Older News (2006)
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As 2006 comes to an end, I have JUST learned of this compilation (which was released back in January by Universal Music in Norway!) I have neither seen nor heard the disc, so I can't report on its quality at all. If any of Aaron's European fans can send me more information (or can help me locate a copy) it would be greatly appreciated! (Click on the image above for track listing!)
- Jon Tyler -
updates@nevilletracks.com
SPIKE LEE'S "WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE" COMING TO HOME VIDEO 12/19/06
For those who were not fortunate enough to see this excellent (but heart-wrenching) 4-hour documentary on HBO in August, I HIGHLY recommend checking it out.
One year after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, director Spike Lee presents a four-hour, four-part chronicle recounting, through words and images, one of our country's most profound natural disasters. In addition to revisiting the hours leading up to the arrival of Katrina, a Category 5 hurricane before it hit the coast of Louisiana, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" tells the personal stories of those who lived to tell about it, at the same time exploring the underbelly of a nation where the divide along race and class lines has never been more pronounced.
The DVD will be available from Amazon.com and other retailers.
iTunes is offering two new exclusive Aaron compilations.
The first of these is a 26-track collection titled "Gospel Roots (Holiday Edition)" which collects 25 tracks from the 2-cd collection of the same name and adds the title track from "Christmas Prayer." (The collection sells for $19.98) CLICK HERE TO VIEW TRACK LISTING
The second is one of iTunes' "ITUNES ESSENTIALS" collections. These "greatest hits" collections are comprised of three volumes, listed as "Basics," "Next Steps" and "Deep Cuts." Each 25-track volume is available separately (at $24.75 each) or the complete 75-song collection is available for $74.25. CLICK HERE TO VIEW TRACK LISTING
Neither collection includes any songs that are not already available elsewhere.
On Tuesday December 5, Nevilletracks had a MAJOR increase in the number of visitors. In fact, on that day, twice as many people as usual visited the site. I have been working on promoting the site a bit more recently and was hoping that my efforts had paid off. But, the fact of the matter is, the increase was a result of people looking for information about another New Orleans musician (who has been affiliated with the Neville family for many years)… Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews. I don't watch much television, so I was unaware that Andrews had appeared on the NBC show "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" the night before. In fact, I only learned of his appearance this morning, upon receiving Offbeat Magazine's "Weekly Beat" (which included the following information… (I am reprinting it here without permission.)
Many New Orleanians felt the first blush of the Christmas spirit Monday night when Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews played a beautiful, very New Orleans version of "O Holy Night" on NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The show also featured Kirk Joseph, Bob French and Mervin "Kid Merv" Campbell among others in a subplot about New Orleans' musicians displaced after Katrina. Overnight, the show's message board was bombarded with requests for a downloadable version of the performance, and according to Tipitina's Foundation's Bill Taylor, it should soon be available free on iTunes, so keep looking.
Aas of 12-9-06, the song is still not available on iTunes; but, it IS available as a free download on the show's official web site. Upon listening to it, I completely understand why so many people were moved. I HIGHLY recommend giving a listen to this very moving performance.
And, in the process, always remember our friends along the Gulf Coast who have lost so much…
Aaron Neville graces the XM Performance Theater for a Soul Edition of Artist Confidential hosted by BK Kirkland. You'll hear a funky performance with his tight band and a compelling Q&A session with fan's that turns into an hour of R&B.
Tune in to XM Channel 64 (The Groove)
Saturday 12/16/06 at 9:00AM ET
Sunday 12/17 at Noon ET
Sunday 12/17 at 10PM ET
Click HERE for further details.
(Thanks to Frank Garcia for the information!)
Sorry this news is so late. I heard about it a couple days ago and have not had a chance to post it until now. The show has already been webcast once but there are still ample opportunities to catch it! And, if you don't manage to catch it this week, the show will be archived on Lisa's website in a month or so.
Aaron is the featured guest on Lisa Loucks-Christenson's "Lisa's Walk The Talk Show."
Listen to this man of faith tell his story in this one hour show and hear his new tracks from his new CD, "Aaron Neville Bring It On Home...The Soul Classics," and his Christmas CDs. During the interview Aaron sings a few bars of O Holy Night in a style and voice that is iconically, Aaron.
Friday 12/8/06 on HopeRiverRadio.fm at 8 P.M. (Central)
NYCountryRadio.com on Saturday 12/9/06 at 8 P.M., Sunday 12/10/06 at 10 P.M., Wednesday 12/13/06
Sunday 12/10/06 on USACountryRadio.com at 10 P.M. (CST)
Friday 12/15/06 1 P.M. (EST) on Power3201.com
Go to LisasWalkTheTalk.com for more information
(Thanks to Mary Alice Moore and Marie Jose de Wijs for the information!)
Voice of America's Doug Levine spoke briefly with Aaron about his latest CD, "Bring It On Home - The Soul Classics." Click HERE to listen to a RealAudio clip of this segment of The Levine Report (or to read a transcription of the show.)
LET THE BUYER BEWARE! Over the past few weeks, I have seen an eBay dealer, selling multiple copies of a CD described as "CHRISTMAS [TBA] - AARON NEVILLE CD NEW SEALED." The seller's listing indicates that the disc was released December 30, 2004 by EMI Gospel Music. The UPC code listed is the same as that for the "Christmas Prayer" CD. However, the track listing in his ad is significantly different.
1. What Child Is This: Away In A Manger / Silent Night / Medley
2. Joy To The World - (with Blind Boys Of Alabama)
3. Oh, Holy Night
4. Go Tell It On The Mountain
5. Oh, Come All Ye Faithful
6. First Noel, The
7. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
8. Ave Maria
9. Angels We Have Heard On High
10. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - (with Bishop Paul S Morton, & The Greater St Stephen Mass Choir Sr.)
11. Little Drummer Boy
12. Sweet Little Jesus BoyI e-mailed the seller several weeks ago to confirm the track listing (and to alert him to the fact that his ads might be inaccurate) and received no reply. And he is still listing the discs the same way. I noticed that he is a high-volume seller and I have found that the big dealers are often the ones who fall short in the customer service department. (I do know one person who has purchased one of these discs, only to receive the standard "Christmas Prayer" CD, so I advise anyone who thinks he or she is purchasing something rare to proceed with extreme caution.)
Before "Christmas Prayer" was actually released, this same (incorrect) track listing was announced and this seller appears to be reprinting the information from the same inaccurate source.
It is always possible that this WAS the intended track listing for the CD at one point. It's also possible that Aaron recorded all of the songs listed and that some pre-release copies of the proposed disc were printed for promotional or evaluation purposes. So, finding a disc with this track listing MIGHT be a remote possibility, but I have no way of being sure.
If anyone has a copy of this version of "Christmas Prayer" (or has even SEEN one) please email me and let me know!
Thanks!
- Jon Tyler -
November 2006
Over the course of the next few weeks, a chronology of Neville-related videos will be added to this site. This will include collections of concept videos, live performances and motion pictures in which any of the Nevilles has sung or acted!
Until that is finished, HERE is a short discussion of two collections of Neville Brothers concept videos.
Updated 11-27-06 - Video page is online now. It can be accessed from the Nevilletracks Homepage or by clicking HERE. It is still a work in progress. As always, any corrections or input would be appreciated.
- Jon Tyler -
Brother Aaron again paid tribute to legendary journalist, Ed Bradley by singing "Amazing Grace" at Bradley's memorial service. This moving performance can be found at CBS News.com (click here.) If this link doesn't take you to the correct video, type NEVILLE in the "search videos" box in the top left hand corner and click on SEARCH VIDEOS. The search results show up to the right of the video screen. Look for "November 21, 2006 - Neville Sings for Bradley." Click above the photo of Aaron where it says "play video."
(Thanks to both Frank Garcia and Marie Jose de Wijs for letting me know about this video.)
Award-winning journalist Ed Bradley succumbed to Leukemia on November 9th, 2006. Bradley was a very vocal supporter of the music and culture of New Orleans (and more specifically, the music of the Neville Brothers.) Bradley was known to perform with the Neville Brothers on occasion and can be seen performing "60 Minute Man" on the "Cinemax Sessions - Neville Brothers and Friends: Tell It Like It Is" video. He also introduced both the Meters and the Neville Brothers at the post-Katrina "From The Big Apple to the Big Easy" benefit concert.
On the evening of his passing, CNN's "Larry King Live" featured an hour-long tribute to Ed by fellow journalists and friends. One such friend was brother Aaron, who paid tribute to "The 5th Neville Brother" with a moving performance of "Stand By Me."
For those who missed the performance, it can be found HERE.
(Thanks to MJ for the heads up on this one!)
The Christmas season is right around the corner, so it's time for holiday music to start landing in the CD player (or cassette player or i-Pod.) And what collection of holiday music would be complete without the many Neville Christmas recordings that have been released through the years? Click HERE to read about the many releases! (Please drop me a line if you know of any others!)
Jon Tyler
I was fortunate enough to have found someone nearby whose cable system carries the Ovation Network. Saturday night's Neville Brothers documentary was released in 2005 as part of Rumble Films' "Music Express" series (which is shown in over 40 countries worldwide.) The show is hosted by noted Irish radio/TV personality Dave Fanning and consisted of interesting interview segments and fairly common video footage. Over all, I felt it was an enjoyable hour, but the familiarity of the video footage was a disappointment for me.
I am assuming that the interviews with Charles, Ivan, Aaron and Cyril were taped during the Nevilles' 2005 European tour (which would explain Art's absence since health problems forced him to leave that tour prematurely.) This also dates the interview "pre-Katrina." Fanning's questions showed that he was, not only very savvy about music in general, but was also quite familiar with the Nevilles' music and history. I found this refreshing after seeing so many interviews through the years done by people who obviously have no real knowledge of the brothers.
As for the video segments… The show's only recent video clip was a performance clip of "Ball of Confusion." The majority were clips from the Cinemax Sessions "Neville Brothers and Friends: Tell It Like It Is" video. (Not to say that there is anything wrong with that concert; it's just that I would like to have seen musical performances that are not so readily available elsewhere.) Also included were clips from some of the Brothers' music videos (some of which might be new to US fans.)
Again, it wasn't the best Neville documentary I've ever seen, but the interview segments made it worth seeing none the less.
Ovation will be broadcasting the show again on 12/15 at 11:00pm and 3:00am and on 12/23 at 8:00pm and midnight. (all times are EST.)
Updated 11/15/06
If you are a fan of the Neville Brothers' first collective project, The Wild Tchoupitoulas, then I recommend that you check out the Wild Magnolias as well. The tribe's first two albums ("The Wild Magnolias" and "They Call Us Wild") were briefly available on CD during the mid-90's but are now very rare (and pricey if you do find copies.) According to Satchmo.com, "They Call Us Wild" is being reissued on November 9th as a limited edition import.
Amazon.com lists a November 14th release date and indicates that the $69.99 set includes 2-cd's (even though the track listing on their site is the same as that of the original single disc version.)
CD Universe indicates that it is a single disc, is manufactured in France and carries a list price of $91.99.
Dusty Groove America indicates that it is a 2-cd set but doesn't mention any price.
Hopefully, I can get more accurate information fairly quickly so those who want the disc can get it before it's gone (again.)
Update: November 15, 2006 - Amazon is now stating that the release date for this set is November 21, 2006.
According to a French CD retailer (FNAC.com), the set is scheduled for a November 27 release and:
1) comes in a deluxe box
2) includes a 68 page booklet and a color poster
3) includes 5 bonus tracks on the second CD.
One of my all-time favorite documentaries, "Always for Pleasure" (originally released in 1978) has finally been released on DVD. (Actually, it has been available for a few months, but I have failed to mention it until now.)
The documentary is "an intense insider's portrait of New Orleans' street celebrations and unique cultural gumbo: Second-line parades, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest. Features live music from Professor Longhair, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, the Neville Brothers and more"... the DVD version "contains an additional 24 minutes of bonus footage of Professor Longhair, the Wild Tchopitoulas with the Neville Brothers, Blue Lu and Danny Barker and Art Ryder's second line band."
"Always for Pleasure" can be purchased from the director/producer's own website or from the Louisiana Music Factory.
Mardi Gras Records (a New Orleans-based independent record label) has released Aaron's 1987 recording, "Who Dat? A History of the Saints" on a CD titled "Who Dat? New Orleans Party Songs." The CD can be purchased directly from the manufacturer or from the Louisiana Music Factory.
According to VH-1's "Rock on TV," the Ovation Network will be broadcasting an hour-long show titled "Music Express: The Neville Brothers" on Saturday 11/11 at 8:00pm est and again at midnight.
Last month, I mentioned the 4-CD set from Rhino Records, "What It Is: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves." For fans and collectors of vinyl 45's, Rhino is following up that set with a limited edition companion collection of (25) 7" singles! They have taken 25 tracks from the 4-CD set and pressed them onto 45's with their original flip-sides. As a result, the singles collection includes 25 tracks not found in the 4-CD set.
Among those, are a few more Neville-related gems. "Tell Me What's On Your Mind" (by Cyril Neville), "Chug Chug Chug-a-Lug (Push N' Shove) Part II" (by The Meters) and "Oleancler" (by The Rhine Oaks.) As stated last month, The Rhine Oaks are alleged to be the Meters.
The first two tracks have been issued on CD previously; but, to the best of my knowledge, "Oleancler" has never been issued on CD yet.
If you're interested in this vinyl collection (or the 4-cd set), I highly recommend Dusty Groove America.
For those who are fans of recorded music in general, I have encountered a couple very interesting (and fun) on-line forums (discussion groups.)
The first of these is the IMWAN: ICE Refugees Music Forum
The second is a site maintained by Steve Hoffman, one of the music industry's premiere Mastering Engineers. (If you read the production credits on your CDs, you will see Steve's name on some of the best-sounding reissues ever produced.) Go HERE and click on "Music Corner" to read or participate in the MANY music-related discussions there.
October 2006
Aaron has been busy promoting his latest album, "Bring It On Home... The Soul Classics." In addition to live shows, he has been appearing on a wide variety of TV and radio shows.
Some of these appearances are available online for download or streaming:
To see Aaron's unaired performance of "Arianne" from the Ellen DeGeneres Show, go HERE.
To hear Aaron's interview on the Bob Rivers radio show, go HERE.
To hear live performances of "Stand By Me," "Respect Yourself" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" (as well as some interesting interview segments) on National Public Radio's World Cafe program, go HERE.
During the 2005 Jazzfest, viewers in New Orleans had the pleasure of previewing a wonderful documentary about New Orleans music entitled "Make It Funky!" To quote Joel Selvin of the San Francisco Gate (10/28/05)... "Shot at an April 2004 all-star concert and narrated by the estimable Art Neville of the Neville Brothers, 'Make It Funky'encapsulates the story of New Orleans rhythm and blues, moving on and off the stage at Saenger Theatre in New Orleans to tour the city and have people like Neville, songwriter Allen Toussaint, recording engineer Cosimo Matassa and drummer Earl Palmer recite the lore."
Prior to the film's release, there were plans for a theatrical release in September 2005 (followed by a DVD release AND a separate DVD release of the concert performances.)
As we all know, tragedy fell upon the Crescent City in August 2005, adding an unintentional poignancy to the documentary. In addition to the theatrical release of the documentary, it was also broadcast on VH-1 on September 14, 2005 as a fundraiser for the victims of Katrina. Less than two weeks later, the documentary was released on DVD.
Now, over a year later, the concert performances have finally been issued on DVD. "New Orleans Concert - The Music Of America's Soul" is available from Amazon.com and the Louisiana Music Factory (as well as other fine retailers!)
Among the twenty performances on the video are several Neville-related ones.
• Amazing Grace & Trick Bag (Aaron)
• Rip It Up (Ivan & Earl Palmer)
• Oooh Whee Baby (Art & Steve Jordan)
• Yellow Moon / Fire On The Bayou (Neville Brothers)
• Hey Pocky Way (Ensemble)
My friend Dan Phillips has writen an excellent review of the long-awaited DVD of this landmark benefit concert. Please check out his review at his Home of the Groove Blogspot. (Scroll down to the September 29 entry.)
Rhino Records recently released an awesome 4-cd boxed set titled, "What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977)." Rhino has dug deep into the vaults of Atlantic, Atco and Warner Bros to compile something a little different from the typical Soul compilation. Many well-known artists (The Bar-Kays, Rufus Thomas, Curtis Mayfield, Wilson Pickett and Little Richard to name just a few) are represented here, but are represented by rarer gems rather than their better-known hits.
Among the set's 91 tracks are a few Neville-related tracks. Then again, would any funk set be complete without a recording or two by some member of the Neville family?
Brother' Cyril's 1968 classic, "Gossip" appears, as does the Meters' "Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push N' Shove) Part 2." Admittedly both songs have been issued on CD previously, but both are worthy of inclusion on a deep-grooves compilation such as this one.
Tami Lynn's recording of "Mojo Hannah" might also be of interest to Neville fans as the song is a staple at Neville shows and has been recorded by Aaron solo and by the Brothers. Personally, my favorite pre-Neville version of this song is the original (by Henry Lumpkin) on the Motown label, but the Tami Lynn version is still an enjoyable listening experience.
The most intriguing track (for Neville fans) is "Tampin" by a band called the Rhine Oaks. Allegedly, the Rhine Oaks is actually the Meters, but there has been some debate as to the validity of this claim. Some experts theorize that it is, in fact, the Meters (minus Art Neville) with Allen Toussaint and a horn section. An excellent discussion of this recording can be found on Larry Grogan's excellent Funky16Corners Blog.
Further details about the set can be found art Rhino's web site by clicking here.
Among other places, the set can be ordered from Dusty Groove America or Amazon.com
In 2005, LiveMusicZone released a cd titled "funky METERS at the DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival." Unfortunately, LiveMusicZone has gone out of business. A friend of mine is looking to buy a copy of that 2-cd set. He would like to find an original set (not a copy.) If anyone has one for sale (or can help direct my friend to an available copy) please email me at the address below! Thank you!
- Jon Tyler
September 2006
I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that, even though this site has been approved by the Nevilles' management, all editorial content on this site is the work of myself (and a couple other contributors.) The content of the site (and any opinions expressed herein) are solely my responsibility and do not represent the opinions or values of the Nevilles and/or their representatives!
- Jon Tyler
Those of you who know me (or who have seen my posts on the various Neville-related message boards) have likely heard me quote (and praise) the ICE Newsletter on many occasions. Sadly, after a nineteen year run, the magazine ceased publication in March of this year. ICE was an invaluable source of CD release information to me since the late 1980s, and much of my ability to stay on top of upcoming Neville releases was because of ICE. Hopefully, I will eventually find some other, equally comprehensive source of information. In the meantime, I'll continue gathering information from as many sources as possible so that I will be able to keep this site as up-to-date and complete as possible.
I want to take this opportunity to again thank all the people who have shared their thoughts and information with me over the years. This site would not be what it is without all the input from everyone!
I'm always on the lookout for people who have added a link to NevilleTracks on their web sites! A few weeks back, I discovered that a woman named Miss Tayva had a link to this site. Upon checking out her web site, I learned that she is a "Retro-Pinup Model" with great taste in music! Her site does NOT contain any nudity, but some of her photos might be considered too suggestive for some people. I find the photos to be very tasteful (I've seen more suggestive images on network television,) but I do realize that others may have different opinions, so I'm just offering the warning. Anyway, unless you're offended by photos of women wearing corsets and other retro-garments, please pay Miss Tayva's site a visit and let her know you are a fellow Neville fan!
I decided to search the internet for reviews of Aaron's new CD and found a few, ranging from glowingly positive to lukewarm. Click here to read them...
While surfing the Internet, looking for folks who have done reviews of (or have added links to) this website, I found the New Orleans Website Directory (at NewOrleansWebsites.com.) Check out the site for info about anything and everything related to the Crescent City.
iTunes is offering a couple more exclusive Aaron compilations, "Nadie" and "Wild Flower."
"Nadie" includes: "I Found Another Love," "I'm Waiting At The Station," "I've Done It Again," "Let's Live," "Mojo Hannah," "Nadie," "One Fine Day," "Over You," "Performance," "She Took You For A Ride" and "She's On My Mind.
"Wild Flower" includes "Show Me The Way," "Speak To Me," "Struttin' On Sunday," "Hey Little Alice," "Sweet Little Mama," "The Greatest Love," "Ticks of the Clock," "Wild Flower" and "Wrong Number."
The former indicates that "She Took You For a Ride " is a re-recording but that song is, in fact, the readily available Par-Lo recording.
Just weeks after the anniversary of the devastation Hurricane Katrina wrought on their home town, a group of Crescent City music legends celebrates the ravaged city's musical history and culture; the New Orleans Social Club features original members of The Meters and the Neville Brothers, plus special guests including soul queen Irma Thomas; Check your local PBS listings for air date/time! (Airing in New Orleans on Saturday October 14, 2006 at 9:00 pm.)
August 2006
Released on September 19, 2006
Information Updated on August 23, September 10, 11, 13, 17 & 19
Burgundy Records' site has a bio, a video (with interviews and studio footage) and 30-second audio clips of the following songs: "Rainy Night in Georgia," "Ain't No Sunshine," "Dock of the Bay," "Stand By Me," "You Send Me," "Respect Yourself," "When a Man Loves a Woman," "Let's Stay Together," "It's Alright," "People Get Ready," "My Girl," "Ain't That Peculiar" and "A Change is Gonna Come."
Update 8/23/06 ... According to Burgundy Records' web site, Aaron's new CD, "Bring It On Home... The Soul Classics" will be available through iTunes on September 12 (a week before the discs will be in stores.) The iTunes version will include the bonus track, "Gypsy Woman." * Burgundy's site also indicates that the disc is available through Sony/BMG Music Entertainment.
Update 9/10/06 ... According to CD Universe's website, the Japanese pressing of the cd will include two bonus tracks and will be issued on October 23. (Amazon.com indicates that the release date is October 26.) So far, no news on the identity of the two bonus tracks.
Update 9/11/06 ... Copies of "Bring It On Home..." purchased through Walmart will feature an exclusive bonus track ("Higher and Higher") as well. Go to Walmart.com for more information. * As a warning, their website lists both the standard 13-track version and their exclusive 14-track version!!! Make sure you order the right one!
Update 9/13/06 ... Price of the album through iTunes (including the bonus track, "Gypsy Woman") is $9.99 (USD)!
Update 9/17/06 ... Best Buy's latest on-line "Weekly Ad" indicates that copies of "Bring It On Home..." purchased through them will have a (yet unnamed) bonus track. According to Target's latest online "Weekly Ad," their edition of the cd will include some (unnamed) exclusive bonus track as well (in limited quantities.)
Update 9/19/06 ... The bonus track on Best Buy's version of the cd is "Swanee River Rock." Target's version includes "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You." All bonus tracks are included on the discs; there is no need to download the bonus tracks via the internet (as is done in some instances.) Borders Books stores offer the exclusive bonus track, "Drown in My Own Tears."
Burgundy's site indicates that the disc is also available through Sony/BMG Music Entertainment.
*Thanks to Frank Garcia for the information about the iTunes AND Walmart exclusives!
Digital music download services such as Apple's iTunes and RealNetworks' Rhapsody are going strong and are (hopefully) here to stay. For about $1 (US) individuals may purchase songs a la carte from these innovative services. And why buy an entire album when you really only want one song from that disc? Dozens (if not hundreds) of the songs listed on this web site are available through these legal music download services. And some of the songs available on-line are very difficult to find elsewhere as CDs go out of print.
Additionally, these services frequently bundle songs into compilations which are not available elsewhere. In 2004, iTunes issued an exclusive compilation of Aaron's mid 60s-early 70s recordings (one of the many entries in its Soul Masters series.) That collection included songs which had not yet been released on CD (as well as a few which had never been released previously at all.) "Yesterday," "Honey," and "Have Faith" were heard first by iTunes members while "You Don't Love Me Anymore" saw its first digital release via that service. Sadly, this collection appears to be unavailable now (although it DOES appear to still be available through Yahoo! Music.) iTunes replaced it with another collection titled "Cry Me A River" (which includes only 11 songs, none of which are particularly rare.)
A recently-released compilation of Art's recordings from that same period (titled "Art Neville Original hits") includes the first ever digital release of "Bo Diddley." (Contrary to popular belief, the version of that song which has been reissued on CD countless times before is NOT the original single version.)
iTunes has also recently begun releasing a series titled "iTunes Essentials." One of the compilations in this series is a collection of essential Meters tunes (which is available in a single 30-song collection or as two separate 15-song collections.) For some reason, one of the two collections includes the same song twice.
Rhapsody offers a unique 11-track Neville Brothers compilation titled "Soul Masters - Make Me Strong." Other than the relatively rare "Son of a Preacher's Daughter," this disc contains nothing particularly rare or noteworthy. All of the songs are solo tunes so calling this a Neville Brothers collection is actually a bit of a stretch to begin with.
All things considered, I feel that these services provide a great bang for the buck. If you've never checked out any of them, I highly recommend doing so.
Click here to see track listings for the collections mentioned above
Click here to see a comparison of the various different services available.
During the 1960's, Art, Cyril and Aaron (along with George Porter, Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste and saxman Gary Brown) were performing regularly at the Nitecap (an uptown club near the Thirteenth Ward) as Art Neville and the Neville Sounds. Eventually, the band was offered a gig at the Ivanhoe, a Bourbon Street club in the French Quarter. Unfortunately, the venue wasn't equipped to handle any band larger than four pieces, so Art, George, Leo and Zig moved on to the Ivanhoe (and were soon rechristened the Meters) while Aaron, Cyril and Gary joined pianist Sam Henry, drummer Bull Dog Bonnie and bassist Richard Amos and continued their regular gigs at the Nitecap (as The Soul Machine.) In the Nevilles' collective autobiography, "The Brothers Neville," Cyril mentioned that"the Soul Machine cranked on for years." Aaron added that "maybe if the personal shit hadn't been so chaotic, the Soul Machine would have recorded. We never did. Aside from some private tapes floating around, there's nothing to document that sweet soul music." Well, not exactly...
Fast forward to 2002 when Funky Delicacies (a divison of Tuff City Records) unearthed another in its long string of lost New Orleans funk treasures, a Soul Machine album that was recorded by Cosimo Matassa in 1969. Oddly, neither Aaron nor Cyril is on the recording (although Cyril is pictured in the photo on the cover of the disc.) For more information about this rare gem, please click here.
July 2006
While surfing the web for info about the aforementioned Sam and the Soul Machine cd, I stumbled on a REALLY great New Orleans music Blog, Dan Phillips's Home Of The Groove Blog!!! To quote Dan, "This audioblog is based on the premise that the true Home of the Groove, at least on the North American landmass, was New Orleans, Louisiana, and will be again one day soon, as we cannot afford to lose it. I continue to feature selected rare, hard to find New Orleans-related R&B and funk tracks with commentary. Some general knowledge of N.O. music is helpful here, but not required to get your groove on." Yeah, you right, Dan!
And what site dedicated to New Orleans music would be complete without references to the music of the Neville family? Well, this one has several, so PLEASE check it out! (The June 20, 2006 Blog features a discussion of the 1981 Neville classic, "Fiyo on the Bayou.")
Rhino Entertainment in Association with MSG Entertainment to Release DVD of 'FROM THE BIG APPLE TO THE BIG EASY: The Concert for New Orleans'; Landmark Benefit Concert Held at Madison Square Garden in New York City to Aid Victims of Hurricane Katrina. (Click HERE to read complete press release.)
Thanks to Joella Cephas for bringing this to my attention!!!
Pre-June 2006
