WARREN ZEVON
THE WIND
2003-ARTEMIS
Produced By WARREN ZEVON, JORGE CALDERON, & NOAH SCOTT SNYDER
1. Dirty Life And Times
2. Disorder In The House
3. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
4. Numb As A Statue
5. She's Too Good For Me
6. Prison Grove
7. El Amor De Mi Vida
8. The Rest Of The Night
9. Please Stay
10. Rub Me Raw
11. Keep Me In Your Heart
When Warren Zevon was diagnosed with inoperable mesothelioma, he decided that before he died, he wanted to make one more album. What a freaking way to go, and only an artist as real as Zevon could have pulled this off. The race was on to finish as much of the record as possible before he died. Zevon not only finished it, he actually lived to see it released. The finished product is a great testament to art, love, life, drive, friendship, and so many other things.
And, boy, did his friends come out to help him. The list of players on this record is its own rock & roll hall of fame...and shows how loved and respected Zevon was. Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Don Henley, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Bob Thornton, Tommy Shaw, Steve Gorman, Mike Campbell, John Waite...it just goes on and on. And the music here is Zevon at his best...he may not beat death, but he's sure as hell not going down without a fight.
In the end, Zevon lived for 2 weeks after the release of The Wind. He should not, and never will be, forgotten. This is a truly great album, for more than just the music.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
PAUL SIMON
NEGOTIATIONS AND LOVE SONGS 1971-1986
1988-WARNER BROTHERS
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Mother And Child Reunion
2. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
3. Something So Right
4. St. Judy's Comet
5. Loves Me Like A Rock
6. Kodachrome
7. Have A Good Time
8. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
9. Still Crazy After All These Years
10. Late In The Evening
11. Slip Slidin' Away
12. Hearts And Bones
13. Train In The Distance
14. Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War
15. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
16. You Can Call Me Al
Covering Paul Simon's solo career from the end of Simon & Garfunkel through the Graceland album, you'd think that this would be much more fulfilling. Surprisingly, this set reveals how commercially lacking, compared to how well he is known, that solo career really was. There are some great hits here ("Loves Me Like A Rock", "Me & Julio"), but there are also some adult contemporary duds ("Something So Right", "Have A Good Time"). The albums from which most of these songs came from are all better compilations than this one...you'd be much better off with There Goes Rhymin' Simon or Graceland...or both.
As for his lesser albums, they're represented by weak songs anyway ("Hearts And Bones"). This is a good starter album for someone who only wants hits. Otherwise, again, stick with the originals.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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Of dying history
BOB DYLAN
HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED
1965-COLUMBIA
Produced by BOB JOHNSTON & TOM WILSON
1. Like A Rolling Stone
2. Tombstone Blues
3. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
4. From A Buick 6
5. Ballad Of A Thin Man
6. Queen Jane Approximately
7. Highway 61 Revisited
8. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
9. Desolation Row
Just wow. When this came out in 1965, it was, by far, the greatest album ever made. And there are only a small handful of albums since that are even in the same league. The newly electric Dylan, with his band led by the great Michael Bloomfield, tears through Dylan's best overall set of songs with a fury. "Like A Rolling Stone" has been amazing for over 40 years now, and continues to be his best hit. "Desolation Row" closes the album with a flurry of great lyrics and a musical immediacy that makes it still a classic today. And in between those two songs, there is not a single weak moment (except for the calliope on the title track...but that's so small it can be forgiven).
Dylan's folk following turned on him around this time, but there's no denying that by moving into rock and roll, he made the right decision. Highway 61 is one of the greatest albums of all time. And it's one of the very few that cannot be denied that distinction. A truly classic, moving and great album. If you don't have it, go buy it right now. Because EVERYONE should have this one. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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Of dying history
DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES
ROCK 'N SOUL PART 1: GREATEST HITS
1983-RCA
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Say It Isn't So
2. Sara Smile
3. She's Gone
4. Rich Girl
5. Kiss On My List
6. You Make My Dreams
7. Private Eyes
8. Adult Education
9. I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
10. Maneater
11. One On One
12. Wait For Me (Live)
Say what you want about Hall & Oates. Yes, there are questions about the most successful duo in the history of rock: what, exactly, does John Oates do? Why did they have to be so damn poppy? But the one thing that cannot be denied is that Daryl Hall possesses maybe the greatest white soul voice in the world this side of Van Morrison. And as this greatest hits package shows, their long (starting in 1972) career was justified with some great performances.
So while, yeah..."Kiss On My List" and "I Can't Go For That" may be over the top, and the big 80's handclaps on "Private Eyes" sound dated, and "Maneater" may now sound like creepy music for cougars to put their makeup on to, you can't deny the greatness of "Sara Smile", "She's Gone", "Rich Girl", and so on...and "You Make My Dreams" could be the catchiest song ever. These are all big hits, many of them great, and the duo became the primer for skinny tie bands who wanted this kind of soul but never knew how to get it.
In the end, this is a fine collection of songs sung by Daryl Hall, a truly golden voice.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
NEIL YOUNG
AFTER THE GOLD RUSH
1970-REPRISE
Produced By NEIL YOUNG & DAVID BRIGGS
1. Tell Me Why
2. After The Gold Rush
3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart
4. Southern Man
5. Till The Morning Comes
6. Oh, Lonesome Me
7. Don't Let It Bring You Down
8. Birds
9. When You Dance I Can Really Love
10. I Believe In You
11. Cripple Creek Ferry
Neil Young's third album is also one of his very best. After The Gold Rush shows Young in both of his strongest areas..."Southern Man" rocks hard, while ""Tell Me Why" is Neil at his mellow best. he also throws a genuine country cover in ("Oh, Lonesome Me") and the title track is probably his best vocal ever. In all, the album is pretty much perfect.
Neil went on to much more greatness, and this record sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. But it's truly Neil Young coming of age, and one of the best albums of the 70's. It still holds up against anything from the decade, and against anything in Young's mighty catalog. A true classic.
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Of dying history
1. No Kinda Dancer
2. Willie
3. Armadillo Jackal
4. Paint The Town Beige
5. Whenever Kindness Fails
6. Corpus Christi Bay
7. Merry Christmas From The Family
8. The Road Intro
9. The Road Goes On Forever
10. Furnace Fan
11. All I Have Is Today
12. Let The Music Play
13. For Love
14. Mr. Wolf And Mama Bear
15. Ride
16. Feeling Good Again
17. Gringo Honeymoon
18. I'm Comin' Home
You would think that the only best of from an artist who had released 9 studio and 5 live albums would be more thorough than this. Unfortunately, Best is not the package that it should be. Keen is an alt-country hero, shunned by Nashville and disillusioned with the gloss of country, he became an Austin legend and has released many great songs and albums. And while Best is very good (how could it not be?), it's just not the cover-all-bases collection you would hope it would be.
Still, the songs are great. The live tracks are all from Live At The Ryman, a classic concert recording, and the rest are all well chosen. It does run a bit long despite missing some key tracks, but you still can't go wrong with "Armadillo Jackal", "Gringo Honeymoon", "Furnace Fan", and the splendid redneck party/nightmare of "Merry Christmas From The Family".
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
VICTORIA WILLIAMS
LOOSE
1994-MAMMOTH
Produced By PAUL FOX
1. Century Plant
2. You R Loved
3. Harry Went To Heaven
4. Crazy Mary
5. When We Sing Together
6. Polish Those Shoes
7. Love
8. What A Wonderful World
9. Waterfall
10. Nature's Way
11. Sunshine Country
12. Happy To Have Known Pappy
13. My Ally
14. Hitchhikers Smile
15. Get Away
16. Psalms
The quirky and talented Victoria Williams shone her brightest on Loose. Her best set of songs and a glowing cast of friends helping her out makes this a really cool listen, and gives great insight into her talents and mindset. Gary Louris and Mark Olson (her future husband) from The Jayhawks, David Pirner from Soul Asylum, members of R.E.M. and Van Dyke Parks contribute. Songs like "Crazy Mary", "You R Loved", and "My Ally" are strong points.
Williams had already been the subject of Sweet Relief, a tribute album for artists with health problems (Williams suffers from MS). Between that and the death of her dog Belle (on the cover), Loose is a pretty emotional record. But Williams handles it with a joy for life and music that shines above it all, and that spirit is what makes this a really worthwhile album.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION
UNCLE MEAT
1969-RYKODISC
Produced by FRANK ZAPPA
1. Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme
2. The Voice Of Cheese
3. Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution
4. Zolar Czakl
5. Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague
6. The Legend Of The Golden Arches
7. Louie Louie (At The Royal Albert Hall In London)
8. The Dog Breath Variations
9. Sleeping In A Jar
10. Our Bizarre Relationship
11. The Uncle Meat Variations
12. Electric Aunt Jemima
13. Prelude To King Kong
14. God Bless America (Live At The Whisky A Go Go)
15. A Pound For A Brown On The Bus
16. Ian Underwood Whips It Out (Live On Stage In Copenhagen)
17. Mr. Green Genes
18. We Can Shoot You
19. "If We'd All Been Living In California..."
20. The Air
21. Project X
22. Cruising For Burgers
1. Uncle Meat Film Excerpt Part I
2. Tengo Na Minchia Tanta
3. Uncle Meat Film Excerpt Part II
4. King Kong Itself (As Played By The Mothers In A Studio)
5. King Kong (Its Magnificence As Interpreted By Dom DeWild)
6. King Kong (As Motorhead Explains It)
7. King Kong (The Gardner Variations)
8. King Kong (As Played By 3 Deranged Good Humor Trucks)
9. King Kong (Live On A Flat Bed Diesel In The Middle Of A Race Track At A Miami Pop Festival...The Underwood Ramifications)
If it weren't Frank Zappa, it could be the strangest album ever made. Instead...welcome to Uncle Meat! This is the soundtrack to a movie called Uncle Meat which was never made. It marks Zappa moving more into elements of classical and jazz music, but still has his early trademark beatings of rock and doo-wop. The central song turns out to be "King Kong", and the strangeness of Zappa's previous and future records is in full force here. You gotta dig Zappa to be able to listen to this, but if you do, this is a pure treat. You should at least open your mind and try...because it's really weird in some really cool ways. Like, man!
One song was added later..."Tengo Na Minchia Tanta" (which translates to "I've Got A Big Bunch Of Cock" in Sicilian). One of the best from Zappa, indespensible for fans, a true discovery and an adventure for those who aren't.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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Of dying history
1. Misunderstood
2. Far, Far Away
3. Monday
4. Outtasite (Outta Mind)
5. Forget The Flowers
6. Red-Eyed And Blue
7. I Got You (At The End Of The Century)
8. What's The World Got In Store
9. Hotel Arizona
10. Say You Miss Me
1. Sunken Treasure
2. Someday Soon
3. Outta Mind (Outta Sight)
4. Someone Else's Song
5. Kingpin
6. (Was I) In Your Dreams
7. Why Would You Wanna Live
8. The Lonely 1
9. Dreamer In My Dreams
After the breakup of Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar's Son Volt and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy staged an unofficial competition to see which one would come out of the gate with the better album. Farrar's Trace beat out Tweedy's AM, and Tweedy set out to change the sound of his band completely. He started by adding multi instrumentalist Jay Bennett, and with the wall of noise that opens "Misunderstood", the real Wilco was born.
Being There is a stunning change, although there are still a few AM elements left. But the move towards their later (and remarkably huge) music starts here. It's a great collection of songs, and making an on the road DOUBLE album with only their second album took a lot of guts. But they pull it off. Being There isn't perfect, but it's a fine Wilco album, and a lot of signs of good things that were to come.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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