The Duke & the king

[MattL80]

For me The Duke & The King were one of the highlights at EOTR.

However, before the festival when their album was released I was a little dissapointed because as a massive Felice Brothers fan, I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as any of their 3 albums.

For me, The Duke & The King is effectively a Simone Felice solo album, and much prefer having the other brothers involved.

Really I was just wondering how many of the people who were blown away by td&tk (of whom I was one) are aware of The Felice Brothers, and which they prefer?

For anyone who hasn't heard them, I can't recommend strongly enough the importance of buying all 3 Felice Brothers albums immidiately!

Anyway, appologies, too much wine!

Matt.

ps. Felice Brothers for 2010

[ljsawyer]

I'm pretty surprised by the amount of love they receive on here, because I don't find anything really musically interesting or intriguing about TD&TK or the Felice Brothers at all. To each their own though!

[Fat_Buddha]

I love the Felice Brothers, and have my tickets for their Glee club gig in Brum safely stored. The brilliance of the Duke and the King has taken me by surprise..............I was aware that Simone had written a couple of my favourite Felice tracks, but had considered him a bit of a sideshow.

As you say, musically, so what, but there is more to it than that, there is the feel of the thing, the warmth of the thing, the poignancy of the thing, the sheer Simoneness of the thing. This is a a band that communicates at a very basic but profound level and rank up there in the top three of bands that I have seen in about 35 years of fairly intensive gig going.

Don't compare with the Felices (as good as they are, Simones band is better anyway) just accept them for what they are.

[MattL80]

I agree it isn't so much the music but more the rawness and honesty of the vocals that really gets me with both td&tk and the felice's. It's something I only really hear in country influenced bands/singers. Gram parsons for example, by no means a classicly "good" vocalist, but the songs just get you every time, almost makes you cry.

Jelous by the way that you have tickets, I was tempted to go to their london gig but the old finances intervened. Enjoy the gig.

[Fat_Buddha]

Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris singing "Love Hurts" always brings a tear to me eyes!

[perfectpassion]

OK Thank God it wasn't me that started this post...I have been driving everyone mad by droning on and on about The Duke & The King...and (thankfully?) because I am useless with technology I cannot bore you too with the pic of me and Simone after their set...that is not something I usually do I was just over-excited ha

I think that their performance at EOTR was just part of a whole day, after finally getting there, meeting new people and getting the monster tent up.......my excitment finally found a vent!! If that makes sense.

I cannot say I have listened to much of The Felice Brothers but what I have heard didnt do that much for me!

[perfectpassion]

I think Matt that the word I was looking for last night was "Zeitgeist".... a performance that is of its time and perhaps more than a cd can point to. It was something that encapuslated the joy and (sometimes sadness) of the whole weekend! And I disagree about it being Simone Felice solo..for me all four members were equally entrancing and unique performers, and a change from watching a singer with a band (usually 4 blokes). They were quite raw and I like that energy.

I am sure you have memories of other such gigs that inspired you... for me, U2 playing to 20 people on their first UK tour, early Arctic Monkeys in 2005 at a small venue....

[Dibford and Son]

A good thread this one. Before EOTR which was my first festival I did what i'm sure is the norm. Watch these threads, use spotify and but some CD's of bands that I had never or hardly heard of etc etc. TD & TK weren't one of them.

My son and I then happened upon them in the big top tent and I thought their performance was superb, I loved it. As a result I got the CD from the Rough Trade tent which surprised me a bit as live I thought they were a tad rockier( too be expected i suppose?)..............However, now I love it as well. For me it has half a dozen of the best songs I've heard in ages, and I don't know why, a good tune is a good tune I suppose. Anyhoo, I have now Spotified a whole load more stuff including The Felice Borthers and I really like them too, but imo, they are not doing the same thing and they both stand alone as good music.

Now I am posting things on forums................... which I also have never done before!

[MattL80]

I guess I was just a little dissapointed with the duke & the king tunes that I heard prior to eotr, having been a felice brothers fan for the last few years. That said, I do agree that their performance was stunning, possibly the highlight in a festival full of highlights. I will almost certainly get the album soon, and I will almost certainly love it.

[wockey]

Not into dissecting performances or looking too deep into "the music" BUT my wife and I left the Big Top thinking we'd seen something a bit special. Four excellent musicians very much together and enjoying their performance plus a charismatic singer.

[GeordieMartin]

I've been a felice brothers fan since way back. Thay have actually done five albums not three but the first two are no longer available (Iantown and through these reins) In Ian felice we have one of the best songwriters on this planet, I've not been blown away by songwriting that good since I first heard Bob Dylan, he's that good in my opinion. Iantown is pretty much him on his own and it's a superb album.

As for Duke & the King, great band but completely different to the felice brothers, more soulful. Brilliant though. By the way Duke & the king are on Jools hollabd this week.

And yes, Felice brothers next year, i've asked every year for them but to no avail, they'd have this 'too cool to dance' crowd at end of the road going crazy, superb band, my favourite as it goes.

[perfectpassion]

I think that you are doing a pretty good job of convincing me to have another listen... am keepin the worlds cd and vinyl market afloat singlehandedly...

[perfectpassion]

"Too Cool to dance crowd"????? These shoes were made for dancing !!! Did you miss The Hold Steady Dance Crew????

Edited September 29, 2009 by perfectpassion

[Dibford and Son]

So much for last night then?, roll on Friday.

Anyway, been giving the Felice Brothers self titled album a Spotify workout this week on the iPhone as well which is good, I love it! What a record. Working on the other 2 available as well, but don't seem as quite an instant hit, but I will stick in there. I agree about the songwriting. Witty, clever and different. Makes me smile

[perfectpassion]

Well ...there I was actually doing something I hardly ever do and watching TV and ??? I thought for a mo that Jools Holland was presenting TOTP until I saw Gladys Knight. Now call me wrong I dont care, am sure he is talented and cool and all sorts of stuff but fancy just waving his arm towards TD&TK. In my very humble opinion the one good thing that Jools Holland has ever done was bring across the borders (Welsh) one of the worlds most wonderful Bass Players (Pino Palladino) by tempting him with a "Fabulous Wealthy Tart".....apart from that I would have readily shoved his piano somewhere painful last night.

On the plus side I did enjoy "The Choir" which was on before and just love all that youthful adversity and stuff....it was rather uplifting.....

On Saturday I am not sure I can face anymore XXs or Mika.....

Rant Over

Edited September 30, 2009 by perfectpassion

[MattL80]

2 Felice Brothers albums I didn't know about. That's the best news i've heard in ages.

Were the duke & the king not on last night then? I was out seeing 3 superb bands (the family, two fingers of firewater and the deadstring brothers - I highly recommend all three). Will try to catch Jools at the weekend. His show rarely has anything on it that interests me these days.

[Dibford and Son]

2 Felice Brothers albums I didn't know about. That's the best news i've heard in ages.

Were the duke & the king not on last night then? I was out seeing 3 superb bands (the family, two fingers of firewater and the deadstring brothers - I highly recommend all three). Will try to catch Jools at the weekend. His show rarely has anything on it that interests me these days.

[perfectpassion]

Just to qualify for those not old enough....Jools Hollland once had a band that included Pino Palladino on bass (now sadly languishing in The Who) and his backing singers were called The Fabulous Wealthy Tarts. Pino and the tarts went on to play with Paul Young and then he married one of the tarts...

[MattL80]

Didn't get to Talking Heads last night but have been checking out 2 fingers on the interweb, thanks Matt.

Agree about Jools Holland too, not the same as it used to be, TD & TK only got a passing wave at the end so I guess they will get a slot at the weekend. Looks like PP was pretty miffed tho!!

D & S