Toussaint, Thompson, Helm, Lowe and Costello

[A-Bone]

Did anyone else catch the really cool episode of Elvis Costello's Sundance Channel series Spectacle with Richard Thompson, Nick Lowe, Levon Helm, and Allen Toussaint?

If you have the chance to see it when it is rebroadcast, I highly recommend it. There were a number of great performances with everyone involved (it is always cool to see Touissant, Helm, Lowe and Thompson performing), and the finale with Ray LaMontagne and everyone performing "The Weight" was superb.

Was Richard Thompson playing a Fender Telecaster with a P90 in the neck? I thought at first maybe it was his Kellycaster Blackguard, but the body color and the pick-ups were different.

 

[alpep]

i saw it
great show.

 

[cg]

That was a GREAT show!

 

[JSeth]

What an amazing line-up! I am bummed that I didn't get to see it... know anywhere I can go to view it? A whole bunch of my favorites in that group...

 

[johnhenry]

it will eventually be up on the Spectacle website, but i believe it airs again Sunday night at 9 pm. as enjoyable as it was, it was somewhat bittersweet in that Levon wasn't able to sing-- truly one of the great voices in my lifetime.

 

[Steve_2020]

Great show. After recording it and watching it I discovered that comcast On Demand archives them for about a month. So if you have that feature..

Cool to see Levon and Allen on the same stage. Made me see a line from the Band's music - or maybe it's just Levon's drumming - that runs straight into the New Orleans grooves. I probably knew this on some level as I love The Band's sfuff, Levon's solo stuff, past and current - and New Orleans flavored grooves.

The Band hired Allen Toussaint to arrange the horns for the concerts that produced their classic "Rock Of Ages" live CD from the very early 70s. So maybe they were aware of the connection as they were doing all that stuff originally.

Levon Helm had one of the great American(a) singing voices. He lost it to cancer for a while. Thankfully it's mostly back. It's ok with me if he can't sing on a certain night or is resting it up for something. I'll take whatever he can give, even if it's 'just' his fine, fine drumming.

Saw him and his band on Letterman a couple months ago and he was singing well that night..

 

[A-Bone]

Thanks for the tip about Comcast on Demand. I definitely want to watch this again (and maybe again and again...)

 

[tedmcardle]

Great show. Looking forward to the Costello on Costello one.

 

[Jon C]

I haven't seen it yet but that R. THompson guitar might be his Ferrington that he's used for a long time.... I have it coming up on the DVR.

 

[A-Bone]

It's not the Ferrington. I was expecting that Ferringtoncaster, since he uses it so frequently. This was some sort of T-style guitar, maybe even a Fender Telecaster. Possibly selected as a tribute to Robertson's use of a Telecaster in the 60s.

That Ferrington is very cool, for sure.

 

[Jahn]

That's the only show I dvr. Looking forward to watching it!

 

[barryg_nyc]

thx guys. Had forgotten to Tivo it but set it for tonite...

 

[Cobra]

Richard Thompson's Tele looked like one of those custom colored Nocasters - a blackguard in sonic blue.
He also played it well, good tone & some very tasty & unconventional riffs & lines...

 

[googoobaby]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyXOjiVhH5U

 

[Curly]

I DVR'ed it.

Great to see Richard Thompson, and no doubt Elvis should devote an hour show to RT -- he certainly has the repertoire for it.

I also was struck by RT's tele ... it had P90 neck/ strat middle / tele bridge pickups, like his aqua Ferrington, plus a mini toggle on the control plate.

I'd like to mention that Larry Campbell also filled out the band nicely.

 

[Jon C]

Richard Thompson's [...], good tone & some very tasty & unconventional riffs & lines...

indeed ... RT has lived by those words for years, he constantly amazes, not a blues cliche (or any cliche) to be seen in his incredible playing.

 

[A-Bone]

I'd like to mention that Larry Campbell also filled out the band nicely.

Absolutely!

 

[slopeshoulder]

Saw it for the second time tonight, and then watched The Last Waltz.
I'm a huge Nick Lowe fan and an even bigger Richard Thompson fan.
Richard plays lines that NO ONE else plays. Absolutely orginal. And, oh yeah, he's one of the greatest living songwriters.
My young wife loves RT but was not hip to Levon, but she was really taken with him. Then I showed her the last waltz and she was floored by his voice. "Yup. This all came before Ryan Adams," I said (who she loves).
Music is so wonderful. We're lucky, The Costello show reminds us of that I think. The other episodes this season are also great. Anyone catch Jesse Winchester? Jaysus, can he write.

 

[A-Bone]

It really is a great show.

 

[Jon C]

my one disappointment in that great show was that Levon's voice was on the shelf ... one of my favorite singers ever ... not to mention the incredible Nick Lowe (saw a great solo show by him in '07, as well as a roof-blowing Rockpile show in '80 and another hair-raiser by Little Village in '93 (?)) and RT, who I've followed for about 37 yrs. now (ay, yi, yi) ... my wife didn't realize, I guess, that Levon is a drummer, too (is he ever!).

And Jesse Winchester? One of the greats IMO. I had the pleasure of meeting him at one of his first post-amnesty U.S. concerts in c. '78 (we went to the same college) and had an email correspondence w/ him later.... what a nice guy and of course, a terrific writer. I thank him for turning me on to George Jones (I asked him in '78 who he listens to and he said, above all, he always loved George...Jesse is from Memphis).

And Larry Campbell, stalwart of Dylan's band for years, a great part of Rosanne Cash's band the several times i've seen her, and now w/ Phil Lesh & Friends (who I haven't seen but no surprise he just killed it on slide on "Tennessee Jed").

cheers,
Jon