Low: Classic or classic?

Yeah, there's a cover on there. Something about a split single planned or the like.

Soul Coughing loved them and asked them to do a tour, so they went for it. I think it was the first "big" tour they ever did. I've Alan say before that they started Low as a kind of "punk" thing - trying to alienate all the spazzy/yelpy/angry bands they were surrounded by. So I think, at least in the early days, they were prepared for audiences to not get them at all.

And yeah, they did a cover of "Blue-Eyed Devil," recorded around that time. I think it wound up on some comp back then because I had it way before the box set. I was an OBSESSIVE Low fan for a long, long time.

This is ten years old but I still hadn't seen it: Alan Sparhawk briefly commenting on every song they did up until 2000

http://groups.google.com/group/chairkickers/web/song-backgrounds

Wow, thank you. Never seen that before, but it's very interesting.

There's quite a few fantastic sounding soundboard recordings on archive.org and people are adding new ones every now and then but the new 1998 Bluebird Theatre one that was added this week sounds AMAZING. Go check it out, fellow low addicts.

Yes, I've listened to that one 3 times in the last day - really wonderful. Great to hear Words/Violence.

The new Retribution Gospel Choir (2) is now out, too, and maybe even better than the first, the Crazy Horse comparisons even more apt...

not sure how old this is but it sounds pretty amazing:

Hello friends.

Low is embarking an another unique, collobrative event with nationally renowned modern dance choreographer Morgan Thorson. Providing the musical backdrop to Thorson's piece, Heaven, Alan and Mimi are providing original music and vocal orchestration. Heaven examines the trinity of dance, music and light while exploring the various manifestations of ecstasy in religious practices and the ritualistic nature of dance. Thorson's work has garnered the praise of critics far and wide, earning her accolades in the New York Times as well as being voted City Pages' best choreographer in 2008. Heaven will be presented at various venues across the country, and more information on the shows is available here.

apparently there have already been two performances

did anyone catch this?

^^ this sounds really great. did anyone catch this?

In other news: Robert Plant has recorded versions of "Monkey" & "Silver Rider" for his next album - http://www.robertplant.com/press/first-look-robert-plants-band-of-joy/#more-1965

what the

I don't even

cool!

wow!

hmmm...trying to think of how this could have happened...i guess the most direct connect between plant and low is steve albini

A whole lotta Low.

Interesting, though.

Plant is a really big Low fan -- and I remember him talking about how much he loved "The Great Destroyer" around 2005.

(StanM, I only just saw that Sparhawk list you posted upthread, and wanted to thank you for it.)

I know RP used to rep hard for The Cocteau Twins & This Mortal Coil in the 80s (& didn't he do his own version of "Song to the Siren" at some point?), so I guess this isn't a giant leap in logic from there.

Still tho, Whole Lotta Low

RP's early 80s albums are such a weird classic rock/new wave mix

(my pleasure! xxpost)

When you think about it, there's not a massive leap between "Battle of Evermore" and early Dead Can Dance.

wow i can't wait to hear these!

From the press release (WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!):

Plant gives the blues a full-on golden god workout as only he can with ‘Silver Rider’ and his rockier side emerges triumphant on standout tracks such as ‘Monkey’.

that description makes me less interested in his cover versions.

full-on golden god

listening to the samples of robert plant covering monkey and silver rider. they're . . . okay, but pointless. they go for the same vibe as the original, and seem like they come nowhere close to the charm/power of the originals.

but whatevs. full-on golden god.

stream while you can http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129178865

I thought Plant's Silver Rider >>> Monkey. Thought they did a decent job with Silver Rider; not up to the original of course. But if it gets more folks to search the originals then cool by me.

Excellent show from ATP in 2008: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Low/

Anyone catch them on the current tour yet? Thoughts?

I didn't end up organising to get to any of the UK shows. Sad face.

xpost Thanks for the heads up - there's another version out there with the encore (a 12 minute version of Shots and Ladders), by the way.

Four new tracks during this show from last week: http://www.archive.org/details/Low2010-11-16.flac

Not playing Canada? (I mean the country, not the song, ha).

Oh, and thanks for these, fellow ILXors.

Free live EP from that Catharinakerk, Eindhoven show I linked to in this thread last year (those stream mp3s aren't online anymore unfortunately, if you haven't downloaded them)

http://pitchfork.com/news/40941-low-release-free-live-ep/

so much love for this band

this ep is really great thanks for the heads-up stan! :)

EP sounds niiiiice. i've lost track of Low over the years, but it seems like i should get back into them. what's the lineup of the band like? from the sound of this EP they're no longer a trio.

i think there's just one other dude on bass (?)

ah, maybe there's just some guests on the EP? there are keyboards on at least a couple tracks ...

anyway, this EP is making me think i should go see them -- they're coming to my neck of the woods next week.

You should definitely go see them (that's what I'm doing on Wednesday).

i think they switch it up instrumentation-wise, or maybe the third dude just does whatever's needed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GppbSt1H2o

from chairkickers.com

Recorded live January 22, 2009 in the St. Catherina Church, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Track Listing:
1. Monkey
2. Silver Rider
3. July
4. Laser Beam

Credits:
Initiator of Project: Muziekgebouw Eindhoven
Executive producer: Frank Veenstra
Arrangement: David Dramm
Photography: Bram Saeys

Additional Musicians:
Chorus: VocaalLAB (Bauwien van der Meer, Elsbeth Gerritsen, Fanny Alofs, Christian Damsgaard, Job Hubatka)
Hammond Organ/Analog Synthesizer/Piano: Dominik Blum
Percussion/Vibraphone: Marcel Andriessen, Margarita Kourtparadisou

ah thanks. yeah, sounded like a big chorus behind them.

So I take it the new record is Fridmann-free, then? (I see he co-produced the new Parts and Labor, though, which is...a little worrisome.)

nels cline + low = unbelievable anticipation for this disc.

the vocal harmony on the chorus of silver rider is every bit as good on this live ep as it is on the disc -- maybe better? it's astonishing.

Many thanks to StanM for posting a link to the full show last year. Great to see that the transcendent versions of Silver Rider and July are getting wider circulation. And Mim's vocal on Laser Beam, wow.

Yeah see this tour. The show I saw consisted of a few old songs to start things, then their new album in its entirety (or at least 10 new songs, all played in a row), then most/all of the Christmas EP, then an all-request encore. Mimi's solo vocal on Laser Beam was in fact pretty stunning.

They're also performing as a four-piece for most of it, with a new guy on electric piano and enough drums to create a full kit between him and Mimi, and Charlie Parr accompanied at a few points.

how are the new tunes?

gonna miss this in SF this week, supremely bummed