The Night Owl Presents. . .

Ultimate Singles Jukebox [Slot 124] (Special Mardi Gras Edition!)

2011-03-08T19:52:00.007-06:00

Let The Good Times Roll

b/w "Do You Mean To Hurt Me So"

Shirley & Lee

Written by Leonard Lee

Produced by Dave Bartholomew

Aladdin 3225

Recorded & Released, New Orleans, Louisiana 1956

One of the quintessential rock and roll singles to come out of New Orleans, Shirley & Lee's "Let The Good Times Roll" sold a million copies in 1956, reaching #1 on the R&B chart and #20 on the Pop chart.

Shirley Goodman and Leonard Lee were high school classmates who caught the ear of Aladdin Records owner Eddie Messner. The duo's first hit was "I'm Gone" in 1952 (it zoomed to #2 on the R&B list), a scattered beat blues that is credited by some as a precursor to ska and reggae.

But Shirley & Lee took a real right turn with the driving "Let The Good Times Roll." Produced by Crescent City legend Dave Bartholomew, the secret of the song is the driving drum beat of one of the true masters of the instrument, Earl Palmer. It gives the tune its bawdiness along with the cool contrast between Goodman's soprano and Lee's baritone.

After a split with Lee, Shirley Goodman continued to work in the music business through the 1960s as a session singer for Dr. John, Sonny & Cher, and others. Notably, she was a background singer on The Rolling Stones' Exile On Main St. Goodman briefly came out of retirement in 1974, when she was convinced by her friend Sylvia Robinson to record what became one of the seminal hits from the disco era, "Shame, Shame, Shame."

Shirley returned to New Orleans and lived there until her death in 2005.

"Let The Good Times Roll" is true classic to enjoy over and over again, especially while The Big Easy leads the celebration of Mardi Gras today. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

The Strokes Rock Saturday Night Live

2011-03-07T21:40:00.003-06:00

The Night Owl is going to try his best to find his way into a sold out Strokes show scheduled for this weekend at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Encouraging our presence was their especially fine form this past weekend on NBC's Saturday Night Live, with Julian Casablancas throwing off an obscenity near the end of "Under Cover of Darkness" that scooted by the censors delay button.

The band's fourth LP, Angles, comes out 22 March.

Robin Pecknold Releases Non-Fleet Foxes Tunes

2011-03-07T20:59:00.003-06:00

Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold took to Twitter today and dropped three new musical treats on us, presumably to tide fans over until the 1 May release of the band's sophomore effort Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop). Pecknold indicates that they were recorded in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago: "These aren't Fleet Foxes songs, but I didn't know where else to disseminate it. Pretty mellow jams." The first is a contemplative rambler titled "Derwentwater Stones":

"Derwentwater Stones" - Robin Pecknold

The second piece is a collaboration with Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste. It reminds us of the David Crosby compositions from the first CS&N album as well as his initial solo effort If I Could Only Remember My Name . . . :

"I'm Losing Myself" - Robin Pecknold with Ed Droste

The final selection is a beautiful cover of English musician Chris Thompson's "Where Is My Wild Rose," a Gaelic lament that fits right into Pecknold's vocal wheelhouse.

"Where Is My Wild Rose" - Robin Pecknold

If you want to download your own copies, follow Pecknold on Twitter.

My Morning Jacket Offers Free Downloads, Preps New Album

2011-03-06T11:48:00.003-06:00

My Morning Jacket's sixth studio album is set for release this spring. Titled Circuital, a writer from Rolling Stone opined that the record “feels like the culmination of the sonic adventures the band began with 2005's Z—while also capturing the power and dynamics that have made MMJ one of the greatest live bands of their generation.”

No argument on the comment about MMJ's live prowess. To hear for yourself, the group is offering a series of downloads from their recent shows at New York City's Terminal 5. (The first tune available is "Butch Cassidy" from 1999's The Tennessee Fire.) Just click here to be directed to the MMJ website to sign up for the series of songs, which will also include the title track to Circuital.

Ben Gibbard Premieres New Death Cab and Soundtrack Songs

2011-03-04T09:16:00.005-06:00

This past weekend Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard introduced two new songs at San Francisco's Noise Pop Festival: "Codes and Keys," which will appear on the upcoming DCFC album of the same name, and a solo tune from the upcoming Arthur 2.0 soundtrack, "When The Sun Goes Down On Your Street."

Codes and Keys, the band's seventh effort, will be released 31 May on Atlantic. Back in December, bassist Nick Harmer spoke with Stereogum:

Recorded at various studios over the course of several months in 2010, the new Death Cab for Cutie album — Codes And Keys — represents a departure of sorts for the band, but perhaps not one as radical as initial press reports have implied. The band employed a more cut-and-paste style of songwriting — as well as more of guitarist/producer Chris Walla’s compositions — on the record, but it will still sound very much like a Death Cab record. Despite comments from front man Ben Gibbard that likened the new record to Brian Eno’s Another Green World, Harmer is quick to point out that there will still be plenty of guitars as well.

“Oh, there are definitely guitars on this record,” he says, “there are just less of them than before and we’re using them in different ways this time. Ben was really inspired by writing on acoustic guitar and on a piano, so often those parts become voices or keyboard lines, rather than guitar parts. We really experimented with piecing the songs together in different ways and using the studio differently, so this a much less guitar-centric album than we’ve ever made before.”

In other Death Cab news, Consequence of Sound reports this morning that the Washington State group will appear at the Hop Farm 2011 Festival in Kent, England this summer. Other performers include Lou Reed, Morrissey, Iggy & The Stooges and Patti Smith.

You can sample the two new songs below:

Ben Gibbard, "Codes and Keys" (SF Noise Pop Festival, 27 February 2011)

Ben Gibbard, "When The Sun Goes Down On Your Street" (SF Noise Pop Festival, 27 February 2011)

Pick To Click: Amos Lee - "Windows Are Rolled Down"

2011-03-03T08:55:00.003-06:00

We've had our eye on Amos Lee since his self-titled debut album was released in 1995. Now the Philadelphia/Cherry Hill, NJ singer-songwriter has released his fourth long-player, Mission Bell, on Blue Note Records. The record went to number one on the charts and Lee will begin his American tour at the end of March; many of the mid-size venues are already sold out.

"Windows Are Rolled Down" is a breezy melody juxtaposed with lyrics from the point of view of a broken down soul. It is in the great tradition of John Prine and Neil Young, and TNOP thinks you will enjoy it.

This Day In Rock History: 2 March

2011-03-02T16:27:00.002-06:00

On this date in 1942, Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed was born in Brooklyn, New York. He is the founder (along with John Cale) of one of the most influential bands in rock and roll history, The Velvet Underground. Since 1970, Reed has crafted a prolific solo career, pushing the creative envelope and collaborating with countless artists, from Andy Warhol to David Bowie to Robert Wilson to Patti Smith to Laurie Anderson.

And he just may have written the perfect rock and roll song. Aptly titled, of course.

Dylan Muse Suze Rotolo Dies

2011-03-01T22:46:00.003-06:00

Susan Elizabeth "Suze" Rotolo, whose image will endure forever in rock and roll lore on the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, has died of lung cancer, according to a Los Angeles Times report quoting Rotolo's son Luca. She was 67 years old.

Dylan and Rotolo met in the summer of 1961 in New York City at an all day folk music festival held at a local church. In his memoir Chronicles, Part One, the singer-songwriter wrote of their first encounter: "Right from the start I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was the most erotic thing I'd ever seen. She was fair skinned and golden haired, full-blood Italian ... We started talking and my heart started to spin ... She was just my type."

Rotolo was credited with exposing him to the work of Paul Cézanne and Wassily Kandinsky, Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud. Together they went to see Picasso's Guernica and François Truffaut's Shoot the Pianist. After she told him the story of a 14-year-old African American boy who had been brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955, he wrote "The Ballad of Emmett Till," one of his early broadsides against injustice.

Many Dylanologists claim Rotolo inspired some of his finest early songs, including "Boots of Spanish Leather," "One Too Many Mornings," "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."

As Dylan's star rose dramatically in 1964, the couple broke up, amid reports of his romantic liaison with Joan Baez. The demise of the relationship is supposedly the subject of Dylan's "Ballad In Plain D."

Rotolo shunned interviews for years, but broke her silence for Martin Scorsese's 2005 documentary No Direction Home. She then wrote a memoir of the early years, A Freewheelin' Time, published to warm reviews in 2008.

In addition to her son, Suze Rotolo is survived byEnzo Bartoliocci, her husband of 40 years.

Elvis Costello Writes About Paul Simon

2011-03-01T22:21:00.004-06:00

As we've been reporting over the past few months, a new Paul Simon album is in the offing. His tenth solo effort, So Beautiful or So What, will be released on Concord Music Group on 12 April. It reunites Simon with producer Phil Ramone, who manned the sound board for some of the singer-songwriter's more memorable efforts (There Goes Rhymin' Simon and Still Crazy After All These Years).

In today's Huffington Post, we get a sneak preview of the liner notes for the record, which were penned by none other than Elvis Costello:

How do the fingers of this thing entwine? Which foot falls first upon the trail?

Is it the word? Is it the music?

It generates few visible blisters, so may even be mistaken for an unearned reward.

As Fred Astaire once wisely sang, you have to "Let Yourself Go."

So how do you begin? When do you know when you've reached your destination? What do you cut and when do you run without painting over the picture?

A thing of beauty?

Who needs it?

But that's the very mystery and fascination of it.

The trick is, as I know it, is to care like hell and not give a damn at the same time or as more elegantly proposed here; So Beautiful Or So What.

***

I believe that this remarkable, thoughtful, often joyful record deserves to be recognized as among Paul Simon's very finest achievements.

It's a lot to add to what you've done when those songs are titles anyone could name but Paul's greatest songs will find worthy, easy company here.

This is a man in full possession of all his gifts looking at the comedy and beauty of life with clarity and the tenderness bought by time.

It seems no accident that three of the song titles contain the word, "love" and most of the others consider it in its many manifestations.

The record begins with a fragment of a sermon underpinning the promise of the song, "Getting Ready For Christmas Day."

Within it is the voice of the Rev. J.M. Gates, who waxed warnings of eternal punishment from his first hit homily, "Death's Black Train Is Coming" to his last caution in 1940, "Hitler and Hell."

These days it might court shallow mockery to sing so openly of our humanity, mortality and divinity but not with music to make these themes fly or words containing such wit, grace and humility.

The musical shapes and shades arrive from all over the world and back in time to illuminate the heartfelt intelligence of the writer.

Central to the picture is Paul's vivid singing and own beautiful guitar playing - which doesn't always get full measure in the shadow of his writing.

Throughout the record, I kept coming up against what I can only call, rock and roll surprises; not some orthodox formula but indelible, hypnotic guitar motifs and swinging, off-center rhythms tipping your expectations into a new kind of thrill.

Then there are the ballads...

In "Love and Hard Times," two-thirds of the Trinity arrive on earth only to disagree over who and what is worthy of salvation. This bold and, for any other songwriter, completely humbling piece of composition took my breath away on first hearing.

The opening statement is as lovely as anything Paul has written. I felt as if I was suddenly within the idyllic scene of natural beauty that it describes, only for it be leavened by the Lord's blue aside, "We'd better get going," as He departs the scene.

The song concludes with recognition that it is the reassuring touch of a lover that calms an uneasy but grateful heart near dawn. If love is discovery made in a moment, then it is still one for which we must give thanks.

Equally startling is the rushing, telescopic journey from creative to destructive explosion and the making and undoing of the world in "Love Is Eternal Sacred Light."

These wonderful songs refuse to despair, despite the evidence all around us. "So Beautiful Or So What" rejects the allure of fashionable darkness and the hypnosis of ignorance - better to contemplate and celebrate the endurance of the spirit and the persistence of love.

Here's the track listing for So Beautiful or So What:

"Getting Ready For Christmas Day" – 4:06 [SAMPLE HERE]
"The Afterlife" – 3:40 [SAMPLE HERE]
"Dazzling Blue" – 4:32
"Rewrite" – 3:49
"Love And Hard Times" – 4:09
"Love Is Eternal Sacred Light" – 4:02
"Amulet" – 1:36
"Questions For The Angels" – 3:49
"Love And Blessings" – 4:18
"So Beautiful Or So What" – 4:07

Radiohead: Setting The Bar High

2011-02-16T19:29:00.004-06:00

Right off the heels of this year's Grammy telecast came the surprising -- but exciting -- news of the arrival of a new Radiohead album. King of Limbs can be downloaded starting this Saturday 19 February; presale is taking place now by clicking through here.

And that also got us thinking of their last superlative effort (which ended up in TNOP's top five albums of the year for 2009), In Rainbows, and the stunning performance of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood at that year's Grammies, accompanied by the USC Marching Band on "15 Step," which you can revisit below. [Tip of the hat to CO'B for the reminiscence.]

Radiohead - 15 Step

Pick To Click: Middle Brother - "Me Me Me"

2011-02-16T19:06:00.005-06:00

The front men of some pretty good indie bands have banded together to form Middle Brother: Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Matt Vasquez (Delta Spirit) and John McCauley (Deer Tick). McCauley takes the lead on the first single, a rave-up that reminds us of another (unfortunately obscure) side project named Rockpile, which featured Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds. Turn it up and maybe try out some private dance moves.

Back To Back: Eno & St. Vincent

2011-02-14T23:04:00.003-06:00

Seems as though the reported on-going collaboration (presumably four songs in at the studio) between David Byrne and Annie Clark aka St. Vincent has got Annie listening to some of David's old pals.

Back in 1981, The Night Owl's college roommate came home with a new album from the neighborhood independent record store, indicating that he had bought it because of a quick listen on the store's turntable. (Maybe Nick Hornby happened to be there as well, using this incident as a basis for his famous vignette in High Fidelity.) Well, I couldn't just ignore the guy, given he had unearthed Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane's Rough Mix only a month earlier. So I grabbed the LP cover from him while he placed 33 1/3 on the record player and dropped the stylus on the vinyl.

I scanned the multicolored photo on the front and back. Brian Eno. Yeah, the guy from Roxy Music who quit before they really made their mark. The English studio wizard who had worked with Bowie. Here Come The Warm Jets. Oh yeah, that record he put out before the ambient music thing pulled him away from rock.

The song titles didn't exactly invite you in as a listener: "The Paw-Paw Negro Blowtorch"; "Baby's On Fire"; and "Dead Finks Don't Talk" among the ten tracks.

But damned if I didn't sit next to the Advent speakers for the next 40 minutes totally taken in by the melodies and production. Later research revealed original rave reviews from Lester Bangs ("Incredible") and Robert Christgau ("Grade 'A' . . . The idea of this record -- top of the pops from quasi-Dadaist British synth wizard -- may put you off, but the actuality is quite engaging in a Velvet Underground kind of way"). I've been a true disciple of the album ever since, and with recent reissues, Here Come The Warm Jets still resonates with new generations.

And so it is with St. Vincent, who now gives us a wonderful cover of "Some of Them Are Old." We invite you to compare, contrast and enjoy both her version and the original.

St. Vincent - "Some of Them Are Old" (Brian Eno Cover)

Bruce Springsteen - "Valentine's Day" (Band Rehearsal 1988)

2011-02-14T15:54:00.004-06:00

The Night Owl has always held a special place for Bruce Springsteen's 1987 release Tunnel of Love. Its oftimes intensely personal lyrics and more subtle melodies still lead us to conclude that this is The Boss' Blood On The Tracks.

"Valentine's Day" is the memorable final cut of the album. As far as we can tell from our research (although this is certainly subject to intense scrutiny from Bossophiles), the only time Springsteen has played the song live is a handful of dates in 2005 during his Devils and Dust solo tour.

But our treat to all of you on this feast of St. Valentine is an obscure audio recording of "Valentine's Day" from a 28 January 1988 band rehearsal at the Expo Center in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Backed by the E Street Band and The Horns of Love (Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg and associates), its a shame the arrangement never saw the light of day.

Tribute (In Memoriam): Charlie Louvin

2011-01-31T19:38:00.004-06:00

The Louvin Brothers, Charlie and Ira ... One of the great close-harmony brother acts. The sound of Ira's mandolin and Chet Atkins' guitar, making the best music this side of heaven, even when singing about Satan. These songs on death, sin, and despair resonate with raw power and start beauty. . .

----Bob Dylan, Theme Time Radio Hour ("The Devil" episode)

Charlie Louvin was haunted by a voice in his head for over 40 years. Charlie said every time he sang a song originally recorded with his brother Ira, he would subconsciously step away from the microphone out of deference for his sibling's response. In 2007, Charlie told Paste that "Anytime and every time I sing a song, I can hear his part, even though he's not there. I ain't never found nobody who can duplicate Ira's part. A lot of people imitate him, but no one can sing a harmony like he could."

Born Charles Elzer Loudermilk in Henager, Alabama in 1927, Charlie was one of seven children raised on a cotton and potato farm. The family had a collection of 78s that they would listen to in the evenings after returning from the fields. Charlie and big brother Ira (by three years) particularly were drawn to the records of the Delmar Brothers and the Monroe Brothers. Like so many singers, they honed their voices in church; the boys attended Baptist services regularly, and the fire-and-brimstone from that pulpit would be reflected in the Loudermilk brothers' professional careers.

Charlie and Ira changed their stage name in 1947 to The Louvin Brothers. Signed as a gospel act, the two were determined to crack the secular market. And indeed they did. Between 1952 and 1963 they had a string of Top 10 country singles on the Capitol label, including "When I Stop Dreaming," "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby," "You're Running Wild" and "Cash On The Barrel Head." Their harmonies - Ira's tenor on top, Charlie's baritone filling out the bottom - were almost seamless.

Here's Ira on mandolin and Charlie on guitar from 1961 doing "I Can't Keep You In Love With Me":

The partnership ended in 1963, when Ira's drinking, womanizing and temper wore his little brother out. In a cruel irony, Ira was killed in a car crash by a drunk driver in Missouri on June 20, 1965. "Do I miss him?" Charlie asked tersely to the Paste interviewer after his brother had been dead for almost 42 years. "Of course I miss him. How would you like to do without your brother, your wife or one of your children? If something happened to them, you'd miss them."

Most serious music followers have probably never listened to The Louvin Brothers. But when they do, their first reaction is usually "they sound like The Everly Brothers with a country bent." And one cannot underestimate the influence The Louvin Brothers had on the progeny that followed: from Don & Phil Everly to Lennon & McCartney to Simon & Garfunkel to Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris to Roger McGuinn & Chris Hillman.

Listen to Emmylou harmonize with Charlie and Vern Gosdin back in the 1980s on "Love & Wealth":

In 2003, the list of singers who signed up for the tribute album Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of The Louvin Brothers included this staggering cast: Johnny Cash, Allsion Krauss, Harris, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton and James Taylor. And his 2007 album Charlie Louvin featured guest turns by Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy, George Jones, Tift Meritt, Tom T. Hall, Marty Stewart and Will Oldham.

Charlie Louvin died after a bout with pancreatic cancer last Wednesday at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Betty, and three sons.

A fitting tribute is this performance of "My Baby's Gone" at Royal Albert Hall on 18 June 2009 by Nick Lowe and Ron Sexsmith (tip of the cap to reader Al for the great video find):

Fleet Foxes Leak Single, Album Art & First Tour Dates

2011-01-31T16:36:00.006-06:00

The big news sweeping the music blogoshere today is the announcement of the start of Fleet Foxes' upcoming tour and the leaking of the first single from their upcoming Sub Pop album. The song is "Helplessness Blues," the title track to the LP, whose release date has been announced as 3 May 2011.

You can take a peek at the album art here.

You can view the tour dates announced here; tickets for these selected shows go on sale tomorrow, 1 February.

"Helplessness Blues" starts off in traditional Celtic fashion -- it reminds us of The Clancy Brothers -- until it takes a little bit of a tempo turn into the familiar three-part harmony made popular in the rock world 40 years ago by Crosby, Stills & Nash. Check it out for yourself below:

Fleet Foxes - "Helplessness Blues"

The Return of Robbie Robertson

2011-01-28T13:35:00.003-06:00

The Band's Robbie Robertson has announced that he will release his first solo effort in 13 years on 5 April. How To Become Clairvoyant will feature three tunes he penned with Eric Clapton as well as guest appearances by Trent Reznor, Tom Morello, Steve Winwood, Robert Randolph and Taylor Goldsmith (of current TNOP fave band Dawes).

"The boys helped me out," Robertson told Rolling Stone. "I think I've written some really good songs, and ... it turned out quite extraordinary." He adds that the album explores addiction, 60s idealism and "rock and roll's early reputation as the devil's music".

Two tracks are particularly interesting. "This Is Where I Get Off" recounts the end of Robertson's affiliation as lead guitarist and chief songwriter with The Band upon the conclusion of The Last Waltz project. The second can be sampled below: "When The Night Was Young" is a quiet, soulful melody complimented by Scottish singer Angela McCluskey and anchored by Martin Pradler's piano; subtle allusions to The Band's apprenticeship in the American South and its wide-eyed introduction to New York with Bob Dylan are evident.

Here's the track listing:
1. Straight Down The Line
2. When The Night Was Young
3. He Don't Live Here No More
4. The Right Mistake
5. This Is Where I Get Off
6. Fear of Falling
7. She's Not Mine
8. Madame X
9. Axman
10. Won't Be Back
11. How To Become Clairvoyant
12. Tango For Django

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#29]

2011-01-27T19:49:00.005-06:00

Steve Earle & The Dukes

"It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry"

Original Dylan version found on Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

[Ed. note: Regular readers of this blog know that Bob Dylan is affectionately referred to as the "Patron Saint" of TNOP. After a brief hiatus, we resume our weekly feature in which we sift through the thousands of cover versions of Dylan songs and provide you with our favorites, as well as a quick memory of our first exposure to the original.]

If Steve Earle was going to cover a Dylan song from Highway 61 Revisited, one would guess it would be "Outlaw Blues." After all, the Texas singer-songwriter led a notorious life there for awhile, careening from bouts with substance abuse and serial marriage (eight times at the altar so far).

This take on Dylan's "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" is taken from 1996, when Earle was on the comeback trail after running off the tracks. in the preceding four years, Earle had been convicted of illegal drug and firearms possession, resulting in a stint in jail. But the incarceration allowed him to kick his habit.

Earle's rollicking performance of the song, with his crack backing band The Dukes, was recorded at Tennessee's Cold Creek Correctional Facility on 25 June 1996 as part of a court order. The concert was preserved on film (titled To Hell and Back) and shown in an edited form on MTV.

Here, "It Takes A Train" is given the up-tempo treatment, a powerful blues anchored by pile driving drummer Custer and the furious guitar of David Steele perfectly complimenting Earle's huffing harp and growling vocal, emphasizing the lonesome wail of the lyrics.

It's always been one of our top five Dylan songs and Earle does it great justice. The style is akin to the alternative take recorded during the Highway 61 sessions known as "Phantom Engineer" (with four lines of alternate lyrics) - which was revealed officially on The Bootleg Series: Vol. 1 -3.

The ultimate studio version would be a slower, lonesome blues, to be echoed famously six years later on stage at Madison Square Garden during Dylan's set at The Concert For Bangla Desh. The vocal is definitely nodding to the R&B style. Rhythmically, Dylan introduces the song with a lazy acoustic guitar riff, followed on its heels by Bobby Gregg's shuffling drums. But the star here are the keyboards of Paul Griffin: a two-beat boogie-woogie played on a tack piano (literally an altered ordinary piano in which tacks or nails are strategically placed on the hammers in order to come in contact with the strings, thereby creating a more tinny, distinctive sound).

The lyrics are few, for a Dylan composition, but the words create some stunning imagery. It is a notable achievement in Mr. Zimmerman's vast canon.

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" (Highway 61 Revisited, 1965)

Live Listening: Bob Dylan, George Harrison & Leon Russell, "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" (The Concert For Bangla Desh, 1971)

More Live Listening: Bob Dylan, "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1 -3 [Rare & Unreleased], 1961-1991)

Another Cover: Levon Helm, "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" (MerleFest, 2008)

Music On TV This Week

2011-01-24T10:51:00.004-06:00

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR TV TIMES AND/OR REPEAT SHOWINGS; ALSO CONSULT WEB SITES AND YouTube

TONIGHT, MONDAY 24 January
The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) - The Walkmen
Conan (TBS) - Iron & Wine
The Tonight Show (NBC) - Lizz Wright
Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) - The Script
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) - Local Natives
Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) - Menomena
Lopez Tonight (TBS) - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

TUESDAY, 25 January
Conan - Wanda Jackson
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Iron & Wine
Last Call with Carson Daly - Broken Bells
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) - James Franco

WEDNESDAY, 26 January
Conan - Motorhead
The Tonight Show (NBC) - Amos Lee
Jimmy Kimmel Live - Cold War Kids
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Two Door Cinema Club
The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated) - One eskimO

THURSDAY, 27 January
The Late Show with David Letterman - Robert DeNiro; Dustin Hoffman
Conan - The Ghost of A Saber Tooth Tiger
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Neon Trees
Last Call with Carson Daly - Fitz & The Tantrums

FRIDAY, 28 January
The Late Show with David Letterman - Gregg Allman
Last Call with Carson Daly - Tift Merritt; Matt & Kim
The Ellen DeGeneres Show - Amos Lee

Pick To Click: The Japanese Popstars feat. Lisa Hannigan - "Song For Lisa" "

2011-01-23T21:24:00.003-06:00

As regular readers are aware, our Irish correspondent Celtic Ray is always looking for the next big thing on the Emerald Isle. This week he turns us all on to Derry, Northern Ireland electronic trio The Japanese Popstars, who have been a popular house DJ act since 2008. Now Declan McLaughlin, Gary Curran and Gareth Donoghue are on the eve of releasing their third release, Contolling Your Allegiance, due in March on Virgin/EMI. While Ray notes that there will be guest appearances by Green Velvet and Jon Spencer, "Song For Lisa" with songstress Lisa Hannigan really caught his ear. Try it for yourself below.

The Japanese Popstars - Song For Lisa ft Lisa Hannigan (Unreleased)

Bono & Glen Hansard Honor Sargent Shriver

2011-01-23T01:30:00.004-06:00

Sargent Shriver, architect of the Peace Corps and, with his late wife Eunice Kennedy Shriver, creator of the Special Olympics, was eulogized at a funeral mass in suburban Washington D.C. yesterday by many family members and dignitaries. What struck us as particularly touching and apt for a life well lived was the singing of two Dubliners - Bono, accompanied by Glen Hansard - of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis.

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Lineup Announced

2011-01-21T12:54:00.002-06:00

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has announced its 2011 line-up, and it is loaded with heavyweight acts. Among those TNOP would target to see: Wilco, Arcade Fire, John Mellencamp, John Legend & The Roots, Sonny Rollins, Robert Plant & The Band of Joy, Lupe Fiasco, Mumford & Sons, Jeff Beck, Jesse Winchester, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, The Avett Brothers, The Decemberists, Gregg Allman Band, Ahmad Jamal, Lucinda Williams and Ricky Scaggs.

The Festival takes place over the course of two weekends, 29 April - 1 May and 5 May - 8 May. You can view the individual days' acts by clicking here.

Tickets for the Festival, which takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course, are on sale. A limited number of discount ticket packages including tickets to each day of a particular weekend of the Festival will be offered. Ticket packages purchased for all three days of the first weekend (April 29, 30 & May 1) will be $120 ($40 per day), while second weekend packages purchased for all four festival days (May 5, 6, 7, & 8) will be $160 ($40 per day). (Tickets included in each package are day-specific.) Advance single day Jazz Fest tickets are only $45; the gate price is $60. Children’s tickets (ages 2 - 10) are still only $5 and are available at the gate only. Single day tickets to Jazz Fest are on sale by specific weekend, with each ticket valid for a single day’s attendance.

Tickets are available at the Festival's website.

This Day In Rock History: 17 January

2011-01-17T20:12:00.003-06:00

The happiest of birthdays to Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle, born this date in 1955. The Texan singer-songwriter continues to be prolific in a number of areas of the arts as a musician, actor (The Wire and Treme) and playwright.

If you haven't had the pleasure of delving into Earle's music, TNOP suggests you start with these superlative albums: Guitar Town (1986); I Feel Alright (1996); and Transcendental Blues (2000). You'll hear a full spectrum of influences from rockabilly to Celtic to honky tonk to folk.

In celebration, here's a vintage Earle performance from 1996:

Happy Brithday

2011-01-17T08:49:00.000-06:00

Common - "A Dream"

Dion - "Abraham, Martin & John" [The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, 1968]

U2 - "Pride (In The Name of Love)"

Patty Griffin - "Up To The Mountain (MLK Song)"

UB40 - "King" [Live at Rockpalast 1981]

Stevie Wonder - "Happy Birthday"

New Iron & Wine: "Half Moon"

2011-01-10T22:21:00.003-06:00

Sam Beam and crew showed up on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week, performing a couple songs from the new LP Kiss Each Other Clean. Here's one of them, a song that feels like it has dropped gently from the sky and settled inside Levon Helm's barn in upstate New York: "Half Moon." Gorgeous.

TNOP's Best Albums of 2010

2011-01-06T21:57:00.038-06:00

2010 Windmill Lane Album of the Year:

Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

This 23-year old Kansas City native studied musical theater in New York before reversing course and heading down to Atlanta to make her musical bones. Monae was "discovered" there by Outkast's Big Boi and then introduced to Sean Combs, who ended up producing her debut, the stunning The ArchAndroid. Setting aside the attempt at a linear science fiction theme, everything else works. Monae genre-hops with ease, producing some of the most groove-tastic numbers since Stevie Wonder's heyday of the 1970s. Not a note wasted, the album is a repeated listening pleasure from beginning to end. What's more, she backed it up with a mesmerizing stage presence while on tour as an opening act for Of Montreal this year. In short, A Star Is Born.

KEY TRACKS: "Locked Inside"; "Tightrope"; "Come Alive (War of the Roses)"

LIVE: Monae performs "Tightrope" live on The Late Show with David Letterman (April 2010).

FURTHER READING: Greg Kot interviews Janelle Monae (March 2010).

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2 The National - High Violet

This was the year that this quirky band broke through into the mainstream, thanks to this superlative effort. The National tell compelling stories that are drenched in Heartland Americana. They get better with each studio album. The songs range from lost Flannery O'Connor-like short stories set to a brooding melodies to pastoral feelings to fuzzed out metal guitars.

KEY TRACKS: "Bloodbuzz, Ohio"; "Conversation 16"

LIVE: "Terrible Love" (Brooklyn Academy of Music, 15 May 2010)

FURTHER READING: "The National Agenda" by Nicholas Dawidoff (New York Times Magazine, 23 April 2010)

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3 Villagers - Becoming A Jackal

Wee Irishman Conor J O'Brien uses the moniker Villagers. This set of engrossing tales challenge the listener in the best Dylanesque tradition: Clever social commentary? The yin and yang of an individual's daily struggle to fit in this world? The unsure journey of a romantic relationship? All of the above? Whatever the interpretation, the songs confirm that this artist is a wordsmith with the goods to endure in the music business.

KEY TRACKS: "Becoming A Jackal"; "Ship of Promises"; "Home"

LIVE: L'HibOO d'live session at Abesses, Paris from 8 June 2010

FURTHER READING: Allison Stewart of Click Track interviews Conor J O'Brien (18 June 2010)

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4 Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

This year's champs of intricate harmonies are the L.A. group Local Natives, following in the footsteps of the past two years' champs, Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear. But the twist of this quintet is their fascinating give and take with the drumming of Matt Frazier. Impressively accomplished at such a young age, this band is on the come.

KEY TRACKS: "Airplanes"; 'Sun Hands"

LIVE: Local Natives perform "Airplanes" on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (6 May 2010)

INTERVIEW & PERFORMANCE: The World Cafe (30 June 2010)

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5 Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

In which the Canadian indie darlings swing for the fences . . . and hit a triple. The concept as a whole is interesting, a series of middle class John Updike-type tales of how life can be complex even away from the grittiness of an urban environment. While that theme starts breathing heavy by the end of this 16 track opus, it's definitely built for arenas from a musical standpoint. The Suburbs nods to everyone from Bruce Springsteen to The Cars. And Win Butler and Regine Chassagne are not afraid to rock the boat and actually stand up for their politics, which is refreshing in the present world of rock.

KEY TRACKS: "Ready To Start"; "Sprawl II"; "Month of May"

LIVE: The band performs "Ready To Start" at Madison Square Garden (5 August 2010)

FURTHER READING: Win Butler talks to metro.co.uk (23 November 2010)

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6 Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

Ever since our trip to Ireland in the summer of 2009, we've been recommending these unique four-part harmony English folk rockers to anyone who will listen. And apparently many started to listen, due to the solid debut Sigh No More and a triumphant sold-out US tour this past year. But it doesn't work just for the harmonies: their booming sound and imagery hits the listener equally firm with repeated spins.

KEY TRACKS: "Little Lion Man"; "The Cave"; "White Blank Page"

LIVE: Mumford & Sons sing "The Cave" on Jools Holland Later (4 May 2010)

FURTHER READING: Laura Barton writes in The Guardian about the band (11 February 2010)

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7 Bruce Springsteen - The Promise

Outtakes of Springsteen's Darkness On The Edge Of Town sessions, recorded back in 1977 and 1978. The Boss & The E Street Band had famously been away from the recording studio for almost three years due to a managerial dispute. But then Springsteen came to The Record Plant in New York City with a wealth of material, and this 21 (22?) track archive stands as a great double LP addition to his wonderful catalog. The majority of the record could be peeled off and titled Born To Run 2.0. And boy is that a good thing: we hear all of Springsteen's glorious influences sprinkled throughout the album (Phil Spector, Memphis soul) as well as the songs that could have cozily fit next to Darkness' track listing.

KEY TRACKS: "Gotta Get That Feeling"; "It's A Shame"'; "Because The Night"; "Talk To Me"; "The Promise"

VIEWING: Bruce Springsteen talks about The Promise

LIVE: Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes joined by Bruce Springsteen on "Talk To Me" (8 December 2003)

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8 Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Damon Albarn puts together his loose collective once again for the first time in five years in the guise of illustrated characters created by Jamie Hewlett. While there may not be numbers as groove-laden as "Feel Good, Inc." or "Dare" (from 2005's effort Demon Days), Plastic Beach finds Albern continuing to push pop music forward. The album includes fantastic takes from vets Bobby Womack, Mos Def and Lou Reed. Oh, and a solid rhythm section in two vets from the English music scene: Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. Like most worthy albums, Plastic Beach takes a few listens to digest and enjoy. Take the time to do so.

KEY TRACKS: "Stylo"; "On Melancholy Hill"; "Some Kind of Nature"

LIVE: "On Melancholy Hill" at Glastonbury 2010

FURTHER READING: Albern & Hewlett talk to The Fader (30 April 2010)

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9 LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy is no young pup to the music scene. When the first cut ("Drunk Girls") was leaked from This Is Happening we were fooled into thinking his first LP in three years might be a rave filled dancefest. Wrong. Really wrong. The album marks a giant step forward, with Berlin-era Bowie haunting many of its tracks. Let's hope this isn't Murphy's last go-round; he obviously still has plenty to say.

KEY TRACKS: "All I Want"; "Dance Yrslf Clean"; "I Can Change"

LIVE: LCD Soundsystem performs "Pow Pow" at the Fox Theater in Pomona, California (5 June 2010)

FURTHER LISTENING: James Murphy talks with Greg Kot and Jim DeRogotis on Sound Opinions (3 December 2010)

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10 The Black Keys - Brothers

After years of toiling in and slogging across the country to small clubs, the Akron duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney hit it big commercially. Seemingly in the background every time you view a commercial on TV (we're not against making a buck, but boys . . . a jewelry store?) or hear a bumper on sports talk radio, it cannot be denied that Brothers strikes gold once again to our ears. They went into the studio with Danger Mouse for the sole purpose of coming up with a radio friendly single that would not belie their blues roots and damned if they didn't do so: "Tighten Up" is one of the best songs of 2010. The remainder of the record is loose and playful, drawing on influences from Junior Kimbrough to Credence Clearwater Revivial. We dare you to try to turn it off while driving.

KEY TRACKS: "Tighten Up"; "Everlasting Light"' "Howlin' For You"; "Next Girl"

LIVE: "Howlin' For You" (Saturday Night Live, 8 January 2011)

FURTHER READING: Esquire profiles The Black Keys (17 May 2010)

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11 Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust

The Band From East L. A. shows once again that it cannot make a bad album. Mostly a bluesy affair, but not above the occasional fiery aside that Los Lobos is noted for when armed with electric guitars.

KEY TRACKS: "Burn It Down"; "Tin Can Trust"; "27 Spanishes"

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12 Richard Thompson - Dream Attic

From our review of Thompson's live show back in November, which included a performance in full of Dream Attic: "Any guitar solo by Thompson is never an exercise in naval-gazing. Indeed, the crowd has witnessed one of the best ever at his instrument, who is still contributing vital music over 40 years after bursting on the music scene."

KEY TRACKS: "If Love Whispers Your Name"; "Big Sun Falling In The River"; "The Money Shuffle"

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13 Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I Learned The Hard Way

Miss Jones continues her progression into one of the true greats in the soul genre, helped in no small way by her crack nine-piece Brooklyn band. Not to mention one of the more dynamic live shows you'll ever see.

KEY TRACKS: "I Learned The Hard Way"; "Better Things"; "Money"

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14 Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

This 20 year old songwriting wunderkind broke through the noise of mediocrity with this effecting sophomore effort, evoking a young Joni Mitchell.

KEY TRACKS: "Rambling Man"; "Goodbye England"; "Devil's Spoke"

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15 Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone

The grand dame of gospel and soul returns to the spotlight in this Jeff Tweedy produced disc. Mavis sings some of her father's songs and also takes on with great success John Fogerty, Randy Newman, Allen Touissant and Little Milton. She's a national treasure.

KEY TRACKS: "You Are Not Alone"; "Wrote A Song For Everyone"; "Downward Road"; "Losing You"

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16 New Irish Collective - Popical Island

One of the best kept secrets of the year. This interesting batch of songs was gathered by an Irish collective of Dublin indie bands. The 15 tracks run the gamut of musical styles and tastes.

KEY TRACKS: Lie Ins - "Vegetarian Girls"; Tieranniesaur - "Sketch!"; I Heart The Monster Hero - "Car #9 (Nintendo Mix)"; Land Lovers - "Is Nowhere Far Away Any More?"; Pantone247 - "Maybe Tonight"

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17 Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer

Further proof of the resurgence and vitality of soul music. Cee-Lo's obviously got the goods and delivers on this jukebox crammed album. Speaking of which, why wasn't "Georgia" included?

KEY TRACKS: "F*** You"; "Bright Lights Bigger City"; "Love Gun"

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18 Elton John & Leon Russell - The Union

One of the pleasant surprises of the year. Elton John teams up with one of his idols, the very underrated Leon Russell, to make an album which reinvigorates Captain Fantastic, who until recently has been on rock icon cruise control. And the choice to have T-Bone Burnett produce didn't hurt, either.

KEY TRACKS: "If It Wasn't For Bad"; "I Should Have Sent Roses"; "Hey Ahab"

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19 Spoon - Transferrence

Lost in the shuffle because it was released at the beginning of the year, the Austin minimalist rockers went back to basics on this, their seventh studio long-player. More stripped down than Spoon's last two efforts (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Gimme Fiction), Transferrence still pays attention to the basics of rock 'n roll: swagger and great hooks.

KEY TRACKS: "Who Makes Your Money"; "Written In Reverse"; "Got Nuffin"

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20 The Cast of Cheers - Chariot

Irish correspondent Celtic Ray turned us on to this 33-minute blast of post-punk glory that's not above nicking groups as diverse as The Beatles and Foals. You can still download the album for free by going to The Cast of Cheers' bandcamp site.

KEY TRACKS: "Goose"; "Derp"

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BEST REISSUE: The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St.

BEST OFFICIAL ISSUING OF A BOOTLEG: Bob Dylan - The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9)

BEST TRIBUTE ALBUM: Dirty Hearts & Broken Windows: Songs of John Prine

REGRETS, WE'VE HAD A COUPLE (Albums that made the list in 2009, but should have been ranked higher): Passion Pit - Manners; Dawes - North Hills

BOY, DID WE MISS THE BOAT (Album that should have made the 2009 list, but didn't): Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below

PREVIOUS WINDMILL LANE ALBUM OF THE YEAR WINNERS:
2009 Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
2008 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Rock 'n Film: "Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune"

2011-01-06T16:57:00.005-06:00

Phil Ochs may be a singer-songwriter that you have heard of, but probably a performer that you have never heard. An artist with serious left political leanings, Ochs came to the forefront of the folk movement in the early 1960s, heralded in the same class of Greenwich Village scene stars as Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan and Tom Paxton. Ochs famously declared himself "the best" until he heard Dylan and revised his statement to "second best."

Preferring the term "topical singer" as opposed to "protest singer," Ochs was best known for his compositions "Too Many Martyrs," "Draft Dodger Rag" and particularly "I Ain't Marching Anymore." He appeared at countless political rallies not only in the United States but in South America and Africa supporting civil rights, labor and anti-war movements. He was at the center of a couple of seminal events: the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968 which turned into what was eventually described by an independent commission as a "police riot"; and the "Free John Sinclair" rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1971, notable for the first public appearance and performance of John Lennon since he left The Beatles (looking back, it is likely John & Yoko lifted their "War Is Over! [If You Want It]" campaign from Ochs' song "The War Is Over" in which he tells listeners to just unilaterally declare the war in Vietnam to be finished).

These topics and events, as well as Ochs' personal struggles with mental illness and alcohol, are mined by director Ken Bowser in the new documentary Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune, which opened in New York City last night. Selected cities will see screenings in the coming months. In addition to archival footage, the film is interspersed with commentary from Ochs' immediate family as well as Billy Bragg, Pete Seeger, Sean Penn, Christopher Hitchens, Ed Sanders, Baez and others.

You can view the movie trailer here.

Miles Gallagher's Favorite Dozen For 2010

2011-01-05T21:07:00.002-06:00

[This happy new year's post comes to us from TNOP's UK music correspondent Miles Gallagher.]

here are the dozen from 2010 ranked most played to least played - just click on the song title to listen!

if nothing else don't miss the video for number 11 ( unfortunately, as far as i can tell its available on video only )

1 conversation 16 - the national - high violet

2 loving cup (alternate take) - the rolling stones - exile on main street (deluxe version, remastered)

3 rill rill - sleigh bells - treats

4 congratulations - mgmt - flash delirium

5 bang pop - free energy - stuck on nothing

6 melancholy hill - gorillaz - plastic beach

7 sprawl ii - arcade fire - the suburbs

8 surprise - family of the year - songbook

9 down by the water - the decemberists - the king is dead

10 jamie, my intentions are bass - !!! - strange weather, isn't it

11 martian bossa nova - shorty rodgers - frankly jazz ( video only )

12 dance floor stalker - flying lotus - reset

Tribute (In Memoriam): Gerry Rafferty

2011-01-05T19:03:00.005-06:00

It is worth a short column to celebrate Gerry Rafferty's contribution to pop music. The Scottish singer/songwriter died after a long bout with alcoholism yesterday at the age of of 63. If it hadn't been for the perpetual presence of two songs on oldies radio for the past 30 years, Rafferty may have vanished without much notice.

But those two songs!

A solo effort, "Baker Street" (from 1978's five million selling LP City To City), is a soft rock classic, blending an unforgettable sax groove with a searing guitar solo and the pitch-perfect vocal of Rafferty.

The crowning achievement, though, is the continuing jukebox wonder of "Stuck In The Middle With You." Written with partner Joe Egan and recorded under the group name Stealers Wheel, the tune topped the US and UK charts in 1972. Produced by legendary songwriters Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, 'Stuck In The Middle" is an irresistible three and a half minutes of pop heaven. Anchored by Rafferty's emotional lead slyly sneering at the industry that is ironically making him money, the song is powered by a funky bass line and George Harrison-like slide guitar.

Turn it up. Pick a partner. Or just dance along in your chair. It's great stuff.

Secret Sisters & Jack White Cover Johnny Cash

2011-01-04T21:52:00.003-06:00

Laura and Lydia Rogers, sisters hailing from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, go by the name The Secret Sisters. Their first full-length eponymous LP was released in 2010. Executive Produced by Americana major domo T-Bone Burnett, the album was recorded in Nashville. You can get a great feel for their gospel and bluegrass roots by listening to a recent interview and performance for The World Cafe here.

The Secret Sisters also ended up at Jack White's Third Man Studios, stepping out of their usual comfort zone to record a scorching version of Johnny Cash's "Big River." Listen and enjoy below.

The Secret Sisters feat. Jack White: "Big River"

TNOP's Top 25 Songs of 2010

2010-12-28T22:16:00.013-06:00

The Night Owl presents his personal jukebox of the songs he enjoyed listening to (over and over) in calendar year 2010. Comments and additions welcome. Let the countdown begin!

25 FREE ENERGY: "Bang Pop"

24 DELTA SPIRIT: "Bushwick Blues"

23 JAILL: "The Stroller"

22 MORNING BENDERS: "Excuses"

21 TROMBONE SHORTY: "Hurricane Season"

20 PAUL SIMON: "Getting Ready For Christmas Day"

19 THE DECEMBERISTS w/Gillian Welch: "Down By The Water"

18 CRYSTAL CASTLES w/Robert Smith: "Not In Love"

17 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM: "Dance Yrself Clean"

16 SPOON: "Who Makes Your Money"

15 ROLLING STONES: "Plundered My Soul"

14 MGMT: "Congratulations"

13 THE NATIONAL: "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

12 VILLAGERS: "Becoming A Jackal"

11 CARIBOU: "Odessa"

10 SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS: "I Learned The Hard Way"

9 SHE & HIM: "In The Sun"

8 MUMFORD & SONS: "Little Lion Man"

7 ALOE BLACC: "I Need A Dollar"

6 THE BLACK KEYS: "Tighten Up"

5 GORILLAZ w/Bobby Womack & Mos Def: "Stylo"

4 THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH: "The Wild Hunt"

3 LOCAL NATIVES: "Sun Hands"

2 CEE-LO GREEN: "F*** You"

1 JANELLE MONAE w/Big Boi: "Tightrope"

7 March Release Date For New Elbow Album

2010-12-28T19:39:00.003-06:00

Our UK pop & jazz correspondent Miles Gallagher reports today that Elbow have announced a UK release date of 7 March for their eagerly anticipated new album. Build A Rocket Boys! will be the Mancunian quintet's fifth long-player. A handful of tour dates in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have been scheduled for March. Expect the music to compliment the size of the venue. “It’s impossible not to consider where you’re going to play your music live when you write it,” Guy Garvey told BBC 6 Music. “We very arrogantly assumed we were going to be playing arenas very early on.”

The track listing for Build A Rocket Boys!

01. Lippy Kids
02. The Birds
03. With Love
04. Neat Little Rows
05. Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl
06. The Night Will Always Win
07. High Ideals
08. The River
09. Open Arms
10. The Birds (Reprise)
11. Dear Friends

Here's hoping a proper trip to America is in the cards for 2011. Meantime, here's a tasty track from the new record.

Gorillaz Cover Steely Dan's "FM"

2010-12-27T14:33:00.005-06:00

. . . or technically if you follow all the antics of the Jamie Hewlett characters, it is a 2D "solo" effort (voice of Damon Albarn) along with the help of New Zealand saxophonist Nathan Haines covering the Becker/Fagen tune which originally appeared on the soundtrack for the very forgettable film of the same name. You'll find it on the web-only accessed new Gorillaz album The Fall. And it will not be titled "FM." Go to Track 6, under the playfully misleading title "Little Pink Plastic Bags." Some wags on the internet have indicated that the cover was recorded two years ago, and therefore cannot be part of the claim of Albarn that the new collection of songs was recorded on the road solely via iPad. Whatever. Haines puts his smooth jazz imprint on the song but doesn't try to replicate the original of Pete Christlieb. And if that's Albarn on guitar, cheers to him.

Happy Christmas

2010-12-25T00:57:00.001-06:00

Times Square, New York City, 1969.

A Public Service Message From Linus Van Pelt

2010-12-24T14:27:00.001-06:00

First Listen: R.E.M. with Eddie Vedder - "It Happened Today"

2010-12-22T22:06:00.003-06:00

A second track from the upcoming album Collapse Into Now from R.E.M. (due to drop 8 March) has leaked: "It Happened Today," a catchy bit of jangly pop complimented by the backing vocals of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.

Paste reports that other guests on the CD include Patti Smith (long considered the band's musical godmother), Smith's long-time musical cohort Lenny Kaye and Peaches.

R.E.M. - It Happened Today (Feat. Eddie Vedder)

Must See TV: Merry Christmas From Darlene Love!

2010-12-22T09:10:00.005-06:00

Tomorrow evening 23 December on The Late Show With David Letterman marks one of our favorite annual viewing experiences of the holiday season. The fantastic Darlene Love will appear for the 25th consecutive year to sing the Spector-era classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" along with Paul Shaffer and The CBS Orchestra - and probably their own augmented "Wall of Sound." [Check your local listings, but in the US the standard starting time of the show is 11.35pm EST/PST and 10.35pm CST.]

And this year should prove to be all the more festive with the recent news that Ms. Love was finally notified that she will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Our Christmas wish granted.

To get you in the spirit, here's the original recording from 1963's A Christmas Gift To You From Phil Spector:

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#28]

2010-12-21T22:04:00.006-06:00

"She Belongs To Me"

Bob Weir, Phil Lesh & Jerry Garcia

Original Dylan version found on Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

It is well known that the Grateful Dead - as well as its family tree of side projects - has accumulated a treasure trove of performances of Bob Dylan songs. Indeed, Dylan has toured with The Dead. So we won't spend time going down that road when there are many more ardent followers of that prolific band who continue to aptly record that history.

But we did find a fairly rare, and touching, take by the three core members of The Dead playing Dylan's "She Belongs To Me." Apparently, this is a clip from a VHS tape circa 1992 called Backstage Pass. Bob Weir trades verses and then harmonizes with a fragile looking Jerry Garcia. Phil Lesh provides a solid bass bottom and Garcia his signature guitar picking.

The song itself is a deceptively gentle, waltz-like melody partnered with another classic Dylan lyric. Speculation has always centered around Joan Baez as the artist who commands constant attention bordering on idolatry from her lover, but cannot be conquered by a mere male: She's nobody's child/The law can't touch her at all.

"She Belongs To Me" is curiously placed on Bringing It All Back Home between two rockers which train a laser on the social ills of the day (the two singles released from the album: "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "Maggie's Farm"). Produced by Tom Wilson and recorded at Columbia Recording Studio in New York City on 14 January 1965, Dylan (on harmonica and acoustic guitar) is backed by John Hammond Jr and Bruce Langhorne on electric guitar as well as William E. Lee on bass and Bobby Gregg on drums.

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "She Belongs To Me" (Bringing It All Back Home, 1965)

Live Listening: Bob Dylan, "She Belongs To Me" (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Live 1966)

Another Cover: Leon Russell, "She Belongs To Me" (Leon Russell & The Shelter People [CD bonus track], 1971)

Yet Another Cover: Buffalo Tom, "She Belongs To Me" (Velvet Roof [EP], 1992)

Still Another Cover: Rick Nelson, "She Belongs To Me" (In Concert - The Troubador, 1969)

The Dictionary of Soul: General Johnson

2010-12-20T19:47:00.006-06:00

General Norman Johnson was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1941 and began singing in church as a boy. By the age of 12, young General (his real given name) had formed his first group, dubbed The Humdingers.

By the late 1950s, Johnson and his mates - Milton Wells, Gene and Dorsey Knight, and Leslie Fleton - thought they were on the verge of something big. "We had a contract with Atlantic as The Humdingers," recalled Johnson in a 1987 interview with Soul Express. "We did some demos, but they were never released because [of a conflict with management] and our careers went down the tube. The music we did was kind of doo-wopish."

The Norfolk quintet headed down to New Orleans and had its first bit of luck. Renamed The Showmen, their breakout single was a B-side: "I Will Stand." The 1961 The production board for that 45rpm single was helmed by a then-unknown Allen Touissant at Minit Records. The tune made it to the bottom of both the R&B and Pop charts. The New York Times called "I Will Stand," written by Johnson, "a defiant ode to the power of rock 'n roll." The listener can hear the doo-wop influence laid over the unmistakable Crescent City beat.

The Showmen's upbeat brand of rhythm and blues became commonly known as "Carolina beach music." Another prime example of their unique regional sound - as recognizable as the soul strongholds of Chicago or Philadelphia - is the fine "Our Love Will Grow."

General Johnson moved to Detroit in 1969 to join a group being formed by famed Motown songwriters and producers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. The hitmakers had had a famous falling out with record titan Barry Gordy and were starting their own label, Invictus.

The name given to the fledgling four vocal stylists was The Chairmen of the Board. And they immediately lived up to their grandiose title when they hit No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart with the all-time soul jukebox (and now oldies radio) classic "Give Me Just a Little More Time." Johnson is captivating on the record, providing a pleading, searing vocal punctuated by his unforgettable "Bbbrrrrr!" that lands near the end of the track. With that signature move, General Johnson made his own mark on rock and roll.

The Chairmen of the Board scored a few more minor hits ("Dangling On A String," "Pay To The Piper" and "Everything's Tuesday") before breaking up, mainly as a result of a salary dispute that Johnson had with Invictus.

But the early 1970s found Johnson's writing skills also earning him some money and industry recognition. The Top 10, Grammy winning "Patches" launched the career of Clarence Carter. And girl group the Honey Cone had success on the charts with songs like "Want Ads" and "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show."

Johnson took off to Europe after the dispute with Invictus, gaining some acclaim as a practitioner of what that continent dubbed as "Northern Soul." Upon his return to the States, he struck a deal with Clive Davis of Arista Records. "I stayed there two, three years. [Davis] paid me well, but I only did one album (1976's General Johnson)," recalled Johnson.

This led to a production gig for Martha Reeves, and then a meeting in California with Barry Gordy. "He was trying to get me to come to Motown. I would have loved to work with him, but my Ma was sick and I wanted to do something on my own, a business of my own," Johnson told Soul Express.

Thus was born Surfside Records in 1979, owned by Johnson and his partner Michael Branch. He returned back to the Carolinas and continued to practice his craft as an independent. The two also became booking agents, producing large shows over the years in the area starring the likes of The Chairmen of the Board, Cornelius Bothers and Sister Rose, The Tymes and The Emperors.

In one of his last interviews in June of this year, Johnson told The News & Observer that he preferred that type of musical life because he valued creative control and savored beach music. "That's the thing about a good song," he said. "Let's say that song was put out 10 years ago, the recording company is done, whoever wrote the song is dead or just ain't writing songs no more. But that song is still there."

General Johnson died this past 13 October in Atlanta due to complications of lung cancer. His friend Chris Beachley said, "He was the king of Carolina beach music."

[Ed. note: Thanks to our pal and reader Paul for the tip and initial research.]

Happy Christmas, Eh?

2010-12-16T19:52:00.004-06:00

Good day, eh. Today's topic: "The Twelve Days of Christmas," courtesy of two hosers from the Great White North, brothers Bob & Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas of the epic 1980s classic cult TV series SCTV). So grab a Molson, don your touk and cook up some back bacon. In the holiday spirit, TNOP brings you a seasonal gem.

Jeff Tweedy & The Autumn Defense: "God"

2010-12-15T23:04:00.003-06:00

Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy hopped on stage with The Autumn Defense (the side project of fellow Wilco-ites Pat Sansone and John Stirratt) in Charlottesville, Virginia on 8 December. In recognition of the 30th anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon, the group tackled "God," the epic track from Plastic Ono Band. Listen for Tweedy's little twist on the original lyrics.

Macca At The Mecca

2010-12-14T10:16:00.006-06:00

Fifty-three years after his boyhood idol Buddy Holly played the Apollo Theater in Harlem, Paul McCartney finally took the stage last night at one of the most famous music venues in the world.
In its review of the show, The New York Times reported that Macca told the audience, "It's the holy grail. I dreamed of playing here many a year."

McCartney follows in the footsteps of a pantheon of stars who have graced the venerable space that first came to prominence in the Harlem Renaissance of the pre-World War Two years: Ella Fitzgerald. Sarah Vaughan. Billie Holliday. Chuck Berry. Sam Cooke. James Brown. The Supremes. Marvin Gaye. Stevie Wonder. Aretha Franklin.

The concert on Monday night was heavy on the hits - both The Beatles and Wings - as expected. But The Cute One bowed in reverence to the occasion by pulling out Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike," a Motown tune that The Fabs took a swing at in their "back to basics" Let It Be sessions. With six women behind him on a platform dancing go-go style, "it was going pretty well . . . then the house speakers turned off, only the stage monitors were audible, and a screech of feedback made Mr. McCartney recoil."

Perhaps recognizing the ghosts of the Apollo's luminous past at work, the band leader rebooted and ordered his mates to take it from the top. After all, McCartney has been playing American rhythm and blues since he was 15, when he first appeared on stage singing Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." Even at the ripe age of 68, another take was natural for the eternal Beatle boy from Liverpool who still loves the beat.

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#27]

2010-12-13T22:31:00.005-06:00

"Maggie's Farm"

Solomon Burke

Original Dylan version found on Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

One of the bigger losses to the music world in 2010 came on 10 October when the "King of Rock and Soul" Solomon Burke died at the age of 70.

A man seemingly bigger than life literally (he was over 300 pounds) and figuratively, Solomon Burke had essentially been on stage since he was seven years old when he delivered his first sermon at his church in Philadelphia. Like many to-be soul artists, Burke's roots were in gospel. "The Wonder Boy Preacher" stepped into the secular world with a recording of Patsy Cline's "Just Out of Reach (Of y Two Open Arms)." The country standard became a surprise R&B hit, and Burke's career on Atlantic records was born.

Classic titles followed. "Cry To Me" (1962) a gospelish pot-boiler, was a top five hit in 1962 which found another life on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack in the 1980s. The swinging "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" (1964) would be covered by the Rolling Stones and again earn popularity in The Blues Brothers; ironically, Burke saw the film - incorrectly crediting the song to Wilson Pickett - and called his old Atlantic boss Jerry Wexler to complain. The story goes that Wexler was simply happy to hear that Solomon was still alive, and sent him a sizable royalty check the next day. And then there was the fantastic "Got To Get You Off My Mind" (1965), a tune Burke wrote in the throes of a divorce and mourning the tragic death of Sam Cooke.

Burke's on stage presence was memorable. Back in the day, his contemporaries were in awe of his raw power. "Solomon could command a stage better than anybody," said Sam Moore. "We (Sam & Dave) used to finish our set and go sit in the audience and watch him." L.C. Cooke, Sam's brother, was quoted as saying: "On one tour with James Brown, Solomon started with 20 minutes, but he was kicking James Brown's butt so bad that he cut Solomon's time down to one song!"

Solomon Burke got a second encore on the popular music stage. He was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. And rock's royalty lined up to play and write with him. The remarkable Don't Give Up On Me (2002), produced expertly by Joe Henry, saw Burke perform original contributions from Bob Dylan ("Stepchild," apparently culled from the Street Legal sessions circa 1978), Van Morrison, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Brian Wilson and others. The record won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. He followed with three other solid efforts: Make Due With What You Got (2005); the duets LP Nashville (2006); and Like A Fire (2008).

Burke's take on "Maggie's Farm" is notable as it is probably the first significant recording of a Dylan song by a soul singer, recorded shortly after the original was released in 1965. The majesty of the melody and lyric are perfect for the King of Rock and Soul's muscular style and hearing the song on 45 rpm just drives home how truly memorable Solomon Burke is to the history of popular music.

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "Maggie's Farm" (Bringing It All Back Home, 1965)

Another Cover: U2, "Cold Turkey/Maggie's Farm/Help" (Live, Los Angeles, 1986)

Still Another Cover: Ben Sidran, "Maggie's Farm" (Dylan Different, 2010)

Open A Free Gorillaz Album On Christmas

2010-12-09T22:26:00.003-06:00

Now here's some intrepid surfing: Consequence of Sound dug out a recent interview on Perth Now with Jamie Hewlett, the visual mastermind of Gorillaz, who spilled a significant surprise. "On Christmas Eve, a video for one of the new songs from the iPad album will be released," Hewlett said. "Then, on Christmas Day fans get the whole album downloaded to their computer for free as a gift."

This confirms Damon Albern's earlier hint that an album was being written and recorded by the band on an iPad during the course of its US tour. "I wanted to make sure that it came out at the end of the tour because I don't want anyone to think I'd tampered with it," he says.

As for the overall sonic vibe of the record, Albarn revealed last month that the record is more "American-sounding" and a departure from his Blur days. "It sounds like an English voice that has been put through a vocoder of America," he said.

The record will be available as a free download on the band's official website, courtesy of the Gorillaz Advent Calendar, where the band is unveiling all sorts of ephemera (videos, computer wallpaper, and downloadable masks) leading up to the big day.

A Holiday Treat From Los Campesinos!

2010-12-09T21:56:00.003-06:00

Cardiff, Wales popsters Los Campesinos! have started their own quarterly fanzine and to celebrate have cut a couple of original holiday numbers. Celebrate the season with a listen to one of them, "Kindle A Flame In Her Heart."

Los Campesinos - Kindle A Flame In Her Heart

John Winston Ono Lennon (1940 - 1980)

2010-12-08T08:55:00.004-06:00

Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York City, USA

======================================

The Inspiration by Ray Davies

The Tea Maker by Yoko Ono

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This Date In Rock History: 7 December

2010-12-07T16:22:00.003-06:00

Happy birthday to Thomas Alan Waits, born on this date in 1949 to Pomona, California schoolteachers Jesse Waits and Alma McMurray.

Devotee to singers and songwriters as diverse as Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Howlin' Wolf, Marty Robbins and Stephen Foster, young Tom caught the attention of record executives in the blossoming Southern California music scene of the early 1970s. His lyrics commonly echoed the style of authors like beat writer Jack Kerouac and noir-novelist Raymond Chandler, and along with his whiskey-soaked vocals, created a unique corner of popular music that is still unmatched today.

The Night Owl's first encounter with a Waits composition was probably typical: The Eagles' cover of his "Ol' 55," which appeared on the group's On The Border album. By my days of university, Waits had become somewhat of an underground phenomenon; his tragi-comic tales of the underbelly of society played to the sweet spot of students vicariously searching for their own bit of Bohemia. One of his crowning achievements remains the opening track from the 1976 LP Small Change, intriguingly titled "Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen)". Written during a particularly tumultuous period in Waits' life, producer Bones Howe later recalled when the singer first introduced him to the song:

He said the most wonderful thing about writing that song. He went down and hung around on skid row in L.A. because he wanted to get stimulated for writing this material. He called me up and said, 'I went down to skid row ... I bought a pint of rye. In a brown paper bag.' I said, 'Oh really?'. 'Yeah - hunkered down, drank the pint of rye, went home, threw up, and wrote 'Tom Traubert's Blues' [...] Every guy down there ... everyone I spoke to, a woman put him there.

Relax, pour yourself a wee bit of Jameson's, and toast this bit of brilliance in honor of Tom Waits' 61st birthday.

Ron Wood w/Mick Taylor: "Fancy Pants"

2010-12-02T21:11:00.004-06:00

Without much fanfare, current Rolling Stone Ron Wood released his solo album I Feel Like Playing at the end of September. Last night he turned up at London's 100 Club for a benefit performance, hoping to help save the venerable small venue which has been the site of early gigs for groups like The Stones, The Sex Pistols and Oasis.

Joining him on stage was his predecessor on guitar for The World's Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band, Mick Taylor. After being in the shadows for a number of years, Taylor seems to be coming back into the light, albeit slowly. Earlier this year, Mick & Keith brought Taylor into the studio to record new guitar overdubs on the Exile On Main St. outtakes included in the deluxe reissue. Here's a video of the two jamming on "Fancy Pants," a track off of the new Woody record.

The Jayhawks To Tour Behind Album Reissues

2010-11-30T21:47:00.003-06:00

Well! Hear is some exciting news to start out the coming new year. The Jayhawks will reform in January 2010 to play seven dates in five cities in support of the deluxe reissues of their first two major label albums, Hollywood Town Hall (1992) and Tomorrow The Green Grass (1995). In Chicago and New York the band will perform the records in full along with other tunes. The Jayhawks line-up is: Gary Louris, Mark Olson, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg and Tim O'Reagan.

The concert dates are listed below. (Check here for the venues as well as pre-sale and box office sale dates.)

18/1 Toronto
20/1 New York (Hollywood Town Hall)
21/1 New York (Tomorrow The Green Grass)
22/1 Philadelphia
27/1 Chicago (Hollywood Town Hall)
28/1 Chicago (Tomorrow The Green Grass)
29/1 Minneapolis

As a reminder of how golden these two albums remain, enjoy a couple of their key cuts.

The Dictionary of (Celtic) Soul: A Listener's Guide To The Soundtrack of "The Commitments"

2010-11-28T17:56:00.023-06:00

--We'll ask Jimmy, said Outspan. --Jimmy'll know.

Jimmy Rabbitte knew his music. He knew his stuff alright. You'd never see Jimmy coming home from town without a new album or a 12-inch or at least a 7-inch single. Jimmy ate Melody Maker and the NME every week and Hot Press every two weeks. He listened to Dave Fanning and John Peel. He even read his sisters' Jackie when there was no one looking. So Jimmy knew his stuff.

So begins The Commitments, Irish novelist Roddy Doyle's first book of his "Barrytown Trilogy," a celebration of American soul music via the struggles of a group of Irish unemployed youth who form to become "Dublin's hardest working band."

Director Alan Parker's 1991 movie adaptation probably pulls a little more drama out of the story than Doyle intended, but the saga of Jimmy Rabbitte and his management of a band of vagabonds never takes its eye off the star of the show: the music that bled so successfully into the English and Irish music scene from the 1960s onward. In her review of the film for The New York Times, critic Janet Maslin said, "The Commitments finds Mr. Parker again doing what he does expertly: assembling a group of talented newcomers, editing snippets of their exploits into a hyperkinetic jumble, and filling the air with song. [It is an] exuberant valentine to American soul music and the impoverished Dublin teen-agers who think of it as magic."

TNOP proudly brings you a listening guide to the entire soundtrack of The Commitments in sequential order, along with the context in which they are played. Use it as a guide as you watch the movie or click the links where available to enjoy the originals as your own private playlist. [While the majority of the songs listed are performed by the film's cast, we have listed the artists who made the songs popular for your information.]

Cathy's Clown (The Everly Brothers) - Backdrop is a "boot sale" (or as it is known in the States, a "garage sale," in which Jimmy attempts to sell bootlegged tapes while sporting a Paul McCartney t-shirt.

24 Hours To Tulsa (Gene Pitney) & Needles & Pins (The Searchers) - Performed at a wedding reception by Jimmy's pals and their insufferable synth player.

I Can't Stand The Rain (Ann Peebles) - Amidst scenes of working class North Dublin and a series of often comic auditions, Jimmy declares: "We're gonna be playing Dublin soul!"

Can't Help Falling In Love (Elvis Presley) - The camera pans the wall of the Rabbitte household, showing photos of Pope John Paul II and Jimmy at his First Communion, then rises to reveal a large portrait of Elvis above both of them. Jimmy to his Dad: "Elvis is not soul!" The incredulous reply of his Father: "Elvis is God!"

Who's Sorry Now? (Connie Francis) - The Rabbitte's neighbor lady, clearly a product of a by-gone generation, sings a few bars of this song and looks hopefully at Jimmy and his mates, asking "Any chance for me lads?"

Only The Lonely (Roy Orbison) - The core of the new group is in the local pub when the attractive character Imelda Quirke (who will become a backup singer) is introduced to the story. As all the boys ogle her, Jimmy says with a manager's bravado "When this band is successful, the girls will be throwing their knickers at you." [Speaking of the Big O, later in the movie, looking to hock for amps and gear to play with, one of our protagonists will declare "everything's shite since Roy Orbison died."]

Watching vintage film of James Brown on The T.A.M.I. Show - "That's what you've got to measure up to: The Irish are the Blacks of Europe. Dubliners are the Blacks of Ireland. And North Dubliners are the Blacks of Dublin."

Slip Away (Clarence Carter) - In which we are introduced to the grizzled horn player Joey "The Lips" Fagan, who defensively indicates to the others that "I'm 16 years younger than B. B. King." Declaring "God sent me," Joey confidently states that "Our Irish brothers wouldn't be shooting the ass off each other if they just had soul."

Destination Anywhere (The Marvelettes) - This song introduces the three girls (Imelda, Bernie McGloughlin and Natalie Murphy) in the story, who will become singers with The Commitments. Jimmy uses the opportunity to preach that "Soul is the sound of sex and the factory: it grabs you by the balls and lifts you above the shite."

Nowhere To Run (Martha & The Vandellas) - The classic Motown track is a backdrop for a panorama of scenes starring the aspiring members of the band: Declan "Deco" Cuffe serenading first communicants on a local train; Imelda, Bernie and Natalie cautiously trying out their dance moves; guitarist Outspan Foster working his day job in a slaughterhouse; Jimmy seeking rehearsal space in the back of an ancient pool hall; and Steven Clifford and his mates loading an upright piano on the back of a VW pick-up truck.

Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett) - The fits and starts of initial rehearsal center around this classic gut-bucket soul tune.

Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (Aretha Franklin) - The scene centers around Bernie's family's apartment in the North Dublin projects, where she is missing rehearsal in order to help her mother care for her younger siblings. A character remarks that Bernie - stuck in the traditional role of young women in Ireland - "needs the band more than any of us."

A Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harem) - Steven is seen playing the prog rock classic on the church organ when the young parish priest walks in. He convinces the father to allow The Commitments to play their first gig at the church community center in support of the "anti-heroine" campaign.

Too Many Fish In The Sea (The Marvelettes) - The second appearance of the marvelous Marvelettes mark the girls' first stab at carrying the vocals on a number, much to Deco's chagrin.

(Tell Me Why) I Don't Like Mondays (The Boomtown Rats) - This nihilist punk anthem is chosen for microphone check by the group's self-appointed bouncer (and later replacement drummer) Mickah Wallace, blatantly marking not only his opposite musical tastes but also lack of hope of any economic mobility.

Mr. Pitiful (Otis Redding) - While Deco shows no fear at the band's first appearance at the community center by ripping into an Otis Redding roof-raiser, the limited space on stage proves an . . . um . . . impediment.

(Theme From) "Shaft" (Issac Hayes) - Joey "The Lips" drops this unforgettable blaxploitation movie theme on the turntable in his room (located in his mother's house) in his process of seducing and bedding Bernie. The scene is cleverly juxtaposed with Joey's mother downstairs playing a hymn while positioned in front of her shrine to the Virgin Mary.

Take Me To The River (Al Green) - An apt choice marking The Commitments' formal baptism in front of their first "real" crowd at a pub gig.

The Dark End of the Street (James Carr) - This obscure, mournful ballad fits perfectly in back-to-back scenes. In the first, Jimmy is pictured at the sound board while the band plays. He looks around in a subtle fashion and sees for the first time that his creation - his band - is making a real connection with the audience. Unfortunately, that feeling is doused by his realization that everyone around him - the promoters, the equipment people, the band - all want money, instead of the simple satisfaction he feels. The action then moves to the local parish, where outside a poster reads "The Commitments - Saviours of Soul" and the parish priest is shown walking away into the church. Next we hear Steven. "When I was studying, I used to sing hymns," the young man whispers in the confessional. "Now I'm always humming 'When a Man Loves a Woman,' by Marvin Gaye." The priest corrects him: "It was Percy Sledge." The power of popular music permeates even the most traditional, powerful institution of Ireland.

Destination Anywhere [REPRISE] - Some of the band members, reduced to schlepping around their gear in a old, broken down portable fish 'n chips van (former business of trade: "Mr. Chippy"). Unsuspecting boys approach the truck looking for food. "Got any salmon wraps?" they inquire. The logical retort: "We only got soul (sole)."

Hard To Handle (Otis Redding) - What little bit of success the band has had is starting to go to everyone's heads. Shy Dean Fay, tutored by Joey "The Lips" to play the sax, now fancies himself a jazz hipster and wants to improvise during stage performance. Meanwhile, Jimmy, flush with 200 quid in his pocket from a successful door take, has to use it to pay off loan sharks instead of the group members.

Chain of Fools (Aretha Franklin) - Tempers finally boil over and The Commitments are literally at each others' throats.

Mustang Sally [REPRISE] - Jimmy has lured the band back together with the anticipation of an appearance at the gig by The Wicked One himself: Wilson Pickett. The group is now really polished; Deco riffs like a real soul man, and there are unexpected flourishes by Steven on piano and Joey and Dean on brass.

I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Loved You) (Aretha Franklin) - Natalie takes the mic and sings this The Queen of Soul gem, a code of her unrequited love for Jimmy.

Try A Little Tenderness (Otis Redding) - As The Commitments wait in vain for Pickett to arrive, we see the bi-polar behavior of stage demeanor vs. backstage bickering, culminating with the victory of the dark side: the public humiliation of Jimmy by his own band.

In The Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett) - The clock figuratively strikes twelve, and even though a record executive has showed up in the audience, all hell finally breaks loose with the band. And Jimmy finally walks away, saying the hell with it all. He'll conduct the post-mortem in his final "interview".

=================================

"The Commitments." Directed by Alan Parker; screenplay by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais and Roddy Doyle, from the novel by Mr. Doyle; director of photography, Gale Tattersall; edited by Gerry Hambling; production designer, Brian Morris; produced by Roger Randall-Cutler and Lynda Myers; released by 20th Century Fox. Running time: 120 minutes. This film is rated R. Starring: Robert Arkins (Jimmy Rabbitte); Michael Aherne (Steven Clifford); Angeline Ball (Imelda Quirke); Maria Doyle (Natalie Murphy); Dave Finnegan (Mickah Wallace); Bronagh Gallagher (Bernie McGloughlin).

The National's "High Violet" Double-Disc Version

2010-11-28T17:23:00.002-06:00

A contender for one of the best records of the year, The National has now released a double-disc expanded version of High Violet. In addition to the lauded album, the new package includes B-sides, live tracks and a few new tunes, including "Wake Up The Saints," which you can sample below. "Wake Up" almost jaunty, featuring honky-tonk piano, finger snapping (!) and the horn section that the band has been using extensively on its latest tour. (Not that Matt Beringer is cooperating lyrically with the optimistic sounds . . .)

Here's the track listing for the extra disc:

1. Terrible Love (Alternate Version)
2. Wake Up Your Saints
3. You Were A Kindness
4. Walk Off
5. Sin-Eaters
6. Bloodbuzz Ohio (Live on KCMP)
7. Anyone's Ghost (Live at BAM)
8. England (Live at BAM)

The National - "Wake Up The Saints"

New Paul Simon Single Drops

2010-11-25T21:16:00.004-06:00

Paul Simon has revealed the name and release date of his new album due in the Spring of 2011. So Beautiful Or So What reunites Simon with producer Phil Ramone.

The first single is "Getting Ready For Christmas Day" and it surely is not your standard holiday fare. It's a catchy pop melody mashed up with African rhythm and a sampled 1941 track from Rev. J.M. Gates, preacher and gospel artist. The lyrics are typically thought provoking. To our ears, the song is already one of our favorites of 2010.

Through 27 November, you can download "Getting Ready For Christmas Day" for free by going to paulsimon.com. Just provide an email address and you'll receive a link directing you to the tune. Or sample it right here (via The Telegraph).

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#26]

2010-11-23T22:42:00.005-06:00

"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"

Shawn Colvin

Original Dylan version found on Blood On The Tracks (1975)

Shawn Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota in 1956 and spent her formative teenage years in the college town of Champaign, Illinois, where she first performed in front of audiences. Colvin would come to the forefront of the so-called "new folk movement" in the late 1980s.

Strongly influenced by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, she landed a contract with Columbia, and released two very noteworthy albums, Steady On (1989) and Fat City (1992). The former won her a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Recording, and the latter earned her two more nominations.

In 1994, a collection of interpretation of songs written by some of her favorite artists, Cover Girl, was met with decidedly mixed reviews. In retrospect, the set list is more than suited to her strong points: fluid acoustic guitar work and a marvelous, interpretive voice. The closer on the album is Colvin's take on Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go."

The Dylan cover is a courageous choice; the lyric is surely one of the most beautiful and memorable that the author has ever written. Colvin makes it work by stamping the tune with a female perspective and an adventuresome guitar run. (Why she puts the third verse in front of the second, though, I do not know.)

Shawn Colvin's career triumph was yet to come. Her LP A Few Small Repairs would win Record of the Year honors in 1997.

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The content of "You're Gonna Make me Lonesome When You Go" lends itself to intense personal memories for many a listener. Perhaps the last word is best left to writer Pete Hamill, who wrote the original liner notes for Blood On The Tracks:

There are some who attack Dylan because he will not rewrite "Like a Rolling Stone" or "Gates of Eden." They are fools because they are cheating themselves of a shot at wonder. Every artist owns a vision of the world, and he shouts his protest when he sees evil mangling that vision. But he must also tell us the vision. Now we are getting Dylan's vision, rich and loamy, against which the world moved so darkly. To enter that envisioned world, is like plunging deep into a mountain pool, where the rocks are clear and smooth at the bottom.

So forget the Dylan whose image was eaten at by the mongers of the idiot wind. Don't mistake him for Isaiah, or a magazine cover, or a leader of guitar armies. He is only a troubadour, blood brother of Villon, a son of Provence, and he has survived the plague. Look: he has just walked into the courtyard, padding across the flagstones, strumming a guitar. The words are about "flowers on the hillside bloomin' crazy/Crickets talkin' back and forth in rhyme..." A girl, red-haired and melancholy, begins to smile. Listen: the poet sings to all of us:

But I'll see you in the sky above,
In the tall grass,
In the ones I love.
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Original Version: Bob Dylan, "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" (Blood On The Tracks, 1975)

Another Cover: Madeleine Peyroux, "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" (Careless Love, 2004)

Pick To Click: Adele - "Rolling In The Deep"

2010-11-22T21:03:00.004-06:00

The second album from Adele will drop at stores and on the web 24 January 2011 on XL/Columbia. Titled 21, the record is produced by Rick Rubin and Paul Epworth (Florence & The Machine, Bloc Party). The Tottenham, London native says the latest effort is "different from (2008 release) 19 - it's about the same things but in a different light. I deal with things differently now. I'm more patient, more honest, more forgiving and more aware of my own flaws, habits and principles - something that comes with age I think."

Here's the official video for the first single, "Rolling In The Deep," a stomping, up tempo number that highlights Adele's powerhouse voice.

In Memoriam: President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

2010-11-22T11:52:00.000-06:00

Miles Gallagher Reports From The UK

2010-11-20T23:29:00.003-06:00

Our music correspondent in the United Kingdom, Miles Gallagher, reported in this week with a couple of stories.

Miles is still tracking one of his fave new groups this year, Free Energy. The Philadelphia foursome has been making their mark in Europe, and Miles sends us a clip from a recent appearance on the French program Album de la Semaine. The song is "Bang Pop," one of TNOP's favorite singles of 2010.

And he also tells our readers to check out Frank Turner, an English folk punk singer who has been building a steady following on his home turf. Next year he will release his fourth proper CD in early 2011. But this 8 December Turner will provide us with a five song EP entitled Rock & Roll. The centerpiece (and only tune which will also appear on the CD) is "I Still Believe," which struck quite a chord with festival audiences this past summer. It reminds us of some of the very best of Billy Bragg - a good thing to be sure.

The Decemberists & Gillian Welch: "Down By The Water"

2010-11-19T21:52:00.003-06:00

Portland's The Decemberists will release their new record The King Is Dead (a nod to The Smiths?) on 11 January 2011 via Capitol Records. They provided a sneak preview the other night on Conan along with the fine Gillian Welch. "Down By The Water" is a departure from the prog-heavy The Hazards of Love; it will be interesting to listen to the full album and learn the group's set list for their tour which begins on 25 January in New York City, extends across the US and then over the pond to Europe.

Here's the list of dates revealed thusfar:

January 25, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY* SOLD OUT
January 26, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY*
January 28, House of Blues, Boston, MA* (onsale Saturday 10AM ET)
January 29, House of Blues, Boston, MA* (onsale Saturday 10AM ET)
January 31, Olympia De Montreal, Montreal, Canada*
February 1, Sound Academy, Toronto, Canada*
February 2, Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI* (onsale today 5PM ET)
Feburary 4, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL* (onsale Saturday 12PM CT)
February 5, Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI#
February 6, State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN# (onsale Saturday 12PM CT)
February 7, Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, MO# (onsale Saturday 10AM CT)
February 9, Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO#
February 10, Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO# (onsale Saturday 10AM MT)
February 12, The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA#
February 13, House of Blues-San Diego, San Diego, CA# (onsale today 12PM PT)
February 14, Fox Theater, Oakland, CA# (onsale Sunday 10AM PT)
February 18, Paramount Ballroom, Seattle, WA# (onsale Saturday 10AM PT)
February 19, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR# (onsale Saturday 10AM PT)

* with Wye Oak
# with Mountain Man

March 4, Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland
March 5, ABC, Glasgow, UK
March 7, Birmingham Institute, Birmingham, UK
March 8, Bristol Academy, Bristol, UK
March 10, Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK
March 11, Leeds Academy, Leeds, UK
March 13, Trix, Antwerp, Belgium
March 14, Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 16, Hammersmith Apollo, London, UK

UPDATE: Patti Smith Wins National Book Award

2010-11-18T09:09:00.003-06:00

From The New York Times:

By JULIE BOSMAN

The rock musician Patti Smith won the National Book Award for nonfiction on Wednesday night for “Just Kids,” a sweetly evocative memoir of her relationship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe and life in the bohemian New York of the 1960s and ’70s.

Accepting the award to applause and cheers, Ms. Smith — clearly the favorite of the night — choked up as she recalled her days as a clerk in the Scribner’s bookstore in Manhattan.

“I dreamed of having a book of my own, of writing one that I could put on a shelf,” she said. “Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please don’t abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book.” “Just Kids” was published by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#25]

2010-11-16T19:33:00.005-06:00

"Changing of the Guards" Patti Smith
Original Dylan version found on Street Legal (1978)

Patricia Lee Smith was born in Chicago and raised in New Jersey. Her dream of attending school derailed for a number of personal and economic reasons, she adopted the bohemian life by moving to New York City in 1967 in order to write poetry and study art.

Patti Smith's early years living in Brooklyn and the lower east side of Manhattan with her closest friend Robert Mapplethorpe and their eventual involvement in the orbit of other noted artists is vividly portrayed in her memoir Just Kids, recently nominated for the National Book Award.

In the book Smith writes of her reverence of Dylan, especially as poet. They both share a particular fondness for the work of Frenchman Arthur Rimbaud, a like-minded restless and rambling soul who influenced music, art and literature in the Europe of the later 1800s.

One of Mapplethorpe's first Polaroid pictures taken in 1970 shows Smith surrounded by three album sleeves: a Lotte Lenya LP of Weill/Brecht songs, as well as Blonde On Blonde and Bringing It All Back Home.

By 1975, she had taken to music and formed the Patti Smith Group. The band was starting to make its mark on the New York City music scene at places like Max's Kansas City and CBGB. But on a summer night that year Smith "merely had to lace up my boots, throw on my jacket and walk to work" at the Other End in Greenwich Village. It would be the group's first performance with a drummer. Smith continues:

The night, as the saying goes, was a jewel in our crown. We played as one, and the pulse and pitch of the band spiraled us into another dimension. Yet with all that swirling around me, I could feel another presence as surely as the rabbit senses the hound. He was there. I suddenly understood the nature of the electric air. Bob Dylan had entered the club. This
knowledge had a strange effect on me. Instead of humbled, I felt a power, perhaps his; but I also felt my own worth of my band. It seemed for me a night of initiation, where I had to become fully myself in the presence of the one I had modeled myself after.

In just a few months, the Patti Smith Group would record their debut album, Horses, at Electric Lady studios.

And so it should come as no surprise that on the 2007 compilation of covers Twelve, Patti Smith would finally record a nod to one of her chief muses. But the selection of the song was somewhat curious . . .

I only had one friend who would listen to Street Legal with me. She was very intellectual and artistic, and would sit cross-legged on her couch smoking cigarette after cigarette. We both thought that the newest Dylan record (save the horrible "New Pony," for which we would take turns getting up and lifting the phonograph stylus up and over to the next cut) was quite daring from both a musical style and lyrical standpoint; it was what attracted to us about Dylan: his chameleon-like persona, from large arena rock god with The Band to pancake makeup troubadour wandering the countryside in the Rolling Thunder Revue. And now here was Street Legal, drenched with background female call and response singers seemingly influenced by Bob Marley's I-Threes.
And it wasn't just a whim limited to a disc; he took the album on the road and plowed through almost all of it, much to the audience's chagrin . . .

"Changing of the Guards" has been interpreted by many as a thinly veiled history of Dylan's career up to that point (literally, "sixteen years," the opening line of the song). It is the aggressive seven minute opening salvo which opens Street Legal and was oddly chosen as a single (it did not make the Top 100).

Smith's take is much gentler and almost wary, and the lyrics are more pronounced as a result. Why did she choose this song above all others? Who knows. Maybe its apocalyptic nature fit the time in which it was released in 2007, with the country mired in two wars and partisan bickering more intense than usual. Maybe it is the stark imagery in Dylan's poem. Maybe both. Maybe neither. But isn't that the point?

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "Changing of the Guards" (Street Legal, 1978)

Another Cover: Frank Black, "Changing of the Guards" (All My Ghosts, 1998)

New Patti Smith Album Set For 2011

2010-11-15T22:30:00.004-06:00

Spinner reports that Patti Smith has recorded a new album and it is set to be released in early 2011. Sessions took place in Italy and France, but the bulk of the studio work apparently was done at Electric Lady in New York City.

"My work on the book sidestepped the album for awhile, but Columbia [Records] has been patient," Smith tells Spinner. "I recorded it with my band and my daughter [Jesse] played piano on it. [Television's] Tom Verlaine played some guitar on it."

Verlaine contributed guitar on some very early Smith sides and the two have been acquaintances since the halcyon days at CBGB.

Electric Lady is the studio created by Jimi Hendrix. In her memoir Just Kids, Smith recounts her initial, accidental encounter with Hendrix on the stairs leading up to the recording lair. Years after his death, she cut her first 45 rpm single there: "Hey Joe" (whispering hello to the guitar hero in the opening of the song that Hendrix made famous on his first album) b/w her own composition "Piss Factory," an elegy to Smith's days on a non-union manufacturing line.

Patti Smith and her band, led by long-time collaborator Lenny Kaye, will once again play a three night stand 29-31 December at the Bowery Ballroom in New York.

Here's a classic performance of "Horses" and the aforementioned "Hey Joe" by the Patti Smith Group - Kaye on guitar, Ivan Krall on bass, Jay Dee Daugherty on drums and Richard Sohl on keyboards - from the Old Grey Whistle Test back in 1976:

Music On TV This Week

2010-11-15T09:58:00.003-06:00

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR TV TIMES AND/OR REPEAT SHOWINGS; ALSO CONSULT WEB SITES AND YouTube

TONIGHT, MONDAY 15 November
Conan (TBS) - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

The Tonight Show (NBC) - Annie Lennox

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) - Qunicy Jones; Grinderman
Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) - Kate Nash

Lopez Tonight (TBS) - Sheryl Crow

TUESDAY, 16 November
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Bruce Springsteen

Last Call with Carson Daly - Japandroids

The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) - John Legend

WEDNESDAY, 17 November

Last Call with Carson Daly - Broken Bells

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) - Jay-Z

THURSDAY, 18 November

Conan - The Decemberists
Jimmy Kimmel Live - My Chemical Romance
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - The Frames
Last Call with Carson Daly - Menomena

FRIDAY, 19 November

The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) - The Secret Sisters
Jimmy Kimmel Live - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS) - Adam Savage & Jamie Hyneman

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Sufjan Stevens

Last Call with Carson Daly - Fitz & The Tantrums

Tavis Smiley (PBS) - Robert Duvall

Sneak Preview of Bruce Springsteen's "The Promise"

2010-11-12T17:14:00.006-06:00

This coming Tuesday 16 November Columbia Records will release the outtakes of Bruce Springsteen's Darkness On The Edge Of Town sessions, recorded back in 1977 and 1978. The Boss & The E Street Band had famously been away from the recording studio for almost three years due to a managerial dispute. But then Springsteen came to The Record Plant in New York City with a wealth of material, and this 21 (22?) track archive stands as a great double LP addition to his wonderful catalog.

The majority of the record could be peeled off and titled Born To Run 2.0. "Gotta Get That Feeling" is a full-on Phil Spector era tribute which could have been sung by one of his stable of great girl groups. (Hint to Darlene Love - make this your next single.) The British Invasion is revisited in "Outside Looking In" and The Righteous Brothers are bowed to with reverence via "Someday." And Bruce's deep affection for Memphis soul is reflected in two of the best tracks on the record: the call and response anthem "Ain't Good Enough" and the Miami Horns powered "It's A Shame," punctuated by a fine harmony vocal from Little Steven Van Zandt.

But The Promise also provides a glimpse of what an extended Darkness might have been. And while it's certainly hard to quibble with the tight structure of a four-star album, there are definitely some tunes that must have come close to making the cut. The title song and "One Way Street" are in the same vein. And a serious argument can be made for "Because The Night": alas, Springsteen couldn't find the right lyrical fit until he handed it off to Patti Smith, who then took her version to the Top 10 a year later.

What is also revelatory about this compilation are the compositions that ended up in the hands of or influenced other artists, showing the versatility of Bruce the songwriter: "Fire" (The Pointer Sisters), "Talk To Me" (Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes) and "City of Night" (certainly meant for Willy DeVille).

The Promise is no throwaway of odds and ends. It is a worthy addition to the Bruce Springsteen canon.

===================================
Preview The Promise in its entirety (via Spinner.com), and enjoy the promotional film below.

All-Star Lineup To Discuss Dylan & The Band

2010-11-12T13:00:00.004-06:00

New York's 14th Street Y has announced a symposium entitled "Bob Dylan & The Band: What Kind of Love Is This?" to be held on 5 December. The six and a half hour talkfest features an all-star lineup of noted Dylanologists:

Greil Marcus: Author of the definitive book on Bob Dylan and The Band, Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes.

Christopher Ricks: Renowned critic and scholar of English literature and poetry, and author of Dylan’s Visions of Sin.

John Niven: Novelist whose book Music from Big Pink vividly imagines the world of Bob Dylan and The Band.

Dana Spiotta: Author of mesmerizing portraits of the 60’s underground, including Eat the Document.

Matt Friedberger: Co-founder of the visionary rock band The Fiery Furnaces.

D.A. Pennebaker: Pioneering film documentarian, whose credits include Don’t Look Back, the first film on Bob Dylan.

Stephen Hazan Arnoff: Executive Director of the 14th Street Y writes and teaches widely on music, art and religion.

Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding): Singer-songwriter and award winning author of Misfortune.

William G. Scheele: Museum curator and former Equipment/Stage Manager for Bob Dylan and The Band.

The program of events kicks off on 3 December with the gallery showing of some of Scheele's photographs of Dylan and his mates from 1973-1975. It concludes with a concert on 5 December following the roundtable, with musicians including Laura Cantrell, John Wesley Harding, John Medeski, Jolie Holland and others.

Tickets for the symposium and concert are $75 per (or $35 per if you just want to go to the concert) and can be purchased here.

Veterans/Remembrance Day 2010

2010-11-11T10:09:00.003-06:00

Community Center, Berkeley, California, 2 March 1973.

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#24]

2010-11-10T09:23:00.005-06:00

"Spanish Harlem Incident"
Yonder Mountain String Band
Original Dylan version found on Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)

This week's selection is relatively new and certainly obscure. But that doesn't mean it's not good.

The four-piece bluegrass group Yonder Mountain String Band is based out of Colorado. Their sound is a little more agressive than the original American traditional mountain sounds that originated in Appalachia. But YMSB certainly knows their roots, and it shows on this cover of Dylan's "Spanish Harlem Incident."

Bob Dylan's original recording is basically an urban blues about an immediate attraction to a woman that the narrator glimpses on a (presumably Manhattan, given the title) street. The lyric is beautifully layered and poetic in its transference to the reader of the hard to describe feeling that occurs when a total stranger can strike one's fancy in a strong, almost obsessive way.

This particular YMSB live performance is taken from an appearance this past summer at the 2010 9th Annual Northwest String Summit in North Plains, Oregon. No doubt Dylan would be pleased, given his open admiration of American music legend Bill Monroe: the band here uses Monroe's familiar rhythmic cadence while guitarist Adam Aijala takes the lead vocal and matches the melody with the feverish words provided by Dylan.

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "Spanish Harlem Incident" (Another Side of Bob Dylan, 1964)

Another Cover: The Byrds, "Spanish Harlem Incident" (Mr. Tambourine Man, 1965)

Still Another Cover: Dion, "Spanish Harlem Incident" (The Return of The Wanderer, 1978)

Pick To Click: The Naked + Famous - "Young Blood"

2010-11-08T19:49:00.002-06:00

This New Zealand outfit shines in the first single from its album Passive Me, Aggressive You. Sounding like continental cousins of Passion Pit, "Young Blood" was voted single of the year in that country. The song is available in the US and UK on iTunes, but no word on when the CD will come our way. In the meantime, The Naked + Famous are appearing live in the next two weeks in Manchester, London, New York and Los Angeles.

Music On TV This Week

2010-11-08T09:41:00.004-06:00

[Special thanks to Conan O'Brien for promoting The Night Owl as well as his new talk show debuting tonight on TBS at 11EST/10CST.]

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR TV TIMES AND/OR REPEAT SHOWINGS; ALSO CONSULT WEB SITES AND YouTube

TONIGHT, MONDAY 8 November
Conan (TBS) - Jack White

The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) - Cee-Lo Green

The Tonight Show (NBC) - N.E.R.D.

Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) - Neil Diamond

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) - Toots & The Maytals
Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) - Matt & Kim

Tavis Smiley (PBS) - Josh Groban

Lopez Tonight (TBS) - Rooney

TUESDAY, 9 November
Conan - Soundgarden

The Late Show with David Letterman - Bon Jovi
Last Call with Carson Daly - The Walkmen

The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) - Cee-Lo Green

WEDNESDAY, 10 November

Conan - Fistful of Mercy

The Late Show with David Letterman - Quincy Jones; Snoop Dogg

The Tonight Show - Old 97's

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Jonsi
Last Call with Carson Daly - Alberta Cross

THURSDAY, 11 November
The Late Show with David Letterman - Bruno Mars

Jimmy Kimmel Live - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Robyn
Last Call with Carson Daly - Jimmy Eat World

The Colbert Report - Qunicy Jones

FRIDAY, 12 November
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - Kings of Leon

Tavis Smiley - Cassandra Wilson

New From The Tallest Man On Earth

2010-11-07T18:53:00.002-06:00

Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man On Earth, released his second album on Dead Oceans Records a few months ago. The Wild Hunt is a solid follow up to 2008's Shallow Grave. This week, the official video to the latest single, "Love Is All" was released. The sweet folk confection, complimented by home movies, can be enjoyed below.

The Live Vault: Richard Thompson

2010-11-04T23:32:00.008-05:00

4 November 2010

Pabst Theater, Milwaukee

[On occasion, our far-flung correspondents attend and review shows. Here's another installment.]

BY THE NIGHT OWL

Twenty-five years ago, this reviewer sat in the back of an intimate Madison, Wisconsin theater waiting on headliner Randy Newman. But first, a tall, lanky Englishman topped with a beret and an unassuming acoustic guitar stepped up to a lone microphone.

It was Richard Thompson.

The only thing I knew about Thompson was his cult status due to an album that many had praised, but few had actually heard: Shoot Out The Lights (1982), the extraordinary group of songs recorded with his ex-wife, Linda. His notoriety of a guitar boy wonder had only taken root in the UK after his regional success with Fairport Convention in the late 1960s and into the early 1970s.

By 1985, Richard Thompson was caught in the jaws of the music industry machine. He had moved from England to Los Angeles, seeking an audience in the US. But his deal with Polygram had failed to produce sufficient record sales, and he would soon be looking for a new label.

So there Thompson was in a Wisconsin college town, busking before the crowd as a warm up act for Newman (a man who had also known what it was like to be under appreciated by the general music fandom). And damned if he wasn't mesmerizing. Self-effacing and a wizard with his hands, the acoustic performance would stick in my mind for a long time and encourage me to pay attention to his future releases, no matter how obscure they might become over the years.

This past Thursday night at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, a now 61-year old Richard Thompson played to nearly a full house in support of a brand new batch of originals contained on his latest CD, Dark Attic. He strolled on to the stage looking like a Bohemian working man, sporting his black beret, a keffiyeh patterned scarf and jeans. The major attraction for this show was Thompson strapping on his famous baby blue Fender Stratocaster. In tow was a crack band: Taras Prodaniuk on bass, Joel Zifkin on fiddle and mandolin, Michael Jerome on drums and uber-musician and vocalist Pete Zorn (we should probably just list the instruments he can't play).

The first set took some guts, even if Thompson was playing mostly to the faithful. The band played Dream Attic in its entirety, in sequential order. While the album itself was recorded live, and certainly was road tested to begin with, the lyrical content is, ahem, not the most uplifting. ("The happy songs come in the second part of the show," deadpanned Thompson.)

Highlights were many. The opener, "The Money Shuffle," is a driving melody that does not hide the author's disdain for the recent misdeeds of Wall Street. "Haul Me Up" cues into a Sun Records beat that sounds like Johnny Cash crossed with Hank Williams; Zifkin's clever fiddle segued beautifully into a furious Thompson solo. "Crime Scene" is a heartbreaking tale that lyrically pays attention to the humanity that is so often missing in a media that favors sensationalism over the reality of "a soul torn away." That darkness was punctuated nicely by Jerome's use of drum mallets. "Big Sun Falling On The River" painted a vivid picture of the Thames River in London with a melody that could have fit on Rubber Soul.

Then the band started to hit its stride with a grouping of four Dream Attic songs that translate very well to the live stage. "Stumble On" showed Thompson not only as a technically proficient electric guitarist but also a soulful one. The listener can also imagine him playing this tune on his acoustic with his fiddle player late at night in the snug of an Irish pub. A 9/8 time murder ballad dressed as a loud rock jig followed; "Sydney Wells" rouses the crowd to its feet, powered by a soprano sax and fiddle cacophony which melts into a violent guitar solo, mirroring the gruesome chaos of a brutal murderer. "A Brother Slips Away" is searingly poignant, each verse one of remembrance of loved ones lost and the creeping mortality that we all must face sooner or later. And "Bad Again" brings to mind the early 1960s swing of "Got My Mind Set On You." Zorn picks up and honks the baritone sax, bringing a wry smile to Thompson's face, who glides through the vocal with a voice just as solid as it was 25 years ago.

Set two opened with a nod to the Fairport days: "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away" reflects his first band's patented combination of Celtic rock and Renaissance courtyard. "Can't Win" sported a Thompson electric guitar solo that almost exhausts this listener. Almost as if sensing this, the band leader finally picks up an acoustic guitar and treats the audience to "One Door Opens," a Moroccan-tinged melody that highlights how effortlessly Thompson shifts from strumming to finger picking; during this song he looks particularly pleased at one point in nailing a difficult chord.

Thompson has said in interviews that acoustic playing has become more physically challenging than electric at his age. This seems to be borne out after he finishes "Al Bowlly's In Heaven" when he squeezes and shakes out both hands to regain a little circulation. But there certainly appears to be no hangover when he launches into the one-two punch of "I'll Never Give It Up" and "Wall of Death." The former features the sound that Thompson has uniquely patented over the years: a kind of English cousin to Elvis' noted fret-man, James Burton. The latter is the sole selection from Shoot Out The Lights, which benefits from a nice complimentary vocal by Zorn.

The set winds up with the Little Richard flavored raver "Tear Stained Letter," and if the crowd doesn't know it by now, it is surely aware that any guitar solo by Thompson is never an exercise in navel-gazing. Indeed, they have witnessed one of the best ever at his instrument, who is still contributing vital music over 40 years after bursting on the music scene.

SET ONE - Dream Attic

1. The Money Shuffle

2. Among The Gorse, Among The Grey

3. Haul Me Up

4. Burning Man

5. Here Comes Geordie

6. Demons In Her Dancing Shoes

7. Crime Scene

8. Big Sun Falling In The River

9. Stumble On

10. Sidney Wells

11. A Brother Slips Away

12. Bad Again

13. If Love Whispers Your Name

SET TWO

1. The Angels Took My Racehorse Away

2. Can't Win

3. One Door Opens

4. Al Bowlly's In Heaven

5. I'll Never Give It Up

6. Wall of Death

7. Tear Stained Letter

(Encore)

8. Take Care The Road You Choose

9. I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#23]

2010-11-02T19:56:00.007-05:00

"Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)"

Manfred Mann

Original Dylan version found on Self-Portrait (1970)

Manfred Mann, a British band steeped in beat and blues, made its bones on the charts with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," an Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry song that spent two weeks at #1 in the US in 1964. The group then became Dylan cover specialists, recording "With God On Our Side," "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" and "Just Like A Woman."

Then came "Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)." The Night Owl's initial exposure to this Dylan composition was like, I suppose, the majority of listeners: this Manfred Mann cover climbed to the Top 10 back in February 1968. The catchy tune, a nursery rhyme that leans musically on (of all things) a flute hook, naturally caught the attention of this then nine year old listening to nascent AM rock and roll radio.

=========================

The genesis of "Quinn" is Dylan's famous sessions with The Band in Woodstock, New York back in 1967. That demo was not intended for release, but first surfaced on the bootleg Great White Wonder in 1969. A live take of the song - apparently from the Isle of Wight Festival - first appeared commercially on Self-Portrait (1970) and then once again on Greatest Hits Vol. II (1971). The second take from Woodstock was included on the seminal collection Biograph (1985). Ironically enough, when the bootleg finally reached the light of day on Columbia's double-disc The Basement Tapes (1975), "The Mighty Quinn" was not on the 24-track listing.

Dylan amusingly refers to "The Mighty Quinn" in a chapter of his memoir Chronicles (p. 187):

On the way back to the house [in New Orleans] I passed the local movie theater on Prytania Street, where The Mighty Quinn was showing. Years earlier I had written a song called "The Mighty Quinn" which was a hit in England, and I wondered what the movie was about. Eventually I'd sneak off and go there to see it. It was a mystery, suspense, Jamaican thriller with Denzel Washington as the mighty Xavier Quinn, a detective who solves crimes. Funny, that's just the way I imagined him when I wrote the song "The Mighty Quinn." Denzel Washington. He must have been a fan of mine . . . years later he would play the boxer Hurricane Carter, someone else I wrote a song about. I wondered if Denzel could play Woody Guthrie. In my dimension of reality, he certainly could have.

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)" (Self-Portrait, 1970)

Another Cover: The Hollies, "Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)" (The Hollies Sing Dylan, 1969)

Still Another Cover: Ramsey Lewis, "Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)" (Maiden Voyage, 1968)

Van Morrison - "All Saints Day"

2010-11-01T14:52:00.003-05:00

"All Saints Day"

Here comes Sue and she looks crazy
Skipping down the hillside gaily
Looking like the flowers that bloom in May
Won't you make your reservation?
I will meet you at the station
Won't you come and see me, All Saints Day?

Follow my lead, it is no wonder, I seem to be so high
Living my dreams the way I ought to
As the days go rolling by
See me strolling through the meadow
With you baby by my side
Won't you come and see me, All Saints Day?

See the streamline blue horizon
With you baby by the way
Won't you come and see me, All Saints Day?
You can make your reservation
I will meet you at the station
When you come to see me, All Saints Day

When you come to see me, All Saints Day
When you come to see me, All Saints Day.

Written by Van Morrison
1991
Hymns To The Silence
Polydor Records

Still The Greatest

2010-11-01T08:58:00.006-05:00

Yeah, TNOP knows: it's Monday. So if it feels like you are already on the ropes, we're going to set things right.

Over the weekend, it was the 36th (!) anniversary of the "Rumble In The Jungle," Muhammad Ali's stunning defeat of George Foreman in the African nation of Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). [The night before the boxing match there was a music festival featuring James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, The Spinners and Celia Cruz & The Fania All-Stars.] And if there ever was an authentic rock and roll boxer, it was Ali -- still "The Greatest."

So when you have worked your Monday morning rope-a-dope to perfection and decide it is time to dance, close the office door and turn up the video from The Hours below.

Pick To Click: Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith - "Not In Love"

2010-10-30T01:14:00.003-05:00

The Cure's front-man emerges from the shadows and lends his distinct vocals to Crystal Castles' remake of a 1984 Top 20 hit by Platinum Blonde.

Freedom For Suu Kyi? Revisiting Damien Rice's "Unplayed Piano" and U2's "Walk On"

2010-10-29T13:04:00.005-05:00

The Associated Press reports this morning that mounting pressure from regional neighbors may finally convince the military junta of the nation of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) to release Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi after elections are held in mid-November. The democracy icon has been imprisoned or held under house custody for 15 of the last 21 years. (In 1990, she received 82 percent of the vote in her country's elections, but was denied power by the ruling dictatorship.)

The talented, but publicly withdrawn, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice was approached by the US Campaign For Burma back in 2005 with a request to contribute an existing song for a benefit album to call attention to the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi. In an rare interview that year with The Guardian, Rice did not want to be pictured as another Bob Geldof, and was loath to be seen as a political activist: "He is just a regular guy, he says somewhat beseechingly, a musician 'who has seen something that is wrong and is trying, in some small way, to help'."

After visiting Burma and learning more about the situation, Rice penned an original piece entitled "Unplayed Piano," one of the more affecting songs of the past decade. A duet with then-partner Lisa Hannigan, the lyrics spotlight the isolation of the prisoner and a solemn, but respectful, plea to not forget a leader in what is now one of the most closed countries in the world:

Unplayed pianos
Are often by a window
In a room where nobody loved goes
She sits alone with her silent song
Somebody bring her home

Here are Rice & Hannigan performing "Unplayed Piano" at the Nobel Concert in Oslo in 2005:

Because of the 9/11 attacks and U2's appearance on a national US television special shortly thereafter performing "Walk On," that song is associated with uplifting the spirit of Americans in the wake of the deadly terrorist actions. But the lyrics written by Bono for "Walk On" are actually inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi. In a piece written for a website dedicated to the Burma leader's well-being and release, the Dublin bard writes:

Suu Kyi is a real hero in an age of phony phone-in celebrity, which hands out that title freely to the most spoiled and under qualified. Her quiet voice of reason makes the world look noisy, mad; it is a low mantra of grace in an age of terror, a reminder of everything we take for granted and just what it can take to get it. Thinking of her, you can’t help but use anachronistic language of duty and personal sacrifice.

U2 wrote the song “Walk On” to honor this amazing woman who put family second to country, who for her convictions made an unbearable choice—not to see her sons grow and not to be with her husband as he lost his life to a long and painful cancer. Suu Kyi, with an idea too big for any jail and a spirit too strong for any army, changes our view—as only real heroes can–of what we believe to be possible. The jury is still out on whether we deserve the faith she has put in us.

U2 has used "Walk On" as a centerpiece in many of its concerts, inviting Amnesty International and One volunteers to the stage who don Aung San Suu Kyi masks and hold lanterns in tribute to the peace prize winner.

Preview The New Brian Eno Album

2010-10-27T22:37:00.003-05:00

TNOP UK correspondent Miles Gallagher reports that the new Brian Eno album, Small Craft On A Milk Sea, will be released here in the States next Tuesday 2 November. The enigmatic Eno has been on a creative roll as of late, collaborating with David Byrne on the fine Everything That Happens Will Happen Today and producing U2's No Line On The Horizon. This set of originals, assisted by Jim Hopkins and Leo Abrahams, is said to have been inspired by some of his favorite motion pictures. Pretty Much Amazing is streaming two of the new titles, "Horse" and "Emerald and Stone." And you can go to the NPR site to listen to the whole album.

This Date In Rock History: 26 October

2010-10-26T15:22:00.006-05:00

On this date in 1951, bassist and funkmeister extraordinaire William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (aka "Casper The Funky Ghost" and "Bootzilla") was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A happy funky birthday to Bootsy, with a wish for many more, because we all want the funk and we all need the funk.

To celebrate, let's dance, if only because it's de-groovy . . .

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#22]

2010-10-25T22:25:00.003-05:00

The Morning Benders

"Outlaw Blues"

Original Dylan version found on Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

The first side of Bringing It All Back Home is a watershed event in the career of Bob Dylan. It is the introduction of electric rock and roll to the masses from a singer-songwriter idealized by many for his acoustic folk songs that galvanized the masses in support of political causes.

"Outlaw Blues" seems to call the public out. The fifth song on the album, Dylan's rollicking, jangly blues has him spitting out the famous line Well I might look like Robert Ford/But I feel just like Jesse James. Now seen as a typical ying/yang lyric that Dylan is associated with, at the time it probably reflected the desire of the writer not to be identified with any cause, but rather an artist seeking to blaze his own trail.

[A side note: It is fascinating to note that "Outlaw Blues" was recorded in New York at Columbia Records Studio A on January 14, 1965. During the same three-and-a-half hour session, master takes of "Love Minus Zero/No Limit," "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "She Belongs To Me," and "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" were also all recorded and selected for the final album.]

Our cover this week is from the San Francisco area quartet The Morning Blenders. Their version of "Outlaw Blues" - which sounds like a channeling of Grizzly Bear - was only recently recorded as part of a digital tribute to Bringing It All Back Home, a compilation which also includes performances by folk rockers J. Tillman (Fleet Foxes), Laura Viers and Peter Moren (Peter, Bjorn & John), to be released on 2 November.

In an interview earlier this month with the AP, band member Christopher Chu said he wanted to make "Outlaw Blues" sound creepy. "[Dylan] arranges his songs so perfectly that it's hard not to just want to do a 100 percent faithful rendition," Chu said. "But at the same time, that's not what I wanted to do with a cover. I wanted to pick a song where I could change it up a bit."
Chu, 25, knows Dylan's music well. Dylan is one of the first artists he began to obsess over as a young fan, along with the Beach Boys and Neil Young. He's convinced that he missed out on a golden era of music. His favorite Dylan album is Highway 61 Revisited. "His influence is so wide that no matter what age you are, you eventually run into Dylan," Chu said.

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "Outlaw Blues" (Bringing It All Back Home, 1965)

Another Cover: The White Stripes, "Outlaw Blues" [excerpt] (Under The Blackpool Lights DVD, 2004)

And Another Cover: The Great Society, "Outlaw Blues" (Live At The Matrix, 1989)

Buffalo Springfield Reunite

2010-10-25T15:10:00.004-05:00

For the first time in 38 years, Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay performed under the banner Buffalo Springfield at the 24th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert this past weekend in Mountain View, California. The video captured below is a little Shakey (sorry about the pun, but it seemed appropriate), but the sound quality is fine. The Springfield perform their most enduring song, "For What It's Worth." This one is a fine, bluesy take with Stills in as good of voice as we've heard in many a year and Young jamming the acoustic solo.

We'll comb through the video catalogs being posted and bring you more highlights from the Bridge Concert, which continues to be one of rock music's highlights of the calendar year.

Dawes & The Morning Benders Collaborate

2010-10-23T21:14:00.005-05:00

If there is one album that The Night Owl should have elevated to its Top 10 in 2009, it is Dawes' North Hills (it was in our second ten). The debut of this Laurel Canyon, California group has continued to enjoy regular rotation on the turntable at TNOP World Headquarters. Dawes continues to hone its craft on the road in support of that strong effort, and are also in the process of introducing new tunes, to the approval of audiences.

Dawes recently went into the Yours Truly studio to record two of the stronger songs off of North Hills, collaborating with Chris and Jon Chu of San Francisco's The Morning Benders. [The Benders released their second long-player earlier this year, the fine Big Echo.] The guests lend a particularly strong harmony to the affecting "If You Let Me Be Your Anchor." Enjoy.

Pick To Click: Johnny Flynn - "Kentucky Pill"

2010-10-22T22:48:00.005-05:00

The first single from Johnny Flynn's new album Been Listening finds the Brit stretching his legs and veering a bit from the folkie circle he shares with Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale, and Mumford & Sons. Embracing Americana with a twist of Mexicali, "Kentucky Pill," the opening track on the CD, sounds fresh and ready for repeated listens.

The National - "Terrible Love" (Alternate Take)

2010-10-21T21:17:00.003-05:00

The National's expanded, double-disc edition of High Violet, complete with unreleased tunes, live songs and this alternate take on "Terrible Love" will hit the racks on 22 November.

Tom Berninger directed the very likable film above, highlighted by the boys' appearance this past month at a mammoth political rally in Madison, Wisconsin, highlights from recent tour dates and Matt Berninger's perfect spit take (take that, Jerry Lewis!).

Aloe Blacc Rocks Le Metro Paris

2010-10-21T20:39:00.003-05:00

One of the more interesting musical stories of 2010 has been the emergence of American soul singer Aloe Blacc. Born to Panamanian parents, Blacc (born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins) grew up in Southern California and earlier in the decade was a rapper of some note in his home state. But with the release of his second LP Good Things on 30 September (Stones Throw Records), Blacc joins the ever-growing neo-soul movement. And with impressive results. His exploration of social injustice and relationships are alluring to the listener.

The perfect example is "I Need A Dollar," a tune that definitely captures the recession-era U.S. The song broke on to the music scene as the theme to HBO's How To Make It In America. Blacc's style reminds one of the stark truth in the voice of 1970's era Bill Withers.

Our friends at La Blogotheque recently captured Aloe Blacc and his band in the Paris underground. Here's a two-fer for our listeners: "Hey Brother" and the aforementioned "I Need A Dollar." Dig it.

Mumford & Sons Ready To Conquer The U.S.

2010-10-19T13:22:00.004-05:00

The Night Owl has been championing Mumford & Sons for quite some time now, and has been delighted with the breakthrough of their debut album, Sigh No More, in the States. Now, on the eve of a sold-out 21-date tour in the U.S., the English folk-rockers are making a splash once again with two significant musical developments.

The first is the band's duet with Ray Davies for the latter's upcoming collaborative tribute album (to be released 1 November) chocked full of the music of The Kinks. Before departing and crossing the Atlantic, Mumford & Sons stopped by Later with Jools Holland to perform the medley "Days"/"This Time Tomorrow" with Davies.

The other significant bit of news is that the band has recorded a 4-song EP under the alias The Wedding Band. It is being released as a limited edition especially for the tour, so watch for your chance to buy. In the meantime, one of the songs contained therein, "Thumper", has leaked on to the net for your listening pleasure.

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#21]

2010-10-18T09:06:00.004-05:00

Rod Stewart
"Tomorrow Is A Long Time"
Original Dylan version found on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Vol. II (1971)

There may be some disagreement on this choice.

And that's OK, of course. But let me remind our gentle readers that when this popular feature started back in April, a caution accompanied the blog entry: "Regular readers of this blog know that Bob Dylan is affectionately referred to as the 'Patron Saint' of TNOP. This new weekly feature sifts through the thousands of cover versions of Dylan songs and provides you with our favorites, as well as a quick memory of our first exposure to the Dylan original."

The background of Dylan's "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" is worth a few words. It came to mind given the fact that tomorrow Columbia Records will finally officially release the original studio version, an out-take from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan sessions (1963), on the latest "Bootleg" compilation, The Whitmark Demos. Most fans - like this author - are most familiar with the live version that first appeared on Greatest Hits, Vol. II, taken from the famous "Town Hall concert" in New York City, 1963. It is a truly affecting performance by Dylan; a heartbreaking, literate love song of longing set to an acoustic guitar chord structure similar to "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."

The first cover of the song was a watershed for obvious reasons: Elvis Presley recorded it in 1966, a curious "bonus track" to the soundtrack of another one of his Hollywood films, this one called Spinout. (Perhaps Colonel Tom Parker actually felt sorry one day for Elvis and allowed him to record the tune; for instance, the title song to the movie had The King singing such dreck as: To spinout, yeah spinout/Better watch those curves, never let her steer/So spinout, yeah spinout/A road to love is full of danger signs.) Dylan, like many musical titans of his era, thought Elvis a seminal figure in American music. He has been quoted as saying, "When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss. Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail."

So there may be some truth to the yarn that Elvis' take on "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" may be Dylan's personal favorite cover of one of his songs. (Presley's slow, loping version is indeed pretty, and if you can find the Dylan follow up recording from his New Morning sessions, it is almost as though Dylan is aping it.)

But I find it no more compelling than the Sandy Denny cover in 1972. That one is similar in tempo and treats the listener to the pedal steel of "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow.

Which brings us, finally, to Rod Stewart. For those only familiar with cocktail music Rod or disco Rod, do yourself a big favor and go out and buy 1971's Every Picture Tells A Story. Now. It is arguably one of the ten best albums ever released in rock and roll history.

Side One of Every Picture ends with "Tomorrow Is A Long Time." Stewart and Faces' pal Ron Wood produce one of the more memorable arrangements of a Dylan song. The roots of "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" are obviously country - Hank Williams would no doubt have felt comfortable singing it - and one would think the gravelly voiced Londoner would have no business tackling the song. Wood makes the pedal steel purr and Dick Powell's fiddle glides throughout as Stewart makes Dylan's words flesh.

It's a definitive reading of one of Bob Dylan's most enduring songs.

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" (Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Vol. II, 1971)

Bootleg Listening: Bob Dylan, "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" (New Morning sessions, 1970)

Demo Listening: Bob Dylan, "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos, 1962-1964, 2010)

Another Cover: Elvis Presley, "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" (Spinout Original Soundtrack bonus track, 1966)

This Date In Rock History: 18 October

2010-10-18T08:59:00.002-05:00

On this date in 1926, Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Yep, the Blues had a baby and they named him Chuck Berry. And then told Tchiakovsky the news.

Patti Smith Nominated For National Book Award

2010-10-14T22:19:00.003-05:00

Rock royalty Patti Smith has been nominated for the National Book Award in the non-fiction category for the memoir about her long friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe entitled Just Kids. The National Book Foundation provides the following synopsis of the tome:

In Just Kids, Patti Smith’s first book of prose, the legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal days of New York City and the Chelsea Hotel in the late sixties and seventies. An honest and moving story of youth and friendship, Smith brings the same unique, lyrical quality to Just Kids as she has to the rest of her formidable body of work—from her influential 1975 album Horses to her visual art and poetry.

Below is a video of Patti reading an excerpt from the book, recalling how Mapplethorpe shared the triumph of Smith's 1978 hit "Because The Night." An impromptu, very sweet a cappella performance follows.

Ascending: O Emperor

2010-10-14T20:55:00.003-05:00

[The following entry was contributed by TNOP's County Clare correspondent, Celtic Ray.]

The Co. Waterford band O Emperor has burst on to the Irish music scene with the release of its first long-player, Hither, Thither. In between gigs around the island - including appearances at Oxygen and Electric Picnic - the band has spent the better part of the last year writing and recording the LP in a drafty country house. The results are quite impressive: the five piece group drifts among many styles, utilizing a number of instruments in their arsenal.

"Sedalia" is a dreamy, Beatlesque ballad, showing off the gorgeous vocals of Paul Savage and the piano of Philip Christie. The narrator is a weary follower in a relationship, realizing how the passage of time has robbed him of forward promise.

O Emperor freely admits to a Radiohead influence, and it is on prominent display in the first single and album opener, "Po":

Another highlight is "Don't Mind Me," which takes this writer back to the Fleetwood Mac days of the 1970s (pre-Buckingham/Nicks). This take of the swaying tune at Limerick Live on Cruises Street from February shows off the versatility of O Emperor. The boys have been playing together since they were 17, and it shows with this tight performance (thanks to Indie Limerick for the video):

O Emperor's multi-faceted sound combined with thoughtful lyrics make them a band on the come. Beware of a breakout in the coming months.

Happy Birthday Paul Simon! "Graceland" - Live 1987, Harare, Zimbabwe

2010-10-13T11:22:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Paul Simon! Bob James Covers "Take Me To The Mardi Gras"

2010-10-13T11:18:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Paul Simon! Spoon Covers "Peace Like A River"

2010-10-13T11:11:00.002-05:00

This Date In Rock History: 13 October

2010-10-13T09:39:00.003-05:00

On this date in 1941, Paul Frederic Simon was born in Newark, New Jersey to Hungarian immigrant parents Belle and Louis Simon. By the end of 1941, the new parents had moved with their son to Queens, New York.

Louis Simon was a college professor, bassist and bandleader, and had performed on the radio in Hungary. He passed his keen interest in music on to Paul, who by the age of 11 met classmate Art Garfunkel and appeared in a sixth grade production of Alice In Wonderland. By the time they were 13, the duo started playing school dances, working on a vocal harmony in honor of their heroes, The Everly Brothers.

Before graduating from high school, Paul and Artie cut the single "Hey Schoolgirl" under the name of Tom & Jerry. It reached #49 on the pop charts in 1957.

Over the next six years, the pair attended college (Paul at Queens College and Artie at Columbia University) and Paul tried his hand at contracted song-writing, in the shadows of the famous Brill Building in Manhattan.

By early 1964, Simon & Garfunkel landed an audition at mighty Columbia Records. Clive Davis signed them to a contract and their phenomenal six year run resulted in multiple gold records, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Paul Simon's solo career has now spanned an incredible 40 years. The cornerstone of his work remains the seminal Graceland (1986), but readers would be remiss to not include in their collection the consecutive three-album span that ranks with the best pop music has to offer: Paul Simon (1972); There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973); and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975).

This is not to dismiss his other work, which to this day remains original and vital, ranking him with contemporaries Bob Dylan and Neil Young as artists who refuse to rest on their laurels. Simon recently completed a new album helmed by Phil Ramone, which he calls "the best work I've done in 20 years."

Additional Reading & Viewing:

* Paul Simon discography

* Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Bio and Timeline

* Appearance on "Charlie Rose" 28 June 2007

* Paul Simon on songwriting and "Surprise," All Things Considered, 8 May 2006

* Interview with Simon & Garfunkel, NPR Weekend Edition, 12 June 2004

Banksy Infiltrates NewsCorp

2010-10-11T09:47:00.004-05:00

Now that's rock and roll.

In a delicious bit of irony, The Simpsons handed their famous opening over to the mysterious British graffiti artist and subversive Banksy last night. (Watch above, if the video feed hasn't been shut down as of yet.) It would be fun to be in on the meetings at News Corp this morning.

This reminds us of the movie The Wild One, when Marlon Brando's character is asked "What are you rebelling against, Johnny?" His famous reply: "What do you got?"

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#20]

2010-10-08T09:06:00.004-05:00

Susan Tedeschi
"Lord Protect My Child"
Original Dylan version found on The Bootleg Series: Volumes 1-3 (1991)

Bob Dylan's 22nd studio album, Infidels, was released in October 1983. Co-produced with Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, it was trumpeted in the media as Dylan's return to secular music.

The previous four years had seen Dylan in the midst of what is now popularly known as his "Christian period." Musically, he had been quite prolific; three LPs had been generated, with public reactions ranging from positive (Slow Train Running) to mixed (Shot of Love) to downright negative (Saved).

While Infidels contained some songs that were overtly political ("Neighborhood Bully" and "Union Sundown"), there were some spiritual numbers cut during those sessions. But they were left on the shelves. The two most notable were "Foot of Pride" and "Lord Protect My Child." Both would surface on the first of the Bootleg series released by Columbia in 1991.

"Foot of Pride" is a fire and brimstone corker. Dylan and his band are literally and figuratively electric.

"Lord Protect My Child" is surprisingly transparent; a mother struggles with the weight of the world and the dangers that confront her son on a daily basis. She desperately clings to the thread in her life that doesn't let her down: faith.

Italian-American Susan Tedeschi was born and raised in the Boston, Massachusetts area. The story goes that Susan was attracted to music from an early age and didn't much care for singing staid hymns in the choir at her family's Catholic parish. She started to attend predominantly African-American churches and found the musical selections "less repressed and more like a celebration of God."

Tedeschi's take on "Lord Protect My Child" from her 2005 album Hope and Desire reveals an artist in the middle of her sweet-spot as a singer. The affecting vocal thrills the listener with the ultimate "Sunday-go-to-meetin'" vibe, and is complimented nicely by the deft dobro skills of her husband, Derek Trucks.

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "Lord Protect My Child"

Another Cover: The Lost Dogs, "Lord Protect My Child" (Scenic Routes, 1992)

A Year Has Passed & Gone

2010-10-06T21:16:00.002-05:00

It's TNOP's first birthday! Thanks to the 15,000 readers who have stopped by the site, sharing our love of music. Keep passing the word.

Now it's time to go back to work. Need to avoid that sophomore slump.

The Lost Instrumentals: Average White Band - "Pick Up The Pieces"

2010-10-06T20:06:00.005-05:00

Six lads from Scotland formed a band in 1972, some of them already with minor credits to their name as backup musicians. Comprised of two sax players, a bassist, drummer and a lead and rhythm guitarist, the group caught its break when they backed up Eric Clapton at his "comeback" concert in 1973. The Clapton connection was important for two reasons: first, the guitar god's manager took them under his wing and landed them a contract with Atlantic Records in the US: and second, Clapton musical associate Bonnie Bramlett gave the boys a name: The Average White Band.

AWB released their self-titled Atlantic debut in the summer of 1974 in England. "Pick Up The Pieces" was picked as the lead single, and it promptly died without notice. The album came to US shores in October, and radio stations started to add the single to regular rotation. By February 1975 it hit #1 on the pop charts and #5 on the R&B list.

It remains one of the funkiest grooves ever reduced to vinyl. The guitar intro gives way to a staccato sax duet, powered from behind with a solid bass and drum bottom. The bridge is greeted by the communal shout of "pick up the pieces!" worthy of any Bar-Kays song and then . . . a scorching tenor sax solo by Malcolm "Molly" Duncan.

It really is a four minute, one second piece of musical genius, produced by Atlantic Records mogul Arif Mardin. It is a worthy addition to the legendary Atlantic soul canon.

Soon, AWB would be one of the first white groups appearing on Soul Train. A group of Scottish lads, no less.

Never underestimate the power and reach of American soul music.