It's a damn Spectacle!

TAE

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My very distant cousin Elvis has put together some damn fine musical jams with his Spectacle series...

Just though I should try and promote him here...Us Costello's gotta stick together.

 
Elvis Costello.............I always thought a totally overated man and overated by other 'punk' type musicians.
 
Elvis Costello.............I always thought a totally overated man and overated by other 'punk' type musicians.
I thought he was a weirdo when he first emerged back in the day ...then again I wasn't all that much into punk....but.... I've come to really appreciate his gifts of lyrics and singing..IMO he's brilliant and I love a ton of his stuff starting with Veronica and I'm kinda fond of his main squeeze too! Spectacle is really more about the artist he brings to the table and again IMO a fantastic series.
 
Veronica is the only song I like of his. There's just nothing I care for in his music. I have him with the Brodsky Quartet, and can't even watch it.

He does like Lucinda Williams a lot. I've always had better seats than him. One night he played a few songs with her. It was uninspiring. But, Lucinda is truly a humble artist. She's just shocked that anyone likes her music.
 
I thought he was a weirdo when he first emerged back in the day ...then again I wasn't all that much into punk....but.... I've come to really appreciate his gifts of lyrics and singing..IMO he's brilliant and I love a ton of his stuff starting with Veronica and I'm kinda fond of his main squeeze too! Spectacle is really more about the artist he brings to the table and again IMO a fantastic series.
Geldorf was always talking him up but nobody else got it. But then as a musician look at Geldorf. I always remember watching Live Aid (crap) and he burst out ..."The Rats were the best band of the day!".....I rolled on the floor laughing.
 
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LOL it's interesting how these threads go sometimes. I learn a lot about myself and you knuckleheads. What is "good" is a subjective thing.
BTW George (Snowman) you've done some great work in your signature link.
Orson do you have some links to your music?

I digress... So this thread was about Elvis series Spectacle where he interviews and plays with musical friends and gotta say it is a damn cool series...

But down the rabbit hole we go..Snowman mentioned Lucinda Williams who I had heard of and heard a few tunes back when but his mention of her had me checking her out.. Oh yeah she's a great one....then those damn thumbnail videos to the side start tempting you to click on them ...click on Nancy Griffith watch a couple oh yeah I like her...more thumbnails....what's this? Linda Rondstat ..."The sound of my voice"....
Well guys this is a documentary on her career... I'm just starting get through it but I'm kinda of stunned on her story and the players she was playing with ...wow!

Love or hate her she is a bad ass...

 
I remember back as a kid buying rock magazines. I was into the typical most everyone else was into, Zeppelin, Aerosmith, etc etc. But I would see some in those mags I had no idea about, Elvis Costello as an example. Yeah, I got it, the irony or whatever, nerdy guy named Elvis. Later on once exposed I could appreciate some of his stuff. Example....

Song called Everyday I write the Book. Second verse...

Chapter one we didn't really get along
Chapter two I think I fell in love with you
You said you'd stand by me in the middle of chapter three
But you were up to your old tricks in chapters four, five and six


Simple yet brilliant songwriting, imo. ymmv The reggae chick background singers do a fine job on the record, going into a sort of round singing towards the end. It would seem Costello and quite a few from the "punk" influence might need to blow their noses, though. I guess it's a punk thing?
 
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Song called Everyday I write the Book. Second verse...

Chapter one we didn't really get along
Chapter two I think I fell in love with you
You said you'd stand by me in the middle of chapter three
But you were up to your old tricks in chapters four, five and six
Yep I agree he is an excellent wordsmith.........and the runny nose thing is funny
 
LOL it's interesting how these threads go sometimes. I learn a lot about myself and you knuckleheads. What is "good" is a subjective thing.
BTW George (Snowman) you've done some great work in your signature link.
Orson do you have some links to your music?

I digress... So this thread was about Elvis series Spectacle where he interviews and plays with musical friends and gotta say it is a damn cool series...

But down the rabbit hole we go..Snowman mentioned Lucinda Williams who I had heard of and heard a few tunes back when but his mention of her had me checking her out.. Oh yeah she's a great one....then those damn thumbnail videos to the side start tempting you to click on them ...click on Nancy Griffith watch a couple oh yeah I like her...more thumbnails....what's this? Linda Rondstat ..."The sound of my voice"....
Well guys this is a documentary on her career... I'm just starting get through it but I'm kinda of stunned on her story and the players she was playing with ...wow!

Love or hate her she is a bad ass...


Keeping me on topic is almost impossible. I see one thing that points me to another and then another.

Thank You. If you want any songs please download, pass it around -


I love Linda Ronstadt. I saw her Mad Love tour. That album is basically made up of Elvis Costello tunes.

If you didn't know Nanci Griffith passed away yesterday or today, 68-years-old.

These are my two favorite Lucinda Williams songs -

This song gives me the chills.


I could play this over and over for hours.
 
...
These are my two favorite Lucinda Williams songs -
...
I could play this over and over for hours.

This is a very good song. I'm partial to Mary Chapin Carpenter's cover, which I did listen to for hours. Nearly a perfect tune, IMO.

 
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This is a very good song. I'm partial to Mary Chapin Carpenter's cover, which I did listen to for hours. Nearly a perfect tune, IMO.


A lot of people point to MCC's cover. Maybe it's because I first heard Williams original and fell in love with it, that I can't get into anyone else's version.

Lucinda is a partier, and fairly fearless in what she's willing to do on stage. She has some repertoire to choose from. She did a series of concerts in NYC where each night she'd perform a set, and then do an album in it's entirety. I went to a couple of those shows.

Some people think this sucks. But, I think it's brilliant. Because it's real, it's live and it's far from perfect. But, in it's imperfection it's brilliant. Because I don't go to a concert to hear a record. That's my obnoxious laugh close to the camera.

 
Mary Chapin Carpenter.....Look who her cousin was though.............. Harry Chapin.......now theres a man who wrote some goodies. I have only seen his songs sung on par with him by one man and he is an British comedian called Jim Davidson.

Not many can beat these for songs or even stories.



 
A lot of people point to MCC's cover. Maybe it's because I first heard Williams original and fell in love with it, that I can't get into anyone else's version.

Lucinda is a partier, and fairly fearless in what she's willing to do on stage. She has some repertoire to choose from. She did a series of concerts in NYC where each night she'd perform a set, and then do an album in it's entirety. I went to a couple of those shows.

Some people think this sucks. But, I think it's brilliant. Because it's real, it's live and it's far from perfect. But, in it's imperfection it's brilliant. Because I don't go to a concert to hear a record. That's my obnoxious laugh close to the camera.


That's a great performance. As a singer-songwriter myself, I can fully appreciate it.
 
No argument on Cat's in the cradle is a incredible work...Ya know who IMO is on par with his genius this guy ... It's not a competition but both of these cats wrote and performed some amazing tunes in their very tragically brief lives... Love me some Croce

 
Mary Chapin Carpenter.....Look who her cousin was though.............. Harry Chapin.......now theres a man who wrote some goodies. I have only seen his songs sung on par with him by one man and he is an British comedian called Jim Davidson.

Not many can beat these for songs or even stories.




SONG SPOILER AHEAD!

TAXI is one of my all-time favorites. Though I have to admit a drummer of mine kind of ruined the song for me. But, she asked like twenty times "are you sure you want to know?" I said yes, and was flabbergasted. Besides being a wonderful story song, the woman singing sends shivers down my spine. Always did. For some strange reason I could picture a Merle Oberon Wuthering Heights hill top moment, hair and dress blowing in the breeze.
Well that was killed when I found out it's the male cello player singing falsetto.

I worked in a surgical supplies warehouse in Huntington LI. It was once a theatre run by Harry Chapin. The owner of the gym next door had so many stories about Chapin. But, he said Harry was the worst driver he ever saw. The owner had mint vintage cars, and Harry would just slam into them, his attention was never on the road. So, it was no surprise when he was killed in the accident.
 
I heard him do an interview in the UK and remembered him from years before.

Next day I was travelling and a news flash come on radio saying he had been killed driving home from airport.
 
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Speaking of live performances....
These two local knuckle heads are NOT world famous..Although Frank Simes on the left is the Music director for the WHO..David Shelton, on the right...I swear I don't think I've ever heard anyone with such a magicaly cool way of playing an acoustic guitar.... Blown away from the first time I accidentally came upon him playing a small local pub.... He has a laundry list of bad ass LA local musicians that come and sit in with him...never left dissappointed...


 
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No argument on Cat's in the cradle is a incredible work...Ya know who IMO is on par with his genius this guy ... It's not a competition but both of these cats wrote and performed some amazing tunes in their very tragically brief lives... Love me some Croce



One of my favorites, and that performance in particular. Nephew (he's a fine musician, also) and I were trading off Youtubes one night. He had heard it before, but I pulled that one up, Operator. I says, "Yeah, pretty cool and awfully nice of John Lennon to sit-in." Squinting to take a better look, he's all, "Oooh, is that John Lennon?" Heh, i'm a dick. Them boys are pickin, I think on that one they or at least Croce are using place over your fingers steel picks. I've used a thumb pick at times, but never could get used to those steel finger picks.

We also discussed how references in that song are so dated, lost in translation to younger folks. Matchbook, wuzzat? The number on the match book is old and faded? Of course us older guys understand that back in the day if someone gave you their number, a chick perhaps, you'd grab a matchbook off the bar and scribble down the number. Even the whole concept of an operator, and helping to place a call. Or the unsaid understanding by the listener that he's at a payphone, which for the most part no longer exist. Frustrated, disappointed, distraught with tears in his eyes,, he finally just gives up and says "you can keep the dime". Younger folks haven't a clue the meaning. I think maybe "drop a dime" on someone is still possibly in use. But even at that, they have no idea that the term is a derivative of dropping a dime in a payphone to anonymously rat on someone.

Anyway, good song and performance. Tragic loss.
 
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