Finally getting the time to write down my thoughts from our Florida Disney trip at the end of August. I still have to go through the pictures and will post those somewhere soon.
1. Florida is hot at the end of August. Duh. What did we expect? Toward the end of the week it was manageable, but Sun-Wed the average temperature was 92 degrees and humid. We would bring about 6 frozen bottles of water with us and go through all of it by the end of the day.
2. Driving, for us, was definitely the way to go. It gave us a chance to visit Maryann and Thompson in Charlotte, which is an excellent thing to do. Also, it made getting around Disney that much easier for us. We didn’t need to rely on their excellent bus service and since it was an ‘off’ week, getting from our hotel on the park to each individual park and back was at the most a 10 minute drive. The roads were not crowded, there is signage everywhere and they are wide and clean. In addition, parking at the parks was easy. We only had to use their parking-lot Tram system twice. All the other times (including Magic Kingdom and Epcot) we were able to walk from our car to the entrance. As for the drive itself….yes, it was long, but with timely stops for gas, snacks or meals every 3-4 hours it was manageable. Thank goodness for XM radio for Theresa and I and a portable DVD player for the boys.
3. Disney Hospitality – The people that work there are obviously brainwashed to treat all of their guests like royalty. Each night when we got back to our hotel, the guard (it was gated) would say “Welcome Home” with a huge smile. Anytime we asked anyone a question, there was no grumbling of an answer and the worker made sure we were ok with the information we received.
4. Patience – You have to have a lot of it at Disney. Even with the Fast Pass system we had to wait on some lines. Thank goodness it was an ‘off’ week and the lines were not horrible when we did have to wait. And, if you are patient some things really work out, like us getting a table at an Italian Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom (can’t remember the name), with the hostess telling us they only can seat us outside (thank goodness it cooled down) which gave us an unobstructed front-row seat to the Disney Parade (which we had no intention of seeing but were happily enchanted by it).
5. British Invasion – I thought we were in London. I cannot tell you how many families we met at each park from London and Ireland. They were so friendly also!
6. Fantasmic! - is the night-time fireworks and visual hydrotechnic show at Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM). Wow. I have never seen anything like this. Who would have thought you could project images onto misty water screens. Brilliant. One of the highlights of the trip.
7. Typhoon Lagoon – Wish it was closer. The water slides were ok. The key here is the 6 foot high 50 yard wide wall of water that comes out every 90 seconds. Simply incredible. The Shark tank (which we snorkeled in) was excellent as well. I could go there every day.
8. Restaurant Walk-Ins – Not sure if this happens on peak weeks, but there were a lot of restaurants in the parks that we could not get a reservation for in advance, but we were able to do a walk-in on and get a table. We never thought we would be able to get into Wolfgang Puck’s in Downtown Disney, but one night we just gave it a try and had an excellent meal. We were able to do this at the Shark Reef Grill at Sea World as well.
9. Virginia is LONG! - Seemed like we were driving in Virginia (on I81) a very, very long time.
10. Runaway Lanes – At one point on I77 we were coming out of the mountains down this incredibly long, steep and sweeping set of downgrades. There were runaway lanes for the trucks set up at strategic intervals in case a truck lost its brakes. If that happened they would be able to take a ‘runaway lane’ that would lead them off of the road, and up a slight hill into some deep sand.
11. Loved Epcot (too many high points to list). Loved Typhoon Lagoon. Magic Kingdom was good….very large, lots of stuff for little kids. Thought the Haunted Mansion was hokey, but the boys loved Space and Splash Mountains. Animal Kingdom was ok (Theresa and Adam went on Expedition Everest and we enjoyed the Lion King show, plus it was inside and cool) and we all did a few other rides. Hollywood Studios was good, but we made a mistake and only went there at night and many of the attractions there (ie Indiana Jones) were closed for the day. Thank goodness we saw Fantastmic! Seaworld did not impress us. A good day, but it didn’t make us go wow. Downtown Disney is a lot of fun for shopping and eating at night, the Virgin Record Store is cheap, and the Lego Store was cool, along with a lot of other stores that were there. Disney Boardwalk is just ok.
12. Our strategy each day worked for us. Some people like to go early. We decided to let the boys sleep and went each day around 11:30 and stayed until 9 or so each night. We didn’t have to worry about the kids getting tired or needing a nap. The heat was a killer, but timely breaks inside for rides and events, plus meals, helped. The mist stations were a nice touch. A couple of nights we would go to the hotel pool at 9 or 10 when we got back. That was fun, but I can’t figure out why there were no flying insects at the pool that should have been attracted by the lights. Lots of people did the same as us with the pool at night.
13. Disney World is CLEAN! You rarely saw an overflowing garbage can and never saw litter on the ground. They had lots of people walking around with claw-like gripping devices to pick up things on the ground.
14. If we ever go back we would probably hit Epcot again, Hollywood Studios (during the day), spend a day at Universal. Spend a day at Typhoon Lagoon.
That’s about it. All in all an excellent trip and big kudos to Theresa for putting it all together. It’s good to have a plan when you go, but you have to be able to modify it on the fly, which we did very often.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan Compilation
Amazingly, I have finished a project!! I took the 26 disc 400+ Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan compilation and pared it down to only include the songs that I really like, based on sound and performance quality, and trust me when I say that some of the performances are amazing. The list is still staggering, but at 13 disc 195 songs it is a bit more manageable. Here is the list (song, artist)....for some reason I can't figure out how to get this into a table without having to edit the HTML and use the table tags, which I just don't feel like doing right now. So, here is the list:
Song(s)
Artist(s)
Everything is Broken
Neil Young
Dark Eyes
Alejandro Escovedo
When the Ship Comes In
Billy Bragg
Hard Rain
Big Country, Eddi Reader
Ring them Bells
Warren Zevon
The Groom's Still Waiting at the Alter
Steve Wynn
Girl From the North Country
The Eels
Love Minus Zero
Ron Sexsmith
Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
Soft Boys
Hurricane
Phish
Blind Willie McTell
Mick Taylor
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
One Too Many Mornings
David Gray
Girl From the North Country
Robert Plant
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Matt Nathanson
License to Kill
Cowboy Junkies
Like a Rolling Stone
Phil and Trey
Sign Language
Eric Clapton
Tough Mama
Jerry Garcia/Legion of Mary
I Want You
Bruce Springsteen
Just Like a Woman
Van Morrison
Tears of Rage
Band, The
Open the Door, Homer
Fairport Convention
Girl From the North Country
Leon Russell
Like a Rolling Stone
Jimi Hendrix, BB King and Paul Butterfield Blues Band
John Wesley Harding
Jeff Tweedy
Blind Willie McTell
Elliott Murphy
Tomorrow is a Long Time
Tom Russell
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Lloyd Cole
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Elvis Costello, Roger McGuinn
Desolation Row
Bob Weir
Chimes of Freedom
Warren Zevon
I Shall Be Released
Neil Young, Eddie Vedder
The Times They Are a-Changin'
Bruce Springsteen
Masters of War
Pearl Jam
A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
Waterboys, The
This Wheel's On Fire
The Band
It Ain't Me Babe -
Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash
If Not For You
George Harrison
Visions of Johanna
Grateful Dead, The
Forever Young
Neil Young, the Grateful Dead
Highway 61 Revisited
Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne
Like a Rolling Stone
Rolling Stones, The
All Along the Watchtower
Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Alejandro Escovedo
She Belongs to Me
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Seven Days
Jayhawks, The
Tombstone Blues
Walkabouts, The
Every Grain of Sand
Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois
Gotta Serve Somebody
David Allan Coe
From a Buick 6
Chuck Prophet
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Rosanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Cockburn
You Ain't Going Nowhere
Adam Duritz & Friends
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Elvis Costello, Roger McGuinn
I Shall Be Released
Wilco
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Norah Jones
Make You Feel My Love
Joan Osborne
You're a Big Girl Now
Thalia Zedek
Like a Rolling Stone
Barb Jungr
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Madeleine Peyroux
Don't Think Twice
Susan Tedeschi
A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
Edie Brickell, New Bohemians
Dark Eyes
Patti Smith
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Tracy Chapman
Masters of War
Lucinda Williams
Rainy Day Women
Trey Anastasio
Walk Out in the Rain
Eric Clapton
Mr. Tambourine Man
Tom Petty, Heartbreakers, Roger McGuinn
The Mighty Quinn
Grateful Dead , The
Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat
Jimmy LaFave
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
Steve Earle
Positively Fourth Street
Steve Wynn
Gotta Serve Somebody
Mercury Rev
All Along the Watchtower
Dave Matthews Band, Neil Young
Wiggle Wiggle
John Wesley Harding
The Man in Me
Cracker
Simple Twist of Fate
Elliott Murphy
Ballad of Hollis Brown
Stephen Stills
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Grateful Dead, The
All Along the Watchtower
Warren Zevon
Blind Willie McTell
Rick Danko
This Wheel's On Fire
Billy Bragg, KT Tunstall
Girl From the North Country
Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell
She Belongs to Me
John Doe
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Tom Russell
Trying to Get to Heaven
Robyn Hitchcock
I Shall Be Released
Neil Young, Phish, REM, Sara McLachlan
Highway 61 Revisited
Long Ryders , The
Girl From the North Country
Pete Townshend
I Threw It All Away
Paul Kelly
You're a Big Girl Now
Todd Snider
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Shawn Colvin
Sweetheart Like You
Guy Davis
Queen Jane Approximately
Henry Kaiser
Blowin' in the Wind
Carlos Santana, Steve Winwood
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Robyn Hitchcock, Minus 5
Most Likely You Go Your Way and I Go Mine
Black Crowes
License to Kill
Waterboys , The
Chimes of Freedom
McGuinn, Hillman, Clark
Watching The River Flow
Steve Wynn
The Times They Are A-Changin’
Williams Brothers, The
Everything Is Broken
Will T. Massey
Pledging My Time
Russ Tolman
Just Like A Woman
Ronee Blakley
You’re A Big Girl Now
Dave Alvin
Girl From the North Country
George Gerdes
Mama You've Been on My Mind
Jeff Buckley
Not Dark Yet
Mercury Rev
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom
I Don't Want To Do It
George Harrison
Blowin' in the Wind
Bruce Springsteen
My Back Pages
Todd Sheaffer
All Along the Watchtower
Michael Hedges
It Ain't Me Babe
Lucy Kaplansky
Don't Think Twice
Of a Revolution aka O.A.R.
Cross the Green Mountain
Bob Walkenhorst
I Shall Be Released
Warren Haynes
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Todd Snider
Simple Twist of Fate
Jerry Garcia, John Kahn
Black Crow Blues
Peter Case
I Don't Believe You
Cindy Lee Berryhill
Mr. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Was (Not Was)
Tears of Rage
George Gerdes, John Wesley Harding
Maggie's Farm
Ratdog
Don't Think Twice
James Taylor
Down in the Flood
Fairport Convention
Most Likely You Go Your Way and I Go Mine
Yardbirds
Nobody 'Cept You
Waterboys , The
Abandoned Love
George Harrison
Tangled Up in Blue
Jerry Garcia Band
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Jayhawks
My Back Pages
Roger McGuinn
Blind Willie McTell
Southside Johnny
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Tea Leaf Green
Outlaw Blues
Radiators
Like a Rolling Stone
Zero
Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)
Phil Lesh & Friends, Chris Robinson
Solid Rock
Widespread Panic
All Along the Watchtower
Phish, Buddy Miles, Merle Saunders
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Gordon Lightfoot
Things Have Changed
Bob Walkenhorst
All Along the Watchtower
John Mellencamp
Don't Think Twice
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
If Not For You
Steve Dawson, Diane Christiansen (of Dolly Varden)
Love Minus Zero (No Limit)
Al Stewart
I'll Keep it With Mine
Fairport Convention
When the Ship Comes In
Arlo Guthrie
Song to Woody
Wizz Jones
Trust Yourself
Bottle Rockets
Down in the Flood
Dave Alvin, Peter Case, Chris Smither
Open the Door, Homer
Robyn Hitchcock
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Chris Hillman, Emmylou Harris
Moonlight
Maria Muldaur
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
Robert Hunter
Born in Time
Eric Clapton
All Along the Watchtower
Willie Nile
Shelter From the Storm
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Don't Ya Tell Henry
Band, The
Queen Jane Approximately
Grateful Dead
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Caitlin Cary, Thad Cockrell
Silvio
Amy Rigby
Make You Feel My Love
Mary Black
Ring Them Bells
Ron Sexsmith
I Shall Be Released
John Doe, Kristin Hersh, Grant Lee Phillips
Blowin' in the Wind
Bill Morrissey, Carol Noonan, Peter Heimlich
Maggie's Farm
Tin Machine
Changing of the Guard
Patti Smith
Everything Is Broken
Kenny Wayne Shepard
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Mitch Ryder and Engerling
Highway 61 Revisited
Bruce Springsteen, Wolfgang Niedecken
Ballad of a Thin Man
Robyn Hitchcock
Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat
Frogwings
All Along the Watchtower
Dave Mason
Hurricane
Phil Lesh and Friends
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
Eric Clapton and Band du Lac
Is Your Love in Vain
Steve Kilbey
Lo and Behold
Robyn Hitchcock, Nashville Crawdads
Blowin' in the Wind
Joe Ely
License to Kill
Roseanne Cash
Slow Train Coming
North Mississippi All Stars
All Along the Watchtower
Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, E Street Band
Things Have Changed
Waylon Jennings
Tangled Up in Blue
T Bone Burnett
You Ain't Going Nowhere
Steve Wynn, Robert Fisher, Deanna Varagona, Walter Salas-Humara
Legionnaire's Disease
Delta Cross Band
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Uncle Tupelo
Mississippi
Dixie Chicks
Lay Lady Lay
Cassandra Wilson
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Curtis Stigers
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Jerry Garcia Band, Clarence Clemons
Song(s)
Artist(s)
Everything is Broken
Neil Young
Dark Eyes
Alejandro Escovedo
When the Ship Comes In
Billy Bragg
Hard Rain
Big Country, Eddi Reader
Ring them Bells
Warren Zevon
The Groom's Still Waiting at the Alter
Steve Wynn
Girl From the North Country
The Eels
Love Minus Zero
Ron Sexsmith
Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
Soft Boys
Hurricane
Phish
Blind Willie McTell
Mick Taylor
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
One Too Many Mornings
David Gray
Girl From the North Country
Robert Plant
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Matt Nathanson
License to Kill
Cowboy Junkies
Like a Rolling Stone
Phil and Trey
Sign Language
Eric Clapton
Tough Mama
Jerry Garcia/Legion of Mary
I Want You
Bruce Springsteen
Just Like a Woman
Van Morrison
Tears of Rage
Band, The
Open the Door, Homer
Fairport Convention
Girl From the North Country
Leon Russell
Like a Rolling Stone
Jimi Hendrix, BB King and Paul Butterfield Blues Band
John Wesley Harding
Jeff Tweedy
Blind Willie McTell
Elliott Murphy
Tomorrow is a Long Time
Tom Russell
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Lloyd Cole
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Elvis Costello, Roger McGuinn
Desolation Row
Bob Weir
Chimes of Freedom
Warren Zevon
I Shall Be Released
Neil Young, Eddie Vedder
The Times They Are a-Changin'
Bruce Springsteen
Masters of War
Pearl Jam
A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
Waterboys, The
This Wheel's On Fire
The Band
It Ain't Me Babe -
Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash
If Not For You
George Harrison
Visions of Johanna
Grateful Dead, The
Forever Young
Neil Young, the Grateful Dead
Highway 61 Revisited
Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne
Like a Rolling Stone
Rolling Stones, The
All Along the Watchtower
Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Alejandro Escovedo
She Belongs to Me
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Seven Days
Jayhawks, The
Tombstone Blues
Walkabouts, The
Every Grain of Sand
Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois
Gotta Serve Somebody
David Allan Coe
From a Buick 6
Chuck Prophet
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Rosanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Cockburn
You Ain't Going Nowhere
Adam Duritz & Friends
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Elvis Costello, Roger McGuinn
I Shall Be Released
Wilco
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Norah Jones
Make You Feel My Love
Joan Osborne
You're a Big Girl Now
Thalia Zedek
Like a Rolling Stone
Barb Jungr
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Madeleine Peyroux
Don't Think Twice
Susan Tedeschi
A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
Edie Brickell, New Bohemians
Dark Eyes
Patti Smith
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Tracy Chapman
Masters of War
Lucinda Williams
Rainy Day Women
Trey Anastasio
Walk Out in the Rain
Eric Clapton
Mr. Tambourine Man
Tom Petty, Heartbreakers, Roger McGuinn
The Mighty Quinn
Grateful Dead , The
Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat
Jimmy LaFave
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
Steve Earle
Positively Fourth Street
Steve Wynn
Gotta Serve Somebody
Mercury Rev
All Along the Watchtower
Dave Matthews Band, Neil Young
Wiggle Wiggle
John Wesley Harding
The Man in Me
Cracker
Simple Twist of Fate
Elliott Murphy
Ballad of Hollis Brown
Stephen Stills
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Grateful Dead, The
All Along the Watchtower
Warren Zevon
Blind Willie McTell
Rick Danko
This Wheel's On Fire
Billy Bragg, KT Tunstall
Girl From the North Country
Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell
She Belongs to Me
John Doe
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Tom Russell
Trying to Get to Heaven
Robyn Hitchcock
I Shall Be Released
Neil Young, Phish, REM, Sara McLachlan
Highway 61 Revisited
Long Ryders , The
Girl From the North Country
Pete Townshend
I Threw It All Away
Paul Kelly
You're a Big Girl Now
Todd Snider
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Shawn Colvin
Sweetheart Like You
Guy Davis
Queen Jane Approximately
Henry Kaiser
Blowin' in the Wind
Carlos Santana, Steve Winwood
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Robyn Hitchcock, Minus 5
Most Likely You Go Your Way and I Go Mine
Black Crowes
License to Kill
Waterboys , The
Chimes of Freedom
McGuinn, Hillman, Clark
Watching The River Flow
Steve Wynn
The Times They Are A-Changin’
Williams Brothers, The
Everything Is Broken
Will T. Massey
Pledging My Time
Russ Tolman
Just Like A Woman
Ronee Blakley
You’re A Big Girl Now
Dave Alvin
Girl From the North Country
George Gerdes
Mama You've Been on My Mind
Jeff Buckley
Not Dark Yet
Mercury Rev
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom
I Don't Want To Do It
George Harrison
Blowin' in the Wind
Bruce Springsteen
My Back Pages
Todd Sheaffer
All Along the Watchtower
Michael Hedges
It Ain't Me Babe
Lucy Kaplansky
Don't Think Twice
Of a Revolution aka O.A.R.
Cross the Green Mountain
Bob Walkenhorst
I Shall Be Released
Warren Haynes
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Todd Snider
Simple Twist of Fate
Jerry Garcia, John Kahn
Black Crow Blues
Peter Case
I Don't Believe You
Cindy Lee Berryhill
Mr. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Was (Not Was)
Tears of Rage
George Gerdes, John Wesley Harding
Maggie's Farm
Ratdog
Don't Think Twice
James Taylor
Down in the Flood
Fairport Convention
Most Likely You Go Your Way and I Go Mine
Yardbirds
Nobody 'Cept You
Waterboys , The
Abandoned Love
George Harrison
Tangled Up in Blue
Jerry Garcia Band
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Jayhawks
My Back Pages
Roger McGuinn
Blind Willie McTell
Southside Johnny
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Tea Leaf Green
Outlaw Blues
Radiators
Like a Rolling Stone
Zero
Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)
Phil Lesh & Friends, Chris Robinson
Solid Rock
Widespread Panic
All Along the Watchtower
Phish, Buddy Miles, Merle Saunders
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Gordon Lightfoot
Things Have Changed
Bob Walkenhorst
All Along the Watchtower
John Mellencamp
Don't Think Twice
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
If Not For You
Steve Dawson, Diane Christiansen (of Dolly Varden)
Love Minus Zero (No Limit)
Al Stewart
I'll Keep it With Mine
Fairport Convention
When the Ship Comes In
Arlo Guthrie
Song to Woody
Wizz Jones
Trust Yourself
Bottle Rockets
Down in the Flood
Dave Alvin, Peter Case, Chris Smither
Open the Door, Homer
Robyn Hitchcock
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Chris Hillman, Emmylou Harris
Moonlight
Maria Muldaur
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
Robert Hunter
Born in Time
Eric Clapton
All Along the Watchtower
Willie Nile
Shelter From the Storm
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Don't Ya Tell Henry
Band, The
Queen Jane Approximately
Grateful Dead
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Caitlin Cary, Thad Cockrell
Silvio
Amy Rigby
Make You Feel My Love
Mary Black
Ring Them Bells
Ron Sexsmith
I Shall Be Released
John Doe, Kristin Hersh, Grant Lee Phillips
Blowin' in the Wind
Bill Morrissey, Carol Noonan, Peter Heimlich
Maggie's Farm
Tin Machine
Changing of the Guard
Patti Smith
Everything Is Broken
Kenny Wayne Shepard
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Mitch Ryder and Engerling
Highway 61 Revisited
Bruce Springsteen, Wolfgang Niedecken
Ballad of a Thin Man
Robyn Hitchcock
Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat
Frogwings
All Along the Watchtower
Dave Mason
Hurricane
Phil Lesh and Friends
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
Eric Clapton and Band du Lac
Is Your Love in Vain
Steve Kilbey
Lo and Behold
Robyn Hitchcock, Nashville Crawdads
Blowin' in the Wind
Joe Ely
License to Kill
Roseanne Cash
Slow Train Coming
North Mississippi All Stars
All Along the Watchtower
Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, E Street Band
Things Have Changed
Waylon Jennings
Tangled Up in Blue
T Bone Burnett
You Ain't Going Nowhere
Steve Wynn, Robert Fisher, Deanna Varagona, Walter Salas-Humara
Legionnaire's Disease
Delta Cross Band
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Uncle Tupelo
Mississippi
Dixie Chicks
Lay Lady Lay
Cassandra Wilson
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Curtis Stigers
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Jerry Garcia Band, Clarence Clemons
Friday, June 27, 2008
June 2008 CD's.....
Just a little sampling of what has been in my CD changer for this month....
Bruce Springsteen & ESB – Magic Tour - San Jose Matrix - Sounds real good. Have heard it
is a bit flat on a freq analysis, but it still sounds real good. I
can't figure out what IEM the mix is from. I think it may be Bruce's
guitar.
Duffy - Rockferry - Love this!!!!
Phil Lesh & Friends - Nokia Theater 11/1/07 - One of the amazing
soundboards Phil released onto the torrents last year.
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cold Roses
Grateful Dead - 6/15/76 - Beacon Theater - A nice Matrix I
recently grabbed from Etree. (3 discs)
Roy Orbison & Friends - Black & White Night - Saw this on PBS a few
nights ago and had to listen to it again. Timeless.
Pet Shop Boys - Discography - They are a bit of a guilty pleasure
of mine. Plus, the song What Have I Done To Deserve This with Dusty
Springfield is a big favorite of mine.
Bruce Springsteen & The ESB - Magic Tour, Is There Anybody alive
out there? Decent 2 CD set culled from CC releases. Interestingly
enough, there are NO Magic songs on this.
Wilco - Wilco The Riviera Chicago, IL USA 2-19-2008 - WXRT FM
Broadcast.
The Beatles - The Alternate Versions,Vol.1
The Beatles - The Alternate Versions,Vol.2
Phish - 6/11/94 - Red Rocks - Excellent FM recording of this
excellent show.
Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band - Swing That Thing,
various discs. I love Bruce and the ESB, it is what he does best.
But I have to tell you, these Seeger Sessions shows were alot of fun.
I DO hope he does another tour like this. Flame away if you want, I
don't care. Those shows WERE fun and it shows in these recordings.
Bruce Springsteen & ESB – Magic Tour - San Jose Matrix - Sounds real good. Have heard it
is a bit flat on a freq analysis, but it still sounds real good. I
can't figure out what IEM the mix is from. I think it may be Bruce's
guitar.
Duffy - Rockferry - Love this!!!!
Phil Lesh & Friends - Nokia Theater 11/1/07 - One of the amazing
soundboards Phil released onto the torrents last year.
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cold Roses
Grateful Dead - 6/15/76 - Beacon Theater - A nice Matrix I
recently grabbed from Etree. (3 discs)
Roy Orbison & Friends - Black & White Night - Saw this on PBS a few
nights ago and had to listen to it again. Timeless.
Pet Shop Boys - Discography - They are a bit of a guilty pleasure
of mine. Plus, the song What Have I Done To Deserve This with Dusty
Springfield is a big favorite of mine.
Bruce Springsteen & The ESB - Magic Tour, Is There Anybody alive
out there? Decent 2 CD set culled from CC releases. Interestingly
enough, there are NO Magic songs on this.
Wilco - Wilco The Riviera Chicago, IL USA 2-19-2008 - WXRT FM
Broadcast.
The Beatles - The Alternate Versions,Vol.1
The Beatles - The Alternate Versions,Vol.2
Phish - 6/11/94 - Red Rocks - Excellent FM recording of this
excellent show.
Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band - Swing That Thing,
various discs. I love Bruce and the ESB, it is what he does best.
But I have to tell you, these Seeger Sessions shows were alot of fun.
I DO hope he does another tour like this. Flame away if you want, I
don't care. Those shows WERE fun and it shows in these recordings.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Tir na nOg
Music is funny sometimes. I listen to music a lot more than many of my friends combined. Always have, always will. Of course, as I have gotten older I have found the amount of time I am able to truly listen to music happens less and less. However, it is always there in the background, whether on the stereo in the car while others are jabbering away or at the very least inside my head as I am sitting in a meeting, or shopping, etc.
Sometimes when I think I am really listening to music, I’m really not paying attention, and sometimes I’ll listen to something and a huge light-bulb goes off in my head. Case in point, I heard the song Bat Out Of Hell the other day and when it was over I again marveled about how great a song that is, and how important that album was when it came out in my youth. SHIT….we were ALL listening to it non-stop. All I could think about the other day was that Steinman and company really caught lightening in a bottle with the release, something they were never able to duplicate. I then began to think about what other releases were the same way and was going to write an article about it. However, upon researching the production of Bat Out Of Hell, I read that it really through pure luck, persistence, and other unmentionables, that the album even got recorded. Anyway, enough of that, I digress.
The point of this rambling is that sometimes when you listen to music, really listen to music, you hear something that stays with you forever. I firmly believe the music of your youth (say ages 15-21, just to pick some years) is the music that influences all of your musical decisions the rest of your life. Of course, there are exceptions and variations. Back in 1977 when I was 18 and heavy into Zep, Purple, Springsteen, Progressive Music, etc, I would have NEVER thought I would listen to some of the music I listen I love today such as Wilco, Ryan Adams, alt-country, etc. We do change our taste, but the base of what we love remains the same.
In Celtic mythology, Tir na Nog is the land of eternal youth. It’s on the edges of the map in our minds view of the world. It’s not a real place, but a place of myth and remembrance. Music has a way of bringing Tir Na Nog closer to you. Whether it be just one song or an entire CD, music can bring you back to where you were, before knew where you wanted to go, and it often has the power to steer you in a different direction that you are currently on, or at the very least try to prod you into going there. The music that sounded great ‘back then’ when you were 17 (or 21 or 25) should still sound great to you know (for me, at 49). The music should still matter, and if it brings you back to Tir Na Nog, even for just a few moments in a normal day, that is a good thing. The best music will always stay with you for your life. You carry it with you (in your head or on your Ipod) and sometimes it will surprise you and hit you where it counts again and again. Tir Na Nog indeed.
Sometimes when I think I am really listening to music, I’m really not paying attention, and sometimes I’ll listen to something and a huge light-bulb goes off in my head. Case in point, I heard the song Bat Out Of Hell the other day and when it was over I again marveled about how great a song that is, and how important that album was when it came out in my youth. SHIT….we were ALL listening to it non-stop. All I could think about the other day was that Steinman and company really caught lightening in a bottle with the release, something they were never able to duplicate. I then began to think about what other releases were the same way and was going to write an article about it. However, upon researching the production of Bat Out Of Hell, I read that it really through pure luck, persistence, and other unmentionables, that the album even got recorded. Anyway, enough of that, I digress.
The point of this rambling is that sometimes when you listen to music, really listen to music, you hear something that stays with you forever. I firmly believe the music of your youth (say ages 15-21, just to pick some years) is the music that influences all of your musical decisions the rest of your life. Of course, there are exceptions and variations. Back in 1977 when I was 18 and heavy into Zep, Purple, Springsteen, Progressive Music, etc, I would have NEVER thought I would listen to some of the music I listen I love today such as Wilco, Ryan Adams, alt-country, etc. We do change our taste, but the base of what we love remains the same.
In Celtic mythology, Tir na Nog is the land of eternal youth. It’s on the edges of the map in our minds view of the world. It’s not a real place, but a place of myth and remembrance. Music has a way of bringing Tir Na Nog closer to you. Whether it be just one song or an entire CD, music can bring you back to where you were, before knew where you wanted to go, and it often has the power to steer you in a different direction that you are currently on, or at the very least try to prod you into going there. The music that sounded great ‘back then’ when you were 17 (or 21 or 25) should still sound great to you know (for me, at 49). The music should still matter, and if it brings you back to Tir Na Nog, even for just a few moments in a normal day, that is a good thing. The best music will always stay with you for your life. You carry it with you (in your head or on your Ipod) and sometimes it will surprise you and hit you where it counts again and again. Tir Na Nog indeed.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
2008 RMAS Mix Disc
2008 RMAS Mix Disc
Creating mix discs with no discernable theme other than a good group of songs is harder than you would think. It is also very difficult when you do not have a firm (or any) deadline, or life throws roadblocks in your way, or you have committed to way too many projects than you should have. When I first started this project I wanted to make a mix that was better than the one I created in 2007, and my first thought was to create it out of a theme.
After creating themed lists and work discs I finally rejected them all and created a list of about 100 songs, which became the list you see below. The list was constantly changing as I listened to more each day. Finally, I just drew the line in the proverbial sand and deleted all but the following songs from my hard drive. Of course, feeling bad about my delays, procrastinations, hesitations, etc, I decided to include a bonus disc of some of my favorite long songs that did not fit on the primary disc. As with anything else, the list of long songs excludes a great deal of music I have grown to love over the years, but as a group I think it works rather well. Enjoy.
The Main Set
1. (Antichrist Television Blues) - Arcade Fire – Their future is so bright, and they truly live up to the hype.
2. Four Winds - Bright Eyes – One of young amazing talents of music these days.
3. Impossible Germany - Wilco – Live 2008 – Can’t remember the exact show.
4. Dead Flowers - Rolling Stones - Stripped Companion – A bit more intense and raw than what is on the official release. This is my favorite Rolling Stones song.
5. Oh Carol - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Vic Theater, Chicago, 4/19/03. Straight ahead rock and roll is what they do best.
6. The Sweet Love That You Give (Sure Goes A Long, Long Way) - Steve Forbert, Bottom Line 9/16/88 – One of those artists that for various reasons ‘just missed’ being a big star.
7. Sweet Illusions - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Sweet and heartbreaking.
8. Open The Door Homer – Robyn Hitchcock – 2-3-92 Mountain Stage. Taken from Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan Vol 20.
9. For No One - Joe Jackson – People don’t realize how many covers he does live.
10. The Captive Heart - Annie Haslam from Live Under Brazillian Skies. She is my favorite female singer from back in the days as the voice of Renaissance.
11. Let It Ride - Ryan Adam & The Cardinals - 1/23/08 - From the Gold Coast compilation boot. My previous RMAS compilation had the faster studio version. This one has a bit more of a country flavor and starts off slow, and builds to a nice easy crescendo.
12. Disturbance At The Heron House – REM Unplugged (first one). From the Hitting The Note Akoustica boot. Talk about metaphors!
13. License To Kill – Roseanne Cash – 4-6-03 Mountain Stage. Taken from Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan Vol 24. A late entry to this list. This version blows me away.
14. Closer To You - Brandi Carlile – From her self titled debut. She is an amazing new alternative/indie/folk artist that people need to hear.
15. Spanish Moon - Little Feat – From Waiting For Columbus. Imagine if Lowell George did not die?
16. Subterannean Homesick Blues – Mitch Ryder & Engerling – 10-2-02 Frankfort Germany. Taken from Nobody Sings Dylan Like Dylan Vol 23.
17. Broken – Tift Merritt – Another up and coming artist. She has more of a country flavor that crosses into indie and rock very easily.
18. Not For Me - Marshall Crenshaw – From his classic self-titled debut. Like Forbert, another artist that should have been a real star.
19. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - George Harrison - Acoustic Demo – Simply heartbreaking to listen to in this simplistic form.
The Bonus Disc – The Longs
Some of these are my absolute favorite songs of all time, mostly because the way these songs are constructed. They are true ensemble pieces where everything has to work perfectly in order for the band to pull it off.
1. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed – Allman Brothers – Fillmore – No comment needed.
2. Ocean Gypsy – Renaissance – Live At Carnegie Hall – From one of my favorite releases of all time. This band peaked during this time period and this is a fine representation.
3. Remember The Future – Part 1 – Nektar - Remastered 2002 Bellaphon reissue of the classic 1973 release. Epic progressive music, stunning guitar work, amazing vocals, amazing instrumental arrangements, styles, and complexity that keep the listener interested from start to finish. This is a true masterpiece.
4. Remember The Future – Part 2 – See above.
5. #41 – Dave Matthews Band – Listener Supported – I like the DMB, but have never seen them live (one day I will). I really like only a handful of their songs, but this song just grabs me each time because the band just cooks.
6. Ooh Child – Trey Anastasio Band – March 3, 2001. – I was thinking about including a great long song by the Grateful Dead, or Yes, or Phish (some iteration of Tweezer would have been nice), but then I heard Anastasio’s version of this classic song and it blew me away.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Danny Federici - Everybody Has One
Everybody has one.Everybody, every company, every organization has the person you don't always notice. The person that blends into the background when the main event occurs but who is nonetheless totally essential for getting the job done. While all the craziness is happening in the front room, Mr Dependable is in the back, making sure the lights stay on and when things get messed up he is there with the fix. Danny Federici was this person in the East Street Band. From the very beginning when he and Vini Lopez asked the young NJ Shore guitar slinger to join him in the band Child, his organ playing was an essential part of the background of almost everything Bruce Springsteen did. From that moment on, a friendship was formed that would last until his untimely death yesterday afternoon.
Everybody has one. Every quarterback has that front line that must hold the hounds out bay in order to be successful. Bruce has the ESB and part of the core sound of the band was the keyboard (mainly organ) playing of Danny. His swirling Hammond sounds, played in conjunction with Roy Bittan's (and previously David Sancious's) piano playing laid the foundation for music. Listen to the introductions of songs like Spirit In The Night or Darkness On The Edge Of Town. It it Danny's organ that starts things off, even if only for a brief moment until Roy or the rest of the band come in. And it is in other songs, like the organ solo in the Darkness tour version of Prove It All Night, or the organ coming in during that critical moment of Jungleland when Bruce sings "....from the churches to the jails tonight all is silence in the world" and when you really think about how the song it structured it may be one of the most important parts of the song because it provides the transition point to the song starting to rock out and it is Danny's organ that provides the musical spark, the ignition, that allows the song to achieve the next level, one of greatness.
Everybody has one. Every band has the guy that hangs out in the back, plays his music and does his job, and while things may be out of control at the front of the stage that person plays their music and keeps everything grounded. In subtle ways Danny's contribution to the ESB sound is as important as Steve's guitar solos and Max's drumming. He didn't solo much, but when he did it was memorable. Think about Kitty's Back and the keyboard solos, and his call and response with Roy, or his amazing organ coda played at the end of Your Missing on The Rising tour. I know people who were in tears during that song, tears that came gushing out DURING the coda and not before, because the beauty of the coda brought out the meaning of the song. And then there is the coda of Racing In The Street, a true tribute to the entire East Street Band. But, it is Danny's organ that starts it before Roy's piano takes over, and while it IS Roy's piano that is the lead instrument what is arguably one of the 5-10 most beautiful pieces of music the ESB has ever performed, it is Danny's organ underneath it all that builds and swirls and allows the band to get to that music crescendo at the very end.
Everybody has one. Now you see him, now you don't. Bruce nicknamed him The Phantom, and while the rumor is that it had to do with an incident in Asbury Park and something to do with a police chase, Bruce often referred to him this way because he was always there but nobody could find him. He was such a big part of the background sound of the band that it was always assumed he would be there. He never took the spotlight. He never left his little corner of the stage except when he took out the accordion for songs such as Sandy or most recently, American Land. He didn't have to, he didn't want to. He did his job, just like a good soldier does. He never complained and always marched forward. I remember one show on the Reunion tour. We were off to the side of the stage with a great view of Danny. He was having some problems with some pedals and some of the tech guys were crawling all over the place around him, plugging things in and out, replacing equipment, while the band played on and Danny continued to do his job like nothing was wrong. Finally, the techs got the pedals fixed and Danny shifted his feet and we could see him play a few things with the pedals and give the techs a nod and kept on going. That was him, Mr Reliable.
Danny will be missed more than people realize. He was more than just the organ player. He was the organ player that kept his job for over 30 years, and that says a lot. Bruce and the ESB will carry on, albeit with a little mixed emotion in the beginning. As a unit, it is a remarkable feat that this is their first loss EVER in the history of the band. They are more than a band, but one large extended family of band mates, spouses, kids, etc. It will be hard for them at first, but they are professionals and they know that they have a job to do, a job that they do as well or better than anybody in the business today. The show will go on as they say, but this band will always have a hole in their heart when they think of their blood brother that is no longer with them on that stage. Be will Danny. Rest in peace.
May his memory be for a blessing.
Everybody has one. Every quarterback has that front line that must hold the hounds out bay in order to be successful. Bruce has the ESB and part of the core sound of the band was the keyboard (mainly organ) playing of Danny. His swirling Hammond sounds, played in conjunction with Roy Bittan's (and previously David Sancious's) piano playing laid the foundation for music. Listen to the introductions of songs like Spirit In The Night or Darkness On The Edge Of Town. It it Danny's organ that starts things off, even if only for a brief moment until Roy or the rest of the band come in. And it is in other songs, like the organ solo in the Darkness tour version of Prove It All Night, or the organ coming in during that critical moment of Jungleland when Bruce sings "....from the churches to the jails tonight all is silence in the world" and when you really think about how the song it structured it may be one of the most important parts of the song because it provides the transition point to the song starting to rock out and it is Danny's organ that provides the musical spark, the ignition, that allows the song to achieve the next level, one of greatness.
Everybody has one. Every band has the guy that hangs out in the back, plays his music and does his job, and while things may be out of control at the front of the stage that person plays their music and keeps everything grounded. In subtle ways Danny's contribution to the ESB sound is as important as Steve's guitar solos and Max's drumming. He didn't solo much, but when he did it was memorable. Think about Kitty's Back and the keyboard solos, and his call and response with Roy, or his amazing organ coda played at the end of Your Missing on The Rising tour. I know people who were in tears during that song, tears that came gushing out DURING the coda and not before, because the beauty of the coda brought out the meaning of the song. And then there is the coda of Racing In The Street, a true tribute to the entire East Street Band. But, it is Danny's organ that starts it before Roy's piano takes over, and while it IS Roy's piano that is the lead instrument what is arguably one of the 5-10 most beautiful pieces of music the ESB has ever performed, it is Danny's organ underneath it all that builds and swirls and allows the band to get to that music crescendo at the very end.
Everybody has one. Now you see him, now you don't. Bruce nicknamed him The Phantom, and while the rumor is that it had to do with an incident in Asbury Park and something to do with a police chase, Bruce often referred to him this way because he was always there but nobody could find him. He was such a big part of the background sound of the band that it was always assumed he would be there. He never took the spotlight. He never left his little corner of the stage except when he took out the accordion for songs such as Sandy or most recently, American Land. He didn't have to, he didn't want to. He did his job, just like a good soldier does. He never complained and always marched forward. I remember one show on the Reunion tour. We were off to the side of the stage with a great view of Danny. He was having some problems with some pedals and some of the tech guys were crawling all over the place around him, plugging things in and out, replacing equipment, while the band played on and Danny continued to do his job like nothing was wrong. Finally, the techs got the pedals fixed and Danny shifted his feet and we could see him play a few things with the pedals and give the techs a nod and kept on going. That was him, Mr Reliable.
Danny will be missed more than people realize. He was more than just the organ player. He was the organ player that kept his job for over 30 years, and that says a lot. Bruce and the ESB will carry on, albeit with a little mixed emotion in the beginning. As a unit, it is a remarkable feat that this is their first loss EVER in the history of the band. They are more than a band, but one large extended family of band mates, spouses, kids, etc. It will be hard for them at first, but they are professionals and they know that they have a job to do, a job that they do as well or better than anybody in the business today. The show will go on as they say, but this band will always have a hole in their heart when they think of their blood brother that is no longer with them on that stage. Be will Danny. Rest in peace.
May his memory be for a blessing.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Latest CD's that I have listened to
Just a partial list of the CD’s I have posted in my weekly W/O mm/dd/ccyy thread I post each Monday on RMAS. Duplicates have been removed. I don't need to repeat how Neon Bible has not left my car (except to put onto my IPOD) since I bought it.
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - Can't seem to get it out of the car!!! I now know why so many music critics picked this as their favorite release of 2007. Note to self....see them live, even though you may feel like a 'parent' in the audience.
Bright Eyes - Cadadaga - Hadn't listened to this in a few months.
Still a very strong release. The future is bright for Oberst. Let's see if he can do it.
Wilco - Sbd/Aud matrix from one of the Chicago shows from a few
weeks ago. The version of Impossible Germany on here is excellent.
Tift Merritt - Another country - Yes, Broken is an amazing song,
but when you dive deeper into this release and get to songs such as I Know What I'm
Looking For Now and Tell Me Something True this CD makes you want to stand up
And pay some serious attention.
Brandi Carlile - Brandi Carlile - Hadn't listened to her
self-titled debut in awhile. This is still one of my favorite female artist releases.
Closer To You, Throwing It All Away, and Tragedy are all beautiful songs.
Ryan Adams & The Cardinal - Cold Roses - Arguably, from start to
finish, my favorite RA release, with Gold nipping right at its heels.
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
The Beatles - Revolver
Beg, Scream & Shout - Scream Discs
PHIL LESH AND FRIENDS Nokia Theatre Times Square
New York, NY November 8, 2007
The Grateful Dead September 12th, 1991 MSG
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Out of the Red Cave
2007 Tour Compilation
Bruce Springsteen "The Keys To My Success"
Piano Songs from the "Devils & Dust" Tour 2005
REM - Unplugged - 4/10/91 - Still one of my favorite boots.
Rolling Stones - Stripped Companion - The version of Dead Flowers
on this is incredible
Chuck Mangione - The Land Of Make Believe - I am slowly going
through my back catalog.....you know, your cd collection that is down
in the basement.....to weed out some stuff I will never listen to
again (or at least cull some of the songs off of those CD's) and came
accross this old gem that I fell in love with in high school (the
ensemble band I was in played this our senior year). Recorded
live in Canada with an orchestra the title track and As Long As We're
Together bring back some fond memories of yesteryear. The vocals by
Esther Saddlefield are incredible. This is one fine release that came
out BEFORE Mangione had his commercial success with Feels So Good (a
song a CANNOT listen to).
Phil Lesh & Friends - Nokia Theater NYC 11/3/07 - Part of the set
of sounboard recordings Phil let loose on the world and allowed to be
torrented for free. This entire run can be found on Etree and I
highly recommend these if you are a lover of great music. Yes, there
is a good amount of Grateful Dead here but some of the covers
are outstanding and the jams are well thought out and amazing. For
more info on the setlists go to:
http://www.phillesh.net/philzonepages/friends_stuff/setlists/index-2007-fall.html
Renaissance - Live From Carnegie Hall - In my top 5 releases of
all time. This is their finest moment. There are NO bad tracks here
and if you are a fan of this band or want to learn about this band,
this is the place to start. You will NOT be disappointed.
Springsteen - London Magic Night - Incredible. Performance and
quality. Anyone who says these setlists are boring is not really
paying attention. The performances on this tour are outstanding.
The Waterboys - Fishermans's Blues. I was in Borders the other
day and grabbed this. It's not the expanded version but I passed on
that because I just wanted to give these guys a try. Very impressive.
I like having 'new' bands to discover. Nothing wrong with
backtracking into the past a little bit.
Drive All Night - A little home-made compilation I am putting
together. This is one of Bruce's least known songs to the general
public and I have always felt it is his most passionate and emotional.
This song has been done in a few different ways/styles that I felt a
little compilation might bring out the passion in it a bit. This is a
work in progress.
Paste Magazine #41
The Dave Matthews Band - Listener Supported - Disc #1 - Contains
one of the best versions of one of my favorite live tracks of all
time, #41.
Genesis - Seconds Out - Disc #2 - Contains THE best version of one
of my favorite live tracks of all time, Cinema Show.
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - Can't seem to get it out of the car!!! I now know why so many music critics picked this as their favorite release of 2007. Note to self....see them live, even though you may feel like a 'parent' in the audience.
Bright Eyes - Cadadaga - Hadn't listened to this in a few months.
Still a very strong release. The future is bright for Oberst. Let's see if he can do it.
Wilco - Sbd/Aud matrix from one of the Chicago shows from a few
weeks ago. The version of Impossible Germany on here is excellent.
Tift Merritt - Another country - Yes, Broken is an amazing song,
but when you dive deeper into this release and get to songs such as I Know What I'm
Looking For Now and Tell Me Something True this CD makes you want to stand up
And pay some serious attention.
Brandi Carlile - Brandi Carlile - Hadn't listened to her
self-titled debut in awhile. This is still one of my favorite female artist releases.
Closer To You, Throwing It All Away, and Tragedy are all beautiful songs.
Ryan Adams & The Cardinal - Cold Roses - Arguably, from start to
finish, my favorite RA release, with Gold nipping right at its heels.
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
The Beatles - Revolver
Beg, Scream & Shout - Scream Discs
PHIL LESH AND FRIENDS Nokia Theatre Times Square
New York, NY November 8, 2007
The Grateful Dead September 12th, 1991 MSG
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Out of the Red Cave
2007 Tour Compilation
Bruce Springsteen "The Keys To My Success"
Piano Songs from the "Devils & Dust" Tour 2005
REM - Unplugged - 4/10/91 - Still one of my favorite boots.
Rolling Stones - Stripped Companion - The version of Dead Flowers
on this is incredible
Chuck Mangione - The Land Of Make Believe - I am slowly going
through my back catalog.....you know, your cd collection that is down
in the basement.....to weed out some stuff I will never listen to
again (or at least cull some of the songs off of those CD's) and came
accross this old gem that I fell in love with in high school (the
ensemble band I was in played this our senior year). Recorded
live in Canada with an orchestra the title track and As Long As We're
Together bring back some fond memories of yesteryear. The vocals by
Esther Saddlefield are incredible. This is one fine release that came
out BEFORE Mangione had his commercial success with Feels So Good (a
song a CANNOT listen to).
Phil Lesh & Friends - Nokia Theater NYC 11/3/07 - Part of the set
of sounboard recordings Phil let loose on the world and allowed to be
torrented for free. This entire run can be found on Etree and I
highly recommend these if you are a lover of great music. Yes, there
is a good amount of Grateful Dead here but some of the covers
are outstanding and the jams are well thought out and amazing. For
more info on the setlists go to:
http://www.phillesh.net/philzonepages/friends_stuff/setlists/index-2007-fall.html
Renaissance - Live From Carnegie Hall - In my top 5 releases of
all time. This is their finest moment. There are NO bad tracks here
and if you are a fan of this band or want to learn about this band,
this is the place to start. You will NOT be disappointed.
Springsteen - London Magic Night - Incredible. Performance and
quality. Anyone who says these setlists are boring is not really
paying attention. The performances on this tour are outstanding.
The Waterboys - Fishermans's Blues. I was in Borders the other
day and grabbed this. It's not the expanded version but I passed on
that because I just wanted to give these guys a try. Very impressive.
I like having 'new' bands to discover. Nothing wrong with
backtracking into the past a little bit.
Drive All Night - A little home-made compilation I am putting
together. This is one of Bruce's least known songs to the general
public and I have always felt it is his most passionate and emotional.
This song has been done in a few different ways/styles that I felt a
little compilation might bring out the passion in it a bit. This is a
work in progress.
Paste Magazine #41
The Dave Matthews Band - Listener Supported - Disc #1 - Contains
one of the best versions of one of my favorite live tracks of all
time, #41.
Genesis - Seconds Out - Disc #2 - Contains THE best version of one
of my favorite live tracks of all time, Cinema Show.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
2008 RMAS Mix Disc Random Thoughts
Just some random thoughts on the current mix disc I am compiling and reaction to those discs I have received so far from my partners in this exercise.
I haven't burned anything yet. I've created about 12 lists of songs so far but have not been satisfied with any of the song combinations I have chosen. I have about 5 different 'themes' running through my head right how and none of them can be truly accomplished with just one disc. I may have to stop thinking so much and just grab 20 songs and put them in an order that is somewhat cohesive and flows nicely. I thought that reading "Love Is A Mix Tape: Life And Loss , One Song At A Time" by Rob Sheffield would help but it has only made things more difficult. I may be approaching something akin to writers block on this project. Of course, being distracted by the Giants playoff run, the current state of American politics, and thoughts about planning Adam's Bar Mitzvah could be mitigating factors.
An additional part of the problem is the music I have received so far. All of my fiends that I see on an almost weekly basis, are mostly not into music as heavily as I am (or don't have the music knowledge I do), and think that I know all of these great bands/artists that they have never heard of, and while that has some truth I have nowhere near the knowledge or collection of others. We we were watching Knocked Up a few weeks ago with friends and there are some great songs on the soundtrack and I pretty much almost named each one to the astonishment of our friends (the songs were actually easy, by Haircut 100, Bright Eyes, to name a few). However, as I listen to some of the discs I have already received I have been taken aback by the power and beauty of some of these songs, many of which are performed by artists I have never heard of or have heard of but never listened to. I thought I had alot of really great music at home, but I am beginning to realize it is nothing compared to others. Now of course, rectifying this problem is costly, but I am hoping that out of the discs I receive there are a few artists that I begin to explore a great deal more (kind of like I do with the Paste, Mojo, and Uncut discs I listen to).
Another update in a day or so......
I haven't burned anything yet. I've created about 12 lists of songs so far but have not been satisfied with any of the song combinations I have chosen. I have about 5 different 'themes' running through my head right how and none of them can be truly accomplished with just one disc. I may have to stop thinking so much and just grab 20 songs and put them in an order that is somewhat cohesive and flows nicely. I thought that reading "Love Is A Mix Tape: Life And Loss , One Song At A Time" by Rob Sheffield would help but it has only made things more difficult. I may be approaching something akin to writers block on this project. Of course, being distracted by the Giants playoff run, the current state of American politics, and thoughts about planning Adam's Bar Mitzvah could be mitigating factors.
An additional part of the problem is the music I have received so far. All of my fiends that I see on an almost weekly basis, are mostly not into music as heavily as I am (or don't have the music knowledge I do), and think that I know all of these great bands/artists that they have never heard of, and while that has some truth I have nowhere near the knowledge or collection of others. We we were watching Knocked Up a few weeks ago with friends and there are some great songs on the soundtrack and I pretty much almost named each one to the astonishment of our friends (the songs were actually easy, by Haircut 100, Bright Eyes, to name a few). However, as I listen to some of the discs I have already received I have been taken aback by the power and beauty of some of these songs, many of which are performed by artists I have never heard of or have heard of but never listened to. I thought I had alot of really great music at home, but I am beginning to realize it is nothing compared to others. Now of course, rectifying this problem is costly, but I am hoping that out of the discs I receive there are a few artists that I begin to explore a great deal more (kind of like I do with the Paste, Mojo, and Uncut discs I listen to).
Another update in a day or so......
Thursday, January 24, 2008
2007 RMAS Mix CD Liner Notes
I am currently working on compiling a new mix CD for an additional RMAS Mix CD Project that I am participating in. Since I never posted last years CD notes I thought I might as well publish it here as I have decided to keep this blog updated.
2007 RMAS Mix CD - Final Cut
Creating compilation CD’s are always hard, almost as hard as creating a ‘best of’ list. What songs to include often depend on how the tracks flow from one to the next. Choosing artists is only half the battle, and often it is just easier to omit a group than decide which one of their tracks to include. Take The Beatles for example. Choosing one song out of their amazing catalog to include here was too difficult to even try, as so many of them could fit, and choosing one would must make me question why it was chosen over others. So, I consulted a dynamic list I have been keeping lately and picked songs from there to include, putting them in an order I believe flows very nicely. I am sure you have heard most of these songs before, but not in the same context that I am submitting to you. I hope you enjoy this collection. While some of these would be included on an all time favorite list (if I ever had the guts to try to create one), there are plenty of others that would not, but just fit in with the flow of the music. I hope you enjoy it and welcome any and all comments, positive or negative.
Colorful – The Verve Pipe, The Platinum & Gold Collection. The first time I heard this song was when I saw Mark Wahlberg ‘sing’ it with his non heavy metal band at the end of the movie Rock Star (which is a move I happen to like). The song immediately caught my attention but it took me a couple of years to take the time to identify the name of the song and who really performed it. There is something about the song, and quite possibly how it was used at the end of the movie, that caught my attention. With the slow start and gradual build-up, this is a song I wish I could write, and one of those songs that I love playing on the piano. The lyrics are meaningful as well, with the line “I know I can be colorful, I know I can be gray. But I know this losers living fortunate. Cause I know you will love me either way” showing us that none of us are perfect and that we are often lucky to find the love that we have.
Big Railroad Blues – Phil Lesh & Friends, NJPAC 11/22/05. I was very close to including a Grateful Dead song but really had a hard time making a final decision and coming up with a song that fit in perfectly. Most people think the Dead died with Jerry, but Ratdog and Phil Lesh & Friends have carried the torch nicely, and have even turned it up a few notches. This one will certainly make you take notice.
Let It Ride – Ryan Adams, Cold Roses. To me, Ryan Adams is one of the those artists that 20 years from now we are going to look at his amazing body of work and just say wow, as long as he doesn’t self-destruct before it occurs. There are so many songs of his I considered for the compilation and I kept on coming back to this standout from Cold Roses.
Suddenly I See – KT Tunstall, Eye Of The Telescope. One of my favorite releases of 2006 and one of my favorite new artists I have recently started to listen to. This woman is an amazing talent and this song showcases what she can do. If you haven’t picked this release up yet, I highly recommend it.
In State – Kathleen Edwards, Back To Me. The Tom Petty influence is key to this song, and that is a good thing. The guitars sing, and Benmont Tench’s organ creates a swelling undercurrent of sound as Edwards sings a warning to her man that he better straighten himself out or else, because she knows where the cops hang out and maybe some time in prison will change his mind.
Welcome To Struggleville – Edwin Mccain, Lost In America. Originally written and released in 1996 by the Vigilantes Of Love, Mccain takes this song up another level on his latest release. There is unbelievable guitar work here that is strong, yet does not overpower the very descriptive and poignant lyrics.
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again) – Wilco, Summerteeth. I just ‘discovered’ Wilco about 18 months ago. Since then I have seriously made up for lost time, and have been lucky enough to see them once in a small venue here in Jersey (Starland Ballroom). I wanted to include a Wilco song and there were a gazillion and a half songs of theirs that I considered for this compilation, including my favorite song of theirs Jesus, Etc. However, none of them fit musically and I wanted a bit of a poppy type song that will bridge the opening set of songs with what amounts to a bit of time travel back to some of rock’s roots with the songs that come next.
My Pledge Of Love – The Joe Jeffrey Group. Found on Beg, Scream & Shout, Disc 5. Catchy lyrics, soulful horns and an amazing rhythm section. Upbeat and catchy, the perfect song to follow the pop song that precedes it here.
The Monkey Time – Major Lance. Found on Beg, Scream & Shout, Disc 5. Bruce Springsteen included the first couple of lines of this song as an introduction to Mary’s Place during The Rising Tour. I had never heard of this song until then and when I finally stumbled upon it on this box set it quickly became a big favorite of mine. Too bad Springsteen didn’t sing the entire song, that would have been a lot of fun.
Ordinary Joe – Terry Callier – I recently stumbled upon this song when listening to the Mojo Chess Classics compilation that came with the August 2005 issue of Mojo Magazine. I still don’t know much about Callier but by Googling him I can see that he has had a long and well respected career. A lot of soul, with some folk thrown in. This song will make you sit up and take notice from the beginning.
The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show – The Band, Rock Of Ages. There are so many songs that you can pick by The Band. However, this one from one of my favorite live albums of all time just had to be included on this compilation. This song was one of those from this set that include a five member horn section that absolutely rocks and brings out the soul and early rock sounds that influenced The Band. If you never heard this song before, this is your chance to sit up and take notice.
Rumble In Brighton – Brian Setzer Orchestra, Guitar Slinger. I wanted another song with a lot of horns in this slot, and this was the first song that came to my mind. It is a gutsy move to take a song from your original band, add some more ‘meat’ to it (in this case sensational swinging horns) and turn it up a few notches. Setzer does his and then some on this song and this is the perfect fit after the great horns of the previous song.
Even Better Than The Real Thing – U2, Zoo Europa, 8/28/93, Dublin Ireland. This is from my favorite and (I think) the best sounding bootleg from the Zoo TV tour. This is also one of my favorite U2 songs. When they went into the studio to record Achtung Baby, one of their goals was to re-discover their rhythm section, as the band felt that was a little lost with their previous studio release The Joshua Tree. Listening to Achtung Baby and the subsequent tour, you can hear that they more than re-discovered it, but brought it out with full force. Listen to how Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen sound like a well tuned factory running with reckless abandon and you can almost picture machines at work. And, even more importantly, about 2/3 of the way through the song listen to The Edge’s unbelievable slide guitar work.
I Am Mine – Pearl Jam, 7/9/03 Madison Square Garden Official Bootleg series release. Quite possibly my favorite Pearl Jam song. Starting off slowly, with an amazing build up, a great melody, and a sensational guitar solo at the end. This is a prefect song for this compilation.
Get That Girl – Joe Jackson, I’m The Man – Almost buried as the second to last track on Jackson’s second album, this track is often overlooked when compared to the ‘hits that came off of this album (On Your Radio, It’s Different For Girls). However, this is the track in which I think his band really shines as Jackson sings that if he is lucky he is going to get the girl at the club who has more in common with him than her boyfriend that she is with.
I Found A Love – Eric Clapton – Crossroads, Disc 3. A previously unreleased track recorded in September 1974 during sessions for the There’s One In Every Crowd album. Very un-Clapton like in which there is very little true ‘Clapton like’ guitar until the very end. To me, the draw of this song is the amazing rhythm brought out by the drums and piano, along with Claptons passionate plea like singing.
Be True – Carrie Newcomer, Regulars And Refugees – I actually don’t own this album yet but will soon. I ‘discovered’ this song on the Paste Magazine 18 compilation and just had to include it here. Newcomer has an amazing voice that just has to be heard and shared. The first time I heard this song I was stunned by it, and it has since become one of my favorite songs of the last couple of years.
I Believe In Miracles – Pearl Jam, Live At Benaroya Hall. This semi-acoustic show of theirs is one of my favorites, as it showcases how good this band can be even when not rocking out. They have performed this great Ramones song many times, but there is something about this “almost unplugged” version that makes it different enough that you want to sit up and take notice. Definitely a keeper.
Fall On Me – REM, MTV Unplugged, April 10, 1991. From the Hitting The Note Acoustika bootleg. My favorite REM song and my favorite version of it. Stripped down to its simplicity, this song still powerful.
You’re A Big Girl Now – Bob Dylan, Blood On The Tracks. Almost lost in an album of amazing Dylan classics (Tangled Up In Blue, Simple Twist Of Fate, Idiot Wind, Lily, Rosemary…), this song opens starts out with some beautiful acoustic guitar accompanied by soft piano and percussion. After about 40 seconds, Dylan’s voice starts to tell us a story about a love found and then suddenly lost. In my view, this is one of his greatest works.
Take Me As I Am – October Project, 1993 self titled debut. Probably a band you have never heard of. Even 13 years later I still think this is their finest release, and one of the most overlooked releases of the 1990’s. And the lyrics of this song in particular have always had more meaning than others, with the line “Even if you shine a light into the mirror you won’t see me any clearer” being so profound that I just had to not only include this in this compilation, but make this the last song.
2007 RMAS Mix CD - Final Cut
Creating compilation CD’s are always hard, almost as hard as creating a ‘best of’ list. What songs to include often depend on how the tracks flow from one to the next. Choosing artists is only half the battle, and often it is just easier to omit a group than decide which one of their tracks to include. Take The Beatles for example. Choosing one song out of their amazing catalog to include here was too difficult to even try, as so many of them could fit, and choosing one would must make me question why it was chosen over others. So, I consulted a dynamic list I have been keeping lately and picked songs from there to include, putting them in an order I believe flows very nicely. I am sure you have heard most of these songs before, but not in the same context that I am submitting to you. I hope you enjoy this collection. While some of these would be included on an all time favorite list (if I ever had the guts to try to create one), there are plenty of others that would not, but just fit in with the flow of the music. I hope you enjoy it and welcome any and all comments, positive or negative.
Colorful – The Verve Pipe, The Platinum & Gold Collection. The first time I heard this song was when I saw Mark Wahlberg ‘sing’ it with his non heavy metal band at the end of the movie Rock Star (which is a move I happen to like). The song immediately caught my attention but it took me a couple of years to take the time to identify the name of the song and who really performed it. There is something about the song, and quite possibly how it was used at the end of the movie, that caught my attention. With the slow start and gradual build-up, this is a song I wish I could write, and one of those songs that I love playing on the piano. The lyrics are meaningful as well, with the line “I know I can be colorful, I know I can be gray. But I know this losers living fortunate. Cause I know you will love me either way” showing us that none of us are perfect and that we are often lucky to find the love that we have.
Big Railroad Blues – Phil Lesh & Friends, NJPAC 11/22/05. I was very close to including a Grateful Dead song but really had a hard time making a final decision and coming up with a song that fit in perfectly. Most people think the Dead died with Jerry, but Ratdog and Phil Lesh & Friends have carried the torch nicely, and have even turned it up a few notches. This one will certainly make you take notice.
Let It Ride – Ryan Adams, Cold Roses. To me, Ryan Adams is one of the those artists that 20 years from now we are going to look at his amazing body of work and just say wow, as long as he doesn’t self-destruct before it occurs. There are so many songs of his I considered for the compilation and I kept on coming back to this standout from Cold Roses.
Suddenly I See – KT Tunstall, Eye Of The Telescope. One of my favorite releases of 2006 and one of my favorite new artists I have recently started to listen to. This woman is an amazing talent and this song showcases what she can do. If you haven’t picked this release up yet, I highly recommend it.
In State – Kathleen Edwards, Back To Me. The Tom Petty influence is key to this song, and that is a good thing. The guitars sing, and Benmont Tench’s organ creates a swelling undercurrent of sound as Edwards sings a warning to her man that he better straighten himself out or else, because she knows where the cops hang out and maybe some time in prison will change his mind.
Welcome To Struggleville – Edwin Mccain, Lost In America. Originally written and released in 1996 by the Vigilantes Of Love, Mccain takes this song up another level on his latest release. There is unbelievable guitar work here that is strong, yet does not overpower the very descriptive and poignant lyrics.
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again) – Wilco, Summerteeth. I just ‘discovered’ Wilco about 18 months ago. Since then I have seriously made up for lost time, and have been lucky enough to see them once in a small venue here in Jersey (Starland Ballroom). I wanted to include a Wilco song and there were a gazillion and a half songs of theirs that I considered for this compilation, including my favorite song of theirs Jesus, Etc. However, none of them fit musically and I wanted a bit of a poppy type song that will bridge the opening set of songs with what amounts to a bit of time travel back to some of rock’s roots with the songs that come next.
My Pledge Of Love – The Joe Jeffrey Group. Found on Beg, Scream & Shout, Disc 5. Catchy lyrics, soulful horns and an amazing rhythm section. Upbeat and catchy, the perfect song to follow the pop song that precedes it here.
The Monkey Time – Major Lance. Found on Beg, Scream & Shout, Disc 5. Bruce Springsteen included the first couple of lines of this song as an introduction to Mary’s Place during The Rising Tour. I had never heard of this song until then and when I finally stumbled upon it on this box set it quickly became a big favorite of mine. Too bad Springsteen didn’t sing the entire song, that would have been a lot of fun.
Ordinary Joe – Terry Callier – I recently stumbled upon this song when listening to the Mojo Chess Classics compilation that came with the August 2005 issue of Mojo Magazine. I still don’t know much about Callier but by Googling him I can see that he has had a long and well respected career. A lot of soul, with some folk thrown in. This song will make you sit up and take notice from the beginning.
The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show – The Band, Rock Of Ages. There are so many songs that you can pick by The Band. However, this one from one of my favorite live albums of all time just had to be included on this compilation. This song was one of those from this set that include a five member horn section that absolutely rocks and brings out the soul and early rock sounds that influenced The Band. If you never heard this song before, this is your chance to sit up and take notice.
Rumble In Brighton – Brian Setzer Orchestra, Guitar Slinger. I wanted another song with a lot of horns in this slot, and this was the first song that came to my mind. It is a gutsy move to take a song from your original band, add some more ‘meat’ to it (in this case sensational swinging horns) and turn it up a few notches. Setzer does his and then some on this song and this is the perfect fit after the great horns of the previous song.
Even Better Than The Real Thing – U2, Zoo Europa, 8/28/93, Dublin Ireland. This is from my favorite and (I think) the best sounding bootleg from the Zoo TV tour. This is also one of my favorite U2 songs. When they went into the studio to record Achtung Baby, one of their goals was to re-discover their rhythm section, as the band felt that was a little lost with their previous studio release The Joshua Tree. Listening to Achtung Baby and the subsequent tour, you can hear that they more than re-discovered it, but brought it out with full force. Listen to how Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen sound like a well tuned factory running with reckless abandon and you can almost picture machines at work. And, even more importantly, about 2/3 of the way through the song listen to The Edge’s unbelievable slide guitar work.
I Am Mine – Pearl Jam, 7/9/03 Madison Square Garden Official Bootleg series release. Quite possibly my favorite Pearl Jam song. Starting off slowly, with an amazing build up, a great melody, and a sensational guitar solo at the end. This is a prefect song for this compilation.
Get That Girl – Joe Jackson, I’m The Man – Almost buried as the second to last track on Jackson’s second album, this track is often overlooked when compared to the ‘hits that came off of this album (On Your Radio, It’s Different For Girls). However, this is the track in which I think his band really shines as Jackson sings that if he is lucky he is going to get the girl at the club who has more in common with him than her boyfriend that she is with.
I Found A Love – Eric Clapton – Crossroads, Disc 3. A previously unreleased track recorded in September 1974 during sessions for the There’s One In Every Crowd album. Very un-Clapton like in which there is very little true ‘Clapton like’ guitar until the very end. To me, the draw of this song is the amazing rhythm brought out by the drums and piano, along with Claptons passionate plea like singing.
Be True – Carrie Newcomer, Regulars And Refugees – I actually don’t own this album yet but will soon. I ‘discovered’ this song on the Paste Magazine 18 compilation and just had to include it here. Newcomer has an amazing voice that just has to be heard and shared. The first time I heard this song I was stunned by it, and it has since become one of my favorite songs of the last couple of years.
I Believe In Miracles – Pearl Jam, Live At Benaroya Hall. This semi-acoustic show of theirs is one of my favorites, as it showcases how good this band can be even when not rocking out. They have performed this great Ramones song many times, but there is something about this “almost unplugged” version that makes it different enough that you want to sit up and take notice. Definitely a keeper.
Fall On Me – REM, MTV Unplugged, April 10, 1991. From the Hitting The Note Acoustika bootleg. My favorite REM song and my favorite version of it. Stripped down to its simplicity, this song still powerful.
You’re A Big Girl Now – Bob Dylan, Blood On The Tracks. Almost lost in an album of amazing Dylan classics (Tangled Up In Blue, Simple Twist Of Fate, Idiot Wind, Lily, Rosemary…), this song opens starts out with some beautiful acoustic guitar accompanied by soft piano and percussion. After about 40 seconds, Dylan’s voice starts to tell us a story about a love found and then suddenly lost. In my view, this is one of his greatest works.
Take Me As I Am – October Project, 1993 self titled debut. Probably a band you have never heard of. Even 13 years later I still think this is their finest release, and one of the most overlooked releases of the 1990’s. And the lyrics of this song in particular have always had more meaning than others, with the line “Even if you shine a light into the mirror you won’t see me any clearer” being so profound that I just had to not only include this in this compilation, but make this the last song.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Favorite 2007 Releases
Favorite Releases In 2007
I probably bought about 20 or so CD’s this year. Not a lot by any means compared to previous years. A lot of the music I listened to in 2007 was from discs received in music magazines Paste, Uncut, and Mojo, which is a great way to hear a lot of new music and often old music you might have missed or forgotten about. The whole concept of “Backtracking” (discovering a band you had heard about for years but never really listened to) fascinates me. In addition, I spent a lot of time listening to legally available live shows by such bands as Phish, Phil Lesh & Friends, the Grateful Dead, Moe, Wilco, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, The Dave Matthews Band, etc….all grabbed from Etree or the DMB and Ryan Adams archive torrent sites. The wealth of live material made available by bands for free (or a small stipend) continues to grow and I see this as something that is never bad.
In any event, out of the approximately 20 or so CD’s purchased this year that are not magazine compilations or live shows, the following seven are those that made me stand up and pay attention to, and reaffirmed my long standing belief that you can never have enough good music to listen to, if you just listen carefully. As usual, there is always too much music and not enough time to listen to it all.
Note: These are not in any particular order.
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky – Lovely tunes, upbeat, great guitar work by Nels Cline. Tweedy’s songwriting is excellent, the band is stable and very talented, and if you don’t like Impossible Germany there is something wrong with you. We saw them in 2007 on the tour to support the release and it was clearly one of the best rock shows I have ever been to. Hard to believe this is only their sixth studio release. There is a lot of warmth to this music and Tweedy’s songwriting that has not been seen before. They are heading in an exciting direction
Springsteen – Magic – Back with the ESB after a two album absence. Shows more punch than The Rising and anything else he has done for a long time. Very much a true rock and roll record that in concert allows the band to shine. The lyrics are tricky and need to be paid attention to because they tell a complex story, mixing love with anti-war sentiments and how it feels to be a 50 something rock and roller with a family. The songs are tough and focused and while he often strays to do things outside of the ESB, he seems to always come back with a vengeance like this.
Rilo Kiley – Under The Backlight – Fleetwood Mac’ish? Nah, yeah, sometimes. With Jenny Lewis leading the way the sound is radio friendly (not that any listens to it anymore) and the tunes memorable from the onset. My first exposure to the band was from the previous release, More Adventurous, which is a bit mellower and more melodic, so my first listens to Under The Backlight were positive but I felt that they had taken a different turn. However, after repeated playing UTB has enough hook and panache to keep me coming back for more.
Amy Winehouse – Back To Black – While ignoring her personal transgressions in 2007 is hard, it is easier when you just listen to this release. When I bought this my dad was ill in the hospital in NYC and I was driving in every other day to visit with him, always during the evening rush when I had time on my hands to really listen to music. Note to others….if you are going to get stuck in traffic on the Helix leading to the Lincoln Tunnel for 45-60 minutes, make sure you have some good music with you. Winehouse made those rides bearable. I hope this amazing talent does not pull a Brittany train wreck and fall off the tracks. Oh, and listen to those horns!!! Motown should be proud.
Bright Eyes – Cassadaga – Have liked Conor Oberst’s music from the beginning but always felt his previous releases were a little choppy and unfocused. They had memorable moments, but nothing to hold things together. Listen to this release. Listen to these songs about love and alienation. Listen to Make A Plan To Love Me, and then listen to the whole release again from start to finish. There is space here, space to listen, space to give the music a chance to find itself and for the audience to feel like Oberst and the band are right in the living room with them. This is an artist on the verge of a breakthrough, and this should be exciting to watch.
Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger – For me, not in the same vein as Cold Roses, this is nevertheless a strong release. A little bit more laid back, it sounds like this should have been his release after Heartbreaker. There is a lot more to come from Ryan, and while he does in concert often piss a lot of people off, at least he is now clean and ready to roll.
Erin Mckeown – Grand - Yeah, released in 2003 but I just heard her this year and found this release……not sure how. However, if you listen to Cinematic (sample it on Amazon!!!) and are not instantly hooked there is something wrong with you. A little bit of indie-pop, some swing, some folk, all the way to trip-hop. There are 14 songs on this CD and only one is more than about 3 minutes in length. And, the more you listen, the more it will grow on you and you will want to hear more. The first time I heard one of her songs I thought it was Dido singing. Mckeown is better than Dido in that her songs have more breadth, more fascinating lyrics, and a bit more pop mentality.
Honorable mention goes to:
The Sandinista Project – Yeah, my stepbrother Jimmy Guterman put this together, so I have some bias here. And yeah, just like the original release there is a lot of ‘what were they thinking’, but on a whole this is an ambitious piece of work not only by The Clash but by all of the artists that agreed to take part in this undertaking. One of the things I found interesting about this is that some of the songs I considered throwaways on the original actually shine here. Kudos to Jimmy for putting it together. For more info go to: http://sandinista.guterman.com/
Son Volt – The Search – A really, really like this band. For some reason or another I just keep forgetting about them. Perhaps it was because the first time I heard them was on Trace, which did not grab me right away, or perhaps it never has. Others have told me to get Okemah And The Melody Of Riot, which I WILL have to do someday. I need to spend some time with this music, to see if I can get it on my radar screen a little bit more.
And finally, I still need to get:
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
K.T. Tunstall - "Drastic Fantastic"
And new releases by Levon Helm, Page & Krause, Neil Young’s Massey Hall release, Josh Ritter, Keane, and a host of others that I have heard on those magazine compilations I need to find out more info on.
And lastly, these are artists that had a bit of an impact in 2007 that I just don’t get, even though I have tried, really tried:
The National (and LCD Soundsystem and The Bravery)
M.I.A
The Hold Steady
Lucinda Williams
I probably bought about 20 or so CD’s this year. Not a lot by any means compared to previous years. A lot of the music I listened to in 2007 was from discs received in music magazines Paste, Uncut, and Mojo, which is a great way to hear a lot of new music and often old music you might have missed or forgotten about. The whole concept of “Backtracking” (discovering a band you had heard about for years but never really listened to) fascinates me. In addition, I spent a lot of time listening to legally available live shows by such bands as Phish, Phil Lesh & Friends, the Grateful Dead, Moe, Wilco, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, The Dave Matthews Band, etc….all grabbed from Etree or the DMB and Ryan Adams archive torrent sites. The wealth of live material made available by bands for free (or a small stipend) continues to grow and I see this as something that is never bad.
In any event, out of the approximately 20 or so CD’s purchased this year that are not magazine compilations or live shows, the following seven are those that made me stand up and pay attention to, and reaffirmed my long standing belief that you can never have enough good music to listen to, if you just listen carefully. As usual, there is always too much music and not enough time to listen to it all.
Note: These are not in any particular order.
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky – Lovely tunes, upbeat, great guitar work by Nels Cline. Tweedy’s songwriting is excellent, the band is stable and very talented, and if you don’t like Impossible Germany there is something wrong with you. We saw them in 2007 on the tour to support the release and it was clearly one of the best rock shows I have ever been to. Hard to believe this is only their sixth studio release. There is a lot of warmth to this music and Tweedy’s songwriting that has not been seen before. They are heading in an exciting direction
Springsteen – Magic – Back with the ESB after a two album absence. Shows more punch than The Rising and anything else he has done for a long time. Very much a true rock and roll record that in concert allows the band to shine. The lyrics are tricky and need to be paid attention to because they tell a complex story, mixing love with anti-war sentiments and how it feels to be a 50 something rock and roller with a family. The songs are tough and focused and while he often strays to do things outside of the ESB, he seems to always come back with a vengeance like this.
Rilo Kiley – Under The Backlight – Fleetwood Mac’ish? Nah, yeah, sometimes. With Jenny Lewis leading the way the sound is radio friendly (not that any listens to it anymore) and the tunes memorable from the onset. My first exposure to the band was from the previous release, More Adventurous, which is a bit mellower and more melodic, so my first listens to Under The Backlight were positive but I felt that they had taken a different turn. However, after repeated playing UTB has enough hook and panache to keep me coming back for more.
Amy Winehouse – Back To Black – While ignoring her personal transgressions in 2007 is hard, it is easier when you just listen to this release. When I bought this my dad was ill in the hospital in NYC and I was driving in every other day to visit with him, always during the evening rush when I had time on my hands to really listen to music. Note to others….if you are going to get stuck in traffic on the Helix leading to the Lincoln Tunnel for 45-60 minutes, make sure you have some good music with you. Winehouse made those rides bearable. I hope this amazing talent does not pull a Brittany train wreck and fall off the tracks. Oh, and listen to those horns!!! Motown should be proud.
Bright Eyes – Cassadaga – Have liked Conor Oberst’s music from the beginning but always felt his previous releases were a little choppy and unfocused. They had memorable moments, but nothing to hold things together. Listen to this release. Listen to these songs about love and alienation. Listen to Make A Plan To Love Me, and then listen to the whole release again from start to finish. There is space here, space to listen, space to give the music a chance to find itself and for the audience to feel like Oberst and the band are right in the living room with them. This is an artist on the verge of a breakthrough, and this should be exciting to watch.
Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger – For me, not in the same vein as Cold Roses, this is nevertheless a strong release. A little bit more laid back, it sounds like this should have been his release after Heartbreaker. There is a lot more to come from Ryan, and while he does in concert often piss a lot of people off, at least he is now clean and ready to roll.
Erin Mckeown – Grand - Yeah, released in 2003 but I just heard her this year and found this release……not sure how. However, if you listen to Cinematic (sample it on Amazon!!!) and are not instantly hooked there is something wrong with you. A little bit of indie-pop, some swing, some folk, all the way to trip-hop. There are 14 songs on this CD and only one is more than about 3 minutes in length. And, the more you listen, the more it will grow on you and you will want to hear more. The first time I heard one of her songs I thought it was Dido singing. Mckeown is better than Dido in that her songs have more breadth, more fascinating lyrics, and a bit more pop mentality.
Honorable mention goes to:
The Sandinista Project – Yeah, my stepbrother Jimmy Guterman put this together, so I have some bias here. And yeah, just like the original release there is a lot of ‘what were they thinking’, but on a whole this is an ambitious piece of work not only by The Clash but by all of the artists that agreed to take part in this undertaking. One of the things I found interesting about this is that some of the songs I considered throwaways on the original actually shine here. Kudos to Jimmy for putting it together. For more info go to: http://sandinista.guterman.com/
Son Volt – The Search – A really, really like this band. For some reason or another I just keep forgetting about them. Perhaps it was because the first time I heard them was on Trace, which did not grab me right away, or perhaps it never has. Others have told me to get Okemah And The Melody Of Riot, which I WILL have to do someday. I need to spend some time with this music, to see if I can get it on my radar screen a little bit more.
And finally, I still need to get:
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
K.T. Tunstall - "Drastic Fantastic"
And new releases by Levon Helm, Page & Krause, Neil Young’s Massey Hall release, Josh Ritter, Keane, and a host of others that I have heard on those magazine compilations I need to find out more info on.
And lastly, these are artists that had a bit of an impact in 2007 that I just don’t get, even though I have tried, really tried:
The National (and LCD Soundsystem and The Bravery)
M.I.A
The Hold Steady
Lucinda Williams
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