Here's an interesting idea. What would happen if Eric Clapton came up with the set list, and jazz great Wynton Marsalis came up with the arrangements, and a group of stellar musical virtuosos were all brought together to bring the music to life?
If you were lucky enough to be in the audience on one of two nights at Lincoln Center last April, you got to hear for yourself. For the rest of us, there's a new CD out now called "Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues."
Even though the album's title has "blues" in it, this album defnitely has a jazzy feel...after all it's the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra that's backing them up, not your traditional blues combo or even rock n roll lineup that you might be used to with Mr. Clapton.
The set list is definitely intriguing..and a preview of the songs on Wynton Marsalis' website is nothing if not compelling. The intro to Layla sure doesn't sound like the Derek & the Dominoes version, or that sleepy unplugged version from the early '90s, thankfully.
This is a far different Clapton than I saw at the Crossroads Guitar Festival..and might not be for everyone. But if you like a little Dixieland as a change of pace from soulful solos and catchy blues riffs, you may want to check this album out.
--posted by Kitty Dunn
Earlier this year, Robbie Robertson came out with a new album called "How To Become Clairvoyant," which featured a bunch of guest artists including Eric Clapton, Trent Reznor, Steve Winwood and Robert Randolph.
Now he's released a new version of one of the songs, "Fear of Falling," in which Robbie sings all the verses and Eric Clapton joins in on the chorus.
It's a free download on Robbie's official website, and that's the only place you can get it.
Click hereto get yours.
And here's Robbie with his old group, The Band!
Attention Beatles fans..you might want to add HBO to your cable TV package before the fall.
According to an announcement on George Harrison's official website, a new documentary about George, directed by Martin Scorsese, will air on HBO this fall. "George Harrison: Living in the Material World" will tell George's life story with rare photos, video, and even unreleased Beatles' footage. The film will include interviews with George's wife Olivia, and many of his closest friends including Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Tom Petty.
Scorsese has a done a fantastic job on other documentaries about musicians, including "Bob Dylan: No Direction Home," and that fantastic Blues series that aired on public television several years ago. You know that with Scorsese behind the project, it's going to be very well put together. He's even rich enough to afford the rights to use actual songs from the artists! And if you've ever watched a documentary where they don't have the rights to the songs, you know how crappy they can be.
So who's inviting me over to watch later this year?
Here's a video to tide you over until the documentary comes out, or at least around four minutes.
--Posted by Kitty Dunn
It's been a while since we had a new album from the Cars. Can you believe it was 1987?
When bassist and co-lead singer Benjamin Orr died in 2000, most fans had probably given up on the idea of a Cars reunion. In 2005, Elliot Easton and Greg Hawkes teamed up with Todd Rundgren and some other musical veterans to form The New Cars, which performed some Cars' and Rundgren hits on tour, but could it really be the Cars without Rick Ocasek?
Well Ocasek is back in the fold and their new record "Move Like This" sounds a LOT like the old Cars we knew and loved. It sounds so much like an old Cars record, that I bet if you played me some of the songs on it and said "those were from Side 2 of Candy-o" I probably would have believed you. (I remember I only really listened to one side of that album back in the early days.)
The first single, "Sad Song" starts with a riff and drum lick that's immediately identifiable as that Cars' sound. Despite the title, it's a fun upbeat song that would sound great cranked on the car stereo with the windows open in the summertime.
I also liked "Soon," which has a slow, dreamy quality that reminds me of the song "Drive," sung by Benjamin Orr on the 1984 "Heartbeat City" album.
While "Move Like This" will probably impress the die-hard Cars' fan that's been waiting since the late '80's for something new, I don't think it really stands up that well when compared to their self-titled debut or Candy-O. Ocasek goes a little too crazy on the keyboards, with a synthesized sound I don't really enjoy. For example, one song "Keep on Knocking" has a driving guitar sound that almost seems like a Neil Young thing going on, but then there's some keyboard overlay that just mucks it up.
-Reviewed by Kitty Dunn
Paul McCartney's two classic solo albums, " McCartney", and "McCartney II" will be re-released June 14th in the United States.
Both albums will be remastered by the same team that did the Beatles reissues a couple of years ago, and will feature rare and previously unreleased bonus tracks. There will also be a couple of different "special" and "deluxe" editions available..with a variety of other items like dvd's and picture books. New remastered vinyl versions will also be released.
"McCartney" is the album that out in 1970 right as Paul announced the Beatles breakup. It includes the studio version of "Maybe I'm Amazed." A live version recorded in 1976 became a Top Ten hit.
"McCartney II" was released in 1980 and contained the hit "Coming Up." However the hit was a live version recorded by Wings "Coming Up Live In Glasgow." It was on a B-side of a 45 sent to radio stations and that's the one that got radio airplay. Eventually the record company stuck that song on a 7" 33rpm single and slid it into the sleeve of the album as a bonus. This new version will include that song on a bonus disc.
Find out more about both reissues and what they'll include here.
Paul is also giving a preview of some of the remastered songs. Here's the song "That Would Be Something" from "McCartney."
That Would Be Something by PaulMcCartney--Posted by KDunn
Are kids today over-photographed?
Now that everybody has a camera on their phone, and now that Facebook is a greedy beast that must be fed, it seems parents take WAY more pictures of their kids than was the case back in the 1960s and 1970s. It...
People have been wondering why Billie Joe jumped off the bridge since this song came out and made it to number 1 in 1967. Singer Bobby Gentry says people always asked what was thrown over the bridge and why did Billie Joe jump. She never would give a...
Happy birthday to the Cute Beatle, SIr Paul McCartney! He turns 71 today.
One of the rules for Beatles fans is that you must memorize tidbits of Beatle trivia to try and impress other Beatle fans. This is not that easy to do....as things like...
In 1968, Jeannie C. Riley topped both the pop and country charts with "Harper Valley PTA". She was the first female singer to accomplish that feat and it wasn't repeated until Dolly Parton did it in 1981 with the song "9 to 5". The song was...
This week we're doing story songs on the World's Worst iPod. We start with the story of Billy who really wanted to be a hero. He was a hero, but didn't live to see it and his girlfriend was pretty angry. The song was originally done by...
This week' s Gabby's Pick is another track from emerging artist ZZ Ward's debut album , called "365 Days."
In addition to all the radio airplay " Put The Gun Down" has received, you may also have heard her music on several television...
Apparently Oreo flavored Oreos are not sufficient.
Nabisco is continuing its trend of introducing special limited edition flavors for its Oreo cookies. Last year, the internet was all abuzz about candy corn Oreos, which supposedly didn't really...
Are kids today over-photographed?
Now that everybody has a camera on their phone, and now that Facebook is a greedy beast that must be fed, it seems parents take WAY more pictures of their kids than was the case back in the 1960s and 1970s. It...
People have been wondering why Billie Joe jumped off the bridge since this song came out and made it to number 1 in 1967. Singer Bobby Gentry says people always asked what was thrown over the bridge and why did Billie Joe jump. She never would give a...
Happy birthday to the Cute Beatle, SIr Paul McCartney! He turns 71 today.
One of the rules for Beatles fans is that you must memorize tidbits of Beatle trivia to try and impress other Beatle fans. This is not that easy to do....as things like...
In 1968, Jeannie C. Riley topped both the pop and country charts with "Harper Valley PTA". She was the first female singer to accomplish that feat and it wasn't repeated until Dolly Parton did it in 1981 with the song "9 to 5". The song was...
This week we're doing story songs on the World's Worst iPod. We start with the story of Billy who really wanted to be a hero. He was a hero, but didn't live to see it and his girlfriend was pretty angry. The song was originally done by...
This week' s Gabby's Pick is another track from emerging artist ZZ Ward's debut album , called "365 Days."
In addition to all the radio airplay " Put The Gun Down" has received, you may also have heard her music on several television...
Apparently Oreo flavored Oreos are not sufficient.
Nabisco is continuing its trend of introducing special limited edition flavors for its Oreo cookies. Last year, the internet was all abuzz about candy corn Oreos, which supposedly didn't really...
