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Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan other

Bob Dylan & The Band: “Basement Tapes Complete” reviews & relevant articles

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bob dylan_basementtapes

 In decades of listening to these recordings in varying quality what I’ve always heard is a singer sharing some of his favorite songs in hopes of finding the inspiration to create new ones. The joys and treasures of both can be found on these six discs.
~Peter Stone Brown

–

It’s out.. and we’re listening. There a lot of music to binge on here.

While listening it’s also fun to read about this wonderful release, and that’s why I put together this post. It’s a collection of links to relevant articles about the “The Basement Tapes Complete”.

This post will be updated.

Great written reviews:

OK written reviews:

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Beatles, Great albums, Music Calendar

Today: The Beatles Anthology 2 was released in 1996

The Beatles Anthology 2

Anthology 2 is a compilation album by The Beatles, released by Apple Records 18 March 1996. It is the second of the three-volume Anthology collection, all of which tie-in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. The opening track is “Real Love”, the second of the two recordings that reunited the Beatles by means of magnetic tape. Like its predecessor, the album topped the Billboard 200 album chart.

Anthology 2 features outtakes, rarities, and alternative performances from the 1965 sessions for Help! to sessions just prior to their trip to India in February 1968

The Beatles – Real Love:

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Review

Yuma Sun raise Hell

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Yuma Sun - Hell - CD-cover front

 …And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.

This is Hell!

…actually Hell is the new album from Yuma Sun and it is a giant step forward from their promising debut, Romanza. A great way to start the new year.

Gothic Americana, Gospel Rock and Roll, Southern Gothic, Dark Roots, this bastard son of country and blues has many names. Its popularity has increased a lot the last ten years and it is now what we call “a scene”. This does not mean that it is new, there have always been dark country- and blues music. To get an even more precise description I think we should add a fair bit of Appalachian Folk as well.

“Yuma Sun is fast becoming the band to look out for in Norway, and after a year of extensive touring they really gave us a good and tight show. What’s even more promising is that the new songs are better than those off the debut album, Romanza. We’re looking forward to see them in the future, and we are looking forward to their new album (hopefully this fall).

Oh, and by the way, you can now buy Romanza on vinyl (and CD of course). Check out their facebook page.”

…this is my own writing from last summer, after seeing a very good concert with Yuma Sun

Now they’re back with the follow-up to their debut, Romanza, the aptly titled: Hell.

It is time for a little history lesson:

“Gothic Americana is a style of country music that is mixed with alternative rock, neotraditional country, progressive country, outlaw country, country rock, punk rock,rockabilly, psychobilly, punkabilly, gothabilly, deathcountry, folk punk, folk rock, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, alternative country and traditional music, along with many other country genres and gothic genres.”
– Wikipedia

Well, that should cover it.

 

DSC_6602-Edit-Edit-1-722x1024

 I’ve listened a lot to the new album lately, and I’m convinced that this is gonna be their big break (at least here in Norway). The production is great, they play well and they are incredibly inventive.
…and they are much more “dark country” than on their debut, it fits them very well!
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Country, folk, Rock, Singer Songwriter

Look out for: Rod Picott – new album and tour

rod picott

The great Rod Picott is currently touring in Norway, go see him!

Mr. Picott is not new on the scene, but he has not gotten the attention he deserves. He is a very good singer and songwriter.

Bio (from rodpicott.com):
The son of a welder from rural New England, Rod Picott is a masterful songwriter and soulful singer who carries with him as fine a suitcase of songs as you’ll find anywhere. Slaid Cleaves, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Fred Eagelsmith have recorded Rod Picott songs. A former construction worker who hung up his tools when he released his debut CD in 2000, Picott has carved a career for himself with a run of 6 beautifully crafted self released CDs over the last 13 years and a well earned reputation as a engaging, emotion fueled performer.

He is touring in Europe right now, promoting his new album (his 7th), Hang Your Hopes On A Crooked Nail. The album is produced by RS Field, who has also worked with Billy Joe Shaver, Justin Townes Earle and Hayes Carll.

I Might Be Broken Now (official video):

Hang Your Hopes On A Crooked Nails is a very fine album, and a natural successor to his last album (the great Weldig Burns). Rod Picott is a songwriter that tells us about life as he sees it, and he is a good storyteller. He tells everyday stories, he has a keen eye for the “small stuff”. I think he is a great observer of what is important in our everyday life. He sometimes remind me of Springsteen or Steve Earle.

Where No One Knows Your Name (live):

Picott is an experienced performer after about 12 years playing, he has a tremendous stage presence, and I urge everyone to catch one of his shows on this tour.

I am sitting here listening to his new album as I write this. I have talked about his skill as a lyricist, but what strikes me now is very fine melodies, this is a good record. I was a backer of his new album at Kickstarter.com, the album was then called Rod Picott’s Circus of Misery and Heartbreak. I like that he changed the title, it reflects the positivity and hope that is in his lyrics.

Here is his presentation from Kickstarter, very interesting and thankfully it got funded:

Highlights on the album for me (so far):
Dreams, I Might Be Broken Now, 65 Falcon, Where No One Knows My Name

The new album is not on Spotify yet, but here is a playlist from his earlier recordings:

– Hallgeir

Buy the album here

 

 

Here are his next dates in Norway:

Beatles, Great albums, Music Calendar

Today: Abbey Road was released 44 years ago

beatles abbey road

Released 26 September 1969
Recorded 22 February – 20 August 1969,EMI, Olympic and Trident Studios,London
Genre Rock
Length 47:23
Label Apple
Producer George Martin

Abbey Road is the 11th studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles. It is their last recorded album, although Let It Be was the last album released before the band’s dissolution in 1970. Work on Abbey Roadbegan in April 1969, and the album was released on 26 September 1969 in the United Kingdom, and 1 October 1969 in the United States.

Abbey Road is widely regarded as one of The Beatles’ most tightly constructed albums, although the band was barely operating as a functioning unit at the time. Despite the tensions within the band, Abbey Road was released to near universal acclaim and is considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2012, Abbey Road was voted 14th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2009, readers of the magazine also named Abbey Road the greatest Beatles album.

After the near-disastrous sessions for the proposed Get Back album (later released as Let It Be), Paul McCartney suggested to music producer George Martin that the group get together and make an album “the way we used to”, free of the conflict that began after the death of Brian Epstein and carrying over to the sessions for the “White Album”. Martin agreed, stipulating that he must be allowed to do the album his way. This would be the last time the band would record with Martin.

Golden slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End my favourite Beatles song:

In their interviews for The Beatles Anthology, the surviving band members stated that, although none of them ever made the distinction of calling it the “last album”, they all felt when this would very likely be the last Beatles product and therefore agreed to set aside their differences and “go out on a high note”.

With the Let It Be album partly finished, the sessions for Abbey Road began in April, as the single “The Ballad of John and Yoko” / “Old Brown Shoe” was completed. In fact, recording sessions of John Lennon’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” had already started in February 1969 in Trident studios, with Billy Preston on the organ—only three weeks after the Get Back sessions. Photos from these sessions are included in the book Get Back, which came along with the Let It Be album but not in the Let It Be film. McCartney is clean-shaven and Lennon has started to let his beard grow.

Most of the album was recorded between 2 July and 1 August 1969. After the album was finished and released, the Get Back / Let It Be project was re-examined. More work was done on the album, including the recording of more music (see Let It Be). Thus, though the bulk of Let It Be was recorded before Abbey Road, the latter was released first, and Abbey Road was the last album properly started by The Beatles before they disbanded. Lennon was on hiatus from the group and working with the Plastic Ono Band during the September 1969 lead-up to Abbey Road’s release, which was effectively the first official sign of The Beatles’ impending dissolution.

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