Austin City Limits Live From Timbuk3, by TIMBUK3

Austin City Limits taping, January 27, 1989

Austin City Limits Live From Timbuk3

by TIMBUK3

supported by

🇩🇰 In New Music We Trust 🇩🇰 ...

I've Always Loved Timbuk3 Since I Was 15 Years Old In 1986

This Live CD Here Gets:

5 Beers 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺
Out Of 5 Beers 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺

Timbuk3 Was a FAB-fuckin-tastic band 😍

Kindly Lars, Denmark 🇩🇰
... Favorite track: The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.

raivan my Goddess how to choose. Easy is probably my favorite. Eden Alley. Sample the Dog. This Was something I had to wait until internet caught up to order. Originally it was a $1 tape we shared..in the late 80s. This Was my original first Band. I was 13 in '89.. but this was in my brain and heart until I got the CD in 2020. So it's Really lasted That long., It's like an old friend every time I hear. Remember How it was for little kids in Mountain town in the middle of Nowhere, you Meant Everything Favorite track: Eden Alley.

freejazzy Epic? No, but substantiell and of specific coolness. Favorite track: Sample The Dog.

more...

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.

Purchasable with gift card

name your price
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Replicated CD in a 4-panel Eco-wallet with 6-panel insert

Includes unlimited streaming of Austin City Limits Live From Timbuk3 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 9 days

$12 USD or more

1.	Eden Alley 02:02	lyrics	buy track
Oh we were raised in Eden Alley Where the music plays all night long And children make love in the shadows While the elders pray for kingdom come And the whiskey bottles They shine like diamonds Every little swallow goes down like gold And the smell of garbage and sweet salvation Hovers like a blanket on the night so cold We were raised in Eden Alley Where the music plays all night long And children make love in the shadows While the elders pray for kingdom
2.	Reverend Jack and his Roamin Cadillac Church 04:49 video	lyrics	buy track
Come hell or high water A soul's got to find some release Some find it in power And some in heavenly peace Some look to the preacher As he speaks from his holy perch Me, I back Rev. Jack & his Roamin Cadillac Church So if you're stuck at the station On the road to the Glory on High If you need some inspiration He's got more than your money can buy If you're lookin for salvation Well my friend it's the end of your search Here comes Rev. Jack & his Roamin Cadillac Church Ain't no use watchin the road, son When you ride in his automobile Cause we're all back seat drivers, & there's nobody at the wheel Now for the well-to-do doctor There's a home & a summer retreat And for the jet-settin banker There's a place in the social elite But for the poor & the hungry All the lost souls left in the lurch There's just Rev. Jack & his Roamin Cadillac Church
3.	Friction 04:03	lyrics	buy track
We're rubbing our sticks together Trying to heat things up now One spark is all we need To bring a light into this darkness Whoa, yes I see Hey, all we need is just a little A little good Friction We're gonna build a fire Gonna set a breeze in motion Gonna get the wind excited Blow a wave across the ocean Whoa, yes I see Hey, all we need is just a little A little good Friction Friction Friction Friction Friction We're rubbing our sticks together Trying to heat things up now One spark is all we need To bring a light into this darkness Whoa, yes I see Hey, all we need is just a little A little good Friction Rub it up Whoa, yes I see Hey, all we need is just a little A little good Friction Friction…
4.	Sample The Dog 03:40 video	lyrics	buy track
Sitting in a living room in a condo Gazmo's on the rug with little Cassy-O Gazmo's gettin nervous Cassy wants to sample the dog. She says: "Bark, howl, do what you like But if you're going to growl, just growl into the mike We're gonna play a game called sample the dog" Sample the dog... There's a new age family out in North Carolina A dog named Jamaica, a daughter named China A son who plays in a band called Sample the Dog Third world music on the stereo Dust on the keys of the piano & China's in the kitchen tryin to sample the dog Sample the dog... Now Cassy can't read & China can't write & the Board of Education mumbles in the night A prayer for our nation: "Lord let us Sample the dog..." The exact same thing is happenin today In a million homes across the USA Everybody’d doin it, tryin to sample the dog.
5.	Dance Fever 03:01	lyrics	buy track
They met at Tootsie's & they fell in lust Dance Fever Built a relationship on mutual trust & Dance Fever And when her eyes met his muscle tone Never again would she dance alone Showing the things that cannot be shown on Dance Fever They left Sioux City with a burnin desire Dance Fever Outside of Reno, the engine caught fire Dance Fever She took a job, he pawned some things A gold watch -- a diamond ring All for the chance to do their thing on Dance Fever Out on the floor they really came alive Dance Fever They skipped away with a 95 Dance Fever They'd always dreamed of a place in the sun Now they're in Vegas, having fun Pissin away all the money they won on Dance Fever
6.	Life is Hard 04:14	lyrics	buy track
Betty's in a wet T-shirt, feeling foolish and vain Looking like some house cat that got caught out in the rain Staring into the mirror at this less-than-pretty picture Feeling ten years older now, and fifty bucks richer Life is hard Can't buy happiness no matter what you do Can't get to heaven on roller skates Can't take a taxi cab to Timbuktu Paul was a poor little rich boy He never had to cry Whenever he complained of aches and pains the doctors would drop by Now he goes to parlors where the prettiest girls in town get paid five hundred dollars just to kick him when he's down Life is hard Can't buy happiness no matter what you do Can't get to heaven on roller skates Can't take a taxi cab to Timbuktu Life is hard Life is hard Life is hard Can't buy happiness no matter what you do Can't get to heaven on roller skates Can't take a taxi cab to Timbuktu After he stiffed a waitress and ran out on his tab Big Mac had a heart attack in the back of a Yellow Cab By the time the sound of the siren said the ambulance was coming His heart had stopped beating but the meter was still running Life is hard Can't buy happiness no matter what you do Can't get to heaven on roller skates Can't take a taxi cab to Timbuktu Life is hard Life is hard Life is hard Ain't no escaping when the rent comes due Can't get to heaven on roller skates Can't take a taxicab to Timbuktu
7.	The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades 03:46	lyrics	buy track
I study nuclear science I love my classes I got a crazy teacher He wears dark glasses Things are going great, and they're only getting better I'm doing alright, getting good grades The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades I gotta wear shades I've got a job waiting for my graduation Fifty thou a year'll buy a lot of beer Things are going great, and they're only getting better I'm doing alright, getting good grades The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades I gotta wear shades Well I'm heavenly blessed and worldly wise I'm a peeping-tom techie with x-ray eyes Things are going great, and they're only getting better I'm doing alright, getting good grades The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades I gotta wear shades Well i'm well aware of the world out there Gettin blown all to pieces but what do i care? Things are going great, and they're only getting better I'm doing alright, getting good grades The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades I gotta wear shades
8.	Assholes Intro 00:43		buy track
9.	Assholes On Parade 04:35	lyrics	buy track
It's an asshole celebration and they're all out on the street See them on the sidewalk Oh hear them shufflin feet As twenty thousand assholes do an asshole promenade Step aside good people it's the assholes on parade We got the assholes for freedom The assholes for fun Assholes for Jesus and the assholes for guns Assholes for justice Assholes for crime Assholes for assholes Assholes for all time We got assholes makin money They're makin all the rules They're takin all our jobs and they're fillin up our schools Assholes on the water Assholes in the sky A sign that says "Help wanted Only assholes need apply" Oh teacher won't you tell me Have i really made the grade Am i head of my class Or am i just another asshole on parade? Assholes give the orders Assholes row the boat Assholes get elected Cause assholes get to vote I once heard it said that old assholes never die They just lay in bed and multiply Assholes in the mornin Assholes every night Assholes to the left and assholes to the right As twenty thousand assholes do an asshole promenade Step aside good people It's the assholes on parade
10.	Lookin For Work 03:15	lyrics	buy track
Standin on the corner with the walkin blues Twenty-one cents and holes in my shoes It's a shame the shape i'm in Lookin for work is worse than workin Jammed with the band on Saturday night Sunday afternoon i got up feelin alrigh Sunday night i watched TV Drank myself to sleep so i could be up early Sunday mornin Get up, get down Get ready for a let down Step up, step back You're headin for a heart attack Standin on the corner with the walkin blues Twenty-one cents and holes in my shoes It's a shame the shape i'm in Lookin for work is worse than workin I'd rather be workin
11.	Wheel of Fortune 02:39 video	lyrics	buy track
Two hearts at the steering wheel playing high stakes Who takes the gas and who takes the brakes? Who takes the shift and who takes the clutch? Who's gonna win how much at the wheel of fortune? Are we both aiming for the same place? Are we both trying for the same prize As we choose our direction in space, who's gonna lose in the compromise? Two hearts at the steering wheel Driving all night between the darkness and the dawning light too tense to sleep and too tired to fight we veer to the left and we swerve to the right Two hearts, two hands held tight to the wheel of fortune.
12.	Too Much Sex, Not Enough Affection 03:39	lyrics	buy track
Scene of the crime, a body in the bed One victim died and one victim fled A slave to desire, the pain of rejection Too much sex, and not enough affection Read it in the paper or watch it on TV Cry for a stranger then turn your back on me Try another line and still no connection Too much sex and not enough affection That's one way to go But it ain't no way to live That's one way to go But it ain't no way to live It's too much to take And not enough to give Too much and not enough, no Scene of the crime, a body in the bed One victim died and one victim fled He never got caught but he lost his re-election Too much sex and not enough affection That's one way to go But it ain't no way to live That's one way to go But it ain't no way to live It's too much to take And not enough to give Too much and not enough, no
13.	Little People Make Big Mistakes 02:13	lyrics	buy track
Sometimes little people Make big mistakes Sometimes mountains crumble Sometimes a heart breaks We seek love endlessly We trust our eyes to see But sometimes little people Make big mistakes I never meant to hurt you But what can I say? And I know That you never meant to hurt me Things just happen that way We try to stand so tall & still we feel so small We find we're only little people After all And sometimes little people Make big mistakes Sometimes mountains crumble Sometimes a heart breaks We seek love endlessly We trust our eyes to see But sometimes little people Make big mistakes Sometimes little people Make big mistakes
14.	Encore Intro 01:32		buy track
15.	Will You Still Love Me When I'm Dead? 02:35	lyrics	buy track
Will you still love me when i'm dead? Will you keep me in a plastic bag under the bed? Will your love shine a light when the stars have all come down? Will i lay by your side or six feet under ground? Sole survivor Will you feel that old chill in my bones? Wil you miss me? Will you still kiss me? Will you still love me when i'm dead? Will you keep me in a plastic bag under the bed? Will your love shine a light when the stars have all come down? Will i lay by your side or six feet under ground? Sole survivor Don't cast me out in the cold Don't forsake me Don't let them take me Will you still love me when i'm dead? When i'm dead When i'm dead
16.	I Need You 04:01	lyrics	buy track
I need you to help me find my way I need you at the end of the day I need you when I'm searching for a sign I need you when I'm way out of line I need you to help me to be strong I need you like the singer needs the song I need you like the darkness needs the light I need you in the middle of the night The road's full of dangerous curves We don't wanna go too fast We may not make it first But I know we're gonna make it last I need you when I'm up on the stage I need you to help me rattle my cage I need you when I'm 10 feet off the ground I need you to help me get back down The road's full of dangerous curves And we don't wanna go too fast We may not make it first But I know we're gonna make it last Na na nah na na na na nah…

about

On a warmish winter night in the Austin of yesteryear, spinning reels of 2-inch tape captured the dizzying realization of a dream. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the January 27, 1989 ACL taping would emerge as the defining moment in the history of the weirdest band ever to play Austin City Limits.

When Barbara and i first moved there as Timbuk3, many said we weren't a real band because we used backing tracks (electric bass and drum machine on cassettes played through a boom box) but on top of those tracks, we played lots of live instruments. We would do 3 hours of originals for $50 a night wherever they'd let us. We didn't sound like anyone else. Real band or enhanced duo, we were Austin’s least likely to succeed.

By the time we got to Austin City Limits (how we got there is another story) our 2nd album was out and I was writing songs for the 3rd. We'd attended the Los Lobos ACL taping, so we knew we could do multiple takes if need be - it was a recording session - but the live audience made us want to treat it like a real gig. Their warm acceptance made us feel at home, and Austin had actually been our home for nearly five years, so we felt free to try anything.

The “Live Music Capital of the World” was earning its reputation as a great place to play. Austin music lovers were enthusiastic to say the least. Claps, hoots, hollars, and other loud interactions were left unfaded in the final mix when the timing and spirits felt right. And some notable spirits still haunt the recording. An unplanned encore, “Will You Still Love Me When I’m Dead?” was requested by our friend Blaze Foley, who was weirdly and tragically murdered a few days later.

My dad, rest his soul, was there too. Blaze took him out drinking after the show while we packed up and loaded out our gear.

This album is dedicated to Blaze and my dad, “Smilen” Bob MacDonald, who i'd like to believe are bar-hopping in heaven with Townes Van Zandt. And thank you, New West Records, holder of the rights to this recording, for allowing us to release it!

credits

released December 24, 2019

Recorded January 27th, 1989 by engineers David Hough & Billy Lee Myers Jr. for KLRU-TV, Austin, TX; 2009 remix by Steve Hamilton at Makin Sausage Music, Milwaukee, WI; 2019 remix/mastering by pat mAcdonald in the Boom Clozet of the Tambourine Lounge, Sturgeon Bay, WI
All instruments played by pat mAcdonald (guitar, vocals, harmonica, bass, programming) and Barbara K (guitar, vocals, violin, programming, percussion, harmonica on “Assholes On Parade”)
All songs written by pat mAcdonald except “Eden Alley” and “Will You Still Love Me When I’m Dead?” by pat mAcdonald and Barbara K.
Publisher: Lovolar/Mambadadi Music BMI
Executive producer: Bruce Reaves

license

about

pat mAcdonald Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

From my bedroom to barrooms to Timbuk3, to exile in Spain with an album in the can & no plan, I was always chasing increasingly trivial triumphs & glorious failures. A midlife German label deal enabled European tours from home base in Barcelona. From Legendary Sons of Crack Daniels to Purgatory Hill &back, i now live and work projex out of the Holiday Music Motel in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. ... more

Recommendations

contact / help

Contact pat mAcdonald

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

pat mAcdonald recommends:

For The Wolfish & Wandering
by Kate Vargas

Great album, beginning to end! pat mAcdonald
go to album
Pain By Numbers
by Eric McFadden

Great guitar, songs, person... pat mAcdonald
go to album
Girl In A Box
by Andrea Wittgens

Brilliant writing! pat mAcdonald
go to album

If you like Austin City Limits Live From Timbuk3, you may also like:

Bloody Noses EP
by Richard Thompson

supported by 9 fans who also own “Austin City Limits Live From Timbuk3”

John Drumbo French from Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band worked with Thompson on two albums along with Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser. Those two French, Frith, Kaiser and Thompson albums led me to this. Also, Richard Thompson taught Hugh Cornwell (of The Stranglers) how to play the bass guitar in a band when they were both at the same school (Emil and The Detectives?). With a career spanning 50 years and playing with two of my heroes (French and Cornwell) Thompson has produced a fascinating EP. yellowcakeuf6
go to album
Serpent's Tears
by Richard Thompson

supported by 8 fans who also own “Austin City Limits Live From Timbuk3”

There's a similarity in song writing between Richard Thompson and Hugh Cornwell which maybe isn't surprising as they went to the same school at the same time, although Thompson is older. Due to Thompson's association with John French of Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band I searched for his work on the Bandcamp app. French, Thompson and Cornwell all have albums on the app which I'm very pleased about. Only Thompson has released contemporary albums, much to his credit. yellowcakeuf6
go to album
Local Life
by Dave Perkins

A collection of short stories set to music, the latest from Dave Perkins pairs evocative writing with rustic Americana arrangements. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 17, 2023
go to album