ELLEN FOLEY & BAND
- February 14, 1980 - Carré, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
** analog FM master, MWM 0108 **
>> THE INCREDIBLE FEMALE VOICE from MEAT LOAF'S 1977 Megaseller "BAT OUT OF HELL" - live on Valentine's Day 1980 << with samples
and BONUS:
- February 07, 1980 - "Bio's Bahnhof" (German TV show),
Frechener Lokschuppen, Cologne-Frechen, Germany
Preliminary remark 1:
Thanks for the incredible reaction after my upload of a rare Pat Benatar show.
PAT BENATAR & BAND - November 22, 1979 - Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA, USA
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=235991
CALL ME A SENTIMENTAL BORING OLD FOOL, BUT:
HERE IS ANOTHER OF MY ALL-TIME-FAVOURITE VOICES,
GOLDEN EARRING CALLED HER "LONG BLOND ANIMAL".
PROBABLY SHE'S THE BEST KNOWN FORGOTTEN SINGER
OF ALL TIMES WITH HER LEAD, HARMONY OR BACKING
VOCALS ON ABOUT 100 MILLION ALBUMS AND SINGLES
SOLD IN MORE THAN 30 YEARS AROUND THE WORLD...
A STUNNING FEMALE VOCALIST...(even today !),
INCREDIBLE LYRICS, HEART-MELTING LOVE STORIES...
A TRAINED VOICE TOUCHING YOU DEEPLY, HARROWING
DUETS...AND THERE ARE GUITARS, GUITARS, GUITARS...
Preliminary remark 2:
For more than 30 years i'm trying to get more of Ellen's solo concerts
or shows she did together with her partners in crime...it's hard to
believe that there was no interest...or do you feel ashamed ?
I would love to see more of her recordings crawling out from the
damp vaults and dusty shoeboxes of true music history collectors...
LIKE BATS OUT OF HELL....hehehe...
Preliminary remark 3:
As far as i know (and i did a lot of research...) NONE of this recording was ever used
commercially. Please read the continuing description to get THE HELL of information...
This recording here comes directly from the "Men With Microphones" archive.
"MWM" started in the 70ies in South Germany with analog recording equipment,
and at least two of them are still recording sometimes (since the 90ies on DAT,
and, lazy as we are, since lately with small, handheld WAV-recorders on SD-cards).
The "MWM" startet as a project of friends sharing their hobbies together. But by
reason of jobs, partners and other interests the circle of all involved shrinked.
Parental Advisory:
And again it became an incedible damn long description.
BUT THIS TIME IT'S FOR THE REALLY LAST TIME - PROMISED !
So if you get tired reading - stop it, take a nap - and then proceed...
I tried to eliminate all indexed four letter words and ugly sexual behaviour descriptions.
But i did not eliminate all the fun we relived during transfer, tracking and uploading.
Some of the fun can be found in this following description, the music & the pics. Enjoy !
"WHO THE HELL IS ELLEN FOLEY ?"
===============================
If you're NOW thinking exactly this,
please calm down...have a cigar or a drink...
BECAUSE you're not the only one...
the same question headlined a full-size ad in
British "Sounds" magazine on October 13, 1979.
Almost 30 years and about 43 million records later
it's easy to shed a blazing spotlight on the answer:
STEP 1:
=======
What is the commonness of all those artists and bands:
Blue Oyster Cult
Bonnie Tyler
Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson
Iron City Houserockers
Jim Steinman
Joe Jackson
Meat Loaf
Pandora's Box
and
The Clash ?
Ellen Foley had guest appearances with her incredible voice
on minimum one of their albums...and some of the artists or
bands she joined even live on stage in concert...
STEP 2:
=======
Ever heard this dialogue ?
Boy: On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?
Girl: Would he offer me his mouth?
Boy: Yes!
Girl: Would he offer me his teeth?
Boy: Yes!
Girl: Would he offer me his jaws?
Boy: Yes!
Girl: Would he offer me his hunger?
Boy: Yes!
Girl: Again, would he offer me his hunger?
Boy: Yes
Girl: And would he starve without me?
Boy: Yes
Girl: And does he love me?
Boy: Yes
Girl: Yes
Boy: On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?
Girl:Yes
Boy: I bet you say that to all the boys....
Rolling Stone Magazine once called the intro to
"You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)":
"...the coolest 30 seconds in the history of rock 'n' roll."
(Even though the intro lasts much longer than 30 seconds).
The girl with the lewd and teasing voice was (and still is) Ellen Foley,
The horny boy was Marvin Lee Aday...(that's what we thought...but on later
reissues the intro vocals were credited to Marcia McClain and Jim Steinman).
Nevertheless, with Marvin Lee i'm now able
to carry Ellen's introduction to extremes (LOL !):
"WHO THE HELL IS MARVIN LEE ADAY ?"
===================================
Marvin Lee Aday (born in Dallas, Texas on September 27, 1947)
changed his first name to "Michael" in 2001, is an American
rock musician and actor of stage and screen, he appeared in
over 50 movies or television shows, sometimes as himself, or
as characters resembling his stage persona....
His most notable roles include 'Robert "Bob" Paulson' in
'Fight Club' with Brad Pitt (1999), and "Eddie" in...
'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', a long time ago...
===================================================
I clearly remember the day in the mid-70ies, when one of my DJ-friends
(in the 70ies a typical "DJ" here was just a vinyl single or album 'changer',
able to do good changeovers and fadings - NO scratches and this kinda shit -
with lotta cool records and always knowing the next hype...) introduced me to
'The Original Roxy Cast Recording of "The Rocky Horror Show"' (Book, Music &
Lyrics by Richard O'Brien, directed by Jim Sharman, produced by Lou Adler and
all arrangements by Richard Hartley) on Ode Records, an UK record company,
released in 1974. At first sight both guitarplayers there caught my interest as
a manic collector: Daniel 'Danny' "Kootch" Kortchmar (James Taylor, Carole King,
Jackson Browne and lots more...) and Dean Parks (Sonny & Cher, Steely Dan etc.).
A record with both of them couldn't be bad...
My god, was i wrong...IT WAS CRAZEEE, AMAZING AND SIMPLY OUTSTANDING:
"And crawling on the planets face, some insects called
the human race, lost in time, lost in space and...meaning!"
The whacked out and fantastic sounding story catched me almost immediately, i was
lost in time, lost in space after the first entire listening, completely addicted...
One of the highlights was Tim Curry as "Dr. Frank-N-Furter", but even more impressing
to me was the voice of Marvin Lee Aday, playing "Dr. Scott" AND a certain "Eddie":
Scotty:
From the day he was born, he was trouble
He was a thorn in his mother's side
She tried in vain
Narrator:
but he never caused her nothing but shame
He left home the day she died
From the day he was gone, all he wanted
Was a rockin' roll, porn and a motor bike
HEY - THAT WAS ALL WE WANTED TOO,
BACK THEN IN THE mid-70ies:
ROCKIN' ROLL,
PORN and a
MOTOR BIKE...
hehehe...
But that's another endless story, and to cut this one here just a bit shorter, we had
just to wait another year to SEE the whole event on stage...ahemmm...in our cinemas...
Summer 1976 was the local movie theatre premiere of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show",
and Marvin Lee Aday AKA "Eddie" AKA Meat Loaf became our motorcycle hero:
I used to go for a ride with a chick who'd go
And listen to the music on the radio
A saxophone was blowing on a Rock 'n' Roll Show
And you climbed in the back and you really had a good time
(Eddie's Roxy song "Whatever Happened To Saturday Night" transformed
later to "Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul" in the Picture Show soundtrack)
In the meantime i was a proud owner of "Stoney and Meat Loaf", a cut-out vinyl record from 1971.
It was definitely not the music (was, and still is "so-so"), it was the ownership i was proud of...
as it was nearly impossible to get a copy, all others had to wait until 1979 for the remixed and
remastered "Meat Loaf featuring Stoney and Meatloaf" album.
And more trivia: Stoney, aka Shaun Murphy, went on to sing backup with many acts, including
Bob Seger and Eric Clapton, and became a full time member of Little Feat in 1993. She continues
to work with Little Feat and Seger...
In October or November (cannot remember exactly...) 1976 Ted Nugent's "Free–For–All" (Epic Records)
was released, his second soloalbum that became later 2x Multi-Platinum.
Each song on "Free-for-All" leaves you gasping for breathing room - no space is too small for Nugent
to cram in a grand, searing riff - and his long solo on "Together" is so sinewy and melodic that I
found myself staring at the turntable in disbelief - AND ICING THE CAKE THESE FAMILIAR VOCALS !
Nugent's previous album featured vocals by Derek St. Holmes, but he left in a dispute shortly before
recording "Free-For-All", giving the then-unknown Marvin Lee Aday a chance. Before achieving fame as
a solo artist, Meat Loaf sang lead on 5 tracks of this album, and all five songs are outstanding.
Not just my opinion. Please read this comment i found on the net:
Nugey's best album. "Writing On The Wall", "Together", "Street Rats", "Hammerdown" and "I Love You
So I Told You A Lie" are tremendous tunes. Meatloaf's vocals are great. I can see why Nugent's big
ego couldn't handle having Meatloaf around. Ted doesn't do any of those songs in concert because he
can't sing them. -- Lester, New York City, NY --
AND AGAIN WE HAD TO WAIT ANOTHER YEAR FOR
MEAT LOAF'S FIRST SOLO RELEASE ON OCTOBER 21, 1977:
===================================================
"The sirens are screaming and the fires
are howling, way down in the valley tonight"
"Bat out of Hell", the debut album which had been four years in the making,
has sold over 43 million copies. After more than 30 years, it still sells
an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and stayed on the charts for over 9 years...
British "Q Magazine" names BAT OUT OF HELL "Rock's #1 Guilty Pleasure"
Issue Sept. 2006
Guilty Pleasures - Album Chart #1 Meat Loaf BAT OUT OF HELL
The sound of the rock n roll apocalypse. One of the greatest albums ever made. Obviously.
Jim Steinman wrote epic, funny, lengthy songs where teenagers tried to loose their virginity,
where girls were slim and devious and boys tubby and stupid, where the motorbike was an
analogy for everything and to quote a future Steinman moment of genius, "where everything
was louder than everything else."
Brilliantly, the distinctly rotund Meat Loaf sang the whole lot without irony, while Steinman
and producer Todd Rundgren fashioned as wide-screen Wagnerian backdrop. Somehow the whole was
even mightier than it's already heaving parts, hence the ten minute title-track where a man
watches himself die; For Crying Out Loud, perhaps the most full-on, gut-wrenching ballad ever
recorded and the sheer onanistic frustration of All Revved Up With No Place To Go.
There was nothing like it in 1977.
There has been nothing like it since, Bat Out Of Hell II notwithstanding.
Staggering.
SOUNDS PRETTY AWESOME...
But to be true: "Bat out of Hell" was in 1977 and early 1978 just for insiders
and manic collectors (*), remaining on the record store shelfes like lead (if you
know what i mean...), and the REAL HYPE started at the earliest around mid-1978...or yet later...
AND AGAIN EXACTLY THIS MONSTER OF AN ALBUM INCLUDED ALL WE WANTED TOO, BACK THEN
(and to be true, even today there is a stong eagerness...every now and then...):
LOTTA ROCK'N ROLL,
STEAMY SEX and a
HEAVY MOTOR BIKE...
male rock music listeners are SO easy knitted...sometimes...
even if they are born in the 50ies, with hairs fading to grey...
and more on your back or elsewhere than on your head...hehehe...
(*) In fact, if you've never ever heard of Marvin Lee or Jim Steinman, a couple of the
musicians on this album made it definitely a "must have": Roy Bittan & Max Weinberg
from Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band, Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton and Edgar Winter...
AND THEN THERE WAS THIS FEMALE VOICE:
=====================================
("Paradise by the Dashboard Light")
Girl:
Though it's cold and lonely
In the deep dark night
Boy: I can see paradise by the dashboard light
Girl:
Ain't no doubt about it, we were doubly blessed
'Cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed
...
Phil 'Scooter' Rizzuto, Voice of the New York Yankees:
Here's the throw, here's the play at the plate! Holy Cow! I think he's gonna make it!
Girl:
...STOP RIGHT THEEEEERE !
I've got to know right now!
Before we go any further!
Do you love me? Will you love me forever?
Do you need me? Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy
for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?
************************************
YES, ELLEN, WHENEVER YOU WANT ME !!!
************************************
Back in 1977, talking about "The Multimedia Stone Age", it was
hard to get some true facts about her...that's quite easy today...
SO AGAIN:
"WHO THE HELL IS ELLEN FOLEY ?"
===============================
Ellen Foley (born in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American singer and actress whose range
of talent and experience has spanned edgy rock, mainstream pop, standard Broadway, sitcom
television, and Hollywood. She has released several albums on her own but she is perhaps
best known for her collaborative work. Her debut album from 1979, "Nightout" is the most
memorable, evoking the classic girl group sound of the 1960s, notably Phil Spector's Wall
of Sound. The record was produced by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson.
Her first big break was singing the duet with Meat Loaf on "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"
and she later sang on Joe Jackson's Body and Soul. She was featured as a backup singer for
Ian Hunter and The Blue Oyster Cult. She can be heard on The Clash album "Sandinista!" in the
song "Hitsville UK". All four members of The Clash appeared on her 1981 album "The Spirit of
St. Louis" and Mick Jones and Joe Strummer co-wrote a number of songs for the album.
The Clash's hit song "Should I Stay or Should I Go" from the Combat Rock album, was about
the turbulent relationship they shared. It was written and sung by Mick Jones. Ellen Foley
was also featured in a band called Pandora's Box, formed by Jim Steinman in 1989.
For several years, Ellen has worked in film, TV, Broadway and raised two wonderful sons.
BUT--she's gone back to her roots and has formed a band called "Ellen Foley and The Dirty
Old Men" (actually they're not particularly dirty or old). They are occasionally performing
in NYC. So Stop Right There and check out the shows.
DAMN - THAT'S ALL ?? LONETAPER, YOU DID WAY BETTER ON YOUR OTHER TORRENTS...SO TRY AGAIN...
===========================================================================================
Ellen Foley (born June 5, 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American singer and actress,
who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the sitcom "Night Court".
In music, she has released three solo albums but is best known for her collaborations with
the singer Meat Loaf.
Early career
Foley's debut album, "Nightout" (1979), containing the hit single "What's The Matter Baby",
was produced by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson. Her subsequent two solo albums were "Spirit of
St. Louis" and "Another Breath".
She gained high public recognition singing the duet with Meat Loaf on the hit single "Paradise
by the Dashboard Light" from the 1977 album 'Bat out of Hell'. Although Karla DeVito is
featured on the music video, DeVito is lip synching to Foley's vocals.
Foley can be heard on The Clash album "Sandinista!" in the song "Hitsville UK" and on the
unreleased track "Blonde Rock 'n' Roll". All four members of The Clash appeared on her 1981
album "The Spirit of St. Louis" and Mick Jones and Joe Strummer co-wrote a number of songs
for the album. The Clash's hit song "Should I Stay or Should I Go", written and sung by
Mick Jones, from the "Combat Rock" album, was about the turbulent relationship he shared
with Foley at the time.
Foley also recorded a memorable duet in 1980 with Ian Hunter, "We Gotta Get Outta Here".
Her creative relationship with Hunter also led her to singing backing vocals on the Iron City
Houserockers' 1980 album "Have A Good Time (But Get Out Alive)", produced by Hunter, Ronson,
and The E Street Band's Steve Van Zandt. She later sang backing vocals on Joe Jackson's 1984
album "Body and Soul". And if you're a fan of Blue Oyster Cult, check out their 1979 release
"Mirrors", where Ellen pimped the album by singing back-up on "Dr. Music" and "Mirrors"...
Foley also had a large role in the Utopia Video "Crybaby". She fronted the band "Pandora's Box",
formed by Jim Steinman in 1989. Their album "Original Sin" was the first to feature the song
"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (vocals by Elaine Caswell); both Meat Loaf and Celine Dion
had separate chart successes with that song, years later.
Broadway, film and television
Foley lives in the Upper West Side of Manhattan and continues an active career in music and
has appeared on Broadway in such shows as "Me and My Girl" and the revival of "Hair" and
off-Broadway in "Beehive". She originated the role of The Witch in Stephen Sondheim's "Into
the Woods" at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego but was replaced by Bernadette Peters before
the play reached New York. She eventually reprised the role by appearing on Broadway herself.
Her best known television acting role is the role of Billie Young on Night Court for one season
(1984-85), after which she was succeeded by Markie Post as Christine Sullivan. She had parts
in Miloš Forman's 1979 film adaptation of the stage musical "Hair", as well as the films
"Cocktail", "Fatal Attraction" and "Married to the Mob".
She was also in the short-lived 1977 show "3 Girls 3", co-starring with Debbie Allen and Mimi Kennedy.
Personal life
Foley is married to the writer Doug Bernstein. The couple live in Manhattan with their two sons,
Timothy and Henry. As of the mid-2000s, she teaches vocal lessons at The Paul Green School of
Rock Music in Manhattan, New York City, New York.
ALLRIGHT, THAT WAS MORE TO READ...
JUST MORE USELESS INFORMATIONS...
BUT HOW DID SHE MEET MEAT AND JIM ??
====================================
Meat Loaf and friend/songwriter Jim Steinman started "Bat out of Hell" in 1972, but did not get
serious about it until the end of 1974. The two-year gap in the production was due to controversy
surrounding his son born in Afton, Wyoming. Meat Loaf decided to leave theatre, and concentrate
exclusively on music. Then, the National Lampoon Show opened on Broadway, and it needed an
understudy for John Belushi, a close friend of Meat Loaf since 1972.
It was at the Lampoon Show that Meat Loaf met Ellen Foley, the co-star who sang "Paradise by the
Dashboard Light" with him on the album Bat out of Hell.
After the Lampoon show ended, Meat Loaf and Steinman spent time seeking a record deal. Their
approaches were rejected by each record company, because their songs did not fit any specific
recognized music industry style. Finally, they performed the songs for Todd Rundgren, who decided
to produce the album, as well as play lead guitar on it (other members of Todd's band Utopia also
lent their musical talents). They then shopped the record around, but still had no takers until
Cleveland International Records decided to take a chance.
On October 21, 1977, "Bat out of Hell" was released.
Meat Loaf's first gig in support of the record was opening for Cheap Trick in Chicago;
the audience started out hostile, but by the end of the show, they had been won over.
Their next stop came a couple of days after the release of the album in New Jersey.
The show was a complete sell-out, and people lined up to see it hours before it started.
Things really started to take off after Meat Loaf appeared on "Saturday Night Live" on
March 25, 1978 as Musical Guest to Guest Host Christopher Lee.
HEYHEYHEY, THAT WAS TOO FAST AT THE END...
==========================================
When Meat Loaf and his collaborator, Jim Steinman, needed a female singer for their band
in 1976, they brought in Ellen Foley, whom they'd met a year earlier when all three were
part of the touring company of the National Lampoon Show. Steinman had an idea for an album,
which would mix music and theatrics, and Ellen joined the two in their search for a record
deal. Said Steinman: "I think it was turned down by 18 record companies and 10 to 12 producers.
We didn't have a demo tape, we just had me at the piano and Meat and Ellen Foley singing.
No one could deal with it, they couldn't figure out what it would sound like when it was
finished. We'd do "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" in this little office, with Ellen Foley
and Meat Loaf French kissing and slapping each other around! We tried to get Clive Davies,
Bob Ezrin, Glyn Johns, George Martin....
Finally we got Todd Rundgren, who was great. He even put up some of his own money."
Little did they know that almost 20 years later the album which became "Bat Out Of Hell"
would stand at the 25 million mark world-wide, and still sell roughly 45,000 copies every week....."
AND ELLEN'S POINT OF VIEW ?
===========================
In 1975 Ellen got a part in the touring company of "The National Lampoon Show", "completely
tasteless, sacrilegious - and a lot of fun", Ellen later remembered. She met Meat Loaf and
Jim Steinman who also were in the show. Said Ellen: "At this time Steinman was hatching
"Bat Out Of Hell", and he wrote "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" for Meat and I.
After the tour I collected unemployment and auditioned with Meat and Steinman for countless
record execs and producers who looked at us and said; 'Huh?!"
In the meantime, Ellen got involved in a show called "YMCA" in which she reportedly played
a pregnant baboon, Patty Hearst, a cheerleader and a fairy! The television series "Three
Girls Three" followed next, a variety show about the lives of three cabaret-style singers
(which was an American attempt at "Rock Follies"). "One day I went to a general audition
for a television show called "Three Girls Three", .... all singing, all dancing, all comedy.
I was flown out to Los Angeles for a screen test, and got the job. They auditioned 300 people
for the parts and chose three of us. Mimi Kennedy who I'd first met at National Lampoon Show
also got a part," Ellen later said. Debbie Allen was the third girl on the set.
Said Ellen: "It was an amazing jump from working for free. It was a four part mini series.
I had my own song each week, attempted comedy, was made very blonde and wore fancy gowns.
I worked with such people as Bob Hope and Steve Martin. But I was glad it was all over.
I was out of place." In retrospect, Ellen feels that the "television thing" was a crucial
turning part in her career. "(Three Girls Three) was the ultimate fake situation, all
Broadway, Vegas, Hollywood. I had to get back to reality," Ellen later explained, and added
"At the time I had already started recording with Meat Loaf, and I spent half my time in the
studio doing some heavy rock 'n' roll."
Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman finally got a record deal with Steve Popovich, and snagged Todd
Rundgren as a producer, Said Ellen: "So I was going from straight television to that world.
Interesting. Back then I was like, Who am I, who is Meat Loaf, what is my motivation?
I was awed that Todd Rundgren was producing, and that Meat Loaf was sitting in a chair and
that I got to rant and rave at him. I just thought that it was fun. You know, it was amusing.
Eight million records later...." Ellen didn't quite give up on television work, however.
She was a summer (1977) replacement in a couple of soap operas, "Search For Tomorrow" (in
which she played a deranged Nurse's Aide reject) and "One Life To Live" (a student radical).
The Meat Loaf album was a very slow climber on the charts, it took almost a year to reach
the top 10, so Ellen was free to pursue her acting career again.
Since the Meat Loaf album was a quasi-mythic rock and roll saga originally orientated toward
theatre, it was a natural transition. They were resurrecting "Hair" on Broadway in the fall
of 1977 and Ellen played the lead role of Sheila.
In the early months of 1978, Ellen appeared at the Kennedy Arts Centre in Washington, DC -
in Jim Steinman's play, "Neverland", a rock 'n' roll Peter Pan. Ellen played the role of
Wendy. Meanwhile, Ellen's performance in the Broadway revival of "Hair", led to a different
role in the film version directed by Miles Foreman later in the year (and released in 1979).
Foreman and choreographer Twyla Tharp allowed Foley considerable freedom in her rendition of
"White Boys/Black Boys", one of the best-received sequences in the movie.
SO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO ELLEN FOLEY,
DID SHE APPEAR LIVE ON STAGE ON THOSE SHOWS ?
=============================================
As far as i remember, i could not wait to see Ellen live on stage (yes, Marvin and the band too...).
But all the European shows during the "Bat out of Hell" World Tour 1977 - 1979 had Karla DeVito as
Meat Loafs female counterpart...she did also all the videoclips promoting the album...
Don't get me wrong, i've seen Karla a few times live - SHE WAS ALWAYS GREAT (and
i've heard she still is...), but was i really the ONLY ONE missing dear Ellen ??
Searching the internet i found a few US shows in late 1977 where Ellen seems to
be onstage, but nobody was able to confirm this, nor there are tapes...so far...
In various interviews Marvin Lee talked later about his relation to Ellen:
MEAT LOAF regrets not offering his ex-girlfriend the chance to tour with him to promote his
BAT OUT OF HELL album but insists he wouldn't have been able to perform his classic PARADISE
BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT with her. The rocker invited KARLA DeVITO to join him for duets on all
his dates but fears he should have at least given former singer ELLEN FOLEY the chance to
turn him down. He says, "I'm sure it made Ellen Foley mad but I don't think Ellen Foley
wanted to go out on tour anyway. I've never talked to her about it. I probably should've
asked her if she wanted to go out on tour. "Also, at that point she had been my girlfriend
and we had broken up so I didn't want to know about that. It was a bit selfish on my part.
"Paradise By The Dashboard Light would've had new meaning behind it if she came (because
the song is about a woman who wants a commitment from her man)."
And there is another interesting statement, Ellen about Meat:
At this point the record people began taking an interest in Ellen because of her contribution
to the Meat Loaf album which was climbing to the top of the charts world-wide. Meat Loaf wanted
Ellen to tour with him, but Ellen was afraid she would just become another back-up singer who
would only come out and do certain numbers. Steve Popovich had seen Ellen auditioning with
Meat Loaf and he paid Ellen to do demos in early 1978. Said Ellen: "I did these demos and I
just took a big risk and said 'No' to Meat Loaf, 'cause I really wanted to try and do an album
by myself. And I was right; without too much stress and strain, I was signed to Epic.
Then the working and waiting game of making records began."
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT ?
====================
Her tapes found their way to Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson, and they were impressed. Interestingly,
one song on the demo was a cover of Hunter's Mott The Hoople classic "All The Way From Memphis",
"we're talking of maybe releasing it sometime," Ellen said in 1980 (but sadly it never was).
Ellen spent two weeks with Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter in Woodstock in the summer of 1978 to see
if they could work together. "We could," Ellen said, "and I spent that fall and winter looking
for material and going a bit stir crazy as I recall. I met Fred Goodman at the end of that period
and co-wrote "We Belong To The Night". Finally in March of 1979 we got into the studio and made
the record." The album was recorded at Media Sound Studios in New York.
Explained Ellen: "It used to be a church with a great curved ceiling. To me it made you feel like
you have this sanctified project. It's really how I wanted to do the record, to be able to take
a break and go out, walk about on the street a bit. I insisted on making the album here, rather
than go to one of those studios out in the country. I couldn't imagine doing a record out in
New Jersey or something like that."
The Hunter Ronson team was important in building the name of Ellen Foley and she acknowledged
their talent. "I got on real well with Ian, he's a lot more verbal than Mick who doesn't say much,
you can just watch him play and you learn everything you need from that. He doesn't have to say
anything, you can just sense his motive by his playing," Ellen later recalled.
The album was titled "NIGHTOUT", after a Philip Rambow song, and received rave reviews when it
got released in August 1979. Ellen got her first taste of US and World-wide promotion, talking
to press and radio. "Promotion work can be more exhausting than performing, but it was a wonderful
time because I travelled to the UK, Europe and the Netherlands, where my album and first single
"We Belong To The Night" topped the charts. It was my first time out of America."
The burning sun hangs over the city
You and me baby, we don't feel nothing at all
From nine to five we're lost
This life ain't so pretty
But when the sun goes down
We know that we can stay and talk
I just can't wait
For the night to come
Cause when the shadows cover the light
We're the only ones
Cause baby, we
We belong to the night
HEY...SLOW DOWN...WHAT THE HELL ARE "RAVE REVIEWS" ?
====================================================
Ellen Foley - Night Out (1979)
The grand opener "We Belong to the Night" is breathtaking and bombastic bliss; a creamy
confection of debonair dreams that could only come from the late '70s and the glitter-gutter
combo of Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter. The princely poppers provide the perfect atmosphere for
Foley's powerful theatrics on her inaugural flight. The second single, "What's a Matter Baby,"
soars just as high in the stratosphere: a little bit '50s, but a whole lot cosmic. It's a
crime music which hides in the recesses of the past, because this gem is priceless, if only
for the first two tracks. Ronson's axe is exemplary throughout: shooting over Mars and then
swooping back through nocturnal cityscapes. He twists "Heartful of Soul" into "Young Lust"
and makes a break for it in "Hide Away." Obviously haunted by midnight Spectors, kindred
spirit Hunter supplies the perfect keyboard counterpart: mission control for Ronson's rockets.
The swirling storm whipping through Gram Parker's "Thunder and Rain" builds to an almost
unbearable compression of intensity. In the eye of this celestial storm, Foley scats, scolds,
swoons, croons, pouts, pleads, and purrs in a rich tone that few femme fatales possess, scaling
a towering wall of sonic seduction. The sublime proceedings finally slow down to a crawl for
fallout "Don't Let Go," but it's just the mourning after an unforgettable "Night Out".
-Allmusic.com-
THAT SOUNDS SO AWESOME - PLEASE GIMME MORE....
==============================================
Produced by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson, this 1979 album of classic rock has stood the test of
time very well. The mix is just right, with awesome melodious compositions, brilliant production
and Foley's vocal prowess. Although generally soaring and assertive, her voice also conveys
mystery and vulnerability on this varied set of songs.
Blending classic rock and post-punk urgency, the album opens with the majestic "We Belong To The
Night", an atmospheric and soulful rock ballad. Highlights include "What's A Matter Baby" and
"Stupid Girl", an impressive fast-paced rock'n roller with prominent sax and piano. The title
track is a brooding ballad with plenty of tempo variation and dramatic vocals, whilst her inter-
pretation of Graham Parker's "Thunder And Rain" is a great example of surging New Wave rock.
Another track that tilts more towards New Wave than classic rock is the uptempo "Hideaway".
The album closes with "Don't Let Go", a tender ballad of hope and encouragement. The afore-
mentioned tracks are particular favorites, but all the songs on "Night Out" are memorable,
"Sad Song" in particular. The album displays all that was great in the rock of the late 1970s.
Fans of Meat Loaf, Jim Steinman, Pat Benatar, Mink de Ville, Bruce Springsteen and even now
Alanis Morissette would appreciate this great album by Ellen Foley...
AND WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE RECORD WAS RELEASED ?
=================================================
Hunter and Ronson were close to finish recording Hunter's "You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic"
album when they teamed up with Ellen (it was released in April 1979), and they invited her to add
backing vocals to several tracks. Possibly Hunter's finest record, it also marked the start of
Ellen Foley's successful career as backing vocalist. Over a period of three years (1979 - 1981)
she would contribute back-up vocals to numerous albums and singles, including two more Hunter
albums. Ellen met Eric Bloom at the Schizophrenic sessions, and was invited to sing on
Blue Oyster Cult's "Mirrors" album, released later in the year.
Ellen desperately wanted to go out on tour, but she couldn't use the people on her album for her
live band, because they'd all ended up in Ian Hunter's band. She agreed with Hunter to not schedule
her own tour 'till after he had finished his six month US tour (June - November), and then use his
band for her own tour. Ellen would often join Hunter on stage that summer, singing back-up and she
did several TV shows as a guest with the Ian Hunter Band as well. The first week of November, Hunter
recorded a live album, "Welcome To The Club" in Los Angeles. Ellen did not sing on the live tracks,
but she duetted with Ian on one of the four new studio tracks which made up side 4 on the album.
It was titled "We Gotta Get Out Of Here" and was soon lifted as the first single from the album.
Hunter made a three-track live promotional video for "Welcome To The Club", in which Ellen played
a big part, singing and dancing. Come December and Ellen wasted no time in bringing Hunter's band
on the road, including a TV appearance on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert.
Said Ellen: "Then I put a band together and did a club tour in the USA.
LONETAPER SAYS: DAMMIT - 30 YEARS LATER, AND NONE OF THOSE GIGS SHOWED UP ON TAPE...
Available is just her TV appearance at "Countdown" on October 21, 1979
with her single "We Belong To The Night", a 4:25 minute long live clip:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2do9p_we-belong-to-the-night-by-ellen-fol_music
The record had much success in parts of Europe and Australia so a European tour was planned for
January 1980. It was postponed a bit due to the fact that I broke my arm on a motorcycle in the
Californian desert. But I soon ignored that disability and had a great time playing in Paris,
Holland, Belgium, Germany, Sweden and London."
THAT'S ALL ?
WHERE'S THE ROMANCE ?
DID THE "GIRL" FIND HER "BOY" ?
DID HE NEED HER ? DID HE LOVE HER ?
===================================
On Russ Shirley's website i found this statement:
"In 1980 Russ joined Ellen Foley on a world tour promoting her debut album on Epic records, "Nightout".
The line-up on that tour was Ellen Foley (vocals), Russ Shirley (guitar, vocals), Joe Stefko (drums),
Martin Briley (bass, vocals), George Meyer (keyboards, vocals) and Jeff Southworth (guitar, vocals).
It was on this tour that Ellen met up with Mick Jones of the Clash and the rest is history.
Believe it, that girl could sing!"
And the long story:
Ellen met Michael Geoffrey Jones from The Clash at "The Venue" in London a couple of days before
her own gig. She checked out the venue (and competition - Pat Benatar played that night !...) and
so did Mick Jones. That chance meeting ended the "NIGHTOUT" saga.
For the next two years, Ellen was romantically involved with Mick Jones, who was a founder member
of "The Clash", and she would work with him on records and films for the best part of that period.
Said Ellen: "He was there (at "The Venue"), so I started to talk to him. Then I had to go away,
and he came to America just as I was leaving for Japan and Australia, so I didn't see him for
about a month. I really liked him instantaneously.
I saw a unique person from another country, someone with a whole new set of ideas, from the way
he looked to the way he thought. The whole style that he had was really attractive to me."
Mick Jones caused a radical change in Ellen's life.
They spent a lot of time together, Ellen said: "I saw the real Jamaica, and spent a lot of time
in England and was exposed to ideas and attitudes I'd never known. We decided to record an album
together." They called the album "The Spirit Of St. Louis", and recording evolved round the same
time of the final "Sandinista!" sessions (the new Clash album on which Ellen contributed both
lead and back-up vocals), in the summer of 1980.
"Sandinista!" was released in December 1980 (March 1981 in US), and it was followed by "Hitsville UK",
a single with a duet vocal from Ellen and Mick. The same duet vocal were utilised on several tracks
on Ellen's album, which Mick Jones produced in North London's Wessex Studios (which were under siege
earlier that year from recordings which fostered the completed "Sandinista!", a Pearl Harbour album,
several Mickey Dread cuts and Ellen's album. Clash personnel were involved in them all). "Spirit of
St. Louis" credits as backing players all four members of "The Clash", as well as several of Ian
Dury's Blockheads and Tymon Dogg. Dogg in fact also wrote three of the songs on the album, while
Joe Strummer and Mick Jones collaborated on another half a dozen; Ellen only contributed one of
her own songs, "Phases of Travel" - it was almost a Clash album, in everything but Ellen's singing
and the fact that she was the featured artist. Said Ellen: "Mick and I had a few ideas for songs.
We were in New York but wanted to do them in England. The record company, in their mistrust, said
'oh, you're gonna do demos?' We said, 'that's right', and came over and did a whole record. When
we'd finished they needed a lot of convincing. They needed people to tell them it was great."
IS THERE A HAPPY END ?
DID HE NEVER LEAVE HER ?
DID HE LOVE HER FOREVER ?
DID HE TAKE HER AWAY AND MADE HER HIS WIFE ?
DID HE MAKE HER SO HAPPY FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE ?
===================================================
Ellen was now ready to start working on her third solo album. She hadn't written many songs for
"Spirit Of St. Louis" because said Ellen: "I had indeed more songs of my own, but they didn't fit
in with the theme of that album. There are songs which I'd written shortly after the release of
"NIGHTOUT", and they were very much in that mood."
In January 1982, Ellen and her band were locked in a New York studio, and they weren't allowed
out until the demo-tape had been recorded for the new album. Incidentally, the "NIGHTOUT" producer
Mick Ronson was back at the controls. Most songs on the demo tape were Foley originals dating back
to 1979/80 which had been in her live set for some time.
The recording of Ellen's third album, "Another Breath", started September 27 at the Media Sound
Studios in New York. Incidentally, Ellen's affair with Mick Jones has just ended this summer...
"Another Breath" was released in February 1983 to great critical acclaim, and it sold pretty good
in some European countries where Ellen always had a strong fan base, but CBS/Epic didn't give it
the promotion it should have, and it did nothing in the most important markets, England and USA.
So what did Ellen think of "Another Breath"? "It's my best record. The best production, the best
songs, best everything. It's worked out just the way I'd have liked it."
Ellen co-wrote three songs for the album, "Spy In The House Of Love", "Read My Lips" and "Run For
My Life". Some UK and Continental singles had the non-LP "Beat Of A Broken Heart" on the flip-side;
this was written by Ellen and Fred Goodman back in 1979.
HMMMM - THAT'S LIFE...
A SAD AND BITTER ENDING FOR A TRUE LOVE STORY...
BUT TELL US MORE ABOUT THE CONCERTS IN THIS TORRENT !
=====================================================
Several dates on Ellen's 1980 European tour were filmed for television. The complete Paris gig
was shown in France, Dutch television aired a couple of songs from her Amsterdam concert, BBC
showed two songs from her London gig at "The Venue" and she filmed a special for the Kenny Everett
show. In Germany Ellen performed live with the full band on "Bios Bahnhof".
LONETAPER SAYS:
TWO OF THOSE PERFORMANCES YOU'LL GET HERE...
BUT....WHERE THE HELL IS THE REST ???
=====================================
SO, FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME OUT OF OUR ARCHIVE,
AND FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME ON DIME - ELLEN FOLEY LIVE !!
THE RECORDINGS HERE WERE NEVER TRADED BY US
AND ARE ABSOLUTELY UNALTERED - SO FAR...PLEASE ENJOY!
--- PART 1 --- PART 1 --- PART 1 --- PART 1 --- PART 1 --- PART 1 --- PART 1 --- PART 1 --- PART 1 ---
One of my Dutch trading pals recorded it for me, and, not very interested in the music, gave me his
Maxell mastertape (via snail-mail...those were the days...) of the ORIGINAL radio broadcast on Dutch
KRO-FM, NOT the complete concert, but ALL that was broadcasted back in February 1980...
PLEASE NOTICE:
There was a rebroadcast on March 31, 2006 on KRO Radio 2 "Legendarisch Live".
Sadly i missed it - and was not able to get a lossless copy...so far...
On KRO'S webpage you can listen to a 64 Kbit/s RealAudio recording here:
http://legendarischlive.kro.nl/ellenfoley_art.aspx
The setlist of the rebroadcast:
http://mljs.evilnickname.org/otherchildren/ellenfoley/carre.html
And comparing both, you'll find out that the rebroadcast is sometimes
brutally cutted and misses the original intro plus the following two songs:
Hideaway <Fred Goodman> 3:54
The Hit Parade 3:48
"The Hit Parade" is a song i could not find anywhere...unreleased by Ellen
on any of her records so far, even Sven Gusevik's (thanks, my friend!)
outstanding "Ellen Foley Discography" misses this fine song...
On the other side my original broadcast master tape misses another song
PLUS the complete encore song that you'll get with the rebroadcast 2006:
Thunder and Rain <Graham Parker> 2:40
encore:
All Revved Up With No Place To Go <Jim Steinman> 4:45
So if any kind DIMEr out there would help me with a lossless recording of
the rebroadcast, i would be eternally grateful...til i'm dead...
AND get the chance to reconstruct the COMPLETE SHOW in the exact song order.
ELLEN FOLEY & BAND
"Nightout" world tour 1980
Koninklijk Theater Carré,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
February 14, 1980 -> Valentine's Day !
lineage:
1980:
=====
"KRO Live in Concert" FM Broadcast > Unknown Analog Stereo Receiver/Amplifier > Unknown Cassette Deck > My Compact Cassette Master
(Maxell XL II 90 Epitaxial, 1-7/8ips Position Chrome, High Bias Type II, EQ 70us, 135 meter tape)
Mid-1990ies:
============
My Cassette Master > Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1 (manual playback head azimuth aligned !) > Analog Cable (coax) >
> Tascam DA-20 markII (16 bit, SP 48 kHz) > DAT (Maxell HS-4/90s, Helical-Scan 4mm Data Cartridge, 90 meter tape)
Just yesterday:
===============
DAT (master) > Tascam DA-20 II, S/P-DIF out > Digital Cable (coax) >
> Behringer Ultramatch SRC 2000 (Sample Rate Converter & Jitter Remover) > Digital Cable (coax) > Soundcard, S/P-DIF in >
> CD Wave (recording) > Harddisc > CD Wave (tracking) > Traders Little Helper (SB aligned/level 6) > FLAC > DIME
the original broadcast:
01. Intro " welcome Cleveland International artist..." 0:22.15
02. Hideaway <Fred Goodman> 3:54.35
03. What's a Matter Baby <Clyde Otis/Joy Byers> 3:25.11
04. -> Stupid Girl <Mick Jagger/Keith Richards> 3:56.15
05. Night Out <Philip Rambow> 5:13.50
06. Beat of a Broken Heart <Ellen Foley/Fred Goodman> 4:45.72
07. Ghost of a Chance <Ellen Foley/Fred Goodman> 4:01.31
08. Ligntnin' Strikes <Lou Christie/Twyla Herbert> 6:55.70
09. The Hit Parade 3:48.48
10. Heaven Can Wait <Jim Steinman> 5:03.67
11. Mystery Dance <Elvis Costello> 1:37.22
12. -> Young Lust <Philip Rambow> 5:36.20
13. We Belong To The Night <Ellen Foley/Fred Goodman> 5:09.65
total: 53:50.71 mins
--- PART 2 THE BONUS --- PART 2 THE BONUS --- PART 2 THE BONUS --- PART 2 THE BONUS --- PART 2 THE BONUS ---
Back in 1980 i sadly had no videorecorder (who had one, back then ?)...so i just recorded the audio
part of this TV show...and so far there has been NO rebroadcast, and i do not know anyone working in
the archives of German "WDR - Westdeutscher Rundfunk"...nor i'm a close friend to Alfred Biolek...
"Bio's Bahnhof" started 1978, and was quite successfull around 1979/80 as sort of a monthly German
TV show in the later evening, a sometimes wild mixture of talkshow, collection of bizarre characters,
mediastars and show-newcomers - for quite a lot of them it was kind of a steppingstone to a big TV
audience. The show was broadcasted live out of an old railway station in Cologne-Frechen, the funny
thing was that ALL of the musicians and bands had to play REALLY LIVE (no playback shit)...
Producer and moderator was Alfred Biolek, called "Bio" - he became later the host in an incredible
successful TV television cookery show where he cooked together with celebrities for decades...so
many call him the "German father" of both, TV-talkshows AND cookery shows. For me his first act of
heroism was the invitation of British Monty Python to Germany, where he produced the two, later so
called "German Episodes" of "Monty Python’s Flying Circus", first broadcasted via WDR as a late
night TV broadcast in 1972, around the times the Olympic Games happened in Munich...
On Thursday, February 07, 1980 he had Ellen with her full band as special guests, completely live
and after the afternoon rehearsal they allowed them to play TWO songs, a real singularity in this
show, and in total 12 minutes of pure magic:
ELLEN FOLEY & BAND
"Nightout" world tour 1980
"Bio's Bahnhof" (German TV show),
Frechener Lokschuppen,
Cologne-Frechen, Germany
February 07, 1980
"Cologne" is the german "Köln" or "Koeln"
lineage:
1980:
=====
TV Broadcast > Unknown Analog Grundig Television Set > Sony STR 3800L Stereo Receiver/Amplifier >
> Hitachi D 980 Stereo Cassette Tape Deck > My Compact Cassette Master
(TDK SA 90, 1-7/8ips Super Avilyn, High Bias (CrO2) Type II, EQ 70us, 135 meter tape)
Early mid-1990ies:
==================
My Cassette Master > Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1 (manual playback head azimuth aligned !) > Analog Cable (coax) >
> AIWA Digital Audio Tape Deck XD-S 1100 (16 bit, SP 48 kHz) > DAT (BASF DATmaster 34, 4mm Data Cartridge, 17 meter tape for professionals)
Just yesterday:
===============
DAT (master) > Tascam DA-20 II, S/P-DIF out > Digital Cable (coax) >
> Behringer Ultramatch SRC 2000 (Sample Rate Converter & Jitter Remover) > Digital Cable (coax) > Soundcard, S/P-DIF in >
> CD Wave (recording) > Harddisc > CD Wave (tracking) > Traders Little Helper (SB aligned/level 6) > FLAC > DIME
the complete appearance:
01. We Belong To The Night <Ellen Foley/Fred Goodman> 5:14.47
02. short interview Bio with Ellen 1:21.64
03. Heaven Can Wait <Jim Steinman> 4:38.69
total: 11:15.30 mins
musicians:
Ellen Foley - lead vocals
Russ Shirley - guitars, vocals
Jeff Southworth - guitars, vocals
Martin Briley - bass, vocals
George Meyer - keyboards, vocals
Joe Stefko - drums
Please support the artists, visit their concerts and buy their CDs...
http://www.myspace.com/ellenfoley
http://www.users.bigpond.com/ptybisla/index2.html
http://foleyzine.tripod.com/
http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/53023/
*************************************************************************************
AND HERE IS EVEN MORE STUFF TO READ & TO CHECK OUT...ALL CONCERNING ELLEN:
A live series of 40 professional photos of Ellen Foley and her band
performing at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium on February 13, 1980:
http://www.newwavephotos.com/EllenFoley.htm
A big variety of 8 different concerts, photographed from 1981 up to 2008:
http://ellenfoley.irbl.net/
-> -> ! NONE OF ALL THOSE PHOTOS ARE INCLUDED IN THE PICTURE SECTION OF THIS TORRENT ! <- <-
PDF's of all 8 Newsletters, the complete "Ellen Foley fan club magazines" and more:
http://foleyzine.tripod.com/magazine.html
"The almost complete Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman lyric archive" with all the incredible
lyrics ever made (and sung) by Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman plus all "The Other Children":
Karla DeVito, ELLEN FOLEY, Pandora's Box, Patti Russo, Bonnie Tyler and more...
http://mljs.evilnickname.org/
A newspaper critic about the "Bio's Bahnhof" broadcast on Thursday, February 07, 1980:
Bio's Bahnhof (I.)
Was treibt Bio im neuen Jahr? Was er im alten Jahr trieb: die bunte Mischung aus Kuriositäten,
Stars und Show-Neulingen. Der Bahnhof als Durchgangsstation nett-fröhlicher Unterhaltung hat
sich bewährt. Vorsteher Bio plauscht jetzt etwas konzentrierter. Die Schallplatten-Branche
allerdings kann ihm dankbar sein, daß er so wacker neue Namen und Titel hochpusht.
Diesmal bewährte er sich gleich dreimal als Promotion- Rampe: für die schicke Blondine Veronique
Sanson, für Gert Fröbes brandneues Fußball-Liedchen und für Ellen Foley, ein mittleres Talent
aus den USA, das den deutschen Markt testet. Nehmen wir's nicht so ernst.
Denn: Wie Bio machen es, notgedrungen, alle ? von Ilja Richter bis zur Schaubude.
SIMON PHILIP (erschienen am 08.02.1980)
http://www.abendblatt.de/extra/service/944949.html?url=/ha/1980/xml/19800208xml/habxml800103_4515.xml
About two years ago Ellen came back on stage in New York with her new band "The Dirty Old Men":
Concert Review: Ellen Foley at Lakeside Lounge, NYC 7/19/07
The most unlikely comeback of the decade is an improbable success. OK, maybe not the most unlikely
comeback: who knew that Vashti Bunyan would hit the road again? But this wasn't exactly expected.
As Foley told it tonight, she was sitting on former Five Chinese Brothers bassist Paul Foglino's
couch, and he suggested that they write some songs together and do some shows.
Fast forward to tonight: he wrote some songs, the band worked up some her of her older material
and, blam, comeback in full effect.
In addition to her career as an actress, Foley had a successful run in Europe in the 80s as a
top 40 singer. Here, she remains a generational footnote, musically at least, best known for her
vocals on Meatloaf's epic monstrosity 'Paradise By the Dashboard Light'. You know, "Stop right
theeeeeeeere, I gotta know right now!" But her great shining moment was as the singer on the
great lost Clash album, her 1981 Sire release 'Spirit of St. Louis'. If you have a turntable and
see this kicking around the dollar bins, by all means, pick it up: it proves that Strummer and
Jones (who was her boyfriend at the time) could write gorgeously orchestrated, politically
charged ballads. Foley also sang lead on Hitsville UK, the Clash's lone (and quite successful)
venture into Motown.
Tonight, she was at the top of her game, sounding better than ever – she's got a big, somewhat
showy voice with impressive range - and looking great. Backed by an inspired 4-piece unit
including Foglino and Steve Antonakos (what band is he NOT in) on guitars, Steve Houghton on
bass and Kevin Hangdog on drums, she delivered a mix of some of her European hits along with
Foglino's wry, bluesy, Americana-pop songs.
On the outro to 'What's the Matter Baby', she improvised an explanation: "I was replaced on
'Night Court' by Markie Post!" The audience loved her take of 'We Belong to the Night' (which
was a #1 hit for her in Holland before Pat Benetar's iconically schlocky version).
"This song is for…Ann Coulter," she told the crowd as they launched into a fiery version of
the Stones' 'Stupid Girl'. Foglino may have a thing for goofy songwriting (he's the guy who
wrote the college radio classic 'You're Never too Drunk to Get Drunk'), but he clearly gives
a damn about this unit, tailoring his material to the nuances of Foley's voice. On one slowly
swaying new tune, she mined the verse with her beautifully quiet upper register for everything
she could get out of it: "These dreams shine like diamonds/But I’m digging for...coal."
Her first encore was written about her, she told the crowd, and then did a shambling, fun
version of 'Should I Stay or Should I Go', Antonakos having fun making up some Spanglish in
place of Mick Jones' fractured espanol. They closed the show with a fragment of the big
Meatloaf hit (probably to pre-empt the wiseass element in the audience), and it was impossible
to leave without a smile on your face.
Where Foley wants to go with this is anybody's guess, but even if all she wants to do is play
Lakeside on the random night, she's more fun than 99% of the other singers out there.
If you have fond memories of Europe in the 80s, a thing for brilliant obscurities from
the bargain bins, or just enjoy hearing a great voice, SEE HER.
And if you're living in or around New York City, or just there for a visit,
please check out "Joe's Pub" in 425 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003
http://www.joespub.com/
Maybe you'll meet Ellen, as she was onstage there a couple of times:
Ellen Foley, eternally ensconced in rock 'n' roll history as The Girl in Meat Loaf's
multi-platinum duet "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," makes her return to the rock
and roll stage at Joes Pub on July 23rd, 2008 backed by her new band, The Dirty Old Men.
Featured selections will include some of Foley's gold record singles, plus new material
by lead Dirty Old Man, Paul Foglino. She will also perform a bit of "Paradise..." plus
her own version of "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (long-rumored to have been written
about her by Mick Jones of The Clash). Foley followed the success with Meatloaf - as well
back-up stints with such artists as Ian Hunter, Joe Jackson, and Blue Oyster Cult - with
three solo albums on Epic. As they prepare their first CD for distribution, Foley and
the Dirty Old Men will be making select appearances in the New York area.
The Dirty Old Men include Kevin J. Baier(Drums) , Automatic Slim (guitar), Ted Houghton
(bass) and leader/songwriter Paul Foglino.
ELLEN FOLEY at Joe's Pub
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Ellen Foley, eternally ensconced in rock' n' roll history...
makes her return to Joe's Pub stage tonight!
In the ensuing years, Ms. Foley branched out across all media - starring on television
(Night Court, Three Girls Three); on and off Broadway (Beehive, Into The Woods, Me and
My Girl); in films (Married to the Mob, Fatal Attraction, Cocktail, Hair); and raising
two sons with her husband.
Audiences are in store for more of Ellen's great brand of rock-and-roll.