Guest Book

Dickey's "we need the money" phrase was more or less a dig at the greedy record execs...that are well known for sticking it to you...whenver they get a chance..... Kenny

Well, I think of the election last night, and the phrase "We're F****d" seems to be on everyone's lips around here. I think it very well might be true, and I'm scared and angry. (Wayne, since when do Republicans know anything about the economy? Reagan???)

I don't have punch line but I would really like to see In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed in the rotation without the long Drum solo. Don't want a Drum Solo Thread we've done that plenty. For me it just doesn't fit in that song. It's a great song with a powerful ending. That powerful ending loses something after the 15 minute Drum/Bass solo. Although Oteil does some cool stuff on that particular song I would rather have the short original length drum solo there. Corrine didn't answer

Interesting commentary/debate on the song selection of ABB shows of late. My opinion is quite controversial so I will suffice to say that Rocking Horse is my least liked songs the band has ever done. It is not "Allmanesque" to me. I do like some of the new stuff and enjoy the music of all the shows, but, as good as '95, 96, or '89-90? Can't agree with that. There was magic in the music that I have'nt felt yet. Still, the best band anywhere on the planet so don't send me that hate mail!! Peachnutt....hey bro, it's still the best country in the world. I thank God we have a Republican exec. and now have regained control of the House and Senate. But you're right, the stock market ain't going no where soon. I also am glad that we are free to make the choice!! to own a firearm and defend your life. It ain't perfect, but it's the best country I know of....if you ain't happy in the north, come on down south and see what you've been missin'. Rememberin' Berry O. today. Listened to the New Orleans show and the Mtn. Jam solo B.O. plays that really rips. Sing your song B.O.!! spdb Buy real estate!

Lee my friend I know I should keep this one to myself but what the heck... I got a little tired of hearing D.B. say on many of the shows that I've collected "If you like what you are hearing, go out and buy our new CD so we can get some money" Just doesn't fit the philosphy that founded the ABB. The music is what matters. Play what you want to play whether its R.H. every night or not. I gotta agree with Bob in that I doubt their set lists are geared towards selling a CD that has not been released yet. This was an EXCELLENT tour. I do agree that its better than anything since 96. I love the new material. Time to call my wife, wish me luck! Or Flame me, Shoot I don't care just don't forget me!

First: :birthday: to my wife Corrine she is a Beautiful 37 today. Ashamed to say I forgot to wish that too her before I left home this morning. Boo, Hiss, Boo. To make matters worse, I'm affraid to call her because she was up all night with Jasmin who still does not know night from day and once they get to sleep it could be 1:00 before they awake. Second: There may be such thing as too much R.H. but NEVER too much Soulshine. I believe I would still think I got my Moneys worth If they Just played that one 16 times one night and nothing else. well maybe a "Post" and a "Stormy Monday" and probably should include a......well you get the point. I love Soulshine Ron, I live in Olathe and you tell "Chauncey" to look us up and we will scratch up some of that Old Time Fun. HAA! Might as well bring LuAnn Poovey with him cause Independence is only 30 minutes away. Haa! x 2 Speaking of Independence I must chime in on the Republican side today. I feel great that things went the way they did. It is wonderful that we have the Freedom to make the choices the way we do (and did). I believe the Markets will bounce back big time. It takes time but they will bounce back and on track. We must remember that it is not so much a victory over the other party as it is what the people voted for and now we must all pull together and do the things that are in the best interest of the USA as a whole. Just my 2 cents. Have at me. Oh, and if JimmysGirl is lurking I am really sorry that I didn't give you B'Day wishes this morning. :dance:

For this band I am sure they just simply enjoyed playing the new stuff, something new fresh air. I don't think they care if it sells a single record and thats the best part they never have and it sounds ooooooooooooooooo so goooooooooooood. I mean the set lists since Warren left the first time were stagnant. Rocking Horse is a kick A$$ song I like to hear it right after the same thing and my new favorite song of the week "Feel So Bad" Me on a personal note I love hearing the new stuff first because I collect the shows, the new stuff is fresh and full of energy just like the new congres whooooooootie wooooooooo.

Good points Ron. And good discussion too. I'm still sick of it though. But to your point about playing a song that they're gonna put on a CD, that brings up another thing I've been wondering about. It seems like when I've heard a group play new songs, they are trying to promote sales of a new CD that has been released. I like a lot of the new songs (I don't consider R.H. new, so let's not go there), but I don't understand why they are playing them so frequently when there is no CD for the general public to buy. From a marketing standpoint, seems like they could play the new stuff live and then tell the audience "Hey, if you like what you heard, get to the t-shirt stand and pick up our new CD". Prolly a whole nuther can-o-worms there.

[here's the edited part, i'm not arguing with anyone, i'm just writing for fun. this probably reads better aloud, actually, for obvious reasons. enjoy or skip over!] I guess it depends on whether you're talking about what you'd like as opposed to what you think they should do. Two different topics, I suppose. In my brevity, I was unclear, and I apologize for that. Specifically, what I mean is this: A big part of the live performance - record sales symbiosis is the regular and repetitive performance of a tune that has an easily memorable vocal and melodic hook, preferably using an everyday phrase or name (in a punnish way if possible, to hook the listener with an unfamiliar spin of a familiar phrase, just like ad jingles often do), and that evokes a memorable emotional response in the listener (in the case of Rocking Horse, an unusually hard-rocking good-time really LOUD rave-up). They were doing it at the turn of the century when the composer of a song might attend performances of the review the song would be featured in, seizing upon a positive reaction from the crowd to stand and lead the crowd in singing a reprise of the song sometimes 7 or 8 times, until the crowd left the theatre knowing the title and the melody, ready to go buy the sheet music...where paid pluggers would perform the song again and again to introduce and reinforce the tune to the mass audience of sheet music buyers. (Isn't this uncannily like today? At one time, only potential blockbuster songs were worth the enormous protional costs needed to get the sales to pay for the production costs!) I'm sure you musical historians out there can take this back to the dawn of recorded history. So the ABB have all this new stuff they need to sell to an audience of potential record buyers (while putting on a kickass show for all) and you can't just play the best, most subtle songs 4 times each and some oldies to flesh it out, HOW ya gonna follow the time-honored pricipals to touch every base and satisfy (most) all? ANYway, the point is that when that new record comes out, and Cooter "Chauncey" Creel III, 42, of Independence, MO, and LuAnn Poovey, 24, of San Jose, CA, each of whom attended their second ever ABB show this past summer are browsing through the record store next February, and they see that new ABB record, and look at the titles, ain't gon' be nothin' on it named "Dreams," "Mountain Jam," "Rambling Man," "Whipping Post," or "IMOER," nosirree, it's a buncha stuff that MAY be that stuff they heard and dug 9 months ago after a few drinks and maybe a puff or two (Chauncey's first since right outta HS, I might add, livin' in Olathe with Lorna and the kids means not a lot of that old time fun stuff anymore). My amateur market research (i.e., cogitatin' over it and talking to people after the shows and reading some books 'n' stuff and makin' the rest of it up 'cause it seems to make sense to me) leads me to the conclusion that time-honored principals of mass-marketing music dictate that they play "Rocking Horse" every last single night, and that the show be paced in such a way that wherever that song is, that's the point where the rest of the show is completely over-the-top, so that not only do Chauncey and LuAnn but, hopefully, tens of thousands of other buyers who saw 'em on tour last summer see that memorable name, have a positive emotional response to it -- hey, that song's associated with the point where everyone got up and ROCKED the rest of the night -- and transfer those good feelings into that moment into an impulse buy (or the seed that germinates into purchase later, those new songs WERE good weren't they, I got to thinking about it when I saw it at the store the other day and...) of the first ABB record they've bought in years / ever bought. I mean, if you're talking what you'd like, give ME a big ol' slab of instrumentals and drum solos for 4 hours, but there's only gonna be 525 of us there (and I'm hereby grovelling for the tape of that show NOW), if you're talking about applying yourself to succeed artistically AND in your business endeavor then my point was that I think that's a smart thing to do. That was my point, that's all. So, anyway, that was my point and I think I misread the actual topic, so sorry. Incidentally, I've previously recommended Laurence Bergreen's bio of Louis Armstrong (more razor fights and p--ping than a truckload of gangsta rap), I'd also recommend - for very different reasons - his fascinating and historically informative bio of Irving Berlin.(where I read about some of the stuff above -- fascinating stuff)