High, Live and Dirty: Wednesday, December 8th

"You can pick your teeth with a New York joint"
- Jim Morrison

1) The Shocking Blue: Acka Ragh, 1969

• Self-Titled LP: Side B, Track 3
• Instrumental, sitar spiced raga-rock

2) Noise Hounds: EP Track 1 - I Don't Mind - 2010

3) Howlin Wolf: The Red Rooster - 1961

• 2LP Set: Chester Burnett aka Howlin' Wolf

4) The Heavy: Brukpocket's Lament - 2007

• Great Vengeance and Furious Fire, Track 1

5) The Shocking Blue: Send Me A Postcard - 1968

• Self Titled LP: Side B, Track 5
• Jefferson Airplane-ish only faster, dirtier and garagey
• Robby Van Leeuwen - Lead guitar, sitar
• Mariska Veres - Lead Vocals
• Klaasje Van Der Wal - Bass Guitar
• Cornelia Van Der Beek - Drums

6) The Heavy: Set Me Free - 2007

• Great Vengeance and Furious Fire, Track 3

7) Led Zeppelin III: Since I've Been Loving You - 1970

• Moby Grape uncredited for music and lyrics from their song, Never.

8) Noise Hounds: EP Track 4, Brain Platter

The Doors: From the LP Alive She Cried, Side Two, 198

• 9) Texas Radio & the Big Beat - Copenhagen, 1968
• 10) Love Me Two Times - Copenhagen, 1968
• 11) Little Red Rooster - New York, 1970

12) Curtis Knight & the Love Lights feat. Jimi Hendrix

• Shotgun & Outro
• Recorded: Dec. 26, 1965, George's Club
  

Bonus: Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Donovan - LP: Greatest Hits

Julie Driscoll & The Brian Auger Trinity - Save Me (1969)

Brian Auger needs to be recognized as one of Britain's very finest Hammond players.  His 60s output quite literally propelled swinging London, featuring the soul pipes and strikingly fashionable, made-for-TV looks of Julie Driscoll. Auger and Driscoll, along with fellow R&B devotee, Rod Stewart had backed Long John Baldry in the talent-stuffed yet under-recorded mid-60s revue, Steampacket. 

The pair, backed by the punchy, warm Trinity (whose revolving lineup included one-time Animal Vic Briggs, and the able basswork of Dave Ambrose among others) forged the sounds of Blues, Contemporary Jazz, Soul and Folk with memorable covers of current pop numbers to create a compelling, eclectic blend of textures later deemed << fusion. >> Auger's Music from the 60s is carefully arranged and unfailingly well produced with a spacious, open sound and broad, clearly defined tracks that I cannot imagine being recreated using computers. 

The overall effect is fresh and timelessly adequate, with a few exceptions - looking over the late 60s period exclusively, some pieces could do well with a slight trim (Looking in the Eye of the World and Vauxhall to Lambeth Bridge tend to drag) while others weren't so convincingly pulled off - but the overall spirit of reverent experimentalism bolstered by the listenable immediacy of Auger's playing created a popular, tasty sound of their own - with a carefree flair sorely lacking in today's super-specialized, introverted scenes. 

Auger's B3 always sounds best on vinyl, especially when surrounded by such sympathetic, active backing. Julie's strong, clear vocals shine through the bassy rhythm section on Save Me - very few tracks have this kind of authentic bounce. The long version I played from the Auger compilation "Genesis" - combining parts 1 and 2 from the original split single - is equally a vehicle for the vocal and a showcase for Auger and the Trinity who afford themselves a bit of breathing room to explore the snappy groove. 

Julie, or Jools Driscoll, often taken as nothing more than a symbol of the trendier side of the restless 60s,  has been painted as a cool, detached, perhaps overly self-aware pillar of style without much depth or resonance but this track especially helps to disprove that superficial notion. In her defense, style is just as much of a factor in many modern music circles as authenticity and, with the emergence of a glut of relentlessly self-promoting yet subliminally indistinct indie-bands - commanding a reasonable amount of skill on your instrument is no longer a necessary asset at all and anyone who can vibrate their vocal cords calls themself a singer..

I have no shame in romanticising the past; I have an analog ear that will forever prefer the musical and production values of the 60s over today's life-sucking digital precision. The combination of the soul and backbeat of modern Black American music with hip UK style proved an explosive combo in the right hands - and, in days gone by, worthy of scraping the top of the charts: Save Me was a #1 French Hit. (For a current example of this kind of blend, I highly recommend checking out The Heavy - an authentic UK retro-soul group who put a fresh twist on this older style - acknowledging what has taken place since the 70s but refusing to compromise their musical integrity.)


Overall, Driscoll & Auger's Save Me is a more than worthy Aretha Franklin cover - her version appears on the 1967 smash hit album "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You", (the same disc that featured Respect.)  The best criticism that can be given to a cover is it has a clear reason to exist. Save Me does, taken on it's own as a British twist on Deep Soul, or as a jumping off point for supremely jammin' live performanaces such as this one. This is my kind of rhythm and blues.

High, Live and Dirty: Wednesday, December 1st

UK Singles Night!
Featuring Satanic Encounters & Fresh, Young, Blue Souls


1) John Mayall - I'm Your Witchdoctor 

• From the LP:  History of British Rock
• Released Oct. 1965
• Guitar: Eric Clapton
• Keyboard, vocals: John Mayall
• Bass: John McVie
• Drums: Hughie Flint

2) The Beauties:

•  Self-titled Debut Released June 1, 2010 - Track #3 - Devil Do

3) Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll & the Trinity - Save Me

• From the LP: Brian Auger - Genesis - Track #1
• #1 on the French Charts

4) Skip James - Devil Got My Woman

• Recorded Feb. 1931, Grafton, Wisconson

5) Fleetwood Mac - The Green Manalishi

• 7" Single - Reprise 0925
• Recorded May 15, 1970 
• #10 UK Hit
• Peter Green – guitar, vocals
• Danny Kirwan – guitar
• John McVie – bass
• Mick Fleetwood – drums

6) The Heavy: Great Vengeance and Furious Fire - Track #6 - Dignity

• Released Sept. 17, 2007 in the UK

7) Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin'

• LP: Spencer Davis' Greatest Hits
• Released Nov. 1966
• #2 UK Hit 1967

8) The Beauties: Self-titled Debut - Track #9 - Die, Die, Die

9) Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland - Side 1, Track #4 - Voodoo Chile

• Recorded May 2, 1968, Record Plant Studios, New York City
• With
• Jack Casady - Bass
• Mitch Mitchell - Drums 
• Steve Winwood - Hammond B3 Organ

High, Live and Dirty: Wednesday, November 24th

This episode featured:

• A stunning guitar solo in a song of social protest. 
• A second look at one of Canada's bluesiest duos.
• A peek into the recent blues-based, but highly progressive work of Tom Waits.
• And the first appearance of Robert Johnson on a High, Live and Dirty playlist.

Eventually I'll figure out how to post episode audio files on the blog.
Until then, check out the list.

1) Earl Hooker - Dynamite - Bea & Baby Records 106 B, 1960

2) The Pack A.D.: Funeral Mixtape, Track 1 - Blackout - Aug. 2008 

3) The Yardbirds - Mister You're A Better Man Than I - 1965
                                  LP: Jeff Beck's Early Anthology

4) Janis Joplin - One Good Man - Recorded June 25, 1969
                             Original LP: I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama

5) Tom Waits: LP: Real Gone, Side 3, Track 3 - Trampled Rose - 2004

6) The Pack A.D. - Funeral Mixtape, Track 2 - Don't Have To

7) David Clayton Thomas -
                      Self Titled LP, Side 1 Track 5, Done Somebody Wrong
                      Base Tracks Rec. 1966, Retracked with added brass 1969

8) Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Live, Track 15, Make It Rain - 2010

9 - 10) Robert Johnson
             - King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. II, Side 2, Tracks 5 & 6
             - Drunken Hearted Man & Stop Breakin' Down Blues
             - Recorded June 6, 1937

11) Stevie Ray Vaughan - Tin Pan Alley
                                           - Original LP: Couldn't Stand The Weather, 1984

12) Jimi Hendrix - She's A Fox
           From the LP: Flashback, Recorded 1966, New York.
           Actual artist is The Icemen w/ Jimi sitting in on guitar.
                
  

High, Live and Dirty: Wednesday, November 17th

Violent Guitar Sounds

1) Brian Auger - Kiko - (June 1965 - Apr 1967 (?), London)

2) Xavier Rudd: White Moth - Stargaze - 2007

3) Elmo(re) James - My Bleeding Heart- Sphere Sound 702, 1965

4) Son of Dave: Shake A Bone - Voodoo Doll - 2010

Blue Cheer: Vincebus Eruptum Side Two - Jan. 1968
5) Out of Focus
6) Parchment Farm
7) Second Time Around

8) Xavier Rudd: Dark Shades of Blue - Hope That You'll Stay - 2008

9) Jimi Hendrix: High, Live 'n Dirty - Peoples Peoples (Bleeding Heart)
     Infamous jams at the Scene Club, NY, with Jim Morrison, March 1968

10) Jimi Hendrix Experience: Boxset - Catfish
       Recorded live at Olympia Theatre, Paris, Oct. 9, 1967

11) Jimi Hendrix Experience: Boxset - Burning of the Midnight Lamp
       Recorded live in Stockholm, Sept. 5, 1967
       First time this song was performed live.

When I have the time I will post the playlists from all previous shows.