Dick Curless cut an imposing figure. Tall, lanky, and weathered, with a battered cowboy hat and an eye patch slung over his right eye, Curless possessed a booming baritone voice so powerful, he could seem like the toughest singer in country during the '60s and '70s. Perhaps that's why he was so perfectly suited for truck driving country -- he sounded and looked like a trucker. But Curless couldn't be reduced to an equation as simple as that, and he was one of the most interesting figures in '60s/early-'70s country music, since he was producing music that was traditionalist yet modern, music that was more versatile than it seemed on the surface, touching on folk ballads, Western swing, blues, and even rock. Best of all, this pure country singer was from Maine, not the South, which may be the reason he was so individual: He existed outside of the country mainstream, so he had his own distinctive voice in his words and music, which can be best heard on Razor & Tie's excellent 1998 collection, Drag 'Em off the Interstate, Sock It to 'Em Hits of Dick Curless. He had enough depth to his music to make his two Bear Family boxes compelling -- and that's where his surprising sensitive side is revealed -- but that's far too much information for an introduction. Here, his work is boiled down to 16 charting hits, a couple of lesser-known singles and a couple of excerpts from his great 1973 album Live at the Wheeling Truck Drivers Jamboree. Curless started out with songs of the road and songs of main, coming out of folk tradition but with a Johnny Cash spin, with the wonderfully ominous "A Tombstone Every Mile" making him a star and a favorite with truck drivers. This side of Curless -- including other great hits like "Travelin' Man," "Nine Pound Hammer," "Tater Raisin' Man," "Bury the Bottle With Me," and "The Baron" -- accounts for the first half of the disc, with the second given over to wild, wooly songs of the road, truck stops, drink, loose women, and heartache. Topically, it's all over the place and the music is, too, as he croons ballads and swing tunes, rocks out on the lewd "Chick Inspector (That's Where My Money Goes)," and acts out as the bartender on "Loser's Cocktail," one of the greatest unheralded barroom songs in country history. Though this roughly divides into two halves, both serve up some of the finest hardcore country of the '60s and early '70s -- the kind that true connoisseurs adore. And, for those listeners, Curless is a necessary listen, with this standing as the best overview and summary of his extraordinary music. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic)
trax:
01 Travelin' Man 02 I Aint Got Nobody 03 A Tombstone Every Mile 04 Six Times A Day (The Trains Came Down) 05 Nine Pound Hammer 06 'Tater Raisin' Man 07 The Baron 08 All Of Me Belongs To You 09 Big Foot 10 Bury The Bottle With Me 11 Big Wheel Cannonball 12 Hard, Hard Travelin' Man 13 Drag 'Em Off The Interstate, Sock It To 'Em J. P. Blues 14 Juke Box Man 15 Loser's Cocktail 16 Snap Your Fingers 17 Stonin' Around 18 Chick Inspector (That's Where My Money Goes) 19 Evil-Hearted Me 20 I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town 21 The Last Blues Song
...served by Gyro1966...
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13 comments:
DICK CURLESS "The Drag 'Em Off The Interstate, Sock It To 'Em"
...served by Gyro1966...
gitit! no pw
http://www73.zippyshare.com/v/88872879/file.html
MOLOTOV - Donde Jugaran Las Niñas
Universal Music Latino
http://www68.zippyshare.com/v/67079074/file.html
You know how every once in a while an album comes out and just throws a right cross to your jaw? That's how I felt the first time I heard ¿Dónde Jugarán las Niñas? by Mexico's hip-hop metal outfit Molotov.
It was epic.
The album, titled as a play off of Latino pop/rock quartet Maná, is a brash and offensive compilation of heavy guitar riffs mixed with rapping social commentary ripped off in Spanish and English. Tracks like "Chinga Tú Madre," "Puto," and "Quítate Que Ma'sturbas," don't really need translation. -- Phoenix NewTimes
Whenever I'm in San Diego I try to make it a point to visit the smaller "hole in the wall" record shops that Tijuana, Mexico has to offer. It was in one of these shops that I spied this record and on the strength of the cover alone (a girl photographed from the chest down in the back seat of an automobile with her panties down around her knees) that I bought it. When I got it home (and while my parents were away) I put it on the CD player. Not being a fan of loud hip-hop metal I was nonetheless taken by this record from it's very loud bass to it's fingers in the ears vocal. I can't speak a lick of Spanish but I know a few four letter words and this record seemed full of them. After the novelty of the Spanish wore off I still find myself listening to this record these days interspersed between Christopher Cross and Wayne Newton if nothing else than just to relieve the monotony.
Oh, and by the way: Molotov is a four-time Latin Grammy Award winner. Go figure.
-- JohnnyDiego
BONUS 1 OF 7
JUNIOR WELLS - Calling All Blues 1957-1963 @320
The Chief, Profile & USA Recordings
http://www57.zippyshare.com/v/33688513/file.html
Following his recorded debut as a leader for States Records, Junior Wells signed with Mel London, producing a number of sides for the producer's Chief and Profile imprints. Perhaps best-known for his spectacular harmonica playing, this period, documented on Calling All Blues, saw Wells emerging as an outstanding vocalist as well. A consummate performer with a firm grasp of the range of emotions the music can produce, Wells wrings every drop of feeling out of the lyrics. The singer growls, shouts, howls, moans across these 24 tracks including two versions of his great "I Could Cry" and other classics like "Little By Little," "Cha-Cha-Cha in Blue," and "Lovey Dovey Lovey One." While it has a great deal of overlap with the collections from Paula Records, Calling All Blues remains a fine introduction with no glaring omissions. The bulk of the compositions come from three sources: his employer, London; the "poet of the blues," Willie Dixon; and Wells himself. While the recording quality may be shaky at times, it's to be expected and in fact only adds to the feeling of authenticity emanating from the music. It's like stepping inside a hot, sweaty room for a forbidden peek at a late-night jam session. Wells and company imbue the material with such intensity, it can almost be overwhelming at times. For the most part, the singer leaves his harp alone, but the handful of harmonica moments are memorable. On the instrumental title track, he lays into his instrument, battling for space amongst piercing guitar and piano leads. Only when the music is tempered by the more popular forms of rock & roll and R&B on songs like "I'll Get You Too," "One Day (Every Goodbye Ain't Gone)," and "I Need a Car" does it begin to lose its potency. Leading up to the sessions that produced Wells' classic 1966 album Hoodoo Man Blues, this is electric blues at its fiery best. (Allmusic)
INFO
http://www.allmusic.com/album/calling-all-blues-mw0000105843
BONUS 2 OF 7
Blue Bay - Anthology Of San Francisco Bay Blues (1976) @320
http://www6.zippyshare.com/v/75281828/file.html
Featuring Robert Lowery Skip Rose Ron Thompson Sonny Rhodes Luther Tucker Charlie Musselwhite HiTide Harris The Gary Smith Blues Band
"As Charlie Musselwhite succinctly put it, 'blues is blues.' It can be the sweet ballad kind, or hard driving Chicago style, or even the low down country type. Whatever the kind, it's contained within this album -- the feeling and depth of the blues being played today in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"For guitarist HiTide Harris, these sides are his very first solo efforts. As a member of the John Mayall Band, Harris recorded and toured Europe and Australia in 1974. Tide's guitar playing and singing rank him as one of the finest blues musicians to surface in recent years.
"Gary Smith's career began with guitarist Robben Ford in 1970. The following year he formed his first band with bassist Steve Gomes whose solid backing has been a key to the band's success; they have been playing Bay Area clubs ever since. 'Solid Sender' is an instrumental in the vein of Little Walter. It's a showcase stopper that every harp player carries in his bag.
"Guitarist Ron Thompson was born in Oakland where the records of Jimmy Reed and Muddy Waters first provided him with a basic blues background. 'Blue Chariot,' a Delta influenced acoustic slide piece, is a classic that clearly exemplifies this young guitarist's abilities.
"Robert Lowery was born in Shula, Arkansas, near the Louisiana border. His earliest influences were local bluesmen, however, he eventually fell under the influence of Sam Hopkins and Son Jackson. He moved to Oakland in 1956 and is known for his rather uncanny ability to duplicate the sound of Robert Johnson. 'Crossroad Blues' is performed in typical Johnson style, the slide work impeccable, the duplication incredible.
"Sonny Rhodes has been playing the blues in California since the early 1960s when he moved to Fresno from Smithville, Texas. In Texas, he heard a lot of blues, especially T-Bone Walker who remains Rhodes' deepest influence as a guitarist. 'Keep Holding On' is a Jr. Parker tune that Rhodes first heard in Texas, lending a unique interpretation, and featuring a biting West Coast-style guitar.
"Luther Tucker is a veteran of numerous Chicago groups including the bands of Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Junior Wells, and James Cotton before finally settling in San Francisco. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1936, Luther Tucker is one of the great lead guitarists in the blues today! 'Mean Old World' goes back to when Tucker worked with the Otis Rush band in Chicago.
"It has been the wish of these musicians to present this album as a joint effort, a cooperative recording in which the final product is an expression of all involved to be shared by all, and one which transcends commercial consideration and allows each performer his interpretation of the blues."
- Tom Mazzolini, San Francisco 1976
INFO
http://www.messaround.com/album1.html
BONUS 3 OF 7
Goebel Reeves - Hobo's Lullaby 1929-1935 @320
http://www6.zippyshare.com/v/66165781/file.html
More from country music's dark past, these incredibly rare recordings were made between 1929 and 1934. Reeves cloaked himself in obscurity, wandering from town to town, recording infrequently and performing at local radio stations. He sang about his hobo's life in his songs. He recorded the original 'Hobo's Lullaby', later popularized by Arlo Guthrie, and, accompanying himself on the guitar, recorded a total of 28 songs (all here), like 'The Drifter', 'Blue Undertaker Blues', 'The Texas Drifter's Warning', 'The Cowboy's Prayer' and 'The Kidnapped Baby'. His incredible story is also revealed at last in the text contained in the 44 page booklet. (The Drifter)
Goebel Reeves was a singer/songwriter who eschewed his middle-class upbringing to become a hobo known as "the Texas Drifter" and sometimes as "George Riley, the Yodeling Rustler"; he penned one of Woody Guthrie's signature tunes, "Hobo's Lullaby" (drawing the melody in turn from a Civil War song, "Just Before the Battle, Mother"), and according to legend and his own claims, he taught Jimmie Rodgers to yodel. (They are thought to have traveled and performed together in the early '20s.)
Reeves was born in Sherman, TX, and grew up in Austin after his father was elected to the Texas state legislature. In 1917, he joined the U.S. Army and was shot while serving on the front lines overseas. He was discharged in 1921 and apparently chose to become a vagabond, temporarily earning a living as a singer. He did a stint as a seaman before making his recording debut for OKeh in 1929 and began using the aforementioned monikers the next year. Through the 1930s he cut about 35 sides for various labels; they followed the Rodgers mold in their mix of freedom-of-the-road yodeling numbers, comic pieces (such as a mother-in-law joke parody of "St. James Infirmary"), and sentimental ballads, but Reeves specialized in reflective hobo-philosopher recitations that were quite distinct from Rodgers' hobo pieces. He composed virtually all of his own recorded material. His last recordings were made in 1938 for a radio-transcription company in Hollywood; they were mostly recitations and poems.
Occasionally Reeves appeared on radio in both the U.S. and Canada, doing brief stints on The Rudy Vallée Show, The National Barn Dance, and The Grand Ole Opry. Later in the '30s, he returned to his seafaring career and spent time in Japan. During World War II he entertained U.S. troops and then, because he spoke some Japanese, worked for the U.S. government in Japanese-American internment camps. Reeves died in a veterans' hospital in Long Beach, CA, in 1959. Several LP reissues in the 1970s reintroduced the almost forgotten Reeves to country collectors, and his complete studio recordings were collected on the 1994 Bear Family release Hobo's Lullaby.
INFO
http://www.amazon.com/Hobos-Lullaby-Goebel-Reeves/dp/B0000282UP
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/goebel-reeves-mn0000561576/biography
BONUS 4 OF 7
The Byrds - Ballad Of Easy Rider (1969) [Expanded & Remastered] (2014) @320
http://www43.zippyshare.com/v/12244939/file.html
Originally released the same month as the Beatles' Abbey Road, both albums amounted to swan sangs for the respective bands. The Byrds would release spotty albums with occasionally excellent material, but Ballad of Easy Rider would be their last album of uniformly top notch songs.
The album opens with the stunning "Ballad of Easy Rider" and in two short minutes McGuinn captures the youth culture's optimistic search for freedom: "The river flows, it flows to the sea/wherever that river goes, that's where I want to be."
The album was very much a band effort. Of the four originals on the album, McGuinn contributed only the title track. John York wrote "Fido," (featuring the only drum solo on a Byrds' album). Gene Parsons (no relation to Gram) and Clarence White are given songwriting credit for "Oil in My Lamp," one of the few lead vocals for White who is better known for his guitar work. The other original is the gentle "Gunga Din" by Gene Parsons, who also provides the vocal.
The country take on "Tulsa County" features some terrific guitar playing by White. "Jack Tarr the Sailor" is the type of sea chantey McGuinn would return to on his solo album Cardiff Rose. Their rendition of "Jesus is Just Alright" was released as a single and though it was little different than the version put out four years later by the Doobie Brothers, the Byrds version spent only one week at No. 97 before falling off the charts. It would also be the last time a Byrds single would dent Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.
As they had done throughout their career, the Byrds once again went to the Bob Dylan songbook. This time recording a moving version of "It's All over Now, Baby Blue." But the band's most stirring cover is their majestic take on Woody Guthrie's "Deporte (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)," a sympathetic look at the plight of Mexican immigrants.
The bonus tracks are abundant--seven in all. Of the two tracks otherwise only available on The Byrds Boxed Set, "Way Beyond the Sun" is a traditional folk tune and "Mae Jean Goes to Hollywood" is a Jackson Browne song. "Fiddler A Dram" is an experimental song using the then-new Moog synthesizer, which is a curious but non-essential track. "Build It Up" is an instrumental allowing Clarence White to show off his guitar prowess. The other three tracks are alternate takes of the original album's songs, including the long version of "Ballad of Easy Rider." [Only in the sixties would a 2-minute and 26-second song be able to stake a claim as the "long" version!)
The album peaked at No. 36--their highest charting album since Greatest Hits went to No. 6 in 1967. Sales no doubt were helped along by the popularity of the movie "Easy Rider," which featured the album's title song in the soundtrack.
All told, this was the last great Byrds album and it belongs in any serious Byrds fan's collection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Steve Vrane)
INFO
http://www.amazon.com/Ballad-Easy-Rider-Byrds/dp/B0012GMZUY
http://www.allmusic.com/album/ballad-of-easy-rider-mw0000201337
Thanks for the late Dick Curless' composite. It's next to impossible to find any, except by dumb luck.
This means a lot to me as I was so very fortunate as to meet Dick Curless at an outdoor gig in Escoheag, Rhode Island when I was in a bad way, and he helped me out. I was able, a few years later, to catch up with him at a county fair in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, tell him my life a\had turned around, and thank him for his help. I never saw him again as he died a very few short years later.
Thanks for your Molotov post JohnnyDiego. I caught them on one of the Watcha Tours back in the day, and they were INTENSE.
FYI, there's a recent documentary about the crisis in Mexico, as seen thru the music of Molotov, called Gimme The Power. You can check out the trailer here (Spanish only): http://gimmethepower.com/
Maybe your Tijuana record store has a copy!
-peacenik
Thanks for J.Wells! Didn't have this period... Cheers Daniel
And thanks Gyro for the Blue Bay record, good variety & performances.
-peacenik
Thanks
Thanks for Dick Curless, Junior Wells and Goebel Reeves (never heard of him but sounds intriguing).
I played harmonica on a jingle Dick Curless sang for Freuhauf Tractor Trailers. My favorite jingle date ever.
If anybody has a copy of that, man I would love to hear that again.
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