Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: 71/72 - 2007

71
2007, august?, Green Man festival
Elmo Delmo

Listening back I'm not really sure why I hung onto to this recording. Probably because it's the only Jicks live performance from this time frame I've found (there's a recording of 'Baltimore' from the same concert somewhere on YouTube, but there are sound issues).

There's nothing wrong with the performance. It's a committed moment, faithfull to the album version (it's only two months after the second recording session after all). It goes to show that the famously sloppy Jicks (and that includes their frontman) can nail the sort of on-point, precise take that we hear on the album. I sometimes wonder how simultaneously, while the exactitude of album takes is ever increasing ('Real emotional trash' and 'Mirror traffic' are real tight), the sloppiness of stage versions is also increasing.

Anyway, a good performance, but the sound isn't amazing (bass heavy which does nicely accentuate the great playing of Joanna during this era) and like I said, it's so close to the album version, I couldn't call it essential.

72
2007?
Can't leave her behind
What kind of friend is this
Ballad of a thin man
Maggie's farm
('I'm not there' soundtrack)

If you've read this far, you're probably aware I like Bob Dylan. Now, finally, in 2007 the two titans meet! (Apropos of the gigantic indielovefest Dylan tribute album cum soundtrack to Todd Haynes's 'I'm not there').

I found this 2008 interview Stephen did for Rolling Stone where he mentions he didn't actually know Dylan all that well ('just the hits'). Given the fact that he did a Crust Brothers record of more than half obscure Basement Tapes songs, that he casually drops an 'It's alright ma (I'm only bleeding)' verse in 'JoJo's jacket' on the debut album, that when I saw him in 2011 he introduced 'Independence street' as a 'kind of Bob Dylan song', adding some specific late period Dylan praise...well, I don't really know how to take it. Could be, I suppose.

Of these four performances, 'Maggie's farm' and 'Ballad of a thin man' are by the Million Dollar Bashers (led by Lee Ranaldo). From what I've heard, Stephen's contribution was to sing over the pre-recorded backing tracks. The music is responsible all-star tribute rock, kinda good, but nothing like the real thrill. Stephen does a fine job, just a little too sweet, not acidic enough for these specific songs. He totally identifies with mr. Jones in 'Thin Man'.

The real meat are the two short acoustic fragments. Two songs for which the only known Dylan performance dates from some hotel room during the '66 tour, captured on tape for 'Eat the document'. Stephen sings these collaborations with Lee Ranaldo. They didn't just have to play these songs, they had to finish writing them (cause Dylan certainly didn't) and they did a great job.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, maybe it was all Lee, but I hear 'Can't leave her behind' as another step in the development of Stephen, the ballad singer. Ever since 'We dance' when it comes to acoustic ballads, Stephen's patterned himself to the example of British folkrock, moving on to Bill Fay and so on. But here he lands in the American south, 'Can't leave her behind' isn't a million miles from what he'd later do for 'Fall away' (studio version) and of course 'No one is (as I are be)' (Bobbie Gentry entering the picture). And so on to 'J Smoov' 's Al Green inflections. A good thing, there should be more of it, I say. As it is, it's just a recent sidetrack in Stephen's output, but it may be the most recent evolution in his songwriting where we heard something new to his work emerge, not just variations on his templates.

'Can't leave her behind' is beautiful, really really good and such an unexpected performance from Stephen.

Do you think Stephen and Bob ever actually met?