And gone.
I'm spending a lot of time with the new Lil' Flip album. I Need Mine contains almost 140 minutes of music, so listening to it even three or four times is a major commitment. References to Houston rapper Z-Ro's current incarceration litter the artwork and the outros to several songs. Z-Ro is often called "the Tupac of Texas," and in that tradition Z-Ro foretells his premature demise on Life's "Make It." Z-Ro fantasizes about his desire to "jump up out my casket" to exact revenge on his slayers. Illuminating commentary and additional links about Z-Ro are here.
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Look what I found: This is a newly posted live version of one of my favorite songs. Even though everything I love about "I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight" has been excised from this hideous 1980 performance, it's still a thrill to uncover the footage. I tire of hearing fans bemoan Richard Thompson's failure to become a star. It's exactly the willful perversity demonstrated here that keeps him obscure. I demand that RT play his songs the way I want them done! He fares no better without Linda here and here.
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Kansas City Click: One of my biggest musical regrets is not finding a way to get to Bob Marley's 1979 concert in Lawrence, KS. I couldn't drive and I didn't have a ticket, but I was aware of Marley's significance even then. His son Stephen Marley is at the Voodoo tonight. Of Bob's brood, Stephen seems the truest to his pop's vision. And "Traffic Jam" is one of 2007's best songs.
4 comments:
Re: "Bright Lights:" Why hideous? I kinda like the vaguely Celtic unison guitar melody at the beginning and the end. It's an inventive solution to the logistical problem of not having a horn section to tour with, IMO.
I'm totally with you regarding those who 'bemoan his failure to become a star.' But more famous people have done more outlandish arrangements. So, you know, like, what can you do? Great find, anyway--thanks for the link.
Your point is well-taken, BD, but c'mon! Linda sounds awful. And the song's pathos and desperation are lost in the "Big Rock" arrangement.
I suspect the bemoaners (theres a band name) would be the same one to castigate him for selling out and then go on about how much they prefer his early stuff. The wheel goes round...
It is kinda Blueshammer, yeah.
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