Monday, June 22, 2009

Elliott Murphy: Night Lights

I'm still amazed by the depth of rock history: no matter how smart you think you are, there's always some great artist you somehow failed to recognise as one, or that simply didn't cross your way... And that's what happened to me with Elliott Murphy: I barely knew he existed (had heard of the name, I guess), and that's why when some weeks ago I read a long article spanning through his entire career I knew exactly zip of him... So, just after reading I started digging and as soon as I started listening to his debut "Aquashow" I felt sooooo very stupid. I mean: Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Richard Hell in one person (and one album!).
So, I was supposed to upload the "Acquashow" LP, sure, but I know there's plenty of blogs with that same album (try PVAC...for instance), and I wanted something a little less obvious, and I went for Murphy's third release, "Night Lights", a slightly inferior one, but with a bunch of great (great!) songs as Diamonds by the yard, You'll never know what you're in for, or Lady Stiletto (about Patti Smith, btw).
And if you're not easily convinced try and read Lady Stiletto's lyrics:

I see this little girl she's dressed in black
She's spitting on the stage
And like some stray cat she arches her back
She leads the anarchist parade
She's a poet with street walking rhymes
They say she's got no shame
And as she screams about some piss factory
Her eyes burn with Rimbaud's rage

Ch baby you got such a way with words
You got such a way with your hairstyle
There's only one thing that you do I don't believe
That's when you smile

Her T shirt's ripped with a passion
Her mind's been raped by Rolling Stones
She keeps her weight down by fasting
On Jim Morrison's bones
And when she's good she's a rock dream witch
With Mac Beth on lead guitar
Just a ballad of a thin girl
I really think she's gonna go far

Oh baby you got such a way with words
You got such a way with your hairstyle
There's only one thing that you do don't believe
That’s when you smile

She really knows how to get to the heart
She writes with a stiletto in mind
She's got just a touch of Bonaparte
She's lack the Ripper's kind
Her wounds are open for the sake at art
She's living right near the edge
I love to see that kind of power
Its getting lonely on this ledge

Oh baby you got such a way with words
You got such a way with your hair style
There's only one thing that you do I don't believe
That's when you smile

And if this didn't do the trick, take a look at Diamonds by the yard played live in 2008:



Night Lights

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Request

I have a little (?) request: does anybody have the Go-Betweens' "The last Stand, Max's Dec.1989" (i.e The Go-Bes' last concert of the 80's)?
If yes, please (pleeeeeze) would you upload it and post as a comment?
It'd be very appreciated.

M.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Monday, June 08, 2009

The Go-Betweens: Live Zeleste, Barcelona, Spain, May 17, 1989

It's been a while since my last post about the Go-Betweens (almost two months!), and so I started digging into my hard disk, and I picked this one up, a very good bootleg indeed: quite long tracklist (18 songs) and a couple of rare moments in it. Which are: the weird intro to Love is a sign (and with violin pizzicatos), and (above all) Bob Dylan's Hurricane (it's just a pity that the recording does not start at the very beginning of the song). Plus, this version here of Clouds (more or less the same of the "Fools in love" boot) is possibly my favourite ever (the one with the "oceanic" drumming...), and then great finale for both Streets of your town (a funky one!) and Karen.

So, one more thing before I go, one more time: if any of you has any GBs photos, would you be so kind to upload them and send me the link (as a comment)? I'm really running short on pictures here (this one above is Razzmatazz in Barcelona, same bulding as Zeleste, new name -if I'm not mistaken)

Tracklist:

1. Love Goes On
2. Was There Anything I Could Do
3. Clouds
4. Dive For Your Memory
5. I'm Alright
6. Right Here
7. The House That Jack Kerouac Built
8. Quiet Heart
9. Spring Rain
10. Streets Of Your Twon
11. Bye Bye pride
12. The Clarke Sisters
13. The Devil's Eye
14. Love Is A Sign
15. Core Of A Flame
16. Hurricane
17. Apology Accepted
18. Karen

Live Zeleste Part 1
Live Zeleste Part 2