Van Morrison – Too Long In Exile (1993)

Too Long in Exile is the twenty-second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. The album was produced by Morrison and draws on urban blues and soul jazz sounds, including collaborations with John Lee Hooker and Georgie Fame. Released in 1993 by Polydor Records, Too Long in Exile received positive reviews from most critics and reached number four on the UK Albums Chart.

Too Long in Exile received generally positive reviews. Rock critic Peter Paphides wrote in Melody Maker at the time, “never has one man’s regression therapy sounded this exhilarating”, while Gavin Martin from the Daily Mirror remarked that Morrison has “rediscovered his ‘earthy, elemental fire’. He is still the foremost blues auteur.” Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot found his singing “freer than ever” and most of the performances “joyful”, praising the music’s urban blues and soul-jazz sounds. Kot said the album is a “casual tour de force”, with the exception of the cover song “Moody’s Mood for Love”, which he felt would nevertheless be enjoyed by fans of Morrison’s “Moondance” (1970). In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said Morrison draws on the spiritual guidance of blues greats for the album’s best material, highlighting the collaborations with John Lee Hooker on “Gloria” and “Wasted Years”, although he lamented some aimless songs such as “In the Forest”.

In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Rob Sheffield said Too Long in Exile was the “breeziest” of Morrison’s post-1980s albums. Rolling Stone included the album in its list of the “Essential Recording of the 90’s”.

Van Morrison celebrates today  his 70th birthday !

Personnel:
Richard Cousins (bass)
Candy Dulfer (saxophone, recorder)
Geoff Dunn (drums)
Georgie Fame (organ, background vocals)
Howard Francis (keyboards)
Kevin Hayes (drums)
John Lee Hooker (vocals)
Bob Lifton (guitar)
Teena Lyle (organ, percussion, vibraphone, background vocals)
Van Morrison (guitar, vocals, harmonica, saxophone)
Paul Robinson (drums)
Jonn Savannah (organ, background vocals)
Nicky Scott (bass)
Kate St. John (saxophone)

Tracklist:
01. Too Long in Exile (Morrison) 6.18
02. Big Time Operators (Morrison) 6.03
03. Lonely Avenue (Pomus) 6.24
04. Ball and Chain (Morrison) 5.36
05. In the Forest (Morrison) 4.38
06. Till We Get the Healing Done (Morrison) 8.29
07. Gloria (Morrison) 5.19
08. Good Morning Little School Girl (Williamson) 4.07
09. Wasted Years (Morrison) 3.57
10. The Lonesome Road (Austin/Shilkret) 3.16
11. Moody’s Mood For Love (Fields/McHugh/Moody) 2.52
12. Close Enough For Jazz (Morrison) 2.39
13. Before The World Was Made (Morrison) 4.24
14. I’ll Take Care of You (Benton) 5.19
15. Instrumental/Tell Me What You Want (Morrison) 8.08

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Van Morrison

VA – Greece I Love You ! No. 2 (1977)

Music in Greece is of unbelievable diversity due to the creative Greek assimilation of different influences of the Eastern and Western cultures of Asia and Europe. Music is an important aspect of the daily Greek culture. It has a long history dating from the Antiquity, during which poetry, dancing and music were inseparable and played an important part in the ancient Greek’s everyday life. The Greek tragedy used music as one of its component elements. Then, with the fall of Ancient Greece and the evolution of the Byzantine Empire, Greece music got a more ecclesiastical approach. In the 400 years of Ottoman domination, it was influenced by the eastern sounds. It got reborn only in the 19th century with the opera compositions of Nikolaos Mantzaros (1795-1872) and Spyros Samaras (1861-1917). From that moment on, Greece produced many talented artists, including great composers to fabulous interprets. Music in Greece became an expression and a testimony of the slavery years, a weapon of opposition against the colonel authority and a way to express love, death, human fears, that accompanied the Greeks in their everyday life.

Greek folk song sees its origins coming from the time of ancient Greek poetry and music. It can be divided into two musical movements: the akritic and the klephtic. The akritic style dates from the 9th century AD and it was created to express the life and struggles of the frontier guards of the Byzantine Empire, the “akrites”. The klephtic style was born between the end of the Byzantine period and the beginning of the Greek Revolution that led to the Greek Independence in 1821. This style was created by the “kleftes”, the heroes who left to live in the mountains, leading a revolutionary action against the Ottoman tyranny. The klephtic musical style is monophonic, with second voices repeating a given rhythmical formula, without any harmonic accompaniment. It is composed by love songs, wedding songs, songs of exile, songs of freedom, death and sorrows. It expresses an important, bloody part of the history and the life of the Greeks. Musical instruments used in Greek folk songs are the lira and laouto (lute), the tambouras and gaida (bagpipe), the zournas (shawm), the daouli (drum), the dachares (tambourine), the ziyia (paired groups) and the violi (violin). (greeka.com)

And this is very nice sampler (the second in this series) with compositions of Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hatzidakis, both are one of the most important composer in Greece:

Mikis Theodorakis (1925-) He is the most famous Greek composer who wrote songs against German occupation and was an active member of the largest Greek resistance organization (EAM). He was very active during the Civil War and the years of the Greek Junta. In 1954, he went to Paris where he wrote ballet and music for films. Since he was writing about freedom and equality, he became an international symbol of Greece.

Manos Hatzidakis (or Hadjidakis) (1925-1994) He is one of the most important Greek composers, who wrote music for many ancient tragedies as well as things for the modern repertory, light and folk songs which provoked a revival of the folk music. He also created music for theatre, ballet and cinema. (greeka.com)

Like Fado music is this type of music full of magic … And everytime, when I hear these compositions I would like to travel to Greece …

Tracklist:
01. Y.Bogdanos + L. Tsitribini: I balada tou Andrikou (Theodorakis/Vanalis) 3.52
02. Y.Bogdanos: Ena to Helidoni (Theodorakis/Elytis) 3.14
03. Eleni Vitali + K.Kamenos: To Kiklamino (Theodorakis/Ritsos) 2.04
04. Y.Bogdanos: Tha simanoun i kambanes (Theodorakis/Ritsos) 2.44
05. Eleni Vitali + K.Kamenos: Avgi (Liohari – Megalohari) (Theodorakis/Ritsos) 2.05
06. Y.Bogdanos + L. Tsitribini: O Aprilis (Theodorakis/Kambanellia) 2.31
07. Alexandra: Ta pedia tou Pirea (Hadjidakis) 3.21
08. Eleni Vitali: Garifallo sto afti (Hadjidakis/Sakellarios/Yianakopolous) 3.34
09. Dimitris Xendis: Kikladitiko (Hadjidakis/Gatsos) 2.51
10. Maria Douraki: Mi ton rotas ton Ourano (Hadjidakis/Ioannidis) 3.04
11. Vassilis Roditis: Milisse mou (Hadjidakis/Gatsos) 3.01
12. Maria Douraki: Sto lavrio (Hadjidakis/Gatsos) 2.30

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The bouzouki

Joan Baez – Live At The Paléo Festival (2015)

You could write enough books to fill a bookshelf just recounting the life of this Madonna of the poor and downtrodden. She was responsible for bringing traditional English and Irish songs into fashion in the ’60s, and for introducing the politically committed voice and guitar of Bob Dylan to a wider audience, for starting a movement that created admirable links between music and politics, and for being that woman who marched alongside Martin Luther King in 1965 in the hope of gaining respect for civil rights. At the age of 74, Joan Baez hasn’t changed, her ideals haven’t rusted and she remains true to herself: full of tenderness, true to her values, ready for adventure… and songs. (Thanks to kingfrippson for sharing the show at Dime.)

Recorded live at the Paléo Festival, Nyon, Switzerland; July 25, 2015.
Very good FM broadcast. (Incomplete show, complete broadcast.)

Personnel:
Joan Baez (vocals, guitar)
Gabriel Harris (percussion)
Dirk Powell (guitar, bass, mandolin, violin, banjo, piano)
Grace Stumberg (background vocals)

Tracklist:
01. God Is God (Earle) 3.30
02. Silver Dagger (Traditional) 3.49
03. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Dylan) 4.29
04. Me And Bobby McGee (Kristofferson) 4.43
05. Chanson pour l’Auvergnat (Brassens) 4.17
06. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Traditional) 3.24
07. Joe Hill (Robinson) 3.45
08. Give Me Cornbread When I’m Hungry (Fahey) 5.11
09. The House Of The Rising Sun 4.12
10. Le temps des cerises (Clément) 3.39
11. Gracias a la vida (Parra) 5.29
Track 12. Imagine [John Lennon] 4:14 (7.1MB)
Track 13. Here’s to You [Ennio Morricone] 2:14 (3.8MB)

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Joan Baez with her son, Gabriel Harris

Humble Pie – Ramble Humble (Live In Tokyo) (1973)

When Humble Pie replaced Peter Frampton with Clem Clempson and released Smokin’ in the spring of 1972, they moved into a more commercially appealing hard rock style.  The album hit number six in the US.

With relentless touring in 1973, they also issued a double album Eat It as a follow-up.  It not only charted on Billboard, but was their most ambitious artistic statement.  A month after the album’s release they visited Japan for the only time.

Humble Pie played four shows in Osaka, Nagoya, and two in Tokyo.  The final night of the tour was on May 16th at the Shibuya Kokaido.  This recording is good to very good but is noticeably distant from the stage.  Steve Marriott’s stage banter is a bit hard to hear, but the music is loud enough.

The recording also emphasizes the lower frequencies.  At times the bass is distorted, but never to excess.

The band are introduced as the greatest rock and roll band in the world, and the show begins with “Up Our Sleeve” from the new album followed by several unique covers.  “Four Day Creep” is a cover of the Ida Cox tune which also appears on their 1971 live album Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore.

“C’mon Everybody” is a rearrangement of the Eddie Cochrane tune, played as a slow heavy blues number, and “Honky Tonk Woman” is a (somewhat) straight cover of The Rolling Stones’ song (it seemed that everyone covered that song in the early seventies).

The show takes a more interesting turn with a fascinating guitar duel with Clempson and Marriot leading into “I Believe In My Soul” and their most recognizable song “30 Days in the Hole.”  There is a lot of fun in the cover “Roadrunner.”  Even though many bands covered this song, Humble Pie’s remains the most inventive.  Stretched out almost twenty minutes, the jam and solo, throwing in pieces of “Everyday People” and other recognizable tunes.

“Hallelujah I Love Her So” is a strange rock-gospel Ray Charles cover hybrid which features “The Blackberries,” the band’s backing singers of Venetta Fields, Clydie King and Sherlie Matthews.  King’s vocals lead into the second Ray Charles cover “I Don’t Need No Doctor.”  Unlike “Hallelujah,” there is no attempt at fusion.  Rather, they give a straight hard rock interpretation to the classic.

The show closes with “Hot N Tasty” from Smokin’, a song that best utilizes the gospel singers, and “Oh La De Da.”  Overall this is a good show for fans of Humble Pie and Steve Marriott.  It’s amusing how he sings everything (even the greetings and introductions).

Personnel:
Clem Clempson (guitar, background vocals)
Steve Marriott (guitar, vocals)
Greg Ridley (bass, background vocals)
Jerry Shirley (drums, background vocals)
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The Blackberries (backghround vocals):
Billie Barnum – Venetta Field – Clydie King

Tracklist:
01. Up Our Sleeve/Four Day Creep (Clempson/Marriott/Ridley/Shirley/Cox) 9.12
02. Announcement by Steve Marriott 2.13
03. C’Mon Everybody (Capeheart/Cochran) 6.51
04. Honky Tonk Woman (Jagger/Richards) 4.34
05. Steve’s Little Jam (Marriott) 5.03
06. I Believe To My Soul (Charles) 5.29
07. 30 Days In The Hole (Marriott) 8.15
08. Roadrunner (E.Holland/Dozier/B.Holland) 17.18
09. Hallelujah I Love Her So (Charles) 5.44
10. I Don’t Need No Doctor (Ashford/Simpson/Armstead) 11.41
11, Hot ‘N Nasty, Oh La De Da (Clempson/Marriott/Ridley/Shirley/Mitchell) 16.12

Alternate frontcover

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Greg Kihn Band – With The Naked Eye (1979)

With the Naked Eye is a 1979 album released by Greg Kihn and the first album to be released under The Greg Kihn Band. The album took the band in a new direction, with less acousticly driven songs and a more straight foreward rock sound.

The album features a cover version of the Bruce Springsteen song “Rendezvous” as well as a cover of Jonathan Richman’s “Roadrunner”, whitch became a live stample for The Greg Kihn Band. (by wikipedia)

Greg Kihn about this album:

“The year was 1979, and the Greg Kihn Band had just come off the road after months of European food we went back into the studio to record the follow up album to NEXT OF KIHN. We were in a rockin’ mood and we really wanted the new album to kick ass. If you’ll remember from our last adventure BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN had been to see the band at the Roxy just 6 months before and he liked our version of FOR YOU so much that he gave me another song- RENDESVOUS, which was an outtake from his BORN TO RUN album. Bruce sent me a cassette (I wish I still had it!) of the song and I tried to figure out the lyrics from the tape. However, Bruce is not known for his diction and I there is a line in the bridge which I swear sounded like “We desire so much more than squirrels.” I knew there weren’t any squirrels in the song. I asked Bruce backstage at the Berkeley Community Theater a few months later and he gave the real lyrics which were “We desire so much more than this, girl.” What a revelation! RENDESVOUS became the centerpiece of the album and I still perform to this day (although the high notes nearly kill me!) I played my Rickenbacker 12-string electric and gave it the old “Byrds” sound. There is a song on the album called IN THE NAKED EYE, which somehow inspired the album title too, breaking away from the “Kihn” titles at least for a little while. The re-release of this album is a favorite of mine because it has a couple of my favorite compositions on it like MOULIN ROUGE and BESIDE MYSELF. Also, this marks the first time drummer Larry Lynch sang on record while his version of Jackie Wilson’s classic HIGHER AND HIGHER. The version of ROAD RUNNER on this album was actually recorded at a sound check at the Keystone Berkley for a live album that never came out. KENNY LAGUNA helped produce. This is a must-have for all GKB fans and marks a milestone on my career. I hope you like it as much as I still do.”

Hey, boys and girls … this is the perfect power pop/rock !

Personnel:
Dave Carpender (guitar, background vocals)
Greg Kihn (vocals, guitar)
Larry Lynch (drums, vocals on 08., background vocals)
Steve Wright (bass, background vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Rendezvous (Springsteen) 2.27
02. In the Naked Eye (Kihn) 3.16
03. Getting Away With Murder (Kihn) 2.46
04. Moulin Rouge (Kihn/Wright) 3.20
05. Beside Myself (Kihn/Carpenter/Wright 2.24
06. Roadrunner (Richman) 2.56
07. Another Lonely Saturday Night (Kihn/Laguna) 2.55
08. Can’t Have The Highs (Without the Lows) (Lynch) 3.57
09. Fallen Idol (Kihn) 6.01

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Live – Throwing Copper (1994)

Throwing Copper is the second album by American alternative rock band Live, released on April 19, 1994 on former MCA Records subsidiary Radioactive Records. It was produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads and was recorded at Pachyderm Recording Studio. To date, the album has sold over eight million copies in the United States

The cover art is a painting by Scottish artist Peter Howson titled Sisters of Mercy. On September 23, 2005 it was sold for $186,000 by Christie’s in New York. The painting is oil on canvas and measures 243 × 182 centimeters. It has been suggested that the painting explores the themes of betrayal, revenge, and fear and that it shows a group of prostitutes urging a man holding a bible to throw himself off a cliff. (by wikipedia)

What a wonderful album !

On Throwing Copper, Live tightened their sound, added crashing crescendos for dramatic effect, and injected some anger into their sound and songwriting. They also eased up a bit on the Eastern philosophy; the result is a more cohesive, memorable record overall, and quite an improvement from the sometimes overly precious Mental Jewelry. And for all of Mental Jewelry’s ideologies, Throwing Copper is ultimately a more passionate and successful album, thanks to tracks like “I Alone,” “Selling the Drama,” and “All Over You,” all of which received heavy radio play. The rebirth-themed “Lightning Crashes,” the album’s biggest hit, was written in memory of Barbara Lewis, a classmate who was killed by a drunk driver in 1993. Other standouts include the Kurt Cobain/Courtney Love-inspired “Stage,” the apocalyptic “White, Discussion,” the bass-driven, obsessive “Iris,” and the dark “Dam at Otter Creek.” Of course, Ed Kowalczyk couldn’t resist throwing in a song like “T.B.D.” (for the Tibetan Book of the Dead), based on Aldous Huxley’s slow descent into death, aided by heroin. Its melodrama is a bit much, even for Live, and is just a sign of things to come on their next album, Secret Samadhi. But Throwing Copper is still a huge improvement from Mental Jewelry, and is the least overtly preachy Live album to date. (by Gina Boldman)

Personnel:
Patrick Dahlheimer (bass)
Chad Gracey (drums, percussion, background vocals)
Ed Kowalczyk (vocals, guitar)
Chad Taylor (guitar, background vocals)

Tracklist:
01. The Dam At Otter Creek 4.43
02. Selling The Drama 3.26
03. I Alone 3.50
04. Iris 3.59
05. Lightning Crashes 5.25
06. Top 2.42
07. All Over You 3.59
08. Shit Towne 3.48
09. T.B.D. 4.28
10. Stage 3.08
11. Waitress 2.49
12. Pillar Of Davidson 6.46
13. White, Discussion 6.08
14. Horse (*)  4.16

Music: Patrick Dahlheimer – Chad Gracey – Ed Kowalczyk – Chad Taylor
Lyrics: Ed Kowalczyk

(*)”Horse” is a hidden track and is not mentioned on the album cover. The tracks “Pillar of Davidson” and “Horse” were not included on the vinyl version.

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Jacques Loussier – Play Bach 3 (1961)

Jacques Loussier (born 26 October 1934) is a French pianist and composer. He is well known for his jazz interpretations in trio formation of many of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works, such as the Goldberg Variations. He is also a licensed pilot and often flew his personal helicopter from his home at Chateau Miraval, in the south of France. This same chateau now belongs to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Loussier has also been involved with rosé wine production.

Loussier started piano lessons aged ten, in Angers, and after three months encountered his first J.S.Bach – the little G-minor Prelude. It was a piece he fell in love with, he has said, and he played it ‘tens, hundreds of times’, sometimes adding a note, missing another, and so changing a bit the spirit of the music. He developed quickly and at 13, was taken to Paris to meet one of France’s leading pianists, Yves Nat. Every three months he went to Paris playing the music Nat wanted him to play, given advice, and then another programme for three months later to come back to play. He began composing music while studying at the Conservatoire National de Musique, having moved then to Paris, under Professor Yves Nat, from the age of sixteen.

After six years’ study, he left to travel the world, where he experienced sounds of the Middle East, Latin America, and Cuba, where he spent one year.

In 1959 he formed the Jacques Loussier Trio with string bass player Pierre Michelot who had previously played with Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France, and percussionist Christian Garros. They used Bach’s compositions as a base for jazz improvisation and had many live appearances, tours, and concerts, as well as a number of recordings. Originally the trio recorded for Decca Records but in 1973 changed to Philips/Phonogram. The trio sold over six million albums in 15 years. (by wikipedia)

And this is voume 3 of the famous and beautiful “Play Bach” series …. Enjoy !

Personnel:
Christian Garros (drums, percussion)
Jacques Loussier (piano)
Pierre Michelot (bass)

Tracklist:

Concerto Italien in F Mayor (BWV 971):
01. Allegro 5.39
02. Andante 4.41
03. Finale 6.05

Two Voice Invention:
04. No.1 in C Major (BWV 772) 2.24
05. No.13 in A Minor (BWV 784) 3.35
06. No.8 in F Major (BWV 779) 2.46
07. No.14 in B Flat Major (BWV 785) 1.36
08. No.15 in B Minor (BWV 786) 1.16

09. Fantasy in C Minor (BWV 906) 5.05

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The Paul Butterfield Blues Band – Sometimes I Feel Like Smilin’ (1971)

This was the last Butterfield Blues Band studio album. To me it is tied for third best with “Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw”–the band’s “Butterfield Blues Band” and “East West” are their two greatest albums to me. However, this is a very enjoyable, excellent album, a big step up from “In My Own Dream” and “Keep On Movin'”. Butterfield sings and plays harmonica very well. The compositions are strong. The group is really tight and together, with the horns integrated better with the rest of the group than on any other album. In terms of something you can enjoy on repeated listens, it is a very successful album. If only the group could have continued on from this point, who knows what continued heights they could have hit. (by an unknown amazon customer)

Take an Album done in the 1970’s and wait 40 years. Most of the time the production and music don’t age well….well this has aged very well. I just got this album again after a 30 year absents and was hoping to listen to only “Trainman”. This time I rediscovered the entire album. Played it for my picky Bro-in-Law. He went wild. Paul does not over burden the album by constantly hammering on his harmonica. He sprinkles the right amount and lets the rhythm,, the horns,,, the vocals round out the entire album. It strikes a very, very balanced approached in the instrumentation. I think this is one of his best…yes the other, more popular albums are good, but this one is a FULLER rounded album. Now that I listen to it more and more and more, I think Paul was a genius in not over doing it on the harp. Yes there are some awesome harmonica parts, but not tiresome. Some harp players just blast away on an entire album. Not here. Just look at the liner notes and who is on this album. Empressive list and the talent jumps out when you listen. This is a perfect album to play in the car, on the road with some spiritual condiments to accompany the tunes. This one is a winner and perhaps my No. 1 Blues album,,,for the time being. (by Jimi Z)

Personnel:
Paul Butterfield (vocals, harmonica, piano)
Gene Dinwiddle (saxophone, flute, vocals, tambourine)
Rod Hicks (bass, vocals)
Ralph Walsh (guitar, vocals)
Dennis Whitted (drums)
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George Davidson (drums on 01. + 07.)
Bobby Hall (percussion)
Ted Harris (piano on 01. + 07.)

Tracklist:
01. Play On (Butterfield) 3.44
02. 1000 Ways (Hicks) 4.48
03. Pretty Woman (Williams) 3.48
04. Little Piece Of Dying (Butterfield) 3.30
05. Song For Lee (Butterfield) 3.46
06. Trainman (Dinwiddle) 5.47
07. Night Child (Harris/Hicks/Dinwiddle/Butterfield)
08. Drowned in My Own Tears (Glover) 5.18
09.  Blind Leading The Blind (Butterfield) 4.02

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Ben Schultz Band – Tri Ality (1992)

Attention please: This is a killer album !

“Move over Hendrix” Ben Schultz Band – Tri Ality A fast, finger-tickling classical flourish erupts into an in-your face rock electric blast reminiscent of Jeff Beck. The guitarist is Ben Schultz. The title of the album is Tri Ality. This is some great stuff, but what would you expect? Ben was an apprentice of both Jimi Hendrix and B.B.King. “The Rosa Queen” is a wicked blues number with an out-of-it feel to it. The guitar grinds and then hangs. The vocals are almost distorted beyond recognition, but the feeling the sound leaves you with seems right, “You Got Me Floating” is another classic. It’s a Hendrix original with the style of an acid trip. My favorite song on this CD is the last cut. ThePhilosopher”. Its as if B.B.King, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck had a three way wreck (which I participated in recently) The lyrics on this CD are weak, but if you like creative guitar work, this is for you. (Jim Clark)

This album is a killer … this album is one of the finest hard-rock albums ever recorded and it´s one of the most criminally underrated hard-rock albums ever made !

You don´t believe me ? Listen !!!

Personnel:
Tim Bogert (bass, background vocals)
Ray Brinker (drums)
Ben Schultz (guitar, slide-guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, percussion, vocals)
Paul Sisemore (vocals)
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Gregg Bissonette (drums, percussion)
Steve Gottlieb (guitar)
Steve Lukather (guitar)
Christopher Ross (drums, percussion)
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Background vocals:
Laura Harding – Mimi – Charlott Ross – Allan Satchwell – Susan – Teretia

Tracklist:
01. Welcome to… (Schultz) 0.32
02. Tampa (Schultz/Braun) 4.53
03. The Rosa Queen (Bogert/Schultz) 4.49
04. Ready For Love (Schultz/Phillips-Oland) 4.25
05. 2Good 2b 4Gotten (Schultz/Phillips-Oland) 3.41
06. Cabo Real (Schultz) 4.33
07. In The Light Of Love (Bogert/Schultz/Phillips-Oland) 5.02
08. Lestat (Schultz) 4.16
09. Intermission (Schultz) 1.41
10. Jizz Whizz (Appice/Beck/Bogert) 4.16
11. You’ve Got Me Floating (Hendrix) 3.40
12. Gapistoni (Schultz) 1.08
13. The Knife (Cuts Both Way) (Schultz/Sisemore/Phillips-Oland) 3.44
14. Philosopher, Pt. 1 – 3 (Schultz) 8.10

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Eric Burdon – My Secret Life (2004)

My Secret Life is an album by Eric Burdon released in 2004. It was his first solo album release, which contains new titles, in nearly 16 years. It was his comeback album.

It features many different musical directions such as jazz, blues, soul, rock, ska, rhythm and blues, folk, boogie, world and pop. Burdon said in an interview that every song is different. The album peaked No. 93 on the German album chart after it sold 20,000 copies in the UK.

Musicians on this album includes Red Young, Martin Gerschwitz, Terry Wilson and Jon Cleary.

The working title was “The coat of many colours”. (by wikipedia)

My Secret Life consists of 13 tracks that form a loose song cycle revolving around Eric Burdon’s love of American music, specifically R&B, soul, blues, and jazz. While that theme dominates the entire record it is especially true on the eight tunes penned or co-written by Burton. “Can’t Kill the Boogieman” is a heartfelt tribute dedicated to John Lee Hooker featuring Burdon’s cherished memories of the blues legend sung over the tune of Hooker’s classic “Boogie Chillen.” He also shades/characterizes such artists as Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Philly Joe Jones, Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Otis Redding, and Chet Baker with first person observations, a skill no doubt honed with a foray into writing his autobiography Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood: A Memoir. Burdon’s voice is in fine shape, and he effortlessly jumps from soft spoken passages to his trademark blues grit that remains instantly recognizable from his days as vocalist of the Animals in the ’60s. What really makes this effort stand out from previous solo albums is the music itself. Instead of relying on the vocals to carry the music, My Secret Life allows the music to flow with unrestrained character darting off in several eclectic directions. “Once Upon a Time” apes both the Band and Van Morrison circa 1970, “The Secret” has slight elements of world rhythms, “Factory Girl” and “Highway 62” are dominated by a snaky Memphis guitar reminiscent of Pops Staples, and “Black and White World” (not the Elvis Costello tune) combines a breezy Hammond B-3 organ penetrated by a hyper ska beat. This disc should please any Burdon or Animals fan, but, more importantly, it may gain him some new listeners as well. (by Al Campbell)

Personnel:
Tony Braunagel (percussion, drums, percussion)
Eric Burdon (vocals)
Lenny Castro (percussion)
Jon Cleary (piano)
Mike Finnigan (keyboards)
Martin Gerschwitz (keyboards)
Bob Glaub (bass)
James “Hutch” Hutchinson (bass)
Nick Lane (trombone)
Darrell Leonard (trumpet, flugelhorn, trombonium)
Reggie McBride (bass)
Ivan Neville (keyboards, background vocals)
Eric Rigler (uillean pipes, Irish whistle, whistle)
Michito Sánchez (percussion)
Johnny Lee Schell (guitar, background vocals)
Joe Sublett (saxophone)
Daniel Timms (organ)
Tony B! (percussion)
Terry Wilson (bass)
Red Young (keyboards, strings)
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Background vocals:
Gromyko Collins – Valerie Davis – Julie Delgado – Billy Trudell – Teresa James – Marlena Jeter – Kudisan Kai

Tracklist:
01. Once Upon A Time (Burdon/Bradley) 3.51
02. Motorcycle Girl (Burdon/Nova) 3.52
03. Over The Border (Munyon) 4.27
04. The Secret (Barnhill/Chapman) 5.47
05. Factory Girl (Braunagel/Burdon) 4.40
06. Highway 62 (Braunagel/Burdon/Schell) 5.29
07. Jazzman (Burdon/Restum) 3.47
08. Black And White World (Burdon/Nova) 3.28
09. Heaven (Byrne/Harrison) 4.44
10. Devil Slide (Burdon/Nova) 3.35
11. Broken Records (Burdon/Nova) 3.25
12. Can’t Kill The Boogieman (Burdon) 3.59
13. My Secret Life (Cohen) 5.51

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