Kick in the Head -- DNB vs. The Big Wu
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DNB - Best band & fans in the land!
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for some inexplicable reason the iconic, fan-favorite DNB song "Kick in the Head" (lyrics by Robert Hunter, music by David Nelson) is being re-released with newly composed music by The Big Wu, the long-time jamband from Minnesota
WHY?
to me, this is borderline travesty
but, you be the judge... listen to both versions and weigh in here with your preference
The Big Wu: song link is near bottom of webpage https://relix.com/blogs/detail/premiere-the-big-wu-collaborate-with-robe...
DNB: many stellar versions exist, for instance 12/19/2009 (last song in 2nd set) https://archive.org/details/dnb2009-12-19.sbd.dnb.105462.flac16/dnb2009-...
song lyrics are here: https://www.whitegum.com/introjs.htm?/songfile/KICKINTH.HTM
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
I prefer the NRPS version
I prefer the NRPS version with Dave Torbert.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: DNB - Best band & fans in the land!
^^^ link to audio?
^^^ link to audio?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Sure man, here's the studio
Sure man, here's the studio version from the Panama Red album:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=shgQ3-OGmu4
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
I was thought of it as a NRPS
I was thought of it as a NRPS song.
Big Wu? They are still around? The used to come to town pretty regularly back in the early 2000s then they sort of disappeared (at least in these parts).
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
This is a nice bit of live
This is a nice bit of live concert footage from 5/29/72 at the Beat Club in Bremen, Germany:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MZWw87UgrwI
They play a good version in this set. My favorite version is on their Home, Home On The Road LP, the live album Jerry produced.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
to me, this is borderline
to me, this is borderline travesty
Wu exactly do they think they are?...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: The Sound of Steam and Caffeine
Sacrilege!
Sacrilege!
https://www.thebigwu.com/kick-in-the-head/
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Bucky Badger
the big wu-tang
the big wu-tang
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
Lyrics are the same but the
Lyrics are the same but the music is completely rearranged. The NRPS version is much better.
Speaking of the Big Wu, last time I saw them was in Lola's Room downstairs below the Crystal Ballroom. My ex kept heckling them to play Grateful Dead tunes. They obliged.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Frank3
i look at it as, .great cover
i look at it as, .great cover of a great song.
thanks for link to both!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: gypsy tailwind
Crazy...
Crazy...
Saw DNB play The Big Wu Family Reunion in '99.
05/29/99 (Sat) Big Wu Family Reunion @ Harmony Park Music Garden - Clarks Grove, MN
Set 1: Lonesome L.A. Cowboy, Film at 11, John Hardy's Wedding, Long Gone Sam > Wizard's Son > Edge of the Wire, Earl's Girls, Freight Train Boogie, Diamond Joe, Panama Red, Kerouac, Kick in the Head > The Wheel > Kick in the Head
*Side note: Saw Stu Allen w/ The Jones Gang for the first time at this festival.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: DNB - Best band & fans in the land!
^^^ Dave, I did not hear the
^^^ Dave, I did not hear the "Kick" in that NRPS video from 5/29/72
I agree that the NRPS album version sung by Torbert (linked above) is a kickass rocker, but it's a race to the finish and is over before ya know it at 2.5 minutes long
DNB's live version of Kick in the Head, by contrast, often clocks in at over 15 minutes, and is a serious jam vehicle that usually leaves faces melted
DNB's album version of the song appeared on 1997's Keeper of the Key and was nearly 7 minutes long (I looked it up)
both the NRPS and DNB versions have the same musical and lyrical structure... David Nelson is credited with writing the music for DNB, but the song credit on the 2 NRPS albums (Panama Red , & Home, Home on the Road) is Robert Hunter with no mention of Nelson... go figure
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Bluelight
?
?
Kick in the head is a nrps song gary.
It's featured on Panama red
Who is DNB?
It's a Robert Hunter song, and that in its self, sold records.
He did tumblin with balin on red octopus the next year
Hunter was a cash cow filled with intrigue
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Pedro!
It's SUCH a different
It's SUCH a different arrangement it hardly bears comparing to the DNB version... Of course I prefer the one I love and expect, but this version will open just fine when they play live. And the Wu songs are always much better live... Yeah, they're still around! But don't tour much, certainly not out here. Terry, the drummer (who sings lead on this song) was just here for a weekend, playing with Stu. Hey, Bonus Points for Harmony Park mentions!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
>>>>>Who is DNB? Lol.
>>>>>Who is DNB?
Lol.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
>>>>>Who is DNB?
>>>>>Who is DNB?
Surf..... admittedly, he's not the first to ask.....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
>>>>>Who is DNB?
>>>>>Who is DNB?
A bunch of old bald/balding hippies who play music for a bunch of old bald/balding hippies*
(* the later known for being very friendly, perpetually stoned, and physically corpulent)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune
>Wu exactly do they think
>Wu exactly do they think they are?...<
clever walstibs.
never heard of the big wu, after 30 seconds of that, i see why.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Hitchhiker awaiting "true call"
The Wu song sounds like Phish
The Wu song sounds like Phish.
The DNB song is ok as a vehicle.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ausonius
"Hunter was a cash cow filled
"Hunter was a cash cow filled with intrigue "
I'd hardly consider Robert a cash cow for anything. Would that he were, the guy deserves the recognition.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dr. Benway
i think you guys are way
i think you guys are way overcomplicating the fact that some rando jamband did a cover of a riders tune - how is that news?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Barrel Aged
>>>the big wu-tang
>>>the big wu-tang
Lol, this came up in my beverage feed this morning:
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/11/wu-tang-clans-raekwon-launches...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sycamore Slough
I like The Big Wu and have a
I like The Big Wu and have a handful of CD-R's of theirs. Way back at the turn of the Millennium, the Live Music Archive had a bunch of GD and not too many other bands.
The Big Wu posted a whole mess of their shows, so I downloaded a bunch.
Might have even gone to Portland to see them, it's been a long time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
I really wanted to like it
I really wanted to like it but it wasn't very good. Vocals reminded me a bit of the spin doctors.