portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Ry Cooder from 1972


Big O posts a set from Ry Cooder this morning and maybe for completists only yet being a radio broadcast has a quality not always expected from such early boots.





01. Radio Announcement/Talking (1 glitch)
02. Police Dog Blues (Arthur Blake, adapted by Ry Cooder)
03. Tuning/Song Intro
04. Comin’ In On A Wing And A Prayer (Harold Adamson and Jimmie McHugh)
05. Tuning/Song Intro
06. Great Dream From Heaven (Joseph Spence)
07. Tuning/Song Intro
08. Clean Up At Home (Sleepy John Estes)
09. Tuning/Song Intro
10. Tattler (Ry Cooder/Russ Titelman/Washington Phillips)
11. You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond (Blind Willie Johnson)
12. Radio Announcement/Song Intro
13. F.D.R. In Trinidad (Fitz MacLean)
14. Tuning/Song Intro
15. Floating Bridge (Sleepy John Estes)
16. Billy The Kid (Traditional, arranged by Ry Cooder)
17. Diddy Wah Diddy (Arthur Blake)
18. Dark Was The Night (Cold Was The Ground) (Blind Willie Johnson) (1 drop)
19. Jesus Is On The Mainline (Traditional)
20. Going To Bownsville (Sleepy John Estes)
58 mins

Enjoy!

JOHN PRINE HAS OPERABLE LUNG CANCER



Singer-songwriter John Prine announced on his website Nov 21, 2013 that he has an operable form of cancer, "non-small cell carcinoma," on his lung. His Nashville-based doctors caught it early: "They see no reason why I won't fully recover," he said. Prine also underscored that this episode is unrelated to the cancer he beat in 1997, when doctors discovered a growth on his neck. To plan around his surgery and recuperation time, though, he has to move his two Louisville performances to February 28 and March 1. His Madison, Wisconsin show will take place on March 15. The Green Bay makeup date has yet to be announced. Previously purchased tickets will be honored at the new shows. "For me, there's nothing like performing," Prine said. "I look forward to seeing all my friends and fans in 2014. We have some great cities and venues lined up." - Rolling Stone

Friday, November 29, 2013

Bob Dylan at The Royal Albert Hall 2013

You can rely on Big O and it doesn't get faster than this people! From the night before last!
 Second night of the three night stint back at the historic stomping ground of legend and The Beatles being in the audience to witness history being made. One does wonder what must be going through Bob's mind as he revisits these legendary places or is it just another night in another town?!





Poster by Marijke of The Fool - Art.Com
Bob at The Royal Albert Hall 1966

Thursday, November 28, 2013

"Let's Go To Memphis In The Meantime!"

Thanks to BB chronicles (yes I do visit other sites than Big O!)
For this set from one of my favourite songwriters and slide guitarists

John Hiatt

John Hiatt
& The Goners
Opening for The Robert Cray Band
September 18, 1987
The Warfield, San Francisco,  CA

FM Broadcast (KFOG-FM) recording, excellent quality
Tracklist
01.  Intro
02.  Memphis In The Meantime
03.  Alone In The Dark
04.  Thank You Girl
05.  Learning How To Love You
06.  A Crazy Girl Is Hard To Find
07.  Tennessee Plates
08.  Your Dad Did
09.  Thing Called Love


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Mo' Macca - Ja Wacca

Paul McCartney opening night of tour of Japan - Osaka 11-11-2013

Get it here at Big O (Where else?!)

Cup of Tea, Anyone?


That'll be 44 songs in nearly three hours! Fine set and fine recording
Macca ploughs on and despite people complaining he is losing the pipes he's on fine form here
People also complaining on the Big O site that he isn't varying the setlist with new stuff, he does three songs from his new 'NEW' album and he used to be in another band that people pay to hear him sing from and frankly the setlist is astonishing! 44 songs in three hours?! Awesome!
Can ya diggit? I dig a pony!
 
Disc 1
Track 101. Welcome Back To Japan Radio - Pre-Show Annoucement 8:10 (13.7MB)
Track 102. Intro 1:33 (2.6MB)
Track 103. Eight Days A Week 3:01 (5.1MB)
Track 104. Save Us 3:02 (5.1MB)
Track 105. All My Loving 3:04 (5.1MB)
Track 106. Listen To What The Man Said 4:03 (6.8MB)
Track 107. Let Me Roll It 7:55 (13.3MB)
Track 108. Paperback Writer 4:25 (7.4MB)
Track 109. My Valentine 3:27 (5.8MB)
Track 110. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five 4:14 (7.1MB)
Track 111. The Long And Winding Road 3:47 (6.4MB)
Track 112. Maybe I’m Amazed 5:36 (9.4MB)
Track 113. I’ve Just Seen A Face 2:35 (4.3MB)
Track 114. We Can Work It Out 2:55 (4.9MB)
Track 115. Another Day 4:44 (8.0MB)
Track 116. And I Love Her 3:44 (6.3MB)
Track 117. Blackbird 3:12 (5.4MB)
Track 118. Here Today 3:02 (5.1MB)
Track 119. New 3:01 (5.1MB)
Track 120. Queenie Eye 4:04 (6.8MB)
Track 121. Lady Madonna 3:30 (5.9MB)
Track 122. All Together Now 2:29 (4.2MB)
Disc 2
Track 201. Lovely Rita 3:31 (5.9MB)
Track 202. Everybody Out There 3:51 (6.5MB)
Track 203. Eleanor Rigby 3:01 (5.1MB)
Track 204. Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite 3:00 (5.0MB)
Track 205. Something 5:12 (8.7MB)
Track 206. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 3:49 (6.4MB)
Track 207. Band On The Run 5:21 (9.0MB)
Track 208. Back In The USSR 3:30 (5.9MB)
Track 209. Let It Be 4:10 (7.0MB)
Track 210. Live And Let Die 3:52 (6.5MB)
Track 211. Hey Jude 10:22 (17.4MB)
Track 212. Day Tripper 3:21 (5.6MB)
Track 213. Hi Hi Hi 3:35 (6.0MB)
Track 214. Get Back 6:08 (10.3MB)
Track 215. Yesterday 3:16 (5.5MB)
Track 216. Helter Skelter 6:12 (10.4MB)
Track 217. Golden Slumbers 1:41 (2.8MB)
Track 218. Carry That Weight 0:26 (724k)
Track 219. You Never Give Me Your Money 0:43 (1.2MB)
Track 220. Carry That Weight 0:34 (959k)
Track 221. The End 5:41 (9.5MB)
Track 222. The Last Announcement 0:56 (1.6MB)
2 hours 48 mins

Lineup:
Paul McCartney - lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar, ukelele
Rusty Anderson - electric guitar
Abe Laboriel, Jr - backing vocals, drums, percussion, bass
Paul “Wix” Wickens - keyboards, percussion, harmonica
Brian Ray - backing vocals, bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar

Monday, November 25, 2013

Mo' Bobness!

Yup, you got it! 
Big O has the latest Bob Dylan gig from last week at Glasgow on the 20th November
setlist:
Disc 1 (Set 1)
01 Things Have Changed
02 She Belongs to Me
03 Beyond Here Lies Nothin’
04 What Good Am I?
05 Duquesne Whistle
06 Waiting for You
07 Pay in Blood
08 Tangled Up in Blue
09 Love Sick

Disc 2 (Set 2)
01 High Water (For Charley Patton)
02 Simple Twist of Fate
03 Early Roman Kings
04 Forgetful Heart
05 Spirit on the Water
06 Scarlet Town
07 Soon after Midnight
08 Long and Wasted Years
09 Encore Break
10 All Along the Watchtower
11 Blowin’ in the Wind
lineup: as per the usual
Bob Dylan - vocals, piano, harp
Stu Kimball - guitar
Donnie Herron - steel guitar, mandolin, banjo, violin
Charlie Sexton - guitar
George Receli - drums
Tony Garnier - bass

Big O thanks Lesterferget who recorded the show and shared the tracks at Dime.
Lesterferget noted:
Whether or not you need another version of Bob’s now “standard” set I suppose depends on the severity of your particular illness where he’s concerned. If you “need” it, here it is…
I’ve seen Bob a few times now, and each tour’s been different. He ruffles feathers, delighting and confounding in equal measures, but over time experience has taught us that ultimately he’s “right”.
A real retro feel to the stage set. Semicircular blue/black curtain acting as a backdrop (onto which lighting effects were occasionally shone), six old-style, “dusky yellow” stage lights suspended in an arc above the band, eight small, white lights on stands in a semi-circle below them (behind the bands numerous vintage amps and instruments), and some uplighting at the front of the stage to lend a little more shadowy menace to the band’s already gang-like appearance.
The show starts quite abruptly, without warning, with a strum of the guitar from behind the curtain. Bob and the band stroll on, Bob in two-tone black and powder blue suit, trade-mark fedora with his “gunslingers” in grey suits and black shirts. We’re off…
From start to finish I was struck by the quality on show. The band’s been together a while now. The sound is incredible… the “space” between the notes… it’s like they’re hanging each one up individually, to sparkle and delight, as if baubles on a Christmas Tree. You notice them all… this is a masterclass in taste and musicianship.
Bob? Last time I saw him I was left feeling he was somewhat on the decline, his voice little more than a dry growl. Now, he seems accepting of his weaknesses, and has adapted. Yes, he still “growls”, but these days it’s more “rich, dark treacle” than “dry and hoarse”, real brooding and threat in his delivery, the emotional aspect (very much in evidence) coming from a different angle than before. “Things have changed”… in the flesh this is intoxicating, heady stuff.
No support act, the two sets are so engaging that they seem to be over in little more than a heartbeat. Tonight is no “going through the motions” of what was played over the previous two nights. This is played like it matters… and may even be “life or death”. Lots of highlights. Tangled up in Blue and Simple Twist of Fate positively dance, but similarly the newer numbers work really well. Duquesne Whistle’s rhythm’s irresistibly infectious. Bob’s delivery of “I pay in blood… but not my own…” has all the terror of a Gangland Godfather behind it, and Forgetful Heart would move a stone to tears.
Bob doesn’t say much outside of his songs. His body language suggests he’s enjoying the show as much as we are, confirmed when he slaps upraised hands with a few of the audience who’ve rushed the stage towards the end of the second set (someone even attempted to get onto the stage at one point). There’s a little smile and a twinkle in the eye accompanying this rare crack in his usually poker-faced, assassin-eyed persona.
I attended the show with a very good friend of mine who’s seen a few of the shows this tour (many, many thanks to you, by the way…). He felt this was the best, although each show had its own feel, its own highlights, its own spirit, and he’d thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed all of them.
So, Bob might be playing the same numbers (very nearly) every night. That said, it sounds like every event is unique. You can come away each time saying “yes, I might have seen it before… but not like that. Wow”. Powerful stuff.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Didn't it RAIN, Chillun?!

For no other reason than I LOVE this song and Sister Rosetta Tharpe too!
Why it's nearly enough to turn me religious!
Didn't it rain, didn't it, you know it did!


The legendary Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Manchester in the early sixties when the BBC regularly broadcast Blues programmes and exspecially if there was a religious theme!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

LOU REED 

From the WONDERFUL - BRAINPICKINGS

(subscribe, support, donate)

Lou Reed on Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Laurie Anderson, Setting Edgar Allan Poe to Music, and Why Record Labels Deserve to Die

Lou Reed Anthony Decurtis Interview here

lou-reed-anthony-decurtis-interview

Thursday, November 07, 2013

 BOB DYLAN 

AMERICANERAMA HITS EUROPE

 Staggering quality recording over at Big O (Of Course!)

YOU NEED THIS!          NO REALLY!

 Just downloaded it and frankly it is amongst the VERY best audience recordings I have in my collection which down in the vaults is VAST! GET IT NOW before it goes offline!

Dedicated to the Memory of two Steves - Steve Swapp and Stephen Blackman - lovers of Dylan both

TRACKLISTING:
Disc 1 (Set 1)
01. stage announcement/
Things Have Changed
02. She Belongs To Me
03. Beyond Here Lies Nothin’
04. What Good Am I?
05. Pay In Blood
06. Waiting For You
07. Duquesne Whistle
08. Tangled Up In Blue
09. Love Sick
(Intermission)
Disc 2 (Set 2)
01. High Water (For Charley Patton)
02. Simple Twist Of Fate
03. Early Roman Kings
04. Forgetful Heart
05. Spirit On The Water
06. Scarlet Town
07. Soon After Midnight
08. Long And Wasted Years
encore
09. All Along The Watchtower
10. Blowin’ In The Wind

The Band - Bob Dylan - vocals, piano, harp
Tony Garnier - bass
George Recile - drums
Stu Kimball - rhythm guitar
Charlie Sexton - lead guitar
Donnie Herron - banjo, violin, electric mandolin, pedal steel, lap steel

The Heineken Music Hall
Amsterdam30/11/2013

Monday, November 04, 2013

Van Morrison - MOONDANCE Extended Version

 . . . and remember folks it's always worth checking out what the artist wants and if he wants you to download it (or not) sometimes he sure as eggs is eggs doesn't want you to buy it!

Morrison, now 69, did not want this extended album released. He said on his website: "I did not endorse this, it is unauthorised and it has happened behind my back. My management company at that time gave this music away 42 years ago and now I feel as though it’s being stolen from me again.”
link- 2 disc version
alternative source - 4 disc version link