Calexico - Dustbowl Live 1998-2005

My introduction to Calexico came in the early 2000s via the wonderful resource that is the Live Music Archive. I'd heard very little by the band at this point so I initially picked a selection of songs then went back over time and downloaded full concerts. The quality of Live Music Archive material can be variable, but the Calexico concerts that I've got have generally been high quality soundboard recordings.

This selection is pretty much my initial download playlist, although I've rejigged the running order here to achieve a slightly less jarring jump between songs. The majority of songs come from Live Music Archive, with a few from Calexico's official website, back in the days when you'd get freebie downloads. There are picks from Calexico's second album, The Black Light (1998), through to the Convict Pool EP (2004), with a few cover versions and rare songs thrown in for good measure. I've still not heard studio recordings of a number of these songs - or seen Calexico live in person - so for me these remain the most familiar/definitive versions,

 

1) El Picador (Live @ Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 15 February 2001)

2) Jesus And Tequila (Live @ The Backyard, Austin, Texas, 04 May 2005)

3) El Cascabel (Live @ KGNU, Boulder, Colorado, 05 May 2002) (ft. Mariachi Luz De Luna)

4) Gift X-Change (Live @ Rudolstadt Festival, Germany, 06 July 2001)

5) Minas De Cobre (Live @ White Stage, Roskilde Festival, Denmark, 01 July 2000)

6) Ballad Of Cable Hogue (Live @ Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 15 February 2001) (ft. Kathleen Rahn) 

7) The Black Light (Live @ SPOKE, Tucson, Arizona, 10 June 2002)

8) Return Of The Manta Ray (Live @ Satyricon, Portland, Oregon, 14 June 1998)

9) I Started A Joke (Cover of Bee Gees) (Live @ Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 15 February 2001) (ft. Shannon Wright) 

10) Alone Again Or (Cover of Love) (Live @ China Theatre, Stockholm, Sweden, 25 April 2003)

11) Tulsa Telephone Book (Cover of Tom T. Hall) (Live @ White Stage, Roskilde Festival, Denmark, 01 July 2000)

12) Stray (Live @ The Casbah, San Diego, California, 02 June 2001)

13) Not Even Stevie Nicks... (Live @ Rialto Theatre, Tucson, Arizona, 02 December 2006)

14) Crystal Frontier (Live @ Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 15 February 2001)

15) Attack El Robot! Attack! (Live @ China Theatre, Stockholm, Sweden, 25 April 2003)

 

Dustbowl Live 1998-2005 (1:18:43)