CHRIS WHITLEY appreciation thread! And his little girl Trixie...so fine.

It's a real shame that proposed documentary never saw the light of day - more people should know about Chris Whitley.

 

Din was the first of his albums I heard - picked up on the off chance one day. Loved the grungy, distorted sound and the dark lyrics, the cover of Some Candy... fitted right in.

So, it came as a surprise when I heard Dirt Floor, but that was A Good Thing, as I have a liking for resonator guitars.

Most of his other albums followed...And Black Dub...And Trixie solo...

One of my mates is a big fan (hence how I heard Dirt Floor) and Chris Whitley was like our little secret, as no-one else we know likes him. Their loss.

 

These are must have's, in my opinion. Din of Ecstasy got panned because of its change of form, but it is really good. Living With The Law is a Texas songwriter classic.

 

In my personal charts, Living With The Law tops both Pepper & Pet Sounds

 

I was fortunate enough to see him at the El Macambo, Toronto ON,
23/01/1992. Lawd, it was loud!
If you've got an itch, it must be scratched; from the brilliant album,
Living With the Law:

"Make the Dirt Stick" - Chris Whitley.

 

I only saw him once, sometime around 2001 or '02. He was great. I haven't played his music in years but now I have to pull out Dirt Floor for a spin. I love the simpleness of the recording, just a guitar and a voice. Superb.

 

Love that one. Really is amazing with just mostly his voice and fine guitar work.

 

I’m a big Chris fan - my friend Billy Ward played drums with him - I always liked this performance:
Interesting note - Billy said that for Chris’ music he reconfigured his drum kit so as not to fall into the usual patterns one might typically use. That’s the kind of approach that his music called for IMO... Chris was a real unique talent and I’m so glad it was passed down to Trixie, and that she's making great music...

 

I saw him a few times. First, opening for Petty in L.A. in 1991. Chris and his band burnt the Sports Arena to the ground. Or that's how it felt at the time.

Then in the late 90s I guess I saw him at least twice at the Borderline, small club in London that at that time was quite Americana-focused. Just Chris, national steel, banjo and stomp box. A couple of the most intense shows I ever witnessed.

 

Yes, I agree. Kudos to your friend for recognizing that and responding. I haven't seen Trixie until now but she really has her dad's facial features doesn't she? At least at certain angles.

 

Funny that I should stumble on this thread, because I just -- literally, last week -- pulled my CD of Living With The Law off the shelf and finally ripped it to iTunes and heard it in its entirety for the first time in probably 20 years. What a great album. I never got any of his other ones, and that CD became a bit of a frozen memory, sealed in amber and an instant reminder of 1992. Sorry to hear that he passed away -- I'll have to go back and check out his other albums now.

 

I had never heard of Chris Whitley before I went to the Gov’t Mule show at the Opera House in Toronto on 10/5/99 and he was the opener. I was quite impressed with his performance and picked up the album Live At Martyrs, since it was representative of the show I was at. I liked it well enough but never did follow up with any of his other albums. My impression was that I really think you needed to see him live on stage doing his thing to truly appreciate it. Some artists are like that.

 

Sometimes the stars align in your favor. After reading this thread I decided I needed to add Living With The Law to my Whitley collection. I went into my local and the only thing they had by Chris was one copy of LWTL. So it's spinning now as I type. It's as good as everyone here said it was. Thanks.

 

I've been playing Living With The Law a lot since acquiring it last week. It's been spending a lot of time in my car's player too.