JAY FARRAR
SEBASTOPOL
2001-ARTEMIS
Produced By JAY FARRAR & JOHN AGNELLO
1. Feel Free
2. Clear Day Thunder
3. Voodoo Candle
4. Barstow
5. Damn Shame
6. Damaged Son
7. Prelude (Make It Alright)
8. Dead Promises
9. Feed Kill Chain
10. Make It Alright
11. Fortissimo Wah
12. Drain
13. Different Eyes
14. Outside The Door
15. Equillibrium
16. Direction
17. Vitamins
During the Son Volt hiatus, which began after the 1998 release of Wide Swing Tremolo, Jay Farrar was hardly sitting back doing nothing. The period between 2001 and 2004, before the resurgence of his band, Farrar released two live albums, a solo EP, a film soundtrack, an Uncle Tupelo compilation, and two solo albums. Sebastopol was his first solo effort, and it’s as if he never took a day off. This 17 track album is heavy at times, but also features some great lovely Farrar moments like “Barstow” (with Gillian Welch), “Outside The Door” and “Dead Promises”.
While there are definitely songs that recall his alt country times with Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, Farrar also treads new ground here. "Clear Day Thunder “ is an exciting listen, and there are many other fine moments for Farrar, with lots of loud guitars and his trademark cryptic lyrics (“Heard about the circumstances/Heard about the high sheriff from hell”). Overall, Sebastopol is a really great, if challenging, album, and fills the seven year gap in the career of Son Volt quite nicely. Underrated and pretty damn excellent.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
JOE COCKER
MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN
1970-A&M
Produced By DENNY CORDELL & LEON RUSSELL
1. Introduction
2. Honky Tonk Women
3. Introduction
4. Sticks And Stones
5. Cry Me A River
6. Bird On The Wire
7. Feelin’ Alright
8. Superstar
9. Introduction
10. Let’s Go Get Stoned
11. Blue Medley: I’ll Drown In My Own Tears/When Something Is Wrong With My Baby/I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
12. Introduction
13. Girl From The North Country
14. Give Peace A Chance
15. Introduction
16. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
17. Space Captain
18. The Letter
19. Delta Lady
Joe Cocker has always been more of a cover artist than anything else, so he’s always at the mercy of those around him who select material for him. As a result, we’ve had to endure things like “Up Where We Belong” , and decades of bad to worse albums. But in the beginning, Cocker had people like Denny Cordell and Leon Russell on his side…and a huge sense of adventure that allowed him to take on the biggest of songs. On this live album, Cocker tackles The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Traffic, Bob Dylan and more, and it’s easy to see why he was such a hit at Woodstock.
Cocker has a lot to deal with here, however. The band is massive (three drummers and a full choir), which gives him a lot to have to pay attention to. His vocals don’t suffer, but the songs sometimes do. Having a terrified sounding Rita Coolidge sing Russell’s classic “Superstar” is a low point. But, as has always been the case with Cocker, the better the song, the better the performance. This is worth having…although if you’re a true fan you can get later and more expansive versions, including a six disc monstrosity of the entire two day run at the Filmore East.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE RACONTEURS
BROKEN BOYS SOLDIERS
2006-THIRD MAN
Produced By JACK WHITE III & BRENDAN BENSON
1. Steady, As She Goes
2. Hands
3. Broken Boy Soldier
4. Intimate Secretary
5. Together
6. Level
7. Store Bought Bones
8. Yellow Sun
9. Call It A Day
10. Blue Veins
The question came up again on an album geek website I frequent: is rock dead? There are many answers to this question, but the easiest one is two words: Jack White. The former White Stripe and solo artist Brendan Benson formed The Raconteurs after getting together and writing some songs, then added two members of The Greenhornes to finish the lineup. One of the early tracks from those sessions is “Steady, As She Goes”. If you have any question about the state of the life of rock in the last 10 years, this song alone will set your mind at ease.
Broken Boy Soldiers is much more, though. “Store Bought Bones”, “Level”, and “Blue Veins” are among several fine tracks on the album. White and Benson share writing, singing, guitar and keyboard duties in the band, which has served as a departure from their previous projects, yet a fine side gig. This was one of the more pleasant rock surprises of 2006, and the band regrouped for a second album in 2008. There are no plans for a third at this time. Pick this up…it will renew your faith in the state of rock. All is well, and it’s in good hands with these guys.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
JOE COCKER
MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN
1970-A&M
Produced By DENNY CORDELL & LEON RUSSELL
1. Introduction
2. Honky Tonk Women
3. Introduction
4. Sticks And Stones
5. Cry Me A River
6. Bird On The Wire
7. Feelin’ Alright
8. Superstar
9. Introduction
10. Let’s Go Get Stoned
11. Blue Medley: I’ll Drown In My Own Tears/When Something Is Wrong With My Baby/I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
12. Introduction
13. Girl From The North Country
14. Give Peace A Chance
15. Introduction
16. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
17. Space Captain
18. The Letter
19. Delta Lady
Joe Cocker has always been more of a cover artist than anything else, so he’s always at the mercy of those around him who select material for him. As a result, we’ve had to endure things like “Up Where We Belong” , and decades of bad to worse albums. But in the beginning, Cocker had people like Denny Cordell and Leon Russell on his side…and a huge sense of adventure that allowed him to take on the biggest of songs. On this live album, Cocker tackles The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Traffic, Bob Dylan and more, and it’s easy to see why he was such a hit at Woodstock.
Cocker has a lot to deal with here, however. The band is massive (three drummers and a full choir), which gives him a lot to have to pay attention to. His vocals don’t suffer, but the songs sometimes do. Having a terrified sounding Rita Coolidge sing Russell’s classic “Superstar” is a low point. But, as has always been the case with Cocker, the better the song, the better the performance. This is worth having…although if you’re a true fan you can get later and more expansive versions, including a six disc monstrosity of the entire two day run at the Filmore East.
My older brothers had this when I was little, and I really liked she came in through the bathroom window. Probably because I knew it fromthe Beatles version. I never realized before how almost all these songs were already well-known songs. Of course I didn't know that at the time. Those were the days when all musicians weren't expected to write their own songs. Sometimes singers were just singers, and it makes me sometimes wish that more artists would just cover songs they didn't write. It's almost unheard of nowadays. But listening to a lot of old music lately, I realize just how much of it was cover versions of already popular songs. And what a great thing that was. I'd rather hear someone doing a cover song that was really good than someone singing their own song that isn't all that great. I guess a long time ago there was no shame in covering other people's songs. Seems like a really good idea they should bring back. Heh heh.
My older brothers had this when I was little, and I really liked she came in through the bathroom window. Probably because I knew it fromthe Beatles version. I never realized before how almost all these songs were already well-known songs. Of course I didn't know that at the time. Those were the days when all musicians weren't expected to write their own songs. Sometimes singers were just singers, and it makes me sometimes wish that more artists would just cover songs they didn't write. It's almost unheard of nowadays. But listening to a lot of old music lately, I realize just how much of it was cover versions of already popular songs. And what a great thing that was. I'd rather hear someone doing a cover song that was really good than someone singing their own song that isn't all that great. I guess a long time ago there was no shame in covering other people's songs. Seems like a really good idea they should bring back. Heh heh.
Well said. Artists like Cocker, Linda Ronstadt and the like should have a bigger place in music.
There IS Alison Krauss. Hugely successful, yet she writes almost none of her songs. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & HIS MAGIC BAND
TROUT MASK REPLICA
1969-STRAIGHT
Produced By FRANK ZAPPA
1. Frownland
2. The Dust Blows Forward ‘N The Dust Blows Back
3. Dachau Blues
4. Ella Guru
5. Hair Pie: Bake 1
6. Moonlight On Vermont
7. Pachuco Cadaver
8. Bills Corpse
9. Sweet Sweet Bulbs
10. Neon Meate Dream Of A Octafish
11. China Pig
12. My Human Gets Me Blues
13. Dali’s Car
14. Hair Pie: Bake 2
15. Pena
16. Well
17. When Big Joan Sets Up
18. Fallin’ Ditch
19. Sugar ‘N Spikes
20. Ant Man Bee
21. Orange Claw Hammer
22. Wild Life
23. She’s Too Much For My Mirror
24. Hobo Chang Ba
25. The Blimp (Mousetrapreplica)
26. Steal Softly Thru Snow
27. Old Fart At Play
28. Veteran’s Day Poppy
One of the great debates in music is the importance of Trout Mask Replica: is it one of the greatest albums ever made, or is it simply a complete pile of rubbish? Listening casually may cause you to think the latter…but serious and closer inspections might just win you over. Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) was a high school friend of Frank Zappa, who gave him free studio reign in 1968 after 2 failed albums. The results are stunning, and on a par with (and at times, even better than) Zappa’s best early experimental work. Make no mistake: Trout Mask Replica is nowhere near the mainstream, and it’s nothing you could ever call normal. In Beefhearts own words, this album can be maybe best decribed as “fast and bulbous”.
There are times when things just sound like disjointed noise. Then you suddenly realize that the music has morphed into something beautiful like “Pachuco Cadaver”. Crazy ramblings turn into amazing jams, and Beefheart goes from nut job to genius in less than a song. Zappa put his name on this for a reason… this is a stunning piece of work, and as a whole, makes more sense than any single part should. Beefheart never got close to repeating the genius of this album, and was done recording altogether by 1983. But he did get it all right one time, which is good enough. One of the most accurate album reviews ever written said simply this: “Forty plus years later, Trout Mask Replica still sounds as if it was made tomorrow”. Amen to that.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
ERIC ANDERSEN
STAGES: THE LOST ALBUM
1991-COLUMBIA
Produced By NORBERT PUTNAM, ERIC ANDERSEN & STEVE ADDABBO
1. Baby, I’m Lonesome
2. Moonchild River Song
3. Can’t Get You Out Of My Life
4. Woman, She Was Gentle
5. Time Run Like A Freight Train
6. It’s Been A Long Time
7. Wild Crow Blues
8. Be True To You
9. I Love To Sing My Ballad, Mama (But They Only Wanna Hear Me Rock And Roll)
10. Dream To Rimbaud
11. Make It Last (Angel In The Wind)
12. Lie With Me
13. Soul Of My Song
Gonna take a moment here to tell one of the more interesting stories in the history of rock music. Eric Andersen was part of the folk scene in Greenwich Village in the early 60’s. He recorded 7 albums between 1965 and 1970, and his 8th record, Blue River from 1972, has very highly acclaimed. Given the quality of that album, and the emergence of singer songwriters like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, Andersen’s next album was expected to be the one that put him over the top. Stages was completed, and included a fine list of guest musicians including Joan Baez, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Leon Russell, and Dan Fogelberg. And then…
And then, Columbia Records lost the album. It was gone…master tapes, artwork, the whole thing. Gone. Andersen tried to regroup, releasing Be True To You in 1975 with 6 of the lost songs re-recorded, but the damage was already done. Andersen’s momentum was gone, his career seemed haunted, and he never got close to where he had almost been in 1972. He recorded sporadically, and became not much more than a footnote of the 60’s. Even his excellent Ghosts Upon The Road went mostly unnoticed. And then, in 1989, the tapes were found, having been buried in a Columbia warehouse for 16 years. They were dusted off, 3 new tracks were added, and finally released in 1991 as The Lost Album.
Of course, no one knows how this music would have gone over in 1972. It still sounded fine in 1991…a little out of place, but clearly some of Andersen’s finest work. Songs like “Time Run Like A Freight Train”, “Wild Crow Blues” (about his then girlfriend Patti Smith), and the completely stunning “Dream To Rimbaud”. Vindication for Andersen, a beautiful album finally found by one of the most underrated performers of our time. Check it out!
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
EMMYLOU HARRIS
WRECKING BALL
1995-ELEKTRA
Produced By DANIEL LANOIS
1. Where Will I Be
2. Goodbye
3. All My Tears
4. Wrecking Ball
5. Goin’ Back To Harlan
6. Deeper Well
7. Every Grain Of Sand
8. Sweet Old World
9. May This Be Love
10. Orphan Girl
11. Blackhawk
12. Waltz Across Texas Tonight
Sometimes, it takes a giant leap of faith for an artist to create their masterpiece. This was the case with Emmylou Harris. Two decades into her career, she teamed with rock producer Daniel Lanois on Wrecking Ball, and came out with easily her greatest album. Lanois brought to Harris a dark, atmospheric landscape that suited the unique voice of Emmylou better than her typical acoustic strumming of country tunes had ever done for her. Between that and an amazing set of songs and guest appearances, Wrecking Ball was the perfect recipe for the perfect album.
The songs are by Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Gillian Welch, Jimi Hendrix, and so on…all perfect choices for Harris’ unique voice. Young plays on and wrote the title track, a strong and perfect song for Harris. Overall, every song here is a keeper, and the album as a whole is beyond what Emmylou had ever done, or has done since. Her body of solo work is pretty good, but if you must have one album, this is definitely the one to have. Easily her best work, and one of the unsung albums of the 90’s.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
JOHNNY CASH
THE SUN YEARS
1990-RHINO
Produced By JACK CLEMENT
1. Folsom Prison blues
2. Hey Porter
3. I Walk The Line
4. Get Rhythm
5. Guess Things Happen That Way
6. Rock Island Line
7. Home Of The Blues
8. Luther Played The Boogie
9. Mean Eyed Cat
10. Big River
11. Next In Line
12. Come In Stranger
13. Train Of Love
14. There You Go
15. Ballad Of A Teenage Queen
16. So Doggone Lonesome
17. The Ways Of A Woman In Love
18. Give My Love To Rose
The early years of the career of Johnny Cash were his most consistent, and his most exciting. He signed with Sun Records in 1955 and made his first record, “Cry, Cry, Cry” (sadly not included here) and “Hey Porter”. Between 1955 and 1958, Cash was the most prolific and consistent of the Sun artists (Elvis Presley left not long after signing), but Cash was unhappy with his contract, and the fact that Sam Phillips was concentrating more on the career of Jerry Lee Lewis. Cash left Sun in 1958 for Columbia, but left behind a treasure of material.
The Sun Years collects the hits from this period nicely, but for the complete picture, you’re better off with the three disc Complete Sun Masters…pricey, but worth it. In the meantime, this album served as the definitive early years best of for Cash, and still fills that role nicely. It’s good to have “Folsom Prison Blues”, “I Walk The Line”, and “Big River” all in one place. Still highly recommended, but the bigger and bulkier mini box set of Sun Masters will make you forget this pretty quickly.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
My older brothers had this when I was little, and I really liked she came in through the bathroom window. Probably because I knew it fromthe Beatles version. I never realized before how almost all these songs were already well-known songs. Of course I didn't know that at the time. Those were the days when all musicians weren't expected to write their own songs. Sometimes singers were just singers, and it makes me sometimes wish that more artists would just cover songs they didn't write. It's almost unheard of nowadays. But listening to a lot of old music lately, I realize just how much of it was cover versions of already popular songs. And what a great thing that was. I'd rather hear someone doing a cover song that was really good than someone singing their own song that isn't all that great. I guess a long time ago there was no shame in covering other people's songs. Seems like a really good idea they should bring back. Heh heh.
Well said. Artists like Cocker, Linda Ronstadt and the like should have a bigger place in music.
There IS Alison Krauss. Hugely successful, yet she writes almost none of her songs.
I meant that mostly in Rock it's almost unheard of nowadays to not write your own material or do cover songs. Some kinds of music like jazz and Country still do a lot of standards add cover material.
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