Looking Bright For The Truckers "I kind of like the way a song sounds when everyone's struggling to learn it more than the take when it's all polished. Sometimes there's more raw inspiration in those early takes." --Patterson Hood Jeff Vrabel, Savannah, Ga. First things first: the Drive-By Truckers' seventh record, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," which came out in January via New West, is extremely long. Nineteen tracks long. Can't-burn-two-seconds-more-on-the-CD long. Long enough that Patterson Hood says it would have probably been a double album if the record company had been remotely OK with it. "It seems like it's telling a story," said Hood, "It's really not. It's more like it's implying one." Read the rest of the article here: http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/art...t_id=1003710278

Nothing the matter with those songs but he was also blues wailing with the Bluesbreakers, the Yardbirds and Cream.

I cut my rock n' roll teeth on one of their early live albums via 8-track way back when. I also remember Martha Quinn playing one of their old songs on MTV Classic by referring to Jim Dandy as a cross between Jethro Bodine and David Lee Roth. + =

I'm not sure how rare this is as I've seen it on several budget priced packages boasting the presence of Page, Beck and Clapton, one of which was labeled White Boy Blues. A portion of his brief tenure with Tull can be seen during the Stones movie Rock n' Roll Circus.

I like it too but the hardcore Ryan fans raked it over the coals, preferring the live versions of the songs to the studio versions. In fact, they assembled a live album of Easy Tiger songs that got circulated in trading circles and on the Ryan Adams Archive site. I must say I prefer the original version of These Girls which went by the title of Hey There, Mrs. Lovely that dates back to the Heartbreaker tour.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Drive-By Truckers are back on the road again and brought one of the most deeply probing and incendiary live rock shows out there to the Avalon in Hollywood on Tuesday night. The Georgia-based band just released its eighth album, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" (New West), and a good part of the 105-minute performance featured the new material, though the group worked in crowd favorites from various past releases. Initially, the set was slow-burn, leading off with the melancholy "Wife Beater," dating back to their 1998 debut "Gangstabilly." Bandleader-guitarists Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley traded off lead vocal spots on songs with bassist Shonna Tucker, who's holding her own as a singer-songwriter in the wake of Jason Isbell's departure for solo pastures. With founding member John Neff now returning to the fold on squealing pedal steel and a third biting electric guitar and music legend Spooner Oldham (of Muscle Shoals studio fame, like Hood's father David) on keyboards, the group was lyrical and fierce, unleashing tales of America fueled by fret firepower. The band truly began to blaze with a reworked "Puttin' People on the Moon," the tribal tom-toms of drummer Brad Morgan driving a harrowing look at small-town unemployment struggles, a wife's cancer and one lyric changed from "Reagan in the White House" to Bush. That's what the Truckers are all about: real songs about real people that the current for-the-rich-only administration has ignored as those lives go further down the social toilet. Where Hood often is the band's storyteller-poet and balladeer, Cooley has a rocker's heart, cutting loose for songs that included the swaggering "Marry Me" and spun some tales himself, like the saloon country of the new "Self-Destructive Zone." There was the off-center profile of "Bob," who never married but isn't "light in the loafers" and takes care of his mama; a wired version of "Sinkhole" from 2003's "Decoration Day"; and the epic "Lookout Mountain" off 2004's "The Dirty South." While the touchstones could be spotted -- lots of Neil Young and Crazy Horse-styled din-and-grind and Stonesy rockin' -- ultimately it's still a sound that's all the Truckers' own, both rich and raggedly powerful. Tipping their hat to another inspiration, the band returned for an encore of "Buttholeville," from their debut, shifting into a blistering version of Bruce Springsteen's paranoia-drenched "State Trooper." In a world of real justice, the Drive-By Truckers would at least be headlining a Gibson Amphitheatre-size venue. But calculated pandering rules the mainstream, and this brilliant rough-'n'-tumble outfit bravely travels the alternate highways as perhaps the best rock band in America right now. The bill also featured the Truckers' longtime buds North Mississippi Allstars and the Felice Brothers.

It brought concert seating to national attention and changes were made but there are still General Admission shows to this day. Local band Nantucket recorded this song about the tragedy for their Long Way To the Top album, itself a tribute to AC/DC and Bon Scott whom they had toured with prior to his passing: Fifty more through the door Let 'em in Rock and roll Twenty five push outside Gettin' hard to control Understand it's the end Tragedy Ohio Johnny was a rocker Had a ticket for a week Fifteen dollars Johnny wasn't gonna miss a thing Sally was a dreamer Made her mind up for days No matter what the price Gonna meet someone nice backstage Suddenly seemed to be no use Suddenly all hell broke lose Fifty more through the door Let 'em in Rock and roll Twenty five push outside Gettin' hard to control Understand it's the end Tragedy Ohio Billy was a sailor Had a week for a leave Seen it twenty times But he didn't mind Seeing it again Seems the promoter They was charging fifty grand Every seat was sold out All they had to do was jam Fifty more through the door Let 'em in Rock and roll Twenty five push outside Gettin' hard to control Understand it's the end Tragedy Ohio Fifty more through the door Let 'em in Rock and roll Twenty five push outside Gettin' hard to control Understand it's the end Tragedy Ohio Fifty more fifty more Tragedy Ohio Fifty more fifty more Tragedy Ohio Fifty more fifty more Tragedy Ohio Fifty more fifty more Fifty more fifty more Fifty more fifty more Fifty more fifty more

Like I've said Kiss haven't stood the test of time for me, at least not enough for me to ever purchase any CDs of old albums, yet. Back then they were perfect for me in my teenage years and seeing them in concert as one of my first ever rock shows has definitely stayed in my memory all of these years. It was a spectacle; can't say I've seen anything like it before or since, and I mean that in a good way.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/articl...t_id=1003710679 Exclusive: Clash Live DVD Due In April The Clash Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. A host of rare live Clash performance clips will be found on "The Clash Live: Revolution Rock," due on DVD April 15 via Epic/Legacy. PBS will broadcast excerpts from the film in early March, Billboard.com can reveal. Among the highlights are 1977 performances of "Capital Radio" and "What's My Name" for Granada TV, "Guns of Brixton" from the ABC show "Fridays," "The Magnificent Seven" and "This Is Radio Clash" from a 1981 visit to "The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder" and footage from the 1983 US Festival, the Clash's last gig with Mick Jones. "Revolution Rock" was produced by close Clash associate Don Letts, who contributed some of his own B-roll footage to the project. Bonus features include band interviews from 1981 from the Snyder show and NBC's "Live at Five." Here is the track list for "Revolution Rock": "Complete Control" (From "The Essential Clash") "I Fought the Law" (Jan. 1979, London Lyceum) "Police & Thieves" (Jan. 1980, Aylesbury Friars) "What's My Name" (Nov. 1977, Manchester Elizabethan Suite) "Capitol Radio One" (Nov. 1977, Manchester Elizabethan Suite) "White Riot" (April 1977, Beaconsfield Studios) "I'm So Bored With the U.S.A." (Nov. 1978, Manchester Apollo) "London's Burning" (April 1978 London Victory Park) "1977" (April 1977, Beaconsfield Studios) "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" (July 1978 Glasgow Apollo) "Tommy Gun" (1978) "Safe European Home" (July 1978, London Music Machine) "London Calling" (June 1981, New York Bonds International Casino) "Clampdown" (Feb. 1980, Lewisham Odeon) "The Guns of Brixton" (April 1980, "Fridays") "Train in Vain" (Feb. 1980, Lewisham Odeon) "This Is Radio Clash" (June 1981, "The Tomorrow Show") "The Magnificent Seven" (June 1981, "The Tomorrow Show") "Brand New Cadillac" (Feb. 1982, Tokyo Sun Plaza) "Should I Stay or Should I Go" (Oct. 1982, New York Shea Stadium) "Know Your Rights" (May 1983, US Festival) "Career Opportunities" (Oct. 1982, New York Shea Stadium)

Despite being a fan since the 70s I never saw Rush until the Roll the Bones Tour in the 90s. During one of the songs from Presto they brought out a giant bunny. Not long into the song one of it's ears broke, causing it to flop about during the song with the bunny itself being rather unbalanced. It doesn't get much more "Spinal Tap" than moments like that. Speaking of Kiss, I saw them on the Rock n' Roll Over Tour way back in the late 70s. When it came time for Peter Criss' drum stand to rise, everything worked perfectly. In fact, it was the opening band (the Raisin Band) that got booed off the stage. Knowing Gene Simmon's knack for marketing, I'm sure that was planned as well, "let's get a shitty band to open for us so we'll go over that much better".

http://www.supernaturalsuperserious.com

Millie Jefferson Jim Gates In the 70s, when I lived in Austin, Texas, some friends and I drove to San Antonio to see Frank Zappa. San Antonio is a confusing city, and we got very lost trying to find the auditorium (it didn't help that we were very stoned.) We saw a skinny little guy with wild hair walking down the street with a guitar, and we stopped and asked him for directions. "Give me a ride and I'll show you there," he said, so he hopped in and directed us to the auditorium. He got out, said "thanks" and went in. It wasn't until he came out on stage that we realized we had given Frank Zappa a ride to his own concert! Bobbye Larson Duluth, Minn. For more concert memories click here: http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/disp...8/02/08/concert

The hard-boiled detective, the femme-fatale, and the lady in red...throw in a cameo by Patterson Hood of the Drive By Truckers, and you've got yourself a homage to film-noir.

I was one of those that never got to see 'em back then but I blame that on lameass friends who didn't share my love of live music. These days I don't let a little thing like having no one to go with stand in the way of my live music fix. When the chance arose this time to see The Police I wasn't going to pass it up. Not sure I'd do it again though as $90 for seats in the nose bleed section is a bit too much. However I am glad I finally saw The Police in concert.

Why should Led Zeppelin have received any recognition at the Grammys? I could understand it if they had released an album of new material within the past year but they didn't.

Drive-By Truckers: The Hard Roads of Transition, Trust and Truth A Conversation with Frontman Patterson Hood http://magazine.playbackmag.net/playback/200802/?folio=41

Those long in the works Replacements reissues are finally here! Whether you've never pored over their tales of Upper Midwestern debauchery and desperation, or you just need to switch out your tired, beer-soaked copies for shiny new models, there's plenty for fans and new converts to dig into throughout Rhino's deluxe editions of the 'Mats' four releases for the Twin/Tone label. On April 22, Rhino will throw a ton of stuff you've never heard on the back of these classic Replacements platters. 1981's Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash gets a bunch of demos and outtakes as well as the B-side "If Only You Were Lonely", the 1982 EP Stink gets some covers, 1983's Hootenanny gets rough mixes and alternate takes, and 1984's Let It Be (Pitchfork's 29th favorite album of the 1980s) gets T. Rex and the Grass Roots covers. The reissues were overseen by producer/Replacements manager Peter Jesperson, and according to a press release, the band was involved in picking the bonus tracks. Rhino plan to do all this again later this year with similarly stuffed reissues of the band's Sire catalog, including Tim, Pleased to Meet Me, Don't Tell a Soul, and All Shook Down. In other Replacements news, All Over but the Shouting, a book about the band with contributions from Jesperson, Twin/Tone label co-founder Paul Stark, the Hold Steady's Craig Finn, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and Hüsker Dü's Bob Mould and Grant Hart, is out now on Voyageur Press. Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash: Original album: 01 Takin a Ride 02 Careless 03 Customer 04 Hangin Downtown 05 Kick Your Door Down 06 Otto 07 I Bought a Headache 08 Rattlesnake 09 I Hate Music 10 Johnny's Gonna Die 11 Shiftless When Idle 12 More Cigarettes 13 Don't Ask Why 14 Somethin to Dü 15 I'm in Trouble 16 Love You Till Friday 17 Shutup 18 Raised in the City Bonus tracks: 19 Raised in the City (live 1980 demo, previously unreleased) 20 Shutup (live 1980 demo, previously unreleased) 21 Don't Turn Me Down (live 1980 demo previously unreleased) 22 Shape Up (live 1980 demo, previously unreleased) 23 You Ain't Gotta Dance (studio demo, previously unreleased) 24 Get on the Stick (studio demo, previously unreleased) 25 Oh Baby (studio demo, previously unreleased) 26 Like You (outtake, previously unreleased) 27 Get Lost (outtake, previously unreleased) 28 A Toe Needs a Shoe (outtake, previously unreleased) 29 Customer (alternate take, previously unreleased) 30 Basement Jam (rehearsal, previously unreleased) 31 If Only You Were Lonely Stink: Original EP: 01 Kids Don't Follow 02 Fuck School 03 Stuck in the Middle 04 God Damn Job 05 White And Lazy 06 Dope Smokin Moron 07 Go 08 Gimme Noise Bonus tracks: 09 Staples in Her Stomach (outtake, previously unreleased) 10 Hey, Good Lookin' (outtake, previously unreleased) 11 (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock (outtake, previously unreleased) 12 You're Getting Married (Paul Westerberg solo home demo, previously unreleased) Hootenanny: Original album: 01 Hootenanny 02 Run It 03 Color Me Impressed 04 Willpower 05 Take Me Down to the Hospital 06 Mr. Whirly 07 Within Your Reach 08 Buck Hill 09 Lovelines 10 You Lose 11 Hayday 12 Treatment Bound Bonus tracks: 13 Lookin' for Ya 14 Junior's Got A Gun (outtake, rough mix, previously unreleased) 15 Ain't No Crime (outtake, previously unreleased) 16 Johnny Fast (outtake, rough mix, previously unreleased) 17 Treatment Bound (alternate version, previously unreleased) 18 Lovelines (alternate vocal, previously unreleased) 19 Bad Worker (Paul Westerberg solo home demo, previously unreleased) Let It Be: Original album: 01 I Will Dare 02 Favorite Thing 03 We're Comin' Out 04 Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out 05 Androgynous 06 Black Diamond 07 Unsatisfied 08 Seen Your Video 09 Gary's Got a Boner 10 Sixteen Blue 11 Answering Machine Bonus tracks: 12 20th Century Boy 13 Perfectly Lethal (outtake, previously unreleased) 14 Temptation Eyes (outtake, previously unreleased) 15 Answering Machine (Paul Westerberg solo home demo, previously unreleased) 16 Heartbeat - It's a Lovebeat (outtake, rough mix, previously unreleased) 17 Sixteen Blue (outtake, alternate vocal, previously unreleased)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The newest members of the Country Hall of Fame are Emmylou Harris, Tom T. Hall, the Statler Brothers and the late Ernest "Pop" Stoneman. Their upcoming induction was announced Tuesday in Nashville. Tammy Genovese of the Country Music Association says Harris is a revered song interpreter, while Hall is a renowned storyteller with his music. She says the Statler Brothers are America's poets and Pop Stoneman was a patriarch of country music. They will be formally inducted later this year.

I recently saw In Rainbows on sale at Best Buy for a very reasonable $8.99. As for the Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, I recently saw The Police there but am in no hurry to spend that kind of money ($90) again for seats in the upper rafters.

I agree they didn't use to get a whole lot of respect (same for "Southern Rock" in general) but all of that has changed in recent years, what with Skynyrd being inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and all. Even has half-hearted as it was, the Grammys even did a "salute" to Southern Rock a few years ago. It was yet another sign of them trying to make up for past oversights but at least they made the effort. I have all of the original Skynyrd stuff on vinyl but haven't picked up that much on CD other than the box set, the Freebird movie soundtrack, Skynyrd's First: The Complete Muscle Shoals Album and the deluxe editions of One More from the Road and Gimme Back My Bullets. Glad I haven't picked up the other "expanded" editions, especially if they're all going to get the "deluxe" treatment eventually. Oh, and for those that haven't heard it yet, I highly recommend the Drive-By Truckers' retelling of Skynyrd's tragic tale, Southern Rock Opera:

How's that? I realize remastered editions of all the albums are on the way but it's unclear at this point if they'll be in digital format only. Not to mention the box I have is a limited edition. I also got it onsale when the Turtles Music chain went out of business a few years ago. In fact, I racked up on lots of stuff since prices were lowered each day leading up to when they closed their doors (a date they wouldn't reveal). I'd also like to pick up this companion piece, a limited edition box of EPs but I've never seen it on sale for less than $100:

Yes, there is and with all due respect to Jason, that's a good thing. I do love me the sound of a sweet pedal steel.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/articl...smell_the_glove SMELL THE GLOVE Writer: Patterson Hood Two things we can all agree on: 1. We all love Michael Jackson 2. We’re all glad he’s not our uncle. I was 18 and working at a record store in Florence, Ala., in the fall of 1982 when Thriller was released. At the time, it was considered the inferior follow-up to his 1979 solo breakthrough Off The Wall. It had that weak McCartney collaboration as a first single. Then again, it also had “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” although neither of those had become ubiquitous by then. The elements were all there, but he hadn’t quite moonwalked into our collective consciousness yet. The Vincent Price thing seemed like a campy diversion, and “Human Nature” sounded like fucking Toto. Oh wait, it was fucking Toto. Then the shit hit the fan and nothing has been the same since. Thriller was the Star Wars of the music industry—it created a monster that’s hard to separate from the original work. Its artistic merits will always be weighed against the seismic cultural waves it unleashed. For the record, I consider “Billie Jean” one of the definitive singles of the entire Rock Era and a piece of pop songwriting at its best. I never really embraced the album, though. Preparing to write this piece, I went to the shelf and pulled out Off The Wall instead, and I’m really enjoying listening to it as I write. It’s an undeniably great work of pop and—post-Jackson 5—it stands as Michael’s finest hour. Patterson Hood is the co-founder of the Drive-By Truckers. Their latest release is entiteld "Brighter Than Creation's Dark."

Glad to hear you like it, it's still growing on me as well. And just to clarify (and you may already know this) but John "Sho' Nuff" Neff has played pedal steel on every DBTs album since the beginning. He also toured with them back in the early days but due to the poor acoustics of the smalll clubs and other factors (like playing in at least a dozen other Athens area bands), he had to drop out for a few years. Glad to see him back touring with the DBT and making even more contributions to their records (on both pedal steel and guitar).

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/articl...t_id=1003708240 Geffen/Ume will re-release Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Street Survivors" as a deluxe edition on March 4. The double-disc collection contains a number of unreleased gems associated with the eight-song original album. The second disc contains demo and alternate mix versions of "What's Your Name," "That Smell," "You Got That Right" and "I Never Dreamed." The reissued "Street Survivors" also includes five previously unreleased live recordings from August 1977. Lynyrd Skynyrd's sixth and final album, "Street Survivors" was first released in Oct. 17, 1977, three days before Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines died in a plane crash. -- Katie Hasty, N.Y.