Steve Goodman: “Live ‘69” (2020) CD Review

Most of us know Steve Goodman as the songwriter who composed “City Of New Orleans,” which was a hit for Arlo Guthrie and has been covered by a lot of other artists. He was also responsible for “You Never Even Call Me By My Name,” which was a hit for David Allan Coe (under the title “You Never Even Called Me By My Name”). So it might come as a surprise to find that the new live album, Live ’69, finds him covering other artists’ material. What we get on this disc is some great material, music in the folk, country and blues realms, performed by an excellent and talented artist. This recording is from November 10, 1969, before Steve Goodman had even put out his first studio album, so it provides a document of the performer at the beginning of his career. He is joined by Bob Hoban on bass, violin and backing vocals. The man who recorded the performance provides the disc’s liner notes.

The album opens with a cover of “You Can’t Just A Book By Its Cover,” which was written by Willie Dixon and originally recorded by Bo Diddley. The first version I recall hearing was by The Monkees, a concert recording from 1967. Steve Goodman delivers a good, energetic rendition. “Can’t you see/That you all misjudged me?” That’s followed by “Ballad Of Spiro Agnew,” one of the shortest songs ever recorded. It was written by Tom Paxton and also covered by John Denver. Steve Goodman sings, “I will sing you the ballad of Spiro Agnew/And all of the things he has done.” The song ends there. Perfect. You have to love Tom Paxton. And remember, this was in 1969, a few years before the slimy bastard resigned in disgrace. Of course, you could substitute some current politicians’ names for Spiro Agnew, and this song would work just as well. Spiro Agnew was under the impression that a vice president could not be indicted. Seems I’ve heard something like that recently.

There is some stage banter at the end of that track, leading into “Bullfrog Blues,” which begins with some nice guitar work. On this blues track, Steve Goodman shows his sense of humor, even then poking fun at that humor (“A little humor there, sorta crept up on us, goodnight,” he says). Also, we get a sense of him as a storyteller. And when he has his audience in his grasp, he teases them a bit, repeating “She says” each time followed by a lengthy pause, then telling them “If it doesn’t mean that much to you, I won’t tell you.” That’s followed by “Fast Freight,” with a bit of stage banter before this track in which Steve introduces Bob Hoban. This song was written by Terry Gilkyson, and has been recorded The Kingston Trio, as well as by Eliza Gilkyson (Terry’s daughter). Steve Goodman delivers an excellent rendition, getting really immersed in the story and feel of the song. “Well, I wouldn’t give you a nickel for the bum I used to be/I work as hard now as any man in town/And I’ve got me a pretty little girl, and she thinks the world of me/My god, I’d be a fool to let her down.”

There is some more stage banter before “Byker Hill,” in which he mentions The Beatles and Bach. He performs this traditional tune basically a cappella, using his guitar as a percussion instrument, which ends up getting the audience clapping along. At the end of this track, there is more stage banter in which he talks a bit about the following song, “John Barleycorn,” another traditional number. This one is also performed a cappella, without any tapping on his guitar. It’s a captivating performance. That’s followed by a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Country Pie,” which has quite a different feel from Dylan’s original version on Nashville Skyline. Even without a band backing him, Steve’s version somehow ends up being a bit more wild and loose. Bob Hoban plays violin on this one. Steve follows that with a cover of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried,” a song I learned from Grateful Dead concert tapes when I was growing up. Steve Goodman’s version seems a bit slower at first, but I dig it. Bob Hoban provides backing vocals on this one. Then there is an excitement, and a delicious energy to the guitar at the start of “Truck Drivin’ Man,” more in line with Terry Fell’s original rendition rather than Buck Owens’ version. This is a fun rendition, featuring playful touches, particularly vocally, such as Steve’s asides, “Come here, Mabel” and “con leche.” That’s followed by another playful song, “Wonderful World Of Sex,” written by Mike Smith. The way Steve Goodman delivers the line “I sure dig sex” makes me laugh aloud every time. This track is a goofy delight. “Well, you can get love from your mama or your poppa/You can get steam from a Turkish or a sauna/You can get hot from tortillas or lasagna/But you get all three when you make it with me, baby.”

Steve Goodman gives us one hell of a medley toward the end of the album, an interesting grouping of songs. It starts with “Where Are You Going.” In the introduction, he says he wrote that one (so it’s the sole original song on the album). “It’s about the just-plain folks on Wells Street in Chicago. Aside from the cops and the freaks, I figured there were some just plain folks who deserve some time, you know, in a song. So here’s a song about the junkies on Wells Street.” In this one, he sings, “‘Where are you going, mister?’/Sings a lonesome sidewalk sister.” His work on guitar then takes us from that song to The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” Steve Goodman riffs on the line “All the lonely people” for a bit. Then the guitar work shifts as he segues into “Drifter,” a song written by Travis Edmonson. “I’m a drifter and a loner,” he sings here. And then the music becomes more powerful, tenser as he goes into “Somebody To Love,” delivering a seriously good and earnest rendition of the Jefferson Airplane song (actually, it was a Great Society song first). He then returns to “Eleanor Rigby” before the end, again digging into the line about “lonely people,” that clearly being the theme of the medley. The track is nearly twenty minutes. The album then concludes with a song by Leroy Van Dyke, “The Auctioneer,” a track that calls for a rapid delivery at moments. It’s a fun and light number to wrap things up.

CD Track List

1. You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover
2. Ballad Of Spiro Agnew
3. Bullfrog Blues
4. Fast Freight
5. Byker Hill
6. John Barleycorn
7. Country Pie
8. Mama Tried
9. Truck Drivin’ Man
10. Wonderful World Of Sex
11. Medley: Where Are You Going/Eleanor Rigby/Drifter/Somebody To Love
12. The Auctioneer

Live ’69 is scheduled to be released on April 3, 2020 through Omnivore Recordings.