We all have a soft spot for the music of our youth, but few take it as far as the Long Players. Every few months, this group of busy Nashville session musicians gets together to perform a classic rock album -- in its entirety -- at a local venue. Last month, it was Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited.
" In December, Van Morrison's "Moondance." Before that, the Beatles' "Meet the Beatles." The members are all big-time players -- bassist Gary Tallent (of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band) and keyboardist John Deaderick (Dixie Chicks, Michael McDonald).
guitarist Steve Allen (20/20) and drummer Steve Ebe (Human Radio) -- but they manage to squeeze in the Long Players shows between their regular gigs. Named for the vinyl LPs they love, the Long Players have re-created everything from the Rolling Stones' "Let It Bleed" to Elvis Costello's "My Aim Is True" since forming in 2004. "There are other bands that do this kind of thing," said founding member Bill Lloyd, formerly of Foster and Lloyd.
"But the difference with us is that we keep it in the community and get guest stars to be part of it. That gives it a different spin and keeps it from being a karaoke night." A guest singer joins the band for most every song.
Southside Johnny did the Stones' "You Got the Silver," Marshall Crenshaw the Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing," and Alison Moorer sang Neil Young's "Oh, Lonesome Me." Sometimes, someone from the original recording will sit in. For "Highway 61 Revisited," Al Kooper came down from Boston to replay his signature organ riff on "Like a Rolling Stone," one of the great songs in rock history.
"I only have one more Dylan album I think where I played on the whole album, which is 'New Morning,'" Kooper said. "But then we were thinking we could do some Lynyrd Skynyrd albums, and that would really be fun." Last modified: April 14.
2007 12:00AM
We all have a soft spot for the music of our youth, but few take it as far as the Long Players. Every few months, this group of busy Nashville session musicians gets together to perform a classic rock . .
. For free access to this article, you must be a member of HeraldTribune.com.
News RSS