groovescapes

Ian McNulty / The Empanada Intifada food truck in action.

When This Party’s Over, It Will Start Again

Talking Heads on the Sunset Strip! A friend has a review copy of Jonathan Lethem’s forthcoming Fear of Music 33 1/3 book and asked me for a live set from the FoM era. This is one of the best I’ve heard — a pristine (slightly keyboard-heavy) soundboard recording of the band on their final tour as a four-piece in 1979. They were playing the long-gone, but quite wonderful-sounding Stardust Ballroom in Los Angeles — a former roller-skating rink, if I recall correctly. A few miles away, I was a nine-month old infant. You want this — it captures one of the greatest bands of all time at one of their many peaks as a live act! Heaven! Not enough? Here’s an hour-long Talking Heads live video from a few weeks before the Stardust show. Still not enough? Here’s a 1977 show at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco, and a 1976 CBGBs set (along with two Television sets from the same night). Stay hungry! 

As any longtime Neil Young worshiper could tell you, a Shakey tour isn’t always a “greatest hits” event, and his latest, a 13-city jaunt with Bert Jansch dubbed Twisted Road, is no different. Sure, Young has been adorning his sets with “Cinnamon Girl,” “Down by the River,” “Ohio,” “Helpless,” “Cortez the Killer,” and other choice tunes from his epic oeuvre, but amid “After the Goldrush” and co. are a handful of songs never before heard.

Rough footage of Young playing new tune “Walk With Me” (complete with awkward guitar tune-up) hit the Web after opening night, but we’ve been patiently waiting for higher quality previews to reach our ears… until now. Clips from Monday’s gig in Washington, D.C. in which Young unveils solo acoustic versions of new songs “Peaceful Valley,” “Love and War,” “Sign of Love” (electric in CT), “Leia,” and “You Never Call” were posted a few days back, and — while I can’t put my full stamp of approval on the video quality — the audio captured is quite good. Are these new songs from Young’s forthcoming Daniel Lanois-produced record? Perhaps, but only one thing is known for certain at this stage: Neil Young is still writing amazing Neil Young songs. Watch/listen below: