Adrian22

It's been a super busy time of recording, and touring, dates for Allison Crowe. Allison's next release, a double-album, ?Live at Wood Hall?, will be out in Canada and Europe+ on July 1, 2005 ~ and in the U.S. this July 4. From an advance pressing, here are some of the collection's 23 tracks (now posted in "Studio A" of her website @ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/music.html ) There Is ~ one of Allison's new songs http://www.allisoncrowe.com/101AllisonCroweThereIs.mp3 Independence Day ~ a cover of one of Alley's favourite artists, Ani DiFranco http://www.allisoncrowe.com/107AllisonCroweIndependenceDay.mp3 A Murder of One ~ an epic Counting Crows cover http://www.allisoncrowe.com/121AllisonCroweAMurderofOne.mp3 Running ~ a new song freshly recorded http://www.allisoncrowe.com/205AllisonCroweRunning.mp3 Secrets ~ live version of the Secrets title song http://www.allisoncrowe.com/215AllisonCroweSecrets.mp3 Me and Bobby McGee ~ Alley's love for Janis shines through... http://www.allisoncrowe.com/221AllisonCroweMeandBobbyMcGee.mp3 enjoy ( : peace, Ad

...arrested for being drunk and disorderly at a varsity football game

http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/windowsmedia/jim_morrison.wmv that's a link to an excerpt from the promo film made by Florida State University in 1964; it features Jim Morrison collecting his mail, learning he's not been accepted for college, and then going to talk with the Dean about it... when he collects the mail, it's a voice-over reading his mail, when he's seated, talking with the Dean, that's the voice of the Lizard King... this fun comes from: http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/VideoFilm2/video.cfm?VID=22 Florida State University: Toward a Greater University This is a public relations film on Florida State University that, in two brief scenes, features a young Jim Morrison years before his more recognized role as lead singer for The Doors. The film emphasizes the need for more college-educated Floridians to work in the state's rapidly expanding industries. It contains campus, classroom, homecoming parade and football scenes. Produced by Florida State University. (1964 / 16:55; B&W; sound; V-221; CA314)

I've not seen this singer-songwriter/band mentioned before, so, here goes! NYC's Antony and the Johnsons have just released a second album, "I am a Bird Now", and it's likely to introduce their sound to a deservedly larger audience. People compare Antony's voice to a diverse range of singers, but, it's best to just listen. To do that, here's a few mp3 links - good for however long they remain active: Here's a song off Antony's last disc: Cripple and the Starfish http://mp3.insound.com/download.cfm?mp3id=2213 and a pair of tracks off his new album: Hope There's Someone http://mp3.insound.com/download.cfm?mp3id=2389 Fistful of Love http://woodentop.net/lonesomemusic/antony_and_the_johnsons-fistful_of_love.mp3 enjoy

Hi Old 55 ( : I've not been around much this year, so, I'm sorry to take so long to check in! Indeed, the context for charts has been irrevocably altered - making the new era numbers not be the standard markers they once were. Charts were fun, and did matter! Glad I was able to offer something of interest to such an afficionado as yourself cheers, Adrian

While she doesn't sound like the folks she is sometimes compared with, there's no doubt, Allison loves the music of such artists as Pearl Jam and Tori Amos. She has been greatly inspired in her life and her career as a singer-songwriter by these folks. In one interview, Alley has referred to Tori as "the goddess incarnate". In February 2003, The Dent website, (serving the Toriphile community for nine years now @ http://thedent.com ), kindly posted a link to Alley's live performance of the Tori song, Playboy Mommy. Alley's website has been redesigned a few times over since then, but the mp3 link is still alive, and, Alley's covers of other Tori (or Tori-associated) songs are now available @ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/crowesongsarchives2.htm In recent times, Sarah Wheeler, a singer-songwriter from California, USA, created Strange Little Covers as a special home for Tori covers by a whole range of artists. (SLC is moving servers soon, but, for now, it?s @ http://www.strangelittlecovers.tk ) Inspired by Sarah Wheeler's creation of the SLC website, Allison has recorded several of her other Tori faves and these tracks are joined by a lo-fi live recording of Smells Like Teen Spirit - the Nirvana song which Tori herself has performed live many times in tribute to Kurt Cobain and band. These tracks can be enjoyed by ?ears with feet? at SLC once Sarah's site has moved servers. Right now, here's links to the mp3s themselves: 1000 Oceans ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/1000Oceans.mp3 Josephine ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/Josephine.mp3 Northern Lad ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/NorthernLad.mp3 Doughnut Song ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/DoughnutSong.mp3 Playboy Mommy ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/PlayboyMommyLiveAllisonCrowe.mp3 Smells Like Teen Spirit ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/SmellsLikeTeensSpirit.mp3 peace! Ad

Until the snow clears, it can be a state of mind...

A number of news articles in the UK recently (such as the one below from the Yorkshire Post) have pointed out that the singles charts are no longer what they were - and the fact that one can reach #1 with sales of 25,000 or less leads to a view that record labels can now easily manipulate chart positions for PR purposes, further debasing any value. Top 10 chart starts to sound a little off-key Elvis's One Night has become the 1,000th British number one single. But have the pop charts reached their sell by date? Chris Bond reports. JUST for the record the first British singles chart appeared in November 1952. Published by the New Musical Express, it comprised of 15 records with Al Martino's Here in My Heart, the first UK number one. The American crooner topped the charts with his romantic ballad and it would be another five years before Elvis exploded on to the music scene, sending parents apoplectic and teenagers crazy in equal measure. And so the "King", along with the likes of Jerry-Lee Lewis and Little Richard, brought rock 'n' roll to a mass audience for the first time. Within a decade of the first chart, Buddy Holly had come and gone and a bunch of mop tops from unfashionable Liverpool arrived ready to conquer the world and the rest, as they say, is history. It is perhaps fitting then that Elvis topped yesterday's official UK chart with a re-release of One Night, originally a number one hit in 1959. But the "king of rock 'n' roll" has done so by selling fewer than 25,000 records. This after reaching the top spot last week with the re-release of Jailhouse Rock which sold 21,262 copies ? the lowest sales ever recorded for a number one single. Some music insiders claim this is a distorted picture as the record company SonyBMG are re-releasing all his past number ones as limited editions. But irrespective of this, the singles chart is undoubtedly in a steep decline, the only question is whether it's terminal. As a musically challenged teenager, my Sunday afternoons were spent hovering next to my bedroom radio as David "Kid" Jensen and his cohorts kept listeners on tenterhooks as they did the irritating, yet compelling, countdown to the top 10. But while not so long ago artists had to shift at least 100,000 copies of their song to have a chance of the coveted number one slot, now it can be achieved with a quarter of that number. Chris Charlesworth, editor of Omnibus Press, publishers of The Complete Book of the British Charts ? Singles and Albums, believes singles have lost their appeal. "Some of my all-time favourite singles didn't reach number one and some real rubbish has, like Mr Blobby. "Whereas Waterloo Sunset, which is a fabulous song, only reached number two," he says. "Penny Lane, the B-side of which was Strawberry Fields, which many people say was their (The Beatles] optimum achievement, didn't get there. "The number one that week was Release Me, by Engelbert Humperdinck. And I think the British record-buying public should hang their head in shame over that one." Mr Charlesworth, who publishes a new book, A Thousand Number One UK Hits, next month, says the charts have become much more clinical. "There has been a lot more number ones in recent years than there were in the '50s, '60s and '70s. You used to get 20 number ones a year but now there's 40 or so. A lot of songs are number one for just one week. This is down to clever marketing on the part of the record industry. Reaching number one has been debased to a certain extent. It doesn't mean the same thing now." Louis Barfe, author of Where have all the good times gone? The rise and fall of the record industry, says the charts have been struggling for years. "I think when CDs came along singles started to look like bad value and the singles chart has been in decline for about 15 years I would say. "The best barometer is the decline of Top of the Pops. Twenty years ago, to have it shunted to a Sunday would have been unthinkable," he says. "And if it takes 20,000 copies to get to number one, then I'm slightly cynical about Elvis being number one. It's all too neat. I think it's a deliberate marketing ploy." Recently, the singles market has had to contend with the downloading phenomenon. Only last month, it was announced that songs downloaded from the internet have outsold CD singles for the first time. Mr Barfe says the growth of internet sites, such as iTunes and Napster, has had a significant impact. "The record companies have finally got round to selling downloads and selling them at better value than a single." But despite falling sales and an ever-broadening music landscape, Mr Barfe thinks the charts are unlikely to fade away "As long as records are selling people are going to want to classify them. The charts will always be there, it is just a question of how useful they will be." chris.bond@ypn.co.uk HISTORY OF THE HIT MEN n Cliff Richard has had 64 top 10 hits in his career, more than anyone else. n Frank Sinatra's My Way has spent 124 weeks in the charts, more than any other single. n I Believe, by Frankie Laine and Paul Weston and his orchestra, has spent more weeks at number one than any other song, 18. n John Lennon wrote 28 number one singles, one more than his nearest rival Paul McCartney. n The youngest person to have a number one single was Little Jimmy Osmond ? at nine years and eight months in 1972. n Elton John's song Candle in the Wind, released after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, is the biggest-selling single of all time with about 37m copies sold worldwide. 17 January 2005

When the subject came up last month, I could not find a web presence for Harmony Trowbridge, the artist you heard, Daniel, on Stu Maclean's Vinyl Cafe peforming Joni's "River". Well, I've just had the pleasure of hearing from Harmony, and can now report that you read her lyrics, find about her gigs and upcoming album release @ http://www.harmonytrowbridge.net And, should you be in the Toronto area, she'll be celebrating the release of "Amoraphobe" every Wednesday this March at 10 pm upstairs at the Rivoli (for the Maple Lounge)! cheers, Ad

"Throw Your Arms Around Me" (the Hunters and Collectors song, redone) was the wedding song chosen by the last couple I know to get married. (And Rolf Harris music is fun for all occasions! )

George Harrison's Creem Interview I was reading this classic Creem mag interview with George just this past weekend. Such a wise and funny man.

The Sunday Times (of London) published a lengthy analyses of this Leonard Cohen creation earlier this month. The whole piece is still online @ Hallelujah: the song that outgrew itself

Suzanne Vega's song about child-abuse, "My Name is Luka", was actually a radio hit in North America. The lyrics are weighter than they sounded on air: I live on the second floor I live upstairs from you, Yes I think you've seen me before If you hear something late at night, Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight Just don't ask me what it was ( x3 ) Maybe it's because I'm clumsy, I try not to talk too loud Maybe it's because I'm crazy, I try not to act too proud They only hit until you cry, And after that you don't ask why You just don't argue anymore ( x3 ) Yes, I think I'm okay, Walked into the door again If you ask that's what I'll say, And it's not your business anyway I guess I'd like to be alone, With nothing broken, nothing thrown Just don't ask me how I am ( x3 ) My name is Luka, I live on the second floor I live upstairs from you, Yes I think you've seen me before If you hear something late at night, Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight Just don't ask me what it was ( x3 ) And they only hit until you cry And after that you don't ask why You just don't argue anymore ( x3 ) Take care! Adrian

Yay! I was just getting an inkling you weren't giving me a fair hearing. Glad to know that's not so ( : Here's a Joni tidbit that may seem a little distant from the specifics of this thread so far, but, it may still be of interest - there's going to be a Joni Mitchell CD in the Starbucks "Artists Choice" series, to be released, reportedly, around Valentine's Day this year. (This is the series that collects artists' own fave song picks - of others - for an album ie. we'll get to hear those songs that inspire Joni.) cheers, Ad

Approaching people without prejudice is, I hope, commonplace. And, perhaps, for folks not in Canada, some details could be made more evident - eg. the Vinyl Cafe is a popular show on CBC Radio, which is our version of the BBC, and CBC programs have been playing River (and so it flows...)

ah, well what would be the point of answering a question like that - since it's very easy for you to check my post history and find the context and content of things (and learn that what you fear is not the case)? Accentuate the positive!

http://www.laughingcolors.com/index2.asp That should help you find out about the Baltimore band behind the "War on Drugs" song ("...and they tell me, that times have changed, cause my parents had Hendrix, Janis and Jim, but what about River Phoenix and Kurt Cobain") Frontman Dave Tieff has also recorded the track solo, live and in the studio, so, that's another good search. cheers, Ad

Hi Benita ~ Indeed, Joni is without peer for a host of reasons! And, unlike such contemporaries as Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, her singing has been as broadly appreciated as her song-writing. (As per your question, Allison's name appears in this thread, as, I hope you'll agree, it's abundantly relevant, and adds, to the discussion. So, no worries!) cheers, Ad

That version of "Across the Universe" by Rufus is available on the "I Am Sam" soundtrack from a couple of years back. I remember he performed it a lot live, and on late night talk-shows around the time the movie came out... cheers, Adrian

edna's comment about Joni Mitchell being under-rated in Europe could likely apply to the entire world. She is recognized, of course, as those many citations in the October '04 release attest, but, her real contributions as a singer, musician, poet, innovator/pioneer etc. etc. are still under-valued it seems. She and Leonard Cohen are not only Canada's top modern songwriters, they're among the world's greatest. And, though Joni is appreciated, even revered, by many, she can still be sold short. Maybe it's because she's a woman, and so honest and uncompromising. In any event, "River" is a gorgeous song - and the album, "Blue", from which it comes is timeless. You'd have been hearing Harmony Trowbridge's version on the Vinyl Cafe. She and the very young Canadian blues artist, Jimmy Bowskill, were touring with Stuart McLean this winter. Harmony, formerly of Vancouver, is based in Toronto - but I don't know of any web-presence for her. You can regularly catch her live if you're in Hogtown. A version of "River" that CBC played a lot this winter, (mostly on North by Northwest and The Roundup) was by Allison Crowe - an artist with whom I have the privilege and pleasure of working. You can hear Allison's rendition @ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/River.mp3 One of the things I most enjoy about Joni Mitchell, apart from the great music she has given us, is her candor about the music business. She and Janis Ian tell it straight. Here's some Joni quotes from recent times: "They're not looking for talent. They're looking for a look and a willingness to cooperate. And a woman my age, no matter how well preserved, no longer has the look. And I've never had a willingness to cooperate." "As long as they look good, they can pitch-correct them now - they can interior-decorate their music. The artists don't have to play anything, - they can cheat, buy songs and put their name on them, so they can build the illusions that the are creative. And because [the record companies] made you, they can kiss you off." "I hope it all goes down the crapper. It's top-heavy, it's wasteful. It's an insane business. Now, this is all calculated music. It's calculated for sales, it's sonically calculated, it's rudely calculated. I'm ashamed to be a part of the music business. You know, I just think it's a cesspool." It's these sort of withering assessments of the industry that have made Joni Mitchell less-than-a-fave with the powers that be, and, have likely helped her remain under-rated in the mainstream despite her profound achievements. She's taken the road less travelled. cheers, Adrian

Hi Brigette - Not sure if you know of Stephen Fearing's "side-project", Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, but they're definitely worth checking out as well. Stephen in joined in that combo by a pair of other top-notch Canadian roots artists - Colin Linden and Tom Wilson (of Junkhouse fame). This band plays LOUD! Here's some info on the trio, and on Stephen himself - this was published last year when he and the band opened on Merle Haggard's cross-Canada tour: BLACKIE & THE RODEO KINGS - the band - is a labour of love for Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing , and Tom Wilson. They have been selected to perform live at this year's JUNO's on April 4. In 1996 their debut album was released to critical acclaim. The first album, High or Hurtin', brought 14+ Willie originals to an appreciative audience. The musicianship is superb, the vocals right on, and the lyrics are sublime. All three continued their successful solo careers garnering numerous individual awards and nominations. The chemistry, which first brought the trio together, drew them back in 1999 for Kings of Love, a double album of originals and covers, folk, rock, ballads, even surf instrumental: an amazing achievement from Colin, Tom and Stephen which won the JUNO in the Best Roots & Traditional Album, Group category. Nominated for a 2004 JUNO in the Best Roots & Traditional Album, Group category, BARK marks the highly anticipated return of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings. The current single from BARK, "Had Enough of You Today", is currently in the Top 20 across Canada. Since 1999, Stephen Fearing has released two Juno-nominated albums and toured extensively throughout North America. So Many Miles captured the passionate singer-songwriter during one of his trademark intimate and intense live performances. Fearing soon followed it up with 2002's That's How I Walk, which was released in the US on Rounder records, where it hit the Top 30 on the national Americana chart. That's How I Walk showcased Stephen's newfound love of co-writing, cultivated in Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, as he collaborated with the likes of Brian den Hertog, Junkhouse's Colin Cripps, Ian Thornley of Big Wreck, and of course, Tom Wilson. Produced again with Colin Linden, and this time with full accompaniment, the album is a blend of streetwise edge and evocative soul-searching, full of Stephen's usual passionate and deep musings on the full spectrum of human experience. cheers, Adrian

As this New Year warms up, here's word on Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe (who's been compared to everyone from Tori Amos to Eddie Vedder, and, really, is just like herself). Two albums, Secrets (an original singer-songwriter collection) and Tidings (covers of traditional carols and non-traditional songs of joy and peace) have been released by Allison this past year on her own label, distributed in Canada by Festival (the country?s premiere purveyor of jazz, blues, roots, folk and world music). She?s had two one-hour television specials broadcast nationally (in Canada) and has toured coast-to-coast in recent months - with more Canada, U.S., and her first European, concert dates to come in 2005. I?ve had the honor of working with Allison for a number of years now, and, in my role as her unorthodox manager, one of my greatest joys is being able to share her music. The links below are to songs recorded in the past year, all of which are either from live, public, performances, or are live-off-the-floor studio/living room recordings. All of these are first/single take vocal/piano tracks (and, on a few songs, she's added backing vocals and instruments to the initial, live, vocal/piano take.): Hallelujah (Cohen) ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/music/hallelujah.mp3 Hallelujah video low - http://www.allisoncrowe.com/AllisonCroweHallelujahTidingsNewVI128.wmv Hallelujah video high - http://www.allisoncrowe.com/AllisonCroweHallelujahTidingsNewVI512.wmv River (Mitchell) ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/River.mp3 In My Life (Lennon/McCartney) ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/InMyLife128.mp3 Shine a Light (Jagger/Richards) ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/ShineaLight.mp3 Alive and Breathing (Crowe) ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/music/aliveandbreathing.mp3 Whether I?m Wrong (Crowe) ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/WhetherI'mWrong0128.mp3 There Is (Crowe) ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/thereis.mp3 What About You (Crowe) ~ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/WhatAboutYou128.mp3 Disease (Crowe) ~ http://www.painunspoken.allisoncrowe.com/alleyments/Disease141004.mp3 Thanks for listening. You can hear more @ http://www.allisoncrowe.com/music.html Best wishes to all for good health and good times this year! cheers, Adrian