Dylan For Christmas

Bob Dylan will be releasing an album of Christmas songs on October 13.

Christmas In The Heart will be the 47th album from Bob Dylan, and follows his worldwide chart-topping Together Through Life, released earlier this year.  Songs performed by Dylan on this new album include, “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Little Drummer Boy” and “Must Be Santa.”

All of Bob Dylan’s U.S. royalties from sales of these recordings will be donated to Feeding America, guaranteeing that more than four million meals will be provided to more than 1.4 million people in need in this country during this year’s holiday season.   Bob Dylan is also donating all of his future  U.S. royalties from this album to Feeding America in perpetuity.

Additionally, Dylan is partnering with two international charities to provide meals during the holidays for millions in need in the United Kingdom and the developing world, and will be donating all of his future international royalties from Christmas In The Heart to those organizations in perpetuity.

Dylan commented, “It’s a tragedy that more than 35 million people in this country alone — 12 million of those children — often go to bed hungry and wake up each morning unsure of where their next meal is coming from.  I join the good people of Feeding America in the hope that our efforts can bring some food security to people in need during this holiday season.”

Dylan, Mellencamp and Nelson Tour Together

Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson are teaming up for the 2009 Ballpark Tour in the US. The jaunt kicks off July 2nd in Illinois, with the trio playing minor league baseball stadiums across the country until August 15th. The tour  is a family oriented event with free admission for children 14 and younger.

News of the trek first spread when Joan Baez let the word slip after playing “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right” during a concert in Bloomington, Indiana. With John Mellencamp in the crowd, Baez said “Mellencamp? Are you really going to go on tour with that guy [Dylan]? Seriously, come talk to me after the show.” Mellencamp’s Website later promised a tour of minor league baseball stadiums with two major artists in tow. Check below for the current run of 2009 Ballpark Tour dates.

Bob Dylan/John Mellencamp/Willie Nelson

July 2 – Sauget, IL @ GCS Ballpark
July 4 – South Bend, IN @ Coveleski Stadium
July 8 – Louisville, KY @ Louisville Slugger Field
July 10 – Dayton, OH @ Fifth Third Field
July 11 – Eastlake, OH @ Classic Park
July 13 – Washington, PA @ Consol Energy Park
July 14 – Allentown, PA @ Coca-Cola Park
July 15 – New Britain, CT @ New Britain Stadium
July 19 – Syracuse, NY @ Alliance Bank Stadium
July 21 – Pawtucket, RI @ McCoy Stadium
July 23 – Lakewood, NJ @ FirstEnergy Park
July 24 – Aberdeen, MD @ Ripken Stadium
July 25 – Norfolk, VA @ Harbor Park
July 28 – Durham, NC @ Durham Bulls Athletic Park
July 29 – Sevierville, TN @ Smokies Park
August 4 – Round Rock, TX @ The Dell Diamond
August 5 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Whataburger Field
August 7 – Grand Prairie, TX @ QuikTrip Park
August 11 – Glendale, AZ @ Camelback Ranch
August 12 – Las Vegas, NV @ Cashman Field
August 14 – Fresno, CA @ Chukchansi Park
August 15 – Stockton, CA @ Banner Island Ballpark

Bob Dylan’s New Album April 28

The first news has just emerged about Bob Dylan’s new album. It due to be released on April 28 and goes by the name Together Through Life.

In an interview with esteemed writer Bill Flanagan on his website www.bobdylan.com Dylan describes the album has having the feel of a Chess Records album from the fifties.

After the commercial success of his last album Modern Times Dylan has taken another interesting step on this album, it seems. When questioned by Flanagan about his audiences expectations Dylan had this to say.

“There didn’t seem to be any general consensus among my listeners. Some people preferred my first period songs. Some, the second. Some, the Christian period. Some, the post Colombian. Some, the Pre-Raphaelite. Some people prefer my songs from the nineties. I see that my audience now doesn’t particular care what period the songs are from. They feel style and substance in a more visceral way and let it go at that. Images don’t hang anybody up. Like if there’s an astrologer with a criminal record in one of my songs it’s not going to make anybody wonder if the human race is doomed. Images are taken at face value and it kind of freed me up.”

Bob Dylan is currently on tour with his band through Europe.

Lucinda Williams National Tour

Three time Grammy winner Lucinda Williams has established a reputation as one of rock’s most uncompromising and consistently fascinating writers and performers, earning kudos from artists as diverse as Mary-Chapin Carpenter (who recorded William’s Passionate Kisses) and Elvis Costello and in many eyes being their equal.

2009 marks the 30th anniversary of Lucinda’s first recording – and after 30 plus years of writing, recording and performing, she is in the midst of her most prolific period to date. Her newly released album ‘Little Honey’ resonates with new sounds, familiar styles, new friends, renewed optimism and thought-provoking sentiment; showcasing all the elements that have made Williams one of the most celebrated living songwriters.

In her first Australian tour for over 16 years, the Louisiana-born singer will be backed by her solid road band ‘Buick 6′, which includes mainstay Doug Pettibone on guitar, with David Sutton (bass) and former Eels’ members Chet Lyster (guitar) and Butch Norton (drums).

Some of Williams songs are amongst the most admired by other songwriters – usually a sure sign of their quality. She has toured with Bob Dylan performed duets with Steve Earle and David Crosby and had covers of her songs recorded by Tom Petty and Emmylou Harris. Perhaps her most celebrated album was 1998’s Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, which was co-produced by the E Street Bands Roy Bittan and includes the outstanding song of longing Jackson.

Williams has only released nine albums over her career a fact that can be put down more to her reputed perfectionism than any lack of material!!

Brisbane – Thursday April 9 -QPAC, Concert Hall

Byron Bay – Saturday April 11 & Sunday April 12 – East Coast Blues & Roots Festival

Canberra – Saturday April 4 – Canberra Theatre

Melbourne – Wednesday April 1 – Arts Centre, Hamer Hall SOLD OUT!!

Melbourne – Thursday April 2 – Arts Centre, Hamer Hall

Sydney – Monday April 6 – Enmore Theatre

World Party – Private Revolution

When Karl Wallinger left The Waterboys after that band released 1985’s This Is The Sea album he set about creating World Party. This album Private Revolution was the debut of the band that was effectively Wallinger’s solo outlet.

It was a startling debut that seemed at the time to be the vehicle to launch Wallinger to superstar status. The fact that that result never quite eventuated remains somewhat of a mystery. In fact when you listen to  World Party albums now next to Coldplay’s work you realise how close Wallinger might have been to ‘world domination’ – a fact alluded to on the Coldplay live review found elsewhere on this site.

The calling card for this album is of course the sublime Ship Of Fools which I don’t mind admitting is still one of my favourite songs. The surging and rollicking song completely takes you on a journey with that little boat as it battles a world gone mad.
Wallinger’s green credentials are well stated on this song and in fact across the whole album when he shows himself to be a couple of decades ahead of his time in voicing his concerns about environmental issues.

The Ballad Of The Little Man is almost as addictive as Ship Of Fools as Wallinger warns us against the influence of our own base instincts while constructing another unstoppable musical journey. The title track adopts a “think global, act local” philosophy while Hawaiian Island World channels Bob Dylan both vocally and musically to good effect. All I Really Want To Do takes a similar path but to a slightly less satisfying conclusion.

The song World Party even sounds like a Beach Boys song that Jimmy Webb may have co-written – which in itself is a remarkable achievement and proof of Wallinger’s place in the upper echelon of songwriters.

Possibly this was Wallinger’s only problem – he was such a musicologist who had a deep understanding of how artists like The Beatles and Dylan and Brian Wilson worked and created.  This understanding perhaps over-pervaded his own work. I’m not so sure I see that as a problem but I can see how it gave some listeners a way out as much as a way in.

Private Revolution was a landmark album and one that should have been the beginning of something bigger. It stands up well today and provides as exciting listening now as it did when it was released in 1986. Wallinger went on to have a couple more hits and make some more really great albums like Goodbye Jumbo and Bang which will be re-reviewed here in coming months.