Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - "Lialeh" (NSFW*)

Here's a video/music gift to all Steely Dan fans dropping by. It's movie music from 1974 written and performed by legendary drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. A guy who's played on thousands of recordings over the years including a few on Steely Dan's The Royal Scam and Aja.

This is the title track from the blaxploitation/"first major black porn" movie Lialeh. If you're offended by nude women you should skip this video and definitely the whole movie. The full movie also features a few nude men.
The music's funky stuff though, and the soundtrack was re-released in 2003. Sound in this clip is irritatingly out of sync, so just close your eyes and let yourself be seduced by the groove and Bernard's vocals. And (although we haven't checked) the whole soundtrack is apparently available on iTunes.

This track and a couple more from the soundtrack is currently on the Radio Dupree playlist.



P.S.
Hey Donald, Walter ... Michael; how about adding this in a jazzy, instrumental version as the opening song to the 2010 tour? Scantily clad woman optional. We are pretty sure that Walter could weave a suitably sordid/sweet/sleazy tale (pre- or post-coitus) to this one.

(*) NSFW = Not Safe For Work. From the Wikipedia entry:
Typically, the NSFW tag is used in E-mail, movies (such as on Youtube) and on interactive discussion areas (such as internet forums, blogs and community websites) to mark URLs or hyperlinks which may be sexually explicit or include audio containing profanity, helping the reader avoid potentially objectionable content.

Consider yourself warned.

And, no, the movie isn't as good as the music. Take our word for it.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

A Merry Christmas to all Radio Dupree blog readers and to all of you who listen to Radio Dupree web radio!
If you need something to do during the Christmas and New Years holidays, you can always use your old useless cassette tapes to crotchet a neat top like this. (Thanks to the magazine Hemmets Journal for the tip and photo).
http://www.hemmetsjournal.se/Handarbete/Sok/virka/Virka-glittrig-partytopp-av-gamla-kassettband/?id=131134

//The Radio Dupree staff

Donald Fagen TV

He'll pop up as one of the guys in the band during the Levon Helm episode of the series, and probably just for a few seconds/minutes, but still...

Innovators In Music is "a new series of documentary profiles on six dynamic musicians from a variety of genres, backgrounds, and disciplines. The series premieres on Bravo! Canada on January 7, 2010 at 8:00PM EST with the Steve Earle episode. The rest of the programs include: Steve Earle, Levon Helm, Mickey Hart, Dave Stewart, Billy Bragg and Sonic Youth."

About the Levon Helm espisode:
January 14 - Levon Helm Come celebrate Helm's "Midnight Ramble Sessions: 69th Birthday Edition" directly from his home in Woodstock, NY, with his all-star band including Donald Fagen and Larry Campbell.

On the series official homepage you can find the quote: Innovators takes viewers behind-the-scenes into Levon's kitchen where the musicians work on te music together before the show. (Look for half of Steely Dan on the recorder!)

More on the series here.

And since we're nowhere near Canada and Bravo! we'd appreciate any help in a chance to view the espisodes. Drop us a line at radiodupreeATyahooDOTse.

Thanks.

Wanna hear a snippet from Philly '76?

http://zappa.com/flash/philly76/index.html

Take Two: Walter Becker and Donald Fagen repeat on BBC 4 December 23

We wrote about it when it first aired in January this year. Here's another chance to catch Take Two on BBC 4 and online when it is repeated December 23 at 23:30 (11.30 p.m.) local time.

Richard Coles presents a discussion series looking at collaborations between two musicians.

Richard analyses the partnership between Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, who formed the band Steely Dan in 1971. He is joined by author Brian Sweet and music journalist David Hepworth to analyse how the collaboration between Becker and Fagen developed and what effect it had on the popular music of the time. The programme also features extracts of some of the band's music and archives of interviews given by the band members over the years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00h30yr

And here's a world clock to help you find out what 23:30 in England equals in your part of the world.

An old friend returns...

I lent my copy to a friend a few years ago ... and there it stayed. You know how it sometimes is.
But today it was returned. And it was nice to have it back: The DVD Audio version of Two Against Nature.

All's well that ends well...

And I'm happy I didn't have to buy it again. A new copy is $107.77 on amazon.com or £76.99 on amazon.co.uk. A used copy goes for a mere $37.50 on amazon.com or £35 on amazon.co.uk.

Come to think of it, this would make a nice gift for your friend who's into Steely Dan and haven't heard the "96 hHz/24 bit advanced resolution multi-channel surround sound" version of this great album.

Tomorrow: What you shouldn't buy for your Steely Dan fan friend this Christmas. (OK, so it took until January 4 to get that post posted ... but there you have it!)

Zappa musicans played at private party

Denny Walley and Rolf Hedqvist. Photo: P. Öberg.

***

What a party band! Yesterday Erik Palm, head of department at

NorrlandsOperan Musik in Umeå, Sweden, threw a great 50th birthday party. On stage were ex Frank Zappa sidemen Napoleon Murphy Brock and Denny Walley, and Mats Öberg and Morgan Ågren.

The festivities took place in an old factory building by Umeälven (the Umeå river).
Guitarist Jimmy Ågren and his band opened with their high energy blues rock. Kind of like AC/DC meets Captain Beefheart. Then Denny Walley came up and played songs from his rhythm & blues repertoire plus the Zappa song Bamboozled By Love. The "backing" musicians during the evening were keyboardist Mats Öberg, drummer Morgan Ågren, bass player Gustav Hielm and the Jimmy Ågren band with Rolf Hedqvist on bass.
Zappa lead vocalist Napoleon Murphy Brock opened his part of the show with some Christmas songs with a little Broadway touch, then the travel into Zappa land started with Advance Romance. Napoleon is such a showman. Never a dull moment on stage.
Denny did a hot slide solo, pretty much like on the Bongo Fury version. Definately goosebumps category. We also got to hear Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance, What's The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?, Uncle Remus, Magic Fingers, The Idiot Bastard Son and the suite from the Roxy & Elsewhere album: Village Of The Sun/Echidna's Arf/Don't You Ever Wash That Thing.

Left to right: Morgan Ågren, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Erik Palm, Mats Öberg, Gustav Hielm. Photo: P. Öberg.
***

Napoleon and Mats also did a nice version of I Love The Blues, She Heard My Cry by George Duke. Last songs were San Ber'dino and Muffin Man. A great evening! Erik looked like he had the time of his life, of course.

New Zappa cd shipped now

"Yes, yes...it will be here soon...every bit of it..."
***

Yesterday we got an e-mail from www.musictoday.com
They have now shipped the new Frank Zappa cd to the persons who pre-ordered it.
We have planned to have the new double cd Philly '76 for Album of the Month in January. But we may not be ready to play it on Radio Dupree on January 1 already, since it will take a couple of weeks for the packet to reach Sweden. So please be patient.

Zappa fan sets a record

Ever heard of Serious Request? It' s a project started by Dutch radio station 3FM back in 2003. The concept is easy enough: Lock up a couple of radio DJ:s for a week and let the listeners decide on the playlist by requesting songs and at the same time give money to a worthy cause.

More countries and radio stations are adopting the Serious Request idea. In Sweden it goes by the name Musikhjälpen (Music Aid) and this is the week it's on the air.

You SMS tour request/gift with one of three set sums; 50/100/200 Swedish kronor. That's 4.80/9.6/19.15 Euro or 7/14/28 US Dollars. But you can give more. And Tuesday a Frank Zappa fan paid 3 750 Swedish kronor (359 Euro/524 US Dollars) to hear Joe's Garage!

If you want to sample what the listeners pick to play here's the complete playlist for Tuesday.

Here's a link to the radio broadcast if you feel like listening in. You can also watch it live here.

David Byrne on Imelda Marcus

Looks like David Byrne's next album will be about former Phillippine First Lady Imelda Marcus and the woman who raiseed her. Here's what's written in a mailing list update that arrived today:

I have, after many years, finished the Here Lies Love CD project - at least this iteration of it. It will come out in late February on Nonesuch. It's a collaboration with Fatboy Slim , an upbeat series of songs sung each one by a different singer. The songs are about Imelda Marcos and Estrella Cumpas, the woman who raised her. The package includes 2 CDs (22 songs), a DVD with videos of 6 of those songs, and a 100-page book that explains it all. Singers include Florence Welch (of Florence + The Machine), Sia, Santigold, Nellie McKay, Sharon Jones, St. Vincent, Róisín Murphy and many more (even me on 1 and 1/2)... I am pretty excited about this, but who knows, it might just make people crazy.

OK. Looking forward to it.

Secret Steely Dan message revealed!

A sensational find over on steelydan.com by your ever-inquisitive Radio Dupree!

What usually happens on the official homepage once a Steely Dan tour is over is that the tour listings are replaced with a non-tour page while waiting for the next thrilling news.
Not so this time.


While the final show of the 2009 tour took place in Montreal on November 28 there's been no apparent change to the front page listing the tour dates. It's been the same for the past couple of weeks.
But wait!

If you scroll way down to the very bottom of the page you can find the odd looking letter ß.
A typo? An error by the webmaster? Maybe, but we don't think so.


Now, in German the letter ß is used to replace the double s in a word. However, ezsett or scharfes s, as it is called, does carry some extra, hidden meaning this time around. It is a fact a message to all the curious Steely Dan fans wondering what will happen next. A new album? A live recording on CD, DVD or whatever? A new tour? The final break up? Producing/guesting on other artists recordings/tours? Solo recordings? Absolutely nothing at all?


Back in the beginning of November Donald Fagen was quoted in an article saying that he had a bunch of new songs and was going to record a solo album in the spring of 2010.
Now, saying and doing are two different things, but this ß at the bottom of the homepage is a clear sign that a solo album from Donald Fagen is what's in store next.
How can we be so sure? Easy:

The way to write the letter ß in unicode is U+00DF... That's "DF" as in "Donald Fagen".

See this hidden message as an early Christmas gift from Donald and Walter.

:: This has been the first post in a series of stunning revelations. Your life will never be the same again ::

Fact checked and cleared for Radio Dupree by Doktor Tore Fullständigt-Trams

Eric Woolfson (The Alan Parsons Project) dead at 64

The Telegraph obituary here.

ericwoolfsonmusic.com

Radio Dupree Top 20 - December 2009

1. Joe Jackson - Chinatown - Night And Day

2. The Beatles - Hold Me Tight - With The Beatles

3. The Doors - Break On Through - The Doors

4. Egba - On Don Den - Amigos Latinos

5. The Beatles - Within You Without You - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

6. David Bowie - Silly Boy Blue - Bowie At The Beeb

7. Steely Dan - Sign In Stranger - The Royal Scam

8. Klaatu - Mrs Toad's Cookies - Magentalane

9. Frank Zappa - Bognor Regis - 1970 promo single B-side

10. Genesis - Dusk - Trespass

11. Frank Zappa - Sharleena - 1970 promo single edit
12. Steely Dan - Reelin' In The Years - Can't Buy A Thrill
13. The Beatles - Love Me Do - Live At The BBC
14. Talking Heads - The Big Country - More Songs About Buildings and Food
15. Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Holiday In Berlin, Full Blown - Burnt Weeny Sandwich
16. Jimi Hendrix - Hear My Train A Comin' - Live At Woodstock
17. Steely Dan - Doctor Wu - Katy Lied
18. The Beatles - Think For Yourself - Rubber Soul (2009 Remaster)
19. Santana - Evil Ways - Santana
20. Frank Zappa - Plastic People - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1

-------------------------------------------------------
Chart compiled by listeners voting
on the songs they hear on Radio Dupree

The final chart of the year topped by Joe Jackson with a sprinkling of The Beatles, Steely Dan and Zappa making up the main part of the rest. Our Album of the Month; Talking Heads More Songs About Buildings And Food made number 14 with one song. And a bit of a surprise to find Swedish prog/jazz band Egba making it all the way to number 4!

Beatles 3000

Taking pre-orders for the new Zappa cd

Barfko-Swill is now taking pre-orders for the Philly '76 double cd!
We will not hesitate to get our hands on this hot little item...a live concert recording with one of Frank's coolest bands...featuring Lady Bianca! You can expect to hear this music on Radio Dupree soon.


The band (left to right): Ray White, Patrick O'Hearn, Frank Zappa, Lady Bianca, Eddie Jobson, Terry Bozzio.

http://barfkoswill.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=971_29039

Songs played: Purple Lagoon intro/Stink-Foot/Poodle Lecture/Dirty Love/Wind Up Workin' In A Gas Station/Tryin' To Grow A Chin/The Torture Never Stops/City Of Tiny Lites (incl. The Sanzini Brothers Pyramid Trick)/You Didn't Try To Call Me/Manx Needs Women/Titties 'N' Beer/Black Napkins/Advance Romance/Honey, Don't You Want A Man Like Me?/Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink/Would You Go All The Way?/Daddy Daddy Daddy/What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are?/Dinah-Moe Humm/Purple Lagoon reprise/Stranded In The Jungle/Find Her Finer/Camarillo Brillo/Muffin Man/Purple Lagoon outro.

Top albums of the decade according to NME

NME (New Musical Express) is a British music magazine that's been around since 1952.
As we close in on 2010 NME has listed the top albums of the past decade. How many of these have you heard?

1. The Strokes - Is This It

2. The Libertines - Up The Bracket

3. Primal Scream - XTRMNTR

4. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell

6. PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

7. Arcade Fire - Funeral

8. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights

9. The Streets - Original Pirate Material

10. Radiohead - In Rainbows

We do expect more lists like this to follow from other sources of popular music.

Freddie Mercury's mum whips it out

BBC has a nice interview with Jer Bulsara, 87, mother of rock star Freddie Mercury:
"He knew we wanted him to be a lawyer or an accountant or something like that, because most of his cousins were. But he'd say, 'I'm not that clever mum. I'm not that clever'".
Read the interview here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8369895.stm

Photo: http://www.queenonline.com

Steely Dan: Final show of current tour cancelled

The second show in Montreal - also the final date of the long running Rent Party '09 tour that started way back in June - has been cancelled. Quote from steelydan.com:

Nov 29 - Montreal QC - Salle Wilfred-Pelletier | cancelled

Due to unforseen circumstances, the Sunday November 29th show at Montreal’s Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier has been cancelled. Ticket holders for the cancelled performance may exchange their tickets for seats at the November 28th show. Exchanges must be made through the Place Des Arts Box Office at (514) 842-2112 or (866) 842-2112. Alternatively, refunds will be issued through the tickets' original point of purchase. For more info please contact the Place Des Arts Box Office at (514) 842-2112 or (866) 842-2112.

Sunday with Grizzy Bear. Any Steely Dan in there?

As Evan Rytlewski posted on expressmilwaukee.com earier this week, he mentioned the New York group Grizzly Bear while interviewing Walter Becker from Steely Dan recently.
Walter checked out a couple of songs from the group during the interview and found one horrible, one interesting and concluded more study is needed.

Evan sees similarities between the two bands: Both are New York bands with tricky, ornate arrangements and perfectionist studio tendencies.

So what to do on a Sunday? I decided to give Grizzly Bear a listen.

Here's the song Walter found interesting:

Silver wings ... golden wings ... with Donald and Walter

A short but fun interview from the Minneapolis Star Tribune with Steely Dan's Donald Fagen & Walter Becker on tour. Just a couple of quotes:

Q How's the tour going?

Becker: We're at my favorite part -- the break.

Fagen: Yeah, the break's going really well.

Q Donald, how has Walter changed over the years? And Walter, how has Donald changed?

Fagen: He's just about 40 years older than when I met him.

Becker: That is true. We're not quite as tall and willowy as we used to be.

Read the full interview here.

New Donald Fagen album in the works!

Looks like a new solo record from Donald Fagen will be here before we get another Steely Dan album.

According to this short article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer Donald have plans to record some new songs early next year:

“I have a bunch of songs that I’m set to record sometime in the spring,” Fagen said.

And as far as a new Steely Dan album go:

"Walter and I keep tossing around ideas for another Steely Dan album, but there’s nothing set yet,” Fagen said during a recent phone interview.

So it might happen. Eventually.

The latest Steely Dan album is Everything Must Go from 2003, while Donald Fagen's Morph The Cat was released in 2006.

Zappa & Berlin current chart topper

On the eve of the 20 anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall it is our privilege to present a special almost-middle-of-the-month chart of listeners favourites.

Here's what the current Top 10 looks like as of today ... and for today. Tomorrow it will have changed:

1. Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention
Holiday In Berlin, Full Blown - Burnt Weeny Sandwich

2. Mahavishnu Orchestra
Open Country Joy - Birds Of Fire

3. Yes
Sweetness - Yes

4. Steely Dan
Show Biz Kids - Countdown To Ecstasy

5. Steely Dan
Reelin' In The Years - Can't Buy A Thrill

6. Steely Dan
Only A Fool Would Say That - Can't Buy A Thrill

7. The Beatles
It Won't Be Long - With The Beatles

8. Genesis
The Fountain Of Salmacis - Nursery Cryme

9. Jean-Luc Ponty
Music For Violin And Low Budget Orchestra (edit) - King Kong

10. Howlin' Wolf
I Asked For Water - Frank Zappa's Jukebox (various artists)

We hope you noticed that Berlin was featured in the title of our number 1 here and now. And it's interesting reflecting on the fact that although we do add stuff from recent years as well as by less familiar artists, the most popular seem to be the older and most well known.

Keep watching this blog for some pre-Christmas news that concerns YOU!

Zappa Plays Zappa touring the US

The dates for the Zappa Plays Zappa fall and winter tours are now set. The fall 2009 tour includes twelve shows and starts in Austin, Texas on November 19 and ends in Santa Cruz, California on December 2.
The winter tour of 2010 starts with a stint on Jam Cruise 2010, Caribbean Ocean, January 3-7. What is that? A ship? Sounds cool anyway! Then gigs on the east coast follow. Last show is in Montclair, New Jersey on January 16.

Oldfield, Duke and Zappa topping our chart

The Radio Dupree monthly chart is here! Some weeks ago we tossed in a couple of excerpts from Mike Oldfield's classic Tubular Bells, and heureka, one of them reached the number one postition. Then George Duke, Frank Zappa and Yes follow.
The top 20 also includes two pieces each by Mahavishnu Orchestra and David Bowie.
What about our Album of the Month then? Did you listeners enjoy Zappa's Hot Rats album to the degree that it even managed to reach the Radio Dupree chart? Well, no...and yes. Willie The Pimp reached number 3, but it is the live version from the Fillmore East album. The original Willie almost made it. Nr 21.
Bognor Regis is another Hot Rats related tune, and this obscure promo single b-side reached position number 6. Bognos what? you might wonder. Well, this instrumental was recorded during the Hot Rats era but did not surface until three decades later. As the story goes it came from a promo single (or test pressing of a single) that Frank gave to a D.J. in the UK. It was a well kept secret for years.

1. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (excerpt) - Tubular Bells
2. George Duke - The Once Over - My Soul - The Complete MPS Fusion Recordings
3. Frank Zappa & The Mothers - Willie The Pimp - Fillmore East, June 1971
4. Frank Zappa - Zomby Woof - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1
5. Yes - Sweetness - Yes
6. Frank Zappa - Bognor Regis - 1970 promo single b-side
7. The Bee Gees - Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight - All This And World War II (various artists)
8. Donald Fagen - The Night Belongs To Mona - Morph The Cat
9. Supertramp - Goodbye Stranger - Breakfast In America
10. Rhinoceros - You're My Girl - Rhinoceros
11. King Crimson - Exiles - Larks' Tongues In Aspic
12. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Miles Beyond - Birds Of Fire
13. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Lazy Music - Unconditionally Guaranteed
14. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire - Birds Of Fire
15. Paul And Linda McCartney - Eat At Home - Ram
16. David Bowie - Survive - BBC Radio Theatre
17. David Bowie - Lady Grinning Soul - Aladdin Sane
18. Talking Heads - The Great Curve - Remain In Light
19. King Crimson - Cirkus - Lizard
20. David Sancious - East India - Forest Of Feelings

Norrlandsoperans Symfoniorkester plays Zappa

Norrlandsoperans Symfoniorkester in Umeå, Sweden continues to pick up works from the Frank Zappa "songbook". On October 22 the orchestra (under the baton of Rumon Gamba) will perform Zappa plus music by Edgard Varèse, John Adams and Igor Stravinsky.

Updated Oct. 27, 2009: The Radio Dupree staff enjoyed the radio broadcast but unfortunately the orchestra did not perform Dog Meat and Revised Music. The scores arrived too late so the orchestra did not have enough time to rehearse them properly. We got Peaches twice instead. The concert was sold out and got very good reviews in the local press.

Updated Oct. 8 & 22, 2009: Swedish Broadcasting (Sveriges Radio) plans a live broadcast of the concert nationwide on the radio channel P2 this evening, or maybe only a part of it (if so, we hope for the Zappa part).

Here are the links!

Read more about the concert here (Swedish).

Listening links - streaming live:

Windows Media high

Windows Media low

Real Audio

On Air 7.00 - 10.30 pm Swedish/Central European Time. Check what time that is where you live using http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?sort=1

The programme:
Varèse: Octandre / Adams: Eros Piano / Stravinsky: Scherzo a la Russe / Zappa: Naval aviation in art, Revised music for low budget orchestra, Dog breath variations / Uncle Meat, G-Spot tornado, Peaches en regalia, Be-Bop Tango

The orchestra has performed Zappa's work before. A member of the Radio Dupree staff recalls an evening with Dog Breath Variations on the repertoire, and a whole bunch of Zappa pieces were performed at the Umeå Chamber Music Festival in 2003.

King Crimson 40th anniversary releases

DGM (Discipline Mobile Global) is now taking pre-orders for three King Crimson albums of the 40th anniversary series: In The Court Of The Crimson King, Lizard and Red.

Red (DVD-A & CD)
http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=dgm&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=897075831&Count2=814216256&ProductID=1105&Target=products.asp

Lizard (DVD-A & CD)
http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=dgm&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=658748805&Count2=575889229&ProductID=1111&Target=products.asp

In The Court Of The Crimson King (DVD-A & CD)
http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=dgm&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=6405055&Count2=923545479&ProductID=1110&Target=products.asp

In The Court Of The Crimson King (Deluxe 2CD)
http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=dgm&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=213451564&Count2=130591988&ProductID=1109&Target=products.asp

The new releases include lots of extra material, but most of it seems to be alternate mixes and instrumental versions (the album track minus the vocals, huh?). One of the more interesting things seems to be the video stuff on Red, four tracks (in mono sound) from a 1974 French television broadcast:
1. Larks' Tongues in Aspic: Part II
2. Lament
3. The Night Watch
4. Starless

Radio Dupree top 10

Here are the most popular songs played on Radio Dupree during September:

1. King Crimson - Starless - Red
2. Frank Zappa - Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy - Joe's Menage
3. David Bowie - Don't Look Down - Tonight
4. Walter Becker And Donald Fagen - Android Warehouse - Catalyst
5. David Bowie - Let's Spend The Night Together - Ziggy Stardust (soundtrack)
6. Walter Becker And Donald Fagen - Yellow Peril - Catalyst
7. Moraz/Bruford - Childrens' Concerto - Music For Piano And Drums
8. Miles Davis - Katia - You're Under Arrest
9. Rick Wakeman - Catherine Howard - The Six Wives of Henry VIII
10. UK - Presto Vivace And Reprise - UK

Well, how about that? A 12 minutes long prog monster song topping our monthly chart! Glad you liked it! At a first quick look the chart of the month is dominated by David Bowie and the early Fagen/Becker duo. They have managed to sneak in two songs each.
But if you think for a while, there is another musician that is present on three of the songs on our top 10 chart: Drummer Bill Bruford! He plays on Crimson's Starless, UK's Presto Vivace And Reprise and of course on the Bill Bruford/Patrick Moraz collaboration Childrens' Concerto.
What about the Album of the Month then, Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage? Well, two tracks from that album wound up as number 11 (Stick It Out) and 12 (Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up). Not too bad!

Mott the Hoople back on stage

Mott the Hoople is back, after 36 years! At least for five nights at the Apollo in London with two sell-out gigs in the rather less well known Blake Theatre in Monmouth on Friday and Saturday.
BBC reports that the line up is: Keyboardist Verden Allen, drummer Dale Griffin, lead singer Ian Hunter, guitarist Mick Ralphs and bassist Pete Overend Watts.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8274698.stm

Swedish parody on Joe's Garage

Since Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage is Album of the Month on Radio Dupree, we thought this might be of interest for you Zappa fans out there.
This is the cover of an LP by the Swedish artist Eddie Meduza. The music on this album does not remind of Zappa's music at all. The only similarity is that both Zappa and Meduza wrote explicit lyrics and had a somewhat droll kind of humor. But the Meduza album gives a hint of how popular Zappa was at the time. Garagetaper was released in 1980 and Zappa was more popular than ever in Sweden with his most recent albums Sheik Yerbouti and Joe's Garage. He was so popular that Eddie Meduza, who was the bad boy of Swedish rock music, chose to make a parody of the Joe's Garage cover, and everybody got the "joke".

Who was Eddie Meduza? Eddie (Errol Norstedt) was born in 1948 and died in 2002. His main audience may still be among people who enjoy driving around town in old american cars with dixie flags on etc, in Swedish called "raggare". But Meduza's silly songs, jokes and characters have also become a part of musicians folklore in Sweden.

Roger Rosenberg's Walter Becker produced Baritonality

We wrote about it over a year ago and it looks like Roger Rosenberg's Baritonality is finally released.

The cduniverse.com page and barnes&noble page says September 22 is the release date, while amazon.com says August 18. It's also August 18 on emusic.com where it is available to buy as a download now. We got our copy of the album there.

Sunnyside Records page for Baritonality comes up blank but the google-cached version has the following information:

The resonant sound of the baritone saxophone is a lovely voice when played by a master musician. It is unfortunate that the instrument hardly receives the attention that it deserves. There have been a number of great baritone saxophonists in jazz that have been able to bring their instrument to the forefront: Gerry Mulligan, Serge Chaloff and Pepper Adams to name a few. On his new recording Baritonality, Roger Rosenberg joins this illustrious list of bari players to record as a leader. As a highly sought sideman, Rosenberg has been a member of groups led by many of jazz’s most illustrious musicians, including Miles Davis, Tito Puente, and Chet Baker. He is also a long-standing member of Steely Dan. Walter Becker, founder of Steely Dan, produced this recording.
Joining Rosenberg on the recording are bassist Chip Jackson, pianist Mark Soskin, and drummer Jeff Brillinger. The leader provides seven, great original tunes along with a couple of standards. The group is joined by guitarist Peter Bernstein on the their fantastic take on the standard, “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most.”
Baritonality is a strong musical statement for Roger Rosenberg and his big saxophone.

Musicians:
Roger Rosenberg - baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet
Mark Soskin - piano
Peter Bernstein - guitar
Chip Jackson - acoustic bass
Jeff Brillinger - drums

Bowie ... the spider

Photo: Senckenberg Museum of Natural History

Following Frank Zappa and Neil Young, David Bowie is the latest rock artist whos name has been borrowed to name a spider; Heteropoda davidbowie.

Full story here.

Steely Dan's "Things I Miss The Most" covered

When an artist covers Steely Dan it is usually one of the hits; Do It Again, Peg, Josie ... and a couple more. So it's always fun to find a cover of one of all those other songs that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have written.

We still enjoy Sara Colman's version of Walter Becker's Book Of Liars, and here's another one from the UK; Claire Martin and her take on Things I Miss The Most. The original Steely Dan version on the 2003 album Everything Must Go. Claire's version is on her new album A Modern Art.

Sad to say we've only managed to find a 30 sec clip of the song. And that clip doesn't do the version justice, but here's the link. (And the full version of the song of course on the Radio Dupree playlist!)

Beatles mono remasters reviewed

With the imminent release of the remastered albums from The Beatles, the reviews are starting to come in.

Here's the UK newspaper The Guardian's very positive review of the earlier Beatles albums, now back in more glorious mono than ever before. Apparently.

The Chicago Tribune review also gives the mono remasters the thumbs up, but is less impressed with the stereo ones as well as the packaging of the whole shebang. The article also explains the various versions you can get the records in.

Canada.com runs through the individual stereo versions here.

And no review but a couple of pics from NPR as the Beatles parcel arrive and is unpacked.

P.S.
The release date is September 9.

Steely Dan live 2009: More shows!

Looks like life on the road continues for Steely Dan; three more shows have been added to the list with a promise of more to follow.

Up until this news the Rent Party tour would have ended with the September 5 show in Detroit. Now we have

October 12 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre | Aja (Plus)
(AMEX presale September 8 - general on sale September 11)

October 13 - Seattle WA - Paramount Theatre | The Royal Scam (Plus)
(AMEX presale September 8 - general on sale September 11)

October 16 - Temecula, CA - Pechanga Resort & Casino
(On sale now)

Joe's Garage - album of the month

If you're old enough, do you remember what you were up to 30 years ago? Well, if you were hip enough you were probably on your way to the record store to purchase your copy of the new Frank Zappa album, Joe's Garage, Act I. (Act II and III came two months later.)
A lot of things have changed since then. There are hardly any record stores left, for instance. But Joe's Garage remains one of Frank's strongest albums. It features a sort of low budget stage musical with a storyline, rather bizarre though. We get delicate funky pop songs and beautiful guitar solo pieces, played by a great band with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums.
So for September Radio Dupree will play all songs from Joe's Garage plus some additional stuff that we think belong there as well.
Enjoy!

Mats and Morgan play Zappa again

Just spoke to keyboardist Mats Öberg. Recently he and drummer friend Morgan Ågren played The Zappanale in Germany. They (plus a bass player, maybe Gustav Hjelm) had formed a temporary band with ex Zappa sideman Denny Walley.
Four gigs in Germany and Sweden. Several Zappa songs on the repertoire: Magic Fingers, Suicide Chump, Bamboozled By Love, Debra Kadabra (!)...
In Bad Doberan (The Zappanale) two other Zappa legends showed up on stage: Ike Willis and Robert Martin (the latter did an impromptu rendition of The Illinois Enema Bandit with the boys.)
Mats says that both Ike and Robert did great. Mr Martin remembered Mats and Morgan from their guest appearance at Frank Zappa's concert in Stockholm in '88: "It's an honour to share the stage with you guys again."

/Siggy, Radio Dupree

Pete & Scarlett: Embedding the hard way...

(This one with a voice message stating that the video is now available.)

Somtimes we do think that record companies and allies don't really care about selling records or even getting the information out there. With the investment made in a recording you'd expect the basics being met as far as Internet availability goes. But no.

Here's just one troublesome marketing blunder not helping a fine album and a nice enough song finding an audience.

Actress Scarlett Johansson did an album of Tom Waits covers that we found so-so. Here's the next step. A duet album with Pete Yorn recorded a couple of years ago. And to our ears it is a step in the right direction. So we wanted to share the song Relator here.

Result? See the images above. Even the official homepage for the album serves you an error message when you try to embed the video. You're shut out. And that won't insipre your curiosity or help spread the word.

(At the same time the whole album - officially out September 15 - can already be found on those pesky torrent sites...)

We do like the song and did manage to find one place where it was possible to embed to share. Like this:

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - Relator @ Yahoo! Video

BBC having a Beatles Bank Holiday

It's Beatles all over the place this weekend for BBC radio. Here's the page to see what, where and when.

(Oddly enough just a week or so before the remastered Beatles CD's will be released. And just another prime example of "Public service" (i.e. commercial free) media working hand in hand with the record industry.)

Dylan Xmas Album

If you haven't already you can see what the cover of Bob Dylan's Christmas Album looks like here.

Out October 13 it will feature songs like Here Comes Santa Claus, I'll Be Home For Christmas and Winter Wonderland.

Zappa live '76 release?

The Zappa Family Trust seems to plan another Vaulternative records live concert release.
http://www.idiotbastard.com/news.htm reports that Dweezil Zappa has said that a live FZ concert circa 1976 will be released soon featuring Terry Bozzio and "a female singer".
If it's true, this is really good news! Must be the show in Philadelphia (October 29, 1976) featuring Lady Bianca (Bianca Thornton).
To this day there is only one song from that line up released on an album, Wind Up Workin' In A Gas Station. Listen to that (You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 6) and you'll realize why we are so enthusiastic about this rumour.

The band: Frank Zappa, Terry Bozzio, Ray White, Patrick O'Hearn, Eddie Jobson and Bianca Thornton.

Songs played: Purple Lagoon intro/Stink-Foot/Poodle Lecture/Dirty Love/Wind Up Workin' In A Gas Station/Tryin' To Grow A Chin/The Torture Never Stops/City Of Tiny Lites (incl. The Sanzini Brothers Pyramid Trick)/You Didn't Try To Call Me/Manx Needs Women/Titties 'N' Beer/Black Napkins/Advance Romance/Honey, Don't You Want A Man Like Me?/Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink/Would You Go All The Way?/Daddy Daddy Daddy/What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are?/Dinah-Moe Humm/Purple Lagoon reprise/Stranded In The Jungle/Find Her Finer/Camarillo Brillo/Muffin Man/Purple Lagoon outro.

Zappa films on the screen

Recently they showed Uncle Meat. Now it's time for TWO more Zappa flicks:

200 MOTELS & BABY SNAKES -
Together At Last

Presented by American Cinematheque

Aero Theatre 1328 Montana Avenue at 14th Street in Santa Monica
Thursday, August 27, 2009
$10 Box office opens at 6:30pm
Screening at 7:30pm

(Thanks to zappa.com for the information)

Radio musical tonight! The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman

Clicking one of these links should stream Swedish Radio P1!

Windows Media - Broadband version

Windows Media - Modem version

Real Audio version

Sparks: Ron and Russell Mael

Friday August 14 at 19:03 Swedish time we'll sit down in front of the old radio (or computer) to listen to the world premiere of The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman featuring Sparks.

[Here's a time zone converter so you can check what time it's on according to your clock:
http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc
New York = 1:03PM, Tokyo = 02:03 Saturday morning and so on]

We already wrote about it here, so this is just a reminder. And if you can't catch the premiere it will air on two more occasions (August 16 at 22:03 and August 23 at 00:15 Swedish time) as well as be available online for 30 days. We'll update this post with links later, but here are a couple to start:

The Swedish Radio page about the play/radio musical is here (in Swedish)
- includes a couple of short clips of the music as well as an interview in English with Russell Mael -

A Swedish version of the musical is released on CD today and limited to 1000 copies. An English version will follow later this autumn.

Cover of the Swedish CD version

UPDATE: Here's the link if you want to listen on demand. It will open in a separate window and should be live for 30 days and work until September 13, 2009.

RIP Les Paul

Les Paul, artist, guitarist, pioneer and inventor of the solid body guitar and multitrack recording technique, has died aged 94.

A long and full life. Read the Wikipedia entry here.

The Daily Telegraph obitiuary here.

The official Les Paul homepage.

And here's Les Paul with Mary Ford on American television in 1953 having a bit of fun trying to explain the magic of overdubbing your own playing and singing;

Radio Dupree Top 25 - August 2009

1. The Beatles - I'll Be On My Way
Live At The BBC

2. Adrian Belew - Swingline
Lone Rhino

3. The Beatles - You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)
Past Masters Volume Two

4. Steely Dan - Don't Take Me Alive
The Royal Scam

5. Marian McPartland & Steely Dan - Black Friday
Piano Jazz: McPartland/Steely Dan

6. Frank Zappa - Chunga's Revenge (edit)
Joe's Menage

7. Clubouse - Do It Again/Billie Jean
vinyl 45

8. Mats/Morgan Band - Baader Puff/Paltsug
On Air With Guests

9. Paul And Linda McCartney - Too Many People
Ram

10. John Lee Hooker & Jim Morrison - Roadhouse Blues
Stoned Immaculate - The Music Of The Doors

11. Steely Dan - The Caves Of Altamira - The Royal Scam
12. Sneaker - Don't Let Me In (demo) - Sneaker
13. Blue Floyd - Beatjam/Come Together - Begins
14. Marian McPartland/Steely Dan - Things Ain't What They Used to Be - Piano Jazz: McPartland/Steely Dan
15. Dick Heckstall-Smith - What The Morning Was After - A Story Ended
16. The Doors - Spanish Caravan - The Best Of
17. The Animals - Shake - Animalism
18. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
19. Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - Looking For Pussy - Sloppy Seconds
20. The Beatles - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
21. Steely Dan - The Fez - The Royal Scam
22. Frank Zappa - Disco Boy - Zoot Allures
23. The Doors - Easy Ride - The Soft Parade
24. Cream - I'm So Glad - Fresh Cream
25. Santana - Black Magic Woman/Gipsy Queen - Abraxas

-------------------------------------------------------
Chart compiled by listeners voting
on the songs they hear on Radio Dupree

Our Album of the Month-artists for July; The Doors, managed to sneak two tracks into the Top 25. A month when The Beatles did well. Could it be the September remasters that had fans listening in and pressing the thumbs up-button? Will we have to go out and get all those remasters to play here? Surprising number one song though...

We'll see what Jethro Tull's Album of the Month; Stand Up, can do on the next chart.

August 8 1969: Abbey Road cover shoot

On Saturday August 8 it is exactly 40 years since photographer Iain Macmillan shot the famous cover of what was to become The Beatles final album; Abbey Road.

Show how's the Abbey Road crossing doing today? The BBC has a fine article and video here:

And if you feel like watching the Abbey Road Studios live web cam it is available here:

According to the BBC article Saturday is supposed to be an extra busy day at the zebra crossing with record numbers of fans turning up to cross the street and take photographs while doing it.
(Doing it in the road?)

Finally a page filled with various record covers "inspired" by the original. What's your favourite? We're kind of partial to the one by The Friars Of The Community Of St. Saviour's Monastery.

Madeleine Peyroux interview

From Times Online:
Madeleine Peyroux, reluctant star

Fogerty + Springsteen = When Will I Be Loved

It's been promised that the first song from John Fogerty's The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again will start streaming on his homepage today, Tuesday August 4. And the song is a cover of When Will I Be Loved with Bruce Springsteen adding his touch to the proceedings.

While we wait for the streaming over on www.johnfogerty.com to commence, let us ponder what it will sound like. We did not, like a few eagle-eyed Fogerty-fans, catch the unplanned pre-preview of the whole album that took place for a short while yesterday on Verve Records site, so we have no idea what John Fogerty and Bruce Springsteen might come up with.

Wait... Let's correct ourselves there... We do have an idea what their version of When Will I Be Loved will sound like. It will sound like the original hit version from The Everly Brothers.

Not like Linda Ronstadt's version from the 70's. Not Rockpile's. And so on. Our money is on a traditional cover in the Everly Brothers mode.

Meanwhile, back in court: Steve Hackett's wife stakes claim to Genesis songs

Steve Hackett was the lead guitarist in Genesis before leaving the group to go solo in 1977.
Now the rights to royalties from the songs from the Genesis period is part of a the divorce proceedings between Steve Hackett and wife Kim Poor.
(Which she won't be if the judge sees it her way.)

Read it all here in Times Online

Five song connection - what?

Uncle Meat in movie theatre

zappa.com reports that Frank Zappa's movie Uncle Meat was planned for its first US screening ever on August 2.

"...Presented by American Cinematheque

Egyptian Theatre 6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Sunday, August 2, 2009
$10 Box office opens at 6pm
Screening at 7:30pm"

Frank started the movie project with the Mothers in the 60's but the movie was not completed and it took him 20 years to get it ready for a video release. But wouldn't it be great to be able to see it in a movie theatre? Anyone out there who attended the festivities?

http://www.zappa.com/whatsnew/index.html