epulse 5.17 [witchcraft] (fwd)
Speaking of those infernal tribute albums...
(Courtesy of your friends at E-Pulse)
1. WESTERN SWING ADVANCE OF THE WEEK:
It could be said that ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL owes much of its career
trajectory to the path blazed by BobWills. For over a quarter century, the
revivalist Western swing combo has been wowing audiences with an eclectic
blend rooted in the hard-swinging hybrid country-jazz style pioneered in
the 1930s by Wills, Milton Brown and others. And on the forthcoming 'RIDE
WITH BOB' (DreamWorks, 8/10), the Wheel has assembled an all-star cast of
characters, drawn from Nashville's talent pool and elsewhere, to celebrate
this eternally cool stream of music from the Southwest. What's most
amazing is how well (and how seamlessly) everything works; multi-artist
collaborations like this always run the danger of turning into the
equivalent of a dozen Patti LaBelles turned loose on a one-mic stage at
once. But who with country in his or her soul can't avoid loving the music
of Bob Wills? And who could turn down a chance like this? Not Merle
Haggard, who cut his own Bob Wills tribute album almost 30 years ago, and
who lays down a fine 'St. Louis Blues' here. Or Dwight Yoakam, who puts
the hillbilly swing into 'San Antonio Rose.' Or Steve Wariner and Vince
Gill ('Fiddle Medley'), Don Walser ('I Ain't Got Nobody'), the Dixie
Chicks ('Roly Poly'), Lee Ann Womack ('Heart to Heart Talk'), Asleep at
the Wheel main man Ray Benson ('Cherokee Maiden'), the Squirrel Nut
Zippers (whose Katherine Whalen does a smart take on 'Maiden's Prayer'),
Tracy Byrd (whose 'You're From Texas' is the album's biggest surprise),
Reba McEntire ('Right or Wrong'), Shawn Colvin and Lyle Lovett ('Faded
Love'), new Wheel singer/fiddler Jason Roberts ('End of the Line'), Clay
Walker ('Take Me Back to Tulsa'), Mark Chesnutt ('Stay a Little Longer').
The disc closes with a twin punch of Clint Black singing Waylon Jennings'
'Bob Wills Is Still the King', which leads into Willie Nelson on 'Goin'
Away Party,' backed by the Manhattan Transfer on what sounds like one of
those schlocky sides he cut for Liberty in the '60s with the Anita Kerr
Singers. Overall, though, it's Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel that
make this thing jump. The group tried it once before on 'Tribute to the
Music of Bob Wills' (Liberty [now Capitol Nashville], 1993), but this time
Benson had the smarts to leave noted Wills interpreter Huey Lewis -- who
had two cuts on that album -- out of the picture. The resulting album
makes a joyful noise from start to finish; it's clear that Benson must've
pushed hard to override any questionable judgment calls from some of the
more, ahem, aesthetically challenged participants. Whatever the story is,
it swings hard and good. Didn't know Bob, but I'm guessing he'd approve.
(Griffith)
6. TRIBUTE OF THE WEEK (PART TWO):
There's not a whole lot of Nashville on the upcoming 'GRIEVOUS ANGEL: A
TRIBUTE TO GRAM PARSONS' (Almo Sounds, 7/13), unless you count Emmylou
Harris, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and the Mavericks, and while those
artists may live within the city limits, they pretty much go their own
way. No, this is a rock-leaning collection, with contributions from the
Pretenders, Cowboy Junkies, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Whiskeytown and Wilco. What
it means is that time has caught up to Gram Parsons, that the seeds he
planted -- particularly through the influence of his pals the Rolling
Stones -- sprang up and bore fruit. The versions of his songs on 'Grievous
Angel' are respectful but insightful, and it shows how today's rockers
have absorbed country -- not just the notes but the feel. Unfortunately,
there's no Stones track here. But Emmylou Harris is on three, singing with
the Pretenders ("She"), Beck ("Sin City") and Sheryl Crow ("Juanita"), and
her spirit hovers over the album. It sounds like every artist on here
actually gave a damn, wanting to be respectful to Parsons and his legacy.
Even lightweight Evan Dando turns in a decent "$1,000 Wedding" (with
Juliana Hatfield), and the Pretenders, who haven't mattered in a long
time, do a fine "She." Earle (with old Parsons bandmate Chris Hillman on
"High Fashion Queen"), Costello ("Sleepless Nights"), Williams (with David
Crosby on "Return of the Grievous Angel"), Wilco ("100 Years"), Gillian
Welch and David Rawlings ("Hickory Wind") do their usual inspired work. If
you have to pick a standout here, it's the Mavericks' version of "Hot
Burrito #1," with singer Raul Malo wrapping his powerful pipes around a
gorgeous love song with a silly title. If there's any justice, it'll be
such a huge hit that Nashville will forget it ever checked into the Hotel
California. (Melton)
Re: Earle and Country music sales
On Thu, 22 Apr 1999 20:23:18 EDT said: and just to really blow everyone's mind, please note that last month Steve Earle earned his "GOLD" status for Guitar Town!! That came out in 1986 and has only sold 500,000 copies. What the heck is goin' on Especially since Guitar Town was a #1 country album. What gives? Was country music just in the doldrums (in terms of popularity like number of radio stations/album sales)? Or is the ability of country stars to sell millions of albums a relatively new thing? (I'm talking strictly about non-crossover country stars - though even the crossover/non-crossover dichotomy can get fuzzy. Evan Cooper (overly puzzled on a Sunday morn_ np: Cokie Roberts and the Tipster pontificating about teens. Double Ack!! Kate (happy to have contributed to the 500k) [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I wrote: If we're talking about the decade, I don't know that Nirvana's sold more albums than Gill; the RIAA database is down right now, but I'll report back. And though the database is still down (wake up over there!), on taking another look at the best-sellers list, I see that Nirvana clocks in at 23 million units (a million less than AJ, which I find surprising), whereas Gill must be somewhere under 20 million. Still, as I went on to say: Gill's had a number of multi-platinum albums, though, and is clearly an immense commercial success... And just to quantify that, he's got 6 of them, which is immense commercial success in my book g.
Re: Updates
On Fri, 23 Apr 1999 13:18:52 PDT Greg Harness said: Jon Weisberger wrote: Well, I'd say that a show billed as an alt.country showcase is one that's at least to some degree marketing the acts who appear on it as representative of the genre, and I'd say it's reasonable for people, especially those unfamiliar to the genre, to think that a show billed as a bluegrass festival is going to feature acts representative of bluegrass. Jon, would you say then that if a 'bad' bluegrass band gets booked at a festival, the potential bad impression that could be loosed upon an unexpecting audience is the fault of the promoter? Or does the onus fall upon the band itself? Seems to me this is where Anon's arguments fail. I think Anon's beef is much more with the organizers, promoters, and marketers of SXSW, but all the ire falls on the bands. I believe that ire is misplaced. And the ire especially seems directed at scenesters who dig the crappy stuff and don't dig/ignore/schooze during the "authentic" stuff like Hayseed.. Which is often the lament of a lot of people who can't understand why the American public continues to buy millions of albums from whatever million-selling performer they think sucks (i.e. Garth, Mariah, Celine). The main question I have is where are all these scenesters with straw hats and pigtail hairdos. Maybe I went to the wrong shows at SXSW 1998, but I don't think I saw a single person who fit that definition. I mostly saw the Slacker nation wardrobe of t-shirts and jeans, and maybe a couple of slightly better dressed industry sharpies. Nor have I seen it when I go to a NYC alt-country show. Is this aspiring sociologist blind to his social surroundings - or just too drunk to notice/care (g). Evan (still a little sleepy) btw, Kelly Willis was fantastic last night at the Iron Horse in Nhampton, Mass last night, as per usual. P2 Brothers Jeff and Kevin can testify further if need be. ~Greg, happy to have used the word onus, however inappropriately, in a post ___ Get your free, private email at http://mail.excite.com/
The Underappreciated game
Here's a couple more underappreciated albums that I haven't seen listed yet. 1) Walter Hyatt: King Tears - A part of MCA's extremely short-lived "Masters Series'. Great loungey country-tinged jazz - it sounds a lot better than the description. Voice perfectly suited for material - especially the cover of Charles Trenet's Que Reste-til de nos Amour. 2) David Halley: Stray Dog Talk If you like that high lonesome Texas singer-songwriter stuff, this one's for you. Appealing voice and some real purdy songs - especially the slow ones like "Rain Just Falls". Fans of the new Beaver Nelson (speaking of more recent underappreciated stuff) would be well advised to seek this one out. 3) Jann Browne: Tell Me Why I've complained about the lack of attention given to Ms. Brown a couple of other times, but this album really is a great slice of SoCal country. 4) Paul Kelly and the Messengers: Comedy I'll join Carl Z. in praising this guy, especially on this release. Just a great pop-rock album from end to end. And here's a bunch from the late 1980s 1) Kirsty MacColl: Kite 2) Nick Lowe: Pinker and Prouder than Previous (with a name like that... 3) Matthew Sweet: Earth (well, ok, the first half - a lot more synthy than his subsequent release) 4) Sam Phillips: The Indescribable Wow Evan Cooper p.s. in reference to an earlier thread - The Jam still hold up durn well in my book.
Jimmy Scott in Albany, NY
No twang content, but the legendary Jimmy Scott will be in Albany tonight at Borders. They'll be showing his Bravo special at 7:30 and then he'll be performing. Don't know what kind of backing band he'll have with him, but the guy is 73 or 74, so who knows if you'll ever get a chance to see him again. Evan Cooper
emmy, dolly, and linda
Just a note (wasn't sure if somebody had mentioned it) but Dolly, Linda Ronstadt and Emmy will be on Letterman tonight. (btw, does anyone have opinions on their new album?) Evan Cooper btw, there's a review of the Tom Waits SXSW show in today's NY Times - not sure if it's on the Web version.
Tweedy and the ghettoizing of alt-country
All this talk about Tweedy and bands moving away from alt-country is linked, methinks, to the larger trend of the ghettoizing of alt-country. My own case in point: At the college radio station I work at, the alt-country stuff in rotation gets precious little attention - rockabilly like Rev. Horton Heat, with an occasional exception like the Old 97s, is the only thing that gets more than a couple of spins. However, when I go get a Green on Red, Rank and File, Blasters, or even Dwight album out of the record library, it's clear that they used to get a lot of airplay back in the day (and no - they're not just a little tattered - they have lots of initials documenting that people actually played them). A large part of this trend is a big swing towards techno music and the like amongst the other djs. Maybe it's just the djs at my radio station, but I think the roots-rock of the 80s was more acceptable to the alt-rock (wasn't it called college-rock back then) hipsters of the mid 80s than it is today. And since, as we talked about some time ago, mainstream success, when it comes for alt-country/country bands, is much more likely to come from a country audience than a rock audience - it's not that surprising that the alt-country tag might start to get a little frightening for some bands that have probably seen themselves as always closer to the rock side of things. There was another point I wanted to make, but I'm getting kind of sleepy. Evan Cooper
Re: Kelly Willis song comments
On Wed, 10 Mar 1999 16:23:24 -0800 stuart said: Hill, Christopher J wrote: If anyone's interested - I got these off the Ryko press promo for Kelly's new album. I find behind-the-scenes info extremely interesting. Heaven Bound (Damon Bramblett) Damon Bramblett has a very unique style and you should hear him sometime. I think I know what this song's about but he's not telling. Ive been wondering about this song myself. Anyone got any insights? I like it alot. Who is Damon Bramblett? I've been trying to figure this song out too. Is the singer sympathetic to the protagonist of the song? Is it a putdown of an old flame? Come on, this list hasn't had a good debate about the meaning of a song since the infamous "Radar Gun" wars. Evan Cooper p.s. I saw Damon Bramblett last year at SXSW and thought he was right up there with sliced bread. Reminded me a lot of Johnny Cash. Same rumbling voice and a very compelling stage presence to boot.
Biller and Wakefield and Les Negresses Vertes
Coitesy of E-PUlse: 1. LICKS OF THE WEEK: What is it about the steel guitar that contributes to the good-nature of Western swing music? Is it the shimmering slide vibrato that makes notes and chords float easily above the rest of an ensemble? Or the complex series of string-bending pedals that can be used to send notes careening around like a handful of stirred-up fireflies. Or maybe it's just the good nature steel players bring to the genre. Whichever, Jeremy Wakefield and his pedal steel, two stars of 'THE HOT GUITARS OF BILLER AND WAKEFIELD' (HMG/Hightone, out now), have it in spades. Cuts such as "Martian Guts," on which Wakefield trades rapid-fire licks with Telecaster man Dave Biller (no slouch himself) and Robert Williams' "Steel Crazy," which sports a guest vocal by Big Sandy, feature inspired, mood-lightening steel playing. "Grinding Geers" and "Siamese Strings" make good on the music's cartoony potential, bringing to mind the cute dancing bugs or forest animals from some '30s-era Warner Bros. animated short. Biller gets in on the act during "Good Enough," basically an excuse to turn periodic stops to tune up into a running joke. Loose, open-room production, courtesy guitar phenom Deke Dickerson (who also chimes-in on vocals here and there), lends a freewheeling air to the entire session. But make no mistake: none of the light mood that characterizes 'Hot Guitars' undercuts the seriousness of Biller Wakefield's chops. A sure bet for guitar freaks and fans of upbeat, happy music alike. (Hammad) 4. ADVANCE WORD OF THE WEEK: When arranging a phone call with producer HOWIE B to discuss his contribution to the minimalism-meets-electronica 'Reich Remix' compilation (Nonesuch, 3/2), his London management explains why he's so darn difficult to track down at the moment. Howie's deep in Paris, recording a new album by LES NEGRESSES VERTES in, reportedly, an abandoned theater he transformed into a recording studio after the assigned studio proved inhospitable. Given the relative disappointment of his recent dub-meets-electronica project with Sly and Robbie, 'Strip to the Bone' (Palm Pictures), the news of the emergent gypsy-busking-dance-hybrid-meets-electronica is welcome indeed. Howie's best known for Skylab, a minutes-ahead-of-its-time international electronic quartet, as well as for producing and/or remixing, among others, Everything but the Girl, U2 (as a member of Passengers, along with Brian Eno), Tricky and Robbie Robertson, and for his small output of solo recordings. The Green Black Ladies (loose translation) have struggled a bit, musically at least, since the passing in 1993 of Helno, the closest thing to a lead singer that the marvelous anarchic collective had achieved. Frequently compared with the Pogues' Shane MacGowan -- inevitably, given the pair's drunken-punk-crooner stylings -- Helno lent a further layer of grit to LNV's already gritty music -- itself a force of rural violins, folk-ritual drumming, cabaret mysticism, and washboard-stroked acoustic guitars. "There's five of them right now," says Howie, regarding LNV's ever-fluid membership. "It's a wicked little vibe. We're nine tracks into the album. It's really very much song-based, but a lot of humor, and a lot of seriousness, very groove-oriented, an avenue they haven't been down. It's a mix of heavy acoustic and really good songs, and magic groove." (Weidenbaum)
Re: Jann Browne
On Thu, 04 Mar 1999 18:19:57 + Dallas Clemmons said: Some time back there was a question here about Jann Browne...for those of you in the SoCal area, she will be playing tomorrow (Friday) night at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano with Chris Gaffney and Patty Booker. (There's a short piece in today's LA Times about Browne and Gaffney, if you want to check out the web site or perhaps, ahem, someone could clip it) and will also be in San Juan Capistrano next weekend, appearing (for free) at the Swallow's Inn on March 12 and 13. I was the one who asked about Jann Browne a couple of weeks back so I might as well add that any of you WestCoast SoCalers should definitely check her out this weekend if you didn't already. Her 1st album is pretty much flawless and her other two are pretty solid as well. And truly one of the most underappreciated singers in alt-country/country/whatever over the last 10-15 years. Somewhere between Neko Case and Emmylou. I'm pretty sure all her stuff is out of print, but if you see 'em in a cutout bin somewhere, definitely pick them up. Evan p.s. So how was the show? Also, is she living in California now? I thought she had moved to Nashville. Dallas btw, anyone going to be at the Haggard show at the Coach House next Thursday?
Re: Did you see Lucinda on SNL???
On Sun, 21 Feb 1999 03:25:36 -0500 (EST) jamie said: On Sun, 21 Feb 1999 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Man, oh man. It is hard to get over gigs like that. Know what it feels like afterward. Bless her heart. She seemed frightened. Yeah, but she did great. Not knowing what her regulars look like, who was playing with her? Looked like her regular band plus another guitarist. Plus a keyboardist and Jim Lauderdale helping out on harmony vocals. Sounded good to these ears too - though had to turn the sound off on SNL til Lucinda's spot after that criminally unfunny opening bit (didn't want to turn it off and then forget about Lucinda.) Evan -- . jamie dyer .Cornerstone Networks Pure Internet . . jamie at cstone.net .Charlottesville, Va. . . net/sys admin . . .work: www.cstone.net . "Linux perceiveth of the DOS, the . . band: www.hogwaller.com .DOS perceiveth not of the Linux." .
One Way Ticket to Rock Bottom, Please
Well another anti-Valentine's Day show in the books. More revenge, regrets, remorse, and recrminations than you can shake an um, well, a broken heart at. Eeep. Anyways, here it is... Heartaches: Bob Neuwirth Valentine's Day is Over: Billy Bragg Crying: Roy Orbison It Hurts to Know: Laurel Canyon Ramblers I'll Sail My Ship Alone: Mac, Doc and Del Sunset Boulevard: Charlie Robison I'm Not Gonna Cry For You: The Mavericks Lonesome Wins Again: Stacy Dean Campbell 3 Cheers for the Loser: Wynn Stewart Lonely: Mack Stevens Someday You'll Want Me to Want You: Ray Charles (lovvveee this box set) Your Cheatin' Heart: Ted Hawkins I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry: Del Shannon Cry: Mike Ireland and Holler Rock Bottom, Pop 1: Robbie Fulks Yours Forever Blue: Steve Earle w/Del McCoury band Can't Stop a Train: The Derailers Cold Grey Light of Dawn: Nick Lowe I Forgot to Remember to Forget: Elvis Presley Light at the End of the Bottle: The Revenants Heartaches by the Number: Ray Price The Most Beautiful Girl in the World: Charlie Rich Long Time Gone: The Everly Brothers Deep Dark Black: D. Braxton Harris When Love is Gone: Richard Buckner You Taught me a Lesson: Fear and Whiskey We Get Along Just Fine (When We're Apart): Crazy Hearts Never Before and Never Again: The dBs w/Syd Straw Lips that Lie: The McLains It's Better This Way: Joy Lynn White w/Dwight Love Hurts: Gram and Emmy (how can you not play this one) Heartaches: Patsy Cline The Knot Comes Untied: Sara Evans Blue in the Blue Ridge: Special Consensus I Keep Forgetting: Lee Ann Womack Honky-Tonk Heart: Highway 101 He's Breaking My Heart: The Neon Angels Blue Heartache: Gail Davies The Leavin' Side: Carlene Carter She's Got You: Loretta Lynn Dear Loretta: Jann Browne (anybody know what she's been up to lately?) A Man I Once Did Know: Katy Moffatt Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone: Roseanne Cash Thanks a Lot: Neko Case Who's Crying for you now: Beth and April Stevens Blue Side of Town: Rosie Flores Dancing w/Tears in My Eyes: X Joy: Lucinda Williams What's Good For You: Mandy Barnett What World are You Living IN: Kelly Willis Call My Name: Allison Moorer Matrimony: Whiskeytown Cigarettes and Coffe Blues: Jean Shepard Almost Blue: Chet Baker (couldn't find Annie Ross singing "To Hell With Love" in the station, so had to go with despondency of Mr. Baker) So there you have it. What can I say - if only my ex had waited til December or January to give me the once over twice, it mighta been more inspired, but what can you do. I did tape it for anyone who's interested. Evan Cooper
Re: Soul
On Sun, 31 Jan 1999 15:17:09 +1300 James Matthews said: "Walker, Jason" [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: All this re:soul business has jogged my memory about something - postcarders who own a copy of "On Golden Smog" may care to look at the hand-drawn cover, theres a sign above a barroom door that reads "Tonight: Resoul Hawkrun". As you can see, I have too much time on my hands. And of course Golden Smog's _Down By The Old Mainstream_ also featured a nice cover of Bobby Patterson's Jewel/Paula cut _She Don't Have To See You (To See Through You)_. My view of country-soul btw would be epitomised by William Bell's _You Don't Miss Your Water_ (anyone else think the Byrds cover on _Sweethearts Of The Rodeo_ completely devoid of soul?) I'd include black artists such as Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, James Carr, Joe Simon, Arthur Alexander, Clarence Carter etc etc (I know I'm missing a lot here) all of whom incorporated elements of country music into their sound. And let us not forget Ted Hawkins - even if his blend of folk, blues, country and soul is a tad more idiosyncratic than the above 1960s guys. Evan Cooper (who also likes Brian Eno's version of You Don't Miss Your Water on the Married to the Mob soundtrack. np: The Byrds - _Sweethearts Of The Rodeo_ (for comparison) cheers, - james matthews [EMAIL PROTECTED] "boogity boogity boogity boogity shoop"
