John Hiatt - Paper Thin

[ravenkiller1]

This is the first Hiatt song a friend played for me back in 1989...been a fan ever since!

Long live Our Man John!

[andjkh]

OMG Arsenio show was not as bad as I remembered at lest not this episode

[nancysjourney]

one of the most under rated performers ever! I always loved JOHN! still Do!

[kinmikey]

this song is easily near the top of my lyrical list, love Hiatt, his songs just get stuck in there

[Glyde11209]

is that by any chance Maria McKee singing with him?

[mrjaredshelton]

@Glyde11209 No, it is the one and only 3-time Grammy Award-winning Ashley Cleveland!!!! =D My favorite living singer.

[headgamesgal63]

Talk about an under rated artist....Ashley Cleveland rocks as well!

[headgamesgal63]

Talk about an under rated artist....

[epistte]

I wonder how many performers lip-sync on shows such as this where John and the Goners just set up and let it fly. I saw him a few years ago in Cleveland and I love him.

[epistte]

Nobody is as cool as John Hiatt when he is rockin'.

[anitadavideduo]

G R E A T

[allnightjohnson]

really?...I wouldn't care how good you think you are, no one in their right mind would want to replace Sonny Landreth. One of the best (and most underated) guitarist ever.

[mbroders]

@allnightjohnson I think the various guitar players worked weell for Mr. Hiatt in the various periods they were employed. The Goners concept was running a bit tired, when he went for the (in my view) amazing noisy three guitar combo around Perfectly Good Guitar - and when he needed a more folk'sy tone, it worked even better with Mr. Immergluck (and the harmonies of Mr. Faragher) around Walk On.

[mbroders]

@allnightjohnson I think Sonny Landreth plays a very, very good slide, but he tends to be a bit predictable - and I won't even talk about "stage presence" here.

But enough of the trash talk - the various guitar players complement the songs and the period they were written very well, and it seems to be a formula that works well for Mr. Hiatt for our pleasure.

[allnightjohnson]

@mbroders What an informed and concise reply. My hats off to you as you seem to really know what your talking about. I agree with all of your comments as they gave me a point of reference to consider the work of this great songwriter in a way I hadn't before. Thank you so much!

[allnightjohnson]

@mbroders I'll also add a big thank you for posting the video as "Paper Thin" is #4 on my personal list of my favorite songs ever.

[mbroders]

@allnightjohnson I agree - it is a very powerful song with an amazing guitar riff. I once attended asn open-air concert with JH and The Goners. Between songs, Sonny was changing guitars. He did a sample chord change to check out the new guitar - that was the intro to Paper Thin - just those two chords, but I knew instantly that we were in for a treat. Check out the stadium version (one of my uploads) - very noisy and "bang, boom, wauw", but also proof that this song is a classic.

[allnightjohnson]

@mbroders You might find this interesting...in Barnes & Noble the other day I saw a book of "tips at a glance" for guitar players. Sonny wrote a piece about how he warms up his hands. It seems that he suffers from tendonitis and has to go through a great deal of stretching as well as icing his arm to play without pain. It was interesting how involved it was. When I'm next there, I'll get the title.

[blademon7]

@mbroders You are very knowledgeable.And kind as well for all your great musical postings. BTW, Sonny doesn't have to change guitars any more(unless he WANTS to) I believe. I have seen him with the fairly new.Gibson "Robotic" model. Did you know he plays French horn as well? I recently lost 100 CD's while moving(real bummer) and 10 were J. Hiatt(BIG bummer).This makes my day. :-)))

[riffmon]

@allnightjohnson Sonny rocks

[beautifuldaymusic]

Ashley Cleveland on B/V & cowbell!

[MrKevinTN]

Best, most clever, written song about drinking too much!

[LouieLouie1969]

Ktel, he's got more dark in his little finger than you got in your whole body.

[Frabffib]

Hiatt and The Goners have a great (but hard to find) version of this from Saturday Night Live. Ktel60 comments only confirm that he's visually impaired and hard of hearing.

[gootenslog]

@Frabffib

Is the SNL appearance hidden somewhere on YT? I would love to see it but know the Copyright Nazis are all over the place looking to kill posts.

[zzzyts]

stage presence? not having fun?and how the hell do you or any of us know why he works with who he chooses? are ya trying to sound like an 'industry' insider? most people i think are seeing a wide ranging, mild to wild talent that holds up and gets better with age! see him as a skinny young kid in "heartworn highways'' to the latest live cry love stuff...hiatt the great!

[ktel60]

um, not dark enough. Love the man, no question, but he has never been granted access to (or perhars he has never allowed himself to work with ) a complete balls to the wall band, He tried, on the Perfectly Good Guitar tour, but the man lacks stage presence.

Tell you the truth, the dude doesn't seem to be having fun onstage

Course, I'm available if the guitar spot falls open...

[awild100]

I saw him in Newport, Rhode Island last Summer - had great stage presence. Brought the place down with Paper Thin.

[9erfandex]

Thanks mbroders for the upload, this is WONDERFUL! What a band that is easy on the ears, and Ashley is equally easy on the eyes with some excellent back ground vocals and smooth dancin' moves! John Hiatt is to America what Richard Thompson is to Great Britain, well kept secrets in ROCK AND ROLL, God Save them both! As always thanks to You Tube for the space! R O S !

[winkiened2]

FanTasticcccccccccccccccccccc GOT SLide with Sonny Landreth

[seannymac33]

I agree. This is the best version of "Paper Thin" I've ever heard, and I've seen Hiatt live eight times (and counting.)

[gootenslog]

Well, I like the version from his 1989 Saturday Night Live appearance better but this one rocks too. Ashley is HOT. And Sonny Landreth's guitar licks are beyond comparison.

[pretorious700]

only time I've ever seen Sonny without a slide

[editorjuno]

Hiatt & Co. out-Stone the Rolling Stones on this one!

[hull9819]

Thats Ashley Cleveland wailing on background vocals...rock and roll baby! At its finest

[tormentor91]

wow sonny without bottleneck

[154163152742]

john and his bad bad telly.

& love the cowbell (and the talented, pretty voice putting a pounding to it.)

thanx for utoobing a 5-star take of

j-hiatt's ballsy masterpiece.

[txeire]

yep with her on that we definitely NEED MORE COWBELL

[12feed]

I love Ashley's hair! And she's so energetic, too!

[tommiecoughlin]

Cheers m8....eye've been lookin' fer that video for a year or so. Thanks 4 posting!....great tune!

[arkgunslinger]

mbroders, thanks for posting this one.

[netheidsoefening]

they loved doing that.