That's the great Joe Ely singing lead on the track (other vocalists on the album include John Hiatt, Rodney Crowell, Freddy Fender, Raul Malo, and Lyle Lovett), and I'm not 100 percent crazy about the liberties he takes with the melody line, but my god -- the band is just to die for. That big instrumental build-up leading into the finale is like The Who if they'd gone Tex-Mex.
Words, as I often say, fail me.
BTW, I have long been (and still am) a big fan of Phil Seymour's rather more traditional 1981 version, but I had not been aware of the video that went with it until the other day.
Phil busting a move is quite charming, n'est-ce pas?
[h/t Sal Nunziato]
14 comments:
Both of these are fabulous. I recall seeing Phil Seymour put on a killer show at The Old Waldorf around the time of the video. He, Joe Ely, and Dwight Twilley all should have had more success.
- Paul in DK
Never heard of him but great song.
He reminds me of the great AC/DC song - It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.
Philip is now probably flipping houses in East Detroit. ;-)
rob
Just great! Yet, your bands swing equally well. IMHO, just a drummer in a R ‘n R band.
Alas, Phil died of lymphoma age 41.
Marshall Crenshaw, who is a massive Bobby Fuller fan, also does a great version of "Let Her Dance" at the end of his "GOOD EVENING" album (on Warner Bros., from 1989).
Big Beat Records in the U.K. has a 24-track CD comp on Phil Seymour, titled "THE PRINCE OF POWER POP", for those who want to investigate more of his music.
Love Marshall's version!
This is very good!!
Steve I'm sorry about making that smart alec remark.
rob
Both are HOT! Bobby Fuller's version is great also. Why haven't ever heard this song before?
Great column today Steve!
Captain Al
Los Super Seven are playing a benefit in Los Angeles later this month:
https://thegooddeedcorps.networkforgood.com/events/57049-second-annual-concert-for-democracy
Second Annual Concert for Democracy
June 16, 2023
6:30PM — 10:00PM
Ukrainian Culture Center Los Angeles
4315 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029
Love nearly every version. My kids got to know it from the soundtrack of Fantastic Mr Fox movie.
The main guitar riff is really "LaBamba" sideways. Think about it.
Phil Seymour is precious to me.
Phil Seymour. I suppose it would be too precious of me to say he’s precious to me. So, apologies. His version of Let Her Dance is second only to Fuller’s. But I prefer it live. When his band was firing on all cylinders, their Let Her Dance surpasses Fuller’s. Those fuckers could make those guitars ring. Hearing him do the Fuller classic evokes a lot of memories of the vibrant L.A. club scene of the late 70’s-early 80’s. Phil was ubiquitous after the Twilley Band. Fronting his own bands, hooking up with 20/20 and the Textones too.
As far as the Twilley Band went, early on they didn’t do too many gigs around here. As far as I know, anyway. But I did see ‘em at the Golden Bear and, directly after, at the Roxy. Tom Petty guested at the Roxy show. The last time I saw Twilley with Phil Seymour still in the band was out in Monrovia at a small club called The Woodsound. Twilley Band headlined and were great.
But it was a fucked-up billing. The opening band was a bunch of pretty bad hard rock Van Halen wannabee’s. Problem was, they had a huge local following. Most of the people there came for the openers. Their name was Snow. The flyers for the gig said they were “pure un-cut rock.” You get the idea, right? They were pretty terrible. When Twilley came on, a lot of people left and many who stayed weren’t pleased. Idiots, all.
BTW, the guitarist for Snow went on to replace Randy Rhoads in Quiet Riot. No shit. They proceeded to stink up the airwaves with Metal Health and made lots of money to feed their habits. But enough about the insufferable Kevin duBrow’s band. Except for one more thing kinda about Snow.
Sandy slept with the lead singer of a rock band called the Boyz. Eventually, I ended up screwing him too. But by that time he was in the White, a Led Zeppelin tribute band. One of the first of its kind and a pretty good outfit too. It was the poor girl’s way of sleeping with Robert Plant, only better looking. What can I say, he was a whore and we were both sluts.
There were a lot of bands from the Pasadena area and they all were friendly. Even after Van Halen got big, they still hung around with a lot of their local musician friends. So, anyway, Sandy sleeps with the lead singer of the Boyz and the next afternoon he took her to lunch at a well-known Mexican restaurant in Pasadena. Local musicians often met there and hung out. Well, Eddie Van Halen and Michael Anthony were there holding court with some of the guys from the Boyz, Snow and some other band who I think was named Stormer. But don’t hold me to it. It’s a large group of people and the help pushed some tables together to accommodate the group.
The Mariachi band came to the table to serenade them and shortly after, Eddie Van Halen hands them a wad of hundred-dollar bills for their guitars. Next thing you know he and the guitarist from Snow are on top of the table leading the throng in a rousing rendition of “Sit On My Face Stevie Nicks.” A popular punk rock song in L.A. at the time.
First time I saw Phil Seymour and The Feel, it was at the Cuckoo’s Nest in Costa Mesa. It was a week night and few people turned out. Didn’t matter. They were super energetic and fiery. Seymour’s band hit all the clubs that mattered playing alongside the likes of Code Blue, Textones, Elton Duck, Toni & the Movers, Plimsouls, Blasters, Billy & the Beaters, Motels, Gary Myrick & the Figures, Shandi Sinnamon, Gary Valentine & the Know, and 20/20. He opened up for Mink DeVille at the Roxy too. Jesus Christ I saw him so many times. I’m afraid I took it for granted. One of the guys in the Feel told me that they were gonna play at Kathy Valentine’s 21st birthday party. He invited me and Sandy to come. It was at some club in Marina Del Rey. Kathy was still a Textone at this point. Her band played, as did the Plimsouls and Phil & the Feel. Good times.
Just got back from another Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs show in Solana Beach. Whhat a way to start the week.
Crenshaw’s version is good too. It’s hard to fuck up a good song but I think the Equals did. Los Super 7 is gonna have Dave Alvin guest with them on their next show. I’m there.
VR
The Bobby Fuller Four played a daytime gig at my high school in L.A. in spring 1966, best as I can pinpoint the date. (It was definitely after the Byrds were obliged to honor their paltry pre-Tambourine Man contract for a daytime performance; that was fall '65. It paid to buy a student-body card that year.) "Let Her Dance" was my fave AM rave, so I was delighted to hear it live.
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