Baby Please Don't Go-Tuesday's Bluesdays

I love covers.  Good covers, like Discovery's version of Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," take a classic and re-imagine it in a completely different, yet recognizable way. Bad covers (<---NO Miley! Bad Miley!) stink like hot garbage juice, yet have the staying power of a jackknifed tractor trailer on the highway. Entertaining  or cringeworthy as either may be, covers are a mainstay of any band's live performance repertoire and will be around as long as revamps, reboots, and remakes in the film industry.

One of the most covered songs in history, with evidence on both sides of the good vs. bad spectrum, is the classic Rock/Blues ballad, "Baby Please Don't Go." Originally performed by Big Joe Williams in 1935, this tune has become a mainstay in the guitar weilding community for decades.  Notable versions have been recorded by the likes of the Motor City Madman Ted Nugent, Van Morrison, The Doors, Muddy Waters, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and scores of others.  Linked are two of my favorite versions. Check out Lightning Hopkins slow this beast down acoustic style and then switch over to the ever-boisterous AC/DC for a walk on the wild side.

Bonus: Follow the link for the rest of the Rolling Stones worst covers article. Phew! I can smell them from here.

Bluesday: Otis Taylor on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert

Heyooo, it's Blueday and I'd be lying if I didn't say this was one helluva bluesday indeed.  Unwind with Otis Taylor's banjo and this bluesy edition of the NPR Tiny Desk Concert, which is a great little venue to see up n' comers and veteran's a like.  Just today I was perusing through shows of Daniel Johnston, Reggie Watts, while in the past sets of The Tallest Man on the Earth and Dr. Dog have whittled away many a afternoon.

Stick around through Otis' long set till the second song at least. He really starts warming up the banjo around the 6 minute mark. Plus, this guy looks like a black and beardy John C. Reilly, so I mean, I'm sold.

Otis Taylor and John C. Reilly: Separated at birth

Blu's Day: Nod your head, it's Blu & Exile in your ears

To try and follow up an album like "Blind Joe Death" with anything in the same genre just wouldn't work, because well...it's so good. The only option, as I can see it, is to get a leeetle bit out of the box. Thus, I give you one of my underground hip-hop personal favorites, Blu & Exile.

Left coast rapper/producer team, Blu & Exile, came onto the scene in 2007 with their out of this world debut collaboration, "Below the Heavens (<------full stream linked).  Blu raps over Exile's homemade beats and the team puts out an atmospheric first effort.  Nostalgic of the powerhouses in the Native Tongues movement, Below the Heaven's is the 90's revival hip-hop heads begged for for years.

Blu's lyricisms RUN. THIS. JOINT. He spits about everyday things like empty pockets, bumming drinks and cutting out on good times when the mic calls or the studio's free.  The whole album's introspective without being indulgent or isolating, a rare feat that solidifies it's status as a slept-on underground hit. Look at his flow on the opening track "My World Is"...  

"I don't pack stadiums yet, I still rock em/ and they still spell my name fucked up on they flyers, it's B-L-U/ and if you see the E, drop em/ it's like they droppin E from the beats E is droppin/ got you peeps eavesdroppin/ and the world keeps watchin him."

Don't miss out on Exile's flavor holding this album together. His fade outs and patience with the samples are a thing of beauty.  
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On the fourth, Blu & Ex released a re-issue of their long awaited follow-up album "Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them."  A previously leaked version of G.M.M.F.W.I.C.S.S.T. suffered from poor sound quality and a couple klunkers so the guys went back and gave the record a second polish.

I caught some of the tracks when the album leaked in December; they didn't stick. This release is much better.  While Blu's lyrics starred on Below the Heavens, Give Me My Flowers is where Exile really comes alive.  The beats are weird, samples are everywhere and seamlessly layered over the laid back style that the duo has cultivated in the 5 years since we've seen them.  Don't buy it? Pop on "Good Morning Neighbor." Yeah, that's Mister Rogers getting dopified, BANG.  Stick around for Fashawn's verse on "Everybody Nose" (probably the best cut of the bunch) and get funky with the horns on "Money."

While it's more than worth a couple laps around a turntable, the album ultimately falls into the traps a lot of sophomore records come across; success and over expectation. The talent's still there. Clever raps are littered all over and Exile works the beats left and right but something falls just short.

It's hard to have an sleeper hit when everyone's waiting for the next tour and scouring blogs for any new material that pops it's head above water.  "Give Me My Flowers" swung for the fences and fell just shy.  With substance that goes miles and beyond the top 40 charts and style that's overflowing out the ears, I think B&E pushed the arsty envelope a little too hard on this one. 

No matter what it's issues are G.M.M.F.W.I.C.S.S.T. is not the last we'll hear of this pair. While Blu & Exile don't put out the clubbangers or boast raps and their style's unassuming compared to most mainstream artists, these two are always on point.  Get lost in a set of earbuds on the T or a burnt copy waiting in rush hour traffic and absolutely stay tuned for the B&E third installment; it has the potential to blow the world apart.

Bluesday Album: The Legend of Blind Joe Death

Wow, John Fahey's The Legend of Blind Joe Death. What can be said. This is the album that the weekly Bluesday update was made for and is something I've been building up to since we started. I only hope I can do this album half the justice and service it's done me over the years because I'm not sure if I have the words for it. A friend passed a couple of these tracks to me via AIM over 6 years ago and I can't think of a situation Joe Death hasn't made better since. Hookup, breakup, bus ride, plane ride, train ride, homework, papers, finals, the best parts of life and worst of everything else; John Fahey and his fictional mentor/master "Joe Death" have been with me through it all.

The stats: 1959, John Fahey self-releases a limited, 100 run, pressing of his debut semi-concept album "Blind Joe Death."  It's a '78 of solo steel string acoustic fingerpicking and nothing else. It makes no buzz in record stores and is contrary to contemporary pop music in a country that is just making the move from the roots of R&B to Rock and Roll. It's not marketed, not popular and doesn't make a blip on anything resembling charts.

Somehow "Blind Joe Death" picks up buzz. Fahey rereleases the album with bonus tracks and nearly a decade later in 1967 the little record that could makes it's way into the second Rolling Stone Record Guide. Flash forward to April 6th of last year and the original "indie" album is added to the United States Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" piece of work. The American Dream.

Not much more to be said. Told in 6 strings and ten fingers, there are ups, there are downs and almost unbelievably there's a narrative. Follow John Fahey as he moves from the slow, deliberate picks and bends of the opener, "On Doing Evil Deeds Blues" to tapping your toes along to the jaunty beat of "Poor Boy Long Way From Home."  It's smoother than gravy dipped in melted butter. Blind Joe Death" made a mark that it never should have and there's nothing better for a Blue Tuesday.

Please, please, please take a break and stream what I could find of the album on grooveshark.   Better yet, snag a copy from a friend or buy one where ever you can find it. "Blind Joe Death" will blow you away if you give it a chance. Give it a chance.

Bluesday-Left Lane Cruiser & Juke Joint Pimps

Blues thrive in the South...this is a given.  Born, raised, battered, fried and topped with smoky BBQ; the blues belong in the South, just like gators drunk on moonshine. That being said, everyone gets the blues and this week's bluesday tunes prove it.  Coming out of Germany and Indiana, the Juke Joint Pimps and Left Lane Cruiser get after it with their own brand of modern and aggressive blues.  These two bands throw down hard. I don't know how they did it but the sounds coming outta their amps are dirty and gas powered. Enjoy.

Belated Bluesday

Good morning to all you beautiful bluesberries of the blogosphere, I'm back in action. A weekend enjoying some beach and gearing up for the moving hell day of September first has had me off my game a little bit, but rest assured there's goodness to come.

This week's Bluesday comes from the great Mississippi John Hurt, a true legend.  "The Ballad of Stagger Lee" is a long and guitar-heavy story, perfect for those midweek blues or a lingering case of weekend bluesballs. Check out the past editions of Bluesday for an emerging playlist of stick-to-your-ribs-and-get-you-through-the-day American music featuring Seasick Steve, Cab Calloway, and Lightning Hopkins.

Keep an eye for a new weekly segment I'll be starting in September tentatively called 'Boston on a Budget,' where I'll spouting off on some of the weekly deals and freebies featured around the hub for those who like to ball out every now and again but don't wanna break the bank.  Check back also for Jon's continuing take on the Gonzo-Beckett-Crawford-Punto trade; will it work or are the Sox in for another troubling year under Bobby V? 

Oh and we're only 1,110 views away from breaking the10,000 barrier; which is Nice!

Bluesday

This edition of Bluesday comes a little bit belated but let's get into it anyway.  If you let this track work it's magic, Lightning Hopkins' Gin Bottle Blues will sink in right down to your marrow and sit there till the next rough Saturday morning.

Tuesday Bluesday

Back again for another bluesday and what a Tuesday it is. We got a fair number of views from the last bluesday featuring Seasick Steve, so get ready for some soulful throwbacks in the coming weeks.  First of all, get down with this clip from the classic film, "The Blues Brothers."  I just love that jaunty brass slide that says, wherever she is, Minnie's a low down lady and likes it that way.  I can dig.

Next, round out the day with some new music from the Vancouver based Japandroids.  Their new album is great, their old ep is great, the new single is heavy/catchy with a music video showcasing the glamour of Allston. Partially filmed on a recent tour stop at Brighton Music Hall, snippets of Allston's signature lack of charm shine through the video. Brighton ave's own Tavern in the Square (hereafter referred to as TITS) makes a cameo appearance with a denizen of the Allston weekend scene.

Reader Poll:  I live a couple blocks from TITS so my roommates and I end up there all the time, but I couldn't tell you what the draw of the place is. What keeps you coming back?