Today’s post is dedicated to my good Chicago-based pal David Lifton, host of the fantabulous Wings for Wheels podcast and blog of the same name. I became a Wings for Wheels fan long before I started this blog, and I’m thrilled that he’s back with a new episode of WFW featuring Chart Attack/Mellow Gold fiend Jason Hare as a guest, talking about Pete Townshend.
I was drawn initially to WFW once I found out that it was hosted by a big Bruce fan (duh!) and as I got to know Dave, I learned that he was not only a Bruce fan, but a fan of my Scottish faves Del Amitri as well! I was surprised to find out that he hadn’t heard DA frontman Justin Currie’s solo debut What Is Love For, and urged him to give it a spin at his earliest convenience.
After a long period of recording silence from Del Amitri, fans were rewarded in late 2007 with the release of Currie’s What Is Love For. I wasn’t anticipating a lot after hearing the final Dels album (so far) Can You Do Me Good (2002,) and song samples of the solo album on Myspace, but as a die-hard DA fan, there was no question that I had to pick it up. And I’m really glad that I did – what came off as a few dreary songs on a Myspace player made a lot more sense in the context of a full album. What Is Love For offers up the standard amount of sunshine and puppy dog lyrics that you expect from Currie – i.e. not so many at all. And that’s just the way I like it!
With an album finally out on the shelves, it was time to go out and promote said album, which Currie did, accessorized with only a keyboard player (an approach that reminds me a lot of the touring that Michael Penn did for Mr. Hollywood, Jr. 1947) and a great catalog of both solo and DA chestnuts to pick from. With no Cleveland date on the tour schedule, a road trip was my only option to catch a show, and try as I did, I didn’t manage to connect the dots to get out to a show.
Lucky for me, an ATV reader recently got in touch with me and shared about 2 GBs (!!!) of assorted audio Dels odds and ends with me, including a bunch of Currie stuff from the promotional cycle for What Is Love For. In that batch of stuff was this show recorded at the Triple Door in Seattle, during May of 2008.
Imagine if you will, that Justin Currie, with guitar in hand, decides to drop by your house to play an intimate show for you and a group of friends. In fact, let me help you out, because I imagine that it would go something like this:
*phone rings at Matt’s house*
answering phone
Matt: Hello?
Justin: Hey Matt, it’s your old mate Justin Currie. I was thinking that you should invite some of your friends over, and I’ll come by with my one buddy that plays keyboards, and play some tunes for you all.
Matt: Well, you know that I’m a fan and all, and we really did have a good time last time, you and I. But I still feel kind of bad that two of my friends ended up filing for divorce mere days after you came by. That couldn’t have been a coincidence, could it?
Acting as if he didn’t hear Matt’s question, Currie moves on
Justin: Hey man, I know you’re a little bit sore that I wasn’t able to fill your request last time for “It Might As Well Be You,” so Keytar Boy and I have worked up a version this time that I think you’ll really enjoy.
Matt: Really? *interested look* Can we minimize the amount of tunes from What Is Love For? That album is kind of a bummer, and with the recession and all, I really don’t want more of my friends on the hook for alimony.
Justin: Oh, for sure, my American brother from another mother. Ha, I barely play tunes from that album as it is!
Currie has clearly just dropped “the big lie,” but Matt seems blissfully unaware….
Justin: You’re really going to dig the unreleased stuff I stick in the set – you know, the stuff that SHOULD have made the albums…but didn’t!
Matt: Damn bro, you mean stuff like “As Long As You Don’t Come Back?” I’m still kind of pissed about that one. Hey, how about pulling out “Drowned on Dry Land?”
Justin: *chuckling* I don’t know about that one man, but I’ll see what I can do. Hey, is Lifton coming by for this one?
Matt: Nah, I haven’t talked to that dude in months. I think he’s podcasting or something. Anyway, I’ll see you when you get here, and just a simple request – try not to kill my entire stash of Scotch this time around. That was totally not cool.
Justin: Alright man, my connection is breaking up – I’ll see ya later. Looking forward to this.
It’s guaranteed that you’ll totally feel the house concert vibe while listening to this Seattle show from Currie. This show really makes me wish that I would have gotten out to see one of the tour dates. One of the things that you will truly appreciate is the overall quality of Currie’s songs and Currie’s talents as a songwriter. And in the live setting, Currie reels off one winner after another with ease, mixing a heavy dose of tracks from the new album with both Del Amitri favorites and some great oddball picks from the DA catalog.
If you’re a Del Amitri fan, you’ll enjoy this one without a doubt! Several of the tracks are tracked together as one track, but they are full versions, not a medley!
Big props to Currie for including “It Might As Well Be You” – one of my alltime Del faves (from Twisted) in the setlist! Nice attempt – glad they at least gave it a shot!
God save the Dels!
photo by the pepper tree
Justin Currie
Triple Door
Seattle, WA
5/13/08
soundboard (probably from webcast)
1. What Is Love For/Not So Sentimental Now
2. Always The Last To Know/Tell Her This
3. Make It Always Be Too Late
4. Something In That Mess
5. Still In Love
6. Be My Downfall
7. Chat
8. Chat
9. Gold Dust/Not Where It’s At/As Long As You Don’t Come Back (unreleased!)
10. Chat
11. In The Frame/Driving With The Brakes On
12. No, Surrender
13. Being Somebody Else
14. Wanna Be Your Boyfriend/This Side Of The Morning
15. If I Ever Loved You
16. What I Think She Sees
17. It Might As Well Be You
18. No Family Man/Don’t I Look Like The Kind Of Guy You Used To Hate
19. Sleep Instead of Teardrops
Relevant Links:
Justin Currie’s Myspace page
Purchase What Is Love For from Amazon – CD or MP3
There is a group of insanely under rated singer somg writers on the planet. Justin Currie is in the Top 5.
My follow up phone call would have to include a chastising for not including any tunes from Waking Hours. How could he???
My fault. I just saw This Side of the Morning. But only one??
Living in Sweden you haven’t seen much of Justin for the past decade or so.
If I remember right the Dels were here in 1998 for the No Better Location tour.
So a few months ago when I saw on Justin’s MySpace he was playing The Old Fruit market on June 27 I and a colleague decided to go there. Of course there’s been a lot of listening going on in preparation for the concert and also a lot of googling for interviews and such.
Finding this interview and zipped Seattle concert was like god sent. The dialog between you and Justin is great and regarding the concert I’m lost for words to describe how much I appreciate it.
I totally agree with Larry “There is a group of insanely under rated singer song writers on the planet” but in my book Justin is the undisputed number one.
Sorry, should have been imaginary dialog.
“Driving with the Brakes On” will be on the soundtrack to the eventual biopic of my boring-ass life. God, I love that song.
Man, I love that entire Twisted album, and I'll agree with you – “Driving With The Brakes” on is a definite favorite, along with “It's Never Too Late To Be Alone”.
“Driving with the Brakes On” will be on the soundtrack to the eventual biopic of my boring-ass life. God, I love that song.
Man, I love that entire Twisted album, and I'll agree with you – “Driving With The Brakes” on is a definite favorite, along with “It's Never Too Late To Be Alone”.
The link for Gold Dust etc is broken……..damn!!!!!
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this concert! I heard it on his myspace website years ago, but he had taken it down. I love getting any new Del Amitri / Justin Currie music! His voice is divine. It’s the only music that I can listen to while working.
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