Willy DeVille

The Willy DeVille Acoustic Trio - In Berlin (2002) - Eagle

First recording for Willy Deville's (of Mink Deville fame) latest incarnation, recorded live in Berlin in March 2002. Includes eight bonus tracks recorded by the still active Mink Deville band in Stockholm 2002 'One Night Of Sin', 'Steady Drivin' Man', 'Goin' Over The Hill', 'Bamboo Road', 'Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot', 'Carmelita', 'All By Myself & 'Billy The Kid.' A self-taught guitarist, Willy DeVille found his early inspiration in bluesmen like John Hammond Jr., Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker, and these influences pervade this album. It's a great mixture of blues, RB, and Cajun music. Buy his 1987 debut solo album, "Miracle." There is info on Willy Deville's "Crow Jane Alley" album @ WDEV/CJA Willy Deville has never fully received the accolades he deserves for his contribution to music, so check out his albums, and also albums by Mink DeVille. They're all good.

DISC 1 [TRACKS / COMPOSERS]

“St. Peter's Street“ (Seth Farber) - 2:07
“Betty and Dupree“ (Chuck Willis) - 5:03
“It's Too Late She's Gone“ (Chuck Willis) - 4:00
“Spanish Harlem“ (Jerry Leiber, Phil Spector) - 4:08
“Trouble in Mind“ (Richard M. Jones) - 3:29
“Storybook Love“ (Willy DeVille) - 4:23
“Big Blue Diamonds“ (Earl J. Carson) - 4:21
“Shake Sugaree“ (Elizabeth Cotton) - 4:50
“Let It Be Me“ (Gilbert Bécaud, Mann Curtis, Pierre Delanoë) - 4:13
“That Is the Way to Make a Broken Heart“ (John Hiatt) - 4:48
“Hound Dog“ (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 2:44
“Junker's Blues“ (Champion Jack Dupree; traditional) - 3:51
“You Better Move On“ (Arthur Alexander) - 4:05
Night Falls“ (Willy DeVille) - 4:46
“Since I Met You Baby“ (Joe Hunter) - 3:51
“Heaven Stood Still“ (Willy DeVille) - 3:55

Recorded March 21, 2002 at Columbia Hall, Berlin

DISC 2 [TRACKS / COMPOSERS]

“I'm Blue So Blue“ - (Clark) - 4:07
“Keep a Knocking/Sea Cruise“ (Little Richard/Huey Smith) - 4:11
“Shake, Rattle and Roll“ (Charles E. Calhoun) - 5:05
“Rambling on My Mind“ (Robert Johnson) - 7:21
“One Night of Sin“ (Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King, Anita Steiman) - 2:52
“Steady Drivin' Man“ (Willy DeVille) - 6:03
“Goin' Over the Hill“ (Fred McDowell) - 3:26
“Bamboo Road“ (Willy DeVille) - 5:45
“Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot“ (traditional) - 5:03
“Carmelita“ (Warren Zevon) - 4:41
“All by Myself“ (Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino) - 3:10
“Billy the Kid“ (Bob Dylan) - 5:08

Tracks 1 through 4 recorded at Columbia Hall, Berlin; tracks 5 through 12 recorded in Stockholm with The Mink DeVille Band

BAND LINE-UP'S

Acoustic Trio (Berlin concert recordings)
Willy DeVille - vocals, dobro, guitar, harmonica
Seth Farber - piano, background vocals
David Keyes - double bass

The Mink DeVille Band (Stockholm concert recordings)

Willy DeVille - vocals, dobro, guitar, harmonica
Seth Farber - piano, background vocals
David Keyes - double bass
Boris Kinberg - percussion
Freddy Koella - guitar, mandolin, violin
Dorene Wise – background vocals
YaDonna Wise - background vocals

ALBUM INFO (Wikipedia)

Acoustic Trio Live in Berlin is a 2002 album by Willy DeVille. The album consists of concert recordings made in Berlin to celebrate DeVille’s 25 years’ of performing, and concert recordings made in Stockholm. Buscadero, the Italian music magazine, named Acoustic Trio Live in Berlin one of the top-ten albums of 2002 in its critics' poll; its readers' poll named the album the 21st best album of 2002. For the Berlin concerts, DeVille brought along a stripped-down version of his band which he named “The Acoustic Trio.” The Trio consisted of Willy DeVille, Seth Farber, and David Keyes. For the Stockholm recordings, DeVille played with an expanded band—the Mink DeVille Band—that included a guitarist, percussionist, and background singers. Richard Marcus called the album "…a great example of not just Willy's talents as a songwriter, but as an interpreter of songs." He added, "A combination of his world-weary voice and the genuine emotion he seems to be able to invest in any song he sings are certainly a good part of why he is successful where others fail, but there's more to it than that. The intangible quality of having looked into the darker part of your soul and come out the other side with your spirit intact that can't be taught, only experienced, is always present when he performs.” Acoustic Trio Live in Berlin presents cover versions of blues, country, R&B, rock, and soul songs, as well as Willy DeVille originals. It is the second live album by Willy DeVille, the previous live album being 1993’s Willy DeVille Live. Many recordings on this album can also be heard (and seen) on a DVD called The Berlin Concerts.

BIO [ © Craig Harris, allmusic.com ]

The roots of American music, including the blues, R&B, and Cajun music, gave Willy DeVille's (born William Borsey) late-'70s punk band, Mink DeVille, its unique flavor. A quarter of a century later, DeVille continued to blend musical traditions and postmodern intensity. A self-taught guitarist, DeVille found his early inspiration in the blues of John Hammond Jr., Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. Determined to become a musician, he moved to London in 1971, hoping to latch on with a British band. Frustrated by his lack of success, he returned to the United States. Temporarily settling in San Francisco, he spent most of 1972 developing his stage persona in Bay Area clubs. Returning to New York, DeVille was in the right place at the right time. Forming a band, Dilly DeSade & the Marquis, later renamed Mink DeVille, with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer T.R. "Manfred" Allen Jr., he found his roots-oriented rock welcome in the city's burgeoning punk scene. When the independent Omfug label included three of their songs on the multi-artist compilation Live at CBGB's, recorded at the influential New York punk club, their punk connection was assured. With Atlantic acquiring national distribution rights to the album, Mink DeVille became one of the country's top punk bands. Willy DeVille has remained active since the breakup of Mink DeVille in the mid-'80s. His debut solo album, Miracle, was produced in 1987 by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, and included such guests as guitarist Chet Atkins. One tune, "Storybook Love," used in Knopfler's score for the film The Princess Bride, was nominated for an Academy Award. Residing in New Orleans since the early '90s, DeVille featured the city's leading musicians, including Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, and Eddie Bo, on his 1990 album, Victory Mixture. New Orleans-style rhythms remained essential on his 1996 albums, Big Easy Fantasy and Loup Garou. Subsequent releases have focused on DeVille's live shows. Released in 2001, Live combined performances from the Bottom Line in New York and the Olympia Club in Paris. Live in Berlin, released two years later, featured the accompaniment of Seth Farber (piano, background vocals), Boris Kinberg (percussion), Freddy Koella (guitar, mandolin, vocals), David Keyes (bass, background vocals), and YaDonna Wise (background vocals).