"Come on . . .baby don't you want to go . . .
Come on . . . baby don't you want to go . . .
To that same old place . . . Sweet Home Chicago"
Perhaps the most well known and most covered blues song of all time - originally credited to Robert Johnson.
Well I was keen to get to Chicago in one sense and less so in another.
Keen because I wanted to get back to a blues city and hear some live music and less keen because Chicago is the end of the line, the end of the road, and while not quite the end of my vacation, the end of the excitement and the great unknown of the road...
Driving a thousand miles in the last two days and more than 3,000 in the past 10 days unfortunately has taken its toll. My back is wrecked and the last 100 miles to Chicago were agony...
When I got out of the rental car at the depot I had driven 3,302 miles across America - much of it on Highway 61. I gathered up my guitars and cases and headed off to wait for a cab to take me into the Windy City which I wrote about last year when I started my journey across Route 66 here.
Like last year, my cab driver into town was an Arab - a Palestinian - and we talked about the Middle East, what it means to be Palestinian, his children and the world at large. He was a nice man.
When the darkness took over from day I headed to Buddy Guy's Blues Club to listen to some music and drink some beer. My back was still killing me so I took a cab from my hotel.
Chico Banks was the main act - son of guitarist Jessie Banks - a Chicago blues guitar player born and bred. He is technically one of the most accomplished and naturally talented guitarists I have ever heard or seen, but as a musician and a band member he sucked.
Let me explain . . .
I believe there are two aspects to a musician - technical ability and something which I would call "feeling". Feeling includes balance, respect, understanding, sensitivity, modesty, appropriateness and so on.
Even the greatest technician will fail to be a great musician if he doesn't have feeling - while a much less competent technician can excel if he has feeling (look a Bob Dylan - hardly Pavarotti in terms of vocals!).
Chico Banks is a show-off, an egotist and insecure. Sure his two handed fret hammering, lightning fast arpeggios and Hendrix style solos were impressive technically - but that's all they were. They didn't move me. Worse still he left his band and his audience behind while he went somewhere on the stage with his guitar and just did his thing. This was nothing short of masturbation and it really pissed me off.
Every now and again, he would shut the hell up and let his band play. The rhythm / second guitarist - a much less extrovert character - played some beautiful blues solos. Tender, expressive, understated and restrained where they needed to be. I wanted to hear more of him. But I wanted to hear a whole lot less of Chico - which is a shame. With his talent he could achieve legend status in music, but with his soul, he'll never be more than a blues club show off who missed the boat and the point.
Funnily enough, when I left the club. one of the staff asked me what I thought of the band. I told him and he agreed with my analysis. Nice to know I'm not the only one who heard it the way I did - although there were a bunch of French tourists in the bar who though Chico was God - boy did he love that!
He also spent the time in between songs talking at length about ow much "shit" he had smoked and how he was "hot" and "horny" and that the band were a bunch of "motherf*&kers" etc. It was designed to "shock" and be "bluesy". Instead it was childish and had nothing to do with anything other than being foul mouthed and cheap.
I didn't like Chico. In case you didn't notice.
I went back to my hotel and thought about the things I'd learned and felt on this trip.
Here are the top 10 things (there are more, but in the stream of consciousness that is this blog at this precise moment, these are all you're getting.)
1. The Blues is immense, complex, deep and powerful and I love it.
2. I will never, ever, in my lifetime be anything more than a vaguely competent blues player, but I will get to spend the rest of it becoming an increasingly appreciative and knowledgeable connoisseur of the genre.
3. I thought I knew something about music before I set off. Coming back I realise how little I know and how much more there is to learn. This trip marks the beginning of a deeper musical journey for me and has provided huge stimulus.
4. Black bluesmen of Buddy Guy's generation and older lived the blues in its birth in America. They also lived the lives that bred the music based on its African roots. White people of that era did not live the same way or come from the same place so they will never play the blues the same way, because it's not in them the same way. Young people, black or white, can only imitate the masters, but they can also extend the life and development of the blues. That is a responsibility.
5. Music is the most therapeutic thing for a man's soul. Period.
6. Family is important. It is one of the most important contextual aspects of the lives we lead. We can never escape where we come from. Nor should we.
7. America is a place of huge diversity and scale that is becoming ever more homogenised and smaller. Just like the planet.
8. Difference is necessary and delicious. Contrast provides the definitions of life. I saw and lived so many contrasts on this trip that my mind is full.
9. People are inherently nice. From Dick Waterman who gave of his time so generously, to "Red" and her kind heart in Clarksdale, other Clarksdale people like Ronnie at the guitar shop, Gary W. Miller and Bobby at the Delta Amusement bar - all good people. Right down to a Sudanese cab driver here today in Chicago who when I said "Shokran" in Arabic to say thank you and explained that I had visited his country, wanted to give me back the cab fare.
10. It's good to get away and see other places, gather some thoughts, learn some new things. There is so much out there to find out about. After trips like this I feel almost as shocked about how little I knew before as I am about how much more there is to find out.
And that's it.
Until the next time - I'll be playing my guitar, and planning my return to Clarksdale and the Mississippi Delta.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Day 10 - Minneapolis, MN - Duluth, MN - Milwaukee, WI
So I didn't get a Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis (Tom Waits) - nor indeed did I even meet one. But I did get some good blues licks written in my hotel room though (as I continue to work on "Blues for Jimmy Wingo") and late in the morning I set off to Dylan country in North Minnesota.
Dylan was born in Hibbing but moved as a young child to Duluth where he grew up. I decided to head for Duluth.
Naturally I chose some Dylan to accompany me on the journey with another fine album from 2001 called "Love & Theft". The title was inspired by a book called: "Love & Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class"
This is another album in Dylan's comeback and again features a number of blues numbers as well as some great folk rock.
As the beautiful countryside sped on by through my windows I moved on to early Dylan from a "best of" album and sang along to "Tambourine Man", "Like Rolling Stone" and other classics as the treetops increased in number getting close to Duluth on Lake Superior.
Duluth is a major port city and feels very old world industrial. An impressive position by Lake Superior gives it a great vista - and in summer it looks lovely. I imagined what it must be like in winter. Cold, grey, wet and foreboding. The kind of place where you'd want to run into a bar and stay for a while or sit by a warm fire and eat wholesome, warming food. A place where soup would always taste good...
The city was very busy and vibrant with tourists along the lakefront which seems to have been re-developed with lots of bars, restaurants, music clubs and tourist focused stores. There were no signs to a Dylan museum or any such thing although I am sure the city must be proud of its most famous son.
Leaving Duluth I set Jenny in the direction of Milwaukee - some 300 miles away - and in the heart of Wisconsin which is the dairy state and the home of cheese. Milwaukee, however, is not the capital of Wisconsin as I had thought. That is Madison.
I listened to a Charlie Musselwhite album - Delta Hardware - which my cousin had given me in Nashville. Musselwhite is a vocalist and harp player and was born in Mississippi. He grew up alongside some of the great black bluesmen of the region and although white, has an authentic Mississippi blues sound.
The road to Milwaukee is punctuated with many names of places which come from the Algonquian language of the native American Indians - places like Pewaukee, Waukesha and so on. The latter featuring in the song "Meet Me In The Morning" from Dylan's Blood on The Tracks album...
"Meet me in the morning,
After 6am Waukesha..."
After Charlie Musselwhite I put on the new Neil Diamond album "Home After Dark" which was produced by Rick Rubin who did such an amazing job on Johhny Cash's last albums - the American Series.
Well, I am sorry to say that Rubin's magic didn't work on this album. Not for me. I've never been a Diamond fan and bought this CD on the basis that Rubin would ensure quality. Sadly I was wrong.
This album is pedestrian, uninspiring and frankly dull. I may give it a second listen at some point, just to check it wasn't a mood thing, but I was disappointed. It would seem that I am in the minority as it entered the album charts at number one when it was released in the US - although perhaps there are simply more people into mainstream country pop or just that the man they used to call "The Jewish Elvis" retains a loyal fan base even after a long period of quiet.
Following the Neil Diamond disappointment I thought I'd try another new CD which I had picked up at the airport on the way to the US by a band whose work I generally like.
Coldplay's new album is called "Viva La Vida" and has been a few years coming. I have to say I quite liked it, but - like much of their stuff - it will need a few listens to get properly into it.
One thing that did piss me off with this record is that they have started to get rather pretentious with their arrangements and experimentation. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it just doesn't. Strange intros, rhythm changes, two songs in one etc etc. These guys are pretty good creators of strong songs. They don't need to "mess around" to catch people's ears. OR at least they didn't in the past.
Often dubbed the "next U2" - they should avoid becoming grandiose like U2 did and stick to powerful pop/rock which people like to turn the volume up on - and not write stuff that results in a "skip" on the CD player. 3 out of 5 for this album with strong possibilities to move to 4 after a few plays, but no 5 coz they wanted it tooooo badly . . .
The antidote for the risk of listening to new CDs and not being immediately into a vibe is to put on some all time classic stuff which you know is not going to disappoint you. So that's exactly what I did.
The Rolling Stones. Doesn't need any more explanation than that. I loved "Shine a Light" - the Scorsese directed movie of their concert in New York at the Deacon Theatre. (The one Dick Waterman didn't go to even though he had free tickets!) and the rest of this day was to be spent listening to the boys from Dartford do their stuff in perhaps their best period - 1969-1973.
Let It Bleed - 1969
What an album and so many classic tracks! Gimme' Shelter, Midnight Rambler, Love in Vain (a cover of a Robert Johnson number), Country Honk (later turned into Honky Tonk Women and released as a single), Let It Bleed, You Can't Always Get What You Want, and You Got The Silver - the first album song which Keith Richards sings on (and he sings it again live in "Shine A Light"). After this Keith sang a song on pretty much every album the Stones released.
Sticky Fingers - 1971
The first full Mick Taylor album (who replaced Brian Jones after his death) and with the naughty cover art. This was possible as Sticky Fingers was the first album on a new label after the Stones moved on from Decca who did not allow the band much freedom previously.
From raunchy Brown Sugar to the mellow ballad Wild Horses - this is a another classic. The fifth song on the album "You Gotta Move" was a cover of a blues classic by bluesmen Mississippi Fred McDowell and Reverend Gary Davis.
Goats Head Soup - 1973
Angie - about Keith's then girlfriend Anita Pallenberg and not about Angie Bowie as some think - was the main single from the album which is underrated by some.
Doo Doo Heartbreaker is a powerful song and the album also features one of the band's most controversial songs - Star Star (original entitled "Star f*&ker" until Ahmet Ertegun, the President of the Atlantic record label - asked the Stones to change it). A Chuck Berry style guitar riff run through the song which alludes to acts with fruit and several stars including Ali McGraw, Steve McQueen and John Wayne. Seldom performed live, the band always refer to the song with its original title.
After these three classic Stones albums I rolled into Milwaukee (home of Miller beer and cheese!) listening to the first Rolling Stones first album from 1964.
The album is a collection of cover versions of classic blues, soul and rock n roll and reminds you instantly of where the Stones took their influences from - Memphis, Mississippi and Detroit. Soul, blues and Motown.
Milwaukee seemed like a nice place, but after another long day at the wheel I headed for a hotel and ended up in another Ramada. A steak dinner in a run down hotel restaurant and off to sleep before the final stretch the next day to sweet home Chicago . . .
Dylan was born in Hibbing but moved as a young child to Duluth where he grew up. I decided to head for Duluth.
Naturally I chose some Dylan to accompany me on the journey with another fine album from 2001 called "Love & Theft". The title was inspired by a book called: "Love & Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class"
This is another album in Dylan's comeback and again features a number of blues numbers as well as some great folk rock.
As the beautiful countryside sped on by through my windows I moved on to early Dylan from a "best of" album and sang along to "Tambourine Man", "Like Rolling Stone" and other classics as the treetops increased in number getting close to Duluth on Lake Superior.
Duluth is a major port city and feels very old world industrial. An impressive position by Lake Superior gives it a great vista - and in summer it looks lovely. I imagined what it must be like in winter. Cold, grey, wet and foreboding. The kind of place where you'd want to run into a bar and stay for a while or sit by a warm fire and eat wholesome, warming food. A place where soup would always taste good...
The city was very busy and vibrant with tourists along the lakefront which seems to have been re-developed with lots of bars, restaurants, music clubs and tourist focused stores. There were no signs to a Dylan museum or any such thing although I am sure the city must be proud of its most famous son.
Leaving Duluth I set Jenny in the direction of Milwaukee - some 300 miles away - and in the heart of Wisconsin which is the dairy state and the home of cheese. Milwaukee, however, is not the capital of Wisconsin as I had thought. That is Madison.
I listened to a Charlie Musselwhite album - Delta Hardware - which my cousin had given me in Nashville. Musselwhite is a vocalist and harp player and was born in Mississippi. He grew up alongside some of the great black bluesmen of the region and although white, has an authentic Mississippi blues sound.
The road to Milwaukee is punctuated with many names of places which come from the Algonquian language of the native American Indians - places like Pewaukee, Waukesha and so on. The latter featuring in the song "Meet Me In The Morning" from Dylan's Blood on The Tracks album...
"Meet me in the morning,
After 6am Waukesha..."
After Charlie Musselwhite I put on the new Neil Diamond album "Home After Dark" which was produced by Rick Rubin who did such an amazing job on Johhny Cash's last albums - the American Series.
Well, I am sorry to say that Rubin's magic didn't work on this album. Not for me. I've never been a Diamond fan and bought this CD on the basis that Rubin would ensure quality. Sadly I was wrong.
This album is pedestrian, uninspiring and frankly dull. I may give it a second listen at some point, just to check it wasn't a mood thing, but I was disappointed. It would seem that I am in the minority as it entered the album charts at number one when it was released in the US - although perhaps there are simply more people into mainstream country pop or just that the man they used to call "The Jewish Elvis" retains a loyal fan base even after a long period of quiet.
Following the Neil Diamond disappointment I thought I'd try another new CD which I had picked up at the airport on the way to the US by a band whose work I generally like.
Coldplay's new album is called "Viva La Vida" and has been a few years coming. I have to say I quite liked it, but - like much of their stuff - it will need a few listens to get properly into it.
One thing that did piss me off with this record is that they have started to get rather pretentious with their arrangements and experimentation. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it just doesn't. Strange intros, rhythm changes, two songs in one etc etc. These guys are pretty good creators of strong songs. They don't need to "mess around" to catch people's ears. OR at least they didn't in the past.
Often dubbed the "next U2" - they should avoid becoming grandiose like U2 did and stick to powerful pop/rock which people like to turn the volume up on - and not write stuff that results in a "skip" on the CD player. 3 out of 5 for this album with strong possibilities to move to 4 after a few plays, but no 5 coz they wanted it tooooo badly . . .
The antidote for the risk of listening to new CDs and not being immediately into a vibe is to put on some all time classic stuff which you know is not going to disappoint you. So that's exactly what I did.
The Rolling Stones. Doesn't need any more explanation than that. I loved "Shine a Light" - the Scorsese directed movie of their concert in New York at the Deacon Theatre. (The one Dick Waterman didn't go to even though he had free tickets!) and the rest of this day was to be spent listening to the boys from Dartford do their stuff in perhaps their best period - 1969-1973.
Let It Bleed - 1969
What an album and so many classic tracks! Gimme' Shelter, Midnight Rambler, Love in Vain (a cover of a Robert Johnson number), Country Honk (later turned into Honky Tonk Women and released as a single), Let It Bleed, You Can't Always Get What You Want, and You Got The Silver - the first album song which Keith Richards sings on (and he sings it again live in "Shine A Light"). After this Keith sang a song on pretty much every album the Stones released.
Sticky Fingers - 1971
The first full Mick Taylor album (who replaced Brian Jones after his death) and with the naughty cover art. This was possible as Sticky Fingers was the first album on a new label after the Stones moved on from Decca who did not allow the band much freedom previously.
From raunchy Brown Sugar to the mellow ballad Wild Horses - this is a another classic. The fifth song on the album "You Gotta Move" was a cover of a blues classic by bluesmen Mississippi Fred McDowell and Reverend Gary Davis.
Goats Head Soup - 1973
Angie - about Keith's then girlfriend Anita Pallenberg and not about Angie Bowie as some think - was the main single from the album which is underrated by some.
Doo Doo Heartbreaker is a powerful song and the album also features one of the band's most controversial songs - Star Star (original entitled "Star f*&ker" until Ahmet Ertegun, the President of the Atlantic record label - asked the Stones to change it). A Chuck Berry style guitar riff run through the song which alludes to acts with fruit and several stars including Ali McGraw, Steve McQueen and John Wayne. Seldom performed live, the band always refer to the song with its original title.
After these three classic Stones albums I rolled into Milwaukee (home of Miller beer and cheese!) listening to the first Rolling Stones first album from 1964.
The album is a collection of cover versions of classic blues, soul and rock n roll and reminds you instantly of where the Stones took their influences from - Memphis, Mississippi and Detroit. Soul, blues and Motown.
Milwaukee seemed like a nice place, but after another long day at the wheel I headed for a hotel and ended up in another Ramada. A steak dinner in a run down hotel restaurant and off to sleep before the final stretch the next day to sweet home Chicago . . .
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Day 9 - St. Louis, MO - Iowa - Minneapolis, MN
Today was a long, long drive - around 600 miles all told...but I reached Minneapolis and am very close to the end of the road, to the end of the river (Mississippi) and to the place where Dylan came from.
Every year on my road trips there are typically three types of near disaster:
1. No Hotel - (this happened last night until I was saved accidentally at the Crowne Plaza)
2. No gas - this is yet to happen this year.
3. No toilet....
Today was "no toilet" day...
Dining on Nacho chips with extra jalapenos chillis and extra hot sauce last night - all washed down with St. Louis's finest beer Budweiser (now Brussel's most famous beer after the InBev takeover of Anheuser Busch) meant that today was always likely to be a bit touch and go on the alimentary front....
Sure enough as I approached Hannibal, Missouri - home of Mark Twain - my stomach alerted me to the need to find facilities. Usually the road is mobbed with fast food joints, gas stations and assorted other places with clean(ish) toilets - but not running up to Hannibal.
With what was approaching some desperation I pulled off Highway 61 and into Hannibal proper with the hope of locating somewhere suitable. Alas it was not to be and the point of no return was fast approaching.
In a flash of genius I programmed Jenny the GPS to direct me to the nearest fast food joint and consequently a bathroom. Jenny's menu doesn't extend to lavatories.
Unfortunately for me Jenny decided to take a rather scenic route... At one point I lost my temper. Jenny suggested taking a right on "Huckleberry Drive". I saw another windy road to nowhere ahead and screamed at her, shouting "If you don't get me there quickly, I'm going to Huckleberry my shorts!".
By the grace of God the windy road delivered me in short order to a Kentucky Fried Chicken and salvation. I managed to avoid "Tom Sawyering" myself. Lord have mercy.
After the "relief" of Hannibal I headed back on to Highway 61 and north aiming at Minneapolis. The road was long and would take me through Iowa before reaching Minnesota and the birthplace of Bob Dylan.
In celebration of Mr. Zimmerman I listened to three of his finest albums:
1. Blood on The Tracks - 1975 (the post separation album)
2. Desire - 1976 (the one with Joey, Hurricane, Black Diamond Bay and the intensely poignant Sara - dedicated to the former Mrs. Dylan.)
3. Modern Times - his most recent and quite excellent album of which half the songs are blues songs
Blood on the Tracks is without doubt my all time favourite Dylan album and one of my favourite albums overall. It is also harrowing and painful in its descriptions of pain, anger and sadness. Thus it is cathartic.
The opening number - "Tangled Up In Blue" - is a perfect road trip song tracking an itinerant journey and an itinerant relationship with a nice reference to Dante Alighieri on the way ("Written by an Italian poet from the 13th century")
"You're A Big Girl Now", "Idiot Wind", "Simple Twist of Fate" - Dylan catalogues the various stages of relationships, and the emotions that go with them. "Meet Me In the Morning" is a fine blues - which I thought I might try and cover when I get home - and "Shelter From the Storm" is a classic. One of my favourites - which I learned how to play from a busker in London - is "If You See Her Say Hello"... Great lyrics sum up the digestion of a lost love and the memories that linger on. Anyone who denies Dylan is a poet is just plain wrong.
[Nerd alert: Blood on the Tracks was originally completed, produced and recorded in New York and was produced by Phil Ramone. Then shortly before it's scheduled release, Dylan changes his mind and re-records five of the songs again in Minneapolis with his brother David Zimmerman producing. No-one knows why he changed his mind.]
"Desire" is a rather different affair - two epic songs, both about real people. Rubin Carter, the black boxer framed for a triple murder, is heroically immortalised in Hurricane and Joey Gallo the Brooklyn mafia gangster is humanised in Joey. Both great songs. But "Romance in Durango", "One More Cup of Coffee" and "Isis" also have a great deal of charm. Desire sees more violin and slightly less harmonica than previous Dylan albums and the record (yes - I first got it on vinyl years ago and still think of it as a record!) ends with the melancholic, reflective and ultimately depressing eulogy to his love of Sara. She is beatified and elevated to sainthood in this moving song which cross references his own previous work dedicated to her..."Staying up for days in the Chelsea Hotel Writing Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands for you"...
[Nerd alert: the beautiful female vocals are supplied by the wonderful Emmylou Harris. She was the only artist on the album not totally happy with the final recording in New York and had to go back the next day and lay down some tracks again to be overdubbed.]
"Modern Times" is altogether different again. Apart from being very bluesy and jazzy in parts, it is a Dylan who is having fun. A Dylan who has done it all. Has nothing left to prove other than a) he's still alive, kicking and strumming and b) that he can just do good music which both he and audiences love. He admirably succeeds in both - and the album is brilliant. A contemporary Dylan featured Scarlett Johannsen in his video of Thunder in the Mountain and references New York musician Alicia Keys. Very modern times indeed Bob!
[Nerd alert: the album is produced by Jack Frost. Jack Frost is in fact a pseudonym for Bob Dylan.]
After Dylan, I listened to a few songs of Canadian musician Neil Young. A man from a similar era Young's "After The Gold Rush" remains one of my favourite albums and I listened to about half of it on the road before needing a "genre" change...
Well into Iowa and its never ending fields, pretty houses and distinctive barns, I felt the need for Tom Waits ( it was the great song "Christmas Card from Hooker in Minneapolis" that got me thinking about Waits as I headed towards Minneapolis).
First things first and the seminal "Closing Time" from 1973. If I was sent to a Desert Island and only allowed one CD - this could very well be it. Who couldn't cry with "Martha" or dance to "Ice Cream Man". This album has it all. It's cool, it's sad, it's upbeat, it's downbeat, it's about life, love, cats and dogs. And ice cream. Wait's lyrics are genius and his music is genius. He is a genius. Full stop.
From "Closing Time" to "Blue Valentine" and two favourites of mine - "Christmas Card from a Hooker In Minneapolis" and "29 Dollars".
The first is a classic Wait's tale - seedy, sordid and ending in an unpredictable and poignant twist.
The second is a cool blues with the irresistible refrain "Got 29 dollars....and an alligator purse..." Joy!
Bouncing through some tracks from the albums "Small Change" and "Heartattack & Vine" concluded an extended Wait's session as I crossed into Minnesota - home of Spam (and indeed the only museum in the world devoted to Spam)
Tom Waits was followed by two albums from one of my favourite artists and possibly the best guitarist alive.
Mark Knopfler is, in my opinion, the most interesting and talented recording artist working today. His guitar playing is exquisite. Perfect balance, masterful fingering, complex musically but so simple to the ear and with such feeling and sensitivity. He is also one of the best arrangers of music and his solo work demonstrates a great sense of balance and respect for all the instruments and musicians. Unlike many guitarists, Knopfler avoids the temptation to dominate and instead arranges his music generously and with the "big picture" (or perhaps "Big sound") clearly in mind.
His lyrics are also wonderful - each song a story, many inspired by history or by simple observations of life. He is a great observer of human nature and character as well as having a huge talent for capturing mood and feeling. The Dickens of modern music.
He effortlessly switches between the genres which have been his inspiration and which he clearly loves - blues, folk, country, skiffle and rock. He also switches instruments from acoustic guitar, slide, his trusty Les Paul, Strats, the Rudy Pensa hand made MK series guitars (which were custom made for Mark during the Dire Straits era), steel resonators and a variety of rare and vintage guitars with unique and special sounds. This adds to the diversity and richness of his solo work. It is no wonder that so many people invite Mark to produce them, produce scores for movies or to guest on their work.
Heading to Minneapolis I listened to two of Mark's finest solo albums - "Sailing to Philadelphia" and "Shangri La".
I wrote about both these albums quite extensively last year on Route 66 so won't go into too much here.
"Sailing to Philadelphia" crosses the Atlantic with great blues about a drug addict in North London ("Junkie Doll") and the white elephant that was the Millennium Dome ("Silvertown Way") to the Mason Dixie line in the title song of the album and car racing in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. A great album, only bettered by his later album "Shangri La".
This is another album which would join "Closing Time" and "Blood on the Tracks" on my desert island. Every song is a work of genius. Perhaps his best work as a complete album with fantastic lyric writing matching superb guitar work and a more in depth study of different American music genres as well as some great English folk inspired songs. "5.15am" - the opening number - is a great homage to Newcastle where he grew up with a heavy nod to the British classic film "Get Carter". "Boom Like That" - the story of McDonald's. "Back to Tupelo" - the reflective and bluesy story of Elvis Presley and his management. "Song for Sonny Liston" a poignant song about a broken man - the great but flawed boxer Sonny Liston. The list goes on. Just a truly wonderful album which gets better with every listen. (Most of Knopfler's music gets better the more you listen to it as you discover different layers and nuances both lyrically and musically).
I saw him live at the Albert Hall in London recently which was a great experience. This is a man that moves you but is so subtle, understated, softly spoken and focused. He also has a tremendous sense of fun.
Thank you Mark for giving me such enormous pleasure, inspiration and an almost impossible level of guitar playing to aspire to over the rest of my years.
The last song I listened to entering Minneapolis was from his Dire Straits years - Sultans of Swing. His first massive hit and one of those songs which every serious guitar player tries to master and which nearly every all of us fails to do so. It's damn hard and damn good.
A Ramada provided shelter from the storm in a suburb of Minneapolis and some tacos from a Mexican restaurant across the street kept the wolf from the door. After 600 miles I was dead tired and ready for a big sleep.
Tomorrow Duluth, Minnesota by Lake Superior and the home of Dylan...
Every year on my road trips there are typically three types of near disaster:
1. No Hotel - (this happened last night until I was saved accidentally at the Crowne Plaza)
2. No gas - this is yet to happen this year.
3. No toilet....
Today was "no toilet" day...
Dining on Nacho chips with extra jalapenos chillis and extra hot sauce last night - all washed down with St. Louis's finest beer Budweiser (now Brussel's most famous beer after the InBev takeover of Anheuser Busch) meant that today was always likely to be a bit touch and go on the alimentary front....
Sure enough as I approached Hannibal, Missouri - home of Mark Twain - my stomach alerted me to the need to find facilities. Usually the road is mobbed with fast food joints, gas stations and assorted other places with clean(ish) toilets - but not running up to Hannibal.
With what was approaching some desperation I pulled off Highway 61 and into Hannibal proper with the hope of locating somewhere suitable. Alas it was not to be and the point of no return was fast approaching.
In a flash of genius I programmed Jenny the GPS to direct me to the nearest fast food joint and consequently a bathroom. Jenny's menu doesn't extend to lavatories.
Unfortunately for me Jenny decided to take a rather scenic route... At one point I lost my temper. Jenny suggested taking a right on "Huckleberry Drive". I saw another windy road to nowhere ahead and screamed at her, shouting "If you don't get me there quickly, I'm going to Huckleberry my shorts!".
By the grace of God the windy road delivered me in short order to a Kentucky Fried Chicken and salvation. I managed to avoid "Tom Sawyering" myself. Lord have mercy.
After the "relief" of Hannibal I headed back on to Highway 61 and north aiming at Minneapolis. The road was long and would take me through Iowa before reaching Minnesota and the birthplace of Bob Dylan.
In celebration of Mr. Zimmerman I listened to three of his finest albums:
1. Blood on The Tracks - 1975 (the post separation album)
2. Desire - 1976 (the one with Joey, Hurricane, Black Diamond Bay and the intensely poignant Sara - dedicated to the former Mrs. Dylan.)
3. Modern Times - his most recent and quite excellent album of which half the songs are blues songs
Blood on the Tracks is without doubt my all time favourite Dylan album and one of my favourite albums overall. It is also harrowing and painful in its descriptions of pain, anger and sadness. Thus it is cathartic.
The opening number - "Tangled Up In Blue" - is a perfect road trip song tracking an itinerant journey and an itinerant relationship with a nice reference to Dante Alighieri on the way ("Written by an Italian poet from the 13th century")
"You're A Big Girl Now", "Idiot Wind", "Simple Twist of Fate" - Dylan catalogues the various stages of relationships, and the emotions that go with them. "Meet Me In the Morning" is a fine blues - which I thought I might try and cover when I get home - and "Shelter From the Storm" is a classic. One of my favourites - which I learned how to play from a busker in London - is "If You See Her Say Hello"... Great lyrics sum up the digestion of a lost love and the memories that linger on. Anyone who denies Dylan is a poet is just plain wrong.
[Nerd alert: Blood on the Tracks was originally completed, produced and recorded in New York and was produced by Phil Ramone. Then shortly before it's scheduled release, Dylan changes his mind and re-records five of the songs again in Minneapolis with his brother David Zimmerman producing. No-one knows why he changed his mind.]
"Desire" is a rather different affair - two epic songs, both about real people. Rubin Carter, the black boxer framed for a triple murder, is heroically immortalised in Hurricane and Joey Gallo the Brooklyn mafia gangster is humanised in Joey. Both great songs. But "Romance in Durango", "One More Cup of Coffee" and "Isis" also have a great deal of charm. Desire sees more violin and slightly less harmonica than previous Dylan albums and the record (yes - I first got it on vinyl years ago and still think of it as a record!) ends with the melancholic, reflective and ultimately depressing eulogy to his love of Sara. She is beatified and elevated to sainthood in this moving song which cross references his own previous work dedicated to her..."Staying up for days in the Chelsea Hotel Writing Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands for you"...
[Nerd alert: the beautiful female vocals are supplied by the wonderful Emmylou Harris. She was the only artist on the album not totally happy with the final recording in New York and had to go back the next day and lay down some tracks again to be overdubbed.]
"Modern Times" is altogether different again. Apart from being very bluesy and jazzy in parts, it is a Dylan who is having fun. A Dylan who has done it all. Has nothing left to prove other than a) he's still alive, kicking and strumming and b) that he can just do good music which both he and audiences love. He admirably succeeds in both - and the album is brilliant. A contemporary Dylan featured Scarlett Johannsen in his video of Thunder in the Mountain and references New York musician Alicia Keys. Very modern times indeed Bob!
[Nerd alert: the album is produced by Jack Frost. Jack Frost is in fact a pseudonym for Bob Dylan.]
After Dylan, I listened to a few songs of Canadian musician Neil Young. A man from a similar era Young's "After The Gold Rush" remains one of my favourite albums and I listened to about half of it on the road before needing a "genre" change...
Well into Iowa and its never ending fields, pretty houses and distinctive barns, I felt the need for Tom Waits ( it was the great song "Christmas Card from Hooker in Minneapolis" that got me thinking about Waits as I headed towards Minneapolis).
First things first and the seminal "Closing Time" from 1973. If I was sent to a Desert Island and only allowed one CD - this could very well be it. Who couldn't cry with "Martha" or dance to "Ice Cream Man". This album has it all. It's cool, it's sad, it's upbeat, it's downbeat, it's about life, love, cats and dogs. And ice cream. Wait's lyrics are genius and his music is genius. He is a genius. Full stop.
From "Closing Time" to "Blue Valentine" and two favourites of mine - "Christmas Card from a Hooker In Minneapolis" and "29 Dollars".
The first is a classic Wait's tale - seedy, sordid and ending in an unpredictable and poignant twist.
The second is a cool blues with the irresistible refrain "Got 29 dollars....and an alligator purse..." Joy!
Bouncing through some tracks from the albums "Small Change" and "Heartattack & Vine" concluded an extended Wait's session as I crossed into Minnesota - home of Spam (and indeed the only museum in the world devoted to Spam)
Tom Waits was followed by two albums from one of my favourite artists and possibly the best guitarist alive.
Mark Knopfler is, in my opinion, the most interesting and talented recording artist working today. His guitar playing is exquisite. Perfect balance, masterful fingering, complex musically but so simple to the ear and with such feeling and sensitivity. He is also one of the best arrangers of music and his solo work demonstrates a great sense of balance and respect for all the instruments and musicians. Unlike many guitarists, Knopfler avoids the temptation to dominate and instead arranges his music generously and with the "big picture" (or perhaps "Big sound") clearly in mind.
His lyrics are also wonderful - each song a story, many inspired by history or by simple observations of life. He is a great observer of human nature and character as well as having a huge talent for capturing mood and feeling. The Dickens of modern music.
He effortlessly switches between the genres which have been his inspiration and which he clearly loves - blues, folk, country, skiffle and rock. He also switches instruments from acoustic guitar, slide, his trusty Les Paul, Strats, the Rudy Pensa hand made MK series guitars (which were custom made for Mark during the Dire Straits era), steel resonators and a variety of rare and vintage guitars with unique and special sounds. This adds to the diversity and richness of his solo work. It is no wonder that so many people invite Mark to produce them, produce scores for movies or to guest on their work.
Heading to Minneapolis I listened to two of Mark's finest solo albums - "Sailing to Philadelphia" and "Shangri La".
I wrote about both these albums quite extensively last year on Route 66 so won't go into too much here.
"Sailing to Philadelphia" crosses the Atlantic with great blues about a drug addict in North London ("Junkie Doll") and the white elephant that was the Millennium Dome ("Silvertown Way") to the Mason Dixie line in the title song of the album and car racing in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. A great album, only bettered by his later album "Shangri La".
This is another album which would join "Closing Time" and "Blood on the Tracks" on my desert island. Every song is a work of genius. Perhaps his best work as a complete album with fantastic lyric writing matching superb guitar work and a more in depth study of different American music genres as well as some great English folk inspired songs. "5.15am" - the opening number - is a great homage to Newcastle where he grew up with a heavy nod to the British classic film "Get Carter". "Boom Like That" - the story of McDonald's. "Back to Tupelo" - the reflective and bluesy story of Elvis Presley and his management. "Song for Sonny Liston" a poignant song about a broken man - the great but flawed boxer Sonny Liston. The list goes on. Just a truly wonderful album which gets better with every listen. (Most of Knopfler's music gets better the more you listen to it as you discover different layers and nuances both lyrically and musically).
I saw him live at the Albert Hall in London recently which was a great experience. This is a man that moves you but is so subtle, understated, softly spoken and focused. He also has a tremendous sense of fun.
Thank you Mark for giving me such enormous pleasure, inspiration and an almost impossible level of guitar playing to aspire to over the rest of my years.
The last song I listened to entering Minneapolis was from his Dire Straits years - Sultans of Swing. His first massive hit and one of those songs which every serious guitar player tries to master and which nearly every all of us fails to do so. It's damn hard and damn good.
A Ramada provided shelter from the storm in a suburb of Minneapolis and some tacos from a Mexican restaurant across the street kept the wolf from the door. After 600 miles I was dead tired and ready for a big sleep.
Tomorrow Duluth, Minnesota by Lake Superior and the home of Dylan...
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Day 8 - Nashville, TN - Memphis, TN - St. Louis, MO
Another dawn chorus of screaming kids in "Brats-ville" where my motel was apparently located meant an early wake-up. I played a little blues on my Strat (the one from Clarksdale) until my fingers were loosened up and the clock told me it was time to get going.
With bags packed and car loaded I headed off down the Old Hickory road again - this time listening to the Man In Black...
The Rick Rubin produced "American" series of albums were rightly acclaimed. I listened to American IV and American V for the first part of my day and was captivated by the old man's voice.
Johnny Cash died just two weeks after the American V recordings were completed and you can hear the sound of death in some of the phrasing. On songs like the "309" which is all about death the words become all the more poignant.
This series of albums is a great testimony to one of country's greatest artists and someone who made a major contribution to world music overall.
Johnny Cash was followed by Sonny Boy Williamson's two fine albums (remastered versions for me) "The Real Folk Blues" and "More Real Folk Blues". Howling, wailing, crying, stomping harmonica played by a true virtuoso and accompanied by his incredible voice which is so full of character and "cool". He is also notable for his lyrical skills and phrasing - often using juxtaposition, assonance and zeugma in his lyrics. All of which add to the style.
Approaching Memphis it was on to Watermelon Slim's latest album "No Paid Holidays". This is the first time I've listened to Watermelon Slim properly after he was highly recommended to me by Gary Williams in Clarksdale. He is excellent.
A former Oklahoma truck driver with a University degree in History and a slide guitar style which is lowdown, mean and dirty (those are all good things by the way...)
"Call My Job" - about having too much weekend is packed full of humour and real life experience which we can all identify with.
"And When I Die" is a superb song which features Watermelon Slim singing a pure vocal track with no accompaniment other than harp. Outstanding.
The sounds and styles on the album are quite diverse and cross a broad range from hard electric blues to blues rock and country blues and subject matters also vary. A great album and I am now a Watermelon Slim convert.
Back to Memphis and straight to STAX Recording Studio or as it was know in the 60s and 70s - "Soulsville USA". It is now a museum and a pilgrimage site for people looking to the origins of Soul music and the Memphis sound.
Founded by two white people STAX did more for Black music than almost any other record label and certainly ranks alongside Chess, Motown and Sun in terms of pioneer labels.
Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton founded STAX (a combination of the first two letters of each of their surnames) in a neighbourhood that was turning predominantly black. They were brother and sister - Jim was the music man who had a history in radio and had started a recording venture at the end of the 50s and Estelle was the financial brains initially. 1960 saw the first proper release by Rufus Thomas and Carla his daughter after STAX had set up in what used to be the Capitol Theatre on the corner of College and McLemore sts in Memphis.
Astonishingly nearly all the early STAX artists were from the neighbourhood around the studio which was thick with musical talent. Even the Queen of Soul herself Aretha Franklin was born just around the corner and her father Reverend Franklin officiated at Rufus Thomas's wedding. (Aretha moved to Detroit when very young and did not record at STAX.
Soul music was born out of blues, gospel and country. Essentially happy music whose rhythms were very catchy and dance focused (spawning many different dances including The Funky Chicken, The Jerk, The Mashed Potato etc), Soul took the blues and country from the fields and the gospel from the churches and fused it into a sound that lived in the city.
Many of the STAX singers had grown up as gospel singers while other spent their formative years listening to country music and the Grand Ole Opry on the radio (both blacks and whites). This coming together of musical styles was matched by a very integrated racial harmony unusual at the time. All the way through STAX blacks and whites worked closely together and without colour entering the building. It changed after the assassination of Dr. King at the end of the 60s after which the music became a signal of black identity and became politicised, ceasing to be "just music".
Bass, drums, horns and some bawling Memphis guitar are what back the passionate vocals. The STAX sound was a lot more punchy, earthy and "dirty" than the slightly homogenised sound of Motown under Berry Gordy - who admittedly was targeting a much larger crossover audience and wanted to make black music accessible to whites.
Listen to the King Curtis song "Memphis Soul Stew" to understand - literally - the ingredients of Memphis Soul Music.
Backbone of the sound were the house musicians in the form of Al Jackson on drums, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass (Fender Precision), Steve Cropper on guitar (Fender Telecaster) and Booker T. Jones on organ. They played as a band under the name of Booker T. & The MGs but less well know if the fact that they were the studio band for nearly all the STAX recordings and one of the main live bands also.
Steve Cropper became one of the main producers at STAX over the years along with people like Isaac Hayes and David Porter who wrote many of the songs and hits for people like Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, The Bar Kays, Eddie Floyd, Carla Thomas, and many more.
The STAX sound was and is instantly recognisable and became mimicked over time by many other labels and producers. Eventually the studio fell apart in the 70s with financial and management problems, but not before it had made its mark on American and world music and given birth to "Soul" music.
The museum today is an excellent memorial to the STAX golden years. Very informative exhibits are mixed with profiles of some of the STAX stars and the history and development of Soul. STAX also recorded blues artists as well - most notably Albert King - and bridged into the funk movement as a logical development of Soul.
Two highlights of the museum for me were the studio itself which - like Studio B in Nashville - gives a strong sense of history. Although the original STAX building was knocked down in 1988, the rebuilt site and museum still give a sense of what it was like with all the original equipments, consoles and so on in their positions. It's not just the presence of Duck Dunn's bass, Steve Cropper's guitar or Booker T's Hammond organ - but the knowledge that Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes and other greats stood on this site and in this place making the music that lives on way past their lifetimes and which has accompanied millions of others in their lifetimes and in the moments where only music makes sense.
The other highlight was Isaac Hayes' gold plated cadillac. Fur lined, gold plated, special stereo, TV and fridge in back this massive monument to 70's style is awesome to behold. Much like Elvis's gold plated Cadillac in the country museum in Nashville - it is the insecurity of a poor boy who's made a lot of money. Got to show it off and what better way than with a car which everyone can see you in.
From the STAX museum to another Memphis institution - the Gibson Guitar factory just a block or two down from Beale Street.
This is the main production and manufacturing facility for guitars and basses - particularly the electric instruments and also houses the "custom" shop which makes special and limited edition instruments. The facility I visited in Nashville makes banjos, mandolins and Dobro (resonator) guitars.
The factory tour was full for the day so I didn't get to see the production line which was a shame, but I did get to spend some time in the custom shop retail area strumming some lovely guitars. I wasn't planning to buy any instruments (3 guitars already on this trip is enough) but I did inquire about one acoustic (an L5 in limited edition and one of only 24 pieces). It was $6,500 US - plus tax! Needless to say it stayed at the shop!
Back in the car I fired up Jenny the GPS and aimed her at St Louis - around 280 miles away - and put soul music on the sound system, having been inspired by Stax.
Listening to sweet soul music and with cruise control dialled in to around 90 miles an hour (only 20 above the speed limit) I headed on up to St Louis and completing a day's drive of more nearly 600 miles all told.
St Louis was exceedingly busy - A Cardinal's game was on and it was Saturday - and I couldn't find a room in a hotel for love nor money.
With traffic and hunger getting on my nerves, I headed out of town towards Blueberry Hill to see if I could find a place to stay close to this cool neighbourhood full of great eateries and home to the St Louis student community and Italian community.
Every motel and hotel was booked full and I eventually opted for heading north towards Hannibal, Missouri to the birthplace of Mark Twain and finding a motel on the Highway.
Lucky for me they are digging up virtually every road in St Louis including the interstates and so Jenny the GPS got me and her totally lost. In my growing frustration I punched in the nearest hotel - which looked like being a fancy 4-5 star. I arrived at a different hotel - a Crowne Plaza (it changed owners 3 years ago. Take note Jenny!) and got a room for just 90 bucks a night! It was late so I headed for the in-house restaurant where a couple of large beers were drowned and some food was consumed.
And then to bed and a much needed deep sleep after reading up on STAX records and it's history.
Tomorrow it's further north to Hannibal and beyond. Highway 61 beckons and there's more music out there before I head off over to Chicago....
With bags packed and car loaded I headed off down the Old Hickory road again - this time listening to the Man In Black...
The Rick Rubin produced "American" series of albums were rightly acclaimed. I listened to American IV and American V for the first part of my day and was captivated by the old man's voice.
Johnny Cash died just two weeks after the American V recordings were completed and you can hear the sound of death in some of the phrasing. On songs like the "309" which is all about death the words become all the more poignant.
This series of albums is a great testimony to one of country's greatest artists and someone who made a major contribution to world music overall.
Johnny Cash was followed by Sonny Boy Williamson's two fine albums (remastered versions for me) "The Real Folk Blues" and "More Real Folk Blues". Howling, wailing, crying, stomping harmonica played by a true virtuoso and accompanied by his incredible voice which is so full of character and "cool". He is also notable for his lyrical skills and phrasing - often using juxtaposition, assonance and zeugma in his lyrics. All of which add to the style.
Approaching Memphis it was on to Watermelon Slim's latest album "No Paid Holidays". This is the first time I've listened to Watermelon Slim properly after he was highly recommended to me by Gary Williams in Clarksdale. He is excellent.
A former Oklahoma truck driver with a University degree in History and a slide guitar style which is lowdown, mean and dirty (those are all good things by the way...)
"Call My Job" - about having too much weekend is packed full of humour and real life experience which we can all identify with.
"And When I Die" is a superb song which features Watermelon Slim singing a pure vocal track with no accompaniment other than harp. Outstanding.
The sounds and styles on the album are quite diverse and cross a broad range from hard electric blues to blues rock and country blues and subject matters also vary. A great album and I am now a Watermelon Slim convert.
Back to Memphis and straight to STAX Recording Studio or as it was know in the 60s and 70s - "Soulsville USA". It is now a museum and a pilgrimage site for people looking to the origins of Soul music and the Memphis sound.
Founded by two white people STAX did more for Black music than almost any other record label and certainly ranks alongside Chess, Motown and Sun in terms of pioneer labels.
Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton founded STAX (a combination of the first two letters of each of their surnames) in a neighbourhood that was turning predominantly black. They were brother and sister - Jim was the music man who had a history in radio and had started a recording venture at the end of the 50s and Estelle was the financial brains initially. 1960 saw the first proper release by Rufus Thomas and Carla his daughter after STAX had set up in what used to be the Capitol Theatre on the corner of College and McLemore sts in Memphis.
Astonishingly nearly all the early STAX artists were from the neighbourhood around the studio which was thick with musical talent. Even the Queen of Soul herself Aretha Franklin was born just around the corner and her father Reverend Franklin officiated at Rufus Thomas's wedding. (Aretha moved to Detroit when very young and did not record at STAX.
Soul music was born out of blues, gospel and country. Essentially happy music whose rhythms were very catchy and dance focused (spawning many different dances including The Funky Chicken, The Jerk, The Mashed Potato etc), Soul took the blues and country from the fields and the gospel from the churches and fused it into a sound that lived in the city.
Many of the STAX singers had grown up as gospel singers while other spent their formative years listening to country music and the Grand Ole Opry on the radio (both blacks and whites). This coming together of musical styles was matched by a very integrated racial harmony unusual at the time. All the way through STAX blacks and whites worked closely together and without colour entering the building. It changed after the assassination of Dr. King at the end of the 60s after which the music became a signal of black identity and became politicised, ceasing to be "just music".
Bass, drums, horns and some bawling Memphis guitar are what back the passionate vocals. The STAX sound was a lot more punchy, earthy and "dirty" than the slightly homogenised sound of Motown under Berry Gordy - who admittedly was targeting a much larger crossover audience and wanted to make black music accessible to whites.
Listen to the King Curtis song "Memphis Soul Stew" to understand - literally - the ingredients of Memphis Soul Music.
Backbone of the sound were the house musicians in the form of Al Jackson on drums, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass (Fender Precision), Steve Cropper on guitar (Fender Telecaster) and Booker T. Jones on organ. They played as a band under the name of Booker T. & The MGs but less well know if the fact that they were the studio band for nearly all the STAX recordings and one of the main live bands also.
Steve Cropper became one of the main producers at STAX over the years along with people like Isaac Hayes and David Porter who wrote many of the songs and hits for people like Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, The Bar Kays, Eddie Floyd, Carla Thomas, and many more.
The STAX sound was and is instantly recognisable and became mimicked over time by many other labels and producers. Eventually the studio fell apart in the 70s with financial and management problems, but not before it had made its mark on American and world music and given birth to "Soul" music.
The museum today is an excellent memorial to the STAX golden years. Very informative exhibits are mixed with profiles of some of the STAX stars and the history and development of Soul. STAX also recorded blues artists as well - most notably Albert King - and bridged into the funk movement as a logical development of Soul.
Two highlights of the museum for me were the studio itself which - like Studio B in Nashville - gives a strong sense of history. Although the original STAX building was knocked down in 1988, the rebuilt site and museum still give a sense of what it was like with all the original equipments, consoles and so on in their positions. It's not just the presence of Duck Dunn's bass, Steve Cropper's guitar or Booker T's Hammond organ - but the knowledge that Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes and other greats stood on this site and in this place making the music that lives on way past their lifetimes and which has accompanied millions of others in their lifetimes and in the moments where only music makes sense.
The other highlight was Isaac Hayes' gold plated cadillac. Fur lined, gold plated, special stereo, TV and fridge in back this massive monument to 70's style is awesome to behold. Much like Elvis's gold plated Cadillac in the country museum in Nashville - it is the insecurity of a poor boy who's made a lot of money. Got to show it off and what better way than with a car which everyone can see you in.
From the STAX museum to another Memphis institution - the Gibson Guitar factory just a block or two down from Beale Street.
This is the main production and manufacturing facility for guitars and basses - particularly the electric instruments and also houses the "custom" shop which makes special and limited edition instruments. The facility I visited in Nashville makes banjos, mandolins and Dobro (resonator) guitars.
The factory tour was full for the day so I didn't get to see the production line which was a shame, but I did get to spend some time in the custom shop retail area strumming some lovely guitars. I wasn't planning to buy any instruments (3 guitars already on this trip is enough) but I did inquire about one acoustic (an L5 in limited edition and one of only 24 pieces). It was $6,500 US - plus tax! Needless to say it stayed at the shop!
Back in the car I fired up Jenny the GPS and aimed her at St Louis - around 280 miles away - and put soul music on the sound system, having been inspired by Stax.
Listening to sweet soul music and with cruise control dialled in to around 90 miles an hour (only 20 above the speed limit) I headed on up to St Louis and completing a day's drive of more nearly 600 miles all told.
St Louis was exceedingly busy - A Cardinal's game was on and it was Saturday - and I couldn't find a room in a hotel for love nor money.
With traffic and hunger getting on my nerves, I headed out of town towards Blueberry Hill to see if I could find a place to stay close to this cool neighbourhood full of great eateries and home to the St Louis student community and Italian community.
Every motel and hotel was booked full and I eventually opted for heading north towards Hannibal, Missouri to the birthplace of Mark Twain and finding a motel on the Highway.
Lucky for me they are digging up virtually every road in St Louis including the interstates and so Jenny the GPS got me and her totally lost. In my growing frustration I punched in the nearest hotel - which looked like being a fancy 4-5 star. I arrived at a different hotel - a Crowne Plaza (it changed owners 3 years ago. Take note Jenny!) and got a room for just 90 bucks a night! It was late so I headed for the in-house restaurant where a couple of large beers were drowned and some food was consumed.
And then to bed and a much needed deep sleep after reading up on STAX records and it's history.
Tomorrow it's further north to Hannibal and beyond. Highway 61 beckons and there's more music out there before I head off over to Chicago....
Day 7 - Nashville, Tennessee
Woke up in Nashville - but WAY too early...
My room was on the ground floor - and so everybody in the hotel wandered past my room chattering, shouting and even screaming (badly behaved kids) at around 6.30am onwards.
I gave up the battle for sleep at around 7.30am, vowed to scowl at every child I saw that day and then did some reading, some email and some guitar practice. (Yes, I sleep with my guitars - no way I'm leaving them in the car plus there is a faint hope that I'll wake up one night possessed by the spirit of Hendrix and play guitar so well that they will say that Bluesman Dubai Dave must have sold his soul to the devil in a Hampton's Inn...)
I met my cousin for breakfast in the motel (greasy but curiously satisfying - the breakfast, not my cousin) and we then set off on the Old Hickory road. Rolling through the Tennessee countryside was very relaxing and I chose Lightnin' Hopkins to accompany us for the ride. I saw the house my cousin grew up in in a Nashville suburb and then we swung by Al Gore's house - mansion is perhaps a better description - and carried on through the mansion area of West Meade and Belle Meade heading back to Nashville. Impressive houses is has to be said - with equally impressive price tags to boot.
Back in Nashville my cousin George was keen to show me the Nashville Parthenon (on account of the fact that I had spent many years in Athens). This is a full scale replica of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens - except this one is fully intact.
In one sense it was very impressive - and having seen it lit at night the previous evening I have to say it does provide a striking monument. BUT - there is something slightly odd about a full size replica of one of the marvels of the Ancient world here in Nashville, Tennessee!
From the sublime to the ridiculous - we then headed to the Country Music Hall Of Fame Museum. This impressive building was designed by the architectural firm that my cousin's eldest daughter works for and is home to all things country including the gold plated cadillac that Elvis had made for him...
The Museum is very well organised and laid out. Great interactive features and special sections make it easy to navigate. While I like country music enough to listen to it with enthusiasm, it's not the same passion as the blues, soul or RnB. Nevertheless the museum was interesting. One take away I had was that country artists - many of whom have made vast personal fortunes - deserve the money they get. If not for their musical talents then certainly for the fact that they have worn some of the worst clothes and costumes in the history of mankind... Much worse than the soul cats of the 70s! Rhinestones, sequins, gold braid - the full works...
After a tour of the museum we went on a special tour of RCA Victor Studio B. This doesn't sound very special but it is the studio that most of the country greats recorded in at some point - including Dolly Parton who crashed her first car into the wall of the studio. But it isn't strictly country musicians that made the place famous. That distinction went to a boy from Tupelo, Mississippi who recorded 300 songs in Studio B. Elvis Presley.
The studio tour was well organised and full of interesting facts and stories. Dolly Parton's song "I Will Always Love You" - one of her biggest hits - earns Dolly between 7 and 10 cents EVERY time it is played. They estimate that this one song alone has earned her around $25 million. Elvis wanted to record a version of it - but his contracts meant that he would then receive 50% of the publishing rights and royalties in perpetuity so Dolly refused him. Turned out to be a good bet for her.
Inside the actual studio itself it is like time has stood still with the original equipment scattered around the area. "Are You Lonesome Tonight" was recorded here late in the night with the lights in the studio turned down so low it was almost pitch black (apparently Elvis liked to record in the night and was very into "atmosphere".) It was recorded in one take - apart from the last notes sung by the backing singers - and apparently if you have good enough playback equipment it is possible to hear the moment when Elvis bumped his head on the mic he was singing in to....
Studio B was a pretty inspiring place for the history and it's uniquely important role in recording history and it was pretty amazing standing in the spot where the King recorded - even if I am not an Elvis fanatic.
From Studio B to the Ole Opry Mills and the Gibson Retail Centre which also features he manufacturing location for Gibson Banjos, Dobros and Mandolins. The centre also boasts around 800 guitars for sale - across the Gibson and Epiphone brands...
I fiddled with a Firebird, explored an Explorer but ended up falling for an ES 175 Reissue (Epiphone version of the Gibson classic) semi acoustic archtop in Tobacco Sunburst. I plugged her into a vintage amp and did battle with a thrash metal head shredding in the next door booth. I don't know who won, but the guitar was promptly purchased at an excellent price and is being shipped back to the UAE by FedEx as I am already "guitar heavy" for the flights back to Dubai....
From there back to the motel for a short rest before an early dinner with my cousins and their daughters at a very nice eaterie in downtown Nashville.
After dinner we hit the road towards the Grand Ole Opry and I could feel my facial hair growing as we approached the Mecca of Country music...
There were fewer cowboy hats than I had anticipated, but there were a lot of country fans heading into the temple of country music. This of course is the "New" Grand Ole Opry at Opryland. The old building in the centre of Nashvillethat originally housed the Opry is still there and is behind Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. Known as the Ryman building it is still used occasionally for smaller performances according to my cousin. The New Ole Opry moved out here in the seventies. They did bring a piece of the old Opry with them - a circular piece of the old stage - which is now on the stage of the new Opry.
The building for the new Grand Ole Opry (GOO) is an impressive structure and full capacity must be in the several thousands. We had great seats (generously purchased by my cousin) but high up - so I spent the first set feeling giddy and getting vertigo. I had recurring feelings that I would fall off the balcony and land on a giant cowboy hat that would somehow save my life. Happily it didn't happen.
The GOO is broadcast live across the nation so the show is actually run as a live radio show. Razor sharp timing and each of the four half hour sets is hosted by a lead artist (all of our lead artists were a minimum of 70 plus years old including two women whose make-up man earned his dollars that night). All were "country greats" and did a very good job of both hosting and singing. The slightly annoying part is the sponsor aspect which involves constant sponsor messages and read-outs for the benefit of the folks listening at home. After one set this drives you to distraction and I have taken a vow never to eat at a Cracker Barrel (main sponsor), never to but a single product from Bass Pro Shops or get any kind of system from Johnson Control (they'll put your college logo on your air conditioning unit apparently - totally bizarre...)
One of the singers - Buddy Jewel - who was promoting a new album sang a song called "This Ain't Mexico" protesting the illegal immigrants from Mexico. He prefaced it by saying it might be a little contentious. I'd describe it as bordering on racist with references to the Alamo and so on. The (mostly Southern and red neck) crowd loved it. My cousin predicted the song will turn up in one of the Presidential campaigns before November. I wouldn't be surprised either.
The music was very good and wildly varied. It included "classic country", a good dose of Bluegrass (including one band with a banjo player who only had one finger) and more rock n roll and jazzy numbers. All in all most enjoyable and the atmosphere was excellent. I'll never love country the way I love the blues and country will never be cool, but this was a very pleasant way to spend the evening and I had a great time. I'd certainly recommend the experience of the Grand Ole Opry to anyone who is headed towards Nashville.
Back to the motel after dropping my cousin's daughter off and into a deep sleep before a planned early start to head back to Memphis and the Stax Record museum "Soulsville USA"....
Nashville was a great experience and an impressive place. Seeing it with someone who grew up there and knows the history was a big advantage, but I found myself longing for Clarksdale and the blues again...
My room was on the ground floor - and so everybody in the hotel wandered past my room chattering, shouting and even screaming (badly behaved kids) at around 6.30am onwards.
I gave up the battle for sleep at around 7.30am, vowed to scowl at every child I saw that day and then did some reading, some email and some guitar practice. (Yes, I sleep with my guitars - no way I'm leaving them in the car plus there is a faint hope that I'll wake up one night possessed by the spirit of Hendrix and play guitar so well that they will say that Bluesman Dubai Dave must have sold his soul to the devil in a Hampton's Inn...)
I met my cousin for breakfast in the motel (greasy but curiously satisfying - the breakfast, not my cousin) and we then set off on the Old Hickory road. Rolling through the Tennessee countryside was very relaxing and I chose Lightnin' Hopkins to accompany us for the ride. I saw the house my cousin grew up in in a Nashville suburb and then we swung by Al Gore's house - mansion is perhaps a better description - and carried on through the mansion area of West Meade and Belle Meade heading back to Nashville. Impressive houses is has to be said - with equally impressive price tags to boot.
Back in Nashville my cousin George was keen to show me the Nashville Parthenon (on account of the fact that I had spent many years in Athens). This is a full scale replica of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens - except this one is fully intact.
In one sense it was very impressive - and having seen it lit at night the previous evening I have to say it does provide a striking monument. BUT - there is something slightly odd about a full size replica of one of the marvels of the Ancient world here in Nashville, Tennessee!
From the sublime to the ridiculous - we then headed to the Country Music Hall Of Fame Museum. This impressive building was designed by the architectural firm that my cousin's eldest daughter works for and is home to all things country including the gold plated cadillac that Elvis had made for him...
The Museum is very well organised and laid out. Great interactive features and special sections make it easy to navigate. While I like country music enough to listen to it with enthusiasm, it's not the same passion as the blues, soul or RnB. Nevertheless the museum was interesting. One take away I had was that country artists - many of whom have made vast personal fortunes - deserve the money they get. If not for their musical talents then certainly for the fact that they have worn some of the worst clothes and costumes in the history of mankind... Much worse than the soul cats of the 70s! Rhinestones, sequins, gold braid - the full works...
After a tour of the museum we went on a special tour of RCA Victor Studio B. This doesn't sound very special but it is the studio that most of the country greats recorded in at some point - including Dolly Parton who crashed her first car into the wall of the studio. But it isn't strictly country musicians that made the place famous. That distinction went to a boy from Tupelo, Mississippi who recorded 300 songs in Studio B. Elvis Presley.
The studio tour was well organised and full of interesting facts and stories. Dolly Parton's song "I Will Always Love You" - one of her biggest hits - earns Dolly between 7 and 10 cents EVERY time it is played. They estimate that this one song alone has earned her around $25 million. Elvis wanted to record a version of it - but his contracts meant that he would then receive 50% of the publishing rights and royalties in perpetuity so Dolly refused him. Turned out to be a good bet for her.
Inside the actual studio itself it is like time has stood still with the original equipment scattered around the area. "Are You Lonesome Tonight" was recorded here late in the night with the lights in the studio turned down so low it was almost pitch black (apparently Elvis liked to record in the night and was very into "atmosphere".) It was recorded in one take - apart from the last notes sung by the backing singers - and apparently if you have good enough playback equipment it is possible to hear the moment when Elvis bumped his head on the mic he was singing in to....
Studio B was a pretty inspiring place for the history and it's uniquely important role in recording history and it was pretty amazing standing in the spot where the King recorded - even if I am not an Elvis fanatic.
From Studio B to the Ole Opry Mills and the Gibson Retail Centre which also features he manufacturing location for Gibson Banjos, Dobros and Mandolins. The centre also boasts around 800 guitars for sale - across the Gibson and Epiphone brands...
I fiddled with a Firebird, explored an Explorer but ended up falling for an ES 175 Reissue (Epiphone version of the Gibson classic) semi acoustic archtop in Tobacco Sunburst. I plugged her into a vintage amp and did battle with a thrash metal head shredding in the next door booth. I don't know who won, but the guitar was promptly purchased at an excellent price and is being shipped back to the UAE by FedEx as I am already "guitar heavy" for the flights back to Dubai....
From there back to the motel for a short rest before an early dinner with my cousins and their daughters at a very nice eaterie in downtown Nashville.
After dinner we hit the road towards the Grand Ole Opry and I could feel my facial hair growing as we approached the Mecca of Country music...
There were fewer cowboy hats than I had anticipated, but there were a lot of country fans heading into the temple of country music. This of course is the "New" Grand Ole Opry at Opryland. The old building in the centre of Nashvillethat originally housed the Opry is still there and is behind Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. Known as the Ryman building it is still used occasionally for smaller performances according to my cousin. The New Ole Opry moved out here in the seventies. They did bring a piece of the old Opry with them - a circular piece of the old stage - which is now on the stage of the new Opry.
The building for the new Grand Ole Opry (GOO) is an impressive structure and full capacity must be in the several thousands. We had great seats (generously purchased by my cousin) but high up - so I spent the first set feeling giddy and getting vertigo. I had recurring feelings that I would fall off the balcony and land on a giant cowboy hat that would somehow save my life. Happily it didn't happen.
The GOO is broadcast live across the nation so the show is actually run as a live radio show. Razor sharp timing and each of the four half hour sets is hosted by a lead artist (all of our lead artists were a minimum of 70 plus years old including two women whose make-up man earned his dollars that night). All were "country greats" and did a very good job of both hosting and singing. The slightly annoying part is the sponsor aspect which involves constant sponsor messages and read-outs for the benefit of the folks listening at home. After one set this drives you to distraction and I have taken a vow never to eat at a Cracker Barrel (main sponsor), never to but a single product from Bass Pro Shops or get any kind of system from Johnson Control (they'll put your college logo on your air conditioning unit apparently - totally bizarre...)
One of the singers - Buddy Jewel - who was promoting a new album sang a song called "This Ain't Mexico" protesting the illegal immigrants from Mexico. He prefaced it by saying it might be a little contentious. I'd describe it as bordering on racist with references to the Alamo and so on. The (mostly Southern and red neck) crowd loved it. My cousin predicted the song will turn up in one of the Presidential campaigns before November. I wouldn't be surprised either.
The music was very good and wildly varied. It included "classic country", a good dose of Bluegrass (including one band with a banjo player who only had one finger) and more rock n roll and jazzy numbers. All in all most enjoyable and the atmosphere was excellent. I'll never love country the way I love the blues and country will never be cool, but this was a very pleasant way to spend the evening and I had a great time. I'd certainly recommend the experience of the Grand Ole Opry to anyone who is headed towards Nashville.
Back to the motel after dropping my cousin's daughter off and into a deep sleep before a planned early start to head back to Memphis and the Stax Record museum "Soulsville USA"....
Nashville was a great experience and an impressive place. Seeing it with someone who grew up there and knows the history was a big advantage, but I found myself longing for Clarksdale and the blues again...
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