Sweet Fire of Love

[HCL]

A gift for those of who never heard it:

YouTube - U2 and Robbie Robertson - Sweet Fire Of Love

Also, a brief explanation:
This is NOT a solo Bono collaboration (as most people think). All of U2 contributes to this song, which was realeased on the self-titled album by Robbie Robertson (former The Band member). This album was being produced by Lanois at the same time he worked on Joshua, I guess. (There's another song on the album in which U2 appears callled "Testimony", but it isn't half as cool as this. Since my tastes are different from yours though, go check it out too! But this thread is about this one here. )
This should've been on Joshua.

 

[BVS]

Great tune I didn't care for Testimony all that much either...

 

[VintagePunk]

This is probably my favourite collaboration that they've ever done, fantastic song. I'm a Robbie Robertson fan too, so that's a bonus for me.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I love it too

I was cleaning out a closet recently and found a bunch of my old cassette tapes including the Robbie Robertson tape that has those. Does anyone know if they're on CD anywhere or on iTunes?

Whatever happened to Robbie Robertson?

 

[VintagePunk]

He's still around, but generally keeps a low profile. He does a lot of film work, he collaborates with others, he produces, and makes the rare appearance here and there.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Thanks

 

[VintagePunk]

You're welcome! He's really only released two commercially successful solo albums - this one, and Storyville from 1991 (I may give them a listen today). The other two are more genre/niche albums from '94 and '98, inspired by and exploring Native North American music.

He was born in Toronto, but spent summers with his mother's side of the family at the Six Nations Reservation, which is only about 10 minutes from where I live, so I sort of consider him a home boy.

Besides that, he's number two on my list of seductive voices.


Eta - my favourite RR song, with Aaron Neville on backing vocals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXH3GhPJ-r4


Sorry, I'll shut up about him now.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

It is on iTunes. I have to get that.

 

[VintagePunk]

I'd highly recommend any that U2 fans check out both albums. The first was produced by Robertson and Daniel Lanois (hence U2's involvement - and Peter Gabriel, who Lanois was also producing at the time is involved as well), and the second is just as moody and atmospheric and gorgeous and lush, but with more of a New Orleans jazz feel.


Eta - Ha! I just found this quote from Lanois about the self-titled album. Eno also had his fingers in the project, albeit indirectly:

When asked about the inspiration for album's single "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", Lanois commented: "Robbie Robertson was describing what it was like to hang out in Arkansas with Levon Helm in his old neighbourhood. He was telling me about the hot nights and fishing with dynamite, and was asking someone for directions for someplace somewhere down the crazy river. ... I had presented him with this toy instrument that Eno introduced me to called the Suzuki Omnichord, like an electric autoharp. He found a little chord sequence with it that was sweet and wonderful. As he was developing his chord sequence I recorded him and superimposed his storytelling, which I was secretly recording, on top. That was the birth of 'Somewhere Down The Crazy River.' It's kind of like a guy with a deep voice telling you about steaming nights in Arkansas.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KP9PNSUME4

 

[Aygo]

The beggining of this song reminds me a lot of "Disappearing Act", specially the guitar work and the feeling of the drums.
It surprises me a lot that this song is so many times forgot by the fan-community.

 

[Katiesheb]

I LOVE THIS SONG!!! The radio station I listen to in Montreal plays this song all the time. Thanks for posting.

 

[Niceman]

I love this whole album. Including Testimony.

Listen to Somewhere down the Crazy River and Walk to the Water won't sound QUITE so original anymore...... :O

 

[martha]

I LOVE THIS SONG!!! The radio station I listen to in Montreal plays this song all the time. Thanks for posting.

Another reason to love Canada.

 

[Earl-Of-IMDb]

Wow great song.. love the atmosphere

 

[nathan1977]

Holy cow, that video is truly terrible. Minute 3:30 or so ("Wait!...") is truly embarrassing.

 

[VintagePunk]

Holy cow, that video is truly terrible. Minute 3:30 or so ("Wait!...") is truly embarrassing.

1) It was the 80s, most music videos from back then are embarrassing in retrospect.

2) I posted it for the song, not the video.

3) I've always thought the girl in the video was very out of place, and the make-out session at the end was just...weird. I was reading yesterday that it's Maria McKee, another of the contributors to the album. All these years, and I had no idea.

 

[Popmartijn]

I'd highly recommend any that U2 fans check out both albums. The first was produced by Robertson and Daniel Lanois (hence U2's involvement - and Peter Gabriel, who Lanois was also producing at the time is involved as well), and the second is just as moody and atmospheric and gorgeous and lush, but with more of a New Orleans jazz feel.

And don't forget his third record, Contact From The Underworld Of Redboy. That one is more electronic (it features contributions from Howie B, who also worked on U2's Pop) but it has a great groove. I was listening to some of those songs today and he's a great artist.

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

great song... should have been on The Joshua Tree bonus disc.

 

[u2head]

I bought this Robbie Robertson tape just to hear this song!

 

[Tommy WM]

The Band & U2...now that would have been even more amazing. Still a killer tune though!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

After I saw Shutter Island I did some reading about it and I found out that Robbie Robertson created the soundtrack for the movie using previously recorded material. Apparently he's Scorsese's long time collaborator. So that's one thing he's doing now.

He used a Brian Eno song - "Lizard Point"