On Air (Chris Whitley album)
Encyclopedia
On Air is the fifteenth album by singer-songwriter
and guitarist
Chris Whitley
and his second live album. The performance is a compilation of songs from a selection of Whitley's past albums (Living with the Law
(1991), Terra Incognita
(1997), Dirt Floor
(1998), Perfect Day
(2000), Rocket House
(2001), Pigs Will Fly
(soundtrack) (2003), and Hotel Vast Horizon
(2003)) and three new covers
.
It was produced by Radio Bremen
and recorded for 'Sparkasse in concert' on September 8, 2003 at Radio Bremen Sendesaal in Bremen
, Germany
by the Radio Bremen recording crew.
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 second live album. The performance is a compilation of songs from a selection of Whitley's past 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), 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), 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), Perfect Day
Perfect Day (Chris Whitley album)
Perfect Day is the sixth album by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley. It is his fifth studio album.It is a full length release of cover versions of "love songs". The album was recorded a trio and is subtitled "Featuring Billy Martin and Chris Wood". Martin and Wood are the rhythm...
(2000), 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), Pigs Will Fly
Pigs Will Fly (soundtrack)
Pigs Will Fly is the soundtrack for the German film, Pigs Will Fly directed by Eoin Moore...
(soundtrack) (2003), and Hotel Vast Horizon
Hotel Vast Horizon
Hotel Vast Horizon is the ninth album by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley. It is his seventh studio album.It was produced by Heiko Schramm, Chris Whitley, Matthias Macht, and Edgar M. Röthig...
(2003)) and three new covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
.
It was produced by Radio Bremen
Radio Bremen
Radio Bremen , Germany's smallest public radio and television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state of Bremen...
and recorded for 'Sparkasse in concert' on September 8, 2003 at Radio Bremen Sendesaal in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by the Radio Bremen recording crew.
Track listing
All tracks written by Chris Whitley unless otherwise noted.- "The Old Man and Me" (J. J. Cale) – 3:55
- "Drifting" (Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
) – 2:44 - "Kick the Stones" – 4:02
- "Clear Blue Sky" – 5:07
- "Light Rain" (traditionalTraditional musicTraditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
) – 4:07 - "She's Alright" (McKinley Morganfield – Muddy WatersMuddy WatersMcKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
) – 4:23 - "New Lost World" – 4:07
- "To Joy (Revolution of the Innocents)" (Chris Whitley and Tony Mangurian) – 4:41
- "The Crystal Ship" (John DensmoreJohn DensmoreJohn Paul Densmore is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors.-Early life and The Doors:Born in Los Angeles, Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and Cal...
, Robby KriegerRobby KriegerRobert Alan "Robby" Krieger is an American rock guitarist and songwriter. He was the guitarist in The Doors, and wrote some of the band's best known songs, including "Light My Fire," "Love Me Two Times," "Touch Me," and "Love Her Madly."...
, Ray ManzarekRay ManzarekRaymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
and Jim MorrisonJim MorrisonJames Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
– The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
) - 3:22 - "4th Time Around4th Time Around"4th Time Around" is a song by Bob Dylan on his 1966 album, Blonde on Blonde.-Narrative:With lyrics that contrast the mundane with the absurd, "4th Time Around" is suggestive of a young romance. The song revolves around the actions and brief spoken phrases of a man and a woman, who are presumably...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 4:09 - "Vertical Desert" – 4:00
- "Hotel Vast Horizon" – 4:00
- "Scrapyard Lullaby" – 4:16
- "Phone Call from Leavenworth" – 4:42
- "From a Photograph" – 3:44
- "Shadowland" – 4:35
- "Well...All Right" (Jerry AllisonJerry AllisonJ.I. Allison is an American musician, best known for being the drummer for The Crickets and co-writer of their Buddy Holly hit "Peggy Sue"....
, Charles Hardin Holly, Joe Benson MauldinJoe B. MauldinJoe Benson Mauldin, Jr. is ranked among the top rock bassists and became a recording engineer at Gold Star Studios, the Los Angeles studio that became the hit factory for Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and other major 1960s rock performers...
, and Norman PettyNorman PettyNorman Petty was an American musician, songwriter, and pioneer record producer who helped shape modern popular music, including pop and rock....
– The CricketsThe CricketsThe Crickets are a rock & roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer/songwriter Buddy Holly in the 1950s. Their first hit record was "That'll Be the Day", released in 1957....
) – 4:05 - "Velocity Girl" – 4:57