Back when Paul Schafer played along with the musical guest on Letterman

...and here's Sonic Youth

Here's a clip from a time when Dinosaur Jr. played and the house band guitarist took a little lead break that I don't think Mascis appreciated, as he proceeded to subsequently bitch slap him with a blazing solo in response.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV6b4eij7ZQ

I heard Tito Puente was on there once and they made him play the drum kit while Anton played the timbales.

Maybe it's a way for the guys in the show band to let real bands know that they're studio musicians for hire and they're available for recording?

Yeah, Will Lee never did a single jingle vocal until he was discovered during that Chili Peppers performance.

Okay so this is pretty fucking hysterical too, The La's "There She Goes" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVd2x0EpnYA&feature=related

funny becuase Shafers on the tambourine, the guitarist brought out the old Rickenbacker AND for the lead singer who supposedly demanded a mixer with the original 60's dust still on it when recording the album, this must surely be the sound he had in mind...

plus a Beatles bonus in the end. I LOVE it

This is great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwhyGz2tQJc

Is that the clip where Paul throws his tampon into the crowd?

I had never seen that Dinosaur jr clip before - Mascis just SLAUGHTERS that house guitarist!

If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up
Posted: August 26, 2007 5:33:29 PM
Something to do with budgets? I can't really remember. When the Letterman group played with L7, they had something like a total of six guitars going. Pretty crunchy.

I'm glad that we have that shaky version of "Trompe le Monde" (Black Francis in fine voice though) with bad Schaffer soloing and somewhat forced literate skronk guitar-work from Sid McGinnis.

Was watching this clip for a while before I realized it must be from Letterman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jeZtxB_pGI&feature=related

Aargh the dreaded end page, try again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jeZtxB_pGI&feature=related

Forget it. It's The Bangles singing "If She Knew What She Whats."

"Wants"

Tarfumes mentioned this over on the VU thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2u_xYIEOCg

The Kinks on Leno in '93 except it's really Ray & Dave with Leno's rhythm section and pianist.

Back to Letterman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o11abgxUxsc

The B-52's doing "Love Shack" backed by The World's Most Dangerous Band.

with Kate doing the "TIN ROOF...RUSTED" cause clearly Cindy is under the weather.

I also love how they walk out and just instantly go into the song, no hesitation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zizL69E362E

ZZ Top: "Pincushion" w/the CBS band

I think I remember a band (Pere Ubu, early 90s?) where only two or three members had been invited to play on the show, and were complaining about it somewhere.

Looking at the longest version of their appearance, in the intro Dave mentions that the band had to pay their own way to New York after both their label and NBC refused to. So if that's true, and Letterman's people where like, "Only three of you can be on the show, and Paul gets to sing harmony"...yeah, I'd be pissed too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7dhvuq0cEY

"Oh, one more thing: Anton gets to play congas AND regular drums!"

Here's an interesting one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRC2yPiqyU0

XTC's first performance _period_ in 7 years, doing "King For A Day" in the summer of '89, and needing the backing since there were only three guys in the band by then.

Pere Ubu’s label at the time (Fontana) refused to pay for their flights to play on Letterman because the album wasn’t selling. Someone — probably David Thomas — helpfully pointed out that $2500 was not a huge expense for a major label for a national US TV appearance that might help boost sales. Due to the publicity surrounding this, Jane’s Addiction, R.E.M., and others helped pay for Ubu’s travel. I was a huge Ubu fan at the time, but I missed the show. When I eventually saw it, I wondered why such a startlingly unique band would waste this opportunity by playing one of their dullest songs.

The only band I know of that turned down a Letterman appearance because of the house band stipulation was the Replacements, but I assume there were others. And Anton Fig is one of the worst drummers in the history of sound.

Yeah, what is the deal with that guy? I actually saw him play live once and it did not change my opinion.

The only band I know of that turned down a Letterman appearance because of the house band stipulation was the Replacements, but I assume there were others. And Anton Fig is one of the worst drummers in the history of sound.

I wasn't surprised to see his name pop up in the credits for Dylan's "Clean Cut Kid" on Empire Burlesque - it makes the complete suckage of that track all the more understandable - but he's also on Cyndi Lauper's She's So Unusual and I love that album. I guess he works with that album's production because in a way they wanted something like a drum machine without completely sounding like one.

FWIW, this is still one of my favorite 'Viewer Mail' moments.

Not Letterman's band, but re: the Replacements, when Westerberg returned to SNL, I liked how he made use of the show's horn section for "Can't Hardly Wait." It's one of the few times I've seen a musical guest benefit from the house band. (I still prefer the "Tim" version, but the horn arrangement on the Pleased to Meet Me version is actually pretty good in its own right.)

I guess he works with that album's production because in a way they wanted something like a drum machine without completely sounding like one.

Fig is on a few records where his awfulness doesn't intrude, but he's also on no fewer than NINE Joe Bonamassa albums, which cancels out any positives in his discography.

I actually saw him play live once and it did not change my opinion.

I almost went to see Booker T and the MGs in 1991, but decided against it when I found out Fig was the drummer on that tour. I can't think of a worse possible choice for that band.

Imagine Metallica on Letterman with Paul on keyboards and no Lars

...or Lars in the back thrashing a triangle!

I would've liked to have seen the whole Grateful Dead or .38 Special on there. Three drummers!

But but but...one of them would be Anton Fig.

_I guess he works with that album's production because in a way they wanted something like a drum machine without completely sounding like one._

Fig is on a few records where his awfulness doesn't intrude, but he's also on no fewer than NINE Joe Bonamassa albums, which cancels out any positives in his discography.

_I actually saw him play live once and it did not change my opinion._

I almost went to see Booker T and the MGs in 1991, but decided against it when I found out Fig was the drummer on that tour. I can't think of a worse possible choice for that band.

Named.

Anyway, when I saw him in more recent times he was playing with a jazz-metal guitarist and actually taking solos. There are some things one shouldn’t hear.

As good a thread as any to marvel at the very of its time guest band Paul put together for the 5th anniversary show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niVcUXN_8gs
(starts at 8:05)

Freddie Hubbard
Clarence Clemons
Grover Washington Jr.
Peter Frampton
Andy Summers
Felix Cavaliere
Herbie Hancock

Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians's appearances meant Morris was either not there or playing a tambourine instead of his drums. And I think Andy once just had his arms crossed the entire time.

I was curious about Fig, because I hate his playing and his sound but he seems to get a lot of work, and indeed, almost everything he played on (at least as listed on Wiki) is pretty shitty. But he was the principal drummer on "Erotica."

Now Anton Fier, he was pretty dope, but I think he's retired.

For a while he was working in a coffee shop/restaurant until it closed. Thought he most be the owner, but nope, just an employee.

There's a little montage of musical guests starting at 1:17:30 here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdncPaRZZek

Some are during the Anton years, and some (thankfully) during the Steve Jordan years. I also remember Shaffer and Carole King playing a killer "Chest Fever" on the Radio City Wurlitzers, but it either got cut from this, or I imagined it.

oh wait, found it, it was from the 6th anniversary show (at 37:57):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdncPaRZZek

ugh shit sorry here it is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV1rZzc6ClI

Forgot that both Steve Jordan AND Fig played on the Stones' Dirty Work! I like Jordan quite a bit so it's strange to see hear them doing more or less the same gigs. "How do we want the drumming? Because we've covered both sides of the spectrum with the two we've hired for this session!"

I love Anton Fier, it's sad that he stopped playing a while ago (at least a few years now). Maybe he had a good reason and doesn't miss it, but I feel that's unlikely.

I haven't been able to find a listing of which Dirty Work tracks Jordan or Fig play on, but my guess is that Jordan could be on just about any track -- he can sound uncannily like Watts -- and Fig is probably on "Winning Ugly," since it sounds nothing like Watts or Jordan. And because it's awful.

David Marchese gave "Winning Ugly" an apt description - it sounds exactly like the kind of thing you'd hear in an '80s Dan Aykroyd comedy. Play it over Trading Places or Spies Like Us, it'll probably match perfectly.

I do like this opening bit he did on Letterman with Ringo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5avrzeQ3ZsM

which Dirty Work tracks Jordan or Fig play on

The Rolling Stones database on timeisonourside.com suggests that Anton Fig is playing percussion on "Back to Zero", the album's Talking Heads pastiche, but that may be guesswork.

Looking at that 10th anniversary montage and finding some performances worth investigating further

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mir_awnzhI

Black Crowes, except it's the Robinson Bros. and their other guitar dude circa 1990: "Jealous Again"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTut68r_Q-E

Bob Weir & Jerry Garcia sit in with the World's Most Dangerous Band and do "When I Paint My Masterpiece" in '87

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgAtnL5r-F0

Sinead O'Conner: "Mandinka" (this clip booed at the 10th Anniversary BTW)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PsnvLrK5cM

Van Morrison w/Georgie Fame sitting in for Paul!: "Whenever God Shines His Light" & "Have I Told You Lately?"

Oh wow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxofd9whblw

The Breeders, except it's the Deals and Jim Macpherson is relegated to shaker and tympani(!): "So Sad About Us"

Has Viva Shaf Vegas been mentioned yet? Don’t think so.

Another WOW: Paul backing Kate Bush on "The Man With The Child In His Eyes" from SNL

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3krnke

Paul and co jamming with Joan Jett on Roadrunner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFJ7BFU3iKM

On a related note, here's Julee Cruise w/the SNL band when she and the Spanic Boys pitch-hit for Sinead in '90.

https://vimeo.com/145203027

Borrowing from the "Controversial Opinions" thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29mx2bYvrJk

Herbie Hancock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htqlOFuO-QM

#onethread

Slightly fixated on that Jon Lovitz-looking background dancer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-LZodq5Qxg

Ray Davies & The Max Weinberg 7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYB22jmw3YY

David Johansen & The Max Weinberg 7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQR52G6gvSk

📹

There's a bunch of Lou Reed clips like this, but singling this one out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVFcj-QLpu0

"Busload of Faith" during a Chicago residency. The Lou Mullet is OUT OF CONTROL

^^James Cotton on harp!

an example of this I quite admire is when XTC were on the show in 1989. I *think* this is the one and only time they played live on television after 1982 and PS and his band do a pretty good job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amx5CK7vdoc

from an interview with the plugz' bassist re: their famous/great turn as bob dylan's band on letterman in 1984:

Paul Shaffer tried to jam along with us at soundcheck. It didn't go well for Paul. Bob told Bill Graham, “Lose the clown on the keyboard.”