The Who - Superbowl Performance

Continuing the trend of big rock acts for the superbowl half time performance this time round it is The Who on 7th February 2010, sadly no news of additional dates or new material to go with the performance....

David Byrne - Strange new album

As you may have seen I am a huge fan of David Byrne and Brian Eno's album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today......his follow up album is scheduled for release in February and sounds very strange indeed. A collaboration with Fatboy Slim it is a collection of songs about Imelda Marcos!!

Here is the tracklist and as you can see a stunning list of vocalists on the project:

TRACK LIST:

CD 1

1. HERE LIES LOVE
Vocal by Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine)

2. EVERY DROP OF RAIN
Vocals by Candie Payne & St. Vincent

3. YOU’LL BE TAKEN CARE OF
Vocal by Tori Amos

4. THE ROSE OF TACLOBAN
Vocal by Martha Wainwright

5. HOW ARE YOU?
Vocal by Nellie McKay

6. A PERFECT HAND
Vocal by Steve Earle

7. ELEVEN DAYS
Vocal by Cyndi Lauper

8. WHEN SHE PASSED BY
Vocal by Allison Moorer

9. WALK LIKE A WOMAN
Vocal by Charmaine Clamor

10. DON’T YOU AGREE?
Vocal by Róisín Murphy

11. PRETTY FACE
Vocal by Camille

12. LADIES IN BLUE
Vocal by Theresa Andersson

CD 2

1. DANCING TOGETHER
Vocal by Sharon Jones

2. MEN WILL DO ANYTHING
Vocal by Alice Russell

3. THE WHOLE MAN
Vocal by Kate Pierson

4. NEVER SO BIG
Vocal by Sia

5. PLEASE DON’T
Vocal by Santigold

6. AMERICAN TROGLODYTE
Vocal by David Byrne

7. SOLANO AVENUE
Vocal by Nicole Atkins

8. ORDER 1081
Vocal by Natalie Merchant

9. SEVEN YEARS
Vocals by David Byrne & Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond)

10. WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?
Vocals by Cyndi Lauper & Tori Amos

Steve Earle - Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Almost out of gigs for 2009 and this was one of the good ones. Steve Earle was resplendant with large beard and nice shiny new teeth! The performance was excellent, solo acoustic, over 2 hours and a great set list mixing the material from Townes with his back catalogue.

Hope Michael does not mind me nicking his photo - as you can see we had great seats!

Great free download compilation

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/navigator--reveal-records-mixtape-giveaway-1819588.html

Many great artists!

Complete U2 Concert Video

Sit back and relax and enjoy Bono and the boys rock Pasadena Rose Bowl for a 2hr+ set.

Though I am not quite sure why they don't drop down from the claw to start the set.....



Setlist:
Breathe
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day / In God’s Country (snippet) / God Only Knows (snippet) / The Maker (snippet)
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet)
Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
No Line On The Horizon
Elevation
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Until The End Of The World
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo / It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It) (snippet)
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes (snippet)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
Encore:
One / Amazing Grace (snippet)
Where The Streets Have No Name
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Fleetwood Mac - Glasgow SECC

Have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the show last night by Fleetwood Mac. It was basically a greatest hits sets but there were a couple of nice "less obvious" tracks thrown in which was really good. Ms Nicks was absoilutely the diva, Lindsey Bukingham incredibly intense and Mick Fleetwood wonderfully powerfull and eccentric on the drums. Here are some photos and clips:

Head over here for a great review:

http://pollianicus.blogspot.com/2009/10/fleetwood-mac.html#comment-form

Springsteen plays The Price You Pay - First time since 81!

Now that would have been something to be at!!

Celtic connections

A simply outstanding line up for Jan 2010. Get along to the website before they sell out.

Ry Cooder
Natalie Merchant
Kim Richey with Boo Hewerdien
Texas Songwriters featuring Tom Rusell, Slaid Cleaves etc.

Fantastic!

Forgotten album Friday #11 - Southside Johnny Trilogy

I wanted to elect one of the Southside Johnny albums for the Forgotten Album Friday slot but simply could not choose between the first three albums which are all classics - albeit for different reasons.


Southside is of course associated to a great extent with Springsteen and the Boss has appeared on stage with him and on his records frequently over the years.

The first album "I Don't Want To Go Home" is a tour de force of Southside Johnny and The Jukes style of upbeat tracks with a horn driven RnB sound. Rolling Stone called this album the best album no one has ever heard. Produced by Steve Van Zandt the album features some cracking cover versions plus some Springsteen and van Zandt originals. You Mean So Much to Me has a cracking duet with Ronnie Spector.

Key tracks :

The Fever
I Don't want To Go Home
You Mean So Much To Me




The second album " This Time It's For Real" features in the main van Zandt compositions and 3 Springsteen / van Zandt compositions which in fairness are little more than Springsteen leftovers tidied up by van Zandt. Nonetheless that band and particularly the horns are in superb form throughout this album and guests spots from the Drifters and The Coasters lend some vocal class to proceedings.

Key tracks:

This Time It's For Real
Love On The Wrong Side Of Town
When You dance

In the words of Michael Jackson(!!!) as far as Hearts of Stone goes - This Is it!! A stunning album with writing producing and playing which is just about on par with anything the Boss himself has produced. The title track is performed with incredible passion both by Southside and the band. The album was released only a couple of months after Darkness and they are very similar album using the "4 corners" approach that Springsteen used when sequencing both Darkness and Born To Run. van Zandt brings his best songs to this album and there is literally not a weak track on it.

Key Tacks:

Hearts of Stone
Trapped again
The Light Don't Shine

Springsteen Seaside Bar Song In Philly

Amazingly Springsteen opened the set with Seasisde Bar Song - only the second time this song has ever been played live, the last time being in 1973!

Tom Waits - Glitter and Dome Tour

An excellent opportunity to download 8 free tracks from the forthcoming live lp:

http://www.tomwaits.com/THE_PILL/email.php?campaign=https://app.topspin.net/api/v1/artist/1029/campaign/10019835&fan=https://app.topspin.net/api_v1_fan/show/1982262%3Fartist_id%3D1029%26auth%3D9e80c8c9cfece6e2de5c93df933367fd&has_media=true

The Duke and The King

Hope you caught the Simon Felices new band Duke and The King on the Jools Holland show. Album of the year?

Check out the Felice Brothers records as well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DLyx_bkQAA&feature=player_embedded

Forgotten Album Friday #10 - Del Amitri, Can You Do Me Good

I was reminded of the brilliance of this album, thanks to a post by Radio Nowhere.

This album is a real pre-cursor, I think, to Justin Curries solo album. Not only that I think this is as good as anything Del Amitri produced, and yet it bombed! Right at the time they were needing some commercial success.

Can You Do Me Good was a real step forward for the band both in the quality of material and the feel of the record. The production gives the album a really good modern sound, using loops, drum machines and assorted effects as a counterpoint to the bands rock edge.

Curries lyrics as ever are caustic, witty and observant. I found this great listener review on amazon:

The songs gradually grow on you and plant themselves in your head. The opener, "Just before you Leave" carries on where "Cry to be Found" left off - shimmering strings and wonderful vocals from Justin Currie, it's a peach of a song and is how songs really should be - soulful, heartfelt and, hey! call me a traditionalist, tuneful.
There are some great songs which follow on - "Buttons on My Clothes" could be perceived as just another "oh no, she's gone and left me" kinda song but a real sense of loss is portrayed in the song and, if there was any justice in this world, it would be a number one single...but we all know that ain't ever gonna happen.
"Wash Her Away"'s riff is as rough as the sentiments in the song. "Out Falls the Past" is simple and brilliant. And as for the closer, "Just Getting By", it's another example of the Dels knack of writing a song which can tug at your heart strings and make you feel good about life all at the same time. Justin's vocals on this song alone are worth the price of the album. Yes, Robbie would kill for this song!

This album can do you a great deal of good!






Key tracks:

Drunk In A Band
Just Before You Leave
Buttons On My Clothes
Just Getting Bye

Great Roseanne Cash Session

http://beta.wnyc.org/thegreenespace/events/2009/sep/23/soundcheck-live-broadcast-rosanne-cash/

Reaklly looking forward to this album with the great duet with the Boss on Sea of Heartache.

Dylans Christmas Album

I am not really sure what to say.

Forgotten Album Friday #9 - Boo Hewerdine and Darden Smith, Evidence

I hope anyone popping by here will know quite a bit about former Bible lead man Boo Hewerdine and his solo work and also his collaborations with many different folky artists. This album is probably less known and Boo collaborates with Darden Smith Austin, Texas, an altogether grittier country artist.

Cut live in fourteen days with a group of musicians which included guitarist Sonny Landreth of John Hiatt's Goners – Evidence is a brilliant mix of British folky pop and Americana. It works. Evidence is probably my favourite Boo track and he really pushes himself hitting the words of disappointment and betrayal as if he reall was in the middle of these emotions. The same can be said for the desire that drips from Smith's roughshod drawl on "All I Want (Is Everything),".

Again an album which focuses on lost love, betrayal and regret. It is probably a bit of a dark album but an absolute favourite of mine. If you are a fan of either artist check this out!

Evidenceeeeeee!!


http://www.boohewerdine.org/mp3/56k/Evidence.mp3


Key tracks:

Evidence
All I Wants Is Everything
Remind Me (A Little of You)
Who, What, Where and Why?

New Springsteen Song - Wrecking Ball

This will possibly be a one off as it is written to commemorate the forthcoming bulldozing of Giants Stadium

Bruce Springsteen performs his new song Wrecking Ball at Giants Stadium

Gene Clark, Iain Anderson Show - Lyric of The Week

last week the lyric set was:

"If the falling tide
Can turn and then recover
All alone we must
Be part of one another"

It is of course from the magnificent title track to Gene Clark's No Other Album. i am glad they took up my suggestion as cunningly of course Iain played the track! Hurrah.

Whilst thinking about the Gene Clark album I saw that Soulsavers were playing Some Misunderstanding in the encore to their recent live set which would be great to hear. I also came across a great review by David Bennun of the No Other lp which had the following great piece:

"How could a record this good, this gorgeous, this inspired exist for almost 20 years without you even having heard of it? You, who know so much about pop music that people are prepared to give you money to air your opinions. Derisory sums of money, it's true, but what the heck, you'd pay to do it if you had to. Not for the first nor last time, it occurs to you that maybe you're not as well-informed as you might have thought. Maybe you are, in fact, an ignorant slob. But you're an ignorant slob who knows out-and-out magnificence when you hear it. By the end of the journey, you're on your third play of No Other and (this is truly a first) you don't want the train ride to end. You are as close to being happy as you will ever be on your own at six o'clock in the morning."

you can read the rest of his article and many other good pieces by him here:

http://bennun.biz/musicfeat/noother.html

Springsteen hits 60

well can't let it pass without a wee comment. Amazing to think he is 60 with the energy and committment he is still putting into his shows. I accept that WOAD is not his best album but Magic is up there and he is still producing great work.

A couple of clips in celebration:

Leonard Cohen - not seriously unwell

I am pleased to see that after his collapse on stage last week (scary looking footage) old LC is alive and well and due back on stage tonight. Food poisoning apparently!

Forgotten Album Friday #8 - Pete Townsend, All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes

Not my normal kind of thing, I suppose, but I have always been a huge Who fan and a great admirer of Pete Townsend.



This album was release, I think between the Who's Face Dances and It's Hard. It is completely different than those albums with much more of an 80's pop / synth feel to it. Throughout the album Pete is clearly very introspected especially on the absolute key track The Sea Refuses No River.

This is far from Pete's best work....but that is not always the point!!

The eagle eared among you may spot the future Big Country Rhythm section of Mark Breziki and Tony Butler in brilliant form throughout this album.

Key tracks

The Sea Refuses No River
Slit Skirts
Somebody Saved Me
Face Dances Pt.2

Mark Erelli, Ethan Johns, Ray Lamontange, Josh Ritter

I am horribly late in posting this but a few of us were at a great gig in Usher Hall, Edinburgh with these great artists. I have to admit I was there principally to see Josh Ritter and I think a good section of the audience was as well. That said the headline act, Ray Lamontange, was really good. But no-one can touch Josh and if I was a performer he would be one of the last guys I would have as support!

The hall was very dark, principally I think because Ray is so shy, but I took some clips and photos anyway - not good quality I am afraid. Great gig all round though.