08-02-2008, 07:28 AM
I love music threads! Thanks Rob!
Due to the 5 post limit I'm forced to make this very long ... [:p]
I like rock and coming of age in the late 60's I listened to everything, but my true love is lyrics/folk in all its variations (NOT a purist). Love singer-songwriters of all persuasions.
None of my recs are unknowns, but they all seem under-appreciated considering how talented they are. I won't include my favorite folk heroes that are mega-stars, under the "No Eagles" request parameters.
But first, I'm smiling that you picked JD Souther and told us not to mention our favorite Eagles' song. After all, Souther wrote or co-wrote some major Eagles' songs! (was Glen Frey's good friend and Linda Ronstadt's boyfriend, and practically got the Eagles going as her backup band ...
this is an excellent article on him
http://www.debbiekruger.com/writer/freel...uther.html
Some other recordings from that nexus of people who mostly played together at some point or other:
Gene Clark's "Dillard and Clark Expedition" (with Bernie Leadon of the Eagles),
Hot Burrito, Flying Burrito Brothers' albums.
Gram and Gene Parsons
Tom Waits (Heart of Saturday Night and Ol 55 two of his hits that I love
Under-appreciated musicians when judging by commercial success:
JJ Cale's early albums. Sure he's not unknown, but considering where Clapton got on JJ's songs, relatively less commercial.
John Hiatt -- One of his first hits, "Bring The Family" might still be my favorite, a perfect album, with Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner. "Have a Little Faith in Me" sung by Hiatt is one of the most chilling emotional songs I know. For a wonderful funky bluesy album, check out their one time "band" "Little Village" (1991).
Warren Zevon is under-achieving compared to his friend Jackson Browne,
I recently bought this album "Enjoy Every Sandwich" that's a tribute to Zevon with multiple artists singing his songs, from Browne, Henley, Dylan, Petty, Jakob Dylan, Zevon's son, and Bruce Springsteen doing a version of My Ride's Here than makes me tear up every time it's so moving.
John Gorka, if people don't know him, and you at all like songwriters who are funny, witty, perceptive, folk-country-blues -- he's a real American gem. Jimmy Buffett's cleverness and humor from a Jersey boy who seems to have walked all the roads. Hard to choose a first Gorka album to buy -- clips and reviews are on Amazon. I like Company You Keep.
His 2006 album, Writing in the Margins, has songs with titles like "The Road to Good Intentions" and "Unblindfold the Referee" -- gotta love a guy who can write lyrics like John, example, a verse that makes me think of Puna:
"Bring your regrets put them on the pile
Trust these mountains to be here awhile
Lend me your shoes I’ll walk a mile"
Marc Cohn:
especially "Marc Cohn" (debut) and "Burning the Daze."
Celtic guys other than Van Morrison and David Gray:
Damien Rice -- Dublin boy -- either 0 or 9, his two albums. Again, not unsuccessful commercially but not THAT much play here: I love "Cannonballs" "Volcano" and "Coconut Skins" "Gray Room" "Nine Crimes"
If you only know the successful David Gray, the early albums are GREAT. "Lost Songs" is amazing. "Flame Turns Blue" is haunting and magical.
Tom Waits crossed with David Gray ...
David Baerwald - "Here Comes the New Folk Underground" and "Triage"
"Why" the first cut on New Folk Underground is one of my favorites:
"And you still believe in Eden, some place down the road
Just when the door is open wide, the walls begin to close"
Then "The Crash" is a gorgeous song about a terrible event but it's an amazing song because the music is upbeat and catchy, happy song music, and you only gradually get the picture of what has happened in the song until the end, and then it simply rips my heart out.
I have lots of female artists that I love, but one who writes the most killer lyrics who again I feel doesn't get the full recognition of her amazing body of work is Aimee Mann. Maybe her literate intelligence is intimidating? If you're ever in a sarcastic mood she will speak for you -- her songs about relationships and people just cut to the bone -- as in, now that I for sure can't save this, can we just cut all the BS and tell it like it really was, is, and will be? [}
]
My favorite Aimee Mann albums are Whatever, Bachelor #2, I'm With Stupid.
(Note -- not mentioning the Indigo Girls, Kate Wolf, Shawn Colvin, 10,000 Maniacs, etc. under the No Eagles rule) [:p]
BUT maybe Kate Wolf isn't as well known around the country as she was in if you're Northern California ... if a person loves life in the country, by the sea, Kate Wolf is marvellous. I think "Trumpet Vine" still sums up the essence of the best of what Puna life could take from the best of the 70's "back to the land" movement.
"and if it weren't for kitchen songs and mornings spent with friends
we all might lose the things we love the best."
It's even on Utube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT5zzwUgbds
And EVERYONE with an inner flower child heart should hear "Give Yourself to Love" which used to be mandatory at hippy country weddings ... [
]
There are a few very good Kate Wolf anthologies. I'm not much of a Greatest Hits person, but if you don't intend to get all the albums, these are very special collections: "Gold in California" is a good one.
I noticed that almost without exception, Kate Wolf's albums are rated 5 stars on Amazon, except 4 1/2 stars for her debut album. Either everyone agrees she's stellar or no one reviews her who isn't a hard core fan ...
My taste should be apparent from this list, so if you guys think of anyone I would most likely fall for and may not have heard of, tell me ...
*I'm shocked to see how many of these albums were from the 80's and 90's -- I never really thought of those decades as great for my kind of music* [:0]
Due to the 5 post limit I'm forced to make this very long ... [:p]
I like rock and coming of age in the late 60's I listened to everything, but my true love is lyrics/folk in all its variations (NOT a purist). Love singer-songwriters of all persuasions.
None of my recs are unknowns, but they all seem under-appreciated considering how talented they are. I won't include my favorite folk heroes that are mega-stars, under the "No Eagles" request parameters.
But first, I'm smiling that you picked JD Souther and told us not to mention our favorite Eagles' song. After all, Souther wrote or co-wrote some major Eagles' songs! (was Glen Frey's good friend and Linda Ronstadt's boyfriend, and practically got the Eagles going as her backup band ...
this is an excellent article on him
http://www.debbiekruger.com/writer/freel...uther.html
Some other recordings from that nexus of people who mostly played together at some point or other:
Gene Clark's "Dillard and Clark Expedition" (with Bernie Leadon of the Eagles),
Hot Burrito, Flying Burrito Brothers' albums.
Gram and Gene Parsons
Tom Waits (Heart of Saturday Night and Ol 55 two of his hits that I love
Under-appreciated musicians when judging by commercial success:
JJ Cale's early albums. Sure he's not unknown, but considering where Clapton got on JJ's songs, relatively less commercial.
John Hiatt -- One of his first hits, "Bring The Family" might still be my favorite, a perfect album, with Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner. "Have a Little Faith in Me" sung by Hiatt is one of the most chilling emotional songs I know. For a wonderful funky bluesy album, check out their one time "band" "Little Village" (1991).
Warren Zevon is under-achieving compared to his friend Jackson Browne,
I recently bought this album "Enjoy Every Sandwich" that's a tribute to Zevon with multiple artists singing his songs, from Browne, Henley, Dylan, Petty, Jakob Dylan, Zevon's son, and Bruce Springsteen doing a version of My Ride's Here than makes me tear up every time it's so moving.
John Gorka, if people don't know him, and you at all like songwriters who are funny, witty, perceptive, folk-country-blues -- he's a real American gem. Jimmy Buffett's cleverness and humor from a Jersey boy who seems to have walked all the roads. Hard to choose a first Gorka album to buy -- clips and reviews are on Amazon. I like Company You Keep.
His 2006 album, Writing in the Margins, has songs with titles like "The Road to Good Intentions" and "Unblindfold the Referee" -- gotta love a guy who can write lyrics like John, example, a verse that makes me think of Puna:
"Bring your regrets put them on the pile
Trust these mountains to be here awhile
Lend me your shoes I’ll walk a mile"
Marc Cohn:
especially "Marc Cohn" (debut) and "Burning the Daze."
Celtic guys other than Van Morrison and David Gray:
Damien Rice -- Dublin boy -- either 0 or 9, his two albums. Again, not unsuccessful commercially but not THAT much play here: I love "Cannonballs" "Volcano" and "Coconut Skins" "Gray Room" "Nine Crimes"
If you only know the successful David Gray, the early albums are GREAT. "Lost Songs" is amazing. "Flame Turns Blue" is haunting and magical.
Tom Waits crossed with David Gray ...
David Baerwald - "Here Comes the New Folk Underground" and "Triage"
"Why" the first cut on New Folk Underground is one of my favorites:
"And you still believe in Eden, some place down the road
Just when the door is open wide, the walls begin to close"
Then "The Crash" is a gorgeous song about a terrible event but it's an amazing song because the music is upbeat and catchy, happy song music, and you only gradually get the picture of what has happened in the song until the end, and then it simply rips my heart out.
I have lots of female artists that I love, but one who writes the most killer lyrics who again I feel doesn't get the full recognition of her amazing body of work is Aimee Mann. Maybe her literate intelligence is intimidating? If you're ever in a sarcastic mood she will speak for you -- her songs about relationships and people just cut to the bone -- as in, now that I for sure can't save this, can we just cut all the BS and tell it like it really was, is, and will be? [}
]My favorite Aimee Mann albums are Whatever, Bachelor #2, I'm With Stupid.
(Note -- not mentioning the Indigo Girls, Kate Wolf, Shawn Colvin, 10,000 Maniacs, etc. under the No Eagles rule) [:p]
BUT maybe Kate Wolf isn't as well known around the country as she was in if you're Northern California ... if a person loves life in the country, by the sea, Kate Wolf is marvellous. I think "Trumpet Vine" still sums up the essence of the best of what Puna life could take from the best of the 70's "back to the land" movement.
"and if it weren't for kitchen songs and mornings spent with friends
we all might lose the things we love the best."
It's even on Utube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT5zzwUgbds
And EVERYONE with an inner flower child heart should hear "Give Yourself to Love" which used to be mandatory at hippy country weddings ... [
]There are a few very good Kate Wolf anthologies. I'm not much of a Greatest Hits person, but if you don't intend to get all the albums, these are very special collections: "Gold in California" is a good one.
I noticed that almost without exception, Kate Wolf's albums are rated 5 stars on Amazon, except 4 1/2 stars for her debut album. Either everyone agrees she's stellar or no one reviews her who isn't a hard core fan ...
My taste should be apparent from this list, so if you guys think of anyone I would most likely fall for and may not have heard of, tell me ...
*I'm shocked to see how many of these albums were from the 80's and 90's -- I never really thought of those decades as great for my kind of music* [:0]