Luna: "I Can Hypnotize A Pancake"

Longtime Everybody Taste favorites Luna have digitally remastered and released the LPs Romantica, Rendezvous and the 2002 EP Close Cover Before Striking over on Bandcamp. Word on the street is the band may even try and repress a few of these classic records onto vinyl (we've got our fingers crossed over here). If you're a fan of the band's dreamy and mesmerizing pop music, former bandmates Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips have also been keeping busy as the duo Dean & Britta with the acclaimed and spectacular 13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol's Screen Tests, which includes gorgeously captivating covers of The Velvet Underground's "Not A Young Man Anymore" and Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine." You can peep the Britta-sung cut of "I'll Keep It With Mine" below along with a remastered version of Close Cover Before Striking's "Teenage Lightning"—one of my all-time favorite Luna tracks, thanks to the gorgeously restrained guitar work and Wareham's wonderfully smart-ass deadpan lyrics (see below). (via Magnet)

"I got pills that make me cranky, I got pills that make me cry. / I have crooked information, tiny nightmares in the sky. / Rest your head upon my pillow, put my hand inside your pant. / You can have it if you want it, if you'd like to take a chance. / I can hypnotize a pancake, I can levitate the pope. / I can make your teacher crazy, 'cause it's all within my scope. 

Rest your head upon my pillow, put my hand inside your pant. / You can have it if you want it, if you'd like to take a chance. / Teenage lightning in the basement, teenage lightning in the night. / Teenage lightning on my window, teenage lightning is alright"

Luna albums are available digitally from Bandcamp. 13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol's Screen Tests is available digitally directly from Dean & Britta.

Luna - "Teenage Lightning"
Dean & Britta - "I'll Keep It With Mine" (Scott Hardkiss Electric Remix)

Blake Mills & Danielle Haim cover The Beatles & Bob Dylan

Los Angles shredder and songwriter extraordinaire Blake Mills—whose 2010 record Break Mirrors inspired the creation of our own Analog imprint—has been keeping busy touring with and opening for Lucinda Williams, playing shows with his former bandmates in Dawes, and recording a few exceptionally sharp covers with fellow musician (and girlfriend) Danielle Haim. Over on Mills' new website, you can snag an ace rendition of The Beatles' "Come Together," which features some killer guitar and percussive work by the pair. For Amnesty International's Chimes of Freedom compilation—which features 76 Bob Dylan covers by artists as varied as Patti Smith, Pete Seeger, and My Morning Jacket—Mills and Haim contributed an even more stunning cover in the form of Dylan's "Heart of Mine," an overlooked track culled from the 1981 born-again era record Shot of Love. Fuck She & Him, it's Haim and Mills time. It's not easy taking on behemoths like The Beatles and Dylan, and these two seemingly do it with ease: artful, confidant, and classy every step of the way.

Purchase Amnesty International's Chimes of Freedom compilation here. 

Blake Mills & Danielle Haim - "Come Together"

Blake Mills & Danielle Haim - "Heart of Mine"

Fuck The Golden Age: Every Year Is A Great Year In Music

The majority of rock fans and critics tend to lift music from the 1960's and 70's onto an untouchable pedestal. Yes, it was a Golden Age and defining period with the Rolling Stones, Beatles, and countless other legendary musicians airing their songs in the mainstream consciousness of acceptability. But if you know where to look and you look hard enough, the truth is every year is a great year in music. Songs like "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Blowin' in The Wind" will certainly never be written again because of the political climate and widespread social inequality and injustice of the 60's. But tell me you wish people were still making albums like Joni Mitchell's Blue and I'll play you Joanna Newsom's Have One On Me. The Baby Boomers had Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, and Brian Wilson. The Net Generation has Britt Daniel, Victoria Legrand and Panda Bear. Play me Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" and I'll play you "When My Time Comes" by Dawes.

Jonathan Franzen's Dylan Humiliated Donovan. But Does He Really?

In Jonathan Franzen's 2010 novel Freedom, he uses a scene between Donovan and Bob Dylan from the 1967 D.A. Pennebaker documentary Don't Look Back to parallel the competitiveness of two of the novel's characters, Walter and Richard. Here's the excerpt:

The Bob Dylan documentary Don't Look Back was such a touchstone for both Richard and Walter that Patty eventually rented it and watched it with Walter, one night when the kids were little, so that she could see the famous scene in which Dylan outshone and humiliated the singer Donovan at a party for cool people in London, purely for the pleasure of being an asshole. Though Walter felt sorry for Donovan — and, what's more, felt bad about himself for not wanting to be more like Dylan and less like Donovan — Patty found the scene thrilling. The breathtaking nakedness of Dylan's competitiveness! Her feeling was, let's face it, victory is very sweet.

The Music of Francoise Hardy, "The ideal woman"

Joe Strummer first introduced me to Francoise Hardy through his personally curated BBC radio program London Calling. A French model and singer, Hardy was perhaps known as much for her looks as her voice. But that doesn't mean the music isn't great. There's an intoxicating charm and subtlty to her songs—especially those from the late 1960s—that create an atmosphere in turns soothing, playful and melancholic. Although Hardy's voice does not have the androgynous quality of Nico's, there's nevertheless a certain similarity: songs dominated by a singular personality, simple vocal melodies that never force the singer to rise or fall out of their comfort zone, and gorgeous professionally-executed background instrumentation that can be vibrantly lush or delicate and sparse.

Repost :: Cocaine Blues: A Brief History

I'm currently reading journalist Joe Klein's Woody Guthrie biography, an unbelievably in-depth and historically detailed account of the songwriter's life. While taking a break from the book, I looked up a few of Woody's songs and found "Bad Lee Brown (Cocaine Blues)" which I immediately realized was also one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs—"Cocaine Blues"—famously performed live at Folsom Prison in 1968. The song's origins, however, date further back than Guthrie. It was originally written by T. J. "Red" Arnall around 1947 as a reworking of the traditional Western song "Little Sadie." I couldn't find Arnall's version, but Bob Dylan covered it in his 1970 album Self Portrait.

Bob Dylan - "Little Sadie" (from Self Portrait)

Woody Guthrie - "Bad Lee Brown (Cocaine Blues)" (from The Asch Recordings, Vol. 4)

Johnny Cash - "Cocaine Blues" (from At Folsom Prison)

There are several other popularized versions of "Cocaine Blues," including an eight-bar blues song attributed to Reverend Gary Davis. Both Keith Richards and Townes Van Zandt mention it as one of the first songs that they learned how to fingerpick.

Townes Van Zandt- "Cocaine Blues" (from Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas)

Keith Richards - "Cocaine Blues"

Bob Dylan - "Cocaine Blues (live 1997)" (from Tell Tale Signs)

Lastly, here is a version of "Tell It To Me," also sometimes referred to as "Cocaine Blues."

Old Crow Medicine Show - "Tell It To Me" (from O.C.M.S.)

Jimi Hendrix: The music fan

In the current musical climate, fans are inundated with an unprecedented number of new bands and songs everyday, thanks to an accessibility created by a "series of tubes." Because of our over-saturation and obsession with what's new (especially mine), it can be refreshing to occassionally turn back the clock. So today is all about Jimi Hendrix: the man, the legend, but mostly, the music fan.

When he wasn't lighting guitars on fire, tonguing gnarly riffs or partying with groupies, Hendrix was just your average music-obsessed record collector with a soft side for the Bee Gees. In the '90s, longtime girlfriend Kathy Etchingham sold about a 100 of Hendrix's records from their various apartments together to Seattle's Experience Music Project. The collection, particularly heavy on blues greats (like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Lightnin' Hopkins), also featured jazz (Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Smith), soul (Otis Redding, Nina Simone) and progressive folk (Tim Buckley, Roy Harper). And of course, plenty of Hendrix's favorite Bob Dylan, including Greatest Hits, Highway 61 Revisited, Nashville Skyline, and John Wesley Harding.

"Sometimes I do a Dylan song and it seems to fit me so right that I figure maybe I wrote it," Hendrix told Beat Instrumental magazine in 1969. "Dylan didn't always do it for me as a singer, not in the early days, but then I started listening to the lyrics. That sold me."



According to Etchingham though, Hendrix's all-time favorite albums didn't belong to a musician, but rather, a comedian—Bill Cosby. "Jimi's absolute favorites," said Etchingham of Hendrix's Cosby records. "He just loved them, and he'd play them for everyone who came by our flat."

As for the Bee Gees, their soft rock debut was one of the first additions to Hendrix's collection. "We used to listen to that quite a lot," said Etchingham. "Jimi thought their harmonies were really great."

Hendrix, never shy to share his influences, played many a cover from a wide variety of artists over the course of his storied career. Here are a few cuts taken from the rare BBC Sessions and his recordings with Curts Knight, dubbed the PPX Studio Recordings.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Get Out of My Life Woman" (Allen Toussaint)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" (The Four Tops)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "I Was Made To Lover Her" (Stevie Wonder, who's on drums)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window" (Bob Dylan)

Bonus:
The Icemen - "(My Girl) She's A Fox" (1966 single recorded with a 24-year-old Hendrix on guitar)

Sources: Guitar Player magazine, 1996; Recordmecca, 2010

In Memory: Solomon Burke -"Maggie's Farm" (Bob Dylan)

Solomon Burke, the "King of Rock and Soul," was an indelible musical figure—one that produced his craft at a high level on a consistent basis for an entire half-century. In 1965, he became one of the first black artists to record a Bob Dylan song with this take on "Maggie's Farm."

Solomon Burke - "Maggie's Farm" (LP Version)

Repost: Introducing Corte Real

Repost from August 13, 2009 (because this band is great and you need to hear them):

I recently received an email from Corte Real, a band hailing from Versailles that cites its influences as the Arcade Fire, Kinks, Pogues and The Walkmen. But after a few listens from two of the group's offerings—"Ligne 15" and "Navigator"—one influence outweighs the rest: Bob Dylan. The tracks specifically recall "Queen Jane Approximately" and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" from Highway 61 Revisited—ballads predominately based around beautifully messy organ and piano with Dylan using his unique vocal cadence and emphasis. Corte Real, named after the Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte-Real (thanks Wikipedia), use loose and occasionally wandering arrangements that give particular weight to the song's lyrics and style of delivery—one that is undeniably Dylan-esque. The great feat here is that, despite the endless waves of Dylan imitators, these songs sound fresh and are quite beautifully produced.

Corte Real - "Ligne 15"

Corte Real - "Navigator"

Bootleg Bob - "Wallflower"

Recorded in 1971 shortly after his sessions for New Morning, "Wallflower" didn't see the light of day until 1991's The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 compilation. But this fuzzy four-chord progression was worth the wait with one of Dylan's simplest and most straightforward story lines: the narrator's at a bar, he sees a pretty girl, and he asks her to dance. Amen.

Bob Dylan - "Wallflower" (from The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991)

Cocaine Blues: A Brief History

I'm currently reading journalist Joe Klein's Woody Guthrie biography, an unbelievably in-depth and historically detailed account of the songwriter's life. While taking a break from the book, I looked up a few of Woody's songs and found "Bad Lee Brown (Cocaine Blues)" which I immediately realized was also one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs—"Cocaine Blues"—famously performed live at Folsom Prison in 1968. The song's origins, however, date further back than Guthrie. It was originally written by T. J. "Red" Arnall around 1947 as a reworking of the traditional Western song "Little Sadie." I couldn't find Arnall's version, but Bob Dylan covered it in his 1970 album Self Portrait.

Bob Dylan - "Little Sadie" (from Self Portrait)

Woody Guthrie - "Bad Lee Brown (Cocaine Blues)" (from The Asch Recordings, Vol. 4)

Johnny Cash - "Cocaine Blues" (from At Folsom Prison)

There are several other popularized versions of "Cocaine Blues," including an eight-bar blues song attributed to Reverend Gary Davis. Both Keith Richards and Townes Van Zandt mention it as one of the first songs that they learned how to fingerpick.

Townes Van Zandt- "Cocaine Blues" (from Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas)

Keith Richards - "Cocaine Blues"

Bob Dylan - "Cocaine Blues (live 1997)" (from Tell Tale Signs)

Lastly, here is a version of "Tell It To Me," also sometimes referred to as "Cocaine Blues."

Old Crow Medicine Show - "Tell It To Me" (from O.C.M.S.)

Digging For Covers: The Eels folkify Prince

After Bob Dylan, the most covered artist in my iTunes is Prince. While not nearly as prolific as Mr. Zimmerman, Prince has written his fair share of hits and one of my favorites is the riff-filled, acoustic version of "I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man" by the Eels. Ditching the original recording's distorted guitars and drum set, E and his band turn the low-fidelity Prince rocker into an earthy, foot-stomping folk classic. Check out the live 2005 performance of the song with the Eels donning full pajamas.

The Eels - "I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man"

Digging For Covers: The Boss sings Dylan

In 1975 at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band unfolded the up-beat Dylan ditty "I Want You" into a slow and sweeping ballad. The performance—broadcast by WMMR FM-radio in Philadelphia—featured Israeli violinist Suki Lahav playing the famous melody alongside piano, bass, drums, accordion and a few muted puffs from Clarence Clemons's sax. The Boss had a slight lyrical misstep after the song's bridge, but he quickly saved himself with a well-timed mumble and pause. The 18-song set—one of the longest and most well-regarded shows of Springsteen's career—also features a cover of Chuck Berry's "Back In The USA" and the premiere of "Thunder Road"—then, still a work in progress. 

 
Bruce Springsteen - "I Want You" (live at the Main Point, 1975)

Favorites: Josh Ritter

There's always a "next Bob Dylan." Someone with insightful lyrics, songwriting chops, and a distinctive voice that bears a resemblance to the poetry-spewing God. But there won't ever be a second coming, just like there won't ever be another Michael Jordan. Instead, we have a collective of young songwriters—like M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Jim James—that together, come close to filling the void that Dylan's left behind.  

Add Josh Ritter to that mix. I first heard the Idahoan songwriter in the ski film Sinners by Warren Miller photographer Bill Heath. The song "Snow Is Gone" was a burst of sunshine set across Heath's stark and snow-filled landscape. Ritter, who studied American history through narrative folk music at Oberlin College, pairs a genuine and natural feel for the craft with a tremendous knowledge and care for it. His music merits comparisons to Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, and Bruce Springsteen, but none of the names stick. After listening to an album like The Animal Years, Ritter's the only name worth mentioning. And it's one worth remembering. 

Taste a little sunshine:

Josh Ritter - "Snow Is Gone" (mp3)

Buy: Amazon, Emusic, iTunes

Digging For Covers: The Guide

The Beatles

• Al Green - "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

Bob Dylan

• The History of Cocaine Blues
• Bruce Springsteen - "I Want You"

Bruce Springsteen

• Camera Obscura - "Tougher Than The Rest"

The Cure

• Grant Lee Phillips - "Boys Don't Cry"
• The Get Up Kids - "Close To Me"
• The Postmarks - "Six Different Ways"
• The Soft Pack - "Grinding Halt"
• Mystery Jets & Esser - "In Between Days"
• The Watson Twins - "Just Like Heaven"

David Bowie

• TV On The Radio - "Heroes"
• Magnetic Fields - "Heroes"

Harry Nilsson

• Dawn Landes - "Lifeline"

INXS

• The Fruit Bats - "Never Tear Us Apart"
  

Jimmy Cliff

• Harry Nilsson - "Many Rivers To Cross"

Johnny Cash

• My Morning Jacket - "Lead Me Father"

Kinks

• Elliot Smith - "Waterloo Sunset"

Leonard Cohen

• Johnny Cash - "Bird On A Wire"
• Serena Ryder - "Sisters of Mercy"
• Nina Simone - "Suzanne"
• Vandaveer - "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
• Rufus Wainwright - "Chelsea Hotel, No. 2"
• Walkmen - "Passing By"

Oasis

• Elliot Smith - "Supersonic"

Prince

• The Eels - "I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man"
• Sharon Jones - "Take Me With U"

The Smiths

• She & Him - "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"
• The Stars - "This Charming Man"

The Velvet Underground

• David Bowie - "White Light/White Heat"
• M. Ward - "Pale Blue Eyes"
• REM - "Pale Blues Eyes"
• Alejandro Escovedo - "Pale Blue Eyes"

Various

• Deer Tick covers Sean Kingston - "Beautiful Girls"
• Jack Johnson and G. Love cover Madonna - "Holiday"
• The Jags cover Cat Stevens - "Here Comes My Baby"
• Jim James covers George Harrison - "Behind That Locked Door"
• Miles Fisher covers The Talking Heads - "This Must Be The Place"
• Redbird covers REM - "You Are The Everything"
• Sharon Jones covers Kenny Rogers - "What Condition My Condition Was In"
• The Soft Pack covers Phoenix - "Fences"
• Vetiver cover Bobby Charles - "I Must Be In A Good Place Now"
• Clem Snide covers Ritchie Valens - "Donna"

Photo by Cherry Pickens