Thievery Corporation - Live KEXP 2016-10-05 (concert)

Two weeks ago Drew, Lian, and I saw Thievery Corporation in concert at the National in Richmond.  Drew had seen them many times, having lived in Adams Morgan some 20+ years ago, but it was a first for Lian and me.  It was also appropriate since I first learned of Thievery Corporation via Drew and the "Dubbed Out in DC" compilation LP, and I've been a big fan ever since.

I had often wondered how their DJ / electronic / studio focus translated into a live setting (for example, they did not do my favorite song "The Foundation", which perhaps is less suitable for live performance), but I was pleased with the result, with the changing cast of guest vocalists providing the necessary variety.  The bassist also high-stepped through the entire show, providing some on-stage movement to contrast with, for example, when the guitarist would sit on a couch and play the sitar.

The setlist for this show hasn't been posted, but this five song KEXP set captures the feel of what we saw two weeks ago, although in Richmond they did not have a horn section. In both shows Eric Hilton was not present and the best explanation I can find is this brief reference from the Phoenix New Times: "Hilton, who is not an enthusiastic live performer, opts to run his side of things from Washington..."




I need to eventually review "Dubbed Out in DC", "Sounds From the Thievery Hi-Fi", and some of their other classic LPs, but for now this KEXP sampler will have to do. 

DJ Shadow - "Rocket Fuel" (spotlight)

I recently received two promotional e-mails from DJ Shadow, the first alerting me that a new LP will come out in 2019, and the second providing a link to an advance single, "Rocket Fuel", featuring De La Soul.

It sounds great -- and exactly like what you'd expect a 2019 collaboration between DJ Shadow and De La Soul to sound like.  My only complaint would be "why did it take them this long to work together?"   My primary complaint about "The Outsider" is that many of his guests were beneath him, but that's obviously not the case here. 

DJ Shadow and De La Soul - "Rocket Fuel"

2019-08-08 update: I received another email with the backstory of how DJ Shadow came to discover the cover of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by The Belmonts that provided the sample for "Rocket Fuel".  

The Belmonts - "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"

Tranquility Bass - "They Came In Peace" (LP review)

In celebration of Apollo 11, today I'll feature one of my favorite songs that's relatively hard to find.  "They Came In Peace" by Tranquility Bass first appeared in 1991 on the "They Came In Peace" EP.  I don't actually have that EP, but I have the title track on both on the Mo' Wax "Headz" compilation (1994) and the 1993 Exist Dance sampler "Transmitting From Heaven".  The former is excellent (I have Herbert to thank for first introducing me to "Headz"), the latter less so, but here I'll feature the original four song EP.

I've always said that we can forget velcro and Tang, the real benefit of the US space program was its providing endless samples for electronic music.  I'll eventually get around to The Orb's "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" (see also: "Rival Dealer"), but for now the most literal recognition is Tranquility Bass (get it?) and their looping of Buzz Aldrin saying "they came in peace for all mankind" over a languid beat and crickets.  I realize that sounds weird, but this is an excellent track and you should give it a listen.  The other three tracks on the EP are representative of electronic / trance music ca. 1991, and they're neither bad nor good. 

1. "They Came In Peace"
2. "They Came In Peace (Lunar Dub)"
3. "Lucifaze"
4. "Lucid Beats"

I'm giving the EP a score of 6/10 -- I'm not sure the EP is essential, even though the title track is.


Bonus link: "Cantamilla" from 1994's "Broadcast Standard Issue No. 1" is Tranquility Bass's other essential track. 

Joan Jett - "Crimson and Clover" (the song remains the same)

In honor of Pride Month, I'm featuring Joan Jett's 1981 cover of "Crimson and Clover" (from her second LP).  Joan hasn't actually come out, but she's an LGBTQ icon regardless.  Even though I didn't know about that in 1981 (who did?), I remember liking this song immediately.  I'm pretty sure I heard her version before the original, 1968 version from Tommy James and Shondells but I'm not certain.  And, sure I like the "underwater" / psychedelic original too, but Joan's version rawks, with those delicious power chords.

Why this song for Pride Month instead of others from her?  First, unlike in her cover of "I Love Rock and Roll"*, she does not change the gender of the love interest ("Ah, now I don't hardly know her / But I think I can love her).  Why did she keep the gender in one cover song but not the other? In retrospect, perhaps this was a clue.

Second, it's not like she was a purist; she did change the lyrics in C&C, and in the process made it 100X better.  Tommy James and The Shondells:

Yeah, my mind's such a sweet thing
I wanna do everything

What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover, over and over

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts:

Yeah, I'm not such a sweet thing
I wanna do everything
What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover, over and over

Perhaps TJ&TS couldn't get away with that line in 1968, but can we all agree that Joan's change of that one improves the rest of the stanza?

Tommy James and The Shondells - studio LP version, studio single version, live 1995,

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - studio version, 1983 (live?, probably lip-synched), 2007(?) live version




* As per my previous post, "I Love Rock & Roll" is still a stupid song that even Joan can't redeem.


Bonus images: quick, name a rock artist other than Joan Jett who looks better, and not just by a little bit, some 25+ years after they first made it big.  Swapping the big hair for a buzz cut and ditching the one-piece coverall is a big part of it, but still...

Joan ca. 1983, as New York Dolls refugee:

Joan ca. 2007, as punk matriarch:

Any questions?

The Comet is Coming - Live 2019-03-18

This entry is courtesy of Mat Kelly, who sent me a link to the London-based trio The Comet is Coming.  I had not heard of them before, but I really liked what I was able to hear via YouTube clips.  This is a live, in-studio recording presumably captured before their NYC show later that day.  This clip features songs from their (then upcoming) 2019 LP "Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery":

1. "Blood of the Past"
2. "Birth of Creation" 
3. "Summon the Fire" (official video for the studio version)

The sound is engaging and evokes the sci-fi, space-jazz sound of artists like Sun Ra, as well as the irreverence of bands like Art of Noise.   It also reminds me, in aesthetic if not exactly sound, of the the band Algiers that Herbert recently turned me onto. I'll cover Algiers later, but in the mean time I wanted to draw your attention to this tip from Mat. 

Judas Priest - Old Grey Whistle Test 1975-04-25

Drew, Terry, and I went to see Judas Priest in Washington DC a few weeks ago, and they did not disappoint.  It's almost two years since Drew shared his renewed Judas Priest appreciation with me, and he set up the trip to DC so we could reenact our own version of "Heavy Metal Parking Lot", some 33 (!) years later.  At this point only bassist Ian Hill and more importantly singer Rob Halford remain from the classic lineup (guitarist Glenn Tipton remains a member of the band but has retired from touring due to Parkinson's).  But as long as Halford's there, it's still Judas Priest and they still rawk.

They had a good set list that featured most of their "hits" and none of their stupid songs, so I was pretty happy.  Furthermore, they dug deep in their catalog to come up with early, less well-known tracks "Killing Machine", "Starbreaker", and "Victim of Changes".  This inspired me to share what is probably their earliest TV performance, from the BBC's "Old Grey Whistle Test" in 1975, which is in between their forgettable debut LP "Rocka Rolla" and right before their tremendous sophomore LP "Sad Wings of Destiny".  For this performance they played the title track "Rocka Rolla", which will give you an idea of why they no longer play songs from that LP, and "Dreamer Deceiver / Deceiver", which is a good representative track from "Sad Wings of Destiny" as well as revealing their musical debt to Black Sabbath.  It also shows their hippie fashion debt to Black Sabbath, since this is before they adopted their renowned biker / punk / leather look ca. 1978.






While they may have aged since then, it's a good thing we haven't.  Here we are looking like teenagers...

 Heavy Metal Parking Deck!

  Heavy metal pre-concert tacos! (Dave joined us for dinner but not the concert)

Very metal game faces.

One of many wardrobe changes for Rob Halford.

The concert isn't over until the Harley comes out.

Slowdive - Live in London, UK 2017-03-29

Even though I've only mentioned them here a few times so far, I'm a big Slowdive fan and I was ecstatic when they reformed in 2014 and then released an excellent new LP in 2017.  Until I make the time to review their 2017 LP, I offer this 2017 concert featuring three songs from their then forthcoming LP.  There are several good Slowdive concert videos on the web, but this 90 minute set is one of the best that I've found.  The only thing that would have made it better is in they included "Shine".