New York Dolls- A Hard Night's Day

Since we're on the subject of Johnny Thunders (from the previous post), you can't fully discuss Johnny until you mention his previous band, the New York Dolls. The Dolls only released two official albums with their original line-up, New York Dolls and Too Much, Too Soon, and like Thunder's career they were best represented by their live performances. The debut Dolls album suffered from Todd Rundgren's stifling muddy production and the recording sounded flat and too tight. When I purchased their first album (in the early 80's?), I heard about their reputation and legendary status and their influence on many of the punk bands in the late 70's, but I must admit I was slightly disappointed and didn't think they lived up to the hype, though this album is considered an all-time classic from the seventies.

A Hard Night's Day is a recording that better captures the sound of the New York Dolls as they record direct to tape, live on the floor, one-take versions of their repertoire (including covers), as a demo for their first album. This one night of instant demo-ing is what is represented on this recording and it was made to present to Mercury Records and to their eventual producer Rundgren so they could select what songs to put on that first record. The result is a great sounding document that was loose, sloppy and clear, a major improvement, in my opinion. Unfortunately, it was a little too sloppy for official release, but it has the added interest of listening to the between song chatter amongst the band members (mainly Johansen). I really like this disc because the Dolls don't sound slicked-up yet for mainstream commercial audiences and I don't have an image in my mind of a group of guys dressed up in drag or glamming it up with high-heel boots with too much make-up. Just sweaty, raw rock'n'roll, like it should be!

NEW YORK DOLLS
A Hard Night's Day (2000)
Seven Day Weekend
Frankenstein
Who Are The Mystery Girls?
(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown
Back In The USA
Looking For A Kiss
Jet Boy
It's Too Late
Bad Detective
Lonely Planet Boy
Subway Train
Private World
Trash
Human Being
Don't Start Me Talking
Give Her A Great Big Kiss
Vietnamese Baby
Babylon
Bad Girl
Pills
Personality Crisis

Download: New York Dolls- A Hard Day's Night. rar

Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers- S.O.B.

A band that heavily influenced (both musically and spirit) Replacements front-man Paul Westerberg, was Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. The Replacements paid tribute to the Thunders with their songs, Johnny's Gonna Die and Dose Of Thunder. Their early setlists included at least one or two Heartbreaker's covers and in 1987, they invited Johnny to join them on stage.

The Heartbreakers were formed in 1975, when guitarist Johnny Thunders and drummer Jerry Nolan split from the New York Dolls and teamed up with Richard Hell on bass. Walter Lure joined shortly after to play guitar/vocals and by mid-1976 Hell left to form his own band, Voidoids. Hell was replaced by Billy Rath.
I own most of the official releases of both the Heartbreakers and Johnny Thunder's solo records and since the Heartbreaker's only really released one official studio album, most of my collection are live albums. The Heartbreaker's were at the peak during the mid-seventies successfully touring the UK and stateside, in and around New York City. Their live shows were unpredictable, but high energy and they developed a dedicated following during the 70's punk era. The band kind of broke-up in 1979, but did many "reunion" shows afterwards, Jerry and Walter continued to play with Johnny's bands throughout the 80's, but those line-ups never had the urgency or intensity of the early days. I also have a large quantity of Heartbreakers and Johnny Thunder's live recording and bootlegs, but I hadn't seen S.O.B until I saw it on another blog. S.O.B (Lost Live Tapes 1976-1977) is an ultra rare limited (250) Japanese release that features sets from 4 different shows (2 in UK, 2 in US) and is an excellent document of the Heartbreakers at their best, live...loud, sloppy, and rockin'!!

(If you think the songs are quite similar gig to gig, you're right. Remember, they only recorded one album.)

JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS
S.O.B (Lost Live Tapes 1976-1977)

DISC 1
Max's Kansas City New York City July 23, 1976 (Billy Rath's first show?)

1. Do You Love Me
2. Take A Chance With Me
3. I Love You
4. Flight
5. It's Not Enough
6. So Alone
7. Chinese Rocks
8. Pirate Love
9. Born To Lose
10. Get Off The Phone
11. I Wanna Be Loved

Rebecca's Nightclub Birmingham, UK May 12, 1977

12. Chinese Rocks
13. Pirate Love
14. Get Off The Phone
15. All By Myself
16. Let Go
17. Take A Chance With Me
18. Goin' Steady
19. Can't Keep My Eyes On You
20. I Love You
21. Born To Lose
22. One Track Mind
23. I Wanna Be loved
24. Do You Love Me

DISC 2
Portsmouth Polytechnic, UK June 23, 1977
1. Introduction
2. Chinese Rocks
3. Pirate Love
4. Get Off The Phone
5. All By Myself
6. Let Go
7. Take A Chance With Me
8. Born To Lose
9. I Love You
10. One Track Mind
11. I Wanna Be Loved

The Village Gate New York, NY, USA
12. Introduction
13. Chinese Rocks
14. Pirate Love
15. Get Off The Phone
16. All By Myself
17. Let Go
18. Can't Keep My Eyes On You
19. I Love You
20. Born To Lose
21. One Track Mind

Download: Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers - S.O.B. (disc 1). rar
S.O.B. (disc 2). rar

The Shit Hits The Fans...The Replacements!

The origins of when I started my hobby of recording concerts can be dated back to a newsletter/magazine subscription that I received in the early 90's to a publication called Tapers Quarterly. I searched some boxes and piles of crap in my room to see if I could find an issue to photograph, but I can't find them, though I saw them a few years ago and I set them aside when we were cleaning our basement. Tapers Quarterly was a magazine that featured articles and discussion about concert taping and the the community of tape trading. Of particular interest was a three-part series that focused on collecting recordings by the Minneapolis band, the Replacements. The author Charles Ford discussed their live audio recordings, live video and rarities/outtakes and the uniqueness of a Replacements concert that I had only heard about. The Replacements were the ultimate live experience, especially in the early days, totally unpredictable, loose set lists, lots of covers and a drunken good time. Not every show was crazy, they could also play it straight and tight, but no two Replacement's shows were alike. I was fascinated and started to buy and trade tapes from tapers from across North America (before the Internet, there was good old fashioned snail mail), trying to collect as many Replacements shows as possible. I received a goldmine of shows from a guy in Minneapolis (thanks Dan!), that really soothed my craving and even today if I see I show i don't have, I gotta get it. This obsession with collecting the Replacements has branched off to other bands and I can't tell you how many tapes and CD's I have of concert recordings, but the Replacements have a special place in my collecting heart.

The legend of The Shit Hits The Fans recording can be read about here. Basically it was a tape that was "confiscated" from a fan's cassette recorder by the Replacements sound man at a show in Oklahoma city in 1984. It was a very limited cassette-only release (10,000?) by the Mats' label at the time, Twin Tone. The show is classic Mats where they attempt to play many covers (a few of their own songs as well) with not too much success, usually giving up after a verse or two. There are better sounding and more amusing bootlegs out there, but something about this recording really captures the fearless, "we don't give a crap" attitude that I love about the Replacements. The sound quality is decent, but this is one of those "love it or hate it" things where I would recommend this for (hard-core) fan's of the band. Newbies should start at their studio albums first, Let It Be and Tim and then have a listen to TSHTF. You'll be shaking your head wondering why they're butchering a bunch of crappy covers by Tom Petty, Bad Company and Led Zeppelin, when instead they could be playing their own amazing material.
Love it!

THE REPLACEMENTS
The Bowery
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
November 11, 1984
The Shit Hits The Fans (released 1985)

1. "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (LLoyd Price)
2. "Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus" (Robyn Hitchcock)
3. "Lovelines" (Westerberg/Stinson/Stinson/Mars)
4. "I'll Be There" (Berry Gordy, Jr./Bob West/Hal Davis/Willie Hutch)
5. "Sixteen Blue" (Westerberg)
6. "Can't Hardly Wait" (Westerberg)
7. "I Will Dare" (Westerberg)
8. "Hear You Been to College" (Westerberg/Stinson/Stinson/Mars)
9. "Saturday Night Special" (Ed King/Ronnie Van Zant)
10. "Iron Man" (Butler/Iommi/Osbourne/Ward)
11. "Misty Mountain Hop" (Page/Plant/Jones)
12. "Heartbreaker" (Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant)
13. "Can't Get Enough" (Mick Ralphs)
14. "Jailbreak" (Phil Lynott)
15. "Breakdown" (Tom Petty)
16. "No More the Moon Shines on Lorena" (Alvin Pleasant Carter)
17. "Merry Go Round" (Nikki Sixx)
18. "Left in the Dark" (Ken Draznik)
19. "Takin' Care of Business" (Randy Bachman)
20. "I Will Follow" (Hewson/Evans/Clayton/Mullen)
21. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (Jagger/Richards)
22. "Radio Free Europe" (Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe)
23. "The New World" (Cervenka/Nommensen Duchac)
24. "Let It Be" (Lennon/McCartney).

Download: REPLACEMENTS- Shit Hits The Fans. rar
the link should now be working again (Aug/11). I've reupped the file. Let me know if there are still problems.

Over 10,000 Visits!!

This is what you get when you Google-image search...sorry, no money here!

I've been posting to this blog for over three years now, August 11, 2006 to be exact and it gives me great pleasure to announce I have reached a (minor) milestone for this blog. Teenage Dogs In Trouble has been viewed over 10,000 times since it's inception, which means in reality there could be only a dozen or so people that have clicked on this site multiple times or it's getting more popular? If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will see a ClustrMap with the heading, "visitor locations". If you click on the map, you can see the locations where the viewers are from (the red dots), the larger the dots, the more people from that location that have viewed. It keeps statistics of how many people in the last 24 hours have been to the site and it keeps a running tally from August and an overall number since 2006. Pretty neat, eh?

The Future?
My hope is that the blog has grown and spread it's voice beyond just Winnipeg and Canada throughout the years and that it will continue to snag new readers and get some repeat visitors. I know 10,000 hits really isn't a big deal in the blog universe, because there are thousands, maybe millions of blogs that have that many viewers in a day, but for a small little blog and a local music fan like myself that has a limited amount of "real world" friend's, I'm pretty satisfied. I figure the next 10,000 should come faster if I can post something new every few days or so, as my pet peeve is when website's don't update, I'll try my best to keep this blog fresh and interesting. I know, I go days, even weeks without a posting and I apologize (in advance as well...!), sometimes I get slack and don't feel like writing, so I understand when no one looks at the site at all. If anyone has any suggestions or requests, please let me know. I'm trying to stay away from official major label releases since most of my hassles have been from the copyright police, so out-of-print, hard-to-find rarities are preferred or if I have a particular obsession that week, things will get quite random.

What's that? Not enough action you say? Listen!
To celebrate 10,000, I'm posting 4 versions of this blog's title-track/theme song. The name Teenage Dogs In Trouble, is actually the name of a song by my favourite all-time band, the Young Fresh Fellows, from their first album. What's your favourite version? Enjoy!

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS
Teenage Dogs In Trouble- (1984) From the album, "The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest"
Teenage Dogs In Trouble- (1984) From fan-club cassette, "Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp"- part electric/part acoustic
Teenage Dogs In Trouble- (1993) From the CD, "Live In Spain"- live!
Teenage Dogs In Trouble- (2004) From tribute CD, "This One's For The Fellows"- Mono Men w/Scott McCaughey

Slips, Tangles And Little Pictures

When John K. Samson was still a member of Propagandhi (and years away from when he formed the Weakerthans), he released a 15 track solo cassette entitled, Slips and Tangles. Basically it's just John and his acoustic guitar, but it's interesting to see the beginnings of his song writing style. It was a prelude of things to come, considering his then present band was mainly hardcore. This rare hard-to-find demo tape was released in 1993 and the title track was later re-recorded by the Weakerthans on their Left and Leaving CD in 2000.

Six of the tracks were also re-recorded and released in 1995 as Little Pictures, a split album with Painted Thin's, Small Acts Of Love and Rebellion. Following the success of Samson's Weakerthan's, in 2006, both recordings were re-released separately by G7 in mp3 format.

JOHN K. SAMSON
Slips and Tangles (1993)

1. Slips and Tangles
2. Greenest Eyes
3. Airport Lounge
4. Unearthly Refrain
5. Happy Song
6. Sunday Afternoon
7. Summer Rain
8. Farewell Faded Memory
9. Velveteen
10. Maryland Bridge
11. Sympathetic Smile
12. Saint Cecilia
13. Little Pictures
14. A Story You Have Heard Before
15. Agonistes

Download: John K. Samson- Slips And Tangles. rar


Little Pictures (1995)

1. Maryland Bridge
   
2. Sunday Afternoon
   
3. Sympathetic Smile
   
4. Farewell Faded Memory
   
5. Saint Cecilia
   
6. Little Pictures

Download: John K. Samson- Little Pictures. rar

"Live" At A Beach Boys' Party!

As a followup to yesterday's entry, I present, The Beach Boys' Party!, the album format that inspired Sloan to release Live At A Sloan Party, the bonus disc to the American release of One Chord To Another. Though I'm not normally much of a Beach Boys fan, this LP is unique for it's approach and selection of material. Marketed for the Christmas season, Beach Boys' Party was recorded by the band and friends and was meant as a fun loose album instead of a Christmas album, per say, but captured the spirit and spontaneity of a live recording. Although it was presented as a live recording, the songs were carefully recorded in a studio and laughter and chatter was mixed in post-production. The album featured covers by the Beatles, Everly Brothers and Bob Dylan as well as a medley of their own hits, I Get Around/Little Deuce Coupe along with it's surprise hit single from the record, Barbara Ann.

A fun short set of music that is surprisingly entertaining and not to be taken too seriously.
Enjoy!

THE BEACH BOYS
(Recorded "Live" At A) Beach Boys' Party!

1. "Hully Gully" (Fred Smith/Cliff Goldsmith) – 2:22
   • Lead Vocal - Mike Love
2. "I Should Have Known Better" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 1:40
   • Lead Vocal - Carl Wilson and Al Jardine
3. "Tell Me Why" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 1:46
   • Lead Vocal - Carl Wilson and Al Jardine
4. "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" (Carl White/Al Frazier/Sonny Harris/Turner Wilson Jr.) – 2:18
   • Lead Vocal - Brian Wilson, with Mike Love (bass)
5. "Mountain of Love" (Harold Dorman) – 2:51
   • Lead Vocal - Mike Love
6. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 2:56
   • Lead Vocal - Dennis Wilson

7. "Devoted To You" (Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:13
   • Lead Vocal - Mike Love and Brian Wilson
8. "Alley Oop" (Dallas Frazier) – 2:56
   • Lead Vocal - Mike Love
9. "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" (Phil Spector/Leroy Bates) – 3:05
   • Lead Vocal - Brian Wilson
10. "Medley: I Get Around/Little Deuce Coupe" (Brian Wilson/Mike Love/Roger Christian) – 3:12
    • Lead vocals by Dennis, Mike, Brian, Al, Carl
11. "The Times They Are a-Changin'" (Bob Dylan) – 2:23
    • Lead Vocal - Al Jardine
12. "Barbara Ann" (Fred Fassert) – 3:23
    • Lead Vocal Brian Wilson and Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean

Download: Beach Boys- Beach Boys' Party! . rar

Sloan- Live At A Sloan Party!

One rarity I've been trying to track down for a while is the U.S. version of Sloan's, One Chord To Another, that included in it's early pressings a bonus disc entitled, Live At A Sloan Party! The band dishes up some alternative versions of their own songs, as well as a selection of covers by such bands as, The Modern Lovers, Roxy Music, The Hollies and April Wine. The background noises and conversations between songs suggest this is a live recording at a party, but in reality (and admitted to by the band), the songs were recorded in the studio and the "ambiance" was dubbed over the music. The background noise was in fact recorded at a party with Sloan members present and the result is loose set of music unlike anything Sloan has recorded since. It's truly a treat to hear the band so inspired and they do a very commendable job with the covers. This is Sloan's homage to the Beach Boys' Party from 1965, which also mixes covers and acoustic versions of originals constructed in the studio with party sounds added later.

On a recent trip to Vancouver I saw two copies of the double-disc version of One Chord at Zulu Records (one of my favourite out-of-town record store haunts), but for some insane reason I didn't buy it, maybe at that moment I thought $15 was too much for a used CD, but as soon as I left the store I felt instant regret. This inspired a search on the internet to find more information about the disc and thanks to Soulseek I found the songs from the party disc. A very enjoyable listen and I highly recommend this hard to find gem!

SLOAN
Live At A Sloan Party (1997)

01. Let's Get the Party Started
02. I Can Feel It
03. Dignified and Old (Modern Lovers)
04. Glitter and Gold (Everly Brothers)
05. Over You (Roxy Music)
06. I Am the Cancer
07. I Can't Get Go (The Hollies)
08. Stood Up
09. On the Road Again/Transona Five (Canned Heat/Stereolab)
10. I Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love (April Wine)

Download: Sloan- Live At A Sloan Party. rar

John K. Samson- City Route 85

Weakerthan's fans might be interested that frontman, John K. Samson has just released (November 3rd) a 3-song seven-inch/digital download of solo material called, City Route 85 on Epitaph and ANTI-. This is the first in a planned series of 3 or 4 seven-inches about Manitoba roads and highways which he plans to release over the course of 18 months. This is Samson's first solo project away from the Weakerthans since 1995's Little Pictures. I posted one song from that EP in a post three years ago, but I will post the complete EP soon.

JOHN K. SAMSON- City Route 85 (2009)

1. "Heart of the Continent"
2. "Grace General"
3. "Cruise Night"

JOHN K. SAMSON- City Route 85. rar

Just Buy It!

Lately, I've been thinking about the cassettes I own and the space they occupy on shelves on my wall. I know a lot of people are uploading their CD's onto their computers and carry around their collection on their iPods in an attempt to free up some space and have all their favourite music easily accessable. I accumulated pre-recorded tapes and tapes that Irecorded from friend's vinyl mainly during the 80's and early 90's, a time when vinyl was becoming more scarce and CD's were in their infancy stage. They were the audio version of VHS tapes that had the ability to record from various sources such as radio, live concerts and just plain dubbing from vinyl and other cassettes. I was one of those holdouts that didn't believe the compact disc format would replace good ol' vinyl and cassette tapes, so I snubbed CD's and almost exclusively bought pre-recorded cassettes of my favourite music. It wasn't until certain bands released exclusively only CD's when I converted completely to CD's.

The problem with cassette tapes is that don't stand the test of time very well. Vinyl records have their issues as well, but as long as you protect the discs from scratching and keep them upright (so they don't warp), vinyl can last decades and still remain collectible and playable. Pre-recorded cassettes are usually poor quality tapes and they begin to sound warbled and flat after multiple plays (...and rewinds and fast forwarding) as the tape becomes pulled and stretched. I have hundreds of live concert tapes I received in trades or I recorded and my goal in the near future is to digitize the recordings onto CD's or digital files on the computer. As I gradually convert my shows, I'll post some rare shows I think might be of interest and hopefully I can update my concert tape/CD list I've woefully neglected for many years so I can take requests.

One tape that I've worn out over the years is a recording by Ottawa indie band, Furnaceface. Furnaceface's second release, Just Buy It was originally released in 1992 and was only available on cassette (CD in 1993), which I had a dubbed copy from my brother who was blown away by their amazing stage show when they toured in support of Just Buy It. When the band was signed to Cargo Records, the tape was re-sequenced and re-mixed (adding weird little segue before each song) and re-released on CD. Furnaceface's music might not be for everyone's taste as their music includes everything from heavy riffs to classic pop, as well as ska, punk, dance and 60's garage. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes political, but always entertaining. A true Canadian indie classic!

Download: FURNACEFACE- Just Buy It .rar

Amy Millan And Her Secret Weapon- Live At The WECC.

Photo credit to Kendall.Burke (Thanks! Taken at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. Forgot my camera and no one from Winnipeg posted on Flickr)

It's been over a week since Amy Millan was in Winnipeg to perform along with her "solo" band, Secret Weapon. Amy's music with her solo project contrasts greatly from her main band, Stars, as it is strongly influenced by country and folk. Electric guitars, keyboards and synths are replaced by banjo, mandolin, steel pedal, trombone and acoustic guitars. The easy-going vibe of the West End Cultural Centre, a venue favoured by many touring folk fest-type musicians is a nice change from the theatre setting of the Burton Cummings and Pantages Theatre, a full blown rock concert complete with light show and dry ice smoke. Amy seems comfortable in either setting, the rock goddess or the folk/country western performer.

This was the first "real" concert for my daughter, whose only other concert experience was seeing Moxy Fruvous (also at the WECC) back in 1999, but she claims she fell asleep for most of the show. I was happy to see it was a seated concert with chairs in rows instead of tables or just floor to stand on. The show was enjoyable, a more quiet, intimate show that lets you really appreciate the musicianship and skills of the artists without the flash and pomp. She only played songs from her solo albums, Honey From The Tombs and Masters Of The Burial (seems be a death theme here), so for those expecting Stars songs, you were out of luck, but seeing Amy Millan perform solo or with Stars is always entertaining.

Here's my recording of the concert, share, but DO NOT sell! If you have any problems downloading from Dime (you need to be a member) or the mp3 rar file, let me know.
Enjoy!

AMY MILLAN and Her Secret Weapon
West End Cultural Centre
Winnipeg, MB.
October 18, 2009

01. Intro/ ? (gospel song?)
02. Old Perfume
03. Losing You
04. I Will Follow You Into The Dark
05. Ruby II
06. Come Home Loaded Roadie
07. Lost Compass
08. Run For Me
09. Skinny Boy
10. Bury This
11. Finish Line
12. Baby I
13. Towers
14. Bruised Ghosts

Encore
15. Madere Waltz (Dan Whiteley- mandolin solo)
16. Day To Day
17. Low Sail

2nd encore
18. Pour Me Another

Download: Amy Millan 2009-10-18 .rar (mp3)
Download: www.dimeadozen.org (FLAC)

B.T.W.F.- The Bangs (Bangles)

When I think of guilty pleasure bands I often indulge in some good ol' all-girl rock, not only the "good" stuff like, Sleater-Kinney or the Donnas, but also usually embarrassing stuff like the Go-Go's and the Bangles. Both bands were actually quite good, playing the dingy local clubs and weren't the overnight sensations MTV has led you to believe. For this edition of "Before They Was Famous", I bring you some pre-Bangles, The Bangs. The Bangles formed in 1980 and went through a number of name changes, The Colours, The Supersonic Bangs, before morphing into The Bangs. In 1981, the original line-up of Susanna Hoffs and Vicky and Debbi Peterson recorded a single (Getting Out Of Hand b/w Call On Me) as The Bangs and in 1982 recorded an EP. A legal issue forced the band to change it's name to the Bangles (dropped the "The" and added "les") before the release of the self-titled EP. Their following albums (All Over the Place, Different Light, Everything) increasingly became more commercial and radio-ready for the MTV generation. I can't say I was much of a fan after their initial releases as they moved a little bit away from their power-pop roots and their 60's jangly sound (I love the Rickenbacker guitars sound!) to a slicker generic sound. If you're wondering what the members of the Bangles are up to, supposeably the reformed band is entering the studio to record something new and have a listen to Susanna Hoffs collaboration with Matthew Sweet, Under The Covers Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.  

THE BANGS- 7" (1981) 

A: Getting Out Of Hand mp3 

B: Call On Me  mp3 

Bonus: No Mag Commercial  mp3  

 

BANGLES- Self-Titled EP (1982) download: Bangles-EP .rar

 

Tweedy On Q

Guesting on CBC's mid-morning program Q this Wednesday October 21st was Wilco's, Jeff Tweedy. Tweedy and Jian discussed Wilco's recent album, Wilco The Album and music in general. The range and quality of guests that Q attracts is promising and actually has me interested. Being at work during the hours of the problem is a little tricky to follow every word that is spoken, but i do have the option of listening later at night (12 hours later) or (in this case) listen to the podcast of the Q website. A very interesting interview with a very interesting guy, Jeff Tweedy and if you're a regular reader to this blog, you know he's one of my favourites. Buy the album too!!

Podcast: Q-Jeff Tweedy interview Oct. 21, 2009 mp3
The full uncut interview (scroll to Oct 21, 2009)

Something New Mondays- Juliana Hatfield

Something New Mondays returns with a new song from Juliana Hatfield! Juliana hasn't really released anything since last year's, How to Walk Away, but a new album titled, Peace And Love is in the works and scheduled for release in January 2010. The new song, We're Not In Charleston Anymore is from the compilation, Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs Of Mark Mulcahy which is a tribute to Miracle Legion frontman Mark Mulcahy. Mulcahy's wife Melissa died suddenly in September 2008 and proceeds will go to Mulcahy to continue his music career and raise their 3 year old twin daughters. The album features 21 exclusive covers of Mulcahy songs by Juliana Hatfield, Dinosaur Jr, Michael Stipe, Frank Black, Ben Kweller, Thom Yorke, The National, and others. JULIANA HATFIELD- We're Not In Charleston Anymore mp3

Jonathan Richman- The "Lost" Album

Here's a series of unreleased studio recordings Jonathan Richman recorded likely in 1981, when he was transitioning from his band, the Modern Lovers to a solo career. Some of these songs turned up on later releases while others never officially saw the light of day. The instrumentation and production is sparse which indicates these were demos or rehearsals and the songs that appeared on later albums were re-recorded. The album would have filled the gap between 1979's, Back In Your Life and 1983's, Jonathan Sings!, so it was a good productive time for Jonathan and the beginning of a fertile period (80's) when he pretty much released an album every year.

JONATHAN RICHMAN
The Lost Album (1981)

1. I'm A Little Airplane
2. The Morning Of Our Lives
3. In The Checkout Line
4. Try This Brand New Dance
5. Theme From Moulin Rouge (instrumental)
6. And That's Rock 'n' Roll
7. Ancient And Long Ago
8. The Fenway
9. Not Yet Three
10. Stop This Car
11. Shirin And Fahrad
12. Walter Johnson
13. Five Year Old Feeling

Tracks 1 & 2- live version on 1977's Modern Lovers Live
Tracks 9 & 10- different version on 1983's Jonathan Sings
Tracks 8 & 12- different version on 1985's Rockin' And Romance
Tracks 7 & 11- different version on 1986's It's Time For...

Download: Jonathan Richman- The Lost Album .rar

Van Morrison Speaks to Q!

I admit, Ive never really been a big Van Morrison fan, I'm familar with songs like, Brown Eyed Girl and Moondance, and I really dug his work with his pre-solo band, Them. Everyone knows songs like, Here Comes The Night and the garage-band classic, Gloria, but I've never really had the urge to seek out any of his classic albums from the 70' s, 80's or even the 90's.

Last Thursday, CBC's radio program Q pulled a coo by getting an exclusive interview with Van Morrison in his Toronto hotel, in town for a couple of shows at Massey Hall. I've heard that Van Morrison rarely give interviews, so we should feel somewhat honoured that he would selectively talk to a Canadian interviewer such as Jian Ghomeshi. Out of curiosity and by coincidence I turned the radio on just as the interview had started and I'm sure glad I did. Van was very candid as he revealed that his participation in The Last Waltz concert film (The Band) was a mistake and a rip-off. He also blasted the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame and how the whole system was a rip-off (He refused to accept the induction). It was a very interesting interview and I couldn't believe how honest and bitter he is to the music business. I wholeheartedly agree with most of his points and I have a new respect for Van Morrison and the last couple of days I have been seeking some of his classic recordings. I've started with Astral Weeks and Moondance (the album) and I'll go on from there, so far it's been enjoyable, but seriously, have a listen to the interview, especially the uncut longer version, it's pretty hilarious!

Q Podcast from Thursday October 1, 2009 mp3 (includes the edited Van Morrison interview)

Uncut interview with Van Morrison (link, scroll down to Oct. 1)

The Hold Steady- Live At The West End

All photos by Jesse Miki

2009 has been great year so far for witnessing some wickedly good concerts. Thursday night at the newly renovated West End Cultural Centre saw the appearance of the Brooklyn-based (and Minneapolis) band, The Hold Steady. Their reputation of being "the best bar band in America" was definitely confirmed as they treated their diehard fans to a amazing display of club-sized rock that saw the band grind out a 25 song set, 105 minute show. They played a good range of songs from all four of their full-length releases, as well as a bunch of new songs.

Since the West End didn't have seating (except for the upper level), I positioned myself smack dab dead centre, about 8 or 9 people deep from the stage. This sweaty-beer soaked (yes, there were many spelt beers on the floor and on people) scrum hung on to singer Craig Finn's every word, screaming out the lyrics, fist pumping and frantically jumping around. Finn's stage presence has always amazed me, with his geeky looks (balding guy with glasses) and odd voice that reminds me more of Randy Newman than Bruce Springsteen, to his wild gestering with arms flailing. He yells into the mic then steps back and screams off-mic frantically baiting the audience to respond and react, creating a connection that keeps the crowd focused on the show. The rest of the band is more low-key as the focus is clearly on the singer, but keyboardist Franz Nicolay, dressed in a suit and fedora complete with a villain-like moustache, posed and put on his own silent show, a perfect contrast to Finn's nervous energy.

My only issue with the show (as a fan and a taper) would be I wasn't especially impressed with the mix of the West End's sound. I've been to many great shows there over the years and I have lots of documented proof (recordings), but it seems the quieter folky/jazz/pop shows sound much better than the noisier loud rock concerts. The mix was heavy on the bass and the overall sound was a little muddy sounding. It noticably improved as the show went on, but to be honest I was less crowded in and jostled with most of the talkers heading to the front of the stage, mid-set. My recording came out okay (but not great), and the results on disc actually sounded better than I remember standing in the crowd. I ranted to friends after the show about concert etiquette, or lack there of, but I'll save that for a future posting. Overall, the Hold Steady put on a very satisfying show, I definitely got my money's worth and I'm thankful I was lucky enough to score tickets since the show sold out the first day they went on sale. Similarily to the Baseball Project/Minus 5 show, it was awesome to see a great live band in such a small venue. Up close to the stage is the only way to really see a band, your body physically feels the music because it's loud and pulsating and the performers appear as real people you can relate to and react to, instead of specks on a stage aided by video screens, seated inside a arena better suited for hockey.

Here's a review of the show from the Winnipeg Sun's Darryl Sterdan.

THE HOLD STEADY
West End Cultural Centre
Winnipeg, MB Canada
September 24, 2009

01. Positive Jam
02. Stuck Between Stations
03. Navy Sheets
04. Banging Camp
05. Chips Ahoy!
06. Cattle and the Creeping Things
07. Goin' on a Hike
08. Sequestered in Memphis
09. You Gotta Dance (With Who You Came With)
10. Heaven is Whenever
11. Slight Discomfort
12. Multitude of Casualties
13. Most People are DJs
14. Our Whole Lives
15. Massive Nights
16. Party Pit
17. Cheyenne Sunrise
18. Separate Vacations
19. Stevie Nix
20. (cuts in) Magazines
21. How a Resurrection Really Feels
22. -Encore Call-
23. Constructive Summer
24. Your Little Hoodrat Friend
25. Stay Positive
26. Slapped Actress

Download: Dimeadozen.org

If you don't have a Dime membership, you have the option of downloading the show at The Hold Steady Taped Show Archive. (An excellent source for H.S. concert recordings in FLAC and mp3 format)
FLAC 1
FLAC 2
FLAC 3

mp3's

Finally, The Complete Elvis Show!

I've had a couple of requests to post a rar file for the Elvis Costello Winnipeg Folk Festival show back in early July. If you don't have access or membership to the live music site, Dimeadozen.org, I've uploaded the mp3 versions to share. I always prefer to share the uncompressed versions (or the FLAC format), but I realize not everyone wants to download over 600 mb's of music. The encore was amazing, but the rest of the set is well worth the listen as well. I've also linked the setlist from a great Elvis Costello concert fan site with info about almost every known Costello gig, this site is well worth the read!
The recording is a little rough in spots, especially during tracks 5-7 when a child seated nearby has a temper tantram, not much I can do about it, but you might want to skip ahead if it gets too annoying. Otherwise, it's a very enjoyable listen and it's been downloaded over 220 times on Dime, so it's one of my most popular postings.

Download:
Elvis Costello and the Imposters-2009-07-o8. rar
setlist

Minus 5/Baseball Project/Steve Wynn IV Live At The Turf Club

Photo of Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey taken by Tay-lo

It's been over a week since I returned from a short and sweet trip to Minneapolis, but the memory of the Minus 5/Baseball Project/Steve Wynn IV show (On Thursday September 10th) is still fresh in my mind. In the past decade I have made the 7 hour trip from Winnipeg many times, sometimes specifically to see a particular concert, other times I went there for something else and it was just good timing. This trip revolved around the Minus 5 show, as I bought tickets well over a month ago and planned to be in Minneapolis no matter what, to see this show! In Minneapolis, I've seen many shows at the famed First Avenue club as well as the 400 Bar, Fitzpatrick Theatre (St. Paul), the Guthrie Theatre (The original location in the Walker Art Gallery), but this was my first time at the Turf Club. What a great venue to see a band! Nice sightlines, good sound and generally a nice vibe.

The show was amazing, the band played two sets that mixed up the catalog of both Scott McCaughey and Steve Wynn which meant lots of Baseball Project, Minus 5 and Dream Syndicate. To finally hear the Dream Syndicate's best songs live was a big thrill and to see Scott perform in any of his bands (Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows, REM etc.) is always a treat. The encore (set 3) went on for almost 40 minutes with random covers and a looseness that can only be described as inspired. They opening their encore with a tribute to the Beatles, Ballad Of John And Yoko followed by Good Guys Don't Wear White (not sure who did that originally). The band huddled up to discuss what to play next and they decided on two more Baseball songs, Fernando and I Dream Of Willie Mays, followed by an impromptu version of the Replacement's, If Only You Were Lonely. Next was Jackie's Lament, then Steve started Born On A Bayou which frantically segued into Neil Young's, Time Fades Away. The final song was the Sonic's (according to Scott, the greatest band ever!), Strychnine alway a great closer for both the Minus 5 and the Fellows. A truly magical evening, one of the best shows I've been to in a long while, maybe ever! Something about being so close to the stage, in a small club and being able to talk to the band afterwards, is something special. All four members of the band made themselves available after the show for autographs, posing for pictures and chatting with fans just like regular people. It makes such a difference to see a band that connects with their fans, not only during the show, but after as well. I got the whole band to sign the tour poster pictured at the top and the back cover of the Baseball Project CD. Scott, Steve and Peter are all genuinely sincere nice guys, real music fans with no hint of arrogance or pomp. I really liked talking to Linda, (she is such a cool chick!) she was amazed we drove down just for the show and said they were talking about Winnipeg as they drove from Seattle and were entering into Minnesota. As a tribute they played a double CD of Guess Who Greatest Hits in their van and Steve said to me he would try to play Winnipeg soon...

I recorded the show and uploaded it to Dimeadozen last week. If you are a member you can try to download it here: Baseball Project/Minus 5/Steve Wynn 2009-09-10.
For those without memberships, here are the mp3 .rar file links:
set 1
set 2
set 3 (encore)
setlist
(please DO NOT sell these recordings)

Other shows from the tour on Dime:
2009-08-28 Lake Arrowhead Village Center Stage, Lake Arrowhead, CA (set 1)
2009-08-28 Lake Arrowhead Village Center Stage, Lake Arrowhead, CA (set 2)
2009-08-29 The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA
2009-09-11, Marytr's, Chicago, IL

Some of the above shows are on Internet: Live Music Archive, which require no membership and you have the option of streaming, FLAC or MP3.

If you want visuals, someone posted a couple of videos on Youtube from the Turf Club show in St. Paul:
Days Of Wine and Roses
Teenage Head

The Baseball Project On Letterman

Speaking of past-time's, here's the Baseball Project's first television appearance on Letterman last year, with the lead off track on the their first album, Past Time. Before the present tour, the Baseball Project had only performed live together on the Letterman show and Wynn and Pitmon's wedding, oh yeah, and they played some shows in Spain in August.

Baseball Project In The Twin Cities

Roadtrip! I'm off to Minneapolis/St. Paul to watch America's past-time, the game of baseball with a Friday night game with the Twins against the A's. A day earlier (Thursday September 10th), I'll be taking in a performance by the Minus 5/Baseball Project/Steve Wynn IV at the Turf Club in St. Paul. This may seem like a 3 band bill, but in actuality it is one band, Scott McCaughey (Minus 5/Young Fresh Fellows/REM), Steve Wynn (Miracle 3/Dream Syndicate), Peter Buck (Minus 5/REM) and Linda Pitmon (Miracle 3/Zuzu's Petals) performing material from the M5/BP/Steve Wynn catalog. In previous shows, this unit has played 2 sets, mixing up the material, with excellent results.

This concert is one of those dream shows you never thought would happen and I just happen to love all these bands I've mentioned. I have seen all 4 members at different time throughout the years. I've seen Scott as a member of the Young Fresh Fellows, who I've seen twice, once in Winnipeg in 1990 or so and in 1993 in Vancouver, opening for They Might Be Giants. Also I saw Scott with REM along with Peter Buck when they played the Concert Hall here in the Peg. A couple of years ago during Laurie Lindeen's (lead singer of Minneapolis band Zuzu's Petals) book launch/concert in Minneapolis, Linda Pitmon reunited with the other members of Zuzu's Petals for a one-off and at the same show, Steve Wynn performed with Pitmon on the drums.

This is the first tour when all four of the Baseball Project members has toured together to promote their all-baseball album, Volume One: Frozen Ropes And Dying Quails and I hear they did some more recording for Volume 2 when they stopped off in Portland last week.

As I said, this is a highly anticipated show for myself and I hope to come away from the evening with a good recording of the show and some fond memories. This is a small venue which means it will be up close and personal and I would love to have time to chat with the band...we'll see! It'll be well worth the drive!