ORGONE-a universal life force of funk

Usually I only put stuff up here thats out of print, rare, or something likewise . I sorta feel guilty posting these few mp3s for free and I know I shouldn't be doing it but I really think in the long run it helps rather than hinders. For example,I was turned on to these guys buy way of a USB drive full of pirated music. Their album "The Killion Floor" was on there and I was floored the first time I heard it. I knew Ubiquity was a label to watch but how these guys had flown under my radar for ao long is a still mystery. The guys were hot!.

The instrumentals are all funky break rumpshakers that got a groove a mile deep and twice as long. . Killer beats, killer horns , its a nine piece band so they've got a little bit of everything going on in there except maybe a banjo and a washboard. And if i stopped at the instrumentals these guys would be killer . PERIOD. But fortunately it doesn't stop with the instrumental funky groovers. Thats just where it starts. And when one Fanny Franklin steps behind that microphone - look the fuck out!!!! This chick can jump, jive, and wail. Shes got a voice that just stands above the rest. I'm sure the comparison has been made before but she was like " ALL TINA, NO IKE" . She reminded me of a young, hungry Tina Turner , only better because hopefully some coked-up fool wasn't smacking her around after the show .

The guys hail from LA. so they're about as west coast as they're gonna get from the east coast. I had recently changed shifts at work and was now in the pilot seat of a cushy 8-4 monday thru friday position. so as Im leaving work the second week of working 8-4 i get a text that says..... ORGONE- FREE SHOW @ Applalchian Brewing Company tonight. So not only are they gonna be less than an hour from my house, they're gonna play for free....... at one of the better brewpubs in Harrisburg. I can't fucking lose. this is great!. I call up my friend Rammer , a friend who is almost always up to get down with some live music, to see if he's in for the ride. He agrees and I scramble to fit in my evening workout, and find a piece of headfood for the show before i pick him up. we wind up parking next to the van bus in the load-in/ load-out area behind ABC.
We make the trip to harriasburg, enjoy a great meal ( the rare tuna over grilled casear salad is incredible.) we have a few beers and just in time for the music to start. theres probably only maybe 25 maybe 30 max people in the entire place but they put on a show like it was 130..... they played for about and hour and a half straight and called it an evening. they hung out at the merch table for a while, were very gracious about signing the vinyl I'd purchased 3 LPs and 1-12inch. these guys were great, I know they're playing some festivals this summer and I encourage you to check'em out.....and if ya get to meet them , tell'em ya know kingskunk45 from the Harrisburg show and they might remember me........ Since we 'd been parked beside them all night , we graciously accepted their invitation to hop in the van and chill for a while before we went home. We bull-shitted, talked music , ect for a while and then began the trip back to C-Burg.
Which brings me back around to my original point about giving their music away for free here. If it hadn't been for pirated music I'd have never been turned onto this band , nor would i have gone to the show ( which I would have paid admission to see) or purchased $60 worth of their vinyl records. And so I'm gonna allow a bit more of pirated music help turn you on to them too. I'm facebook friends with the band so there is a good chance they'll see this. Hopefully they'll be cool with it,.. if not just send me an email and I'll take down the downloads. I think you guys are great and obviously im not trying to make a buck off of your name,. im just trying to turn more people onto your music.

The music- I've chosen 2 vocal singles and one instrumental song along with a 22 minute mega mix that came off of the 12inch I bought........ its a mix of alot of their different songs so for a good overview of the band and its sound check it out first.

Time Tonight Mega-Mix 12 inch -22 minute mix of some great Orgone material... this is a great overview of the band right click and save to download , or listen right here


Crazy Queen -- This vocal track is off of their newest LP Cali Fever enjoy! right click and save to download . or listen right here


Who Knows Who- Another vocal single from their 2007 debut album The Killion Floor. right click and save to download .... or listen right here


Sophisticated Honky - An instrumental single single from their 2007 debut album The Killion Floor. Right click on the song title and follow the prompts to download . or listen right here

Ella Fitzgerald Knocks on Wood,puts the Cream in her coffee and flirts with the Beatles

I ain't gonna sit here and front that I know more about Ella Fitzgerald than you do. Yeah, I could look at the wikipedia article and act like I'm quoting Mao straight off the dome. But I ain't gonna.
Straight up, I've had a bad day, and for the most part I"m in a foul mood. Or maybe I should say "was" in a bad mood. 6 shots of Jager ,some tube-pulling and a little bit of that funky soul groove has definitely changed my demeanor. And I'm feeling in the mood to write. People frequently ask me why I don't post more frequently,and although I'd like to I always seem to be short on time, and I just gotta be in the mood to sit at a computer and pontificate about music through a keyboard instead of face-to-face with the few people I'll discuss music with in-depth.
So I'ma just gonna toss out a few facts about Ella that you may or may not know....First and foremost- the girls pipes had a 3,yes THREE, octave range. Good luck finding that today in an age where auto-tune , auto-tone or whatever the fuck that travesty is called that makes even the most tone-deaf of singers a marketable product.
Ella was no stranger to the seedy underbelly of life. As a youth she was placed into a NYC reform School for girls, escaped and lived homeless for a period of time, she worked as a look-out for a whorehouse, and as a mafia affiliated numbers runner. Her track record on marriage is about as identifiable as Jimmy Hoffas whereabouts , and although it seems that she was quite the player of men she was also known to be notoriously shy. Later in her career when asked to comment on her shyness she replied " I don't want to say the wrong thing, which I always do. I think I do better when I sing."
Etta's career was long and prosperous, getting her debut at the Apollo Club at age 17. Originally she had planned to dance during her much coveted spot on amateur night, but after having been intimidated by The Edwards Sister she decided to sing in the style of Connie Boswell, an early jazz singer from the early 30's cut in the vein of Louis Armstrong and Mama Smith. The rest of her career is a story for another time, as I could devote an entire blog itself dedicated to the music and life of Ella Fitzgerald. But since our focus at the Funk Road address is ,well, funk I'm gonna stick with that theme for today's post.

Three of today's tracks come off of the 1969 release of cover tunes simply entitled "Ella", while the remaining 2 are taken from the flip-sides of a few of the rare Ella Fitzgerald 45's I've had the pleasure of digging out of a deep , dusty, dirty basement. They are all cover songs, of which 3 were originally recorded by the Beatles. Travesty in the opinion of my muse Michelle,.. " you can't improve on perfection" in a tone reminiscent of Marge Simpson ,is the general reply for any Beatles cover tune I've ever let her hear. But I think that once I get her to understand that a cover isn't an attempt to better the original,but simply an interpretation of something another artist was drawn to and wished to pay tribute to by putting his or her own spin on , I think she'll appreciate the fine art of the cover tune.
Getting her to appreciate Elvis is another story entirely,.Its gonna be a long hard road simply due, not to a lack of an ear for good music, but the Elvis loving upbringing of a southern baptist bulldog- appearing mother with the demeanor of a jackal with ill fitting dentures and a good case of painful rectal itch. The woman does have an incredible selection of Elvis 45's though., including a rare blue vinyl of Elvis' Blue Christmas
Mother-in-laws, Mold, and Mildew aside , cellar digging is my favorite digging. After looking through the usual crap at yard sales I always ask if they've got any other records.. to which on occasion the reply is " well we got these old little records down there in the cellar but you probably wouldn't want them.They're blah, blah, blah....... and in my head , as I'm hearing this, I'm trying to maintain my cool , but I'm really about to explode with excitement. So I usually say that I'd like to take a look at them..,. and then innocently ask "well how many do ya think you got, and how much do ya think you'd want for all of them?" Sometimes ..... rarely, but sometimes I hit upon the jackpot mother score of 45's and occasionally LP's that belonged to someones father or grandfather,...... and If I'm lucky enough to be in a predominantly Afro-American neighborhood usually then its usually jazz, and the best soul, r&B , and funk that can be found.
On this particular day, I'd hit the mother load of goodness. The ole' man , who at first was a bit skeptical of the fat white kid wanting to buy all of his vinyl, saw that I, like him, had a supreme love for each and every note contained on those records and wasn't just another smart-ass collector looking to make a buck on eBay . The deal worked out between me and the old head is just that. I'm not gonna talk numbers but the man treated me like his son. And for that, I'll never sell any of the records I bought from him. As I loaded the last of those boxes in my car, I'll never forget the look in his eye. It was the look of a man who'd just lost his dog, and sent his only son off to college at the same time. it was a look that tore me apart. And although he'd said that it had been years since he'd listened to any of those records I knew that I was leaving with a piece of that mans life. I'm still in the youth of my life compared to that man, but I know I've got memories attached to particular songs, or even albums that are an emotional part of my life . I can only imagine the memories he had attached to those records. You can see by the wear on some of them that he played some more than others. You can tell a lot about a man by the records he played the most out of that collection. this guy was either quite the player with the ladies, or he was always longing for the emotion in those certain records I affectionately call " Panty-Droppers" ....... Al Green, Marvin Gaye,Teddy Pendergrass.... I'm pretty sure the old man saw more ass than a bicycle seat in his day, he still seemed to be a charmer in my opinion. he made a profound effect on me,. and hell, I'm a straight man.

So lets get down to business..... MUSIC is why we're all here. Some funky ass Ella Fitzgerald .......
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Knock On Wood - This is Memphis-Stax soul at its best. Originally penned by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper this tune has been covered by just about everyone but a blanket on a summer day. Its a good'un!

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Sunshine of your Love - Ella does Cream.....nuff said. BIG horns!

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Savoy Truffle - White album era Beatles.....written by George about Eric Claptons sweet tooth for chocolates......"You'll have to have them all pulled out after the Savoy Truffle" is in reference to tooth decay from over-imbibing in sweets...

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Got to get you into my Life - A McCartney/Lennon song from Revolver which was not, in fact written about a person, but actually about Marijuana . Recorded at that time in a style intentionally similar to the Stax soul records of its time its only appropriate that someone like Ella eventually cover it.

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Hey Jude - Wow! Written by Paul on his way to visit Cynthia and son Julian Lennon after Cynthias separation from John when she'd found out he was cheating with Yoko Ono. Apparently this song caused quite a bit of confusion amongst numerous people throughout the Beatles organization and extended family that thought the song was written about them. And it is said that the recording of this song caused a tiff between George and Paul during its recording....Paul McCartney was staunch in his feelings about the production of the song and was "oblivious to anyone else's feelings in the studio," and that he was driven to make the best possible record, at almost any cost."

So thanks again for braving the snow and ice and coming on a ride down the Funk Road. As usual I'm gonna promise to post more, but i know by now that its just the buzz talking. and the more I hone my writing blade the more it becomes easy to realize why so many great writers were drunks. Much like how having a few drinks lets you speak more openly to your significant other, or gives you the courage to talk to that girl you're usually afraid to speak to,.... the words seem to type themselves after a few nugs to head and a few drinks. My real love and passion for music, vinyl, and a love of being a crate digging audio archeologist seems to flow exactly the way it needs too........So until next time- in the words of Don Cornelius......." I wish you Peace, Love , and SOUL!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never knew I was so popular......

My last post about Aretha Franklin no longer has the mp3 downloads available. I received an email from her representatives regarding my blog and its flagrant violation of the digital millenium copyright blah,blah, blah,..... and the long and short of their message was.......Remove the offending violating material in 72 hours or face the wrath of corporate lawyers . Since I'm currently a homeowner ( or at least paying a mortgage ;barely i might add. ) I removed the offending material as not to cause myself any more trouble. I never realized that people at that level saw my blog,. but I was flattered.

Nothings gonna change here though...... Im gonna keep on keepin' on. and keep on posting stuff................ Keep on the look out for my next post when Ella Fitzgerald knocks on norweigan wood and flirts with the Beatles.......

All we are saying is.......John Lennon (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980)

Im not gonna front,..... Im not the biggest John Lennon solo fan. Im a Beatles fan. Michelle is probably more of a Lennon fan than me , and although she'd be more qualified to write this piece she can start her own blog somewhere if she wants to pontificate. Im torn about the guy......surely he was no Holden Caulfield and damn it Mark David Chapmin... ya didn't have to shoot him. He just signed your copy of Double Fantasy, thats a hell of a way to thank a guy. Im mean, yeah sure, some of that avante garde Yoko Ono shit made me wanna shoot myself.... and maybe I entertained the thought that she should get her hearing checked if she thought that stuff sounded good,.... but I never wanted to kill John Lennon over it. And I surely never felt amiss about him after reading Salinger..... WTF buddy?.... Could ya not have respected him enough as a musician?.. whether he was a "phony" or not ?. He was a Beatle for christ sakes.....and they are in increasingly short supply. There only ever was 4 of them to start with......
But then again theres a flip side. In some instances John Lennon was ,as Barnum was once refered, " a shameless self-promoter".... Im not saying its bad.. hes John Lennon and he can do what he wants. But he did do some media friendly publicity stunts to draw attention to himself, his work, and yes to market his thoughts about love and peace, ect. After all I've seen and read about the man as a person he sometimes was a bit over-theatrical . Being drunkenly dragged from bars by friends while he screams and cries out for Yoko during one of their many periods of seperation. My friend Charlie remarked today that although he is a Beatle fan he is far from being a fan of John Lennon the solo artist and the man himself. He remarked that Lennon reminded him of everything he hates about hippies. John Lennon was filled to the brim with "An attitude of self-rightous intellectual superiority with the idea that I know whats better for you than you do"..., an" I'm the smartest one in the room mentality ".... much like Cartmans humorous but true observations about hippies in general.
And so maybe John Lennon was a "phony" or maybe he wasn't . The point is we'll never know. His life was ended much too short by a man who just may have seen through Lennon before the rest of us did....... But phony or not,..... It shouldn't have ended this way.

I don't really have anything rare or obscure to offer by way of John Lennon. But I'm gonna post a few of the Lennon solo tunes I enjoy. Hopefully you 'll enjoy them too.

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Happy Christmas ( War is Over) - download here

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Imagine - download here

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Working Class Hero - download here

Without your dry white toast , without your 4 fried chickens, ..... and without Matt "Guitar" Murphy!

The Queen of Soul's immortal line from the Blues Brothers....... and quite possibly one of my favorites. I figured I'd take a few minutes to pay my R-E-S-P-E-C-T's to Aretha Franklin. Apparently Lady Soul hasn't been feeling well lately. She was in and out of the hospital all summer and had a brief hospital stay in October for undisclosed reasons. She has canceled all of her concert appearances until May 2011, quite possibly due to the unidentified but successful surgery she had just last thursday.
What can I say about Aretha that hasn't already been said?....Probably not too much, her music speaks for itself. The woman wears a lot of hats. Jazz, Soul , Gospel, R&B ,Blues, Funk and at times just straight ahead rock-n-roll. She has one of the most recognizable voices in all of music, and has been ranked number 1 by Rolling Stone on its list of Greatest Singers of All-Time. She was the first female inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. 18 Grammys, 2 honorary Grammys, 45 top-40 hits, 14 Platinum records, and 10 #1 R&B albums... more than any other female artist. Thats an incredible list of accomplishments for any artist, but life was not always been so grand for the Queen of Soul.
Born in Memphis in 1942 , she was the daughter of a preacher-man. Having a transient beginning due to her fathers ministry, her family had settled in Detroit by the time she was 6. Aretha was mostly raised by her grandmother after her mothers death in 1952. By the time she was a pre-teen Aretha was singing solos in her fathers choir and had taught herself to play piano by ear. By the age of 13 she had birthed her first child , and at 14 had released her first album on the Checker JVB gospel label. Arethas early singing career was short-lived, taking a backseat to motherhood when she gave birth to a second son at the age of 16. After turning 18 she decided to pursue a career in secular music leaving her grandmother to raise her 2 children. Aretha was quickly offered deals from Motown and RCA, but after turning both of those down she settled on Columbia Records.
Arethas involvement with Columbia lasted til 1966. her efforts were successful in giving herself exposure but unfruitful as far as hits were concerned. This was probably attributed to the fact that Columbia was having Aretha record jazz-influenced pop hoping to repeat the success they'd had with Billie Holiday. Columbia founder John Hammond later admitted in an interview that they hadn't taken Arethas gospel background into account and had failed to accent that in her recordings . After a few mostly unsuccessful endeavors and the struggle of recording with Columbia , Aretha signed onto Atlantic records in 1966.
Arethas move to Atlantic would prove to be a wise , with 1966 through 1972 being her most successful and prolific years as an artist. Originally sent to the renowned Muscle Shoals FAME studios in 1967, Lady Soul recorded her first single I Never Loved a Man ( The Way I love You) . This single peaked at #9 on the pop charts and at #1 on the R&B chart. This taste of success paved the way for Arethas second , and most successful single of all-time . RESPECT , a cover of a song originally written and recorded by the late Otis Redding. This song set the precedent for the first of many times Aretha would use a call and response vocal arrangement with The Sweet Inspirations, her sibling back-up singers Erma and Carolyn Franklin. 1967 was an incredible year with 3 more top 10 hits for Aretha. Baby, I Love You , Chain of Fools ( both included here as free downloads ) and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman . Franklins success with Atlantic carried on through the late sixties into the early seventies, turning her not only into a superstar vocalist, but also as a figure head of womens' empowerment and the civil rights movement.
Unfortunately by 1973 ,the music scene had begun to shift as did Arethas success. She was still charting hits on the R&B charts but she was falling from grace with pop music audiences as the disco fad was starting to outshine the soulful sounds of Aretha and others like her.
Aretha has had some varied success throught the 80's and 90's . She still tours and performs , but hasn't recently had any chart toppers of which to speak . Most notably she was personally asked by Barrack Obama to be the only vocalist at his Inauguration, gaining her recognition not only as an incredible vocalist, but also for the ostentatious hat she had chosen for that bitter cold day in DC.
3 of todays selections ( Satisfaction, Baby I Love You, and Chain of Fools > Respect) come from the long out- of-print Atlantic release Aretha in Paris . Recorded live on May 7, 1968 at the Olympia Theater in Paris ,France , Aretha is at the top of her game. The intensity and candor of her voice captivated the audience with warmth and soulfulness. Gentle on my Mind was the B side of the 1969 Atlantic single for I Cant See Myself Leaving You . and lastly, Rock Steady is an alternative mix of the song that was on the 1971 Atlantic release Young, Gifted and Black....... and now -

THE MUSIC-
(I Can't get No) Satisfaction - A French introduction kicks into some Jagger/Richards penned American rock and roll only this time with a soulful funky flair. The drummer kicks a beat that is quickly joined by the bass and guitar player and Aretha wails. The band is tighter than a school girl, and the back-up singers are on point. The interplay between Aretha and her back-up singing sisters is incredible. If you aren't tapping your foot and nodding your head by the end of this song, you must be either dead or deaf. This ones cooks like a pot of hamhocks and greens.

Baby, I Love You - Originally released on the 1967 album Aretha Arrives , this is a live version from Aretha in Paris . Once again the band is glued together,. and the horn section gets some exercise on this one as well, but ya gotta listen closely because they aren't real prominent in the mix except for a few brass punches. Aretha and the back-up singers completely knock this one out of the park. This song experienced a rebirth of sorts when it was used on the Goodfellas soundtrack.

Chain of Fools>Respect - OMG.... The drummer and bass player are laying it down thick and heavy like cold syrup on a hot waffle. Arethas proclamations are complimented by the big brass horns and the "Sweet Inspirations"provide the responses to Arethas calls...... Chain of Fools segues right into RESPECT. The horns , drummer, and bass are by now boiling over and the raw soul power of Aretha is blatantly obvious. Aretha and The Sweet Inspirations speed this one up just a tad bit for extra excitement. The background vocals were originally arranged by Aretha herself and unbeknown to most, the line about "r-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to me/take care of TCB" with the back-up singers repeating "sock it to me" was originally ad-libbed and wasn't supposed to be part of the original arrangement when the song was first recorded. This song was the closer for that nights performance , and it apparently brought the house down.

Gentle On My Mind - Most people know this as being sung by the Rhinestone Cowboy himself, Glen Campbell. Arethas version is a bit different from Glens , once again with the sweet back-up singing of the Sweet Inspirations playing an integral part in the sound and feel of her version. It keeps the same emotion of Campbells version , but is much more soulful with an almost samba/ latin feel to the rhythm section. Give it a listen and compare it to the Rhinestone Cowboys version. See for yourself what you think.

- This is definitely one of Arethas funkier joints. Released in '71 this number has a line-up of musicians that is cherry picked from the tippi-top. Lets start with the rhythm section...... Chuck Rainey on Bass,. this man has played with just about everybody. From Fathead Newman and Steely Dan to Lowell George and Dusty Springfield . Hes got a discography a mile long and the chops to prove it . Next up....on drums, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. This man was the drummer on numerous James Brown albums.... that outta be " 'nuff said " right there but I'll continue just to prove a point. King Curtis, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Mann, Miles Davis Cat Stevens, Jimmy McGriff, BB King.......... do ya recognize any of those has-been one hit wonders? Not to mention the fact that the man is an incredible bandleader in his own right, and the originator of "The Purdie Shuffle" drum beat and all of its variations. .... Beside Bernard on percusssion duties is the one and only Dr. John New Orleans funkateer extraordinaire. The late great Donny Hathaway on keys , Cornell Dupree on guitar,the Memphis Horns blowing the brass, a few other various musicians..... all tied together with the production talents of one Jerry Wexler. If you don't recognize the name I'm sure you'll recognize the names of some of the people hes discovered in his illustrious career.....Ray Charles, Allman Bros., Led Zeppelin anyone?..... Wison Pickett. or how about that beatnik poet with an acoustic guitar and that lyrically distinctive voice, Bob Dylan?
Its an incredible lineup of players that form a cohesive canvas for Aretha to paint her picture. Its straight up funky.

So there ya have it, this weeks journey down the Funk Road. Let me know how ya like having the songs be playable direct from the page as well as downloadable. .. and in the words of the great Don Cornelius...... " I wish you Peace, Love , and SOUL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trick or Treat.... Atlantic City Night 3

This was the night that we'd all been waiting for. This was the night that like an anxious kid awaiting Christmas morning., we were getting the big surprise. Who was the Halloween costume?. What album were they gonna cover. The Phish rumor mill is always afloat with everybody putting in their 2 cents worth claiming to have the ultra-reliant super-secret source of info for all things Phish. Most were speculating on an old Genesis album titled " A Lamb lies down on Broadway". I myself even bought into that possibility. I added it to my ipod so that I could give it a listen on my way to AC and familiarize myself with the album. Early Genesis is definitely better than that 80's Phil Collins lead travesty,. but all in all, I'm still not a huge fan. Talented collective of musicians , but they just don't really do much for me.
I got to the venue much earlier than Rob that night. I had a cheesesteak jones to satisfy and Rob , feeling the disappointment of a Redskins loss that afternoon , was finding the world a much better place after looking thru brown glass for a while. I was able to finagle a spot close to the front of the admission line and was lucky enough to be one of the first 50 people into the venue when the doors opened. I didn't even have my Phishbill in hand yet and I recognized that tomato-headed mama relaxing in a hammock. I grabbed my copy of the program and quickly fished out trusty iPhone to furiously send a picture and text to the few people I knew who'd care....... "IM INSIDE, ITS LITTLE FEAT- WAITING FOR COLUMBUS" Fuckin'A! Its Little Feat ....thank God its not Genesis, Bruce Springsteen or any of the other choices I'd heard tossed around in the weeks leading up to this moment. Ive got a vinyl copy of Waiting for Columbus,... a bit scratchy,worn and and definitely played by whomever owned it prior to me. I can only imaging the many joints that were rolled and the lines chopped out while listening to this masterpiece of live Lowell George driven Little Feat.
Two things stood out in my mind about this album. First- Lowell George is a slide guitar player due to missing one of his fingers . So I'm getting ready to hear Trey play some nasty slide parts .... Second- Little Feat had invited the Tower of Power horns along with them on the tour this album was recorded . So Treys gonna play some slide and if they're gonna do this album right they've gotta have a horn section. Tower of Power is still touring, so could it be possible that Phish is gonna have Tower of Power as the horn section tonight?
By this time cellular communication is nearly impossible due to the over abundance of concert -goers sending reports to the outside world just as I had done moments earlier. Rob and I were playing a frustrating game of "Dropped Call" trying to find one another , both of us now inside the venue. Then amazingly my eyes spy that ugly-ass burgundy and gold Redskins hoody Rob was wearing. Even in the face of a loss that afternoon , Rob was still gonna represent! My attempt to bribe an attendant in charge of letting people onto the floor had failed, so we were relegated to some assigned seats in the first tier. Great view, and from having been camped out there the first night we knew the sound was choice too. We grabbed some drinks, Rob hit the smoking lounge and we made our way to the seats in anticipation of a long 3 set night.
The Lights go down , the band takes the stage , Page grabs the Key-tar and out to the front of the stage he saunters........Trey counts it off..... and wham its directly into Frankenstein... the 1972 Edgar Winter Group instrumental. A small note of trivia, Edgar Winter was the first person to strap a keyboard around his neck to give himself the same interactive abilities usually only reserved for guitar players. Frankenstein moves into the Misfits -influenced hardcore punk rock distortion of Big Fat Furry Creatures From Mars. The guys are really setting a Halloween mood of monsters and goblins as Trey begins "Story of a Ghost' As Ghost is coming to an end I hear a familiar riff peeking its way in.... I look at Rob to see if he recognizes it, and by the time I've caught his attention I don't really need it anymore because I realize that Ghost segued into Spooky, that late 60's romp about love being crazy with a spooky little girl like you by the 2-hit wonder Classics IV .... I immediately thought that this was a debut but a little research told me that although I wasn't in the 100% club on that one, I was indeed in the 33% club since that was the only time they'd played Spooky since being twice played in '93. Spooky seemlessly segues into Divided Sky , a mostly instrumental tune. The halloween theme was lost on this one , but the incredible jam made me forget all about any theme that might have been lost at this point. Phish now plays pretend again with a string of 3 more cover tunes..... A semi -Halloween relatible Ween cover of the pumpkin tossing ode Roses Are Free which segues into a classic the late Son Seals penned "Funky Bitch" with some choice words about a womans disregard for her lover and her incessant appetite for money and the finer things in life which then makes its way into the uber-funky clavinet of Stevie Wonders Boogie on Reggae Woman. Page lays it down thick on the keys, Trey masterfully croons the lyrics and takes a screaming solo , and Mike and Fish are holding down the funky groove on the low end. "Boogie on" winds down and the crowd is screaming for more......requests for all sorts of stuff is heard on the circulating bootlegs.....after catching a brief breather Treys multi-note intro give way to the calypso-laden beat of Stash, a Trey-admitted chord progression rip-off of the Charles Mingus composed "Jump Monk" ode to Thelonius Monk . For the musical geek there's a lot written here about the music theory behind Stash that gives it such a unique sound. But for those who don't give a gooses ass about music theory , the first set closes with a fairly standard set closer - Character Zero. Reminding us that all I learn is always wrong, And things are true that I forget But no one taught that to me yet.
First set ends, and we still have one set of Phish as Little Feat, and another set of Phish being Phish.

There was a little small slip of paper inside each Phishbill informing us of the "secret" language for use during the second set,.... I'm not gonna be a spoiler and give away the secret. But if you listen to the second set the confusion of the secret becomes apparent in the first 1:14 minute of the introduction. I'm not gonna give a play-by -play for this set as it would just be too damn tedious critiquing the 16 songs covered on this album. But from the cow-bell laden intro to Fat Man in a Bathtub all the way thru to Feats Don't Fail Me Now they tore this mother apart. Joined onstage by percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo and a 5 piece horn section which containing 3 members of the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra ,the band swapped verses, instruments and even performed an a capella rendering during this incredible Halloween costumed set. Short of " Skin it Back" and " On Your Way Down" , if you've got a favorite Little Feat song, they played it this night. By the time the band ended the second set by taking a victory lap around the entire floor , my feet were killing me from 2 sets of dancing and I still had another set of Phish to go.

I'm not quite sure what occured during the 2nd set break,. by this time my age was getting the best of me and I was feeling like an 80 year old man that needed a walker. At some point Rob and I became seperated.. probably somewhere around the time I decided I was getting on the floor tonight too. I was still in the stands with a direct side view of the Band during the opener.... The rumbling bassline of Down With Disease shook thru Boardwalk Hall with quick accompaniment from the rest... Close to 2 minutes into the song somebody somewhere botched something and the song abruptly stops with Trey asking "can we do that again Fish?... we're allowed to mess up someone elses album but not our own" prompting Fish to reply " This is off of OUR album" .... Ya gotta love a band that can make fun of their own mistakes in front of a crowd of 15,000 people. So Down With Disease starts again , only this time unmarred ,...Trey and the guys tear it up and head into some slightly spacey jamming which meanders its way into the unmistakable chugging drum beat of Back on the Train. Fishs rhythmic drumming and Pages funky clavinet behind Treys picking make way for the opening guitar notes as they head straight into Gotta Jibboo....a slight somewhat nonsensical possible ode to Dr. Seuss, ala "What would you do if you met a Jibboo?" from Oh, The Things you Can Think. This one made its premier as a Trey band song and quickly made its way into Phish's rotation due to fan requests...The improvised instrumental passages culminate in a rock-n-roll ending with the feedback leading right into the funky strut of Camel Walk, a tune penned by original Phish member Jeff Holdsworth way back in '86. This tune was my theme for the entire trip with its lyrics "Goin' downtown to the disco ,Gotta do it right away , Gotta funky thing to get into, gonna blow my blues away" A fairly standard Camel Walk ends and a moment of silence barely occurs before counting off Suzy Greenberg , a number about a young lady who has apparently fallen from favor with members of the band,...The band rocks their way thru Suzy and goes directly into the call and response of Wilson. Wilson abruptly yet smoothly segues into the reggae-tinged call and response of Harry Hood. Hoods continues into "the Horse" , a brief one verse song usually serving as a prelude to "Silent in the Morning"...a great Page -sung tune. Its not the usually Phish jamming, its somewhat short, but it is an incredible song with great lyrics along the lines of other tunes from the Rift album dealing with relationships and personal conflicts. Phish ends the 3rd set on that much used vehicle for extended jams "You Enjoy Myself". A 20 minute YEM winds down with an incredible 3 minute plus vocal jam from the guys . Trey steps forward once the applause dies down to thank everyone for a wonderful 3 days , an incredible tour , .. and to express a bit of sadness that they all have to go home tomorrow. But he tells us not to worry,.... " We'll see you in December" ... Trey tells everyone to smile because we're about to get our pictures taken ........ the horn section and percussionist has made their way back out on to the stage and are readying themselves to to give us an incredible encore to an incredible 3 night run......Danger! I've been told to expect it.... The Caesar based lyrics of Julius. The combination of horns , percussion and, Phish made this a fitting ending to the three days I'd just witnessed. .
... the lights hadn't even came on yet and my phone is buzzing. its a message from Rob that the hotel key is on the room stand , and a thank you for a great time. I didn't envy him one bit, he had an almost 5 hour drive ahead of him plus an 8 hour work day . Once the lights were on and the crowd was starting to disperse I started looking for ground scores . I looked up from the ground to see Lighting Guru Chris Kuroda still at the light booth. I recalled a "Kuroda is a Jedi" cardboard and pen made sign I'd picked up as a memento of the show. I held it up and asked him if he'd sign it for me,. to which with a huge smile he replied "sure" . He stopped what he was doing , found a sharpie marker and with a smile still pasted to his face, penned the reply to "Kuroda is a Jedi" by writing " FUCK YEAH I AM! KURODA"
And that my friends...is how I survived 3 days of Phish in Atlantic City! Next stop- NEW YORK CITY for the New Years run.. 12/30,12/31, and a first ever New Years day show 1/1 . I still have extras for sale/trade and I'm in dire need of a place to crash for 3 nights......if you know anyone in NYC or the surrounding areas that would offer me floor space for those 3 nights please let me know.. otherwise I'm gonna be homeless in NYC for 3 days, which will be an adventure all its own. Thanks- kingskunk45
And now for a little music

PHISH - 10/31/10 Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City

Roses Are Free - A Ween cover from set 1 with a bit of a pumpkin-chuckin' Halloween to it.

Fat Man in The Bathtub - A Little Feat tune from set 2 that you're sure to recognize. One of my fav Little Feat songs.

Julius - The final song of 10/31. A great encore with horns and percussion.

Sunday October 31 Set 1 - Great Halloween themed first set.

Sunday October 31 Set 2 - The entire Little Feat -Waiting for Columbus album

Sunday October 31 Set 3 - Last set of the 3 day run..

Phishbill - This was the handout we all received going into the venue that night.

At-LED-tic City Night 2

So thats my view from the front row saturday night. This was the closest I've ever been at a Phish concert and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had this spot on this particular night. Saturday night for me was the highlight of the weekend. Saturday night was the trick and the treat of the entire halloween run. It all started with this- Chalk Dust Torture -> Whole Lotta Love^[1] > Chalk Dust Torture . hearing Trey riff Whole Lotta Love coming out of chalkdust was like the melding of some of my favorite old school and new school rock and roll.
At some point in our lives , as music lovers, we all discover Zeppelin. And after a while , although you still appreciate Led Zeppelin, you sorta move beyond it . Maybe its because classic rock radio over plays Zeppelin or maybe you've discovered other stuff and the newness of those classic Jimmy Page riffs ain't so new anymore. For me, it was when I had heard all the Zeppelin I could possibly ever hear. They aren't coming out with any new material so after a while , you've heard it,. you've heard it all twice and God knows you've heard Stairway to Heaven at least a thousand times growing up.

Zepplin still rocked, but i was searching out new things. And in 8th grade I bought my first issue of High Times . Frequently a band named Phish made the "Pot 100" . And that was my introduction to THIS band. My first show was at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster. I don't recall it being anything special ,just another "jam" band on the same touring circuit as alot of other "jam" bands i was into at the time. They were certainly no Grateful Dead, my favorite band at that time, and the show didn't stand out to me as anything remarkable. When i listen to a bootleg recording of that show and compare that small club gig to the huge arena shows I've seen I wish i recalled more about it. That was 1990 and at the time, it was just another show , but having seen how the band has grown simply amazes me. I wish i could see the band in a venue that size again but its highly unlikely.
Fast -Forward to 10/30/10 I was front row this night. And the power of pure rock-n-roll supercedes anything! All at once those 2 worlds collided. Chalkdust torture is grooving along and then........ WHAM- that riff......that riff I've heard a hundred times. That riff that is the recognizable embodiment of ROCK-N-ROLL....... that riff that had Jimmy Page exercising the demons from that Les Paul and Robert Plant proclaiming his carnal intentions. But this time,. it isn't Page and Plant, its Trey and Mike,John and Page, paying homage to the that same riff they'd grown up on just like I had. Ripping it apart like jackals on a carcass ..... and just that quickly its back into Chalkdust....... one verse and it was over,. slamming back into Chalkdust and coming to a halt.
Then its Ha, Ha, Ha- sorta like they thought it was funny to get everybody worked up on the Zeppelin , one of the potential possibilities for the Halloween costume tommorrow night. Then it was Walk Away, that old Joe Walsh and the James Gang fav that once again celebrates a huge rock-n-roll riff. The first set continued to work its way thru some more standard Phish wrapping up with Page alone with his piano on stage ending a beautiful Squirming Coil. The minimalist elegance of Pages piano quieted the crowd as his last notes reverberated thru Boardwalk Hall.

A quick bathroom break and a mad grab for waters quickly find me back at the rail, Rob diligiantly holding down our spot. Rob decides hes gonna escape the floor and make his way around the upper levels in search of perfect auditory and visual balance. I'm left alone at the rail to wonder just what is about to happen next.

The second set starts of with a Tube > Possum^[4] > Tweezer^[2] ->.. and then the madness starts ......theres that fuckin' riff again...... are they really gonna trick us with an unheard of treat and do a Halloween show the night before Halloween instead of actually on Halloween. Rumors had been floating that they had soundchecked Zeppelin II earlier in the evening. Much like myself, most people thought of that as a forshadowing of the next night and assumed that the Halloween costume was in fact Led Zeppelin II. So by now we're 3 songs into the second set and Trey is once again riffing Whole Lotta Love ........ but wait, whats that coming........ Holy shit....... its Heartbreaker... Tweezer with a Whole Lotta Love tease > Heartbreaker > Thank You> Tweezer> Stairway to Heaven......... I can't believe what I'm hearing ....and not only am I loving it, its like "all thats old is new again". I'm hearing it for the first time once again. Pure Rock-N-Roll! They didn't do an entire Zeppelin album but their selection of Zeppelin material was so choice! they make there way thru a few more common Phish tunes and end the second set on Backward Down the Number Line > Good Times , Bad Times. One last Zeppelin treat to end the set, and to also lay rest to any idea that tomorrow nights costume will be Led Zeppelin. A Sleeping Monkey encore calms things down a bit but ,going out like a lion rather than a lamb, its a Tweezer reprise!..... Full Force , High Energy Screaming Rock-n- Roll........
I walk out of the show ,dazed and confused, make my way to our agreed upon nightly meeting spot at Nathans Hot Dogs and confirm with Rob over food and drink that I am indeed still alive, I'm not in heaven, and that he just saw the same show I did!
2 shows down, 1 to go......... and the remaining question of just how do they plan on topping that tomorrow night.

I'm not gonna be a cheap date so if ya wanna hear the Zeppelin you're gonna have to download the Zip files of the entire show to hear it in the context of how it was actually experienced that night. But i think you'll enjoy the few singles I've selected as a representation of that nights show.

Friends and Family, Ladies and Gentleman-I give you......
PHISH
October 30th Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City

Cavern - This is a favorite of mine from the first actual Phish album I owned, Picture of Nectar. Its one that I've seen a few times live but i never get tired of it. Its lyrics painting a an incredible picture in my mind and as the second song of the night the grand statement of "The time is near, the mission's clear, its later than you think" was prophetic for an incredible night. The band had a mission.... but " in summing up the moral seems a little bit obscure....."

Walk Away - Ah yes,. that old James Gang classic about avoided conflict, restrained disgust, and shifts in sentiment. its a rock and roll classic, ..... hence why it receives the label of Classic rock. There isn't anything I can say about this song that somebody hasn't already said.

Good Time, Bad Times - So I lied,.... I am a cheap date,. I'm the sorta guy who will give it up on the first date,... possibly before you've even taken me out for dinner and drinks. Im gonna give up a little bit of the Zeppelin just to whet your appetite...... and if somebody ever tells you that rock-n-roll is dead, punch them in the nose and give them a copy of this show!

If you enjoyed those, the setlist for the entire night can be found here and the downloads for the entire show are below.

Saturday, October 30th Disc 1 - entire first disc and 1 song from second disc

Saturday October 30th Disc 2 - Contains remainder of second disc and entire third disc