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I’ve been itching to hear Lu’s take on Tryin’ To Get To Heaven ever since she announced she’d be recording it, and thanks to the magic of Youtube (and of course the kind fan who recorded it), here’s the Charleston take on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5RN5a3OsGQ. Sounds absolutely amazing to me…she not only does justice to what is IMHO one of Dylan’s greatest songs of the last 30 years, but also reinterprets it in her own way. I can’t wait to hear the studio take.
I always have to remind myself what a great album this is. While there are indeed some missteps (I’d count Sweet Side along with American Dream on that list), there are also some incredibly strong songs and performances. I’d consider Ventura to be her greatest post-Car Wheels song, for one.
Ventura was the first song I ever saw Lucinda perform live, and at that point I had only purchased her albums up through Essence. I wish I had a recording of the performance to confirm my memory of it, but I was absolutely awestruck. Usually it takes me a few listens to really appreciate a song, even a great one, but she had me from the first verse. I love the album cut but to this day I think about that live performance (it was in Chicago in ’05 I believe) every time I hear it.
Yeah, Jailhouse Tears is an interesting choice for this list – I think it’s a pretty good song, but I’d neither put it in my personal top 5 nor consider it one of the 5 songs I’d play for a new fan. For me it would also depend on the audience…I’d choose different songs to introduce Lucinda’s music to a country fan than I would an indie rock fan.
My overall top 5 would be:
1. Car Wheels
2. Pineola
3. Ventura
4. Side of the Road
5. Still I Long For Your KissThey’re really in no particular order after Car Wheels, though.
I can easily say that West is my least favorite Lucinda Williams album, but I have to qualify that statement by adding that I still think it’s a pretty good album with a few really good songs. The high points may not be quite as high as the high points of other albums, but that doesn’t make it bad.
Probably the worst thing I can say about it is that the songs I really love (Unsuffer Me, Where Is My Love? and Rescue) are better live than on the album. I have a bootleg from ’05 that’s a compilation of songs that later ended up on West and Little Honey (I think it’s just called New Songs 2005 or something like that), with a live version of Rescue that’s exquisite. I don’t know where it was recorded, but it’s a unique live recording in that the crowd chatter (of which there’s a fair amount) somehow adds to the already-great performance.
Sounds like I missed a few really good shows. Unfortunately the timing didn’t work out for Madison/Chicago for me this time. 🙁
The Emanuel/Obama story is a great one. However one feels politically, you can’t argue with their taste in music. (And I’m impressed that Rahm Emanuel is a big enough fan to have seen Lu so many times; most of the time when a politician says he’s a big fan of someone it means he’s got a few of their songs on his iPod, or something like that).
Lafayette, thanks for the pics and review. I have indeed crossed paths with Jim at a number of shows (Lu, Bob Dylan, The Greencards, and possibly more I’m forgetting) in the area – small world, huh? He’s usually right there at the front of the line for GA shows the same as me. 🙂
Hey Tom…you mean the Englert Theatre in Iowa City, IA, correct? That’s the Englert Theatre Lu’s played at before (I think in ’08 if I remember correctly), and a quick Google search didn’t turn up any listing of a theatre by the same name in Des Moines.
It sounds like if the footage from this show is deemed good enough to be released, it’ll be at the top of my shopping list. Thanks so much for the detailed reports, which are the next best thing to being there.
I’m still in awe of how generous you were to invite us fans to share in the experience. It was definitely an unforgettable night; I tell people it was the second-best wedding I’ve ever been to (eclipsed only by my own, which was less than a month later. :))
I really, really, REALLY wish I could have made it down to Fayetteville for these shows. Last night’s setlist looks great and the fact that it was solo acoustic is even more exciting.
I can’t wait to hear the Loretta Lynn song, too…that album sounds like it’s going to be great.
I’m two days late, but I swear I was thinking of you guys on Saturday. 🙂 I hope you had a very happy anniversary!
Absolutely amazing. 🙂 Thanks for filling us in, Tom.
And I agree with tntracy that a box set of unreleased songs and early/alternate takes, a la Dylan’s Bootleg Series, would be incredible!
by the way, does anyone here have these two shows?
No, but man do I wish I did! Those setlists look amazing. I count four songs (How It Feels, Don’t Kid Yourself, Duck and Dive (?), and That’s How I Got To Memphis) that I’ve never even heard of. And I would give an awful lot to hear a 1986 recording of If Wishes Were Horses, which is my favorite song on Little Honey. I’m equally curious about Full Moon. I wonder if any of those are alternate titles to songs that were later recorded; they don’t necessarily sound like it, but you never know.
i hope lucinda dusts if off and puts it on a record, just like ‘horses’ and ‘circles’ on little honey.
punchdrunklove, I’ve been saying the same thing about All I Want since I first heard it. You never know, right? 🙂
Pineola. 1985 bootleg has extra verses, years before it was recorded. I think it works better without these as it leaves the song more concise. What do others think?
I agree. The version she eventually recorded on Sweet Old World is as tight and flawless as any song she’s ever written; on some days I think it’s my favorite Lu song and I point it out to other people as a great example of her songwriting style. The ’85 bootleg version sounds much more like a work in progress.
1. Is All I Want an original? Has it appeared elsewhere?
no idea, i researched about it one day out of curiousity and couldn’t find anything. i have versions of this song from 81 to 93.
I’m almost positive it’s an original, because it sounds lyrically very much like a Lu song, but I have no confirmation of that. It’s interesting to hear the acoustic ’85 version contrasted with the live versions from the early ’90s; it’s almost like a different song entirely.
All I Want is easily my favorite unreleased Lu song, and that ’85 version is in my top five Lu performances of all time, for sure, even considering the low sound quality of the bootleg.
I saw this unconfirmed Dylan show on Bill Pagel’s site a few minutes ago and instantly thought of you, Lafayette:
September 3, 2010 Yakima, Washington– (Friday)
Yakima County Stadium
John Mellencamp is also scheduled to perform
A hold has been put on this venue for this date but the show has not yet been confirmedLooks like there’s a good chance our respective favorite musicians (besides Lu, of course) are teaming up again this fall. 🙂
Also, Ticketmaster is going to a “paperless” ticketing system.
For example, if you live in Boston, and you have bought tickets as a gift for friends to attend a concert in say NYC. You are “SOL” as you must be present in NYC for them to scan the actual credit card used to make the purchase.Ugh. This is even worse than the charges. It effectively screws things up for fans like me who may attend several shows on a tour but are unsure of which ones until the entire tour has been announced (Dylan is notorious, lately, for announcing a few shows at a time and not announcing more until they’ve already gone on sale). With eBay and everything, it’s pretty easy to deal with…if I decide not to go to a show, I just resell my ticket (often for a little less than I paid, but no big deal). Conversely, if I decide to go to a show at the last minute (as often happens), I can find a ticket pretty easily.
I’m sure they’re justifying this move as a way to stick it to the “evil” scalpers; the problem is that they’re essentially establishing their own monopoly to gouge fans.
Tom, I really appreciate that you and Lu are concerned about the fees and everything. I know there are limitations as to what you can do for us, but it’s nice to know you care.
