New Music Musings

Just in time before seeing off the year, I’d like to take a final look at new music. This post highlights my six favorite albums of 2023 I reviewed.

Highway 61 – Driving South

After 30 Years and an incredible background story including the global pandemic, a near-fatal cancer episode and the death of a music mentor, Los Angeles blues rock four-piece Highway 61 released their debut album Driving South on March 24. While after their formation in the early ’90s the band managed to establish themselves on the Southern California club circuit, the record deal they sought remained elusive, and they broke up in 1993. Fast forward to the summer of 2022 when they reconvened for the first time in decades at an L.A. studio to finally record their first album. Highway 61 blend flavors of The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty with dashes of The Black Crowes and Stevie Ray Vaughan. For a little taste, here’s the kickass opener Walk On Water (full album review). Thanks again to Gregg Bell of Wanted Management, who brought Highway 61 on my radar screen!

Ian Hunter – Defiance Part 1

Ian Hunter may be an octogenarian, but he sure as heck can show all the young dudes how to rock. After his departure as lead vocalist from British glam rockers Mott the Hoople in 1974, Hunter launched a solo career and has released his own albums at a fairly steady pace. He frequently collaborated with Mick Ronson until the untimely death of David Bowie’s former sideman in 1993 at the age of 46. His 15th and latest album Defiance Part 1, recorded during COVID lockdown and released on April 21, features the late Jeff Beck, Slash, Billy Gibbons, Todd Rundgren and Ringo Starr, among others, who all added contributions at their home studios. The album also includes Hunter’s longtime collaborator Andy York, one of John Mellencamp’s guitarist, who also served as co-producer. Here’s This Is What I’m Here For, written by Hunter and featuring the late Taylor Hawkins (formerly of Foo Fighters) on drums, Waddy Wachtel (guitar) and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott (backing vocals) (full album review).

Lucinda Williams – Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart

Lucinda Williams may be among the ultimate rock & roll survivors. Only two and a half years ago, things looked pretty bleak for the singer-songwriter, who turned 70 in January. After her East Nashville home had been damaged by a tornado in March 2020, she suffered a debilitating stroke in November of the same year. Not only did the stroke limit Williams’ physical mobility, but it also took away her ability to play guitar, the instrument she had relied on to write her songs. None of this stopped Williams. After intense rehab, she returned to the stage. Still unable to play guitar, she adjusted her way to write music, collaborated with her husband and co-producer Tom Overby and others, and recorded the incredible album Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, which dropped on June 30. I don’t mean to romanticize hardship, but I find Williams’ strength truly inspiring. Here’s the de facto title track Rock n Roll Heart, co-written by Williams, Overby and Travis Stephens, guitarist and Williams’ road manager. The song features Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa on backing vocals (full album review). Only select songs of the album are available on streaming services.

Cordovas – The Rose of Aces

East Nashville, Tenn.-based Americana and country rock band Cordovas have become one of my favorite contemporary groups since the summer of 2018 when I coincidentally caught them at a free open air summer concert in New Jersey. Their three-part harmony vocals and warm sound remind me of other groups like The Band, Grateful Dead, Eagles and Little Feat. Cordovas were formed in 2011 by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Firstman  after he had put out a series of solo projects and served as bandleader on NBC’s former late-night TV show Last Call with Carson Daly from 2005 to 2009. On August 11, they released their fourth studio album The Rose of Aces, another gem. Here’s Love Is All It Takes, a song written by Firstman with a neat Allman Brothers Band vibe (full album review).

The Rolling Stones/Hackney Diamonds

Hackney Diamonds is no Sticky Fingers or Exile On Main St., but the first new Rolling Stones album with original music in 18 years still marks a late-stage career highlight. Released on October 20, Hackney Diamonds sounds remarkably fresh and dynamic for a band that has existed for 61 years! The first Stones album since the 2021 death of longtime drummer Charlie Watts features Elton John, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Bill Wyman, Paul McCartney and even Watts, among others. One of the most effective contributions are Lady Gaga’s backing vocals on Sweet Sounds of Heaven, a great soulful ballad credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It also includes Wonder on keyboards and piano, but you don’t notice unless you carefully listen to Jagger telling Wonder, ‘Play me something, Steve’, at around the 5:30-minute mark or check the credits – a relatively small wrinkle on what I think is the Stones’ best studio album since 1989’s Steel Wheels (full album review).

Raze Regal & White Denim Inc. – Raze Regal & White Denim Inc.

The collaboration between Raze Regal, who AllMusic calls an eclectic, psych, jazz, and rock-influenced guitarist, and James Petralli, vocalist of Austin, Texas indie rock band White Denim who he co-founded in 2006, is one of my most intriguing new music discoveries this year. The album’s sophisticated sound blending jazz, rock, soul and pop at times reminds me of Steely Dan and some of Gino Vannelli’s work I’ve heard. Here’s the cool opener Ashley Goudeau, named after a local Austin morning news anchor, a song about a parasocial relationship with a TV personality (full album review).

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; YouTube; Spotify

Born to Rock

I almost would have sat out Bruce Springsteen’s 2023 tour. In general, I love his music but wasn’t going to spend several hundred bucks to see him, and that’s what ticket prices were when I first looked. Then, a few months ago, dear fellow blogger Sori, who pens the excellent Sori1982 and is a huge Springsteen fan and expert, flagged The Boss had just added some U.S. dates. This prompted me to take another look and, voila, I was able to get a ticket at a relatively reasonable price – thanks, Sori! Showtime at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. was last Friday (September 1) – and, boy, what a great way to kick off the long Labor Day weekend!

The previous time I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band was in August 2016, a four-hour gig with no breaks. My longest concert by a single artist to date also took place at MetLife. Based on press accounts, I knew the average length of Springsteen concerts during the current tour was about 2.5 hours – still exceptional for an artist of his caliber. And let’s not forget, this New Jerseyan institution is turning 74 on September 23. Last Friday’s gig lasted close to 3 hours with no breaks. Springsteen was in superb vocal, musical and physical condition!

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (from left): Front: Steven Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen and Roy Bittan; Back: Gary Tallent, Nils Lofgren, Charlie Giordano, Max Weinberg, Patti Scialfa, Soozie Tyrell and Jake Clemons

The Boss was backed by an impressive amount of musicians. To start with, according to NJArts.net, the current core members of the E Street Band are Steven Van Zandt (guitar), Nils Lofgren (guitar), Roy Bittan (keyboards), Charlie Giordano (keyboards), Springsteen’s wife Patti Scialfa (backing vocals), Soozie Tyrell (violin), Jake Clemons (saxophone), Garry Tallent (bass) and Max Weinberg (drums). That’s already nine musicians (not counting Herr Springsteen himself!) who I probably don’t have to tell you are all top-notch – obviously Bruuuuuuuuuuce wouldn’t perform with slackers!

In addition, there are horn players Eddie Manion (tenor and baritone saxophone), Curt Ramm (trumpet), Barry Danielian (trumpet) and Ozzie Melendez (trombone); backing vocalists Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Curtis King and Ada Dyer; as well as percussionist Anthony Almonte. Altogether, that’s 19 musicians including Springsteen! Even though that’s a big number that may smack of over-production, I felt the E Street Army sounded mighty but not over the top.

MetLife impressions (clockwise from left): Yours truly, his seat section 318, gourmet food Jersey ballpark style (supposedly, an Italian sausage) and seating area prior to showtime

Altogether, Springsteen played 28 songs, including encores. As such, he could have featured at least one track from each of his 21 studio albums. While I didn’t expect that, I found it notable that only three albums accounted for half of the songs: ’70s back-to-back classics Born to Run (six tracks) and Darkness On the Edge of Town (four tracks), as well as the relatively recent Letter to You released in October 2020 (four tracks). Adding the three songs they played from each Born in the U.S.A. (June 1984), The Rising (July 2002) and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (November 1973), means Springsteen’s picks from six albums made up 80% of the concert. Meanwhile, fan favorites The River (October 1980) and Nebraska (September 1982) were completely absent. In full transparency, I didn’t miss the latter too much.

A few other overall observations. Springsteen played some neat guitar solos – short and not showy but pretty cool – something I didn’t recall from the two previous times I saw him. Like in 2018, Jake Clemons was one of the standouts, who once again would have made his uncle proud. Nils Lofgren shined silently for most of the concert. When he finally got the opportunity, he demonstrated his guitar chops during an extended solo on Because the Night – I wish this would have happened more often. Last but not least, Patti Scialfa’s role felt smaller than during the previous two gigs I saw where in addition to singing she also played some guitar.

I’d say enough of the blah-blah-blah and time to let some music do the talking! Springsteen and the band kicked off the evening with Lonesome Day, the opener of his well received post-9/11 album The Rising. The mighty horn section and the backing vocals gave it a great soulful vibe – the New Jersey audience certainly loved it. BTW, in most cases, the band didn’t leave any pauses in-between songs, which is way the clips sound cut off.

After Night, the first pick from Born to Run, it was time for a track from another “born” album. Can you guess what I’m talking about? Of course, Born in the U.S.A., Springsteen’s most commercially successful album with over 30 million copies sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Apparently, No Surrender was only included after Little Steven insisted. It’s generally not a bad idea to listen to the man with the bandana who in addition to being a great guitarist is a music professor at heart with a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge!

After Ghosts and Prove It All Night, off Letter to You and Darkness On the Edge of Town, respectively, Springsteen launched into the title track of the latter, picking a song that if I see it correctly had not been in the setlist since mid-July. Darkness On the Edge of Town happens to be one of favorite Springsteen songs so, yes, a happy camper got even more happy!

Then it was on to the title track of Letter to You and a great rendition of The Promised Land, another cut off Darkness, to the big surprise of the night. Springsteen announced it as “a little summer song” and then proceeded to ask the audience whether they can feel the spirit. At this time, most folks knew what was about to unfold: The tour debut of Spirit in the Night and, according to Setlist.fm, the first time The Boss played this song since 2017. And, yes, once again, I wholeheartedly approved what would be a highlight of the show!

When Springsteen issued his most recent album Only the Strong Survive, a collection of soul covers, some fans were a bit puzzled about some of his picks. Perhaps the best illustration of that is Nightshift, a tune by the Commodores I’ve always loved. I’ll admit at first I was somewhat skeptical myself, but Springsteen’s rendition has since really grown on me and I now truly dig it! And The Boss had the perfect backing band to perform the song and turn it into what came close to a Marvin Gaye style experience.

After 10 additional tracks, which included Backstreets featuring one of the aforementioned great Springsteen guitar solos, Because the Night and Thunder Road, among others, it was encore time. Here’s the epic Born to Run, a hit Springsteen desperately needed at the time after his first two albums had only yielded moderate success. BTW, in case you’re wondering why all for a sudden everything in the clip looks in bright daylight, MetLife switched on their powerful lights!

The last tune I have to call out was the final track of the first encore set: Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, one of my top three favorite Boss songs, also off Born to Run. This was preceded by Springsteen’s introduction of the mighty E Street Army! As you can see, the audience was in a frenzy, especially after their hero ripped open his shirt to reveal his bare chest, which I thought was a bit theatrical, though I’m sure many of the ladies loved it! 🙂

And then, after a short second encore – an acoustic rendition of I’ll See You in My Dreams – a great night had come to an end. My ears were ringing, my voice was a bit strained and I felt extremely grateful to have witnessed another concert highlight. Here’s the setlist:

Setlist
• Lonesome Day
• Night
• No Surrender
• Ghosts
• Prove It All Night
• Darkness on the Edge of Town
• Letter to You
• The Promised Land
• Spirit in the Night
• Kitty’s Back
• Nightshift (Commodores cover)
• The E Street Shuffle
• Mary’s Place
• Last Man Standing (acoustic with Barry Danielian on trumpet)
• Backstreets
• Because the Night (Patti Smith Group cover)
• She’s the One
• Wrecking Ball
• The Rising
• Badlands
• Thunder Road

Encore:
• Born to Run
• Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
• Seven Nights to Rock (Moon Mullican cover)
• Glory Days
• Dancing in the Dark (followed by band intros)
• Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Encore 2:
• I’ll See You in My Dreams (solo, acoustic)

The second leg of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 2023 North American tour continues with dates in Syracuse, N.Y. (September 7), Baltimore, Md. (September 9), Pittsburgh, Pa. (September 12 & 14) and Uncasville, Conn. (September 16). The tour will wrap up in San Francisco on December 12. The current schedule is here.

Sources: Wikipedia; NJArts.net; Setlist.fm; Bruce Springsteen website; YouTube

Lucinda Williams Defies Adversity, Shining on New Album

Lucinda Williams may be among the ultimate rock & roll survivors. Only two and a half years ago, things looked pretty bleak for the singer-songwriter, who turned 70 in January. After her East Nashville home had been damaged by a tornado in March 2020, she suffered a debilitating stroke in November of the same year. Now she’s out with Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, an incredible album that looks like a highlight of her nearly 45-year recording career.

Not only did the stroke limit Williams’ physical mobility, but it also took away her ability to play guitar, the instrument she had relied on to write her songs. While her ability to walk has been restored and she has returned to the stage, she is still unable to play guitar. This forced her to adjust the way she creates music.

As noted in a review by American Songwriter, Williams collaborated with her husband and co-producer Tom Overby. In addition, she relied on singer-songwriter Jesse Malin and guitarist Travis Stephens who also is her road manager. Last but not least, veteran guitarist Doug Pettibone, ex-Stevie Ray Vaughan keyboarder Reese Wynans and Steve Ferrone, former drummer of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, are also part of the backing band.

Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, Williams’ 15th studio album, comes three years after the predecessor Good Souls Better Angels. Williams is a co-writer on each of the 10 tracks. Half of the tunes are co-credited to Overby and Stephens. Let’s take a closer look at some of the songs. As of the writing of this post, the album was not available (yet) on my streaming services, so this review is based on tunes that are on YouTube.

Let’s kick it off with the nice blues rock-flavored opener Let’s Get the Band Back Together. Malin and Overby were co-writers. The studio recording features Margo Price, Jeremy Ivey, Siobhan Maher Kennedy, Buddy Miller and Sophie Gault. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a clip of the album version, but here’s a nice recent live take.

On April 4, New York Comeback featuring Bruce Springsteen and his wife and E Street Band member Patti Scialfa became the first of three singles that appeared leading up to the album. Also co-written by Malin, Overby and Williams, it’s one of the album’s highlights.

Another standout track to me is Stolen Moments, a tribute to Tom Petty, co-written by Overby and Williams. When the tune was first released as the album’s second upfront single on April 21, Williams said, “Tom was a down-to-earth, sweet, loving person, and I miss his music but I miss him more,” according to a JamBase review. “I wrote this song after he passed away. I was just heartbroken, and I’m still reeling.”

Next up is the album’s de facto title track. It’s credited to Williams, Overby and Stephens. Once again, Springsteen and Scialfa joined on backing vocals. Great song!

Hum’s Liquor is another song to honor an artist, Bob Stinson, co-founder and lead guitarist of The Replacements, who passed away in February 1995 from organ failure brought on by frequent drug use. Once again, I need to rely on a recent live clip.

The last track I’d like to call out is the reflective Where the Song Will Find Me. Another Overby, Stephens and Williams co-write, the tune became the third upfront single released on May 26.

As previously noted, Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart currently isn’t available on streaming services. As such, I cannot include a link to Spotify. If and when it becomes available, I will add the link. Meanwhile, I can offer this YouTube clip of the entire album.

Asked by DJ Bill DeVille during a recent interview on Minneapolis public radio station The Current (89.3 FM), Williams confirmed it felt good to make the new album. She added, “I mean, I just kept going after my stroke. It didn’t occur to me to slow down or stop, because I was still able to sing. And I felt like I’ve made enough progress, physically, to be able to get in the, go to the studio.” That’s truly a rock & roll attitude by an amazing lady.

Last but not least, to those celebrating America’s Independence Day, Happy Fourth of July!

Sources: Wikipedia; American Songwriter; JamBase; The Current; YouTube

The Follow-up: Taj Mahal and Lucinda Williams

Here we go again: Another Monday brings another installment of The Follow-Up! The idea of this recently introduced feature is to supplement my weekly new music revue Best of What’s New with short takes of new music I missed or didn’t cover for other reasons.

Taj Mahal – Savoy

When music artists put out Christmas albums or Great American Songbook cover compilations, one could be forgiven to wonder whether they’ve run out of ideas, especially if they’re in the later stages of their careers. To me, this is definitely not the case when it comes to Savoy, the latest release by Taj Mahal, which appeared on April 28.

While I had known the name for many years, it wasn’t until May 2017 and TajMo, his dynamite collaboration album with Keb’ Mo’, that I started paying closer attention to Taj Mahal (born Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr.). I quickly realized he’s much more than “just a blues artist” and yet his renditions of tunes by the likes of Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Benny Golson took me by surprise. Not only do his vocals work beautifully but the musical arrangements beam with vibrancy!

The album is an homage to the Savoy, the iconic ballroom in New York’s Harlem where Mahal’s parents met in 1938 to see Ella Fitzgerald, backed by the Chick Webb Orchestra. Why don’t we hear it from the man himself, in the spoken introduction to Stompin’ At the Savoy, a 1933 jazz standard written by Edgar Sampson and first popularized by Chick Webb and Benny Goodman. The lyrics were subsequently added by Andy Razaf.

Okay, Follow-up posts are meant to be short takes, so let’s highlight one more track: Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby, a song co-written by Louis Jordan and Billy Austin, and first recorded by Jordan in October 1943.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, according to this AllMusic review, Mahal’s fine backing band features Danny Caron (guitar); John Simon (piano), Mahal’s longtime friend who talked him into recording the album; Ruth Davies (bass); and Leon Joyce, Jr. (drums), along with backing vocalists Carla Holbrook, Leesa Humphrey, and Charlotte McKinnon, as well as a neat horn section.

Lucinda Williams – Stolen Moments

Stolen Moments is the second excellent track by Lucinda Williams from her upcoming album Stories from a Rock N Roll Heart, scheduled for June 30. Released on April 21, the song was written as a tribute to Tom Petty who passed away in October 2017 – man, I can’t believe it’s been already five and half years!

“Tom was a down-to-earth, sweet, loving person, and I miss his music but I miss him more,” said Williams, according to this JamBase review. “I wrote this song after he passed away. I was just heartbroken, and I’m still reeling.” Admittedly, I started welling up after reading that statement. Check out how great this tune sounds!

Stolen Moments follows the lead single New York Comeback, which appeared on April 4, featuring Bruce Springsteen and his wife and E Street Band member  Patti Scialfa. I previously covered it here. I’m really looking forward to Stories from a Rock N Roll Heart, which is shaping up to be a great album!

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; JamBase; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

Happy Saturday and welcome to another Best of What’s New installment. To me, my last music revue feels like it just happened rather than a week ago. Anyway, all picks except for the final tune, which I say upfront is the gem here, are from albums that came out yesterday (April 7).

Blondshell/Veronica Mars

Blondshell is the moniker of Los Angeles-based indie pop rock-oriented singer-songwriter Sabrina Teitelbaum. After starting out in 2016 with a more pop-focused project named BAUM, Teitelbaum began writing more rock-oriented music during the COVID-19 pandemic. This culminated in the launch of Blondshell in June 2022 with her single Olympus. Teitelbaum followed it up with two other singles, Kiss City and Sepsis, in July and August, respectively. In December, she signed with independent label Partisan Records and is now out with her eponymous debut album. Here’s the opener Veronica Mars, which first appeared as a single in December. Like most tracks on the album, it was solely written by Teitelbaum. The building guitar sound that explodes into hard-charging rock at around 54 seconds into the song provides an intriguing contrast to Teitelbaum’s mellow vocals.

Ruston Kelly/Holy Shit

Singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly, who I first covered in July 2020, was born in Georgetown, S.C., grew up in Wyoming, Ohio and is now based in Nashville. He got into music at a young age and, according to Wikipedia, had a full album in high school with songs like “Bluebird” and “I’m Leavin’”. After signing a publishing deal with BMG Nashville in 2013, he co-wrote the song Nashville Without You recorded by Tim McGraw for his studio album Two Lanes of Freedom, which appeared in February that year. In 2017, Kelly released his debut EP Halloween. His first full-length album Dying Star came out the following year. Holy Shit is track from Kelly’s third and latest album The Weakness. Good tune!

Wednesday/Hot Rotten Grass Smell

Wednesday are a band from Ashville, N.C., who started out in 2017 as a songwriting project by guitarist Karly Hartzman. While attending college in Ashville, she met vocalist Daniel Gorham and recorded with him yep definitely, the first album as Wednesday. The moniker was inspired by British alternative rock band The Sundays, who were active from 1988 to 1997. Subsequently, Hartzman formed another group, Diva Sweetly. When her bandmates didn’t want to make shoegaze, she assembled new members for Wednesday and released their sophomore album, I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone, in February 2020. This brings me to the group’s new album Rat Saw God, which is their fifth. In addition to Hartzman (guitar, vocals), it features MJ Lenderman (guitar, backing vocals), Xandy Chelmis (lap steel), Margo Schultz (bass) and Alan Miller (drums). Here’s the opener Hot Rotten Grass Smell, credited to the entire band.

Lucinda Williams/New York Comeback

I’m particularly excited about my last pick for this week, New York Comeback by Lucinda Williams, the lead single single from her upcoming album Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart. Released on April 4, the great tune features Bruce Springsteen and his wife and E Street Band member Patti Scialfa. Williams first entered my radar screen in June 2022 when I saw her open up for Bonnie Raitt in Philadelphia, a great concert you can read more about here. In November 2020, Williams suffered a stroke from which she has recovered, though during the aforementioned gig, she still seemed to have some mobility challenges and did not play guitar. Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, set for release on June 30, is Williams’ 15th studio album and the first since her stroke. According to this review by Consequence Sound, the album was recorded during her stroke recovery: At the time, she wasn’t able to write songs using her guitar and continued collaborating with her husband/manager Tom Overby while also bringing in singer-songwriter Jessie Malin to co-write three tracks and flesh out melodies. Williams’ longtime road manager, Travis Stephens, also co-wrote six songs on the album. Man, I love New York Comeback, which is credited to Williams, Overby and Malin, and I can’t wait to hear more music from the album!

Of course, the post wouldn’t be complete with a Spotify playlist featuring the above and some additional tunes!

Sources: Wikipedia; Consequence Sound; YouTube; Spotify

The Wanderer Stays On Blues Path

The first time I heard of Dion DiMucci dates back at least 40 years when listening to The Wanderer on a Sunday evening oldies show that aired on my favorite FM radio station back in Germany. While I immediately loved that tune then and every time I heard it thereafter, I pretty much had forgotten about Dion – until last year’s Blues With Friends, a great album of collaborations with prominent other artists. Now he’s back with an encore, and though I’m not as surprised as I wrote in June 2020, Stomping Ground still is a fun album most blues fans will likely enjoy.

As reported by Rock & Blues Muse, Stomping Ground appeared on November 19 and was produced by Wayne Wood and Dion, and recorded during the pandemic. Wood had also worked with Dion on Blues With Friends. And just like on that album, Dion wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on Stomping Ground with Mike Aquilina. Blues With Friends ended up topping Billboard’s Top Blues Albums chart. And guess who the current no. 1 is, so who can blame Dion for sticking with the formula – what a remarkable late-stage career triumph!

Let’s get to some music. Unless noted otherwise, all featured tracks were co-written by Dion and Aquilina. Here’s the opener Take It Back featuring blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa who also is a co-founder of Keeping the Blues Alive Records (KTBA), the label on which the album appears. At 82 years, Dion sounds and looks great! Bonamassa’s guitar work is pretty neat as well.

If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll, written solely by Dion, features Eric Clapton. Love how that tune shuffles along!

Here’s a nice slower blues, There Was a Time. Dion’s guest artist on that tune is Peter Frampton. Sadly, more recent news on Frampton hasn’t been great. In 2019, he announced a farewell tour and revealed he had been diagnosed with a progressive muscle inflammation and wasting disorder called inclusion body myositis. As such, it’s particularly great to hear the disease evidently hasn’t started to noticeably impact his ability to play guitar.

Here’s the title track, a fun rocker featuring Billy Gibbons. ZZ Top’s long-bearded guitarist sounds in fine shape. Sadly, the Texas blues rock trio lost co-founding member and bassist Dusty Hill in late July. As anticipated, they will continue with Hill’s guitar tech Elwood Francis who filled for Hill after he had been side-lined during ZZ Top’s last tour.

The last track I’d like to call out is Angel in the Alleyways. For this tune, Dion teamed up with Patti Scialfa and her husband Bruce Springsteen, an intriguing pairing. Check out the song’s great sound. I love Scialfa’s harmony singing that at times resembles gospel, and how about Springsteen’s cool harmonica fill-ins? Here’s the official video.

I could not think of a better way to end this post than with Dion’s following comments about Stomping Ground, taken from the album’s notes, courtesy of YouTube: When I was young, I was always striving for accolades and admiration. Those were my goals. But when I reached them, they didn’t satisfy. I discovered joy when I learned to stop caring about all that – when I learned to relax and make music with friends… music that would make more friends for us through its joy. To make music with friends, and to make friends through music: I can’t imagine a better life than this. I am grateful to my friends who made Stomping Ground with me – and my new friends who are listening.

Sources: Wikipedia; Rock & Blues Muse; YouTube

On This Day in Rock & Roll History: June 29

After more than three months, I thought the time was right to do another installment of my irregular music history feature. In case you’re new to these posts, the idea is to capture things that happened on a specific date in rock & roll’s past. It’s an arbitrary but fun way to look at music, since you never know what you are going to dig up. I mostly focus on the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. These posts are not meant to be comprehensive; in fact, they are highly selective and reflect my music taste. With that being said, let’s take a look at June 29.

1962: Motown singing group The Contours released their third single Do You Love Me. Written by the Detroit soul label’s president Berry Gordy Jr., the tune initially was intended for The Temptations. But after Gordy wasn’t able to locate them and had run into The Contours in the hallway, he spontaneously handed the song to them, confident it would become a hit. It turned out to be a good decision. While The Temptations went on and scored multiple mainstream top 40 hits, Do You Love Me became the only such chart success for The Contours, topping Billboard’s Hot R&B Sides and climbing to no. 3 on the Hot 100 mainstream chart.

1964: The Beatles played their first of two nights at Festival Hall in Brisbane, Australia, as part of their only world tour, which also included Denmark, The Netherlands, Hong Kong and New Zealand. They performed two sold out shows on both nights, which were each seen by 5,500 people. But evidently not everybody loved The Beatles, even before John Lennon’s controversial remark about the band being more popular than Jesus. After their arrival to Brisbane from New Zealand, they were pelted with food and bits of wood by some in the crowd while riding in an open-top truck. At the concerts, eggs were thrown at the stage, though The Beatles played on, and the perpetrators were quickly ejected from the music hall. Here’s another fun fact. John, Paul, George and Ringo stood at a hotel called Lennons Hotel. The day after their second night in Brisbane, The Beatles embarked on their long trip back to England. Don’t take it from me. It’s all documented in The Beatles Bible, the ultimate source of truth about the Fab Four! 🙂

Beatles fans in Brisbane – no egg throwers here!

1968: A Saucerful of Secrets, the sophomore album by Pink Floyd, appeared in the UK. The U.S. release occurred on July 27. Sadly, it turned out to be the final album with co-founder and key early songwriter Syd Barrett whose mental condition declined to a point where the group felt compelled to recruit David Gilmour to help out. Barrett left Pink Floyd prior to the album’s completion. Unlike the band’s debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn from August 1967, for which Barrett was the major songwriter, his role on Pink Floyd’s second album was much reduced. He only wrote one of the seven tracks and contributed some guitar work to two others. Here’s the aforementioned sole tune written by Barrett, Jugband Blues. He also sang lead vocals and provided acoustic and electric guitar.

1974: Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Sundown. He was the second Canadian artist in 1974 to top the U.S. main chart following Terry Jacks with Seasons in the Sun in early March. Written by Lightfoot, Sundown is the title track from his 10th studio album that had been released in January 1974. While he was also successful with other songs, such as If You Could Read My Mind (1970), Carefree Highway (1974), Rainy Day People (1975) and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (1976), Sundown remains Lightfoot’s only no. 1 hit on the Hot 100.

1984: Bruce Springsteen kicked off his Born in the U.S.A Tour at St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul, Minn. to support his seventh studio album that had come out on June 4. The tour, which ended on October 2, 1985 in Los Angeles and also included Canada, Asia and Europe, would become Springsteen’s longest and most successful tour to date. It was the first since portions of the 1974 Born to Run tours without Steven Van Zandt who had decided to launch a solo career after Born in the U.S.A. had been recorded and was replaced by Nils Lofgren. It was also the first tour to include Patti Scialfa who became Springsteen’s wife in 1991. And then there was the filming of the video for Dancing in the Dark during the opening night, which featured then-unknown actress Courteney Cox who had been planted in the first row, looking adoringly at Springsteen before he pulled her up on stage to dance with him. It would make The Boss an MTV sensation. I wonder how he views of this today. Well, it was the ’80s…

Sources: Wikipedia; Songfacts Music Calendar; The Beatles Bible; YouTube

Bruce Springsteen Still Is the Boss on New Album, Backed by Mighty E Street Band

Yesterday, Bruce Springsteen released his 20th studio album Letter to You and his first with The E Street Band since High Hopes from January 2014 – wow, until I read that in some reviews, it had not occurred to me it’s been more than six years! While musically speaking Letter to You doesn’t include anything we haven’t heard from Springsteen before, I just love this album!

At 71 years, The Boss demonstrates he still knows how to write great rock songs. The E Street Band sound as mighty sweet as ever and once again prove why they are the ideal backing band for Springsteen. And, yes, admittedly, when you lose a loved one and live through a seemingly never-ending pandemic, listening to great music that in many ways sounds familiar provides reassurance that some things don’t change. I take some stability during these unsettling times!

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock (9216850a) Bruce Springsteen, center, performs with Nils Lofgren, left, and Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band during their concert at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in Los Angeles. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band just don’t want to leave the stage. The concert, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia lasted nearly four hours, four minutes, breaking the previous record for the group’s longest U.S. show set last week Bruce Springsteen Longest Show, Los Angeles, USA – 7 Sep 2016

“The impetus for a lot of the material was the loss of my good friend George Theiss,” Springsteen told Apple Music. Theiss was the guitarist of The Castiles, the first “serious” band Springsteen joined in 1965. According to Castiles.net, the other members were Paul Popkin (guitar, vocals), Frank Marziotti (bass) and Bart Haynes (drums). In May 1966, Springsteen had his first-ever studio session with The Castiles, during which they recorded two original songs. With the death of Theiss in July 2018, Springsteen remains the band’s only surviving member.

“There’s aging and loss of people as time goes by, and that’s a part of what the record is,” Springsteen further pointed out. “And then at the same time, you’re sort of celebrating the fact that the band goes on and we carry their spirits with us.”

But while much of Letter to You sounds familiar, there is one thing that’s new. “It was a great project for us because I don’t think we ever played live together in the studio and then kept everything that we did on the full take – all the singing, all the playing, it’s really, it’s the E Street Band really completely live. And I overdubbed a few solos and things, but it’s really, it’s really the band in one shot,” Springsteen told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe during a 1-hour interview. I’ve yet to listen to all of it. You can watch it here.

The current line-up of The E Street Band features Steven Van Zandt (guitar, vocals), Nils Lofgren (guitar, vocals), Roy Bittan (piano, vocals), Charles Giodarno (organ, vocals), Patti Scialfa (vocals), Jake Clemons (saxophone), Garry Tallent (bass, vocals) and Max Weinberg (drums, vocals). Except for Clemons and Giodarno, this line-up has been in place since 1995. Van Zandt’s, Bittan’s, Tallent’s and Weinberg’s tenures go back much further to the mid-’70s. Obviously, this is a tight band, and it shows! Let’s get to some music.

Here’s the opener One Minute You’re Here. “It’s unusual to start a record with its quietest song,” Springsteen commented to Apple Music. “The record really starts with ‘Letter to You,’ but there’s this little preface that lets you know what the record is going to encompass. The record starts with ‘One Minute You’re Here’ and then ends with ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams,’ which are both songs about mortality and death. It was just sort of a little tip of the hat to where the record was going to go and a little slightly connected to [2019’s] Western Stars. It was a little transitional piece of music.”

Since I already covered the album’s great title track in a previous Best of What New installment, I’m skipping it here and go to Janey Needs a Shooter, one of three tracks on Letter to You, which Springsteen wrote prior to his 1973 debut Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. All other songs were written more recently. “We were working on a lot of stuff that I have in the vault to put out again at some time, and I went through almost a whole record of pre-Greetings From Asbury Park music that was all acoustic, and these songs were inside them,” Springsteen said. “The guys came in and I said, ‘Okay. Today we’re going to record songs that are 50 years old, and we’re going to see what happens.’ The modern band playing those ideas that I had as a 22-year-old—and for some reason it just fit on the record, because the record skips through time.” Well, I wholeheartedly agree and love the rich sound of that tune!

Last Man Standing is a tribute to George Theiss. “That particular song was directly due to George’s passing and me finding out that out of that group of people, I’m kind of here on my own, honoring the guys that I learned my craft with between the ages of 14 and 17 or 18,” Springsteen said. “Those were some of the deepest learning years of my life—learning how to be onstage, learning how to write, learning how to front the band, learning how to put together a show, learning how to play for all different kinds of audiences at fireman’s fairs, at union halls, at CYO [Catholic Youth Organization] dances, and just really honing your craft.” This is the perfect tune for some sax work, and Jake Clemons makes his uncle proud.

Next up: House of a Thousand Guitars. “Every piece of music has its demands—what tone in my voice is going to feel right for this particular piece of music—and you try to meet it in the middle,” Springsteen explained. “That’s one of my favorite songs on the record; I’m not exactly sure why yet. It’s at the center of the record and it speaks to this world that the band and I have attempted to create with its values, its ideas, its codes, since we started. And it collects all of that into one piece of music, into this imaginary house of a thousand guitars.”

The last track I’d like to call out is the above noted I’ll See You in My Dreams, which together with One Minute You’re Here bookends the album. “I remember a lot of my dreams and I always have,” Springsteen said. “But that song was basically about those that pass away don’t ever really leave us. They visit me in my dreams several times a year. Clarence will come up a couple times in a year. Or I’ll see Danny. They just show up in very absurd, sometimes in abstract ways in the middle of strange stories. But they’re there, and it’s actually a lovely thing to revisit with them in that way. The pain slips away, the love remains, and they live in that love and walk alongside you and your ancestors and your life companions as a part of your spirit. So the song is basically about that: ‘Hey. I’m not going to see you at the next session, but I’ll see you in my dreams.'”

Letter to You was recorded over just four days in November 2019 at Springsteen’s home studio. The album was co-produced by Springsteen and Ron Aniello, who also produced Western Stars, and co-produced High Hopes and predecessor Wrecking Ball from March 2012. Coinciding with Letter to You is the release of Bruce Springsteen’s Letter To You, a 90-minute documentary about the making of the album. It’s available on Apple TV+. If you’re a subscriber, you can watch it here. There are also two free trailers.

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; Castiles.net; YouTube

Bruce Springsteen Releases Latest Installment from Bootleg Live Series

Without much fanfare, Bruce Springsteen released another collection from his officially sanctioned bootleg live series on July 17. The Live Series: Stripped Down features 15 acoustic renditions of Springsteen tunes captured at seven shows in the U.S. and Europe between 1986 and 2005.

Other than short posts on Springsteen’s Facebook page and Twitter handle, there was no big announcement, and there does not appear to be a significant marketing push behind the album. That’s no longer necessary in the age of social media, especially when your target audience is your longtime fans, which I suspect is the case here. This is not about making a big buck. It’s also save to assume Springsteen is not a poor man.

Examples of previous releases of The Live Series (from left): Songs of Summer, Songs Under Cover, Songs of the Road and Songs of Friendship

In fact, had it not been for my music streaming service, I wouldn’t have known about this album! After searching the Internet, I found some additional background information on Alice Cooper radio show/station Nights with Alice Cooper and ABC News Radio, which are my main sources for this post.

The album combines Springsteen classics, such as Dancing in the Dark, Born to Run and The River, with deeper cuts/rarities like When You’re Alone, Cynthia and Seeds. Previous installments in the Live Series include Songs Of Summer, Songs Under Cover, Songs Of The Road, Songs Of Friendship, Songs Of Hope, Songs Of Love, and Songs From Around The World. Let’s get to some music.

Here’s the opener Dancing in the Dark, recorded at a gig in Mountain View, Calif. in October 1986. Originally, the song appeared on the Born in the U.S.A. album from June 1984. I think I prefer this stripped down rendition over the studio version, particular the accordion work by Danny Federici and the female backing vocalist – not sure it’s Patti Scialfa.

Here’s Soul Driver, captured at a show in Los Angeles in November 1990. At the time of the performance, the tune was still unreleased and Springsteen announces it as a new song. It would appear on the Human Touch album from March 1992. Frankly, while I own that record, I haven’t listened to it in a long time, so didn’t recall that particular track. Spontaneously, again I would say I like this acoustic version better than the studio recording.

Bobby Jean is one of my favorite tunes from Born in the U.S.A., so I simply couldn’t skip it – another great acoustic rendition that sounds very Dylanesque to me. It was captured at a show in Belfast, Northern Ireland in March 1996. I feel Springsteen’s emotions come out better in this rendition than the original.

Adam Raised a Cain is the second tune on Darkness on the Edge of Town, the fourth studio album The Boss released in June 1978. This stripped back version was recorded during a gig at Springsteen’s elementary school in his home town of Freehold, N.J. in November 1996 – how cool is that! It’s an interesting contrast to the much more rock-oriented original.

Let’s do one more: This Hard Land, a Springsteen tune that first appeared on his first compilation Greatest Hits from February 1995 as one of four then-previously unreleased tracks. The version on this album is from a show that took place in Stockholm, Sweden in June 2005. The Boss is a great storyteller, and I feel this stripped down acoustic setting really serves him well.

Nights with Alice Cooper included the following quote from Springsteen: “It’s like you come out and you fall in love every night in some way. When you’re doing it right, it’s like a rebirth, y’know? It’s not a repetition — it’s a renewal — so that involves something happening every night for the first time. And, amazingly enough, it’s like your first kiss in that there’s something in playing. There were thousands of other times, but still when you come out there’s some element of the first time that’s very, very present. And it keeps you very open and present and it’s what people feel.”

Here’s the setlist:

Dancing in the Dark (Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre, 10/13/1986)
Seeds (Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre, 10/13/1986)
Born to Run (New York City, NY, Madison Square Garden, 5/23/1988)
Soul Driver (Los Angeles, CA, The Shrine, 11/16/1990)
Bobby Jean (Belfast, UK, King’s Hall, 3/19/1996)
Adam Raised a Cain (Freehold, NJ, St. Rose of Lima School, 11/8/1996)
Youngstown (Belfast, UK, King’s Hall, 3/19/1996)
Independence Day (Asbury Park, NJ, Paramount Theatre, 11/24/1996)
Two Hearts (Freehold, NJ, St. Rose of Lima School, 11/8/1996)
When You’re Alone (Asbury Park, NJ, Paramount Theatre, 11/24/1996)
The River (Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena, 8/3/2005)
Cynthia (Columbus, OH, Schottenstein Center, 7/31/2005)
This Hard Land (Stockholm, Sweden, Hovet, 6/25/2005)
All That Heaven Will Allow (Trenton, NJ, Sovereign Bank Arena, 11/22/2005)
Empty Sky (Trenton, NJ, Sovereign Bank Arena, 11/22/2005)

Sources: Wikipedia; Bruce Springsteen Facebook page; Bruce Springsteen Twitter handle; Nights with Alice Cooper; ABC News Radio; YouTube

Clips & Pix: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band/Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Last night, I saw a tribute to Bruce Springsteen, so perhaps it’s not surprising The Boss is on my mind. One of my all-time favorite tunes from him and The E Street Band is Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out. The above extended version not only illustrates it’s a great song but also shows the compelling power Springsteen and his band deliver live. I think he truly plays in a league of his own!

The Springsteen song is from his breakthrough album Born To Run. The soulful tune is one of the reasons this is my favorite Springsteen record.  The footage, by the way, is from a film that captures the two final dates in New York City from the band’s 1999-2000 reunion tour, which had been their first in eleven years. What a triumphant performance!

The mighty E Street Band that night featured Roy Bittan (piano, backing vocals), Steven Van Zandt (guitar, backing vocals), Garry Tallent (bass, backing vocals), Max Weinberg (drums), Nils Lofgren (guitar, backing vocals), Danny Federici (organ, accordion), Patti Scialfa (acoustic guitar, backing vocals) and, of course, the big man Clarence Clemons (saxophones). Except for Federici and Clemons, who passed away in 2008 and 2011, respectively, all of these amazing musicians remain members of the band to this day. Boy, this footage wants me to see them again so badly!

Sources: Wikipedia, YouTube