It's alive....

The strange, ever changing landscape of 2011 continues, new things arriving and old things vanishing. Opportunities knocking and the cosmos sending messages. And UPS bringing my Super Deluxe version of 'Some Girls'! First, we'll tackle the "Live in Texas '78" DVD from the Rolling Stones.

In the great touring history of the Stones, critics, fans, historians, hippies, etc tend to look at the '78 tour as one of the lesser Stones tours. With '69 and '72 tours setting such a high and groundbreaking benchmark ('73 was pretty sharp too), a letdown sooner or later had to be expected. After their masterpiece 'Exile on Main St.", the Stones' next few albums got a little bit laid back (coinciding with Keith Richards' heroin addiction) and critics and the public started taking their shots at a now seemingly bloated Rolling Stones. Now, the Stones (especially Mick Jagger) are always on top of what's happening currently in music and that, combined with the criticism they were taking, they proceeded to record an album that showed they were still on top of things and could not only hang but rule the music world. 'Some Girls' put the Stones right back on top of the game and they headed off on the road to show it off.

The "Live in Texas '78" DVD was recorded at a smallish venue in Fort Worth, Texas, in July of 1978. The DVD comes in at over 2 hours total, so we have the good fortune of seeing the entire show. They open with a quick nod to their roots with Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock" and a brisk 'All Down the Line". They were certainly sharp on this night. Relaxed but confident. After a rousing "Star Star", they kicked into the first of seven straight from 'Some Girls', plowing into 'When the Whip Comes Down' (complete with extra lyrics). For a band with a large body of work (even then), that's almost unheard of. 'Some Girls' was a bad ass record and they knew it. During Mick's rap in "Miss You", the band doesn't even bother to drop the volume like on the record; instead just storming right on through. After working up to a high energy "Respectable", the band finally gives mercy to the crowd, strolling through "Faraway Eyes", bringing the 'Some Girls' section to a close. After a great version of "Love in Vain", things pick up again with a steady "Tumbling Dice" and a rousing "Happy". I really love watching them do this back in the days when Keith and Mick would share the mic during the choruses of this song; before Mick was contractually obligated to take a hike during Keith's songs. I love Mick's surprise as Keith bails out on the first chorus, just wanting to play guitar. His enthusiasm rolls right into the 2nd Berry number of the night, "Sweet Little Sixteen". They go for the kill, finishing off with "Brown Sugar" and "Jumping Jack Flash". It appeared the band was bringing "Jack" to a finish but Keith simply refused to stop playing so everyone was treated to another minute or so. Despite the powerful finish, it was apparent the Stones saved their best punch for the 'Some Girls' tunes. Their enthusiasm for the record was very apparent. 'Some Girls' had a serious New York flavor to it; in the lyrics and in it's attitude. A healthy dose of "Here it is. Take it or leave it". Again, this show was in a small venue. But you couldn't help but still feel that New York attitude towards the show. Flat out lean and mean. No confetti, no explosions, no giant inflatable dicks, not even a horn section. No harp or horns seemed pretty apt for this show. There was certainly no blowing or sucking here...

It's ONLY rock and roll...

Just a quick drive by here. Lotsa great stuff coming from the Rolling Stones these days. First (or as far back as I'm going...), the release of a DVD from a 1978 show in Dallas. The movie was shown in select theaters around the world and is now out there for purchase. I haven't gotten a chance to spy on it yet but it'll be a part of my library soon enough. Then, comes the release of a re-mastered 'Some Girls' next Monday. As is the custom from our favorite class rock artists these days, there will be multiple versions (although they don't get too outta hand on this one); the CD, a Deluxe version with a 2nd disc of out takes (note: they did this with the re-release of 'Exile on Main Street' as well, where most are basic tracks which Don Was picked out and the band fleshed them out and added new vocals on some as well), and a SUPER Deluxe version with said CD's, a DVD, a 100 page book, a picture sleeve 45 of "Beast of Burden" (which they sez is rare...), five postcards designed for the set, a poster (also designed for the set) and a photo from a never released photo session at the time of the album's release. I've never been in a position (or was that much of a sucker) to dive in on the super-duper-you-want-how-much-for-that? versions but, never say never. IT'S SOME GIRLS!!!! I was always a Stones fan of sorts growing up ('Let It Bleed' is part of my DNA) but when 'Some Girls' came out, it was absolutely lights out. While there's many many bigger Stones fans than myself, I've never met one. Oh, and also being released is a concert CD from a legendary show in Brussels from 1973. Many say 1972 was when the Stones peaked but, you may wanna give this on a listen. More on those later So, adios for now...

Just got paid today...

Hello again, from a dark bedroom in an undisclosed location somewheres in the American southwest. I just wanted to post some pictures from the ZZ Top concert I attended at the end of September. This was my 6th time seeing the band and they never fail to please. Springing for the fan club pre-sale, I ended up with a pretty nice seat. The set list hasn't changed too much over the last decade, as they pretty much stick to the hits. The nightly Blues tune does vary from tour to tour and they do throw in a coupla surprise tunes. The stage show has been pretty stripped down too, the point being as, they're just coming to git down to bizness. While the songs pretty much stay the same, the playing is still red hot and, as you can see by the pics, these guys still dig gettin' down in da groove every night...

But Seriously folks...

Howdy, youse guys! It's a NOTIMEWARP MUSIC blog sighting! With baseball almost over, my two football teams a combined 5-9 (thank God for the Jets), no NBA, and sporadic hockey coverage, I think I gots some time to do the music thang! The playlist is coming along. Trying to decide on multiple playlists or just one big one. So much music to choose from but just putting it together! Oy vey! But it's still fun and exciting and I'm looking forward to getting it back on line for everyone to dig. And I'm still pack ratting music like crazy. New stuff coming out from Jane's Addiction, Tom Waits (who I never really got into but the new record's pretty nice), bonus tracks on a re-release of "Some Girls", has all kept me pretty busy and the ears perked up. Plus, I got about 100 Cd's from a friend who does a little wheeling and dealing so, there's alla that to catch up to also. Makes for some happy listening. Speaking of listening, the "I'm gonna listen to alla my vinyl this year" project bit the big one. I'll just keep listing stuff for the rest of the year (to officially mark how spectacularly the project failed). As you'll see below, I did a nice run of Talking Heads albums. I got turned onto the Heads with "Take Me to the River" and got my hands on a copy of 'More Songs About Buildings and Food' from the radio station I was working at at the time. I then got a copy of 'Fear of Music' (same source) when it came out and was hooked from there. But it was the crazy ass rhythms of 'Remain in Light' that made me a Heads fanatic. It's still my favorite Talking Heads album to this day. But, I'm going back to my first Heads album for a video. This is from 1978, when the album was still brand new and this song opens side 2...



Albums listened to since last post; "'77", "More Songs About Buildings and Food", "Fear of Music", "Remain in Light", "Speaking in Tongues", "Little Creatures" (Talking Heads), "My Turn to Love You" (Eddy Grant), "Confrontation" (Bob Marley). Total listened to: 158. To go: 510.

Time flies...

Hey there groovies and groovettes! Where does the time go! Seems like just a few weeks ago I was taking pictures of alla my records and telling y'all about it. Another long gap between entries and it also doesn't look like we're gonna make it through alla the albums this year. Unless, of course, I go on a non-stop 5 day listening marathon.

Well, it's been 13 months now since NOTIMEWARP RADIO went into ghost hiatus mode. Man, do I hate it. During this time, I've met some pretty hep cats on Facebook who would so appreciate the righteous grooves delivered on a daily basis by said radio station. And the music I've acquired in that time needs to be spread out there for all to hear! So, with alla that in mind, I think it's time for a comeback. The best I can do at this point, is to return to the same format I had before on Live 365. A lotta the limitations from before are still there, on both their end and on mine too but, at least getting the songs out there is doable. As time progresses, I'll keep working (stop laughing) and researching and gathering to someday present the kind of station I know needs to be out there. So, the time frame we're shootin' fer is around the enda the year, give or take a coupla few months either way. Finding time to do alla the work is hard this time of year (YOU buy a sports package and try not to get yer money's worth) but each passing day, that passion burns hotter and hotter. Follow the blog and the fan page on Facebook for updates and alla that jazz.

The ultra cool pic is from Jimmie Vaughan's show here back in June. Not the sharpest of pics but still ultra cool. Now to watch some Rolling Stones...
Albums listened to since last post; "I Robot", "Pyramid" (Alan Parsons Project), "Now and Zen" (Robert Plant), "Flowers", "Flashpoint", "Stripped" (Rolling Stones), "The Joshua Tree" (U2), "Trouble in Mind" (Mance Lipscomb), "Minute By Minute" (Doobie Brothers), "Magazine", "Bebe Le Strange", "Greatest Hits / Live" (Heart), "Before the Rain" (Lee Oskar), "No Reason to Cry" (Eric Clapton) . Total listened to: 150. To go: 438 (142 days)

Mighty musical Memorial Day weekend...

Lotsa great stuff for the ears and eyes this holiday weekend! Friday started off with a free concert by The Plateros at Ft. McDowell Community Center, just northeast of Phoenix. It'd been a coupla years since I'd seen them play. Bassist-Father-Buddha Murphy Platero has since stepped down as the band's bass player to oversee the band's business operations. Now Bronson Begay handles the bass playing duties and background vocals. The band still throws out a bunch of tasty blues and rock covers (including a ridiculous cover of ZZ Top's 'Just Got Paid', albeit via Joe Bonamassa) and mixes in some of their own stuff as well. They played a few brand new songs that showed a shift towards a funk-blues-rock direction, which should really help set them apart from a lotta blues bands out there now. It also is a bit of a relief to see them ease away from the heavy Los Lonely Boys influence that dominated their debut CD, "Hang On".

The following night, I began a project I've been meaning to get around to for some time; photgraphing my entire 12" vinyl collection. Starting around 9p Saturday, I took picture after picture until I finally reached the point of "you're not gonna get this done before sunrise" (which was only half way through) and went to bed at 4:30a. And what a great opportunity to listen to more vinyl! I usually went with whatever I just took a picture of at the time of the previous record finishing. Some of those are listed below. Anyways, more on that next time!

Albums listened to since last post; "Candy Man" (Mississippi John Hurt), "Surrealistic Pillow" (Jefferson Airplane), "Riptide" (Robert Palmer), "Strikes" (Blackfoot), "4 Way Street" (Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young), "Dog and Butterfly" (Heart), "Mike's Murder" (Joe Jackson), "Honky Dory", "Tonight" (David Bowie), "Laid Back" (Gregg Allman), "Wired" (Jeff Beck), "Sam Cooke", "Bob Dylan", "Great Moments with B.B. King", "I Robot" (Alan Parsons Project). Total listened to: 136. To go: 552 (214 days).

The Candy Man...

Hey, look! Another blog entry! With almost half the year gone (already?), I'm nowhere near half way through my albums. It's still not impossible to get through them all. Got a holiday weekend coming up! Anyways, today's video is from Mississippi John Hurt, an appearance he made on a show Pete Seger had. If there was a king of the Counrty Blues, it was Hurt. Dig on this one;



Albums listened to since last post; "Live" (Robin Trower), "Dreamboat Annie", "Little Queen" (Heart), "Ladies Invited", "Nightmares" (J. Geils Band), "The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt", "So Many Roads" (John Hammond), "Pryor Goes Foxx Hunting" (Redd Foxx & Richard Pryor), "The Cream" (John Lee Hooker), "Ralf & Florian" (Kraftwerk).Total listened to: 121. To go: 567 (228 days).