All posts by Hallgeir

Bob Dylan, Music Calendar

Today Bob Dylan gave us the Great Music Experience in 1994 – 19 years ago

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Bob Dylan Todai-ji temple

Bob Dylan performed at The Great Music Experience third day in a row.  Todai-ji Temple, Nara, Japan – 1994.

In cooperation with  UNESCO, the festival,  The Great Music Experience was held over three days in Nara, Japan. It was trying to bring Japanese culture out to the world, and Japanese musicians shared the stage with artists from around the globe.

The concert took place in front of the world’s largest wooden building, the Buddhist temple of Todai-Ji, housing the largest Buddha statue in the world.

Dylan stole the show and he said as soon as he came off-stage that he had not sung so well for 15 years. Bob Dylan opened with A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall on which Q magazine said:   This is no ordinary version… he really opens his lungs and heart and sings, like he’s not done for many a year…The only word for it majestic!

Here it is the whole Bob Dylan set, enjoy!

TODAI-JI TEMPLE
TARA, JAPAN
MAY 22,1994
The Great Music Experience. Produced by Tony Hollingsworth

1. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
2. I Shall Be Released
3. Ring Them Bells
4. I Shall Be Released

1–3 Bob Dylan (guitar & vocal) backed by Phil Palmer (guitar), ”Wix” Vickens (keyboards), Pino Palladino (bass), Jim Keltner (drums) and The Tokyo New Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen

4 Bob Dylan (guitar & shared lead vocal) in the grand finale with all participating artists, among them Joni Mitchell, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Ry Cooder, Roger Taylor and the members of INXS and X Japan.

  • 1–3 was broadcast in the radio and TV program THE GREAT MUSIC EXPERIENCE COUNTDOWN, 22 May 1994 in over 50 countries all over the world.
  • 4 broadcast in the radio and TV program THE GREAT MUSIC EXPERIENCE COUNTDOWN, 29 May 1994 on BBC in the UK.
  • 1 released in Scandinavia on CD single Columbia COL 660942 2, 15 December 1994.
  • 1 released on CD single Dignity (MTV Unplugged), Columbia COL 661 400 2, 11 April 1995.

Musicians said the collaborations, however rewarding, were difficult given the differences in musical backgrounds. “The only thing holding us together this evening is the shining Buddha,” said Michael Kamen, a composer of movie soundtracks who is serving as the musical director here and who composed an overture that encompassed all the musicians and instruments. The mixing of the music is being done by George Martin, who was the Beatles’ producer. (New York Times)

Other 22 May:
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Country, Singer Songwriter, The Best Songs

Great song – Son of a Rotten Gambler by Chip Taylor

smio-12

This classic song is written by Chip Taylor (aka  James Wesley Voight) and there are several very good recordings. The version above is from Chip Taylor’s fantastic album, Hit Man released in 1996. An album were Taylor revisits many of his best songs. When you have written as many great songs as Taylor has, there are bound to be oversights and omissions, but you owe it to yourself to seek out this great record. Hit Man indeed!

“Son Of A Rotten Gambler” was written for his son, Kristian and it went to the top of the country charts. The song is particularly poignant as it speaks of his other great talent, gambling, that he was doing professionally during a break from his recording career in the early 80’s.

As a gambler, he was one of the foremost thoroughbred horse race handicappers on the East Coast. When Chip Taylor turned his sights on the gaming tables, he quickly gained notoriety with his black jack prowess; finishing third in the World Black Jack Championship in Las Vegas. He became one of the most feared card counters in theU.S and was banned from every casino in Atlantic City.  These stories are known throughout the gambling world and well documented by the I.R.S..

Anne Murray had a hit with the song in 1974, and it is probably the best known version.

Son Of A Rotten Gambler – Anne Murray:

One of my favorite recordings, “Son of a Rotten Gambler” was a huge, huge country record for Anne Murray. But it was the fifth single from her album release, and they quickly buried it because they wanted to release another album for Christmas. Even though they tried to bury it, it became a huge hit. I wrote it for my son. Emmylou Harris has recorded it as well, but Anne’s version gave me chills when I first heard it. It starts out with an organ that you hear in the distance, and it gets louder and louder and louder, and then she comes in and starts to sing. I think it’s one of the best recordings of any of my songs.

– Chip Taylor (to Engine 145)

The Hollies released their version in 1975. A nice interpretation but too much of a  “sing-a-long” anthem for my taste. I think the song loses some of its poignancy.

Son of a Rotten Gambler – The Hollies:

My favourite take of the song, together with Chip Taylors own,  is by Emmylou Harris. Released in 1981 on the wonderful album, Cimarron. This was her 9th album and is often rated lower than her previous records, don’t be fooled, it is better than most country albums.

Son of a Rotten Gambler – Emmylou Harris:

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Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen video

Video of the day: Wish I were blind by Bruce Springsteen

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wish copy

Great song, seldom played.

I love to see the cottonwood blossom
In the early spring
I love to see the message of love
That the bluebird brings
But when I see you walkin’ with him
Down along the strand
I wish I were blind
When I see you with your man

I love to see your hair shining
In the long summer’s light
I love to watch the stars fill the sky
On a summer night
The music plays you take his hand
I watch how you touch him as you start to dance
And I wish I were blind
When I see you with your man

We struggle here but all our love’s in vain
And these eyes that once filled me with your beauty
Now fill me with pain
And the light that once entered here
Is banished from me
And this darkness is all baby that my heart sees

And though the world is filled
With the grace and beauty of God’s hand
Oh I wish I were blind
When I see you with your man

From Human Touch.

Herning, Denmark 2013 05 16, Wish I were blind:

Wonderful performance!

From songmeanings.net:

it’s basically about a guy who’s hung up on a woman he can’t have and it’s taken all of the good out of life. This song’s playing on the same ideas as ‘Man’s Job’. In that song he’s obsessed with a woman who is being taken out by another guy. In both songs he sees them dancing and in both songs all his dreams get brought down. In man’s job he sings ‘all my illusions slip away’. In this song he sings ‘these eyes that once filled me with beauty now fill me with pain’.

Sounds about right, I think!

– Hallgeir

wilco

Wilco – The Posters

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wilco poster 1

The Concert/Gig poster scene is a thriving scene. It is a tradition that started in the 60′s and is still going strong. Posters are a sound investment, a nice memorabilia and often a true piece of art. I have collected posters for some years and look for original works, preferably numbered gig posters.

The majority of indie bands (and also a few on major labels) have a growing collection of poster art that is just too incredible to simply throw away once the show has ended.

Wilco has always had great posters, I have collected my 13 favorite (among hundreds I think….) Wilco posters. Enjoy.

Seek them out and put them up on your walls.

wilco poster 2

wilco poster 3

wilco poster 4

wilco poster 5

wilco poster 6

wilco poster 7

wilco poster 8

wilco poster 9

wilco poster 10

wilco poster 11

wilco poster 12

wilco poster 13

– Hallgeir

The Clash

Rare track – In the Pouring Rain by The Clash

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pouring rain

Today’s unreleased gem rare track is from Joe Strummer’s hand and it was first taped with The Clash, it is the marvelous In The Pouring Rain. I noticed it when it appeared on the soundtrack of The Future is Unwritten, but I knew I had heard it before…

I dug through my old Clash bootlegs and found two of them with  different versions of the song. It exists in at least three kind of incarnations. I believed it was unreleased, but there was a soundtrack to the documentary about Joe Strummer and it is included (damn! he, he). It is hard to find, so I will post this anyway, but not as part of the Unreleased series.

In the pouring Rain (The Clash 1984, Cut the Crap line-up):

Recorded at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle in 1984, great quality! It was played both on the USA and European legs of the tour in 84.

This version is from one of my favorite Clash bootlegs, Give’em Enough Dope. The bootleg gets mixed reviews but I like it, the quality is way above average and the material is  excellent. The drumming is a bit sloppy on some tracks (Topper was deep into his  heroin addiction at this time and Joe shouts: “Come on you bastard! Stay with us, stay with us, keep going” . ) but the rest of the band keep it together.  But that was  the 81 Clash (the first part of the bootleg), now to the 1984 Clash…

give em enough dope

The rest of the CD is taken from various gigs in  1984. The Clash line-up  was Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon, Vince White, Nick Sheppard and Pete Howard. This is a line-up that is generally considered second class, don’t believe them,  if you listen to these songs you will understand they are plain wrong.  These songs are incredibly energetic and are performed with a tight professionalism. This lineup handles the old songs great, and the new tunes are great. The guitar playing is fantastic! The album,  Cut The Crap doesn’t do these guys justice. In The Pouring Rain is one of my favourite songs from  the band at this time. It is moving and has all the qualities of a classic rock song, and it’s criminal that this Clash lineup gets slated at all when this is what they did on stage. The song will amaze you.  Make sure you get hold of this bootleg just for this.

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