Weekend music: Cool Morph The Cat cover

Here's a nice instrumental jazz version of Donald Fagen's Morph The Cat by Italian pianist Stefano Bollani.
It was reorded and released in 2006 on the Jazz Italiano Live 2006 album. An album that was part of a series of albums by different artists given away with the Italian magazine L'espresso.

Zappa Plays Zappa: Two songs and interview

Here's a link to a page with videos of Zappa Plays Zappa playing Keep It Greasy and Baby Snakes during soundcheck in San Francisco December 1 this year. Also an interview with Dweezil Zappa about the new tour and ZPZ.

Frank Zappa birthday bundle 2010

This years birthday bundle is here!
12 Zappa pieces, 5 by Frank, 7 by other people.
We've been listening to the iTunes preview snippets and judging by that we find that the most interesting ones are:

* Treacherous Cretins
FZ live in Paris 1979. Different time signature than on Shut Up'n Play Yer Guitar, here it's in 11/4.

* The Deathless Horsie
Zappa Plays Zappa. Dweezil plays some hot guitar here.

* Jumbo Go Away
FZ live in London 1979.

Happy birthday, Frank!

The Yellow Shark, one of Frank's last projects.
***

Yep, today is Frank Zappa's 70th birthday. A pity he is no longer with us.
Sometimes fans use to speculate about what Frank would have thought about this and that, and how would his music have sounded today if he would still be alive. It's impossible to answer of course, but I say that music lost something when Frank passed away. For me it turned into something a little less interesting.
But it's a great thing that the Zappa Family Trust keeps releasing stuff from the vault (Hammersmith Odeon being the most recent thing), and today we will surely celebrate Frank's birthday. Play his music and tell other people about it.
Radio Dupree is playing as much Zappa as we can today, songs from his more well known albums and some obscure tracks too.
Here is a link to another radio station that will broadcast a programme on Zappa tonight...including the swedish keyboard player Mats Öberg and the Reinecke Trio from Italy.
And here is a nice article from Svenska Dagbladet (practice your Swedish).

Captain Beefheart dies at the age of 69

Ice Cream For Crow (1982) , Don's last studio album.
***

The american musician and painter Don Van Vliet, also known as Captain Beefheart, passed away on December 17.
Rolling Stone reports that Van Vliet died from complications from multiple sclerosis. As a teenager Van Vliet met Frank Zappa, and they used to play music and hang out together. Van Vliet recorded a dozen studio albums between 1967 and 1982, the most well known is probably Trout Mask Replica (1969) which was produced by Zappa. Van Vliet's music was truly unique and included strong elements of blues and freeform jazz. In the early 80's he gave up music in disappointment over the business, and now he could concentrate on his painting carreer which turned out to be quite successful.

Captain Beefheart has passed away

blog.washingtonpost.com: Avant-garde icon Captain Beefheart passes away
telegraph.co.uk: Captain Beefheart dies age 69

Captain Beefheart on Wikipedia

The Captain Beefheart Radar Station

The Odyssey of Captain Beefheart: Rolling Stone's 1970 Cover Story

My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains by RhinoRecords

"A great, timeless album is more than just an entertainment app"

Producer and artist Don Was on iTunes and the death of lines notes:

http://blogs.metrotimes.com/index.php/2010/12/don-was-on-itunes-and-the-death-of-liner-notes/

Code of Conduct for Moviegoers

From the very listenable film review show on BBC 5 Live; Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews comes this video illustrating the much needed Code of Conduct for Moviegoers:

Here's a downloadable PDF-version and here are the links to the show's homepage and podcast.

Reminiscing... Padova and Perugia in 2009

Out of focus including some video stills ... but hey, I was there and enjoyed it! And did some reminiscing today some 17 months later and in the middle of winter:

(Photos: Jim Fisk) - Previously published here with some additional ramblings.

Open note to Walter Becker:

Dear Walter,

Please consider updating your excellent homepage.

Google Alerts - although self-inflicted/invited - that combines "Walter Becker" with words like "obituary" and "funeral", cause severe distress to the Radio Dupree staff for those few seconds it takes to decipher the alerts in question:


May we suggest a brief news item along the lines of

-----------------
Busy...
----------------

It wouldn't take that long to post. And even better is that it wouldn't give anything away about whatever new projects are being worked on. Consequently not deriding any elaborate release and marketing scheme being fine-tuned as we type.

Thanks in advance and have a great weekend.

/The Radio Dupree WB section ... fraction ... portion

Rare Pink Floyd 1967 live recording discovered

A very rare live recording by the original Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett will be played in public at the Gyllene Cirkeln club in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2011.
Dagens Nyheter reports that it is a nearly 50 minutes long previously unknown live recording of Pink Floyd's appearance at the same venue in Stockholm on September 10, 1967.
A Swedish sound engineer taped the show on his Revox machine.
The public playback shows will take place on May 3 and 7. Should be a real Pink Floyd fest for the fans, since Roger Waters is playing two Stockholm gigs on May 4 and 5.

UPDATE May 1, 2011: Radio Dupree is attending the May 7 "gig". Watch this blog in May for our reports from before, during and after the show in Stockholm.

Weekend video: 4'33 silence UK Christmas #1 in 2010?

The above video of John Cage's piece 4'33 is to give you a glimpse what might become the 2010 Christmas number one in the United Kingdom. Our question is how it will play on the radio? We promise to add the upcoming recorded version to the Radio Dupree Xmassy playlist! :)

Read more here:
This year's comedy Xmas No. 1 contender: Silent song 4'33"

Gail Zappa answers questions from the fans

Interesting answers to a whole bunch of questions from Frank's fans.

Radio Dupree Top 20 - December 2010

1. Donald Fagen - What I Do - Morph The Cat

2. Frank Zappa - Envelopes - Hammersmith Odeon

3. Frank Zappa - Bobby Brown - Hammersmith Odeon

4. Frank Zappa - Don't Eat The Yellow Snow - Halloween

5. Frank Zappa - He Used To Cut The Grass - Joe's Garage

6. Frank Zappa - Dinah-Moe Humm - Halloween

7. Frank Zappa - Sharleena - The Lost Episodes

8. The Doors - Strange Days - Strange Days

9. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Cosmic Strut - Visions Of The Emerald Beyond

10. Brand X - Cambodia - Do They Hurt?

11. Jethro Tull - Dharma For One - Living In The Past
12. Allan Holdsworth - The Un-Merry-Go-Round (edit) - Metal Fatigue
13. Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - The Dog Breath Variations - Uncle Meat
14. Pink Floyd - Flaming - The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
15. Mark King - Clocks Go Forward - Influences
16. George Duke - Seeing You - My Soul - The Complete MPS Fusion Recordings
17. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Eat That Question - Grand Wazoo
18. Frank Zappa - Wedding Dress Song/The Handsome Cabin Boy - Mystery Disc
19. Brad Smith - Speak To Me/Breathe - MOON8
20. The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun/The Inner Light - Love

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

Last month's Zappa-centric chart (six out of 20 being FZ-songs) got beat good this time around with close to half of the Radio Dupree Top 20 consisting of Zappa. Nine songs to be precise.
Could it be our coverage of the Hammersmith Odeon release has lured a few more Zappa fans to tune in? Whatever reason more listeners listening to Radio Dupree more often is a good thing!

Looking at the rest of the chart there's a distinct retro-feel to it. The number one; What I Do from Donald Fagen's Morph The Cat is the youngest being a "mere" four years and nine months old by now.

As the full contents of Hammersmith Odeon is now hitting our playlist, is it to great a dare predicting Frank Zappa to rule next month as well? Be here in 30 days for the answer, and earlier and often to listen and vote on the songs played.

Mail from Gail

Gail Zappa would respond to 50 fan questions at Zappa.com before Christmas.
One member of the Radio Dupree staff took the chance...and got a response! Cool!
The reply was very short, BUT gives hope!!

Rudder show + DVD recording in New York

We just got the latest newsletter from Rudder in our mailbox. In just two days time the band will play its first gig in New York for more than a year. The show will be recorded for a DVD. Here are the details:

Hello Folks!

We just finished 5 weeks of touring in Europe. We had an amazing trip and we are looking forward to returning next year!

On Dec 1, (this Wednesday), we are playing in NYC at Rockwood Music Hall in the #2 venue (the bigger stage).

http://rockwoodmusichall.com/

This is a special night for us as we are going to be recording a new live DVD - shot with multiple cameras in HD.

We will be sharing our evening with our great friends -- and a KICK ASS BAND -- Snarky Puppy.

You definitely want to check them out.

We expect this to be a pretty full show - as we haven't played in NYC with the full band for over a year.

You can purchase advance tickets on the Rockwood site here:

$15 gets you in for both bands!

http://rockwoodmusichall.tickets.musictoday.com/RockwoodMusicHall/calendar.aspx

For more info on Rudder:

http://ruddermusic.com

ALso. . some choice video from our tour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eI3j7h0klc

Here's some info on Snarky Puppy:

http://www.snarkypuppy.com/

Gaucho is 30 - Part 3 of 4

Our Album of the Month for November 2010; Gaucho from Steely Dan, inspired us to buy a book. And it's all due to the stoy behind the cover:

The cover is yet another one not featuring any band members. This time they went with a photo by one René Burri of a dancing couple found on a mural in Buenos Aires' La Boca district.

René Burri is a Swiss working as a professional photographer since the late 1940's. Among his best known work are the photos of the South American cowboy; the gaucho.

We found ourselves a second hand copy of The Gaucho from 1968.

René himself

(Check back for part 4 of 4.)
Here's part 1 and part 2,

Hammersmith Odeon - the review

OK here's the review of the new Frank Zappa three cd set, Hammersmith Odeon (Vaulternative Records, VR 20101):
This is yet another great release from the Zappa family trust. Excellent material (yes, one of my favorite line ups), great sound, not as "close" as Frank used to make them, but the sound is clear and the balance between the intruments and voices is very good. In some selections the vocals are a little too low though.
The sound is compressed BUT it's not overdone, like on the Buffalo album. It's more like the Philly '76 album.
Speaking of Philly '76, this can be seen as Philly's sister album, where Hammersmith is the full blown version. They both feature Bozzio/O'Hearn on drums and bass respectively, and some of the songs are the same but they have developed a bit during one year and four months. Take City Of Tiny Lites for instance, on Philly we get the early raw prototype. On Hammersmith it has turned out to be the dynamic, well orchestrated version that we know from Sheik Yerbouti. To be honest, during the following tours that song would slowly change, or degenerate, into a less enjoyable piece of music.

Hammersmith is a three cd set with many songs on it. They are culled from several shows that took place in London in early 1978. Frank complains a bit over the lame London audiences, and yes, the audience is quite the opposite from the hysterical Halloween 1977 concerts in New York that one can see in the Baby Snakes movie. Maybe the London concerts is when he got the inspiration to write the song Dead Girls Of London.
There are a couple of long awaited songs that we don't get here. I would have loved to hear Wild Love with solos and Yo Mama, but I guess we have to be satisfied with three other "monster songs" we get here, A Pound For A Brown, Little House I Used To Live In and King Kong.
But overall: If you enjoyed Zappa's Philly '76 and Buffalo albums...this one's for you!

I.
1. Convocation/The Purple Lagoon
During the band introduction Frank explains that the show is recorded for radio broadcast in the US. Never happened I guess.
2. Dancin' Fool
I'm even a bit excited to hear this staple song, with this line up.
3. Peaches En Regalia
Nice different arrangement with an acapella part at the end.
4. The Torture Never Stops
This band made the best performance of this song. Frank's Rat Tomago sounding guitar really gets me off. Better sound than the version on You Can't Do That On Stage Vol.1 too!
5. Tryin' To Grow A Chin
6. City Of Tiny Lites
Another song that this particular band did so well! During the next tours this song started to degenerate.
8. Baby Snakes
9. Pound For A Brown
Long awaited long version with some jazzy improvisation. Also includes the Hail Caesar routine, but Patrick's voice is too low in the mix.

II.
1. I Have Been In You
Is introduced by Frank telling the story behind the song.
2. Flakes
Great song, good version! But it's understandable that Frank made overdubs on the Sheik Yerbouti version. Needed those massive vocal overdubs. This recording was made when the "I'm a moron and this is my wife" section did not have any vocals and was rather a solo spot for Adrian Belew.
3. Broken Heart Are For Assholes
4. Punky's Whips
Always great to hear this one, but I wonder if the London audience ever got the story of Punky.
5. Titties & Beer
6. Audience participation
7. The Black Page #2
8. Jones Crusher
9. Little House I Used To Live In
Actually an arrangement of the piano introduction from the Burnt Weeny Sandwich album. Then some cool improvisation featuring Tommy Mars on keyboards and vocals.

III.
1. Dong Work For Yuda
Great almost acapella version with big band type groove during the choruses.
2. Bobby Brown
Frank tells the audience what inspired him to write the song, the story about "the three assholes".
3. Envelopes
Previously released as an instrumental on Ship Arriwing Too Late album. Here we get the original version with vocals (!) by Tommy Mars. Great, but for hardcore fans and completists only.
4. Terry Firma
Mr. Bozzio whips it out.
5. Disco Boy
6. King Kong
One of the greatest versions of this song. This is a tight ensemble!
7. Watermelon In Easter Hay. Prequel.
An early version of the instrumental that would later find it's form on Joe's Garage. Fast tempo. Sounds as if Frank had not decided yet what to do with this musical pattern. Starts off in a surprisingly romantic mood.
8. Dinah-Moe Humm
9. Camarillo Brillo
10. Muffin Man
11. Black Napkins
12. San Ber'dino
The end of the concert is made up of the standard encores that the band used to play at the time. Probably a great set of "hits" if you were there 1978, but today's Zappa fan has heard them so many times on different releases.
//Siggy, Radio Dupree

The Beatles finally on iTunes

After years and years and ... years the music of The Beatles' albums is now available to buy on iTunes.
The question of course how many will buy the digital files online. Yes, the re-released CD:s and box-sets seem to have a prosperous audience willing to buy the albums again and again, but how many on iTunes feel like paying £10.99/$12.99 for an album or 99 pence/$1.29 for a single song?

The Beatles on iTunes is an exclusive deal that will expire in 2011. And then we'll probably find The Beatles for sale in other digital online stores as well.

More here and here and here and ... here. (Amongst other places...)

Meanwhile Fox News fumbled the facts and stated The Beatles' place of origin as Manchester rather than Liverpool. Ooops!

Gaucho is 30 - Part 2 of 4

“Donald and I followed a certain line of thinking to its logical conclusion, and then perhaps slightly beyond—that was what we realized when we'd finished Gaucho: it was not as much fun...It wasn't fun at all, really.” -- Walter Becker in Mojo, 1980.

And as we continue our weekly posting regarding our Album of the Month; Steely Dan's Gaucho, we grab a couple of paragraphs from Wikipedia:

With the phenomenal success of "Aja," Donald and Walter are under considerably less pressure to release new material quickly. ABC releases a Greatest Hits package in November 1978 which includes one unreleased track "Here At The Western World." This collection also goes platinum and reaches #30 on the charts. Tiring of the L.A. scene, Becker and Fagen move back to New York to start recording their new album.

While recording "Gaucho", Becker and Fagen had to endure various misfortunes which delay the release date: Becker is hit by a car, one of their favorite new tracks "The Second Arrangement" is accidentally erased by an assistant recording engineer, and there is a dispute over which record company has the rights to their forthcoming album.

Becker and Fagen had already signed a new contract with Warner Brothers, but ABC (now owned by MCA) claims that they are still owed one more album. MCA wins the contract dispute and then decides to increase the album's list price to $9.98, one dollar more than all the other albums. Donald and Walter continue to hold back the album while they unsuccessfully fight the price increase. Finally, "Gaucho" is released in November, 1980.

And to get the facts (?) from the two in question; Donald and Walter, we'll take a peek at what they wrote in the liner notes to the 2000 CD remastered reissue of Gaucho.

(Incidentally those liner notes are a perfect excuse to buy the seven remastered albums released in 2000 even if you have the vinyl or some other version. They are a fun read that continues from the first to the last of the CDs).

Speaking of the Gaucho album proper, it can truly be said that never before or since in the sorry annals of pop music has so much been expended by so few for so long in the service of so little - or something like that. We come to the table ready and willing to concede to our harshest critics that it is undoubtedly true that at some point in this doleful enterprise we did indeed go well past it - the only remaining questions being exactly what "it" is and how blindly fast/excruciatingly slow we were moving at the precise moment when we crossed the line.

At the time, it all seemed worth it, especially because with the eventual completion of the recording, mixing and mastering of the album would come the long-promised and much-anticipated Weekend at the aforementioned La Samanna resort with two of the loveliest waitresses in all of midtown.

...

Sitting in the bar by Gate 72, we could scarcely contain our enthusiasm for the Lost Weekend to come, and, as it turns out, we may have overdone the alcoholic stimulation thing while waiting for the ladies to turn up. Because, while the girls flew on, alone together, to St. Maarten/St. Martin (where they drank, smoked, snorted and humped each other into oblivion for three delirious days and nights), the boys, in their inebriated state, having argued briefly about the relative merits of Chico Hamilton (?) versus Charlie Persip (!) and then lost track of one another somewhere in the terminal, boarded the wrong plane (in the case of Becker) or bus (in the case of Fagen) and turned up two to three days later in Kahului, Hawaii, or the Stanhope Hotel, respectively, each heartbroken, alone, enniless, with heads like watermelons and hearts like lead sinkers and, oddly enough, a hit single blooming on the charts. Go figure.

- Donald Fagen & Walter Becker, 2000

*For those voracious fans who may be interested, an alternative (but equally valid and just as realistic and somewhat more upbeat) version of the events described in these reissue notes is available privately - just send $35 plus postage to Craig Fruin, P.O. Box 1838, San Francisco, CA 94159-1838, and you will receive a deluxe mimeographed copy of "Steely Dan - the Watergate Years", signed by Craig Fruin himself. Act fast - supplies are limited.

(Check back next Sunday for part 3 of 4.)
Here's part 1.

Donald Fagen sends Hendrik a Melodica flyer

Hendrik Hertzberg is a senior editor and staff writer at The New Yorker.
In his Friday blog post he writes about a flyer that Donald Fagen has sent him. The flyer came with a cheap Melodica bought by Donald Fagen and - as Mr. Hertzberg puts it - "illustrates the hazards of relying solely on Google Translate and/or a Chinese-English pocket dictionary".

Read more here.

Hammersmith Odeon songs on Radio Dupree now

Frank on the loo, again! From the Hammersmith Odeon booklet.
***

Today the Radio Dupree staff received a copy of the brand new Zappa 3 cd set, Hammersmith Odeon.
First impression is that it is a spiffy item! Sound is similar to the Philly album. Good balance (not like the boomy Halloween audio dvd) and not too much compression (like the Buffalo cd). Review coming up here soon.
A couple of songs from the album already spinning on Radio Dupree. Then in December we will have the album as Album of the Month, and you can expect a lot of Zappa music that month...the celebtration of what would have been Frank's 70th birthday you know...December 21st.

Ask Keith Carlock a question!

With the group Rudder touring Europe Rhythm Magazine has given all a chance to ask the drummer Keith Carlock (Steely Dan/Sting/John Mayer etc) a question. Read more here.

Gaucho is 30 - Part 1 of 4

Our Album of the Month in November is Gaucho. The seventh and final before Steely Dan broke up or at least put everything on hold for more than a decade. As it was released in November 1980 it is 30 years old this month.

Most people associate Steely Dan with the sound on Gaucho and its predecessor Aja; jazzy, studio-slick and laidback. If you do take the time to listen to all seven albums from the debut Can't Buy A Thrill released in 1972 to Gaucho in 1980, you'll find seven albums with a distinctly different sound compared to each other. And a group that changed and evolved.
If Gaucho had been the final finale it would have been a suitable end to an impressive body of work.
As we now know Steely Dan came back alive touring in 1993 followed by - so far - one live and two studio albums.

Apart from the seven tracks on Gaucho we will play, and already are playing, alternative versions of the songs this month. A couple from the 1995 Steely Dan live album Alive In America, but most will by other artists. From Swedish duo Sara Isaksson & Rebecka Törnqvist's version of the title track to Luciana Souza's Were You Blind That Day. The original lyrics-version of what eventually became Third World Man.

(Check back next Sunday for part 2 of 4.)

New Zappa 3 CD set - live 1978!

What a fantastic surprise! Barfko-Swill is now taking pre-orders for a thrilling 3 CD set, Hammersmith Odeon. Live 1978.
"In honor of FZ's 70th & his favorite holiday, Halloween!"

- - - UPDATE November 11 - - -

Here are the tracks on the album:

Disc One:

1. “Convocation / Purple Lagoon Intro”
2. “Dancin’ Fool”
3. “Peaches En Regalia”
4. “The Torture Never Stops”
5. “Tryin To Grow A Chin”
6. “City Of Tiny Lites”
7. “Baby Snakes”
8. “Pound For A Brown”

Disc Two:

1. “I Have Been In You”
2. “Flakes”
3. “Broken Hearts Are For A*******”
4. “Punky’s Whips”
5. “Titties And Beer”
6. “Audience Participation”
7. “The Black Page #2″
8. “Jones Crusher”
9. “The Little House I Used To Live In”

Disc Three:

1. “Dong Work For Yuda”
2. “Bobby Brown”
3. “Envelopes”
4. “Terry Firma”
5. “Disco Boy”
6. “King Kong”
7. “Watermelon in Easter Hay”
8. “Dinah Moe Humm”
9. “Camarillo”
10. “Muffin Man”
11. “Black Napkins”
12. “San Ber’dino”

Radio Dupree Top 20 - November 2010

1. Frank Zappa - King Kong (edit) - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore - Vol. 3

2. Frank Zappa - Goblin Girl - Have I Offended Someone?

3. Frank Zappa - Holiday In Berlin - Freaks And Motherfu*#@%!


4. Elton John & Leon Russell - Gone To Shiloh - The Union

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

6. Marillion - Assassing - Fugazi

7. Frank Zappa - Inca Roads - The Lost Episodes

8. Frank Zappa - Stick It Out - Buffalo

9. Marillion - Punch & Judy - Fugazi

10. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - She's So Fine - Axis: Bold As Love

11. Brian Eno - Baby's On Fire - Here Come The Warm Jets
12. Return To Forever - Medieval Overture - Romantic Warrior
13. Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Andy - One Size Fits All
14. Atomic Rooster - Friday 13th (US version) - Atomic Ro-o-ster
15. Steely Dan - Chain Lightning - Katy Lied
16. King Crimson - The Sailor's Tale - Earthbound
17. Steely Dan - Glamour Profession - Gaucho
18. Steely Dan - Fire In The Hole - Can't Buy A Thrill
19. Santana - Riders On The Storm (featuring Chester Bennington & Ray Manzarek) - Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time
20. Jethro Tull - Wond'ring Again - Living In The Past

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

How appropriate: Yesterday it was Halloween and now Frank Zappa, an artist who was known for his special Halloween concerts, is topping our chart with three songs - a real hat trick! One of the songs being Goblin Girl that has a certain Halloween flavor.
And Zappa songs dominate this list of the songs of your choice. Six out of twenty are FZ tunes.
Two Marillion songs sneak in (on #6 and #9). Hmm, would you all like some more-a?

Zappa Plays Zappa goes to Europe

The Zappa Plays Zappa band will soon leave for Europe (UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Scandinavia). They will perform the music from one of Frank Zappa's most popular albums in its entirity: Apostrophe (').
First gig is at the Roundhouse in London on November 6, where the Frank's 70th birthday festivities will take place. (Yes, we know that FZ's birthday was on December 21).

Dweezil Zappa explains it like this:
"I'm really excited about this tour for a number of reasons. We've had the chance to learn some obscure stuff that shows off even more textural changes within the band. We're inspired and energized by the new tunes we've learned. The Apostrophe(') material is so much fun as well. Excentrifugal Forz has never been performed live by any of Frank's bands and the Apostrophe(') arrangement of Stinkfoot has not been performed either."

Walter Becker-related semi-conundrum on The Interwebs

Benjy Wertheimer? Toured with Walter Becker? See, here's one of those makes-you-wonder moments that the Internet Interwebs throws your way now and then.

Makes you wonder. If someone got their facts wrong. If I missed a Walter Becker tour. If I didn't read the liner notes closely enough. Or something completely different.

I leave the following links to you to peruse:

http://www.annarbor.com/faith/shantala/

http://www.shantalamusic.com/

Dukes of September tour update

A December 7 date has been added bringing the total to four for the second leg of the 2010 tour.

Dates announced so far:

December 04 Tower Theatre
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

December 6 The Beacon Theatre
New York, New York

December 7 The Beacon Theatre
New York, New York

December 10 Winstar Casino
Thackerville, Oklahoma

Dukes of September private party

Or at least by invitation only.

December 11 will see Lisa Blue-Baron, a Dallas lawyer, throw a Christmas party where Sheryl Crow and The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue will play.

Wall Street Journal article.

Fun video promote Bob Dylan mono box

With the release of Bob Dylan's The Original Mono Recordings box and The Witmark Demos: 1962- 1964, the recod company has put together a quite amusing back-to-mono video:

Gilmour producer on new Syd Barrett compilation

EMI/Harvest just released a new Syd Barrett compilation entitled An Introduction To Syd Barrett (EMI/Harvest). Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour is the executive producer of this album that combines Barrett's solo material with songs Barrett performed with Pink Floyd.
The album includes five new remixes. Pink Floyd's Matilda Mother gets a new mix, containing verses by both Barrett and poet Hilaire Belloc.

Pink Floyd may get back together for charity

BBC News reports that Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason has said that Pink Floyd may get back together to play concerts for charity.
"I think all of us would like the idea of repeating the Live 8 concept," Mason said.
The group's last performance was at the Live 8 concert in London in 2005.

Elton John & Leon Russell: The Union - NPR First Listen

A preview of the whole album available here (until October 19, 2010):



Tracks:

1. If It Wasn't For Bad
2. Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes
3. Hey Ahab
4. Gone To Shiloh
5. Jimmie Rodgers' Dream
6. There's No Tomorrow
7. Monkey Suit
8. The Best Part Of The Day
9. A Dream Come True
10. When Love Is Dying
11. I Should Have Sent Roses
12. Hearts Have Turned To Stone
13. Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)
14. In The Hands Of Angels

Dukes of September: One more date

A third date of the second leg of the Dukes of September Rhythm Revue tour has been posted over at donaldfagen.com.

It's back to New York and the Bacon Theatre December 6.

Dates announced so far:

December 04 Tower Theatre
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

December 6 The Beacon Theatre
New York, New York

December 10 Winstar Casino
Thackerville, Oklahoma

Solomon Burke 1940 - 2010

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Burke

Lennon for sale

December 9, 2010 marks the John Lennon's 70th birthday. And Google - who's been known to change the logo to celebrate special days - has just delivered a Lennon logo:

There's also an animated version doing the rounds.

In other news it's business as usual with people making money selling Lennon stuff like there's no tomorrow.
In a twist the planned online auction of some 850 items to mark Lennon's birthday has been marred by FBI seizing a set of John Lennon fingerprints planned to sell for at least $100.000.
Read the whole story here.

Expect more madness when we approach December 8, as he was shot that date 30 years ago.

Dukes of September December dates

The demand for more shows quickly resulted in plans for a handful dates in December.
And just days after the original Dukes of September Rhythm Revue tour ended, a couple of December shows have appeared. Not up on any of the pages of Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald or Boz Scaggs yet, but nevertheless looking genuine enough as posted by Live Nation and the like.

December 04
08:00 pm
Tower Theatre
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

http://bit.ly/do6ET1

+

December 10
09:00 pm
Winstar Casino

Thackerville, Oklahoma

All info is on the casino's Event calendar here and tickets go on sale October 11.

Expect a few more.

Rudder back on tour in Europe

Rudder will be playing dates in Europe between October 12 - November 12. This is what the schedule looks like now. Check the tour page for additions/changes.

Oct 12 Stuttgart Theaterhaus
Oct 13 Ulm Roxy
Oct 14 Karlsruhe Tollhaus
Oct 15 Darmstadt Centralstation
Oct 17 Munich Gasteig, Carl Orff Saal
Oct 18 Erlangen Redoutensaal
Oct 20 Lubeck Muk
Oct 22 Bremen Glocke
Oct 23 Hamburg Kampnagel
Oct 24 Berlin Quasimodo
Oct 26 Mannheim Alte Feuerwache
Oct 27 Mainz Frankfurter Hof
Oct 28 Kaiserslautern Kammgam
Oct 29 Bonn Harmonie
Oct 30 Dortmund Konzerthaus
Oct 31 Dusseldorf Savoy Theater
Nov 2 TBA TBA
Nov 3 Tilburg Paradox
Nov 5 Prague Jazz Dock
Nov 6 Prague Jazz Dock
Nov 12 London London Jazz Fest

Jeremy Spencer is the drummer for the first half of the tour. Keith Carlock will be back for the second.

And here's som Rudder!

Radio Dupree Top 20 - October 2010

1. Horizont - Delirium Fetisch
Tonkraft 1977-78 (various artists)

2. Frank Zappa - Twenty Small Cigars
Chunga's Revenge

3. Frank Zappa - Tell Me You Love Me
Chunga's Revenge

4. Frank Zappa - Road Ladies
Chunga's Revenge

5. Neil Young - Walk With Me
Le Noise

6. Frank Zappa - Let's Move To Cleveland
The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life

7. Frank Zappa - Stick It Out
Buffalo

8. David Bowie - Cracked Actor
Ziggy Stardust (soundtrack)

9. Genesis - Dance On A Volcano
Seconds Out

10. Frank Zappa - Transylvania Boogie
Chunga's Revenge

11. Marillion - Assassing - Fugazi
12. David Gilmour w/ Richard Wright - Arnold Layne - 45 Single
13. Frank Zappa - When The Lie's So Big - Broadway The Hard Way
14. Genesis - After The Ordeal - Selling England By The Pound
15. Talking Heads - Stay Up Late - Little Creatures
16. Godley & Creme - Madame Guillotine - Birds Of Prey... Plus
17. Donald Fagen - Teahouse On The Tracks - Kamakiriad
18. Pink Floyd - Not Now John - The Final Cut
19. Donald Fagen - Countermoon - Kamakiriad
20. Steely Dan - Babylon Sisters - Gaucho

21. Steely Dan - Glamour Profession - Gaucho
22. Donald Fagen - New Frontier - The Nightfly
23. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Eternity's Breath Part 2 - Visions Of The Emerald Beyond
25. Godley & Creme feat. Sarah Vaughn - Lost Weekend - Music From 'Consequences' + L
23. Steely Dan - Bodhisattva - Alive In America
26. Jethro Tull - Sweet Dream - Living In The Past
27. Godley & Creme - Snack Attack (Remix) - History Mix Vol 1... Plus
28. Godley & Creme - Cat's Eyes - Birds Of Prey
29. Magma - Otis - Merci
30. The Billy Cobham/George Duke Band - Hip Pockets - Live On Tour In Europe
31. Jethro Tull - Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square - Stand Up
21. Pink Floyd - Waiting For The Worms - The Wall
33. Genesis - The Knife - Trespass
34. King Crimson - Easy Money - Larks' Tongues In Aspic
35. The Tubes - Telecide - Remote Control
36. Gentle Giant - Thank You - Giant For A Day
37. Ultravox - Vienna - Vienna
38. Marillion - Punch & Judy - Fugazi
39. Larry Carlton - Tight Squeeze - Mr. 335 Live In Japan
40. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Resolution - Birds Of Fire
41. The Beatles - Within You Without You - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

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

CHARTIFACTS:

At number one we find a Swedish sound recorded some 30+ years ago: Horizont. (Link 2) (Link 3 - Swedish)

So what we have here is a band formed in 1977 playing prog rock/symphonic rock, released two albums and then the singer Tommy Nilsson went on to have a very successful solo career in Sweden in the 1980's while the guitarist Jonas Isacsson dida few kronor playing with among others Roxette.

The track is not from any of Horizont's two albums, but a compilation of various artists playing live picked from a radio show called Tonkraft.

Chunga is apparently getting his its?) revenge as Frank Zappa's album take four of the Top 10 positions this month.

And it is especially interesting as it is also our brand new Album of the Month for October. We sneaked it in on the playlist a couple of days before the end of September and apparently the tracks hit home immediately. Unlike our Album of the Month for September:

We were sincerely a bit surprised over the reactions to the album we had chosen for Album of the Month, David Bowie's Scary Monsters. Not a single positive reaction, no position on the Radio Dupree chart.
Well, we can take that. But it's a bit harder to understand why two songs form that album caused listeners to press the thumbs down button (Fashion and Ashes To Ashes) and three songs caused several drops among you listeners (Teenage Wildlife, It's No Game (Part 1) and the cd bonus track Alabama Song).

OK, Scary Monsters may not be the greatest Bowie album, but it's certainly not a bad one! It's sort of the last quality album before his ill fated Let's Dance/Tonight period.

Well, everyone does not have to be of the same opinion, but it would be interesting to get to know you feelings and/or thoughts upon this subject. Please, feel free to comment here, on the blog or by e-mail (radiodupree@yahoo.se).

Final note: Among the ususal suspects of popular Radio Dupree artists on the chart this month we find Godley & Creme who traditionally find themselves outside the Radio Dupree Top 20 however much we like them. So that's a few thumbs up we're pleased about! ;)

/Neb S & Sigurd H

And here's a bonus Horizont:

Donald Fagen friday quips

A couple of typical Fagen-flavoured comments in a Dukes of September Rhythm Revue article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

The Dukes of September may reconvene or return to Vegas: "It could be the Siegfried & Roy of the 21st century," Fagen quips.

Fagen, in the early stages of his next solo album, says "the record business has vanished as far as we're concerned." He maintains he no longer can get the budget to record anywhere but a home studio.

"None of us could make a living from records anymore," he says. "If you don't look so good naked anymore on your video, you basically have no recording career in most cases."

Brand new from Doobie Brothers

The album World Gone Crazy was released yesterday. 10 years since the last album from the group and a mere 40 years since they started playing together.

The Dukes of September in December

Additional tour dates i December is mentioned in this Rolling Stone article, and with the final date of the current tour for The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue (Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs) being Las Vegas on October 2, it is time to look for any signs of those December dates...

And look what we found!

Thackerville, Oklahoma and the Winstar Casino is the place to catch the band.

All info is on the casino's Event calendar here and tickets go on sale October 11.

Additional December dates? We'll have to wait for those. But as it says on Michael McDonald's homepage; "More dates to be announced soon".

Phil Collins tops album chart after 12 years

Phil Collins is back on the charts again.
Photo: http://www.philcollins.co.uk/

***

BBC reports that Collins is on the top of the UK albums chart with his collection of Motown and soul covers - Going Back - 12 years after his last number one.

Radio Dupree also on Twitter

If you're using Twitter and drop in here now and then to check what's new on th blog, you might consider adding Radio Dupree to those your're following on Twitter. Why? Not only do we autopost a message/link whenever we update this blog, we also tweet the occasional non-blog entry on Twitter alone.

Here's where you find us on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/radio_dupree

And these are a few of our recent Twitter-only posts:

Dan Rather Found Wandering the Desert in a Blanket looking for Walter Becker http://bit.ly/a0WWaW

Bruce Springsteen hijacks a NJ couple's photo shoot | Blogness on the Edge of Town http://bit.ly/bUicGs

Jon Herington spotted jammin' in New Yorkl during Dukes tour break http://bit.ly/bxlGSn

Have you left anything for the year 2040 in the John Lennon Time Capsule? http://www.boxofvision.com/TimeCapsule/

Steve Lukather's new solo album All’s Well That Ends Well out 11th October 2010 feat Tubes' Fee Waybill on backing vocals and co-writing.

Music Week reviews Elton John & Leon Russell upcoming album The Union http://bit.ly/b2uQIF

Michael McDonald on the Dukes of September tour http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ragogna/emdukes-of-september-mcca_b_698583.html

Lennon's toilet sells for £9,500 ($14,650) in Beatles auction! Full story & pic: http://bbc.in/axaG5i

Ex Abba members in rage over nationalist party

The Danish nationalistic party Dansk Folkeparti re-wrote the Abba-song Mamma Mia for their congress last weekend. The authors Benny Andersson och Björn Ulvaeus are not amused.
TT Spectra and Aftonbladet reports that Dansk Folkeparti's youth association changed the words in the chorus to "Mamma Pia" to honour Pia Kjaersgaard, the leader of the party.
However, nobody asked ex Abba members Benny Andersson och Björn Ulvaeus for permission to use the song.
"First of all: you are not free to rewrite songs just the way you want, and secondly: They must get that we are not interested in supporting their party", says Benny Andersson to news agency TT Spektra.

The case is now in the hands of lawyers of their publishing company Universal Music.

Will not sue Dansk Folkeparti
Update September 24, 2010: Universal Music Publishing will not sue Dansk Folkeparti. Olle Rönnbäck, head of film and tv on Universal Music Publishing tells TT Spektra that the song was performed at a meeting that was not open to the public:
"And they told us they will not perform it again, so that's it."

Mavis Staples "Wrote A Song For Everyone"

Here's her version of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song from 1969. It's on her brand new record You Are Not Alone.

Mavis Staples - Wrote A Song For Everyone by antirecords

Sweden's prime minister disliked Zappa concert

We heard the Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (also head of the conservative party) on the P4 Extra show on Sveriges Radio today.
After playing his request Bobby Brown by Frank Zappa, Reinfeldt said that Zappa's show in Stockholm 1982 was a disappointment though: Zappa told the audience to "sit down!" and wiped out all the party spirit and then began noodling on his guitar.
Well, that might have been the reaction among persons who had not heard more than Bobby Brown and Joe's Garage. The slightly more qualified fans probably didn't mind FZ's sometimes harsh comments (which often were not meant to be taken seriously)...and why buy a ticket to a FZ show if you're not into his guitar playing??

Mr Reinfeldt, did you really hope to get our votes in the election on Sunday?

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=2151&grupp=12163

Photo: Emilia Öije.

Frida of Abba sings on Jojje Wadenius album

Former Abba member Annifrid Lyngstad is one of the vocalists on Swedish guitarist Jojje Wadenius' new album.
Lyngstad sings Cat Steven's Morning Has Broken.
The Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reports that this is Lyngstad's first recording since her contribution on a Jon Lord album six years ago.
The cd entitled Reconnection also includes guest appearances by Nina Persson (The Cardigans) and Helen Sjöholm, and a cover version of Peter Gabriel's Don't Give Up, sung by Nicolai Dunger and Silje Nergaard.