Monday Music Roundup

It’s Monday, time again for me to open wide the vast musical archives (which are actually quickly filling up my 30GB iPod – I think I need a new 60. Your favorite friendly music blogger is currently accepting donations) to pull out some selections for y’all. And today’s caveat is that EZArchive (which stores the songs) may be acting weird. If you can’t get the tunes, stop back by later.

In the meantime I will give EZArchive a stern talking-to.

Satisfied Mind
Johnny Cash
I first heard this song done by Jeff Buckley on his Sketches (For My Sweetheart The Drunk). His version is saturated with a gorgeous and rich beauty (and was, incidentally, played at his memorial service – side note). Ben Harper also does a bluesy-gospel version with the Blind Boys of Alabama. But Johnny Cash, as always, puts his signature desolate and wind-blown sound to this song (from the Kill Bill 2 Soundtrack of all places) and it makes me feel all nostalgic and Grapes-of-Wrath-ish just to listen to it. God bless Johnny Cash.

Cayman Islands
Kings of Convenience featuring Feist
I posted on Norway’s Kings of Convenience before, but never about the lovely Canadian songstress Feist, who I have been hearing more and more professions of love for from the mouths of my musical friends. Feist paired with Kings for a few tracks on their album Riot On An Empty Street, released in 2004. This is a very mellow song with a nice blending of voices, with folksy finger-picking simple melody and lilting vocals. Check out “Homesick” from the same album for a straight up Simon & Garfunkel reunion.

Hard Times
Eastmountainsouth
This duo has now broken up, but Eastmountainsouth was a lovely surprise discovery that I made in 2004, scoring free tickets to go see them in a small club in San Francisco. Kat Maslich is from Clinch Mountain, Virginia, and she joins Alabama/Tennessee native Peter Adams on their evocative eponymous 2000 release. Maslich’s warm and powerful alto voice leads the album, alternating and meshing seamlessly with Adams. The organic and rural-sounding album employs a variety of styles of music, mostly centering around folk and acoustic melody, but incorporating hints of plucky bluegrass guitar and resonant piano. I highly recommend the album, and I wish you could still see them live as they were stunning. Oh, and this song was also featured on the Elizabethtown soundtrack last year.

Sunshine (live 11/13/03)
Matt Costa
I just got reminded (by a little birdie of sorts) of this great track that I’ve had sitting in my “To Blog” playlist for about three months now. Matt Costa was was number three on Fader Magazine’s “Top Ten Things You Didn’t Appreciate Enough In 2005,” - an acoustic singer-songwriter in the vein of pal (and informal promoter) Jack Johnson. Costa has toured with Jack, as well as Donavon Frankenreiter (and probably G. Love), so you get a sense of his vibe. Costa also collaborates with Jack on the new Curious George soundtrack, which I buckled and pre-ordered on iTunes so I could get the excellent track “Upside Down,” which makes we want to swing in a hammock somewhere. But, again, that’s sort of off-topic. Sorry. “Sunshine” is from the 2005 album Songs We Sing. Check it out, you flip-flop-wearing surfer, you.

Reach Down
Pearl Jam with Chris Cornell
Once again, I had something else here in the number 5 spot, but then I realized today’s line-up was waaay too sparse and mellow and I am feeling a bit rockin’ today myself. So let’s rock a bit. I am getting all excited to receive the 2005 Pearl Jam Christmas Single vinyl. ‘But it is January,’ you say, ‘not Christmas.’ Well, in the 12 or 13 years as I have been in the Ten Club (the Pearl Jam fanclub), I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the annual record before February. This song was featured on the 2003 Christmas single, and this Temple of the Dog “reunion” took place October 28th of that year at a star-studded evening of music.

Thanks to Franz pointing this out: You can download this entire show at http://www.glidemagazine.com/downloads25.html. This amazing evening featured an acoustic set, and electric set, and three encores – filled with gems. Collaborating musicians include Jack Irons, Chris Cornell (also did 2 solo songs, one of his own and one Audioslave), John Frusciante (RHCP), Jack Johnson, and Lyle Workman. Grab the show for download before it is gone!

My favorite Seattle-ites are the topic of a new photo book coming out this Spring, “5×1: Pearl Jam Through the Eye of Lance Mercer.”

“Wakin’ up the reindeer, makin’ little kids cheer”

For my *final* seasonal post, a little ’60s punk rock cover:

“Don’t Believe in Christmas”
Pearl Jam
(right click, save target as)

This was one of the two songs on the Pearl Jam 2002 Christmas Single vinyl (ask me sometime to show you all of them; I’ve got the whole set and look for any excuse to bust ‘em out).

It is a cover of a song by The Sonics, a ’60s-era Tacoma, Washington punk band. This is a live version from the second night of Pearl Jam’s epic 2002 club shows at The Showbox in Seattle.

So jump around by the stockings and make a little mistletoe romance with this good-time tune.

Merry Christmas, guys. May we all remember how blessed we are.

Pearl Jam Mix as a zip file

Photo of PJ in Sudamerica on recent tour from a Brazilian blog page

Some of you were asking for the Pearl Jam Live Anniversary Mix that I put together as a zip file so you could get all ten songs at once.

Ask and ye shall receive.

To read my original post with the reasons why I picked these songs, go here. Glad to see there are still so many Pearl Jam fans in this beautiful world.

Pearl Jam Live Anniversary Mix

Okay, so I didn’t have this blog on October 22, so this is a one-month late post in honor of the FIFTEEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the first Pearl Jam show (under the name Mookie Blaylock) at the Off-Ramp Cafe in Seattle on 10/22/90. I know, how has it been 15 years? Does this mean I am getting old? Holy crap!

So here is a little mix of some of my favorite Pearl Jam live cuts and covers.

(DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE MIX AS A ZIP FILE HERE)

Smile
(Barcelona 11/21/96)
From the 1996 Pearl Jam Christmas Single Vinyl
It is impossible to listen to this version of this song without smiling. I’ve never heard such a combination of growling screams with harmonica. I love the churning feeling of this song. “I miss you already…” – listen to the Spanish crowd singing along throughout the entire song, it gives me shivers.

I could just stop the collection after that last track and go home satisfied, it’s *that* good. Man. But, one song does not equal a mix, and there is so much good stuff out there….

Beast of Burden
(Brixton Academy in London 7/14/93)
Pearl Jam’s very loose interpretation of the Stones get-down-with-your-sexy-self classic. They obviously take this humorously. The best line, in true self-effacing not-a-rock-god style, is “All I want is for you to make love to me…that’s just in the song, I don’t mean it.”

Thin Air
(Benaroya Hall in Seattle, 10/22/03)
This one is in here because of the funny little guitar mess-up on the solo by Stone Gossard and how everyone gets a laugh out of it. Ed comments, “There was no chance of getting away with that one.” As soon as the song ends, you can hear Stone play the solo perfectly (“See?”) and then you also hear Mike do the same, rubbing it in. Ha! Even guitar gods make mistakes sometimes. Stone still rocks my socks off.

Timeless Melody
Ed Vedder with Death Cab For Cutie (11/09/2004 in Seattle)
While not technically a “Pearl Jam” performance, Vedder and DCFC do a nice cover of The La’s song Timeless Melody. I find it to be a sweet blending of voices, with Vedder’s richer deep voice and Gibbards pleasant gentle one. Great comment from Gibbard at the end: “You know, sometimes I wish I could talk to the 14 year-old me and tell him what the 28 year-old me was doing. Cuz I don’t think he’d f***kin’ believe that shit right there!” I believe I would feel that same way, Ben.

Do The Evolution
(Maui 2/21/98)
Switching gears from dreamy pop, let’s face a wall of guitars and a screaming, angry, almost manic Ed. This version of DTE sends chills up my spine so I put it on here. Second night of the Yield tour, they open with this cut, with THAT riff being the first notes heard. Here’s the thoughts of a friend who was there: “McCready’s unexpectedly flailing around the stage like he used to in 1992, Stone’s over on his side, leaning back, slicing at the strings like he does when he’s playing his best, the crowd unifying the whole experience by screaming.” It’s gonna be a good night.

I Am A Patriot
(Tibetan Freedom Concert, 6/13/99)
Another cover, this one originally by Steve Van Zandt. But I don’t think Van Zandt ever rocked it like this. I’d heard PJ do this track live before, but it was always much slower in keeping with the original. This one is significantly better than the original (sorry Steve), and all punked out – jump around, you Tibetan freedom-ers! One of my favorite tunes to play on the 4th of July.

State of Love and Trust
(Singles Release Party, Park Plaza Hotel Ballroom in LA, 9/10/92 )
Fittingly this excellent live cut comes from the premiere/release party for the Singles movie, with its ace soundtrack, of which this gem is a part. Starts with a nice tag from Mudhoney’s song “Overblown,” about Seattle – “Everybody loves us, everybody loves our town,” and continues to blast the eardrums of all the Hollywood executive-types gathered to fete the film. Their three-song set ended with Chris Cornell and Jerry Cantrell, among others, all getting up on stage with Pearl Jam to belt Rockin’ In The Free World.

It’s OK
(Jones Beach, NY, 8/24/00)
Dead Moon cover
Because I am sucker for a good singalong. And this is a good singalong.

Rearviewmirror
(Saturday Night Live, 4/16/94)
Because a good live rendition of Rearviewmirror leaves you sweaty, breathless, and drained, but exhilarated in your soul. This is one of those. This is a tight rendition from ’94 when they played it with simmering anger (but because this is live on TV, we get the homogenized lyrics of “I gather speed, you’re so lucky with me”). I have this on video still, and I can picture the way Vedder turns his head after the line, “I am not about to give thanks (No!)….” and almost spits in anger. And he nails the emotion on that drawn-out “rearviewmiiiiirooooor…” at the end of the bridge, and I love the way Abbruzzese nails the build on the drums at the frenetic end.

Hunger Strike/Leash
(Sorpasso, Italy 2/18/92)
Okay, had to add one more track for a couple of reasons. First and foremost is THE SCREAM that kicks off Leash. Makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. This is an early, early version of Leash, one of the first times they performed it live, and it is just out of control. Secondly, this is a beautiful (almost) a capella rendition of Hunger Strike. Finally, it is in my beloved Italy and I love the enthusiasm of the tifosi italiani (Italian fans) – listen to the dude wailing the back-ups to Hunger Strike! This was when Pearl Jam was playing for mere hundreds, and this particular venue was overpacked (in Italy? never!). The enthusiasm comes through in the music, and you can almost picture the roiling, sweaty crowd. I wouldn’t have wanted to be down in the front for this one . . . Okay, yes I would have.

And *that* is why I love them.