Which songs will EC&I play in Oxford?
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Steve on the eclistserv provides this excellent commentary on the new songs done at the weekend.
-If you don't want your internal jury tampered
with, don't read...
> 1. The Delivery Man
This lilting tune has a great hook in
"In a certain light he looked like Elvis,
In a certain way he (felt) like Jesus".
It's one of those classic EC hooks where
it seems as dependent on lyrics as on the
melody and the band drops back so he can
stress those lyrics - sorta like the chorus
of ATUB but much better IMO. I put "felt"
in parentheses because he seemed to be having
a fun time changing that verb spontaneously.
> 2. Unwanted Number
This song lends itself perfectly to that classic
Attractions sound. Steve did his classic Eddie
Duchin/Liberace stutter chording (it was considered
schmaltz before Steve Nieve met Oliver's Army!
Actually, didn't that originate with Rachmaninoff?).
It's also one of many news songs sung from a
female perspective. Considering it's so old
and a retread, I wonder if he plans to record
it himself. It does sound great though!
> 3. Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter
I liked this song much more with the full band
arrangement. On 45 Alibis it sounded like an
aggravated ballad. The band powers it along
at the same galloping tempo but it sounds more
natural, IMO.
> 4. Suspect My Tears
Jill and I were wondering if this old new song
was a leftover from PFM.
> 5. The Judgment
John Foyle forwarded that review from the Elvis
fan board where the writer said that the new
songs bias towards old Stax soul type stuff.
I disagree, it sounds like classic Attractions
pop circa Trust but with more guitar to me.
The Judgment is obviously an exception in that
it sounds like a gospelly, soul ballad. I
don't like this song nearly as much as the
powerful #15 below.
> 6. Button My Lip
Okay, a new new song. This song has a bass
riff like the one in "Travels of Nihilon" (?)
from XTC's Black Sea and it's punctuated by
accents like the "stand back’s’ in Steve Miller
Band's "Livin' In The USA". There, now you
never need to hear it It's a melodic
"Lovers Walk"/"Hurry Down Doomsday" kind of
rant song. "Don't wanna talk.... about <fill
in the blank>" repeated over and over. Whether
this song works or not will depend a lot on
production. I think loud and distorted will
work best.
> 7. Heart Shaped Bruise
You woulda thought this was a country ballad
from the 45 Alibis version and his duetting
on it with Emmylou Harris. It sounded to me
in Oxford like a classic Attractions ballad.
I'm guessing it will fade out on the album
> 8. The Name Of This Thing Is Not Love
I like this one! C'mon, classic EC anti-love
song but not too much piss and vinegar. More
musically appealing than Love Field for instance.
I'm guessing it's in 6/8th time as this waltz
sounds pretty jazzy. There was a funny part in
the middle where Elvis would yell "take it Steve!"
and Steve would obstinately refuse to... take it,
preferring to just bang out the chords. The lilting
melody is similar to that in "The Delivery Man".
> 9. Country Darkness
Gospelly suspensions on the piano reminded me
of Elton John's "The Border Song". Holly Moses!
Paling around with that guy is having an influence.
This song sounded rootsy but not very. Davey
provided some nice harmonies.
> 10. Bedlam
Another sassy rocker like "Bite My Lip" but
I like this one better; it's got some coy
sing-songy melodic hooks. Very groove oriented.
> 11. She's Pulling Out The Pin
Definitely a stripper tune. She's pulling
out the pin and before too long she's unbuttoning
her dress. Pete should be allowed to provide
some boom chickey boom chickey boom boom boom
percussive punctuation and surely they get
add a little sax action when they record it
in Memphis. The bridge reminds of something
so tantalizingly familiar when they land on
that big chord that sounds like the very 1st
chord in Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going
Out With Him?" What is that? Is it Rundgren
or Lauro Nyro?
> 12. Monkey To Man
Okay, we're in sour milkcow fiction twin to
playboy to monkey to man country here! Main
guitar riff is a little like Rebel Rebel but
the song doesn’t' have any crunch. It should
end up with a bouncy groove like "my baby
whispers in my ear... mmmmmm, sweeet nuthin's."
Ths song should be produced so that that nice
groove dominates in its non-dominating way.
> 13. Nothing Clings Like Ivy
Pretty pop ballad. Strangely it reminds me
of brit invasion ballads like the Kinks'
Strange Effect or Groovy Kind Of Love even
though it doesn't have the slinky groove
of those songs. It has a very pretty melody.
> 14. Needle Time
Okay, we're rootsy again. As Jill said,
the verses are rockin' two steps that crash
into a Mannish Boy riff in the chorus.
This song demands a very nasty production
approach!
> 15. Either Side Of The Same Town
Love this song but it's old news. It hasn't
changed from earlier gigs.
> 16. There's A Story in Your Voice
This song reminds me of Los Lobos but I'm
not sure why. One of their frisky upbeat
pop rockers.
> 17. In Another Room (played second night only)
Only heard this ballad once and it didn't
cut a deep impression except the title gets
repeated a lot.
This songs sounded really terrific so I hope
the next album gets produced well. There's
a range from Muddy Waters (White Stripes?)
grunge to Black Sails in the Sunset delicacy.
I hope the funnier songs don't get produced
"funny" like Sour Milk Cow or Playboy to a
Man
-If you don't want your internal jury tampered
with, don't read...
> 1. The Delivery Man
This lilting tune has a great hook in
"In a certain light he looked like Elvis,
In a certain way he (felt) like Jesus".
It's one of those classic EC hooks where
it seems as dependent on lyrics as on the
melody and the band drops back so he can
stress those lyrics - sorta like the chorus
of ATUB but much better IMO. I put "felt"
in parentheses because he seemed to be having
a fun time changing that verb spontaneously.
> 2. Unwanted Number
This song lends itself perfectly to that classic
Attractions sound. Steve did his classic Eddie
Duchin/Liberace stutter chording (it was considered
schmaltz before Steve Nieve met Oliver's Army!
Actually, didn't that originate with Rachmaninoff?).
It's also one of many news songs sung from a
female perspective. Considering it's so old
and a retread, I wonder if he plans to record
it himself. It does sound great though!
> 3. Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter
I liked this song much more with the full band
arrangement. On 45 Alibis it sounded like an
aggravated ballad. The band powers it along
at the same galloping tempo but it sounds more
natural, IMO.
> 4. Suspect My Tears
Jill and I were wondering if this old new song
was a leftover from PFM.
> 5. The Judgment
John Foyle forwarded that review from the Elvis
fan board where the writer said that the new
songs bias towards old Stax soul type stuff.
I disagree, it sounds like classic Attractions
pop circa Trust but with more guitar to me.
The Judgment is obviously an exception in that
it sounds like a gospelly, soul ballad. I
don't like this song nearly as much as the
powerful #15 below.
> 6. Button My Lip
Okay, a new new song. This song has a bass
riff like the one in "Travels of Nihilon" (?)
from XTC's Black Sea and it's punctuated by
accents like the "stand back’s’ in Steve Miller
Band's "Livin' In The USA". There, now you
never need to hear it
It's a melodic"Lovers Walk"/"Hurry Down Doomsday" kind of
rant song. "Don't wanna talk.... about <fill
in the blank>" repeated over and over. Whether
this song works or not will depend a lot on
production. I think loud and distorted will
work best.
> 7. Heart Shaped Bruise
You woulda thought this was a country ballad
from the 45 Alibis version and his duetting
on it with Emmylou Harris. It sounded to me
in Oxford like a classic Attractions ballad.
I'm guessing it will fade out on the album
> 8. The Name Of This Thing Is Not Love
I like this one! C'mon, classic EC anti-love
song but not too much piss and vinegar. More
musically appealing than Love Field for instance.
I'm guessing it's in 6/8th time as this waltz
sounds pretty jazzy. There was a funny part in
the middle where Elvis would yell "take it Steve!"
and Steve would obstinately refuse to... take it,
preferring to just bang out the chords. The lilting
melody is similar to that in "The Delivery Man".
> 9. Country Darkness
Gospelly suspensions on the piano reminded me
of Elton John's "The Border Song". Holly Moses!
Paling around with that guy is having an influence.
This song sounded rootsy but not very. Davey
provided some nice harmonies.
> 10. Bedlam
Another sassy rocker like "Bite My Lip" but
I like this one better; it's got some coy
sing-songy melodic hooks. Very groove oriented.
> 11. She's Pulling Out The Pin
Definitely a stripper tune. She's pulling
out the pin and before too long she's unbuttoning
her dress. Pete should be allowed to provide
some boom chickey boom chickey boom boom boom
percussive punctuation and surely they get
add a little sax action when they record it
in Memphis. The bridge reminds of something
so tantalizingly familiar when they land on
that big chord that sounds like the very 1st
chord in Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going
Out With Him?" What is that? Is it Rundgren
or Lauro Nyro?
> 12. Monkey To Man
Okay, we're in sour milkcow fiction twin to
playboy to monkey to man country here! Main
guitar riff is a little like Rebel Rebel but
the song doesn’t' have any crunch. It should
end up with a bouncy groove like "my baby
whispers in my ear... mmmmmm, sweeet nuthin's."
Ths song should be produced so that that nice
groove dominates in its non-dominating way.
> 13. Nothing Clings Like Ivy
Pretty pop ballad. Strangely it reminds me
of brit invasion ballads like the Kinks'
Strange Effect or Groovy Kind Of Love even
though it doesn't have the slinky groove
of those songs. It has a very pretty melody.
> 14. Needle Time
Okay, we're rootsy again. As Jill said,
the verses are rockin' two steps that crash
into a Mannish Boy riff in the chorus.
This song demands a very nasty production
approach!
> 15. Either Side Of The Same Town
Love this song but it's old news. It hasn't
changed from earlier gigs.
> 16. There's A Story in Your Voice
This song reminds me of Los Lobos but I'm
not sure why. One of their frisky upbeat
pop rockers.
> 17. In Another Room (played second night only)
Only heard this ballad once and it didn't
cut a deep impression except the title gets
repeated a lot.
This songs sounded really terrific so I hope
the next album gets produced well. There's
a range from Muddy Waters (White Stripes?)
grunge to Black Sails in the Sunset delicacy.
I hope the funnier songs don't get produced
"funny" like Sour Milk Cow or Playboy to a
Man
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martinfoyle
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- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 5:24 pm
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Contact:
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martinfoyle
- Posts: 2502
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 5:24 pm
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
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http://www.nashvillescene.com/cgi-bin/a ... Live_Shots
-APRIL 15 - 21, 2004 -- MUSIC--LIVE SHOTS
Live Shot
King of America holds court in Oxford, Miss., as warm-up for a trio of Southern recording sessions
Elvis Costello is quite familiar with Nashville, having, among other things, recorded Almost Blue, an album of country covers, here with producer Billy Sherrill in the early 1980s. Earlier this month, he returned to the South for inspiration, traveling to Sweet Tea Studios in Oxford, Miss., to work on an album for Lost Highway with producer Dennis Herring (Counting Crows, Buddy Guy).
To prepare for the sessions, which began 10 days ago, Costello and his band, The Imposters, spent a few days rehearsing in a rented club in Oxford, before capping a week of practice with a pair of gigs at Proud Larry's, a postage-stamp-sized college club there. Two nights of shows were scheduled, each featuring two 70-minute sets. Over the course of both nights, Costello and his band blazed their way through a total of 17 new songs, as well as a few older ones like "Radio Radio," "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" and "Beyond Belief."
Since this was a rehearsal, they did many of the new songs more than once, making it interesting to hear some of them reworked from performance to performance. Costello played with different lyrics on "The Deliveryman," while keyboardist Steve Nieve substantially altered the arrangement on "Nothing Clings Like Ivy." "Heart-Shaped Bruise," a song that made its debut at Costello's Ryman show four years ago, was transformed from a Hank Williams-style strummer to mid-tempo country-rock.
The material marks a return to the rocking style of Costello's early career and, in a couple of cases, to the pointed political commentary of his most recent Ryman concert in February. These songs likely will placate those fans who were disappointed with the subdued tone of his last album, North. Not that satisfying his fans is foremost on Costello's mind right now, what with his recent marriage to jazz singer Diana Krall and their collaborations on material for her forthcoming album, The Girl in the Other Room.
Costello continues his Southern odyssey with a day or two of recording in Clarksdale, Miss., the epicenter of Delta blues, and then plans to head up Highway 61 to Memphis, where he will record with producer Jim Dickinson at Ardent Studios. Supplementing those sessions will be a pair of shows at the Hi-Tone club in Memphis on April 16 and 17. Costello will be doing another two sets a night, although each of these sold-out sets requires its own ticket, unlike the shows at Proud Larry.
--Dave Weil
-APRIL 15 - 21, 2004 -- MUSIC--LIVE SHOTS
Live Shot
King of America holds court in Oxford, Miss., as warm-up for a trio of Southern recording sessions
Elvis Costello is quite familiar with Nashville, having, among other things, recorded Almost Blue, an album of country covers, here with producer Billy Sherrill in the early 1980s. Earlier this month, he returned to the South for inspiration, traveling to Sweet Tea Studios in Oxford, Miss., to work on an album for Lost Highway with producer Dennis Herring (Counting Crows, Buddy Guy).
To prepare for the sessions, which began 10 days ago, Costello and his band, The Imposters, spent a few days rehearsing in a rented club in Oxford, before capping a week of practice with a pair of gigs at Proud Larry's, a postage-stamp-sized college club there. Two nights of shows were scheduled, each featuring two 70-minute sets. Over the course of both nights, Costello and his band blazed their way through a total of 17 new songs, as well as a few older ones like "Radio Radio," "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" and "Beyond Belief."
Since this was a rehearsal, they did many of the new songs more than once, making it interesting to hear some of them reworked from performance to performance. Costello played with different lyrics on "The Deliveryman," while keyboardist Steve Nieve substantially altered the arrangement on "Nothing Clings Like Ivy." "Heart-Shaped Bruise," a song that made its debut at Costello's Ryman show four years ago, was transformed from a Hank Williams-style strummer to mid-tempo country-rock.
The material marks a return to the rocking style of Costello's early career and, in a couple of cases, to the pointed political commentary of his most recent Ryman concert in February. These songs likely will placate those fans who were disappointed with the subdued tone of his last album, North. Not that satisfying his fans is foremost on Costello's mind right now, what with his recent marriage to jazz singer Diana Krall and their collaborations on material for her forthcoming album, The Girl in the Other Room.
Costello continues his Southern odyssey with a day or two of recording in Clarksdale, Miss., the epicenter of Delta blues, and then plans to head up Highway 61 to Memphis, where he will record with producer Jim Dickinson at Ardent Studios. Supplementing those sessions will be a pair of shows at the Hi-Tone club in Memphis on April 16 and 17. Costello will be doing another two sets a night, although each of these sold-out sets requires its own ticket, unlike the shows at Proud Larry.
--Dave Weil
That's Jim Dickinson, a legend of a producer/session man, really.
Here's his All-Music profile:
A longtime staple of the Memphis music scene, producer Jim Dickinson helmed sessions for successive generations of cult heroes spanning from Screamin' Jay Hawkins to Big Star to the Replacements, additionally lending his keyboard talents to recordings from Ry Cooder, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, and others. Dickinson began his career during the mid-'60s, emerging as a sought-after session player through recordings with everyone from Petula Clark to Arlo Guthrie to the Flamin' Groovies; in 1971, he appeared on the Stones' classic Sticky Fingers, and that same year collaborated with Cooder on Into the Purple Valley, the first in a series of solo albums and soundtracks with the famed guitarist. In 1972, Dickinson issued his first solo LP, Dixie Fried; around that time he also formed Mud Boy and the Neutrons, a legendary local band featuring Delta bluesmen Sid Selvidge, Lee Baker, and Jimmy Crosswaith. Much of Dickinson's reputation rests on his 1974 production of Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers, the pioneering Memphis power-pop group's abortive final masterpiece — a record which both literally and figuratively captures the sound of a band falling apart, it was not issued in anything close to its intended form until 1992, its status as an underground classic nevertheless assured through years of unauthorized releases. His work with former Big Star frontman Alex Chilton continued on 1979's disastrous Like Flies on Sherbert; the hipster cachet of both projects made Dickinson a sought-after producer among a new generation of bands, and throughout the 1980s his credit appeared on albums from the likes of Jason & the Scorchers, Chris Stamey, Green on Red, the True Believers, and, most notably, the Replacements, whose Pleased to Meet Me included their song "Alex Chilton." Dickinson remained active in the years to follow, working with the likes of Primal Scream, Mudhoney, and Rocket from the Crypt; his sons Luther and Cody also pursued careers in music, forming the band D.D.T. and later leading the North Mississippi All Stars.
Here's his All-Music profile:
A longtime staple of the Memphis music scene, producer Jim Dickinson helmed sessions for successive generations of cult heroes spanning from Screamin' Jay Hawkins to Big Star to the Replacements, additionally lending his keyboard talents to recordings from Ry Cooder, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, and others. Dickinson began his career during the mid-'60s, emerging as a sought-after session player through recordings with everyone from Petula Clark to Arlo Guthrie to the Flamin' Groovies; in 1971, he appeared on the Stones' classic Sticky Fingers, and that same year collaborated with Cooder on Into the Purple Valley, the first in a series of solo albums and soundtracks with the famed guitarist. In 1972, Dickinson issued his first solo LP, Dixie Fried; around that time he also formed Mud Boy and the Neutrons, a legendary local band featuring Delta bluesmen Sid Selvidge, Lee Baker, and Jimmy Crosswaith. Much of Dickinson's reputation rests on his 1974 production of Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers, the pioneering Memphis power-pop group's abortive final masterpiece — a record which both literally and figuratively captures the sound of a band falling apart, it was not issued in anything close to its intended form until 1992, its status as an underground classic nevertheless assured through years of unauthorized releases. His work with former Big Star frontman Alex Chilton continued on 1979's disastrous Like Flies on Sherbert; the hipster cachet of both projects made Dickinson a sought-after producer among a new generation of bands, and throughout the 1980s his credit appeared on albums from the likes of Jason & the Scorchers, Chris Stamey, Green on Red, the True Believers, and, most notably, the Replacements, whose Pleased to Meet Me included their song "Alex Chilton." Dickinson remained active in the years to follow, working with the likes of Primal Scream, Mudhoney, and Rocket from the Crypt; his sons Luther and Cody also pursued careers in music, forming the band D.D.T. and later leading the North Mississippi All Stars.
This morning you've got time for a hot, home-cooked breakfast! Delicious and piping hot in only 3 microwave minutes.
This *is* really, really exciting news!! I'm eagerly ancticipating this album. Almost serendipitously my friend sent me an article about the boys from the dB's touring Memphis right before I left for the Oxford gigs. It talked about Alex Chilton and Big Star and how the boys from the dB's went and visited Memphis. I'm really excited for Elvis and the band!
Jill
Jill
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