PARIS READING

On Sunday, November 20, I'll be giving a reading from You Call It Madness, complete with song, at the venerable Shakespeare and Co. in Paris, 37 rue de la Bucherie, just down the street from Notre Dame Cathedral, at 5:00 PM. Should anyone be strolling along the Seine....



DON HILL BENEFIT



PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND
TOUR DE FRANCE



Tour Info

LITERATURE

I've been scribing regularly for eMusic these past months, and it's time to catch up on the intriguing byways this comprehensive download site takes me. Most recently, I interviewed Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth on the occasion of their latest album, "Heritage". Those who follow the tour diary know of our crossing of paths in his hometown, but it was a pleasure to sit with Mikael upstairs at Webster Hall in my own hometown and see how Opeth's music continues to elude definition and be ever more challenging.

Also expanding on the tour diary, "The Groups of Girl" takes your intrepid eyewitness reporter further behind the scenes of the gathering at Lincoln Center, and what it means to be in love with a three minute single. Also, do check out the liner notes for the recently released "Best of the Ronettes" on Sony-Legacy, where I formally declare my crush on Nedra, as well as trace the history of this most Girl of Girl Groups.

The recent Buddy Holly tribute, on which Patti and Her Band covered "Words Of Love," produced by our own Tony Shanahan, occasioned my overview of "The Ten Best Buddy Holly Songs You've Never Heard Of," where I look at the lesser-known classics performed by this most original of artists.

One of my favorite albums of all time is Talk Talk's "Spirit of Eden," and when editor J. Keyes asked me to trace its six degrees of influence, a popular eMusic feature, I happily obliged.

On eMusic, I delve into the Beach Boys extensive catalogue in the website's Icon series, tracing the history of the band through their classic discography, from their beginnings as a surf and turf combo through their arcane Wilsonian family saga. Also a retrospective look at Roy Orbison, occasioned by the recent Legacy reissue (in mono no less) of Roy's classic singles.

LENNY GUEST GUITARS

March marks the release of two albums on which I had the pleasure of tickling the strings for two very special bands. On March 8, REM releases Collapse Into Now, a grand showcase of all that makes Mike-Peter-Mike and their assorted compatriots one of the most incandescent trifectas in rock. On the full-out garage stomper, "Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter," you can hear me riding the rails underneath Peach's stream-of-chatter, and I add some atmospheres in "Blue" as well.

Thanks to producer Phast Phreddie Patterson's matchmaking, the Fleshtones and I went into a Ludlow Street studio with Ivan Julian behind the controls last fall for a few days and came out with Brooklyn Sound Solution, unleashed March 15 on Yep Rock. The idea was to blend some classic guitar instrumentals with the Fleshtones' long-lived brand of over-the-top showmanship and non-stop party. We chose "Comin' Home Baby" and "Back Beat #1" to rev up the action, added an instrumental version of "Daytripper," and then the 'Tones let me loose on a bunch of their own heart-stoppers, saying do what thou wilt, and so I merrily grabbed the sway bar and turned it up, utilizing a bunch of vintage amps (yay Ampeg Reverberocket!). I also contributed an original instrumental of my own, "Lost on Xandu," which the Fleshtones nobly enhanced. A really great collaboration, I must say, and if the stars align, perhaps we'll join together on selected stages.




NOLAN STRONG TRIBUTE OUT NOW

Fortune Records of Detroit is one of the most beloved indie labels of the 1950s and early 1960s, and Nolan Strong and the Diablos were one of their brightest lights. Their greatest hit was "The Wind," one of the most spooky recordings in all of doowop; but their extensive repertoire, stretching over nearly a decade, is equally fascinating. Nolan's high tenor would provide the model for another of Detroit's classic singers, Smoky Robinson. Producers Rich Tupica and Billy Miller of Norton Records have gathered several artists together to produce a tribute album to Nolan and the Diablos' work, DADDY ROCKIN' STRONG, including the Dirtbombs, Cub Koda, Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, the A-Bones, Danny Kroha and the Del Torros, and our own Lenny Kaye, who versions "I Wanna Know." The album was released in September, and more info can be obtained from www.TheWindRecords.com.

"HORSES" NAMED TO NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

It is a great honor to be so honored and preserved. Little did we know when the Patti Smith Group entered Electric Lady studios in September 1975 with producer John Cale that the guardians of history would soon be rewarded with history themselves. Here are the other inductees and the company we are privileged to keep.

LITERATURE:

This month on eMusic.com, I investigate the life and work of Sam Cooke, from his roots as a gospel artist in the Soul Stirrers to his pop meisterworks and foreshadowing of soul music. One of the most blessed singers of our time. Also I review the apocalyptic ever-now of the MC5's classic debut, Kick Out The Jams. Read Lenny at eMusic.com


FIVE HUNDRED 45s: A Graphic History of the Seven-Inch Record (Collins Design) is the conceptual brainchild of Spencer Drate and Judith Salavetz, who have gathered picture sleeves of the world's most beloved storage medium and presented them artfully and culturally. I scribed the introduction, telling of my long love affair with those vinyl and oh-so-fine-al beauties, describing their history as well as my own (first records bought, label fetishes etc.) and their place within my heart.


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