Here’s one I’d heard about but never heard. This song is from the Out Takes from the Secret Tapes album from about 1987. Great guitar and bass and a driving melody. Many of the songs that are on this Out Takes album later show up on other releases. However, the energy on these versions is outstanding.

NOTE:

I’ve just learned that this song was from the movie Baja Oklahoma and the lyrics were written by Dan Jenkins and the music by Willie Nelson. Willie sang with Leslie Ann Warren on the song at the end of the movie. Since the movie was released in 1988 it seems a little strange that John should record it. John did a few covers in concerts and at sound checks but rarely recorded them. I wonder if he and the band were just playing around in the studio and recorded this song. In any case, his version is much higher energy than the one used in the movie.

Thanks to Tom Thomas for the correction.

Texas In Your Soul

After my previous post of Michael Stewart doing Looking Back Johanna I started looking around for John’s own version of the song. I found that my favorite was the last song on the Front Row Music double cd set. We video taped the performance at the Turf Inn in Dalry, Scotland in 2000, and it became the Front Row Moonlight video as well as the Front Row Music cd.

After John’s death I posted the video on my Youtube channel but due to time constraints I couldn’t include Looking Back Johanna.

This is the final track from the cd. It’s a medley of Looking Back Johanna, Missouri Birds, Cowboy in the Distance and If You Should Remember Me.

The cd and dvd can be ordered at our store link on the home page.

Front Row Music Medley

This was recorded at Fibbers in York, England, on the 12th of September, 2000.

John was in the UK to aid in the release of the Wires From the Bunker album. Kris and I had met him at the train station in York earlier in the day and walked with him around York. It was something to see. A tall guy with a cowboy hat and a guitar over his shoulder, a guy following him with a video camera, Kris and Sparkle and Chris, the show’s promoter. All of us walking through the crowds at York Minster trying to find the radio station. Some of the footage made it to the Front Row Moonlight video.

This show was a few nights before the gig in Dalry that we filmed for the Front Row Moonlight video. I also taped this show but because the lighting was so poor it didn’t work out very well.

John’s fans are an interesting lot. I’m still meeting people that I’ve known for years through the internet. Putting a face to the name is a struggle sometimes. On the day that this was recorded Kris and I were walking down the hill from the York City Centre to our B and B. Just ahead of us was a guy headed the same direction who kept looking our way. When we got to the B and B we discovered that it was Rod Geddes who was, at that time, the vicar on the Isle of Man. Rod has since returned to the mainland and is the vicar in Gargrave in Yorkshire. We have visited him several times and got alot out of his knowledge of John’s music.

John had only a few cover songs. He loved the Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel, Steve Earle and a few others. Here he does Procol Harum’s Whiter Shade of Pale. He changes the lyrics slightly and commented to me later that he wasn’t sure anyone noticed. I particularly love the guitar work in this song.

 

Whiter Shade of Pale

John’s daughter, Amy, has organized a Team to raise funds in the 2010 Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk.

Amy’s Team Goal is $3,000. If anyone wold care to contribute; here is the link.

Amy’s Memory Walk Team

I’ve spent the last few days trying to find where this track came from. I was pretty sure it was from about 1987, because Chris Mostert is playing a great wailing sax on this song. I just spoke with Dave Batti and he says he played the bass and Dennis Kenmore was on drums. He doesn’t remember where it came from either or even what the song is called.

So here is what I think is an unreleased cut. This was done during the time when John was really playing some rock and roll. The interesting thing about this song to me is the time change about half way through.

If anyone knows the origins I’d love to hear what they are.

UPDATE: I think I may have found the origins of the song. The Vicar, Rod Geddes of Gargrave, Yorkshire, identified the song as Hunger in Your Heart and the time frame as about 1986. He refers to it as an ‘outtake from the Secret Tapes Sessions’.

Thanks Rod.

Hunger In Your Heart

Over the years I have accumulated a number of different live recordings. They encompass many years and vary widely in the quality of the recording.

I’m going to try to load some of the highlights here over the next few weeks and months.

I don’t know where this track was recorded. I know that John rarely performed it live. I heard him do it once and that was at the John Stewart Ultimate Weekend in Chicago in 2000.

Cat- This one is for me and you.

Signals to Ludi

I’m really not sure when this song was recorded. I have it on several different discs one of which was given to me several years ago by John. My memory says that he told me he recorded the song in the studio so that Buffy could learn it.

Wilderness was released on the original cassette version of Havana, released by Neon Dreams. it was not on the cd released by Appleseed. I think John always thought of this as Buffy’s song as she did such a great job on it. I heard her do it at the WFMA Tribute to John and it was terrific.

I’d also be very curious as to who is playing the harmonica at the beginning of the song. Henry Diltz was John’s great friend and Harmonica Player of Choice. I wonder if it’s him playing.

Wilderness

As well as being a great songwriter and an okay singer; John was always a first class stylist. He could take another writer’s song and tun it into something different and interesting.

Here is John singing a very different version of  Lucky Old Sun. I first heard this song in about 1968. The version I first heard was done by Tommy Cash; Johnny’s brother. Frankie Lane and Ray Charles also did great versions. After John did this song he commented that it was one of his favorite songs and he had no idea who wrote it.

According to Wiki ; That Lucky Old Sun” is a 1949 popular song with music by Beasley Smith and words by Haven Gillespie.

This recording was done at the Turning Point in Piermont, New York, on March 23, 2000.

Lucky Old Sun

John loved this song because it usually ended up as a jam session. This one is no exception.My favorite memory of this night is Dave Batti standing on a speaker and playing the bass.

This was the last song of the night.

Later John said to me “we left ’em bleeding”. And they did.

Never Goin’ Back