3 April 2013 (Day 93) – A Couple Of Staples And A Lack Of Logic

Sometimes I do things that defy any rational thought.  Take today for instance.  I knew that an in house seminar was going to account for half of my day at work so I thought taking three CDs and the iPod should do.  After attending the seminar, I sat down at my desk and played a most wonderful album;

(# 255) Pops Staples – Peace To The Neighborhood (released 1992)

This was one of a very few albums released under Pops’ name during his lifetime.  Working with a number of producers including Al Green’s long time producer Willie Mitchell and Ry Cooder, it is a clever mixture of Pop’s originals, traditional gospel/soul numbers and more contemporary covers. In the latter category are wonderful versions of Jackson Browne’s World in Motion (including vocals from the songwriter and typical guitar work from track co-producer Bonnie Riatt) and Los Lobos’ (Peace To) The Neighborhood. Mitchell produced most of the Pops’ numbers which are all of a high standard including the wonderful Pray On My Mind with his daughter Mavis on lead vocals.  But the highlights are undoubtedly the two Cooder produced tracks, Down In Mississippi and I Shall Not Be Moved.  Cooder contributes guitar to both and his unmistakable vocals to the latter.  None of these collaborators though deflect the attention away from Pop’s vocals and understated guitar work.

The next album was a logical choice:

(# 256) Mavis Staples – Have A Little Faith (2004)

This is a rousing gospel influenced album that shows off Mavis’ incredible voice to best effect.  Events that occurred in the considerable period from its predecessor provided her with appropriately powerful material including the death of Pops (Pop’s Recipe) and the events of 9/11 (In Times Like These and the title track which is not the John Hiatt tune). Wisely, most of the musical backing is not allowed to overwhelm Mavis’ voice without detriment to the songs.  A beautiful version of the standard Will the Circle Be Unbroken? rounds things up nicely.

Having played this, you would have thought the next task would have been to play something by The Staple Singers.   The Freedom Highway compilation is on my iPod and it doesn’t even occur to me to play it until I sit down to write this post.  Instead my mind casts about for something different and I achieve that with:

(# 257) Mogwai – The Hawk Is Howling (2008)

Scotland’s most accomplished sculptors of mostly instrumental, melodic noise continued the process of developing a more accessible sound that was initiated on Mr. Beast with this release.  It starts off with the superbly titled and sounding I’m Jim Morrison I’m Dead which maintains a coiled tension for its duration.  Batcat increases the intensity which is maintained over the next couple of numbers.  An extremely quiet Kings Meadow leaks into the epic I Love You I’m Going To Blow Up Your School which eventually explodes into a glorious sustained blast of sound.  Closing track The Precipice is aptly named.

After this I think I’ll need something quieter tomorrow.

2 April 2013 (Day 92) – Work After Easter And Bruce

The first work day after the Easter break is one of the quietest days of the year as many people take an additional day off.  As the school holidays have kicked in, other stake leave for the entire week in order to spend quality time with the kids.  This year seems to be no different. 

I speak to a colleague of mine who went to Springsteen’s final Hanging Rock gig.  Sadly (for me), that show turns out to the night to go, a massive 29 song marathon which is essentially an expanded version of my night (sans Red Headed Woman), plus Incident On 57^th Street, Jackson Cage, The Rising, Lonesome Day, Candy’s Room and Prove It All Night.  Despite this, my colleague is still disappointed that, despite going to two shows on the tour, she did not get to hear Thunder Road.  I point out that it is practically the only track that’s been played at every one of the five I’ve seen in my life.  I don’t think this dented her positive feelings but I know it picked up mine. 

My colleague also repeated Bruce’s promise from the stage that he will return to Australia within a much shorter time frame than in the past.  Most acts say this and very few deliver on the promise.  In any case, I figure I’m in a win/loss situation.  If Bruce returns soon, say within 2-4 years, it will be a win.  The overwhelmingly positive reviews of the shows and full houses will almost certainly ensure that the next Melbourne gig will probably involve Etihad Stadium.  This will probably be a loss as the relative intimate nature of Rod Laver Arena will be lost.  Having said that, I’ve seen gigs there from both AC/DC and U2 who both were able to create an amazing atmosphere there with their fan base so there’s still hope.

After that, it was to my desk for some serious catch up work.  This can be seen in that most of my sections for the day were dominated by instrumentals:

(252) Bela Fleck & Flecktones – Greatest Hits Of The 20^th Century

I think I’d be right in guessing that Bela Fleck would be the only artist with albums in my Collection whose primary instrument is the banjo. As the title of this album infers, this is a compilation of tracks from his career to the end of 1999.  The Sinister Minister kicks things off in fine fashion, a track that sounds appropriately titled.   A live Stomping Grounds continues the good times but many of the remaining tracks are played a little too safe for my liking, a situation not helped by Communication with vocals from Dave Matthews. 

(253) Tortoise – Beacons Of Ancestorship

Dating from 2009, this is the most recently released Tortoise album I own. This album incorporates quite a futuristic sound deftly integrating electronic sounds into the mix.  Indeed, many of the early tracks remind me very much of a similarly themed album, Future World by Trans Am albeit without guitars playing so prominent a role.  Things change a little on Minors, a track that could very well be adopted as the theme for a television detective series and the few tracks after that are more in Tortoise’s time honoured tradition.

(254) Aphrodite’s Child – 666

People who own this album are loath to admit it for two reasons; first the music is generally described as that most despised of genres, Prog[ressive] Rock and second, the band included in its membership both Demis (My Friend The Wind) Roussos and Vangelis (he of Chariots Of Fire fame).  But I don’t care about either factor when the music is as exciting as this.  Released in 1971, well before either act had recorded the music which made them [in]famous, this is a concept piece subtitled The Apocalypse Of John 13/18.  I’m assuming that this and the album title are biblical references to the end of the world with tracks including the words, Babylon, Four Horsemen, Beast, Locusts, Lamb and Trumpets in the titles. (And if anyone can explain to me how a track titled Altamont fits in, please let me know.) But the lyrics are not the reason to hear this but rather the music which I’d dispute is Prog at all.  If there is a dominant musical influence on this work, it is undoubtedly that of Frank Zappa which looms largest.   The double album concept, instrumentation used and the combination of mostly shortish tracks culminating in a large epic track near the end have all the hallmarks of Zappa’s work, especially Uncle Meat.  Another reference point, musically speaking, is undoubtedly the Mothers Of Invention live album Ahead Of Their Time which, although released decades after 666, is of a 1968 performance from a tour the musicians could very well have seen. 

1 April 2013 (Day 91) – Public Holiday Blues

After a frantic weekend, it was a relief to have the public holiday Monday to recover.  As I sit at the kitchen table and write, “M” takes the opportunity to whip up her magnificent vegetarian cannelloni.  The shell filling is her combination of pumpkin, sweet potato, ricotta, cracked pepper, fresh basil and freshly chopped garlic.  It’s placed in an oven pan on a bed of passata and sprinkled with parmesan cheese and more passata.

As today is the final day of the Bluesfest at Byron Bay, a festival I’ve never attended but would like to one day, I’m playing a number of blues CDs.  “M” appears happy to listen to my selections for once and is even prepared to share her views, starting with:

(249) Joe Louis Walker – Silvertone Blues

Walker is one of the last authentic bluesmen having played with a range of the greats over the course of his career.  Knowledgeable in all forms of the blues a la Taj Mahal, he is a solid guitarist and possesses a tremendous voice that suits his selection of material.  This is a solid selection of Chicago blues which really catches fire during its second half, particularly on the title track, Crying Won’t Help You and Bad Luck Blues.

“M”s comment: “I like this type of blues.”

(250) Eric Bibb – Friends

This is one of around 30 odd albums that Bibb has released either by himself or in combination with other artists.  Using mostly acoustic instruments, Friends is as good a place as any to start given, as the title implies, this consists of a number of collaborations.  99 And A Half Won’t Do with Guy Davis is overlaid with gospel themes, Charlie Musselwhite shines on Six O’Clock Blues and Taj Mahal is his usual classy self on Goin’ Down Slow.  The highlight is Dance Me To The End Of Love (not the Leonard Cohen song) with piano from Jerry Yester, the producer of Tom Waits Closing Time which should give you an idea of the feel of the track. 

“M”’s comment: "I like how the tracks on this album change and use other instruments.”

(251) Mia Dyson – Parking Lots

Dyson is an Australian blues singer and guitarist with a strong playing style and a suitably raspy voice who’s been paid almost the ultimate compliment via a supporting slot on one of Eric Clapton’s most recent tours of Australia. This album, her second, probably was the release which got her that gig.  It consists of a nice mix of numbers that are well played and arranged culminating in Down, a fiery number and Fire Creek, an evocative instrumental.

“M”’s comment: “I don’t like this.  Her voice is too harsh.”

Our friends arrive for the afternoon.  I make a mental note to ask “M” to …………..

30 & 31 March 2013 (Days 89 & 90) – Discovering Discovr

The Easter Weekend is a busy time of family commitments with little time for listening.  

Saturday also marked the start of the Australian Rules Football (aka footy) season with the first match for my team, The Western Bulldogs. “M” (only an occasional supporter) and I hook up with Mickey and his family.  We’ve watched (and suffered) together through decades of highs and lows without ever tasting ultimate success.  But we persist even with years like this when most of the so called footy experts forecast a bleak year.   Unusually for us, we’re reasonably confident this year we’ll be able to pull off a few surprises without necessarily challenging for major honours.

Mickey fills me in on his experiences at Springsteen’s final Rod Laver Arena gig.  He was really impressed by him as a live performer and had no problems with his seat behind the stage. Only three rows back, he indicated you get a sense of what the act experiences and you really feel very close to the action.  What’s intriguing about his enthusiasm is that it wasn’t until relatively recently that Mickey developed an interest in The Boss.  Previously, he had dismissed him as a parochial American who wrote only about cars and girls and only started to twig when he heard the acoustic material on The Ghost Of Tom Joad.  Who said you couldn’t gain new fans from diversifying?  Our conversation was ended by the start of the match.  The Bullies pull off a surprise by defeating Brisbane but the massive 68 point victory pleasantly shocks even us.

But not everything turns to gold like that.  Still feeling unsatisfied by my failure to catch the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion live, I purchased over the weeken:

(247) The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Meat And Bone

This is not how things are supposed to work out!  I feel worse.  How was I supposed to know that this would be their best album since Now I Got Worry? After a so-so opener, Bag Of Bones thrashes away in classic Blues Explosion style.  Boot Cut ramps up the tempo, and Strange Baby incorporates some wicked slide guitar reminiscent of Mick Taylor era Stones.  Remaining tracks are all of a high standard with Gadzooks bringing things to a satisfying close.

Happy after my teams unexpected thumping win, I make an interesting discovery on Saturday night.  Whilst going through the Apple Apps Store I found an app called Discovr which is an intriguing way to discover new artists.  The way it works is deceptively simple.  You start with a single field into which you type the name of a recording artist.  A circle appears on screen with an image of that artist.  Hit it once and a number of links are made to other similar artists, either from the same [sub] genre or with a historical connection (such as solo acts or subsequent bands, etc).  You hit those,  more connections are made and so on with the resultant  diagram continually reformatting itself as you establish new links.  At any astge, you can double hit an artist and this takes you to a new screen with a history for the artist, discography and tracks to listen.

But I’ll provide a consumer warning.  This app is so mesmerising that hours can go by without you realising it.  So far the only time I’ve stopped is when I seem to have overloaded the program by establishing hundreds of connections with linkage lines so complex that the task of following them really does your head in.  I’ve even taken to using it as a weird form of entertainment, for example, attempting to navigate between two completely different acts (say Otis Redding to Sonic Youth).

What’s really impressive is that the compilers have really left no stone unturned; I’ve found myself locating Harry Smith era Americana acts, Australian hip hop acts, Aboriginal musicians, Krautrockers, TV stars who’ve released albums and even comedians by using this.  It’s far from perfect; some of the links made are unintentionally hilarious, it occasionally has problems distinguishing between two acts with the exact same name (such as Nirvana), some obvious connections haven’t been made yet (for example, I can’t get it to acknowledge connections between Paul Rodgers, Free and Bad Company) and obvious connections sometimes take a while to emerge (for example, it took forever before a connection was made between Australian husband/wife acts Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter).  But it’s a great tool and I intend to use it to further my explorations.

Whilst exploring, I took the opportunity to play;

(248) Keb’ Mo’ – Peace….Back By Popular Demand

I first heard Keb’ Mo’ when he played a very satisfying opening set for Dr. John a few years back.  A bluesman with a smooth delivery and understated, fluent guitar style, her reminds me of Eric Clapton without the additional fiery Yardbirds/Cream/Derek And The Dominoes back catalogue. This album consists of a number of generally well known tracks performed in this style.  For What It’s Worth, People Got To Be Free and (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love And Understanding come off pretty well.  John Lennon’s Imagine doesn’t.

29 March 2013 (Day 88) – A Day For Reflection

It’s Good Friday the one day of the year where I do not think about playing music, at least until well into the afternoon.  This reflects my Catholic upbringing and education and the influence of “M”.

I’ve been fortunate in that my religious upbringing and views have never brought me into conflict with my choice of listening matter.  There has rarely being an instance where I’ve felt my faith being challenged by a song or musician.  It’s all a question of context; I simply don’t read lyrics on a page and get outraged. Sometimes I understand that the musician is playing a role.  I can remember one of my religious teachers launching an attack on Alice Cooper in class.  Even then I understood that Alice was a character and that he was drawing inspiration from horror movies and the like.  I also understand that some artists have views that they work into their music but I realise all they’re doing is trying to express their own inner feelings and are not necessarily seeking to convert the listener.  It’s easy to tell the difference; those seeking to convert the unconverted are usually fanatics in the first place and thus put the message first and the music second.  Inevitably, with very few exceptions, they turn out to be quite boring.

I also generally do not seek to endorse or condemn any musician for their chosen lifestyles.  As I see things, musicians are no different to any other group in society be they actors, painters, authors, footballers, politicians or priests.  In each of these groups there will be individuals who will break the law and commit unspeakable deeds.  All are in positions within society which gives them the opportunity to influence others through their actions but to single out any one group to the exclusion of others is simply unfair.

Certainly there are some musicians out there who produce entire bodies or work or individual albums, songs, verses or lines with which I disagree.  But we do live in a society that encourages freedom of expression and there are various ways that I can respond.  I can choose to ignore the musician with the body of work with which I disagree.  There are songs on albums that I can skip on the CD player and there are verses or lines that I can simply ignore.  Obviously the situation would be different if I were a parent but I would hope that I’d understand that no amount of parental supervision and positive action is going to shield my child away from music I might not agree with. (Well, I’d try to shield him or her from some acts but this would be purely on musical grounds.) But such concerns also apply to anything in the modern word – TV programs, news reports, radio airplay lists, video games, internet use etc.  All I think I could do is to take the action I think is appropriate, educate the child as to why I think this action is necessary and develop their critical mindset so that they can eventually take what I hope will be a responsible decision.

The absolutely worst thing to do, I think, for anything attractive to kids is, unless what’s being espoused is illegal, to seek to ban something without explanation.   From what I’ve seen in my life all this does is to turn the item into forbidden fruit that children then actively attempt to seek out.  And the explanations better make relative sense.  The attack on Alice Cooper I mentioned previously, made by one a religious Brother went something like this; “Now look at that Alice Cooper and what he’s doing.  He’s coming into town, makes you pay money to see him and then he leaves.”  That was just about it; I remember everybody looking at each other in class thinking, “Is he arguing that it is a sin to hold a concert?”  A few nights later I stayed up late to watch a TV screening of the Welcome To My Nightmare concert movie and still couldn’t figure out what the Brother was on about.  The key thing here was that I hadn’t planned on watching it until the Brother voiced his concerns. 

There are some things that I would never choose to listen to under any circumstances, for example, anything deliberately racist or sexist (both with exclusions for time bound “historical” recordings such as that found in 1920s or 1930s blues or Americana), promoting Satanism (and which doesn’t have a nudge and a wink attached) or sacrilegious (that is, anything which deliberately sets out to mock people’s religious beliefs). But mostly these would probably belong to extreme musical genres, such as Norwegian death metal, that I won’t think of exploring in the first place. 

By the time we returned from church, it was time for our time honoured Easter tradition. “M”and I sat down to indulge in our annual viewing of Ben Hur with Charlton Heston. (Now there’s a good anology – should I ban watching Ben Hur because of Heston’s support for guns?)  By the time that finishes I discover there will be a 9.30 screening of the greatest film in Hollywood history – The Godfather.  What the hell it’s doing screening on Good Friday has me beaten but it ensures a music free day other than for its memorable score.

28 March 2013 (Day 87) – The Soothing Sounds Of Iggy Pop

A new day dawns with no euphoric release of a Springsteen or Stooges gig to come.  The period around Easter is arguably the busiest time of the concert year with many acts bound for the Byron Bay Festival and others getting ready for the Northern Hemisphere summer passing through town.  Melbourne easily copes with this influx due to its massive range of venues; although I doubt it, I read somewhere a couple of years back of a claim that only Austin Texas surpasses it.  But music is just about the furthest thing from my mind as “M” and I have a medical appointment which has us both on edge.

At work I do everything I can to keep my mind busy, a hard enough thing to do when you’re on the cusp of a four day break.  Making things worse is that Jack has already started a short break and I’m all alone in my office.  I bury myself in work, attend a couple of meetings and otherwise do everything possible to avoid thinking about our situation.  

Instead of a tea break, I check in with my colleagues who attended last night’s Springsteen gig; they have the same sense of shock and awe. The set list turns out to be an incredibly diverse one but I still think I got the best night.  I check also with another colleague who attended the Stooges gig.  She was in the mosh pit and reported that the first thing on her mind on returning home was a shower.  As she’s in a happy but tired state, I interpret this as a reference to last night’s hot and steamy conditions rather than ironic commentary regarding Iggy’s state or the lyrical content.

And it is to Iggy that the task of keeping me company falls.   I decide on not playing Raw Power as I heard most of that last night and dive into what I can only describe as the soothing side of the Iggy solo catalogue and select his first live album:

(245) Iggy Pop - TV Eye Live 1977

….or, as most people refer to it, “The live album of the tour where David Bowie played keyboards in his backing band”.  It’s a mixture of Stooges and solo material and the defining feature is the existence of the keyboards, especially on the Stooges tracks.  They have such a distinctive feel that anyone with a basic knowledge of Bowie’s output in this period would automatically recognise it as his work. Naturally it’s the tracks that Bowie produced with Pop which work best, Funtime and Nightclubbing in particular.  How you react to the Stooges material will depend on how sacrosanct you regard the originals. 

(246) Iggy Pop – The Idiot

Just about the only serious statement Iggy made on his legendary Countdown appearance (just type in Iggy Pop and Countdown into YouTube and you’ll be spoilt for choice) was that David Bowie taught him “to compromise” musically.  Compared to The Stooges, Iggy’s first solo album The Idiot, is not merely a compromise but a near total conversion into what was to become Bowie’s Berlin period.  Although Iggy contributed to writing of all tracks, it is sometimes difficult to avoid the sense that Bowie was using the process to test ideas for his eventual trilogy.  Despite this, it is a fine album with Iggy’s voice providing a fine counterpoint to the simmering synth lines.  The entire original side 1 of the original vinyl release -  Sister Midnight/Nightclubbing/Funtime/Baby - and the original version of China Girl –passes so effortlessly that it sounds almost like a suite.

My mind works in mysterious ways.  I’ve never been able to subscribe to the notion of “mood music”. If anything, everything works in reverse; chill out music makes me want to scream; quiet meditative stuff makes me feel anxious; I can’t sleep in silence and extremely loud music makes me relax.  I could just as easily play Sun 0))) or Boris on a Sunday morning as I would a gospel or acoustic number and the last time I was getting ready for a Saturday night on the town, I played Neu!  Although I thought, as I wrote earlier this year, that I’d like to start my work day with something not too loud or demanding, this blog provides more than enough evidence to the contrary. 

Yet, by the time I’ve finished these Iggy albums, my ability to concentrate on anything, let alone work, has become almost impossible.   My Manager, who I’ve briefed about my situation, checks in on me and graciously allows me to go for the day and I get to the late lunctime appointment.  “M” joins me shortly afterwards.  The word from the specialist is extremely encouraging and is enough to ensure we’ll have a reasonably happy holiday period.  We do some shopping, go home, turn on the television and see the dreadful news of a wall collapse at a construction site that looks to have claimed the lives of a couple of people who happen to be walking by.  It makes us appreciate our situation all the more and spend the rest of the evening close to each other.

27 March 2013 (Day 86) – Gig # 701 Iggy And The Stooges

“M” and I awake to face another day.  If this was an ordinary day I’d be desperately attempting to source a ticket for tonight’s third Springsteen show.  But what are the chances of that topping yesterday’s extravaganza?  In any case, Mickey will be there tonight so I know I’ll receive a full report at the footy on Saturday.

At work, I talk to colleagues who went to the first night and others who will go to tonight’s show.  The sense of satisfaction/excitement among all is palpable.  Another colleague sadly rings me to ask if I know someone who wants to buy her ticket to Hanging Rock on Saturday due to unexpected circumstances. (She, understandably, point blank refuses to allow me to discuss my experience.)  I briefly consider taking it and going with one of my siblings but decide against it.  After all “M” would want to go as well.   My office mate Jack is also looking forward to the evening as he holds tickets for Wilco at Hamer Hall.  Ordinarily, I’d be jealous but tonight I know I’ve got the pick of the night – Iggy And The Stooges.  

By my reckoning this will be my third experience of The Stooges, the second with James Williamson in the band and the first in full concert mode.  The first occasion was a killer hour slot at the 2006 Big Day Out when, with Ron Ashton on board, they gleefully stomped all over the Fun House album and scarred the wits out of the Franz Ferdinand, Kings Of Leon and White Stripes dilettantes in the audience.  Sadly, Ron had died by the time they returned for the 2011 Big Day Out but still did the business on a stinking hot day this time educating the waiting Rammstein fans about the true meaning of Raw Power.

I’d also seen Iggy on at least 4 occasions prior to that going all the way back to both Melbourne dates on his 1989 Instinct Tour.  All were memorable, none more so than his gig which brought in 1998 at The Falls Festival in Lorne.   After a couple of decent tracks from the Naughty Little Doggie album, he brought in the new year with a countdown and roaring versions of Search And Destroy followed by Raw Power (or was it the other way round?).  It couldn’t have been coincidental that 1998 turned out to be the most memorable year of my life before “M”.  Every show with Iggy has been a memorable one – you could never accused him of being dull - and he remains to this day my favourite live performer, Springsteen included.

It was another full day at work.  I had planned on playing through Iggy’s Bootleg Collection titled Roadkill Rising today, but the weight of commitments made this impossible.  Instead I only had time to indulge in a spot of historical revisionism:

(243) The Stooges – Self Titled

(244) The Stooges – Fun House (collector’s edition)

It is impossible to underestimate the impact of these two albums plus Raw Power on the Australian independent music scene.  The Velvet underground and the MC5 can rightly claim some credit, but realistically without The Stooges, seminal and influential acts such as Radio Birdman and The Saints would not have been formed.  To get a measure of how ingrained these albums are in Australia’s musical DNA, go to any pub on any given night in especially, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide and chances are high that any number of bands will include tracks such as I Wanna be Your Dog, No Fun, Loose, TV Eye, Dirt (as well as Raw Power’s title track and Search And Destroy) in their sets.  These are uncompromising albums performed by musicians committed to the music and the lifestyles they espoused seemingly without worrying whether these would sell.  This is the definition of art.  But unlike many artists, the majority of its members have lived to see the overwhelming evidence of their influence as their musical visions bore fruit.   Whilst elements of the Velvet Underground’s and The MC5’s work have been influential, it’s been the Stooges that have held sway.   Put it this way: The Velvet Underground provided the intellectual road map for the today’s independent music scene, The MC5 attempted to write its political manifesto but it was The Stooges who created The Idiot’s Guide that has enabled generations to follow in their wake.

I head off to Melbourne’s most despised concert venue, Festival Hall in West Melbourne adjoining the new Docklands precinct.  The original building was a boxing arena which burnt down in circa 1955 and was rebuilt for the 1956 Olympics.  It is a rectangular barnlike structure with uncomfortable fixed seats on either end.  The area between them in front of the stage is now a permanent general admission area come mosh pit.  It has a foreboding 1950s feel, in the main, terrible acoustics and is a sweatbox on hot days.  Promoters never advertise additional shows by the same act at smaller venues until this venue sells out, knowing full well that if given a chance punters will choose the other venue.

I get there early because the support act is the legendary Beasts Of Bourbon in their original line up. They give a pretty good account of themselves, Tex Perkins in full flight as usual, but from my seat on the side, they don’t seem to have connected as well with the audience as I would have expected.  Still it was expertly arranged 45 minute set featuring many of the high spots of their repotaire including Chase The Dragon, The Low Road, their version of The Rolling Stones’ Cocksucker Blues and Let’s Get Funky.

Gig # 701 – Iggy And The Stooges – Festival Hall, West Melbourne

Iggy  Pop enters the stage just as the band starts with Raw Power, the perfect opener, leading into a pretty good Gimme Danger.  Already, its clear that The Stooges are benefitting from a crisper mix and more powerful volume than the Beasts.  (And, to be fair, acoustically it is one of the better sounding shows I’ve experienced there.)  Two completely new songs follow.  The first is introduced by Iggy as Burn and is merely OK.  The other, attributed on internet set lists as Gun, is much better.

Iggy then calls for 1970 (I Feel Alright) and the band deliver a tight version with Williamson playing with a much greater ferocity than in 2011.  The title track of Fun House follows with the obligatory crowd invasion.  It is the night’s disappointment as the band’s attempts to improvise around the on stage activity fails to amount to much.  Beyond The Law is much better.

Then the show absolutely explodes.  A solid Search And Destroy is followed by an amazing rendition of Johanna full of unexpected menace.  The title track of the Williamson/Pop Kill City album is next which segues into Cock In My Pocket.    All stops are pulled out for an inspired I Wanna Be Your Dog, complete with Iggy withering on the floor, with barely a breath before the main set closer with No Fun.

The encore maintains the attack starting with Penetration and continuing with I Got A Right at full throttle.  Another new song is introduced by Iggy Dirty (or Top 30) Deal.  It’s lyrics contemptuous of the music industry and its musical backing reminds me of tracks from Iggy’s Beat ‘Em Up album.  Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell is fine and the night ends with Open Up And Bleed.  Iggy, sweat dripping from absolutely every pore is the first to leave, leaving the instrumental trio to kick up an unholy racket.  Eventually Williamson departs, feedback spitting from his guitar as the rhythm section of ex Minuteman Mike Watt and Scott Ashton on drums get some well-deserved recognition.  Eventually, Watt throws his bass away and they walk off.

It’s a pretty impressive show all the more so for what hasn’t been played.  (There is no Loose, Dirt, Down On The Street, 1969, TV Eye among others but many of these are from the pre Williamson era.)  Iggy is as charismatic as ever, even if unable to sustain some of his basic moves now for any extended period of time.  Williamson is fine albeit non flashy guitarist, Watt is exactly the type of bass player this band requires whilst Asheton is a fine visual foil to Iggy.

I return to my car happy with the choice I’ve made.  Let’s face it; you can’t always drive down the freeway in a pink Cadillac but you won’t lose much by going down on the street.