Colin Meloy Sings Live! is the first live album released by Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

 musician Colin Meloy

Colin Meloy

Colin Patrick Henry Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, percussion and interpretive hand gestures.-Early life...

, frontman for the Decemberists

The Decemberists

The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...

. The album was released in April 2008, and is a collection of live recordings from various nights on the artist's solo tour in early 2006. It includes stripped down versions of songs by the Decemberists, a song that dates back to Meloy's college band Tarkio

Tarkio

Tarkio may refer to:*Tarkio River, river in Iowa and Missouri**Tarkio, Missouri, the city which Brewer & Shipley's album was named after;***Tarkio College, a college no longer in existence in the city of Tarkio, Missouri;...

 ("Devil's Elbow"), live banter and covers of The Smiths

The Smiths

The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...

, R.E.M.

R.E.M.

R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...

, Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

, Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...

, and Shirley Collins

Shirley Collins

Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE is a British folksinger who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s...

. It includes two previously unreleased songs, "Dracula's Daughter" and "Wonder", the latter of which makes reference to Meloy's first--and recently at the time--born son.

The arrangements are simply Meloy's voice and guitar throughout. Some reviewers have noted problems with Meloy's guitar during the recording and one refers to the resulting sound quality as "disappointing." Meloy says the experience of playing Decemberists' songs without the full band was "liberating," at least initially: "...I can kind of start and stop songs, I can screw up without throwing everybody off, I can talk as much as I like without worrying about people getting antsy to move on to the next song. I guess those are the more obvious differences. But then it always gets a little lonely after I’ve done a handful of shows. I’m sure by the end of this tour I’ll be ready to get everybody on stage again with me."

Meloy supported the release with another solo tour during April and May 2008. The opening act was Laura Gibson

Laura Gibson

Laura Gibson is a Portland-area folk singer and songwriter. She was raised in Coquille, Oregon.She currently records for the independent U.S. label Hush Records. In 2008, she toured the United States as the opening act for Colin Meloy. She also added vocal harmonies to his Colin Meloy Sings Sam...

.

Track listing

1. "Devil's Elbow" - 4:17
2. "We Both Go Down Together" - 3:10
3. "Evoking a Campfire Singalong" - 0:48
4. "The Gymnast, High Above the Ground" - 6:43
5. "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect/Dreams
   Dreams (Fleetwood Mac song)
   "Dreams" is a song written by singer Stevie Nicks, for the group Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album, Rumours. The song was the only U.S. number one hit for the group, and remains one of their best known songs.-Background and writing:...
   
   " - 4:55
6. "Dracula's Daughter" - 2:41
7. "Wonder" - 3:01
8. "A Brief Introduction to Shirley Collins" - 1:46
9. "Barbara Allen" (traditional) - 3:28
10. "The Engine Driver" - 3:54
11. "On the Bus Mall" - 5:59
12. "A Skull, a Ship, and a Sheep" - 1:54
13. "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade/Ask
    Ask (song)
    Later re-releases of the "Ask" single would include the album version, which runs for 3:15, instead of the single version included on the original pressings.-Etchings on vinyl:UK 7" and 12":ARE YOU LOATHESOME TONIGHT? / TOMB IT MAY CONCERNGerman 12":...
    
    " - 12:22
14. "The Bachelor and the Bride" - 4:10
15. "A Cautionary Song" - 3:43
16. "Red Right Ankle" - 4:17
17. "Bandit Queen" - 6:45

"Blues Run The Game" - 3:11 (bonus on vinyl version)

"Shiny" - 5:52 (bonus MP3 with download of album from insound.com and play.com)

"Grace Cathedral Hill" - 4:47 (bonus MP3 with download of album from insound.com and play.com)

External links

• Official web site
• Colin Meloy page at MySpace
  MySpace
  Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
  
  (streaming several tracks)