With the Rolling Stones “Exile on Main Street” re-released, I read today on Robert Hilburn’s (longtime LA Music writer) Twitter feed that the package may hit #1 this week on the album chart, which is nearly unheard of for a true, non-compilation re-release (think about all those Elvis songs repackaged. Or the Beatles. I don’t count them). Also makes me think back to what Late Night with Jimmy Fallon pulled off last week – producers brought in a band each night to perform their version of a tune off that legendary Stones album. It became a perfect example of making a show feel niche and cool and retro too. The week became nicely hit-and-miss. Even when some artists struggled to make their take a definitive version (Green Day on “Rip This Joint” and Sheryl Crow on “All Down the Line”), they still looked like they were having fun. And when a band found the magic and had a great performance (Keith Urban with “Tumbling Dice” and Phish with “Lovin’ Cup”), it was great music TV.
Below are two of the best. Seen them yet? I can’t find the Phish version anymore, so I substituted a smart next-best take.
Urban’s band is straight up rock and roll here and gives us the side of the artist that’s been drowned out by Nashville hitmaking pop bullshit on his recent albums. Bonus: Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell joins them.
And Phish? They were freakin’ inspired and just so damn good on their song. Put any anti-jam band bias in your pocket for five minutes (I did) and just get into it
KEITH URBAN (from the show)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhFWH9OUt-o]
PHISH (live version from film “Phish 3D”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrbdtsLSy0Y]