BILLY BRAGG & WILCO
MERMAID AVENUE
1998 – ELEKTRA
Produced By WILCO, BILLY BRAGG & GRANT SHOWBIZ
1. Walt Whitman’s Niece
2. California Stars
3. Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key
4. Birds And Ships
5. Hoodoo Voodoo
6. She Came Along To Me
7. At My Window Sad And Lonely
8. Ingrid Bergman
9. Christ For President
10. I Guess I Planted
11. One By One
12. Eisler On The Go
13. Hesitating Beauty
14. Another Man’s Done Gone
15. The Unwelcome Guest
Woody Guthrie was one of the most important songwriters in American history. Because of when his career was active, he recorded just one studio album: 1940’s Dust Bowl Ballads. His performing career was over by the mid 1950’s and he died of Huntington’s Disease in 1967 at the age of 55. But his famous songs have never been forgotten, especially “This Land Is Your Land”. Guthrie was a highly prolific writer: he had a box that contained over 1000 complete sets of lyrics. But because he did not write out the music, and because he had no means of recording himself, the lyrics had no melodies. And so, in 1995, nearly 30 years after his death, Guthrie’s daughter Nora contacted folk singer Billy Bragg to see if he would want to put some of Guthrie’s lyrics to music. He brought in Wilco, and the album Mermaid Avenue was created.
This is the first of three volumes, and it’s the best one. Bragg and Wilco wrote the music in their own styles so that Guthrie’s lyrics would be set to modern music. The results are beautiful. The lyrics here were all written between 1939 and 1950, but Bragg and Wilco make it all new. Wilco’s “California Stars” and “Hesitating Beauty” are perfect tracks, and Bragg’s more serious and folksy work on “Ingrid Bergman” and “Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key” are absolute highlights. There’s also a nice guest vocal from Natalie Merchant on “Birds And Ships”. The music is all beautifully done, but it’s ultimately Guthrie’s lyrics that shine the brightest. And that’s what makes all three volumes of Mermaid Avenue special. His life and his career were ultimately cut short, but it’s a true blessing that we have so many of his writings brought to life here. An absolute classic, and a historical gem.
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GUY CLARK
THE DARK
2002 – SUGAR HILL
Produced By GUY CLARK, VERLON THOMPSON, CHRIS LATHAM & DARRELL SCOTT
1. Mud
2. Arizona Star
3. Magnolia Wind
4. Soldier’s Joy, 1864
5. Dancin’ Days
6. Homeless
7. Off The Map
8. Bag Of Bones
9. She Loves To Ride Horses
10. Rex’s Blues
11. Queenie’s Song
12. The Dark
Guy Clark was a legendary songwriter…and was almost unknown as a recording artist. In his forty year career, he released just thirteen studio albums, none of which established him as a star. That’s okay. His albums are mostly very good, and are all worth picking up. He will always be remembered for his songwriting, and for the impressive and very long list of hits that others had with his material. The Dark is his tenth studio album, released in 2002. It was not a big hit, but pay no attention to that. It’s Clark’s first album to not feature any solo compositions: he co-wrote every song here except for “Rex’s Blues”, which was written by his late good friend Townes Van Zandt (Clark always tried to include one of his songs on his albums). The Dark did become the first Clark album to chart since 1983, peaking at number 46 on the US country list.
Clark is joined here by some greats: Darrell Scott plays a variety of stringed instruments, and the great Tim O’Brien adds fiddle. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings add backing vocals. The songs here won’t blow you away, but they are all very well written and performed. “Bag Of Bones”, “Magnolia Wind”, “She Loves To Ride Horses”…this is a beautifully done and understated work by one of the greatest of all country songwriters. Clark died in 2016 at age 74, just three years after his most successful album, 2013’s My Favorite Picture Of You. He will always be remembered for great songs like “L.A. Freeway” and “Desperados Waiting For A Train”, and for his work with artists like Van Zandt and Steve Earle…but don’t sleep on his highly underrated solo recordings. Like The Dark. A more than worthwhile listen.
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THE ATARIS
END IS FOREVER
2000 – KUNG FU
Produced By JOEY CAPE & JASON LIVERMORE
1. Giving Up On Love
2. Summer Wind Was Always Our Song
3. I.O.U. One Galaxy
4. Bad Case Of Broken Heart
5. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
6. Road Signs And Rock Songs
7. If You Really Want To Hear About It…
8. Fast Times At Drop-Out High
9. Songs For A Mix Tape
10. You Need A Hug
11. How I Spent My Summer Vacation
12. Teenage Riot
13. Song #13
14. Hello And Goodbye
The Ataris are a pop punk band from Indiana who became briefly famous in 2003 with their biggest hit, a cover of Don Henley’s “The Boys Of Summer”. The band is actually the domain of singer and songwriter Kris Roe, a clever and catchy frontman. Roe has been unable over the years to keep a steady Ataris lineup: there have been twenty eight members of the band, with Roe being the only constant member. End Is Forever is their third album, and like most of the bands material, it slipped by unnoticed by most. It does show some growth over their previous two albums, but nothing to indicate that this band was ever going to be big stars. Roe’s subject matter is far less interesting than his choice of song titles: it’s an album about love and loneliness on the road. In other words…there’s little of the anger and attitude of punk found here.
On the plus side, Roe does know his way around a tune, so the music here is listenable at its best. End Is Forever was overshadowed by the next Ataris album, 2003’s So Long, Astoria, which was home to “The Boys Of Summer” and a pair of minor Roe penned hits. And beyond that, The Ataris have done very little else. Roe keeps the Ataris name alive to this day by touring and releasing a single here and there…but there has not been a full album of new material in going on twenty years, despite ongoing promises of a new record on the horizon. End Is Forever is a once promising album by a once promising band, neither of which ever lived up to the potential. It’s a pleasant enough pop punk record, with not a lot of depth and not enough memorable material to be a real winner. There are better bands in this genre to hang your hat on.
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LOCAL NATIVES
GORILLA MANOR
2009 – FRENCHKISS
Produced By LOCAL NATIVES
1. Wide Eyes
2. Airplanes
3. Sun Hands
4. World News
5. Shape Shifter
6. Camera Talk
7. Cards & Quarters
8. Warning Sign
9. Who Knows Who Cares
10. Cubism Dream
11. Stranger Things
12. Sticky Thread
Local Natives is a band from Southern California that made something of a splash at SXSW in 2009. Gaining comparisons to bands like Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend, their debut album, Gorilla Manor, was pretty highly anticipated. It sounded pretty terrific, but the album unfortunately just missed having that one song that made it stand out. The band’s jangly guitar sound, up and down dynamics and twin lead vocals (often with one an octave lower than the other) created a decent enough formula. The best sound here is the understated lead guitar work of Ryan Hahn. It’s an upbeat and sunny sounding disc, with good but never great songs. The best tracks might win you over: “Sun Hands” is a bouncy good time, with “Airplanes”, “Camera Talk”, and “Who Knows Who Cares” not far behind.
The band would reach their commercial peak on their next album, 2013’s Hummingbird. But despite their accessible and popular sound, Local Natives has never quite caught on. Gorilla Manor remains their best album, though none of its six singles were hits. In fact, Local Natives is kind of a one hit wonder at this point, having had “When Am I Gonna Lose You” reach the alternative airplay top ten in 2017. Outside of that…Local Natives is a band without hits that sounds pretty good…they’ve always been just shy of being a big thing. If you’re a fan of 2010’s alternative indie rock, then this might be the band for you. Just don’t expect too much from them. In the end, Local Natives is a good, but never great band that delivers good, but never great songs and albums. Just don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed.
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HANK CRAWFORD
MR. BLUES / MR. BLUES PLAYS LADY SOUL
1999 – COLLECTABLES JAZZ CLASSICS
Produced By NESUHI ERTEGUN & ARIF MARDIN
1. Mr. Blues
2. On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
3. Hush Puppies
4. Danger Zone
5. Route 66
6. Lonely Avenue
7. Teardrops
8. Smoky City
9. The Turfer
10. Groovin’
11. I Can’t See Myself Leaving You
12. Never Let Me Go
13. Baby, I Love You
14. Lady Soul
15. Soul Serenade
16. Ain’t No Way
17. Since You’ve Been Goner (Sweet Sweet Baby)
18. Take A Look
19. Going Down Slow
Saxophonist Hank Crawford is mostly forgotten these days, but he was once a pretty major force in American music. He played with, and was the musical director for Ray Charles in the late fifties and early sixties before embarking on a solo career. Beginning in 1961, he released a staggering ten albums per decade through the nineties, blurring the boundaries between jazz, R&B, and soul music. He also worked with the likes of B.B. King, Etta James and Eric Clapton. There have been several budget releases of Crawfords work, each one featuring a pair of his solo albums. Mr. Blues / Mr. Blues Plays Lady Soul are a pair of his albums from 1967 and 1969, respectively. They came near the end of his decade long tenure with Atlantic Records, and while nowhere near his best releases, they do give a price friendly look at what his solo work was like.
Crawford’s jazz tracks are shorter than what was the norm at the time: only one of these tracks (“Going Down Slow”) is longer than five minutes. Without longer improv sections, the songs play out like instrumental soul tracks, but without any vocals at all, it’s hard for these songs to really go anywhere. Lots of horn players make for a rich and full sound, and these players are all among the very best of their time…but neither of these records was going to set the world on fire. There are some recognizable songs (“Route 66”, “On A Clear Day”, “Groovin’”). The second half (Plays Lady Soul) is of interest, as six of the ten songs were also recorded by Aretha Franklin. In all, this is a well played but very straightforward set of jazz and soul fusion that never really takes off. But the price is right as a budget album. Crawford died in 2009 at the age of 74.
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INGRID MICHAELSON
HUMAN AGAIN
2012 – CABIN 24 / MOM + POP MUSIC
Produced By DAVID KAHNE
1. Fire
2. This Is War
3. Do It Now
4. I’m Through
5. Blood Brothers
6. Black And Blue
7. Ribbons
8. How We Love
9. Palm Of Your Hand
10. Ghost
11. In The Sea
12. Keep Warm
13. End Of The World
14. Live It With Love
15. Blood Brothers (Home Recording)
16. Ribbons (Home Recording)
17. End Of The World (Live)
Yep. Ingrid Michaelson is that girl who got discovered on myspace. To her credit, she’s made a nice career for herself, despite being often written off as a pop singer. But Ingrid is more than just that. She’s good with a melody, has a fine voice, and uses more guitars in her music than you might think. She’s had a pair of sizable hits: “The Way I Am” from her 2006 album Girls And Boys, and “Girls Chase Boys”, from Lights Out in 2014. In the middle was her fourth album, 2012’s Human Again. Despite not really having any hits, the album sold well, thanks in large part to Ingrid’s loyal fanbase, and by the fact that this was simply a good album. Underrated? You bet. But that’s to be expected from someone who doesn’t fill the charts, doesn’t follow the pop singer rules, and who dares to be just a touch different.
Is it a great album? Well, no. But that’s okay. Human Again does contain some winners. “Blood Brothers”, “Fire”, and especially “Ghost” are the best tracks, and they are spaced out enough to keep the rest afloat. It’s ultimately Michaelson’s voice and a big sound that wins the day here. This version contains four hidden bonus tracks, which doesn’t hurt at all. Michaelson has released five albums since Human Again, the best of which is Lights Out. She also stays busy by releasing singles, doing soundtrack work, and even some acting. Her albums never get a lot of press, so it’s always a nice surprise to come across her music. Human Again is not Michaelson’s best work, but it’s still really good…this one will not disappoint. Worth picking up. She’s a really good singer, and she never makes bad product. Give it a shot!
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KATY PERRY
TEENAGE DREAM
2010 – CAPITOL
Produced By MAX MARTIN, DR. LUKE, BENNY BLANCO, TRICKY STEWART, STARGATE, GREG WELLS, SANDY VEE & AMMO
1. Teenage Dream
2. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
3. California Gurls (Feat. Snoop Dogg)
4. Firework
5. Peacock
6. Circle The Drain
7. The One That Got Away
8. E.T.
9. Who Am I Living For?
10. Pearl
11. Hummingbird Heartbeat
12. Not Like The Movies
13. California Gurls (Passion Pit Main Mix)
14. Teenage Dream (Kaskade Club Remix)
Fact: Katy Perry gets a ton of online hate. Sure, she’s a pop star, took a weird space flight, and lives a life that’s pretty wide open to criticism. Does she deserve the flak she gets? I would say no. Katy Perry is also one of the most successful musical artists of all time. Even though she has released just six studio albums (a seventh, her 2001 Christian rock debut album released when she was just 17 under the name Katy Hudson, doesn’t really count), she has reached heights that few others have gotten to. Teenage Dream is the follow up to her big breakthrough, 2008’s One Of The Boys, which contained four massive hits, including “I Kissed A Girl”. Teenage Dream, her career peak, was even bigger. It became just the second album (and the first by a female artist) to have five number one singles. And a sixth single reached number three.
That’s half the album right there. Say what you want about her style of music, but this is one album that’s home to “California Gurls”, “Last Night (T.G.I.F.)”, “Teenage Dream”, “E.T.”, and “Firework”. Respect where respect is due…I don’t see anyone else this side of Michael Jackson putting out an album this loaded with pop hits. This kind of music isn’t for everyone, but what she did here simply can’t be denied. This isn’t just a Platinum album…it’s Diamond (10 million units). Just in the US. From 2008 and 2013, there was nobody bigger than Katy Perry. This album is her at the top of her game, and it’s an accomplishment that will always be hard to reach, much less surpass. While her record sales have slipped over the years, and her online scrutiny of late has been less than flattering, she remains a true success story. Sometimes, people bash others simply for being successful at what they do. Katy Perry has done more right than wrong, and she deserves the admiration her fans give her.
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VERUCA SALT
EIGHT ARMS TO HOLD YOU
1997 – OUTPOST / GEFFEN
Produced By BOB ROCK
1. Straight
2. Volcano Girls
3. Don’t Make Me Prove It
4. Awesome
5. One Last Time
6. With David Bowie
7. Benjamin
8. Shutterbug
9. The Morning Sad
10. Sound The Bell
11. Loneliness Is Worse
12. Stoneface
13. Venus Man Trap
14. Earthcrosser
If you know your Beatles history, then you know that Eight Arms To Hold You was the working title of the film that became known as Help!. If you know your Veruca Salt history, then you know that Eight Arms To Hold You was the beginning of the end. They became big with their debut album, 1994’s American Thighs, and the hit “Seether”. Eight Arms was the follow up, and it did not put the band over the top as hoped. It started off strong, thanks to the hit “Volcano Girls”, but subsequent singles faltered, and the album sold not as much as their debut. But more importantly, the friendship and musical relationship of co frontwomen Nina Gordon and Louis Post was deteriorating quickly, with Post ending up being the only remaining member at the end of the tour for this album. Post carried on with Veruca Salt, but things were never the same.
Eight Arms has several problems. The tension between Gordon and Post, which has been cited as one of the biggest soap operas in rock history, is palpable. The songs are not as strong here as on American Thighs, and the production by Bob Rock seems to not be a great fit. It’s not a terrible album, with “Straight”, “Shutterbug” and “Benjamin” being highlights, but it is definitely a step back from their previous work. All of these things left Post holding the bag. She was able to put together a pair of Veruca Salt albums in the 2000’s, neither of which was successful. After ending the band in 2012, a year later, the original lineup reunited and released Ghost Notes in 2015. They have been mostly silent since then. Eight Arms was one a promising album that fell short for many reasons. At least there’s still “Seether” and “Volcano Girls”.
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BRIAN WILSON
BRIAN WILSON PRESENTS SMILE
2004 – NONESUCH
Produced By BRIAN WILSON
1. Our Prayer / Gee
2. Heroes And Villains
3. Roll Plymouth Rock
4. Barnyard
5. Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine
6. Cabin Essence
7. Wonderful
8. Song For Children
9. Child Is Father Of The Man
10. Surf’s Up
11. I’m In Great Shape / I Wanna Be Around / Workshop
12. Vega-Tables
13. On A Holiday
14. Wind Chimes
15. Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow
16. In Blue Hawaii
17. Good Vibrations
He's one of the most talented and visionary musicians of the popular era…and he’s also probably the most tragic. The mental health issues of Brian Wilson, the founder of The Beach Boys, came to a head during the recording of Smile (the follow up to the great Pet Sounds) in 1967. The recordings were abandoned, and the album was never released. Bootlegs have circulated for decades, and finally, in 2011, a box set of the abandoned recordings was released. But not as the album the way Wilson intended it to be. In 2003, after so many years of not being able to even speak of Smile, Wilson was assisted in putting together live shows built around the songs. The success of those shows led to Brian Wilson Presents Smile, which is new recordings of the music (with no involvement from any of The Beach Boys).
So, this album is not the original Smile, but it’s the closest thing we’ll ever get to it. It’s the way Wilson envisioned it, albeit in 2004 and not 1967. The original recordings do still exist, and you can hear what there is on The Smile Sessions. The best thing about this is that Wilson was finally able to reconcile with the album that crippled him for so many years. And it presents as fact that Wilson was making a truly great album. The original Beach Boys album will remain unreleased, meaning that its legend will always live on. My recommendation is this: listen to The Smile Sessions with all of its scraps and pieces and unfinished bits and Beach Boys vocal glory. Then listen to Brian Wilson Presents Smile, which is all of that wonderful music as finished as it will ever be. Pet Sounds proved Wilson to be a genius: Smile is full confirmation of that fact.
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DAKOTA BLONDE
SOUTH DAKOTA AFTERNOON
2003 – WIND OVER DAKOTA
Produced By DAKOTA BLONDE
1. Dig Real Deep
2. Come With What’s In Your Heart
3. September
4. South Dakota Afternoon
5. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
6. Perfect Moment
7. The Wind Jig
8. Dooley
9. The Meanest Thing
10. Home For A Time
11. Annabelle
12. Jukebox Rag
13. Have A Little Faith
Dakota Blonde is a local Colorado band. Outside of my home state, you’ve probably never heard of them. But they have had a successful enough for them career as Front Range heroes for going on thirty years now. Dakota Blonde is an acoustic trio of Mary Huckins, Don Pinnella and Tony Raddell. They began playing together while working as music therapists, and have never stopped. They released their first record in 1997, and became one of Denver’s most relatable and fun live acts. South Dakota Afternoon is their third album, released in 2003. It showcases their original material (mostly written by Huckins), as well as their fine choices of covers with songs by The Proclaimers (“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” and “Annabelle” (Gillian Welch). Their grasp on Americana music is firm and sure, the best kind of local secret.
There aren’t any hits here, and the band never gained any kind of national traction. Still, they are pleasant enough to listen to, and the experience is made better if you’ve ever caught them live. It’s notable also that for this album, they went all out on the artwork. The front cover is die-cut, and the black and white photo in the center is removable, held in place by four corner pieces. Pretty fancy for a band with no label deal. After this album, their recordings pretty much halted. They’ve released just one studio album and a pair of live discs since South Dakota Afternoon, and nothing since 2013. But you can still catch them live in the Denver area, where they are still well known and very much appreciated. Acoustic Americana music with great harmonies and a great stage sense. Dakota Blonde is one of those unknown bands you just might want to take for a spin.
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