Live at Martyrs' (album)
Encyclopedia
Live at Martyrs' is the fifth album by singer-songwriter
and guitarist
, Chris Whitley
and his first live album
. The performance is a compilation of songs from Whitley's first four albums (Living with the Law
(1991), Din of Ecstasy
(1995), Terra Incognita
(1997), and Dirt Floor
(1998)), a previous collaboration, and two songs that would later appear on Rocket House
(2001).
It was produced by John Alagía
and recorded over three consecutive nights in August 1999 at Martyrs' in Chicago, Illinois. It was co-mixed and co-engineered by Alagía and Jeff Juliano (assisted by Ken Helie) at Shelter Island Sound in New York City
.
Whitley released the album independently and sold the CDs at his shows a year before the Messenger Records
release.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, Chris Whitley
Chris Whitley
Christopher Becker Whitley was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Whitley changed his sound frequently, and achieved modest mainstream success while maintaining a small but devoted following...
and his first live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
. The performance is a compilation of songs from Whitley's first four albums (Living with the Law
Living with the Law (album)
Living with the Law is the debut album by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley.Malcolm Burn produced, mixed and played on the album...
(1991), Din of Ecstasy
Din of Ecstasy
Din of Ecstasy is the second studio album by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley.It was produced primarily by John Custer and Chris Whitley...
(1995), Terra Incognita
Terra Incognita (Chris Whitley album)
Terra Incognita is the third studio album by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley.It was produced primarily by Chris Whitley, Toby Wright, Mark Howard, and Dougie Bowne. The album was recorded primarily by Mark Howard at Boulevard Teatro in Oxnard, California...
(1997), and Dirt Floor
Dirt Floor (album)
Dirt Floor is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley.It was produced by Craig Street and recorded live direct to a two-track analog recorder using a single stereo ribbon microphone by Danny Kadar at Blue Moon Racing Shop in Bellows Falls, Vermont.This recording...
(1998)), a previous collaboration, and two songs that would later appear on Rocket House
Rocket House
Rocket House is the seventh album by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley. It is his sixth studio album.It was produced by Tony Mangurian and recorded primarily at Soho Music Studios in New York City. It was mixed by Tony Mangurian and Danny Madorsky at Greene St...
(2001).
It was produced by John Alagía
John Alagía
John Alagía is an accomplished music producer. He is best known for his work with the Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer. Alagia is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and a graduate of Georgetown University...
and recorded over three consecutive nights in August 1999 at Martyrs' in Chicago, Illinois. It was co-mixed and co-engineered by Alagía and Jeff Juliano (assisted by Ken Helie) at Shelter Island Sound in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Whitley released the album independently and sold the CDs at his shows a year before the Messenger Records
Messenger Records
Messenger Records is an independent record label. Based out of New York City, USA, the label was started by Brandon Kessler during his time in college in 1996...
release.
Track listing
All tracks written by Chris Whitley unless otherwise noted.- "Dirt Floor" – 2:11
- "Long Way Around" – 4:01
- "Firefighter" – 2:27
- "God Thing" – 2:32
- "Poison Girl" – 3:13
- "New Machine" – 3:03
- "Living with the LawLiving with the Law (song)"Living with the Law" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley. It was the first single to be released from his 1991 début album, Living with the Law, and became a hit single in the United States, rising to #28 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in...
" – 3:43 - "WPL" – 2:52
- "The ModelDas Model"Das Model" is a song recorded by the electro-pop group Kraftwerk in 1978; written by musicians Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos, with artist Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, Die Mensch-Maschine; English version title: The Man-Machine...
" (Karl BartosKarl BartosKarl Bartos was, between 1975 and 1990, along with Wolfgang Flür, an electronic percussionist in the electronic-music group Kraftwerk. He was originally recruited to play on its US "Autobahn" tour...
, Ralf HütterRalf HütterRalf Hütter is the lead singer, keyboardist, and reportedly leader of the electronic-music band Kraftwerk. Since the departure of Florian Schneider in 2008, he is also the group's sole remaining founding member....
, and Emil SchultEmil SchultEmil Schult is a German painter, poet and musician.He is most famous for his collaborations with the electronic music band Kraftwerk. He has created most of their sleeve designs since 1973...
– KraftwerkKraftwerkKraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
) - 3:01 - "Home is Where You Get Across" – 3:22
- "From One island to Another" – 2:53
- "Serve You" – 3:21
- "Narcotic Prayer" – 3:51
- "Big Sky CountryBig Sky Country (song)"Big Sky Country" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley. It was the second single to be released from his 1991 début album, Living with the Law, and became a hit single in the United States, rising to #35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in 1991.-Music...
" / "Gasket" – 6:55
Personnel
- Chris Whitley – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitar, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, and bootPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...