NUNS!!

Lucky Father Jack doesn’t live in ole’ Sydney Town. I tells ya, that photo from the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald did amuse me with aforementioned priest in mind.

For some reason, when an Australian artist lacks inspiration or sufficient incoming revenue (I don’t need to name the guilty parties do I?) they release an album of soul covers.

In a remarkably perceptive review of Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and the True Loves CD Roll With You, Bernard Zuel wrote:

… R&B, it comes down to sex. Having it, wanting it, missing it. If you have that sexual undercurrent, you prickle the skin, pop the sweat glands and move the body; if you don’t have it, you’ve got pop music. It’s why Otis Redding had it and Jimmy Barnes doesn’t, why Renee Geyer can live R&B and why the sweet-voiced Guy Sebastian can’t, no matter how many Stax classics he covers

Even though Zuel was in praise of Reed’s album I was a little skeptical. Soul and R&B revivalists seem to come at regular intervals and disappear with the same frequency. But the accursed radio station ABC 702 kept playing his songs on the various show I listen to driving to and from work.

the songs weren’t bad. I became intrigued and got to the point where I decided to give the album a go. In fact, since I got the album off iTunes, the decision is that  Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and The True Loves’ Roll With You is indeed mighty fine.

Big brassy horns, clean funky guitar and Eli’s remarkable soul infected voice make for one great band that put the rhythm and blues back into R&B and soul. It sounds like the real deal yet is not derivative.

The ballads have that aching and yearning that tug at your heart and the faster tunes stomp along propelled by fat horn blasts. It is joyous, good time music with no pretensions.

I have this CD ready for the car this week and I doubt I will take it off. Don’t just take my word for granted. Check out videos below. You’ll be glad you did.

Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and the True Loves - The Satisfier

Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and the True Loves - Take My Love With You

First bit of good news is that is apparently does exist. Secondly by next week it will have a name. ‘Black Ice’ is the front runner.

Thirdly, I believe one of the songs may be released next month in prep for the album in September and October.

What I want is concert dates. I’ve started saving because if it is their last tour, I’m gonna have one hell of a time.

It is rare for an artist to emerge fully formed on their first album. Usually, influences haven’t been fully integrated into their sound and rough edges can be found. The one exception that comes to mind is Jimi Hendrix. Are You Experienced was stunning its in realization of a sound that was unlike anything else even if cobbled from blues and R&B.

Which brings us to the AC/DC photography exhibition, AC/DC Exposed, that has opened in Sydney. One of the photos pre-dates Bon and features a very glammed up AC/DC. The hard rockin’ sound of the lads did not spring out of nowhere. You can hear the sound in fermentation via a ‘74 I’ve blogged about before. Some of the songs ended up on either, High Voltage or TNT but it is still a mix of Chuck Berry, Rolling Stones, Free and other assorted blues rockin’ influences.

If you have a listen to High Voltage the band is still trying to get their sound. Sure She Got Balls and the cover of Baby Please Don’t Go sound like they are getting there but other songs, like Soul Stripper or Stick Around struggle with identity. And don’t forget Love Song which not only is the closest thing the band has done to a ballad, it also features acoustic guitar!

The photo below is form the exhibition. Angus and Mal are there but no Bon. Dave Evans is the chap with the scarf. Rob Bailey and Peter Clack are the other two blokes in the pic.

Check out part one and part two.

Apologies for the delay but I have part three all done. Combine all three parts and you have a complete run through the changes for Autumn Leaves. You may not play it as well as Joe (I fer sure don’t) but it will impress family and friends.

As usual there are quite a few nifty tricks. And they need some analyzing but I’ll save that for later. I just want to get the tab up for now which is over the fold. I’ll complete the tune though I’m tempted to digress into Mozart next for some fun.

   Gtr I
|-------8-------------7-------------5-2-------7---5-------------------|
|-5-7-8---5-4-----5-7-7-3---5---3-5-5-2-6-------------8-4-7-5---------|
|---------5-5---7-----7-4---4-5-----5-2---3S4-----------------4-------|
|---------5-4-----------4---5-------4-1-------------------------5-----|
|-------------5-----------2-3-------------------6---7-------------7---|
|---------5-------------3-------------------------------------------0-|

|-12-10-8---7----------------------10--8---7-------------------8-7-5-7-5-3S2-|
|----10-8-----10-8-7---------------------------7-10-8--------------5---5-3S2-|
|--------------------9-7-7h9p7S6h7--------------------9------------5---5-3S2-|
|----------------------------------------0---0--------9-7----------4---4-2S1-|
|---------0-----------------------------------------------10-------------3S2-|
|------------------------------------------------------------8---------------|

|-1-5-8---------------------------------------------------------------|
|-2-4-7---5-4h5p4--7-5---------------4-5---7---7-----7-------------7--|
|-1-5-8----------------4---------------------------9-----9---9-8-9----|
|-2-4-7------------------5-----------------------8-----8--------------|
|--------------------------7-2-0--------------------------------------|
|-------0------------------------3-0-----7---8-------------7----------|

|-----------------------------------5---------5-----5-------5----------|
|---8-----8-----8-----8-----8-7-8-----------7-----6-------5------------|
|-------7-----6-----5-----4---------------6-----6-------5-----6-6-5-6--|
|-----9---------------------------------7-------------0----------------|
|-7---------7-----7-----7---------0---0--------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|

|---10-------8-------7-6-7-8-8-5-5-2-----10-8----------7-----7-----5-4-5-------|
|--------------------------7---4---1-------------------7-----7-----5---5-8---7-|
|---------10---8-----------8---5---2------------7------6-----5-----4---3-----8-|
|------10--------6-5-------7---4---1------------6------5-----4-----3---4-----7-|
|-9----------------------------------2-2------7----------6-5-----------0-------|
|--------------------------------------------------6-5---------4-3---------8-7-|

|-8-------------------|
|-8---5--7-5----------|
|-8-4-4------4--------|
|-7---5--------5------|
|----------------7----|
|---------------------|

This idea for this muxtape was ripped off from inspired by Phineas at No Commercial Potential. The idea is simple. All the songs are about Jesus more or less. The sacred to the profane.

Go have a listen.

Charley Patton - Jesus is A-Dying(Bedmaker)

Sometimes know as ‘In My Time of Dying”. First recorded by Blind Willie Johnson in 1927, Patton’s version is dated 1929.

Reverend Louis Overstreet - Yeah, Lord! Jesus is Able

A great eMusic find. Recorded live at St. Luke’s Powerhouse Church of God in Christ in the 1960’s this raw as gospel can get. Just guitar, bass drum and a whole lot of testifying.

The Blind Boys of Alabama - (Jesus Hits Like The) Atom Bomb

The Blind Boys of Alabama are gospel legends. This track is from their 2005 album Atom Bomb.

Mr Airplane Man - Jesus on the Mainline

Mr Airplane Man are named after a Howlin’ Wolf song and consist of guitarist Margaret Garrett and drummer, Tara McManus. The song has some history (I have a Fred McDowell version) and can be found on Moanin’.

John Fahey - In Christ There is No East or West

A grand taste of Fahey’s seemingly simple but sublime acoustic guitaring.

Minutemen - Jesus and Tequila

Double Nickels on the Dime is one of the classic American albums of the 80s. A sprawling confusion of punk, rock, jazz, country and anything else that took their fancy. At 2:54, this is one of the longest or the 43 songs on the album.

Screaming Blue Messiahs - Jesus Chrysler Drive a Dodge

One of the best song titles evah. I was going to include the studio version but muxtape did not like it. You get a live version that jets along on a rockabilly like back beat gone wild with stream of consciousness lyrics in the middle.

Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod

The lyrics are nonsensical but that doesn’t matter. It all makes sense in the end. A relentless romp through a love affair with Jesus and a hotrod.

Soundgarden - Jesus Christ Pose

Know anyone with a Messiah complex? Play them this song if you need to cut them down to size. One of Soundgarden’s best songs. A pretty intense piece of music.

Ludichrist - Blown into the arms of Christ

A satirical hardcore-metal band from the mid 1980s. Lost a bit in history but worth digging to find. One of the great songs about Armageddon.

Frank Zappa - Jesus Thinks You Are A Jerk

Frank Zappa is someone who I wish was still alive and skewering the foibles of modern day society. Sadly this song doesn’t date even though it is full of late 80s references. Scary.

The Dandy Warhols - Godless

But I worship rock’n'roll.

This is Steve Vai.

This is how he sounds.

Looks an interesting movie. Hope it gets a theatrical or DVD run soon.

One chord. One rhythm. One man. Spell M-A-N…man.

He walked 47 miles of barbed wire and had a cobra snake for a necktie. Had a tombstone hand and a graveyard mind. Just turned 79 and don’t mind dying.

Amanda pays her respects as does Dave Alvin with a rememberance of the night Bo banned the ‘beat.’

I’ve thrown together a Bo Diddley muxtape. Some Bo Diddley songs, songs that he wrote but performed by other artists and some copping that Bo Diddley beat. And a list of some more songs that have that Bo Diddley beat.

Bo Diddley - Who do you love?

Bo Diddley - Road Runner

Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley - You Can’t Judge a Book by The Cover

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Before You Accuse Me

Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy

George Thorogood and The Destroyers - Ride On Josephine

Ronnie Dawson - Rockinitis

The Who - Magic Bus

Track by track

Southern Highlands Daughter

A song of regret. Lovely fingerpicking. A lilting track that will last a long time in the live set.

Copper Mine

A good example of Jeff’s ability to get into someone’s worldview and create a story. The industrial percussion adds to the feel of working in a copper mine.

The Savannah Way

Jeff can do darkness just as well as Mr Cave. A murder ballad that reveals the history of a certain road. Just bass and bottleneck. Sparse and compelling.

Five Letters

Back and forth between two lovers, one not long for this world. This is almost a typical song for Jeff in a musical wise. Some familiar elements and evokes an Australia long gone.

The House Carpenter

This song has become a centrepiece of his live set. A very old folk song done before by many a soul. I like the live version as the loops are more pronounced and there is some tension as Jeff gets everything going. The studio version is still a compelling warning of the dangers of taking a demon lover.

My Mother Always Talked To Me

Another folk song but from the American tradition. A showcase for Jeff’s acoustic lap steel skills.

The Vaults of Sattanzio

An instrumental. Backwards electric guitars swirl behind some sparse bluesy slide.

Mooncoin

Acoustic ballad backing a sad story. Another song with lyrics that get to the heart of the matter with no fuss or pretense.

Ghosting on My Mind

Another judicious use of loops to provide some of the backing. Interesting to hear Jeff solo on an electric, trading licks with himself. As the title suggests a haunting tune.

Night Draws In

Laying down a funky blues riff, a tale of forbidden love and consequences. Not an unfamiliar theme. Sounded great live on Thursday night.

Is All

An introspective song with a classic Lang melody on lap steel. Just gorgeous.

Newman Town

A warning. Don’t sing murder songs or you may end up in one yourself. Group chorus vocal and junkyard percussion (becoming another Langism). A fitting end to a very fine album.

Now go and buy it. Today. You have no excuse.

The Savannah Way

Southern Highlands Daughter

Copper Mine

Five Letters

The House Carpenter

A test for strength of the material on a new album is to hear it live in relation to the artist’s previous body of work. That will tell you how good it is. Jeff Lang opened his Lizotte’s gig on Thursday night with The Savannah Way, Southern Highlands Daughter and Copper Mine from the new album Half Seas Over. Unfamiliarity with the tunes wasn’t an issue as it was the perfect opening. With bassist Grant Cummerford’s sympathetic and on the money accompaniment, the new songs melded perfectly with the old.


The excellent opening act Kara Grainger mentioned that Jeff was in a fiery mood and she was right. Jeff tore up and down the fretboard whether using a slide or just fingers on metal and wood. His guitar an extension of the song and moods, not an abrupt explosion of musical incongruence.

The classics were played. In lesser hands signature tunes like London would turn into rote performances but Thursday’s night’s version ended as a raga at one stage. A marvelous version that I wish I had on tape. 12,000 Miles got a run as did the beautiful Molasses and Stone.

It was an incredible performance. This was about the 7th time I’ve seen Jeff live and easily the best. Except for one aspect. The bloody hecklers. I do not know what combination of arrogance and delusional grandeur that breeds the idea that you, as a punter, are as interesting and compelling as the performer but it needs to be discovered and cured with prejudice.

One drunken lass decided that everything she was going to say was funnier than the previous utterance. She was oblivious to the increasingly irate crowd and the fact she had nothing to say. Jeff suffered in good humour to the point where politely told her politely to shut the fuck up. A mannered response to some needless audience provocation. And let us mention (and then quickly forget) the chap who tried to persuade Jeff into playing Thommo’s 52 Vincent Black Lightning claiming that his lady friend would withhold certain favours if he didn’t acquiesce. To Jeff’s credit and to the probable delight of the interjector’s lady friend, the request was declined.

But that should not detract from an excellent show. The first song of Jeff’s encore, the chilling folk song, The Cruel Mother, silenced everyone. There was a moment at the end, when the song has been sung and Jeff stepped back from the mike to just play the guitar to close, that was perfect. Whatever space Jeff went to for that song, he’d taken the audience with him.

Kara Grainger during her set talking about Lang mentioned him as ‘Our Jeff.’ And indeed he is. It is not that we, as an audience, have a lien on Jeff’s talents. it does not mean that following him for 15 years means he must bow to a demand for a request so some punter can get laid. It does not mean that because you have brought a ticket you get to become part of the act because of an alcohol impaired ego.

It means that his talent belongs to us all. Not for us to use as we see fit but for us to bask in its glow. I know I do bang on about the talent of Jeff Lang but he is simply one of the best Australia has got and one of the best we have ever had. Do yourself a favour and go see him on tour and/or buy a copy of Half Seas Over.