Monday, April 20, 2009

Fun With Downloads: On the Bowery


From 1976, please enjoy the standout track (for my money) on the Live at CBGBs album -- Mink DeVille's mildly astonishing "Let Me Dream if I Want To."

This is early Mink -- with Willy and the band doing their best imitation of Lou Reed fronting The Stones, rather than the sort of Springsteen En Espanol bombast they got famous for later. Great stuff, in any case.

You can download it HERE. As always, if the authorization has expired before you get to it, just e-mail me and I'll shoot you the mp3.

And get me drunk sometime and I'll tell you a truly harrowing Willy DeVille story which I can't print here for fear of lawyers. Suffice it to say that when I was a baby rock critic I saw some stuff that should have motivated me to seek employment in another less colorful field.

[h/t Laura]

6 comments:

Who Am Us Anyway? said...

Lou Reed fronting the Stones -- I'll take it! Thanks Steve.

NYMary said...

Okay, I am setting aside money for your next spree....

MBowen said...

He was the middle act between Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello back in 1978 in Syracuse. I swear I saw both Nick and Elvis laughing at him in the wings as he was doing his greaser-poseur schtick.

steve simels said...

I saw that tour. The coolest promo single ever came out as a result -- a 12 inch that was Columbia Records on one side and Capitol Records on the other.

The record company equivalent of one of those DC/Marvel crossovers in the 70s. Superman vs the Hulk, or Batman vs Spiderman.

ms. rosa said...

I just HAPPENED to get two of those later Springsteen-esque Mink records this past weekend (Coup and Bleu). I couldn't resist the 50%-off-used-vinyl 'Record Store Day' sales. I love me some Mink Deville but not at full price! (I also picked up 'Savage Eye' and 'Silk Torpedo'...)

Hey send a girl an mp3? We're at capacity already...

Kid Charlemagne said...

Saw Mink DeVille way back when in '79 or so. In one of the world's greatest miss-billings, AC/DC opened for him and absolutely blew him off the stage.