Posts Tagged ‘Bob Dylan’

Featured Artist: USA for Africa

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

we are the world 300x232 Featured Artist: USA for AfricaThe historic 1985 “We Are The World” charity project is still remembered today as one of musical history’s brightest moments, when the day’s top artists met with past legends to band together in an effort to help their fellow man. Egos, wallets, and glory aside, some of music’s biggest names united to create a super group on a scale never before seen. Formed by Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and Quincy Jones, the group USA for Africa included Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina turner, Stevie Wonder, Lindsey Buckingham, Ray Charles, Hall & Oats, The Jackson Family, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel, Waylon Jennings, Huey Lewis and the News, and more. It truly was a noteworthy and momentous musical occasion. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. The first ever single to be certified multi-platinum, “We Are the World” received a 4-x certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.

To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of “We Are The World”, USA for Africa is re-release the historic 1985 recording of the song as the lead track on the digital compilation We Are The World/United In Song. USA for Africa has assembled a stellar line-up of international artists to contribute songs to the project with proceeds from this effort going to assist Africa and Africans with the current challenges facing the continent. Besides the original song, the record features contributed tracks from some really big names including Michael Franti & Spearhead, Abigail Washburn & The Shanghai Restoration Project, Youssou N’ Dour, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Vieux Farka Touré, Bombay Dub Orchestra, Thievery Corporation, and G. Love & Special Sauce. The record is a fantastic update on a monumental classic and a fantastic way to support a really great charity.

Here’s the original 1985 performance:

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Featured Artist: Arlo Guthrie

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

arlobio 222x300 Featured Artist: Arlo GuthrieAs the firstborn son of the legendary Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie grew up surrounded by musicians: Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Fred Hellerman and Lee Hays (The Weavers), Leadbelly, Cisco Houston, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee  were all present in his youth and significant influences on Arlo’s musical career. As a singer, songwriter and lifelong political activist, Guthrie carries on the legacy of his legendary father. He was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience award on September 26, 1992 for his efforts to promote unity between differing faiths. Like his father, Arlo has penned a lengthy discography that includes a number of seminal and successful releases, a number of which had been very limited in availability for digital purchase. Now the best parts of the Arlo Guthrie catalog have been authorized for digital release, allowing IODA to proudly distribute his catalog.

Guthrie was born in Brooklyn during 1947, just in time to find himself in the middle of the New York folk explosion that occurred in New York during the 1960’s. From birth, his whole life has been intricately tied to folk music, working with and befriending the genre’s most legendary names. . Guthrie gave his first public performance in 1961 at age 13 and quickly became involved in the music that was shaping the world. He frequented the Folk bloom’s most noteworthy locations: Gerdes Folk City, The Gaslight, and The Bitter End. He witnessed the transition from an earlier generation of ballad singers like Richard Dyer-Bennet and blues-men like Mississippi John Hurt, to a new era of singer-song writers such as Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Joan Baez, and Phil Ochs. All of this experience manifested in his unique sound: his most beloved compositions work around a narrative, ballad-telling style. His career exploded in 1967 with the release of arguably his most recognizable song, “Alice’s Restaurant,” a Newport Folk Festival highlight that became an anthem for a new generation of socially conscious and active youth. His performance of “Coming into Los Angeles” is also often cited as a Woodstock ’69 highlight. An artist of international stature, he has never had a ‘hit’ in the usual sense. He has usually preferred to walk to his own beat rather than march in step to the drum of popular culture. Guthrie would go on to tour all over the world and enjoy a lifetime of recognition and success. Alongside his thriving performing career, Guthrie launched his own record label, Rising Son Records, in 1983. Arlo, like his father, is considered to be nothing short of an American icon.

Here we highlight his most seminal release, the classic 1972 album Hobo’s Lullaby, which features contributions from many other musical greats including Ry Cooder and Linda Ronstadt. Remastered in 2004, this new edition of the record includes the original, definitive version of Guthrie’s hit “The City of New Orleans.” This is Arlo Guthrie’s style, songwriting, and personality embodied all in a single release.

Arlo Guthrie1 Featured Artist: Arlo GuthrieArtist: Arlo Guthrie
Title: Hobo’s Lullaby
Label: Rising Son Records
Genre: Folk : Folk-Rock
UPC: 722017106048
Territory: World
Release Date: 10.19.10

Peter Himmelman on NPR’s All Things Considered

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

Peter Himmelman 300x200 Peter Himmelman on NPRs All Things ConsideredOne of our favorite artists who has flown general under the radar for the majority of his decade spanning career is finally getting a little love. Peter Himmelman just completed a prominent feature on NPR’s fantastic All Things Considered program, which highlights his new album The Mystery and the Hum, out now on Minivan Productions. Peter has lead an auspicious, yet quiet career, creating a lot of music that has become a cult favorite, as well as soundtracks for the hit television series Bones and Judging Amy (for which he received an Emmy nomination). In the early 90’s, his song “The Woman With the Strength of 10000 Men” received some considerable alternative radio airplay. Also, he’s Bob Dylan’s son-in-law! Peter married Dylan’s daughter Maria and fathered her children, which contributes to his low profile; as he states in the NPR interview, he prioritizes his family over the struggle to achieve fame.

You can hear all about Peter’s career and work over at NPR Music; it’s about time he got some recognition. We’ve included a free promotrack from his new album below.

333365 72 Peter Himmelman on NPRs All Things ConsideredPeter Himmelman
download icon Peter Himmelman on NPRs All Things Considered “Good Luck Charm” (mp3)
from “The Mystery and the Hum”
(Minivan Productions)

service icon 4 Peter Himmelman on NPRs All Things Considered Buy at iTunes Music Store
icon landing page Peter Himmelman on NPRs All Things Considered More On This Album

Peter Himmelman on NPRs All Things Considered

Digital Digging: Tribute Compilations

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Today we have lined up for you a series of fantastic tribute albums for some trully legendary musicians from our back catalog. Keep an eye out for a Rolling Stones all country tribute coming soon as well!

David Bowie Digital Digging: Tribute CompilationsArtist: Various Artists
Title: We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie
Label: Manimal Vinyl Records
Genre: Pop : Alternative
UPC: 5055300317230
Territory: Americas, UK
Release Date: 09.06.10

We Were So Turned On is a charity compilation that pays homage to the man who invented the art of reinvention, David Bowie. The record benefits War Child, a charity that simply helps children affected by war across the globe, and is heavily backed by Bowie himself. Soon after its launch, Devendra Banhart (Megapuss), Vivian Girls and Carla Bruni all came on board to contribute tracks. By the summer of 2009, the record surged with the addition of UK pop legends Duran Duran, ex-Slits Viv Albertine and legendary avant-garde musician Mick Karn. Manimal alumni’s Warpaint, Chairlift, and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros soon followed. With a final tracklist that is as diverse as it is chameleon-like, just like the thin-white duke himself, We Were So Turned On has something for every Bowie lover.

Velvet Undergroun Digital Digging: Tribute CompilationsArtist: Various Artists
Title: Unpiecing the Jigsaw – A Tribute to The Velvet Underground
Label: Ozit
Genre: Rock : Alternative
UPC: 811702010422
Territory: World
Release Date: 11.23.09

The fertile music breeding ground of New York City arguably reached its peak in the second half of the 60’s, headed by Bob Dylan on the folk side and a band that achieved nowhere near Dylan’s sales numbers but still generated a tidal wave of influence that only spread and expanded with time, their effect still felt in present day: The Velvet Underground. In their relatively short 4 active years as a core unit, Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and drummer Maureen Tucker (with, of course, Warhol superstar Nico, and later Doug Yule) created four of the most prolific records ever: The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), White Light/White Heat (1968), The Velvet Underground (1969), and Loaded (1970). Though internally turbulent with members often clashing (notably the founders Reed and Cale), the group managed to experiment with rock music in ways never before attempted. Unpiecing the Jigsaw – A Tribute to The Velvet Underground, is a collection of excellent Velvet covers from your favorite artists. While there has been covers compilations in the past, Unpiecing the Jigsaw features a collection of the best of the best, assembled in part by Lou Reed himself and also as a deal-sweetener features two rare 1980’s bootlegs of Nico performing her songs from TVU & Nico and a 48 minute interview with Reed himself. This is the most complete and inclusive VU covers compilation to date.

Graham Nash Digital Digging: Tribute CompilationsArtist: Various Artists
Title: Be Yourself – A Tribute to Graham Nash’s “Songs for Beginners”
Label: Grass Roots Records
Genre: Indie : Psychedelic Folk
UPC: 897620001100
Territory: US, Canada
Release Date: 05.25.10

As one part of the legendary Crosby, Stills, and Nash trio, Graham Nash definitely deserves a tribute on the level of Be Yourself – A Tribute to Graham Nash’s “Songs for Beginners.” Out on Grass Roots Records in conjunction with (((folkYEAH!))), the album is a tour de force of current indie-folk artists featuring Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Robin Pecknold (of Fleet Foxes), Brendan Benson (of The Raconteurs), Vetiver, Sleepy Sun, Port O’Brien with The Papercuts, The Moore Brothers and Graham’s own daughter, Nile Nash. All of these contemporary artists have come together to honor and celebrate Graham’s first solo LP, Songs For Beginners. The artists put a unique spin on each song, making it his or her own while also honoring the timeless vibe of the original recordings. From Pitchfork to Rolling Stone many of the indie tastemakers have hailed and provided extensive coverage of the album. Each track is sure to delight and introduce these already epic and timeless songs to a new generation of music lovers

Bob Dylan Digital Digging: Tribute CompilationsArtist: Various Artists
Title: Subterranean Homesick Blues: A Tribute to Bob Dylan’s ‘Bringing It All Back Home
Label: Re-Imagine
Genre: Folk
UPC: 847108085542
Territory: World
Release Date: 10.05.10

Subterranean Home Sick Blues: A Tribute to Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home, is a tribute to the aforementioned 1965 classic LP (as well as other Dylan songs from that time period). “The 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home comes from Bob Dylan’s transition period, the moment where he was split between the acoustic Greenwich Village folk music of his early records and the divisive electric-guitar folk-rock stuff he’d embrace more fully on Highway 61 Revisited later that year. Bringing It All Back Home has some of the man’s most iconic tracks: ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues,’ ‘Mr. Tambourine Man,’ ‘Maggie’s Farm.’ And even the songs that haven’t appeared on a million soundtracks remain fascinating” (a very accurate description of the album’s importance from Pitchfork). The compilation features some of today’s top artists like the Morning Benders, Peter Morén (Peter Bjorn and John), J. Tillman (Fleet Foxes), Castanets, Asobi Seksu, and Mirah covering the record in its entirety plus some outtake goodies.

Digital Digging: John Stewart

Monday, September 20th, 2010

By: Mike Madavi
johnstew Digital Digging: John Stewart

Despite his auspicious career John Stewart is a musician who often gets overlooked when compared to his collaborators. He had a record that sold over a million US copies, but never received a Gold or Platinum award from the RIAA. He worked with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks in the mist of Fleetwood Mac’s rise to fame. Though it’s commonly known The Monkees did not write their gigantic smash single “Daydream Believer,” it’s hardly recognized that Stewart actually wrote it. Besides joining with legendary San Francisco Folk explosion group The Kingston Trio, his only recognized success came in the late 70’s and early 80’s with his solo work. Two of these albums, Bomb Away Dream Babies (1979), and its follow-up, Dream Babies Go Hollywood (1980), have finally been released in a digital format, this time with proper forewarning to music fans everywhere so this legendary songwriter can be deservedly recognized for his important career.

Stewart’s career truly began when he joined The Kingston Trio, who had emerged from the relatively crowded San Francisco folk music culture in 1957, using a mixture of calypso, pop, and folk styles, along with several forms of comedy, in their act. Relying on new pop-oriented arrangements of folk music classics as well as some original compositions, the Trio earned their first gold record with “Tom Dooley” and thereby launched a major revival in folk music that would lead to and influence the careers of Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul, & Mary, and John Denver, among others. The group had become one of the best-known and best-selling acts on the folk music scene, and were enjoying a lucrative recording and touring contract with Capitol Records, having ten albums under their collective belts, when Dave Guard departed the group in 1961 to explore other musical directions. Stewart was selected by the remaining members Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane as Guard’s successor, bringing with him his respected skills as a musician, composer, and performer. The trio would produce a lot of great music in the next few years, but eventually disbanded in the late 60’s with the arrival and musical dominance of the British Invasion.

Stewart continued to write songs and record for Capitol, penning the now-classic “Daydream Believer” for The Monkees, a hit for Anne Murray as well. He later toured with Robert F. Kennedy’s ill-fated 1968 presidential campaign and met and married fellow folk singer Buffy Ford (with whom he remained until his death), and began recording a remarkable string of albums. These include his signature album, California Bloodlines, as well as Willard, Cannons in the Rain, and Wingless Angels. Despite the quality of this music, he would not find any real success again until the end of the 1970’s.

Bomb Away Dream Babies was Stewart’s biggest and arguably only commercial success with his name on it. The single “Gold” became a significant hit, reaching #5 on the charts, followed by “Lost Her in the Sun” and “Midnight Wind.” The Album featured Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, who released the extremely successful Rumors in 1977 and their ambitious Tusk in 79’. Today, the album remains unrecognized in its success, having sold over a million albums in the US alone without ever being certified Gold or Platinum.  It’s follow-up, Dream Babies Go Hollywood, was not as successful, but featured a number of significant musicians including Phil Everly (of the Everly Brothers), Nicolette Larson (who had a number one single with Neil Young’s “Lotta Love”), Linda Ronstadt (who has ten Grammys, two ACM awards, an Emmy, and multiplatinum albums), Russ Kunkel (of the famous studio-musician powerhouse “The Section”), and Henty Diltz (who was in the Phil Spector produced Modern Folk Quartet and is an extremely accomplished music photographer).

Now, for the first time, Stewart’s critically loved but publically unrecognized solo material is available for digital purchase. Check out Bomb Away Dream Babies and Dream Babies Go Hollywood to hear what you’ve been missing.

john stewart 1 Digital Digging: John StewartArtist: John Stewart
Title: Bomb Away Dream Babies
Label: Margate Entertainment
Genre: Pop : Pop
UPC: 885444448911
Territory: World
Release Date: 09.10.10

John Stewart 2 Digital Digging: John StewartArtist: John Stewart
Title: Dream Babies Go Hollwood
Label: Margate Entertainment
Genre: Pop : Pop
UPC: 885444448928
Territory: World
Release Date: 09.10.10

Review: Tim Buckley

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Tim bUckley Review: Tim BuckleyArtist: Tim Buckley
Title: Live at the Folklore Center, NYC – March 6th, 1967
Label: Tompkins Square
Genre: Folk : Folk-Rock
Release Date: 8/25/09
UPC: 894807002189
Territory: Worldwide

Nearly 34 years after his tragic death, a live recording of folk legend Tim Buckley (also father of the late Jeff Buckley) will finally reach fans’ ears when Live at the Folklore Center, NYC – March 6th, 1967 is released on August 25th on NYC’s Tompkins Square label. This record marks the earliest official release of any Buckley live album. The entire night’s concert, performed in front of a very small audience, is presented in its original running order of 16 songs, featuring mostly tracks off Buckley’s 1966 self-titled debut and his 1967 follow-up Goodbye and Hello. The live recording also contains six Buckley compositions that have never before been released on any studio or live album: “Just Please Leave Me,” “What Do You Do (He Never Saw You),” “If The Rain Comes,” “Cripples Cry,” “Country Boy” and “I Can’t Leave You Loving Me.”

The live set was recorded by folk impresario Izzy Young at the Folklore Center, the Greenwich Village club that was a fertile ground for folk acts in the 1960′s, including a young Bob Dylan. Listeners will first notice the show’s very intimate nature, as it’s approximated that around 35 people were in attendance that night. While the sound of the tapes surely captures the emotive singer in a raw state, it’s not to say some mastering wasn’t done. Grammy-winning engineers Steve Rosenthal, Warren Russell-Smith and Jamie Howarth all worked on getting the sound up to par, while keeping the original running order of the show. The recording suffered from the usual suspects: hiss/tape noise, drop outs, hums, outside noises and a girl coughing, all of which were addressed and properly corrected to create a lucid, true reproduction of this powerful performance. The end result is a highlighting his magical guitar playing and soaring vocal style.

Warren-Smith told Billboard magazine that when listening to this show, Buckley’s energy is quite apparent despite the small audience he was playing for. “It’s fast and furious, he doesn’t dwell too much in between tracks and once he’s into a song it’s all emotion from there on in.”

While Buckley only lived to 28, his output was quite prolific in the short time he was performing and recording. He was among the most adventurous and influential singer-songwriters of the `60′s and `70′s, releasing nine studio albums in his career before his untimely death in 1975.

Take a listen to the voice that captivated and inspired a generation of folk singers; it’s just as potent today as it was in 1967.