[Repo]

38. True Love

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The 2 Sides Of Sam Cooke by Sam Cooke

If I walk in the pathway of duty
If I work ’til the close of the day, Lord
I shall see the great king in all his beauty
When I've gone the last mile of the way (The Last Mile of the Way)

Just like a king, I've lost everything
I sit all alone on my throne
I've got my pride, but deep down inside
I'm yours, I'm yours alone
Can't sleep goodnight, I can't eat a bite
Just call my name, woah-oh, I know I'm not ashamed
I'll come running back to you (I’ll Come Running Back To You)

This album does not work. Every single song on here is perfect. But still. This album does not work. The two sides just don’t gel. At all. Side A is totally devoted to Cooke’s early career as a gospel singer. Side B contains his first soul singles dealing chiefly with love and the pain it has brought him. And it doesn’t work. After listening to 6 of the most intensely spiritual songs ever sung, the love songs just sound off. Totally incongruous. It’s akin to watching a devoted and passionate father of four cute little girls who used to be an alcoholic suddenly start binge drinking again and staying out all night while his cute little girls are home alone panic-stricken and desperately calling out for him “Daddy! Daddy!” And he can’t even hear! Because he’s passed out in some gutter somewhere. Sheesh! Get a hold of yourself, Dad!

But, it does delivers an incredibly important lesson. That the power of spiritual love utterly dwarves carnal love. It towers over it. And makes it look puny. Selfish. Pathetic even. The braying and tantrums of a small child. Which is key for me. Because it would be a miracle for me to ever fall in love again. But through this album and my own travails, I now realize just how selfish ( & even downright pathetic) human love can be. The mewlings of a child. How so much of it is really about us. About me. So often the other person is simply a vehicle. For our own fantasies. For what we want. We build them up into these idealized fetishes. Make them in the image of our own dreams. Our desires. And then are surprised when they disappoint. When they don’t live up to our own often outlandish expectations.

But that is enough on that. I will tell more on another day. Suffice to say that we are all capable of a much purer love. It’s just harder to attain. But more on that later as well because this album has another side to it. (get it! Another side! I slay myself sometimes)

We all the know the tale of Dylan. It’s legendary. The day he plugged in. The guts it took to knowingly alienate his audience at such a young age. But, I guess that’s when you make those choices. When you’re young. And you feel like you can do anything. And because you feel that way, you actually can! Well, way before there was Dylan, there was Sam Cooke. Pulling off an even ballsier move. And getting away with it on sole talent alone. He was the the SUPERSTAR of the gospel world. And going secular was literally sacrilege! And basically unheard of at the time. Once you were gospel, you were gospel for life. Sort of like being in the mob. But Cooke wanted to create a new sound. He wanted to create soul. And the second half of this anthology contains his first soul singles. The songs that gave birth to an entire genre. The songs that got him and his producer dropped from his label - Specialty. Which is crazy in retrospect because they’re easily some of the best soul singles ever released.

Grade: A+. This is definitely an album of two sides. The title does not lie. And it was hard at first to listen to the two sides in succession. But that quickly passes after the first couple of spins AND is probably unique to my circumstances. After a few spins, I was able to get over the initial compulsion to vomit with the neediness and selfishness of Sam Cooke’s human love songs juxtaposed to the uplifting spiritual love on side one. In fact, this is easily one of the best (if not the best) introductions to BOTH gospel and soul that you can find. If there’s a better one, let me know about it! Both the gospel and soul selections are stunning and easily the top of their respective classes. Sam Cooke steals the show of course. His voice backed by the doo wop harmonies of the Soul Stirrers needs little to no accompaniment. But, the subtle touches to the music are also stunning. His call and response with the tremolo, echoey guitar on “Pilgrim of Sorrow” in particular slays me every time. But every single cut is tastefully done & unique. And this conflicted album of split personalities positions itself all the way up at number 14.

A side: "Happy in Love" is the sort of song that Leland Palmer would positively crush. I wonder if I can make a request. Who else out there would love a Leland Palme covers the Classics sort of album. I'd totally buy that!

B side: “Lovable” is dedicated to my two little girls, Tilly & Genni who are the embodiment of lovable. Couldn’t do it with out you two! <3

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Essential
1. Donovan - A Gift From a Flower to a Garden
2. Mum - Finally We Are No One
3. Dadawah - Peace and Love
4. Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt
5 Cocteau Twins - Victorialand
6. Tim Buckley - Blue Afternoon
7. The Durutti Column - Another Setting
8. Vashti Bunyan - Another Diamond Day
9. Roy Harper - Stormcock
10. Judee Sill - Judee Sill
11. Harold Budd/Brian Eno - The Pearl
12. Real Estate - Atlas
13. Virginia Astley - From Gardens Where We Feel Secure
14. Bonnie "Prince" Billie - The Letting Go
15. Cluster & Eno - Cluster & Eno
16. Sam Cooke - The Two Sides of Sam Cooke
17. Pinback - This Is a Pinback CD
18. The Fun Years - One Quarter Descent
19. Paul McCartney - McCartney
20. John Phillips - John, The Wolf King of L.A.
21. Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
22. Townes Van Zandt - High, Low and In Between
23. Harold Budd - Pavilion of Dreams
24. Gene Clark - No Other
24. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
25.Various Artists - The Harder They Come
26. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
27. The XX - XX
28. Bob Dylan - New Morning
29. A Winged Victory for the Sullen - A Winged Victory for the Sullen
30. Real Estate - Days
31. Bob Dylan - Self-Portrait
32. Beach House - Bloom
33. Real Estate - Real Estate
34. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier

[theblueboy]

Loved this review 😁 A really thought provoking introduction to this album. I haven't heard it but will definitely check it out. I'm really interested in discovering more great music that is in that pre 1965 era so this fits the bill perfectly.

[Repo]

[Repo]

39. Zen Master Callahan


Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle by Bill Callahan

I started out in search of ordinary things
Like how much a tree bends in the wind… (Jim Cain)

Love is the king of the beasts
And when it gets hungry it must kill to eat (Eid Mad Clack Shaw)


Bill callahan is a naturalist. An observer of life. Like some modern day equivalent of Thoreau hanging out at Walden’s. His observations are both objective and reflective. He’s the observer from without looking within. Not passing judgement. Just observing. Detached. Allowing the world to come to him at its own pace. In its own time. Just simply observing how life is instead of how he wants it to be. Callahan’s easily one of the finest lyricists of the last twenty-some years. Each time I listen to a line from one of his songs it has the ability to take on new meaning. Like the poetry of a zen master, his poetry is endless. Expansive. Taking you deeper & deeper with each reading. Each spin.

And Callahan has also mastered a genre I never would have thought I of all people would even tolerate never mind LOVE - Adult Contemporary! Mind you, this is adult contemporary for FREAKS. And somehow, someway he even one ups the mighty Nick Cave as the best adult contemporary artist of the indie kingdom. Which is saying a shitload because, let’s be honest, Nick Cave invented this genre for pete’s sakes.

And each song offers up many a hidden treasure. Chocked filled with little touches. Little embellishments. For instance, in “Eid Ma Clack Shaw” he occasionally shouts out a “Pow! POW!” as if he’s karate chopping some old Ikea furniture. to bits. (Please do NOT inform me that he’s really just saying “How”. Jeez don’t ruin it for me. That’s not nearly as cool. xp) Or take the drums on “All Thoughts Are Prey.” They start as gently echoes as some hallucinating guitar winds through the song, but then all of sudden at about the one minute mark the drums become maniacal, a beast coming to life, frothing and whipping itself into a fury as the song progresses. Becoming more & more chaotic. Free. And all the songs are tricked out like this. Subtle intricate beauty that slowly reveals and unfolds upon the listener. Seemingly changing with each spin. Yes, these songs are alive. And Callahan’s simply channeling what he feels into these songs. Normally I HATE when an album is embellished with strings and horns and the like. I mean they can sound so fake. So Phony. But not here. Oh No! They’re inventive. Constantly changing as the songs need them to. Unlike so many string arrangement that sound just thrown in as an afterthought by some producer who doesn’t even understand the song nor the artist. No. These arrangements are clearly part of the song themselves. Living, breathing entities that shift and change as the song does. As the song breathes. And just perhaps these are the most tasteful strings ever done for a rock record EVER.

Grade: A+. The finest adult contemporary recording ever recorded. It stands as the gold standard for the entire genre. A touchstone with which to compare similar entities such as Lambchop or Tindersticks and yes even the master himself, Nick Cave. And I seriously thought about vaulting this fully realized album all the way to number ONE. But… Not yet. And so it perches itself like a bird in a tree at number three.






Essential
1. Donovan - A Gift From a Flower to a Garden
2. Mum - Finally We Are No One
3. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
4. Dadawah - Peace and Love
5. Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt
6 Cocteau Twins - Victorialand
7. Tim Buckley - Blue Afternoon
8. The Durutti Column - Another Setting
9. Vashti Bunyan - Another Diamond Day
10. Roy Harper - Stormcock
11. Judee Sill - Judee Sill

[Komorebi-D]

[Komorebi-D]

[mickilennial]

Y'all need to hit the enter button more often.

[Komorebi-D]

[kickerofelves]

This seems like a good recommendation as it literally has mellow in the title!
It's my joint album of the year so far (along with The Great Balloon Race - Gently Gently.)
Not sure how to define it, Electronic Pop? I find it very calming whatever it is.


Mellow Waves by Cornelius

[Komorebi-D]