January 2007 Rambling Podcast: The Slide Show (Pun Intended)

Here it is, the new Rambling Podcast. It's the Slide Show (Pun Intended).

I've sorted my bandwidth issues thanks to a friend who has provided server space (Thanks, Nali!). It may not be the fastest download, especially for those outside of Europe, but at least it means uncounted numbers of fans (I can dream, right ?) won't get blocked by firewalls that don't like the Coral urls.

Anyway, down to business. The Slide Show is focused, unsurprisingly, on slide guitar, and you can find an excellent wikipedia article on the subject. The show is longer than usual, which makes the file bigger (73M). I hope it's not too inconveniencing, please let me know if it is. As usual, for more info on this podcast in general, its philosophy and sources, as well as access to the previous shows, you can check out the generic post on The Rambling Podcast.

Here is the text playlist for the show, and the usual detailed track listing is as follows:

Gov't Mule - Mule: One of the classic tunes of southern jam-rock band Gov't Mule. The Mule was the first band I ever discovered through Amazon's recommendations! The lyrics of this particular song (and the band's name) refer to the 1865 US law promising 40 acres and a mule to liberated slaves. The law was never applied. This song was first released on the 1995 album Gov't Mule and the original features John Popper on harmonica. This particular version comes from the 1996 New Year's Eve concert in NYC.

Morphine - Buena: Morphine was one of the most original rock projects of the 90s. Their line-up was two-string slide bass guitar, drums and tenor/barytone saxophone. They released five albums until the sudden death of frontman Mark Sandman on stage in Italy in 1999. Buena was originally released on their second album Cure for Pain, by far the rockiest and my personal favourite. This song is also available on Bootleg Detroit, an official audience recording released after Sandman's death. This version of Buena is from a studio gig in Boston.

Derek Trucks Band - Sahib Teri Bandi: Sahib Teri Bandi is a song by Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, available on his record The Last Prophet. The Derek Trucks Band has been covering this tune live for years, and this version is from a 2003 concert in New York's Blue Note club. In recent years, the DTB has meddled this tune with another Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan tune from the same record, Maki Madni. The Sahib teri Bandi>Maki Madni meddle is available live on their 2004 Live at the Georgia Theatre and on their latest studio recording, Songlines .

Collard Greens and Gravy - Out in the Desert: Collard Geens and Gravy is a prominent Australian blues band that explores the grittier side of blues. Ian Collard plays the harmonica, guitar and performs the vocal duties. Out in the Desert is one of their originals, released on their first self-titled album Collard Greens and Gravy. They have two more albums out and, apparently, a fourth on the way. In parallel, Ian Collard has a solo carreer, as showcased here.

Kevin Brown - Mojave Dust: I first heard Kevin Brown in 1995 in Britain, and I've followed his carreer ever since. His cristalline tone is quite unique. Mojave Dust is the title track from the excellent 2001 solo album of the same name. Kevin has recently released a new solo album called Tin Church, as well as several band albums. In the 90s he released a gem on an instrumental cassette called Abundance, but it is unfortunately no longer available and hasn't been rereleased on CD. Finally, his collaboration with Senegalese Kora player Moussa Kouyate, Kora Blues, is one of the better blues meets Africa records out there.

Bill Barrett & Scot Ray - Morphic Resonance: Bill Barrett and Scot Ray have released three albums together, entitled Gutpuppet 1, 2 and 3. They feature a mix of world music, jazz, blues, and their own brand of madness. Not the most accessible form of music, but certainly amongst the most interesting. Morphic Resonance is from Gutpuppet 3. Scot has also released a solo instrumental slide guitar album entitled Rumi, very introspective and beautiful (I intend to review it soon). Bill has too many projects to mention here, both acoustic and amplified, so you're better off checking out his website !

John Butler Trio - Zebra: I first discovered the John Butler Trio through their album Sunrise over Sea, a favourite of mine that I have reviewed here. The song Zebra is from that album, and it was a hit in Australia and elsewhere. You can also find a storming live version on the 2006 Live at St Gallen. This particular version is taken from a 2005 benefit concert in Sydney and is available legally on the Live Music Archive. The John Butler Trio has a new album coming out in March entitled Grand National.

Debashish Battacharya - Indian Blues: Debashish Battacharya is considered one of the masters of Indian Raga Music. A child prodigy, he is now considered a Guru of his own and designs his own instruments. As far as I managed to find out, Indian Blues was recorded for an album called Calcutta to California which is not widely distributed but available through his website. This particular performance is taken from a 1997 Masters of Slide Guitar concert in California. He is accompanied here by his brother Subhasis on tabla. His latest release is Calcutta Slide Guitar vol 3.

And this is it ! Many thanks to Kevin Brown, Ian Collard, Scot Ray and Bill Barrett for allowing me to use tracks from their respective albums. Additional thanks to Scot Ray and Bill Barrett for recording the really cool jingles. And finally, a third round of thanks to Bill Barrett for letting me use his Corn on the Cob from Brother Weasel's Swingin' & Groovin' (available here) as an intro and outro to the show.

Back in December I promised you a Progressive Show, but I was lacking one track I really wanted to feature. I've now secured it, so expect that next ! Meanwhile, as always comments most welcome !
 

Comments

[Jonathan Metts]

Ben,

Thanks for another excellent podcast. You have inspired me to create an Indian/Paki mix for my iPod. Along with the Derek Trucks cover and the ridiculous slide raga from this podcast, I'm going to put on an original Nusrat song ("Sanson" something, it's incredible) as well as a Jeff Buckley cover of Nusrat's "Yeh Jo Halka Halka Saroor" and whatever else I can find. The great tabla player Zakir Hussain is playing in my area next month, so maybe I can use this music to convince some people to go.

[Jason G.]

Hi Ben, thanks for the show and all the great links - I really like the iMics on show. Keep up the good work.
Regards.
Jason G.
South Africa

[Murray]

The Felten CD Vaults win again. A slidey collection without Cooder, Lindley, Brozman, JOhnson, Allman or any of those old hat dudes with or without hats. Instead, lots of new, wierd and indeed funky stuff. I look forward to a hearty listen.

[Loris]

Hello Ben,
I finally listened to it after several technical problems.

I really enjoyed that one, particularly Zebra, which I'm considering buying the CD.

Can't wait for your 5th one ;)
Loris.

[Benoît F.]

Hey Murray, I tried to steer away from the recognised gods and explore the more obscure guys. Let me know what you think !

Loris, thanks for the comments. If you haven't read the review of Sunrise over Sea, it may decide you to go and get the record. I'd certainly recommend it !