“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
It is 35 years since one of the best albums in rock history was released, Darkness On The Edge Of Town is number 2, (some days it has the top spot) on my list of favorite albums.
Today I think it is the best rock album ever released!
It came out three years after the incredibly successful Born To Run, and three years was an awful long time between albums in the 70s. Bruce Springsteen had been tied up in a legal battle with his former manager Mike Appel but reached a final settlement in this year-long litigation with Mike Appel on May 28, 1977.
Darkness on the Edge of Town (Houston, 1978):
This meant that for the first time in a long time Bruce Springsteen was allowed into a studio. And he did. The recording of what was to become Darkness On The Edge Of Town began in June 1977 in New York City. He had a lot of material in various state of completion. Many of the songs were written or finished over the course of the sessions. He was in the studio for a long time.
Adam Raised a Cain (Paramount Theatre, 2009):
The material that didn’t make the album seeped out on a lot bootlegs through the years, it is of an incredibly high quality both sound wise and artistic. in 2010 we finally got a Darkness box that in many ways ended the need for Darkness bootlegs . There must still be a few unreleased gems in the vault, as of 2011, only 33 of more than 70 songs have been officially released.
It consisted of 6 discs with the following content:
1: Darkness On The Edge Of Town (remastered ) 2. Darkness on the Edge of Town (Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ, 2009) 3:Thrill Hill Vault (1976-1978) + Houston ’78 Bootleg: House Cut 4 and 5: The Promise (double album with outtakes and alternative takes)
6: The Promise: The Making of “Darkness on the Edge of Town”
“A decisive moment in the history of Western civilisation” – Kenneth Tynan, The Times
“Sgt Pepper is one of the most important steps in our career. It had to be just right. We tried, and I think succeeded in achieving what we set out to do.” – John Lennon
The opening track:
We were fed up with being the Beatles. We really hated that fucking four little mop-top boys approach. We were not boys, we were men. It was all gone, all that boy shit, all that screaming, we didn’t want any more, plus, we’d now got turned on to pot and thought of ourselves as artists rather than just performers. There was now more to it; not only had John and I been writing, George had been writing, we’d been in films, John had written books, so it was natural that we should become artists.
– Paul McCartney
I love Sgt. Pepper and it will always be in my top 5 Beatles album, sometimes at number 5 sometimes at the top spot. It’s a great Beatles album, and it’s one of the best album in Rock history. It is laid out as a concept album, but the idea held for two songs, the coda, and the album’s sleeve design.
The Beatles songs now did not sound practiced or rehearsed, and the reason for this is that they weren’t. They were studio snippets put together in sections and pieces. I think that’s the reason that the outtakes from the Sgt. Pepper sessions are so uninspiring, so unfinished. There are several bootlegs with alternative versions, and for Beatles-nerds they are of course something to seek out. That said, I think the best Sgt.Pepper outtakes are presented on Anthology 2, and, yes, they are put together in the same way as the original album, each song constructed from different takes and sound bites.
I’m guessing it would be a difficult record to play live.
I believe that this album represent a shift in popular music, we look at pop/rock music before and after Sgt. Pepper. Almost everything on the album was new. And it still sounds new and fresh.
Happy birthday, Sgt. Pepper!
The Making of Sgt. Pepper documentary made for the 25 year anniversary :
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (often shortened to Sgt. Pepper) is the eighth studio album by The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin. The album is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, and has since been recognised as one of the most important albums in the history of popular music, including songs such as “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “A Day in the Life”. Recorded over a 129-day period beginning in December 1966, Sgt. Pepper saw the band developing the production techniques of their previous album, Revolver. Martin’s innovative and lavish production included the orchestra usage and hired musicians ordered by the band. Genres such as music hall, rock and roll, pop rock, and traditional Indian music are covered. The album cover art, by English pop artist Peter Blake, depicts the band posing in front of a collage of their favourite celebrities, and has been widely acclaimed and imitated. (Wikipedia)
“The album was always going to have Sgt Pepper at the beginning; and if you listen to the first two tracks, you can hear it was going to be a show album. It was Sgt Pepper and his Lonely Hearts Club Band with all these other acts, and it was going to run like a rock opera.” – Ringo Starr, Anthology
Fun fact: Jimi Hendrix performed the title track at the Roundhouse, London, three days after the album was released. In the audience that night were Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Hendrix also performed the song at the Isle Of Wight Festival in 1970.
Legacy
In 1987 Rolling Stone named Sgt. Pepper the best album of the last twenty years (1967–1987).
In 1997 Sgt. Pepper was named the number one greatest album of all time in a “Music of the Millennium” poll conducted by HMV, Channel 4, The Guardian and Classic FM.
In 1998 Q magazine readers placed it at number seven
in 2003 the TV network VH1 placed it at number 10.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 1 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
In 2006, the album was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best albums of all time.
In 2002, Q magazine placed it at number 13 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
The album was named as one of Classic Rock magazine’s “50 Albums That Built Prog Rock”.
In 2003, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.
The best song from the album: “A Day In Life”:
A Day in the Life – that was something. I dug it. It was a good piece of work between Paul and me. I had the ‘I read the news today’ bit, and it turned Paul on. Now and then we really turn each other on with a bit of song, and he just said ‘yeah’ – bang bang, like that. It just sort of happened beautifully, and we arranged it and rehearsed it, which we don’t often do, the afternoon before. So we all knew what we were playing, we all got into it. It was a real groove, the whole scene on that one. Paul sang half of it and I sang half. I needed a middle-eight for it, but Paul already had one there.
– John Lennon
“As we got up to Sgt Pepper, George Martin had really become an integral part of it all. We were putting in strings, brass, pianos, etc, and George was the only one who could write it all down. He was also brilliant. One of them would mention: ‘Oh, I’d like the violin to go “de de diddle”,’ or whatever, and George would catch it and put it down. He became part of the band. “ – Ringo (Anthology)
Rolling Stone hailed it as the best ever live album, and they may still be right…
~Chris Jones (BBC – 2007)
From youtube: The Who at Leeds for their greatest live in 1970! it’s the ONLY VIDEO of this concert!
Fortune Teller (0:00 to 0:05) –
Happy Jack (0:06 to 0:13) –
I’m a Boy (0:14 to 0:33) –
A Quick One While He’s Away (0:34 to 2:09) –
Christmas (2:10 to 3:05) –
Pinball Wizard (3:06 to 3:22) –
Go to The Mirror (3:22 to 3:26) –
Smash The Mirror (3:27 to 3:35)-
Tommy’s Holliday Camp (3:36 to 3:45) –
We’re Not Gonna Take It (with See Me, Feel Me) (3:46 at the end)
1970 Original LP – Full Album:
Wikipedia:
Released
16 May 1970
Recorded
14 February 1970,
University of Leeds,
Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom
Genre
Rock
Length
36:24
Label
Decca/MCA
Producer
Jon Astley, Kit Lambert, and The Who
Live at Leeds is The Who’s first live album, and is the only live album that was released while the group were still actively recording and performing with their best known line-up of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. Initially released in the United States on 16 May 1970, by Decca and MCA and the United Kingdom on 23 May 1970, by Track and Polydor, the album has been reissued on several occasions and in several different formats. As of 2005, the album is ranked number 170 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The album has been cited as the best live rock recording of all time by The Telegraph, The Independent, The New York Times,the BBC, and Rolling Stone. It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and in Q magazine’s list of Loudest Albums of All Time. A Rolling Stone readers’ poll in 2012 ranked it the best live album of all time.
Shakin’ All Over:
Release History:
The original LP was released on 16 May 1970 in stereophonic format. The album was reissued on Compact Disc in 1985 by MCA in the US, and in 1987 by Polydor in Germany.
In 1995, the album was reissued as a remixed CD including more songs than the original vinyl edition, as well as song introductions and other banter that had been edited out of the original release. For the remix, new vocal overdubs from Daltrey, Townshend and Entwistle were recorded to address occasional flaws in the original tapes or performances.
In 2001, the album was released again as a part of the Universal Deluxe Edition series. The Deluxe Edition includes more chat between the songs, and the entirety of the band’s Tommy set as performed at Leeds. Again, new overdubs from the vocalists were employed at select points.
In October 2010, Universal Music announced the impending release of a 40th Anniversary edition of the album which would not only contain the full Leeds show from 14 February 1970 but also the band’s complete performance from Hull which was recorded the following evening as well as a heavyweight vinyl reproduction of the original six-track album, memorabilia and a replica 7 Inch Single of ‘Summertime Blues/ Heaven & Hell’. This performance had previously been unavailable because of a problem with the recording of John Entwistle’s bass guitar on the first six songs. To fix this problem his performance at the Leeds show was overdubbed over these tracks of the Hull performance using digital technology.
More than anything else this fagged-out masterpiece is difficult–how else describe music that takes weeks to understand? Weary and complicated, barely afloat in its own drudgery, it rocks with extra power and concentration as a result.
~Robert Christgau (http://www.robertchristgau.com)
..It’s the kind of record that’s gripping on the very first listen, but each subsequent listen reveals something new. Few other albums, let alone double albums, have been so rich and masterful as Exile on Main St., and it stands not only as one of the Stones’ best records, but sets a remarkably high standard for all of hard rock.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine (allmusic.com)
Let It Loose:
Wikipedia:
Released
12 May 1972
Recorded
June 1969 – March 1972
Genre
Rock and roll, blues, soul, R&B,country
Length
67:07
Language
English
Label
Rolling Stones
Producer
Jimmy Miller
Exile on Main St. is the tenth British and 13th American studio album by English rock band The Rolling Stones. Released as a double LP in May 1972, it draws on many genres including rock and roll, blues, soul, R&B, gospel and country. The release of Exile on Main St. met with mixed reviews, but it is now generally regarded as the band’s best album. In 1987, as part of their 20th anniversary, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it third on the 100 Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years. In 2003, the album was ranked 7th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the highest a Rolling Stones album ranked on the list.
The 2010 remastered version of the album was released in Europe on 17 May 2010 and in the United States on 18 May 2010, featuring a bonus disc with 10 new tracks.
Loving Cup:
Recording:
Exile on Main St. was written and recorded between 1968 and 1972. Mick Jagger said “After we got out of our contract with Allen Klein, we didn’t want to give him [those earlier tracks],” as they were forced to do with “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses” from Sticky Fingers. Many tracks were recorded between 1969 and 1971 at Olympic Studios and Jagger’s Stargroves country house in England during sessions for Sticky Fingers.
By the spring of 1971 the Rolling Stones owed more in taxes than they could pay and left Britain before the government could seize their assets. Mick Jagger settled in Paris with his new bride Bianca, and guitarist Keith Richards rented a villa, Nellcôte, in Villefranche-sur-Mer, near Nice. The other members settled in the south of France. As a suitable recording studio could not be found where they could continue work on the album, Richards’ basement at Nellcôte became a makeshift studio using the band’s mobile recording truck.
Torn And Frayed:
…..it’s their most physically jolting album and, ultimately, their most emotionally inspiring. Mick’s vocals are just another instrument in a glorious rush of high-velocity electric noise, his lyrics barely perceptible in all the guitar, sax, and harmonica; whatever he’s saying, he just wants to plug in and flush out and fight and fuck and feed. Keith channels all his nasty habits and internal chaos into the guitars, from the convulsive opener, “Rocks Off,” to the weary acoustic stomp of “Sweet Virginia.” Charlie Watts’ understated performance in “Shake Your Hips” demands some sort of Nobel Prize.
Exile was the Stones’ biggest musical triumph, but all the decadence was catching up with them. The band lost focus, with Keith’s attention diverted by the pressing concern of stuffing as many toxic chemicals into his veins as possible.
Mick Jagger – lead vocals, harmonica, guitar on “Tumbling Dice” and “Stop Breaking Down”, percussion
Keith Richards – guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Happy”, electric piano on “I Just Want to See His Face”, bass guitar on “Casino Boogie”, “Happy” and “Soul Survivor”
Mick Taylor – guitars, slide guitar, bass guitar on “Tumbling Dice”, “Torn and Frayed”, “I Just Want to See His Face” and “Shine a Light”
Charlie Watts – drums
Bill Wyman – bass guitar
Additional personnel
Nicky Hopkins – piano
Bobby Keys – saxophone, percussion on “Happy”
Jim Price – trumpet, trombone, organ on “Torn and Frayed”
Ian Stewart – piano on “Shake Your Hips”, “Sweet Virginia” and “Stop Breaking Down”
Jimmy Miller – drums on “Happy” and “Shine a Light”, percussion on “Sweet Black Angel”, “Loving Cup”, “I Just Want to See His Face” and “All Down the Line”
Bill Plummer – upright bass on “Rip This Joint”, “Turd on the Run”, “I Just Want to See His Face” and “All Down the Line”
Billy Preston – piano and organ on “Shine a Light”
Al Perkins – pedal steel guitar on “Torn and Frayed”
Richard Washington – marimba on “Sweet Black Angel”
Clydie King, Venetta Fields – backing vocals on “Tumbling Dice”, “I Just Want to See His Face”, “Let It Loose” and “Shine a Light”
Joe Green – backing vocals on “Let It Loose” and “Shine a Light”
Jerry Kirkland – backing vocals on “I Just Want to See His Face” and “Shine a Light”
Mac Rebennack, Shirley Goodman, Tami Lynn – backing vocals on “Let It Loose”
Kathi McDonald – backing vocals on “All Down the Line”
Engineers – Glyn and Andy Johns, Joe Zaganno, Jeremy Gee
