Celebration by Sinead O'Connor
ELO/Essential by Randy Newman
John Fogerty/Centerfield by Saul Zaentz
Grateful Dead/American Beauty by Kevin Spacey
George Harrison/Wonderwall Music by Noel Gallagher
George Harrison/Living In The Material World by Madonna
George Harrison/Brainwashed by Patty Hearst
Jimi Hendrix Experience/Are You Experienced? by Susan Boyle
Robyn Hitchcock/Ole Tarantula by Bob Dylan
Robyn Hitchcock/Gotta Let This Hen Out by Terry Edwards
Robyn Hitchcock/Eye by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Hot Tuna/Burgers by Ronald McDonald
Elton John/Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Buddy Ebsen
The Kinks/A Soap Opera by Mick Fleetwood
The Kinks/Face To Face by Stu Kimball
The Kinks/Percy by Robyn Hitchcock (or Robert Plant)
Led Zeppelin/Led Zeppelin I by Jeff Beck
Led Zeppelin/Led Zeppelin II by Willie Dixon
Willie Nelson/Red Headed Stranger by Danny Bonaduce
Harry Nilsson/Pussycats by Garfield
Roy Orbison/Black and White Night by David Lynch
Tom Petty/Damn The Torpedoes by Dave Farragut
Pink Floyd/Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Deborah Harry *
Pink Floyd/Wish You Were Here by Syd Barrett
Elvis Presley/Moody Blue by Denny Laine
Queen/A Night At The Opera by Harpo Marx
Queen/A Day At The Races by Chico Marx
Rolling Stones/Sticky Fingers by Bernie Madoff
Rolling Stones/Let It Bleed by G.G. Allin
The Rutles/Tragical History Tour by George Martin
Paul Simon/Hearts and Bones by Art Garfunkel
Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music by Bob Dylan
Soft Boys/Underwater Moonlight by Jacques Cousteau
Bruce Springsteen/The River by Joaquin Phoenix
Bruce Springsteen/Ghost Of Tom Joad by John Steinbeck
Rod Stewart/Every Picture Tells A Story by Annie Leibovitz
Talking Heads/More Songs About Buildings and Food by Francis Ford Coppola
Talking Heads/Fear Of Music by Syd Barrett
U2/Boy by Michael Jackson
Velvet Underground/Loaded by Paul Westerberg
Rick Wakeman/Six Wives Of Henry VIII by Larry King
Wallflowers/Bringing Down The Horse by Neil Young
White Stripes/de Stijl by Stuart Sutcliffe
The Who/Face Dances by Jim Carey
The Who/My Generation by Paul Weller
The Who/Quadrophenia by Edward Vedder
The Who/Sell Out by David Caruso
Wings/Venus and Mars by John Gray
Neil Young/On The Beach by Brian Wilson
Neil Young/After The Gold Rush by Charlie Chaplin
Neil Young/Rust Never Sleeps by Mark Mothersbough
Neil Young/Sleeps With Angles by Kurt Cobain
* Think of Deborah Harry's pre-Blondie band
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Dylan Dilemma: Deciphering the "Tell Tale Signs"
Of course it's overpriced. Of course I bought it. Of course it's great.
When the newest installment of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series was announced, I immediately clicked on http://www.bobdylan.com/ and was amazed at the various treasures being offered, and the different configurations from which to could choose . There was an old-fashioned vinyl box set. Then there was the "normal" double CD, which would have been eagerly welcomed by Bobcats around the globe. Another choice was a downloadable 2 CD set from iTunes with an extra live song. You could also buy a single CD version, which is just the first disc already included in all other versions. And if that wasn't enough, there was yet ANOTHER Tell Tale Sign to consider: A mysterious "deluxe" triple disc version, with twelve extra tracks, as well as a couple of books (one exclusive to this set). For added enticement, if you ordered early, you would get an exclusive seven inch 45 r.p.m. picture sleeve single (with both songs already on TTS), as well as a poster (for the first 5000 orders of any version). The catch? The "deluxe" version cost over $100 more than the 2 CD version.
Like many others, my first reaction was: Are they kidding ? What were they thinking? Is it really worth all that extra money? I can just get someone to burn the third disc for me. The "extras", while nice to have, are things I could easily live without.
Yet without much prodding, I decided to go for the "deluxe" version. I figured if any artist was worth paying extra for, it was Dylan. I remember hearing Elvis Costello speak at SXSW in 2005, and saying that if we paid every CD it's aesthetic worth, a copy of Joni Mitchell's Blue CD would be $50. Luckily, Mr. Costello doesn't run a major record label, but his words did ring true when I gave Sony my credit card number. Ironically, while Sony is trying to make a huge profit in these dark times by raking Dylan fans over the coals with this exorbitant gimmick, it end up punishing the fans, and rewarding those that burn and download illegally. I would not feel at all guilty burning disc three for any friends of mine that did not want to pay that kind of money.
When all was said and done, it was difficult to assess exactly what I getting. The track listing was meandering and confusing, with very few specific details. It was the usual mix of demos, unreleased songs, alternate takes, live tracks, and songs from movies. This time it even had alternate versions of unreleased songs found elsewhere on other discs. Some of the tracks, however, seemed like things that were already available to fans in one form or another. Dozens of live recordings, often captured with hidden recorded devices, used to be posted on Dylan's official website. I wondered if these performances will be regurgitated here ? Are the songs from soundtracks going to be different versions from the ones I already own? In my more obsessive days, I would have researched it all to find out for sure. Nowadays I just try to relax and enjoy music, and try not to worry too much about the package getting lost in the mail.
On the morning of October 7, I found my copy of Tell Tale Signs at my door. I opened the envelope, and examined the contents. The "deluxe" packaging was pretty impressive: Two hardcover books housed in a glossy box, with some cool, if somewhat familiar, pix of Bob. The notes were written by "Ratso" Sloman, who chronicled 1975's Rolling Thunder tour. Lots of great photos, track-by-track analysis, and a list of who allegedly played on which song. So far, so good.
Over the next few days, I listened to all three discs. As usual, it takes a few listens to get a handle on any unfamiliar Dylan material. Just experiencing the early stripped-down trilogy that starts the set is breathtaking. Dylan seems like a vessel to another era, channeling an ancient, forgotten time. This was before music was an industry, when people played and listened to songs because they discovered, loved, shared, and cherished them, not because they had to appease their stockholders to meet fourth quarter goals. Hearing the legendary Time Out Of Mind version of "Mississippi", later redone for "Love & Theft", in a sparse, acoustic setting, makes the hair on your neck stand on end. There were many other highlights as well, especially the 1992 David Bromberg sessions; the subsequent outtakes from World Gone Wrong; an early, haunting, version of "Can't Wait"; as well as exquisite live versions of "Ring Them Bells", from the legendary Supper Club shows of 1993, and "Girl From The Greenbriar Shore", set in 1892, sung a century later, which seems to be the blueprint of another great outtake, "Red River Girl". It's also fascinating to hear Dylan embellish the second version of "Marchin' To The City" with a military snare, and the additional ethnic flavor of an accordion on "Red River Girl" . For more information of these sessions, you must check out the twelve interviews with those that worked with Bob during this period in Uncut magazine.(http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/bob_dylan/special_features/12361)
When I got to the end of the last track, however, I felt unsatisfied. The songs were all over the place, some carefully selected, some seemingly arbitrary. So I changed my name to Sherlock Holmes and used my detective bag to decipher what the tell tale signs were trying to say to me.
The first step was to sift through the songs and figure out what I actually had here. All three discs were not even close to being filled to capacity--the total amount of audio content included added up to about 200 minutes, or roughly two and a half CDs worth of material. There easily could have been close to another 40 minutes of music added. To add insult to injury, the $100 rare third disc was only 61 minutes long- with room for 19 more minutes of Dylan's unreleased recordings. Disc three also started and ended with essential rarities. The rest of the selections were either live performances, or different takes of material that appeared on previous discs.
Sloman's liner notes were written from a fan's perspective, as opposed to a scholarly one, so it fits the "Bootleg" motif, even if everything else about the package seems to beg you to take it as a serious work of Art. There were a few mistakes, from typos (downIn The Groove was not capitalized), to factual errors (Camden Town is part of London, and in 1999, Dylan did previously perform a Robert Johnson song - "Crossroads" -- -with Eric Clapton and Sheryl Crow - and it was released on DVD.), to erroneous session information, with at least two piano-based tracks ("Can't Wait" <#1> and "Dignity" <#2>) not listing any pianist (probably Dylan himself).
After sorting through the track listing, I decided to put it in a proper, chronological order, to get a better feel for what material was included. Here's the list broken down by category:
STUDIO
(Oh Mercy)
Most Of The Time 1
Most Of The Time 2
Dignity 1 *
Dignity 2
Born In Time 1
Born In Time 2
Everything Is Broken *
Series Of Dreams
God Knows
Ring Them Bells (Studio)
Ring Them Bells (Live, Supper Club)
(1992-1993)
Miss The Mississippi And You
Duncan & Brady
32-20 Blues
Mary And The Soldier
(Time Out Of Mind)
Mississippi 1
Mississippi 2
Mississippi 3
Can't Wait 1
Can't Wait 2
Red River Shore 1
Red River Shore 2
Dreamin' Of You
Marchin' To The City 1
Marchin' To The City 2
(Recent Recordings)
Tell Ol' Bill 6/17/05
Can't Escape From You 11/05
Someday Baby
Ain't Talkin'
(Previously Released) :
Lonesome River 5/98 *
'Cross The Green Mountain 7/02 *
Huck's Tune 5/06 *
LIVE:
Girl From The Greenbriar Shore 1992
Cocaine Blues 1997
Things Have Changed 2000
Tryin' To Get To Heaven 2000 *
Lonesome Day Blues 2002
High Water 2003 *
Cold Irons Bound 2004
Most things about Dylan are shrouded in secrecy, and the story behind the decisions that lead to this set are no different. What I have heard is that Jeff Rosen gave Sony a selection of material to choose from for the eighth installment of the Bootleg Series. What has interested me is not just what Dylan was offering for his fans to hear. I was fascinated by what must have been Sony's motivations, besides greed, when deciding what to include in the 2 CD, and what to save for the deluxe version.
Some observations:
At first glance, it seems that one-third of the tracks were previously available to fans, either on compact discs, as downloads, or on Dylan's now-defunct official "Performances" web-page. On closer inspection, thanks to Alan Frasier's exhaustive website , only a handful of these specific performances (marked above with *) had been made available to Dylan collectors, although the other live performances are not exactly unfamiliar to most fans. (For disambiguation, see http://www.searchingforagem.com/2000s/International052.htm ).
Secondly, while the set covers 1989 to 2006, more that half of the material comes from two album sessions featuring U2's producer Daniel Lanois: 1989's Oh Mercy and 1997's Time Out Of Mind, although some of the songs included ended up on unrepresented albums like 1990's Under The Red Sky and 2001's "Love & Theft". Lanois produced those two albums during crucial times in Bob's recording career. On one hand, having Lanois in the studio inspired Dylan to focus and try to make inspired albums. On the other hand, this lead to much friction in the studio, and the resulting album seemed more like a collaboration between Dylan and Lanois than Bob's own artistic vision. The confrontations between Lanois and Dylan are well documented (especially in Dylan's book, Chronicles Volume One) , and one wonders if Bob is getting his revenge by releasing his vision of what he originally wanted with these mostly sparse productions.
It's also interesting to reinterpret how the original album would have altered our perceptions if they had included some of the tracks included here. One example is "Someday Baby", one of two songs from Modern Times based on classic Muddy Waters records. (Even though others had done versions of these songs before Muddy , the above mentioned Uncut interviews confirm that Dylan indeed was using the original Chess recordings as the basis for his own. ) While not as rocking as the released version, the Tell Tale version feels more like a Dylan song, and less like a cover version. If this had been included on the original album, I think I would have warmed to it quicker. Of course, if the Muddy-inspired version appeared for the first time here, it probably would have blown me away. But then what would Dylan have lip-synced to in his iPod TV ad?
The order of the songs seemed to serve no real purpose - it seemed like an iPod set on "shuffle". While it is not unusual for a Dylan compilation to eschew chronological order, those collections usually feature previously released material. Here, due to the unfamiliarity of the music and the breathtaking scope, the seemingly random order made it difficult to get a handle on the material. Luckily, I had a solution.
Before going through the set a second time, I decided to reorganize the music into a more digestible order. My goal was to see if I could get the essential material on two discs, and then use the third "bonus" disc for the rest of the material, and add my own "bonus" tracks.
My personal edition of Tell Tale Signs featured :
Disc One: Sixteen tracks: Seven songs from 1989, the live version of "Greenbriar Shore" (the blueprint for "Red River Shore"), five from 1997, and three recent tracks: "Tell Ol' Bill", and the two outtakes from Modern Times.
Disc Two: Sixteen more tracks: Three more different version of songs from the Oh Mercy sessions, the Supper Club version of "Ring Them Bells", the sessions from 1992-93, the remaining Time Out Of Mind alternative tracks, the unreleased "Can't Escape From You", plus the previously available "Lonesome River" and "Huck's Tune".
Disc Three: I started with the epic "'Cross The Green Mountain" (already on a CD soundtrack), then added the remaining live tracks- some obviously recorded surreptitiously by concert attendees - here arranged chronologically from 1997 to 2004. Due to all the extra time available, I was able to add nine rare tracks from various compilations, also bringing the total number of songs on this disc to sixteen.
Listening to THIS version was much more rewarding, with the songs flowing easily, the selections making sense, and even the fairly familiar live tracks on the last disc working well as a listening experience. Here, the concert material gets to be the center of attention, as opposed to an uninvited guest. What made the set successful, I felt, was that all the material anyone would want was included on the first two discs, with almost no filler. Why didn't Sony think of that ? The only reason that I could fathom was that eight of the sixteen tracks already appeared on disc one. This matters little to Dylan fans. I, myself, own seven copies of Blonde and Blonde. How many times have outtakes of the same songs appeared as bonus tracks on a CD? When it comes to Dylan's creative process, any and all versions shed light onto Bob's art, while still keeping his genius in the shadows.
What else could Sony have done to make the "Deluxe" version something that didn't seem like a rip-off ? How about a 2 hour DVD of the legendary 1993 acoustic sets at New York's Supper Club? One video clip was used to promote the set on the USA Today website (http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-07-28-dylan-telltale-signs_N.htm ). Maybe it isn't well lit, and not worthy of a separate release, but it would certainly be of better value than a book I'll look at a couple of times, and 7" single I'll never play, and a poster I'll never display. If not that, maybe a 2 CD audio version of the shows would suffice. How about a disc of mid-1980s outtakes, like "Important Words" and "Got Love If You Want It", that would appeal to Dylan's hard core fanbase? A DVD with a selection of promotional videos, or even a documentary of the process of putting together a set like this, is another choice. Or how about a real "bootleg" DVD of audience-shot concert footage (without permission) found on Youtube ? With a seemingly endless supply of unreleased Dylan material, the added content chosen for the "Deluxe" version seems insulting.
While doing some fact checking for this blog entry, I went back onto http://www.bobdylan.com/ . I discovered that Sony is no longer distributing any version of the set. There's a link to Amazon.com, which indicates that the "Deluxe" version is already out-of-print. Now I'm REALLY glad I purchased the set. The original track listing suddenly looks pretty interesting. Now that I've been through my own version a few times, maybe I'll take the "deluxe" version off the shelf, and give the original, rare version a spin. The way it was supposed to be. I could even browse through that book of picture sleeves from around the world while listening to it. After all, you can't have too much Dylan.
When the newest installment of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series was announced, I immediately clicked on http://www.bobdylan.com/ and was amazed at the various treasures being offered, and the different configurations from which to could choose . There was an old-fashioned vinyl box set. Then there was the "normal" double CD, which would have been eagerly welcomed by Bobcats around the globe. Another choice was a downloadable 2 CD set from iTunes with an extra live song. You could also buy a single CD version, which is just the first disc already included in all other versions. And if that wasn't enough, there was yet ANOTHER Tell Tale Sign to consider: A mysterious "deluxe" triple disc version, with twelve extra tracks, as well as a couple of books (one exclusive to this set). For added enticement, if you ordered early, you would get an exclusive seven inch 45 r.p.m. picture sleeve single (with both songs already on TTS), as well as a poster (for the first 5000 orders of any version). The catch? The "deluxe" version cost over $100 more than the 2 CD version.
Like many others, my first reaction was: Are they kidding ? What were they thinking? Is it really worth all that extra money? I can just get someone to burn the third disc for me. The "extras", while nice to have, are things I could easily live without.
Yet without much prodding, I decided to go for the "deluxe" version. I figured if any artist was worth paying extra for, it was Dylan. I remember hearing Elvis Costello speak at SXSW in 2005, and saying that if we paid every CD it's aesthetic worth, a copy of Joni Mitchell's Blue CD would be $50. Luckily, Mr. Costello doesn't run a major record label, but his words did ring true when I gave Sony my credit card number. Ironically, while Sony is trying to make a huge profit in these dark times by raking Dylan fans over the coals with this exorbitant gimmick, it end up punishing the fans, and rewarding those that burn and download illegally. I would not feel at all guilty burning disc three for any friends of mine that did not want to pay that kind of money.
When all was said and done, it was difficult to assess exactly what I getting. The track listing was meandering and confusing, with very few specific details. It was the usual mix of demos, unreleased songs, alternate takes, live tracks, and songs from movies. This time it even had alternate versions of unreleased songs found elsewhere on other discs. Some of the tracks, however, seemed like things that were already available to fans in one form or another. Dozens of live recordings, often captured with hidden recorded devices, used to be posted on Dylan's official website. I wondered if these performances will be regurgitated here ? Are the songs from soundtracks going to be different versions from the ones I already own? In my more obsessive days, I would have researched it all to find out for sure. Nowadays I just try to relax and enjoy music, and try not to worry too much about the package getting lost in the mail.
On the morning of October 7, I found my copy of Tell Tale Signs at my door. I opened the envelope, and examined the contents. The "deluxe" packaging was pretty impressive: Two hardcover books housed in a glossy box, with some cool, if somewhat familiar, pix of Bob. The notes were written by "Ratso" Sloman, who chronicled 1975's Rolling Thunder tour. Lots of great photos, track-by-track analysis, and a list of who allegedly played on which song. So far, so good.
Over the next few days, I listened to all three discs. As usual, it takes a few listens to get a handle on any unfamiliar Dylan material. Just experiencing the early stripped-down trilogy that starts the set is breathtaking. Dylan seems like a vessel to another era, channeling an ancient, forgotten time. This was before music was an industry, when people played and listened to songs because they discovered, loved, shared, and cherished them, not because they had to appease their stockholders to meet fourth quarter goals. Hearing the legendary Time Out Of Mind version of "Mississippi", later redone for "Love & Theft", in a sparse, acoustic setting, makes the hair on your neck stand on end. There were many other highlights as well, especially the 1992 David Bromberg sessions; the subsequent outtakes from World Gone Wrong; an early, haunting, version of "Can't Wait"; as well as exquisite live versions of "Ring Them Bells", from the legendary Supper Club shows of 1993, and "Girl From The Greenbriar Shore", set in 1892, sung a century later, which seems to be the blueprint of another great outtake, "Red River Girl". It's also fascinating to hear Dylan embellish the second version of "Marchin' To The City" with a military snare, and the additional ethnic flavor of an accordion on "Red River Girl" . For more information of these sessions, you must check out the twelve interviews with those that worked with Bob during this period in Uncut magazine.(http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/bob_dylan/special_features/12361)
When I got to the end of the last track, however, I felt unsatisfied. The songs were all over the place, some carefully selected, some seemingly arbitrary. So I changed my name to Sherlock Holmes and used my detective bag to decipher what the tell tale signs were trying to say to me.
The first step was to sift through the songs and figure out what I actually had here. All three discs were not even close to being filled to capacity--the total amount of audio content included added up to about 200 minutes, or roughly two and a half CDs worth of material. There easily could have been close to another 40 minutes of music added. To add insult to injury, the $100 rare third disc was only 61 minutes long- with room for 19 more minutes of Dylan's unreleased recordings. Disc three also started and ended with essential rarities. The rest of the selections were either live performances, or different takes of material that appeared on previous discs.
Sloman's liner notes were written from a fan's perspective, as opposed to a scholarly one, so it fits the "Bootleg" motif, even if everything else about the package seems to beg you to take it as a serious work of Art. There were a few mistakes, from typos (down
After sorting through the track listing, I decided to put it in a proper, chronological order, to get a better feel for what material was included. Here's the list broken down by category:
STUDIO
(Oh Mercy)
Most Of The Time 1
Most Of The Time 2
Dignity 1 *
Dignity 2
Born In Time 1
Born In Time 2
Everything Is Broken *
Series Of Dreams
God Knows
Ring Them Bells (Studio)
Ring Them Bells (Live, Supper Club)
(1992-1993)
Miss The Mississippi And You
Duncan & Brady
32-20 Blues
Mary And The Soldier
(Time Out Of Mind)
Mississippi 1
Mississippi 2
Mississippi 3
Can't Wait 1
Can't Wait 2
Red River Shore 1
Red River Shore 2
Dreamin' Of You
Marchin' To The City 1
Marchin' To The City 2
(Recent Recordings)
Tell Ol' Bill 6/17/05
Can't Escape From You 11/05
Someday Baby
Ain't Talkin'
(Previously Released) :
Lonesome River 5/98 *
'Cross The Green Mountain 7/02 *
Huck's Tune 5/06 *
LIVE:
Girl From The Greenbriar Shore 1992
Cocaine Blues 1997
Things Have Changed 2000
Tryin' To Get To Heaven 2000 *
Lonesome Day Blues 2002
High Water 2003 *
Cold Irons Bound 2004
Most things about Dylan are shrouded in secrecy, and the story behind the decisions that lead to this set are no different. What I have heard is that Jeff Rosen gave Sony a selection of material to choose from for the eighth installment of the Bootleg Series. What has interested me is not just what Dylan was offering for his fans to hear. I was fascinated by what must have been Sony's motivations, besides greed, when deciding what to include in the 2 CD, and what to save for the deluxe version.
Some observations:
At first glance, it seems that one-third of the tracks were previously available to fans, either on compact discs, as downloads, or on Dylan's now-defunct official "Performances" web-page. On closer inspection, thanks to Alan Frasier's exhaustive website , only a handful of these specific performances (marked above with *) had been made available to Dylan collectors, although the other live performances are not exactly unfamiliar to most fans. (For disambiguation, see http://www.searchingforagem.com/2000s/International052.htm ).
Secondly, while the set covers 1989 to 2006, more that half of the material comes from two album sessions featuring U2's producer Daniel Lanois: 1989's Oh Mercy and 1997's Time Out Of Mind, although some of the songs included ended up on unrepresented albums like 1990's Under The Red Sky and 2001's "Love & Theft". Lanois produced those two albums during crucial times in Bob's recording career. On one hand, having Lanois in the studio inspired Dylan to focus and try to make inspired albums. On the other hand, this lead to much friction in the studio, and the resulting album seemed more like a collaboration between Dylan and Lanois than Bob's own artistic vision. The confrontations between Lanois and Dylan are well documented (especially in Dylan's book, Chronicles Volume One) , and one wonders if Bob is getting his revenge by releasing his vision of what he originally wanted with these mostly sparse productions.
It's also interesting to reinterpret how the original album would have altered our perceptions if they had included some of the tracks included here. One example is "Someday Baby", one of two songs from Modern Times based on classic Muddy Waters records. (Even though others had done versions of these songs before Muddy , the above mentioned Uncut interviews confirm that Dylan indeed was using the original Chess recordings as the basis for his own. ) While not as rocking as the released version, the Tell Tale version feels more like a Dylan song, and less like a cover version. If this had been included on the original album, I think I would have warmed to it quicker. Of course, if the Muddy-inspired version appeared for the first time here, it probably would have blown me away. But then what would Dylan have lip-synced to in his iPod TV ad?
The order of the songs seemed to serve no real purpose - it seemed like an iPod set on "shuffle". While it is not unusual for a Dylan compilation to eschew chronological order, those collections usually feature previously released material. Here, due to the unfamiliarity of the music and the breathtaking scope, the seemingly random order made it difficult to get a handle on the material. Luckily, I had a solution.
Before going through the set a second time, I decided to reorganize the music into a more digestible order. My goal was to see if I could get the essential material on two discs, and then use the third "bonus" disc for the rest of the material, and add my own "bonus" tracks.
My personal edition of Tell Tale Signs featured :
Disc One: Sixteen tracks: Seven songs from 1989, the live version of "Greenbriar Shore" (the blueprint for "Red River Shore"), five from 1997, and three recent tracks: "Tell Ol' Bill", and the two outtakes from Modern Times.
Disc Two: Sixteen more tracks: Three more different version of songs from the Oh Mercy sessions, the Supper Club version of "Ring Them Bells", the sessions from 1992-93, the remaining Time Out Of Mind alternative tracks, the unreleased "Can't Escape From You", plus the previously available "Lonesome River" and "Huck's Tune".
Disc Three: I started with the epic "'Cross The Green Mountain" (already on a CD soundtrack), then added the remaining live tracks- some obviously recorded surreptitiously by concert attendees - here arranged chronologically from 1997 to 2004. Due to all the extra time available, I was able to add nine rare tracks from various compilations, also bringing the total number of songs on this disc to sixteen.
Listening to THIS version was much more rewarding, with the songs flowing easily, the selections making sense, and even the fairly familiar live tracks on the last disc working well as a listening experience. Here, the concert material gets to be the center of attention, as opposed to an uninvited guest. What made the set successful, I felt, was that all the material anyone would want was included on the first two discs, with almost no filler. Why didn't Sony think of that ? The only reason that I could fathom was that eight of the sixteen tracks already appeared on disc one. This matters little to Dylan fans. I, myself, own seven copies of Blonde and Blonde. How many times have outtakes of the same songs appeared as bonus tracks on a CD? When it comes to Dylan's creative process, any and all versions shed light onto Bob's art, while still keeping his genius in the shadows.
What else could Sony have done to make the "Deluxe" version something that didn't seem like a rip-off ? How about a 2 hour DVD of the legendary 1993 acoustic sets at New York's Supper Club? One video clip was used to promote the set on the USA Today website (http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-07-28-dylan-telltale-signs_N.htm ). Maybe it isn't well lit, and not worthy of a separate release, but it would certainly be of better value than a book I'll look at a couple of times, and 7" single I'll never play, and a poster I'll never display. If not that, maybe a 2 CD audio version of the shows would suffice. How about a disc of mid-1980s outtakes, like "Important Words" and "Got Love If You Want It", that would appeal to Dylan's hard core fanbase? A DVD with a selection of promotional videos, or even a documentary of the process of putting together a set like this, is another choice. Or how about a real "bootleg" DVD of audience-shot concert footage (without permission) found on Youtube ? With a seemingly endless supply of unreleased Dylan material, the added content chosen for the "Deluxe" version seems insulting.
While doing some fact checking for this blog entry, I went back onto http://www.bobdylan.com/ . I discovered that Sony is no longer distributing any version of the set. There's a link to Amazon.com, which indicates that the "Deluxe" version is already out-of-print. Now I'm REALLY glad I purchased the set. The original track listing suddenly looks pretty interesting. Now that I've been through my own version a few times, maybe I'll take the "deluxe" version off the shelf, and give the original, rare version a spin. The way it was supposed to be. I could even browse through that book of picture sleeves from around the world while listening to it. After all, you can't have too much Dylan.
Monday, July 14, 2008
BEST LUCINDA GIG EVER ??!!?!?!
One of the great benefits of living outside of Boston is The Lowell Summer Music Festival. It's a non-profit concert series put on outdoors (weather permitting), usually featuring well-known, moderately popular acts performing in a little, outdoor park. Among the acts I have seen there are Mick Taylor, Nils Lofgren, Guy Clark, Peter Noone, Hot Tuna, Leon Russell, and, with my kids, The Fab Four. The tickets were in the $10 range, $15 for bigger acts. Children were free. Capacity is about 1500.
This year, they've upgraded to bigger acts, with prices raised accordingly, but still a bargain compared to seeing these musicians in other venues. For this summer, there were two acts I especially wanted to see: Richard Thompson and Lucinda Williams. Luckily I got to see both. Thompson started off the summer series with a solo show, and blew everyone away. Combing over his four decade career, RT cherry-picked some of his best and most well-known (considering his cult status) songs, mostly from his time with Capitol Records. Of course he also performed some new songs (joking that he still has plenty of his most recent CDs stock-piled, waiting to be sold), including a song about Iraq ("Dad's Gonna Kill Me", with "Dad" being slang for "Baghdad"), and "Hot For the Smarts", a tribute to intelligent women. Thompson also dipped back deep into his Fairport Convention days for a cover of singer Sandy Denny's "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", and even further back for a Jerry Lee Lewis rocker, "Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee," to end the evening. His voice still resonates, and his deft guitar picking (especially on "1952 Vincent Black Lightning") often made it sound like two guitarists were playing simultaneously. (You can hear the show here : http://mvyradio.com/music_info/lowell_summer_concerts.php)
I was initially ambivalent about seeing Lucinda. The first time I saw her, back in 1999, she was the opening act for Richard Thompson at The Orpheum in Boston. People told me I would like her, but she didn't make much of an impression on me at the time. However, when I heard the 2001 album, "Essence", I was hooked. I became a huge fan, started collecting her music, and seeing her every time I could. I was actually supposed to see her in Maine on September 11, 2001, which, of course, was postponed, and got to meet her when she eventually returned to the Orpheum as a headliner.
It may have been a case of "too much too soon", but recently Lucinda has fallen slightly off of my radar. The "Live @ the Fillmore" album was disappointing to me - after digging up all sorts of great songs in concert, the final selection was chosen from her previous three albums, making the listening experience more of a chore than a pleasure. Then her most recent album, "West", seemed very self-conscious to me. What made me fall in love with Lucinda's music was it's bare-boned honestly. I have never heard a woman singer, before or since, that made me feel like she was holding nothing back, that you knew who she was, and what she was feeling. Not hiding behind poetry or a persona. I was starting to lose interest in her newer material.
However, I had such a great time at the Richard Thompson show, I decided to go see Lucinda again. I thought I knew what to expect : Mostly music from her last four albums, maybe an old blues cover, and a very appealing, self-effacing Lucinda--kidding with the crowd, telling stories, introducing her wonderful band . . . In short, a nice night out on a New England summer evening . However, certain events would happen to make this Lucinda show different from all the others.
The show started innocently enough. The park ranger who MCs the shows announced the great difficulty of securing this concert, since an entire tour was scrapped when John Mellencamp stole Lucinda to be his opening act on his current tour. Her backing band, Buick 6, started with a 30-minute, mostly instrumental, set, covering The Ventures, Led Zeppelin, and Neil Young. After a half hour break, the band returned with Lucinda.
She started with a song from "West", then followed with some more familiar material. Lucinda then sprinkled in some new tunes from an album she said would be out in September. While some people often use this as an excuse for get a beverage, or head for the bathrooms, to me this is usually the highlight of any show. Most people I go to see in concert have on-going careers- they are artists in it for the long-haul, and in most cases still making vital, exciting music. You have the privilege of hearing material that is not yet available. I was hoping to be impressed with Lucinda's new material, and I was. There was a great Lucinda-loves-a-rocker song, plus one that actually sounds like a hit single, entitled "Real Love".
As the show progressed, there were a few problems, the type of things Lucinda usually just laughs off. After introducing "2 Kool 2 Be 4 Gotten", it took the drummer three tries to get it right. Then when Lucinda got to the line about Robert Johnson selling his soul to play guitar, she started to cough. Lucinda, as ever, kept her cool, and suggested starting the song from the top, kidding that maybe it was God's way of telling them that they should not perform that song. Later a bee got into the shirt of one of the guitarists, which led Lucinda to comment ( after saying not to kill it ) that when it comes to bugs, we know who really rules the world. Adding to the summer distractions, the wind kept blowing the pages of Lucinda's lyrics book.
Not too long after, there was an audible request from the right side of the stage - someone yelled out " Play some Pink Floyd ! ". It got a few laughs, and Lucinda countered with "I wish I knew some" , and then continued on, not seeming particularly disturbed. However, after a couple of more songs, including the rocking "Real Love", Lucinda went into this tirade from the stage (not verbatim, but close):
"I don't know what you people want to hear. I try to respond in a funny way to people, but come on, play some Pink Floyd? Do you know how f*cking hard it is to be up here? When you say stuff like that it affects me, it affects the band. Why don't you just f*cking go home. F*cking get out of here." (It sounded like the guy who originally yelled this was trying to respond at this point.) I don't f*cking care! If you don't f*cking like it you can f*cking leave! (Then to the audience:) I hope you didn't f*king pay to get out/get in!"
At this point, Lucinda was on fire. On one hand, you felt bad that she was upset, of course, but you also wondered how the rest of the show was going to go. Would she let it get to her ? Was she mad at the whole crowd, or just that one guy ? Did she think the show was falling apart ?
I'm not sure who is the band Buick 6, since they were never introduced, so I don't know how familiar they are with Lucinda's material. This is one of the few full-length shows on this tour. Maybe Lucinda was a bit on edge playing with a new line-up? I guess we'll never know for sure.
However, one thing was certain: Lucinda took all of that anger and put it into her performance, in a way I've rarely seen by ANY artist, and certainly in such an unexpected way. It felt reminiscent of Bob Dylan going electric in the mid-1960s. Or Public Image Ltd. in 1980. No more Mr. Nice Guy. No more talking with the crowd-- Lucinda meant business. To add to the Dylan metaphor, Lucinda now had an electric guitar strapped on, and she was rocking out. Buick 6 went from a mellow alt-country band into a rocking cohesive unit, bringing The Hawks, and Crazy Horse, to mind.
Lucinda's songs are often about failed love, lost lives, and passion of all types. However, by the time we hear it, she's looking back, very reflective, contemplative. The anger in the songs sounds like it was something in the past. But this night, in Lowell, all that pain and passion was front and center. When she was singing her recent relationship revenge song, "Come On", you felt it was not an excuse for some double entendre, but she was feeling it right at that moment, either directed at the guy who originally let her down, or the fool who decided to request Pink Floyd. When she sang the concert staple "Joy" ("You took my joy and I want it back"), again the song came to life as she was not performing, but venting. She requested the lyrics for The Doors' "Riders On The Storm" from a roadie, which were brought out and clipped to her music stand, and it was sandwiched into the middle of "Joy" (Which was pretty funny after a classic rock request infuriated her in the first place. ) There were a couple a brief smiles, but you could tell she was pissed.
After an hour and a half set, she left with the band. It wasn't even clear she'd be back. But after a few minutes - which seemed like an eternity -- Lucinda returned to the stage . She started with another new song--an angry, one-chord, anti-Bush, pro-Obama song called "Bone Of Contention", followed by another great, passionate interpretation of one of her songs, this time "Unsuffer Me", from "West", which obliterated all previous versions.
Then the old Lucinda was back. She sweetly apologized for her "Meltdown", saying these things happen, and then picked ANOTHER classic rocker, which pretty much summed up her feeling of being under pressure earlier in the evening : AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock n' Roll)". Once again, Lucinda breathed life into this song - and the lyrics about highways and hotels, getting old, and how it's hard doing one night stands - that it ain't as easy as it looks.
Now THIS should have been a live album . . .
This year, they've upgraded to bigger acts, with prices raised accordingly, but still a bargain compared to seeing these musicians in other venues. For this summer, there were two acts I especially wanted to see: Richard Thompson and Lucinda Williams. Luckily I got to see both. Thompson started off the summer series with a solo show, and blew everyone away. Combing over his four decade career, RT cherry-picked some of his best and most well-known (considering his cult status) songs, mostly from his time with Capitol Records. Of course he also performed some new songs (joking that he still has plenty of his most recent CDs stock-piled, waiting to be sold), including a song about Iraq ("Dad's Gonna Kill Me", with "Dad" being slang for "Baghdad"), and "Hot For the Smarts", a tribute to intelligent women. Thompson also dipped back deep into his Fairport Convention days for a cover of singer Sandy Denny's "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", and even further back for a Jerry Lee Lewis rocker, "Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee," to end the evening. His voice still resonates, and his deft guitar picking (especially on "1952 Vincent Black Lightning") often made it sound like two guitarists were playing simultaneously. (You can hear the show here : http://mvyradio.com/music_info/lowell_summer_concerts.php)
I was initially ambivalent about seeing Lucinda. The first time I saw her, back in 1999, she was the opening act for Richard Thompson at The Orpheum in Boston. People told me I would like her, but she didn't make much of an impression on me at the time. However, when I heard the 2001 album, "Essence", I was hooked. I became a huge fan, started collecting her music, and seeing her every time I could. I was actually supposed to see her in Maine on September 11, 2001, which, of course, was postponed, and got to meet her when she eventually returned to the Orpheum as a headliner.
It may have been a case of "too much too soon", but recently Lucinda has fallen slightly off of my radar. The "Live @ the Fillmore" album was disappointing to me - after digging up all sorts of great songs in concert, the final selection was chosen from her previous three albums, making the listening experience more of a chore than a pleasure. Then her most recent album, "West", seemed very self-conscious to me. What made me fall in love with Lucinda's music was it's bare-boned honestly. I have never heard a woman singer, before or since, that made me feel like she was holding nothing back, that you knew who she was, and what she was feeling. Not hiding behind poetry or a persona. I was starting to lose interest in her newer material.
However, I had such a great time at the Richard Thompson show, I decided to go see Lucinda again. I thought I knew what to expect : Mostly music from her last four albums, maybe an old blues cover, and a very appealing, self-effacing Lucinda--kidding with the crowd, telling stories, introducing her wonderful band . . . In short, a nice night out on a New England summer evening . However, certain events would happen to make this Lucinda show different from all the others.
The show started innocently enough. The park ranger who MCs the shows announced the great difficulty of securing this concert, since an entire tour was scrapped when John Mellencamp stole Lucinda to be his opening act on his current tour. Her backing band, Buick 6, started with a 30-minute, mostly instrumental, set, covering The Ventures, Led Zeppelin, and Neil Young. After a half hour break, the band returned with Lucinda.
She started with a song from "West", then followed with some more familiar material. Lucinda then sprinkled in some new tunes from an album she said would be out in September. While some people often use this as an excuse for get a beverage, or head for the bathrooms, to me this is usually the highlight of any show. Most people I go to see in concert have on-going careers- they are artists in it for the long-haul, and in most cases still making vital, exciting music. You have the privilege of hearing material that is not yet available. I was hoping to be impressed with Lucinda's new material, and I was. There was a great Lucinda-loves-a-rocker song, plus one that actually sounds like a hit single, entitled "Real Love".
As the show progressed, there were a few problems, the type of things Lucinda usually just laughs off. After introducing "2 Kool 2 Be 4 Gotten", it took the drummer three tries to get it right. Then when Lucinda got to the line about Robert Johnson selling his soul to play guitar, she started to cough. Lucinda, as ever, kept her cool, and suggested starting the song from the top, kidding that maybe it was God's way of telling them that they should not perform that song. Later a bee got into the shirt of one of the guitarists, which led Lucinda to comment ( after saying not to kill it ) that when it comes to bugs, we know who really rules the world. Adding to the summer distractions, the wind kept blowing the pages of Lucinda's lyrics book.
Not too long after, there was an audible request from the right side of the stage - someone yelled out " Play some Pink Floyd ! ". It got a few laughs, and Lucinda countered with "I wish I knew some" , and then continued on, not seeming particularly disturbed. However, after a couple of more songs, including the rocking "Real Love", Lucinda went into this tirade from the stage (not verbatim, but close):
"I don't know what you people want to hear. I try to respond in a funny way to people, but come on, play some Pink Floyd? Do you know how f*cking hard it is to be up here? When you say stuff like that it affects me, it affects the band. Why don't you just f*cking go home. F*cking get out of here." (It sounded like the guy who originally yelled this was trying to respond at this point.) I don't f*cking care! If you don't f*cking like it you can f*cking leave! (Then to the audience:) I hope you didn't f*king pay to get out/get in!"
At this point, Lucinda was on fire. On one hand, you felt bad that she was upset, of course, but you also wondered how the rest of the show was going to go. Would she let it get to her ? Was she mad at the whole crowd, or just that one guy ? Did she think the show was falling apart ?
I'm not sure who is the band Buick 6, since they were never introduced, so I don't know how familiar they are with Lucinda's material. This is one of the few full-length shows on this tour. Maybe Lucinda was a bit on edge playing with a new line-up? I guess we'll never know for sure.
However, one thing was certain: Lucinda took all of that anger and put it into her performance, in a way I've rarely seen by ANY artist, and certainly in such an unexpected way. It felt reminiscent of Bob Dylan going electric in the mid-1960s. Or Public Image Ltd. in 1980. No more Mr. Nice Guy. No more talking with the crowd-- Lucinda meant business. To add to the Dylan metaphor, Lucinda now had an electric guitar strapped on, and she was rocking out. Buick 6 went from a mellow alt-country band into a rocking cohesive unit, bringing The Hawks, and Crazy Horse, to mind.
Lucinda's songs are often about failed love, lost lives, and passion of all types. However, by the time we hear it, she's looking back, very reflective, contemplative. The anger in the songs sounds like it was something in the past. But this night, in Lowell, all that pain and passion was front and center. When she was singing her recent relationship revenge song, "Come On", you felt it was not an excuse for some double entendre, but she was feeling it right at that moment, either directed at the guy who originally let her down, or the fool who decided to request Pink Floyd. When she sang the concert staple "Joy" ("You took my joy and I want it back"), again the song came to life as she was not performing, but venting. She requested the lyrics for The Doors' "Riders On The Storm" from a roadie, which were brought out and clipped to her music stand, and it was sandwiched into the middle of "Joy" (Which was pretty funny after a classic rock request infuriated her in the first place. ) There were a couple a brief smiles, but you could tell she was pissed.
After an hour and a half set, she left with the band. It wasn't even clear she'd be back. But after a few minutes - which seemed like an eternity -- Lucinda returned to the stage . She started with another new song--an angry, one-chord, anti-Bush, pro-Obama song called "Bone Of Contention", followed by another great, passionate interpretation of one of her songs, this time "Unsuffer Me", from "West", which obliterated all previous versions.
Then the old Lucinda was back. She sweetly apologized for her "Meltdown", saying these things happen, and then picked ANOTHER classic rocker, which pretty much summed up her feeling of being under pressure earlier in the evening : AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock n' Roll)". Once again, Lucinda breathed life into this song - and the lyrics about highways and hotels, getting old, and how it's hard doing one night stands - that it ain't as easy as it looks.
Now THIS should have been a live album . . .
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