The Blasters: “Over There: Live At The Venue, London – The Complete Concert” (2024) CD Review

There were several excellent albums released on the Black Friday version of Record Store Day, and fortunately some of those records are getting CD releases too. The Blasters’ Over There: Live At The Venue, London – The Complete Concert, put out as a double LP, is one that is getting a deserved wider release on CD. It contains the concert The Blasters performed on May 21, 1982. Six songs from that show were previously released on an EP titled Over There (Live At The Venue, London), which came out in 1982 (and had the date erroneously listed as May 22nd). And another four songs were included on Testament (The Complete Slash Recordings). But this is the first time the entire show is being made available on vinyl and CD. The album’s cover is close to that of the original EP, though for some reason on the back cover Gene Taylor’s name is missing. The band is made up of Phil Alvin on vocals and guitar, Dave Alvin on lead guitar, Bill Bateman on drums, John Bazz on bass, Gene Taylor on piano, Lee Allen on tenor saxophone and Steve Berlin on baritone saxophone. This show contains a mix of covers and original songs.

The first track includes a short introduction, and the band adds, “We’re The Blasters, so we’ll play now.” And they open the show with “This Is It,” a song from the band’s 1981 self-titled album. Immediately there is a great rock and roll energy, and lines like “We’re going to have a time tonight” make it a good choice of show opener. There is some excellent stuff on both keys and guitar. This band is off to a tremendous start. “Here’s a little number from Oklahoma,” they tell the audience, introducing “Crazy Baby.” The Blasters included it on their first album, 1980’s American Music. It has a delicious drum beat, coming at us at a fast pace. “Let’s rock again,” Phil says, and things rock even more at that point, this track featuring strong stuff on guitar and a fantastic conclusion. They return to the self-titled album with “No Other Girl,” written by Dave Alvin, one of the disc’s highlights, in part because of that outstanding lead on piano. This song comes moving along with an unstoppable force.

“What Will Lucy Do?” is introduced as a “swamp blues piece.” This is a song written by Frankie Lee Simms, and it is also known as “Lucy Mae Blues.” The Blasters do a great job with it. That’s followed by “Border Radio.” “Where we come from is next to Mexico,” they tell the audience in the song’s introduction. “And Mexico has more wattage than American radio stations, so everybody calls up Mexican radio stations and requests songs.” This is another song that was included on the band’s self-titled album. It was written by Dave Alvin, and is a great song. It was also included on Mandatory: The Best Of The Blasters, a compilation that was released last year.

“I Don’t Want To” is one of the songs that was included on that original Over There EP. It comes from American Music, and was written by Dave Alvin. “They try to get me to shut my mouth/They’re watching every move I make/Telling me that I’m going to regret every stand I take/They tell me that’s what I should do/But I don’t want to.” Oh yes, this is rock and roll, the attitude, the movement, the fun. This track features some delicious work on guitar, and is over before you know it. That’s followed by a seriously cool rendition of Edwin Bruce’s “Rock Boppin’ Baby.” Before they start the song they mention that the band’s drummer is in the dark. “Put a spotlight on the cat.” This song was also included on the 1982 EP.

“Right now we’re going to turn things over to Gene Taylor here,” they tell the crowd, and the band delivers a fun rendition of Rocket Morgan’s “Tag Along,” a song The Blasters would include on the 1983 album Non Fiction. Gene is totally rocking the keys on this fast-paced rendition. Oh yes, you can feel the heat from this track coming right out of the CD player. That is followed by a high-energy rendition of “I Love You So,” a song the band included on that self-titled album. Here Phil sings, “In the morning, she’s all right/In the evening, she’s still all right,” lines that make me smile every time I listen to this track. The band jams on this one a bit at the end. They then get into the blues, giving us a cover of Slim Harpo’s “Got Love If You Want It” that includes some nice stuff on harmonica. “We can rock a while/Stop teasing me, baby.”

“Turn it over to Lee, he’ll do some of that ‘Walkin’  With Mr. Lee.’” And yeah, now we get the horn section of Lee Allen and Steve Berlin helping to deliver a wonderful rendition of “Walkin’ With Mr. Lee,” an instrumental tune that Lee Allen And His Band released on a single in the late 1950s. This track is a total delight, one of my personal favorites from this release. That’s followed by another delicious cover, “I’m Shakin’,” which was written by Rudy Toombs. The Blasters do such a great job with this song. They included it on the self-titled album. This song was also included on Live 1986, which came out in 2011. “I can’t move around and I can’t stand still/I’m so jittery.”

“Here’s a little New Orleans-type piece about Hollywood,” they tell the crowd, introducing “Hollywood Bed,” a song Dave Alvin wrote. It was included on the self-titled album, and is a ridiculously fun number, one of my favorite Blasters songs. It was also included on Mandatory: The Best Of The Blasters. This concert version features some excellent stuff on saxophone, and is a highlight of the disc. Hell, it even has a cha-cha-cha ending. That’s followed by a cover of Roy Orbison’s “Go, Go, Go,” one of the tracks that was included on the original EP. Again, there is a ton of energy here. The fun continues with “Stop The Clock,” a song written by Bob Ehret and Damon Robertson, and originally recorded by Bob Ehret.

The Blasters then deliver one of their most popular songs, “Marie, Marie,” first acknowledging how someone else had a hit with it in the UK. This song was the lead track on the band’s self-title album, and was also released as a single. It is a totally enjoyable song, and it is over way too soon. That’s followed by the title track to American Music, written by Dave Alvin, and here dedicated to Brian Setzer of The Stray Cats. “Well, it howls from the deserts/It screams from the slums/The Mississippi rollin’/To the beat of the drums/They want to hear some American music.” I love the guitar work on this track. “How the whole world digs that sound from the U.S.A.” Then Lee Allen and Steve Berlin shine on “So Long Baby Goodbye,” a song that comes from the self-titled album. This is another that moves at a good clip and is a highlight. That’s followed by a cover of “Roll ‘Em Pete,” a track that was included on the EP, and one that features some great stuff on piano and saxophone. This one rocks and pulses and seems capable of lifting the entire venue at least fifty feet into the air. There is enough energy to power a couple of major cities. Just a fantastic performance. Apparently that was the final song of the set.

But the crowd was not done with them, and The Blasters returned for an encore, which began with a cover of “High School Confidential,” the Jerry Lee Lewis song, another of the tracks included on the original EP. As you might guess, there is some exciting work on keys here. Afterward, they tell the audience they’ll do a couple more. “We’ll do a little ballad, then we’ll rock out of here.” The ballad is a sweet and excellent rendition of Otis Redding’s “These Arms Of Mine,” featuring saxophone. They then seriously rock on their cover of Little Richard’s “Keep A Knockin’.” This one was included on the EP, and features more fantastic work on saxophone. After that song, they leave the stage again, but the crowd is still hungry for more, and so out the band comes again, wrapping up the show with “Barn Burning,” a song written by Dave Alvin and included on American Music. One last rockin’ number to please the eager audience. The audience is still calling out for more at the end, but the house music soon comes on. And that’s that. One hell of a good live album.

CD Track List

1. This Is It
2. Crazy Baby
3. No Other Girl
4. What Will Lucy Do?
5. Border Radio
6. I Don’t Want To
7. Rock Boppin’ Baby
8. Tag Along
9. I Love You So
10. Got Love If You Want It
11. Walkin’ With Mr. Lee
12. I’m Shakin’
13. Hollywood Bed
14. Go, Go, Go
15. Stop The Clock
16. Marie Marie
17. American Music
18. So Long Baby Goodbye
19. Roll ‘Em Pete
20. High School Confidential
21. These Arms Of Mine
22. Keep A Knockin’
23. Barn Burning

Over There: Live At The Venue, London – The Complete Concert was released on vinyl on November 29, 2024, and is scheduled to be released on CD on December 6, 2024.

Flamin’ Groovies: “Let It Rock: Live From The San Francisco Civic Center 1980” (2024) CD Review

I hope you all enjoyed the Black Friday version of Record Store Day and got all the records on your lists. As for me, I just couldn’t do it this time. I couldn’t bear the thought of getting up early and waiting for hours outside of a store. As a result, I didn’t get much. But some of the albums are getting CD releases too, so if you, like me, slept in on Black Friday, there is still a chance to obtain the music. One such record is Let It Rock: Live From The San Francisco Civic Center 1980, a new concert album from Flamin’ Groovies that comes out on CD in early December. The album contains the band’s performance from October 26, 1980, which was part of The Western Front, a ten-day music and arts festival held in various venues in the San Francisco area. And guess what? The CD contains three bonus tracks that are not on the record, those coming from the band’s set at the Old Waldorf a couple of days earlier, also part of that festival. The band at this point was made up of Cyril Jordan on guitar and vocals, Chris Wilson on guitar and vocals, Mike Wilhelm on guitar and vocals, George Alexander on bass and vocals, and David Wright on drums. And while these guys did write a lot of original material, here they decide to focus on fun covers.

The recording includes the band’s introduction by Dirk Dirksen, who approaches the job with a certain sense of humor. “For those of you that keep yelling ‘Boring, boring,’ the next group has been called that, so you should be very happy because your group is coming up,” he jokes. He then names the band, and some folks cheer. “Obviously, you know who they are, so there is no further use for me on the stage.” The band then kicks off the set with a cover of “Never Been In Love,” delivering some delicious rock and roll. This is a song that Dave Edmunds included on his 1978 album Tracks On Wax 4. These guys do a great job with it. The energy then increases for their rendition of “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” a song written and originally recorded by Larry Williams. The first version I ever heard was that by The Beatles, and that is clearly the version that inspired the Flamin’ Groovies. The song was included on Help!, which came out in 1965, the year the Flamin’ Groovies started as a band. This is a seriously fun rendition. They stick with The Beatles then, delivering a good raw version of “Back In The U.S.S.R.,” the lead track from the White Album. In 1980, punk was hot, and this group does a great job of mixing 1960s sounds with punk vibes and attitude, this song being a perfect vehicle for such a combination.

I’ve heard (and seen) some fantastic renditions of “River Deep – Mountain High” over the years, and these guys really get into the spirit of it. The energy to the vocal delivery is perfect, taking things to the edge. The audience is clearly impressed too. It must have been something to have been there, dancing to this rendition. The Flamin’ Groovies then tackle a rock and roll classic number, Chuck Berry’s “Around And Around,” first urging folks to dance (did they really need any urging?), telling them there is a big enough dance floor. I love the way the bass is holding everything together here, as there is the feeling that things could go off the rails at any moment. The excitement of rock and roll! “We never stopped rocking,” they sing, and it’s fucking true. This band is still going like sixty years after its inception. How about that? They follow “Around And Around” with another Chuck Berry song, “Let It Rock,” and somehow this has even more energy and features some really nice stuff on guitar and another great bass line. In the song’s introduction they refer to Chuck Berry as “the king of rock and roll.” Certainly a strong argument can be made for him as king; same goes for Little Richard. Elvis Presley, as good as he was, can’t touch either of them.

The Flamin’ Groovies return to Beatles material with “A Hard Day’s Night.” These guys do such a great job with this song, recreating that sort of energy and joy of The Beatles in the first half of the 1960s. Think of all that famous live footage where the girls are screaming. This track has that kind of feel. Someone in the crowd calls out a request for “Shake Some Action,” but the band decides to follow “A Hard Day’s Night” with a rocking rendition of the blues number “Please Don’t Go,” inspired by the Them version. Here the band cuts loose, jamming on this song, and adding some vocal riffing too. “My baby’s leaving on that midnight train.” They give it a surprisingly sudden ending. They change directions then, delivering a good, and fairly faithful, rendition of The Byrds’ “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better.” That song is followed by “Paint It Black,” which has always been one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs. I love the way these guys throw themselves into it, and I love the guitar work on this track. I’ve never seen the Flamin’ Groovies in concert, but listening to this recording, I realize I’ve been missing out. There is some tuning and stage banter before the show concludes with “Juju Man,” a song written by Jim Ford and covered by Dave Edmunds, who included it on his 1977 record Get It. Before that, Brinsley Ford had recorded it for the Silver Pistol album. The Flamin’ Groovies deliver a high-energy rendition, with a wildness to the vocals.

Bonus Tracks

The disc’s final three tracks come from the show the Flamin’ Groovies did on October 24, 1980 at the Old Waldorf. I’ve heard a lot about this venue (it was mentioned in Laurie Kaye’s book, Confessions Of A Rock ‘N’ Name-Dropper, which I just finished reading), and wish I could have seen some shows there. It closed in the mid-1980s. “Here’s a little song for you,” they tell the crowd and then go into a cover of “Do I Love You,” a song that was a hit for The Ronettes. It might begin with a sweeter vibe, but don’t worry, approximately halfway through the energy increases. That’s followed by “Fall On You,” a song by fellow San Francisco group Moby Grape, who included it on their 1967 self-titled debut album. The disc concludes with “Shake Some Action,” the song that guy at the other show wanted to hear. It’s an original song, written by Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson, the only original number on the disc. “Some of the older folks might remember this one,” they say in the song’s introduction, which is funny, as that album came out only four years before this performance. But we look at time differently when we’re younger, don’t we? Four years can be a long time. Now it’s a heartbeat. Anyway, this song is a great power pop number. “It’s taken me so long/To get where I belong/Oh, but, oh, please don’t send me back that way/For I will make you pay.”

CD Track List

1. Dirk Dirksen Introduction
2. Never Been In Love
3. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
4. Back In The U.S.S.R.
5. River Deep – Mountain High
6. Around And Around
7. Let It Rock
8. A Hard Day’s Night
9. Baby Please Don’t Go
10. I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better
11. Paint It Black
12. JuJu Man
13. Do I Love You
14. Fall On You
15. Shake Some Action

Let It Rock: Live From The San Francisco Civic Center 1980 is scheduled to be released on CD on December 6, 2024.

Svetlana: “New York Holidays” (2024) Vinyl Single Review

All right, friends, Thanksgiving is safely in the past, which means it’s now okay to pull out those holiday albums and start listening to your favorite Christmas music. Before Thanksgiving, it’s just wrong, and you know it. But now is the perfect time to pick up a few new holiday records and CDs, and the first one you should grab is Svetlana’s new 7”, which is titled New York Holidays. It contains one original song and one classic number, though to my ears the original will one day be deemed a classic. Yes, it’s that good. And neither song on this record is strictly a Christmas song, but rather a winter song, so this is the perfect choice to kick off the season, no matter your beliefs or lack thereof. The record, by the way, is on clear purple vinyl, which just makes it all the more delightful.

The A side contains the original song, “All I Want,” which was written by Svetlana Shmulyian. Svetlana has a beautiful voice, one that feels like it would be completely at home in any decade, one of the reasons I think this song will become a classic. There is something timeless about it. It somehow transcends such ordinary concerns as time and place. “All I want is a kiss that’s soft and tender,” she sings, and the horn responds in a wonderfully playful way. This song was included on the 2016 Svetlana And The Delancy Five album Night At The Speakeasy. It was arranged by Wycliffe Gordon, who also plays trombone on it. The other musicians on this recording include Adrian Cunningham on woodwinds, Charlie Caranicas on trumpet, George Delancy on bass, Rob Garcia on drums, Vinny Raniolo on guitar, and Dalton Ridenhour on piano. All of them shine on this track. “In this winter city of my dreams/All I want is to find a summer solstice/In your arms that melt that winter freeze.”

The B side is the classic number “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” And while, as I mentioned, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is not really a Christmas song, it often shows up on holiday albums, always a welcome addition. It’s a great song, and I think all the absurd controversy over certain lyrics has now been ridiculed into remission, and all copies of the terrible John Legend/Kelly Clarkson travesty have been destroyed out of embarrassment and shame. Those idiots just didn’t understand the song. This rendition by Svetlana is wonderful, with a totally delicious vibe. It’s everything we want from this song. Adrian Cunningham does the male vocal part, and also plays clarinet. This song was included on the 2012 Svetlana And The Delancy Five EP titled Baby It’s Cold Outside, which was made available on CD and digitally, but not on vinyl. The other musicians on this track included Brandi Disterheft on bass, Jim Fryer on trombone, Ted Gottsegen on guitar, Steve Little on drums, and Dalton Ridenhour on piano (that piano work is one of my favorite elements of this rendition). Get your holiday season off to a great start with this record.

Track List

Side A

1. All I Want

Side B

1. Baby, It’s Cold Outside

New York Holidays is scheduled to begin shipping on December 1, 2024. It is a limited edition release, available on Svetlana’s website.

Amilia K Spicer, John Surge And The Haymakers, and The Macat Persico Band at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 11-27-24 Concert Review

The Macat Persico Band

Last night’s concert featuring Amilia K Spicer, John Surge And The Haymakers, and The Macat Persico Band, was part of another music series held at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, this one on the fourth Wednesday of each month. This venue hosts lots of great music, clearly. It was a good night to get out of my apartment anyway, as the technician from the gas company alerted me that my stove was leaking both gas and carbon monoxide. He was surprised I didn’t suffer from headaches. Anyway, he unhooked the appliance, so I won’t be cooking anything for Thanksgiving, and I headed out to catch some good music. This series is hosted by The Macat Persico Band, the only group on the bill I hadn’t seen before. They took over this series when John Surge stopped hosting. John Surge, as you likely know, now hosts his own music series down in Long Beach. But it’s great to see him closer to home.

Amilia K Spicer

Right at 8:30 p.m., Sandra Macat and Scott Persico introduced Amilia K Spicer, and mentioned that this was the final show of the year, since the fourth Wednesday of December is Christmas and the venue won’t be open. Amilia K Spicer, performing with a full band, opened her set with “Train Wreck,” easing in. This is a pretty song from her Wow And Flutter album, and was a sweet way to begin the night. It featured a nice lead on electric guitar by Zachary Ross. Amilia then picked up the energy with “Faraday Suit,” a fun number that also featured good stuff on electric guitar. Michael Starr joined the group on violin for “Fill Me Up,” the lead track from Wow And Flutter. He then delivered some gorgeous, haunting work at the beginning of the next song, “Radio Radio,” a song that also featured gorgeous vocal work. “How’s everybody doing?” Amilia asked the crowd. The audience responded enthusiastically. All right, it was a good night for everybody. How about that? The place was crowded, and I guess it was effectively a Friday night.

Amilia K. Spicer performing "Shotgun"

Amilia moved to the keyboard for “What’s The Skinny,” a totally fun song that had the crowd hooting and whistling. That kind of tune. It had a delicious groove. Christopher Allis was on drums, and Tom Felicetta was on bass. Amilia remained at the keyboard for “Windchill.” This was such a pretty song, particularly her vocal work. “Baby, it’ll be all right,” she sang. Oh yes, we need to hear that these days. She then moved back to guitar for “Little Town” That was followed by “Shotgun,” Amilia delivering a captivating performance. She wrapped up her set with “What I’m Saying,” a song that had me feeling good. “I want better things to matter.” Her set ended at 9:18 p.m.

John Surge

John Surge And The Haymakers were up next, taking the stage at 9:42. “Let’s play some music,” John said, and the band led off the set with “Ricochet,” the lead track from Your Wonderful Life. It was a delightful, high-energy start. They kept things moving with “You Don’t Know Me,” the lead track from his recent EP, Maybe You Don’t Know Me. This is one of my favorite songs from this band. It’s a lot of fun, and that’s what everyone in the room seemed to be looking for last night. There was hardly time for a breath after that song before the band went into “One Promise At A Time.” It was after that song that the band paused to tune for a moment, the first pause of the set. John took the opportunity to offer a shout-out to Amilia K. Spicer. “One Promise At A Time” comes from Your Wonderful Life, and so does the song that followed it, “You’re Really Good,” its main line being “You’re really good at making me feel bad,” while John Surge And The Haymakers are really good at making everyone in the room feel good. “So we haven’t been here in almost a year,” John told the crowd, and then said it was good to be back.

"Marisol"

“Marisol” is another fun track from the recently released EP, and the band delivered a particularly good version last night. “There’s nothing better than going to Thanksgiving with a hangover. So work on it,” John joked with the crowd after that song. Teresa Cowles added, “I’m doing my part.” They followed “Marisol” with a cover of “Christine’s Tune,” the Flying Burrito Bros. song, which last night featured some great work on pedal steel, particularly toward the end. The set also included “You’re So Right,” “Your Wonderful Life” and “Rattle Me,” maintaining a wonderful energy that the whole room enjoyed. “Happy Thanksgiving, everybody,” John said before the band began the set’s closing number, a cover of “Six Days On The Road.” This song featured excellent leads on pedal steel and guitar, and toward the end John mentioned what he was thankful for, including that he “remembered most of the words tonight.” “And I’m thankful for this great band.” So was everyone in the room. Their set ended at 10:23 p.m.

"Water"

 

Twenty minutes later The Macat Persico Band was ready to go. While they were setting up, I realized that the band’s drummer is John Palmer, whom I’d recently seen play with Lisa Finnie & Friends. One of the things that struck me about his work that night was his ability to play both drums and harmonica simultaneously (and without a harmonica holder). I also remembered his Close Encounters Of The Third Kind lunchbox. The Macat Persico Band opened with “Louisiana Girl,” a fun number to start the set, featuring a good rhythm. And John was playing both harmonica and drums right at the start. They followed that with “Sittin’ By The Fire,” which featured a passionate vocal performance from Sandra and some nice work on guitar. Scott then switched to acoustic guitar for a cover of Tyler Childers’ “Feathered Indians.” Sandra joked about being asked to talk while Scott tuned. “Any questions?” she playfully asked the crowd. The band delivered a sweet rendition of “Water,” a song Sandra also did with Sandra Macat And The Wild Cards. This song too featured some nice guitar work. They followed that with “Choices,” a pretty song, Scott delivering a great lead on acoustic guitar.

"Dust And Desperation"

Scott switched back to electric guitar for “Austin.” This is a song the band has recorded, but apparently they’re going to record a new version of it. It was one of my favorites from the set, and I was digging David Dieckmann’s bass line. That was followed by “Stairway”  and then “Blue Bird.” They closed out the set with another of my personal favorites, “Dust And Desperation.” It’s a great song, and Sandra delivered an absolutely beautiful vocal performance on it. The set ended at 11:27 p.m., but folks wanted more, calling for an encore, and the band obliged, closing out the night with a cover of Jim Shumate’s “Country Baptizing,” a fun country number that Gram Parsons And The Fallen Angels had performed. The show ended at 11:30 p.m. What a great night of music, just what I needed.

"Little Town"

"One Promise At A Time"

"Sittin' By The Fire"

"Sittin' By The Fire"

Maui Sugar Mill Saloon is located at 18389 Ventura Blvd., in Tarzana, California.