THE LANDFILL CHRONICLES — 14.6 Elvis Costello’s 1994 DownBeat Blindfold Test

Chapter 14.6

(the final episode of the six parts of chapter 14 that are inverted chronology from 2006 back to 1994)

THE LANDFILL CHRONICLES — the book-in-progress of Conversations on Eclectic Music Elevated to a State of Art, published on Medium

By Dan Ouellette

“NRBQ is probably the greatest group in America. They defy all attempts to categorize them. They don’t obey any of the rules. They’re in that same alternative universe as the Grateful Dead. Did I give them any stars yet? They deserve 5006.” — Elvis Costello (1994)

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DOWNBEAT BLINDFOLD TEST (1994)

This was Costello’s first Blindfold Test. I got him to agree to do it in his backstage dressing room at the Concord Pavilion arena in Concord, California.

1 Booker T & the MG’s

“Slip Slidin’“ (from That’s The Way It Should Be, Columbia, 1993) Booker T. Jones, keyboards; Steve Cropper, guitar; Duck Dunn, bass; Steve Jordan, drums.

Is this the new Booker T & the MG’s album? Filling in for [late drummer] Al Jackson is probably the toughest chair to fill in the whole of music. It’s great to hear them playing together again even if one of the crucial members of the band is gone. But it’s difficult to have the same kind of affection for this new piece. It’s a much more relaxed sound. It’s not as tense as the earlier material that had an edgier feel to it. This sounds so much more mature. It’s great nonetheless. I hate having to give a star rating, but I’ll give this 5 stars for them just being Booker T and the MG’s even without Al Jackson.

2 Latin Playboys

“Same Brown Earth” (from Latin Playboys, Slash, 1993) David Hidalgo, vocals, guitar; Louie Pérez, drums; Mitchell Froom, keyboards; Tchad Blake, bass.

I play this record all the time. I love it. I’ll give this one 10 stars. David Hidalgo has such a great imagination. He could very well be a Duke Ellington some day. On this album, you could say a certain song doesn’t sound finished, but that’s the whole beauty of it. These songs are about real things like people eating too much food and getting a bellyache. I also like the messing around with distorted sounds on this album. It’s like getting somebody’s home demo before the producer gets a hold of it and ruins it. Compared to all the other formularized music, this is like the creating of an upside down world. This album proves there’s hope for the corporate music industry, which was willing to bankroll this. Michael Bolton should be locked in a room and forced to listen to this record for ten years. No, I take that back. He should just be locked in a room and kept away from any other soul records he might cover.

3 John Coltrane

“Giant Steps” (from The John Coltrane Anthology, Atlantic Jazz/Rhino, rec’d 1959) Coltrane, tenor sax; Tommy Flanagan, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Art Taylor, drums.

This sounds like it was made yesterday. It has an incredibly clean sound. It’s not a new record, is it? If it is, then the sax player is doing something similar to what was recorded in the late ’50s, early ‘60s.

DO: I’ll give you a clue. It’s a remastered album.

It’s been incredibly remastered. That’s not fair, especially after playing the Latin Playboys record that was made to deliberately sound murky. So, I’d say it’s Coltrane. It was disconcerting at first because it sounded too clean. I thought maybe this was a trick question, where there was something weird going on like when a Charlie Parker solo was taken off a record and a new backup band was used. Stars? Can I give 49 for this one? Coltrane was one of the few people who could play as many notes as this without becoming boring. When guitar players do this, I just want to shoot them.

4 NRBQ

“I Want to Show You” (from Kick Me Hard — The Deluxe Edition, Rounder, rec’d 1975) Terry Adams, keyboards, vocals; Al Anderson, guitar, vocals; Joey Spampinato, bass, vocals; Tom Ardolino, drums; Donn Adams, trombone; Keith Spring, tenor saxophone.

It’s NRBQ, isn’t it? Oh, this is great! They play an amazing range of music. Terry Adams is a wonderful musician. Inside that track, there’s so much going on. The vocal harmonies sounded like the Band. The saxophone could have been from the Neville Brothers or Ornette Coleman. Plus Al is working on a Bob Wills guitar sound. It’s terrific to get all that in one piece without shoving any of it in your face. NRBQ is probably the greatest group in America. They defy all attempts to categorize them. They don’t obey any of the rules. They’re in that same alternative universe as the Grateful Dead. Did I give them any stars yet? They deserve 5006.

5 Charles Mingus

“Don’t Be Afraid, the Clown’s Afraid Too” (from Let My Children Hear Music, Columbia/Legacy, rec’d 1972) Mingus and ensemble.

Nine million stars. It’s Mingus. I love the tuba, and I love the burlesque element in his music. His work is the greatest. It’s a bottomless well of music. I can’t think of a composer since the ’40s who is as imaginative as Mingus. There’s such a freedom in his music that allows for spontaneity. It’s mind boggling. Jazz is such a limiting name for what he did. It’s truly American classical music. It’s a great shame he wasn’t as recognized as he should have been.

6 Charles Brown

“B & O Blues” (from The Swingtime Records Story, Capricorn, rec’d 1948) Brown, piano, vocals; other band members unlisted.

This is Charles Brown. It’s an old one. His voice has gotten deeper as he’s gotten older. It’s wonderful. He’s a terrific piano player, and he’s got great style. His music is real and it’s got humor. I love his voice. He’s been an inspiration to me. I’ve gone to a number of his live shows and I love him. For this piece, I’ll give 75 stars.

7 Johnny Cash

“The Beast in Me” (from American Recordings, American Recordings, 1993) Cash, acoustic guitar, vocals.

[Two chords into the song] It’s Johnny Cash. I know this song well because Nick Lowe wrote it. Nick, who was married for several years to John’s stepdaughter Carlene, tells a funny story about writing it. They lived in England, and Johnny was spending some time with them. Nick stayed up all night once to write a song for him and by 3 or 4 in the morning he was convinced he could hear Johnny sing it. The next morning, somewhat chastened, he played it for him in a small, wimpy voice. And that was that. John put it away for years until it surfaced on this new album, which is terrific, wonderful. The sound is great. Johnny’s got such a recognizable style. I’ll give this 53 stars. One for every state, one for the moon and two for the outer galaxies.

8 Astor Piazzolla & The Kronos Quartet

“Fear” (from Five Tango Sensations, Elektra Nonesuch, 1990) Piazzolla, bandoneon; David Harrington, violin; John Sherba, violin; Hank Dutt, viola; Joan Jeanrenaud, cello.

Is that the bandoneon? Then it must be Astor Piazzolla. I love the sound of his instrument. The bandoneon works well with the strings. But I have no idea who he’s playing with. I like this a lot, even though it doesn’t send me leaping around the room like the Mingus piece. Who’s the ensemble? Kronos? I’m not all that familiar with their work. I do think it’s great they exist and are always looking for the bridge between genres. I like unusual combinations of chamber music. I’d like to hear this again. 5 stars for the daring-do of the collaboration.

9 Etta James

“Embraceable You” (from Mystery Lady — Songs of Billie Holiday, Private Music, 1993) James, vocals; Cedar Walton, piano.

Is this Jimmy Scott? If it’s not him, it must be Dinah Washington. It’s not? It’s a bit hard telling whether this is an old or new take. It’s Etta James? She usually sings in such a harsh, bluesy way that it’s nice to hear her sing this softly. This is really a new path for her. This shows me she can sing in lots of different styles. It’s great. Great soul. 9 and 3/4 stars. I suppose if this was Jimmy Scott, it would have had a wilder feel to it.

All songs from the Elvis Blindfold Test will be on my SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: Landfill Elvis BFT

NEXT THE LANDFILL CHRONICLES CHAPTER 15:

The infamous Freddie Hubbard Blindfold Test