A great concert from the The Ghost of Tom Joad Tour (AKA – Shut the Fuck Up Tour).
Brixton Academy
London, England
April 24, 1996
Continue reading Bruce Springsteen: Brixton Academy, London, England April 24, 1996 (audio)
If I made records for my own pleasure, I would record Charley Patton songs only.
~Bob Dylan (Press Conference, Rome – July 2001)Baby, saddle my pony, saddle up my black mare
Baby, saddle my pony, saddle up my black mare
I’m gonna find a rider, baby, in the world somewhere
Hello central, the matter with your line?
Hello central, matter, Lord, with your line?
Come a storm last night an’ tore the wire down
Wikipedia:
| Released | 1929 |
|---|---|
| Format | 78 RPM single |
| Recorded | 14 June, 1929 |
| Genre | Delta blues |
| Length | 2:58 |
| Label | Paramount |
| Writer(s) | Charlie Patton |
“Pony Blues” is a Delta blues song written and recorded by the archaic bluesman Charley Patton. With the help of record store owner, H. C. Speir, Patton’s first recording session occurred on June 14, 1929, cut six sides, included “Pony Blues” (vocal and guitar), for Paramount Records. The song later became a standard in the Delta region, and appears in the repertoires of many other blues musicians. Patton had a body of his own compositions which he recorded at the session, included “Banty Rooster Blues,” “Down the Dirt Road” and his version of “Mississippi Bo Weavil Blues.”
Pony Blues was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2006. The board selects songs in an annual basis that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
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UPDATED to include 22 lists from the comments section in this post.
The new votes caused some (minor) changes to the list. Most important: BIABH moved up to #4 & TOOM dropped to #5.
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Saturday I asked the question – What are your five favorite Bob Dylan studio albums ? – over at our Facebook page. The response was great. As of writing 80 people (all Bob Dylan experts) have uttered their opinions.
If you’re not on Facebook, or do not “like” our page.. you can use the comment section to post your 5 favorites. I will update this list at a later stage.
The greatest twenty words of music criticism spoken by any person in the 20th century (Paul Williams):
“When I heard Howlin’ Wolf, I said, This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.”
– Sam Phillips
Howlin’ Wolf is for me the second greatest blues man in history.
His voice chills me to the core.. looking at videos of him fills me with awe.. and reading about him… makes me understand his importance in american music history. He rambled with Son House, Charlie Patton…. and stumbled upon Robert Johnson now & then…
Our Man & Son House:
Smokestack Lightning is his best song.
The late great Robert Palmer once wrote:
God, what it would be worth on film to see the fervor in that man’s face when he sang. His eyes would light up, you’d see the veins come out on his neck, and buddy, there was nothing on his mind but that song. He sang with his damn soul
Now for the Facts… from Wikipedia:
“Smokestack Lightning” (or “Smoke Stack Lightning” as listed on the original single) is a classic of the blues. In 1956, Howlin’ Wolf recorded the song and it became one of his most popular and influential songs. It is based on earlier blues songs and numerous artists later interpreted it.
| Single by Howlin’ Wolf | |
|---|---|
| B-side | “You Can’t Be Beat” |
| Released | March 1956 |
| Format | 7″ 45 rpm & 10″ 78 rpm records |
| Recorded | Chicago January 1956 |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 2:32 |
| Label | Chess (Cat. no. 1618) |
| Writer(s) | Chester Burnett aka Howlin’ Wolf |
| Producer | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Willie Dixon |
“Smokestack Lightning”, in one form or another, “had been part of his [Wolf’s] repertoire as far back as the early 1930s” when he was performing with Charley Patton in small Delta communities. The song, called “a hypnotic one-chord drone piece” draws on earlier blues, such as Tommy Johnson’s “Big Road Blues” (1928 Victor 21279), the Mississippi Sheiks’ “Stop and Listen Blues” (1930 OKeh 8807), and Charley Patton’s “Moon Going Down” (1930 Paramount 13014). Wolf said the song was inspired by watching trains in the night: “We used to sit out in the country and see the trains go by, watch the sparks come out of the smokestack. That was smokestack lightning.“ In 1951, Howlin’ Wolf recorded the song as “Crying at Daybreak” (RPM 340). It contains the line “O-oh smokestack lightnin’, shinin’, just like gold, oh don’t you hear me cryin’ …” similar to the Mississippi Sheiks “A-ah, smokestack lightnin’, that bell shine just like gold, now don’t you hear me talkin’ …”
Accolades
The Lyrics:
Ah, oh, smokestack lightning
Shinin’, just like gold
Why don’t ya hear me cryin’?
Ah, whoo hoo, ooh…
Whoo…Whoa, oh, tell me, baby
What’s the, matter with you?
Why don’t ya hear me cryin’?
Whoo hoo, whoo hoo
Whoo…Whoa, oh, tell me, baby
Where did ya, stay last night?
A-why don’t ya hear me cryin’?
Whoo hoo, whoo hoo
Whoo…Whoa, oh, stop your train
Let her, go for a ride
Why don’t ya hear me cryin’?
Whoo hoo, whoo hoo
Whoo…Whoa, oh, fare ya well
Never see, ah, you no more
Ah, why don’t ya hear me cryin’?
Ooh, whoo hoo, whoo hoo
Whoo…Whoa, oh, who been here baby since
I, I been gone, a little, bitty boy?
Girl, be on
Ah, whoo hoo, whoo hoo
Live in England 1964:
Studio version:
– Egil
Zepp DiverCity
Tokyo, Japan
April 3, 2014
Continue reading Bob Dylan: Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo, Japan April 3, 2014 (full concert audio)