Friday, September 26

Jeffrey Dean Foster - Rarities Collection

studio and live tracks
web streams (various sources)

Jeffrey Dean Foster: a name to know for quality rock, Americana, singer-songwriter

Jeffrey Dean Foster is a Winston-Salem, N.C. musician known for his work in The Right Profile, The Carneys and The Pinetops. Now, he's becoming known as a talented solo artist. His new album, The Arrow -- recorded with Mitch Easter and Don Dixon -- is coming in November (see below). This rarities collection is in two parts: Part 1 contains the unreleased EP by The Carneys, 1000 Nights and Counting (excellent roots rock, well-played) plus a similar-sounding solo track; Part 2 features a much more mellow live set by Jeffrey, in solo singer-songwriter mode, at a Chapel Hill club in 2012. The live set is an audience recording.

Sound quality: variable (VG- to VG+)

THANK YOU to The Carneys, JDF, Jesse Knight, and Will Safrit for sharing.

The Carneys: 9:30 Club show, 1980s
The Carneys
1,000 Nights and Counting
unreleased EP, rec. 1989
01 Gonna Be Tough
02 Arithmetic Baby
03 The Bells
04 Heaven Bound
05 Independence Clowns
06 Brand New Car
 
07 When You Break (unreleased JDF studio track)

Jeffrey Dean Foster Live
The Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
Sept. 28, 2012
Recording the new album at Mitch's studio
Mary k. elkins photo
08 Out of the Blue
09 Jigsaw Man*
10 Summer of the Son of Sam
11 Milk and Honey
12 Witchita Lineman (cover)
13 Morningside*
14 Break Her Heart
15 So Lonesome I Could Fly
 
16 This Land Is Your Land
    (live, undated)
17 Widow's Peak
    (The Pinetops, live 1998)
 
*9 & 13 will appear on the new album

MP3@256

This solo album appeared in 2011
New album The Arrow 
 arrives in November. 
Music compadré Fred Mills has heard it, and says: 
"This is the kind of record that can literally stop you in your tracks it’s so good.... I guarantee it will be on my best-of 2014 list come December."
     
Sample it HERE and HERE
Buy it HERE or HERE
Read about it HERE & HERE
 


Learn more about the music of Jeffrey Dean Foster at his web site or FB page


Friday, September 19

R. E. M. - Murmuring Demos & Alts.

CLASSIC ALBUMS REVISITED

Murmuring Demos & Alts.
1981-1983
(the debut album in demos & alternate mixes)

Artwork included in the download; make yer own boot!
 (thanks to REMchout for the original image)

various sources (all lossless: the best available)

sound quality: variable (VG to Ex-)

SAMPLE: "Shaking Through (demo 1982)"


The rare 1981 'Cassette Set'
one of the sources for this collection
(thank you, Analog Loyalist)
01 Radio Free Europe (cassette set)
02 Pilgrimage (live debut, 1982)
03 Laughing (demo 1982)
04 Talk About the Passion (alt. mix)
05 Moral Kiosk (alt. mix)
06 Perfect Circle (alt. mix)
07 Catapult (the hated Hague demo!)
08 Sitting Still (cassette set)
09 9-9 (alt. mix)
10 Shaking Through (demo 1981 or '82)
11 We Walk (alt. mix)
12 West of the Fields (alt. mix)
13 Ages of You (demo 1981 or '82)
14 There She Goes Again  
      (studio run-through)
15 studio chatter
16 That Beat (studio run-through)
17 Radio Free Europe Dub (cassette set)

First 12 tracks are sequenced to match the album

TT: 58:18

WAV lossless files
  
MP3@320
  
Bill's out front -- for once!
ROB SEZ: Long-time coming, this one. Took lots of hunting for best-quality sources, musical puzzle work, tweaking tracks in Audacity, etc. But I'm pleased with how it turned out. Some of the "alt. mixes" don't sound radically different from the released masters, but it's fun to listen for the subtle variations. Others sound quite different. Couldn't resist using the much-reviled Stephen Hague demo for "Catapult" (not nearly as awful as the band would have you believe). Also had to use the live debut of "Pilgrimage" because the song's first studio demo (Mitch & Don Dixon's audition to produce Murmur) turned out so well, it became the master for the album. Don't miss the bonus tracks, featuring some of my favorite rarities from this era.

used this one, too
TRACK NOTES:
1, 8, 17 = Cassette Set tracks, rec. April 1981 by Mitch Easter (no Hibbert overdubs, no remixes). Thanks to Chris H. & Analog Loyalist for sharing.
2 = Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA (WFRG-FM broadcast) 1982-05-14, from Red Robin boot CD Radio Free Georgia
3, 10, 13 = The Essential Demos, Vol. 1 boot CD
4-7, 9, 11, 12, 14-16 = from Murmur Rough Mixes & Demos collection, thought to be early monitor/guide mixes, created in early 1983 prior to final mixing & mastering of the album. Thanks to JEMS and Mike Ziegler; thanks also to Analog Loyalist for his re-worked versions, shared here.

In case you missed it:
R. E. M.'s Chronic Town EP -
'Revisited' in demo form - is HERE
  

Friday, September 12

Alex Chilton Tribute - Memphis, TN 2010 (FM)


One of many tributes for LX
Various Artists

Levitt Shell

Memphis, TN

May 15, 2010

 

L-R: Jody Stephens, Jon Auer, Amy Speace, Ken Stringfellow at LX tribute May 15, 2010
remarkable photos by Breathless Conni 
 *cheers to Conni for permission to use these here*
satellite radio broadcast (sound quality Ex-)

BUNCH O' THANKS to the taper and sharer 

SAMPLE: "Ballad of El Goodo (2010)"


complete hi-res artwork HERE
BIG THANKS TO RHETT for the updated artwork
01 Introduction
02 Back of a Car** (Jon Auer)
03 I Am The Cosmos (Jon)
04 Way Out West (Jody Stephens)
05 Mod Lang (Van Duren)
06 Daisy Glaze (Ken Stringfellow)
07 Jesus Christ (Mike Mills)
08 For You
    (Jody w/Jimmy Stephens on bass)
09 Give Me Another Chance
    (Amy Speace, Jon & Ken)
10 Lady Sweet
    (Jon w/Rick Steff on accordion)
11 I'm In Love With A Girl (Sondre Lerche)
12 Introduction
13 The Ballad of El Goodo (Sondre)
14 Thirteen (Jon)
Mike Mills, one of many who sang
15 Feel (Ken)
16 Thank You Friends (Mike)
17 Nighttime (Susan Marshall Powell)
18 Try Again (Amy, Jon & Ken)
19 O My Soul (Brendan Benson)
20 September Gurls (Brendan)
  
ENCORES:
21 Take Care (Ken & Jon)
22 A Whole New Thing ("anyone and everyone")

**NOTE: this set lacks "In the Street," "Don't Lie to Me" & "When My Baby's Beside Me", all of which were released on vinyl and digital download by Ardent Music.  (They would follow Track 2 if they appeared here.)  Go buy these tracks to assemble the complete show!
  
ROB SEZ: I know, I know — you've seen stuff like this here before. But this one has amazing sound from a satellite radio broadcast. Plus, many of the performances are heart-felt and intense, occurring just weeks after Alex's death on March 17.
 
MP3@320

TT: 1:23:59 


uploader's note:
Many thanks to my friend Chris up at Blissland Studios for making this recording, and its excellent edit possible.

Musicians (core band):
Jon Auer - guitar, vocals
Ken Stringfellow - bass, vocals
Jody Stephens - drums, vocals


Chris Stamey & Co. are still staging 
Big Star Third Live performances.
More info HERE.
    

Friday, September 5

Don Dixon - Bottom Line, NYC 1989 (sbd)

DD & friends
The Bottom Line
New York, NY
July 18, 1989

featuring The Uptown Horns

soundboard recording (quality Ex-)

NOTE: the first track is not indicative of what the rest of the show is like; ENJOY!

Don looks like this when he sings so he can make that soulful sound...
01 EEE
02 Cat Out of the Bag
03 Bad Reputation (dB’s cover / P. Holsapple tune)
04 The Dark End of the Street
DD & Marti Jones: still making
great music today
05 Sweet Surrender
06 Roots of Truth
07 Calling Out for Love (at Crying Time)
08 Oh Cheap Chatter
09 Girls L.T.D.
10 The Real One (Marti lead vocal)
11 Helen
12 Love Gets Strange
13 Silent Scream
14 I Can Hear the River
15 band intros
16 Gimme Little Sign
17 Praying Mantis - Louie Louie

TT: 1:11:55

More info about who wrote the songs, etc., can be found in the music file comment tags.

BIG THANKS to lilpanda for sharing this one. He’s often trying to turn people on to Don’s music, which is a cool thing to do...
Don & Marti: way back when. Making music on the porch in N.C...
photo by Harvey Wang  SEE WHAT DD & MJ are up to at their FB page


Musicians:
Don Dixon – vocals, bass
Jamie Hoover – guitar, vocals
Marti Jones – guitar, vocals
Jim Brock – drums, percussion
Denny Fongheiser – drums, percussion

The Uptown Horns:
Bob Funk - trombone
Paul Litterall – trumpet & flugelhorn
Arno Hecht – tenor sax
Crispin Cioe – alto & baritone sax



Learn more about the music of
Don Dixon (& Marti) at Don's web site
Don's latest musical project is BVD (Brooke Vitale Dixon), 
a power rock trio that just issued a self-titled album.