Elvis and his All Star Band

Here is the lovely Ann-Margret with a cover of an Elvis standard

“Heartbreak Hotel – Ann-Margret

Cover Story-The Low Anthem Play Dylan

Here are The Low Anthem and their take on one of my favourite Dylan songs “Dignity”

“Dignity” – The Low Anthem

Fat man lookin’ in a blade of steel
Thin man lookin’ at his last meal
Hollow man lookin’ in a cottonfield
For dignity

Wise man lookin’ in a blade of grass
Young man lookin’ in the shadows that pass
Poor man lookin’ through painted glass
For dignity

Somebody got murdered on New Year’s Eve
Somebody said dignity was the first to leave
I went into the city, went into the town
Went into the land of the midnight sun

Searchin’ high, searchin’ low
Searchin’ everywhere I know
Askin’ the cops wherever I go
Have you seen dignity?

Blind man breakin’ out of a trance
Puts both his hands in the pockets of chance
Hopin’ to find one circumstance
Of dignity

I went to the wedding of Mary-lou
She said she don’t want nobody see me talkin’ to you?
Said she could get killed if she told me what she knew
About dignity

I went down where the vultures feed
I would’ve got deeper, but there wasn’t any need
Heard the tongues of angels and the tongues of men
Wasn’t any difference to me

Chilly wind sharp as a razor blade
House on fire, debts unpaid
Gonna stand at the window, gonna ask the maid
Have you seen dignity?

Drinkin’ man listens to the voice he hears
In a crowded room full of covered up mirrors
Lookin’ into the lost forgotten years
For dignity

Met Prince Phillip at the home of the blues
Said he’d give me information if his name wasn’t used
He wanted money up front, said he was abused
By dignity

Footprints runnin’ cross the sliver sand
Steps goin’ down into tattoo land
I met the sons of darkness and the sons of light
In the bordertowns of despair

Got no place to fade, got no coat
I’m on the rollin’ river in a jerkin’ boat
Tryin’ to read a note somebody wrote
About dignity

Sick man lookin’ for the doctor’s cure
Lookin’ at his hands for the lines that were
And into every masterpiece of literature
for dignity

Englishman stranded in the blackheart wind
Combin’ his hair back, his future looks thin
Bites the bullet and he looks within
For dignity

Someone showed me a picture and I just laughed
Dignity never been photographed
I went into the red, went into the black
Into the valley of dry bone dreams

So many roads, so much at stake
So many dead ends, I’m at the edge of the lake
Sometimes I wonder what it’s gonna take
To find dignity

To buy the music of The Low Anthem click HERE

To buy the music of Bob Dylan click HERE

The Low Anthem began in Providence in 2006 as a collaboration between Ben Knox Miller, a folk musician and painter from New York’s Hudson Valley and Jeff Prystowsky, a jazz bassist and baseball scholar from New Jersey. The duo met at Brown University as on-air personalities for the college’s commercial alternative formatted station WBRU.

Having played together since 2002 in various ensembles ranging from rock, to electronica, to classical, their mutual interest in Americana, baseball, and morally agnostic narrative necessitated the formation of The Low Anthem. Dan Lefkowitz, a bluesman from Strasburg, VA joined the band in September 2006 and amicably left the band in March 2007, with his song “This God Damn House” remaining in the band’s live repertoire. In November 2007 classical composer and NASA technician Jocie Adams joined the project.

In 2009, the band performed at South by Southwest, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury Festival and the Newport Folk Festival.

The band has appeared on NPR “All Things Considered” and was named Uncut Album of the Month. They are nominated for the 2009 Uncut Music Award.

The Last Town Chorus

The Last Town Chorus is a pop/rock/alternative country band from Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2001, the only consistent member of the band is singer/lap steel guitarist Megan Hickey, who performs with a variety of backup ensembles. Originally a duo, guitarist Nat Guy left the band after the release of its first album.

The Last Town Chorus has toured in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, collecting praise from Spin (magazine), The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Village Voice in the US, and Uncut (magazine) and The Sunday Times in the UK.

Her cover of David Bowie’s “Modern Love” was featured on ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy and The Learning Channel’s Diana: Last Day of a Princess.

 

“Modern Love” – The Last Town Chorus

 

To buy the music of The Last Town Chorus click HERE

Bus Pass For The Boss

Bruce Springsteen turns 60 today, here are some blasts from the past.

Happy Birthday Bruce

Here are The Hold Steady with their version of Springsteen’s “Atlantic City”

“Atlantic City” – The Hold Steady

Visit www.brucespringsteen.net

Mr & Mrs Springsteen

Vince Taylor

I first came across Vince Taylor via The Clash cover version of “Brand New Cadillac” which appeared on their brilliant “London Calling” album.

Cover Story – Margo Timmins

Serendipity is a wonderful thing (as is the film) here I sat rediscovering The Beatles “A Hard Day’s Night” and realising that despite it being just short of a film soundtrack album it is now close to being my favourite Beatles album when I received notification that one of my favourite singers, Margo Timmins from the brilliant Cowboy Junkies has released an intimate collection of solo cover versions of some of her favourite songs for download via the band’s web page one of which being a favourite track from the aforesaid Beatles album.

Recorded in Jeff Bird’s home studio Ty Tyrfu in allegedly one afternoon the album is called “Margo’s Corner – Ty Tyrfu Sessions,
Volume 1″ and can be purchased as a download from HERE

Ty Tyrfu Sessions, Volume 1 - Margo Timmins
Released June 24, 2009

1. I’d Have You Anytime (George Harrison)
2. Father & Son (Cat Stevens)
3. If I Should Fall Behind (Bruce Springsteen)
4. Dance Me To The End of Love (Leonard Cohen)
5. Tomorrow Is A Long Time (Bob Dylan)
6. One Day I Walk (Bruce Cockburn)
7. Things We Said Today (Lennon/McCartney)
8. Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan)
9. Walkin’ On a Wire (Richard Thompson)
10. Side Of the Road (Lucinda Williams)

Here is her take on one of the best tracks from “A Hard Day’s Night” as her version of  “Things We Said Today” is almost two minutes longer than the original you can expect a slower tempo than the original.

As a bonus from the same album here is her take on the Cat Stevens classic “Father and Son”

For more information on the Cowboy Junkies click HERE

Fiona Friday – Jeff Buckley

As I have often said in the past Fiona just loved the voice and music of Jeff Buckley.

She would therefore have been bowled over this week with the release of a previously unreleased Buckley track which has been chosen as part of the soundtrack to the film “My Sister’s Keeper”

It is another epic cover version this time of a song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin which first appeard on the 1975 album “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy”

“We All Fall In Love Sometimes” – Jeff Buckley

Wise men say
It looks like rain today
It crackled on the speakers
And trickled down the sleepy subway trains
For heavy eyes could hardly hold us
Aching legs that often told us
It’s all worth it
We all fall in love sometimes

The full moon’s bright
And starlight filled the evening
We wrote it and I played it
Something happened it’s so strange this feeling
Naive notions that were childish
Simple tunes that tried to hide it
But when it comes
We all fall in love sometimes

Did we, didn’t we, should we couldn’t we
I’m not sure `cause sometimes we’re so blind
Struggling through the day
When even your best friend says
Don’t you find
We all fall in love sometimes

And only passing time
Could kill the boredom we acquired
Running with the losers for a while
But our Empty Sky was filled with laughter
Just before the flood
Painting worried faces with a smile

To buy the Soundtrack click HERE

To buy the music of Jeff Buckley click HERE

To buy the music of Elton John click HERE

Cover Story – Beck & The Velvet Underground

Beck has announced he’s to start a new online covers project featuring some big name friends including MGMT, Devendra Banhart and Jamie Lidell.

They’ll all be part of a new section/project called Record Club on his soon to be revamped website. The idea behind the project is that Beck ropes in some of his musician friends to record a cover of an entire album in one day. To make sure they capture an immediate, live feel there’ll be no rehearsals or arrangements done beforehand.

The covered album will then be slowly released online with a song a week being uploaded to Beck’s website and the websites of the musicians involved each record. The first album announced for the project is The Velvet Underground and Nico. Covering that in 24 hours without rehearsal, not something you’d imagine many musicians would do on their day off…

Source www.q4music.com

“Sunday Morning” – Beck

To buy the music of Beck click HERE

To buy the music of The Velvet Underground click HERE

Here is the original.

Cover Story – Elton John and Nick Drake

In June 1970 Joe Boyd was wondering how to turn the genius that was Nick Drake into a marketable star. As a taster to see if other artists might record some of Nick’s songs, he got Elton John into the studio at Sound Techniques in Chelsea to record a variety of his whitchseason stable artists’ songs, including a couple of John and Beverley Martin songs from their Stormbringer album and four by Nick Drake, all from his first album, 1969’s Five Leaves Left.

The Elton session included Linda Peters (later Linda Thompson) on backing vocals, Dee Murray on bass, Ray Cooper on percussion, Nigel Olsson on drums and Davey Johnstone on guitar. The sound is similar to the Tumbleweed folk-rock soul Elton was recording at that time.

Here is Elton’s take on one of my favourite Nick Drake songs.

“Way To Blue” – Elton John

To download tracks from this session visit the great Aquarium Drunkard

Some tracks are also available via the Southcosting blog.

To buy Nick Drake music click HERE

To buy Elton John music click HERE

Cover Story – Sandie Shaw

The football season is nearly over and my team have a big day on Saturday, let’s hope this post doesn’t set the tone!

Here is a Sandie Shaw cover of a Lloyd Cole song.

Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? – Sandie Shaw