8/XX/06 - Santa Monica, CA, KCRW, "Morning Becomes Eclectic"

8/XX/06 - Santa Monica, CA, KCRW, "Morning Becomes Eclectic"
Aired 9/12/06

Setlist:
Intro - 0:12
The Greatest - 3:45
Wild Is The Wind - 4:00
Remember Me - 3:47
Ramblin Woman - 2:40
Good Woman - 3:52
Interview - 13:19
Love And Communication - 3:15
House Of The Rising Sun - 4:23
Hate - 3:21
I Dont Blame You - 3:01
Islands - 2:05
Total Time - 47:46

This was (I think) the 30th performance of the tour. This was a solo radio session.  

Like all of her KCRW radio sessions, this is essential Cat Power. We're lucky to have this material because its some of the last professionally recorded solo Chan we have (very rarely after 2006 has she performed solo with piano or guitar). As I have noted before, each time she has been to KCRW she has performed more songs than usual and also gave an interview. At over 47 minutes, I believe this is the longest radio session she has done. "The Greatest" album itself was about 45 minutes. It should be noted that Matador released a digital EP on 10/3/06 to be sold exclusively on Emusic.com, the online music store, containing only the following 4 songs, "The Greatest", "Remember Me", "Ramblin Woman" and "Good Woman" (all taken from this radio session). This EP is commonly called the Emusic Session EP. My advice is to go straight for this complete radio session instead. Her other digital EP from around this time, the Itunes-only Live Session EP was released 9/5/06 and has exclusive tracks including "Love And Communication", "House Of The Rising Sun", "Wild As The Wind", and "Who Knows Where The Time Goes". That EP is worth getting as the performances there are equal to these KCRW tracks.

I am listing this as 8/XX/06 because I dont know the date of recording. She was touring the east coast at the time this aired. Chan was last in Santa Monica on 7/27/06 and she could have recorded this for KCRW right around that time. Alternatively, she could've recorded this in late August just before the third leg of North American dates started on 8/25/06 in Malibu, CA. Whats certain is that it was recorded to promote the re-release of "The Greatest" on CD, which came out on 9/12/06, the same date this performance was broadcast. I suppose its also possible she didnt record the songs at KCRW at all. And instead she brought them with her when she stopped by for an interview. It would explain why KCRW doesnt have a video for this session on their website. Not entirely sure, but the differing amounts of reverb heard on the tracks suggest a bit more work was done than a normal radio session would entail. Possibly the tracks here were done at Dubway Studios when she recorded the Itunes tracks. The only problem with that is it means she recorded some songs twice, which I guess she would've had to. I dont know, moving on...

You can find the last 3 of her appearances on KCRW here, with 2/27/03 and 2/29/08 in video form:
2/27/03 - www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb030227cat_power
9/12/06 - www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb060912cat_power
2/29/08 - www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb080229cat_power

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"The Greatest" - Here it is, a professionally recorded version of "The Greatest" with just Chan and piano, and I think its the only one. This is Chan at her best. One of my all time favorite tracks of hers. Her elegant piano playing and her beautifully smoky voice are nothing short of incredible.

"Wild As The Wind" - This is also a highlight of the session. This is the more faster version of this song that Chan has been playing in concert for several years. Go back and listen to her original take from the Covers Record sometime and compare it to this one. The original is much slower and the mood is totally different. It's amazing that she reinvents peoples songs the way she does, but even cooler that she continues to change them up again from time to time.

"Remember Me" - Another excellent cover.

"Ramblin Woman" - She started introducing this into her concerts over the last month of two (at Bonnaroo it was just an a capella version). This is probably the definitive solo take, played with acoustic guitar.

"Good Woman" - Surprisingly, with all of her radio sessions over the years, the last time she did this for radio was back in 2000, before You Are Free was even recorded. These early versions were also done on acoustic guitar, but were much slower. She played this in some solo concerts later this year, but by 2007 it was disappearing from the setlist.  

"Love And Communication" - Played on acoustic guitar. Chan pretty much uses the same chords from her All I Have To Do Is Dream - Blue Moon Medley.

"House Of The Rising Sun" - On this one it sounds like Chan is using her electric guitar. This is the definitive take, IMO.

"Hate" - Also on electric guitar with heavy reverb.

"I Dont Blame You" - Like "Good Woman", this song is also falling out of the setlist around time before resufacing years later as a set closer in a much different style. Played on piano, this is an excellent take. Her playing is very assured and she even slightly changes a chord. I love the way she ends it, "Who? Who? Who?". Another favorite.

"Islands" - Also on electric guitar. This was played on several radio sessions previously. A good take.

"Interview" - Nic Harcourt interviews Chan. Among the topics discussed are:

Chan's soberity ("I did yoga and pilates for four months.")

Touring with the Memphis Rhythm Band ("They've been really supportive.")

Writing the songs for "The Greatest" ("I always have to be alone, there cant be anyone around.")

John, John ("It's called 'John, John'. Its similar to 'Hit The Road, Jack'. I was thinking about someone specific who I wont name.")

Erratic performances now being behind her ("I feel confident enough, and sober, so I can actually see faces in the audience... and not regress into my own, you know, getting caught up in the lyrics of the song and getting emotional and feeling uncomfortable and whatever.")

Maturity and looking forward ("My goal for myself is to kinda cut out touring more so I can focus more on recordings. More specifically, focus on recording so the album speaks for itself, rather than me interpreting it on tour.")