MaryJanes2ndLastDance

Whenever they played residencies I was disappointed with all the covers when so many of their own songs could've been played. Oh well. But not only is it moot now it was moot then, though at least they did play songs like When The Time Comes, Nightwatchman etc. Better than nothin'! Who knows why they didn't dig deeper perhaps some future interviewer will ask the band. One of their best songs and one that climbed up in my estimation. This, Nightwatchman, and Same Old You all feel slightly similar but in a good way, slinky riff and funky beat, with outros made for jamming. ciao

Those are good lyrics. Particularly the line about backseat/hotel. I think it's all about how best lyrics and music work together, so I think the minimal music of Blue Sunday helps set the feeling of the lyrics, anything busier would ruin the mood. I think Something Good Coming could be the best song on Mojo and the music there is somehow both intense in feeling while remaining gentle, a bit of a paradox but it works. Returning to the last dj briefly, for me, that run of songs, from 8-11 on Last Dj is just a very sleepy set of songs that helps sink the record for me. And while I like the more uptempo numbers it's more for the guitar interplay live than the actual songs themselves (lost children and kid goes bad, though at least the former is more of a better song overall). While I do like the song Blue Sunday, and maybe this sort of touches on Drew's point, that a lot of the time in the latter albums the music is very much left wanting or feels generic, bland. So in th eend I dont' care about what is being sung when the music is uninteresting to me. That's not the case with Blue Sunday but defintiely with some of Wildflowers, Dj and Echo. cheers

I agree with both of you, that's a very good set of lines and very encouraging. cheers

I agree with you. I think it was just part of his evolution, which served him well, those creative instincts. WF and going forward, reforming Mudcrutch, all were great decisions! Perhaps any GD crowd was just a mix of maybe some fans looking for a replacement and/or just grooving along to WF. I respect that he adhered to his creativity even when I didn't like the results. Some bright spots but for me, that stretch from WF through to Mudcrutch and most of Mojo was pretty gray. cheers

You Tell Me, The Criminal Kind and Same Old You...as far as I know never played, same with Finding Out (save for a French (?) tv show or studio broadcast) and You And I Will Meet Again. Picture a residency (or main tour) with those songs mixed in with the usual hits. But...ahh....I'll stop, no point to it. cheers

I regretted not purchasing the '89 bootleg at a record convention and waited a whole year to go again and make sure to pick it up. They did a good job of condensing the concert to a single disc, you get some hits, a cover (or two for those who enjoy such) the new Full Moon Fever tunes, some fine jamming, an acoustic segment and a powerful double ending with Refugee and Runnin'. All with good sound quality and fun performances. Who doesn't enjoy the heavy intro to DCAHNM? Or the fun of Benmont's solo? And like I've said before, I don't think they ever took Runnin' as far as they could live, that outro past playing the solo on disc (which I think is Mike's best) could've been a shred-fest of guitar heroics for a good three minutes. But the version on this bootleg is my favorite take they did on the tune. cheers

WF was a huge disappointment following FMF and ITGWO. Just "devastating" really. Playback was quite good and She's The One was an uptick from WF though and I still think it's one of their better records, less listened to because of its stigma as a movie soundtrack. The Echo/Last Dj was a double bitter pill, though the latter at least had some energy to it and the former had a few tracks here and there. For me, Mudcrutch was the beginning of something better, with some of Mojo and all of Hypnotic Eye and Mudcrutch 2 as largely good too. cheers

I think a soundboard release of that entire show would be something as there's probably the long version of Mary Jane's, and Wildflowers songs with Stan and who knows what else as very little infor of this concert has ever leaked out.

I think this hits it dead center.

Ha ha, the patter was my least favorite part of when they did things like this. While I did like "Jack" in Breakdown, I'd prefer to just let the instruments do the talkin'. As for Gloria and Spike, the same though I also don't really care for the music in Gloria as well so it's just something I skip on live recordings. Now we're talkin'! More than two men talking here and that is a great version of the tune. Next listen I'll check out the riff you mention. I think the live versions from 93, 95, and 97 and 02 or 03? were the best takes on the song. I thought maybe they'd bring that type of thing back on their last tour but I guess not. cheers

I throw jamming and improvisation around, even the term "extending songs" willy-nilly, stretching them (har har) perhaps far beyond their definitions. I think you did a good job of delineating them. For me, I prefer when a band is as spontaneous and in the moment as possible when it comes to those moments, I understand having a pre-planed spot in a song where they can open it up as it were like in the middle or letting the ending go on and within that time period be it short or long, let the band do whatever they want, take chances and such. But in lieu of that I'll still gladly take a planned or rehearsed bit when they extend the song, like in Refugee or Too Good To Be True etc. I like that as well, but I think their best moments on stage as a band were when Mike and Benmont had free reign over what they wanted to do, Melinda and Two Men Talking were highlights of that for me in addition to Mike and his surfing instrumental spots or Benmont's Boogie etc. I think that was the first bootleg I owned, pricey but worth it at the time, such good sound quality though I think the last song faded out. The second was the very popular single disc from the 89 or 91 tour from South Carolina? To my ears, best live version of Runnin' Down A Dream where Mike threw in some neat harmonics or bends or such at the end that I'd not heard him do since. And the excellent acoustic version of Even The Losers. Good thing now with the internet all this stuff is generously shared and one no longer regrets spending $50 on a double live album that sounds like it was recorded from under the seats. Time to refill my non Maxwell House coffee. That's been my feeling when I first listened to rock-n-roll. Over the years, both with people who play instruments and fans of bands I've found a mix of people who are frustrated or annoyed when a band goes off-script as it were or doesn't play the song the same way on stage as on record. Yeah, I hear ya! They had quite a number of deep cuts never played. Moot now. I guess it's always fun when one emerges from a fan recording or soundboard, or whatnot. My feeling is if the band took to the stage with an appreciative audience in a small bar and played anything they wanted without worrying about losing the crowd they'd have been largely a blues-cover groove band, with maybe a few rockers here and there. Again, who knows? cheers

Ha ha, I never thought of it that way! I figured it was literal lights, or that perspective of being above a town and seeing the light from a bird's perspective, that sort of thing, a beautiful moment and image with accompanying feeling...! I guess I could see how people took that as another pot reference! ciao

Wow, I missed this! I guess it answers my question regarding the live jams and such; though...it brings up a new question which is, have you listened to live shows from later tours? Or was that it for live TPATH for you...? cheers

I agree, definitely a bit removed from the more singer-songwriter type songs or introspective, what have you of the Steve years. Aside from the acoustic prominence (to a degree I guess) I think FMF has more in common with early TP than later. The album is a textbook rock-n-roll/pop album, from the way the sides are arranged, the songs, so many neat riffs and melodies...the bees knees! As for ITGWO it seemed like the tale is the old band resisting and losing (?) to Lynne's approach but it still feels more of a kind with the first half, or the Stan years than what was to come. I'll go with NOT! Well, I just think it's one of his best songs (surprise surprise, right?) and from what I've read, Stan went with his creativity regarding the drum beat and man...that song bounces along, doesn't it? I don't even want to think about it ending up on WF even if it was close to the recording of that album. As far as last hurrahs go, in my opinion, Stan left on a high note whether or not he literally did leave after this song from that session and never looked back as the story is told. It's also told there are more tunes from that, a hidden last Stan Lynch on Drums TPATH album, maybe one day that'll emerge, if some of it wasn't too used up by Playback. cheers

I agree on all points though to be fair, the first couple times I heard it from the Fillmore recording I liked it as part of the overall feel of the show. But two, maybe three but more likely two listens were enough for me. But people love that story, pot or no pot. If you really want to wander down the crazy links of set lists discussions I'll point out the way; very polarizing. I feel like I've inundated you with links though so maybe you'd appreciate a break from them. cheers

I believe in God. I think sometimes we get messages from God whether or not we understand them. I hope things turned out good for weird monkey. cheers

https://www.mudcrutch.com/forum/index.php?/topic/14774-do-you-like-the-evolution-of-the-heartbreakers-sound/& https://www.mudcrutch.com/forum/index.php?/topic/16143-the-southern-accentswildflowers-theory/&tab=comments#comment-315307 https://www.mudcrutch.com/forum/index.php?/topic/15726-thoughts-on-the-two-tpaths/&tab=comments#comment-309468

Did you like when they jammed in concert, let's say from the WF tour on? Mike's surf instrumental, Breakdown, It's Good To Be King, Drivin' Down to Georgia, extended Mary Jane's, was that fun for you or would you have preferred them to maybe have one or two big numbers and the rest more of the tighter flow they had in the 70s and 80s. I think I included Shelter's Jam Extravaganza link above but if that's not to your taste, I could see why you'd have no comment on it. I see that link was in another topic but here it is again: https://www.mudcrutch.com/forum/index.php?/topic/16032-the-extended-jam-extravaganza-thread/&tab=comments#comment-313537 cheers

That is a good question that I don't think has ever been asked. Could have been but it's new to me and it's a good one. I really don't know on this one. My impression is the band wasn't always effusive with praise even when they liked something but that's a bit to the side of your question. I think they also let Tom know when they weren't feeling it. But overall direction? Stan is always mentioned that he doesn't like the direction, but the others...??? Hmm. To speculate, I think it's a mix, that is, they love being in the band overall, or the pluses far outweigh any minuses, and love playing music together. I figure having played together for so long, they love some music he writes, and just figure they'll ride out the ones they don't like. Guessing about the inside, it seems like they'd just have a different view, focused on the current song and doing the best they could with that; so any change in sound or direction to them wouldn't be the same to the listeners. And besides, once an album was done and the tour stars, they usually didn't play too much new stuff anyway. So the new album just becomes something from the past, especially once that tour ended. Each new album is a fresh start for the band and probably viewed as such. I figure most of the band was fine with any direction Tom went in as it was more about the journey (once they'd become successful) and less about any particular destination. And any changes of the type you mention above, may not even have been noticed by the band as it was incremental from their perspective. Right now, a new listener could throw on Damn the Torpedoes followed up by Echo and have quite a bit of "shock". But I don't think it was the same for the band, aside I guess, from Stan. It occurs to me now that reuniting Mudcrutch and recording Mojo were big evident changes, not just in sound but in overall approach and from what I've read, I think all involved both with Mudcrutch and back with the Heartbreakers liked the change. I think they all love the blues and let that and keeping Mike's playing in the forefront; whether one considers Mojo blues or "blues" it was a definite change to be that self-indulgent on a record and from what I gathered, they all liked it! Well, that's my thought on the matter. Interesting question, maybe one day someone will ask someone from the band that particular query. cheers

Makes sense to me. If fans did indeed migrate over than I reckon they largely stuck to the studio albums or enjoyed TPATH once a tour as soon as they realized how different in live approach the band was. Maybe I'm wrong but to speculate, perhaps the WF tour was a chance for the band to adopt a more free form approach live, including the hits of course but adopting the more groove-oriented and extended jamming, finding perhaps, the challenging balance between satisfying those who show up for "don't bore us get to the chorus" and others who enjoy the interplay between guitars and piano. Sure some would've been lost but other fans gained and there is an audience out there with the means and desire to follow bands to varying degrees. Could it have been done? Maybe. But perhaps that moment in time, if there was indeed an influx of GD fans, was during the WF tour, new fans, new album, new drummer and a new approach. But it didn't happen and it worked out anyway for TPATH, they seemed to only get larger and more successful as a live band, considering the low or "low" moments of the Let Me Up tour; perhaps one could look to them and their progression and apply it to one's own life when down or facing insurmountable odds. The band could've ended before FMF even happened, yet they went from using a curtain to hide empty seats to playing Fenway Park. ciao

I've heard, under protest, things can kind of ripple concerinng GD.