Tune of the Day

"Cadillac Walk", original by it's writer Moon Martin, and the cover by Mink DeVille. Both are fantastic.

"You’re Running Wild", by Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, which makes the hair on my head stand straight up. A new-ish recording of the old song originally done by The Louvin Brothers (the model for the Everly Brothers, and a favorite of the likes of Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, and Chris Hillman), first heard by me in Buddy Miller’s fantastic recording of the song.

The song is included on Larry and Teresa’s excellent s/t album on Red House Records, and features Levon Helm (Larry’s old boss) on drums. Available on LP and CD, but the recorded sound quality is mediocre. Not bad enough to prevent the enjoyment of the music, which is fantastic. Superior songs throughout, superb 2- and 3-part harmonies, tasty musicianship.

"Attics Of My Life" by Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, with Amy Helm on the third part of the delicious 3-part harmony singing. The song was written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, and if it was recorded by The Dead I doubt it sounds as good as this version. Jerry wrote some good songs, but he and Bob’s harmonies were rather sour sounding (calm down Deadheads, you know it’s true). The 3-part by Larry, Teresa, and Amy is Angelic.

By the way, Garcia was himself a fan of The Louvin Brothers, and Hillbilly and Bluegrass music in general. Most of his side-projects were in those genres of music, beginning with Old & In The Way.

"Pride And Joy" by Marvin Gaye. A hard-swinging Pop song with a shuffle feel, featuring a killer walking bass part played by The Funk Brothers’ resident master of the electric bass, James Jamerson. When The Beatles landed in NYC in 1964 and went on the Murray The K radio show, they requested he play this song.

You aspiring bass players: study how Jamerson alternates between ascending and descending bass lines in the choruses. SO cool!

"Closer To The Flame", the lead-off track on Dave Edmunds’ album of the same title. Great chord progression/structure and melody, subtle employment of inversion in the bass part, and a wicked little guitar solo, one of Dave’s major talents. For another example, listen to his solo on his amazing re-imagining of the old blues "I Hear You Knocking". Along with Ry Cooder’s solo on John Hiatt’s "Lipstick Sunset", my all-time favorite guitar solo. Third is also a tie, between James Burton's in Ricky Nelson's "Young World" and George Harrison’s in John Lennon’s "Nowhere Man". Musicianship at this level is very, very rare.

Great song Steve! Mary performed it when I saw her live last year.

I don’t remember if I’ve already nominated the following (the memory ain’t what it used to be):

"West" by Lucinda Williams, the closing song on the album of the same title. I don’t possess the ability to convey in words how deeply beautiful and romantic is this song. It is in my Top 10 Songs Of All Time list. The lyrics provide more evidence that Lucinda is an unusually good poet, a talent lacking in most Pop music songwriters (imo).

Brilliant drumming by Jim Keltner, acoustic and electric guitar by Doug Pettibone and Bill Frisell, bass by Tony Garnier (Dylan’s bassist).

"Healing Tide" by The War And Treaty, the most powerful singing duo I’ve ever heard. Great recorded sound by producer/engineer Buddy Miller.

"I Walk The Line Revisited" by Rodney Crowell. A damn cool song with a guest appearance by Johnny Cash himself.

"Get Out Of Denver" by Dave Edmunds, his fantastic recording of a song written and first recorded by Bob Seger. The opening track on Edmunds' perfect album Get It, his debut on Swan Song Records. Robert Plant is a big fan of Dave's, and personally signed him to the label.

I couldn't believe my ears when in 1977 I played the album for the first time. The best pure American 100 proof Rock 'n' Roll I had ever heard! Still is.

Alison Krauss & Union Station do a good version of "Dimming Of The Day" (as does Bonnie Raitt). But I find the original by Richard & Linda Thompson quite a bit better. A great, great song.

I couldn’t wait for tomorrow ;-) .

"When My Morning Comes Around" by Iris DeMent is as beautiful a song as I have ever heard. A perfect song for a Sunday morning.

I absolutely adore Iris.

"You’ve Done Nothing Wrong" by Iris DeMent. Oh my God, songwriting and singing just don’t get no better. Listen to Iris to discover why John Prine, Merle Haggard, and Emmylou Harris held/hold her in such high regard.

Ooh, great one @dabel! You might get a kick out of this one:

"I’m Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)". 😅

Written by Ben Vaughn, recorded by Marshall Crenshaw. It’s on Marshall’s Downtown album, which he co-produced with T Bone Burnett and Larry Hirsch (except "Blues Is King", which was produced by Mitch Easter). An absolutely fantastic song, great album.

"Goin’ Down To Sing In Texas" by Iris DeMent, found on her new album Workin’ On A World. The first thing I heard was the wonderful combination of piano and Hammond B3 organ/Leslie speaker, along with brush-played drums and what sounds like an upright bass.

Then Iris started singing, and what I heard was not only wonderful as is usual with her, but something that very much reminded me of Dylan’s singing on his great album "Love And Theft" (quotations not of my doing, but his). A very casual, relaxed, "playful" use of phrasing. Iris is a FANTASTIC singer! And songwriter; the album is full of great ones.

Iris will be back at The Aladdin Theater in Portland in August (last time was in early-2020), and I will again be there to see and hear her. If she is coming to your area, do yourself a huge favour and go see/hear her!

Great choice @curiousjom! I first heard "I’m Just A Country Boy" on Albert Lee’s fantastic 1979 album Hiding, but Albert and the rest of Heads Hands & Feet had first recorded the song for their self-titled 1971 album (the version you named). Albert always closes his live shows with the song, which never fails to bring down the house. It’s his "signature" song.

I became aware of Albert when he appeared on Dave Edmunds’ 1979 album Repeat When Necessary. Albert’s incredible Telecaster playing can be heard on hundreds of other albums, including those of Emmylou Harris, The Everly Brothers, Eric Clapton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Rosanne Cash, Carlene Carter (Rosanne’s step-sister), John Prine, Ricky Skaggs, Joe Cocker, Rodney Crowell, Nanci Griffith, Foster & Lloyd, Brad Paisley (Brad obviously used the guitar playing of Albert as the model for his own playing), Jackson Browne, many many others---even Herbie Mann! A guitarists’ guitarist, amongst the handful of greatest.

@slaw: "Red Blue Jeans" got my attention. Gene Vincent recorded a song with the exact same title back in the 1950's, a Rockabilly classic. I'll give Kilzner's song a listen. 

"The Weight", one of Robbie Robertson's best songs. Another is "It Makes No Difference".

Iris sang this song in her show tonight at The Aladdin Theater in Portland, OR:

https://youtu.be/VOS7OiLE11c?t=1

"Healing Tide", the title song on the Buddy Miller-produced album by the duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter, who go by the unlikely group name of The War & Treaty.

The song is an intense, smoldering-hot slab of Southern Soul/R &B, sung by Michael and Tanya as a duet. Fantastic musical accompaniment by Michael himself on piano, Buddy on electric guitar, Brady Blade on drums, Adam Chaffins on electric bass, and Jim Hoke on organ, baritone sax, autoharp, harmonica, and pedal steel. Jim is a friend of Audiogon member Bill Hart (@whart), and a very talented multi-instrumentalist.

Michael and Tanya are two of the best singers working today, and the whole album is a rare treat: great material, great singing, great musicianship, great production. Recorded live---repeat, live!---on March 15-18, 2018 by Buddy in his home studio in Nashville. Emmylou Harris appears on one track, singing harmony of course. Some tracks feature Sam Bush on fiddle, Russ Pahl on pedal steel, dobro, or banjo, Bill Huber on trombone, and Matt Slocum on cello.

Amongst the handful of my favorite albums of this century. 😉

Not yet @slaw, but I’ve pre-ordered it on LP. Comes out September 26th. Buddy has been very active since their last album together, but not Julie. I believe she wrote every song on the new album.

@curiousjim: I'm probably even further from kid-dom than you (I turned 73 in June), but hearing new music keeps me feeling young. I know a lotta guys who are stuck in the past, some in the 60's. That's death, man 😉 .

@curiousjim: You may already know this, but playing lead guitar on "Hang On Sloopy" is Rick Derringer. Every Garage Band in the U.S.A. was playing this song in 1965, including mine.

Dang, it’s Moon Martin day on Audiogon!

Hey Steve, have you heard Mink DeVille’s version of Moon’s "Cadillac Walk"? Moon’s is great, and Willie DeVille’s is just as good, though far different. Love ’em both!

Yeah Steve, I'm sure Palmer's version of the song made Moon more dough than did his own! I saw Moon in the Sherman Oaks Tower Records in the early-90's, then he just seemed to disappeared. Hard to believe that was 30 years ago.

Paul Revere & The Raiders: "Just Like Me".

"The Way" by Fastball. Power Pop to the max!