Levon Helm: Electric Dirt

Levon Helm & John Hiatt: the Weight (Live)

“Today, in conversation, Helm can sound worrisomely hoarse at times, but he says that his voice is now more than halfway back to what it was. And he sounds great on Dirt Farmer, which mixes up comparatively new songs, such as Steve Earle’s 1999 ”The Mountain,” with a clutch of tunes he was taught by his parents. Helm is also enjoying a Tinseltown renaissance. He made a cameo in this year’s Mark Wahlberg actioner Shooter, stealing the movie clean away from the onetime Funky Bunch overlord. Meanwhile, Helm’s old pal Tommy Lee Jones cast him in his 2005 big-screen directorial debut, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, and the pair will also appear together in next spring’s thriller In the Electric Mist. ”He plays the ghost of General John Bell Hood, Texas cavalry,” says Jones. ”He brings an air of authenticity to whatever he does.”” Clark Collis, EW

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“The opening track, a cover of the Grateful Dead’s little gem “Tennessee Jed” is a fun number that features acoustic guitars, horns and, of course, Helm’s wonderful backwoods vocals. Larry Campbell’s production works well here — as it does throughout the album — giving the song a feel that’s a little bit “Dixie Chicken”-era Little Feat, but without the L.A. gloss that somewhat distracted from Feat’s studio work.

And with “Tennessee Jed” setting the scene, we’re off on a trip through an America that might be hard to find in these days of corporate homogenization — or might not even exist at all anymore — but we’ve all known it or can feel it if we listen down into ourselves.

Helm’s take on Happy Traum’s “Golden Bird” is beautiful, stark, elegiac … and a treat for those whose only exposure to Traum has been through folk-guitar instruction books.

Lightening the mood after “Golden Bird,” is a delightful cover of Muddy Waters’ “Stuff You Gotta Watch,” that tosses away all the conventions of Chicago blues and reworks the song as a back porch sing-along complete with accordion breaks. Helm does the same thing with the album’s other Waters cover, “You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had,” that showcases Helm’s always tasty mandolin work alongside some really first-rate, understated acoustic slide guitar.

Also nice is Helm’s take on Randy Newman’s tip of the hat to New Orleans, “Kingfish.” With a horn arrangement by New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint and Helm’s crack band driving the song along, this thing is pure chicken grease … the tasty kind.

Adding a little flavor to the mix is producer Campbell’s “When I Go Away” which features some fine white gospel vocals. A simple song, but there’s a lot going on with those vocals. Catchy. One of those songs that invite you to join in on vocals … even if you can’t sing a lick.

Helm seems to spin all this out effortlessly. The songs picked for the album are all smart choices and the arrangements are masterful. The acoustic instruments never get lost in the mix, the horns are punchy and tight, and the drums are always in the pocket.

Credit has to be given to Campbell’s production. While he did an amazing job, it never screams out, “Look at me!” and remains an unobtrusive constant on which Helm can showcase what he does best.” Michael Louis Albo. Sonic Boomer

The Best Muscle Shoals Tracks by Jason Isbell

Rod Stewart: The First Cut is The Deepest

“Here, then, are 10 of my favourite records to have come out of Muscle Shoals – from soul to rock’n'roll.” Jason Isbell, The Guardian

Jim Jones Revue: Princess and the Frog

Jim Jones Revue: Princess And The Frog

I’ve seen the future of the rock…. and it rocks and it roll again.

Hound Dog: The Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller Autobiography by David Ritz

“Big Mama Thorton: Hound Dog

“Q: What was it like writing for Elvis Presley? He covered 20 of your songs, including “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog,” and another Coasters’ song, “Little Egypt.” How did Elvis get your material?
Mike Stoller: I almost didn’t hear any of his versions! (Note: Stoller is alluding to a boat disaster. He was on a cruise ship and 50 people perished in an accident. Stoller and his first wife reached shore on a lifeboat, and were met by Jerry Leiber, who brought a new set of clothes and was raving about their new hit single from a new singer named Elvis Presley. “Hound Dog” was initially written at the request of Johnny Otis, the bandleader and A&R man for Big Mama Thornton, who wanted Leiber and Stoller to listen to his acts and to see if they could write some songs for them.)

“Hound Dog,” Elvis knew the record, Big Mama’s record, because he was a student, and, in addition, his first records (pre-RCA) were on Sun records. And Sun Records did the answer version, which they were sued for by Don Robey (Peacock records owner). They did “Bear Cat” with Rufus Thomas. It was a big record on Sun.

And it was a woman’s song. Jerry wrote the lyrics for Big Mama and I think we recorded it in 1952, and it was released in early ‘53 by Big Mama and it was a big R&B hit. Segregated radio, segregated charts, etc. But Elvis heard a lounge act doing it in Las Vegas and they corrupted it so they could sing it because they were guys. They put this rabbit thing in there that wasn’t in the original ‘cause the original is Jerry’s lyric, where a woman is singing to a gigolo and this is kind of meaningless, but it still has the hostility in the line ‘You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog.’ Elvis heard them sing it. I think the group was Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys, so he recorded it the way they had done it, lyrically.”

“The legendary songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller have just written Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography with contributor David Ritz” Harvey Kubernik, Sonic Boomers

Little Willie Littlefield: Kansas City

Little Willie Littlefield: Kansas City  (Live)

“Before “Kansas City” was recorded by everyone from the Beatles to Peggy Lee, the song was first released in 1952 as “K.C. Loving” by an obscure Houston pianist named Little Willie Littlefield. The single became a regional hit in the Los Angeles area, where Littlefield was recording for Federal Records, but it would be up to Wilbert Harrison, Trini Lopez, James Brown and Hank Ballard to turn “Kansas City” into a top 25 hit on the national pop and R&B charts. Littlefield remained a fascinating, mysterious footnote to pop-music history.” Geoffrey Himes, LA Times

Fresh Interview of Marshall Chess

Etta James: I’d Rather Go Blind

“Harvey Kubernik: What was the wildest shit you ever saw in a radio station in the 1960s?

Marshall Chess: Hmmm. I’m not gonna tell you this DJ’s name, but at a station in Boston owned by a white guy. (laughs). I walked into his office, the radio was on through the speakers, he was sitting behind his desk, and all of a sudden he was squirming around, and all of a sudden this heavy black girl comes up from underneath his desk sucking his dick while he was talking to me! (laughs). That was probably the craziest thing I ever saw.” Harvey Kubernik, Sonic Boomers

Bob Dylan, interview with Bill Flanagan

Elvis Presley: Little Sister (Live at MGM Studios)

“Bill Flanagan: This Dream of You has this wonderful South of the Border feel, but at the same time, I detect echoes of Sam Cooke, the Coasters, the Brill Building, and Phil Spector. Were those records from the 50’s and 60’s important to you? Did you try to capture some of that flavor in This Dream of You?

Bob Dylan: Those fifties and sixties records were definitely important. That might have been the last great age of real music. Since then or maybe the seventies it’s all been people playing computers. Sam Cooke, the Coasters, Phil Spector, all that music was great but it didn’t exactly break into my consciousness.

Back then I was listening to Son House, Leadbelly, the Carter family, Memphis Minnie and death romance ballads. As far as songwriting, I wanted to write songs like Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson. Timeless and eternal. Only a few of those radio ballads still hold up and most of them have Doc Pomus’ hand in them. Spanish Harlem, Save the Last Dance for Me, Little Sister … a few others. Those were fantastic songs. Doc was a soulful cat. If you said there was a little bit of him in This Dream of You I would take it as a compliment.” Bill Flanagan, The Telegraph

M for Mississippi

M for Mississippi trailer

Original press release, Cat Head

You can buy this road movie-DVD/CD now

Happy Birthday to the 7-inch Single

“What was the first record you ever bought? As the 7-inch disc celebrates six decades, Jonathan Owen asks 60 celebrities for their musical memories”

Del Shannon: Run Away

“I just liked it. I just really liked it, the whole feel to it. I’m not embarrassed by it. I’ve always been a romantic, despite what some people may think.” Max Clifford, Publicist, read more from The Independent

Travis Wammack: Scratchy

Travis Wammack: Scratchy + excellent interview