Category: Music

Listen to What Paul McCartney Said (and Sang) on “The Colbert Report”

Last night, Stephen Colbert was absolutely giddy about having Paul McCartney on his show The Colbert Report. During the interview segment, Colbert led McCartney into an interesting discussion about McCartney’s band Wings and his pre-Wings band, The Beatles.

One of the reasons for the McCartney appearance was to promote a new remastered version of Wings Over America (1976). But some of the most interesting parts of the interview were where McCartney discussed the great Wings album, Band on the Run (1973).

McCartney also performed five songs during the show: “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “Hi, Hi, Hi,” “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” “Listen to What the Man Said,” and “Lady Madonna.” He also performed a web-exclusive version of “Birthday.” Below is his performance of “Listen to What the Man Said.” [2016 Update: Unfortunately, the videos from the show are no longer available.]

How did it all fit into the half-hour show? Well, they had to expand The Colbert Report to a half hour to fit it all in, and of course it was worth every minute. You may catch the full episode on The Colbert Report website.

What is your favorite part of the interview? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Paul McCartney’s New Video for “Band on the Run”
  • The Beatles’ 1969 Rooftop Concert
  • The Beatles: “Blackpool Night Out” Live Performance
  • Dustin Hoffman’s Connection to McCartney’s “Picasso’s Last Words”
  • New Beatles ‘A Day in the Life’ Video
  • Goodbye to Stephen Colbert and Craig Ferguson

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Mumford & Sons Join Elvis Costello on “Ghost of Tom Joad”

    Mumford & Sons Elvis Costello Ghost of Tom Joad Mumford & Sons recently collaborated with Elvis Costello to record Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” They made the recording for Bono’s One campaign to get world leaders to focus on poverty issues as the leader meet in Northern Ireland at the G8 summit.

    In this video, Elvis Costello and Mumford & Sons talk about the song before playing it. Check it out.

    We have discussed on Chimesfreedom the connection between “The Ghost of Tom Joad” and the work of Woody Guthrie. In the video at the end, you see Costello bring the song back to Woody Guthrie with an impromptu singing of “So Long It’s Been Good to Know You,” whose history we also have discussed.

    The new recording of “The Ghost of Tom Joad” is part of a collection of protest songs that you can listen to for free and learn more about on the One website, including songs by Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, The Cranberries, and may others. The collection is listed as “songs that changed the world.”

    What do you think of the new version of “The Ghost of Tom Joad”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Tom Joad’s Inspiration
  • Anniversary of “The Grapes of Wrath”
  • Springsteen and Bono Sing “Because the Night” in Dublin
  • The Killing of “Two Good Men”
  • This Land Is Your Land: The Angry Protest Song That Became an American Standard
  • Land of Hope & Dreams, This Train, and People Get Ready

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Patty Griffin Sings “Don’t Let Me Die In Florida” Live

    Patty Griffin recently stopped by WFUV in New York City and performed “Don’t Let Me Die in Florida.” The song about her father is off her new album American Kid (2013).

    We previously discussed another track off of Griffin’s new album called “Ohio.” The CD, which Rolling Stone gave 3 1/2 stars, features songs inspired by her father, a World War II veteran and high school science teacher who passed away in 2011.

    What do you think of “Don’t Let Me Die in Florida”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Patty Griffin Releasing “Servant of Love”
  • Patty Griffin Sings About the Underground Railroad on “Ohio”
  • Patty Griffin: “River”
  • A Hymn for Paris: “J’irai La Voir Un Jour”
  • RIP Richie Havens
  • Song of the Day: Shooter Jennings and Patty Griffin “Wild and Lonesome”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Marty Brown is an “Undiscovered Treasure” on America’s Got Talent

    Marty Brown Make You Feel My Love

    Regular readers know that Chimesfreedom is a big Marty Brown fan, with previous posts covering his “lost career,” his recent albums he recorded on his own, and recent videos of an original and a George Jones tribute. Hopefully, tonight was another step in his comeback when he appeared on the first episode of season eight of America’s Got Talent singing Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” (a song we covered previously too).

    The audience reaction gives away the result before any of the judges say a word. Unlike another former rising country star Julie Roberts who failed to win over any of the judges on The Voice this season, Marty Brown is moving on. Howard Stern called Brown an “undiscovered treasure,” but we have known he is a treasure for decades. And we are thrilled he is getting the attention he deserves.

    We also saw how Brown’s wife Shellie Brown tricked him into appearing on the show. Marty is lucky to have the support of Shellie, who has given us previous reports on Marty’s comeback. We wish them both well in the next round on America’s Got Talent, although regardless of what happens, we hope some music executives saw tonight’s show.

    In the excellent baseball documentary The Glory of Their Times (1977), someone once described seeing Babe Ruth when he was a pitcher before he played for the Yankees. After giving a glowing account of the Babe’s arm, the listener paused and then replied, “Wait until you see him hit.” After the judges tonight praised Brown’s cover of the Dylan song, I wanted to say, “Wait until you hear him sing his own songs.”

    Knock it out of the park Marty and Shellie.

    [September 2013 Update: For our recap of Marty Brown’s entire run and all his appearances on America’s Got Talent, check out our post The Great AGT Rebirth of Marty Brown.]

    What did you think of Marty Brown’s performance? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • The Great AGT Rebirth of Marty Brown
  • Marty Brown Advances to Radio City Music Hall on AGT!
  • Marty Brown: “My Love Will Follow You”
  • Marty Brown Profiled on Episode of “Kentucky Life”
  • Marty Brown Releases “Make You Feel My Love”
  • Marty Brown: “King of Music Row”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Johnny Cash Concert With Glen Sherley Behind Prison Walls

    Johnny Cash Tennessee State Prison

    In 1976, Johnny Cash performed in “A Concert Behind Prison Walls” at the Tennessee State Prison. The video of the full Johnny Cash performance was released as A Flower Out of Place, also featuring performances by Linda Ronstadt, Roy Clark, and Foster Brooks. [May 2016 Update: Unfortunately, the video is no longer available for embedding but you may watch it at this link at iconcerts.]

    The Tennessee Prison show was hosted by Glen Sherley who also performed, but the video omits him and he is not listed as a performer on the 2003 CD release of the show. It is possible he was cut from the release because he was the least known performer. But the film editors may have omitted him because by the time the show was released, Sherley had come to a sad end.

    Cash met Sherley when Sherley was at Folsom Prison for armed robbery. Sherley, who had been in and out of prisons for much of his life, wrote the song “Greystone Chapel” while at Folsom. After Johnny Cash heard a tape of the song, he surprised Sherley by performing the song at his famous 1968 concert at Folsom Prison with Sherley in the audience. With some help from Cash, Sherley had a brief music career when he left prison, but he struggled to adapt to life outside prison bars and to his new fame. Sherley eventually fell back into drug abuse and shot himself to death in May 1978 at the age of 42.

    Here is a video of Sherley performing his song “Greystone Chapel.” The performance appears to have been at the same Tennessee State Prison show, which would have been about two years before his death.

    A movie about Glen Sherley may be in the works with actor Thomas Jane playing Sherley. Jane has been talking about making the film with different possible directors since at least 2009, but as recently as 2012, he was still searching for a studio. Its current status is unclear.

    Sherley’s life has the potential to be a great movie, but nobody would believe it.

    What is your favorite Johnny Cash song in the video? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Glen Sherley: Prison, Johnny Cash, & “Greystone Chapel”
  • Is Kris Kristofferson’s Greatest Song “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”?
  • Do You Believe Dean Martin Making Social Commentary In “Do You Believe This Town”?
  • Clarence Ashley: “The Cuckoo” & “Little Sadie”
  • Rosanne Cash Takes a Stand With “Crawl Into the Promised Land”
  • Johnny Cash’s Journey and “The Gift”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)