I remember her performing this on American Bandstand years ago. If that performance is still to be found in some archive somewhere, please someone let me know.
This is a Masterpiece as far as I'm concerned...the range, the depth, her pipes...still makes me tingle all over.
.here in india coimbatore there is a small holes not more than one inch from one house toilet room from which the souls are taken under earth several thousands kilometers away please .request you to save every molecule of souls and humans from pains and sufferings
Tracy is the champ. Yes, a powerful voice, but what is overwhelming is a kind of color, a darkness. Other people can sign the notes, but not many can SING like Tracy Nelson.
Tracy Nelson has the finest singing voice in the business. Period. I have listened to her for over 40 years, interviewed her once for a radio show and I gotta tell ya, she is a sweet lady, a good kid and has a really good attitude. She never fails to reach deep inside. I get shivers listening to her.
Just incredible. J-U-S-T I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. Like the best Darlene Love's "Christmas, Baby Please Come Home" 2005 (especially) on Letterman, it always brings goosebumps. INCREDIBLE! That's enough. Gotta wipe the tears away.
went to see Ray Charles one time at the Saddle Rack in San Jose because Tracy was opening for him, looking back I'm very glad to have seen Ray, but at the time all I wanted was to hear Tracy sing.
Love this! Love her Mother Earth album.. heard it first when I was age 20..learned from it, "Goin' Back To Tennessee" and "When I Need You Most Of All"..neither of which I see as a YouTube clip up here, but wish someone would upload them, of her singing them live. Luv ya, Tracy..you & Chris Smither were two artists instrumental to my blues education.
You gotta wonder why Tracy wasn't as popular or as famous as other singers of her era..man o man, can she sing her ass off with a clear powerful and perfectly in tuned voice braavoooooo Tracy....
She's been singing this song ever since she wrote it, at the age of 18. Forty plus years later, it's even more powerful than it was when I first heard it.
@annied0901 khamsin is spot on. The phrase you remember IS the title and POOR MAN'S PARADISE is the album it came from. It was on CD for a time. It's OP, but you can still (expensive) copies from the usual vendors--and, I imagine, if you keep searching you might find a bargain somewhere.
the song Mother Earth is her best.She puts her entire soul into it.I can't believe it hasn't been posted.I guess i'll have to play my cd.Mother earth is coming for you there's a debt you have to pay/I don't care how rich you are/I don't care what you were/when it all comes down/you've got to go back to Mother Earth/you may have a million dollars and drive a cadillac/you may have enough money to buy anything you lack/but when it all comes down/you've GOT to go back to Mother Earth.Thanks tracy
I saw her in the late sixties at Ludlow garage in Cincinnati,she sang Mother Earth and I was floored by her voice and some of the notes she hit.Awesome performer.She had a really tight band as well.Fond memories.I had a lot of good times at that garage.The guy that owned it then(Jim Tarbell)is now a city councilman,what a kick.
How I have missed hearing this woman sing! To think I used to have 4 Mother Earth Band LP's. I wish I still had them, or knew where that storage company sold them to.
This is the greatest torch song of all time. This particular version is a little fussy compared to the original on "Living with the Animals," but any way Tracy wants to sing it is basically OK with me--she just crushes all the covers, even the Linda Ronstadt version you might otherwise think was impossible to beat if you hadn't heard the original. I have had the good fortune to see her live twice. I hope that you'll get the chance to see her too.
@kenithj76 Obviously so is your taste (or lack thereof) in good music. Instead of making snarky bullsh!t comments, tell us what you didn't like about the performance.
When she played in Boston at Paul's Mall I had a chance to talk with her a bit. This song touches my soul in such a profound way - because of her voice. Bless you, Tracy!!!
How cool you have this video of Tracy Nelson performing this song! I knew she wrote it but had only heard Linda Ronstadt's version. Tracy has got a set of kick-ass soulful lungs on her which sent shivers down my spine!
Oh Tracy...I would lay myself down at your feet....except my wife would not understand. But buy the DVDs and the LPs and let's make her some money. What a fantastic talent!
i first heard her sing this in 66 or 67... Never Forgot it. from the Mother Earth album. lost So Many albums in various moves and lootings. tg for yootoob
ps do you have any vid of her singing Mother Earth (song)? i checked and the album online (used) is almost $50
i first heard her sing this in 66 or 67... Never Forgot it. from the Mother Earth album. lost So Many albums in various moves and lootings. tg for yootoob
ps do you have any vid of her singing Mother Earth (song)? i checked and the album online (used) is almost $50
I know I am old and forgetful but damn I am so happy I decided to check out You Tube for Tracy Nelson. This is all leading to checking out Maria Muldaur and a few other awesome folks from the 60's. Music, rock on.
thank you SO much for posting you. I still have the vinyl from my wasted youth! matter of fact, it was playing when i was arrested in a housefulla hippies with some psychedelics.
tarcy is soooo good, she came to cleveland about ten yrs ago with erma thomas and some other gal , singing songs and i screamed out this song and tracy said she wasnt planning on singing it, asked the crowd at wilberts if they were interested and bam she blew everyone away! what a gal!!! TALENT, and was sweet to chat with
@unclealand Since when was Whitney half as valuable as Streisand, and since when were either one of them worth mentioning in the same sentence as Tracy Nelson?
I'm 58 yrs old young and I still find myself singing this entire album at my machine to blot out the boredom.Saw her at Ludlow garage in Cincinnati in late sixties I think.Next to Joplin she was the best.I remember how she looked sounded everything.
Check out Memphis Blues by Cyndi Lauper out on June 22nd, 2010- Cyndi's new album includes this song and Mother Earth- Can't wait to hear her new album!
I love this woman! More talent than 98% of the performers whose names are well known. I'm old enough to remember "Mother Earth" and recall hearing her voice back then. Her abilities were on a completely different level than her peers.
In an era that brought out a lot of good singers Tracy was beyond almost all of them.
Wow - standard house music in the Helix House in Seattle and everywhere else I lived for years. Found the cd about 10 years ago and I'm still turning people on to it. Thanx for this live video.
Thank you SOOO much boothface 62 for posting these TN songs, Thank You. But could someone also pulleeese post the version as it was sung on their album, 'Living with the Animals'? I spent so so so many stoned afternoons back in the 70's singing it with her...really loud. Sometimes with a few tears.
Puppiefaces, if you don't already have it, you can purchase Living With The Animals directly at Tracy's website - you can guess what it is - and she'll even sign your copy! That way, you can listen to it whenever you like.
Thank you. I am still so illiterate, computerally speaking, that it never dawns on me to search for a person's website. ...kicking and screaming into the new age..
I used to listen to this song over and over and over in the 1970's at a friend's place in a sort of hippie community. Loved it and still LOVE this woman's voice. Wish someone would post the recording of her singing this as it was on the album: Mother Earth, Living with the Animals. PLEASE?
Check out her website and say hi to Tracy and all the good folks who post on her message board. Y'tube doesn't seem to like posting links, but you can guess what the site is. Tracy's got tons of music available (both solo and w/ Mother Earth). Thanks for posting.
Do you mean as a video? The album BRING ME HOME was re-released of CD a few yrs ago, so the song is available on that. You can get it via Amazon and other outlets--or you can write Wounded Bird records directly. You can probably just download that song individually too, if you do that.
You might have better luck reaching Tracy if you post a note on her website. Y'tube doesn't seem to like it when you post links, so I won't, but you can GUESS the URL. I've never heard Vince Mira, but if he's connected to the Cash clan, I'm sure he's worth checking out.
Thanks. Yes, I've talked with her on her website in the past. She's very accessible. I had her album when I was 14 and was blown away by it. I couldn't find her music for a long time. Glad to see she's on youtube. Vince Mira is awesome at 17 years old, another enormous talent like Tracy.
Also, since the song came up, anyone interested in either of the two ladies we have been discussing will do themselves a lot of good by getting Rock Salt and Nails from itunes. Like you Greg, I wish these two had done an album of duets....man what a record that would have been!.
When i listen to this song , Tracy's moment of surrealistic power comes with ,"I know your Opinionnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn of me is not good".....the power to look at her lost love's measure of her full on, and not wilt or hide.......
BTW, thanks Greg, for the recommendations. When it comes to Miss Nelson's music, I can honestly say that you're an authority capable of presenting an opinion about this without resorting to ad hominem.
Not at all, I was particularly glad to learn in a note directly sent to me that you downloaded Rock Salt & Nails to hear LR and TN's duet. God, I wish they'd done more--the alto/soprano mix is heaven IMO. I mean I love to hear Linda blend w/ Emmy and others, but RS&N has its own unique quality. I DO like the SturmundDrang here, but you raise another question. TN had been singing the song for 20 yrs at this point. So it had evolved by then. Different mood. She no longer sings it btw.
On your advice I have sought out every version , thus filling the void between hearing the original back in 71 and this one. Tonally , I will always like the LR better, but I now agree with you that Tracy does sing this song from a place that Linda did not on her studio recording..although she did get close. Thats said, this performance is not an example of Tracy's capability, her subtle heart quality is lost in too much vibrato, which you will recall is used much less on an her recordings.
BTW, the original actually goes back to '68. I was just 16 when this song came out and I think that was part of its appeal. Just learning that such intense feeling was even possible. Going back to the pride vs. vulnerability thing, I prefer those lines to have a certain ironic punch. Tracy's does, and Etta James' did too, in her distinctive way. I don't hear that irony so much in Linda's. But it was wrong of me to say she missed the point. I wanted to say pretty is not the point.
If someone has a video of Tracy on American Bandstand with Mother Earth (her TV debut) please post it. My friend saw it and said she was sucking a lemon after singing, compared with Janis Joplin swigging Southern Comfort after singing.
My opinion is that Linda's version is too "pretty." She misses the songs irony, and doesn't portray the inner strength that Tracy's many versions of the song do.
The song really isn't about victimhood. It's about finding the inner strength to overcome heartbreak. I''ve alsway enjoyed LR's version, but I honestly belive she misses the point.
Gregoooooo.....LR doesn't miss it actually.....the reality is that in this particular performance Tracy herself seems to have forgotten the point......while her singing might suggest the inner strength you speak of, it isn't subtle...and the message of the song is extraordinarily subtle.
That's interesting, Night. In answering Angelofmcy, I probably should have said--more fairly--that IMO Linda makes this song more about the vulnerability and hurt rather than the inner strength it's going to take to overcome all that. Again that's my take--and I'd have to say that's really a valid way to interpret the song. But the lines "I just can't find another man..." while certainly express the hurt are also indicators of the PRIDE inherent in the song.
To add... First to Boohface...thank you so VERY much. Sevfest and Packard- I too was at AC'69. Wow! I wish I'd met the performers you did. They were among my favorites. I was just too shy and insecure then, and had only just started seriously playing bass back then. I too am an "aging hippie"-same as as you all. As Bruce implies- it did "hurt so good" to my own memories of that incredible crack in time that the late 60's represented. Sadly, I've still not found a lasting joy and peace
Wow ! I* second, third, and fourth Greg on this one! I've been trying to track down this song for years. Whenever I hear, or sing the words myself it makes my voice crack, and cry.
I had the rare PRIVIEIGE of seeing Tracy & Mother Earth LIVE at the tiny Cellar Door in Washington,DC. It was overwhelming, the power and soul that Tracy put into it, was unmatched, and it moves me to this day. It was searing to the depth of her (and my) soul. Even more powerfully affecting than Janis Joplin.
I can't believe I found this. I loved this song growing up. I wanted to see her at a tiny dive in Knoxville, Tennessee but I was too young to get in. If I could have gotten in, Tracy would have been my first concert.
I hope she reads this and realizes how many fans she has.
Someone post the duet of Tracy and Linda Ronstadt singing Rock Salt and Nails from Earl Scruggs LP, I Saw the Light with a little help from my friends. Gurantee it will have a million views in a month. on You Tube.
And of course, there'd BE no Ronstadt version if Tracy hadn't written the song. I can see why some people might prefer Linda's more openly vulnerable take, but for me this or the original version has an inbuilt irony that I find refreshing. When you sing it strong and proud as TN does, the hurt still comes thru--but no one could accuse you of being a wimp. (And no, I am NOT saying that about LR--but I am suggsting her version is the more trad. fem. stance of hurt & vulnerability)>
Fair enough, but you should seek out the original 1969 version by Tracy and Mother Earth. That's the version LR based hers on. This take was some 20 yrs after the original and Tracy was varying the melody line a lot. The original is on Mother Earth's LIVING W/ THE ANIMALS and also on the BEST OF TRACY NELSON/MOTHER EARTH. Both are available--and of course you can hear snippets on Amazon and elsewhere. Hope you get a chance to listen to it.
This song is one of the knockouts on the first Mother Earth album - which is on CD after many years of being unavailable. The whole album is killer, not least as a showcase for Tracy Nelson's deep soul voice.
Hey, Gary, please consider visiting the message board on Tracy's website. As I've advised others, Tracy participates directly in the discussion very frequently. It's a welcoming place.
OOOOH!!! I am SO thrilled to see this and to know that Tracy is still singing. This woman's music had an incredible influence on me. Nashville in the 70's was a phenomenal place to be! When I saw the PBS special with Tracy, Sweet Irma and Marcia, I was blown away to even hear her name again after so many years, let alone that amazing combination! I lost my TN albums in a divorce and am now on a quest for live shows in the archives, Tracy LIVE is spine tingling! Need to share w/ my friends!!
Please check out the website. (YouTube doesn't seem to like to give out URLs but you can pretty much GUESS what it is. Very active message board--to which Tracy herself frequently posts. And you can ask my bud James about various dvds, boots etc. Tracy's pretty cool about such things.
It's nice to see all the positive comments here. I'd like to invite you all to post a little or a lot on Tracy's message board. Lots of good folks there. And TN herself joins in the conversation. YT doesn't seem to like it when if you post a U R L. But I'm sure you can guess what it is.
the orignal "Down So Low" by Mother Earth (with Tracy nelson) is on the soundtrack album for a film titled "REVOLUTION". The album came out in 1967 and includes a rare Steve Miller Blues Band version of "Mercury Blues" plus two by Quicksilver Messenger Service, "Babe", and "Codeine."
You can send it to the yahoo address where you reached me. And thank you again! Let me know if there may be a somg that you have been searching for...I just may have it and would be pleased to send it your way in exchange. Keep the past alive and the music going! Charlie
The original "Down So Low" by Mother Earth [w/Tracy Nelson] is on the soundtrack album for a film titled REVOLUTION that came out late in 1967. Also on the soundtrack is a rare performance of "Mercury Blues" by Steve Miller Blues Band (sic) and two by Quicksilver Messenger Service, "Babe" and "Codeine".
I think you may be mistaken, Astrid. Unless you had a different version of that soundtrack than I did. Tracy did the title track ("Revolution") and, that was the sole solo vocal she had (on mine). Maybe you had an enhanced CD. Anyway, as far as I know the original version was pretty much limited to the Mother Earth debut album LIVING WITH THE ANIMALS. Which is now available on CD. I recommend that record to anyone. Check it out.
I saw Tracy at her very first performances, at the University of Wisconsin Great Hall and a Madison, WI coffee house called The Pad, around 1963-64...in those days she was a slip of a girl but she had this huge, dark, unstoppable voice from the very beginning...absolute authority as a performer.
WOW Pure Angelic Gold.... I Loved her since the 1st time I heard "Living With The Animals" and bought every Mother Earth & Tracy Nelson album I could find.... not to mention I met her at The Atlantic City Pop Fest in 1969 and she was a beautiful person to talk to so whoever don't like her has something wrong with them. Tracy Nelson was as talented as that wonderful Janis Joplin (who I also met on the same day). God rest her soul.
Wow and what a trip it was that weekend I ended up meeting Janis, Tracy, Grace Slick, Frank Zappa, & Johnny & Edger Winter. (Got a kiss from Ms. Joplin). it's one of my life's top highlights (I will be 59 on the 5th of July).
Sevfest, I will be 60 this October and Tracy (and the rest) have a special place in my heart and memory. I would love to have a clean copy of the LP version of this song (my LP is scratchy and skips from repeated playings! Would you like to swap songs...'down so low' for one I may have? Let me know, and thanks! CP
Excellent - someone else who remembers Mother Earth at AC '69! They really caught my attention when some of them changed instruments between songs. And then the absolutely outstanding Tracy Nelson Country album came out!
I saw her a couple times after that at small venues in the mid-70's (Richmond & somewhere in Jersey) which was even better. Any description of her voice is an understatement!
Aah, cool! Trenton Makes, The World Takes. Also home of TerraCycle!
Return greetings from Pittsburgh.
The place I saw her in Jersey was I think called the Palace Inn, but that was over 30yrs ago so it may not be right. I took some B/W shots of her - I believe at the piano - that came out nicely. I should dig the negatives out and try to print some.
To YIGDFB, (either no ears or grey matter between them, or never listened to the first two M.E. albums), that band was as sophisticated as it came in those days -- groundbreaking, too. Their version of the song Mother Earth is among the best of any white blues ever, with Michael Bloomfield, & great piano break, Mark Naftalin. And check out the fiddle/harmonica interplay on the R.P. St. John songs on both. The gospel backing was so beautifully subtle everywhere it was used. Anything but mediocre.
Now, now. Can't we all get along? Mother Earth had several incarnations--with Tracy, Andy McMahon and Toad Andrews pretty much being the sole constants. It's probably fair to say that some line-ups were tighter than others. And some critics were quick to point that out. Me, I'm such a Tracy fan, the relative superiority of this or that version of the band was a minor point at best. But I would have to agree that the ace c&w musicians on COUNTRY added a certain special something.
No one does this one better than Tracy because she can still recall the pain that birthed this signature song. Someone stomped all over that woman's heart, and probably more than once. And still she transcends, oh yes she does.
I agree. And I think that's one reason that she has pretty much put the song "to bed" in recent years. Her new "signature song" would seem to be "Walk Away," a song that always floors the audience BUT that she did not write and probably has some emotional distance from.
As for Tracy vs. Linda, the two are great friends. They have performed together and on each others albums. I think Linda R has an incredible voice. I've never seen her live, so I can't compare her presence to Tracy, but they have very different voices. Anyone who says Linda is a finer singer will get no argument from me; I still prefer Tracy, but everyone does indeed have their own choices for favorite.
Well, Gregor, I suppose you have a point. Let's just say that, in the past 40 years, I have seen many, many singers who were renowned for their talent and / or powerful voices, including Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Bassey, Joan Baez, and lesser known, but equally renowned singers like Morgana King, Elly Stone and Irma Thomas.
IMHO, Tracy had a finer voice in person (and I've seen each and every one of these singers in person) than any of them, hands down.
I agree, Tracy Nelson had the best voice of a generation. Unfortunately, she worked with a band that was mediocre, and never got the recognition she deserved. But listen to her album Tracy Nelson Country, done with Nashville professionals; it's astonishing that this record never was much listened to. It's hard to think of a better country album, and her voice was just unbelieveable.
I totally agree with you. I heard that album recently and my husband raced from another part of house and said "who is singing that???--that's the best version of "I Fall to Pieces" I've ever heard.
Not that I feel the need to comment, but my intent in posting these clips was to simply allow whomever wanted to search for Tracy Nelson at this site to have access to a few of her performances.
Ms. Nelson is criminally underrated and less well known than, say, quite a few lesser talents one sees here on youtube, and in my opinion, deserves to be heard.
I respectfully disagree with you as well. I don't think it is a competition and understand that people have their favorites for whatever reason. I have alrady listened to Nelson who is a great singer, but I don't think she compares to Linda Ronstadt, no matter how many videos someone sends me to review.
Not referring you to a video but a sound recording--the original version from '68. I find it sublime. Not as forceful as the video from 20 yrs later. Anyway, if you are admirer of both singers, you may want to dig up their duet "Rock Salt and Nails" which appeared on the Earl Scruggs album I SAW THE LIGHT WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS.
I will respectfully disagree with you AND refer you to the original recorded version from the Mother Earth album LIVING WITH THE ANIMALS (also featured on THE BEST OF TRACY NELSON/MOTHER EARTH). If you listen to this, you will see that Linda R. patented her vocal on the origninal version. Note for note. Howevert, it's shouldn't really have to be a competition. I don't know what it is about human nature that we have to declare our personal preferences as better, best, nth degree.
I agree that it doesn't really have to be a competition. A lot of things in life can't usefully be compared. Nelson and Ronstadt, though they both have big throbbing voices, are very different singers. As a listener, I can enjoy both of them.
That being said, I agree with what Lester Bangs said about Ronstadt's version of "Down So Low," that it was a noble attempt but Mary Magdalene herself couldn't equal the original.
Love the Bangs quote, Dunc. Christgau said something similar, "You cover Tracy Nelson's Down So Low at your own peril."
One of the things I love about Tracy's first version is its mix of vulnerability and strength. Linda was ALL vulnerability on this one (IMO), which might make some people love it all the more but to me the Mother Earth/LIVING W/THE ANIMALS version is all the richer (and ironic) for its mix of strength and tenderness,
Well, here I am, Gregoorvonkallawho, Booface et al. We saw Tracy two weeks ago (April 3, 2009) in Pawling NY. She is almost 65, and has lost NONE - not one note - of her incredible voice. I've been a fan for a mere 31 years; she been recording for 44 years. Greatest singer of the 20th century, bar none. None of her 25+ albums do her live voice justice. Amazing! Thanks Boohface!
I'm as much of a fan as you James, but personally I'm laying off with the "better"/"best" syndrome. Seems that it puts others on the defensive. Besides neither of us has ever HEARD all the singers of the 20th (or any other_) century. I simply say that Tracy is my favorite singer and that it's a shame she's not better known.
LORD. What a rich voice! I have LOVED her singing this song on Living With The Animals since the early 70's (hippie chick, yes I'm old..) I WISH WISH there was a youtube video of her singing that old version. It just kills me. Story of my life til lately. Thank you God, I am now happily married.
You're correct, this would be a hell of a time to be growing up in. I get misty-eyed for the long lost days of youth and all-l-l the sweet, outrageous, high times we had back in the 60's and 70's. Communes, San Francisco, Fillmore West, The Family Dog and Steve Gaskin.... I'm sure days like those will never roll through here again. *sigh*
this rates as on e of my fav tunes, in 70 I ws fortunate enough to be involved in promoting Ms Nelson and Mother Earth with Sleepy JOhn Estes and Hammi Nixon in Memphis...and I agree with many other fans, that she is wonderful and probably quite fortunate not to have been victimized by record company marketing.
i do have fond road stories- Clarence White getting locked on the balcony of the Holiday Inn in Memphis and Jimmy Seiter having to spring the lock,-to Hendrix being late and my band getting called to open for him , thank God we didnt have to ..music is a wonderful lifestyle not so much to reach the top of the mountain, but to share the peaks and valleys with the friends you contact.enjoy the smiles it gives me, tho you can't have rainbows in your heart without some tears in your eyes
I've been following her career since the early 70s and have never been able to fathom why she didn't gained more attention with her talent. She had more chops and soul than Janis and her song selections were and continue to be right on the money.
I had the good fortune to see her perform twice in the San Diego area. Both times it was a dream come true performance and evening.
To my knowledge, because Ms. Nelson's talent was so eclectic and never stuck in one musical genre, her various record companies didn't know how to market her. Also, I believe she preferred to pretty much shun the limelight, and is quite happy with her legions of devoted fans.
I saw her perform in a small venue several years ago (maybe five?) at Balboa Park in San Diego. Prior to that she performed at a small club in Solana Beach called The Belly Up, but that was probably more than a decade ago. Both were memorable performances. She is still my favorite vocalist. I can understand the difficulty in marketing her, but...no one can soar or be more soulful and she should have found a wider audience. I still have her first album! I should have brought it for her to sign.
This song blows. Where's the lil wayne at?
LyricalFallacies 10 hours ago
I remember her performing this on American Bandstand years ago. If that performance is still to be found in some archive somewhere, please someone let me know.
This is a Masterpiece as far as I'm concerned...the range, the depth, her pipes...still makes me tingle all over.
97448able 2 months ago
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.here in india coimbatore there is a small holes not more than one inch from one house toilet room from which the souls are taken under earth several thousands kilometers away please .request you to save every molecule of souls and humans from pains and sufferings
bgupta2001 3 months ago
she's absolutely wonderful I Loved her then and I Love her still
SEVFEST 3 months ago
Tracy is God's Own Soul Singer
jwahl22222 4 months ago
Tracy is the champ. Yes, a powerful voice, but what is overwhelming is a kind of color, a darkness. Other people can sign the notes, but not many can SING like Tracy Nelson.
redskindan78 4 months ago
Pure unction - at it's finest.
RavensNest47 4 months ago
Fuck!!!!! What power! Incredible delivery!
jamcrane3 4 months ago
goosebumps.
russtacean 5 months ago 2
Beautiful voice. From Madison, Wi where I live.
lucychinn149 5 months ago
She is amazing. Memories from SF are there and active. Love, love, love.... More than a few tears.. Awesome.....
heidihi13 5 months ago
Tracy Nelson has the finest singing voice in the business. Period. I have listened to her for over 40 years, interviewed her once for a radio show and I gotta tell ya, she is a sweet lady, a good kid and has a really good attitude. She never fails to reach deep inside. I get shivers listening to her.
FredBrighton 6 months ago
Awesome! I have Got to see this lady in person. Amazing voice.
skygh 6 months ago
Just incredible. J-U-S-T I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. Like the best Darlene Love's "Christmas, Baby Please Come Home" 2005 (especially) on Letterman, it always brings goosebumps. INCREDIBLE! That's enough. Gotta wipe the tears away.
909chuck 7 months ago
went to see Ray Charles one time at the Saddle Rack in San Jose because Tracy was opening for him, looking back I'm very glad to have seen Ray, but at the time all I wanted was to hear Tracy sing.
spdykat 7 months ago
Love this! Love her Mother Earth album.. heard it first when I was age 20..learned from it, "Goin' Back To Tennessee" and "When I Need You Most Of All"..neither of which I see as a YouTube clip up here, but wish someone would upload them, of her singing them live. Luv ya, Tracy..you & Chris Smither were two artists instrumental to my blues education.
zimzoomit 8 months ago
You gotta wonder why Tracy wasn't as popular or as famous as other singers of her era..man o man, can she sing her ass off with a clear powerful and perfectly in tuned voice braavoooooo Tracy....
fjdmusicman 8 months ago
the best.. I remember TN from back in the mother earth dayz! excellent still and still
bluessingerr 9 months ago
Wow. Stunning. Like Carole King on Steroids.
billywatsontvcom 9 months ago
She's been singing this song ever since she wrote it, at the age of 18. Forty plus years later, it's even more powerful than it was when I first heard it.
khamsin59 9 months ago
I'm going crazy trying to remember a song that I'm sure Miz Tracy did.. part of the lyric is "I just can't seem to care"... anybody got any ideas?
annied0901 10 months ago
@annied0901 "Just Can't Seem to Care" is from the Poor Man's Paradise album, Mother Earth and Tracy Nelson
khamsin59 9 months ago
@annied0901 khamsin is spot on. The phrase you remember IS the title and POOR MAN'S PARADISE is the album it came from. It was on CD for a time. It's OP, but you can still (expensive) copies from the usual vendors--and, I imagine, if you keep searching you might find a bargain somewhere.
gbcallahan 9 months ago
Wow, first time I have heard her. Nice.
skdjones1 11 months ago
the song Mother Earth is her best.She puts her entire soul into it.I can't believe it hasn't been posted.I guess i'll have to play my cd.Mother earth is coming for you there's a debt you have to pay/I don't care how rich you are/I don't care what you were/when it all comes down/you've got to go back to Mother Earth/you may have a million dollars and drive a cadillac/you may have enough money to buy anything you lack/but when it all comes down/you've GOT to go back to Mother Earth.Thanks tracy
fozzdick 11 months ago
I saw her in the late sixties at Ludlow garage in Cincinnati,she sang Mother Earth and I was floored by her voice and some of the notes she hit.Awesome performer.She had a really tight band as well.Fond memories.I had a lot of good times at that garage.The guy that owned it then(Jim Tarbell)is now a city councilman,what a kick.
fozzdick 11 months ago
How I have missed hearing this woman sing! To think I used to have 4 Mother Earth Band LP's. I wish I still had them, or knew where that storage company sold them to.
joecraw2 11 months ago
This is the greatest torch song of all time. This particular version is a little fussy compared to the original on "Living with the Animals," but any way Tracy wants to sing it is basically OK with me--she just crushes all the covers, even the Linda Ronstadt version you might otherwise think was impossible to beat if you hadn't heard the original. I have had the good fortune to see her live twice. I hope that you'll get the chance to see her too.
Bigp00dle 11 months ago
she owns this song
wellspout 11 months ago
Tracy Nelson is and always has been such a wonderful singer and song stylist... always feel it right down to my bones!
annied0901 1 year ago
Wow...why have I not heard of this woman before? I love the LR version of this song as well. Tracy gave me chills!
Shanna216 1 year ago
@Shanna216 Tracy wrote this song. took courage for LR to attempt it and she does it justice
rnr5682 11 months ago
If someone has the title song of her first album "Mother Earth", please post.
Thank you
bklynbasque 1 year ago
@bklynbasque Make a joyful noise
rnr5682 11 months ago
@bklynbasque
rnr5682 11 months ago
Wow, what pipes! I saw her in Philly back in '69 - it's good to hear she's still got it all.
waldo2358 1 year ago
I went to see her at thew Bottomline and she was a no show...had throat trouble...hated not seeing her
bteiv676 1 year ago
Still awesome after all these years.
riverdalepark 1 year ago
Looking over to the right, I see that Linda Ronstadt's version logs 3X the views.
This here's the place for me.
strandwolf 1 year ago
This song was excellently written, but the Etta James version is the best of all time
chaosrated3x 1 year ago
@chaosrated3x going to Etta next...thanx for the tid bit
bteiv676 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
god awful
kenithj76 1 year ago
@kenithj76 Obviously so is your taste (or lack thereof) in good music. Instead of making snarky bullsh!t comments, tell us what you didn't like about the performance.
boohface62 1 year ago 6
@boohface62 No, I've just read some of your other comments. Not worth the effort. You are so blocked @kenithj76.
boohface62 1 year ago 3
@kenithj76 No accounting of taste...we're blocked and your dead from the neck up...
bteiv676 1 year ago
Someone needs to post the original LP version. maybe I'll try 7 figure out how to do that.
5737irvingpark 1 year ago
When she played in Boston at Paul's Mall I had a chance to talk with her a bit. This song touches my soul in such a profound way - because of her voice. Bless you, Tracy!!!
BostonRocker51 1 year ago
shes one of my moms best friends:) i grew up listening to her beautiful music:)
KilljoyAnonymous 1 year ago
used to get to see Tracy in the local clubs around nashville. always knocked me out. Like to know what ever happened to Pink and Fink too.
dandamagetoo 1 year ago
How cool you have this video of Tracy Nelson performing this song! I knew she wrote it but had only heard Linda Ronstadt's version. Tracy has got a set of kick-ass soulful lungs on her which sent shivers down my spine!
BluRoseRox 1 year ago
For a hippy she blues- wails with the best of them. One of the greatest love songs ever, and Tracy is a true belter.
problem49 1 year ago
I"m sorry Janis -but Tracey has every bit the passion,sincerity & chops without a fifth of Southern Comfort to bring them forth.
TumbrelJockey 1 year ago 2
listen up...she's the grand dame of blues....sort a
thequeenofrocknroll1 1 year ago
Was a fan beginning in 1969. She can sing the ____ out a song (choose your term)!
klainski2 1 year ago
Oh Tracy...I would lay myself down at your feet....except my wife would not understand. But buy the DVDs and the LPs and let's make her some money. What a fantastic talent!
FredBrighton 1 year ago 2
i first heard her sing this in 66 or 67... Never Forgot it. from the Mother Earth album. lost So Many albums in various moves and lootings. tg for yootoob
ps do you have any vid of her singing Mother Earth (song)? i checked and the album online (used) is almost $50
alivealiveo 1 year ago
i first heard her sing this in 66 or 67... Never Forgot it. from the Mother Earth album. lost So Many albums in various moves and lootings. tg for yootoob
ps do you have any vid of her singing Mother Earth (song)? i checked and the album online (used) is almost $50
alivealiveo 1 year ago
I know I am old and forgetful but damn I am so happy I decided to check out You Tube for Tracy Nelson. This is all leading to checking out Maria Muldaur and a few other awesome folks from the 60's. Music, rock on.
joanharvest 1 year ago
WOW - this song has been voted the saddest song ever recorded. Tracy does it justice !
dancindukes 1 year ago 5
thank you SO much for posting you. I still have the vinyl from my wasted youth! matter of fact, it was playing when i was arrested in a housefulla hippies with some psychedelics.
hopesnopes 1 year ago
holy smokes - incredible
jts001 1 year ago
She could've easily been an opera singer. What a lot of soul, and what a whole lotta woman.
hookalakah 1 year ago
Magnificent.
phtp2 1 year ago
tarcy is soooo good, she came to cleveland about ten yrs ago with erma thomas and some other gal , singing songs and i screamed out this song and tracy said she wasnt planning on singing it, asked the crowd at wilberts if they were interested and bam she blew everyone away! what a gal!!! TALENT, and was sweet to chat with
JACKSONZDADDY 1 year ago
Will trade you fifty Streisands, 100 Whitney Houstons, and every clone from the Stepford Singers on "American Idol" for just one Tracy Nelson.
unclealand 1 year ago
@unclealand Since when was Whitney half as valuable as Streisand, and since when were either one of them worth mentioning in the same sentence as Tracy Nelson?
problem49 1 year ago
@problem49 Uhhmmmm . . . you just mentioned them in the same sentence.
unclealand 1 year ago
@unclealand That doesn't mean they had any right to be there, the stuck-up fucking skanks.
problem49 1 year ago
@problem49 I never met them, so I wouldn't know what they're like.
unclealand 1 year ago
I'm 58 yrs old young and I still find myself singing this entire album at my machine to blot out the boredom.Saw her at Ludlow garage in Cincinnati in late sixties I think.Next to Joplin she was the best.I remember how she looked sounded everything.
fozzdick 1 year ago
Check out Memphis Blues by Cyndi Lauper out on June 22nd, 2010- Cyndi's new album includes this song and Mother Earth- Can't wait to hear her new album!
hotblondie111 1 year ago
OMG, I'm SO glad to find this. Thank you - thank you!!!!
amastelle 1 year ago
I love this woman! More talent than 98% of the performers whose names are well known. I'm old enough to remember "Mother Earth" and recall hearing her voice back then. Her abilities were on a completely different level than her peers.
In an era that brought out a lot of good singers Tracy was beyond almost all of them.
euqip 1 year ago 2
Wow - standard house music in the Helix House in Seattle and everywhere else I lived for years. Found the cd about 10 years ago and I'm still turning people on to it. Thanx for this live video.
1016KEITH 1 year ago
She still sends shivers up and down my spine. Spellbinding.
oneoriginalthought 2 years ago 8
Thank you SOOO much boothface 62 for posting these TN songs, Thank You. But could someone also pulleeese post the version as it was sung on their album, 'Living with the Animals'? I spent so so so many stoned afternoons back in the 70's singing it with her...really loud. Sometimes with a few tears.
puppiefaces 2 years ago 8
Puppiefaces, if you don't already have it, you can purchase Living With The Animals directly at Tracy's website - you can guess what it is - and she'll even sign your copy! That way, you can listen to it whenever you like.
boohface62 2 years ago 2
Thank you. I am still so illiterate, computerally speaking, that it never dawns on me to search for a person's website. ...kicking and screaming into the new age..
puppiefaces 2 years ago 2
@boohface62 it'd be nice to see her perform it from that era...
bteiv676 1 year ago
@puppiefaces me too
bteiv676 1 year ago
@puppiefaces It HAS been posted--altho' apparently it's a download from the original vinyl and a bit scratchy.
The CD is available from all the usual online sources AND Tracy's website.
gbcallahan 8 months ago
I used to listen to this song over and over and over in the 1970's at a friend's place in a sort of hippie community. Loved it and still LOVE this woman's voice. Wish someone would post the recording of her singing this as it was on the album: Mother Earth, Living with the Animals. PLEASE?
puppiefaces 2 years ago 3
Comment removed
grandmachristine42 2 years ago
This was a hit on WMMR-FM in Philly. I heard this song many times, but never got to see Tracy or Mother Earth at, say, the Main Point.
Thanks for posting this.
jtubebx1 2 years ago
I've seen her in the Philly vicinity a few times. Sorry to hear you've missed her.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
oh my god, she's amazing, this is my first time listening to her, i'm blown away
trippingovershadows 2 years ago
Check out her website and say hi to Tracy and all the good folks who post on her message board. Y'tube doesn't seem to like posting links, but you can guess what the site is. Tracy's got tons of music available (both solo and w/ Mother Earth). Thanks for posting.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
I am dying for the song Soul of Sadness and its NOWHERE to be found! Someone help me
Aspioni 2 years ago
Do you mean as a video? The album BRING ME HOME was re-released of CD a few yrs ago, so the song is available on that. You can get it via Amazon and other outlets--or you can write Wounded Bird records directly. You can probably just download that song individually too, if you do that.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
Tracy,
Please sing with Vince Mira.
roygbiv8clubs 2 years ago
You might have better luck reaching Tracy if you post a note on her website. Y'tube doesn't seem to like it when you post links, so I won't, but you can GUESS the URL. I've never heard Vince Mira, but if he's connected to the Cash clan, I'm sure he's worth checking out.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
Thanks. Yes, I've talked with her on her website in the past. She's very accessible. I had her album when I was 14 and was blown away by it. I couldn't find her music for a long time. Glad to see she's on youtube. Vince Mira is awesome at 17 years old, another enormous talent like Tracy.
roygbiv8clubs 2 years ago
Also, since the song came up, anyone interested in either of the two ladies we have been discussing will do themselves a lot of good by getting Rock Salt and Nails from itunes. Like you Greg, I wish these two had done an album of duets....man what a record that would have been!.
Nightsurf59 2 years ago
When i listen to this song , Tracy's moment of surrealistic power comes with ,"I know your Opinionnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn of me is not good".....the power to look at her lost love's measure of her full on, and not wilt or hide.......
Nightsurf59 2 years ago
Actually , Surrealistic is not the word...her Spiritual power is what comes out in those lyrics...IMHO.
Nightsurf59 2 years ago
BTW, thanks Greg, for the recommendations. When it comes to Miss Nelson's music, I can honestly say that you're an authority capable of presenting an opinion about this without resorting to ad hominem.
Nightsurf59 2 years ago
Not at all, I was particularly glad to learn in a note directly sent to me that you downloaded Rock Salt & Nails to hear LR and TN's duet. God, I wish they'd done more--the alto/soprano mix is heaven IMO. I mean I love to hear Linda blend w/ Emmy and others, but RS&N has its own unique quality. I DO like the SturmundDrang here, but you raise another question. TN had been singing the song for 20 yrs at this point. So it had evolved by then. Different mood. She no longer sings it btw.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
On your advice I have sought out every version , thus filling the void between hearing the original back in 71 and this one. Tonally , I will always like the LR better, but I now agree with you that Tracy does sing this song from a place that Linda did not on her studio recording..although she did get close. Thats said, this performance is not an example of Tracy's capability, her subtle heart quality is lost in too much vibrato, which you will recall is used much less on an her recordings.
Nightsurf59 2 years ago
BTW, the original actually goes back to '68. I was just 16 when this song came out and I think that was part of its appeal. Just learning that such intense feeling was even possible. Going back to the pride vs. vulnerability thing, I prefer those lines to have a certain ironic punch. Tracy's does, and Etta James' did too, in her distinctive way. I don't hear that irony so much in Linda's. But it was wrong of me to say she missed the point. I wanted to say pretty is not the point.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
There are those that cant sing.
There are those that can sing.
And then there are those that define the essence of singing.
Everything I was told about her is true.
Thank you Tracy for the most moving vocal I have ever heard.
type61m 2 years ago
If someone has a video of Tracy on American Bandstand with Mother Earth (her TV debut) please post it. My friend saw it and said she was sucking a lemon after singing, compared with Janis Joplin swigging Southern Comfort after singing.
k4jdp 2 years ago
Comment removed
k4jdp 2 years ago
Good, but not as pretty as Linda Ronstadt's version...check it out.
Angelofmcy 2 years ago
I'm sure we all have.
And you are, of course, entitled to your opinion.
My opinion is that Linda's version is too "pretty." She misses the songs irony, and doesn't portray the inner strength that Tracy's many versions of the song do.
The song really isn't about victimhood. It's about finding the inner strength to overcome heartbreak. I''ve alsway enjoyed LR's version, but I honestly belive she misses the point.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
Gregoooooo.....LR doesn't miss it actually.....the reality is that in this particular performance Tracy herself seems to have forgotten the point......while her singing might suggest the inner strength you speak of, it isn't subtle...and the message of the song is extraordinarily subtle.
Nightsurf59 2 years ago
That's interesting, Night. In answering Angelofmcy, I probably should have said--more fairly--that IMO Linda makes this song more about the vulnerability and hurt rather than the inner strength it's going to take to overcome all that. Again that's my take--and I'd have to say that's really a valid way to interpret the song. But the lines "I just can't find another man..." while certainly express the hurt are also indicators of the PRIDE inherent in the song.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
the original was church but who can even touch her tone her pain her truth
leli4u 2 years ago
doesn't matter year after year who can sell this tune in truth no one can wish we had more from her
leli4u 2 years ago
To add... First to Boohface...thank you so VERY much. Sevfest and Packard- I too was at AC'69. Wow! I wish I'd met the performers you did. They were among my favorites. I was just too shy and insecure then, and had only just started seriously playing bass back then. I too am an "aging hippie"-same as as you all. As Bruce implies- it did "hurt so good" to my own memories of that incredible crack in time that the late 60's represented. Sadly, I've still not found a lasting joy and peace
1maddoggs 2 years ago
Wow ! I* second, third, and fourth Greg on this one! I've been trying to track down this song for years. Whenever I hear, or sing the words myself it makes my voice crack, and cry.
I had the rare PRIVIEIGE of seeing Tracy & Mother Earth LIVE at the tiny Cellar Door in Washington,DC. It was overwhelming, the power and soul that Tracy put into it, was unmatched, and it moves me to this day. It was searing to the depth of her (and my) soul. Even more powerfully affecting than Janis Joplin.
1maddoggs 2 years ago
I can't believe I found this. I loved this song growing up. I wanted to see her at a tiny dive in Knoxville, Tennessee but I was too young to get in. If I could have gotten in, Tracy would have been my first concert.
I hope she reads this and realizes how many fans she has.
nestorian9 2 years ago
Someone post the duet of Tracy and Linda Ronstadt singing Rock Salt and Nails from Earl Scruggs LP, I Saw the Light with a little help from my friends. Gurantee it will have a million views in a month. on You Tube.
k4jdp 2 years ago
That IS a great track, and if I had the tech savvyto create a vid for it, I would.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
Is there a video of them singing RSN?
ronstadtfanaz 2 years ago
No video that I am aware of. People make homemade vids for YouTube all the time and one of those might turn up someday.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
No video that I know of this duet but who knows, someone may have filmed during the recording of the LP, hopefully it'll be posted someday.
k4jdp 2 years ago
And of course, there'd BE no Ronstadt version if Tracy hadn't written the song. I can see why some people might prefer Linda's more openly vulnerable take, but for me this or the original version has an inbuilt irony that I find refreshing. When you sing it strong and proud as TN does, the hurt still comes thru--but no one could accuse you of being a wimp. (And no, I am NOT saying that about LR--but I am suggsting her version is the more trad. fem. stance of hurt & vulnerability)>
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
Fair enough, but you should seek out the original 1969 version by Tracy and Mother Earth. That's the version LR based hers on. This take was some 20 yrs after the original and Tracy was varying the melody line a lot. The original is on Mother Earth's LIVING W/ THE ANIMALS and also on the BEST OF TRACY NELSON/MOTHER EARTH. Both are available--and of course you can hear snippets on Amazon and elsewhere. Hope you get a chance to listen to it.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
dear greg thanks i was 16 when this came my way ...all i wanted was to love like that .
AirKanonYukitoYuichi 2 years ago
Well, you can thank me for being a tireless promoter of Tracy Nelson if you like, but for the video you need to thank "Boohface."
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
This song is one of the knockouts on the first Mother Earth album - which is on CD after many years of being unavailable. The whole album is killer, not least as a showcase for Tracy Nelson's deep soul voice.
ivycompton 2 years ago
Hey, Gary, please consider visiting the message board on Tracy's website. As I've advised others, Tracy participates directly in the discussion very frequently. It's a welcoming place.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
OOOOH!!! I am SO thrilled to see this and to know that Tracy is still singing. This woman's music had an incredible influence on me. Nashville in the 70's was a phenomenal place to be! When I saw the PBS special with Tracy, Sweet Irma and Marcia, I was blown away to even hear her name again after so many years, let alone that amazing combination! I lost my TN albums in a divorce and am now on a quest for live shows in the archives, Tracy LIVE is spine tingling! Need to share w/ my friends!!
HulaGrlatHeart 2 years ago
Please check out the website. (YouTube doesn't seem to like to give out URLs but you can pretty much GUESS what it is. Very active message board--to which Tracy herself frequently posts. And you can ask my bud James about various dvds, boots etc. Tracy's pretty cool about such things.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
such a small woman with such an amazing voice
leli4u 2 years ago
thanks for posting tracy, i used to listen to mother earth on lp back in the day. i love this song! after my divorce this song rocked out my windows.
kidddoll 2 years ago
It's nice to see all the positive comments here. I'd like to invite you all to post a little or a lot on Tracy's message board. Lots of good folks there. And TN herself joins in the conversation. YT doesn't seem to like it when if you post a U R L. But I'm sure you can guess what it is.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
the orignal "Down So Low" by Mother Earth (with Tracy nelson) is on the soundtrack album for a film titled "REVOLUTION". The album came out in 1967 and includes a rare Steve Miller Blues Band version of "Mercury Blues" plus two by Quicksilver Messenger Service, "Babe", and "Codeine."
AstridZemanova 2 years ago
SOMEBODY POST THE ORIGINAL!!!!
Jamsprks 2 years ago
I can send you an MP3 of the original if you like just let me know where to send it. (No strings attached)
SEVFEST 2 years ago
You can send it to the yahoo address where you reached me. And thank you again! Let me know if there may be a somg that you have been searching for...I just may have it and would be pleased to send it your way in exchange. Keep the past alive and the music going! Charlie
cpower342 2 years ago
The original "Down So Low" by Mother Earth [w/Tracy Nelson] is on the soundtrack album for a film titled REVOLUTION that came out late in 1967. Also on the soundtrack is a rare performance of "Mercury Blues" by Steve Miller Blues Band (sic) and two by Quicksilver Messenger Service, "Babe" and "Codeine".
AstridZemanova 2 years ago
I think you may be mistaken, Astrid. Unless you had a different version of that soundtrack than I did. Tracy did the title track ("Revolution") and, that was the sole solo vocal she had (on mine). Maybe you had an enhanced CD. Anyway, as far as I know the original version was pretty much limited to the Mother Earth debut album LIVING WITH THE ANIMALS. Which is now available on CD. I recommend that record to anyone. Check it out.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
***An unbelievable singing performance AND one helluva song -- with very special meaning for me!
Jamsprks 2 years ago 2
I saw Tracy at her very first performances, at the University of Wisconsin Great Hall and a Madison, WI coffee house called The Pad, around 1963-64...in those days she was a slip of a girl but she had this huge, dark, unstoppable voice from the very beginning...absolute authority as a performer.
cortonese 2 years ago 2
But according to your info, you're only 34 yrs old. Was this in a past life time?
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
People are SUPPOSED to lie up a storm on their info. Otherwise dark strangers might come to know too much about them.
cortonese 2 years ago 2
Oh! I'm so naive about the ways of teh world--let alone the ways of YouTube.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
WOW Pure Angelic Gold.... I Loved her since the 1st time I heard "Living With The Animals" and bought every Mother Earth & Tracy Nelson album I could find.... not to mention I met her at The Atlantic City Pop Fest in 1969 and she was a beautiful person to talk to so whoever don't like her has something wrong with them. Tracy Nelson was as talented as that wonderful Janis Joplin (who I also met on the same day). God rest her soul.
SEVFEST 2 years ago
Meeting Tracy AND Janis on the same day must have quite a trip.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago 2
Wow and what a trip it was that weekend I ended up meeting Janis, Tracy, Grace Slick, Frank Zappa, & Johnny & Edger Winter. (Got a kiss from Ms. Joplin). it's one of my life's top highlights (I will be 59 on the 5th of July).
SEVFEST 2 years ago 2
Sevfest, I will be 60 this October and Tracy (and the rest) have a special place in my heart and memory. I would love to have a clean copy of the LP version of this song (my LP is scratchy and skips from repeated playings! Would you like to swap songs...'down so low' for one I may have? Let me know, and thanks! CP
cpower342 2 years ago
CP
I will be happy to send you down so low
just let me know the email addy to send it to.....
aev
SEVFEST 2 years ago
Excellent - someone else who remembers Mother Earth at AC '69! They really caught my attention when some of them changed instruments between songs. And then the absolutely outstanding Tracy Nelson Country album came out!
I saw her a couple times after that at small venues in the mid-70's (Richmond & somewhere in Jersey) which was even better. Any description of her voice is an understatement!
Packard3spdOD 2 years ago
Greetings from Trenton New Jersey......
You are someone with fantastic taste.... I salute you my friend......
Tracy is a very special voice,
Thank you for writing.....
SEVFEST 2 years ago
Aah, cool! Trenton Makes, The World Takes. Also home of TerraCycle!
Return greetings from Pittsburgh.
The place I saw her in Jersey was I think called the Palace Inn, but that was over 30yrs ago so it may not be right. I took some B/W shots of her - I believe at the piano - that came out nicely. I should dig the negatives out and try to print some.
Packard3spdOD 2 years ago
To YIGDFB, (either no ears or grey matter between them, or never listened to the first two M.E. albums), that band was as sophisticated as it came in those days -- groundbreaking, too. Their version of the song Mother Earth is among the best of any white blues ever, with Michael Bloomfield, & great piano break, Mark Naftalin. And check out the fiddle/harmonica interplay on the R.P. St. John songs on both. The gospel backing was so beautifully subtle everywhere it was used. Anything but mediocre.
notrocco1 2 years ago
Now, now. Can't we all get along? Mother Earth had several incarnations--with Tracy, Andy McMahon and Toad Andrews pretty much being the sole constants. It's probably fair to say that some line-ups were tighter than others. And some critics were quick to point that out. Me, I'm such a Tracy fan, the relative superiority of this or that version of the band was a minor point at best. But I would have to agree that the ace c&w musicians on COUNTRY added a certain special something.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
No one does this one better than Tracy because she can still recall the pain that birthed this signature song. Someone stomped all over that woman's heart, and probably more than once. And still she transcends, oh yes she does.
khamsin59 2 years ago
I agree. And I think that's one reason that she has pretty much put the song "to bed" in recent years. Her new "signature song" would seem to be "Walk Away," a song that always floors the audience BUT that she did not write and probably has some emotional distance from.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
As for Tracy vs. Linda, the two are great friends. They have performed together and on each others albums. I think Linda R has an incredible voice. I've never seen her live, so I can't compare her presence to Tracy, but they have very different voices. Anyone who says Linda is a finer singer will get no argument from me; I still prefer Tracy, but everyone does indeed have their own choices for favorite.
JamesVMorris 2 years ago
Well, Gregor, I suppose you have a point. Let's just say that, in the past 40 years, I have seen many, many singers who were renowned for their talent and / or powerful voices, including Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Bassey, Joan Baez, and lesser known, but equally renowned singers like Morgana King, Elly Stone and Irma Thomas.
IMHO, Tracy had a finer voice in person (and I've seen each and every one of these singers in person) than any of them, hands down.
JamesVMorris 2 years ago
I agree, Tracy Nelson had the best voice of a generation. Unfortunately, she worked with a band that was mediocre, and never got the recognition she deserved. But listen to her album Tracy Nelson Country, done with Nashville professionals; it's astonishing that this record never was much listened to. It's hard to think of a better country album, and her voice was just unbelieveable.
YIGDFB 2 years ago
I totally agree with you. I heard that album recently and my husband raced from another part of house and said "who is singing that???--that's the best version of "I Fall to Pieces" I've ever heard.
lucretia591 2 years ago
Not that I feel the need to comment, but my intent in posting these clips was to simply allow whomever wanted to search for Tracy Nelson at this site to have access to a few of her performances.
Ms. Nelson is criminally underrated and less well known than, say, quite a few lesser talents one sees here on youtube, and in my opinion, deserves to be heard.
boohface62 2 years ago 2
Bravo, Booh! Exactamente! And thank you again for these posts.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
Danke, mein herr.
boohface62 2 years ago
@boohface62 And I thank you for doing this, boohface62. I may have been one of those you posted this for. :)
rancar29 1 year ago
I respectfully disagree with you as well. I don't think it is a competition and understand that people have their favorites for whatever reason. I have alrady listened to Nelson who is a great singer, but I don't think she compares to Linda Ronstadt, no matter how many videos someone sends me to review.
nrthdude1 2 years ago
Not referring you to a video but a sound recording--the original version from '68. I find it sublime. Not as forceful as the video from 20 yrs later. Anyway, if you are admirer of both singers, you may want to dig up their duet "Rock Salt and Nails" which appeared on the Earl Scruggs album I SAW THE LIGHT WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
Thanks for posting this. The only one who sings this better is Linda Ronstadt.
nrthdude1 2 years ago
I will respectfully disagree with you AND refer you to the original recorded version from the Mother Earth album LIVING WITH THE ANIMALS (also featured on THE BEST OF TRACY NELSON/MOTHER EARTH). If you listen to this, you will see that Linda R. patented her vocal on the origninal version. Note for note. Howevert, it's shouldn't really have to be a competition. I don't know what it is about human nature that we have to declare our personal preferences as better, best, nth degree.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
I agree that it doesn't really have to be a competition. A lot of things in life can't usefully be compared. Nelson and Ronstadt, though they both have big throbbing voices, are very different singers. As a listener, I can enjoy both of them.
That being said, I agree with what Lester Bangs said about Ronstadt's version of "Down So Low," that it was a noble attempt but Mary Magdalene herself couldn't equal the original.
OldDunc 2 years ago
Love the Bangs quote, Dunc. Christgau said something similar, "You cover Tracy Nelson's Down So Low at your own peril."
One of the things I love about Tracy's first version is its mix of vulnerability and strength. Linda was ALL vulnerability on this one (IMO), which might make some people love it all the more but to me the Mother Earth/LIVING W/THE ANIMALS version is all the richer (and ironic) for its mix of strength and tenderness,
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
Well, here I am, Gregoorvonkallawho, Booface et al. We saw Tracy two weeks ago (April 3, 2009) in Pawling NY. She is almost 65, and has lost NONE - not one note - of her incredible voice. I've been a fan for a mere 31 years; she been recording for 44 years. Greatest singer of the 20th century, bar none. None of her 25+ albums do her live voice justice. Amazing! Thanks Boohface!
JamesVMorris 2 years ago
I'm as much of a fan as you James, but personally I'm laying off with the "better"/"best" syndrome. Seems that it puts others on the defensive. Besides neither of us has ever HEARD all the singers of the 20th (or any other_) century. I simply say that Tracy is my favorite singer and that it's a shame she's not better known.
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
LORD. What a rich voice! I have LOVED her singing this song on Living With The Animals since the early 70's (hippie chick, yes I'm old..) I WISH WISH there was a youtube video of her singing that old version. It just kills me. Story of my life til lately. Thank you God, I am now happily married.
puppiefaces 2 years ago
We're all that old, Pup. And thank G-d for it. I wouldn't want to be coming up nowadays. The 60s were confusing enough.
But we did have great music!
gregorvonkallahann 2 years ago
You're correct, this would be a hell of a time to be growing up in. I get misty-eyed for the long lost days of youth and all-l-l the sweet, outrageous, high times we had back in the 60's and 70's. Communes, San Francisco, Fillmore West, The Family Dog and Steve Gaskin.... I'm sure days like those will never roll through here again. *sigh*
puppiefaces 2 years ago
this rates as on e of my fav tunes, in 70 I ws fortunate enough to be involved in promoting Ms Nelson and Mother Earth with Sleepy JOhn Estes and Hammi Nixon in Memphis...and I agree with many other fans, that she is wonderful and probably quite fortunate not to have been victimized by record company marketing.
MrBruceBarham 2 years ago 2
Thanks for your comment, Bruce. Would love to hear some of your stories!
boohface62 2 years ago
i do have fond road stories- Clarence White getting locked on the balcony of the Holiday Inn in Memphis and Jimmy Seiter having to spring the lock,-to Hendrix being late and my band getting called to open for him , thank God we didnt have to ..music is a wonderful lifestyle not so much to reach the top of the mountain, but to share the peaks and valleys with the friends you contact.enjoy the smiles it gives me, tho you can't have rainbows in your heart without some tears in your eyes
MrBruceBarham 2 years ago
The best female vocalist of all time.
I've been following her career since the early 70s and have never been able to fathom why she didn't gained more attention with her talent. She had more chops and soul than Janis and her song selections were and continue to be right on the money.
I had the good fortune to see her perform twice in the San Diego area. Both times it was a dream come true performance and evening.
carol4allcatz 2 years ago
To my knowledge, because Ms. Nelson's talent was so eclectic and never stuck in one musical genre, her various record companies didn't know how to market her. Also, I believe she preferred to pretty much shun the limelight, and is quite happy with her legions of devoted fans.
Carol, when were you able to see her perform?
boohface62 2 years ago
I saw her perform in a small venue several years ago (maybe five?) at Balboa Park in San Diego. Prior to that she performed at a small club in Solana Beach called The Belly Up, but that was probably more than a decade ago. Both were memorable performances. She is still my favorite vocalist. I can understand the difficulty in marketing her, but...no one can soar or be more soulful and she should have found a wider audience. I still have her first album! I should have brought it for her to sign.
carol4allcatz 2 years ago