General 3 — RACK'EM RECORDS

Live Chicago 1987 (2009)

1 Driving To The Poor House 5:01

Written-By – Joe Ely

2 Don't Put A Lock On My Heart 4:02

Written-By – Eddie Beethoven, Joe Ely

3 Me And Billy The Kid 3:43

Written-By – Butch Hancock

4 Letter To L.A. 11:27

Written-By – Joe Ely

5 Lord Of The Highway 3:18

Written-By – Joe Ely

6 Cool Rockin' Loretta 7:31

Written-By – Eddie Beethoven, Joe Ely

7 Musta Notta Gotta Lotta 3:51

Written-By – Joe Ely

8 Fingernails 7:08

Written-By – Joe Ely

9 My Baby Thinks She's French

Written-By – Joe Ely

10 Oh Boy! 3:32

Written-By – Bill Tilghman, Norman Petty, Sonny West

Mastered at – Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO

Made by – EMA (3)

Published by – Eiffel Tower Music

Published by – Bug Music

Published by – Rainlight Music

Published by – ERE Music

Published by – EMI April Music

Published by – WMI (4)

Published by – April Music

Published by – Wren Music Co.

Credits

Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocals – Joe Ely

Art Direction – Kathy Marcus

Bass Guitar – Jimmy Pettit

Drums – Davis McLarty

Electric Guitar – David Grissom

Engineer – Jim Wilson (6)

Photography By [Cover] – Linda Early

Photography By [Inside] – Godlis

Saxophone – Bobby Keys

“This release (on Ely’s own label) is especially welcome, because it features the band when it included not only a young David Grissom on guitar but rock sax legend Bobby Keyes. That same lineup was responsible for one of Joe’s best-ever albums, Lord Of The Highway, brand-new at the time of this gig, but by 1990, when Ely cut Live At Liberty Lunch, Keyes was gone – no doubt off playing with his sometimes employers, the Rolling Stones.

“This much-bootlegged Chicago performance comes from a single night, presented with no edits or overdubs – most likely at Park West (although no one’s quite sure). Grissom and the rhythm section of bassist Jimmy Pettit and drummer Davis McLarty (who, with guitarist David Holt, would gig on off nights as the Booze Weasels) were tight and muscular – the type of band that approached playing live like a racehorse busting out of the gate. Grissom launches into the stratosphere with an ease and consistency that’s remarkable – especially on “Don’t Put A Lock On My Heart” and on “L.A.,” where he’s preceded by a Keyes solo that’s the sax equivalent of saying “Follow that!” Just when you think he’s finished his response to Keyes’ call, he pauses, then comes up for air with a final, staggering burst.

“It’s almost cruel to say, “If you never saw this band….” – because that chance has passed. But thankfully, later converts and career-fans can experience together this snapshot of one of the best bands to ever incinerate a stage.”

– Dan Forte / Vintage Guitar

If you haven't seen Joe Ely live you have missed one hard working, entertaining performer that gives his all, even playing solo acoustic, but on this disc he has one of the hottest bands you will ever hear. This concert captures the essence and sweat of the music these guys grew up with and played with, hard working performers that go out of their way every night in a new town to put their names into the hearts and minds of those who come to see them.

“This is what you want a live disc to be, the songs you associate with the band, plus a couple of lesser known tunes to break things up done with the passion and excitement that only an appreciative crowd can elicit. One of the best and most exciting live discs I've heard.”

– Bob Gottleib / FAME Magazine

“Live Shots (1980), Live at Liberty Lunch (1990), Live @ Antone's (2000), Live Cactus! (2008) – Joe Ely's heart beats onstage. Live Chicago 1987 isn't about to break the Austin firebrand's mean streak, either. Precursor to the Lunch gig three years later, Chicago bustles with Ely's second classic lineup (David Grissom, Davis McLarty, Jimmy Pettit) and throws in Stones sideman and fellow Lubbock wildcat Bobby "Brown Sugar" Keyes on saxophone for added licks. On Ely's epic "Letter to L.A.," Keyes blows from "Waiting on a Friend" to "You Can't Always Get What You Want," with Grissom cranking like both Keith and Ronnie. No wonder Springsteen always guests the bandleader onstage whenever he's in Texas; Ely drives a hard bargain. Butch Hancock's swaggering "Lord of the Highway" never sounded so ramrod, after which the 55-minute set floors it. Live @ Antone's closer "Oh Boy!," Buddy Holly's monument to true-hearted flatlanders, here lives and breathes Joe Ely.”

– Raoul Hernandez / Austin Chronicle

LYRICS

LIVE CHICAGO

1.DRIVIN TO THE POORHOUSE

Drivin' to the Poorhouse in a Limosine

Livin' on soda-pop and nicotine

Brushin' off the glitter from a 2nd-Hand suit.

Lookin' for a Marks-A-Lot to polish my boots.

That's the life I live in a rock and roll band

Drivin' to the Poorhouse just as fast as I can.

Sleepin' in the back-seat at the Shopping Mall

Parkin' at the pay phone waitin for a call

If it wasn't for 'collect' and 'I.O.U.'

I'd be up to my neck in 'Overdue'

Me and my baby rollin' hand in hand

Drivin' to the Poorhouse just as fast as I can.

Diggin' through the bottles and magazines

Hope I got some money for some gasoline

Government agents nippin at my heels.

I'm a limo-length ahead of a jailhouse meal.

Me and my baby rollin' hand in hand

Drivin' to the Poo house just as fast as I can.

Feelin' like a sailor in a submarine

Feedin' quarters to the car-wash keepin' her clean.

Dropped my last dime thru the cracks in the floor

Hope the promotor don't take the back door.

Me and my baby rollin' hand in hand

Drivin' to the Poorhouse just as fast as I can.

Fat-assed businessmen suckin my blood

Slingin my name like it was mud

If I go to hell in a Cadillac

Give 'em my money and I won't look back

I ain't gonna be treated this a way

I ain't gonna be tzeated this a way

I ain't gonna be treated this a way

2.DON’T PUT A LOCK ON MY HEART

By Joe Ely, Dykes Donald Elwood

I got your letter in the mailbox, honey

Love flies, when you're far away

When I get home I'll give you all o' my money

Don't put a lock on my heart

Time will tell about romantic situations

Recollections are my only friend

I'll call you, baby, when I reach my destination

Don't put a lock on my heart

We can arbitrate with sexy incantations

Fill the void like we used to do

Growin' old is just a minor complication

Don't put a lock on my heart

3. ME AND BILLY THE KID

BY JOE ELY

Me and Billy the Kid never got along

I didn't like the way he cocked his hat

And he wore his gun all wrong.

We had the same girlfriend

And he never forgot it

She had a cute little Chihuahua

Until one day he up and shot it

He rode the hard country down the New Mexico line

He had a silver pocketwatch that he never did wind.

He crippled the piano player

For playin' his favorite song

No, Me and Billy the Kid never got along

Me and Billy the Kid never got along

I didn't like the way he parted his hair

And he wore his gun all wrong

He was bad to the bone

All hopped up on speed.

I would've left him alone

If it wasn't for that Senorita

He gave her silver and he paid her hotel bill

But it was me she loved and she said she always will.

I'd always go and see her

When Billy was gone

Yeah, Me and Billy the Kid never got along

Me and Billy the Kid never got along

I didn't like the way he tied his shoes

And he wore his gun all wrong

One day I said to Billy

"I've got this foolproof scheme"

We'll rob Wells Fargo

"It's bustin at the seams."

I admit that I framed him but I don't feel bad

Cause the way I was livin' was drivin' me mad

Billy reached for his gun

But his gun was on wrong

Yeah, Me and Billy the Kid never got along

Me and Billy the Kid never got along

But I did like the way he swayed in the wind

While I played him his favorite song

Now my baby sings harmony with me

To "La Cucaracha"

She winds her silver pocket watch

And pets her new Chihuahua

I moved in to the Hotel and got a room with a shower

We lay and listen to that watch tick hour after hour

Outside I hear the wind

Blowin' o so strong

Me and Billy the Kid never got along

4. LETTER TO LA

You're afraid to lose your cover

Afraid to bare your soul

Like an Alfred Hitchcock lover

Who slowly goes out of control

Your love is like the city

Only shines at night

Your love has no pity

Baby baby that's all right

Your vanity is your castle

You're like a neon sign

And the poor lost souls in your shadows

You forget, they are friends of mine.

Your love is like the city

Only shines at night

Your love has no pity

Baby baby that's all right

Little Johnny Vain lost his head

While you broke a young girls heart.

And Cecil D. Demille once gave to you

The 'Cast of Millions' part.

Your love is like the city

Only shines at night

Your love has no pity

Baby baby that's all right

How many memories have you, honey,

Swept beneath the bed?

And how many roses have you, honey,

Watered till they bled?

5.LORD OF THE HIWAY

BY BUTCH HANCOCK

With your fan belt slippin' and your bare tires squealin'

Every time you hit the road you think you're rich.

You're Lord of the Highway but the way you been drivin'

Sends them hitch-hikers divin' for the ditch

Well the law's on your trail and there's another law to lead you

And yet another law to let you down

And the laws of the game they're the very same that freed you

The Lord of the Highway gets around

You weren't the only one who saw the dark days a commin'

And you weren't the only one who shut em out.

It was nothin like your pride; it was somethin' deep inside

That saw the Shimmer felt the Shake and heard the Shout

So lay it on thick if you lay it on at all

If you're gonna do the job, do it right

If you gotta hit the road, leave your burdens behind you

The Lord of the Highway travels light.

With your air cleaner hissin' and your radiator steamin'

And the sun burnin' bugs to the glass

You're Lord of the Highway, you're livin' you're not dreamin'

And if time really wants to, let it pass.

You'll be miles down the road when the toll bridge is burnin'

And your mirrors face foward at last.

You got what it takes to be Lord of the Highway

The Lord of the Highway travels fast.

6. COOL ROCKIN’ LORRETTA

By Joe Ely / Eddie Beethoven

Hey operator, cancel the phone call

I hear somebody knockin' at the door

Lookie here it's Loretta and she never looked better

Her arms full of groceries from the store

My, my, my

Ain't she fine

My, my, my

Ain't she fine

Cool rockin' Loretta

Racin' is my trade, she works as a housemaid

On weekends don't you know it's paradise

Even though we got no dough, it don't bother Loretta though

She turns them red hot mamas into ice

My, my, my

Ain't she fine

My, my, my

Ain't she fine

Cool rockin' Loretta

I want an antenna, baby, she wants a clothesline

Then we'll be livin' like the rich folks do

I'll pick up Chicago on my transistor radio

Loretta she can stay in bed till noon

My, my, my

Ain't she fine

My, my, my

Ain't she fine

Cool rockin' Loretta

My, my, my

Cool rockin' Loretta

My, my, my

My, my, my,

My, my, my

7. MUSSTA NOTTA GOTTA LOTTA

BY JOE ELY

Please understand me everything's all right

I just musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night

Writin' you a letter it's late in the night

Sittin' in a caffe honey eatin' a bite

I'm telln' you about where all I've been

Hot dog I'm gone again

Please understand me everything's all right

I just musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night

Now there's two kind of people in this big 'ol town

There's the early to rise and the late to go down

I guess I better find a better way to stop the clock

Hot dog I like it a lot

Please understand me everything's all right

I just musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night, yeah, hot dog

Please understand me everything's all right

I just musta notta gotta lotta sleep last night

8. FINGERNAILS

BY JOE ELY

I keep my fingernails long

So they click when I play the piano

I keep my fingernails long

So they click when I play the piano

I'm gonna keep 'em that way

Till the swallows get back from Texarkana

I keep my fingernails long

So they click when I play the piano

I keep my fingernails long

So they click when I play the piano

I'm gonna keep 'em that way

Till the swallows get back from Louisiana

Well, I used to chew 'em off

I was nervous over you

I missed that clickin', tickin' sound

Honey, what I'm gonna do

Is keep my fingernails long

So they click when I play the piano

I keep my fingernails long

So they click when I play the piano

I'm gonna keep 'em that way

Till the swallows get back from Alabama

9.MY BABY THINKS SHE’S FRENCH

BY JOE ELY

My Baby Thinks She's French

She plays a spainish guitar

At the coffee bar

She's takin' self-defense

My Baby Thinks She's French

She like the rose perfume

In the afternoon with her chocolate mints

She thinks she's French she likes to kiss and kiss

Her Flame is hard to Quench!

My Baby Thinks She's French

She drive a Citroen car

She sings me Ooo wa wa

She's prone to accidents

My Baby Thinks She's French

Well its Paris this

And its Paris that, it makes me cringe

She thinks she's French she likes to kiss and kiss

Her Flame is hard to quench!

My Baby Thinks She's French

She reads Madamaselle

And when the clock strikes twelve

She wants to give me a pinch…My Baby Thinks She's French

She's a Texas doll

She likes shopping malls where the mood is French

With a southern drawl

They say come back y'all

And they never even flench!

My Baby Thinks She's French

She wants to start a fire

In the Eiffel Tower

She's lost all common sense!!

My Baby Thinks She's French

She likes the Moulin Rouge

When the sun shines thru

She seldom squints....

She breeds magnificence

10. OH BOY

By Norman Petty, Bill Tilghman & Sonny West

All of my love, all of my kissin'
You don't know what you've been a missin'
Oh boy, when you're with me, oh boy
I want the world to see that you were meant for me

All of my life I've been a waitin'
Tonight there'll be no hesitatin'
Oh boy, when you're with me, oh boy
I want the world to see that you were meant for me

Stars appear and shadows fallin'
You can hear my heart callin'
A little bit of lovin' makes everything right
I'm gonna see my baby tonight

All of my life I've been a waitin'
Tonight there'll be no hesitatin'
Oh boy, when you're with me, oh boy
I want the world to see that you were meant for me

Stars appear and shadows fallin'
You can hear my heart callin'
A little bit of lovin' makes everything right
I'm gonna see my baby tonight

All of my life I've been a waitin'
Tonight there'll be no hesitatin'
Oh boy, when you're with me, oh boy
I want the world to see that you were meant for me

Stars appear and shadows fallin'
You can hear my heart callin'
A little bit of lovin' makes everything right
I'm gonna see my baby tonight

All of my life I've been a waitin'
Tonight there'll be no hesitatin'
Oh boy, when you're with me, oh boy
I want the world to see that you were meant for me

That you were meant for me