Legendary Performances: Merle Haggard

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Merle Haggard is a true country outlaw and with the Legendary Performances DVD we get fifteen classic tunes spanning 1968-83. In just under an hour we get a good look at what drove his popularity and made this former inmate a country music star. The Hag, as he’s known to many, has a straightforward style and simplicity to his music that everyday working folk can relate to. Hag sang about his first-hand experiences in life, love and troubling hard times. The outsider and outlaw posses a calm charm that helps convey his message through his voice and distinct sound, a sound that he would become known for and would be labeled the Bakersfield sound.

Merle Haggard was born in Bakersfield, California in 1937 and spent his early years in and out of detention centers, finally ending with a spell in San Quentin’s solitary confinement. While in prison he cherished visits by performers such as Johnny Cash and clung to his guitar and the music he loved. Bob Wills and Hank Williams were who he admired most and though young Merle’s music had nothing to with the rockin’ styling of other youths of the mid to late 1950s (though he had no problems with the young southern gents that birthed a hybrid sound of their own). Determined to change his life, Merle worked hard to gain his parole and never return, only looking back in song.

Mixing Wills’ western swing with Hank’s straight country, Merle began to write his life and thoughts in lyrics and began to sing at night around town while digging ditches during the day. By 1963 he was on a local record label and two years later his records appeared on the Capitol label. With The Strangers, a new recording and touring band that added more drive to Merle’s sound and along with label mate Buck Owens, they forged a new sound, one that would be named after the town whose streets they both had survived: Bakersfield. The rest as they say is history and plays out in Merle and The Strangers’ music.

The DVD gives a good look at Merle at the height of his fame. Beginning in ’68 with appearances on local music showcases such as Country Music Holiday, Country Carnival and The Porter Wagner Show, we have a Merle that looks a bit uncomfortable in front of the camera and corny sets. Leaving off in 1983 singing at the Country Music Association (CMA nowadays = Country My Ass) and a Johnny Cash Christmas special. The song selection is a perfect display of the themes that put Merle on the map, being the outsider, boozing over a lost love, and fierce pride in what he believes and who he is. Featuring hits like “Branded Man,” “Mama Tried,” “I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am,” “The Bottle Let Me Down,” “Swinging Doors,” “I Started Loving You Again,” “The Fighting Side Of Me,” “Okie From Muskogee” and “Workin’ Man Blues.”

“Mama Tried” is the story of a hell raising “one and only rebel child from a family meek and mild” that “turns 21 in prison” even though Mama tried to steer him straight. “Branded Man” is easily the tale of what happened after the rebel child was granted parole and wants to set things right and get his life back on track. “A branded man out in the cold” is the perfect example an outsider’s looking in; further reflected upon in “Pride In What I Am.” “Pride” follows the life of a homeless man as he wanders the hobo jungles and streets of Chicago while looking back on life. More classic Merle and the outlook of the loner.

“Swinging Doors,” “The Bottle Let Me Down” and “Loving You Again” are Merle’s thinking, drinking, and dreaming songs. Sad tunes that reveal a softer side of the outlaw filled with pain in his heart over the girl who left or that he left behind. He gets close to forgetting her but his friend the bottle lets him down, lets her memory creep back in, and he starts loving her again. The missing side of the outlaw heart is the loving song about hard times, struggle, and the love for family that drives a man to do his best to provide for them, “If We Make It Through December.”

“Working Man Blues” stands on its own and is here worked out in a rocking jam complete with yakety sax and pumping piano, yet Merle manages to keep the pace jazzy and rather than rock ‘n’ roll. Ever since I was a teenage “pin monkey” working for peanuts at the local bowling alley, the song has had a place in my mind. The song took stronger hold and meaning as the years passed and I learned what it is to give up much for the good of family. You drink a little beer on the weekends, think about bumming around, but go back to doing what’s right and providing for your loved ones.

“Fighting Side” and “Okie” might just be Merle’s biggest hits that came at a time when the nation was colliding into each other and sides were being chosen across the nation. Merle hits hard with these tunes, which are really just extensions of his pride songs. He gives his point of view strong and solid but manages not to go over the edge, seeming to say “I get what you’re saying but don’t cotton to it. So you stay on that side and we’ll get along fine;” Seems simply enough, “I’ll stand my ground; you stand yours.” “Okie” on the other hand is a tune that I could just never take seriously seeing as how Merle never did too much either. It was kind of a joke and came about as the band passed said town one day while touring. Merle thought about the troubles on college campuses and wondered about life, hippies, and dope use in small-town Muskogee, Oklahoma and it all rolled from there.

Legendary Performances - Merle Haggard is truly that and in bonus features we get to see an older Merle, comfortable with the camera and joking with the crowd at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony. We even get firsthand knowledge of the man’s life in an interview filmed with his life Leona in their big ol’ touring bus. Entertaining and well done, I find this disc easily added to the list of “best things to come across my desk this year.” So go get it, fan or not, it’s a good look at a living country legend and true outlaw.

Parliament Funkadelic - The Mothership Connection Live 1976

Written by Fumo Verde

How would you like to spend a Halloween night funkin’ out with one of the P-Funk originators? With this DVD you can. Parliament Funkadelic played a freaky October 31st show in Houston’s Summit Arena. Dressed in outfits ranging from super-shaggy Mexican sombreros to folks wearing diapers with freaky mask/glasses combos, this show is a pageant for the eyes as well as cornucopia for the ears. If you can dig the tunes of yesteryear that are the hooks in today’s rap and house jams, then The Mothership Connection is a DVD you will love.

Putting on a very unique theatrical performance which features music as the prime star, the Parliament Funkadelic connects to its audience through sound, light, stage antics, and pure energy. Be it songs like “Gamin’ On Ya!” with its hard brass choir or a the old standard “Swing Down Sweet Chariot” which has a thumping beat that drives the chorus of vocals, while lead vocalists prepare all for the landing of the Mothership. Sparks fly and colored smoke engulfs the stage as a small spacecraft arrives letting loose Dr. Funkenstein himself to sing about (who else?) “Dr. Funkenstein.”

The show itself opens with a telling of how the Funk came into creation with a large single eye sitting atop a pyramid acting as if it is the one telling the story. The stage is totally in the dark until the performers take the stage, and then the electrifying colors of the outfits worn by the band come to life as the extreme stage lighting rips through the darkness. Light, sound, and audience explode as one, while guitars zoom notes out like rocket launchers and cymbals crash like falling plates. This energy juices up the crowd for a fun-filled funktastic time.

For those who love the funk but don’t know if they could handle a whole show of Funkadelic rhythms and vibes, then this DVD gives you the chance see what the funk is all about. In the mid ’70s “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” was climbing up the R&B chart and mainstream America (white America) finally comprehended what the funk sound was and they were starting to like it. This show was one of those rare moments in music history where a band tore through the boundaries of music and race and opened up new worlds to all peoples. With its rocking funk sound and crazy cast of characters interplaying with each other and the audience, The Mothership Connection is a DVD not to be missed.

Hank Williams: The Unreleased Recordings

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Nearly sixty years have gone by since the world lost Hank Williams Sr. yet his haunting voice and music continue to tug at our souls and pull us into the dark night of his own, expressed in his songs and the way he delivered them. Time Life has finally put out The Unreleased Recordings of Hank Williams. These recordings, drawn from remaining acetates cut in 1951 for his fifteen-minute radio show sponsored by Mother’s Best Flour on WSM Nashville, were to air while he was on the road touring and unable to make the 7:15am start time Monday through Friday. These 54 offerings of Hank’s heart show a different side of the man and allow us to see a bit further into his tragically short life.

His career was truly meteoric; he came on fast and burned out quick. A star of The Grand Ole Opry, the first “rock star” some say, he was on top of the country music world in 1951 and his future looked to be even brighter as he began to tackle the pop charts. By this time Hank had already had hit records with “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Cold, Cold Heart” while bigger hits would follow in the remaining two years of his life. Those last two years would yield the tunes folks remember most, “Hey, Good Looking,” “Jambalaya (On The Bayou),” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart” to name a few but here we have Hank in 1951 just as his music’s popularity rises and his personnel life falls apart all by the age of twenty nine.

His wife Audrey would soon leave him due to his out-of-control, binge drinking brought on by his exhausting touring schedule which called for him to be back in Nashville every Saturday night to perform live on the Opry, which eventually kicked him out too. Hank’s longtime back pain would also become increasingly unbearable, forcing a long postponed operation. No doubt made worse by the back brace he had to wear while touring and traveling in an overcrowded automobile. Some of that pain shows on these recordings at times ever so slightly. But as with his studio recordings he left his music behind for us to enjoy as much as he did and to bring joy to our hearts and relieve our pain as he did through music and singing.

Hank Williams’ sound covers a lot of ground, pulling from hillbilly, western swing, bluegrass and gospel. His voice is the perfect vehicle to put it all together and carry it forth to the masses. His vocals are a bit constricted to squeeze out a few lines but for the better part of his recordings, especially on this set, his warm baritone stands out conveying the darkness and sorrow he hid well yet let show in his vocal delivery and songwriting. Guitar solos are minimal (although he does allow it to take off a time or two), the upright bass fiddle plunks and plucks steadily as fiddles sway, and the steel guitar fills in the sound of weeping sorrow all with Hank leading the way with his acoustic pickin’ and strummin’.

The three-disc set contains some real gems as we not only get to hear a few of Hank’s hits, but tunes he had been playing for years that touched his heart. He turns the page way back for “On Top Of Old Smokey” to the way his grandmother taught him, slow and plaintive, not up-tempo as was the recent version. His baritone shines here as the boys fall in behind him and stop you in your tracks. Many spirituals and gospel tunes (“The Pale Horse And His Rider,” “The Prodigal Son,” and “The Old Country Church”) make an appearance as to be expected as it’s the music that these men grew up with and knew their listeners did too. Hank, who was not very fond of cowboy tunes, even manages to turn Bob Nolan’s sagebrush saga, “Cool Water,” into a very spiritual-sounding number, making it all his own and providing a new take on an old favorite.

Hank treats his audience to many popular tunes such as “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You,” “When The Saints Go Marching In,” and “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.” A song or two of his studio work has traces of what will become rock ‘n’ roll. Listen to the lyrics again to “Hey, Good Looking;” you got hot rods, soda, and dancing dates. He’s only a few steps away from truly being the granddaddy of rockabilly. Check out “Cherokee Boogie,” “California Zephyr” and “a little masterpiece of nonsense,” as Hank introduces it, titled “Mind Your Own Business” with its added edgy verse about getting knocked around by the missus.

Hank and the boys are loose and playful on these live recordings while making only the slightest flubs, but that’s all good as it adds to the entire feel of the live show. As long as sponsors are mentioned, no one swears, and the station gets no complaints, everything is gravy. For all his sadness Hank manages to laugh and cut up even mentioning his baby boy “Bocephus” and the song he wrote for him “There’s Nothing Sweeter Than My Baby.” It’s also good to hear Hank’s speaking voice throughout the box set. It further drives home why people grew to love him so much. Again, despite his sadness, he has a warmth to his voice that carries over into his music and it is made clear in these recording aimed which were straight at the everyday working folks.

Hank Williams - The Unreleased Recordings continues the fine work done by the people at Time Life. Here, the song selection and order flow well and keep a good pace. The fact that it isn’t another best-of adds to the listening experience. While the 40-page booklet is filled with photos and informative liner notes by the very knowledgeable Colin Escott, it isn’t over done and reads well, providing enough info on Hank’s life to set the stage for the music. A good boxed set overall; it’s one of the best, if not the best, offers to come my way this year, and to think I nearly passed it up.

Widespread Panic: Live from Austin, TX

Written by Fumo Verde

If you can catch Austin City Limits, then do so for you may get a chance to see something like this. The band from Georgia plays an amazing show on a Halloween Night in 2000. This DVD will be a special one for the hardcore fans, for it features the late, great Michael Houser.

From what I’ve been told and have read, a Panic show is never the same nor do they play each song the same way, ever. Vic Chesnutt’s “Let’s Get Down to Business” starts out the show and gets everybody in the mood. This is followed by a Panic favorite “Ain’t Life Grand.” John Bell’s gruff voice fits Houser’s lyrics like a glove as the tempo quickens, such as life itself. “Space Wrangler” follows it, starting out with a Texas swing groove as the tale of child growing up is told. The beat of the tune turns into more of a rock jam for a bit then falls back into that tumbleweed groove it was showing in the beginning. Panic is known for doing this, taking the music and letting the tune find itself while the band comes along for the journey.

One of my favorites on this DVD was “Climb to Safety” with its energized guitar riffs. The bongo collaboration along with the drums gives this song a groove that had me tapping my feet. Add lyrics such as these: “Time will surely mold you/ into something you don’t like/ Get you runnin’ like a rabbit/ stick your finger in the dyke,” and I have found a new favorite song. This DVD also contains songs like “Casa Del Grillo,” J.J Cale’s “Travelin’ Light,” “Bear’s Gone Fishin’,” and “Porch Song.” This DVD contains eleven songs from a band that has no fear about trying new types of musical genres, even when they are on stage.

For someone who has only heard a few albums and would love to see Panic live, this is the closest I’ve come yet, and each time I hear them, I love their music more. My thanks to Austin City Limits for being one of the best live musical shows around that is still “Made in America,” and thanks from bringing us one of the most talented bands around, Widespread Panic.

Oscar Peterson - Live in '63, '64 & '65

Written by Fumo Verde

One of the most notable jazz trios of the ‘60s was the Oscar Peterson Trio. Elegance and professionalism accompany a friendship felt on stage. Peterson is one of jazz’s beloved artists and this DVD, Live in ’63, ’64, & ‘65, gives some insight as to why. Jazz Icons does it once again with a remarkable DVD that highlights three shows in the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Finland where the weather might be cold, but the reception for the Peterson Trio was more than warm.

The first show was held in Stockholm, Sweden in April 1963. The film is clean and you can see the beads of sweat upon Peterson’s brow, though his work at the piano may seem effortless. He is playing passionately along with bassist and good friend Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen. Both Brown and Thigpen are accomplished musicians themselves and it shows in the solos they play. The show starts off with “Reunion Blues” and as Peterson tickles the ivories Brown and Thigpen keep the beat, letting Peterson release his emotions. Yet, Peterson is also one for “ripping it up” like Rahsaan Roland Kirk or even Sonny Rollins. He plays it smoothly with a calmness that carries through his music. For the second set “Satin Doll” trumpeter Roy Eldridge steps in for a bit and gives the song soul. Both “But Not for Me” and “If Ain’t Necessarily So” are crowd-pleasers although the audience is never shown. “Chicago (That Toddling Town)” finishes off the set with Peterson playing hard on the keys while Brown and Thigpen feed off the energy Peterson is pumping out.

Holbaek, Denmark is where the second show takes place. In a little nightclub on May 2, 1964 Peterson and his band played to a full house in the round. Smoke fills the air as the lights beam down on the band. “On Green Dolphin Street” is on the set list and as I hear it, the song has a totally different feel to it than when played by Kirk or Rollins. Peterson’s version is slower and since the piano is the main player, the song has simpler feel to it. Peterson’s hands glide across the ivories as letting the notes take the crowd on a fantastic journey. His big intro opens the song with a whirlwind feel as Thigpen uses the cymbals adding an orchestral feel. The three men are positioned pretty close to each other making the group more intimate. By looking at one another, they can read each other and prepare for the changes, but you can also read the friendship they share with one another also, by the smirks and smiles each throws off. “Bags’ Groove” is the third song featured at this gig, and here is where Brown shows us what a bass player can do. He plays his stand-up with a passion most bass players wouldn’t reveal. Thigpen and Peterson get into his groove and the whole song makes the crowd go crazy when it’s over.

The third and final show is at the Cultural House in Helsinki, Finland played on March 23, 1965. The set list includes “Yours Is My Heart Alone,” “Mack The Knife,” and “Blues For Smedley.” Peterson opens with “Yours Is My Heart Alone” playing it at a much quicker tempo. This jolts Brown and Thigpen as they happily jump into his groove. The band is on a stage in front of the audience. Clark Terry comes out to play flugelhorn on “Mack The Knife” giving this jam its brass edge. He also plays trumpet on the next tune “Blues for Smedley,” adding that sweet brass pitch which has the crowd clapping for more. “Misty” and “Mumbles” round off the songs at the Cultural House and the crowd is screaming for more.

You can’t beat the DVDs that Jazz Icons brings to the table, and this one has to be one of my favorites so far. Again the liner notes are actually a small booklet giving the listener a background not usually talked about. A DVD like this is an open door to the history and magic that was the jazz scene in the ‘60s. For any lover of jazz this is a great disc and should be picked up as soon as possible.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Live in ’63 & ‘67

Written by Fumo Verde

I had no idea who Rahsaan Roland Kirk was and was curious as to why in the photo on the DVD cover this kat looked as if he had a whole brass band hanging around his neck. Well, it because he almost does. Kirk is one of those rare and talented individuals who mastered the art of playing a multitude of instruments, some he even created on his own.

This DVD showcases Kirk in three outstanding performances. Live in ‘63 & ‘67 starts out in Belgium and though it was recorded in the fall of 1963 for “Jazz Pour Tous,” it wasn’t broadcast until December of 1964. Kirk played within a quartet (and I call it that because I’m only counting bodies; if I were to count instruments, I would say that Kirk brought his orchestra) featuring bass player Guy Pendersen, drummer Daniel Humair, and Swiss- born pianist Georg Gruntz. The music seems to flow continuously with short, sharp quick edits from one band member to the next, highlighting the interaction between musicians.

Now, not only can Kirk play many instruments, he can play up to three at once. He isn’t the first artist to do this, but he is one of the masters. This kat hit every note with the sharpness of a samurai sword. It didn’t matter if he was playing his flute in “Yesterdays” or all three saxophones in “Three for the Festival” because his notes were right on and screaming. “Moon Song,” “Lover,” and “Milestones” ae also included in this set, which came on strong and ended in style.

The second of these three shows was my favorite. It was recorded for Rolando, a Dutch jazz show that took its name from one of Kirk’s compositions. The setting was a small smoky club in Amersfoort, Netherlands in October of 1963 giving the segment the feel of a live gig. You can see the patrons behind drummer Humair as the show opens from an upper balcony. Throughout the session, the video would cut to audience members during certain segments of solos or the whole band in a big full throttle jam, like in “Bag’s Groove” and “Three for the Festival.” The quartet is the same from the Belgium show and we can see why. Kirk feels comfortable these men in support. “Lover Man” and “There Will Never Be Another You” are also in this set. Once again Kirk impresses his listeners by his playing abilities.

The third show comes from the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in Norway during the summer of 1967, the Summer of Love. Here a different group backs Kirk: Ron Burton on piano, Alex Riel drums and Niels Henning Orsted-Pedersen on bass. The band is placed in front of the audience per the norm, and the camera work isn’t of the best quality, but the music is fantastic. Kirk picked “Blues for Alice,” a Charlie Parker song, to open up with and blew the crowd away. His soulful blasts of notes blended with the rhythm, giving way to a sweet jam that Bird himself would have loved.

Live in ‘63 & ‘67 showcases Kirk who has a sound all his own. A master musician who not only plays many instruments, some at the same time, but plays them all incredibly well. Oh, and did I mention that he is also blind? This man should be a hero to any young, up-and-coming jazz artists for what he has accomplished and how he took the jazz in his mind and transferred it to our ears. This is one of those finds that will catch your attention and open you up into a new sound of what jazz can be.

Ice-T: Live In Montreux

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Ice-T is truly a household name today with his acting spots in movies and on television, not to mention his role as icon of rap music and street toughness. Live In Montreux turns back the clock to 1995 when Ice-T had two major music projects burning bright. He had his established rap career and his fledgling and very controversial heavy metal band Body Count which made headline new with its “Cop Killer” ditty. On this two-disc DVD set we get to see Ice-T in full effect as a rap hustler spitting fire and Ice as he runs down a list of some of his best-known rap tunes.

Ice-T has a sound all his own, being able to deliver his lyrics with an aggressive attack while DJ Evil E drops mellow, funky beats behind him. It’s a combination that works well and has become Ice-T’s distinct style. Ice can move and command a crowd with the best of them getting in the audience’s face at points and calling them on their lack of enthusiasm. All the while he gets his words and his point across demanding to be heard without having to say, “hey, motherfuckers, look at me.” And the word “motherfucker” is one of his often-used favorites.

The Montreux set consists of many tunes off the Power album, which has been a favorite of mine for years. Yes, the under-aged Fantasma learned a lot from the New Jersey-born, Los Angeles-bred, former gang member/ pimp/street hustler and U.S. Army soldier turned rap-world icon. I learned the art of commanding your curse words and how to use them best in certain situations. Ice-T runs through such “Power” tunes as “High Rollers,” “I’m Your Pusher,” the title track, and the always fun “Girls L.G.B.N.A.F.” “High Rollers” and “Pusher” find Evil E laying down solid beats filled with funky guitar, bass, and horns sampled from ‘60s and ‘70s funk/soul classic such as Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman” and “Theme From Superfly.” And if you don’t know what “Girls L.G.B.N.A.F.” means, I’m not going to tell you. You’ve go to hear for yourself.

Other songs performed include tales of street life like his first hit “6 N The Morning” and “Peel Their Caps Back,” a violent tune about retaliation and its pointlessness as well as the autobiographical “I Ain’t New Ta This” and “That’s How I’m Living.” “Living” is a true autobiography in rhyme as Ice sets to lyrics and beats the story of his birth, upbringing, street life, military stint, and finally his climb to the top of the rap ladder.

Interesting in Ice-T’s live show is a thing he likes to call “Virtual Reality,” a bit in the show where “one minute you’re watching, the next you’re part of it.” Here Ice brings up four lads and gives them a chance to rock the mic and get the crowd moving. If they can’t, well Ice throws them back into the mob. A couple of kats do all right but the “winner” winds up making an ass out of himself and somewhat pissing off Ice and gets tossed back into the crowd.

Ice also calls on the ladies to come up and shake their “thang.” Hilarious for the fact that Ice and crew bust a move with the “bitches” before confessing that they all suck and need to get the hell off the stage. Ice then closes the set with a medley of his best-known tunes, “Original Gangster;” “New Jack Hustler” from the film New Jack City which he had a part in; and Colors, the title track from the movie of the same name.

Amusing and entertaining indeed. For seventy minutes Ice-T has the crowd in the palm of his hand and closes the show with a hint at the second half of his set: a performance with his rock/metal unit Body Count. But alas, my fiends, it is not to be as there is no performance on this disc by said unit. What makes the letdown complete is disc two’s “bonus footage” of Body Count in action. “Dis” two is packed with home movies of B.C. on stage filmed from backstage with shitty sound and bumpy shots, rounded out by behind-the-scenes home movies of Ice and B.C. making music videos for B.C. songs and messing around at Ice’s pad shooting hoops.

I was pissed at this point. The majority of the bonus footage would have been interesting if we had been shown the B.C. half of the Montreux show. Instead we get bad footage of a B.C. set from somewhere around 2003. Seriously, what the fuck is this about? Is a Body Count set coming soon with Ice-T bonus footage? I’d love to have the second half of the Ice-T set with Body Count. The Body Count live DVD should have the extras given here and this should be a single disc release. So other than disc two’s letdown Ice-T’s Live In Montreux is a good single disc by a rap master at the height of his game. Fans of all ages will enjoy seeing Ice-T perform and raise hell.