Month: June 2007

Ickmusic Live: Parliament Funkadelic, 1978

george clinton

A trip back to 1978, when I was all of 8 years old, buried in the snow of a northern Minnesota winter. Across the pond, George Clinton and his traveling troupe of funkateers were most likely highly enjoying themselves in Amsterdam, taking in the sights, and – no doubt – taking in all the town had to offer.

Parliament Funkadelic
December 8, 1978
Jaap Eden Halle, Amsterdam, Holland
aka Afrolicious & the Electric Pussy

DOWNLOAD

1. Intro
2. Cholly (Funk Gettin’ Ready To Roll)
3. Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucka)
4. Night Of The Thumpasaurus Peoples
5. James Wesley Jackson Monologue
6. Standing On The Verge Of Gettin’ It On
7. Mothership Connection
8. Flashlight
9. One Nation Under A Groove

Los Lobos – Be Still

A majestic Los Lobos tune. One of those songs where I picture the singer (David Hidalgo in this case) standing atop a high hill, tall green meadow grasses all around, looking over the Pacific Ocean sunset. Love the way the intro transitions into the great lyrics. Inspiring…

Los Lobos – Be Still (mp3) – from this amazing box set: El Cancionero: Mas y Mas

Be Still
(David Hidalgo/Louie Pérez)

Let the calm, calm blue waters through
Wash your soul, passing right through you
Like the smallest rose out of the hardest ground
Like a tiny hand reaching up for the sun.
Let us pray that our hearts are one
The toughest love is the strongest one
Like a crippled man fights his bitter pain
On two tired legs that hope to walk once again
Stay gold and be still.

As we grow, a river flows
Through our hearts
Finding peace wherev’r it may go

Let the pure, pure blue waters through
Don’t let the wind take ’em away from you,
like the littlest star shines in the darkest night
Like a mother’s egg brings in a new life
Stay gold and be still
Pray that we all can stay gold and be still.

Compare & Contrast: Goldie and Phish take on Uncle Pen

Goldie Hawn

Bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen” has been covered by a multitude of artists, from the Flying Burrito Brothers to Buck Owens. But had you any idea, dear reader, that fair-haired 70’s hottie Goldie Hawn sang it on her 1972 debut album? Goldie covered Dylan, Van Morrison, and Joni Mitchell on the album, among others. And she sweetly sung this Monroe classic…

Goldie Hawn – Uncle Pen (mp3) – from Goldie

Also taking on “Uncle Pen” quite frequently throughout their history was Phish. I haven’t really touched on my fondness for Phish over the brief 2.5 year history of Ickmusic, but they’ll always rank up there as a favorite. During my four years at Colorado College (88-92), they dropped in 3 times: an Earth Day ’90 afternoon show with Pike’s Peak in the background, and two killer Halloween shows in ’90 and ’91 (I was dressed as Josey Wales one year, and I completely forget the other – imagine that).

So I had a unique introduction to the boys from Phish. Over the 90’s I got to see them a bunch of times here in Arizona, Vegas, Alpine Valley, Wisc., and at Shepherds Bush Empire in London. So allow me to get a little – *sniff sniff* – nostalgic as I listen to Mike Gordon sing “Uncle Pen” as Trey plays the fiddle part with his guitar at breakneck speed.

Phish – Uncle Pen (mp3) – live, Mansfield, MA, 7-1-95.

Get Phishy on Amazon.

Watch a 1990 “Uncle Pen” on da’ Tube.

Talib Kweli’s Hot Thing

talib kweli

Talib Kweli has a new album coming soon on Warner Bros. records called Eardrum. In the late 90’s Talib and Mos Def paired up as Black Star. Since then, he’s released a number of solo albums and mixtapes.

Here’s a sneak peek at a new one from Eardrum, produced by the ubiquitous Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. I have to admit that what drew me to the tune initially was to see if Prince’s “Hot Thing” played any sort of part in it (Will.i.am being a big Prince fan). No Prince samples, but still a nice laid back fuh-low.

Talib Kweli – Hot Thing (Quicktime) | Hot Thing (Windows MP)

Check Talib out on Talib Kweli or on Amazon.

Talib’s Official Site | MySpace

Oh No! Oh My! – Drink up the Party Punch

More new music coming your way. This song by Austin band Oh No! Oh My! qualifies as a perfectly fine summer song. Their tunes, according to their MySpace write up, are “chocked full of sunshine, wit and feel good energy, which translates into lively, interactive performances that will get your head bobbing and hands clapping.”

Oh No! Oh My! – The Party Punch (mp3) – from the upcoming EP, Between the Devil and the Sea; check out their previous release on Oh No! Oh My! - Oh No! Oh My!.

Check out their Official Site and their MySpace.

Bryan Ferry’s Dylanesque

Bryan Ferry

Bryan Ferry’s new album, Dylanesque, is released tomorrow. As the title suggests, it’s Ferry’s take on 11 Bob Dylan tunes. I jumped in to take a listen, and I have to say, I like what I hear.

He goes uptempo on “Simple Twist of Fate” – and succeeds. He also covers one of my favorite later era Dylan tunes: Time Out of Mind‘s “Make You Feel My Love”. Tie me up and flog me if you wish, but I still think Garth Brooks has the best version of this song. It’s the sweet n’ sugary side of me I guess (the side of me that sings along to “The Rose” when I hear it).

The whole album is streaming at Spinner.com. Go on over and take a listen. And you can taste a couple of tracks here too…

Bryan Ferry – Positively 4th Street (Windows streaming) | Positively 4th Street (Real streaming)

Bryan’s Official Site.

Buy Dylanesque…

Sample the entire album on Spinner.com.

Ford Pier goes Organ Farming

Ford Pier

If you’re north of the border in Toronto or Vancouver, you may be familiar with Ford Pier. Ford plays a variety of instruments, and has played with a load of different bands up in Canada…the Hard Rubber Orchestra, the Buttless Chaps (yes!), the Sadies, the Rheostatics, and many others. He was actually a member of Vancouver punk legends D.O.A. in one of their incarnations in the 90’s.

I got a hold of Ford’s new EP, Organ Farming. While he plays most everything you hear by himself, also playing on the EP are members of Fembots, the Weakerthans, and the Ron Sexsmith Band.

This EP was released electronically on June 5th. Later this year, he’ll release a full length album entitled Adventurism.

Take a listen to Ford’s punk-indie blend.

Ford Pier – Maybe It Came At the Wrong Time (mp3) – from Organ Farming (Six Shooter Records)

Ford Pier’s MySpace