All posts by Hallgeir

Bob Dylan, Great albums, Music Calendar, Rolling Stones

Today: The Rolling Stones released Some Girls in 1978 – 35 years ago

June 9, 2013 Hallgeir

Ain’t I rough enough
Ain’t I tough enough
Ain’t I rich enough
In love enough
Oooo, ooh please.

Some Girls was released in 8 June 1978 and it was their first full album with Ronnie Wood. It’s a great album, up there with the best albums in their catalogue. They mixed in some new wave sounds, added a bit of disco and kept their soul, blues and country tinged rock’n roll. Released on the height of the punk and disco era, The Stones made this masterpiece of an album. Some Girls is very much a product of it’s time, but when Rolling Stones made a record that gave a nod to these “fads,” they did so with such anger and speed that the young people in 1978 must have been struck with envy. They certainly made an album that has stood the test of time and it’s a definitive Stones album.

The Rolling Stones prove time and again that they still have what it takes.

Here are all the songs live:

1. Miss You (1978), the eight and a half minute version, a masterpiece! The guitar work on this song (this version) is simply spectacular. I read somewhere sometimes that this was one of the songs that Prince wished he had written, and we can hear on his music that he has been influenced by this tune in a big way.

2. When the whip comes down (1978) Sleezy and cool and it kind of reminds me of Star Star.

Yeah, mama and papa told me I was crazy to stay
I was gay in New York, a fag in L.A.
So I saved my money , and I took a plane
Wherever I go they treat me the same
When the whip comes down

3. Just My Imagination (running away with me) a soul number that fits The Stones perfectly. Very different from The Temptation version but equally good.

4. Some Girls (2008) Only The Rolling Stone s could have gotten away with these lyrics, they’re as politically incorrect as they possibly could be:

White girls they’re pretty funny, sometimes they drive me mad
Black girls just wanna get fucked all night
I just don’t have that much jam
Chinese girls are so gentle, they’re really such a tease
You never know quite what they’re cookin’
Inside those silky sleeves

On “Some Girls,” Mick Jagger sounds like he’s not only singing like Bob Dylan, but about Bob Dylan: “I’ll give ya a house back in Zuma Beach/And give you half of what I owe.” (Rolling Stone Magazine)
Continue reading Today: The Rolling Stones released Some Girls in 1978 – 35 years ago →

Music Calendar, Sound

Today: Prince was born in 1958 – 55 years ago

June 7, 2013 Hallgeir

From Wikipedia:

Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson; June 7, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of the instruments on his recordings. In addition, Prince has been a “talent promoter” for the careers of Sheila E., Carmen Electra, The Time and Vanity 6, and his songs have been recorded by these artists and others (including Chaka Khan, The Bangles, Sinéad O’Connor, and even Kim Basinger). He also has several hundred unreleased songs in his “vault”.

Earning 33 nominations, Prince has won seven Grammys. He also has had two albums − 1999 and Purple Rain − awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Won:

1985 – Purple Rain – Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
1985 – Purple Rain – Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
1985 – I Feel You – Best R&B Song
1987 – Kiss – Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
2005 – Call My Name – Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
2005 – Musicology – Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
2008 – Future Baby Mama – Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

My fav Prince song:

Album of the day @ JV:

Other June-07:

Continue reading Today: Prince was born in 1958 – 55 years ago →

Country, Great albums, Music Calendar, Singer Songwriter, Sound, Steve Earle

Today – Steve Earle released Transcendental Blues in 2000 – 13 years ago

June 6, 2013 Hallgeir 1 Comment

“Everybody wants to be somebody’s something
Ain’t nobody wants to be blue”

Transcendental realism: “…is a concept stemming from the philosophy of Immanuel Kant that implies individuals have a perfect understanding of the limitations of their own minds.” (-wikipedia)

Blues: “…refers to the “blue devils”, meaning melancholy and sadness…a depressed mood.” (-wikipedia)

Transcendental Blues: A philosophy that implies individuals have a perfect understanding of their own sadness and the limitations of their own minds (- me)

“transcendence is about being still enough long enough to know when it’s time to move on.” (- Steve Earle, liner notes)

Transcendental Blues (the song, live ACL):

“…what truly makes this one of Earle’s best records is that he refuses to be pulled down by musical decisions. It’s as if he never faced a problem of whether or not to add this or that instrument, or to veer off in this or that direction. He simply had the idea and went with it.” – Ryan Kearny, Pitchfork

Galway Girl – Steve Earle (live 2000):

This is one of Earle’s albums that I play the most (together with El Corazon), it is varied and all the songs are good (some are great). It sometimes reminds me of Johnny Cash, sometimes of the Beatles at their melancholy best. He references Harrison’s “Indian-style” music on the first (and second) track, and old-time droning blues on this and other tracks. He dips into celtic/irish folk music and he even touches heartland rock and bluegrass. As I said it’s an eclectic mix.

Steve Earle has a keen ear for melody, and the lyrics are as always good.

Everyone’s in love with you – Steve Earle & The Dukes (live, Leno 2000):

And last, but not least, the fantastic song, Over Yonder (Jonathan’s song):

Transcendental Blues (Spotify):

– Hallgeir

Sources: Allmusic, Pitchfork, Liner notes, Wikipedia

Blues, Music Calendar

Today: Sleepy John Estes passed away in 1977 – 36 years ago

June 5, 2013 Hallgeir

Artwork by the legendary Robert Crumb

It ain’t but the one thing,
That give a man the blues.
He ain’t got no bottom
In his last pair of shoes.
But someday baby,
You ain’t worry my mind any more.

Someday Baby Blues (trad) first recorded by Sleepy John Estes

John Adam Estes (January 25, 1899 – June 5, 1977), is best known as Sleepy John Estes or Sleepy John, he was a blues guitarist, songwriter and vocalist, born in Ripley, Lauderdale County, Tennessee.

From allmusic.com:

Despite the fact that he performed for mixed black and white audiences in string band, jug band, and medicine show formats, his music retains a distinct ethnicity and has a particularly plaintive sound. Astonishingly, he recorded during six decades for Victor, Decca, Bluebird, Ora Nelle, Sun, Delmark, and others. Over the course of his career, his music remained simple yet powerful, and despite his sojourns to Memphis and Chicago he retained a traditional down-home sound. Some of his songs are deeply personal statements about his community and life, such as “Lawyer Clark” and “Floating Bridge.” Other compositions have universal appeal (“Drop Down Mama” and “Someday Baby”) and went on to become mainstays in the repertoires of countless musicians. One of the true masters of his idiom, he lived in poverty, yet was somehow capable of turning his experiences and the conditions of his life into compelling art.
— Barry Lee Pearson

Mailman blues:

Estes made his debut as a recording artist in Memphis, Tennessee in 1929 for Victor Records. He later recorded for the Decca and Bluebird labels, with his last pre-war recording session taking place in 1941. He made a brief return to recording at Sun Studio in Memphis in 1952, recording “Runnin’ Around” and “Rats in My Kitchen”, but otherwise was largely out of the public eye for two decades.

Someday Baby Blues (audio):

Sleepy John Estes had a crying singing style and sounded so much like an old man even on his early records, that blues revivalists reportedly delayed looking for him because they assumed he would have to be long dead.

Sleepy John Estes talks about his life and career (from the album Goin’ to Brownsville):

By the time he was tracked down, by Bob Koester and Samuel Charters in 1962, he had become completely blind and was living in poverty. He resumed touring and recording, reunited with Nixon and toured Europe several times and Japan, with a clutch of albums released on the Delmark Records label.

Album of the day @ JV is this compilation from 1929 to 1941 covering his golden period, The Man Who Cried The Blues:

Other June-05:

Continue reading Today: Sleepy John Estes passed away in 1977 – 36 years ago →

Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen video, Music Calendar

Today: Bruce Springsteen released Born in the USA in 1984 – 29 years ago

June 4, 2013 Hallgeir

Born down in a dead man’s town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that’s been beat too much
‘Til you spend half your life just covering up

Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by Bruce Springsteen, it was released on June 4, 1984. A critical and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound.

While the predecessor, the dark and acoustic Nebraska featured songs of pessimism and isolation, Born in the U.S.A.’s lyrics expressed signs of hope in the daily fight of the standard American in following the American Dream, a new feeling complemented by synthesized arrangements and a pop-flavored, radio-oriented sound that helped Springsteen to extend his popularity and appeal to mainstream audiences.

Born in the USA (Live Paris, 1985):

Ronald Reagan, during his 1984 re-election campaign, tried to coast on the rising popularity of Bruce Springsteen and Born in the U.S.A. :

“America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts,” Reagan said at a stump speech in Hammonton, New Jersey. “It rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire: New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen.”

Has a song ever been so misunderstood? Maybe if he heard the following version he would have hesitated…

Born in the USA (acoustic, slow bluesy):

Born in the U.S.A. is not so different from Nebraska, it told stories of the same struggle, but this time it was set to a faster rhythm and accompanied by electric guitars (and The E-Street Band in top form). I played it a lot when it came out, bought all the singles (7 of them reached top 10!). Got the Maxi- single vinyl box and then the CD. These days I’m streaming the album on Spotify but the music is the same and it reminds me of 1984 every time I play it. Maybe it’s the production (those terribly sharp drums) or maybe it’s just a strong 1984 reference for me.

It took a while before I understood the seriousness of the lyrics, the songs where so happy or anthemic. I understand why Reagen made his mistake.

I still like the album, but there are at least 4 Springsteen albums i rather choose to play. Not because it’s bad, but because radio (and MTV) played it literary, to death. When I do put in on the record player it always amazes me, the strong songs the playing and the full force rock’n roll.

Live , the songs shine even brighter!
They have been lifted up and sound thunderous in concert. Springsteen has embraced their anthemic nature and their happy feel live. He is not ashamed to give us a good time and to let us shout along .

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Perform Bobby Jean in London (2013):

My Hometown (1985?):

Today’s chosen album is Born in the U.S.A: