This week's musical miscellany

I've gotten way behind on my weekly collections of interesting and noteworthy musical tidbits, so let me see if I can catch up . . .

The biggest news of the past few weeks was the announcement of the 2011 Class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  This year's inductees include Dr. John, Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Darlene Love, and Leon Russell.  Congratulations to them all!

Dr. John, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Was 'Surprised' By the News (Andy Greene, Rolling Stone)

Dr. John a deserving Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (Keith Spera, NOLA.com)

Tom Waits issues statement regarding his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Randall Roberts, Pop & Hiss/LA Times)

Neil Diamond, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Says He Feels 'Very Lucky' (Andy Greene, Rolling Stone)

Alice Cooper, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Was 'Elated' When He Got the News (Andy Greene, Rolling Stone)



Chuck Berry collapsed during his performance New Year's Night at Chicago's Congress Theater.  He was assisted offstage but returned, only to be led off again.  He apologized to the crowd before leaving, getting in a few of his famous duck-walk steps on his way out.  He was examined by paramedics at the venue and apparently refused hospital treatment, leaving instead in a limousine.  His agency posted an official statement on his website Monday, stating that "he is fine and has returned to his home near St. Louis."

The NPR blog All Songs Considered asked its readers to comment on why Chuck Berry matters, even though modern rock sounds almost nothing like it did in Berry's heyday.  It's simple: One must know what the rules are in order to break them and create something original, and Berry helped write the rule book. His signature, driving riff is at the very foundation of rock and roll, and all of the innovators who've come after him - the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan are only three - went through him first. One revolution inevitably inspires another.

"If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry.'" - John Lennon

"To me, Chuck Berry always was the epitome of rhythm and blues playing, rock and roll playing.  It was beautiful, effortless, and his timing was perfection.  He is rhythm supreme.  He plays that lovely double-string stuff, which I got down a long time ago, but I'm still getting the hang of.  Later I realized why he played that way--because of the sheer physical size of the guy.  I mean, he makes one of those big Gibsons look like a ukulele!" - Keith Richards

‎"In my universe, Chuck is irreplaceable . . . All that brilliance is still there, and he's still a force of nature. As long as Chuck Berry's around, everything's as it should be." - Bob Dylan, from his latest Rolling Stone interview (#1078).  

Official Statement from Chuck Berry's Agency, CMG Worldwide

Before his collapse, Berry was complaining, cutting songs short (Dave Hoekstra, Chicago Sun-Times)

Chuck Berry's Collapse Reminds Us How Much He Matters (Bob Boilen, All Songs Considered/NPR)

Berry performs at least once a month at the St. Louis venue Blueberry Hill and other tour dates as they are announced on his website.  I see a road trip at some point in my future!

Just a few days before his Chicago performance, his first hit "Maybellene" turned 55 years old.  Get well soon, Mr. Berry, and long may you rock!

Levon Helm was also recently hospitalized, but has since been released and has returned to performing. Helm has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); a cold aggravated the condition, and he was admitted to a New York hospital for nearly a week, forcing him to miss a scheduled Midnight Ramble at his Woodstock home and studio.  He was released on December 17 and performed at the Ramble the next night.  Levon, we love you, and we're glad you're feeling better!

Levon Helm hospitalized, but OK (John W. Barry, Poughkeepsie Journal)

Levon Helm home from hospital (Poughkeepsie Journal)

The music world lost Captain Beefheart on December 17 and Stealers Wheel's Gerry Rafferty on January 4.  Rest in peace, gentlemen.

Captain Beefheart Dead at Age 69 (Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone)

Don Van Vliet, Known To Rock Fans As Captain Beefheart, Dies (Rick Carr, NPR)

Captain Beefheart: A Rock Critic Fable (Mitch Myers, All Songs Considered/NPR)

Gerry Rafferty dies at 63; Scottish pop singer-songwriter had a hit with 'Baker Street' (Keith Thursby, LA Times)

Remembering Songwriter Gerry Rafferty (NPR)

RIP Gerry Rafferty, Whose 'Baker Street' Changed the Sax Solo (Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone)

Robbie Robertson has announced the release date for How To Become Clairvoyant, his first solo album since 1998's Contact From the Underworld of Redboy.  It comes out on April 5, just in time for my birthday - thanks, Robbie!  Now if only you'll tour, my year will be complete . . .

How To Become Clairvoyant, Robbie Robertson's First Album in Over a Decade, Is Due Out April 5, 2011 on 429 Records (Digital Journal)

The album art is up on the front page of Robbie's official website.  The title track was previously released on the HBO series True Blood and is included on the show's latest soundtrack.  You can preview another song, "When the Night was Young," here.  

Two movies and a musical:  The Phil Ochs documentary There But For Fortune opens today at the IFC Center in New York City.  Director Kenneth Bowser and Ochs' brother Michael will be present tonight and tomorrow night at the 7:20 and 9:30 showings.  Wish I could be there!

While researching something for a friend yesterday I ran across the blog A Warehouse On Tchoupitoulas. Apparently there is a film in the works about the late, legendary New Orleans musical venue The Warehouse, which during the '70 hosted everyone from The Who to the Allman Brothers to Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. The Grateful Dead played the inaugural weekend, and their subsequent arrest for drug possession inspired their classic "Truckin'"; the Doors played their final concert there.  The filmmakers are trying to raise $40,000 to pay for the film's soundtrack.  Take a look at the blog, and donate if you feel so inclined.  Good luck, y'all - I really want to see this film!

(P.S. If anyone out there can tell me the exact location of the Warehouse at 1820 Tchoupitoulas, I'd be grateful.)

A Gram Parsons musical? Yes, please - especially when it sounds this good.  Grievous Angel: The Legend of Gram Parsons wrapped a West Coast tour in October, and there are rumors of an East Coast tour in the works.  Check out a video from the show, and you can preview other tracks from the soundtrack and order a copy of it here.



Neil Young and Daniel Lanois are on the cover of the current issue of American Songwriter, and the unabridged interview by Jann Uhelszki is available to read online. 

Neil is also on the cover of the latest issue of MOJO.  Try their Neil Young "Name The Album" quiz - it's just as hard as the previous Dylan one!

Speaking of Dylan, my favorite of Rolling Stone's recent playlists is from Patti Smith - she focuses on Bob Dylan's love songs.  Bob is not primarily known for his romantic ballads, yet Patti and I are in agreement that few songwriters can turn heads quite like the Bard of Hibbing.

"What is sadder than 'One Too Many Mornings,' more troubling than 'Ballad in Plain D' or more poignant than 'Love Minus Zero'? And from a female point of view, what testament is more breathtaking than the words, "Love you more than madness" in 'Wedding Song'?"

What indeed, Patti.  Check out the the rest of her list here: Patti Smith: Bob Dylan's Love Songs 

And here is perhaps my favorite version of "Love Minus Zero/No Limit," from Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Live 1975 - The Rolling Thunder Revue. 

The Washington Post recently featured Dylan in their "On Success" section.  In response to the recent Wall Street Journal concert review I wrote about earlier, several commentators offered essays answering the musical question, "Are there age limits on success?" Some, like Virginia Bianco-Mathis', are laughable and extremely out-of-touch; to say that a Pulitzer Prize-winning songwriter - make that the first rock songwriter to be given such an award - in the middle of a golden career renaissance, and whose shows regularly sell out, has "flopped" as a touring act says more about Ms. Bianco-Mathis than it does about Dylan.

My favorite is by Seth Kagan, who offers the following astute observations:

"If your primary aim is to establish a legacy, then, sure, leave while at the top of your game. But that is a more selfish motive than a true artist pursues. The expression and application of creative skill and imagination is the ongoing destination of every creator worth his or her salt. That is what Dylan continues to do . . . As long as he can wrangle a stage, he is entitled. And all the pundits who spin their thread on his dime have a choice. They can spit and castigate or they can take note of an aged poet and his mysterious process."

Or to put it in that mysterious poet's own words, "he not busy being born is busy dying" - a great meditation for a new year.

This week's musical miscellany

With all of the happenings of this past week (the GRAMMY announcements, the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death) I'm a little behind on the latest conglomeration of all the music news that's interesting to me (and hopefully to you, too!).  So let's get to it, shall we?

We marked the loss of another Beatle this past week as well - George Harrison passed away nine years ago on November 29.  The 40th anniversary edition of All Things Must Pass was re-released on November 26, and right now you can download a free track from the album when you sign up for email updates at his official website.  

It was reported this week that Aretha Franklin has pancreatic cancer.  My prayers and best wishes go out to the Queen of Soul.

I was sorry to hear today of the passing of R. L. Burnside, Jr., the son of the late Mississippi hill country blues legend R. L. Burnside; his wife Marlena had passed away just a few weeks before.  He wasn't an active musician like his father or his brothers, but he would sometimes sit in during their performances.  I was lucky enough to see him once - at the 2009 North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic, where I snapped this photo of him singing with his brother Duwayne.  My condolences to the Burnside family on their loss.

Many happy returns to Jakob Dylan, who turns 41 today.  I thought Women + Country was his best work to date and one of this year's finest albums, so I was a little disappointed to see it overlooked come awards time.  If you've not heard it, you owe it to yourself to check it out; it's one of those rare records that you can listen to start to finish - not a bum track in the bunch.

Yesterday would have been Jim Morrison's 67th birthday, and today came the news that he was finally granted a posthumous pardon by the state of Florida for his indecent exposure and profanity conviction stemming from the infamous Doors Miami concert on March 1, 1969.  Not everyone was happy to hear this; according to the Miami Herald, former Miami police office Angel Lago "said it sent the wrong message to the nation's youth, and that a pardon was tantamount to accusing officers involved in the incident of perjury."  Patricia Kennealy Morrison, who claims to have married Morrison in an unofficial, Celtic pagan ceremony, wanted the conviction expunged rather than pardoned.  "The pardon says that all of his suffering and all that he went through in a trial, everything both of us went through, was negated," she told the Associated Press.

Morrison's former band members, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger, were pleased, however; they've long maintained that he never flashed the crowd.  Outgoing Florida governor Charlie Crist defended the state clemency board's decision, made at his recommendation.  Speaking to the Miami Herald, Crist said, "It strikes me that everyone deserves a second chance.  You have to have the capacity for forgiveness."

Hear, hear, governor; let's hope that Hudspeth County, Texas will show the same sort of mercy towards Willie Nelson.  His recent felony marijuana possession charge was bumped down to a misdemeanor when it was determined that he was carrying 4 ounces instead of the originally-reported 6.  The misdemeanor charge carries with it a maximum sentence of 1 year in jail and a $4,000 fine.  Nelson is reportedly being represented by attorney Joe Turner, who had his '94 possession charge dismissed.

The response to Nelson's arrest from the media has taken the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department by surprise.  Even Snoop Dogg has weighed in on the situation:



For his part, Willie has taken the high road (no pun intended) and has asked his fans to contribute to the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office Gifts for Children Program, which ensures county schoolchildren will receive a visit from Santa Claus at Christmas.  I'd expect no less from a true class act like him.

I love a good mystery as much as I love good music, and the story of Jim Sullivan and his album U. F. O. has both.  He was a favorite around Malibu in the '70s and recorded with Phil Spector's musicians, but stardom always seemed just out of his reach.  Then one day he hit the road, leaving California and his family behind for Nashville.  He thought maybe he could be successful there, but he disappeared somewhere along the way.  To this day his fate is unknown; his car was found abandoned in New Mexico, and he had apparently taken nothing with him - not even his guitar.

Light in the Attic Records has re-released U. F. O. in CD, LP, and MP3 format.  I'm quite enchanted by his voice; it has a West Coast-Gordon Lightfoot sort of quality to it - smooth, robust, but lonely, and touched with a melancholy sweetness.  I look forward to hearing the album in its entirety.

The Jim Sullivan Story from Jennifer Maas on Vimeo.

In Rolling Stone #1119, fifty musicians were asked to contribute playlists of their favorite music.  RS is releasing those lists online by the week; here are some of my favorites so far.

Keith Richards: Roots and Reggae

Lucinda Williams: Country Women

Robbie Robertson: New Orleans Music

Pete Seeger: Folk Music

RS also recently published an online gallery of its Top 10 Rockers Who Found God.  As far as #2 choice Bob Dylan is concerned, I have to admit that I get very tired of the was-a-Christian-is-now-Jewish-again argument.  For one, Dylan never stopped being Jewish; for two, he has never publicly renounced his Christian beliefs; and for three, he has never stopped performing the songs.  He may not beat people over the head with the Bible anymore, but I'll argue that in songs such as "Every Grain of Sand" (please see also the version on Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3), the revamped "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking," or "'Cross the Green Mountain," glimpses of his faith are still evident.

And then, of course, there's this marvelous quote from an interview last year with Bill Flanagan in which they discuss Christmas in the Heart:

BF: You really give a heroic performance of O’ LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM The way you do it reminds me a little of an Irish rebel song. There’s something almost defiant in the way you sing, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” I don’t want to put you on the spot, but you sure deliver that song like a true believer.

BD: Well, I am a true believer.

One of the best essays on this subject I've ever read is Alan Jacobs' "The Songs Are My Lexicon," which Dylan's old website used to host.  Isn't Web Archive a beautiful thing?

In other Dylan news, the Wall Street Journal's John Jurgenson asks the musical question Should Bob Dylan Retire?  In my humble opinion, people should only be allowed to inquire about such things when, like Mr. Dylan, they have also enjoyed forty-plus years of success in the music industry and have produced a body of work that has immeasurably influenced the course of popular musical history.

Not to mention kicking out the jams some 100 nights per year for the last 21 years and counting . . .



Gonna put my best foot forward, stop being influenced by fools.

Tomorrow, Sotheby's will auction Dylan's original handwritten lyrics for "The Times They Are A-Changin'." The estimated value of this fragile yet historical sheet of paper?  $200,000-$300,000.  If anybody's wondering what sort of Christmas gift to get for the Dylanologist who has everything . . .

Update (12/10/2010):  Dylan's lyrics were sold today, and for more than originally estimated.  Accept It: Dylan's Lyrics Are Sold at Auction (ArtsBeat/NY Times)

And finally, tonight Paul McCartney sang the original lyrics to "Yesterday" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - with a little help from his host.  I don't know about you, but now I'm craving scrambled eggs and waffle fries.  I'll pass on the tofu wings, though - sorry, Sir Paul!

This week's musical miscellany

Lots happening this week, so let's get to it.  First things first - happy birthday to Dr. John!

I acknowledged what's arguably been the biggest music news of the past week - the release of The Beatles' catalogue on iTunes - in an earlier blog posting.  However, I was chuffed to learn from the New Musical Express that the most downloaded song so far has been - you guessed it - "Hey Jude."  Hey, 50,000,000 Beatles fans can't be wrong, right?

Both Rolling Stone and MOG Music Network published great interviews with Daniel Lanois this week.  In the interview for MOG, he said this about his own personal aesthetic:

DL: If there’s a flavor that lives on in my work, it would be that I’m hoping to provide somebody with some kind of a life-changing experience, and I think that’s the job of art: to cause somebody to look at their own life, and through the art, they might want to modify something in their own life and be part of the movement.

I can say this - Lanois' aesthetic has certainly changed my life.  In a future post I'll discuss the night I first heard Bob Dylan's album Time Out Of Mind, and how I knew from that moment on I would never be the same again.

He also had this fascinating quote about the difference between Dylan's and Neil Young's approach to songwriting:

DL: First of all, I should say that it was nice to work with an American national treasure [in Dylan] and now a Canadian national treasure [Young]. Bob’s lyrical journey occupies a lot of space through a work day, and it’s really what it’s all about. Neil’s just a little more casual about it and says, “Well, that’s what I wrote and that’s what we’re singing.” Maybe after a few days go by and I look at the lyrics, I realize Neil is a heavy-duty lyricist. But he makes less of a fuss about it.

From RS we learned that, among other things, he's got some Robert Plant recordings he's sitting on and that "we'll maybe put them on the next Black Dub record."  May I be the first to say yes, please!

And speaking of Black Dub, here's their NPR Tiny Desk Concert.  I think Tiny Desk Concerts should be mandatory at every workplace, but that's just me.

It was 38 years ago this week that Danny Whitten died tragically of an overdose.  Here's a fine blog posting from my friends over at Thrasher's Wheat in remembrance.

The Marin Independent Journal reported on Friday that Joan Baez was recovering from minor injuries sustained after falling from a tree on her property.  Feel better soon, Joan!

Florida Governor Charlie Crist is pursuing a posthumous pardon for Doors frontman Jim Morrison, according to Wednesday's New York Times.  Morrison was tried and convicted in 1970 of two misdemeanor counts of profanity and indecent exposure, stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred onstage during a concert in Miami in 1969.  He died in Paris while appealing his conviction.

It's never been unequivocally proven that Morrison actually exposed himself on stage, and at any rate this seems very tame considering what's happened at some concerts since then (Marilyn Manson, anyone?).  Pardon him, already!

The accolades are rolling in for the new Bruce Springsteen box set The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story.  I've not listened to it yet, but the fab press it's garnering has certainly piqued my interest.  If you're also hankering for an earful, you can preview the previously unreleased tracks - gathered into a stand-alone album called The Promise - on Spinner.com.

And for those of my generation who think "Because The Night" is a 10,000 Maniacs song, get a load of this:

While we're discussing The Boss, he visited Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday.  Here's Springsteen and "Neil Young" delivering their heartfelt cover of Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair."   

I believe there are two kinds of people in the world: those who "get" Bob Dylan, and those who don't.  Or, put another way: those who expect Dylan to conform to their expectations of him, and those who know better.  Why am I ranting, you might ask?  NPR's Bob Boilen went to see Dylan's concert in Washington, D. C. this past weekend, and was left wanting:

But truth be told, it just wasn't good. Anyone who sees Bob Dylan live knows that his songs are often barely recognizable from the originals. I usually applaud artists who change their songs and find new ways of breathing life into them, but rarely is that true of Bob Dylan. Usually the melodies are gone, the singing is often staccato, small phrases stripped of their singable signatures. In the gym at George Washington University, it was nearly impossible to make out the words if you didn't already know them.

I've heard this argument time and time again, and quite frankly it just gets old.  Look, I understand that Dylan has always been an acquired taste, and even more so nowadays.  He's finally gotten that rough, hoarse, wizened old bluesman's voice he's been coveting since he was 20, and he NEVER plays the song EXACTLY as it is on the record.  He's constantly reinventing his songs, tinkering with them sometimes to the point that yes, they are unrecognizable upon first listen.  Personally, I love that; it doesn't detract from my enjoyment at all.  The one time I've seen him live (April 29, 2006 in Jackson, MS) I was actually able to guess most of the songs within a few bars, with the exception of "Just Like A Woman" - I thought for sure we'd gotten "Every Grain Of Sand"!

And sometimes it can even deepen the song's meaning.  That same night I heard an unforgettable version of "Desolation Row" that, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans, I found deeply cathartic.  It had an almost calypso-like feel to it - a nod to our tropical location, perhaps?  Yet the mood was anything but calm and sunny.  By the end of the song the band was hammering on the beat, and Dylan was spitting, howling, and snarling the words.  He sounded positively pissed - and I can't be too sure, but from where I was sitting, it seemed almost as if he was enjoying giving voice to this anger.  It destroyed me all over again, and it lifted me up - it said all of the things I wanted to say, and so much more eloquently than I could ever hope to.  If I never see him in concert again, I will always be grateful to him for that one performance of that one song.  

About four songs in I found myself wishing Dylan had left his talented band in the bus.  I wanted him to step out from behind the keyboard, engage the crowd, strap on an acoustic guitar and sing. But I suppose that would be a bore to him.  He seems more interested in keeping himself entertained than the audience, frankly, and who could blame him? Dylan has done over a hundred shows a year for the past 22 years, so I guess the thrill of reinventing his tunes is the primary motivation.

*Ding Ding Ding!*  We have a winner, folks!  Dylan doesn't do this for us; he's never done this for us.  He does this for himself.  I'm not saying you have to like it, nor am I saying you can't bitch about it - I'm saying that bitching about it is pointless.  If there has been a single constant element in his career, it has been change.  He has never stood still - Dont Look Back; I'm not there/I'm gone - and this, in my opinion, is what keeps him relevant and interesting.  All I can suggest to those fans who are stymied by the Dylan of today is to try and find meaning within his art that is applicable to your own life.  

In other Dylan news, Right Wing Bob's Sean Curnyn quotes Crain's New York Business in stating that literary agent Andrew "The Jackal" Wylie is shopping around several book deals on Dylan's behalf.  Possible tomes include a book of poetry (yes, please), a collection of song backstories (ditto), and the next installment of Chronicles (sometime in my lifetime?).  Hmmm . . . wonder what went sour with Simon & Schuster?  

And finally, here's an interview from the Wall Street Journal with Bootleg Series co-producer Steve Berkowitz.  This, dear readers, is the kind of job I want to have when I grow up. 

This week's musical miscellany

This week the cable/satellite TV network Ovation has been celebrating "American Revolutionaries: Rock N Soul" with a series of fine music films and documentaries.  So far, the lineup has featured Johnny Cash: Half A Mile A Day, Jim Jarmusch's Neil Young: Year Of The Horse, Legends of Rock 'N' Roll  Live, Jimi Hendrix: American Landing, and Mahalia Jackson: The Power And The Glory - all highly recommended.

Tonight, Ken Mandel's Masters Of American Music: Bluesland airs at 9 pm EST.  The 1993 PBS doc traces the development and influence of the blues on American music and culture; the artists profiled include B. B. King, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters, and Chuck Berry.  I've not seen this before, and I'm looking forward to it.  Ditto for tomorrow night's Janis; the 1974 Howard Alk biopic of rock's first female superstar will also air at 9 pm EST.

Both films have encore showings immediately following at 11 pm EST, and if you missed any of the others, Ovation will rebroadcast them at various times over the weekend.  Check out their schedule here.

Other items I've enjoyed this week: to celebrate the recent release of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series Vol. 9 and the Original Mono Recordings box set, Columbia Records has produced both a short documentary film about the recording of the Witmark Demos and a cute faux-retro PSA advising us all to "Stick With Mono!"



Rolling Stone also debuted a new music video for Dylan's "Guess I'm Doing Fine," which uses archival footage of both Dylan and New York in the '60s.



If you're on the fence as to whether or not the Mono box is worth it, this review on Soundspike details the sonic differences between these remastered reissues and their previous CD incarnations.  I know what I want for Christmas this year!

I discovered a great new (to me) music blog the other day, courtesy of the fine folks at No Depression. Dustin Ogdin's tale of how he finally came to appreciate the music of Dylan and Peter Rowan in some ways mirrors my own musical journey.

One producer/musician I'm always eager to listen to is Daniel Lanois.  He's about to take to the road with his latest project, Black Dub, and you can preview the band's new album on NPR.

Robert Plant's recent appearance with the reformed Band of Joy at the BBC Electric Proms is available for listening here.  Better hurry, though - it will only be online for one more day!

While I'm waiting for Life and Vintage Vinos to arrive in my mailbox, I see Keith Richards has just told BBC Radio 6 that the Rolling Stones are working on new material and that a tour is in the works for 2011.  Listen to the interview here:



And in other Keef news, proof that sometimes angels do indeed have dirty faces.