The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg Vol. 1 - "Total Destruction of Your Mind" and "Rat On"

On any list of the truly underappreciated geniuses in pop music, Swamp Dogg deserves to be near the top. His music has endured because there is nothing quite like it. It is at times hilarious, other times harrowing, but always interesting. This is one of those rare combinations where brilliant lyrics, excellent arrangements, and an amazing voice all come together to make music that is timeless and phenomenal.

"Little" Jerry Williams was a singer, songwriter, and producer who worked with such 1960's soul acts as The Exciters, Patti Labelle & the Bluebelles, and Gary U.S. Bonds. Over the decade, he released about 30 tracks of music under his own name, which are available on the cd The Little Jerry Williams Anthology.

As the 60s were ending, Williams began crafting songs about racism and civil rights, soldiers and the Vietnam War, acid and weed, and sex crazed psychos and cheating wives. Aside from Sly Stone and possibly Frank Zappa, it is hard to tell what his influences are and who was influenced by him. He made a decision that these songs were too much of a departure from his previous work and decided to begin his recording career anew under the name Swamp Dogg. Here's how he tells it in a must read 1998 interview for a chapter in the book "Unknown Legends of Rock N' Roll" here.

"I was thinking along those lines when I was doing my productions and cutting my soul records; actually starting in 1960, was my first nationally released records. At that time, I was in with the norm. I was being what everybody wanted, felt they needed. I was just trying to help supply the demand. But while I was out there watching what was going on, it hit me that I wasn't nearly as good as those people at the top of the ladder who were supplying the demand. And my songs were just as good, but I didn't feel that I had as much heart in my songs as they had in theirs. Because when I sang about being wonderful, I didn't really believe it. 'Cause I've never been caught up in a "I'm a great lookin' guy, and when I walk onstage, the bitches fall out." I never believed no shit like that. And I had good reason not to believe it, because it never fucking happened.

I was very disappointed with where I was going with something that I loved more than anything in the fucking world. So I just took a chance and bet on myself. And I said, I've got to change everything, and I've got to be drastic in this change. If you knew me, you'd know that it took a lot for me to make up my mind. Because I've always been crazy about my name-Jerry Williams Jr., I love my name, I love my father, I loved carrying my father's name. And to have to change it to something just to catch your ear was a heavy decision for me. But I did it. And that enabled me to jump into some music that I wanted to, some lyrics that I wanted to do."

He would bounce around from label to label, often being dropped in favor of the other one or two black acts at a record company, or leaving because he didn't want to compromise his artistic vision. Through it all, Swamp Dogg kept making music and performing to this day, when he now has a large cult following thanks to rappers sampling him and from the internet, where vinyl rips of albums that were once impossible to find have been posted and downloaded.

But what many who have shared and downloaded these records do not know is that Swamp Dogg has been rereleasing his music on his own label for the past few years, often on cds that feature two full length LPs. The first of these, "The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg Volume 1", features his first two classic albums. Here are three of the best songs from each.

From Total Destruction To Your Mind:


Swamp Dogg - "Total Destruction To Your Mind"
Swamp Dogg - "The World Beyond"
Swamp Dogg - "The Baby is Mine"

From Rat On:


Swamp Dogg - "Remember That I Said Tomorrow"
Swamp Dogg - "God Bless America For What?"
Swamp Dogg - "That Ain't My Wife"

I'll end with some great videos of a few more recent performances by the legendary Swamp Dogg.

"Total Destruction To Your Mind" in April 26, 2007 at the Paradiso in Amsterdam:



"The World Beyond" on a Dutch radio show:



Look for future posts on The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg Volumes 2-5 over the next few months.

Buy or download The Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg Vol. 1 at amazon.com

Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit (1993)

When Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart released the Alfie soundtrack in 2004, I read a lot of paint by numbers reviews that mostly repeated what seemed like common knowledge for most music critics then, Mick Jagger's solo albums blow. With the bad taste of Mick's awful work with Rob Thomas still fresh/rotten in their minds, who can blame them.

But when Jagger released a solo best of compilation in 2007, I read a lot of positive things about the songs on the one Mick Jagger album that I know did not suck, 1993's Wandering Spirit. Produced by Rick Rubin and featuring an excellent backing band, Mick experimented with a number of different genres and included interesting covers. By tackling different musical styles from different eras, this is the one Mick Jagger solo album that didn't ape whatever was hot on the pop charts right that second, thus making something horribly dated and lame in the process. Wandering Spirit is one of those special records that I loved listening to when I was a teenager, but still go back to and listen to quite often because for me, it has held up over time as a really good album that belongs on the shelf next to the Rolling Stones records and Keith Richards' own great solo albums.

Here's a couple songs from the record release show for Wandering Spirit at Webster Hall in New York City on February 9, 1993, followed by some mp3s of album tracks.




Mick Jagger - "Wandering Spirit"





Mick Jagger - "Evening Gown"

The other great country song on the record was "Hang on to Me Tonight"

Mick Jagger - "Hang on to Me Tonight"

Look for a post on Keith Richards' solo albums from around this time coming soon.

Buy Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit at amazon.com.

Neil Young - Live on BBC TV in 1971

Neil Young recorded this short set for the television station BBC2 on February 23, 1971 at the BBC’s Television Theatre in Shepherd’s Bush, London. Neil was on a UK tour supporting Journey Through the Past at the time, but chose to play some songs that would appear on his next album, Harvest.



Neil Young - Live on BBC2 - 2/23/71

01 - Out on the Weekend
02 - Old Man
03 - Journey Through the Past
04 - Heart of Gold
05 - Don't Let It Bring You Down
06 - A Man Needs a Maid
07 - Love in Mind
08 - See the Girl Dance

Bob Dylan on Late Night With David Letterman in 1984

Liberace, David Letterman, and Bob Dylan - NBC Studios, New York, NY, 3/22/84

On March 22, 1984, Bob Dylan gave this interesting three song performance on Late Night With David Letterman. Dylan was promoting his new album Infidels and decided to grab LA punk band The Plugz to back him up. The members of The Plugz here are Justin Jesting (guitar), Tony Marisco (bass), and Charlie Quintana (drums). This was this makeshift band's one and only public performance. I really wish there could have been more where this came from.

Dylan specifically wrote in his contract that he would not be interviewed, which explains the choice of this first song.

"Don't Start Me Talking" (Sonny Boy Williamson cover)



Bob Dylan - "Don't Start Me Talking" (Live on Letterman - 3/22/84))

"License to Kill"



Bob Dylan - "License to Kill" (Live on Letterman - 3/22/84)

"Jokerman"



Bob Dylan - "Jokerman" (Live on Letterman - 3/22/84)

The performance could have been even more interesting. In this rarely seen video from earlier that day, Bob and The Plugz soundcheck a cover of the Roy Head song "Treat Her Right."



Thanks for checking this out. Look for more Bob related stuff in the near future. I can't wait for his new album, Together Through Life, which will be out on April 28th.

Buy Bob Dylan's 1984 album Infidels from amazon.com

Ten Favorite Covers of Bruce Springsteen's Songs

I'm not just a Bruce Springsteen fan, I'm one of those freaks who has every official release, a bookful of bootlegs, and a few thousand dollars less in the bank account thanks to all the shows I've been to. But you can only listen to so much Boss. Then you have to listen to people that covered the Boss.

So I decided to put together a list. In the end it was a little difficult, but I narrowed it down to ten favorite covers of Springsteen songs that I think everyone should hear. It also serves as a nice mix for an Itunes playlist.

If you like a particular artist's cover here, please investigate their own stuff further. Here's my top ten.

The Mendoza Line - "Tougher Than the Rest"

Laura Cantrell - "Used Cars"

Emmylou Harris - Racing in the Streets (remastered)

Patty Griffin - "Stolen Car"

Steve Wynn - "State Trooper"

John Wesley Harding - "Jackson Cage"

Cowboy Junkies - "You're Missing"

Pete Yorn - "New York City Serenade"

Johnny Cash - "Further On Up the Road"

Bettye Lavette - "Streets of Philadelphia"

P.S. A few really cool readers brought another one to my attention that I never knew was officially released, but it deserves to be in the good company of this list.

Maria McKee - "Backstreets"

Album Preview: "Boycott Classics" by Adam and Dave's Bloodline

Adam and Dave's Bloodline are a great band from Philadelphia who are getting ready to release their second record, Boycott Classics, on May 12th.

Band members Adam Garbinski, Dave Petersen, Kirk Henderson, Brian Newell, and Lois Volta have collaborated to make a phenomenal album that is the best record I have heard so far this year. I am really proud to preview it here for you.

Here is a fun video for "I'm a Secret," followed by two mp3s of "In the Zoo" and "Before I'm Free," my two favorite songs off of Boycott Classics.



Adam and Dave's Bloodline - "In the Zoo"

Adam and Dave's Bloodline - "Before I'm Free" (with Mike "Slo-Mo" Brenner on dobro)

If you are in the Philadelphia area, there will be a record release show at Johnny Brenda's (the best music club in Philly) on Friday, May 1st. I hope to see you there.

Also, check back here for some exclusive Bloodline tracks when the new album drops on May 12th.

Boycott Classics from Adam and Dave's Bloodline is now available to download at amazon.com here.

Jerry Garcia & John Kahn - Oregon State Prison - 5/05/82

This is a soundboard recording of Jerry Garcia at his very best, with John Kahn backing him up on bass, playing to inmates at Oregon State Prison on May 5, 1982.

It is one of my favorite bootlegs ever. With the tons of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia shows that are now for sale, it is amazing to me that this excellent show has never been officially released.

Enjoy it and pass it on.

Jerry Garcia & John Kahn - Oregon State Prison - 5/05/82

01 - Deep Elem Blues
02 - Friend of the Devil
03 - Jack-A-Roe
04 - Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie
05 - It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
06 - Run for the Roses
07 - Ripple
08 - I've Been All Around This World
09 - Valerie
10 - Dire Wolf
11 - Reuben & Cerise

Tift Merritt - Highlights and a Solo Radio Performance

Tift Merritt is a singer from North Carolina blessed with an amazing voice and great taste. Her initial interest in music was inspired by a folk music playing father who taught her to play guitar and from listening to records by Emmylou Harris and Joni Mitchell, in particular.

After coming up with a few bands in North Carolina, Tift's music caught the attention of Ryan Adams, who was instrumental in getting her first record, Bramble Rose, made in 2002.

Bramble Rose is one of those great debut albums where every track is as good as the first. Here is the first song off the record, "Trouble Over Me."

Tift Merritt - Trouble Over Me

On Tift's second album, 2004's Tambourine, the sound was looser and the songs were more soulful. My favorite song off of that record is a great ballad that first got me hooked on her music, "The Plainest Thing."

Tift Merritt - "The Plainest Thing"

Tift on Austin City Limits playing the opening track from Tambourine, "Stray Paper."



Tift would not release another record until 2008. After a long stretch of touring, she decided to move to Paris, France for six months. The result was an album clearly inspired by Joni Mitchell's Blue called Another Country. The record is an amazing document of someone who had been through a lot and had come out of it with a genuine sense of peace and optimism about what lies ahead.

Here's the music video for the lead single off of Another Country and one of the catchiest songs in forever, "Broken."





Today, Tift released a live cd Buckingham Solo exclusively to independent stores for Record Store Day. There is a link to order it below, but here is more of Tift solo with a set of four songs from Another Country on the radio show Acoustic Cafe.

Tift Merritt - Live on Acoustic Cafe

01 - Broken
02 - Another Country
03 - I Know What I'm Looking For Now
04 - Mille Tendresses (A Thousand Tendernesses)

Thanks for checking this out everyone.

Buy Tift Merritt's Another Country from amazon.com

Buy the new live cd Buckingham Solo at newburycomics.com

Four Rarities from U2

U2 was my favorite band growing up. When I was a teenager I was obsessed with Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and the ZooTV Tour. It still bothers me when I see Pop get slagged every time a new U2 cd comes out.

I've gotten into all kinds of other music over the years but I still always get a little too much into U2 when a new record comes out. Just like any good geek superfan, I enjoy a lot of songs that aren't on the main albums. So I'd like to share four of the best of those from this decade with you now.

First is a leftover track from the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sesssions called "Mercy." I thought this was a sure bet to make it in some form onto the new record, but listening to it now it doesn't seem to fit. Still, it is a great track that will hopefully be released someday, but deserves to be heard by all the fans now.

Here is a good fan made video and then an mp3 of "Mercy."



U2 - "Mercy"

Another lost classic is an earlier, better version of the song "Vertigo" called "Native Son." The lyrics are inspired by the story of Native American activist Leonard Pelltier (google and read up on his story if you've never heard of him). The song was released as part of the ITunes exclusive U2 box set (then subsequently bootlegged all over the net, of course). "Native Son" makes "Vertigo" sound like a bunch of cool sounding nonsense and breathes new life into a tune that became omnipresently annoying seeing that Itunes commercial a few bazillion times.

Another fan made video and an mp3 of "Native Son."



U2 - "Native Son" (early version of "Vertigo")

One more bitch about How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The record had the perfect album closer in the song "Fast Cars," but for some reason, it was cut from the final tracklist and then it only appeared as a international bonus track. Why should the rest of the world get to have all the fun? If you haven't done so already, I believe it is your patriotic duty to download this song and put it back in its rightful place in your Itunes library at the end of that record.

This is a fun live performance of "Fast Cars" to close a show in Boston on December 5, 2005, followed by an mp3 of the studio track.



U2 - "Fast Cars"

This last one is one of my favorite live performances from U2. At a Verigo Tour stop in Milan, they dedicated the song "Ms. Sarajevo" to the victims of the London train bombings that morning. What makes this stand out is Bono's singing of the opera part that Luciano Pavarotti sang in the original recording on the Passengers album.

This is from the Live in Milan dvd and the cd U2.Communication, a 2005 compilation that was a gift for members of U2.com.



U2 - Ms. Sarajevo (Live in Milan)

In case you were wondering, here are the translated lyrics to the Italian opera part in "Ms. Sarajevo"

You say that the river
finds the way to the sea
and like the river
you will come to me
beyond the borders
and the dry lands
You say that like a river
like a river...
the love will come
the love...
And i don't know how to pray anymore
and in love i don't know how to hope anymore
and for that love i don't know how to wait anymore

-----------

Thanks for checking this out. Look for some more rare U2 stuff here some time soon.

P.S. If anyone out there has an mp3 of U2's first live performance of the song "North and South of the River," let me know and help me out if you can. Thanks.

Pearl Jam and The Who

Most of us have been lucky enough to go to a Pearl Jam show where they belted out "Baba O'Reilly" in the encore. Over the years, Pearl Jam has continued to pay tribute to The Who. Here are a few of the best examples of that.

Eddie Vedder guested on the Who's 2000 cd/dvd release Live at the Royal Albert Hall. The three songs Eddie performed with the Who.

"I'm One"



The Who w/ Eddie Vedder - "I'm One

"Let's See Action"



The Who w/ Eddie Vedder - "Let's See Action"

One more mp3 I sadly don't have video for. Buy the dvd!

The Who w/ Eddie Vedder - "Getting In Tune"

Last year, Pearl Jam played two songs on the show "VH1 Rock Honors: The Who."

Pearl Jam - Love Reign O'er Me / The Real Me
Uploaded by IvorTheEngineDriver

Pearl Jam - "Love Reign O'er Me" (2008 VH1 Rock Honors: The Who)

Pealr Jam - "The Real Me"

One more video that is too good not to includue here is Pete Townshend and Eddie Vedder performing "Heart to Hang On To" on The Late Show with David Letterman.




Buy The Who - Live at The Royal Albert Hall at amazon.com

Four Rarities from Josh Ritter

Last summer I heard the album The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter and was instantly hooked. Not too long after that, thanks to emusic.com, I collected everything he had released. Finally got to see him perform live the other week and he more than lived up to my expectations. He was a hell of a showman, his band was on fire, and he played a handful of promising new songs that seem to point to another classic album hopefully being released very soon.

For those of you out there who haven't heard of him, I'll post a few videos.








Here are two acoustic songs and two covers from Josh Ritter. Give them a listen and let me know what you think.

Josh Ritter - "Golden Age of Radio" (acoustic - from the EP Four Songs Live)

Josh Ritter - "Wolves" (acoustic - from the EP Live at the Record Exchange)

Josh Ritter - "The River" (Bruce Springsteen cover - Live in Berlin)

Josh Ritter - "Blame it on the Tetons" (Modest Mouse cover from the Girl in the War digital EP)


Download Josh Ritter's music at emusic.com

Alex Chilton's Acoustic Set from "Big Star Live"

The best cd I ever bought was the 2 LP combo of #1 Record/Radio City by Big Star. The cd Third/Sister Lovers is amazing as well.

If you don't have these, get them now.

There's only other Big Star cd worth having is the 1974 radio broadcast released as Big Star Live. It is mainly worth it for Alex Chilton's incredible acoustic set in the middle. Here is Chilton's four song set.

Big Star - "The Ballad of El Goodo"

Big Star - "Thirteen"

Big Star - "I'm in Love with a Girl"

Big Star - "Motel Blues" (Loudon Wainwright III cover)


Buy Big Star Live from amazon.com

"I Am the Cosmos" by Chris Bell

The posthumous collection of Chris Bell's songs recorded after he left Big Star, I Am the Cosmos, together make for an amazing record.

I was going to write a short bio on Chris Bell, but I'll just use this excellent one here.

Biography by Jason Ankeny (From www.allmusic.com)

Chris Bell was one of the unsung heroes of American pop music; despite a life marked by tragedy and a career crippled by commercial indifference, the singer/songwriter's slim body of recorded work proved massively influential on the generations of indie rockers who emerged in his wake. Born January 12, 1951 in Memphis, Tennessee, Bell grew up enveloped by the city's indigeneous soul sounds — typified by the prodigious output of the Stax label — but his first love was the music of the British Invasion; inspired by the Beatles, he took up the guitar in his early teens. Within a few years, Bell was writing and performing his own songs with friends Richard Rosebrough and Terry Manning, but his Anglo-pop leanings set him squarely outside of the Memphis musical community.

In high school, Bell struck up a friendship with another young performer named Alex Chilton, who occasionally jammed with Bell's band but turned down an invitation to join on a full-time basis. While Chilton soon rose to fame as the frontman of the Box Tops, Bell became a fixture at Memphis' famed Ardent Studios, where he worked as a part-time recording engineer and also cut his earliest songs. While attending college, he roomed with former high school friend Andy Hummel, with whom Bell eventually returned to Memphis to form a new band with drummer Jody Stephens and, later, Chilton, who had grown frustrated with his role in the Box Tops and quit.

Together, the four musicians comprised the power-pop band Big Star. Their debut album, 1972's #1 Record, eventually earned mythic status as an underground classic, but, sabotaged by poor distribution, was deemed a commercial failure at the time of release. Crushed, Bell became suicidal and left the band, although he did contribute his skills to a handful of tracks on the follow-up, Radio City. While Bell continued working on music, his depression worsened; to help revitalize his career, his brother David led him to France's Chateau D'Herouville studios, where a batch of demos were cut for a planned album. After skipping over to London, the Bell brothers mixed the songs with Geoff Emerick, the engineer on the Beatles' final albums, at producer George Martin's Air Studios.

The completed tracks were roundly rejected, however, and Bell returned to Memphis, where he cut a few more songs with Big Star's Stephens and local musician Ken Woodley in 1974. He ultimately returned to Europe and played solo shows in folk clubs; after plans for a Big Star reunion tour fell through, Bell returned to the U.S. and dropped out of music, taking a management position in his family's fast food chain.

In 1977, however, the tiny New York label Car issued a remarkable single, "I Am the Cosmos," backed with "You and Your Sister," on which Bell was supported by Chilton; the record was well-received, and spurred him to form a new band. But on the morning of December 27, 1978, his speeding car hit a tree, and he was killed instantly. Over the course of the following decade, the legendary stature of Big Star continued to grow exponentially, and finally, Bell's long-unreleased demos were collected under the title I Am the Cosmos and released to wide acclaim in 1992.


Here are my three favorite tracks from this phenomenal cd:

Chris Bell - "I Am The Cosmos"

Chris Bell - "Look Up"

Chris Bell - "You and Your Sister" (Country Version w/ Alex Chilton)

Buy I Am the Cosmos by Chris Bell at amazon.com

Three Covers by Patty Griffin

Who doesn't love Patty Griffin? Only people that haven't heard of her yet, I guess.

Patty's last release was a cd and dvd of her performance on the television show Live from the Artist's Den. Here she sings "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" to close the show.



Recently, Patty has been touring with Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, and Buddy Miller as the group Three Girls and Their Buddy. I am looking forward to seeing them perform at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on May 29th.

Here are three rare covers by Patty. Enjoy.

Patty Griffin - Take It Down (John Hiatt cover)

Patty Griffin - "Crazy" (Willie Nelson cover, made famous by Patsy Cline)

Patty Griffin - "Moon River" (Henry Mancini cover, right?)

Buy the DVD Patty Griffin: Live from the Artist's Den at amazon.com

The Incomparable Bettye Lavette

Bettye Lavette's career can be summed up as the comeback story that never should have been. She had some hits in the 60's, including the classic "Let Me Down Easy."



She was never supported by Atlantic Records, a label that twice picked her up and only released singles, but never full albums she recorded in the 60s and 70s. Bettye recorded sporadically over the years, but never gave up on performing until finally, much of this material appeared on Souvenirs, in 2000 release on a French label. Since you can only get a used import from amazon.com for $60, you might as well download that album right here:

Souvenirs by Bettye Lavette (Rapidshare link)

The release of this compilation led to a career resurgence for Bettye where she recorded three albums this decade. This culminated in the critically acclaimed album The Scene of the Crime in 2007, which she made with the Drive-By Truckers and Spooner Oldham backing her up.

Here is Bettye on Austin City Limits singing a track from The Scene of the Crime, a cover of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's "Talking Old Soldiers," followed by an mp3 of the album track.




Bettye Lavette - "Talking Old Soldiers"

A couple more excellent recent covers:

Bettye Lavette - "Streets of Philadelphia" (from the compilation Song of America)

Bettye Lavette - "Heart of Gold" (Neil Young cover - Live at Joe's Pub)

In recent months, Bettye has been all over the television, performing at the Kennedy Center Honors, Barack Obama's Inaugural Concert, and The Tonight Show. Sadly though, these performances involved singing for Barbara Streisand, singing with Jon Bon Jovi, and singing on a show hosted by Jay Leno. You can't have it all folks.

Although there is one more amazing performance from that Kennedy Center Honors show that I have to include here as Bettye sang The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" for Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.




Buy Bettye Lavette's The Scene of the Crime at amazon.com

Download tracks from Song of America on emusic.com