Don Dixon & guy from the Spongetones playing an old dB's song

[taterguy]

Much better audio & video quality than usual on this Youtube clip.

Seriously, why isn't Dixon more famous?

Can someone explain that to me?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGmJ4E2tUJ8

[taterguy]

1. No Don Dixon fans in the Lounge? Seriously?

:wtf:

[NJmaverick]

2. I'm a big fan of Donna Dixon

[abq e streeter]

3. More familiar with his production work than his own stuff

but actually have seen him perform live. Early 90's in a bar in Albuquerque as part of a very cool concept called the nearly-famous songwriters tour. Somewhat of a rotating cast as I understand it, but the one I saw was great. Marshall Crenshaw, James McMurtry, Jules Shear, David Halley and Dixon. All sitting with acoustic guitars in a semi-circle with a moderator from a hip Santa Fe radio station. He'd ask questions and whoever felt like answering ( sometimes all of them) answered. And they'd take turns playing their own songs and/or jamming with each other.One of the few questions I remember being asked of each of them was to play one song they hadn't written but wish they had. I remember two of them played Townes Van Zant songs; looking back I'm sure it had to have been Halley and McMurtry. Almost positive that it was Dixon who chose Fever. But I do plead guilty to not knowing more about his own material than I do...

[taterguy]

5. I've got a version of Dixon doing Fever on a compilation CD

So I suspect you're right.

I'll concede his live performances are much better than his studio output, which is why I'm quite fond of the Chi-Town Budget Show CD that you can occasionally find hidden in the bins at your favorite used record store.

[tigereye]

7. wow, that sounds like fun. All they needed was Chris Stamey for the

multi-fecta! :hi:

A friend of mine recorded something with Dixon back in the day.

[abq e streeter]

8. yeah it was a pretty cool show

cool about your friend too. I actually was less familiar with Dixon that night than any of the others. Of course I knew about Crenshaw and had owned his debut album for many years by then, and had friends that were friends of Halley in Texas, so knew about him....and had met , and shared, ahem "herbal refreshments" with some members of Shear's old band The Funky Kings many years earlier, and knew McMurtry through his (now ex)wife, who had gone to college here. So I was at the very least aware of all these people, but only really knew of Dixon through his having co-produced REM's Murmur and the classic Reckoning.Didn't know he was a writer/performer too, although i probably should have assumed it (?)
and back atcha: :hi:

[tigereye]

10. my friend's old band also recorded something with Stamey, as I recall

She was living near Durham at the time.

[gmoney]

4. Don had his moments, but was wildly hit-and-miss

Plus, I don't think he had much luck with record companies along the way. And I don't think he took any of it too seriously.

And maybe he violated Curley's "1 thing" rule by being involved in too much stuff.

Loved parts of the first Marti Jones album, but she never seemed to do anything interesting after that.

BTW, when did Don turn into James Carville?

I was a Don Dixon fan of sorts back in the day... dutifully bought most of the stuff, but it didn't often find its way into my personal rotation.

"Preying Mantis" should have been a big hit, but it didn't click.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VOwoWlyDpE

He did do a great cover of "Cool" from West Side Story, too, along the way.

On edit: I guess Don didn't get famous for the same reason Marshall Crenshaw, the dB's, Let's Active, and any number of quite talented and enjoyable performers toil in obscurity as cult faves. Maybe they're too good to succeed, or too clever by half, or just don't get lucky enough.

It's like Nick Lowe, except without the two or three lucky breaks Nick got. "Cruel to be Kind" and getting one of his songs COVERED on one of the biggest selling albums of all time ("The Bodyguard" soundtrack) made him a wealthy man. I'm guessing the rest of his career has just been scratching his own itch.

[taterguy]

6. IMHO, the difference between Dixon and Let's Active, Crenshaw and dB's is Dixon's vocal chops

I absolutely love Crenshaw, Let's Active and the dB's.

But any objective person would concede none of those folks were great singers.

Dixon can really belt a tune, even if he makes whoever's unfortunate enough to be standing next to him on stage go deaf.

But I am sure that luck has a lot to do with it.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. big fan here

have seen them several times. thanks for the link.

[bbinacan]

11. Don Dixon is great.

As a UNC-Chapel alumnus, class of 86, I was exposed to a lot of his work. I really like his album "Romantic Depressive".