Live Full House, It Has No Equal.

Last night, for some reason, I took a stroll through my younger days. It is not something healthy, there were many mistakes, in the words of Ian Anderson;

"Many's the sadness I've left behind me,
Many's the day when I have done wrong."

But, sometimes it isn't too bad, and there are some good things to be found among the rubble.

For instance Live Full House, from the J. Giel's Band. Chicago Style Blues wrapped up in a rock and roll coat, screaming defiantly at convention.

Normally, live albums are not among my favorites, but Live Full House is a very happy exception. It is raucous, wild, exuberant ride through some blues classics, and some original music. Obviously, this band has some chops, but pays tribute to the giants that came before them.

Smashing and torching Homework by Otis Redding, and hammering a killer version of First I Look at the Purse from Smokey Robinson makes great music indeed. But, they were no slouches in song writing either. Hard Driving Man and the greatest harmonica song ever Whammer Jammer round out a killer album.

I had to head over to iTunes and grab a copy, less than $8.00 and the price is the same on Amazon, and probably Google Play, too.

Driving to work this morning I put the album on, without even using shuffle, and I almost always use shuffle, turned up the volume and jammed all the way to work. Peter Wolf singing, J Geils scorching the guitar, Magic Dick working magic with a harmonica, and Danny Klein on the electric bass from outer space, Seth Justman wailing on organ and piano, and Stephan Bladd keeping time on drums, made the commute fantastic, I can't wait for the drive home.

I know the poker hand on the cover is not a full house, but I don't care, that is how good this album really sounds. I may have been a lot smarter in my youth than I thought

There is a lot of music, but only one Bob Dylan.

Fifty years ago today Bob Dylan went on stage at the Newport Folk Festival and cranked up a set of electric music. He was accompanied by a group of musicians including Al Kooper, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band he hammered out a raucous version of Maggie's Farm. It did not electrify the crowd. They were furious, screaming, yelling insults, and jeering, they felt Dylan had sold out.

Dylan seemed unrepentant, touring Europe playing electric music, and in general infuriating people. Whether the boos, jeers and anger bothered him is not widely known, but he had chosen a course and as Bob Dylan will do, he followed it. 

Throughout his career Dylan took his own path. Sometimes it was militant Christianity ("you either got faith or you got unbelief and there ain't no neutral ground")*, sometimes it was music built around stage directions ("enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall"). Whatever it was it always seemed he was making music he thought he should.

He was a moving target, who went his own way, and it really started 50 years ago today. Whatever your opinion (and he probably doesn't care) today is an important day in music history, so raise a glass of something you enjoy, and say a silent thank you to the unwilling voice of a generation.*** 

"Now the moral of this story, 

The moral of this song,

Is simply that one should never be 

where one does not belong,

So, when you see your neighbor carryin' somethin'

Help him with his load

And don't go mistakin' Paradise 

For that house across the road."****

*"Precious Angel" from Slow Train Coming

**"Hurricane" from Desire

***I am a big fan.

****The "Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" from John Wesley Harding