Monday, May 12th, 2008
Over the last several days Silver has played the following:
- Dr. John: Gumbo
This is the definitive Mac Rebennack album. Great New Orleans gumbo music. This is what got me loving the good doctor oh so many years ago.
The obligatory Iko Iko, Big Chief, and Tipitina grace this masterpiece. Not to be overlooked, however, are Blow Wind Blow, Mess Around, and Stack-A-Lee. THere is so much good noodling here. Man, I am so in the mood for some crayfish right now!
- Bob Dylan: At Budokan
Over the years I have pulled this out just to listen to Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right and Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door. Both of these tunes from the 1978 Japan tour are played raggae-style and Bob nails them both. Awesome stuff!
This two-disc set is a tour-de-force of classic Dylan. While I may construct a different set list for my dream Dylan show, one would be quite pleased with the 22 songs played here. Dylan and his band were definitely in uptempo mode in ‘78. This is something that unfortunately is missing from current Dylan shows. The Budokan was rockin’!
- Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding
The much-awaited album that followed Dylan’s motorcycle crash, this saw a return to acoustic music after having gone electric in 1965. I love this album!
There are religious tones to this that Bob would re-visit in the 1980s. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine and the Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest highlight this wonderful album. Dylan recorded this in three sessions totally a mere 12 hours of studio time. A month later it was on the shelves for consumers. I like the nakedness of the recording. More music should be this raw.
Of course, most point to the powerhouse All Along the Watchtower, which is included here. Even Dylan admits that this pales in comparison to Hendrix’s cover. And of course it’s Jimi’s version that everyone from the Dead to Neil have covered over the years. Even Dylan jacks it up later in his career ala Hendrix.
Garcia fans will like Wicked Messenger, which Jerry covered in 1975 with Legion of Mary. Again, Dylan’s original sets the tone for a scorching cover version. His music matters that much. I love the album closer I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, one of my favorite Dylan songs.
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Friday, May 9th, 2008
It’s been a hectic week and I am not as on top of things as I would like to be. Some of the music making its way through Silver has been:
- Jefferson Airplane: 2400 Fulton Street (disc one)
The early stuff. Ah, good stuff. Over the years I have found different facets of the Airplane to love. It began with White Rabbit, then the hits, the Dead influences, the Crosby influences, and am now a Jorma fan. As such, Embryonic Journey stands out. What a great tune.
- Grateful Dead: Hundred Year Hall
Europe ‘72. Deadheads recognize this tour as one of the monumental times of the band’s history. This release highlights the band at full speed, but only partially. One thing GDP has been irritatingly maddening with is releasing partial shows. This 26 April 1972 show is missing 14 songs from the night. Furthermore, the songs presented are not in chronological order. Argghh!
Yet, there’s the 19-minute-plus Lovelight and a 39-minute Other One! Yes, the band was on fire.
- Grateful Dead: Dick’s Picks Volume 11; 27 September 1972 Stanley Theater, Jersey City, NJ
After the Europe run, the band continued rocking back in the States. The complete show is captured on this release.
The thing that stands out for me is Brokedown Palace. It seems so fragile here. To think it was written in the same afternoon as Ripple and To Lay Me Down. That is some trio. Of course, the highlight of this show is the 30-minute Dark Star. Truly mesmerizing.
- Bob Marley and The Wailers: Live!
I have been a Marley fan from since I was a boy. I never got a chance to see him live, so this album has always gotten heavy play from me. Now that I do not have all my boots that I used to (I am convinced I once had every Marley show that circulated), this is all I have. The No Woman, No Cry is superb here!
- Dude of Life: Crimes of the Mind
I just read on Wikipedia that The Dude is now an elementary school teacher in NYC. That astounds me!
I recall this album’s release. I was very excited as it was at the height of my liking of Phish. THe Dude of Life was a close friend to the band having written several of their early songs, including my favorite Fluffhead. Crimes is a Phish album with The Dude singing his songs. Awesome! I was blessed at having seen a show on the brief tour that followed.
This album is not as weird as I sometimes think The Dude is. I really enjoyed listening to it this evening. Self is the highlight for me.
- Rhythm Devils: The Apocalypse Now Sessions
The epic movie with a legendary cast has a wonderful soundtrack. That music was played by none other than the Grateful Dead’s rhythm section: Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. Great stuff here with the boys and their friends imitating the sounds of the jungle. The ambient sounds make for a pleasant listen. The river music is among the most harmonic of the releases I have of Mickey’s. I really like this.
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Saturday, April 26th, 2008
Today after listening to my podcasts for the week, I whirled through three CDs. It’s been fun traversing the basement and randomly selecting CDs out of the pile. Up today were:
- Trevor Pinnock: English Concert: Handel’s Water Music Suite In F
- Shadowfax: The Dreams of Children
- Henry Mancini: All Time Greatest Hits
Water Music was a purchase in the late 80s/90s to help add to my classical selections. I don’t have much, but thought it would be good to have some of the biggies. I’ve always liked this version. I find it soothing.
Shadowfax is yet another group I learned of from my time at the Mad Batter. This disc was one of the ones I truly enjoyed. It has a new age feel to it. It also has that 80s sound, a precursor to Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time (that may be a reference only meaningful to me).
In a bit of serendipity, I pulled out Mancini’s Greatest Hits. I picked this up in the mid-90s for my classroom. Mancini penned the theme to The Pink Panther. We were working on a mystery and I thought it would help set the mood. Well, just Wednesday, one of my students mentioned The Pink Panther. The movie has been re-done, apparently with Beyonce. So, when the disc appeared in my blind grab, it seemed appropriate. Mancini definitely was a sound of movies from my youth. Good stuff!
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Friday, April 25th, 2008
Sadly, this article is dead on about my favorite two actors . . . Someone said to me recently that anger is a big eraser; it erases what it perceives is a bigger emotion. Hmmm . . . Overheard from a public school teacher: “Clinton won Pennsylvania 55% to 47%” . . . There is a actually a Mac & Cheese group on Flickr . . . Spring is here, it’s time for sailing. I eagerly await a couple upcoming sails on the A.J. Meerwald . . . Gasoline prices are having us re-consider our summer vacation plans. It may be better to fly than drive . . . O’Reilly has another new segment (Reality Check). It’s a clunker. The show needs an overhaul; it is becoming far too segmented for my tastes . . . The two highlights of Corzine’s budget were closing nine state parks and eliminating the Dept. of Agriculture. Corzine has backed away from both proposals. That is fine, but not a penny more should be added to the bottom line. How much you want to bet more spending is added? . . . It’s good to see justice has been served: Wesley Snipes is going to jail (I bet there will be an appeal) . . . Wow! Zoomabooma sent me this article that explains how the Grateful Dead’s vault (stuff, not music) has been donated to Santa Cruz . . .
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Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Things have been busy. As such, the iPod has not had as much use of late. For the past week or so I had two CDs loaded: Arne Domnerus Jazz At The Pawnshop and Reggae Jamdown: The R.A.S. Tapes. Needless to say, these two sets do not complement each other.
Jazz At The Pawnshop is another disc I learned of from the Mad Batter in the mid-1980s. I like jazz, but I know little about it. All I know is this band moves and I love it! It’s been more than 20 years since I first heard this and I still pull it out. It was definitely in heavy rotation on my shifts. It should be on everyone’s playlist.
The R.A.S. Tapes was purchased long ago as well. I like reggae and this was my attempt to branch out away from Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and all the other “standard” reggae artists. I’ve always enjoyed Edi Fitzroy’s version of Hotel California. The entire disc is a fun listen to, but there are no dominant standouts.
Once I pulled those off, I loaded Nirvana’s Unplugged in New York and Traffic’s Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys. Perhaps these two CDs are not the polar opposites of the previous two, but they are definitely different.
In the early 90s I tried to get into Nirvana. I purchased a few of their CDs. I never quite got onboard. I recall watching the Unplugged show. I enjoyed that series. Anyhow, not having listened to much Nirvana in the intervening years, something stood out while listening to this. Namely, the lyrics suck.
I need an easy friend
Come dowsed in mud, soaked in bleach
As I want you to be
As a trend, as a friend, as an old memoria
I’m on my time with everyone
I have very bad posture
I think I’m dumb (repeated over and over and over and over)
What else should I say
Everyone is gay
I suspect Nirvana will not be on my playlist for a while. It just didn’t do anything for me.
The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys is a classic that has been my musical rotation for decades. I grew up listening to Traffic and am particularly fond of this album and the title song. Traffic, for me, was the perfect nexus of various musical styles that produced some awesome music at a time when rock and roll thrived.
The title song is a very slow jazzy tune that just encapsulates the listener. At 11:35, it seems short. Needless to say it doesn’t get much radio play.
Not to be lost, however, are some other very good songs. Hidden Treasure and Rock & Roll Stew really provide good contrasts to the lengthy title song. The album ends with Rainmaker, a psychedelic tour de force. Traffic was a band that seems somewhat forgotten, but is among the heavyweights of the late 60s-early 70s.
Today, I reached back to Traffic’s era again for some more psychedelia. This time we re-visit Winterland, Bill Graham’s musical arena that served as San Francisco’s venue of an era. The Grateful Dead were the house band and anybody and everybody played here until it closed at the end of ‘78.
For today’s listening pleasure, I fired up Jimi Hendrix’s Live At Winterland. “Fired” is the correct word. This set is a compilation of a three-night run The Experience played in October ‘68. The breakout of what song came from what show can be found here.
Not getting too hung up on the lack of a complete show, I thoroughly enjoyed the pick me up first thing this morning given I dragged myself into work.
The hits are here: Fire, Manic Depression, Foxey Lady, Hey Joe, and Purple Haze. In addition, we are treated to a cover of a new song . . . Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love. There is also an electrified version of the 60’s hit Wild Thing.
One really gets the flavor of The Experience from this set. There is still no one who plays guitar like Jimi did. He was unbelievably talented. Awesome stuff.
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