Penn and Oldham, who helped shape the development of southern soul music with their legendary song writing, musicianship and production, made a live album touring in the U.K with Nick Lowe in 1998 called Moments From This Theatre: Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham Live. The masterfully understated, spellbinding album features soulfully intimate renditions of many of their hits giving music lovers the opportunity to hear the hits stripped down to their essentials, with nothing but Penn’s deeply soulful vocals and acoustic guitar and Oldham’s Wurlitzer and occasional singing. Then in 2006 on a return trip touring the UK, a complete concert by the pair performing 22 songs was filmed and recorded in the magnificent surroundings of the 17th century setting of Sir Christopher Wren’s “St James’ Church in London’s Piccadilly. Packaged together, the original Moments CD and a DVD of the 2006 concert comprise the deluxe edition double disc set named “Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham – The Complete Duo Recordings”. No other authorised footage or recordings of the pair exist.
“You can put me and Spooner in a band and we just disappear, and our songs disappear — within a band,” Penn explains of their motive for performing those dates. “That’s why we decided to start playin’ some gigs where it was just us, where we could show our song writing.”
The pair have now been friends and cohorts for over half a century. And “Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham – The Complete Duo Recordings” celebrates, with characteristic understatement, this partnership for the ages, providing captivating evidence of their continuing “chemical deal together,” which adds up to quiet brilliance.
Note: Only the original 1998 "Moments from This Theatre" is available for digital downloand. This special collection of Complete Recordings is only available in our limited edition CD/DVD package.
Penn and Oldham, who helped shape the development of southern soul music with their legendary song writing, musicianship and production, made a live album touring in the U.K with Nick Lowe in 1998 called Moments From This Theatre: Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham Live. The masterfully understated, spellbinding album features soulfully intimate renditions of many of their hits giving music lovers the opportunity to hear the hits stripped down to their essentials, with nothing but Penn’s deeply soulful vocals and acoustic guitar and Oldham’s Wurlitzer and occasional singing. Then in 2006 on a return trip touring the UK, a complete concert by the pair performing 22 songs was filmed and recorded in the magnificent surroundings of the 17th century setting of Sir Christopher Wren’s “St James’ Church in London’s Piccadilly. Packaged together, the original Moments CD and a DVD of the 2006 concert comprise the deluxe edition double disc set named “Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham – The Complete Duo Recordings”. No other authorised footage or recordings of the pair exist.
“You can put me and Spooner in a band and we just disappear, and our songs disappear — within a band,” Penn explains of their motive for performing those dates. “That’s why we decided to start playin’ some gigs where it was just us, where we could show our song writing.”
The pair have now been friends and cohorts for over half a century. And “Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham – The Complete Duo Recordings” celebrates, with characteristic understatement, this partnership for the ages, providing captivating evidence of their continuing “chemical deal together,” which adds up to quiet brilliance.
Note: Only the original 1998 "Moments from This Theatre" is available for digital downloand. This special collection of Complete Recordings is only available in our limited edition CD/DVD package.
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This is the best Dan Penn album in catalogue because it is spare and spontaneous, putting the spotlight on those remarkable songs ("Dark End of the Street," "It Tears Me Up," and "I'm Your Puppet") and Dan's amazing voice. This is what Elvis Presley could have been. ~ Elvis Costello
An intimate and inspiring recording by two of the unsung giants of southern soul. ~ Stephen Cook, AllMusic
