Friday, January 27

Marti Jones - Washington, D.C. 2002 (with strings!)

with Elegy string quartet 
The Birchmere
Washington, D.C.
March 28, 2002


digital soundboard (quality Ex; my highest rating for a live recording)


01  instrumental --> 
Marti performing in Greensboro, N.C. in 2012
photo by fred babyflo
      (I Love the Sound of) 
      Breaking Glass
02  Keep Me In the Dark
03  Innocent Kiss
04  Once In a While
05  Any Kind of Lie
06  Always
07  Cliche
08  I'm So Lonesome 
      I Could Fly 
09  Shared Sadness
10  Lonely Is As Lonely Does
11  Lifeboat
12  Not What I Want
13  One Shade Darker
14  Whenever You're 
      On My Mind
15  Tourist Town
16  Follow You All Over the World

ROB SEZ: Two of my favorite dB's-related artists are Marti Jones and her husband, Don Dixon (the same Don Dixon who co-produced R.E.M.'s first two albums with Mitch Easter). Here's a swoon-worthy live show by Marti with a string quartet along for the ride. It's from a pristine digital soundboard source, courtesy of lilpanda — a massive fan of Marti and Don's music.
REPERCUSSION: When Marti and Don were working on Marti's first solo album Unsophisticated Time, they chose two Peter Holsapple compositions to cover: "Neverland" & "Lonely Is as Lonely Does" (a song she covers in this set also). Surf over to Marti & Don's FB page to enjoy a recent beachside photo with Marti, Dixon, Peter H. & Kim Richey.


Marti's latest album is You're Not the Bossa Me (it's excellent!)
Stream it HERE; buy it HERE

FLAC (lossless files; these are not tagged, unlike the above MP3 set...)

Learn more about the music (and artwork!) 
of Marti Jones at her & Don's FB page, AllMusic 
and Marti's art site
   
  

Tuesday, January 24

The Foreign Films - Live 2007-2013

Bill Majoros & his collaborators
Live 2007-2013
various locales & recording info  


audience + FM recordings (sound quality GD+ to VG; first batch of these are video rips with sometimes iffy sound quality, and the second set is from a podcast recorded in 2013 with much improved sound)

01 We've Become Ghosts
02 Remember to Forget
03 The Things We Love
04 The Sleepwalker
05 Distant Star
06 Another World Behind the Sun 
07 Kiss Goodnight
08 The Fall of the Summer Heart
      ('first bit')
09 Shadow and the Light
10 The DeLuxe
11 The Record Collector
12 Broken Dreamers
13 Junior Astronomer's Club

NOTES:
Tracks 1-7 = audience recordings posted in 2007 & 2008 (no other info given);
8-13 = Barber Shop Podcast, Hamilton, Ontario, CN Oct. 2013 with Bill Majoros, Kori Pop + Anna Jarvis

ROB SEZ: Here again we have an artist I would never have heard about if not for my pals at the old ASH blog. Foreign Films founder and musical leader Bill Majoros is a blazing talent who writes involved, melodic, occasionally rocking alt. pop. It's for thinking music fans who don't mind leaning in to the music — but the payoff is more than worth the effort. Bill and his collaborators live in and around Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The Foreign Films’ most recent release is a magnum opus called The Record Collector, and 3 of the 4 parts are available HERE, along with many other goodies. (Bill says a complete, deluxe edition is due this spring.) 
The Foreign Films: absolutely worth a listen.


Listen to "Empire of the Night" from The Record Collector
ASH Tuesday post #55
  

Tuesday, January 17

Phonograph - Demos & Outtakes 1995-2002

Demos & Outtakes
1995-2002
various locales & recording info
  
soundboard recordings (sound quality VG to VG++)
     
Phonograph: some of the best alt. pop you've probably never heard
SAMPLE: "Keep It Together (band demo 2000)"


01 My Oh My (outtake 2001)
PAUL CAMPBELL:  eating the mic cover, filming a video
02 I Got You (demo 2002)
03 Losing My Nerve 
      (EMI audition 2001) 
04 Some Strange Fantastical Way 
      (prev. unreleased recording 2002)
05 She's Not Out of the Picture 
      (prev. unreleased recording 2002)
06 She Knows It (demo 2000)
07 Keep It Together
      (band demo 2000) 
08 Make It All Be Different In 
     the End (demo 2002)
09 She's Not Out of the Picture 
      (demo 2001)
10 Satellite (demo 1998)
11 My Friend (demo 1996)
12 Don't Make It the Last Goodbye
      (demo 1998)
13 Waiting for the Sun (demo 2000)
14 When She Shines (band demo 1995)*
15 Now I See It All Through Your Eyes (band demo 1996)*
16 The Back Seat of My Mind (band demo 1995)*
   
Phonograph co-leaders: Terence O'Mahony & Paul Campbell (right)
TT: 53 mins.

*Final three tracks are demos for Paul Campbell's earlier band The Highliners (no relation 
to the UK psychobilly outfit of the same name). As usual, detailed recording info for each 
track can be found in the Comments file tag.

ROB SEZ: How amazing is it to live in the Internet age and be able to discover music like 
this?!? London area band Phonograph recorded Volume 1, its one & only album in 2001 — 
featuring shades of Paul McCartney, Badfinger and Beatle-esque harmonies. Bewilderingly, 
the album went unreleased until 2014 (even still, none of the usual outlets 
seem to know about it). Musical friend & blog colleague Don recommended the album, 
which led me on a treasure hunt for ROIOs to share here. Not quite an ASH Tuesday post, 
but almost...

TREMENDOUS THANKS to Paul Campbell for sharing his archives with the fans!

Phonograph's one & only album: Volume 1
*recorded in 2001 & finally released in 2014* 
Listen to every track & buy the album HERE
Learn more about the music of Phonograph at the band's FB page; read a review of the album HERE 

      

Friday, January 13

Dave Dobbyn - Revolver Studio 1994 + Best Live Comp

Live TV special
Revolver Studio
Auckland, New Zealand 
November 1994

web stream, audio rip from master video source (sound quality Ex-)

Dave Dobbyn: find out why DD is a living legend in his native New Zealand






It's good to have friends like Neil & Tim Finn 
to promote your music.
01 Bell Tower
02 Don't Hold Your Breath
03 Language
04 Loyal
05 Naked Flame (with Emma Paki) 
06 Lap of the Gods
07 It Dawned On Me
08 Rain On Fire
09 Whaling
10 Protection
11 P.C.
12 I Can't Change My Name



Musicians:
Dave Dobbyn - guitar, 
                keyboard, vocals
Dave Gent - bass
Jay Foulkes - percussion
Joel Winton - drums


special guests:
Neil Finn - guitar, keyboard, vocals 
Tim Finn - vocals, guitar, shaker
Emma Paki - vocals




WANT A SAMPLE? Play this 3-song video...

ROB SEZ: I was amazed & pleased to find a master video source to snag this, my all-time favorite ROIO for New Zealander Dave Dobbyn. Don't know Dave? Suffice it to say he's a living legend in New Zealand & Australia, for good reason. The guy has a soulful voice, high-quality song writing chops, a great sense of humor ("P.C." indeed!), and knows when to get loud & when to keep it dialed back. This set comes from a live TV special featuring Tim & Neil Finn, who produced Dave's then-current album Twist. The big promotional push that accompanied the album didn't really work to get Dave known beyond Australasia. But some Crowded House & Finn Brothers fans like me were paying attention back in the 1990s, and we caught the bug. I still play Dave's 1998 album The Islander — a perennial Top 10 Album for me. Dave is making some great music this many years later, evidenced by the more recent tracks in the live radio & TV comp below...

Think of Dave Dobbyn as New Zealand's musical Yoda
Dave Dobbyn
Best Radio & TV Sessions
1999 to 2015
various locales


FM, soundboard & web stream sources (sound quality range VG+ to Ex-)


01 Blind Man's Bend (live on P.A. Radio)
02 Loyal (love songs documentary)
03 Tell the World (live on Radio NZ 2015)
04 Angelina (live on Radio NZ 2015)
05 Kingdom Come (live on 
      Radio NZ 2015)
06 Whaling (live on Radio NZ 2015)
07 Welcome Home (live on National Anthem)
08 Beside You (live on National Anthem)
Here is your clue re: the mystery bonus set
09 Mobile Home (live on NZ One)
10 Lap of the Gods (live at 
       Roundhead 2007) 
11 Waiting (live on NZ G4)
12 Pour the Wine (live 2005)
13 Whaling (live on Rockwiz)
14 Welcome Home (live on Waitangi 
       Day with Emma Paki) 
15 mystery bonus track



Learn more about the music of Dave Dobbyn at his official site, Wikipedia and AllMusic
   

Friday, January 6

Soft Boys - Hoboken, N.J. 1980 + Live 2001-'02

Maxwell’s
Hoboken, N.J.
Sept. 6, 1980

audience recording (VG; club show, with plusses outweighing the minuses by a solid margin) 

01 Kingdom of Love
02 Out of the Picture
03 Zip Zip
04 Human Music
05 I Wanna Destroy You
06 Only the Stones Remain 
07 Leppo & the Jooves
08 Queen of Eyes
09 There's Nobody Like You
10 Underwater Moonlight
11 Insanely Jealous
12 Astronomy Domine

ROB SEZ: I purchased this recently as a silver (pressed) boot. I transferred the files losslessly, then used Audacity to tidy them up, applying fades & enough eq to remove the uncomfortable tinny-ness that first greeted my ears. To compensate for the not-quite-ideal result, I’ve added the following two live radio sessions from 2001 and 2002. I recorded, transferred, tracked, & eq’d them for your listening pleasure. (Notice the lack of track duplication with the MBE sessions, though just 19 months apart.) If you've never had the pleasure, I highly recommend reading Kimberley Rew's eyewitness account of the Soft Boys. I have a few more Soft Boys sets I can share, but some encouraging comments will be helpful if you really want 'em...

Front Man Syndrome: does Robyn ever get tired of being the only guy in the photo?

‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’ with Nic Harcourt
KCRW-FM
Robyn has company this time, thanks to the Soft Boys
Santa Monica, CA
April 9, 2001
(broadcast date)
What an amazing radio station. Thanks, KCRW...

web stream (sound quality VG+ to VG++) 

01 intro
02 Kingdom of Love
03 Old Pervert
04 My Mind Is Connected 
     to Your Dreams
05 I Wanna Destroy You
06 interview
07 Sudden Town
08 Underwater Moonlight
09 The Face of Death
10 Pulse of My Heart
11 outro

Nov. 4, 2002 (broadcast date)
[all other info same as above]

01 intro
02 Queen of Eyes
03 Unprotected Love
04 Chinese Bones
05 Seven-Winged Bat 
06 interview
07 Narcissus
08 La Cherité
09 song intro + tuning
10 If You Know Time
11 final chat


MP3@320
Sample the tasty musical madness of the Soft Boys here (1980 live clip)
Learn more about the Soft Boys' music at 
   

Tuesday, January 3

Julian Coryell - Live & Rare 1999-2011

KCRW Live Session 1999 +
'Mixed Bag' 2004

 

Live at the Mint
2011

01 Song for Cynics
02 I Feel Insane
03 Landslide
04 Trying to Get to the Bottom
05 Someday
06 I Wish I Hadn't Done 
     What I Did 
07 Control
08 I Shouldn't Have Told You
09 Going to California (live)
10 Adam & Eve
 
Note: tracks 1-8 = Live at the Mint; last two are bonus tracks


ROB SEZ: Mick, my fellow blogger & musical colleague, has a knack for finding great music I've never heard of. Julian Coryell is the son of Larry Coryell, an acclaimed jazz guitarist. Julian says he likes rock and pop as well as jazz, and has made albums reflecting his diverse interests. If you enjoy adventurous alt-pop along the lines of Jason Falkner, I recommend you check out Julian Coryell. BIG THANKS to Mick for another musical discovery and to Don at the old ASH blog.

ASH Tuesday post #54

Learn more about the music of Julian Coryell at his web site, Wikipedia and AllMusic