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The Feelies – World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA) – April 17, 2010
Please see my full review here.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists with Obits – First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) – April 7, 2010
Although this was a great show, admittedly I was completely exhausted afterwards and well into the next day. That’s because it was freakishly hot that day and since the church has very little ventilation to speak of and the place was packed, you do the math. It didn’t matter, though, as both Ted Leo and Obits played great sets. Ted’s set included an encore where he played THE WATERBOYS‘ “Fisherman’s Blues” and THE MISFITS‘ “Angelfuck”, the latter song backed by his band (we saw him play this one solo in December of 2008).
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks (Matador)
This disc is really growing on me. “Ativan Eyes,” “Woke Up Near Chelsea” and “One Polaroid a Day” rank up there with his best tunes.
Bill Janovitz – Exile on Main Street (Continuum, 2005)
I’ll be completely honest here. I like Exile on Main Street a lot, but I’ve always thought it to be a bit overrated. Nevertheless, I’m really enjoying reading this book. Janovitz, in addition to being BUFFALO TOM‘s singer, guitarist and main songwriter, is also a really terrific writer who’s contributed to All Music Guide and writes a blog as well. In the book, he talks about the making of the record with a musician’s ear and a record nerd’s radar for who played what on each track, how the record was recorded, et al. This is an absolute joy to read and one of my favorites in the 33 1/3 series so far.
Leatherface on Rabid in the Kennel
This is possibly my favorite Rabid in the Kennel session so far, except for maybe the TV SMITH one. I love LEATHERFACE and hearing them play songs new and old and being interviewed in this setting is a sheer delight. You can listen to it here.
Buzzcocks – Another Music in a Different Kitchen (Mute)
Initially, I was only gonna buy the reissue of A Different Kind of Tension, but in preparation for their show here next month in which they’ll play their first two albums in their entireties, I picked up the recent 2-disc reissues of the first two albums as well. Each set features the original album along with associated singles and Peel sessions recordings on disc 1 along with a plethora of mostly unreleased and live stuff on disc 2. In the case of this album, on disc 2 we get a set of demos and a live show from the Electric Circus in October 1977.
Buzzcocks – Love Bites (Mute)
Like the reissues of their 1st album_Another Music in a Different Kitchen_ and the 3rd album A Different Kind of Tension, this set features the entire album, associated singles and Peel Sessions on disc 1 along with demos and live stuff on disc 2. In this case, disc 2 also features previously unreleased demos along with a live show from the Manchester Free Trade Hall that was recorded in July of 1978.
Son House – Martin Scorcese Presents the Blues (Sony)
I picked up a bunch of blues CDs for a buck each at a porch sale last weekend and among them was this gem. This set contains 14 songs and ranges from his earliest recordings circa 1930 in Wisconsin to recordings made during his rediscovery and “comeback” period in the mid ’60s. If you’re curious about the original versions of “Preaching the Blues,” the spine-chilling “John the Revelator” and “Death Letter”, the first memorably covered by THE GUN CLUB on Fire of Love and the latter two covered by THE WHITE STRIPES, then I can’t think of a better place to start.
Cordero – Jen and Dave’s House (Moorestown, NJ) – April 10, 2010
What a difference the setting can make in the experience of a live show. When we saw Cordero last year at World Cafe Live, the band played well, but the venue’s upstairs room perhaps wasn’t as conducive for its absolutely unique blend of Latin-American music with indie-rock as this living room show was. Yes, this is actually someone’s house and they’ve been doing it for a few years now. For the last song, the small room we watched the show from even turned into an impromptu dance floor.
Obits – “I Can’t Lose” EP (Bang!)
At the show mentioned above when they opened for Ted Leo, they were selling French represses of their previous singles. Since I already had their debut single but didn’t have this one, I picked up the repress of this single, which was originally issued as a promotion for Record Store Day last year. It’s as good as their other stuff and I’m glad that I have a copy of it now.
