It will come as no surprise to long-time readers of this here blog that I consider FOW to have been one of the all-time great -- maybe even one of the top ten great -- American rock bands ever. I will go further and say that the performance above -- which I was unaware of until two days ago -- was taped at a moment in time when they were, quite literally, the greatest rock-and-roll band in the freaking world.
Okay, and with that established, we move on to our weekend bizness. To wit:
...and your favorite (or least favorite) post-Elvis live performance of a single song by a pop/rock/c&w/soul/blues band or solo performer is...?
No arbitrary rules, but obviously we're talking about a performance that has been immortalized as an audio or video recording, not something you personally saw and we have to take how fabulous it was on your word only.
Okay, discuss.
And have a great weekend, everybody!
We'll see you next week when posting resumes from our forthcoming vacation in Ron DeSantis' dystopian hellscape of Florida (specifically, the part run by Disney.)
Pray for us!!!
The first one to come to mind is Psycho Killer starting off the Stop Making Sense Talking Heads film. Which is really a collection of some pretty fabulous live recordings.
ReplyDeleteThe Beatles: I'm Down from The Beatles at Shea.
ReplyDeleteA crazed, chaotic performance to cap off a crazed, chaotic show. Bonus moment: John's keyboard solo played with his elbows.
801's cover of Tomorrow Never Knows completely reinvented the song in a fabulous way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-6s9JlNSkU
ReplyDelete- Paul in DK
Peter Gabriel ft. Paula Cole - Don't Give Up - Secret World Live (1993)
ReplyDeletethe only time i saw pg in person was in the 1980s - i believe this tour in 1993 was the last when he had head hair and was not obviously overweight
paula cole is great here too
I second Paul In DK's vote for 801's "Tomorrow Never Knows." Mindblowing.
ReplyDeleteRichard Thompson doing Cooksferry Queen on later with Jools Holland
ReplyDeleteThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with the Prince solo.
ReplyDeleteI would also add "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings on Saturday Night Live (which I can't find a link for, but it was amazing...)
ReplyDeleteAnd my nominee is…..the Stones “Little Queenie” on Ya-Yas.
ReplyDeletePlus a bunch of stuff on Springsteen bootlegs, but that’s a whole other story.
😎
Springsteen's take of Jimmy Cliff's 'Trapped' is, as you say, transplendent:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyDYwxVivmU
The Who - Baba O’Reilly
ReplyDelete‘The Kids Are Alright!’
Captain Al
maybe Elton John on the Muppets Show doing Crocodile Rock with the Muppet House Band?
ReplyDeleters
So many choices, but I've probably watched this clip of Neil Finn and his band performing Into the Sunset at least 2 dozen times in the last couple of years:
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/blNuKD-J0cE?si=FqSl_8cwdekamPqx
And just to be way out of range The Danish National Symphony Orchestra doing The Good The Bad and The Ugly/FOr the Love of Money
ReplyDeleteWha- Whaaaaaa.
https://youtu.be/sQfnXa2SOBQ?si=OTdjyu-jAlxRjyyM
Dunno if this is good or bad, but I remember being gobsmacked to see Gang of Four performing 'I Love a Man in Uniform' on Dance Fever (starring Denny Terrio!)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLnIf0JjszY&t=4s
Alzo -- I'm speechless.
ReplyDelete2 from Sesame Street
ReplyDeleteStevie Wonder - Superstition
Feist - 1 2 3 4
Both of those videos performances give me great pleasure. I can’t do anything but smile.
Captain Al
All right. One last one then I’ll stop.
ReplyDeleteSatisfaction - Rolling Stones
‘Gimme Shelter’
Captain Al
Neil Young Rockin’ In The Free World; SNL [September 30, 1989]
ReplyDeletehttps://vimeo.com/261974485
Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane" from Rock and Roll Animal.
ReplyDeleteNew Pornos knocking Bleeding Heat Show outta the park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiV0TuBNIXE
ReplyDeleteGuilty pleasure: Gogol Bordello knocking the English language outta the park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B21uAMbkbo
Guiltier pleasure: Captain Kirk and Joe Jackson knocking Common People outta the solar system: https://vimeo.com/714215610
Been looking for the Shatner/Folds/Jackson clip fir a while - thanks!
DeleteReally enjoying the links here, that Common People cover is, well, certainly worth viewing!
ReplyDeleteBeastie Boys with ‘Sabotage’ - probably my fave performance from a Letterman show
https://youtu.be/_WvgGdivQzE?si=jRkQ7wERLGd6Uu-X
And the Replacements, making it thru ‘Bastards of Young’ on SNL:
https://www.facebook.com/decadeclub77/videos/the-replacements-on-saturday-night-live/220341292305633/
Westerberg with “take one step and miss the whole first rung” - loved this band, wished for them all the success they deserved, but it seems the world doesn’t quite work that way
Cowboy Junkies -- Sweet Jane on Trinity Revisted.
ReplyDeleteThe Who, Amazing Journey/Sparks, from the full version of Live at Leeds. ‘Nuff said.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGtBx8gW8pc
I've come too far to not say A Quick One from Rock and Roll Circus.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is my favorite outtake from On the Beach:
https://youtu.be/H47es-RsJKw?si=SHo927mev50ctuVO
Bill
That selection of "I'm Down" from Shea Stadium is not to be trifled with.
ReplyDelete