Back in 2007, I got very very obsessed with the sophomore album from Sunderland’s Field Music, a 30-minute progressive punk art rock odyssey into the mundanity of small-town life. In borrowing the least lifestyle elements of Steely Dan and fusing them to a jerkiness that recalled Wire, the then-trio (comprised of the two brothers Brewis, and their friend Andrew Moore) created a masterpiece that provided concise chunks of song that packed in a multitude of musical ideas – from Billy Joel-esque piano, to crisp beatboxing. Tones of Town was magnificent, and its lack of fame was nigh-upon criminal. When the band announced they were going on hiatus, I practically cried myself to sleep.

Well now, via several intriguing side projects, they’re back. And in a more expansive mood, clearly, because their forthcoming third album, entitled Field Music (Measure), is a double album, with twenty songs that aren’t afraid to be less cohesive, in a manner apparently styled after Tusk and The Beatles. Predictably, I’m very excited, especially since the band (now a four piece, sans Moore) are whetting our appetites with two choice cuts from the album.

The first, “Each Time Is A New Time”, cruises in on a liquid bassline and some pretty FM-rock guitar, backed up by typically intricate drumming. When the vocals come in, the way they harmonise and interlock is sophisticated and aurally pleasing. Halfway through, the song cuts to a stripped-down passage that builds back up with insistently mellifluous guitar figures, wordless chanting and military percussion, before breaking straight back to the original riff. And then, in true Field Music style, it’s over.

The second sample, the title track, “Measure”, explodes from a suitably baroque string arrangement into a clanging, rustling, piano-led groove. The band has not lost its knack of combining the ancient with the modern, as the vocal interplay and hand claps (which sit alongside the strings, and some very steely guitar) will testify. The mood is wistful and meandering, interspersed with occasional shouts that recall Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac. As the song fades out to looped strings and a thrumming beat, I can’t help but feel a wave of relief that the band has stretched away from the brilliant style they had previously perfected, in order to explore new ground.

Both songs are little gems, and, wonderfully, both are available for free, from the band’s charming website. Field Music (Measure) is released 16th February 2010, on Memphis Industries, and promises to be one of the year’s most intriguing albums, not only in terms of scope and scale, but also in terms of the fascinating, filigree-like music it will contain.

Well.

Been AWOL for a while, but I now return with another entry in my ever expanding cache of pointless lists that nobody asked for.

Recently I was involved in a discussion about cover songs. No, I don’t know why. The point is, it spawned this little ditty -

The Top Ten Cover Songs You Probably Didn’t Even Realize Were Cover Songs.

It really is exactly what it says.

Ten: “The Man Who Sold the World.” (Nirvana)

I almost hate to admit it, but I think I genuinely prefer Nirvana’s live, unplugged version of this song to David Bowie’s 1970 original album version. While such a statement may seem somewhat blasphemous, in Nirvana’s defense I heard their version first – and, to add insult to injury, it’s really good. I suppose that your enjoyment of this song, like most on this list, simply boils down to when you were born, or when you first heard it. If you’re a child of the ’70s, you’ll probably prefer Bowie’s version. If, however, you are a child of the glorious ’90s, you’ll probably go for Kurt’s take on it. Regardless, the irony of the situation does not seem lost on Bowie himself. Thanks to Cobain covering it, even to this day when Bowie performs the song himself he comes across “kids that come up afterwards and say, ‘It’s cool you’re doing a Nirvana song.’ And I think, ‘Fuck you, you little tosser!’”

I think even Kurt Cobain could get behind that one. And he wasn’t really known for shooting off his mouth. (Just the area above it.)

Nine: “Black Magic Woman.” (Santana)

I honestly was not aware, literally up to this very moment, that this was originally a Fleetwood Mac song. Peter Green wrote it in 1968; Santana made it a hit in 1970. Better luck next time, Peter Green. Well, at least you still have Fleetwood Mac who I’m sure is going to be huge andOH YOU QUIT THE BAND.

BTW…who the fuck is Peter Green?

Eight: “Mr. Tambourine Man.” (The Byrds)

Bob Dylan is probably one of the most covered artists of all time. I say “probably” because I don’t know for sure and I’m too lazy to look it up. But rest assured, he’s gotta be, like, top twelve at least. Anyways, this is another instance of a song taking me by surprise. I’m sure more people are familiar with the Byrd’s trippy version of this song than Dylan’s original – myself included. Either version is solid, though – in fact, it has the (meaningless) honor of being only one of three songs to be included twice on Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Songs. Not too shabby for a song about tambourines that (at least in Dylan’s version) doesn’t include any tambourineing.

Seven: “Lovers in a Dangerous Time.” (The Barenaked Ladies)

Little bit of Canadian content for y’all.

The Barenaked Ladies are a strange beast. They’re all fairly talented musicians who can write a hook filled pop masterpiece seemingly whenever they want to. It’s usually combined with bizarre to nonsensical lyrics that range from obscure pop culture references, to abstract fragments, to genuinely insightful commentary – all the while being either rapped by Ed Robertson or operatically sung by Steven Page with gleeful abandon.

Occasionally, they have curbed their wackier tendencies to produce something much more subdued and restrained, which can at times border on being fully beautiful.

Like their cover of this Bruce Cockburn song. After it’s release in 1991 (fittingly for a Cockburn tribute album) it became a Canadian radio staple – a certifiable hit for the band. Even now it continues to crop up on the radio from time to time, though you rarely – if ever – hear Cockburn’s original.

Six: “No More I Love Yous” (Annie Lennox)

This song easily could have made my Thirteen Guilty Pleasure Songs You Hate to Love. (Or Love to Hate) list as well. But it didn’t, and luckily it’s found itself a new avenue for infamy on my blog as being a catchy as hell song we all instantly recognize as an Annie Lennox ditty, but was in fact originally written and performed by some band called “The Lover Speaks.” No, I’ve never heard of them either, and when I type the name into Google image search, a confusing array of pictures, none of which features anything remotely similar to a band, comes up. So apparently even the internet has forgotten about them as well.

I think that what I’m trying to say is, cover though it may be…I think Annie’s pretty much got a monopoly on this song. Good for her!

Five: “Downtown Train.” (Rod Stewart)

Rod Stewart covers Tom Waits. There’s something funny to be said here, but I honestly don’t know what it is.

No, not funny – weird.

The Stewart song is the radio friendly one; the Waits version is the “good” one. In fact, if there ever comes a time when you’re contemplating downloading or buy Rod Stewart’s entire discography, I urge you to just download Wait’s 1985 masterpiece Rain Dogs instead. You can thank me later.

Four: “Hallelujah.” (Jeff Buckley)

Now, to be fair, I think people are about as aware of the Buckley version of this beautiful song as they are of the Leonard Cohen original. Both versions are excellent, by the way – thanks to Cohen’s poetic lyrics and simple, yet evocative melody. But it will forever be associated with Buckley – partly due to his untimely and tragic death, and partly do to his stunning and haunting arrangement of it. Cohen wrote a classic, artistic ballad; Jeff Buckley perfected it.

Three: “Nothing Compares 2 U.” (Sinead O’Connor)

I had no idea this was originally a Prince song. I suppose the number “2″ and the letter “u” in the title should have helped tip me off, but it didn’t. I truly thought this was an original song by Sinead. And, after hearing Prince’s version, I’d like to continue thinking that, please.

Incidentally, this song title was the inspiration behind U2’s name.

No it wasn’t.

Two: “Respect.” (Aretha Franklin)

“Respect” is to Aretha Franklin what “Nothing Compares 2 U” is to Sinead O’Connor – a signature song. A song that we immediately identify with these artists, and, when thinking about these artists, it’s usually the first one that pops into our noggins’. It seems odd then, that both these womens signature songs should be covers. I don’t really know what that says about them, except that they both totally own these tunes. Otis Redding may have been the first to spell out the word “respect” for mass audiences, but it was tailor made for the Queen of Soul. I’ve never heard Otis Redding’s version of the song, and have no need to; no one could possibly come close to matching Aretha.

One: “All Along the Watchtower.” (Jimi Hendrix)

Dylan’s was good. HIS was better.

From the iconic opening guitar riff, to the whacked out solo, this is the definitive version of Bob Dylan’s tune. It’s been covered countless times since, but Jimi’s 1968 version remains the one to top. It’s a song that makes people go “REALLY?” whenever somebody mentions that it’s not a Hendrix track, but one of Dylan’s.

Which I think perfectly sums up just what this list is all about.

Well.

There were a few more songs that I came across that would have fit this list, but I tried to wittle it down to the best ten. Feel free to tell me what I missed and mock my attempt in general below.

So, until tomorrow, enjoy some Annie Lennox.

And you damn well know you will.

Doo doo doo doo doo doo…WHOA OH.

$2500 grand prize for the winner. Nice bonus for your day after Thanksgiving shopping spree. If you are interested in registering please contact Chris Parisi at 703-929-5374.

with special DJ set by Joel Madden. Contact Chris Parisi for Ticket and Table Reservations

From a 1977 gig in Japan, this is Fleetwood Mac performing their signature song The Chain,  from the album Rumours:

Of course, in the UK, The Chain is more widely known for the long-running use of the song’s bass/guitar solo as the theme tune to the BBC’s coverage of Formula 1 Grand Prix racing. Here are the opening titles from the 1979 season:

And, right up to date, here is the opening to the 2009 season coverage, which marked the return of Formula 1 to the BBC after 12 years during which rival broadcaster ITV held the UK television rights:

Genius!

Lady Gaga vs Cartman Vs Christopher WalkenPoker

Without a doubt the best Fleetwood Mac ever released. You owe it to yourself to get this one.

Original Release Date: October 1973
From Tralfaz Archives
Notes: A good solid record from the still "pre-Stevie" Mac. The song writing is in the most part from Mr. Welch with Christine contributing four cuts. She’s in great form on this one too. Her vocals are strong and as usual the keyboards are right where they should be. And to add a little spice there’s a groovy version of the Yardbirds tune "For Your Love". That alone is rationalization enough to go after this one. The cover art is interesting an a creepy sort of way. And we get the usual penguin appearance. The inner photo make very nice use of the space and layout afforded by the gatefold cover.
Track Listing
1. Emerald Eyes
2. Believe Me
3. Just Crazy Love
4. Hypnotized
5. Forever
6. Keep on Going
7. The City
8. Miles Away
9. Somebody
10. Way I Feel
11. For Your Love
12. Why
Musicians
,: percussion
John McVie: bass
Bob Welch: guitars, vocals
Bob Weston: lead guitar, slide
Christine McVie: keyboards, vocals

http://rapidshare.com/files/69273317/FleetwoodMac-1973-MysteryToMe.rar

File-Size: 87.15 MB @256

You will be able to get your tickets through me. Purchasing Information Coming soon!

This weekend is going to be insane. UFC 106 featuring Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin at Mandalay Bay. Start the weekend off with the official Tap Out Pre Fight at Lavo

Saturday Night after the fight Tito Ortiz will be the host at Tao.

Both Events will be INSANE – Contact me for Guest List or Table Reservations!

Today isn’t a day for new music per se … honestly, these are songs that I just felt like listening to … that’s all. Enjoy …!

Ryan Adams – “Come Pick Me Up”

Fleetwood Mac – “Rhiannon”

M. Ward –  ”Chinese Translation”

Iron & Wine – “Naked As We Came”

My Morning Jacket – “Where to Begin”

Band of Horses  – “The Great Salt lake”

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “It’ll All Work Out”

Ben Folds Five feat. Regina Spektor – “You Don’t Know Me” (not folky but whatever)

Fleet Foxes  – “Ragged Wood”

Patty Griffin – “Long Ride Home”

Ryan Adams – “Wonderwall” (cover)

The Shins  – “Young Pilgrims”

Ben Folds Five – “Such Great Heights”

Damien Rice – “Delicate”

Meiko – “Hawaii”

Blur – “Tender”

And the summer became the fall
I was not ready for the winter
It makes no difference at all
‘Cause I wear boots all summer long
( “Nightbird”, S. Nicks)

(La foto de las botas de Stevie fue tomada el 25/10/09 en el O2 de Dublín por Chen, que aguanta como un valiente todas nuestras insensateces. Y hace fotos mientras.
Si no fuese por los Swarovski, creería que son los pies de otras.)

Unleashed at Wembley Arena Nov 6th 2009.

Is there a band you love unconditionally? You know that feeling; playing one of their songs for the first time in ages. The song puts you on a high, it’s hard to believe it can still sound this great. And you’ve got the rest of the album to come straight after. Life doesn’t get much better than pressing play on track one of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album.

My first ever gig aged 14. Fleetwood Mac on their Tango in The Night tour, in this very same arena. It’s hard to describe how exciting that was. And here I am 22.5 years later watching their brilliance once again. What is it about them that puts me in awe? Hmmm, well several things spring to mind.
- Stevie Nicks is my queen of rock and my vocal heroine. Her voice is mesmerising, her poetic lyrics take me away to a dreamy place. She makes me want to go out and buy a tambourine and black lacy scarves to swirl around in an ethereal fashion.
- Then there’s the blues. With heavy blues influences these songs are edgy, deep, sometimes dark and with a sort of spirituality that makes them sound almost ancient.
- Great songs. Soaring memorable classics.
- And 42 years worth of the most fascinating history in music. More line ups than Sun Hill Police Station as great musicians came and went. They’ve had legal fights over the band name and a fake Fleetwood Mac scandal, band relationships (3), a marriage, one of the biggest selling albums of all time written as 2 couples – or 4 out of the 5 band members – were splitting up, addictions, rehab, bankruptcies, years worth of touring and probably some pretty good parties.

Hard to believe they all qualify for a pensioners bus pass. But oh yes, they still have what it takes to fill these enormous venues with such an amazing sound. They opened with Rhiannon, the crowd went crazy with noises of appreciation, which pretty much lasted the whole night. Without a new album to promote this tour is all about playing the old favorites. Which leads me to conclude that they love these songs as much as the rest of us, as they surely don’t need the money…

So Stevie Nicks was perfect as ever, almost machine like in her ability to sound amazing with each and every song. Mick Fleetwood did his crazy-man eyeball popping act, and gave a heartfelt speech at the end, thanking the band, the fans and hoping this tour wouldn’t be their last. John McVie kept his usual low profile under his flat cap, the ‘backbone of the band’ as Fleetwood announced. And Christine McVie’s presence was sorely missed. Though she left the band 12 years ago! She was apparently in the crowd, which got one of the biggest cheers of the night. But the star of the night was surely Lindsey Buckingham with his rocking solo’s and his one man performance of an energetic Big Love. Wow, his little finger could literally blow the crowd away (probably)! Stevie and Lindsey each talked in detail about how some of the songs came about. And Stevie described the phonecall asking her to join the band. And, as reported in all the reviews there was lots of hugging throughout the show. Bringing back the hippy love-in spirit.

Rhiannon, Dreams, The Chain, Tusk, Landslide, Gold Dust Woman, Say That You Love Me, Stand Back, Go Your Own Way, Don’t Stop, Sara … to name just a few. Wish it could have gone on forever.

Some fantastic stories here: http://nickslive.blogspot.com/

Check out the this sick song Created, Mixed and Produced by TK Kilpatrick (FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY STUDENT and Friend) specifically for us at DANQ

Thanks for the Love TK – LIFE is DANQ

Check out the brand new video from LMFAO ft: Lil Jon. Always a good time when these guys are around.

This is where I work – shot at Tao Beach, Las vegas, NV

LIFE IS DANQ

Sometimes, the cover becomes more popular and successful than the original release.  Did you know that Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” is such a cover?  It was originally a Fleetwood Mac song.

Now this wasn’t the Fleetwood Mac that attained worldwide success in the late ’70s and throughout the ’80s.  This was the original Fleetwood Mac that formed as part of the London Blues scene in the late 1960s, led by guitarist Peter Green.

The song was originally penned by Green and released as a Fleetwood Mac single in 1968.  Unfortunately, Green had severe mental health issues as he struggled with the onset of schizophrenia.  These problems were enhanced by his abuse of LSD.  Years later, after regaining some of his health, he commented that he “went on a trip and didn’t come back.”

Two years after the Fleetwood Mac release, on November 14, 1970, Carlos Santana and his self-named band released their version of “Woman” reaching the #4 spot on the U.S. Billboard and forever linking it in the minds of the music world to Santana.

Here’s Santana playing their signature tune live in Australia.

And the Santana version is actually a medley with Gabor Szabo’s “Gypsy Queen.”

play#Gabor+Szabo:Gypsy+Queen:573699:s84118.15673.10613.1.1.66%2Cstd_a294ed47f1e5ad3d6f34274a6d1efe80

Szabo was a Hungarian refuge who escaped the Communist regime there and emigrated to the United States in 1956.  He began playing guitar at the age of 14, having been inspired by the jazz recordings he had heard on the Voice of America broadcasts.

So we have a British band, inspired by the blues of the American south, penning what would be an international hit for a Mexican-American band, who had incorporated the Hungarian folk-influenced jazz of a refuge from Communist tyranny.  Now that’s rock and roll!

Last night I went to my first show since I moved to Vegas. KÀ is a show by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand. Created and directed by Robert Lepage, the show and the theater cost $220 million to develop.

Even though I was pretty lost as far as the plot was concerned, The production and theatrics was AMZING. KÀ lacks a conventional stage with a permanent floor; instead, two giant moving platforms and five smaller lifts and platforms appear to float through a bottomless space. A narrow boardwalk separates the audience from a deep abyss where the stage floor would normally be. From the stage level of the boardwalk up to the high grid is 98 feet, and the pit drops 51 feet below, amounting to a total of some 15 stories from the highest ceiling grid to the lowest floor level. The opening width and depth of the performance area are each 120 feet. This enormous performance space is reconfigured with each scene change by the complex movements of the show’s lifts and platforms.

Overall the show was DANQ and would highly recommend seeing it while you are in Vegas.

Classic Album - Rumours

Searching for (high quality) remasters of favorite albums of mine has been a keen interest for a couple of years now. Notable examples are ‘Mother’s Milk’ and ‘Stadium Arcadium’ from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, mastered by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) and Steve Hoffman respectively. I also try and hunt down SACD and DVD-A versions of albums and have found much enjoyment listening to Donald Fagen’s ‘The Nightfly’ and Incubus’ ‘A Crow Left Of The Murder’ on these platforms.

So, I was very pleased to find that there was a well-respected remaster of Fleetwood Mac’s classic album ‘Rumours’ carried out in 2004. Now, you have to be careful when selecting remasters of older albums, as many will now follow the trend of ‘louder is better’, sacrificing audio quality and dynamic range for overall loudness through the use of hyper compression. Without going into too much detail, new albums generally follow this rule as well, which could be why I am listening to a lot of older music these days. For a visual and audible example have a look at this video on Turn Me Up.

Anyway, back to Fleetwood Mac. The original master, like many of its time, was fairly quiet and lacked definition in the bass area due to restrictions of mastering to vinyl, in my opinion of course! Having said that the recording quality and engineering skills during the mixing stage gave birth to a beautiful sounding album.

The 2004 remaster addresses the two issues I had with the original without introducing any clipping or sacrificing dynamic range. The kick drum and bass guitar are a lot more prominent in the overall mix, the acoustic guitars sound astonishingly crisp, especially in ‘Dreams’ and ‘The Chain’ and the vocals have a much more defined, warmer sound. Generally the album is much more pleasing to the ear, that is of course not saying that the original wasn’t, but improvements have been made.

There is also the inclusion of the song ‘Silver Springs’ which was left out of the original vinyl master due to time constraints for each playing side. It feels a little odd going from ‘Songbird’ to ‘Silver Springs’ instead of ‘The Chain’ but the song has been well placed and is a great piece of music.

This remaster comes with a second disc containing demo’s, outtakes and jam sessions from the making of the album. It is a great insight into what the raw tracks started out as, songs left off of the album and the talent each member of the band had. If you are a musician and wish to learn certain parts of these songs, this CD may prove useful as many elements were not recorded, leaving the basic tracks.

I will be listening to this version, instead of the original CD pressing from now on, purely due to the depth, transient accuracy and improved bass; it has earned a well deserved place in my remasters collection!

Out The Other Report:

Click here to go to OTO to check Sandro Perri covering Fleetwood Mac “Dreams”, Colourmusic “Tusk”, The Black Keys cover Eddie Cochran “Summertime Blues”, The Mamas & The Papas cover Martha & The Vandellas “Dancing in The Streets”

Buy it here!

http://rarebreeddiscs.bigcartel.com/product/the-bon-bon-club-sex-on-fire

With guests Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac.

9th November 2009

Tracklisting:

The Auteurs — Lenny Valentino
Ingrid Michaelson — Maybe
The Yardbirds — Shapes of Things
Devendra Banhart — Goin’ Back
Jean Knight — Mr Big Stuff
Mumford and Sons — Winter Winds
Beck — Devil’s Haircut
Kaiser Chiefs — Never Miss a Beat
Fleetwood Mac — Storms
Fleetwood Mac — Tusk
Jace Everett — Bad Things
Atomic Rooster — Devil’s Answer
Au Revoir Simone — Another Likely Story
Turbo Fruits — Naked With You
Burning Spear — Slavery Days