Robert Quine with Richard Hell

Blank Generation was a short, sharp shock when it was released in 1977.  It wasn't until 1982 that a followup album, Destiny Street, was released.  By that time, Ivan Julian and drummer Marc Bell had left.  Hell didn't have a lot of new songs.  Three of the album's ten tracks were covers (Dylan, Kinks, and Tommy Scott's "I Can Only Give You Everything"). 

After the basic tracks were recorded, Hell went MIA -- but there was lots of studio time still booked.  Quine recalled, "We had a week and a half for me and Naux [aka the late Juan Maciel of China Shop] to do overdubs. I did backwards guitar, feedback guitar, speeded-up guitar. I got that out of my system for once and for all."  Hell hated the result.  For years, he tried to buy the master tapes so that he could remix the album.  He eventually found a tape of the basic tracks.  After Quine died, Hell invited Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell and Ivan Julian to record new solos over those tracks, and the result was released in 2009 as Destiny Street Repaired.

It received a mixed response. Some felt that Hell had repeated the sin committed by Lou Reed by burying Quine in the Repaired mix. (Hell responded, "His rhythm playing is there, but he hadn’t played his solos yet.")   Hell finally got the 24 track masters, and reworked them with the help of Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  in 2021, Destiny Street Remixed and the Destiny Street Demos were released.  

The title track "Destiny Street" is a song about meeting your younger self. Forty years after the recording sessions, Hell was able to present these songs from his younger self as he wanted them to be heard.  In a way, he also honored Quine by stripping back the excess overdubs. My own younger self had no problem with the sound of the original LP.  (Too much Quine?  No such thing!)  

Robert Quine was capable of restrained, lyrical playing when the song called for it -- not just unconventional atonal excess. (Quine's work on Tom Waits' "Downtown Train" is just one example.) Hell said, "He could just as well play a brilliant gorgeous, laid-back sweet passage or solo that had nothing to do with spectacle or shredding or anything like that."  

Richard Hell points to the demo version of "Time" (included in today's share): "It’s just gorgeous playing, and he could do it in this whole range of moods and styles. He was just absolutely tasteful in a way that encompasses Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler, as well as Jimi Hendrix, or back to Jimmy Reed or Link Wray.” 

Today's share is a compilation of Hell and Quine from the two Voidoids albums, singles and demos, and Quine's appearance with Dim Stars.  In case you missed them, there are two other sets: Quine with Lou Reed and Quine Guest Spots.

REUPHOLSTERED SONGS - COVER SONGS IN SIX CATEGORIES

REUPHOLSTERED SONGS - COVER SONGS IN SIX CATEGORIES 

I love covers songs.  Songs that were “covered” by people who didn’t write or originally perform the best-known version of the song.  Tribute bands, and lounge acts, for instance, are also called “cover bands.”  

This is a collection of songs that were covered, reinvented, or “reupholstered” by a group who felt compelled to do so, for whatever reason.  It occurred to me, a long time ago, that there are SIX BASIC KINDS of cover versions. So, I’ve divided songs into the following SIX genres; songs that have been reupholstered by making one of the following six adjustments to the best-known version.

Reupholstered Songs:

Instrumentation (Drastic changes in instruments—swapping kazoos for electric guitars for example)

Slowed-Down Covers (Songs made different from the original by slowing the song down)

Sped-Up Covers (Covers made different from the original by speeding the song up!)

Ironic Covers (Covers where I suspect the band is trying to be funny/ironic in their choice of material)

Twee Covers (Covers done twee; using children’s choirs, toy instruments—overly cute & sweet!)

Same Cloth (Covers in which the band, or the version, are cut from the same cloth as the original!)

A seventh might by Stylistic Reupholstery, but that’s… um… “covered.”  A jazz version of a rock song, or a folk rock approach to a heavy metal song, will usually also fall under one of the five headings above.  Part of my goal—as always—is to include as many styles of music as possible with each volume.

I posted these, and my reupholstery manifesto online a long time ago, but here they are preserved for posterity and paving the way for me to revisit the series—which is well underway!

The order of the songs is intentional.  Each collection is designed to be (burned onto a CD and) listened to in the order they’ve been presented.  You are, of course, free to do as you wish.

 

A Musical Tribute to Edward Hopper - Night Hawks at the Diner

This post was triggered by reading a recent review of Paul Weller’s Movin On (B-Sides, Rarities and Deep Cuts).
Track 5’s description raised my eyebrows; Hopper (White Label Remix)
A reworking that first appeared on the deluxe version of 2017’s A Kind Revolution, this remix turns the New Orleans shuffle of the original into a piece of atmospheric dub. It proves to be a fine accompaniment to Weller’s vocals, hymning the magic of Edward Hopper’s late-night, nightlife paintings.
Immediately I had to think of my Artist Sketches compilations which were great fun to put together.
I quickly checked on YouTube Weller’s Hopper (both original as well as the dub) as his AKR album had completely passed me by at the time and didn’t regret it, great song!
Even Jonathan Richman mentioned Hopper as an influence:

"Edward Hopper, especially that painting of the gas station at night—Gas (1940)—was my inspiration for a lot of the songs I made up with my band The Modern Lovers when I was a kid. Especially “Roadrunner” owes to that gas station painting, but any songs I made up about lonely nights on lonely highways and the way lights were like friends in the dark. This is what “Roadrunner” was about. The Velvet Underground covered this kind of stark, lonely feeling of wonder and had a sound which, with its drowning darkness, felt right for my explorations into bleak, modern-world terror. That plus Hopper was a big part of my starting music."

This made me wonder whether I should start working on a 3rd volume of Artist Sketches.
Since Hopper hadn’t been included in the first 2 volumes I started searching for other songs about him.
To my surprise I found many, for whatever reason his paintings are considered highly inspirational!

What seemed like an obvious candidate, Tom Waits’ Night Hawks at the Diner, I finally decided not to use as Waits himself never acknowledged a connection between his album and Hopper’s painting…
But that left more than enough tracks, most from artists I’d never heard of before and incorporating all kind of musical genres: rock, classical, jazz, electronic, instrumental, English, French…
Besides Paul Weller, there are Jay H. Alanski, The Whirlees, Lone Jac, Stephen Cummings, Cloudmachine, Jesse Malin, and Marchesi singing about Hopper or the atmosphere of his paintings.
Special mention for Orchestral Manœuvres in the Dark, their Night Café features 7 title references to the American realist painter’s work in the song.
Olivier Béranger and Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine pay tribute to Hopper in French and the Japanese Sunaga T Experience go for a jazz experience.
The remaining participants; Andrea Padova, Stuart Meyer, Alexandre Regnault, and Dimitri Leroy, pay respect through instrumentals.
I hope you enjoy this special Hopper tribute!

Robert Palmer's Jukebox

 

Here's a five part counterpart to Koen's Robert Palmer Songbook.  Robert had a great ear as well as a terrific voice, and he was known for broad ranging tastes and a deep knowledge of music.  His choices of songs to cover reflect that wealth of taste.

Four hours' worth of songs that Robert covered have been compiled into four "jukeboxes", each of them about an hour in length.  (The math checks out.)

Southern soul and funk (from the likes of Lee Dorsey, Allen Toussaint, and Don Covay) and the music of Little Feat were primary influences on Robert Palmer's earliest solo albums, and the originals can be heard on Robert Palmer's Soul Jukebox.  The Rockin' Jukebox includes more funk and soul, as well as rock (from Elvis and the British Invasion to Robert's hit covers of Moon Martin and T. Rex).  Koen clued me in that Robert sang Purple Haze on an album by violinist Hugh Marsh.

Robert's albums Don't Explain (1990) and Ridin' High (1992) include most of the jazz and pop songs on the Oldies Jukebox.  Billie, Bing, and Frank dominate the tracklist. (I tried to choose great versions of these standards, which weren't always the first recordings.) The Blues Jukebox is mostly sourced from Robert's final album, Drive (2003).  

But wait, there's one more!  Before starting his solo career, Robert was one of two singers in the band Vinegar Joe. Elkie Brooks was the other vocalist; she and Robert both went on to greater success as solo artists.  I've compiled the Vinegar Joe songs where Robert sang lead.  Many of them are his own compositions.  Little Feat fans will find something to enjoy here, and it's easy to understand why Robert wanted to work with Feat members (and cover Feat songs) on his first three solo albums.

As Koen demonstrated with his Songbook, Robert was an accomplished songwriter.  His versions of the songs on these "jukeboxes" also show his creativity as an arranger.  For example, Robert's funky take on "You Really Got Me" is closer to the version by the Buddy Miles Express than the Kinks' original.  

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOG:  Stinky's Homemade Live Version of Clues, Koen's Deluxe Edition of Robert Palmer's 1999 Rhythm & Blues album, and Koen's debut on this blog -- an expanded edition of Woke Up Laughing (Robert Palmer's own compilation of his "adventures in tropical music").  There are many more Jukeboxes here as well (featuring Alex Chilton, Barrence Whitfield, Dr. Feelgood, Flamin' Groovies, Joan Jett, NRBQ, Tav Falco and more).

The Silver King Rhythm Band Live In Norway - Rockabilly, Jazz, & Blues

The Silver King Band Live In Norway 

The Silver King Band had three fully-functional front-persons in Flo Mingo, St. Petey Twig, & Rock Bottom.

Their set lists were packed with rockabilly long before The Stray Cats reignited interest in the genre, and like Brian & The Boys, they wore only the most stylish vintage clothing, & were more popular in Europe than in the States.  But they accomplished it without a guitarist!  

Their billing often changed from The Silver King Band to The Silver King Rhythm Band, but their line-up was consistent.  Piano pounder St. Petey Twig was the ringmaster & generally introduced the songs.  Lead vocals were evenly distributed between him, the washboard playing Flo Mingo, and harmonica player Rock Bottom.   

Rock’s blues pedigree is pure—his brother-in-law was the blues singer Roy Book Binder, and blues legend Eddie Kirkland played on The Silver King Band’s live album Live At The Dive.  He often filled the spaces a lead guitarist would.  Rock continued to release albums after the band broke up.  Flo Mingo retired, & St. Petey Twig became a solo act in The Florida Keys as Barry Cuda.

Live was the way to experience them, & I’ve seen them at least 30 times.  While they often played dives, & beach bars in the U.S. (where our paths intersected), overseas they played festivals & were regularly on TV.  This live set was recorded for a television broadcast in Norway.  

Here, they almost exclusively cover rockabilly & blues standards (except for a sprinkling of The Entertainer from The Sting that Twig pretends to stumble through to the delight of the audience).  The blues numbers include Rock Bottom’s own inspired composition Boogie Woogie U.F.O. & Twig’s My Balls Are Blue From Loving You.  But they also cover Keep Your Big Mouth Shut, Don't You Feel My Leg, & Who Was That A While Ago? 

The rockabilly standards usually fell to Flo Mingo during this performance she steps into the spotlight for; Oo-Ba-La Baby, Hop, Skip & Jump, and Black Slacks.   St. Petey Twig takes the lead on a few; Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee, & Sea Cruise—he generally sang lead on the tracks that originated in New Orleans like Working In A Coal Mine & I’m Walkin’.

They were all the master of their instrument, but they had an amazing chemistry onstage, & formed a deeply intuitive unit.  Each member slavishly serves the song, and doesn't distract from whoever is singing lead.  And although the strangely sexy Flo Mingo has a bell and a bicycle horn attached to her washboard, she uses them with restraint and focuses on supplying rhythm.  She so consistently serves up only what serves the song, it could be said that she's the band's Flo RINGO.  

Flo was tall and slender, with dark eyes and tight curls, and she drew men to her organically--not because of her style of dress, or her behavior,  Offstage, she was quiet and politely poised and seemed to transform back into a mere mortal.  But the spell was cast, and guys swarmed around her & I was not immune.  It was as if she was the living embodiment of Curtis Mayfield's Gypsy Woman.  (If I had to guess, that's one reason her long-term relationship with St. Petey Twig didn't last).

But enough describing them to you--here's the video that the audio for this post is taken from (59 minutes in) and you get all of Twig's stage patter as well: Silver King Rhythm Band.

There’s a ringing in the mix if you turn it up too loud, but being primarily a touring live act, examples of their brilliance on record are rare.  I believe all three members have passed, so uncovering a forgotten set, like this one, is all we can hope for. I have a lot more of their stuff to share with you, so please check back.

 

Song Book - Robert Palmer

We’ve had already a few Deluxe Edition posts of Robert Palmer here, but there is plenty of room for more!

Palmer was always passionate about music and explored it as much as he could.

From interviews he comes across as highly intelligent and knowledgeable about music, so it’s no surprise that he wrote quite a number of songs.

Interviewer: Addicted to Love literally came out of your dreams? 

 

RP: Yes. Not lyrically. I keep a tape recorder by my bed and a pen and a notepad. I have a dream diary that I've had for ages and that. So it's not unusual for me to wake up and hum a piece of music that I've been dreaming. But often it's not. When I listen back to it the next day, it's a nightmare. I listened back to that the following day and I knew I'd caught one, a big one.

And the lyric is to do with the fact that everybody has an addiction. So I thought to myself, what am I addicted to? And I thought, I'm addicted to emotion. And I thought, well, that's a bit tart, isn't it? How can we put it? Let's go ZZ Top. Let's trash the idea. Let's get funny. And so I did, and ended up with lines like, your heart sweats, your teeth grind, another kiss and you'll be fine. I make no apologies...

Island Records founder Chris Blackwell said of Robert that he was “dazzled by his voice” and “endlessly dazzled by his knowledge of music, which seemed to take in everything from obscure jazz to the most cutting edge soul and funk.”

 

Some of his songs became hits, others not, but a lot were covered by other artists, from the pre-solo days with Vinegar Joe (Circles) to his unfortunate end in 2003 with Carl Carlton on his last album Drive (Lucky).

The most covered one is (no surprise) Addicted To Love, with Johnny And Mary second.

Although most Addicted covers follow either the same pattern or are slowed down, I managed to find two very different approaches!

Same for Johnny And Mary; a Norwegian acoustic version and a slower, almost atmospheric, work-out

Looking For Clues is also featured twice and both not what you’d expected…

Note that some songs are associated with Robert Palmer because he performed them first, e.g. Every Kind Of People, but were not written by him and therefore not included.

 

Artists included: Dynamo's Rhythm Aces, Stella Bass, Mint Juleps, Keef Hartley Band, Birdie Thomson, James Armstrong, Ian Matthews, Sazerac, Kiki Dee, Mrs Hips, Carl Carlton & The Songdogs, Michael Ball, Dub Mentor, Hugh Harris, Susan Cattaneo, Todd Terje, Mathias Kellner, Brad Davis, & Derek Carvalho and Al Gomes... Enjoy!

Warning: More Robert Palmer posts coming...

Robert Quine with Lou Reed

Robert Quine is known among fans of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground for two major accomplishments.  First, as a VU fan in the late 1960's, Quine attended and recorded a number of gigs.  Quine studied these tapes as he developed his own style.  Second, as a musician, Quine encouraged Reed to play guitar again -- on record and in concert.  Lou didn't play guitar on The Bells (1979) or Growing Up In Public (1980).  But on 1982's The Blue Mask, Lou's guitar is loud and clear in the right stereo channel, and Quine is in the left. 

Quine enjoyed making The Blue Mask: "There was no rehearsing, no overdubs, no punch-in's for mistakes. The exact opposite of the Voidoids."  Doane Perry (who played drums on The Blue Mask) recalled, "at times, it was complete anarchy in the guitar department, which is what I think Lou was after. Robert was able to give him that foil so that when Lou would go off, Robert would be kind of holding things down in that kind of anarchist way that he did. And vice versa."

Reed and Quine made one more album together (Legendary Hearts) but Reed buried Quine's guitar in the mix.  Quine later said, "Encouraging him to play guitar again was digging my own grave. But I would have done it again because I owed it to him. This guy changed my life."

I was surprised to read that Quine considered Live In Italy a bad concert.  So I looked for other live performances of Reed and Quine.  A Night With Lou Reed (from February 1983) was professionally shot on video, and you can watch it on Youtube. Andy Warhol is among the audience at the Bottom Line (where Take No Prisoners was recorded in 1978).  It was the first time the Blue Mask songs were performed, and Quine's live debut as a member of Lou's band.  There was an early show and a late show that night, and there's a recording of the soundcheck.  

Today's share is assembled from live recordings of Quine's two tours with Lou (and a couple of Blue Mask tracks).  The first tour included Fred Maher on drums and Fernando Saunders on bass.  Two songs are included from the Live In Italy album (one is the only 1983 performance of "Heroin").  Quine's second tour with Reed was in 1984, supporting the Legendary Hearts and New Sensations albums.  Reed added Peter Wood on keyboards for that tour.

These performances are worth hearing not just for Quine's solos (although he is astonishing on "Waves Of Fear"), but also for the enthusiasm that he seemed to inspire in Reed's playing, and the interplay between the two guitars.  Reed's stage banter is sometimes downright cheerful!  During the intro to "Average Guy", Lou refers to his lead guitarist as "the ineffable Quine".  

This is the second of three posts on Quine.  The next one will feature his work with Richard Hell.  "Forgotten Heroes: Robert Quine" (from Premier Guitar magazine) is well worth reading, and not just for gearheads.  So is the Quine interview at Perfect Sound Forever, and PSF's collection of tributes to Quine from friends and colleagues.  The quotes in this post are from Perfect Sound Forever, and the photo of Reed and Quine was taken by Martin Benjamin.

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOG:  Stinky's tribute to another Lou Reed axeman, Dick Wagner.