This is a pretty amazing video passed along from a friend, thanks Neil.

I’ve only recently begun my journey into reggae, that is to say that my journey has now gone past what I perceived to be reggae and has landed me firmly in the middle of a Dub state of mind. I started with Scratch Perry turned left at King Tubby, enjoyed Keith Hudson, Augustus Pablo, and Cornell Campbell, I have enjoyed them all and am always on the lookout for more. Any suggestions? What I bring to the table today is a connecting point for myself and “dub.” I love wailing guitars, in fact I am a sucker for them, usually the more the better. I found this base element lacking in most of what I heard until recently, until Carl Harvey that is. Carl Harvey is a Jamaican born (canadian) who’s bio reads like a who’s who in the music industry. For over twenty years he has been a Maytall (ya know Toots, rihgt?) this year alone he is out on the road with the likes of the Stones, Dave Mathews, Los Lonely Boys, and Jimmy Buffet. My god am I the last one to know about everything? Anyways it’s his guitar playing that I have connected with as it is fantastic, somewhere between George Benson and Eddie Hazel. You’ve gotta hear this guy play. Re-released in 2005 “Ecstasy of Mankind” is Carl laying down guitar licks over Bunny “Striker” Lee riddims, he was never paid for the sessions and they only took a few hours. Carl Harvey’s “Ecstasy of Mankind” is available on eMusic.

MP3
Download: Carl Harvey – Break Outs
Download: Carl Harvey – Guitar Inferno

Off to see ZZ Top on Saturday night, I am excited, cautiously so as they are perhaps one of my favorite bands certainly Mr. Gibbons has become one of favorite guitar players since I took up the instrument. I am somewhat fearful that I will be disappointed. Going strong for almost 40 years now they ain’t getting any younger, still it should be good to hear them make a racket. I’ll leave you with tis little gem from the mule telstar outakes a cover of Just got paid…enjoy.

MP3
Download: Gov’t Mule - Just Got Paid

I am really enjoying an advance copy of the new Band of Horses disc “cease to begin.” I am not familiar with this band, having missed out on their earlier release “everything all the time.” Which I am also thoroughly enjoying. I suppose that they can best be described as My Morning Jacket jr. Vocal stylings are very similar however I find the music has a little harder edge to it venturing more toward the rock side while My morning stays entrenched in the pop side of things. this is definitely ethereal Headphone music so just sit back and enjoy. I am.

MP3
Download: Band of Horses - Is There a Ghost

Thanks to the Drunkard I was able to get my hands on a copy of the Stones’ outtakes for the Exile Sessions. Included in these 14 tracks is the First take version of “Tumbling Dice ” titled “Good Time Woman.” Good Time Woman is actually an outtake from the Sticky Fingers sessions and was carried over to the famous Villa Nellcôte sessions. Although it doesn’t contain the opening guitar riff or any of the background vocals, it contains the essence of the song which is the groove. “IT’S SO LAID-BACK, it really sucks you in with that groove.” Aerosmiths’s Joe Perry. The basic groove of Good time was laid down on August 3, 1971. “When I arrived the following day I found Mick Taylor playing bass. i hung around until 3 am, then left.” - Bill Wyman. As history states the whole recording session in France was a mess from the start as drugs and legal issues swirled around the band, it’s a wonder they were able to get anything on tape. Some claim that there are over a 150 takes on this song alone and producer Andy Johns claims “we had hundred of reels of tape on the basic track. That was a good song, but it was really like pulling teeth. It just went on and on.” Tumbling Dice was released as the first single on Exile on Main Street and peaked at number 7 on the US charts it was first played live in 1972 and since then has been played at virtually every Stones show although in classic Stones fashion not all agree on the songs merits, with Keith and Mick often times arguing over the speed of the song in concert, keith opting for the more slowed down groove. “I don’ t really know what people like about it, I don’t think it’ s our best stuff. I don’ t think it has good lyrics. But people seem to really like it, so good for them.” -Mick Jagger.

So I hate to do it as my musical tastes vary as much as the weather does. But it seems that the only way I can sleep at night is to get on here and put together this list. There may be some detractors assuming that I have any readers and there may be some who just don’t get it but for what it is worth, I along with dozens of other folks are going to force feed you our opinion on what is worth listening to, screw me and screw them. I enjoy being pointed in a direction perhaps for inspiration or that one great album I may have missed along the way. It seems these days more of the music I discover is of the older variety, perhaps something I got into late (see Buddy Miller) It’s always best when swallowed at ones own pace isn’t it? I enjoy delving deep into catalogs; some don’t, the important thing is to realize that these are lists put together by someone who is not you. Have an Open Mind and maybe at some point down the road you’ll come to swallow these pills for yourself, or maybe you wont, it’s all fine with me. Here goes:

1. Mars Volta – Frances the Mute – Deloused blew my mind, it took me over a year to come to fully appreciate that record and a lot of nudging form a very influential friend. In ’05 Volta dropped Frances and I still have not got my head entirely around this album, every listen revealing another layer or lyric that wasn’t there the first 12 listens or so. Live these guys are Page/Plant reincarnate. The mars Volta are the future of Rock music and this album announces their arrival.
2. American Minor – American Minor – “I’m laying down my Queen; I’m laying down my Ace!” The kind of group that I have longed for since Petty went semi-soft. This is good old fashioned rock with attitude, and the music scene thanks them for it. Buffalo Creek is worth the price of this CD.
3. Spoon – Gimme Fiction – So I’m not really a huge fan of indie Power Pop, but we’re keeping an open mind right so this album grabbed me from the first listen and had me singing along from start to finish. Well Constructed, well produced and well done! This was close to being my number one choice but fell just short.
4. The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday - Wow! This is great! How’s that for a review? Keep it simple right? Once again an album that points to the future of rock music, this is a powerful celebration of the underbelly of the night, sleazy streets and bars and the characters that inhabit them, The Hold Steady travel down to the Asbury Park that Springsteen introduced us too and welcome us in for another round; only if Springsteen lost his swagger in the late 70’s these guys picked it up and wear it proudly on their sleeves.
5. Lee Ann Womack – There’s More where that Came From – I grew up on Country and Western Music, it was always on in my house, my dad was a cowboy and I have always fancied myself one also (those who know me know that I am as far removed from being a Cowboy as possible) that being the case Lee Ann has constructed what amounts to an amazing listen, this album drips and oozes the past, Tammy Wynette, Kitty Wells, and of course Loretta Lynn. This is C/W music and I love it like this. Check “Twenty Years and Two Heartaches Ago.”
6. Judas Priest – Angel of Retribution – So if I handed you this CD with a blank sleeve you would say “Wow! These guys sound like old Priest only they really rock hard, that is an amazing sound, my god you must be some kind of a music genius to hand me something this refreshing and powerful.” Or something to that effect, anyways this CD suffers form the fact that it is Judas priest if it was some up and coming Hard Rock act everyone would be oohing and ahing over this album. I’m just saying.

Well that’s it. Enjoy; oh yeah almost forgot this is some stuff that Almost made it onto the list but has definatley been in my player for a while the last twelve months(keep an open mind): Danger Doom; Tea Leaf Green; Assembly of Dust; Lil’ Kim (yes that one); Opeth; Matisyahu; Cyndi Lauper; john Mayer Trio (need to hear it to believe it); White Stripes; Dungen (should have made the list-incredible stuff); North Mississippi All Stars; Robert Plant; Gorillaz;

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