It's taken me a long time this year to sort out what I consider the best the best of 2017, not because of any shortage of music but rather my mind is now going back into the past to remember the forgotten albums and songs of yesterday. I found myself I couldn't trust Pitchfork, nor SPIN, nor Rolling Stone or even No Depression for that matter. It was simply that after 40 years of trying to keep up, I simply threw my hands up and became very picky on what to buy.
A lot of new stuff I bought came from established acts. Chris Rea had a new album out, so I snatched that up, Alternative rockers Ride and The Dream Syndicate came out with new albums, Ride took 21 years, Dream Syndicate 30 years and perhaps the wait was worth it. Or maybe not but both albums had some choice moments of note. But the new rock and roll bands simply bored me. Muse? ZZZ, Arcade Fire, wake me up and I have no use for Kendrick Lemar. And of course Neil Young and Willie Nelson had to put out their usual two to three albums but The Visitor, I felt that Neil Young dropped the ball on making a album which would flip the bird off to our worthless president, POTUS Fraud 45. As for Willie, he's 83 and God's Problem Child turned out to be more of a snoozer than originally thought of. But still I opened my wallet just to hear the new stuff.
But the problem for me was that most of the albums are now in overlong digitapacks that are hard to store than the usual Jewel case storage units and at that point I begin to pick and chose the more worthy ones. Gregg Allman might have made his final farewell album but I never got around hearing it. I opted for Chris Hillman's latest which would be the last album Tom Petty would associate himself with before he died, and then we lost Tommy Keene and Pat Dinizio in consecutive months and I didn't care much for anything new anymore. There were some nifty reissues, A live Replacements, vintage Husker Du stuff, Duane Eddy's RCA singles but that was about it.
But I don't know. I have to yet to get the new Delta Moon album and I know it's going to be a good album, Greg Allman's finale shows his final album he goes out in style and Neil Young is Neil Young. Looking back on previous lists, I don't play the majority of the picks that I did made at the time. Good music is timeless still, but as they say, so little time, so much music and it grows every year.
The Ten Best Of 2017
1. So You Wanna Be An Outlaw-Steve Earle (Warner Brothers)
After years of marking time with so so albums, it took Alison Moorer to leave him to get him back to his country roots although this album is more rock and roll by nature. It's country when he picks Willie Nelson and Johnny Bush to help out on the country numbers. It's country heartbreak when Miranda Lambert is picked for the female duet number. But it's pure rock and roll when Earle screams out that he's fixing to die and going to hell after he off's his love interest. His best since El Corazon.
2. Infinite-Deep Purple (Ear/Eagle Rock)
If anybody was paying attention and look past the usual classic rock repeats of Smoke On The Water is that Ian Gillan and company have made some great hard rock albums as they approach 70 years old in that bad. Senior Citizen Rock, does kick most of the youngster's ass anyway. Perhaps Bob Ezrin was the answer that Deep Purple needed, he worked on their Now What?! album and that was was pretty good. Say what you want about Richie Blackmore, but Steve Morse has quietly been the most stable guitar player Deep Purple ever had, without Blackmore's moodiness and drama, Deep Purple played better. Infinite, like many albums might Deep Purple's last but if it is, it's a nice way to go out. Of course Roadhouse Blues everybody plays it, but the band plays it in a more sly and dirtier tone than the Doors ever did. They even go prog rock on The Surprising and Time For Bedlam but don't let Johnny's Band fool you, it's is Deep Purple more so than Smoke On The Water ever was.
3. Logic And Lies-The Townedgers (Maier)
Touting my own albums as one of the best of the year is not arrogance but rather the belief that if you make a good album, you'll play it a long time, even if it's The Beatles, Randy Cliffs, Blackberry Smoke or The Townedgers. In fact the title track has taken a new life of its own Like Pawnshops For Olivia and Drive In Blues, Logic And Lies is a concept album about the pros and cons of looking for love, finding love, getting rejected by love, ignoring love and then fall and then finding and falling in love and everything falls into place. The Townedgers never played so emotionally well as they did on this album as your's truly ran the gauntlet of romance, rejection and resurrection. It ends well but one of the songs casts a wary eye on the fake president and the coming of end days on Lately. Unlike Pawnshops For Olivia, which ends on the down note Logic And Lies ends on the opposite, in the end, the singer finally gets the girl at the end of the album. A twisted Love Story for the ages.
4) Wheeler Walker Jr-Redneck Shit (30 Tigers)
The best country album of the year from a comedian what used to have a show on Comedy Central. Perhaps the best country album from a X rated mind. The perfect heartbreak song of redemption called Fuck You Bitch? Family Tree is a dysfunctional Family Tradition. Drop Em Out, kicks Luke Bryan in the nuts. Eatin Pussy/Kickin Ass winks at ZZ Top. And Can't Fuck You Off My Mind would bring Dwight Yoakam to teams. Which One Of You Queers....is dedicated to Florida Georgia Line.
5) Pinewood Smile-The Darkness (Cooking Vinyl)
If you want real classic rock and roll for newbies, consider The Darkness and their AC/DC via Queen music, to which they go out and get the son from the drummer of Queen to play drums. Hard to believe The Darkness has been around for 10 years and yet classic rock radio still doesn't play them. Maybe in 2022 perhaps? The Darkness rock with the best of them, even better than Steel Panther. Solid Gold should be played on the radio I do believe.
6) How Did I Find Myself Here-The Dream Syndicate (Anti)
Their first album in just about 3 decades and they return back to the original sound they conceived on The Days Of Wine And Roses, although I do miss the garage rock of Ghost Stories. Even Kendra Smith came out of nowhere to help out on one song. While the 11 minute title track gets noticed by critics, I tend to find myself liking the rockers The Circle and Out Of My Head better. Still a welcome comeback from a band I didn't think would ever return again.
7) Chuck-Chuck Berry (Dualtone)
At age 89 and before his passing, Chuck Berry made his most enjoyable album since From St Louis To Liverpool and all he had to do was add a different set of lyrics to his patented guitar riffs that everybody learned from. I think this was a better album than his Rockit album he recorded for Atco in 1979 (and reissued this year from Varese Vintage). It's a family affair album with Ingrid, Chuck Jr and Chuck the 3rd helping out but also Tom Morello too and his long time backing band who could figure him out better than the better known hired hands of rock and roll. In the end, the master of riffs rides out in the sunset on a winning note.
8) Wooly-The Dawn (Carthrope)
This year there wasn't much for new music on the local circuit. Tommy Bruner and Wooden Nickel Lottery are both working on new material. But in Davenport, local favorites The Dawn came up with a worthy followup to their amazing At First Light, to which Sean Ryan and company finally bridged the gap between The Grateful Dead to Phish and moe. A bit of growing pains since new co vocalist Derek Fortin takes a few listens to get used to, But the best moments remain when Ryan takes over vocals on Dance All Night and 1984 and they get their inner jam freak on. And when they get their groove on, they even out rock Phish and moe.
9) Memories-Ryan Phelan (self released)
The other new release came out this month from a local act barely made it to the best of 2017. Which in the case of last year Neil Young Peace Trail made it despite lukewarm reviews. Ryan is a regular on the Parlor City jam circuit and he does wonderful things with his own band Dr. Z's Experiment to which someday I hope they can make a Cd of their own. It could rival The Dawn for jam band improvisations. On Ryan's solo album, he incorporates a series of New Age guitar work, some off the wall blues New Bo Jackson (featuring Jeremiah Murphy of Dr. Z' and Jon Wilson on drums) and the country Rope And Ride. Winter Highway is another whole matter, a CB talkathon that shows Ryan's off the wall sense of humor. But on the later songs featuring various rappers (All Our Friends) Ryan shows more modern hip hop rock. Which may or may not be a good thing for the traditional rock listener.
10) I Knew You When-Bob Seger (Capitol)
Like Deep Purple, Bob Seger has hinted this may be his last album too and it was inspired by the passing of Glen Frey who is part of the songs here including the bonus track Glen's Song. The drum mix is noted but Bob has not rocked out this hard in years. His version of Busload Of Faith is dead on great, the Leonard Cohen Democracy not so much. Of course, nobody is going to remember I Knew You When, when Night Moves and Stranger In Town and Turn The Page are playing somewhere at any given time, but I Knew You When could be a fitting finale for a Detroit rock and roller who can had been known to give it his all on occasion.
Reissues Of The Year.
The Replacements-For Sale: Live At Maxwells 1986 (Sire/Rhino)
Sloppy good before everything started to crash down.
The Grateful Dead-Cornell May 8, 1977 (Rhino)
It's debatable if this is essential Dead, they didn't play much of the hits but the interplay between everybody on Not Fade Away and even Dancing In The Streets shows they were "dead" on that night
The Turtles Present The Battle Of The Bands (Manifesto)
The Turtles as a surf band, rock band, country band, freak out band? A rare album that gets better with the inclusion of bonus tracks that enhances more of the theory that The Turtles can do just about everything and I still get a chuckle out of hearing Umbassa The Dragon, voted of one of the worst all time B sides in music history, which isn't true. But I also like the B side of Chicken Little Was Right better than the country honk.
Ladies And Gentlemen-The Rolling Stones (Eagle)
Some Girls Live 1978-The Rolling Stones (Eagle)
The Rolling Stones On Air at the BBC (Polydor)
Nothing will replace Get Your Ya Yas Out as the definite live album but Ladies And Gentlemen The Rolling Stones does show the Stones being sloppy fun and good. But by 1978 Some Girls Live, the Stones managed to polish themselves up for this date which does play the majority of that album. It also brings light that Charlie Watts kept the whole band together, hell he had to. To a lesser extent, the BBC On Air is a look back to the beginnings of the Stones and how they were still learning the game with covers of R and B and chess acts. The 2 CD set is better, but if you get the single CD like I did, it does show them to be a very competent R and B band.
Neil Young-Hitchhiker (Reprise)
He seemed to have his act together better under a quick recording session with David Briggs then he did with The Visitor with The Promise Of Real In other words, when David Briggs passed on, Neil Young never made the classic albums like he once did, but rather fair to good albums. I doubt if Briggs would allow Neil to make half hour songs of noodling jams.
The Doors-Complete Elektra Singles (Rhino)
This includes everything, including the singles the band did after Jim Morrison's death and it's nice to have everything in tow. A shame it took Elektra 45 years and as many compilations to tell the complete story of The Doors from the 7 inch side of things. There are some missteps (Do It), but for an 2:45 edit, Light My Fire still rocks in its own way.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Fishin In The Dark (Warner/Rhino)
I was disappointed when I picked up the Certified Hits and finding Fishin In The Dark to be the live version since that version was on Warner's it better for Rhino just to license the Liberty/EMI stuff instead. Deep in their heart the Dirt Band was always country than rock.
Another Night-Best Of The Searchers Sire Years (Omnivore)
Their time at Sire gave a new sound and meaning to the Searchers, they cover the Records, they covered Tom Petty back when he wasn't cool and they covered The Motors and Micky Jupp too.
The Best Of The Rest:
Cheap Trick-Christmas Christmas (Big Machine)
Cheap Trick-We're All Alright
We're All Alright continues the winning streak and being associated with Julian Raymond, Cheap Trick finally unloads the balladry crap that made me avoid their later albums. However their Christmas album was even better than We're All Alright. Except for the weird Silent Night and the family singalong Our Father Of Life, Cheap Trick reveals their inner glam rock with the Slade cover Merry Xmas Everybody and Roy Wood's I Wish Everyday Can Be Like Christmas and their own Merry Christmas Darlings and they keep it rocking all the way through Run Run Rudolf. And even on their Ramones cover of Merry Christmas (I don't want to fight) they turned into what the song would be like had the Sex Pistols covered it. If Christmas were like this, I would be more of a fan of Christmas too (too bad REO Speedwagon didn't do that when they put their turkey of an album out years ago)
Ringo Starr-Give More Love (UMG)
With the kind of personal, Ringo can still make a good album. Usually Joe Walsh has something to do with that. The new updates on Photograph is worth listening to.
Ryan Adams-Prisoner (Blue Note)
He can get tiring at times but at least on this effort he seems to be more awake and into the music.
Buckingham/McVie (Atlantic)
Somewhat of a Fleetwood Mac reunion album but without Stevie. Too bad Stevie missed out. This is their best album since Mirage. Christine McVie was surely missed over the years.
Weather Diaries-Ride (Wichita)
Another band from the shoegazer pop movement, Ride's return is uneven at times, but it's always nice to hear Andy Bell's guitar
Collective Soul-Live (Suretone)
The early years of the hits are in the middle of this live double which is strange to me, but Where The River Flows and Gel never sounded more metallic.
Robert Plant-Carry Fire (Nonesuch)
You have to admit Robert continues to blaze his own path, even though it doesn't rock as he once did.
Body Count-Bloodlust (Century Media)
Ice T is back with Ernie C and they've never been more pissed off than before.
The Roots of Krokus-Big Rocks (Sony/Century Media)
They gotten better with age but on this effort they decided to pay tribute to the bands they grew up listening to. The best song? Their own Backseat Rock And Roll.
Prophets Of Rage (Fantasy)
Chuck D in for Zach in a new version of Rage, which came together after Fraud 45 came to be POTUS. A shame this wasn't as biting as they once was, but as long as the Failed Reality Star is taking up residence and the GOP making life hell for everybody the hope is that POR will get more sinister. Perhaps Ice T should join in the fun?
The rest:
Chris Hillman-Biding My Time (Rounder)
Kasey Chambers-Dragonfly (Essential)
The Townedgers-Eminent Domain (Maier)
Bush-Black And White Rainbows (Caroline)
Black Stone Cherry-Black To Blues EP (Mascot)
Chris Rea-Road Songs For Lovers (BMG)
Lana Del Ray-Lust For Life (Polydor)
Weezer-Pacific Daydream (Crush)
Linkin Park-One More Light (Warner Bros)
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