Dave Alvin - From An Old Guitar: Rare And Unreleased Recordings

Size: 157,4 MB
Time: 67:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Blues, Rock, Country
Art: Front

01. Link Of Chain (3:59)
02. Highway 61 Revisited (4:56)
03. (Variations On Earl Hooker's) Guitar Rumba (5:30)
04. Amanda (4:20)
05. Albuquerque (3:20)
06. Mobile Blue (3:48)
07. Perdido Street Blues (3:51)
08. On The Way Downtown (4:40)
09. Inside (3:41)
10. Krazy And Ignatz (2:33)
11. Peace (6:31)
12. Man Walks Among Us (3:55)
13. Beautiful City 'Cross The River (4:19)
14. Dynamite Woman (3:43)
15. Who's Been Here (3:57)
16. Signal Hill Blues (4:24)

This 16 song collection features studio performances that Dave Alvin recorded over the years for his own albums or for tribute albums but mainly they're just things he did for the pure kicks of playing music he loves with musicians he loves and admires. The songs range from some originals to interpretations of compositions by dear friends like Peter David Case, Chris Smither and the late Bill Morrissey to tunes written by heroes like Willie Dixon, Bob Dylan, Lil Hardin Armstrong, Earl Hooker and Marty Robbins. The music ranges from acoustic blues and ballads to electric barroom blues, folk/rock and even a little country/rock. There are contributions from dearly departed comrades like Chris Gaffney, Amy Farris and Bobby Lloyd Hicks as well as from old Blasters pals like Gene Taylor along with various members of The Guilty Men/Women/Ones plus help from brilliant accompanists like Greg Leisz, Cindy Cashdollar, Bob Glaub.

From An Old Guitar: Rare And Unreleased Recordings MP3
From An Old Guitar: Rare And Unreleased Recordings FLAC

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Dave Alvin - Born By A River (Charleston '94 NPR Broadcast)

Size: 184 MB
Time: 27:54
File: FLAC
Released: 2020
Styles: Acoustic/Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Museam Of Heart (Live) (4:50)
02. 4th Of July (Live) (4:49)
03. King Of California (Live) (4:43)
04. Barn Burning (Live) (4:46)
05. Dry River (Live) (4:22)
06. Border Radio (Live) (4:23)

David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, music producer and poet. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s and has been involved in various side projects and collaborations. He has had brief stints as a member of the bands X and the Knitters. ~Wikipedia

Born By A River (Charleston '94 NPR Broadcast)

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Sonny Burgess & Dave Alvin - Tennessee Border

Size: 65,5 MB
Time: 27:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1992
Styles: Blues Rockabilly
Art: Full

01. Tennessee Border (2:25)
02. Enough Of You (2:46)
03. My Heart Is Achin' For You (2:32)
04. Flattop Joint (2:40)
05. As Far As I Could Go (2:30)
06. Old, Old Man (2:26)
07. Automatic Woman (3:32)
08. There's Talk In Your Sleep (2:41)
09. Stuck Up (2:32)
10. I Don't Dig It (3:19)

Sonny Burgess was part of rockabilly's first generation, recording for Sun Records in the 1950s, but even in the '90s he was still capable of tearing it up. This '92 recording shows a sexagenarian Burgess still breathing fire on hardcore rockabilly tracks where he's ably backed by--among others--guitarist Dave Alvin, formerly of the Blasters. There's no audible softening of Burgess's hard-driving sound here, just raw rock & roll in its purest form. ~Jim Allen

Tennessee Border MP3
Tennessee Border FLAC

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Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Downey To Lubbock

Size: 124,8 MB
Time: 52:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Blues, Folk, Rock, Americana
Label: Yep Roc Records
Art: Front

01. Downey To Lubbock (5:49)
02. Silverlake (5:02)
03. Stealin' Stealin' (2:58)
04. July, You're A Woman (3:53)
05. Buddy Brown's Blues (3:51)
06. The Gardens (3:56)
07. Get Together (3:59)
08. K.C. Moan (5:12)
09. Lawdy Miss Clawdy (2:38)
10. Billy The Kid And Geronimo (4:45)
11. Deportee - Plane Wreck At Los Gatos (4:52)
12. Walk On (5:50)

Grammy winner, Dave Alvin, and Grammy nominee, Jimmie Dale Gilmore have been friends for decades. DOWNEY TO LUBBOCK was born by immaculate inspiration from live shows Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore performed in 2017. Just the two of them were swapping songs and cutting up, each with a guitar and a heart full of soul, musicians who’ve been on the road their entire adult lives. Despite tight schedules and hard deadlines, that album has come alive. In the universal language of music, truth is being sung and played for now and for always, and a thousand miles apart feels right next door.

The album contains 12 songs - 10 covers and two originals - and is destined to be a classic Americana album from two Americana legends.

Downey To Lubbock MP3
Downey To Lubbock FLAC

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Various - Live In Long Beach 1997

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:25
Size: 145.2 MB
Styles: Contemporary blues
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[5:01] 1. Dave Alvin - Barn Burning
[3:37] 2. Dave Alvin - Woman In East Texas
[4:17] 3. Dave Alvin - Tell Me How You Want It Done
[4:30] 4. Dave Alvin - Dry River
[4:59] 5. Dave Alvin - Chains Of Love
[7:02] 6. Dave Alvin - Long White Cadillac
[5:57] 7. Billy Boy Arnold - I Wish You Would
[2:48] 8. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - San Antonio Rose
[2:13] 9. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - Wabash Cannonball
[4:53] 10. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - Beer Barrel Polka
[1:16] 11. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - Jolie Bon
[1:32] 12. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - Jambalaya
[8:47] 13. Dave Alvin & Friends - Long Beach Blues
[6:26] 14. Dave Alvin & Friends - It's A Long Way Home

This is the first time I heard Dave Alvin (co-founder of band The Blasters) sing and it is not surprising he was able to maintain a long lasting solo career. His 'blues' singing is kind of deep and just fine. As for this LIVE IN LONG BEACH 1997 recording let me explain this Blues Festival inspired, annual 'get-togethers' at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of Cal State University Long Beach continuously scheduled musicians who had not performed together before and, well, threw them together for a Blues Unplugged night of blues. On this 1997 show in LONG BEACH Dave Alvin played a solo set of 6 songs paying homage to 'Big Joe Turner" on a slow blues version of "Chains of Love"; as well as a slow version of Alvin's own "Long White Cadillac". Eventually, playing a duet with Alvin is harp and songwriter Billy Boy Arnold performing Billy Boy's own "I Wish You Would" originally done in 1955 (this song also played by "Yardbirds" and the "Red Devils").

Gatemouth Brown comes out for 5 (quick) songs playing his fiddle and challenging the crowd, it seems, with country, polka, and a cajun tune "....you wanna' hear a Cajun tune...?" Gate almost seems surprised the max 1000 fans in attendance seem SO enthusiastic in their 'Yes" response. He had just played "Beer Barrel Polka" turning the "Roll out the barrell...bring out a barrel of fun..." polka beat into a country racing fiddle ditty. It's surprisingly fun ... but not for all blues fans, I'm sure. But, the crowd seems to like it; with Dave Alvin playing backup country and Cajun guitar sounds when appropriate. Gate eventually says "This guy's great ... he did not know I was going to play that..." Again, it is a fun 'get-together' the crowd seems to be laughing 'with'.

On the final 2 songs all 4 musicians (including a real nice, cool Joe Louis Walker guitar sound...I think he's plugged-in...) get together for 12 minutes of "Long Beach Blues" (instrumental) and some Gatemouth vocals on his own "Long Way Home". It is a solid ending to about an hour of music with additional minutes added between songs with 'dialogue' mostly by Dave Alvin (and some 'aforementioned' Gatemouth 'clowning'...) ~a. walther

Live In Long Beach 1997

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The Blasters - Fun On Saturday Night

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:35
Size: 81.5 MB
Styles: Rock roots, Electric blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:32] 1. Well Oh Well
[3:32] 2. Jackson
[3:56] 3. Breath Of My Love
[2:12] 4. Fun On Saturday Night
[3:54] 5. No Nights By Myself
[2:23] 6. Love Me With A Feeling
[3:11] 7. I Don't Want Cha
[2:35] 8. Please Please Please
[2:18] 9. Rock My Blues Away
[3:28] 10. Penny
[2:35] 11. The Yodeling Mountaineer
[2:54] 12. Maria Maria

Guitarist and songwriter Dave Alvin left the Blasters in 1986, and it wasn't until 2004 that the band, under the leadership of lead vocalist and guitarist Phil Alvin, got around to cutting a new studio album, 4-11-44, so the gap of a mere eight years between that album and 2012's Fun on a Saturday Night seems like a brief intermission by comparison. 4-11-44 felt uneven, as if this once mighty band lost the muscle and the focus they commanded in their prime, but even though they still don't have a songwriter strong enough to compensate for Dave Alvin's absence, Fun on a Saturday Night is a definite improvement, a great set of classic blues and R&B covers that cuts a solid groove and sounds like these guys are having a hell of a good time. Phil Alvin's voice is a few shades grainier than it once was, but he wails like he means it as he tears into "Rock My Blues Away," "Well Oh Well," and "Love Me with a Feeling" with a joyous abandon. Alvin struts like a bantam rooster as he duets with Exene Cervenka on "Jackson," and reveals you don't necessarily have to be crazy to cover James Brown's "Please, Please, Please." Alvin also sounds convincing when the band slows the tempo on "No More Nights by Myself" and "Penny," and his longtime cohorts, bassist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman, have just the right touch for this material, tough when they need to be and easy when the song calls for it. Guitarist Keith Wyatt has impressive chops and the good sense to not make like a show-off, and when the band turns their classic "Marie Marie" into a Mexican folk number on "Maria Maria," the gambit works like a charm. Easily the oddest number here is also the sole original; "Breath of My Love" is a funny but harrowing tale of domestic discord written by Phil Alvin that cuts to the bone and may feature the first recorded instance of a doo wop chorus singing "Nine One One." Fun on a Saturday Night isn't an epochal roots rock statement like the Blasters' best work, but that also doesn't seem to be what the band had in mind for this set; instead, this is four guys playing some songs they love with the skill and smarts of a lifetime devoted to the music, and this is 36 minutes of good rockin' fun that will kick off a Saturday night (or any other night of the week) in high style. ~Mark Deming

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Dave Alvin - Eleven Eleven

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:22
Size: 113.0 MB
Styles: Americana, Roots rock, Electric blues
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[5:09] 1. Harlan County Line
[4:24] 2. Johnny Ace Is Dead
[4:51] 3. Black Rose Of Texas
[4:03] 4. Gary, Indiana 1959
[4:50] 5. Run Conejo Run
[3:34] 6. No Worries Mija
[4:42] 7. What's Up With Your Brother
[5:56] 8. Murrietta's Head
[4:06] 9. Manzanita
[5:16] 10. Dirty Nightgown
[2:26] 11. Two Lucky Bums

Dave Alvin summed up his work as well as anyone could when he quipped, "There are two types of folk music: quiet folk music and loud folk music. I play both." Alvin shows off his skill on both sides of the volume divide on 2011's Eleven Eleven, where he reaffirms his status as one of the best and most distinctive American songwriters alive. There are few artists who can match Alvin's gift for creating vivid characters and bringing their lives to life through music, and Eleven Eleven finds him near the top of his game as a tunesmith, while also showing off his estimable skills as a guitarist. Whether he's digging into the dirty details of Johnny Ace's death in 1954, embodying a man who may kill a powerful politician for money, focusing his powers of seduction on one woman in a dirty nightgown, or swapping stories of an old friend's adventures on both sides of the law, Alvin's lyrics give the people he sings about depth and detail, and they're crafted with the skill of a talented novelist. Alvin also knows what sort of background to give to these stories, and the spectral guitar and accordion accompaniment of "No Worries Mija" feels just as right as the bluesy Bo Diddley stomp of "Run Conejo Run," and Alvin's electric guitar solos -- crisp, sharp, and bracing -- are as potent as he's been in years. And longtime fans will get a special kick out of "What's Up with Your Brother?," in which he swaps verses with his brother and former bandmate Phil Alvin and pokes fun at their combative reputation. Hearing Dave Alvin at work is to hear a man who is both a poet and a craftsman and remarkably gifted at both; Eleven Eleven shows he's a long way away from running out of ideas, and these 11 portraits of life in the Golden State are engrossing, thoughtful music that should satisfy old fans and engage those introducing themselves to his work for the first time. ~Mark Deming

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Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin - Lost Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:35
Size: 99.8 MB
Styles: Modern electric blues
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[3:41] 1. Mister Kicks
[4:24] 2. World's In A Bad Conditon
[3:29] 3. Cherry Red Blues
[4:07] 4. Rattlesnakin' Daddy
[2:33] 5. Hide And Seek
[2:47] 6. Papa's On The House Top
[3:12] 7. In New Orleans (Rising Sun Blues)
[2:40] 8. Please Please Please
[4:20] 9. Sit Down, Baby
[5:16] 10. Wee Baby Blues
[3:12] 11. Feeling Happy
[3:47] 12. If You See My Savior

The title of the Alvin brothers’ follow-up to their Grammy-nominated 2014 Common Ground reunion project that found them working together for the first time in 30 years is multi-faceted and bittersweet. Clearly they are trying to make up for that lost time after not working together since Dave amicably left the Blasters in 1987. But more than that, these dozen covers are predominantly tunes that were also lost to time. Phil and Dave dig deep to reveal these hidden blues and R&B gems, then polish, rearrange and unleash them with pent up energy, providing the tracks with new leases on life.

Dave’s short yet informative liner notes explain the disc is also a tribute to ’50s blues shouter and Alvin brothers friend Big Joe Turner, whose photo adorns the back cover. Four tracks are Turner covers and it’s no secret that much of Phil’s distinctive singing style dates back to that of Big Joe. But from the opening guitar and walking bass lick of Oscar Brown, Jr.’s demonic “Mr. Kicks” to the closing acoustic gospel of “If You See My Savior” (one of the few times both guys sing on the same tune), it’s clear the brothers are having a blast reviving songs they obviously love and have influenced them for decades.

Not surprisingly Phil does the bulk of the singing. Even after his near-death scare a few years back, he sounds strong, vibrant and often, as on a version of James Brown’s “Please Please Please” that nearly beats the classic original, stronger and more powerful than ever. Old Blasters piano man Gene Taylor makes a welcome guest appearance on the salacious public domain blues of “Rattlesnakin’ Daddy,” one of Dave’s few vocals, while letting Phil display his dynamic harp abilities. The twosome takes Willie Dixon by way of Otis Rush’s “Sit Down, Baby” down to the swamp with another of Dave’s baritone vocals and knock Turner’s “Wee Baby Blues” out of the park with a wild Dave guitar solo, searing slide work from Chris Miller and Phil’s emotional singing.

This is a blues album, but with styles that range from ragtime to jump with Chicago, Texas and Piedmont thrown in it’s diverse, fresh and rocking. There’s not a weak track in the dozen making this another candidate for blues release of the year from brothers who almost never got to play another note together. Making up for lost time never sounded so good.

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VA - The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Concert: Live In Vancouver

Size: 183,1 MB
Time: 78:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Acoustic/Electric Blues
Art: Front

01 Mississippi Sheiks - Introduction (4:09)
02 Oh Susanna - Things About Comin' My Way (6:09)
03 Sojourners - Sweet Maggie (5:39)
04 Geoff Muldaur - Poor Boy (3:42)
05 Steve Dawson - Gulf Coast Bay (5:39)
06 Colin James - Keep On Tryin' (3:57)
07 Bob Brozman - Church Bell Blues (6:43)
08 Van Dyke Parks - It's Backfirin' Now (4:38)
09 Robin Holcomb - I've Got Blood In My Eyes For You (6:27)
10 Jim Byrnes - Tell Me What The Cats Are Fighting About (5:50)
11 Alvin Youngblood Hart - Livin' In A Strain (5:32)
12 John Hammond Jr. - Kind Treatment (5:07)
13 Dave Alvin & Christy McWilson - Wo's Been Here (7:29)
14 All Stars - Sitting On Top Of The World (7:08)

All-star lineup includes Dave Alvin, John Hammond, Van Dyke Parks, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Jim Byrnes, Colin James, Bob Brozman, Geoff Muldaur, Robin Holcomb, The Sojourners, Oh Susanna, and Steve Dawson.

12 new performances by this unique group of artists, including collaborations and an encore performance of "Sitting On Top Of The World" that includesall the artists at once.

This was a once-only concert that was the last event of the 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad which ran during the Winter Olympics. Also included at the beginning of the DVD are exclusive interviews, backstage footage and a behind the scenes look at the rehearsals that occurred before the concert took place.

This concert also features the same house band that was featured on the CD - Steve Dawson (guitars), Matt Chamberlain (drums), Wayne Horvitz (keyboards) and Keith Lowe (bass), and Daniel Lapp (fiddle, trumpet).

The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Concert

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Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin - Common Ground: Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play And Sing The Songs Of Big Bill Broonzy

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 42:18
Size: 96.9 MB
Styles: Roots rock, Contemporary blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:27] 1. All By Myself
[4:07] 2. I Feel So Good
[2:58] 3. How You Want It Done
[4:27] 4. Southern Flood Blues
[3:16] 5. Big Bill Blues
[3:46] 6. Key To The Highway
[3:18] 7. Tomorrow
[3:49] 8. Just A Dream
[3:10] 9. You've Changed
[4:40] 10. Stuff The Call Money
[3:06] 11. Truckin' Little Woman
[2:08] 12. Saturday Night Rub

Blasters founders Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin have had a famously combative relationship over the years, but as Dave once said, "We argue sometimes, but we never argue about Big Bill Broonzy." So it's fitting that their love of Big Bill brings them together in the recording studio for their first album together since the Blasters' Hard Line in 1985. Common Ground: Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play & Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy features the Alvin Brothers performing a dozen songs from the Broonzy songbook, and while listening to this is a potent reminder of how good Broonzy's songs still sound in the 21st century, it also demonstrates the complementary talents of Dave and Phil Alvin. Dave is the hot-shot (but musically savvy) guitarist whose fiery leads and switchblade solos give the melodies a spark they wouldn't have with Phil calling all the shots, and Phil has the outsized, passionate vocal style that brings Big Bill's tales to life in a way Dave's more modest instrument can't quite match (though Dave sings as well, and doesn't embarrass himself when he steps up to the mike). Put them together, and in this context you don't get the Blasters, but you do get something that recalls a bit of the wild fun that band knew how to conjure.

It's clear the Alvins love this music and know how to mess with it in just the right way, and they don't treat Broonzy's tales of all manner of wild living like museum pieces, but as vital, living bits of American music, and that's how they sound on this album. Common Ground isn't "The Return of the Alvin Brothers" so much as a joyous continuation of the mission they launched when the Blasters first hit the stage in 1979, and if they're a little older and craggier in 2014, they clearly know how to make this stuff rock, and this is a modest triumph for one of roots rock's most fascinating partnerships. ~Mark Deming

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Little Milton - Welcome To Little Milton

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:28
Size: 117.8 MB
Styles: Electric Chicago blues, Rockin blues
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[4:32] 1. When The Blues Come Knockin' (with Gov't Mule)
[5:39] 2. Right To Sing The Blues
[0:30] 3. Recitation (John Sinclair)
[3:42] 4. Mother Earth (with Susan Tedeschi)
[3:45] 5. Never Trust A Woman (with Dave Alvin)
[4:07] 6. Love Hurts (with Lucinda Williams)
[3:52] 7. Gimme' My Broom (with Keb' Mo')
[3:47] 8. Two Loves (with Peter Wolf)
[3:46] 9. Lump On Your Stump
[4:21] 10. Me And My Woman (with G. Love & Special Sauce)
[3:34] 11. Some Kind Of Wonderful (with Delbert McClinton)
[9:48] 12. Can't Quit You Baby (with Gov't Mule)

Here's Little Milton's superstar album, finding the R&B legend performing duets with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Keb' Mo', Peter Wolf, Dave Alvin, Delbert McClinton, Gov't Mule, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Susan Tedeschi. By far the most interesting track is John Sinclair's recitation of "Mother Earth" preceding the duet between Milton and Tedeschi of it. While this collection of celebrity duets has its moments, one would definitely want to look elsewhere to start a Little Milton collection. ~Cub Koda

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