D'Angelo Live (3 of 3)

I'm So Glad You're Mine / Lady


Give Me Your Love

Taunja on: Badu

Erykah Badu "Otherside Of The Game" (Live) // VH1 Soul Stage (2008)


WORDS BY TAUNJA:

Ok for the last 3 weeks thanks to someone on OKP I have killed Erykah’s Live version of “Otherside of the Game” from her VH1 Soul concert. The reason why I love it so much is because it reminds me so much of the 1st time I saw her live. It was at the now legendary Atlanta spot Ying Yang. The night started out as a listing party for Baduizm but little did we know it was going to be a full live performance of her album.

Erykah did a cover of “Stay” by Chaka and killed it. The place was beyond packed and I just remember getting up on the bar so I could see and yell “You sing that damn song!" What a night to remember!

5:59 takes me back to that exact moment......wow!

Rock With You Live

Michael Jackson "Rock With You" (Live) // The Triumph Tour (1981)


I've talked about The Jacksons Live album a few times already on this blog. It's actually a compilation of a few shows the Jacksons did back in 1981. Anyway, "Rock With You" is one of the highlights of the album. The song before it is "I'll Be There". At the end of the song, Mike continues singing getting ready for his solo joint, but it's tacked on the end of "I'll Be There". When listening to the concert, I would always fast forward back to listen to these few seconds. I liked it so much, I re-cut my own version.

D'Angelo Live (2 of 3)

Use Me (Live) // David Sanborn & Friends (1998)


Lady (f/ Raphael Saddiq, Ali Shaheed Muhammad & ?uestlove) (Live) // Live on the Chris Rock Show

Live @ The Hot House

OMAR
Live @ The Hot House
Chicago, IL 2004

"Making Sense Of It"
"Music"
"Outside"
"I'm Still Standing"
"Syleste"
"Everybody Loves The Sunshine" (Roy Ayers)
"Interlude"
"Be Thankful"* (William DeVaughn)

"Little Boy"
"This Is Not A Love Song"
"Golden Brown"
"Saturday"
"Essensual / Band Introductions"

I WAS AT THIS SHOW!

This was my second time seeing Omar live in concert, and both times were at one of my favorite music venues, The Hot House on Balbo & Wabash. It was one of the most intimate music spots in the city. Shame they couldn't stay open. From Fertile Ground to the All Natural crew, it was fantastic. The stage was just a few inches off the floor and the artists were RIGHT THERE! Listening to this song, you could tell how involved the audience was. You could truly feel the music hitting you due to how close you were.

If you haven't been to an Omar show, consider this your ticket.

* Please take notice of Omar's background vocalist Chris Ballad on this song. Amazing!

The Roots Come Alive

The Roots "You Got Me" (f/ Jill Scott)(Live) // MTV $2 Bill Show (2002)


Live from Washington D.C.

Chaka Badu

Rufus f/ Chaka Khan "Tell Me Something Good" (Live) // Rags To Rufus (1974)


Erykah Badu "Stay" (Live) // Erykah Badu Live (1997)

Black Moses 1942-2008

The legendary Isaac Hayes was more than just "Shaft". He was more than just a staple of Stax Records or the hip hop sample we heard in between the beats. Isaac Hayes' music represented every black neighborhood in America. From the the ghettos of Los Angeles to the borough's of New York, Black Moses told tales of love, black pride and promise. He was true Blackness personified through music.

If you have Netflix, I highly recommend watching the documentary Wattstax (1973). It's Chappelle's Block Party except they replaced Dave with Richard Pryor.

"Walk On By" // Hot Buttered Soul (1969)


"Ike's Mood" // ...To Be Continued (1970)


"The Look Of Love" // ...To Be Continued (1970)


"Hung Up On My Baby" // Three Tough Guys (1974)

Summer Madness

Kool & The Gang "Summer Madness" (Live) // Love & Understanding (1976)


Continuing our LIVE IN CONCERT series here on HSD, here is one of my father's favorite songs. And while I'm mentioning my father and Kool & The Gang, I have to remember to say the following:

"You know Kool isn't the lead singer right?
Everybody thinks he's the lead singer. Kool plays bass."

Not that Kool & The Gang comes up often in conversation often, but you can bet anytime it does my father will say those words. He wants everyone to know the TRUTH! He wants the right man to get the right credit. It's a common mistake, but Robert Bell "Kool" is the bass player. A lot of people mistake J.T. Taylor for "Kool", but he didn't arrive until 1979 (and the cut "Ladies Night).

D'Angelo Live (1 of 3)

One Mo' Gin" (Live)

Brown Sugar" (Live)

I'm showcasing this brotha because there isn't anyone in R&B music today that can put on a live show like him. Nobody. And he hasn't dropped an album in eight years! I missed the Voodoo tour the first time it came around, so I only have my audio ticket for access this well put together performance. "One Mo' Gin" was part of the first few shows but was later dropped from the show. It's a shame because this is the definitive version of "One Mo' Gin".

Don't get me wrong, the studio version is great. Fantastic even. It's one of the reasons Voodoo is such a strong album. But when the Soultronics got a hold of this song on the road, they killed it. They took it to another level. Again, this song further showcases what I love about live music. D and the crew took a 5 second portion of the song and stretched it out to 5 minutes just to groove (right around 5:18 or so).

Al Green must be proud.

Talib Kweli Live

Talib Kweli "Shock Body" (Live) // Quality (2002)


I'm not big on Kweli's studio albums (although I've heard really good things about Eardrum), I will always put money down to see dude perform live. Always! I've seen Talib twice in concert and both times he gave me a show that was well worth my ticket. I dug up this song from the audiogalaxy days (who remembers that?) and thought it would fit with this months theme of live music.

Kweli performed this song before his first solo album Quality dropped in 2002. When I first heard it I was MAD hyped for the album. While Quality was decent, the album version of "Shock Body" was a disappointment after hearing the live rendition. And when I think about it, there aren't a lot of good live hip hop songs out there. THIS is one of them. Kweli attacks the mic with a ferociousness that is unseen in hip hop today. I wish he would mentor his Blackstar partner. I've heard Mos' live show is horrible.

FIRST!

L I V E I N C O N C E R T

First day of the month.
First song of the album.
Four songs.













D'Angelo & The Soultronics "Devil's Pie" // Voodoo Tour (2000)

After Voodoo's release, D'Angelo embarked on what would become one of the most fabled series of live soul shows in history, "The Voodoo Tour". Consisting of a live group entitled the "Soultronics", (assumedly assembled by Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of The Roots) which engulfed arena-size stages with various dancers and instrument players, it was one of the most attended shows of the year. The tour was taken all around the world, one of the most notable performances being the Free Jazz Festival in Brazil. The live show was a thinly-disguised homage to Prince's late 80's shows, in its grandeur and conceptual stage set up/setlist. Slum Village (then in its original line-up of Jay Dee, Baatin & T3) opened for D'Angelo on several dates, and soul-tinged R&B singer Anthony Hamilton sang backup within the band.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 488 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Prince "Do It All Night" // New York Dirty Mind Tour (1981)


That breakdown half way through the song where Prince tells Andre to take it?

Fantastic!
I love it!

This is why I love collecting live shows. Those little musical detours the artist takes with a song truly makes the show. It's not enough to get on stage and regurgitate the album track. I can do that at home for free without the smoke and the crowd. I come to the show for an experience! I want to hear everything you experimented with, but were too scared to release. All those extended solos and riffs that the record label frowns upon because they need the album to fit in this little box, ALL THAT! I want to hear it!

Anyway, this is one of my most favorite live Prince moments. This is what I play for people when they don't quite understand how great this man was. Prince was genius in the studio but wild on stage. Stay tuned this month because I have another concert to showcase.














The Jacksons "Opening/Can You Feel It" // The Jacksons Live (1981)


I remember I went to the mall with my Mom and my aunts one weekend while we were in South Beloit, IL visiting family. When we first got there, I ran to the record store to thumb through the albums. My Aunt Annie said she would buy me two records, but I had to promise to be good for the rest of the mall trip. Shoot, what kid is going to deny THAT deal? So on this day I chose two Michael Jackson albums. One was a Jackson 5 Greatest Hits compilation, the other was The Jacksons Live.

We walked out of the store and I was the happiest kid in the mall. I started walking towards the door thinking, "I got my stuff, let's go." I was wrong. Three hours later and my aunts were STILL SHOPPING! I must have sat on every bench in the mall two times over just waiting for them to stop feeling the fabrics of dresses and trying on shoes. What made it worse, my Aunt Annie wouldn't let me take my new records out of the bag.

"Don't take them out of the bag! Someone will think you stole it."

Don't ask.

This is a phenomenal live album. Growing up I listened to it so much, I recreated the show in my mind using the music as the soundtrack. I envisioned the choreography , the crowd, the back up band, everything...ha ha. This was also the first time I heard "Heartbreak Hotel". I bring this up because eons later when I was in college and I bought the Triumph album, I was upset at how slow the tempo was. The live version, which is much faster, really drives that bass line through the chorus. To me, it's the only version worth listening to.

If you haven't heard this live album, get it. Although it's a combination of songs from their entire tour, it's the Jacksons at their best.

Curtis Mayfield "Mighty Mighty (Spade and Whitey)" // Curtis/Live! (1971)


Superfly is my first choice.
Curtis/Live! is my second.

I love this album for some of the same reasons I love Donny Hathaway's Live joint. Both were recorded in small intimate environments, and the music benefits from it.

"I got to say it louder, I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD!"

I love when he sings that line and the crowd at the Bitter End reacts. It's personal...it's warm. It reminds me of one of my favorite music venues in Chicago, the Hot House on Balbo. I saw a ton of shows there in the South Loop while I was attending school at Columbia, and it was a great feeling hearing a small band get up there to perform. Almost like we were in on this secret. Curtis and his small band didn't need a stadium that night. All they needed were some ears and energy.

If you ever check this album out, listen to the interludes in between the songs when Curtis is talking to the crowd. Artists don't do that anymore. Amazing.