SON VOLT
TRACE
1995-WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By BRIAN PAULSON & SON VOLT
1. Windfall
2. Live Free
3. Tear Stained Eye
4. Route
5. Ten Second News
6. Drown
7. Loose String
8. Out Of The Picture
9. Catching On
10. Too Early
11. Mystifies Me
In the aftermath of the breakup of Uncle Tupelo, the race was on to see which member was going to come out with the best first album: Jeff Tweedy's Wilco, or Jay Farrar's Son Volt. The winner was, in a landslide, Son Volt. Trace is not only a great album, it's one of the greatest alt country albums of all time. Farrar shows an uncharacteristic optimism here that shines throughout the album.
"Windfall" is a beautiful opener with it's blessing of a chorus: "May the wind take your trouble away". "Tear Stained Eye", "Loose String" and "Drown" are among Farrar's best songs. The album rates almost as high as Tupelo's swan song, Anodyne, and should be a must for anyone who loves alt country. This is Farrar at his peak, and it should not be missed.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
WACO BROTHERS
NEW DEAL
2002-BLOODSHOT
Produced By WACO BROTHERS & KENGINEER
1. Poison
2. No Heart
3. In The Honky Tonk Shadows
4. Johnson To Jones
5. Blink Of An Eye
6. New Moon
7. Better Everyday
8. Just No Way
9. AFC Song
10. New Deal Blues
11. I'm A Ghost
12. The Lie
The Waco Brothers were formed as a side project by Jon Langford of The Mekons...a pretty great band in their own right. Langford is from Wales, and he found this band in Chicago. They are known primarily for their live shows...and if this album is any indication, they must be bad ass live. It's an okay record...but you can feel the power that this music must have live. It's a raw, guitar heavy alt country sound that sounds like it would surely not disappoint on stage.
There are some really great highlights here: "Johnson To Jones" is a great country song: "Wreck On The Highway" is also great (both songs are covers, by the way). There's enough good stuff here to recommend. Not a top 100 album, but a pretty cool listen if you like the alt country stuff. Or The Mekons. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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RORY GALLAGHER
CALLING CARD
1976-BUDDHA
Produced By ROGER GLOVER & RORY GALLAGHER
1. Do You Read Me
2. Country Mile
3. Moonchild
4. Calling card
5. I'll Admit you're Gone
6. Secret Agent
7. Jackknife Beat
8. Edged In Blue
9. Barley & Grape Rag
10. Rue The Day
11. Public Enemy (B-Girl Version)
Rory Gallagher was one of the blues rock guitar heroes who emerged at the end of the 1960's, along with Clapton, Beck, Page, and Hendrix. Gallagher, from Ireland, was lesser known, but has always been a highly respected player. he recorded numerous solo albums during the 70's, all of them good, none of them spectacular. Calling card came in 1976 and is maybe the best of the lot. Produced by Deep Purple's Roger Glover, the album is more diverse than any other Gallagher album. He stayed tru to the blues more than any of his contemporaries which may have limited his access to fame.
The highlights here are "Country Mile", "Secret Agent", and "Barley & Grape Rag", a traditional sounding Irish folk song. Because of his allegiance to the blues, however, by the end everything starts to sound the same. Still, a good way to introduce yourself to one of the most unsung guitarists in rock. (Gallagher died at age 47 following a liver transplant.)
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
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And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
PAVEMENT
CROOKED RAIN, CROOKED RAIN
1994-MATADOR
Produced By PAVEMENT
1. Silence Kid
2. Elevate Me Later
3. Stop Breathin'
4. Cut Your Hair
5. Newark Wilder
6. Unfair
7. Gold Soundz
8. 5-4=Unity
9. Range Life
10. Heaven Is A Truck
11. Hit The Plane Down
12. Fillmore Jive
Ah, the glories of Pavement. Indie rock at its most indie and primal, Pavement's first album, Slanted And Enchanted, was a monster. That they were able to match that feat says a lot. Crooked Rain features an actual hit song ("Cut Your Hair"), alongside a bunch of truly great garage rock romps that other "indie" bands can only dream of.
A truly great collection has both Slanted And Enchanted and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Pavement never reached this level again...but hey, if you've done it twice, do you really need to do it again? This is a truly original band in a field where originality is rare. Long live Pavement!
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
AMBROSIA
LIFE BEYOND L.A.
1978-WARNER BROS
Produced By FREDDIE PIRO & AMBROSIA
1. Life Beyond L.A.
2. Art Beware
3. Apothecary
4. If Heaven Could Find Me
5. How Much I Feel
6. Dancin' With Myself
7. Angola
8. Heart To Heart
9. Not As You Were
10. Ready For Camarillo
If you were anywhere near a radio in the late 70's, you knew who Ambrosia was. "How Much I Feel" was a soft rock staple of the airwaves during this time: a mellow make out anthem that unfortunately pigeonholed this band as uncool. And it also spawned a string of mellow hits for the band that kept them in the spotlight for a few years.
Life Beyond L.A. houses not only "How Much I Feel", but also the equally as sappy "Heart To Heart". And its' those songs that they are remembered for. Probably one reason why it took into the 2000's before this was available on CD. But check out the other stuff and you may be surprised. The album opens with the big title track, and also contains some fairly heavy almost progressive rock in "If Heaven Could Find Me", "Not As You Were", and the slow burner "Ready For Camarillo". There's also the topical acoustic protest song "Angola".
Life Beyond L.A. sounds just as good as it did back then. A good album from a forgotten band.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS
16 OF THEIR GREATEST HITS
1986-MCA
No Production credit
1. Dedicated To The One I Love
2. Monday, Monday
3. Look Through My Window
4. California Dreamin'
5. I Call Your Name
6. My Girl
7. Dream A Little Dream Of Me
8. Go Where You Wanna Go
9. Got A Feelin'
10. I Saw Her Again Last Night
11. Words Of Love
12. Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon)
13. Dancing In The Street
14. Glad To Be Unhappy
15. Creeque Alley
16. Midnight Voyage
Oh, sure...there's some real wasted space on this package. Particularly the Cass Elliott solo tunes like "Midnight Voyage", "My Girl" and "Glad To Be Unhappy". but there's enough great stuff here to make it all worthwhile. Maybe the best vocal group of all time (and that's saying a lot), the arrangements of John Phillips are impeccable. The songs are perfect for their time. And the singing, particularly that of Cass, is as good as you'll hear.
The great songs are all here: "Monday Monday", "California Dreamin'", Creeque Alley"...and so many others will make you almost forget that there is also "Dream A Little Dream". One of the great acts of the past. You should have these songs...well, most of them, anyway.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
AMBROSIA
LIFE BEYOND L.A.
1978-WARNER BROS
Produced By FREDDIE PIRO & AMBROSIA
1. Life Beyond L.A.
2. Art Beware
3. Apothecary
4. If Heaven Could Find Me
5. How Much I Feel
6. Dancin' With Myself
7. Angola
8. Heart To Heart
9. Not As You Were
10. Ready For Camarillo
If you were anywhere near a radio in the late 70's, you knew who Ambrosia was. "How Much I Feel" was a soft rock staple of the airwaves during this time: a mellow make out anthem that unfortunately pigeonholed this band as uncool. And it also spawned a string of mellow hits for the band that kept them in the spotlight for a few years.
Life Beyond L.A. houses not only "How Much I Feel", but also the equally as sappy "Heart To Heart". And its' those songs that they are remembered for. Probably one reason why it took into the 2000's before this was available on CD. But check out the other stuff and you may be surprised. The album opens with the big title track, and also contains some fairly heavy almost progressive rock in "If Heaven Could Find Me", "Not As You Were", and the slow burner "Ready For Camarillo". There's also the topical acoustic protest song "Angola".
Life Beyond L.A. sounds just as good as it did back then. A good album from a forgotten band.
Few know of Ambrosia's progressive leanings, and how good they could be at it. They might have "sold out" to sappy radio ballads, but these guys were fine musicians with a much broader musical vision. Their eponymous debut (1975) was even better in this regard, as was the follow-up, "Somewhere I've Never Traveled" (1976)
PEARL JAM
2006-J
Produced By ADAM KASPER & PERAL JAM
1. Life Wasted
2. World Wide Suicide
3. Comatose
4. Severed Hand
5. Marker In The Sand
6. Parachutes
7. Unemployable
8. Big Wave
9. Gone
10. Wasted Reprise
11. Army Reserve
12. Come Back
13. Inside Job
Also known as The Avocado Album (for obvious reasons), Pearl Jam's eighth album is a return to their roots: hard driving, topical rockers. The album addresses several issues facing Americans at the time, including the war of terror. The album highlights include "World Wide Suicide", "Life Wasted" and "Gone". An excellent first half gives way to a mostly declining second half, but it's also pretty great to hear this band rock like this.
This was the bands only album for J Records, who allowed the band to do whatever they wanted with absolutely no input. The band sounds fresh and strong here, lacking only a few more solid songs. Still well worth having, especially if you're a fan.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
GANGSTABILLY
1998-NEW WEST
Produced By ANDY BAKER, ANDY LEMASTER & DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
1. Wife Beater
2. Demonic Possession
3. The Tough Sell
4. The Living Bubba
5. Late For Church
6. Panties In Your Purse
7. Why Henry Drinks
8. 18 Wheels Of Love
9. Steve McQueen
10. Buttholeville
11. Sandwiches For The Road
For anyone who felt any kind of sadness at all when Southern rock died in that plane crash back in the late 70's, this band is the reason for rejoicing and the ability to know that rock is not really dead after all. Gangstabilly is the debut album from Drive-By Truckers, a band as Southern as you can get. It was released on the small Soul Dump label, and was out of print until 2005 when their first two records were re-released.
What's not to love here? You've gotta love anyone whose career starts with "Wife Beater". "18 Wheels Of Love" ("Mama ran off with a trucker, Peterbilt, Peterbilt") "Buttholeville", "Steve McQueen", "Panties In Your Purse"...all rank among the best Southern rock songs ever. And, according to Patterson Hood, "The Living Bubba" is still the best song he's ever written. This is a band worth having everything they've recorded, and there's no better place to start than the very beginning. Gangstabilly was recorded live in the studio in two days, and it's better than so much of what others have released over the last 15 plus years. A great debut by a great band. I have to admit...these guys are one of my favorites.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
JOHN HIATT & THE GONERS
BENEATH THIS GRUFF EXTERIOR
2003-NEW WEST
Produced By DON SMITH, JOHN HIATT & THE GONERS
1. Uncommon Connection
2. How Bad's The Coffee
3. The Nagging Dark
4. My Baby Blue
5. My Dog And Me
6. Almost Fed Up With The Blues
7. Circle Back
8. Window On The World
9. Missing Pieces
10. Fly Back Home
11. The Last Time
12. The Most Unoriginal Sin
This is John Hiatt's 17th album, and the only one actually credited to Hiatt & The Goners, although they did back him on a couple of other releases. Here, Hiatt is, as usual, in fine form. He's not breaking any new ground here, but then, he doesn't really have to any more. His fan base is well defined and loyal, his style is etched in stone. You know it's all going to be okay by the second track, "How Bad's The Coffee", (I need a cup/Of the nastiest shit you can find). "My Baby Blue" would have been a hit for him years earlier, and "My Dog And Me" is just as fine.
The album starts to run out of steam by the end, but that's okay. It's John Hiatt, and Hiatt really never gets boring. His albums are never great anymore either, but with him, good is good enough.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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