Interstate City

Amazon.com
Dave Alvin is one of the half-dozen best rock & roll songwriters of the past 15 years, but it wasn't until 1991 that he learned how to sing. Before that, he made one disappointing solo album and otherwise left the singing chores to his big brother Phil in the Blasters or John Doe in X. Since he finally matured as a vocalist--learning to sing within his Dylanesque limitations rather than trying to sound like the Big Joe Turner he'll never be--Alvin has gone back to those earlier songs and redone them, as if to demonstrate how he heard them in his own head when he first wrote them. He redid seven songs on the 1994 studio, acoustic project "King of California," and he gives five more new life on "Interstate City," recorded live with a rocking band at Austin's Continental Club. The Blasters' "Look Out (It Must Be Love)" gets additional lyrics, a new swing arrangement and Katy Moffatt harmonies; the band's tribute to Franklin Roosevelt, "Jubilee Train," is jammed together with Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi" and Chuck Berry's "Promised Land" into a long, raucous medley. The new songs include "Out in California," a blues-shuffle cowritten with Tom Russell; the title track, a film noir recitation over moody, slow blues; and "Mister Lee," an exuberant New Orleans tribute to Alvin's mentor, Little Richard's saxophonist Lee Allen. This doesn't quite match Alvin's seismic, undocumented 1991-92 tour with the Skeletons, but it's the next best thing. --Geoffrey Himes

Interstate City,Dave Alvin,Hightone Records,Americana,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop,Roots Rock,Singer/Songwriter

Interstate City

Average customer rating:

The real roadhouse gang . . .
Rock and roll the way it should be
Glad to hear the good reviews!
The ultimate road CD
This album is an stellar showcase of a Great Band

Interstate City
Dave Alvin
Manufacturer: Hightone Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Roots Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

King of California
Out in California
Blackjack David
Ashgrove
West of the West

ASIN: B0000005RS
Release Date: 1996-07-30

Tracks:

So Long Baby Goodbye
Out In California
Interstate City
Look Out (It Must Be Love)
Intro To Mister Lee/Mister Lee
Thirty Dollar Room
Dry River
Museum Of Heart
Waiting For The Hard Times To Go
Jubilee Train/Do Re Mi/Promised Land
Long White Cadillac
The New Florance Avenue Lullaby
Romeo's Escape

Amazon.com

Dave Alvin is one of the half-dozen best rock & roll songwriters of the past 15 years, but it wasn't until 1991 that he learned how to sing. Before that, he made one disappointing solo album and otherwise left the singing chores to his big brother Phil in the Blasters or John Doe in X. Since he finally matured as a vocalist--learning to sing within his Dylanesque limitations rather than trying to sound like the Big Joe Turner he'll never be--Alvin has gone back to those earlier songs and redone them, as if to demonstrate how he heard them in his own head when he first wrote them. He redid seven songs on the 1994 studio, acoustic project "King of California," and he gives five more new life on "Interstate City," recorded live with a rocking band at Austin's Continental Club. The Blasters' "Look Out (It Must Be Love)" gets additional lyrics, a new swing arrangement and Katy Moffatt harmonies; the band's tribute to Franklin Roosevelt, "Jubilee Train," is jammed together with Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi" and Chuck Berry's "Promised Land" into a long, raucous medley. The new songs include "Out in California," a blues-shuffle cowritten with Tom Russell; the title track, a film noir recitation over moody, slow blues; and "Mister Lee," an exuberant New Orleans tribute to Alvin's mentor, Little Richard's saxophonist Lee Allen. This doesn't quite match Alvin's seismic, undocumented 1991-92 tour with the Skeletons, but it's the next best thing. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

The real roadhouse gang . . ........2006-12-11

How do you know you are hearing a real working band? Dave Alvin and The Guilty Men offer a brilliant example here. They breath life into songs which seem to gain depth, texture, and hue with each cross-country mile. At the open of his Austin City Limits set, Alvin claimed to be "a bar band." "Interstate City," "30 Dollar Room," and "Out in California" offer sweating and pulsing noir: stories of lovers and losers. The set also offers the quintessential version of Alvin's homage to HW I, "Long White Cadillac." This set elevates and defines the genre of the West coast roadhouse; along with Ely's 1990 album, this is the best live album to come out of Austin for the past 20 years. That's what this CA native thinks! From chorus to credenza, sink your soul into something real.

Rock and roll the way it should be.......2006-09-29

I've owned this for at least 10 years and it still gets better each time I listen to it. I missed the Blasters in their prime, but as magnificent as this album is, it's got to be the next best thing. Fantastic songwriting, poignant lyrics, and a great, great band. The highlights are many; start anywhere you like. To hear the swingingest rock band ever, listen to "Museum of Heart." Priceless stuff.

Glad to hear the good reviews!.......2006-06-26

I was lucky enough to be there for one of the Continental Club shows for which it was recorded, and took the liberty of ducking my head in the green room on the way out to shake Dave's hand and thank him for a great show. If you love Dave's music and share his appreciation for the history behind it, you can't be disappointed by this one. Even if I hadn't been there, this would be a treasured piece of my collection!

The ultimate road CD.......2004-08-31

Dave's best album, and he's made some fine ones. If I had to choose only one CD to put in my car on a road trip, this would be it. The songs rock. The musicianship is superb. Dave sings with confidence. And sure I'm a boomer, but I played this CD in a van with a bunch of college students and they went nuts over it. "Who is this dude?" They asked. "Dave Alvin," I said. "What do you call this kind of music?" "It's honky tonk, and this is as good as you will ever hear."

My vote for the best honky tonk album in a long, long while.

This album is an stellar showcase of a Great Band.......2004-01-11

So i finally got my hands on this album after searching too many local music stores. Well worth the wait. This live recording really showcases a phenomenal band. There is variety for all here with influences from blues, rock n roll, rockabilly and soul. The band is well versed in all and switch between styles amazingly well throughout the album. A must have for all. That's all.

Rap Music:

Recommended Music:

Vol. 1-2-Keys to Ascension [Import] [Live]

What Cha Missin'

World's Best Praise & Worship: Praise & Worship, Vol. 2

Version 2.0 [Import]

Victoria Spirit [Import]

Very Best of Classical: Bubble Bath

Time Waits: The Amazing Bud Powell [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered] [Import]

This is Jazz, Vol. 38: Electric

Welcome to Our World [Explicit Lyrics]

Floyd Collins (1996 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

Ataxia