Terence Trent D'Arby - TTDRe's (One [Baker's] Dozen Remixes)

Here, as promised, are those lucky 13 D'Arby remixes -- but of just two songs! -- that are not available on any album. ELEVEN versions of "Do You Love Me Like You Say", and a pair of "Surrender"s. Enjoy, and I'll be back with more stuff soon. Link you-know-where. Leave you-know-what.

Terence Trent D'Arby - TTDB's (One Dozen Rarities)

I posted a bleg for Terence Trent D'arby bootlegs a little while ago, and was quite tantalized by the response, but came up empty-handed. One commenter offered to send me a show, but then disappeared without ever doing so. Another reader emailed me and, after all the music I share on the blog for free while asking nothing in exchange (ok, except voluntary donations), insisted on asking me for a TRADE LIST in order to send me the rare recordings he had. Thanks a lot. 

Here, FOR FREE, NOT FOR TRADE! GAH! are an even dozen TTD rarities. These are b-sides and compilation contributions that were not archived either on "Terence Trent D'Arby's Greatest Hits" or the limited 2-disc edition of its U.K. counterpart, "Do You Love Me Like You Say: The Best of Terence Trent D'Arby", as both those sets are still to be had, brand spankin' new, from your music retailer of choice. 

Four tracks are provided by a pair of singles ("This Side of Love", "To Know Someone...") from his amazing 1989 album, Neither Fish Nor Flesh, which served notice that TTD was not the mere over-hyped R&B revivalist one might have thought from his debut, impressive as it was. These are perhaps the least exciting of the bunch, though, being two overlong solo-piano instrumentals, an extended version of an A-side, and a live take on a song from the debut. Most of the other material herein, though, consists of actual unreleased songs. One comes from the era of that album's follow-up, Symphony or Damn, and four more from singles released from his next, Vibrator. All three of these albums are fervently recommended! Three comp tracks, including a powerful, live version of "Holding On To You" and a masterful reading of Jackie Wilson's "To Be Loved", round out the set. (One remaining track, which I couldn't transfer from vinyl in time for this post, I hope to share soon.)

To tie this post, however tenuously, to the previous one, [UPDATE: The Springsteen radio show was removed due to a DMCA complaint.] in the liner notes for "Symphony," D'Arby thanks his then-label-mate Springsteen (as well as Prince) for support and encouragement of TTD's music, which, other than that more-easily-digested debut, never found the commercial success it so deserved. In his charmingly egotistical manner, he follows the above thank-yous with the phrase, "Name dropping be damned"! 

At last, some non-radio-special music returns to The Rare Stuff! Enjoy. Link in comments as usual -- please leave one! Next comes a batch of remixes from TTD (or SM -- Sananda Maitreya -- as he now prefers to be called). I think between these two posts (and the additional, forthcoming song) I'll have archived almost all the otherwise unavailable tracks from the first phase of his career (possibly excepting one or two other live versions of released songs).

And again -- if anyone has rare TTD shows, especially from 1989 through the mid-'90s, PLEASE let me know if you're willing to SHARE them. 

Contents:

She's My Baby/Delicate [CD Single]

Letting Go/The Fan (Music From The Motion Picture)

Angels Fly Because/Holding On To You

Your Love Is Indecipherable/Holding On To You

Epilog/Holding On To You

Holding On To You (Live)/Modern Rock Live (Disc 1)

To Be Loved/Shake, Rattle, & Roll - Original Soundtrack

This Side Of Love [Extended Version]/This Side Of Love [Single]

Sad Song For Sister Sarah Serenade/This Side Of Love [Single]

Loose Variations On A Dead Man's Vibe In C#M/To Know Someone...

Rain (Live)/To Know Someone Deeply Is To Know Someone Softly

I Really Want You/Vibrator Maxi Single

Neil Young - Words and Music: Silver and Gold [Interview]

Here's an interview with Neil Young about his 2000 acoustic album, Silver and Gold. Two segments, each featuring discussion and audio clips of several of the album's songs. Enjoy!

And check out our bundle of Neil Young EPs, and his new album Le Noise!

Willie Nelson: True Outlaw Stories: On the Road with Willie Nelson - One-Hour Radio Special

I said "-ish", didn't I? :^) Thanks to those who've commented. I hope you enjoy part 2! Link in comments. And look into Willie's newest album, simply titled Country Music.


UPDATE: New Mediafire link in comments, for those who had trouble.

Willie Nelson: My Own Peculiar Way: The Songs of Willie Nelson - One-Hour Radio Special

And the (promo) discs just keep on comin'. I'm happy to add another post featuring the great Willie Nelson to our earlier one of Willie's hard-to-find solo acoustic recordings on Who'll Buy My Memories: The I.R.S. Tapes. 

This pair of specials was released in 2008 to promote the One Hell of a Ride career-retrospective box set.  The first disc is called My Own Peculiar Way: The Songs of Willie Nelson. It will be followed here tomorrow(ish?) by True Outlaw Stories: On the Road with Willie Nelson. If you only know Willie as a pony-tailed, pot-smoking, tax-dodging, strange-voiced pop-cultural punchline, this is the perfect opportunity to raise your consciousness. He's one of the best songwriters, most creative song interpreters, and most inspiring artists of the past half-century. Check these shows and the solo recordings out, then try Phases and Stages, Red Headed Stranger, and, yes, Stardust as your next steps in discovering him.

Link in comments. Say hello, and tell us what Willie Nelson song or album speaks to you the most!

Jimi Hendrix: The Valleys of Neptune Tribute to Jimi Hendrix: One Hour Radio Special [FIXED]

UPDATE: Sorry for the faulty upload in the previous, now deleted, version of this post. And thanks to the ONE COMMENTER who thought to let me know after EIGHTY-NINE downloads! I swear, I don't understand some of you people. I'm sure you have very good reasons for not leaving comments, but you won't even leave one to let me know the damn file wouldn't expand? Now that's carrying leeching to a ridiculous extreme!


Without further ado, HERE's a relatively rare radio special promoting Hendrix' Valleys of Neptune outtakes collection from earlier this year. 

By the way, I won't be posting the Clash special I've mentioned, as I discovered it's still available from Mondo de Muebles, here.

Elvis Presley Radio Special (1992)

This is a rare special produced in 1992 to promote the release of the Complete '50s Masters box set. Tracks 1-4 are the four-part special, 5-7 are promos, and 8-16 brief snippets of interviews on specific topics. 

I hope you have fun with it!

Link in comments. Feel free to leave one!

Sly & The Family Stone: Family Affair - One Hour Radio Special

Another informative and entertaining radio documentary produced under the auspices of Sony Music, this one from 2007, promoting that year's release of the box set and individual reissues of Sly and The Family Stone's seven classic albums for the Epic label. (See here for our post of an earlier, withdrawn CD version of Sly's Fresh album that mistakenly featured alternate mixes.) Any fan of the band's will be interested in the insights herein from Family Stone members Rose Stone, Larry Graham, Gregg Errico, and Andy Newmark, alongside oral historian Joel Selvin and legendary musicians Isaac Hayes and Chuck D. The special is hosted by longtime Rolling Stone journalist Ben Fong-Torres. Sly's own viewpoint is conspicuous by its absence, but that's just the way of the world.

Enjoy the latest in these radio special posts. Some of the artists still to come in our series (not necessarily in this order):

Bob Dylan (yep, another one!), The Clash, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, R.E.M.,
Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Ani DiFranco, Rickie Lee Jones, Dolly Parton, and more! These posts have been a little slower in coming than I'd like, due to some computer issues on my end, but do stay tuned.

Plus, if this series isn't exactly your bag, don't fret -- more non-radio-special music posts are are on the horizon too, such as Rare Stuff from The Waterboys, and more material from the lovely Mary Margaret O'Hara,

Happy October!

Link in comments, so why not leave one?

Terence Trent D'Arby bootlegs, anyone?

Well, this worked when I did a "bleg" for boots by the even more obscure Winter Hours a few months back, so I can only hope some avid TTD collector will see this post and share his or her booty. (Get it, boot-y?) I'm a collector myself, at least insofar as owning on CD every track he officially released, but finding live stuff from him is exceedingly difficult -- OK, thus far, impossible. I was lucky to see him perform once in the '90s, and he was fantastic. I love all his work but actually like his most popular album, his debut, the least, compared to his sublime subsequent work -- so I would love to find some tapes of shows from later in his career, especially the Vibrator tour which was the one I saw him on. But really anything live would be great to hear. If you're out there, please get in touch, either in comments or by email (my address is under "About Me" in the right-hand column). Thanks a bunch!

Oh, and if anyone has Winter Hours boots, I'm still on the lookout for more of those, too.



More radio special goodness on the way, as well as all kinds of other Rare Stuff! Oh and a very big thanks to the individual who made a generous Paypal contribution a few weeks ago, it is GREATLY appreciated, and rest assured, the money's gonna go toward more music that will likely end up on this blog.

We Shall Overcome: Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions - One-Hour Radio Special

Continuing our series of radio specials, here's the hour-long documentary on the making of Bruce Springsteen's 2006 folk homage, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. Thanks to springsteenlyrics.com for the scans I've borrowed of the packaging -- which, it should be noted, picture the 54-minute version produced for commercial radio; the special archived here is the 59-minute one made available to non-commerical stations, which consists of one track of the entire special, divided into segments with music breaks, followed by two promos for the program. Perhaps I'll substitute a scan of the appropriate cover when I have time. 

I hope Springsteen, Seeger and folk music fans find this both entertaining and informative. It's about time the Boss showed his face around here!

Link in comments.

Dylan: Four One-Hour Radio Documentaries; Hosted by Patti Smith (Episodes 3 & 4)

And now, the exciting conclusion of the Dylan doc series described below (links in comments). Enjoy! (And btw, don't you love how the cd case design matches the red cover of the Dylan compilation itself?)

Dylan: Four One-Hour Radio Documentaries; Hosted by Patti Smith (Episodes 1 & 2)

Welcome back! We're rare, ready, and rarin' to go! Last weekend I acquired several discs of documentaries produced for radio by Sony Music to promote various archival releases, and I'll be posting them here. As the title says, these are hour-long documentaries, and are specifically the 59:00 versions produced for non-commerical radio, as opposed to other versions for commercial stations, which must have been edited further to leave room for ads. 

Starting off, the item I was most excited to get ahold of is this 4-disc collection released to radio in 2007 to promote the compilation simply titled Dylan. The programs are hosted by the great Patti Smith, and feature interviews with the likes of Dylan cohorts Bob Neuwirth, Suze Rotolo, Dave Van Ronk, Roger McGuinn, and others; critics and historians such as Greil Marcus, Bill Flanagan, and Anthony DeCurtis; and musicians including John Hiatt, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter, and Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello. 

These four shows bear some resemblance to podcasts that were made available on iTunes around the time of that release, but those installments were shorter than the documentaries here. Each show covers a different period of Bob's career, as suggested by their individual titles: Blowin' in the Wind, Like a Rolling Stone, Shelter from the Storm, and Oh Mercy.

In this first post, I'm sharing the first two of those parts. Each disc contains one 59-minute special, broken into three segments which are divided by minute-long music breaks, as well as an episode-specific 30-second promo and another promo for the series as a whole. This latter spot is identical through all four discs, so I've only included it as part of the first disc's download.

These are my first RAR files I've posted here, as opposed to ZIPs, and I hope everyone knows what to do with 'em!  If not, you'll need to web search for a program called RAR Expander. I hope y'all enjoy these, and stay tuned for the next post featuring the other two parts. Following that, we'll offer similar documentaries on Dennis Wilson, Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, and more!

Links in comments; if you take one, why not leave one?

del Amitri Family Album, 1984/5 (.pdf)

This one's long overdue, as I originally planned to post this hot on the heels of the conclusion of our Definitive Del Amitri Rarities Series. But here it is now!  

This is a great artifact from the early days of dels fandom, when men were men (well, as is apparent from the photos within, boys, actually.) and initial d's were lowercase. Once again caps must be doffed to the then-dels tireless then-manager, Barbara Shores, whose determination put the dels on the map in the U.K. and even made inroads in the U.S.A., which certainly set the stage for their eventual success -- such as it was, Justin Currie might well add. I'm sure Barbara was behind this little artifact. I'm not sure of its origins; I was a card-carrying member of the dels fan club, and received loads of memorabilia (more on that to come) but never saw this until I found it tucked in the sleeve of a used copy of their first LP several years later at good old Yesterday and Today Records on Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland (Respect!). But I can't say for a fact that the photo album originally came with that record album, in some limited edition release, or was just stored there by the previous owner. I suspect the latter, but if any other del-heads can shed any light, please do!

Meanwhile, here is the whole book, all 16 pages scanned as one .pdf file. They're not the cleanest scans in the world, no, some a bit crooked or with staples showing etc., but that'll just add to the authenticity of the experience of really thumbing through it, right?  :^)  Enjoy this trip down memory lane, to a more innocent time... when Justin's cynicism was still mostly feigned. 

Oh, and as for that trove of other early dels memorabilia... that's for another post. Soon!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=53CNGPT0

Elvis Costello Trainspotter Gap-Plugger Bonanza: Volume 3.1: Two Memories

Here is a pair of tracks that fell through the cracks of our popular EC series, both from compilations of TV shows:


Just a Memory: VH1 Storytellers
Painted from Memory (EC and Burt Bacharach): The Best of Sessions at West 54th
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6IAYCITE

Please click on the Elvis Costello tag below to find your way to our previous EC posts.


PS See comments for a list of other gap-pluggers available on iTunes, and one more download, too (Let's Misbehave - DeLovely Soundtrack).

The Jayhawks - B-Side the Green Grass

Minnesota's Jayhawks are one of the best things to come out of the '90s. The harmonies of Mark Olson and Gary Louris are the closest thing contemporary music has to the Everly Brothers. Their songwriting blends melodies that are instantly indelible with lyrics that reveal their mysteries only after many listens and time to reflect. Their ensemble playing pairs a muscular crunch with a nimble, light touch, sometimes in the same song.

What we have here are 11 tracks culled from cd singles and a promotional EP released in conjunction with their two classic albums, Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass -- except "Sleepyhead", an outtake from their tepid, Olson-less Grass follow-up, Sound of Lies. My favorites are covers, "Last Cigarette" (by that great songwriter, Anonymous), sung by the band's keyboard player Karen Grotberg, and a romp through gospel standard "Up Above My Head". For those who love the band's elliptical songwriting, though, "Keith and Quentin" and "Leave No Gold" are up there with any originals on Hollywood -- though perhaps not those on the near-flawless Green Grass. Speaking of which, also here is an example of one of my favorite rock phenomena, a non-album title song, to go with that very album. The live tracks give a taste of the band's onstage power.

A flyer included with The Jayhawks' new reissue of their previously very rare, self-titled debut disc touts forthcoming "deluxe" reissues of those two great albums, HTH and TTGG, and most if not all of these tracks will likely appear there. Meanwhile, though, here they are on The Rare Stuff!

Last Cigarette Bad Time (Single)

Get The Load Out Bad Time (Single)

Sing Me Back Home Bad Time (Single)

Sleepyhead Big Star (Single)

Tomorrow The Green Grass Blue (Single)

Darling Today Blue (Single)

Leave No Gold Scrapple [EP]

Keith And Quentin Scrapple [EP]

Up Above My Head Scrapple [EP]

Sister Cry (Live) Settled Down Like Rain (Single)

Martin's Song / Settled Down Like Rain (Live) Settled Down Like Rain (Single)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2LCXL1QN

R.E.M. - Just a Touch (4 live tracks)

Here's a quick-'n'-dirty post of live b-sides from a couple of R.E.M. singles. (Yes, I know the band has officially removed the "dots" from its name, but these are from back when they were there!)  I don't believe these tracks have been collected elsewhere, but if they're not as rare as all that, please forgive their presence here.

From the single for the sublime "The Great Beyond" from the Man on the Moon soundtrack come three blistering tracks from the band's appearance at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival, especially a "The One I Love" that nobody's gonna mistake for a love song, and a "Man on the Moon" with a nice bite to it as well. I had a look 'round online to see if the whole '99 Glasto set is available but didn't find it. If anyone has it to upload, please leave word -- sounds like it was a hot one!

Also included is a medley called "Time After Time Etc." containing that song, Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain", and another song from Reckoning, "So. Central Rain". They are credited as "recorded live by VARA Radio Utrecht, Holland 14.9.87", and it comes from a CD single for "It's the End of the World as We Know It" released with the 1991 Best of R.E.M. UK compilation. The single says its "another in a series of collectable cd's" each with rare/live material, but its the only one I have. Again, if anybody has the other rare tracks from these and wants to post them somewhere, let us know!

The One I Love (Live at Glastonbury)

Everybody Hurts (Live at Glastonbury)

Man On The Moon (Live at Glastonbury)

Time After Time Etc. (Live) 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L8QKBGRG

The Smithereens - 11

Hi-Ho Blogger! The Rare Stuff rides again! To kick things back off in style, here's an album it's unreasonably hard to find online -- the third long-player from Hoboken's favorite sons, The Smithereens. It's called 11 because the band hired producer Ed Stasium to beef up their sound, which prior to that had been a bit indie-flimsy. As the liner notes say, a la Spinal Tap, "this one goes to eleven..."

This is, without a doubt, my favorite Smithereens album. Though they most certainly rock, the heavier first two numbers, which most show Stasium's influence, are not my favorite tracks of the bunch. But once the lovely, baroque strings of "Blue Period" kick in, I'm along for the ride. Pat DiNizio's and Belinda Carlisle's harmonies on that number are also exquisite. "Baby Be Good" and "Yesterday's Girl" are sweet, smart pop songs, and "Room Without a View" has the undercurrent of tension of classic, earlier Smithereens cuts like "Blood and Roses" and "Behind the Wall of Sleep". "Cut Flowers" is an adventurously structured and arranged short story in song. Speaking of short stories, "William Wilson" takes its name and paranoid atmosphere from the Poe tale of the same name. The thoroughly delightful "Maria Elena", meanwhile takes its name from Buddy Holly's widow. Closer "Kiss Your Tears Away" is an heart-tugging romantic ballad. The whole thing clocks in at an economical 34 minutes, just like the perfect '60s pop album.

The Smithereens' catalog is long overdue for a rehaul. If and when this fine collection is reissued, you'll wanna dump these tracks and upgrade. Meanwhile, though, this late-'80s power-pop high point deserves to be heard.

UPDATE 12/27/10: Link removed due to new information that this album is available for purchase at the Amazon MP3 Store, HERE.

Ray Charles Bootleg Question

Hi all,


Just a shot-in-the-dark question, maybe someone knows something, or knows someone who knows something about this:


I once heard of a Ray Charles bootleg in which one of Ray's backing musicians suddenly gets on mike and starts berating his boss, telling the audience how Ray takes advantage of his musicians, doesn't pay or treat them well, etc.  


Anyone else heard of this, know what this show is or where to find it?


Thanks,
Jeff TPC

The Definitive Del Amitri Rarities Series, Vol. 10: The Alternat(iv)e Versions

The title of this post reflects the difference between the common U.S. usage, "alternate" takes, with the description that appears on all the Dels singles from which these tracks are drawn, "Alternative Version". As the sticker on the above cover says, the "Tell Her This" single which provides one song here contained four "postcards" -- actually just photos of the band on card, with the a-side's lyrics on the back. As a little bonus to our final DARS collection, (a bonus to the bonus tracks?) I have posted those photos below as well.

Yes, with this 11-track installment, the lion's share (pardon the pun) of our Del Amitri Rarities Series draws to a close.  Over the course of ten posts, I have shared what I believe to be every single Dels track officially released* but not available on one of the band's six albums (including the reissue of the first album which added 3 b-sides) or the b-side compilation Lousy with Love. If I'm counting right, that's a total of 76 songs. Those six albums contain a total of 60-some songs (not gonna count 'em right now), so as I said at the series' inception, with these collections we have more than doubled the band's discography. The completist in me is del-ighted to have shared all of this, as this is one of the few bands whose every released track I believe I own.

Those who have just discovered this fine band through these posts are strongly urged to investigate those half-dozen proper albums, as well as leader Justin Currie's solo work. If you have enjoyed all his great songs here, you are encouraged to consider PURCHASING (gasp!) his new album, The Great War -- and if you get it or the others through my Amazon link, that would be one small way to contribute both to Mr. Currie and to this blog. (I say small because I get pennies per purchase and would have to accumulate a huge number of such purchases to get a payout. Those wishing to support The Rare Stuff more directly are most welcome to make a Paypal donation to jeffrosongshow AT aol DOT com.)

Don't fret, though, del-fans and Del-fans (see Vols. 1 and 2 for the distinction!), as I intimated earlier there will be a few more exclusive goodies on offer in the next few days as well.


*UPDATE - Oh yeah, they had a live version of "Roll To Me" on a VH1 CrossRoads compilation, plus, I think, the odd live track on exclusive radio station comps, that aren't here. But I'm sticking with "definitive"! :^)

Tracks:

Not Where It's At (Alternative Version) Cry To Be Found [Disc 2]

Don't Come Home Too Soon (Instrumental) Don't Come Home Too Soon

Spit In The Rain (Remix) Just Like A Man [Disc 2]

I Won't Take The Blame (Acoustic Version) Just Like A Man [Disc 2]

This Side of the Morning (live in a car park at 3 AM) Move Away Jimmy Blue [12"]

Food For Songs (Acoustic Version) Roll To Me

One Thing Left To Do (Acoustic Version) Roll To Me

Paper Thin (Ambient Mix) Some Other Sucker's Parade [Bonus Tracks]

Some Other Sucker's Parade (No Strings Version) Some Other Sucker's Parade [Disc 2]

When You Were Young (Alternative Version) Tell Her This [Disc 1]

Learn to Cry (Alternative Version) Tell Her This [Disc 2]

Link in comments -- which are warmly welcomed.