2.
Chrissy From My Space-Mellow The Band 2006 In this latter part of the
decade, a lot of bands that I listened to came from My Space and while
there have been keepers that I came across (Lizzy Williams comes to
mind), most of them simply didn't have it for me to keep a interest in
(jah roots, M!SS CRAZY or the ones that kept badgering me to vote for
them every freaking week). MTB, reminds me of those forgotten pop vocal
candy bands that made interesting Psyceldelic vocal pop albums of the
late 60s. Reminds me of The Millenium or Jellyfish after listening to
the self titled Assocation album of 1968 and drawing inspiration there.
MTB managed to get this record released though speciality label
Renassiance last year but not much has happened since.
3.
Till I Can't Take It Anymore-Billy Joe Royal 1986 BJ Royal had some
big hits in the late 60s with songs written by Joe South and then
disappeared for a while before getting some marginal country hits for
the country version of Atlantic Records. Before Confederate Railroad,
BJ Royal was the best selling country artist of Atlantic of the late
80s, selling even more than Glen Campbell who floundered at that time.
You can tell this song came from the 80s by the cold and digialized
sound that country music favored.
4. Years Of
Tears-The Townedgers 1996 Sure I like to promote my music from time to
time and if I want to, I could promote a TE song ever time I put up a
top ten but I don't always listen to my music every day anyway.
Sometimes when I get discouraged about my own band situation I do put on
a TE song just to remind myself that I can write a good song from time
to time. Certainly the TEs are still playing and still writing but
history has shown that the best TE music came from the 90s. I just hope
that our music today rivals the Rolling Stones, meaning making classic
albums and then pretty much marking time with subpar music that was a
shell of itself of years past.
5. Time
Machine-Cracker 2009 Cracker soul today which is their most hard
rocking since their first album way back in the early 90s. David Lowery
used to make hour long epic albums but on the new one, it comes across
as a EP of sorts (Only 36 and a half minites long). Basically without
any major label noodling, there wasn't much left except to rock out and
have fun. Will this be record of the year, probably not. But we still
are not half way through this year yet so I'm still waiting to be
surprised.
6. Hello Trouble-Buck Owens 1964 Without a cd player in the Pimpmobile that I'm borrowing from my brother, I'm forced to listen to whatever radio pukes up and I find that going home on cloudless nights turing into the WSM in Nashville, a country station that plays real country from time to time. I can overlook Brad Paisley's He Didn't Have To Be to hear the guy there play not one but two Buck Owens songs back to back which is why I wish every country station around here would follow the lead and then I'd be a loyal listener. Back in the 60s Buck had hit after hit after hit on the radio and we got a daily dose of Buck on the country charts. Not today on KHAcK where Carrie Underwood reigns supreme. But at least WSM in Nashville pays homage to the past. And imagine my surprise when they played Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs back to back too. Still I can't wait to get a car that I can listen to my beloved CDs but for now as long as I drive the deathtrap Crown Victoria at least going home I can at least listen to a radio station for more than five minites (commerical notwithstanding).
7. Clare
Blues-Vufcup 2008 Diggy Kat has been very busy with recording projects
left and right but he did sent me a collection of songs he did last year
in a compliation CD with his collective bands. He keeps getting better
with each new effort and as a fan of his tunes I'm honored to follow
every new turn that he does with each new recording. I'm sure he's also
working on the followup to Songs That Made An Impact, the complation
that showcased some of the best unknown bands around (and includes a
certain eastern iowa band who I won't tell but the initials are T and
E). And I'm sure Shawn Ster is probably chomping at the bit that he
didn't get included on such a fine compliation too ;).
8.
Just To Satisfy You-Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson 1981 The outlaw
moment was over by then but Waylon and Willie still managed to make a
chart topping single or two in the early part of the 80s. A reworking
of a minor hit that Waylon had around 66 or 67.
9.
Get Tough-The Del-Lords 1985 Hard rocking band from New York that
featured Top Ten from the Dictators (Scott Kempner), Roscoe Ambel who
would be Americana Producer Wonderkind and future Cracker drummer Frank
Funero. After twenty plus years their albums are being reissued on CD
from the fine folk at Collector's Choice Music/American Beat Records.
Now will somebody issue The Brains first album before I'm dead and gone.
10.
Fork In The Road-Neil Young 2009 Finally it looks like that Neil Young
finally has issued that long awaited Archives box set that hes been
working on for the past twenty years. The Blu Ray at 300 bucks will
keep you up to date and it gives you just about everything Neil. The
downside is that most of his albums are on this big box set with one or
two songs left off. I have yet to see this big box set but there are a
cheaper DVD set (200 bucks) and an 8 CD set around 80 bucks. Doubt if
I'll "cough up the bucks" for this, even a 8 cd set would take a whole
month to dissect and analize so I guess I will hang on to the cds I
already have and his new album which is stuck in a shitty digipak that
will give you a nasty papercut if you're not careful. I'd sell mine but
Secondspin is only offering a dollar for trade in. Not exactly a good
deal, especially when the cost of sending it to them cost more than
trade.
Bonus Track-Wang Dang Doodle-Koko Taylor
1967 RIP Koko Taylor who died yesterday at the age of 80. The Queen of
The Blues, Koko is famous for a booming vocal and recorded for Checker
and Alligator Records and has played at various blues festivals around
the area. She will be missed.
