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or U Don't Danse 2 Tekno? WTF? have y'all been hiding under a rock or sump'n? nope, i ain't talking Rock Freebase, though to hide under him is a joy to behold as well as a night to savour listening to him expound on everything from Richard Dawkins to Baudrillard to his brilliant writing as The Empiricist on their second fabaroo album, La Peste about which its Wiki says 'La Peste features several references to literature. The album's title as well as the track "Strange"* allude to the works of Albert Camus. The final track, "Sinking..." is based on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge...' and much much more.
fan-fun-fact: 'Strange' is totally my fave track on the album and in all actuallity, i'm very hard-pressed to pick a fave from any of Alabama 3's albums. :-)
anyway, this band has been growing stronger and stronger for nigh on 11-12+ years already. never heard of em? Shame on y'all. ever watch the Sopranos? they're the dudes who do their themesong, Woke Up This Morning, though you'd never know it but i've moaned long and hard on that shit, and i'm sick of whinging over spilt milk, missed opportunities and the like.
just taste a bit of that which the ever-shrinking unofficial Converted (and the ever-growing) official Congregation have been wild about since Exile on Coldharbour Lane (buy at American Amazon here). even more about it here in the glorious words of the Reverend Larry Love):
'...We spent half of our advance from Geffen on various contraband items and with the rest we made an over-produced, brilliant situationist masterpiece called "Exile on Coldharbour Lane". Ever since then we've been preaching our Gospel all over the world. We've got into a whole bunch of trouble and met a whole bunch of nice people. We make friends where ever we go...'
do yourself a favour: give it a listen and whatever your current fave album might be, i assure you, it'll be forever usurped and i betcha y'all can't listen just the once. as a recent Convert twat to me after his live Alabama 3 gig cherry was busted, 'it was sooooo good ... total convert now ... they were amazing !!! Just had a damned fine night, good music & lots of dancing'. he went further: '... gonna buy all their CDs now ... need my A3 fix, ha ha'. *preens cause i still got the touch*
'Here The Train A-Comin', a DVD of one of their Christmas gigs (as usual, i was straight up front and centre until my stomach doubled up on me but enough said about that); anyway, the DVD should give anyone with half an eye and ear an excellent taste of why The Guardian calls Alabama 3 'The Best Live Band in the Country'. here's a taste of that glorious night at the Astoria, courtesy of zynsk at YouTube.
not for nothing, their top fans are no slouches; they include Irvine Welsh:
'This is the first band I could ever dance to in the daytime hours without chemical assistance... and that says a lot'. BTW, i met Irvine last year at Borders in Bristol and since we share a mutual Alabama 3 member in common as a comrade in crime, oops, rather, a comrade in arms, i took his pic to add to my ever-increasing collection of Alabama 3 dudes (fiends and friends) giving me the finger:
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this is the photo that started it all; gave me the idea to get the entire band to gimme the finger (taken that memorable night i did Klan at the studio with Angie (details below):
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my fave pic of my main man, D Wayne Love, posing as Jake up at Chris' flat:
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and here's Jake giving it to me one night at Jamm.
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i don't think he remembers cause months later at another Outlaw at Jamm, i asked him to do it again. his answer? sump'n like 'Naw, ah couldn't dae tha' t' ya...' sorry, i just can't replicate his Scottish brogue or whatever *snigger*
i've got plenty more where those came from but i'm running outta time here so here's my fave of Rock Freebase — Mark — giving me the one and two finger salute, both American and British style, at my request.
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back to Irvine Welsh, and me being me, i asked him again and he was so very obliging. :-) i got the feeling he didn't believe me about Jake (D Wayne) but boy, the look on his face the very next night at at his book launch party in London when i stood front and centre, under Irvine's podium with none other than the Very Reverend D Wayne Love hisself.
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as well, there's quite another famous writerly dude, none other than 'the world's biggest selling author,' Stephen King (who actually performed with them in London — watch Stephen jamming w/the Acoustic Flavour of the band here) 'When best-selling horror writer Stephen King recently visited the UK for the first time in 10 years he requested they play at his latest book launch...' and went on to say 'The thought of not having Alabama 3 fills me with horror.' LOL, you teh funny, Stephen.
there's other famous writerly dudes, one of whom is a personal hero of mine, ever since reading Last Exit To Brooklyn when i was thirteen: Hubert Selby Jr 'who allowed himself to be sampled for the track "The Moon Has Lost the Sun" in 2002, two years before his death. "He told us, 'Boys, you can have that track for one dollar,' "Spragg said"...' you can hear this lovely yet depressing as all hell tune (just the way i dig my music) on their third studio album, Power in The Blood.
fun-fact: did you know Hubert H Selby's official website is called Exit Wounds? hmmm, 'Hits and Exit Wounds'. makes y'think, don't it?
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moving right along, from The Times: 'If anyone thinks that politics and religion aren’t suitable subjects for rock ‘n’ roll they should check out Alabama 3'.
naturally, the BBC weighs in: 'With their combination of acid-gospel-country-techno music from Tennessee via Brixton and a stage presence to match, the Reverends Larry & D-Wayne Love and their eclectic collection of cowboys, outlaws and bards have never failed to disappoint.'
and then there's my fave from Time Out 'zine: 'They swing like the devil’s own dick. Alabama 3 beat a righteous drum and party like bastards.'
for a taste of the wondrous insanity (the musically unique kind) which, as faithful readers know, with which i've been in love since august 2000, have a look at this edition of The Spirit Speaks, an hilarious monthly updating of the Continuing Adventures of the Alabama 3. IMO, this is the Best. Line. EVar (prefaced by context of the band's arrival for their Australian Tour):
'Palm fronds stroke the antipodean sky while tattooed beefcakes saunter the streets in ergonomic sandals. D.Wayne expounds upon the chthonic vibrations emanating from the soil, then adjusts his trousers: "I dinnae want every cunt checking oot ma Mars Bars..."
YO! merch dudes! i wannit on a T-shirt but hey, i wanna lotta stuff i'll never get (some of which hasn't been invented yet but hey, that never stopped me from all the wanting). weird scenes inside the goldmine: Orlando (The Spirit) and i actually have sump'n else in common:
'I don't dig folk music'. whoa, *proud* but wait, there's even more (just change London to Bristol... ah, fuck it, keep the London cause i'm in totally deep shit there): 'Whatever trouble I've got into in London, there's nothing I can do about it now. And if the shit really hits the fan, I can always miss the plane...' the foregoing has been one of my most comforting mantras every damn time i'm forced to cross the Atlantic to visit NYC, but i digress, as i tend to do (i blame the ADD, actually. and the drugs).
wait, what would any Alabama 3 post of mine be without my unique brand of attention-whoring? hear my coked-up voice (with big thanks to those in the studio that night), a-ranting and a-raving against the KKK on Klan here (and in two, count 'em two voices: my liddle grrl's 'Won'tcha stand by me?' and my gruffer 'Easy to be free...' (at the fade-out) or if you've got the bucks, buy it on M.O.R. *preens cause i'm still milking it for all it's worth* (as is my wont). *cheezy grin*
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