Afternoon Snack: Bob Dylan & the Rolling Thunder Review, “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry”

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Finally.

Someone posted the entire Rolling Thunder Bootleg Volume 5, which essentially covers what was a normal Rolling Thunder Review gig by Dylan and his Renaldo and Clara band in 1975.

The Rolling Thunder Band, who toured between October of that year and May of 1976, totally cranked it out, featuring the likes of Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Joan Baez, Steven Soles, Roger McGuinn, and my faves, T-Bone Burnett and Mick Ronson.

This version of It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry not only completely deconstructs the original studio version, but it just fucking smokes.

The interplay between Burnett and Ronson, along with great growling bass of Rob Stoner, makes this my favorite Dylan period.

And, this cut is my favorite on the disc and of the set. In fact, this might be my all time favorite live song recording, with my all time favorite guitar solos.

Check out the first Ronson solo, during which he plays the same Chuck Berry lick 16 times before blasting into some free-form Chuck-land. Then, to make sure we get it, he closes the song out with another totally killer blast that even Keef would smile about.

Swear to God: fire comes out of the speakers (or is it my head?) every time I play this.

Please note, that this link posts the entire 22-song box set, and though it is all terrific, #16 is It Takes a Lot to Laugh on the playlist.  Sorry for the inconvenience, but you will see it is more than worth it!

Bad Songs: The Wailers, “It’s You Alone”

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Steve’s Sonics posting brought back the other, not very good Wailers, who I guess were known as “The Fabulous Wailers” because I guess we were supposed to think they were terrific musicians or something.

Aside from the fact that these guys could not hold a candle to Marley et al (I doubt they could execute a decent cover of a Marley tune, either), neither of the bands hit’s–Tall Cool One and It’s You Alone–have stood much of a test of time, although I did not realize just how awful both songs were till Steve’s post tripped the wires and I went in search of YouTube.

To prove the point, here are the Wailers a few years back “performing” It’s You Alone and it only makes me think of one thing.

And, that thing is when I started gigging regularly in bands, I made my friends and loved ones promise me that if I ever looked or acted like any of these guys in these Wailers, to either shoot me in the head, or tell me to stop: whichever came first.

What’s with the barefoot sax player, and how about the guy standing stage right? Yeah, standing. Value added. And the “featured guy” makes Bill Murray’s lounge singer act really seem seriously good, and not just funny ironic.

How pathetic is that?

 

 

Lunch Break: The Isley Brothers, “Ohio/Machine Gun”

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The anniversary of Kent State, May 4, 1971. I posted the original during the demonstrations in Ferguson Missouri. Some history about the protests and shootings.

Finally Got Me A Sonics Album

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Their debut – Here Are The Sonics – came from Amazon yesterday. It’s pretty great.

I was inspired by news of their brand new album that’s getting some notice. Apparently, they’re still kicking ass in their 70s.

The cover (many covers on this album) of Roll Over Beethoven kind of sums up my favorite rock ‘n’ roll – a Chuck Berry base with punk chutzpah.

But this one’s my very favorite, a cover of a band called The Wailers, who have nothing to do with reggae. I found a video with pretty pictures for your viewing pleasure as well, definitely a respite from having to look at those dirty stinky Slayer guys.

If I had to sum up The Sonics in a phrase it would be “the white Little Richard.” That’s a compliment.

Slayer, “Seasons in the Abyss”

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We’re fans of Cory Schwartz in these parts, and he posted this tune today on Facebook. A tribute to Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died two years ago today.

I like to think Cory posted this cut because today’s Kentucky Derby winner was American Pharoah, owned by an Egyptian expat (echoing the video’s theme, or enhancing it), but untimely death is an equally appropriate trigger.

I didn’t know this song until I listened to it four or five times today, and I’m a little challenged by the question, What the fuck are they going on about. I recognize every emotion as part of the teenage kit, but the video makes me wonder about the Crusades, and their relation to the angst of the young today.

Maybe a topic for further exploration.

LINK: Album Covers Suitable for Hanging in a Gallery

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Screenshot 2015-05-02 13.39.54I’m not sure about the premise of this slideshow in the Guardian, that these are the album covers that should hang in an art gallery, but it is a good reminder that album covers were an important part of listening to music back in the day of albums.

The big art of an album cover was a message about the product, often a statement about intentions or aesthetic purpose. Or just a lark, but one that connected the artist with the fans.

We lost that when we moved to CDs, and while vinyl sales are up, the vinyl elpee is no longer the face of a musical artist. That image has fractured into many competing versions, each shaped and colored for its particular audience. Which is why I think looking at nice reproductions of these album covers feels so fresh.

Song of the Week – Do I Love You (Indeed I Do), Frank Wilson

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IGNORED OBSCURED RESTORED

Today’s SotW is a Northern Soul classic. When most people hear the term “Northern Soul” they assume it means American soul music that came from acts based in the northern United States instead of from Memphis or Muscle Shoals. In actuality the term refers to a style of American soul music popularized in dance clubs in Northern England. Part of the Northern Soul music culture is to avoid the popular hits in favor of obscure singles often recorded for small, local, independent labels.

Frank Wilson’s single for Motown’s Soul subsidiary in 1965 fits the bill. “Do I Love You (Yes Indeed)” was recorded just before he became one of Motown’s important producers. The story goes that only about 250 copies of a demo 45 were pressed and then later destroyed when Berry Gordy decided it wasn’t worth the effort to promote an act that was planning to focus on a production career, not to become a performing talent.

But a few copies survived, making it a very valuable disc. (One of the few copies known to exist sold in England for over £25,000 in May 2009.) Now, thanks to the magic of digital recordings and the affordable cost of free, you can hear it too!

But its rarity alone doesn’t make it valuable. It’s its quality that creates the demand. “Do I Love You” has all the trappings of a Northern Soul classic – a crisp rhythm, solid beat with evocative lyrics sung from the heart. It’s a song that’s sure to fill the dance floor.

Surprisingly, the backing music wasn’t played by the Funk Brothers – Motown’s house band. No, this song was recorded in LA using Wrecking Crew musicians – Billy Strange, Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine, Al De Lory, Carol Kaye and Tommy Tedesco.

If you’re intrigued by this backstory and would like to learn more about it, check out this long form article that was originally written to support the auction that resulted in the 2009 sale mentioned above:

Andy Nix – Soul News – The Story of Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)

Although this song languished in obscurity until the late 70s/early 80s, Wilson did enjoy a successful career as a producer and songwriter. In fact, he received a co-writing credit for his production of Brenda Holloway’s recording of “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” which was covered by Blood, Sweat & Tears and hit #2 in 1969.

Enjoy… until next week.

Something New

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Was reading my Washington Post (I’m totally addicted) on the Kindle and they mentioned this band’s new record and something about punk Thin Lizzy.

I like this – a lot. I know you guys love girl singers and I like this one too. Will investigate further. The logo is as cheesy as the band is good.

Meet Geffen A&R Dude Tom Zutaut!

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He’s the guy who signed Guns N’ Roses way back when. Our friend Joe Pisapia posted this video on Facebook along with a nostalgic story about the first time he heard the band, which is a nice story. For my part, I learned about the band through MTV too, and while I liked the hits and was happy to hear them, I was older than Joe and to me they represented an image-conscious commercialism that was a turn off. In this segment of what is a larger video, Zutaut tells the story about signing the band and the problems with breaking them as stars, a segment notable for not having any GNR music, and for Zutaut’s voice, which expresses something about the rock life in its tone that goes far beyond the actual words.

As for his final question, I have two words: Hans Condor.

My Kind of Political Song

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I hate propaganda. I hear it every day, Left and Right. I hate it even more in music. I’m not talking about making a political point in a song. That has been done artfully countless times. I’m talking about attempts to beat me over the head with blatant half-truths (at best). “We are the World” stands to this day as the worst ever, but that atrocity came about only in response to the bevy of Brit pop stars who made a children-starving-in-Africa video that was actually a good song: “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Yeah, it’s a good song in its reverbed sappy way, but it contains what is perhaps the most fucked up line I’ve ever heard: “Tonight thank God it’s them instead of you.” Wow. That’s what you want me to do, o celebrity saints? This is a morality I am to embrace? Let’s just hope the masses didn’t take you up on it.

But I rant. I like the Clash’s political rants, because although they are no doubt of the Left, at least they rail against the government too. That’s good enough for me. And anyway, I don’t ague that the Left doesn’t have some legitimate gripes. It’s what they want to do about them that bothers me. Always, every single time, they rob us or force us to do their will, or both. I am morally opposed to theft and forcing others to do my will, making exception only for my children when they were (are) children. Indeed, the irony has been forcing the little dears to think for themselves. I grant the Left this one good argument against freedom: people don’t want it. They want to be told what to do and think. This was, you may recall, a major argument in favor of slavery down through the centuries. Now that’s irony.

The following song is not propaganda at all, it’s straight description and damned good description. And of course the lyrics are only one facet of the song, even the icing on the cake. I don’t think the world appreciates Mick Jones as a singer. His singing makes Janie Jones and Complete Control and Remote Control and Safe European Home to name only a few. I think this one is among their very best.