Long time, lots of lurking, no posting, but I knew I had to post this here.
I saw Cat Power in concert last night, and was really pleasantly surprised.
I'd maybe heard 5 or so songs by her in the past, and hadn't cared for any of them. I'd also read she'd had a breakdown/snit/something on stage at one point, so I'd written her off as an "oh i'm so fragile" indie chicks with a guitar.
But color me impressed! She was up there with an 11-piece, Memphis-soul-bluesy band, and was just really great. The songs were good (even if they got a little too similar after a while), her voice was cool, her mannerisms were ... odd and a little annoying, but whatever.
The girl standing next to me commented that not only did the songs sound exactly like they do on the album, but she was playing them in order, which I found funny ... but also a good thing, because my initial thought was "oh, I like these songs here, but I bet she's just a chick with a guitar on the album or something." Now I have to buy this album!
Someone else clue me in on what I've been missing about Cat Power. What are her other albums like? Are they all different?
Hey Alicia!
I'd also read she'd had a breakdown/snit/something on stage at one point
Not just "at one point" - just about every other concert. No snits, though, just crushing stage-fright. It sounds like she's learning to deal with it.
What are her other albums like? Are they all different?
This current album is considered to be a significant departure for her sonically. Previously her records were more acoustic. I don't know here catalog that well, but I really loved her Covers Record. Lot of folks like Moon Pix.
You Are Free
is one of my favorite albums. I especially love "I Don't Blame You" and "He War" and... a bunch of others from that album. [link]
Damn. I knew that Eddie Vedder did backup vocals, but I didn't know that Dave Grohl played the drums on that album.
She also had a couple members of Sonic Youth backing her for one of her first performances....
:makes notes:
Thanks for the info!
Crushing stage fright, eh? Now I feel bad for writing her off as a fragile indie chick who throws fits. Sorry, Chan!
She had a breakdown while recording a set in the WMBR studios some years ago. There were only a few people around and it wasn't even being broadcast live. I'd say her problem was/is greater than mere stage fright.
It's always nice to discover a new Herman's Hermits song. Especially one with a title like "Don't Go Out Into the Rain (You're Going to Melt)."
Tonight Jon Langford is going to be on the PBS show Chicago Tonight - it airs at 7 pm and repeats at 1 am.
Thanks for the heads up!
Edit - Should there be an apostrophe in "heads up"? If so, where? Is head possessive? Plural possessive? Why am I thinking about this?
I am going to go with no apostrophe. The phrase is not "head is up" so no contraction. And the "up" does not belong to the head. It's more like a short way of saying "folks, put your heads up because this dope thing is about to happen" so "heads up" is really just a noun and a verb. No apostrophe.
I think of it as short for "everybody put your heads up", so no apostrophe. Of course, then it should be "everybody put your head up", since each person only has one, so nevermind. This is the muddle that thinking can get you into.
