Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Pretty self-explanatory
Post Reply
User avatar
docinwestchester
Posts: 2321
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Westchester County, NY

Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by docinwestchester »

Video recording for the first time was really difficult for many reasons I won't bore you with. Because Steve is isolated on the side of the stage I had to make the decision to move the camera to feature him, which was often difficult to do on the fly without adding a lot of shaky camera motions. The vast majority of EC videos on YouTube never show Steve and I was determined to change that. Fortunately I caught a few good moments, including this one starting at about 3:13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2ShQ1MvAGc

Watching this, I flashbacked to so many of those late 70's/early 80's videos featuring a much skinnier Steve standing/crouching, head bobbing, body rocking back and forth, sometimes cigarette in mouth, putting on his own private show. In this '84 clip, he nearly falls down at around 2:20

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

Bottom line, we all know about Steve's musical contributions, but he's also fun to watch!
User avatar
Jack of All Parades
Posts: 5716
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:31 am
Location: Where I wish to be

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Truthfully, as I watched and listened to the performance in Boston last month, it hit me what an enormous space he occupies upon that stage. It is not the physical space tucked away as he was but the sheer sonic space he provides to the songs. The inspired embellishments that he offers within individual songs makes up for the lack of a real polished lead guitarist. He also allows EC to concentrate on the vocal presentation not having to worry about carrying the melodic weight of a given song. That has to be a tremendous asset in a working, professional band like The Imposters.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
User avatar
Otis Westinghouse
Posts: 8856
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 3:32 pm
Location: The theatre of dreams

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

I enjoyed seeing him with Squeeze last year, first time without Elvis. He constantly created surprises and impressive touches.

My second time seeing him will be next month at this intriguing event, a recreation of Tom Waits' Rain Dogs, easily one of my favourite albums ever:

http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event- ... p?ID=12049

Can't wait to see what Steve will bring to that!
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
User avatar
the_platypus
Posts: 367
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 1:14 pm
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by the_platypus »

Steve is truly the man.
sulky lad
Posts: 2425
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:21 pm
Location: Out of the kitchen,she's gone with the wind

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by sulky lad »

I've always loved Steve's contributions to Elvis work both live and in the studio but the 1999 and 2003 tours were sublime for me ( I attended nearly all the UK 1999 shows) just because of the variety and texture of Steve's playing. Both my brother and father are highly qualified church organists and so I feel I have reasonable insight regarding the playing of most keyboards and Steve's ability to improvise is out of this world. I remember being close to tears when he threw in a line from "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring " by J.S.Bach into "I Want You". It seemed a perfect juxtaposition not only musically but also by contrast from the sublime purity of Bach's vision to the complete opposite of Costello's darkest interpretation of obsessional love. And Steve has the most perfectly formed "Human hands" I've ever seen !!
User avatar
Otis Westinghouse
Posts: 8856
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 3:32 pm
Location: The theatre of dreams

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Was that a one-off re the Bach bit in I Want You? Or might I be able to check it out on a bootleg I have somewhere? I've been thinking of I Want You this last week given that a week ago I was sitting right at the back of the Hammersmith Apollo very near to where I'd stood in Sept 2002 (literally days after signing up for the then incarnation of this board) and watched Elv do a show-stopping encore of that very song. Probably the single best song moment of my various EC gigs (nothing compared to you, a paltry 12 or something). I seem to recall his face being frame by a small square of light at the end, and it was a real 'could have heard a pun drop' moment. Pure drama, but very dark and intense with it. I tried to work out after if he'd embarked on his relationship with DK or not, I think so, can't recall.

I think I've written this a couple of times since and maybe seen others do the same, but the keyboard break in Only Flame In Town is very much inspired by the melody of Jesu Joy of MD, nicht wahr?
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
sulky lad
Posts: 2425
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:21 pm
Location: Out of the kitchen,she's gone with the wind

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by sulky lad »

I'll dredge through my recordings from 1999 and see if I can pick out the show that I heard that but I have a feeling that it was played a few times ( memory is a real let-down isn't it. I think we first met at Hammersmith in 2002 didn't we Otis ? I'm hoping to get a DVD of that show and I'll record you a copy when I get it :)
User avatar
Otis Westinghouse
Posts: 8856
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 3:32 pm
Location: The theatre of dreams

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

I'll try and find one (or got to Dime) as I'd love to hear it myself.

I didn't meet anyone at that gig. I was intrigued by the idea that these strange people who invented names for themselves and interacted online could be standing next to one another and not knowing it. I'd only got home internet that year and it was all a novelty.

Would love a copy of that show if you do get the DVD, especially to see the above. I recall he opened with Miracle Man. I also remember being blown away by Human Hands. Great setlist:

http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... 2002-09-13
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
User avatar
verbal gymnastics
Posts: 13637
Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2003 6:44 am
Location: Magic lantern land

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Steve is just an absolute genius.

I love the way he inserts all kinds of songs. Recently I've been listening to some shows - in one of them he plays The Avengers theme, in another he plays the James Bond theme, in another he plays In an English Country Garden.

I think the older Elvis has come to appreciate just how wonderful he is.

And he's a great bloke to boot having twice now offered to put me and sulky lad on his guest list. Shame the first time we were on it the gig was postponed (Bournemouth 2002 which was rescheduled to 2003) and then Amsterdam when I was flying home the next day and had only booked the one show with the Metropole Orkestra. Well you don't go with the intent of being offered a guest list pass for the next night do you?

Next time maybe!
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
User avatar
docinwestchester
Posts: 2321
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Westchester County, NY

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by docinwestchester »

"Theme From A Summer Place" has become an integral part of the end of PLU:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlyjr6Zx1QQ

The original by Percy Faith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsiS-v6_6M
User avatar
Man out of Time
Posts: 1827
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:15 am
Location: just off the coast of Europe
Contact:

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by Man out of Time »

There seems to be a mini tour of"Tom Waits Rain Dogs revisited" with Steve on keyboards. A little cross posting from the Tom Waits Fan Forum
http://www.tomwaitsfan.com/forums/viewt ... f=1&t=6556 where these dates are listed.

Steve is involved, which may explain the current hiatus in the second leg of the Revolver USA tour :

10/07/2011 Rain Dogs revisited Lyon FR Les Nuits de Fourvière
11/07/2011 Rain Dogs revisited Montreux CH Montreux Jazz
13/07/2011 Rain Dogs revisited London UK Barbican Centre
20/11/2011 Rain Dogs revisited Eindhoven, Muziekgebouw
22/11/2011 Rain Dogs revisited Paris FR Salle Pleyel

Curiously, Elvis will be playing Eindhoven on 18 November (and I have a ticket). Perhaps Steve will pop up there, or will we hear little bits of Rain Dogs creeping into the set on the Revolver tour?

MOOT
User avatar
Otis Westinghouse
Posts: 8856
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 3:32 pm
Location: The theatre of dreams

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Indeed, had already got my ticket given that Rain Dogs is my favourite Tom Waits albums, and therefore one of my favourite albums per se, and then was delighted to also find Steve involved. Line up looks interesting. Thanks for that link to the Waits forum, which in turn had a nice link to a lengthy clip about the project. No Steve on it, but various of the singers. Looking forward to seeing St Vincent, and Camille O'Sullivan seems interesting. In fact I think it's going to be a top evening. And also Seb Rochford, the man with the hair from interesting British jazz combo Polar Bear, will be drumming, which make it a perfect night out.

I'm pretty well resigned to never seeing Waits live, so this is as close as it will get. Will report back!
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
bronxapostle
Posts: 4914
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:27 pm

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by bronxapostle »

docinwestchester wrote:"Theme From A Summer Place" has become an integral part of the end of PLU:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlyjr6Zx1QQ

The original by Percy Faith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsiS-v6_6M
just saw this tonight doc...STEVE has been playing "A SUMMER PLACE" during PLU for like thirty years now!!! :lol:
User avatar
docinwestchester
Posts: 2321
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Westchester County, NY

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by docinwestchester »

bronxapostle wrote:
docinwestchester wrote:"Theme From A Summer Place" has become an integral part of the end of PLU:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlyjr6Zx1QQ

The original by Percy Faith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsiS-v6_6M
just saw this tonight doc...STEVE has been playing "A SUMMER PLACE" during PLU for like thirty years now!!! :lol:
I realize that, but it took me about 30 yrs to identify the name of the tune. I've heard it on elevators all my life but never knew the name.
bronxapostle
Posts: 4914
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:27 pm

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by bronxapostle »

aw come on...i'm not THAT much older. but, i guess it was the RIGHT one year to know A SUMMER PLACE! did you hear "do ya think i'm sexy?" by steve during turpentine at columbus 6-19?
User avatar
docinwestchester
Posts: 2321
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Westchester County, NY

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by docinwestchester »

bronxapostle wrote:aw come on...i'm not THAT much older. but, i guess it was the RIGHT one year to know A SUMMER PLACE! did you hear "do ya think i'm sexy?" by steve during turpentine at columbus 6-19?
No, I'll have to go back and listen again. Funny idea though.
User avatar
Otis Westinghouse
Posts: 8856
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 3:32 pm
Location: The theatre of dreams

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Fresh from a new dose of the Professor! The Rain Dogs Revisited show was superb. I was sat stage right, pretty close to Steve (though sadly opposite side to the magnificent, extravagantly haired Seb Rochford on drums). Amazing, varied bunch of singers. Highlights for me were mad Irish chanteuse Camille O'Sullivan and especially St Vincent, who gave outstanding renditions of Downtown Trains and Tango Till They're Sore. It was a musical feast, a great celebration of a masterpiece of a record, but not a copy of it, much more a reimagining. It wasn't all perfect and there were moments I was pining for his gravel voice to take over, but wow, this was a really special experience, and one I wouldn't have missed for anything. Waits would be perfectly accompanied by this backing band.



There was a lovely interlude when Nieve was on the grand and he played just with the superb double bass player, and I thought 'I know this' - as far as I can tell, it was 'Johnsburg, Illinois' with no words and extended. Steve showed off all his subtlety here.

It occurs to me I've seen Elvis and Steve an equal number of times. The majority of the 11 or 12 times has involved both, but Guernsey 1980 and Sugarcanes last year were Nieve-free, and to compensate I've now seen Steve with Squeeze and tonight! he looked great with a groovy shirt and a mad, glittery, bobbled cap.

Brilliant. If I never see Waits, at least I've seen some of his finest songs performed.
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
User avatar
Otis Westinghouse
Posts: 8856
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 3:32 pm
Location: The theatre of dreams

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

No shots of Steve here, but some nice tinkling piano to be heard and, I believe, an 'ondes martenot'. An indication of how extensive the reworking of the songs was:
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
The imposter
Posts: 600
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 4:37 am
Location: Permanent Vacation

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by The imposter »

My thoughts on Steve Nieve ?

Steve has been an intrinsic part of Elvis' sound and thereby success since... well, practically the beginning.

I recall EC saying that the fact that The Attractions had a “real” keyboard player (ie somebody who could REALLY play) set them apart from their rivals. There are so many instances where his contribution effectively “makes” the record. “Oliver's Army” for starters.

I recently had the privilidge of listening to a recording from Manchester (15 Nov 99) of that fabulous C & N tour. Thanks to Top Balcony.

http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... 1999-11-15

Although it's not the best recording I've heard from that period, it certainly adds weight to my argument that EC was at his vocal and creative peak around this time (96-99)

Why do I suppose this ?

When you look at the setlist, a massive 8 of the 36 songs were unreleased at the time. It's clear that in 1999 Elvis already had about 3 future albums sketched out: WIWC, + parts of the Delivery Man story, while I Dreamed Of My Old Lover eventually appeared on SPS almost 10 years later.

It's a pity there wasn't more recorded output during this time, but fortunately there were plenty of concerts, a few of which I was lucky enough to witness

The stunning reworkings of songs like Talking in the dark, Little triggers, Temptation and countless others were also a breath of fresh air and allowed space for the power of Elvis' voice to come through and for his lyrics and phrasing to come to the fore. Around this time Elvis was also sharpening his mic technique and began singing off-mic to great effect. Steve's maverick style also demanded your attention. Sometimes it was hard to believe there was only one pianist, as Steve appeared to be playing melodica or even percussion at the same time!.

Added to this, there was a whole stack of great songs that appeared “around” this period that sadly have still not found their way onto a “proper” EC album. It could almost be titled the lost EC & SN
album!

Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter
Far From The Prize
Lesson In Cruelty
Suspect My Tears
You Lie Sweetly
You Stole My Bell
Couldn't You Keep That To Yourself,
Passionate Fight,
Punishing Kiss
Three Distracted Woman
Unwanted Number
No Wonder
For The Stars
Just a Curio
Green Song
Rope
Bright Blue Times

I appreciate not all of these were EC/SN cowrites but they are further evidence of a great period of creativity for our man. Incidentally, what became of the intended Steve Nieve's song cycle "Correspondence." ?

There's probably stacks of other stuff they may have co-wrote in the meantime or could no doubt soon muster together.

What I'm getting at is,...I think at this stage I would love to see an album released under both of their names. It would be a fitting tribute to Steve's continued brilliant contribution.
johnfoyle
Posts: 14852
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2003 4:37 pm
Location: Dublin , Ireland

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by johnfoyle »

Former?!?!


http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 16970.html

Rain Dogs Revisited, Barbican, London

(Rated 4/ 5 )

Reviewed by Andy Gill

Wednesday, 20 July 2011



With his mid-Eighties masterpiece Rain Dogs, Tom Waits somehow re-routed the entire history of R&B, jazz, folk and popular song through his peculiar junkyard sensibility, American pop culture re-emerging bolted together in oddly beguiling new shapes, within whose whiskery strains lurked an engaging cast of scufflers, low-lifes and bad boys.

This timely 25th anniversary celebration is undertaken in an appropriately adventurous spirit, its internationally sourced succession of singers supported by a house band of startling range. Former Elvis Costello keyboardist Steve Nieve, for example, layers myriad textures of organ, piano and harmonium, excelling with a heartbreakingly beautiful melodica part on "Blind Love"; and Terry Edwards is a blur of energy as he switches between saxes, trumpet, flute and guitar.

But it's Thomas Bloch who dazzles most, drawing an extraordinary range of sounds from his Ondes Martenot, glass harmonica, and the bizarre reverberations of the Cristal Baschet, whose resonant rods and outsize metal cones dominate the rear of the stage. The combination of his delicate drones and David Coulter's bowed-saw whine makes the poignant setting for both Camille O'Sullivan's whispered "Hang Down Your Head" and Arthur H's wistful "Time".

Elsewhere, O'Sullivan's exuberant, madcap "Singapore" is done as a sort of benign berserker march, ending with Tom Herbert drawing wooden-ship creaks and groans from his bass as the singer sways back and forth. The Tiger Lillies bring their own absurdist cabaret manner to bear on "Rain Dogs" and "Diamonds & Gold", then mad Swiss punk-folker Erika Stucky arrives, dragging a shovel through the auditorium before keening and murmuring her way through "Jockey Full of Bourbon" and a cacophonous medley of "Union Square/Down Down Down".

The folksy Stef Kamil Carlens capers through a "Cemetery Polka" that he describes with acuity as sounding "like all your dead relatives have come to life, and you owe them money", before US chanteuse St Vincent sails through two of the album's most affecting melodies, "Downtown Train" and "Tango Till They're Sore", with Gallic singer Arthur H bringing proceedings to a close with a funky, swaying "Clap Hands" and a moving "Time". Tom Waits himself would surely struggle to equal the evening's diversity.
littletriggers
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: U.K.

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by littletriggers »

I think a new or revived Channel 4 chat show should hire Steve & the Playboys so we can have him back on our TVs every week.
User avatar
docinwestchester
Posts: 2321
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Westchester County, NY

Re: Thoughts On Steve Nieve

Post by docinwestchester »

Steve never fails to amaze. He gets a nice shout-out by EC at the end of the song, and what does he do? He gets up and walks off-stage without even acknowledging the audience with a simple bow of the head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGKPbf5LIIU#t=3m09s
I Still Have That Other Girl

He's a brilliant pianist, but far too modest.
Post Reply