David Lindley's El Rayo-X : She Took off My Romeos & Mercury Blues 1981

[@suzannegilliland3753]

My husband was his tour manager for 8 years and a good friend to his family. We are so very sad to lose such a wonderful person and glorious musician

[@Lat41]

Man your husband must have some incredible memories. I really loved Lindley. I wrote him a letter a couple years ago just to thank him. Glad I sent it.

[@allenanderson4911]

When he did out I loose it...the 9 min. Of oud in germany blows me away. Little sadie is crazy. U are indeed lucky. He seemed like a real sweetheart

[@Lawrence-ks5vi]

Wonderful artist.Only knew of him recently whilst playing Jackson Brown.What a wonderful talent!!RIP.

[@keithgustafson3398]

Suzanne - I have followed David for 50 years - he is still top of the game for me, I listen to him every day - pure class and incredibly tasteful input to so many artists - very sadly missed ..Keith (UK)

[@JoePerry-r4j]

Yes it was a sad but as with all great people how blessed we've been to witness his specialness

[@bpbatlaw]

The only silver lining of Mr. Dave's change of spiritual address is the outpouring of appreciation and wonderful recordings. This is a great example. I love how Lindley discusses Persian and Okinawan music and then we get Mercury Blues with Ras Baboo!!!! The Polyester Prince of strings was one of a kind!

[@OWK000]

David Lindley stuff is still purely magical. Romeos are a brand of boots I think. I never got that before.

[@JoaquínMortiz-l2l]

Among the Best! 🎉

[@diddywahdaddy]

RIP David Lindley (1944 - 2023)

[@roxanneb6208]

Dear David Lindley…He could play damn near any instrument with strings. I was fortunate to see him opening for John Hiatt, though I thought it should’ve been the other way around, long ago at Gruene Hall. The last time I got to see him was in Austin at the very small venue on the UT campus called The Cactus Cafe. He took the time,after the show, to listen to my stories about him. RIP DAVID I’ll NEVER FORGET YOU AND YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES on my life. Especially you and JB.

[@markmorris545]

His kindness resonated as much as his music. I worked at a small bar in Ogden, Utah called The Gray Moose Pub. Once a month we'd host a national touring blues act. We had this old bluesman from the San Francisco/Oakland CA. area. He was playing a white double neck like David. At the after party I commented that I was a huge David fan and how similar his was to Dave's. He got a strange look on his face followed by a huge smile. He told me it wasn't his original one. His had been stolen from a gig. He has no idea how word got out, but David heard about it and gifted him his spare. Still spreading kindness and smiles♥️😢🕶️😁😁😁😁😁

[@philbrown0]

Who was it? Freddie Roulette?

[@andrewcutts3197]

R.I.P. David. It’s sad that I never got to see you play live. 💔

[@christiandavis2916]

Hallelujah to the camera person who got those great closeups of Lindley's hands! Magical.

[@barclaysauers255]

You got that right. David's fingers and strings have been a few of my favorite things!

[@jamesdyck930]

This is such an awesome song RIP

[@robertrindler2080]

Vaya con Dios David, thank you for the beautiful music

[@diddywahdaddy]

Show is from Chateau Neuf, Oslo, 31.10.1981. Interviewer: Ingvar Årholt. Recorded by NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting).

[@annehelenekarlsen3]

Brilliant 👏👏👏 I’ve got all of his records

[@christos7165]

RIP From your biggest fun in Greece,you brought to my life a lot of joy with my all time fav. lp el rayo-x!

[@thierrydumont1585]

saw him at the omni in 1980 atlanta ga ,read his passing by your comments, el rayo x is such a good album, seems all my hero go to paradise this year ,hope alice cooper band mates feel good

[@jazzisall1]

So Sad to hear he has been taken from us. What a terrible year for musicians.

[@kentborges5114]

LOVE LINDLEY THEE LEGEND !

[@amberackerson5916]

Incredible!!!

[@craigfugle7803]

Masterful version of Romeos! We loved this band so much. Saw them opening for J. Browne at SB Bowl 1981!

[@jeffreymars8062]

I covered some of this as a working musician in Jacksonville Fl 1990 or so. So humbling

[@anointed01]

So sad he passed away!!!

[@archstanton_live]

What a great vid. Good choices for tunes, the interviews are great, and the camera man kept his eye on David's fingers during Mercury Blues.

[@johnchristian1545]

This brings me back. El Mocambo Toronto '81 Great show.

[@BillyGarland]

Love his music

[@jonjeffries3265]

Grateful to have seen a few great "up close n personal" shows back then..

[@jgfunk]

Groovin at Hunt's with El Rayo X

[@ikkenhisatsu7170]

We got to see them (no Raz Baboo, but Smitty Smith), in New Orleans in the 80s. Hot damn, they were good. Played in Storyville back before they shut down. Greatest show I've ever seen.

[@dewanevl]

Smitty was great! We saw El Rayo X at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The stage was in the middle of a horse racing track and the stands were about 200 feet away. Smitty was wearing a hat that had flashing lights in it and said “LA street scene”. Also one of the best shows I ever went to.

[@brettkrasnov4071]

Believe I was at that show as well, def saw them in NOLA around that time . We were right in front dancing with the band

[@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394]

Lindley da man

[@Alchemedia]

RIP

[@micktarrant7733]

Great performances and interesting interview. Seeing/hearing El Rayo X is always uplifting, saw them 3 times and each time was a joy, for both the band and the audience. Was really saddened to hear of David's passing, prompted me to revisit his entire back catalogue, sounded as fresh as when first recorded. My favourite is still the first album, a melting pot of global stylings. An inspired choice of cover versions and love the Bob 'Frizz' Fuller songs too. I often wonder if Smokey Robinson ever heard their version of 'Don't look back' and what he made of it. A definitive Smokey song but the band made it their own.

[@victors1689]

Insanely Sane, The Whole Band

[@danielosullivan3110]

The Hunter S Thompson of music. ❤ Mr Dave 🎉

[@alexatalentscout4979]

You stood out as a great performer

[@ZvonimirBucevicBuc]

Thx, but I don't play bass with David, I just posted the video...

[@michaelp7918]

Mr. Dave still going strong.

[@brotherdave8691]

Did anyone catch the name of that Okinawan drummer? I've search on what I thought Mr. Dave said, but came up with nothing.

[@williamcowan6103]

It's the guitarist Shokichi Kina (sometimes spelt differently, e.g. Shoukichi), and his band Champloose (aka Champluse). One of their songs Hai Sai Oji-San was covered on the French-Frith-Kaiser-Thompson LP Live Love Larf & Loaf.

[@goodun2974]

​@@williamcowan6103 , FFKT ! I love their two records (Invisible Means was the second one). Seen Thompson play many times but never got to see FFKT play live. Kaiser posted a lovely requiem for Lindley, with home movies from their Madagascar trip; its on the Cuneiform Records channel.

[@williamcowan6103]

@@goodun2974 Yes, I saw that lovely Kaiser tribute - a wonderful introduction to Lindley's music and his good nature. I'm so pleased I bought a few of Lindley's 'official bootlegs' from the 80s-90s. Kaiser is a strange beast - I have to admit I find most of his 'free' solo work rather difficult to enjoy but there are some Henry Kaiser Band albums that I love, such as 'Heart's Desire' and his Garcia tribute 'Eternity Blue'. He also features on the brilliant Miles Davis tributes with Wadada Leo Smith's 'Yo Miles!' projects.

[@goodun2974]

@@williamcowan6103 , I have one of Henry's records titled "hope you like my new direction" which has 5 or 6 really good tunes on it and the rest of it is borderline unlistenable for me. Henry is definitely a polarizing figure to guitarists, probably more disliked than liked, but I thought he fit in very well with French Frith Kaiser Thompson, and he and Lindley worked really well together on that Madagascar project which I adore. Anyway, both Lindley and Richard Thompson liked working with him apparently, so maybe I have to defer to their judgment on this.

[@hildegardeno1]

When I saw them at Per,kims Palace he called the drummer Babu

[@chunderwunderwhinger1331]

David Lindley..one of my many favourites...on the way to " THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY "

[@MitchMb14]

They're talking about reggae being influenced by calypso. I've also heard bhangra. A lot of bhangra sounds like reggae.

[@Danibass1]

Buenísimo!!!

[@OrganFairchild]

❤❤❤

[@JRMoonTube]

Loved His music for a long time, this song included, just never knew what it meant. Anyone care to hip me to what Romeos are and why they were taken off?

[@jeswanderin4317]

Romeos was an old slang for a condom.

[@michaelp7918]

Not sure but Thom Mc Cann shoes had a Romeo model shoe back in the 60's...

[@joeboy6489]

@@michaelp7918 Yep. The Romeo was/is a men's "house slipper" style.

[@barclaysauers255]

I have always thought it had everything to do with having recently experienced 'orgasmic pleasures!'

[@allenanderson4911]

Reminds me of when Dylan did shelter from the storm as a reggae

[@harrycoddington4739]

What a huge loss.

[@glengoodwin9111]

Always challenged clothing wise😊

[@goodun2974]

Ends abruptly at 6:24; where's the rest of the interview and performance?

[@ZvonimirBucevicBuc]

I'll check what happened, maybe something connected with copyright claim.

[@ZvonimirBucevicBuc]

I put it back like it was in original form.

[@goodun2974]

@@ZvonimirBucevicBuc excellent, thanks!

[@stevehowell231]

Ras!

[@ColdSmokes]

What is that guitar David is playing? I see six tuners on the top only but it sounds like a 12-string? What is it?!

[@goodun2974]

For the 1st song, "She took off my Romeo's, Lindley is playing a Silvertone 6-string guitar with two lipstick pickups, one of the models that was made by Danelectro specifically for Sears, with a small amplifier (about 5 watts, and an 8" speaker, somewhat similar to a Fender Champ) built into the guitar carrying case; although obviously Lindley is not playing through the amplifier that came with that specific guitar! This is the fancier-version guitar with two pickups (if I can be forgiven for calling a guitar made with masonite and other inexpensive materials "fancy"). Due to the funky construction materials and the unusual pickups they have a very distinctive tone of their own (and chances are good that Lindley did some modifications to it as well). The less expensive version had just one pickup on the guitar, and the amplifier built into the guitar case was extremely low power and had a 6" speaker. If you Google" Silvertone amp in case" you will certainly find them ( They were inexpensive starter guitars back then but they have become collectable and can fetch a fair bit of money, partly due to the fact that they are used by people like Lindley, and also because of nostalgia on the part of people people who might play music professionally, or not, but for whom this was the very 1st guitar they ever owned and now they want to relive their youth). Of course, Lindley could make music out of just about anything, but he definitely has a preference for oddball guitars because it helps him get a sound that is distinctive, and combined with the way he thinks about music, he just doesn't sound like anyone. Oh, and on Mercury Blues he's playing a doubleneck Supro lap-steel slide guitar.

[@ColdSmokes]

@@goodun2974 Wow, thanks for the amazing details! Leave it to Mr. Lindley to play a fairly silly guitar and make it sound and look like solid gold. I happen to have a Dan electro 12-string which came with a silly little portable battery powered speaker amp. I actually brought it to work just today to have a master mechanical engineer who's fluent in guitar building and repair do some work to the bridge and saddle area. Cheers sir thanks again for your time and input. 🎶🎵👍

[@alkaatz4597]

It sounds like a 12-string because he's using a chorus effect on the guitar which doubles and bends the sound slightly.

[@allenanderson4911]

Early bob Marley on Alligator records sounded doo-wappy motown. Was suprised when bought it at turtles record and tapes.

[@MarkkuKoljonenwTinja]

:DDD Tinja&Markku

[@richardfeather5850]

What are aromes?

[@barclaysauers255]

Oh! To be middle aged again!