Ain’t Nice To Talk Like That

Tracklist:

The Allman Brothers Band: “Little Martha (Live at The Beacon Theatre, NYC)”
Brian Setzer Orchestra: “The Jets Song”
Laura Nyro: “Luckie”
Chuck Berry & Tom Jones: “Memphis / Roll Over Beethoven”
Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band: “Cutey and the Dragon”
Joe Jackson: “Summer in The City”
Paul Carrack: “From Now On”
Todd Rundgren & Daryl Hall: “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference”
Skeeter Davis & NRBQ: “Ain’t Nice to Talk Like That”
Billy Joel: “Only the Good Die Young (Alternate Version)”
John Hiatt: “Cry Love”
Steely Dan: “Time Out of Mind (Vocal-Keyboard-Guitar-Horn Mix)”
The Allman Brothers Band: “Blue Sky”
Paul McCartney And Eric Clapton: “Something”
Starlight Mints: “Submarine #3”
Elliot Smith: “Pretty (Ugly Before)”
Little Feat: “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now (Alternate Version)”
Emerson, Lake & Powell: “Touch and Go (2024 Remaster)”
Jefferson Airplane: “She Has Funny Cars”

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The Allman Brothers Band: “Little Martha (Live at The Beacon Theatre, NYC)” Play this track

“Somewhere in a burst of glory, sound becomes a song.” – Paul Simon.

That’s how this rendition of “Little Martha” arrives, courtesy of the Allman Brothers Band at The Beacon Theatre in New York. I was there. And now you are too. —John Stix

I never would’ve thought of “Little Martha” as lending itself to an electric guitar-based, full band arrangement … but here it is. And it’s cool. —Rock Stamberg

Brian Setzer Orchestra: “The Jets Song” Play this track

Rock meets Broadway on equal terms. —JS
I do? —RS

Laura Nyro: “Luckie” Play this track

The opening track from one of the greatest albums ever. As was once heard sang on Broadway, “Put on a happy face.” —JS

Chuck Berry & Tom Jones: “Memphis / Roll Over Beethoven” Play this track

TJ does it again. He can sing with anybody and bring out the best they’ve got. Here we are, on television, no less. Chuck is smiling and rockin’ and rollin’ and showing us why he is one of the pillars of music. And Tom Jones is right up there with him. —JS

Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band: “Cutey and the Dragon” Play this track

Here we have a Grammy-nominated piece composed by Raymond Scott that, previously, had never been recorded. And there’s a bit of jazz thrown in for good measure. There was no cartoon to go along with this music but that doesn’t mean you can’t dream one up yourself. —JS

Joe Jackson: “Summer in The City” Play this track

Joe Jackson always delivers. —RS
Joe Jackson plays it straight and the song has never aged. —JS

Paul Carrack: “From Now On” Play this track

Another great song from Paul Carrack’s great Suburban Voodoo album. —RS

Todd Rundgren & Daryl Hall: “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference” Play this track

Todd has performed this song for decades, but this version is THE ONE. —JS

Skeeter Davis & NRBQ: “Ain’t Nice to Talk Like That” Play this track

I just love that country trombone. —RS
A living, breathing, singing smile! —JS

Billy Joel: “Only the Good Die Young (Alternate Version)” Play this track

Dramatic proof that sometimes the first idea is not the best idea. Fun to discover, fun to listen to, and a song made for NHT. —JS

John Hiatt: “Cry Love” Play this track

As a songwriter, John Hiatt is a monster. Here’s one of his lesser-known songs as performed by Hiatt and his band. Simply amazing. —RS

Steely Dan: “Time Out of Mind (Vocal-Keyboard-Guitar-Horn Mix)” Play this track

A 5.1 mix using only certain tracks allows us to hear the subtle details in the track sans rhythm section. “Perfection and Grace” indeed. —JS

The Allman Brothers Band: “Blue Sky” Play this track

See the final sentence above. Here is Duane Allman earning his nickname “Skydog,” and Dickie Betts as the ultimate melodicist on a gem of a song he wrote for his then girlfriend, Blue Sky. —JS
This song is near perfect. So melodic. —RS

Paul McCartney And Eric Clapton: “Something” Play this track

How often is a beloved song played as the masterpiece it is? This is one of those times. The band includes Ringo Starr, Albert Lee, Jeff Lynne, Billy Preston, and an orchestra. —JS
What can I say? It’s beautiful and kinda haunting as well. —RS

Starlight Mints: “Submarine #3” Play this track

A quirky little song that’ll grab you before you know it. —RS

Elliot Smith: “Pretty (Ugly Before)” Play this track

Elliott Smith was sooo talented. A beautifully moody song here. —RS

Little Feat: “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now (Alternate Version)” Play this track

I love Little Feat. So does John. We also love hearing outtakes and alternate versions of great Feat tunes. This one’s slinky and sweet. —RS

Emerson, Lake & Powell: “Touch and Go (2024 Remaster)” Play this track

This song appeared on the self-titled album by a one-off version of ELP, this one with Cozy Powell, not Carl Palmer, as the “P.” I think “Touch and Go” is as good as anything the original ELP cooked up in their ‘70s heyday. Is “majestic” the word for this track? —RS

Jefferson Airplane: “She Has Funny Cars” Play this track

The opening track from one of my favorite albums. The drum intro grabs me immediately. What follows helped define the San Francisco sound and that of the band as well. —JS