I'm going to take it to the United Nations or to a rock and roll radio station... (Old 97's - Please Hold While the Train in Moving)
I've been listening to Bruce Springsteen'sThe Promise quiet a bit lately, but I wanted to talk about a couple others that are also on my current playlist.
First to leave the station from Texas, the Old 97's and their latest release The Grand Theatre Volume I. The Old 97's play rock and roll with a twist of Texas country. They are lead by charismatic front man/lead singer Rhett Miller, with Murry Hammond on bass and vocals, lead guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer Philip Peeples.
The Grand Theatre was recorded in Austin Texas after the band had rented out the Son of Herman Hall in Dallas and played the new songs to see how they would sound in concert. A couple of dozen songs were recorded. A second volume is to be released this spring.
At any rate, The Grand Theatre is the Old 97's besting outing since probably 2001's Satelite Rides. The cd starts off with the title track, a rocker with interesting lyrics; Every Night is Friday Night is instant likable breakup song; Champaign, Illinois is a rewrite of Bob Dylan's Desolation Row (Dylan is given half the writing credit); The Dance Class and Please Hold On While the Train is Moving are highlights; on Let the Whiskey Take the Reins gutiarist Ken Bethea is the star as Rhett Miller sings in a low voice; Murry Hammond takes over the lead vocals on You Smoke Too Much and You Were Born To Be In Battle with winning results.
Second up from Tennesee are Kings of Leon and their 5th album Come Around Sundown. After a change in direction on their last album Only By the Night from garage rock to stadium rock the Kings continue in that direction. Sundown is again produced by Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King and leans a little in the direction of U2 with it's atmospheric sounds.
The cd opens with the very atmospheric The End; Radioactive, the fine lead single follows; Mary has a 50ish feel to it; the highlight is the ode to southern hospitality Back Down South. Come Around Sundown may not pack the punch of the Kings early work or have the mega hits of Only By the Night, but it is a fine listen.
I bought a shirt uptown in Bloomindales and babe I tried to make the latest scene; Hitting cool just like Jimmy Iovine... (Bruce Springsteen - Ain't Good Enough For You)
Bruce Springsteen's classic album Darkness on the Edge of Town was released in 1978 and to my ears the album is a cohesive, flawlsess gem that flows seamlessly from side 1 through side 2 The songs are dark and bold, but also filled with honesty and hope. With that said I believe the right songlist was chosen for Darkness on the Edge of Town.
The new Darkness 30th anniversary box set was released back on November 16 and includes 3 cd's; the remix of Darkness and 2 cd's worth of unreleased songs recorded for the Darkness record (also released seperately as The Promise); 3 dvd's; including 2 live concerts and the making of Darkness. Needless to say this treasure trove of Bruce materials has been a blast digging through.
The Promise includes 22 songs and has taken a little bit to get the feel for and I must admit that on first listen I was bit disappointed because the songs didn't necessarily sound like Darkness songs. I thought the Darkness outtake's released on 1998's 4 cd set Tracks, sounded more like Darkness songs; Bring on the Night, The Iceman, Don't Look Back all have Darkness qualities about them. However, upon futher listens I have found The Promise to be a rewarding experience and have discovered the songs for what they are... outtakes from Bruce's most productive era. The Promise in an intriguing glimpse into the evolution of not only Darkness on the Edge of Town, but also Bruce & the E Street Band.
Some of the songs on The Promise, Bruce gave to other artists; Because the Night - Patti Smith; Fire - The Pointer Sisters; Rendezvous - Gary US Bonds; Talk To Me - Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes. These songs are reborn here. Bruce's urgent singing matched with E Street' s muscle make these versions must listens.
Some of the songs are in different in forms; Racing in the Street ('78), Candy's Boy, Come On (Let's Go Tonight) - a cross between Factory and Johnny Bye-Bye. These versions are not up to the originals, but a fascinating listen nonetheless.
Some of the other songs should have been released on another album, maybe after Darkness and before The River; Save My Love is a great song; Ain't Good Enough, a 50's style rave up, is a highlight; Wrong Side of the Street is classic Bruce; Gotta Get That Feeling, Outside Lookin' In, It's a Shame, Breakaway, The Promiseare all fine songs.
I don't know how many more of these unreleased discs we will ever get out of Bruce, so I am going to appreciate The Promise now.
So turn up your radio and darling dial me in close; We're riding on the airwaves and we're traveling coast to coast... (Bruce Springsteen - Save My Love)
2010 was a really good year in music; we finally got that box set of Darkness on the Edge of Town goodies from Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band; we got great new stuff from younger bands like The Black Keys & Gaslight Anthem; we got a fantastic cd from the side project band Broken Bells; and we got several fresh discs from the likes of Robert Plant, Alejandro Escovedo, Neil Young & Tom Petty.
I want you out on the streets making a noise for everybody; I want to hear your voice up above the crowd and the noise ... (Alejandro Escovedo - Down in the Bowery)
As I've said before, I love year end lists. I enjoy making them and reading others.
2010 was another good and suprising year in music. There were several suprises this year from Broken Bells to Black Keys. I saw several fine concerts this year: Alejandro Escovedo, Bob Dylan, Kings of Leon, Paramore, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, TheAvett Brothers, The Whigs, The Incurables, etc...
Here we go:
1. Broken Bells - Broken Bells- James Mercer of The Shins and musician/producer Dangerous Mouse released their debut record together in 2010. The result is a great blend of The Shins quirky melodies and lyrics with the experimental/hip-hop of Dangerous Mouse previous works. The CD is loaded with great tunes.
******************************************************************* 2. The Black Keys - Brothers- The duo from Akron, Ohio released a classic in 2010. Brothers is full of gritty blues, R&B and classic rock sounds. Highlights include Tighten Up, The Only One, Everlasting Light, Ten Cent Pistol andSinister Kid.
3. Alejandro Escovedo - Streets Songs of Love- Street Songs of Love comes off like a classic record with a terrific mix of both rockers and ballads. The highlights include Down in the Bowery, Anchor, After the Meteor Shower, The Bed is Getting CrowdedandFall Apart With You.
4. Robert Plant - Band of Joy- Robert Plant, one of the great voices of rock and roll released another rootsy record in the vein of 2007's Raising Sand. Band of Joy features Buddy Miller & Patti Griffin and brilliant song choices: Angel Dance, Monkey, You Can't Buy Me Love, Silver Rider, Cindy I'll Marry You Someday, House of Cards, etc...
5. Bruce Springsteen - The Promise -Bruce finally released those outtakes from The Darkness On the Edge of Town era that we have been waiting for several years. The Promise is look behind the curtain into the most productive era on E Street. The songs range from classic E Street sound to 50's style rave ups to Southside Johnny territory. My review will be coming soon.
6. Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown 7. Old 97's - The Grand Theatre 8. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang 9. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms 10. The Hold Steady - Heaven is Now
My favorite songs of the year are as follows:
Broken Bells - The Mall & Misery
The Black Keys -The Only One
Broken Bells - Mongrel Heart
Band of Horses - Factory
The Gaslight Anthem - The Queen of Lower Chelsea
Alejandro Escovedo - After the Meteor Showers
Broken Bells - Vaporize
The Black Keys - Tighten Up
Broken Bells - The High Road
Alejandro Escovedo - Down in the Bowery
It's really hard to pick one favorite show this year, but Alejandro Escovedo was so good when I saw him In Lexington, KY at The Kentucky Theater back on October 19. Close behind was the Kings of Leon/Black Keys/The Whigs at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, OH on September 2.
And late December can drag a man down; You feel it deep in your gut; Short days and afternoons spent pottering around in a dark house with the windows painted shut... (Foutains of Wayne - Valley Winter Song)
It seem like over the past few Christmas seasons a new/really good version of a Christmas tune or a new seasonal song pops up. Last winter I discovered Fountain of Wayne's Valley Winter Song. The song really takes me back to those "snow days" of my youth for some reason.
It's like a radio turning way down low, telling me things I do not know I know; Tonight you will be mine; Tonight the monkey dies... (Robert Plant - Monkey)
I'm still taking in all the new Springsteenstuff and I will blog about it soon. In the meantime I wanted to talk about another CD that is great but maybe under the radar a bit. Robert Plant's new one is Band of Joy.
Robert Plant is one of the great voices of rock and roll. Led Zeppelin's music still sounds vital today. However, since the 70's Plant's music has been spotty. In the 80's & 90's he turned out an occasional solo record or a collaboration with some of his chronies like Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck (Honeydrippers) with mixed results.
Recently Robert Plant has reinvented himself; starting with his 2007's Raising Sand, the duet album with Alison Kraus and produced by super producer T Bone Burnett. That collaboration was a beautiful mix of 2 unique voices, a clever choice of covers, and an earthy production and playing that led to one of 2007's best releases.
Plant's latest release Band of Joy follows in that vein. Production credit for the CD goes to Buddy Miller along with Plant and once again the result is an earthy sounding collection of songs; almost all covers from the likes of Los Lobos, Richard Thompson, Townes Van Zandt and others. The band featuring Buddy Miller on guitar/vocals, Patty Griffin on vocals/guitar, Darrell Scott on vocals/mandolin/guitar/accordion/pedal/lap steel/banjo, Byron House on bass and Marco Giovino on percussion bring a rich sound perfectly suited for Plant's brilliant vocals.
The CD opens with Los Lobos's Angel Dance (from their great album Kiko); this version is unique enough to sound fresh without taking anything from the original; You Can't Buy My Love sounds like the long lost Elvis record from Viva Las Vegas or Little Less Conversation era; Cindy, I'll Marry You Someday and Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down, old tradional songs, Plant and Miller make them relevant for today; Silver Rider and Monkey, by Alan Sparhawk and others from the band Low, sung with Patty Griffith are hauntingly beautiful.
Pay no attention to them haters, because I will whip them all... (Young/Springsteen - Whip My Hair)
I drove over an hour last night to buy the Darkness on the Edge of Town box set. I haven't had time to digest it all (3 cds and 3 dvds). However in the meantime I just found this nugget on youtube. A classic from about 1975 or so, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen
Jimmy Fallon does a great Neil Young, that is so funny....
Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king and a king ain't satisfied till he rules everything... (Bruce Springsteen - Badlands)
I'm getting very exciting anticipating the Darkness on the Edge of Town Box Set due this Tuesday. Let me just say that Darkness is my favorite album, along with Born to Run, of all time. In honor of the release I thought I would review why this is such a classic album.
If you are at all familiar about Bruce Springsteen, you know that after the breakthrough of Born to Run in 1975, Bruce went through a court battle with his manager at the time Mike Appel. During this three year ordeal Bruce wrote and recorded a lot of material, but did not release anything until 1978 and his follow up was Darkness. If Born to Run was Bruce's grand statement, Darkness was the mature response.
I grew up in the album era of music and there was a certain art to formatting the song order. For example the lead songs on each side were important and set the stage for each side. Alot of records may have had one good lead track in which case the other side didn't get played as much. The closing track on each side was nearly as important. Both Darkness and Born to Run, more than any records, had great starting and ending songs on each side.
SIDE 1 Badlands - Classic Bruce; great lyrics, the band never sounded better, especially Max on this one, great clarence solo and guitar solo. A great song, that just inspires. The lyrics are classic; "I believe in the faith that could save me. I believe in the hope and I pray that some day it will raise me above these Badlands..."; this is always great in concert.
Adam Raised a Cain - This angst ridden ditty about the son returning home and realizing that "we're born into this life paying for somebody else's past". This is some of the most powerful vocals by Bruce ever caught on record. The guitar work is equally as impressive.
Something in the Night - The most underated Bruce song ever. I love this one. Bruce at his most emotional and vulnerable; "You're born with nothing and better off that way, Soon as you've got something they send someone to try and take it away". A great song to listen in a car; "I take her to the floor, looking for a moment when the world seems right".
Candy's Room - Awesome; this song hits you right in gut, with Gary Talents driving bass lines. The harmony singing with Bruce (by Bruce) makes the hairs stand up on your neck. The lyrics are great; you're not quiet sure if the singer is being cocky or just trying to convince himself; "She has fancy clothes and diamond rings, She has men who give her anything she wants, but they dont see, That what she wants is me".
Racing in the Street - This is the kind of song that Bruce is famous for, the story song. The song is beautiful ballad played on the piano; I love when the organ kicks in. The lyrics is a tale of street racer who meets a girl at one of this races. No happy ending here, they slowly drift away; "She sits on the porch of her Daddy's house, but all her pretty dreams are torn, She stares off alone into the night with the eyes of one who hates for just being born". Another cool thing about this song is that it is kind of the third in the street trilogy song: one being Martha & the Vandellas Dancing in the Street; two being The Rolling Stone's Fighting in the Streets. They all have the lyrics "summer is here and the time is right for _______ in the Street".
SIDE 2 The Promised Land - Side 2 opens with Bruce on the harmonica and the fantastic Promise Land. This song is so hopeful and looking forward,"Working all day in my daddy's garage, driving all night chasing some mirage, pretty soon little girl I'm gonna take charge" and "There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor, I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the storm, Gonna be a twister to blow everything down that ain't got the faith to stand its ground". Another concert favorite.
Factory - This is the second song on Darkness about Bruce relationship with his father. The story is about how the factory gave men like his father reason to get up in the morning, a reason to live, but at the same time it seem to take something from them, like their soul. This song really tells why Bruce was so inspired to become a rock and roll singer and writer.
Streets of Fire - A lot of Bruce's song on this album sound like movie titles. Case in point, Streets of Fire. This is another emotionally, raw nerve song. Bruce lays it all out there "I live now, only with strangers, I talk to only strangers, I walk with angels that have no place".
Prove It All Night - This song just explodes after the slower Streets of Fire. The lyrics are about living in this very moment "You hear the voices telling you not to go, they made their choices and they'll never know what it means to steal, to cheat, to lie what it's like to live and die". Another song that really comes to life in concert.
Darkness on the Edge of Town - A great closing song. Another song about laying it all on the line, everything, one moment; "Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop, I'll be on that hill with everything I've got, Well lives on the line where dreams are found and lost". Bruce with some incredible insight; "Well everybody's got a secret Sonny, something that they just can't face, Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it, They carry it with them every step that they take, Till some day they just cut it loose, Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down".
I am a breathing time machine, I'll take you all for a ride... (The Avett Brothers - Laundry Room)
I have been to several concerts lately:
The first was Alejandro Escovedo along with The Incurables at the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington, KY on 10/19/2010. Alejandro was in support of his recent great release Street Songs of Love (which was recorded in Lexington and some of the artwork shot at the Kentucky Theatre). This was a special show with Alejandro and the Sensitive Boys (or Sincere Boys as the tickets read and Alejandro joked) in great form. The band was awesome; bassist Bobby Daniel, drummer Hector Munoz, and especially guitarist David Pulkingham. Alejandro was warm and funny, sounded even better. The show featured songs from Street Songs including: The Bed is Getting Crowded, Anchor, Down in the Bowery, Fort Worth Blue and Street Songs; and older songs like: Rosalie, Castanets, Always a Friend and Chelsea Hotel '78 to mention a few. This was one of the best shows that I've seen this year.
Additionaly the show opened with a St. Louis band called The Incurables who were lead by charismatic frontman Jimmy Griffin. Their portion of the show was excellent and I look forward to future recordings by this band.
The next show was The Avett Brothers along with Grace Potter and The Nocturnals in Huntington, WV on October 24.
This was my first Avett Brothers show and what a treat. The show was a high energy spectacle of the Brothers unique music. The audience was more familiar with their music than I was having only heard I and Love and You, but that didn't dim my enjoyment.
The highlights for me were Kick Drum Heart, January Wedding and I and Love and You.
The most recent show was Bob Dylan on his Never Ending Tour at Northern Kentucky University on 11/3. Dylan's current band includes the fantastic guitarist Charlie Sexton, who is very entertaining. Dylan played a very good setlist that included some of my favorites: It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Lovesick, Man in a Long Black Coat, Cold Irons Bound and from Highway 61 Revisited: Desolation Row, Highway 61 Revisited, Ballad of a Thin Man, and of course Like a Rolling Stone. Dylan was more animated that I've seen him before and at age 69 he still seems as enigmatic as ever.
3. Alejandro Escovedo - 
5. Bruce Springsteen - The Promise -Bruce finally released those outtakes from The Darkness On the Edge of Town era that we have been waiting for several years. The Promise is look behind the curtain into the most productive era on E Street. The songs range from classic E Street sound to 50's style rave ups to Southside Johnny territory. My review will be coming soon.
