Elizabeth Nelson is the lead singer and songwriter of The Paranoid Style. In addition to serving her duties as a bandleader, she writes about music for publications such as The Ringer, Oxford American, Lawyers Guns & Money, and Pitchfork (including a recent piece on Dylan’s Desire) as well as operating an iconic Twitter account madeContinue reading “Interview with Elizabeth Nelson of The Paranoid Style”
Author Archives: Recliner Notes
Dylan’s 1966 “Royal Albert Hall” Performance: Two Interpretations by Cat Power and Robyn Hitchcock
Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concertwas recently released, documenting Cat Power’s take on the now infamous recording of Bob Dylan’s performance at the Manchester Free Trade Hall on May 17, 1966, which was mistakenly attributed to his performance at the Royal Albert Hall nine days later. As all Dylan obsessives know,Continue reading “Dylan’s 1966 “Royal Albert Hall” Performance: Two Interpretations by Cat Power and Robyn Hitchcock”
“Beat Bop”: Hip-Hop and World-Building in 1980s Downtown New York
Listening to the 1983 hip-hop single “Beat Bop” 40 years after its recording is an act of retroactive discovery. It feels like climbing to the top of a mountain and seeing the future from the perspective of the future. “Beat Bop” features solid representation of early hip-hop rhymes courtesy of a then 15-year old battleContinue reading ““Beat Bop”: Hip-Hop and World-Building in 1980s Downtown New York”
Interview with Anne Margaret Daniel on Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine
Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine is a new book by Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel, which marks the first official publication by the Bob Dylan Center. Located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Center serves as the public face for the Bob Dylan Archive, which houses a lifetime’s worth of Dylan’s lyric drafts, notebooks, photographs, videos,Continue reading “Interview with Anne Margaret Daniel on Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine”
The Eerie in Dirty Three’s “Some Summers They Drop Like Flies”
“The sensation of the eerie occurs either when there is something present where there should be nothing, or there is nothing present when there should be something.” Mark Fisher, The Weird and the Eerie The opening track of Whatever You Love, You Are, the fifth studio album by the Australian band Dirty Three, is theContinue reading “The Eerie in Dirty Three’s “Some Summers They Drop Like Flies””
“I Have Loved You So Long”: Neil Young, Leonard Cohen & “Greensleeves”
In 1974, at the height of their songwriting powers, both Leonard Cohen and Neil Young recorded their own versions of “Greensleeves,” each with new lyrics to the folk song standard. Their draw to the song is understandable as its words of lost love and beguiling melody have been played and recorded hundreds of times. TheContinue reading ““I Have Loved You So Long”: Neil Young, Leonard Cohen & “Greensleeves””
“Born in the U.S.A.”: Suicide in Paris, January 20, 1987
On January 20, 1987, the band Suicide played a concert at La Locomotive in Paris, France. With the concert well under way, lead singer Alan Vega announces to the French audience: “This is a little song for Bruce Springsteen.” The crowd jeers in response with a few boos and claps mixed in as well. VegaContinue reading ““Born in the U.S.A.”: Suicide in Paris, January 20, 1987″
Flat Handed and on the Wing
Over the years, I’ve wondered why the bands Calexico and Brokeback both released a song called “Flat Handed and on the Wing.” Calexico’s version first appeared in 2000 on Travelall, a tour-only release. The Brokeback rendition came a few months later as the second track on their 2001 album Morse Code in the Modern Age:Continue reading “Flat Handed and on the Wing”
Neil Young & The Santa Monica Flyers, Chicago, IL – November 20, 1973
On November 20, 1973 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, Neil Young and his backing band The Santa Monica Flyers performed a rendition of “Tonight’s the Night” for 34 minutes and 53 seconds. That night in Chicago was the penultimate concert of the tour which had started in Toronto on October 29, moved onContinue reading “Neil Young & The Santa Monica Flyers, Chicago, IL – November 20, 1973”
Planets
This post was originally published on May 21, 2023 and was updated on July 29, 2024. “I do think that songs are little utopias for people to live in for three or four minutes.” Bill Callahan shared this sentiment during a 2022 interview with Uproxx to promote the release of his album YTI⅃AƎЯ, and itContinue reading “Planets”
Recliner Notes 