We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's.
These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so
enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every
which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still
playing)...This week...John Lee Hooker!
Well we mentioned him yesterday in a post, so we figured lets let the boogie-woogie blues flow for real today...Here is John Lee Hooker from back in 1980 in Montreal.
The super cool Hooker is the obvious star here but his backing musicians are pretty legit in their own right. Gary Alongi rips it up on guitar during the first two insturmentals, getting the crowd worked up for the blues to come. I think after some research the bass player is Steve Gomes, and I couldn't find the drummers name, a tight trio even if they are a bit energetic for Hooker here.
John Lee takes a few songs to really get into it but dives in at the end and is cooking by the end of the short set. How can you not dig "Boom Boom"? Pro-shot Pro Sound, so get down....
Enjoy, Set list below:
Instrumental #1 Instrumental #2 "It Serves Me Right to Suffer" "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" "I'll Never Get Out of These Blues Alive" "Roll Me Like You Roll a Wagon Wheel" "Boom Boom Boom" "I'm in the Mood" "Look at What You Did to My Life" "Chicken and Gravy" "We're Gonna Do The Shout"
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...John Lee Hooker!
This week we head up to Newport Folk Festival while traveling back to 1991 for the great John Lee Hookers set. RtBE are big fans of Hooker and included him in our Masters focus on the blues.
RtBE loves listening to new music and prides itself on keeping tabs on up and coming artists but in 2019 we are also going to have a monthly spotlight on legendary artists who we really love. We are calling this series The Masters. It will focus on the best albums, live records, transcendent shows and other odd ways we appreciate the artists and their contribution to music, culture and our formation.
The first of (at least) two months in The Masters series where the focus will not just be on one particular artist; let's face it, just one couldn't cover this topic. The blues are the foundation of rock and roll and if we chose, Muddy, Hooker, Hopkins, Wolf or King (any of them) for the monthly showcase RtBE wouldn't be able to accurately capture the full scope and breath of the, at first, so simple sounding genre known as the blues.
By not pinning this month to a particular artist we can hopefully highlight a few of our favs and maybe start conversations about others. Also because we are focusing on the genre, their will be pieces we miss and artists we leave out, James Brown, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix are the blues through and through to these ears, but for our purposes this month we are leaving those artists who also touch other genres out of this conversation (more on them in the future). RtBE also owns vinyl from Charley Patton, The Mississippi Sheiks and Blind Willie McTell (not to mention the amazing American Epic Series) but they are forerunners of the genre and while vital they are not making our list, particularly because full length albums were not a thing when they were recording.
For today we are going to focus on our top five studio records when it comes to what we think when we hear "the blues". This is very tough as the majority of great blues men were more known in the live moment or making singles which were then collected into "best of's" and box sets. Breaking the rules of "album" RtBE dabbles with a few of those here, as it is how we came into the genre. We will get to "live albums" later this month but most of these studio releases are pretty raw as well.
More than any other of these monthly showcases in The Masters series there will be disagreements with these choices and RtBE will surely leave out something grand. If people have suggestions, thoughts, ideas, feel free to hit us up in the comments. Here are our choices for top five studio blues albums.
As always, these lists are designed to start conversations, not end them.
This is just one more twist and turn in the ever changing music industry. In our younger days there are two main reasons we never really liked Led Zeppelin anymore than, let's say, Foghat.
One reason was that in my formidable years I had a co-worker at my first job who was a Jimmy Page fanboy to the umpteenth degree; he was insufferable with Page stories, legends and myths .
He played Zep all the time in the break room and while they were fine (other tunes played there were worse) he never mentioned the band much, it was all about Page. I have always loved Jimi Hendrix and for some reason this became an actual sticking point, with real arguments...constantly. This adversarial relationship with a co-worker turned into a pissing match about which guitarist was better...childish for sure, but forming, and solidifying, competitive feelings that still remain today, and not just with us:
The second reason is in direct relation to the article linked here today. I may have said it before on the site but the first 2 CD's I ever bought were Storm Troopers Of Death and John Lee Hooker on the same trip (an odd combo, but, aren't they all). Leaving the metal alone for now, we always have been drawn to the blues and after Hooker we got into all the greats, including Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. To this day "Whole Lotta Love" is easily our favorite Zep song, because it is a Willie Dixon cover, plain and simple.
It is not a direct lift, but it is clearly that song, redone. Even the younger version of myself felt outraged that Zep never gave credit to Dixon until they were sued. It smacks of elitist entitlement, and exploitation of the highest order. Even more bluntly put; it is a total racist dick move by Page and company because there is no denying the connection,
There are clear race issues here which are directly linked to money, respect/disrespect, greed, white privilege, etc etc. Obviously we are not the only ones who felt that way, having settled that case the article clearly mentions 3 other documented cases the band did this! Including "Whole Lotta Love" and if the Stairway case is found out that would make 5.
Of course ideas come from different places and inspiration can strike anywhere, I could even totally believe Page thought he invented the part when he wrote it. However, once it is pointed out, proper credit is due, especially when art and commerce intersect to this great of an extent.
Well, what do you think, are the songs the same? Should credit be given? Feel free to leave your comments below.
Well I have reached the point in the show when it is time to give back to the readers. I have put together a mix from the fantastic Music Database Freegal and want to offer it back to anyone out there who happens to take a gander at this site.
As you can see from the above picture it is 12 songs long and adds up to over 50 minutes of music for you. Who do we have in store for you? A mix from all over the sonic world, we got some southern spiced rock with Hill Country Revue, Patterson Hood and Delaney and Bonnie. A lot of jazz with Miles DavisMachito and Garage-A-Trois.
Wow...Photo Finish! Fly Down almost got Afleet Alex at the end...what a finish, here's hoping this year holds up too, I am leaning towards Coil this year, but with 10 horses running the race is wide open so I am committing to nothing yet.
(RtBE note: I am editing this post as it went up too soon, 2 more songs added to the original list Thanks Caesar for "Galway Races", no idea how that slipped my mind!)
To set the mood we are going to get into some songs about horses today. The beauty of it is, who knows if the songs are really about horses, women, men, heroin or all of that...So here are 12 songs (plus 2 bonus tracks if you keep scrolling) about horses...or connected to horses...or maybe the writer saw a horse once...
Why not start with a classic? Get your bets in and then MOUNT UP!
Weren't expecting that were ya? Thought if I was going to go with The Man in Black Johnny Cash it would be Tennessee Stud? Sure it's a great tune, but I plan on betting on those "Camptown Races" while Johnny makes those Camptown Ladies hearts swoooon!
Sticking old school here I can't leave out Gene Autry and while the song has more to do with cowboys, then jockey's yet...they both be riding some horses yo!
Here is another one that sticks on the acoustic front (don't worry we will start rockin' soon) Townes Van Zandt was known for achingly beautiful songs and some cool mid song chatter. Oon a live show I own of his he makes sure to mention that this song is indeed about a horse...is he pulling the audience's chain? Perhaps...could I have gone with Pancho and Lefty? Sure. But I didn't...here is "Two Girls":
It's Emerald Isle Time! Ireland has a great culture of horse racing, and Caesar reminded me of an old Irish tune that is a must to include in this list of Horse-y Songs, especially one that focuses on gambling with the ponies! "Galway Races" is the song The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem are performing the version I'm a choosin'. You even get a mini history lesson of why the Irish are world renowned for their music, beer, writing....but not their err..culinary skill.
Next up is RtBE favorite original blues-man John Lee Hooker getting his primal electric riffing on for his baby and those "Two White Horses"
Faster Horses, Younger Women, Older Whiskey, and More Money. Tom T Hall you speak to me...yes sir!
Ok starting to creep into rock territory now...even though it is still mostly acoustic, How about some 60's rock? First up is some Byrd song action with the descriptive "Chestnut Mare":
Next let's kick it over to Jolly Old England and ride some "Wild Horses" with The Rolling Stones:
How about we "Run For The Roses" huh? This one holds a special place in my special one's heart when it comes to The Jerry Garcia Band so I including this instead of Dan Fogelberg's tune of the same name..Reach for the stars...hope all my horses do that this weekend and hope none of them smack into the sky:
Make it funky? Ok Here is Cliff Nobles & Co with "The Horse" what does it have to do with horses? Umm...The title?!:
When I walk into Saratoga this year I will do so with a winning ticket, I get to cash in ticket, receive the real cash, which I am sure I will promptly lose on the next race. I do however walk in a winner this year, how you may ask? I picked a top notch pony earlier this season when I hit the raceway with MaDukes! The horses name? Runaway Jim! How could I not bet on a Phish song to win? So while it might be about a dog, today it is about a horse, Here is "Runaway Jim" from the New Years Day show at MSG this year.
And finally rounding out our Songs About Horses (or kinda about) here is the jam that runs through my head every time I play the ponies, a personal favorite from this list...The Hold Steady "Chips Ahoy"
And yes...I will be betting at least something on the 5th Horse...in the 6th race this weekend...
If you are sticking around this long, lets give you 2 bonus songs from some of my favorite groups who happen to have "Horse" in the Groups Title.... Neil Young and Crazy Horse, "Fuckin' Up" here's hoping we do none of that this weekend:
Band of Horses, "Older" yes we keep getting older, but Travers, never losses it's luster...
Two guitar maestros got together to deliver an homage to the blues as JD Simo & Luther Dickinson join forces for the first time on Do The Rump! While the title and packaging may suggest a 50's sock-hop soundtrack with gimmicky dance steps, the debut album from this duo is nothing but deep hill country blues.
Sometimes music takes extra effort with words meticulously parsed, notes played hundreds of times until they are just right...and sometimes you can lay down a damn good blues album in just over four hours. Such is the case with Alabama Slim's newest offering The Parlor.
Slim entered the New Orleans studio and with the help of with his longtime friend Little Freddy King, and together with the help of, Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers) on piano/organ, Matt Patton (Drive-By Truckers) on bass, and Artie Dean drums/producing, out strolled this simple, direct, fantastic sounding blues offering.
Opening with the lighting and thunder of "Hot Foot" the players ease into things, but a quick uptick follows as King takes over lead vocals for the Texas shuffle of "Freddie's Voodoo Magic". Slim himself feels more at ease with the slower smoldering numbers like "Rob Me Without A Gun" and "All Night Long" but the players around him can push the tempo up with ease.
Slim and company also put their own spin on a few classic blues tunes. "Rock with me Momma" is a unique twist on John Lee Hooker's "I Got My Eyes On You", "Someday Baby" is a solid effort and Patton's bass leads the groove wonderfully on "Rock Me Baby".
While all of these tracks lead to a timeless feeling of the album, one song destroys that illusion, placing The Parlor directly in 2021, "Forty Jive". The almost spoken word take cuts down the former President as the upbeat organ lead shuffle keeps things lively. The record ends on slower sturdy footing for Slim as he wraps up with "Down on the Bottom", and that is where Slim excels with his gritty blues.
It was a rare treat to have this guitar player visit NYC, and for those who have not heard him Bombino (Omara Moctar) is a Turareg artist who lives in the country of Niger but plays protest music for his nomadic people. The intriguing thing is his fluidity and flair of Western style rock that he places into his Eastern sounding songs. His sound is very popular in Africa and with this years release Agadez he is being discovered by music fans here in America. Tonight's performance was his only in New York City as his brief North American tour travels west and ends on 12-13 in Mexico City.
Wearing their traditional garb Bombino himself and a percussionist took the stage to open the night with 3 acoustic offerings. Singing in his native tongue Bombino express his emotions and having no knowledge of what is being sung doesn't cause much of problem because the feelings come through. There was a middle eastern flair with the acoustic numbers that fit the venue well, as Le Poisson Rogue has an artsy vibe that is a world away from the Bleecker St mayhem just outside.
After the short acoustic openers and a few grateful "Merci Beaucoup's" and "Thank You's" from Bombino the percussionist jumped behind the drum kit to start the pumping snare and beat that would vary only slightly and stay driving the rest of the night. A second (unnecessary in most ways) Turareg guitarist joined as did an out of place looking t-shirt and jean wearing older white bass player who kept the tight simplistic groove going. That is primarily what Bombino is all about, the groove.
Once electric the songs got longer and repetitive sinking into deep deep groves that try to reach trance like states, reminiscent in style to Fela Kuti's approach but a totally different sound. The simple notes recycle themselves over and over again while Bombino steps to the front and adds electric sonic flairs over the constant beats. There are no parts or changes just augmented, stylistic diversions from the lead player while he sings. Some songs and grooves enchanted on this night, others fell flat with no emotion or importance emanating from them. The tone and sound is very intriguing combining an almost surf vibe to the eastern style giving the ear a unique twist of something that sounds familiar and foreign at the same time.
Bombino has been compared to Jimi Hendrix by others, but Hendrix he is not. Barring the lack of showmanship or abandon his playing is much more restrained as he is content to stick to the beats and notes for the majority of his tunes rather then explore. A better comparison would be to older blues players like, Muddy Waters or John Lee Hooker who could sit in the same simple note soup for hours and still cook up something tasty from them. The snake like riffs that Bombino toyed with tonight could be appreciated by those masters, and if he tossed in a cover of "Crawling King Snake" that would indeed be an exciting concoction of styles.
Set List: Tar Hani, Inchin Chilan, Tenere Ietninhal, Ouhou Iakamin, Tebsakh Dalet, Adounia, Tenere, Kammou Taliat, Amidinin, Imouhar
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Here are some live songs from the Bombino to give you a sense of his music, you can buy the fantastic album Agadez here. RtBE will be reviewing the album early next month.
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Steve Miller Band!
August always makes RtBE think of upstate New York, specifically the town of Saratoga. Going to high school just a few miles from the town, we would spend many August days at the beautiful horse track and hot nights in the state park watching bands from all over. A few years back we presented shows from the venue itself. This month we will highlight some bands who always seemed to roll through and we (mostly) got to see live.
This week we showcase the Steve Miller Band set from 1992 at Shoreline Amphitheatre. In the early 90's Miller was a touring powerhouse, every summer he would sell out SPAC and for some reason it would be THE summer concert until Dave Matthews somehow took over.
Kind of surprising but also kind of obvious as both are lighthearted, middle of the road, semi-fun nights out for the middle aged upstate (white) fan.
Here is where that caveat mostly from above comes into play; we never went to Saratoga to catch Steve Miller, but I will guarantee he rolled through their in 92 and we passed...weren't into his style, but can't bag on his professionalism.
Pro Shot, Pro Sound, Full Setlist and LOTS of Info Below. Enjoy:
Steve Miller Band - Full Concert Recorded Live: 10/10/1992 - Shoreline Amphitheatre (Mountain View, CA)
Setlist: 0:00:00 - Fly Like An Eagle 0:04:51 - Seasons 0:08:33 - You're So Fine 0:12:09 - Mercury Blues 0:15:36 - I'm Tore Down 0:18:38 - Gangster Of Love 0:20:53 - Livin' In The USA 0:25:15 - Dance, Dance, Dance 0:28:16 - Rock'n Me 0:33:41 - Take The Money And Run 0:37:21 - Jet Airliner 0:42:14 - Monologue 0:44:23 - The JokerPersonnel: Steve Miller - guitar, lead vocals Norton Buffalo - harmonica Keith Allen - guitar Byron Allred - keyboardsSummary:
Steve Miller was among the major artists who lined up on this 1992 weekend to pay homage to indigenous peoples for an event billed as "All Our Colors: The Good Road Concert, A Benefit for the Traditional Circle of Elders and Youth." Held over two days at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, the concerts commemorated 500 years of survival of the native peoples of the western hemisphere, with appearances by Ry Cooder, Jackson Browne and Santana presented alongside a traditional pow-wow and music from indigenous artists.
Miller used his set to highlight his blues roots: after all, he'd spent his early years on the Chicago club scene, learning the music from the masters. Eventually, he headed to San Francisco where he formed the Steve Miller Band in 1967 and explored the blues within the context of the city's vibrant music scene. Their debut, Children of the Future, received little commercial notice upon its release in 1968. Over the course of continued recordings however, the Miller Band and its leader honed their guitar jam and riff style, and eventually lost the psychedelic tones; by 1973, they'd found themselves a hit with the The Joker. He followed up that album with an even bigger hit, Fly Like An Eagle in 1976, a multi-platinum rock standard, and its companion, Book of Dreams, in 1977.
For much of the '80s and '90s, Miller largely worked as a road dog, touring behind greatest hits collections. For this set, he turned in fresh, acoustic rearrangements of the catalog material on which he'd made his name. A fairly sparse "Fly Like An Eagle," mingled with "par-tay" tunes, as he called them, like "You're So Fine" and K.C. Douglas' "Mercury Blues," which he dedicates to John Lee Hooker, also featured on the bill that day. He dedicated Freddie King's "I'm Tore Down," to Ry Cooder, while throughout his set, Miller was accompanied by his trusty sideman Norton Buffalo, on harmonica. They turn out "Gangster of Love," Miller's own homage to the old time blues styles that inspired him, and "Living in the U.S.A.," his high-energy jam about the American dream, as it was once known. Saving the crowd-pleaser for last, the self-referential "The Joker" can still bring a crowd to its feet, no matter when or where Miller performs it.
Miller would soon record new material on Wide River (1993); in 2010 he finally cut another studio album, Bingo!, to add to his catalog, but the mid-to-late '70s were truly his most prolific years. And yet, this '90s set finds "The Gangster of Love" and the "Space Cowboy" finding new ways to perform old tricks: "The Joker" rides again...
The Sazerwrap has been the @RockBodyElec way of rounding up all the amazing things that happen down at our annual trip to Jazzfest in New Orleans. We will breaking the review up into two parts, Food and Music, today is the Music. Only 11 Months until next years festival!
It has been a few years, but RtBE is bringing back the Sazerwrap for the 50th Anniversary of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. This is our 11th straight year of catching the fest and needless to say each year is magic. The trips keep evolving as does the festival and city which hosts it. Today we will chat about the tunes we heard and shows we saw.
