RT 'Electric' tour dates 2013

[bassline (Mike)]

  The MightyGlydd.....crikey!

[GubGub (Al)]

Top 20 for Mr T I see. Electric is a new entry in the album chart at number 16. I have to confess though that on the first couple of listens it has not really registered with me. Even a bad RT album is a good album by anyone else's standards but this one seems a bit RT by numbers and there are only a couple of really memorable tunes. My view may change over time of course.

Looking forward to Friday's show though.

[RobertD]

Sorry to hear you say that Al, though as you say, it may change over time. Looking back I wasn't entirely sold on Sweet Warrior when it came out, and it remains the same for me (though as you say, the worst RT album is still better than anyone else...). By contrast the first time I ran through Electric I was hooked.

[mickf]

I'm off to St David's Hall in Cardiff for the first date on the tour tonight and I'm looking forward to this immensely.  Any other TAW folks going to be there?

[GS (Graham)]

My copy of Electric has now arrived (a week late - somehow Beesweb managed to send it to the wrong address, although the postcode was correct, & it took the Post Office a week to sort that out!).  As Al was saying after the first couple of listens the songs haven't hooked me yet - I think part of the problem is down to Buddy Miller's production which, it seems to me, doesn't have RT's voice & guitar as prominent in the mix as they should be.

Really, really looking forward to seeing RT live next week at the Usher Hall when the tour reached Edinburgh.  The thing I've found with recent albums is that maybe only a few songs grab you on the first few listens but once he gets out & starts playing them live the songs seem to grow & develop - for that reason I prefer the live versions on Ducknapped to the studio versions on Old Kit Bag & the same with Live Warrior.  I guess for me - much as I love RT's magnificent canon of albums - I believe that you get the best of RT in a live setting.

[PLW (Peter)]

 I think part of the problem is down to Buddy Miller's production which, it seems to me, doesn't have RT's voice & guitar as prominent in the mix as they should be.

Interesting. I think the opposite is true - the production brings out the guitar and vocal as well as any RT album I've heard. The drums and bass are held quite far back in the mix, in a good way.

There's some good fiddle work on the CD s well, which presumably we won't be getting live?

[GS (Graham)]

There's some good fiddle work on the CD

Agreed about the fiddle - Stuart Duncan ace Nashville session man.

The drums and bass are held quite far back in the mix, in a good way.

Maybe it's me but I have to turn the bass way down when I'm playing this CD - otherwise I find Taras is way too prominent.

[RobertD]

Theres also some great backing vocals. Snow Goose with Alison Krauss is nice, but that other vocalist (don't have the cd in front of me, but its Siobhan something) sounds great. Stuart Duncan is ace as you say, also a recent Grammy winner for being part of The Goat Rodeo Sessions.

[Mr Cat (Lewis)]

My copy also took the long route to the Great White North..but having listened a few times to disc one, it struck me that the sequencing of the album is strange - a bit of intermingling of the acoustic and the electric stuff would have made for a better album (imho).  Some of the songs are treading old ground - Stony Ground is the cousin of Needle and Thread which was in turn related to Back Street Slide; the song "Good Things Happen to Bad People" is the sort of title and song a RT parody album would surely contain.  

I will give it some further listens and will rearrange the running order and see if that it improves the overall feel..

Hope he and the trio head this way as we missed out on the DA tour

[mickf]

Just back from the Cardiff gig. Oo, that was a bit good! The trio were on top form.

Lots of stuff from the new album, but enough 'classics' to keep everyone happy, including a rocking version of 'For the Shame of Doing Wrong'.  As this was the start of the tour, I can only imagine they'll get even better as it progresses.

[PLW (Peter)]

Just the trio, Mick? No guests?

[mickf]

No, they did it all as a 3 piece. Very good too!

[PLW (Peter)]

Looking forward to Birmingham tomorrow.

[Polly Oxford (Andie)]

Getting excited, roll on Friday! Love the Dome, lovely accoustic and some great memories...
Apart from Gub, any other faces I can smile vaguely at?  

[Angela]

Me and Dennis will be there.

[StephenGiles]

Getting excited, roll on Friday! Love the Dome, lovely accoustic and some great memories...
Apart from Gub, any other faces I can smile vaguely at?  

Only went there once to see Blackmore's Night about 6 years ago. It seemed like there was one security guy for every 10 in the audience! I think the Dome has a deal with the North Street car park for folks attending a concert, otherwise it's a disgusting £20 for over 4 hours!

[Polly Oxford (Andie)]

Brighton doesn't like cars...
Evening parking in the Church Road (theatre) car park is affordable though.
I've always found the security staff inside the Dome very pleasant, but sadly you do get a lot of 'weekenders' in that area and they are needed...

[PLW (Peter)]

Last night's gig at Birmingham was excellent. Very tight, jazzy band, clearly enjoying themselves (despite the very dark content of so many of the songs), a lovely acoustic mini-set in the middle, and a (for me at least) a number I'd only ever heard Bellowhead do before.

[Polly Oxford (Andie)]

and a (for me at least) a number I'd only ever heard Bellowhead do before.

- ooh, unbearable curiosity... mentally runs through BH back catalogue... may have to spend lunchtime running guessing games on Wikipedia!

[Nick the Stick]

Brighton have changed their car parking prices, it was, as you say, disgusting.