quote of the day

"She had hair like Jeannie Shrimpton back in 1965
She had legs the never ended
I was halfway paralyzed.
She was tall and cool and pretty and
She dressed as black as coal
If she'd ask me to I'd murder
I would gladly lose my soul
...

Well she held a bass guitar and
she was playing in a band and
she stood just like Bill Wyman
now I am her biggest fan
Now I know I'm one of many
who would like to be your friend
And I've got to find a way
to let you know I'm not like them"
-The Smithereens, "Behind the Wall of Sleep"

Goodbye, V. It really was good to know you.

As promised, here's some more Spirit for you. This is a really nice-sounding soundboard (fm broadcast maybe?) from Germany at the dawn of the 80's. Considering the vast number iof bassists who passed through this band, I'm blown away by how tight they are here - plenty of lose-limbed jamming, to be sure, but this is a trio musicians who clearly know each and play together beautifully.

"All Along the Watchtower" and "I Got A Line on You" really stand out in this great show, but it's really impressive throughout. The only less than wonderful track is "Come On, Woman." It may be a good song, but this version is clearly from a different source than the rest of the set and it sounds lousy, especially compared to the rest of the songs.

There's a typo in the song files; I was tired and typed in the wrong song name for track 12. The correct set list is below.

Spirit - 5/16/81, Stadtpark, Hamburg, Germany (sbd)
Shattered Dreams
So Little Time To Fly
Hey Joe
Nature's Way
Turn To The Right
All Along The Watchtower
Come On,Woman (aud-patch? clearly from a diffeent source than the rest of the show)
Like A Rolling Stone
Five In The Morning>
Drumz>
It's All The Same>Drumz>
Potatoland Theme >
I Got A Line On You
Song For Laura >
Wild Thing

As far as I can tell there are a number of live Spirit albums available, should you choose to use your cash to support what's left of the band (singer/guitarist/guiding light Randy California died in 1997). I only have Made in Germany, but I can happily report that it's mighty fine. I'd be glad to hear from anyone who can tell us about any of the others.

There's no official Spirit home page, but I recommend Tent of Miracles to those who want to find out more about this band's 30 years history. It's one of those fan-built labors of love and is well worth your attention.

Out to Tsaile Lake

-Simon Ortiz

By the lakeside,
there was a woman and a man.

I asked them how many fish they'd caught.
We just got here, the man said.

A little white dog snarled and barked at me.
The woman stuck her fishing rod at the dog
and called, Amy, Amy, pipe down,
it's alright, it's just an Indian.

I asked them where they were from.
We just got here, the man said again.

Out of the clear blue sky,
the man said, Coming up the road
from Grants we saw a turrible wreck.
Guess it was maybe some Indians.
They was kinda scattered around
and no ambulance in sight.

The little dog kept snarling at me.

The woman stuck her fishing rod at the man
and said, He said to me this morning,
Let's go out ro Tsaile Lake,
Indian fish are maybe hungry.

The little white dog kept on snarling.
Amy, Amy, calm down, don't fret yourself.

Around a bend of the lake,
a Navajo man was fishing too.
I told him I was from Ácoma.
He said he was from Shiprock.
He said, I work ten years in the mines.
Underground, in Colorado.
I work at Ambrosia Lake too, underground.
It's too wet. I'm not no gopher,
I'm a dry Navajo. He laughed. Underground.
So I quit and now I'm looking.

Maybe I have to go back to Colorado.
Underground. He said, At Ambrosia Lake,
I work with big Ácoma guy name Concho.
I got my dog, pointing
to a huge St. Bernard pulling a chain,
at Milan's in Gallup.
Mexican guy need cash and I got it.
Because he's a big one,
I call my dog Concho
for big Ácoma miner.
Laughing, I said, When I see Concho
I'll tell him there's a big dog
named for him in Navajo country.

Yeah, the Navajo man said,
I hope I get a job pretty soon.
It cost too much to live with no money.
I went to Albuquerque to buy a truck.
I almost have it at Galles Chevy
but they call BIA in Window Rock
and they say I have to give them
five hundred dollars more
before they give it to me.
Dammit, I already have one thousand
in cash from selling my cows
and if they didn't want it, forget it.
I said, Hell with it,
you don't want my money I'll keep it.
Man can't get credit these days
for being alive. Laughing,
I laughed with him. He said,
Maybe I have better luck with fish.

-Andy Warhol

Here's another entry in my small, slow Joni Mitchell series. We're nearing the end of what little live Joni I have. This one's a very nice set from eleven years ago. It's brief, but very, very good. Nice to see that she finally made it out to Yasgur's farm.

Joni Mitchell - 8/15/98, Max Yasgur's Farm, Bethel, NY (sbd)
Hejira
Comes Love
Face Lift
Summertime
The Crazy Cries Of Love
No Apologies
Sex Kills
The Magdalene Laundries
Black Crow
Moon At The Window
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Just Like This Train
Big Yellow Taxi
Trouble Man
Woodstock

Head back through the blog to find more, and be sure to visit her site.

Death Be Not Proud
by John Donne

Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

Last month I promised another show from the U.S. leg of this tour. I'm still digging through those. While you wait, here's a sweet show from earlier in that same year. It sounds pretty darn good for an audience recording, especially a 33 year old audience recording.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 3/ 23/76, Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France (aud)
Tell Me Why
Cowgirl In The Sand
After The Goldrush
Mellow My Mind
Too Far Gone
A Man Needs A Maid
No One Seems To Know
Heart Of Gold
Country Home
Don't Cry No Tears
Down By The River
Lotta Love
Like A Hurricane
The Losing End
Drive Back
Southern Man
Cortez The Killer
Cinnamon Girl

If you like this, you know what to do.

Happy Halloween

Black Sabbath - 8/5/75, Convention Hall, Asbury, New Jersey (sbd)
Killing Yourself To Live
Hole In The Sky
Snowblind
Symptom Of The Universe
War Pigs
Megalomania
Sabbra Cadabra
Supernaut
Iron Man
Orchid>Rock & Roll Doctor>Don't Start (Too Late)
Black Sabbath
Spiral Architect
Embryo>Children Of The Grave
Paranoid

See also Past Lives and their website.


Blue Oyster Cult - 10/12/79, Chicago Ampitheatre, Chicago, IL (sbd)
Dominance and Submission
Dr. Music
Mirrors
Cities on Flame
The Great Sun Jester
The Vigil
ETI
O.D.'d on Life Itself
ME 262
Godzilla
Hot Rails to Hell
5 Guitars
Born to Be Wild
(Don't Fear) The Reaper

See also On Your Feet Or On Your Knees and, as always, their website.

For even more by these two great bands, drop by Hear Rock City. Be warned, however, you might never leave.

Dave Brubeck played in Albany a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't go - damn these grown-up obligations!! Ah, well, I still have this nice set from 1990 to keep me warm at night.

Dave Brubeck Quartet - 8/1/90, Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO (sbd)
Theme For June
Peace of Jerusalem
Once When I Was Very Young
Dancing In Rhythm
Yesterdays
I've Got Rhythm
Koto Song
Roman March
These Foolish Things
Shine On Harvest Moon
Blue Rondo a la Turk
Take Five

Mr. Brubeck has plenty of live albums to choose from, if you want to keep listening after you're done with this show. I like Jazz Goes to College best, but you should do your own research. He's got a great web site.

Autumn
by T. E. Hulme

A touch of cold in the Autumn night—
I walked abroad,
And saw the ruddy moon lean over a hedge
Like a red-faced farmer.
I did not stop to speak, but nodded,
And round about were the wistful stars
With white faces like town children.

-J.M.W. Turner

I just got a bunch of great Spirit boots in a great big trade. I'm still sorting through them and deciding which I like best. I'll probably be posting a few of my favorites over the next few months. This FM broadcast is as good a place to start as ever. The set list has a few odd choices - I won't be unhappy if I never hear "Victim of Society" or "Joker on the Run" again- but the performance is terrific. And we do get cool, jammy versions of "Nature's Way" and "I Got a Line on You", so it's all good. The vocals are a little low in the mix at times, but everything else sounds so good that I doubt you'll mind.

I love Spirit. I must have worn out three or four cassette copies of the greatest hits as teenager and one or two more when I was in college. During my psychedelic daze, 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus was my album of choice to kickstart particularly intense interior journeys. This show comes from a few years after their artistic and commercial peak as recording artists (those first four albums, featuring the original line-up, are all superb), but they were clearly still a superb band, both in the studio and on stage.

Spirit - 6/20/75, Electric Ballroom, Dallas, Texas (FM)
Veruska
Nature's Way
Like A Rolling Stone
Jam > Mr. Skin
Guide Me
Victim Of Society
Downer > Stone Free
Joker On The Run
My Imagination
All Along The Watchtower
It's All The Same > I Got A Line On You

If you like this, check back in a week or two. As far as I can tell there are a number of live Spirit albums available, should you choose to use your cash to support what's left of the band (singer/guitarist/guiding light Randy california died in 1997); I only have Made in Germany, but I can happily report that it's mighty fine. I'd be glad to hear from anyone who can tell us about any of the others.

There's no official Spirit home page, but I recommend Tent of Miracles to those who want to find out more bout this band's 30 years history. It's one of those fan-built labors of love and is well worth your attention.

The Passionate Shepherd to His Love
by Christopher Marlowe

Come live with me, and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That hills and valleys, dales and fields,
And all the craggy mountain yields.

There we will sit upon the rocks,
And see the shepherds feed their flocks
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.

And I will make thee beds of roses,
With a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle;

A gown made of the finest wool,
Which from our pretty lambs we pull;
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold;

A belt of straw and ivy buds,
With coral clasps and amber studs;
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me, and be my love.

The shepherd swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me, and be my love.

This day is call'd the feast of Crispian

If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

It's hard to believe I made it through the entire summer without posting a single Bruce Springsteen show. Here, by way of apology, is a tasty little vinyl transfer of a terrifically intimate 1975 performance down there in NYC. Lots of scratches, pops, crackles and other signs of age on this, but don't let that stop you. There was a time when almost all bootlegs sounded like this, and just like the old days, the performance will carry you past the surface noise in a hurry.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - 8/15/75, The Bottom Line, New York City, NY (sbd)
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
Spirit In The Night
And Then She Kissed Me
Growing Up
Saint In The City
E Street Shuffle
Wild Billy's Circus Story
Everytime You Walk In The Room
She's The One
Born To Run
Thunder Road
Rosalita
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
Quarter To Three

If you like live Springsteen, you have plenty of choices - even if your taste runs this far back into the past. Start with Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 from this same year. Then search out Live '75-'85. After that you're on your own, but be sure to check out his web site when you've got a free minute or two.

In a Breton Cemetery
by Ernest Christopher Dowson

They sleep well here,
These fisher-folk who passed their anxious days
In fierce Atlantic ways;
And found not there,
Beneath the long curled wave,
So quiet a grave.

And they sleep well,
These peasant-folk, who told their lives away,
From day to market-day,
As one should tell,
With patient industry,
Some sad old rosary.

And now night falls,
Me, tempest-tost, and driven from pillar to post,
A poor worn ghost,
This quiet pasture calls;
And dear dead people with pale hands
Beckon me to their lands.

The Last Decalogue
by Arthur Hugh Clough

Thou shalt have one God only; -who
Would be at the expense of two?
No graven images may be
Worshipped, except the currency:
Swear not at all; for, for thy curse
Thine enemy is none the worse:
At church on Sunday to attend
Will serve to keep the world thy friend:
Honour thy parents; that is, all
From whom advancement may befall:
Thou shalt not kill; but need'st not strive
Officiously to keep alive:
Do not adultery commit;
Advantage rarely comes of it:
Thou shalt not steal; an empty feat,
When 'tis so lucrative to cheat:
Bear not false witness; let the lie
Have time on its own wings to fly:
Thou shalt not covet, but tradition
Approves all forms of competition.

"Art is a dog on my porch" - Neil Young

-Caravaggio

He That Loves a Rosy Cheek
by Thomas Carew

He that loves a rosy cheek,
Or a coral lip admires,
Or from star-like eyes doth seek
Fuel to maintain his fires:
As old Time makes these decay,
So his flames must waste away.

But a smooth and steadfast mind,
Gentle thoughts, and calm desires,
Hearts with equal love combined,
Kindle never-dying fires:
Where these are not, I despise
Lovely cheeks or lips or eyes.

I think some of these song titles are wrong. I copied them from the disc. I'm just too tired to dig through my discs and look up the right ones.

What should I write about Emmylou Harris? She's almost perfect. That's all I have to say.

Emmylou Harris - 5/11/85, Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio (FM)
I'm Movin' On
Blue Kentucky Girl
Darkest Just Before The Dawn
We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning
Two More Bottles Of Wine
Drivin' Wheel
Ooh Las Vegas
The Ballad Of Sally Rose
I Think I Love You
Woman Walk The Line
Long Tall Sally Rose
White Line
Sweet Chariot
Luxury Liner
Together Again
Save The Last Dance For Me

If you like live Emmylou as much as I do, you know what to do. Click here and scroll to the bottom for more details.

If it's the first, then I must be posting some Neil Young for you. This is from the massive 1976 tour that introduced Frank Sampedro to the world. It's incomplete, but don't let that bother you. You want this show. You really do.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 11/15/76, Chicago Auditorium, Chicago, IL, Late Show (SBD)
Heart of Gold
The Old Laughing Lady
Journey Through the Past
Too Far Gone
Give Me Strength
The Needle and the Damage Done
A Man Needs a Maid
Tell Me Why
Sugar Mountain
Country Home
Don't Cry No Tears
Peace of Mind
Lotta Love
Like a Hurricane
After the Gold Rush
Are You Ready for the Country?
-missing-
Cinnamon Girl
Cortez The Killer
Helpless

This show rocks. Sadly, there are no live albums available from this tour, but Rust Never Sleeps, Live Rust, Arc/Weld, and Year of the Horse all feature this same line-up. Just get 'em all. Now. Seriously, if you don't own Rust Never Sleeps, there's something wrong with you.

Then visit Neil's web site for all your rusty needs.

Howlin' Wolf live is a wonderful thing. This late 60's date features a few overly extended arrangements, but is otherwise pretty great. It's worth the price just for the great version of "Killing Floor," surely Wolf's signature tune.

Howlin' Wolf - 2/23/69, Key Largo Club, Chicago, IL (sbd)
Million Miles Away
Don't Laugh At Nobody
Pretty Baby
Little Bird
Crazy About You Woman
If You Don't Love Me
I Had A Dream
Killing Floor
How Many More Years
Crosscut Saw
Sock It To Me

After you've enjoyed this show, you're sure to be ready for more Wolf. To be honest, if you wanna do it right, you'll have to go big. Get The London Session, The Chess Box, The Sun Recordings, and The Real Folk Blues for starters.

The Retreat
by Henry Vaughan

Happy those early days! when I
Shined in my Angel-infancy.
Before I understood this place
Appointed for my second race,
Or taught my soul to fancy aught
But a white, celestial thought;
When yet I had not walked above
A mile or two from my first Love,
And looking back, at that short space
Could see a glimpse of His bright face;
When on some gilded cloud or flower
My gazing soul would dwell an hour,
And in those weaker glories spy
Some shadows of eternity;
Before I taught my tongue to wound
My conscience with a sinful sound,
Or had the black art to dispense
A several sin to every sense,
But felt through all this fleshly dress
Bright shoots of everlastingness.

O how I long to travel back
And tread again that ancient track!
That I might once more reach that plain
Where first I left my glorious train;
From whence th' enlightened spirit sees
That shady city of palm-trees.
But ah! my soul with too much stay
Is drunk, and staggers in the way.
Some men a forward motion love,
But I by backward steps would move;
And when this dust falls to the urn,
In that state I came, return.

Art is a dog on Neil Young's porch

-Édouard Manet