Iris DeMent was my entree into Tom Russell. I loved her and her first three albums. This is was the late 90s. I then read she was featured on this album "The Man From God Knows Where" by Tom Russell, so I bought that, never having heard of him. Iris toured Australia in 1998, I was living on the empty fumes of Austudy but I went and saw her live at the Basement, but to do so I had to skip Steve Earle that same week. To even afford to see her I lived on the $1.90 hot dog and slurpee deal at the servo on Alison Rd in Randwick for weeks and walked to Bondi and back to pay my rent to my slumlord landlady who lived in a mansion on Edgecliff Rd, because I couldn't afford the $5 bus fare. A second $50 gig was out of the question, sorry Steve.

One amusing moment in the US campaign (and oh my, how many of them have there been?) happened when MY GUY Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr took on some Freeper drongo who has a gig on Florida telly. She asked, "hey, "from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs" is that proto-Islamofascist Marx right? So, B. Hussein Obama is a Marxist, right?" And Joey responded, "You are Ashton Kutcher in drag and this is a Punk'd skit, right?" (paraphrase) That was pretty funny. The better answer was, "Actually that was first used by Louis Blanc and merely, literally, popularised by Marx in reference to a specific phase of economic development bearing not even theoretical relevance to the USA in 2008 but, hey folks, gawd love ya, easy mistake, sweetheart."

My point is this. After America becomes a Socialistic utopia a la GASP Sweden on November 5th (6th AEDST), I do hope to see the immediate creation of The Department of Homeland Musical Redistribution, with, say, Doctor John as its first Secretary.

America has the ability. Australia has the need.

Give me your tired singer-songwriters, your poor troubadours,
Your honky tonk angels yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your brief major label deals.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
And vow to bring five of my friends to your gig in Sydney.

Once upon a time I had a wee mental list of the five singers I most wanted/needed to see live. Dylan, Springsteen, Cash, Cohen and ... Um, it might have actually been Billy Bragg in truth. Tremendous back catalogue, still know all the words to St Swithin's Day and Between the Wars, but compared to the way I felt at 21 the attraction has not really worn well. Can I blame Wilco? Sure, why not. Anyway, I've seen him (the night of the hail storm, for Sydneysider nostalgia) so either way he gets crossed off. Obviously there were many more I was thrilled with the prospect of seeing live, but those were the Big Tickets.

Done Dylan, in double figures for his gigs now. Bruce, not yet but he'll swing back here again sometime so I'm not worried about that. Cash, alas to the power of infinity, no and no chance now. Leonard Cohen, at the time I had the list I honestly thought I would never get to see. He wasn't touring, wasn't recording, was still doing the Buddhist biznitz. But, I've got those tickets now so that's an unexpected strikethrough on the list. Someone said to me the other night, we should be grateful his manager ripped him off and he needed to go back on the road. Ha.

Anyway, that list has been overtaken by time.

Being philosophical about the prices of the Cohen tickets I said the other day it's tax on not living in the USA or the UK. You just have to cop it sweet Oi Oi Oi -- or move.

But anyway, all the names on that list are crossed-off one way or the other, finally or provisionally so I need a new list. Behold the new Category at left: The New List, of folks I have not seen but must. Astute readers will note it's mostly an excuse to feature some wonderful music via YouTube. Later today, I kick it off with Tom Russell.

Updated the Sydney Dylan Society page with some newses. One, C.P Lee is in the country in November and will be popping along to the meeting on the 17th. He's out for some conference thingy in Melbourne. His books on Dylan, Like A Bullet of Light about Dylan films and Like the Night about the1966 UK tour, are very highly recommended. I'm quite excited about it.

Second, "Drawn Blank" the exhibition of Bobby's artwork is on at the 29 Spring St Gallery in Bondi Junction from tomorrow, 29th October through to the end of November. We're having a Halloween viewing this Friday so I'll be sure to let you know if he's hopeless with the watercolours. A signed print is yours for only $3000 I hear! Make mine a double.

Bob gets his own Hollywood star. My mum took this photo. At least I assume she just took the photo, and wasn't the actual vandal herself. But who knows -- she's a maverick!

Next project: DIY Nobel Prize.

Photos of the great unveiling. Dylan pr0n over the fold. The listening part will take a bit longer.

Oh sure, the olds and the breeders get free money chucked at them but this rainy day brings good news too for the childfree, renting, full time tax-paying-not-eating working schmo: my deluxe edition of Tell Tale Signs has landed!

A most welcome injection for the multi-dollar Flop Eared Mule Domestic Stimulus Package!

More soon.

A bumper month or so , yeah even more than usual, over the fold. My normal account splus an extra 300 downloads courtesy of cheap promo cards picked up in the US for me by CCRGMac from the eMu boards -- thanks! If anyone was wondering when I would reach the outer limit of my physical ability to consume music every month, I might have done it. I was feeling full to bursting but also light headed at the same time for a while there. I regret nothing!

I did a 8tracks of a selection of the music here. 45 tracks! Click through or:

Country, Folk, Old Timey, Blues, Zydeco etc

Voice of the Spirit, Gospel of the South -- Various
Cherry picked this for the Cash, Crowell and Gill.

Recovery -- Loudon Wainwright III
Re-recordings of old songs. A welcome revisit to the songs and Joe Henry's production it all the right notes.

The Half Ain't Never Been Told - Early American Rural Religious Music Vol. 2 -- Various
Excellent collection of spooky and rough old time stuff. Some tracks a bit scratchy but all listenable.
Danny and the Champion of the World -- Danny George Wilson
Don't think this is quite up there with The Famous Mad Mile but I need to give it more time.
Put it In the Alley -- The Kilborn Alley Blues Band
Another good collection of swaggering blues rock with very tasty soul leanings.
Bogalusa Boogie -- Clifton Chenier
The essential zydeco album. Right weather for it too at the mo.
Everybody's Got a Song -- Donnie Fritts
Funky Donnie Fritts is a familiar sideman. He's not got the greatest voice, but he duets on his solo album with Waylon Jennings, Lucinda Williams, Delbert McClinton and others and it's fun enough.
Ontinuous Performance -- Stone the Crows
Jock rock! I had vaguely heard of Stone the Crows in various edns of Unut or Mojo or whatever on account of their lead guitarist electrocuting himself on stage. Mary Bell really does sound like Janis Joplin and with the 70s rock/blues sound of the band it's just like having another Janis record, which is A-OK by me. Also good summer music.
Dylanblob -- John Wesley Harding
I like some of his stuff very, very much but nothing here really has me reaching for the repeat button. They are the kind of songs that grow on you though.
The High Lonesome Sound -- Roscoe Holcombe
"High Lonesome Sound" about covers it. If you were describing it to people you'd say "O Brother music" but in terms of polish makes that stuff sound like the Three Tenors. Roscoe rocks the banjo, no doubt. The 10 minute "Little Bessie" is his "Nessun Dorma."
Sex and Gasoline -- Rodney Crowell

Most of my extra tracks this month went on "soul jazz" and various other varieties of post-bebop noodling. Which I love, but at the tail end of the month I felt a great need to turn away from the complex layers of organ and sax and listen to the most elemental blues I could fine. So I augmented my collection with the following, all of which are quite essential.
Pure Religion and Bad Company -- Rev. Gary Davis
Praise God I'm Satisfied -- Blind Willie Johnson
Sun Recordings -- Howlin' Wolf
Free and Equal Blues -- Josh White
Jos White doesn't really qualify on the raw blues scale, he's really very smooth and a folk/pop crossover natural.
Blind Lemon Jefferson Vol. 2 (1927)

Protest! American Protest Songs 1928--1953 -- Various
Interesting collection of old timey protest songs from big names like Woody Guthrie and Big Bill Broonzy to more obscure gems, like Texas Jim Robertson's jaunty "The Last Page of Mein Kampf." (which just says PWND!)

Jazz etc
Three Concord "Introductions to ..." discs: Soul Jazz, Jazz Vocals, Jazz Saxophone.

Sacred Ground -- David Murray Black Saint Quartet
I got this because this bloke is playing at the Basement later in the year and is apparently the generations greatest tenor sax dudes or something. I like it a lot so will probably go.

Bluesy Burrell -- Kenny Burrell
Dexter Blows Hot and Cold -- Dexter Gordon
Sides of Blue -- Various
Misterioso -- Thelonious Monk
Blue Seven -- Shirley Scott

Lonely and Blue and Don't Go to Strangers -- Etta Jones
To Etta With Love -- Houston Person
Etta Jones is a favourite newly-discovered jazz vocalist now. Real cocktails after midnight stuff. Houston Pearson is her long time accompaniest (sax) and the third album is one he recoreded in tribute to her after her death.

In San Francisco -- Cannonball Adderley
Gene Ammons and Friends at Montreaux
I got this because I found this on YouTube.
The Chase -- Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon
Tough 'Duff and Legends of Acid Jazz -- Jack McDuff
Mr Soul - John Wright
Black Coffee -- Johnny "Hammond" Smith
The New Scene of King Curtis
Bags's Groove -- Miles Davis
A Little New York Midtown Music -- Nat Adderley
Jam Miami: A Celebration of Latin Jazz - Chick Corea, Arturo Sandoval, Pete Escovedo, and Poncho Sanchez
The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn, Jr
Giants of the Organ Come Together -- Jimmy McGriff & Groove Holmes
This is duelling Hammond B3s (or whatever) and I think I prefer some sax or something in the mix more, one organ will be enough for me. It's good though.
March of the Jazz Guerillas -- Babatunde Lea
This is a really excellent album of Afro-Cuban type jazz. "Abuse of Reality Mambo" is a great song title, too.
I'm Thankful -- Spanky Wilson and the Quantic Soul Orchestra
One of my faves for the month. There have been a lot of songs about Hurricane Katrina,. "That's How it Was" has got to be the coolest.
Workin' -- Miles Davis
Quiet Kenny -- Kenny Dorham
Heading in the Right Direction: Soul / Jazz From Australia 1973-1977 -- Various
Brotherhood -- Various
Elemental Soul -- Marlena Shaw
Another jazz/soul songstress discovery.
Sides of Blue -- Various

Soul, Funk, R&B, Hip-Hop etc
The Cpt Theorem and The Compton Effect -- Greydon Square
Atheist hip-hop!

Rhythm'n Girls -- Various
Great collection of 50s/60s R&B, will be exploring more of the people on here.
Soul of a Man: Al Kooper Live
The Koopster is quite prolific and I enjoyed this double CD a lot.
Soul Explosion -- Daktaris
Wattstax: The Living Word -- Various

Funky Funky Houston -- Various
No link 'cos the whole label has disappeared. ;-(

Update: I hadn't had a chance to see a paper copy of the Herald til now. Of course I'm always gratified when our paper of record takes up more than half three-quarters of the front page with a c.1987 picture of Bob Dylan, but I can't help wondering if this download was really the story of greatest domestic and/or global import today. Colour me .... puzzled.

The Mississippi track is also available at the SMH and Amazon and who knows where else besides, so they're really putting it out there.

Note to Herald subbies: it is not "long-lost." It was recorded in 1997! And at no point in the intervening 11 years was it "lost." Turn up an unheard Robert Johnson track and you can call it "long-lost." Turn up Bob singing "Love is Just a Four Letter Word" from 1967 and I'll let it pass.

it's nice they got Richard Jinman to write an original blurb for it though, although there are some weird lines in it.

Get this. Via Expecting Rain, the Grauniad is offering a download of "Mississippi" from Tell Tale Signs. Even if you're gonna get the whole thing anyway, you want to hear this. Very stripped back and swinging version, compared to album and is great.

The photo of Rev. Gary Davis and Alice Ochs has nothing particular to do with things, I just like it. The Rev. was a Carolinas man, not MS.

A selection of songs is up on 8tracks. Full list over the fold.

I was just doing my August eMusic Downloads post and raving about Smithsonian Folkways, so then I decided the entry deserved a whole post of its own. Smithsonian Folkways is Teh Awesome and they're doing a couple of the things I reckon all labels should be doing. Bravo!:

Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways ---- Truly wonderful collection. The music of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky in all its raw glory. Your old timey legends plus more obscure names (man, those Old Regular Baptists are something else.) Smithsonian Folkways (and Smithsonian Global Sounds) is also brilliant in having its liner notes available for download, with extensive annotations of each song. Worth reading with or without the music. They also have digital downloads (MP3 or FLAC) for a fair price on their site so I'm going to buy things directly from them even though I could get them from eMusic for cheaper 'cause they deserve it. Heaven on earth would be being able to do this ...

Two new country albums I am enjoying for your consideration. This gives a good run down of the songs and guests on Darrell Scott's Modern Hymns. A long time fave of mine, he has such a keening voice which mines a lot of pathos from great songwriting (his own and the excellent covers here) and yet can do the lighter, front porch hoe down. To pick a couple of highlights: with Mary Gauthier on "Joan of Arc" (the backup girls and even Scott's voice on it are very Cohen), "American Tune" and "Frisco Depot" (Waylon Jennings).

Jerry Douglas is a legendary instrumentalist of course so you know you're in for sublime interpretations there. He also ropes in a couple of guests like Earl Scruggs, Rodney Crowell and TravisTritt to compliment. I particularly like Crowell on his own song, Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream.)

A new muxtape of female artists.

Under the Rug -- Nani Bregvadze Georgian singer big from 60s onwards in Soviet type places, lovely crisp but dramatic voice perfect for soppy Russian "romances." Here is my favourite song of hers, perhaps he most beloved but I don't have it on MP3: "Snegopad" ("Snowfall"). Fur coats and Aeroflot - so evocative!

Enta Omri -- Mahmoud Fadl with Salwa Abou Greisha Sudanese interpretations/hommages to the great Umm Kalthum. Enta Omri is "You Are My Life" in Arabic.

Stretch Out -- Sister Rosetta Tharpe with Marie Knight About 20 years earlier than the YouTube I posted earlier today but just as powerful.

Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out -- Carrie Smith Carrie is a bit of a more obscure blues shouter but does not at all deserve to be. This is from 1977.

A Grand Night for Swinging -- Mary Lou Williams Great jazz composer/arranger/pianist.

Pace, Pace mio Dio - La forza del destino -- Maria Callas I only got this the other day. It makes me want to have a bath in the dark and have this drift in from the other room. Just me? OK.

High on a Mountain -- Ola Belle Reed Classic mountain music, she was part of the folk revival phase in the 60s.

Osain -- Merceditas Valdes A great name in Afro-Cuban music. I was a bit suss about the flute or whatever at the beginning but once she started singing I was hooked. On YouTube.

Nibari (My Grandchild) -- Umalali, The Garifuna Women's Project The Garifuna are a community of descendants of African slaves shipwrecked in Belize. The sadly late Andy Palacio brought the music to the world with Watina and this is the follow up.

Working on Beale Street and Crying -- Denise LaSalle Her speciality is NSFW blues which go from the risque to the downright obscene. Sadly, "Lick It Before You Stick It" is not on YouTube. This one is pretty safe except for some straight talk at the end.

I'm Through Trying to Prove My Love To You -- Millie Jackson She is new to me, this is from her best known album of cheating songs (side A from the POV of the wive, side B is the other woman). She can also cuss like a cussing thing and makes a lot of those worst album covers ever lists.

Cansada De Esperar - Angelica Maria Dunno anything about her but this is a cover of The Kinks' "Tired of Waiting."

bobdylan.com has undergone a nifty redesign including the Dylan Geo feature which allows you to access tour information by city and ... some "blogs" but I don't know what that's all about. Can anyone do one? Anyway, the push is also all part of the next installment of the Bootleg Series, Tell Tale Signs. I almost preordered the deluxe package until I saw they were going to charge me $40 postage. I strongly doubt that is reasonable.

The track list is as follows. Some interesting stuff, although many double ups for tragics. Haven't had time to seek professional opinions - like, what's the difference between this "Series of Dreams" and the one on Bootleg Series 1-3? I guess I can put up with yet another version of Dignity for the promising outtakes from World Gone Wrong and Time of Out Mind.

Update: I've had a little play with the social networking aspects of the new site. You can create playlists which will stream in full, do blog entries (but no comments!), comment on gigs and so on. Seems pretty well put together and easy to use. You can download a free song Dreamin' of You, an outtake from TOOM, which features some lyrical snatches familiar from Standing In the Doorway.

Disc One

Mississippi (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)

Most of the Time (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)

Dignity (Piano demo, Oh Mercy)

Someday Baby (Alternate version, Modern Times)

Red River Shore (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)

Tell 'Ole Bill (Alternate version, North Country Soundtrack)

Born in Time (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)

Can't Wait (Alternate version, Time Out Of Mind)

Everything is Broken (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)

Dreamin' of You (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)

Huck's Tune (From Lucky You soundtrack)

Marching to the City (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind)

High Water (For Charley Patton) (Live, Niagara, 2003)

Disc Two

Mississippi (Unreleased version #2, Time Out Of Mind)

32-20 Blues (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong)

Series of Dreams (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)

God Knows (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)

Can't Escape From You (Unreleased, December 2005)

Dignity (Unreleased, Oh Mercy)

Ring Them Bells (Live at the Supper Club, 1993)

Cocaine Blues (Live, Vienna, Virginia, 1997)

Ain't Talkin' (Alternate version, Modern Times)

The Girl On The Greenbriar Shore (Live, 1992)

Lonesome Day Blues (Live, Sunrise, Florida, 2002)

Miss the Mississippi (Unreleased, 1992)

The Lonesome River (With Ralph Stanley, from Clinch Mountain Country)

'Cross The Green Mountain (From Gods And Generals Soundtrack)

Disc Three

Duncan And Brady (Unreleased, 1992)

Cold Irons Bound (Live, Bonnaroo, June 2004)

Mississippi (Unreleased version #3, Time Out Of Mind)

Most Of The Time (Alternate version #2, Oh Mercy)

Ring Them Bells (Alternate version, Oh Mercy)

Things Have Changed (Live, Portland, Oregon, 2000)

Red River Shore (Unreleased version #2, Time Out Of Mind)

Born In Time (Unreleased version #2, Oh Mercy)

Tryin' To Get To Heaven (Live, London, England, 2000)

Marchin' To The City (Unreleased version #2, Time Out Of Mind)

Can't Wait (Alternate version #2, Time Out Of Mind)

Mary And The Soldier (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong)

Combined June/July eMusic downloads list, over the fold.

Went to the monthly Balmain Ukulele Klub meetup on Monday night over at the Gladstone Park Bowlo. It was Dylan night! I do not play the ukulele and don't anticipate taking it but it was a lot of fun and it warms me to know these thriving subcultures exist across the city. The house band of friends of mine (buy the CD) did a great job with some Dylan songs, including a clever Red Sails in the Sunset/Beyond the Horizon medley. Then there was a ukulele tutorial on more Bob songs, then an open mic of Bob songs. All on uke, of course. Col Joye was there, big uke man apparently.

* Joke totally stolen.

Muxtape, World Youth Day edn.

Further: How awesome is it that Mick/Proddy doctrinal stoushes are back in the papers? Party like its 1953!

I mentioned before I'm liking "El Esquimal" the cover of Quinn the Eskimo by Los Chijuas. I knew they were Mexican but didn't know when it was recorded til I just went looking. 1968, turns out. It's on my muxtape and also an MP3 is here.

I got the rerelease off eMusic where it has this random fugly cover which gives you no idea of the era, the contents or anything else of consequence.

So after googling I find the original 1968 cover which was deemed too ... appropriate I guess for teh cutting edge of now. (Is that Peter Sellars????)

Bah. Shut up, Musart-Balboa. You might be a cheapie rerelease factory without even a website but surely you could find some other royalty free clip art? I hereby banish you from my Cover Flow!

PS, on eMu it's also on this "Mexi-delico" compilation which is very cool.

I'm back on the right side of the digital divide. To celebrate, I did a new muxtape just of stuff I listened to in my first couple of hours of plugging the thing in. The opening song is a Mexican cover of Quinn the Eskimo.

I consider myself very fortunate to have seen Bo Diddley live last year at the Basement. He was clearly a bit frail, seated the whole time but still had the licks and was backed by a really good, mostly female band. A few weeks after that he had a serious stroke and I don't think performed publically again.

Lots of YouTube goodness to choose from. Let's try this one:

And a New York Times slideshow.

And a Stones cover: